PART XIII

ETICURUS.
571
being opprefled with Snow and Ice through bis diftance from it. If then the World, be God, thefe, being the Parts of the World, are to be termed, fome, the Burning • fome, the frozen Members of God.
As to its external Form or Figure, it feems, in the firft place, certain, that there is fome ex¬ tremity of the World, becaufe the World is a kind of Segment of the infinite Univerfe ^ but what that is, who is able to tell, unlefs he came thence ?
For whereas it feems to be Heaven, there is nothing in all apparent things hinders, but that it may be Rare, nor nothing hinders but that it may be Denfe ^ Rare, forafmuch as the Stars which are in it, and appear to be moved, per¬ form their Motions through it ; Denfe, foraf- much as itfelf is able to move the Stars fixed in it.
Again, nothing hinders, but that it may be cither Quiefcent,if the Stars are moved through it ; or Circularly moved, if the Stars are carri¬ ed round about with it.
Befides, nothing hinders, but that it may be round, oval,or lenticular, efpecially if it be mo¬ ved. Again, nothing hinders, but that it may be triangular, pyramidal, fquar, hexacdrical, or of any other plain Figure, efpecially if it be unmoved.
As for them, who, being perfuaded by fome Arguments,airert the World fo to have one de¬ terminate Figure, as that it can have no other, we cannot but wonder at their Stupidity. For moft maintain the world to be, as Immortal and Blefled, fo alfo Round, becaufe Plato denieth a- ny Figure to be more Beautiful than that. But, to me, that of the Cylinder, or the Square, or the Cone, or the Pyramid, feem, by reafon of the Variety, more Beautiful.
C H A P. II.
Of the late Beginning of the World.
AS for the fccond Head. The world is not Eternal, but began to be at fome time. For firft,Seeing that the Nature of the whole and of the Parts is the fame ; And we obferve, that the Parts of theWorld are obnoxious both to Generation and Corruption, it follows , That the wholeWorld muft be fubjedt to Gene¬ ration and Corruption. That the Parts of the World are generated and corrupted, is demon- ftrated even by the ' Senfe, and lhall be proved hereafter.
Neither let any fay,that the Mutations which are made in the Parts of the world are not of tire more Principal parts, as of the Sun, the Moon, the Earth, and the reft ^ but of the lef- fer only which are but Particles, whereof the Principal conlift ^ for he ought to conceive, that if the Principal parts confift of parts fubjeft to Mutation, thofe whole parts themfelves are fub- jeft to Mutation and though ordinarily there occur not Caufes fo powerful as to change them, ceverthelefs nothing hinders, but that fuch may fometimes occur,as even among the lelfer parts, fome continue fafe a great while, which, at laft, in progrefs of time, fiind caufes of Mutation.
Befides, feeing that the mbft ancient Hiftories of all things exceed not the Theban and Trojan Wars, what is the reafon of this.but becaufe the world is not old, fo far is it from being eter¬ nal .? For if eternal, why did not other Poets celebrate other things ? How came the memo¬ rable Adfs of fo many eminent Perfons to per- iOi Why are the Records of Eternal Fame no where extant ? ^ . .
In like manner/ feeing that wehaveail Arts newly invented,and their Inventors are not un¬ known, ( for, that daily many Arts are advan¬ ced and receive increafe, is very manifeft,) how comes this to pafs, but becaufe the World had not its beginning long ago? for the World could not be fo long without Arts, which are of fo great importance to life
If you believe, that in times paft there were fuch Records and Arts as now, which periflied by fome great Conflagrations,. Deluges, Earth- quakes,being fubverted together with the Cities and Nations themfelves, do you not acknow¬ ledge it neceflary, that there muft be at fome time to come a deftrudion of Earth and Heaven, as it had hapned, if in thofe cafes fome greater Caufes had lighted ? For we ourfelves think ourfelves mortal, for no sther reafon, but for that we perceive ourfelves to fall into the fame difeafes, as they whom we fee die.
The World therefore had a Beginning •, nor was, as may appear by what we faid,of very great Antiquity. But whenfoever it begun,it is moft probable it begun in the Spring, becaule then all things fprout,flouri(h, and bring forth ; and the newnefs of theWorld required a tempe¬ rate heat and cold for the cherilhing of its young Brood, before it fhould pafs toi either of the Extreams
chap. III.
Of the Caufe of the World.
AS to the next Head : We muft firft acquit the Divine Power from the folicitude and labour of framing theWorld, fork could not be a Caufe blelfed and immortal that made it.
With what Eyes could Pkta look upon the Fabrick of fo great a Work, as to conceive the World made and built by God ? What Defigns, What Tools, What Beams , What Engines What Minifters, in fo great a task ? Hovv could Air, Fire, Water, Earth, obey and ferve.the will of the Architeft ? Whence fpfung thofe five Forms,' of which the reft alfo are framed, lighting aptly to. make up Mind ahdSenfes.? It were too long to repeat all, which are rather in our Wilh, than in our Power to find out.
Again, this God, of whom he fpeaks, either was not in the former age, wherein Bodies were either imnioveable, or moved without any or¬ der ; or he then flept or wak’d ; or did. neither. The firft cannot be adrnitted, for. God is Eter¬ nal ; nor the fecond, for if he flept frOni Eter¬ nity he was dead, Death, being an Eternal Sleep, But neither is God capable of Sleep, . for the Immortality of God, and a thing near Death, are far afunder. Now if he were either
fomthing was w.inting to his Felicity, or he was D d d d 2 perfedlt
572
EPICURUS.