Book 1III.

Who hath the be(l fight.
The f anguine have ftrong
fights
eholerlcfifiet tkarly .
Whdt fight a grotfefpirit
makes.
and things ac a great diftance may be difcerned. For wnen the animal fpirit is much, and plentifully fubtile, thin, and heavenly, k carrieth the fight a great way, and fees all things clearly, nor is it eafily wearied with continuall looking, or a fixed intending of it, and the moift and hot fpirit hath this faculty, commonly cal¬ led the fanguine complexion. But where the fpirit is but little, yet pure and not cloudy, he'can fee things near at hand clearly and diftindtly, and hath a certain choice, but things at a diftante or fomething farther off, he fees not fo clearly. For a little and mean fpirit iseafily diflolved and vanitheth, and cannot carry the fight fo far. Whence it comes that fuch as have the organ ot light furnifhedwith a clear, but yet fmall fpirit, will fee-tne lmai tft chara&ers without hurting their fight, but great mountains far¬ ther off, or rocks that are capes at Sea, they cannot fee fo well, which happens to a hot and dry or chokrick complexion. But why fome do fee things hard by them but meanly, and things di- ftant not at all, proceeds from want of fpirics, and grolfendfcof them. But where the fpirits arc plentiful! and grofle, and fome- what thicker than ordinary, that man can long endure to look on a thing, and not be weary to behold it long and ftedfaftly that is obvious to his fight, and he can fee at.the firft glance, but cannot exactly diftinguifh things : for groflentfle hinders fharp fight £ which may beobferved in acold or moift complexion, which is the fiegmatique. But he that hath a moift and mean animal fpirit, to ferve the organ or fight, he can neither lee things near hand ex¬ actly, nor at all things afar off, for a few fpirits foon vanifh, and are difperfed : but grofle ones hinder the function of fight j fince the rays that proceed from the fight of the eyes are not carried to the object, nor do they receive the fpccies of things that come to the 'j thin and ■/ are Cyefr0rn without. But a rare, thin, (lender, dark fpirit, fuch as ^thefigbtttHn is in ©Id decayed people, and fuch as are wafted by lickneffe, doth fpeftacies are make a weak fight, and almoft none at all: wherefore they do good. well to help their dull fight with fpe
feembigger, and the viiual fpirits are reftored, and colledied in¬ to one, they do not vanifh and difperfe fo much; but I advife no man to ufe them too foon, for when they want them, they will be quite blind. For that thefe are dark and grow blind, comes from want of fpirits. Wherefore fpe the rays are refle&ed and retorted by them, and the fpirits gain ftrength, new ones continually coming thither from the brain. But there are befides thefe things fpoken of, many more, that dar¬ ken the eyes, and either hurt or hinder the fight. For if the pupil chance to be moved from its place, or be dilated too much, con¬ torted, contracted, or diminifhed, or from fome ftroke or wound, fall or contufion be tumefied or inflamed, the faculty of feeing is ms that flick wonderfully offended : alfo eyes that ftick out too far,or fink in too out ot fink w ^cep, do bring fome inconvenience to our fight j for prominent eyes are hurt by the external light, fo that in the clear Ayre, and Sun-fhine they fee not their obie&s well 5 for the immoderate 3 * ‘ 4 ’ ^ light
r4 moyfl and fmall fpirit , what fight it makes.