Book 7. Of the Sight. Chap. 2.

che firft manner: for che fight never miftakes Sound for Colour, nor the Ear Smel for Sound: but concerning the common fenfibles ic may be thus deceived : for 1c often takes Chae which is moved to fand ftil; and that which is divided inco many parts it often judges co be one continued thing. But in the fecond manner icisnoc impoflible for che fenie to be deceived 3 and that which is blew feems many cimes far off co be black. . Finally, inthe Ap= plication both of che common and proper Objects it is deceived : foa white thing fending its appearance through a red Glafs, isthoughctoberedalfo: for chen the fighterrs nor in che colour, but in che application thereof coa wrongfubjeét 5 and fo ic is when the Sun 1s feen through a red Cloud ; for it atcribuces the rednets which is in the Cloud untotheSun. And therefore concerning us proper object, the fenfe can be deceived only thefe cwo latter waies; about che common object all chree waies. Howbeit chefe errors may be avoided, efpeci- ally in che proper objets, if thefe conditions be obferved. | Firft, That the Organ beright- ly conftituced, and there beno fault cherein. Secondly, That the medium be fitly difpuied, and infeed with no ftrange quality. Finally, Thac chat be a fic diftance becwixc che
Object andche Organ.
Chap. 2- Touching the Sight.
Five ex- Bo chat we may now come tothe external Senfes chemfelver, which in the outer part of ternal Sene the Body do perceive outward things which are prefent,we acknowledg them co be five fess innumber. - For experience fhews, thac there are no more Orxgans of Senfe, nor can we find more in Man who is the moft perfect of Living Creatures, nor in other Creatures any more :
and fo many do both fuffice che ufe of Living Creacures, and are able co bring the Underftan-
ding to the knowledg of Subftances. More may be feen touching the fufficiency of the Senfes,
; proved from their End, Efficienc, Subject matcer, and Object, in Scaligers Exercit. 297. oe " “ud Sett. 2.34. Let us now begin with che Sight : Fot chat is che moft excellent and noble of #* allche Senfes; feeing it apprehends more things, more excellent and divers, quicker and ac
cellent : 2 : Senje- a greater diftance than the other Senfes 5 Scaliger Exercit. 298. Seté. 6.
lisdef- Now Sight # an external Senfe, perceiving and difcerning the reprefentations of things wition. wifsble. And Vifion or Seeing, is che apprehenfion of vifible shings by ehe Soul ex-
The or. ercifing its fenfitive faculty inthe Eye. The Organ of feeing is the Eye, receiving the vifible gan of fight {peeies or fhews of things likea Looking-Glafs: Hence is thar common faying that the Eye
is the Looking-Glafi of nature, and that a Looking-Glafs is the Eye 0f Are, as Caelius Pibc-
diginus hath st in Ant. Lett. Lib. 3. Cap. 28. But thechief part of che Organ is the Chry- ftalline humor, for che fake whereof che other parts of the Eye were by nature or- dained.
The Object of Sight, is chat which is vifible. Now what thatis, we aretoconfider. Now although many things are faid co befeen; yetascothe proper object of fight, the contro verfie feems tobe chiefly of Light and Color: Forche beft Philofophers do fomtimes fay, chat Light is the firft ching vifible and chat which is vifibleof it felf: and fomtimes again, chey fay che proper and adequate object of the fight is Golor,and thar all viftble chings are coloured. Howbeit thefe two Opinions are nog contrary, but if chey be rightly explained chey include the true opinion concerning che Object of Sight: For indeed the adequate ob= 42 of fight is colour, and whatfoever is feen under the notion of colour; and cherefore lighe ic felf inafmuch as ic is {aid to be feen, is comprehended under colour, and isasic were a whitene(s. Howbeic, you muft obferve, it is one rhing to be vifible, anocher co be actual- ly feen. All colour is of its own nature actually vifible, nor doth it receive its vifibility from any external Caufe 3 and though it fhould never be feen, yet were it vifible of its own nature, faies Scaliger ,Exercit. 325+ Seft. 4. and that colour which is in che dark, and deep withina thing, is actually colour, yet light is required chat icmay be a@tually feen.
Now Ariftotle defines colour, in his B. ‘De fenf. & fenfibl. cap. 3. pobich is tran{parent in a terminated body, or the Extremity of a tran{parent thing termi- nated: which definition that it may be rightly underftood, it 1s co be obferved, chat colour
belongs to aj things by soeans of perfpicuity,and chat cranfparency terminated 1s che Subject _ of colours... Forssaz4parency being condenfed, fo that it can be no longer {een thorough, nor cranfmit che Je“iges of other things, becomescoloured, and isfaidro be cerminated: for i¢ _ preicribes bourds and limics co che Sight, andisan hinderance that other things cannot be
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Chap.'2 Of the Sight.
SPEAR a ee ed i NAL al he An NR IIR GRE Lh
isatually feen, and/is tn the Surface. For Colour is not the Surface as fome il] expound 4- riftorle, but in che Surface : and the extremicy of a body asa body is one thing,and the extre- mity ofa diaphanous or tranfparent body confidered as {uch is another. Now che termor bound of a Diaphanous or tranfparent body ts where ic becomes dark.
Golour therfore hath its Original from the termination of chat which is tranfparent: And that is two waies; firft only by condenfation of the tranf{parent body, without che admixture of another body, afcer which manner the Stars come to be feen. Again Colour is made by che mixture of a dark body withaccan{parent. So Five which is ct ic felt ccanfparent, if it be mixed wich exhalacions and fumes, appears ofared colour 5 and the fame comes co pafs in che Air and Water: forthefe three Elements are cran(parent, though in a various depree ; for Fire is moft of al cranfparent 5 after chac che Airs Water feems to have fome dacknefs in com- parifon; bucche Earth is abfolucely dark. And therefore by the mixture of che earthy parts with the othec Elements fundry colours arifee Buc inche firft place, that which iscran{=
arent becomes white; and therfure chat which is cranfparenc, light, and whirenefs, are al moft of the fame nature ; in like manner, Incranfparency, Darknefs, and Blacknefs are alfo ofkin. And chefe are che firft, fimple and extream colours, which doalfo proceed from