observation, that in furnaces of copper and brass, where chalcites, which is vitriol, is often cast in to mend the working, there riseth suddenly a fly, which sometimes moveth as if it took hold of the walls of the furnace: sometimes is seen moving in the fire below; and dieth presently as soon as it is out of the furnace: which is a noble instance, and worthy to be weighed; for it showeth, that as well violent heat of fire, as the gentle heat of living creatures, will vivify, if it have matter proportionable. Now the great axiom of vivification is, that there must be heat to dilate the spirit of the body; an active spirit to be dilated; matter viscous or tenacious to hold in the spirit; and that matter to be put forth and figured. Now a spirit dilated by so ardent a fire as that of the furnace, as soon as ever it cooleth never so little, congealeth presently. And, no doubt, this action is furthered by the chalcites, which hath a spirit that will put forth and germinate, as we see in chymical trials. Briefly, most things putrefied bring forth insecta of several names; but we will not take upon us now to enumerate them all. 697. The insecta have been noted by the ancients to feed little but this hath not been diligently observed; for grasshoppers eat up the green of whole countries; and silk-worms devour leaves swiftly; and ants make great provision. It is true, that creatures that sleep and rest much, eat little; as dormice and bats, &c. They are all without blood: which may be, for that the juice of their bodies is almost all one not blood, and flesh, and skin, and bone, as in perfect creatures; the integral parts have extreme variety, but the similar parts little. It is true, that they have, some of them, a diaphragm and an intestine; and they have all skins; which in most of the insecta are cast often. They are not generally of long life; yet bees have been known to live seven years; and snakes are thought, the rather for the casting of their spoil, to live till they be old: and eels, which many times breed of putrefaction, will live and grow very long: and those that interchange from worms to flies in the summer, and from flies to worms in the winter, have been kept in boxes four years at the least. Yet there are certain flies that are called ephemera that live but a day. The cause is the exility of the spirit, or perhaps the absence of the sun; for that if they were brought in, or kept close, they might live longer. Many of the insecta, as butterflies and other flies, revive easily when they seem dead, being brought to the sun or fire. The cause whereof is the diffusion of the vital spirit, and the easy dilating of it by a little heat. They stir a good while after their heads are off, or that they be cut in pieces; which is caused also, for that their vital spirits are more diffused throughout all their parts, and less confined to organs than in perfect creatures. 698. The insecta have voluntary motion, and therefore imagination; and whereas some of the ancients have said, that their motion is indeterminate, and their imagination indefinite, it is negligently observed; for ants go right forward to their hills, and bees do admirably know the way from a flowery heath two or three miles off to their hives. It may be, gnats and flies have their imagination more mutable and giddy, as small birds likewise have. It is said by some of the ancients, that they have only the sense of feeling, which is manifestly untrue: for if they go forth right to a place, they must needs have sight; besides, they delight more in one flower or herb than in another, and therefore have taste: and bees are called with sound upon brass, and therefore they have hearing; which showeth likewise, that though their spirit be diffused, yet there is a seat of their senses in their head. Other observations concerning the insecta, together with the enumeration of them, we refer to that place, where we mean to handle the title of animals in general. Experiment solitary touching leaping. 699. A man leapeth better with weights in his hands than without. The cause is, for that the weight, if it be proportionable, strengtheneth the sinews by contracting them. For otherwise, where no contraction is needful, weight hindereth. As we see in horse-races, men are curious to foresee, that there be not the least weight upon the one horse more than upon the other. In leaping with weights the arms are first cast backwards, and then forwards, with so much the greater force; for the hands go backward before they take their rise. Query, if the contrary motion of the spirits, immediately before the motion we intend, doth not cause the spirits as it were to break forth with more force? as breath also, drawn and kept in, cometh forth more forcibly: and in casting of any thing, the arms, to make a greater swing, are first cast backward. Experiment solitary touching the pleasures and displeasures of the senses, especially of hearing. 700. Of musical tones and unequal sounds we. have spoken before; but touching the pleasure and displeasure of the senses, not so fully. Harsh sounds, as of a saw when it is sharpened; grinding of one stone against another; squeaking or shrieking noise; make a shivering or horror in the body, and set the teeth on edge. The cause is, for that the objects of the ear do affect the spirits, immediately, most with pleasure and offence. We see there is no colour that affecteth the eye much with displeasure: there be sights that are horrible, because they excite the memory of things that are odious or fearful; but the same things painted do little affect. As for smells, tastes, and touches, they be things that do affect by a participation or impulsion of the body of the object. So it is sound alone that doth immediately and incorporeally affect most; this is most manifest in music, and concords and discords in music; for all sounds, whether they be sharp or flat, if they be sweet, have a roundness and equality; and if they be harsh, are unequal; for a discord itself is but a harshness of divers sounds meeting. It is true that inequality not stayed upon, but passing, is rather an increase of sweetness; as in the purling of a wreathed string; and in the raucity of a trumpet; and in the nightingale-pipe of a regal; and in a discord straight falling upon a concord; but if you stay upon it, it is offensive: and therefore there be these three degrees of pleasing and displeasing in sounds, sweet sounds, discords, harsh sounds, which we call by divers names, as shrieking or grating, such as we now speak of. As for the setting of the teeth on edge, we see plainly what an intercourse there is between the teeth and the organ of the hearing, by the taking of the end of a bow between the teeth, and striking upon the string. CENTURY VIII. Experiment solitary touching veins of medicinal earth. may have them new at some good distance from the sea and besides, it may be, the fish will eat the pleasanter, and may fall to breed. And it is said, that Colchester oysters, which are put into pits, where the sea goeth and cometh, but yet so that there is a fresh water coming also to them when the sea voideth, become by that means fatter, and more grown. 701. THERE be minerals and fossils in great variety; but of veins of earth medicinal, but few; the chief are, terra lemnia, terra sigillata communis, and bolus armenus; whereof terra lemnia is the chief. The virtues of them are, for curing of wounds, stanching of blood, stopping of fluxes, and rheums, and arresting the spreading of poison, infection, and putrefaction: and they have of all other simples the perfectest and purest quality of drying, with little or no mixture of any other quality. Yet it is true, that the bole-shoot; insomuch as it hath been known, that the armoniac is the most cold of them, and that terra lemnia is the most hot, for which cause the island Lemnos, where it is digged, was in the old fabu-strange, the arrow, if it be headed with wood, lous ages consecrated to Vulcan. Experiment solitary touching attraction by similitude of substance. 704. The Turkish bow giveth a very forcible arrow hath pierced a steel target, or a piece of brass of two inches thick: but that which is more hath been known to pierce through a piece of wood of eight inches thick. And it is certain, that we had in use at one time, for sea fight, short arrows, which they called sprights, without any other Experiment solitary touching the growth of sponges. 702. About the bottom of the Straits are gathered great quantities of sponges, which are ga-heads, save wood sharpened: which were disthered from the sides of rocks, being as it were a large but tough moss. It is the more to be noted, because that there be but few substances, plant-like, that grow deep within the sea; for they are gathered sometimes fifteen fathom deep: and when they are laid on shore, they seem to be of great bulk; but crushed together, will be transported in a very small room. 703. It seemeth that fish that are used to the salt water, do nevertheless delight more in fresh. We see, that salmons and smelts love to get into rivers, though it be against the stream. At the haven of Constantinople you shall have great quantities of fish that come from the Euxine sea, that when they come into the fresh water, do inebriate, and turn up their bellies, so as you may take them with your hand. I doubt there hath not been sufficient experiment made of putting sea-fish into fresh water ponds, and pools. It is a thing of great use and pleasure; for so you charged out of muskets, and would pierce through the sides of ships where a bullet would not pierce. But this dependeth upon one of the greatest secrets in all nature; which is, that similitude of substance will cause attraction, where the body is wholly freed from the motion of gravity: for if that were taken away, lead would draw lead, and gold would draw gold, and iron would draw iron, without the help of the loadstone. But this same motion of weight or gravity, which is a mere motion of the matter, and hath no affinity with the form or kind, doth kill the other motion, except itself be killed by a violent motion, as in these instances of arrows; for then the motion of attraction by similitude of substance beginneth to show itself. But we shall handle this point of nature fully in due place. Experiment solitary touching certain drinks in Turkey. 705. They have in Turkey and the east certain confections, which they call servets, which are like to candied conserves, and are made of sugar 709. Men sweat more in sleep than waking; and yet sleep doth rather stay other fluxions, than cause them; as rheums, looseness of the body, &c. The cause is, for that in sleep the heat and spirits do naturally move inwards, and there rest. But when they are collected once within, the heat becometh more violent and irritate; and thereby expelleth sweat. and lemons, or sugar and citrons, or sugar and issueth, chiefly, out of the parts that are less violets, and some other flowers; and some mix-fleshy, and more dry; as the forehead and breast. ture of amber for the more delicate persons: and those they dissolve in water, and therefore make their drink, because they are forbidden wine by their law. But I do much marvel, that no Englishman, or Dutchman, or German, doth set up brewing in Constantinople; considering they have such quantity of barley. For as for the general sort of men, frugality may be the cause of drinking water: for that it is no small saving to pay nothing for one's drink: but the better sort might well be at the cost. And yet I wonder the less at it, because I see France, Italy, or Spain, have not taken into use beer or ale; which, perhaps, if they did, would better both their healths and their complexions. It is likely it would be matter of great gain to any that should begin it in Turkey. 710. Cold sweats are, many times, mortal, and near death: and always ill, and suspected : as in great fears, hypochondriacal passions, &c. The cause is, for that cold sweats come by a relaxation or forsaking of the spirits, whereby the moisture of the body, which heat did keep firm in the parts, severeth and issueth out. 711. In those diseases which cannot be discharged by sweat, sweat is ill, and rather to be stayed; as in diseases of the lungs, and fluxes of the belly but in those diseases which are expelled : pestilences, &c. The cause is, for that sweat in the latter sort is partly critical, and sendeth forth the matter that offendeth: but in the former, it either proceedeth from the labour of the spirits, which showeth them oppressed; or from motion of consent, when nature, not able to expel the disease where it is seated, moveth to an expulsion indifferent over all the body. Experiment solitary touching the glow-worm. Experiments in consort touching sweat. 706. In bathing in hot water, sweat, neverthe-by sweat, it easeth and lighteneth; as in agues, less, cometh not in the parts under the water. The cause is; first, for that sweat is a kind of colliquation, and that kind of colliquation is not made either by an over-dry heat, or an over-moist heat: for over-moisture doth somewhat extinguish the heat, as we see that even hot water quencheth fire; and over-dry heat shutteth the pores and therefore men will sooner sweat covered before the sun or fire, than if they stood naked and earthen bottles, filled with hot water, do provoke in bed a sweat more daintily than brick-bats hot. Secondly, hot water doth cause evaporation from the skin; so as it spendeth the matter in those parts under the water, before it issueth in sweat. Again, sweat cometh more plentifully, if the heat be increased by degrees, than if it be greatest at first, or equal. The cause is, for that the pores are better opened by a gentle heat, than by a more violent; and by their opening, the sweat issueth more abundantly. And therefore physicians may do well when they provoke sweat in bed by bottles, with a decoction of sudorific herbs in hot water, to make two degrees of heat in the bottles; and to lay in the bed the less heated first, and after half an hour, the more heated. 707. Sweat is salt in taste; the cause is, for that that part of the nourishment which is fresh and sweet, turneth into blood and flesh and the 712. The nature of the glow-worm is hitherto not well observed. Thus much we see: that they breed chiefly in the hottest months of summer; and that they breed not in champain, but in bushes and hedges. Whereby it may be conceived, that the spirit of them is very fine, and not to be refined but by summer heats and again, that by reason of the fineness, it doth easily exhale. In Italy, and the hotter countries, there is a fly they call lucciole, that shineth as the glowworm doth; and it may be is the flying glowworm. But that fly is chiefly upon fens and marshes. But yet the two former observations hold; for they are not seen but in the heat of summer; and sedge, or other green of the fens, give as good shade as bushes. It may be the glow-worms of the cold countries ripen not so far as to be winged. sweat is only that part which is separate and ex- Experiments in consort touching the impressions cerned. Blood also raw hath some saltness more which the passions of the mind make upon the body. than flesh because the assimilation into flesh is 713. The passions of the mind work upon the not without a little and subtile excretion from the body the impressions following. Fear causeth blood. paleness, trembling, the standing of the hair up708. Sweat cometh forth more out of the up-right, starting, and shrieking. The paleness is per parts of the body than the lower; the reason caused, for that the blood runneth inward to sucis, because those parts are more replenished with spirits; and the spirits are they that put forth sweat: besides, they are less fleshy, and sweat cour the heart. The trembling is caused, for that through the flight of the spirits inward, the outward parts are destituted, and not sustained. Standing upright of the hair is caused, for that by the shutting of the pores of the skin, the hair that lieth aslope must needs rise. Starting is both an apprehension of the thing feared, and in that kind it is a motion of shrinking, and likewise an inquisition in the beginning, what the matter should be, and in that kind it is a motion of erection, and therefore when a man would listen suddenly to any thing, he starteth; for the starting is an erection of the spirits to attend. Screeching is an appetite of expelling that which suddenly striketh the spirits: for it must be noted, that many motions, though they be unprofitable to expel that which hurteth, yet they are offers of nature, and cause motions by consent, as in groaning, or crying upon pain. 716. Anger causeth paleness in some, and the going and coming of the colour in others: also trembling in some: swelling, foaming at the mouth, stamping, bending of the fist. Paleness, and going and coming of the colour, are caused by the burning of the spirits about the heart; which to refresh themselves, call in more spirits from the outward parts. And if the paleness be alone, without sending forth the colour again, it is commonly joined with some fear; but in many there is no paleness at all, but contrariwise redness about the cheeks and gills; which is by the sending forth of the spirits in an appetite to revenge. Trembling in anger is likewise by a calling in of the spirits; and is commonly when anger is joined with fear. Swelling is 714. Grief and pain cause sighing, sobbing, caused, both by a dilatation of the spirits by overgroaning, screaming, and roaring; tears, distort- heating, and by a liquefaction or boiling of the ing of the face, grinding of the teeth, sweating. humours thereupon. Foaming at the mouth is Sighing is caused by the drawing in of a greater from the same cause, being an ebullition. Stampquantity of breath to refresh the heart that labour-ing, and bending of the fist, are caused by an eth like a great draught when one is thirsty. imagination of the act of revenge. Sobbing is the same thing stronger. Groaning, and screaming, and roaring are caused by an appetite of expulsion, as hath been said: for when the spirits cannot expel the thing that hurteth, in their strife to do it, by motion of consent, they expel the voice. And this is when the spirits yield, and give over to resist for if one do constantly resist pain, he will not groan. Tears are caused by a contraction of the spirits of the brain: which contraction by consequence astringeth the moisture of the brain, and thereby sendeth tears into the eyes. And this contraction or compres-ring of the spirits, to resist in some measure. sion causeth also wringing of the hands; for wringing is a gesture of expression of moisture. The distorting of the face is caused by a contention, first to bear and resist, and then to expel; which maketh the parts knit first, and afterwards open. Grinding of the teeth is caused likewise, by a gathering and serring of the spirits together to resist, which maketh the teeth also to sit hard one against another. Sweating is also a compound motion, by the labour of the spirits, first to resist, and then to expel. 715. Joy causeth a cheerfulness and vigour in the eyes, singing, leaping, dancing, and sometimes tears. All these are the effects of the dilation and coming forth of the spirits into the outward parts; which maketh them more lively and stirring. We know it hath been seen, that excessive sudden joy hath caused present death, while the spirits did spread so much as they could not retire again. As for tears, they are the effects of compression of the moisture of the brain, upon dilatation of the spirits. For compression of the spirits worketh an expression of the moisture of the brain by consent, as hath been said in grief. But then in joy, it worketh it diversely, viz. by propulsion of the moisture, when the spirits dilate, and occupy more room. 717. Light displeasure or dislike causeth shaking of the head, frowning and knitting of the brows. These effects arise from the same causes that trembling and horror do namely, from the retiring of the spirits, but in a less degree. For the shaking of the head is but a slow and definite trembling; and is a gesture of slight refusal; and we see also, that a dislike causeth, often, that gesture of the hand, which we use when we refuse a thing, or warn it away. The frowning and knitting of the brows is a gathering, or ser And we see also this knitting of the brows will follow upon earnest studying, or cogitation of any thing, though it be without dislike. 718. Shame causeth blushing, and casting down of the eyes. Blushing is the resort of blood to the face; which in the passion of shame is the part that laboureth most. And although the blushing will be seen in the whole breast if it be naked, yet that is but in passage to the face. As for the casting down of the eyes, it proceedeth of the reverence a man beareth to other men; whereby, when he is ashamed, he cannot endure to look firmly upon others: and we see, that blushing, and the casting down of the eyes both, are more when we come before many; "ore Pompeii quid mollius? nunquam non coram pluribus erubuit:" and likewise when we come before great or reverend persons. 719. Pity causeth sometimes tears; and a flexion or cast of the eye aside. Tears come from the same cause that they do in grief: for pity is but grief in another's behalf. The cast of the eye is a gesture of aversion, or loathness to behold the object of pity. 720. Wonder causeth astonishment, or an immoveable posture of the body; casting up of the eyes to heaven, and lifting up of the hands. For: astonishment, it is caused by the fixing of the | rous parts: in fear and anger to the heart: in shame mind upon one object of cogitation, whereby it to the face and in light dislikes to the head. doth not spatiate and transcur, as it useth; for in wonder the spirits fly not, as in fear; but only settle, and are made less apt to move. As for the casting up of the eyes, and lifting up of the hands, it is a kind of appeal to the Deity, which is the author, by power and providence, of strange wonders. Experiments in consort touching drunkenness. 723. It hath been observed by the ancients, and is yet believed, that the sperm of drunken men is unfruitful. The cause is, for that it is over-moistened, and wanteth spissitude: and we have a merry saying, that they that go drunk to bed get daughters. 724. Drunken men are taken with a plain defect, or destitution in voluntary motion. They reel; they tremble; they cannot stand nor speak strongly. The cause is, for that the spirits of the wine oppress the spirits animal, and occupy part of the place where they are, and so make them weak to move. And therefore drunken men are apt to fall asleep: and opiates, and stupefactives, as poppy, henbane, hemlock, &c., induce a kind of drunkenness, by the grossness of their vapour, as wine doth by the quantity of the vapour. Besides, they rob the spirits animal of their matter, whereby they are nourished: for the spirits of the wine prey upon it as well as they and so they make the spirits less supple and apt to move. 721. Laughing causeth a dilatation of the mouth and lips; a continual expulsion of the breath, with the loud noise, which maketh the interjection of laughing; shaking of the breast and sides; running of the eyes with water, if it be violent and continued. Wherein first it is to be understood, that laughing is scarce properly a passion, but hath its source from the intellect; for in laughing there ever precedeth a conceit of somewhat ridiculous, and therefore it is proper to man. Secondly, that the cause of laughing is but a light touch of the spirits. And not so deep an impression as in other passions. And therefore, that which hath no affinity with the passions of the mind, it is moved, and that in great vehemency, only by tickling some parts of the body and we see that men even in a grieved 725. Drunken men imagine every thing turnstate of mind, yet cannot sometimes forbear laugh- eth round: they imagine also that things come ing. Thirdly, it is ever joined with some degree upon them: they see not well things afar off; of delight: and therefore exhilaration hath some those things that they see near hand, they see affinity with joy, though it be a much lighter mo- out of their place; and sometimes they see things tion: "res severa est verum gaudium." Fourthly, double. The cause of the imagination that that the object of it is deformity; absurdity, things turn round is, for that the spirits themshrewd turns, and the like. Now to speak of the selves turn, being compressed by the vapour of causes of the effects before mentioned whereunto the wine, for any liquid body upon compression these general notes give some light. For the di- turneth, as we see in water, and it is all one to latation of the mouth and lips, continued expul- the sight, whether the visual spirits move, or the sion of the breath and voice, and shaking of the object moveth, or the medium moveth. And we breast and sides, they proceed, all, from the dila- see that long turning round breedeth the same tation of the spirits; especially being sudden. imagination. The cause of the imagination that So likewise, the running of the eyes with water, things come upon them is, for that the spirits as hath been formerly touched, where we spake visual themselves draw back; which maketh the of the tears of joy and grief, is an effect of dilata- object seem to come on; and besides, when they tion of the spirits. And for suddenness, it is a see things turn round and move, fear maketh them great part of the matter: for we see, that any think they come upon them. The cause that they shrewd turn that lighteth upon another; or any cannot see things afar off, is the weakness of the deformity, &c., moveth laughter in the instant, spirits; for in every megrim or vertigo there is an which after a little time it doth not. So we can- obtenebration joined with a semblance of turning not laugh at any thing after it is stale, but whilst round; which we see also in the lighter sort of it is new and even in tickling, if you tickle the swoonings. The cause of seeing things out of sides, and give warning, or give a hard or conti- their place, is the refraction of the spirits visual; nued touch, it doth not move laughter so much. for the vapour is as an unequal medium; and it 722. Lust causeth a flagrancy in the eyes, and is as the sight of things out of place in water. The priapism. The cause of both these is, for that cause of seeing things double, is the swift and in lust, the sight and the touch are the things unquiet motion of the spirits, being oppressed, to desired, and therefore the spirits resort to those and fro; for, as was said before, the motion of parts which are most affected. And note well the spirits visual, and the motion of the object, in general, for that great use may be made of the make the same appearances; and for the swift observation, that, evermore, the spirits in all pas-motion of the object, we see that if you fillip a sions, resort most to the parts that labour most, lute-string, it showeth double or treble. or are most affected. As in the last which hath 726. Men are sooner drunk with small draughts been mentioned, they resort to the eyes and vene- than with great. And again, wine sugared ineVOL. II.-13 I |