The French academie Fully discoursed and finished in foure bookes. 1. Institution of manners and callings of all estates. 2. Concerning the soule and body of man. 3. A notable description of the whole world, &c. 4. Christian philosophie, instructing the true and onely meanes to eternall life. This fourth part neuer before published in English. All written by the first author, Peter de la Primaudaye, Esquire, Lord of Barre, Chauncellour, and Steward of the French Kings house.

Of the braine, and of the nature thereof: of the sundrie kindes of know∣ledge that are in man: of the similitude that is betweene the actions and workes of the naturall vertues of the soule, and of the internall Sences. Chap. 23.

ARAM. The workemanship which God hath wrought in the whole course of nature aswell in the nature of the heauens as of the elements, of liuing things, of plants, met¦tals and other creatures, doth vndoubtedly containe in it great miracles, and very excellent and euident testimonies: which shew plainely vnto vs, that the nature of all things, yea of the whole world, commeth not by fortune and aduenture, but that they were created and ordayned by a more excellent nature then any can bee found in all the world. But there is not a more expresse and cleerer image of the diuine nature, then in that part of man, wher∣in are to be found those great and maruailous properties, which are commonly called Ani∣males, as namely the Thought, Vnderstanding, and knowledge of numbers, and of Order, Reason, Iudgement, Memory, with the discerning of honest things from those that are dishonest, of * 1.1 good things from bad, together with the Election or Re••ection of them. Therefore the con∣templation of these vertues and powers is very necessary for vs, that by the knowledge of them wee may daylie learne to knowe GOD the better, by that resemblance and similitude of his wisdome, which he hath vouchsafed to transfer & to imprint in mans na∣ture: an•• that we might be induced thereby to glorifie him: and that we should labour to the vttermost of our power, to haue this image shine in vs more and more, and daily to in∣crease in likenesse vnto the patterne from whence it is taken.

Now let vs follow that diuision which wee haue already made of the sundry faculties, vertues, properties and offices which the soule hath in the body, namely, the Animall, Vi∣tall, and Naturall: and that diuision also which we made of mans body, vnto which many attribute three seuerall parts, and call them bellies, the first and highest of which they place * 1.2 in the head, for the Animall faculties and vertues: the second, vvhich is the middle most bel¦lie, in the breast and stomacke for the Vitall vertues: and the last, from the Midriffe to the share bone, for the Naturall faculties. They vnderstand by the first the whole braine, which they diuide also into sundry partes, and call them likewise Bellies, and little Bellies. We haue already heard of the excellency of the head, of the place and situation thereof, of the good∣ly outward members wherewith it is beautified, of the bones whereof it is made, and of the couering wherewith they are couered, that the braine might haue his conuenient lodging,

and such a one as is requisite for the nature and office it hath: that it might bee well fortified and defended on euery side to preserue & keepe it well, against all outward inconueniences that might come vnto it: & to the end also it might haue neere about it al those seruants and sences which it guideth and gouerneth, and all those instruments which it standeth most it neede of, both in regard of the workes it is charged with, as also for the purging thereof. Fo•• asmuch then as it is lodged in the head, we are to know, that as the head hath a certaine ••¦greement with the heauens, and the eyes with the cel••stiall lights, as we haue already touc••¦ed, so is it likewise with the braine. For it is of a more heauenly nature, and approcheth ne••¦rer * 1.3 to the spirituall and diuine nature then any other part of the whole body, as that where∣in a man may finde all those excellent vertues and Animall powers of which I made menti∣on in the beginning of my speech, and which are no actions or workes of a brutish nature. Whereof also it followeth very well, that the Workemaster and author thereof, cannot bee of a brutish nature, without vnderstanding and knowledge of order, of things honest and dishonest, and of good and bad. Which teacheth vs moreouer, that he greatly esteemeth of the preseruation of nature and of humane societie, and detesteth whatsoeuer is contrary thereunto, seeing he hath imprinted in man such an image of his diuine nature, as he would not willingly haue defaced and blotted out. Wherefore, although wee cannot throughly know, either the nature of the braine, or the actions thereof, or of the soule which it serueth: yet that which may come to our knowledge will greatly helpe to confirme more and more this testimony of God and of his prouidence, which is already imprinted in our hearts by the light and law of nature. Therefore it were very good and profitable for vs, to consider diligently of that resemblance of God, which euery one of vs beareth in a very small image, that we may giue him thankes, and referre to their proper end all those giftes and excel∣lent parts, which he hath placed in our nature. We are to note then for the first point, that as GOD manifesteth more excellently his diuine nature, and the glorie of his maiestie in the heauens, and in the highest parts of this great visible world, then hee doth in other part•• * 1.4 more base and terrestriall, as we may easily know by the contemplation of them: so dealeth hee with the head and braine of man, which is at it were the lodging of the internall sences already named, which are farre more excellent and noble then the outward sences. For if li∣uing creatures, and chiefly man, should onely and barely apprehend those things that are before them, without any imagination, thought, or consideration of them, thereby to know how to chuse or reiect them, as they may be either profitable or hurtfull, it would not bee greatly profitable, to haue them presented to the outward sences. For this cause God hath ioyned vnto them another facultie and vertue, which is more excellent and wonderfull then is the simple apprehending of them. This facultie and power is giuen for the knowledge of things, and that to the instruments in the braine, as it appeareth by experience in this, that according as the braine and the parts thereof are well or ill affected, it is perceiued in the in∣ternall sences, of which they are the instruments, as wee will expresse more plainely in the sequele of our speach. But concerning this present matter in the hand, we are to note, that there are three kindes of knowledge.

The first knoweth those bodies onely that are present before it: the second knoweth those also that are absent: and the third those things that haue no bodies. Wee see by experi∣ence, * 1.5 that although plants haue a certaine agreement with other liuing creatures, namely in this, that they inioy the same life with them, which we called before the Uegetatiue or Nou∣rishing life, neuerthelesse, other liuing creatures haue this more then they, that they know, see, heare, taste, smell, and touch, which things are without them: whereas the whole life of plant•• hath nothing but that which is within them, hauing no sence or knowledge out∣wardly. Concerning that knowledge, which taketh notice onely of corporall things that * 1.6 are present before it, it is the same that belongeth properly to the externall sences, of which we spake before, and which are giuen by GOD to liuing creatures for their preseruation. For seeing they are bodily natures, and must liue amongst bodies, he hath endued them with a certaine knowledge of those bodies, to the end they may desire and follow after such things as are agreable to their nature, and eschew that which is hurtfull. Now that which is hidden within any thing, is knowne by some outward meanes. And therefore the bodily sences were giuen vnto them, to the end that by them they might know whatsoeuer is externall, being annexed to the things that are perceiued. And although GOD hath not giuen to all liuing creatures outwarde sences alike, yet they that are perfect haue all those fiue sences spoken o•• in our former discourses, by which they are able to perceiue and know all outward

things, so that nothing can be founde, which is not comprehended vnder the knowledge of the sences. Wherein God hath so prouided, that according to mans iudgement we see that all perfect liuing creatures ought to haue iust so many and not one more or lesse. For if they had lesse, they should not be so perfect as they are: and if they had moe, they would be superfluous and for no vse, atleast wise so farrre foorth as our small capacitie could con∣ceiue, leauing in the meane while to the incomprehensible wisedome, and infinite power of God, that which we are not able to comprehend. For we owe him this reuerence, seeing he alone knoweth all things that are necessary and expedient for all creatures. Now be∣sides this outward knowledge of things present, we see plainly, that there is another know¦ledge * 1.7 within of things that are absent. For our own experience teacheth vs, that euen then when our externall sences are retired and withdrawne from doing their duties, the imagi∣nation, thought, consideration and remembrance of those things we haue seene, heard, t••∣sted, smelt, touched and perceiued with corporall sences, remaine still in vs both waking and sleeping: as it appeareth by our dreames, in which the images & resemblance of those things which the bodily sences perceiued waking are represented to our internall sences when we are asleepe. We see testimonies of some part of this knowledge euen in brute beastes, which causeth them to haue respect to such things as they neede: but yet they haue it not as men haue, who haue far greater knowledge, and moe internall sences then beasts, as being partakers of reason and vnderstanding. The third kinde of knowledge, which is * 1.8 of things that are not bodily, is the principall effect of the vnderstanding, which lifteth vp all the sences of man to the contemplation of the diuinity, and of the spirituall and super∣naturall things: which kinde of knowledge is proper to man and to no other liuing crea∣ture. Of this knowledge we will intreate more at large hereafter, when we shall speake of those principall and most noble sences of the soule, namely vnderstanding, and reason. In the meane time that wee may the better knowe the facultie, vertue and of∣fice of euery one of those internall sences of which we will intreate, wee are to vnderstand, that the soule worketh by them in their places, almost after the same manner it doth in the diuers kindes of her naturall faculties and vertues, according to the nature of euery one of them. For this power and vertue which we call naturall, and which before we said was the third faculty that continually worketh in man and neuer ceaseth, is diuided into three sorts. * 1.9 The first is the vertue of nourishing, the second of augmenting, the third of ingendring: and these haue sixe other vertues and faculties common to them altogether. The first draweth vnto it, the second holdeth fast, the third digesteth, the fourth distributeth, the fift assimilateth and incorporateth, that is, conuerteth into it owne substance that which is dispensed vnto it, and so turneth it into the substance of the body that receiueth it: the sixt driueth forth whatsoeuer is superfluous. For the nourishment which the bodie receiueth would doe it no good, vnlesse it had some vertue in it to draw the same vnto it selfe, as also members and instruments meete for this worke, as wee will declare more at large by the helpe of God, when we shall speake more particularly of this matter. Besides, it is not enough for the body to draw foode to it selfe, but it must also retaine the same. And because the things that are taken cannot nourish the body except they be turned into the nature thereof, therfore they must first bee digested and prepared by this meanes, as we vse to prepare such meat•• as haue need of dressing before we eate thē. But because they are not sufficiently prepared by this first dressing, they must be once againe dressed by the natural heat that is in the bo∣dy, without which neither the heate of the materiall fire, nor the heate of the Sunne will serue the turne, vnlesse this naturall heate also doe his duety. Now after the meate is thus digested and prepared, it must be distributed and parted to all the members, that euery one may take such nourishment as is meete for it. And because the matter is diuers in the whole composition of the body, as namely bones, gristles, ••ligaments, sinewes, arteries, veines, flesh, and other kindes of matter whereof we haue spoken heretofore: therefore must the food also be so conuerted in euery member, as that it is to bee altered into a sub∣stance altogether like to euery seuerall part it hath to nourish. Now forasmuch as al that the body taketh in for nourishment, is not fitte for that purpose, after that nature hath taken that which may doe her good, she reiecteth the residue, which is not onely not profitable but also very hurtfull for her, vnlesse she did cast it foorth, and so discharge and purge the * 1.10 body thereof. Now let vs see how the like is wrought in the braine betweene the internall sences and the Animall vertues. For first there must be some facultie and vertue that recei∣ueth the images imprinted in the sences, the knowledge whereof is as single and plaine as

may be, because it is onely of things that are bodily and present, as I haue already decla∣red. This vertue is called Imagination, or the Imaginatiue vertue, which is in the soule as the eye in the body, by beholding to receiue the images that are offered vnto it by the out∣ward * 1.11 sences: and therefore it knoweth also the things that are absent, and is amongst the internall sences as it were the mouth of the vessell of memory, which is the facultie an•• * 1.12 vertue that retaineth and keepeth whatsoeuer is committed to the custody thereof by the other sences, that it may be found and brought foorth when neede requi••eth. Therefor•• Memory is as it were their treasure to keepe that which they commit vnto it, and to bring it foorth in due time and season. Now after that the Imagination hath receiued the images of the sences, singly and particularly as they are offered vnto it, then doth it as it were pre∣pare and digest them, either by ioyning them together, or by separating them according as their natures require.

They that distinguish Imagination from Fantasie, attribute this office to Fantasie: others say it belongeth to the Common sence, vnder which they comprehend both the former fa∣culties, * 1.13 because the office thereof is to receiue the images that are offered vnto it, and to discerne the things as they are presented by al the externall sences, and to distinguish them as they doe. Afterward it is requisite, that all these things thus heaped together, should be distributed and compared one with another, to consider how they may bee conioyned or seuered, how one followeth another, or how farre asunder they are, that so a man may * 1.14 iudge what is to be retained and what to be refused. And this office belongeth to Reason, af∣ter which Iudgement followeth, whereby men chuse or refuse that which reason alloweth or disalloweth. For it belongeth to reason to discourse, and memory afterward, as I haue al∣ready touched, hath this office to retaine and keepe all. Thus you see the similitude & com∣parison that may be considered of betweene the actions and workes of the natural vertues of the soule, and those of the Animall vertues in the internall sences: which may greatly help vs to the better vnderstanding of that which we haue already touched before, con∣cerning the spirituall foode of our soules, which properly belongeth to the internall sences. Now because all these sences, faculties and vertues haue their instruments in the braine, be∣fore we speake more at large and particularly of their office and nature, wee must see how these parts are placed in the head, and what vessels and members they haue in the braine: and this ACHITOB shall teach vs.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Of the ani∣mal vertues.
• * 1.2

  Three bellies attributed to mans body.
• * 1.3

  Of the braine and of the image of God therein.
• * 1.4

  The braine most re••em∣••leth the hea∣uens.
• * 1.5

  Three kindes of knowledge
• * 1.6

  Of the first kind•• of know¦ledge com∣mon ••o 〈…〉〈…〉 cre••tures
• * 1.7

  Of the second kinde of knowledge.
• * 1.8

  Of the third kinde of knowledge.
• * 1.9

  Of the natu∣ral vertue and of the kinds thereof.
• * 1.10

  Of the Ani∣mall vertues and powers in the inter∣nall sences.
• * 1.11

  Of Imagina∣tion.
• * 1.12

  Of Memory.
• * 1.13

  Of Fantasie and com∣mon sence.
• * 1.14

  Of reason & iudgement.