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 forme and figure of heauen, and of the motion thereof as well generall as particular. Chapter 18.

AMANA,

THat the heauen is generall and particularly of circular forme, and altogether round; the Latin name (Orbis) by which the ancients haue commonly cal∣led * 1.1 it, is a sure testimonie vnto vs. So likewise there are many natural reasons, which declare it to be such. For all the partes of the frame thereof doe consist of themselues, doe sustaine themselues, and doe comprehend themselues, not hauing neede of any stay of point, hauing neither a beginning nor ending place. Moreouer, this roundnesse of heauen may bee knowne by the sight of the eye. For on which side soeuer you beholde it, you may see the halfe in our hemisphere, as it doth shew it selfe: which could not come to passe in any o∣ther figure, but in a round; which also is the most perfect, and most capable of all other figures to bee comprised in one selfe-same circuit: and is therewithall the easiest to mooue euery way. And therefore it is not onely conuenient, but also necessary for all the heauens and celestiall orbes, of which wee before intreated, as well because of the perfection of their essence, as by reason of their proper motions, which are circular, and correspondent to a round forme, and besides all this; because these spheres are placed one within another * 1.2 making their reuolutions vpon diuers poles, and in diuers spaces of time. Which could not be obserued, nor the integritie of the whole heauen maintained, if the celestiall forme were any other saue round and circular. For the proper and naturall motion of the Sheres is circular, that is, framed equally distant round about their center, which is the point in the midst of the world, so that neither the whole heauen, nor any of the particular spheres, doth wholy abandon or passe out of his owne place and situation, but onely the partes of them doe incessantly change place, in that they turne about their said common center. And therefore is this circular motion much morenoble and perfect, then that which is made by a right line, either mounting from the center of the world towards the circumference, or else descending from it towards the center: which motion is proper to the foure elements: For fire and aire do mount vpwards; but water and earth descend naturally downewards. Also * 1.3 fire mounteth higher then aire, and earth descendeth lower then water, and each of these enuiron the center of the world, which is the lowest place of all, and farthest from the circumserence, which is the highest of all. So then the circular motion is naturally due and conuenient to the most noble and most simple body, which is the heauen and most necessarie for it: as it appeareth more cleerely to vs by the continuall motion of the starres, both fixed and wandring, which proceedeth of the onely moouing of their spheres. For wee must note that the starres are nothing else but certaine firme, cleere, and * 1.4 solide partes of their heauens, made in round forme like the heauen, whose motion they follow, which likewise receiue their light from the sunne, who is the very source and foun∣taine, wherinto the soueriagne creator hath put the brightnes of the whole vniuersal world.

Now this circular motion of heauen is found by obseruation to haue two principall dif∣ferences: that is to be made vpon sundrie pole and axes, and in sundry parts and positions of the world, as also in diuers spaces and quantities of times. [Wee call that the axes of the * 1.5 sphere which is the diameter that passeth through the same vpon which it is turned, and the vttermost points of the same axis are the poles.] For the whole vniuersall world hath his proper and naturall motion like a liuing creature, and euery of the orbes and particular heauens haue also a peculiar motion, like to the parts and members of the whole great body. For which cause, as also for diuers other considerations many learned personages haue affirmed, that the world is an animal or liuing creature. And amongst others Origen is wholy of that minde, who enforceth himselfe to prooue it, as well by reasons as by au∣thority of holy Scripture. And therefore he saith thus in this booke of principles. [Though the world be ordeined to diuers offices, yet the estate thereof must not be thought to bee dissonant, or any whit disagreeing. But euen as our body alone is composed of many mem∣bers, asd is contained by one soule; so I thinke we must suppose that the vniuersall world is * 1.6 a great and vnmeasurable animall, which as by a soule is sustayned by the power and wise∣dome of God.] The Platonists doe all with one mouth teach the same thing. And among many reasons, by which they would confirme this point, we will take onely that of Plato in his Timeus, which, me thinkes, is most excellent. [There are (saith he) two motions, the one

proper, the other strange or exterior; now that is more diuine, which of it selfe is mooued, then that which is stirred by the power of another. And this motion proper and diuine is in our soules onely, from which the beginning of the other strange motion is taken. Seeing therefore that all motion proceedeth of the ardor of the world, and that this ardor is not mooued by exterior agitation, but of it owne accord, it is therefore necessarie, that there must bee a soule. Whereupon we gather that the world is an animall, and that not with∣out vnderstanding.] Now if thereupon any aske why heauen changeth not, nor becom∣meth diseased, nor dieth, nor faileth as other liuing creatures doe? The answere of Chal∣cidius * 1.7 in this point pleaseth me very much, whē he saith, commenting vpon Timaeus, [That which is instituted by God without meanes, is free and exempt from change, from age, from sickenesse, from oldnes, and from death.] And in this point agree all Academicks: as also might be well prooued by circumstance, if that be well considered, which the sage philoso∣pher Moses declareth to haue beene produced by the creator, without helpe or matter, and that which hath beene also performed by meanes of the second causes. For though man was created and formed by the hands of God, yet was he not made without dust or earth, which was a meane subiect. But the eternall hath made the heauens, and the whole frame of the world of nothing: For which reason it might seeme perpetuall, and not perishing. For as wee haue heretofore declared; though the heauens and earth must passe away, yet * 1.8 doth not this plainly conclude an annihilating of them, but rather a changing and renew∣ing. For so speaketh the kingly prophet, saying, [The heauens shall waxe old as doth a gar∣ment, as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed.] And of this conside∣ration we may frame an excellent reason concerning the immortality of the soule, because it was made without any meanes by God himselfe. But leauing this argument, let vs pursue that, which wee beganne to say concerning the principall differences of the circular mo∣tion of the heauens.

Wherefore the first and vniuersall motion of all the sphericke world, is that, which we see * 1.9 is made round about the earth, from the east by south towards the west, alwaies with one and the same orderly celeritie and swiftnes, and without any ceasing, which performeth his course in a naturall day, which is diuided into fower and twenty equall howers, as is plain∣ly shewed vnto vs by the ordinarie course of the sunne. So that the whole heauen, and each of those celestiall spheres, doe follow the saide daily motion, though it bee not proper to them but accidentall, in that they are the partes of the vniuersall world. For (as wee shall presently see) euery sphere hath an other proper and particular motion. But this same, whereof we speake, doth in such sort by accident agree with all the parts of the world, that the most thinne and subtile elements, especially fire, and the superiour region of the aire, are in like sort carried away therewith. So likewise doth the sea, though it enuironeth not the earth round about, in some sort follow this motion by ebbing and flowing euery na∣turall day, not performing an entire reuolution. Wherefore nothing but the earth remaineth vnmoueable, because of the waight, and insensible quantity of it in respect of the whole world, as being the center thereof. The stablenesse whereof is very necessarie, that so both the vniuersall and each particular motion may be discerned; for otherwise there should be a confusion instead of harmony. And for this cause many haue supposed, that this whole Vniuers generally considered, is the first and very true moouer of the vniuersall motion, and not any heauen or particular orbe. Now for the second kinde of circular motions, it is * 1.10 that which is proper to euery of the eight sphers and celestial orbs, which are the parts of the whole heauen, from the firmament to the sphere of the moone. For each of these spheres (as is euidently perceiued by the starres enchased therein, which can haue no motion but according to their heauen) performeth his owne naturall and peculiar motion, contrary to the first, and vpon other poles and axes, to wit, from the West by South towards the East. And the entire reuolutions of those spheres, are done and finished in diuers spaces of time, to wit, of the greater and superior more late, and of the lesse and inferiour (being next to the elements) more soone. For the heauen of fixed starres, according to the most likely opini∣on and apparant obseruation of Astronomers, performeth his owne resolution in thirty six thousand common yeares, without bissext, whereof each containeth 365. naturall daies: Saturne the highest planet, in thirty yeares; Iupiter, which hath his circle much lower, in twelue: Mars in two; the Sunne in 365. naturall daies, and almost one fourth part of a day, which make vp the time and space of a yeare. For one shall alwaies finde, that number of daies being runne out, the shadow of the Sunne to be such, as (if you marke it) was the yere

before, at the very same instant, yea to the differēce scarce of a minute. Wherby it commeth that from foure yeare to foure yeare, is reckoned a bissextile day, which serueth to make * 1.11 the yeare answerable to the course of the sunne. The reuolution of whom, Venus and Mer∣cury do neere approch vnto: and for the Moone she maketh hirs in seuen and twentie natu∣rall daies, and almost one third part of a day: so that in so smal time she maketh as much way in regarde of vs, as Saturne doth in thirtie yeeres: because he is the farthest from, and shee the neerest to the earth, which causeth her course to be shorter then any other planet. And * 1.12 this is the consideration, which hath giuen occasion to many to cast the distances and spa∣ces which are betweene the spheres: saying, that there is nineteene times so much distance betweene the Sunne and Moone, as is betweene the Moone and the earth, & so of the rest, Pythagoras himselfe, a man very ingenious, counted by his calculation (as Plinie relateth) * 1.13 that there were 125000. stades or furlongs between the earth and the circle of the Moone: and that from the Moone to the Sunne there were the double of them; and betweene the sunne and signes of the Zodiacke the triple. Now a stade (or furlong) was measured by the ancients to consist of one hundred fiue and twentie common paces, or else of seuen hun∣dreth and fiftie feete. But so certainely to determine of the dimensions and distances be∣tweene the spheres, should (me thinketh) be too great an enterprise for the capacitie of our spirits. Yet may the curious by some infallible reason of Geometrie, or rather by imagined coniectures resolue vpon it. And to conclude our discourse concerning the motions of hea∣uen, we see that though by the rapiditie and violence of the continuall motion of the first moouer, all the spheres are carried away with it, in the space of fower and twentie howers from east by south towards the west, returning by north, or midnight towards the east; yet neuerthelesse euery one of them hath his proper and particular motion, cleane contrary to * 1.14 the vniuersall, that is, from the west towards the east. Which is chiefly done because that by the reuerberation of these contrarie motions, the aire may be parted and dispersed, which otherwise would heape and gather together, and become immooueable and heauy, because of the continuall reuolution of the world, turning alwaies one way. And besides these principall differences of the circular motion of the heauens, all the planets haue other mo∣tions of farther consideration, which are called circuits of the great reuolution, and which doe concurre in the great yeare, which is taken for the time when all the planets shall fully finish their courses together. But we haue said enough concerning this matter, considering the entent of our discourse; wherefore we will prosecute as briefly as we may the other par∣ticularities seruing for the knowledge of the spheres, euen so much as we shall hold needful for our present historie of heauen and earth. Then you shall discourse to vs (ARAM) of those circles which shew themselues in the sphere, and of the diuersitie and disposition of them.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The heauen is of round forme.
• * 1.2

  Of the pro∣per and natu∣rall motion of the spheres
• * 1.3

  Of the moti∣on proper to the lower e∣lements.
• * 1.4

  What stars are.
• * 1.5

  Of the axis of the spheres and of the poles.
• * 1.6

  Reasons of such as haue said that the world is an animall.
• * 1.7

  Notable dif∣ference in the workes of God.
• * 1.8

  Psal. 102.
• * 1.9

  Of the first, and vniuersall motion of heauen.
• * 1.10

  Of the se∣cond kind of circular mo∣tions.
• * 1.11

  Of the bissex¦tile day, or leepe yeare.
• * 1.12

  Of distances betweene the spheres.
• * 1.13

  Plinie in his natural histo¦ry lib. 2.
• * 1.14

  A good cause of the moti∣ons of the spheres.