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 perfect compositions which are in the nature of all thinges, by which the fower elements may bee conside∣red Chapter. 40.

ACHITOB.

ACcording as we are taught by those, who haue first diligently sought out the secrets of nature, we shall consider an elementarie fire, and the ele∣ment thereof, approching the heauenly spheres, by reason of the naturall agreement which * 1.1 they haue together, being much greater then there is of the heauens with the aire, the water and the earth. Now these fower elements doe demonstrate themselues by the like number of perfect compounds, which follow the nature of them: to wit, by stones, met∣tals, plants, and animals or sensitiue creatures. For stones haue their foundation or origi∣nall vpon the earthie corner of this worlds frame: because that agreeing with the nature of earth, they descend alwaies towards the center, except they bee such as are ouerdried and burned; as are the pumistones which are made spungie in caues full of aire. But when they are turned into dust, then resuming their proper nature of stones, they descende. Christ all and the Beryll are also numbred among stones: because that though they may be engendred of water, they are neuerthelesse so congealed and in manner frozen, that be∣ing made earthy they descend downewards; which is not the manner of frost and snow. So is it with those stones that are bredde in the blader, though they bee produced of a waterie humour. And all these kindes of stones become so close and solide in their nature, with such fastnes and binding, that they cannot be molten like mettals: although the said mettals descend downewardes like stones. And therefore also vpon the second watrie an∣gle * 1.2 of the elementarie world, mettals are builded: which though they bee said to be com¦posed of al the elements, yet because they are principally made of water, they retaine the na∣ture thereof, and will melt, as Abubacher doth excellently discourse, speaking thus [We see in mines, that by reason of the continuall heat of some mountaines, the thickest of the water steweth and boileth so, that in tract of time it becommeth quickesiluer. And of the fat of the earth so stewed and boiled together with heate, is brimestome ingendred, and through continuall heate also are mettals procreated. For gold that hath no default is inge∣dred of quicksiluer, and of brimstone that is pure, tough, cleere, and red. Siluer of the same liquid siluer, and of close, pure, cleere and white sulphur; wherein colour wanteth, and something of the closenesse and surenesse, and consequently of waight. Tinne, that is more vnperfect, is engendred of the same causes, and parts vnperfect because they are lesse con¦cocted and attenuated. Leade, of the same terrestriall siluer, and full of filth, depriued of purenes and surenesse: and of grosse sulphur or brimestone somewhat red, whereto wanteth fastnesse, clearenesse and waight: which makes this mettall vnperfect and impure. And I∣ron is procreated of the same quickesiluer, impure, tough, part earthy and burnt, white, and not cleere: which maketh this mettall base and soule, falling in purenesse and in waight. All which mettals being made of quickesiluer which is waterie, doe (for this cause) retaine the nature of the water.] To this author accordeth Auicen in his Physickes, and in the epi∣stle to Hazem the philosopher. But Gilgill the Spanyard supposed that metals had beene engendred of cinders, because they sinke in water, and melt like the glasse, which is drawn from terrestriall cinders, and beaten stone. But this concludeth not: for mettall sinketh and descendeth, by reason of that terrestial part which it hath incorporated with the liquid part, and because that the pores which retaine the aire, are closed and shut vp. And for glasse, it is not extracted out of the earthy matter, but out of the radicall moisture, which is within the cinders and stones. For in euery compound are the fower elements, though the nature of one hath more domination therein. For this cause likewise plants are founded vpon the * 1.3 third angle of the world, called airie: for they doe not grow nor fructifie, but in open day, and doe properly retaine the nature of the aire, which they alwaies require, as being fittest and aptest for them. Yea the wood it selfe would presently corrupt and rot, being depriued of the aire, if the watrie humour do not succour it, which participateth with the aire. Finally * 1.4 vpon the fourth angle of this forwer faced edifice, to wit, vpon the fire, is the liuing sensitiue creature built, whose life (as many learned doe teach) is by meanes of fire, and obtained from the Empyre all heauen, and from the spirit of life, which is a quickning fire, and distributeth

life to all the mundane wheeles: as we may learne by the oracles of Ezechiel, saying, [And the spirit of life was in the wheeles.] Behold then, how vpon the fower bases of the * 1.5 elements are planted fower sorts of perfect compounds, to wit, stones, mettals, plants, and liuing creatures.

True it is, that vnder euery vniuersall kinde of these, there are diuers particular species distinct the one from the other: for although stones may be properly earthie, yet are they sometimes nominated of some other element, which most preuaileth in their compositi∣on. For doubtlesse all the elements doe meete together in the procreation of them, but chiefly earth and water. Whereupon obscure and thicke darke stones are called earthie * 1.6 stones; and cleere transparent stones, waterie; and some also are melted by a great fire, to be turned into glasse. Some also with raine falling drop by drop are engendred in the shels of oisters; as those pearles which are found in the Indian and Britaine sea. The chrystall and Beryll are made of water frozen, voide of pores or subtile passages, so that they can neither receiue heate nor be melted. It appeareth also, that there is fire in the composition of stones, which likewise is forced out of the flint being stroken with a gad of steele. To which purpose Hermes amongst his secrets teacheth, that a stone doth sometimes spring out of the fire, mounting from earth too heauen, and then againe retaining to the earth, that nourished it. For mettals likewise, though they be waterie, some of them doe neuerthelesse * 1.7 retaine the nature of fire; as gold and iron, one of which imitateth the fire of the sunne, and the other the fire of Mars. But tinne and copper are airie, this receiuing influence from Venus, that from Iupiter. Siluer agreeth with the Moone, Leade with Saturne, quicke-siluer with Mercurie: and yet all of them are endued with a waterie nature, and will melt, and doe differ in waight. For as one water doth differ in weight from another; so doth mettall, not onely in speciall, but also in vndiuisible proportion. For common gold differeth in waight from that which the Latines call (Obrysum) or else (Ofirizum of the Hebrew word (Ofir) which we call (fine golde) and which hath beene oftentimes purged and refined in the fire, and wasted not therein. The gold of Tharsis also doth differ from the golde of India and Hungarie, and of others. So likewise doe waters differ in goodnes and waight, according to the region and place wherein they are: and by how much they are neerer to the foun∣taine, by so much are they better and lighter. And by their waight (as Vitrnuius will haue it one may know the goodnes of the aire: according to which he willeth men to choose out places to build houses in. Concerning plants, although they may bee by nature airie: yet there are some, whose rootes, iuice, leaues, and blossomes are said to be hot in the first, se∣cond, * 1.8 third, or fourth degrees; and others are cold and drie; some also are moist: which diuersitie happeneth, according as the plant obtaineth, more or lesse of the nature of one of the elements. The like of liuing creatures. For though they may properly be said to bee of the nature of fire, yet are there some, which being more earthie, delight in the earth, * 1.9 as mowles, wormes, and commonly all creeping things. Likewise all fishes are nourished by the water: chameleon by the aire: the salamander by fire, as some affirme, because that hee long time indureth fire through his excessiue coldnesse. There are some also which burne with great heate, as doues and lyons: some are cooled with moisture; as the lampe; and some are drie, as hares and deere. But neuerthelesse in regarde of their life they are all especially of the nature of fire distinguished by degrees: wherefore diuers names haue beene assigned to them, being borrowed from the elements or from their qualities.

And besides all this which wee haue heare discoursed concerning the elements, which may be found in the perfectly compounded substances of this elementarie world, many * 1.10 learned men affirme, that they are also resident in the celestiall and supercelestiall world. But that as they are heere thicke and grosse: so by a contrarie reason they are pure and cleane in heauen, and in it liuing and euery where well doing. They say then, that these celestiall elements are as the worthiest and excellent portion of those, which subsist vnder the moones sphere in the second degree, and which remaine also in the bowels of the earth as the most base and grosse lees of the elements. And that in heauen they are certaine ver∣tues or powers; and in nature the seedes of things; and in the world below grosse formes. For (as they argue) if there were no elementarie powers in heauen, how then by the cele∣stiall influence, should these elements heere below bee engendred and transformed: in such sort that which now is aire may be conuerted into raine, the water exhaled into aire, the earth turned into wood, which nourisheth the fire, and from the wood riseth aire and ashes fall, which is earth? For these causes also it is very likely that the Astronomers

distinguish the signes of the Zodiack and the Planets by the elements, attributing three signes to euery of them, as we haue already declared. But we shall finde enough to content vs concerning this matter, when we discourse particularly as touching the firme concord which remaineth betwixt the terrestriall elements and the Planets. Which (AMANA) let be the subiect of your morrow discourse.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The agree∣ment of Stones with the earth.
• * 1.2

  Metals agree¦ing with the water.
• * 1.3

  Concord of plants with the aire.
• * 1.4

  Animals ac∣cord with the fire.
• * 1.5

  Ezech. 1.
• * 1.6

  Diuersitie of the nature of stones.
• * 1.7

  Diuersitie of the mettals.
• * 1.8

  A different propertie of the plants.
• * 1.9

  Diuersitie of nature in ani∣malibus.
• * 1.10

  Of the celesti¦all and super∣celestiall ele∣ments.