Batman vppon Bartholome his booke De proprietatibus rerum, newly corrected, enlarged and amended: with such additions as are requisite, vnto euery seuerall booke: taken foorth of the most approued authors, the like heretofore not translated in English. Profitable for all estates, as well for the benefite of the mind as the bodie. 1582.

¶Of touching. Cap. 21.

TOuching is the wit of knowing di∣uers things,* 1.1 that are to be touched, for by the vertue of touching, the soule knoweth hot and wet, colde and dry, soft and hard, smooth and rough. Or as A∣uicen sayth, The touching is a vertue, ordeyned in the sinewes of all the body, to knowe what he toucheth. Though this vertue be in all the parts of the bo∣dy, yet it is principally in the palme of the handes, and in the soles of the féete, the which kinde temperately for this re∣son hath ordained, that they should the lyghtlyer perceiue and féele things colde and hot. These partes be hollowe, that things to be felt may the better be per∣ceiued, and that things to be helde, maye the better and more strongly be holden. They féele temperately, that they maye take the lightlyer the lykenes of a thing that is temperate. Things that maye be fealt, may be called the composition of the first qualyties, and certaine conueni∣ences to them, as rough and smoothe, harde and softe. In the vttermost héer∣of, the vertue of féelyng is grieued and hurte, as in the thing that is eyther too hot or too colde: for kinde hath ly∣king in the meane, as luke warme. To make this vertue perfect, these things néedeth to the cause efficient dooing, and that is the deriuation of the spirite A∣nimall to the instrumentes of féelyng: also a conuenient instrument, and that is in two manners. One is the si∣newes that commeth from the braine, and bringeth the spirite Animall, to all the lymmes.

The second instrument, is the flesh, in the which be inclosed and fastened, the sinewes by the which the vertue of fee∣lyng worketh. For by meane of the si∣newes, the lykenesse of the thing that is felt, is brought to the perseuerance of the soule. Also the third necessarye thing is the vtter workings, so that the thing that shall be felt, be nigh the lim of feeling, of the which thing the spirit animall, that is in the flesh and in the sinewes, taketh the lykenesse, and being lyke, presenteth the properties of the thing touched, to the soule, and so this vertue is complete and perfect in his doing, as saith Constauti∣us. That when all y^e other vertues, haue a proper member & organe specially ser∣uing to their working, this vertue of fée∣lyng alone, is generally in all the lims, except y^e haire & nailes of feete & handes, in the which is no sinewe, and so conse∣quently no feeling: but euery of the ver∣tues haue certeine, place, instrument, & lym, to his working and mouing, in all & euery vertue. This vertue aboue all other is much earthly and boystous, and therefore because of lykenes, it knoweth and perceiueth more perfectly than other vertues, hard and rough, and such other lyke earthly passions. Though this ver∣tue by reason of the obiects séemeth to be more boystous in the subiect then other powers: yet it is supposed more profi∣table then other vertues. For though the other vertues may in some manner of wise be without féeling: yet they can∣not be complete and perfect, without the vertue of féeling, as saith the philosopher: and so the touching is more general than the other, both because it is shed into all the parts of the body, and also because it helpeth all the other vertues, & special∣ly the tast. These two vertues, that is to say, the tast and féelyng, be more con∣tinually with the heart, & therefore they be more of the being of the beast, & de∣termine more openly of things that feele and know. Euery lym hath one sinewe or two, by which the vertue of féeling & spéedie mouing is made complete & per∣fect: as it is found in the Anathomia of Constantinus. This vertue of féelyng, is grieued and hurte sometime, as the other vertues are, and is sometime all lost, where feelyng and speedie mouing sayleth, or is wholly diminished, as it happeneth in the lymmes that haue the Palsie & be be〈7 letters〉〈7 letters〉. Also it is some∣time diminished, as we see when a lymme is a sléepe: when through anye stopping or constrayning of the lymme, the spirite of feelyng may not fréely passe by that lymme. Also it is hurte by euill complection of the brayne, as in them that haue the fallyng euill, the which, in the houre of the euill, féele not, nor take no héede of touching of fire. Also it suf∣fereth by chaunge of the aire without, as when the fingers be combered and crooked for great colde: in the which ex∣pedient mouing is let, and so one fin∣ger maye not beclippe another. Also by cutting of the parts of the body: For a ioynt cut from the body, féeleth nothing at all, though it be all to torne or burnt. Also a lymme that remayneth still in the body, if it by any chance be dead or rot∣ten looseth all féelyng: y^e vertue of féeling is in so much the more grieued, in how much it is the déeper wounded in the si∣newes of feelyng. Also when the griefe of the vertue vitall is ioyning to the thing hurtfull, by discontinuation of the parties, the thing causing the griefe of the member, specially hurteth the feeling, and maketh in the body sore passion & chan∣ging. For euery thing that is fealt, ma∣keth a chaunge in the lym of y^e féelyng. as saith the Philosopher. Also things that be felt by féelyng, make mo chaun∣ges, then things felt by other mouings. The vertue of féeling, is more boystous and more materiall then other vertues: and therfore it holdeth the more strong∣ly the impressions & putting off things, that please or grieue. Also because the touching, is an vniuersal lyuing vertue, in all the parts of a beast: therefore if the power of touching be all lost, the subiect of all the beast is destroyed. It is not so of other powers: For though the sight be lost, the other vertues of the beast be not therefore destroyed. Yea, sometime they take the better héed to theyr working and dooing. But if the féelyng be lost, all the powers are

destroyed. And so it appeareth, that the vertue of touching, is the grounde and the foundation of all the other vertues. Also when the other foure powers, each hath his singular and proper sense, and obiect, that is to wit, that falleth in one sense and not in another, as the sight knoweth hiew and colour, and the taast knoweth sauour, &c. The touching alone is the vertue, whereto all the other lims of the vertues, imprinteth their passi∣ons. It is common to all wittes to haue proper obiect things and sensate, in the which they erre not by hay. For a perticular wit may erre for some thing that falleth. For as Aristotle sayth, Such a thing maketh the fantasie in doubt oft, as appeareth in y^e sight, y^t dée∣meth a great star but small & little, for the farnes of place of & like And the tast y^t supposeth bitter to be swéete, through infection of the roofe of the mouth, and so it happeneth of the other. It is common and generall, that all the perticular vt∣ter wits, that come from the inner moo∣uing, that is called. Sensus communis, Common moouing, procéede as it were lynes out of the middle thereof, to eue∣ry singular vtter power, and maketh it perfect, and the instruments thereof, by diuers dispositions that belong thereto, and bringeth the lykenesse thereof to the full mouing. Through y^e which agréeing vertues, all the properties of touching, and the working that belongeth thereto, they iudge of and the discerne. And this that is sayd of the properties of the vertues of this inwarde working of the senses sufficeth at this time.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Tactus.