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 the distinction of hea∣uen, Cap. 2.

NOw putte we our handes by helpe of Christ, in describe some properties of heauen, & of the parts therof▪ for heauen is the place and dwelling of An∣gels, and of good men 〈◊〉〈◊〉 saith▪ and as holy men tell, one heuen is seene, and another heauen is unseene. The heauen that is seene, is many manner wise as the Glose saith, super Deut. ••0.ibi., Loo heauen is the Lords thy Gods, and hea∣uen of heauens. Heauens be seaven, na∣med in this manner; Aereum, Ethereū, Olimpeum, Igneum, Firmamentum. A∣queum, Emperium celum, heuen of An∣gels. The heuen that is called Aereum, is the middle place of the roundnesse of the aire, that is not full of great & boyst∣ous vapours of water and of earth, and so that part of the aire; that is more pure and cleane, and lesse medled with the ne∣ther qualities: for the purenesse & clean∣nesse thereof, and cleernesse of kinde, it is called heauen, as it is said Mat. 13. The foules of heauen eate it, &c. Celum ethe∣reum, as some men say, it is y^t is called, the ouermost part of the aire, y^t is nigh ioyned to the fierie roundnesse, and is called Ethereum: for it is bright and shining. For that part betweene the fire and the aire is nigh the fire, and recey∣ueth of the fire light and shining, for E∣thereus in Greeke, is named brightnesse, either shining as Isidore saith.

And Coelū igneum, firie heauen, as some men meane, is the middle of the round∣nesse of the sphere of fire: and that is for the purenesse, subtilnesse, highnesse, and working, that the fire hath passing other elements, and for other properties, that the fire hath for nighnesse to the round∣nesse of the Planets. And Gregory saith vpon that place of Iob. Behold and see Etherea, &c. By that name Etherea is vn∣derstood all the space y^t is from y^e Moone, euen to the stars y^t be night, in y^e which space us roundnesses & circles of y^e seauen Planets. Séeke within De Ethere, what Marcianus meaneth thervpon. Alexan∣der ordeineth the seuen heauens, & saith in the manner: The first heuen giueth light in one manner wise, & is not moo∣ued, and as called Celum 〈…〉〈…〉: the second also 〈…〉〈…〉 saith giueth in one man∣ner wise lyght, and is called Celum: A∣queum 〈…〉〈…〉 as it were of kinde of water or of christall stone. The third heuen giueth light, not lyke bright in euery part, & is moued as the heauen of starres. The fourth heauen receiueth light without heate, and is called: Olim∣picum. The fifth receiueth light in heat, and is called C••lum igneum as y^e fourth heauen. The sixt receiueth light, and is ioyned with the other part, and is called Celum Ethereum, bright shining hea∣uen. The seuenth receiueth lyght, and is ioyned with the nether part, & is named Celum Aereum, of the kind of aire: and so it séemeth, that they call Olympium the space of the roundnesse of the Pla∣nets: for that space is alway light and shining. And the firmament they cal the first heauen and the last, as philosophers meane: in the ouermost part wherof be the bodies of starres. For Philosophers set but onely one heauen. But as Basili∣us saith in Pxomeron, the Philosophers would rather gnaw and fret their owne tongues, then they would assent, y^t there be many heauens. Aristotle in libro de causis elementorum, describeth that hea∣uen that is called Firmamentum, in this manner. Heauen (he saith) is the fift E∣lement, seuered from the nether Ele∣ments, and distinguished by propertie of kinde: for it is not heauie, for thea it might come downward: nor lyght, for then it should stye and moue vpwarde. For if it wer one of y^t foure elements, or compowned of the foure, then corruption might come therin in all, or in some part therof. And as it is sayd there: The crea∣tor set it to be well and cause of genera∣tion and coruption. And therefore that heauen is kindly mouable without rest: and the mouing thereof is rounde about the middle, vpon a lyne that is named Axis, that standeth thee pight vnmoua∣ble betwéene two starres, that be called Polys, that be the most South starre, & the most North starre: the which North starre we call the shipinans starre.

And that heauen hath ende touching length and bredth, & stretching of place: But it is endlesse touching mouing, for it moueth by a ••••suer of endlesse might: that is by God himselfe, that is most high and glorious without end. Hether∣to speaketh Aristotle lib. de causis Ele∣mentorum And also be calleth these Poles, two starres, in the highest endes of heauen, set in the middle thereof, one aboue, and another beneth: the one there of, is set aboue in middle of y^e Heauen. Northwarde, and is called Polus Arti∣eus: and that other is set against him South ward, and is called Polus Antar∣ticus, as it were set afore the starre, that is called Polus Articus. Betwéene these two Poles, as it were betwéene his two endes, heauen moueth: so that the grea∣test Circle of heauen commeth not euen round ouer our heads: For they two Poles be not lyke high to vs, and heuen moueth from the East to the West, and from the West againe till be come to the East, and all that waye like swifte, lyke as a whéele moueth about the ax∣eltrée. And therfore Aristotle vnderstan∣deth a certaine line that stretcheth from that one Pole to that other Pole in straight length, and about that line, all the roundnesse of heauen moueth lyke swifte: and that lyne be calleth Axis, as the Commentator sayth there. Of the kinde of this heauen, it is treated In li∣bro de coelo & mundo, secundum no∣uam translationem. Heauen (he saith) is one thing compowned of marter, for it containeth the kinde, of the which hea∣uen is named, which is the last passing of all. And it foloweth in the same booke: There be not many heauens, nor wer, neither shall be, for heauen is one per∣fect and complete at full, and nothing is lyke thereto: and without heauen is neither place nor body, nor widenes, nor fulnesse, nor time, that is number & me∣sure of mouing. Therefore there is sted∣fast life, that is to wit beyond the last, & that life is endlesse: For that lyfe nei∣ther saileth, nor endeth, and that is very lyfe. Also he saith there, that heauen is not made nor gendred, but it is simple, and the mouing thereof is euen, and ther in is no diversitie: & the mouing there∣of, is singular, and round about: and the moouer thereof is a spirite, that mooueth it by his owne will: and the beame of heauen is continu•••• with the beame of fire, and ioyned there with to profite of lyfe of the men which abideth. Also the firmament is called heauen, for it is sad and stedfast, & hath a marke, that it maye not passe: and so for full great abiding of his stedfastnesse, it is incorruptible & vnchaungeable both in substance and in shape. And the shape thereof is rounde about, and hollow within to be warde: and round about toward them which be aboue heauen, but the roundnes bendeth from them ward. The mouing thereof is kindly round about, and a flonte, and round about from the East to the west, and rolleth about, & draweth with him by simple mouing, and lyke swifte in the space of a night and a daye, all that is there vnder, euen to the place of the fire: and so he rauisheth and leadeth a∣bout with himselfe, the roundnes of the seauen Planets. And Rabonus saith, all that is there vnder, is obedient in one manner order, and not distourbed to the vertue of mouing thereof. Also he saith In expositione super Genis. The ver∣tue of mouing thereof stretcheth euen to these nether Elements. And so men sup∣pose, that it draweth about with him∣selfe the ouermost fire, and also the wor∣king of y^e vertue of mouing therof, com∣meth euen to the aire, and also euen to the waters: in the which waters touch∣ing ebbing and flowing, it maketh in the most part increasing & decresing, & these thrée Elements, Fire, Aire, and Water be obedient to some manner mouing of heauen: but they follow it not in one manner wise, nor in one order, but some lesse, and some more, as it is said before. That which is more lyght and pore, is more obedient, and that which is lesse light and pure, followeth more slowly, & is lesse obedient. The earth is not obe∣dient to the mouing of the vertue of he∣nen, to take thereby chaunging of place, though it be obedient, and receiueth di∣uers impressions, to bring forth of it selfe, diuers manner of kindes. Then as

Rabanus saith, there the firmament hath touching, mouing, lyke swifte passing, ordinate, and not distourbed, and is swiftest of all mouings. Therefore lest the shape of the world should fall, by the swiftenesse of the mouing thereof, it is tarried by ordinate mouing of the Pla∣nets: and so the strong swiftnesse of his mouing, is made moderate by con∣trary mouing. Also it moueth without trauayle: for the parts chaungeth place and stead, the whole heauen chaungeth no stead nor place: and though these ne∣ther things be distourbed, and happely vnstedfast, heauen with his roundnesse and circles forsaketh not, nor leaueth not the sad tenour of his order, namely in a poynt. Therefore the mouing of heuen, is the first subiection of all time, & man∣ner and rule of all other mouings. Al∣so the firmament by his mouing is prin∣ciple working and doing of generation and corruption in the lower world And as Rabanus sayth, the cause thereof is, for the firmament sendeth the vertue of his lyght, that is effectiue cause of gene∣ration to the earth, as to his owne mid∣dle, and gathereth his owne beames, & ioyneth them in the vtter parte of the earth. For as it is shewed in Scientia Perspectiua, euery each round body and hollow, and bright in euery each poynte thereof, sendeth a beamie lyne into the middle of that bright body: that is to vnderstand the vtter part of that middle: and the néerer euery beamie lyne is to other lynes, which goe out to the mid∣dle, the more stronger he is to print in effect thereof and doing. And their strēgth commeth of nighnesse of one lyne to an other: and thereof it followeth, that for the bodye of heauen is round, hollowe, and also bright. And this earth in com∣parison to the greatnesse of heauen, is ac∣counted but as it were a poynt: for the earth is the middle point, that therin is ful great gathering of heuenly beames: and of the vertue and touching of those sayd beames, commeth full great genera∣tion and foorth bringing of things that are bred in earth, which is the middle of the firmament.

And though heauen be Principium, and Well of generation: yet in it selfe it receiueth no generation, nor corrup∣tion, nor decreasing nor increasing: for heauen in his substaunce hath much sim∣plenesse and likenesse, cleannesse & pure∣nesse: and hath no departing nor con∣trarinesse in the parts, of the which it is compowned, and therefore of it selfe it hath no might to corruption. And Ari∣stotle argueth, in li. de coelo & mundo thus. All corruption (he saith) commeth of contraries, and nothing is sound con∣trary to heauen: wherefore heauen is not corrupt.

Also though heauen in it selfe be lyke in partes: yet needeth it to haue manye diuers roundnesses and circles in shape and greatnesse, that differ in length and breadth, and that of diuers habitations, which be néedefull to things that shall dye, as Aristotle saith in li. de causis E∣lementorum. For if the neather worlde shuld receiue influence of beames in one manner disposition and measure, féeding of them that should dye, and generati∣on of all the neather things should faile: and therefore it is néedefull that heauen moue a slont, that by arising and going downe of Circles, now cold, now heate, may be bred in the middle. For if hea∣uen moued straight towarde vs, all things that be there we dwell, should be consumed and wasted with heat or with colde, as Aristotle sayth. Also men take not only héed in heauen of purenesse and incorruptiblenesse of matter, but also of fairenesse and cleerenesse of shape. For as Aristotle saith in li. de sensu & son∣sato, Heauen in his owne kind is bright, but in the parts thereof is diuersitie.

For in stars is more gathering of light, than in other parts of heauen. Where∣fore in shape heuen hath roundnes, hol∣lownes and vtter roundnesse, with cléer∣nesse and brightnes, and euennesse in the hollow heauen, and diuersitie in parts. Wise men tel, that of méeting of round∣nesses, and of contrary mouing of Pla∣nets commeth a swéete harmony: wher of speaketh Macr••bius in lib. Ciceronis, expounding the dreame of Scipio: In putting & mouing of these round worlds commeth the sweet sound and accord, &c.

Also it is said in libro de coelo & mun∣do, in fine: that heauen with continu∣ance of his moouing setteth a light flame on that thing which it mooueth vppon. Therefore the aire is set a fire, with mo∣uing of heauen. For mouing is cause of heat. Therfore there it is saide, that it is perceiued, that of moouing commeth heat kindly, & of rest commeth coldnesse. And therefore heat softneth matter & depar∣teth it, & coldnesse gathereth & bindeth it. Therefore the parts of the Elementes, which be nigh to the mouing of heauen, be more hot then the other parts of the neather world, as it fareth in fire & aire. And in y^e third Element, y^t is the water, mouing is féebled. And therfore therin is coldnesse, but not in the vttermost. In the fourth element, that is earth, because it is far from the heauenly mouing, is con∣straining to the vttermost, through ab∣sence of heate & mastry of coldnesse. And therefore the earth abideth resting, and euerlasting, that it moueth not, as Arist. saith there. Also men take héed of the no∣bilitie of heuen in simplicitie of his sub∣stance, in purenesse & euerlastingnesse, in brightnesse & cléerenesse of shape, in roūd∣nesse, in euennesse of mouing, & swift∣nesse, & vertues in highnesse of place. For touching the place therof it is most farre from the middle of the earth in stretching of quantity: For the greatnesse thereof passeth imagination and measure of rea∣son. In might, for it ruleth & gouerneth and ordeineth and measureth all that is there vnder: And that is more wonder∣full, heauen ordeineth and measureth, & amendeth and chaungeth all the neather things, that taketh neuer chaunging of thing which is lower then it selfe, nor that thing which is vnlike thereto in kinde, confirmeth it selfe in anye vertue to the heauenly body.

Notes

• Bias or o∣uerthwan
• Bias