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 Christalline or watry hea∣uen. Chap. 3.

THe sixt heauen is watry or cristallin. And is made by the might of God of waters, which be set aboue in the firma∣ment. For authority of holy writ telleth vs, y^e waters be set aboue heauens: which be so light & subtil, y^t ther ••e turne, •••• heuenly kind.* 1.1 And therfore they be pigut there. But Beda saith, y^t those heauenly •• waters be hanged aboue the firmament, not by the thinnesse of waters, but by y^e cléere & subtill vertue of God: and that to temper y^e swiftnesse of the firmament, or to swage the heat y^t commeth of y^e swift mouing of the Firmament. For Bedas opinion was, y^e heauen is strie kinde, as Plato and his followers say. Therefore Beda sayth, that heauen is of subtill and firie kinde, round, and set lyke far from the middle point of the earth. And there∣fore it séemed to Beda, y^t therfore it was néde, y^t there were waters to bring that heauenly heat to temperatnesse: and that the nether world shuld not take domage of the burning of heauen. Some say that Saturnus, that starre is colde, and that he hath of cold kind of those waters, which be set aboue the tap of heauen: and that because y^t the plece therof is nigh to the firmament. Also they say, that the firma∣ment by vertue of those waters is colde and cooleth the roundnesse which Satur∣nus is in: for it is next thereto. But how this might be reasonably done, it is not cléerely knowne to them that vse reason. For seeing that watry substance, by reason of both his qualytice, moisture and coldnesse is contrarye at all to fi∣rie substaunce: It is not cléere inough to Philosophers, how betwéene bodies that be so diuerse and contrarie, might vnitie and accorde be found in any wise. And neuerthelesse it is written. Iob. 38. Hée that maketh accorde in his high things. Iob. 38. ver. 19. Where is the way where light dwelleth, and where is the place of darknesse. Verse. 24. By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the East winde vpon the earth.

Verse. 33. Knowest thou the course of heauen, or canst thou sette the rule thereof in earth. Verse. 36. Who hath put wisedome in thy reines, or who hath giuen thy hearte vnderstan∣ding.

Therefore Philosophers that search and inquire, as I thinke the inner point of Philosophy more clergealy,* 1.2 and inner to the grounde, haue another opinion,

and meane otherwise. For Alexander sayth, that those waters, which are a∣boue heauen, be not set there as colde fleeting, and moyst, nor as s••••, frore; and heauie: for these be properties, and haue contrarinesse among themselues, and bee contrary either to other. But more be∣rely by the ordinaurie of the wisedome of God, those waters that be vpon or a∣boue the firmament, be in the most noble condition of their owne kinds se in that place by Gods owne doing: inasmuch as they be next to heauenly kinde. And this propertie of kinde of cléerenesse and brightnesse is properly and kindly found in kinde of water. And by cause thereof it hath likenesse, and accordeth with Ce∣lum imperium,* 1.3 and also with the firma∣ment: therefore our Lord hath set wa∣ter beneath, vnder the reason of colde & moyst, with other néedefull conditions to generation and corruption: but he set waters aboue by reason of cléernesse, as it was néedfull to the conseruation of the world. And therefore he saith, that hea∣uen is called watrie and christalline, be∣cause of ablenesse to mouing, & of cléere∣nesse: for it is cléere as christall, and re∣ceiueth light and fulnesse of lyght of the ouer heauen, which is called Celum im∣perium, and sendeth that light, which it receiueth, to the nether heauen: and it is called heauen, for it is vnknowen & bu∣séene of vs: and it is called Cristallinū, for it is hard as Chrystall, and not onely therefore, but because it is euenly bright & cléere: & it is called Aqueum, watrie: for it hath mouing as it were water of his subtiltie and moueablenesse: and it is moued, and moueth the next heauen thereto, and the said heauen moueth forth the heauen that is next thereto. And therefore that heauen that moueth the nether mouable things saueth principal∣ly the nether mouable things, as Alex∣ander saith.

Notes

• * 1.1

  setteled.
• * 1.2

  Diuinely.
• * 1.3

  God•• seat