men. And hath that name Empire∣um, of Pir, that is fire. For it is fullye called fire, not for burning, but for light and shining, as Isidore sayth. For this heauen is most bright and shining, and giueth lyght and shining vnto the hea∣uen Christalline, that is next thereto. And this heauen of his owne kinde is in parts lyke without starres, and sha∣pen all rounde, as Damascenus saith. And it is round, for to contayne spiri∣tuall and bodely things and it is kindly quiet, immeucable and vnmoued. And so that heauen is not néedfull for conti∣nuance of generation of lower thinges: but, as Alexander saith, For complec∣tion and full perfection of the worlde, and of bodyes, as certaine endes aske, which are ordayned according to the middle: The one ende is most darke, as the Earth. The other most lyght as Coelum imperium. Either bodye, vt∣termost, and highest, and lowest, is for it selfe vnmouable and quiet.Rabunus describeth the properties of this heauen, and taketh the wordes of Basilius in Exameron, and saith in this manner: Coelum Emperium, is the first bodye, most simple in kinde, and hath least of torpolentnesse: for it is most subtill in the first firmament, and foundation of the worlde, most in quan∣titie; bright in qualytie, round in shape, highest in place: For it is farthest from the middle point of the world, and con∣taineth spirites and bodyes, seene, and vnséene: and is the highest dwellyng place of God. For though God be in euery place, yet it is sayd specially, that he is in heauen: For the working of his vertue shineth most ther. And ther∣fore heauen is speciallye called, Gods owne seate: For in the bodye of the worlde, the kinde of heauen is fayrest, as Damascene saith, and in heauen the vertue of God worketh most openly.¶Of Ethere shining. Chap. 5.EThere in Gréeke is shining, and Isi∣dore saith. The ouer parts of fire, & of aire are called Ether, where is euer∣lasting shining of lyght and of bright∣nesse. And Anaxagoras saith, that that name Ether, is the name of fire. And as Aristotle sayth, he troweth that, for the burning, which commeth of the swifte∣nesse of the mouing thereof: and so A∣naxagoras meaneth, that all thing which burneth is called by that name Ether. And Alarcianu saith, that Ether is the place, which is departed from the nether worlde, and is vnséene in comparison to yt nether, which suffereth many manner diuersitie and chaunging. For in Ethe∣re, in that place is day euerlasting, no night commeth after day light, and no wonder: for the shadowe of the earth, which is cause of the night, commeth not in so high a place, as is that place, which is called Ether, as in li. Metheo∣rorum Arist saith, that Ether is nought els in kinde, but one element, & is none of the foure Elements: For all thing which is aboue ye roundnes of ye Moone, is of kinde departed from the kinde of the nether elements. Therfore Ether is neither heauie nor light, nor thinne nor thick: nor may be departed by thirling & holing of another bodie. For no corrup∣tion nor alteration may come and enter into the kind which is called Ether, nei∣ther into all nor into part thereof: and if it came, as had composition of the E∣lements, then corruption shoulde come therein. But yet Anaxagoras saith, that Ether is the aire, which is set a fire. And he saith, that sometime it cōmeth down∣ward, and is hid within the earth: and for the subtiltie thereof, it is ruled now vpward, now downward: and therfore commeth earth shaking, of the vertue of Ether closed in the inner partes of the earth. But Aristotle sayth, that this sai∣eng is erronious: For a subtill thing moueth not downward: and also though it moued downwarde, yet it should not make such working. And as Macrobi∣us sayth, The shining of Ether vnder the roundnesse of heauen, blaseth and shineth into all the roundnesse of the worlde: and contayneth in it selfe the roundnesse of the seuen Planets, which moue agaynst the mooing of the Fir∣mament. And the neather parte of the 0