The workes of that famous chirurgion Ambrose Parey translated out of Latine and compared with the French. by Th: Johnson

CHAP. XI. Of the life or soule.

THE soule entreth into the body, so soone as it hath obtained a per∣fect * 1.1 and absolute distinction and conformation of the members in the wombe: which in male children, by reason of the more strong and forming heate which is engraffed in them, is about the fortieth day, and in females about the forty fifth day, in some sooner, and in some later, by reason of the efficacy of the matter working, and plyantnesse or obedience of the matter whereon it worketh. Neither doth the life or soule being thus inspired into the bo∣dy presently execute or performe all his functions, because the instuments that are placed about it cannot obtaine a firme and hard consistence necessary for the live∣ly, but especially for the more divine ministeries of the life or soule, but in a long processe of age or time.

Those instruments of the soule are vitiated either in the first conformation, as when the forme or fashion of the head is sharpe upwards or piramydall, as was the head of Thersites, that lived in the time of the Trojan warre, and of Triboulet and Tonin, that lived in later yeares; or also by some casualty, as by the violent hand∣ling of the mydwife, who by compression, by reason that the scull is then tender and soft, hath caused the capacity of the ventricles that be under the braine to be too narrow for them: or by a fall, stroake, disorder in diet, as by drunkennesse, or a feaver, which inferreth a lithargie, excessive sleepinesse, or a phrensie.

Presently after the soule is entred the body, God endueth it with divers and sun∣dry * 1.2 gifts: hereof it commeth that some are endued with wisedome by the spirit; others with knowledge by the same spirit; others with the gift of healing by the same spirit; others with power, dominion and rule; others with prophesie; others with diversities of tongues; and to others other endowments, as it hath pleased the di∣vine providence and bounty of God to bestow upon them, against which no man ought to contend or speake. For it is not meet that the thing formed should say unto him that formed it, why hast thou made mee on this fashion? hath not the Potter power to make of the same lumpe of clay one vessell to honour and another to dishonour? it is not my purpose, neither belongeth it unto mee or any other hu∣mane creature to search out the reason of those things, but onely to admire them with all humility: But yet I dare affirme this one thing, that a noble and excel∣lent soule neglecteth elementary and transitory things, and is ravished and moved with the contemplation of celestiall, which it cannot freely enjoy before it bee separated from this earthly enclosure or prison of the body, and be restored unto its originall.

Therefore the soule is the inward Entelechia or perfection, or the primative cause * 1.3 of all motions and functions both naturall and animall, and the true forme of man. The Ancients have endeavoured to expresse the obscure sense thereof by many de∣scriptions. For they have called it a celestiall spirit, and a superiour, incorporeall, invisible, an immortall essence, which is to bee comprehended of its selfe alone, that is, of the minde or understanding. Others have not doubted but that wee have our soules inspired by the universall divine minde, which as they are alive, so they doe bestow life on the bodies unto whom they are annexed or united. And * 1.4 although this life bee dispersed into all the whole body, and into every portion of the same, yet is it voyd of all corporall weight or mixtion, and it is wholly and a lone in every severall part, being simple and indivisible, without all composition or mixture, yet endued with many vertues and faculties, which it doth utter in divers

parts of the body: For it feeleth, imagineth, judgeth, remembreth, understandeth, and ruleth all our desires, pleasures and animall motions; it seeth, heareth, smelleth, tasteth, toucheth: and it hath divers names of these so many and so great functions which it performeth in divers parts of the body. It is called the soule or life, be∣cause it maketh the body live, which of it selfe is dead. It is called the spirit or breath, because it inspireth our bodies. It is called reason, because it discerneth truth from falshood, as it were by a certaine divine rule. It is termed the minde, because * 1.5 it is mindfull of things past, in recalling and remembring them: and it is called the vigour or courage, because it giveth vigour and courage to the sluggish weight or masse of the body. And lastly it is called the sense & understanding, because it com∣prehendeth things that are sensible and intelligible. Because it is incorporeall it can∣not occupie a place by corporeall extension, although notwithstanding it filleth the whole body. It is simple, because it is but one in essence, not encreased nor dimini∣shed: for it is no lesse in a Dwarfe than in a Gyant, and it is like perfect and great in an infant as in a man, according to its owne nature.

But there are three kindes of bodies informed by a soule whereby they live: the * 1.6 first being the most imperfect, is of plants, the second of brute beasts, and the third of men. The plants live by a vegitative, beasts by a sensitive, and men by an intelle∣ctive * 1.7 soule. And as the sensitive soule of brute beasts is endued with all the vertues of the vegetative, so the humane intellective comprehendeth the vertues of all the inferior, not separated by any division, but by being indivisibly united with reason and understanding, into one humane forme and soule whereon they depend. But because we have sayd a little before, that divers functions of the life are resident, and appeare in divers parts of the body, here in this place, omitting all others, wee will prosecute those only which are accounted the principall.

The principall functions of a humane soule, according to the opinion of many, are foure in number, proceeding from so many faculties, and consequently from one soule; they are these: The common Sense, Imagination, Reasoning, and Me∣mory. And they thinke that the common or interior sense doth receive the formes * 1.8 and images of sensible things, being carryed by the spirit through the passage of the * 1.9 nerves, as an instrument of the externall senses, as it were a messenger to goe between them; and it serves not onely to receive them, but also to know, perceive and dis∣cerne them. For the eye, wherein the externall sense of seeing consisteth, doth not know white or blacke. Therefore it cannot discerne the differences of colours, as neither the tongue tastes, nor the nose savours, nor the eares sounds, nor lastly, the hands their touching quality: yea, the eye doth not of it selfe perceive that it seeth, nor the nose that it smelleth, nor the eares that they heare, nor the tongue that it ta∣steth, nor the hands that they touch. For all these things are the offices and fun∣ctions of the common sense; for this sense knoweth that the eye hath seene some thing, either white, blacke, red, a man, horse, sheepe, or some such like materiall thing, yea, even when the sight is gone and past; and so likewise the nose to have smelled this or that savour, the eare to have heard this or that sound, the tongue to have tasted this or that tast, and the hand to have touched this or that thing, bee they never so diverse. For all the externall senses, and all the functions thereof do end and are referred to the common sense, as it were the lines of a circle from the circumfe∣rence into the centre, as it is expressed in this figure.

[illustration]

For which cause it is called the common or principll sense, for that therein the * 1.10 primitive power of feeling or perceiving is situated, for it useth the ministery or ser∣vice of the externall senses to know many and divers things, whose differences it

doth discerne and judge, but simple things, that are of themselves, and without any * 1.11 composition and connexion, which may constitute any thing true or false, or any ar∣gumentation, belongeth onely to the minde, understanding or reason. For this was the counsell of nature, that the externall senses should receive the formes of things superficially, lightly and gently onely, like as a glasse, not to any other end but that they should presently send them unto the common sense, as it were unto their cen∣ter and prince, which he (that is to say the common sense) at length delivereth to be collected unto the understanding or reasoning faculty of the soule, which Avicen and Averrois have supposed to be situated in the former part of the braine.

Next unto the common sense followeth the phantasie or imagination, so called, * 1.12 because of it arise the formes and Ideas that are conceived in the minde, called of the Geekes Phantasmata. This doth never rest but in those that sleepe: neither al∣waies in them, for oft-times in them it causeth dreames, and causeth them to sup∣pose they see and perceive such things as were never perceived by the senses, nor which the nature of things, nor the order of the world will permit. The power of this faculty of the minde is so great in us, that often it bringeth the whole body in subjection unto it.

For it is recorded in history, that Alexander the Great sitting at Table, and hea∣ring Timotheus the Musician fing a martiall Sonnet unto his Citherne, that hee pre∣sently leaped from the table, and called for armes; but when againe the Musician mollifyed his tune, hee returned to the Table and sate downe as before. The power of Imagination caused by musicall harmony, was so great, that it subjected to it the courage of the Worlds conquerour, by whose various motion, it would now as it were cause him to runne headlong to armes, and then pacifie and quiet him, and so cause him to returne to his chaire and banquetting againe. And there was one whosoever it was, who some few yeares agone, seeing the Turke dance on a rope on high, with both his feet fastened in a bason, turned his eyes from so dangerous a sight or spectacle, although hee came to the place of purpose to see it, and was stricken with such feare, that his body shooke and heart quaked, for feare lest that by sudden falling downe headlong hee should breake his necke. Many looking downe from an high and lofty place, are so stricken with feare, that suddenly they fall downe headlong, being so overcome and bound with the imagination of the dan∣ger, that their owne strength is not able to sustaine them. Therefore it manifestly appeareth that God hath dealt most graciously and lovingly with us, who unto this power of imagination, hath joyned another, that is, the faculty or power of rea∣son and understanding; which discerning false dangers and perils from true, doth sustain and hold up a man that he may not be overthrowne by them.

After this appeareth and approacheth to performe his function, the faculty of * 1.13 Reason, being the Prince of all the principall faculties of the soule; which bringeth together, composeth, joyneth and reduceth all the simple and divided formes or images of things into one heape, that by dividing, collecting and reasoning it might discerne and try truth from falshood.

This faculty of Understanding or Reason is subject to no faculty or instrument * 1.14 of the body, but is free, and penetrateth into every secret, intricate and hidden thing, with an incredible celerity: by which a man seeth what will follow, percei∣veth the originalls and causes of things, is not ignorant of the proceedings of things, he compareth things that are past with those that are present and to come, decreeing what to follow, and what to avoyde. This bridleth and with-holdeth the furious motions of the minde, bridleth the overhasty motions of the tongue, and admoni∣sheth the speaker that before the words passe out of his mouth, hee ought with dili∣gence and discretion to ponder and consider the thing whereof hee is about to speake.

After Reason and Judgement followeth Memory, which keeping and conser∣ving * 1.15 all formes and images that it receiveth of the senses, and which Reason shall ap∣point, and as a faithfull keeper and conserver, receiveth all things, and imprinteth and sealeth them as well by their owne vertue and power, as by the impulsion and adherence of those things in the body of the braine, without any impression of the

matter; that when occasion serveth, we may bring them forth therehence as out of a treasurie or store-house. For otherwise, to what purpose were it to reade, heare and note so many things, unlesse wee were able to keepe and retaine them in minde by the care and custody of the Memory or Braine? Therefore assuredly God hath given us this one onely remedy and preservative against the oblivion and ignorance of things, which although of it selfe and of its owne nature it bee of greater efficacie, yet by daily and often meditation it is trimmed and made more exquifite and per∣fect. And hence it was that the Ancients termed wisedome the daughter of memo∣ry * 1.16 and experience. Many have supposed that the mansion or seate of the Memory, is in the hinder part, or in the ventricle of the Cerebellum; by reason that it is apt to receive the formes of things, because of the engrafted drynesse and hardnesse thereof.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The life goeth not into the masse of seed that doth en∣gender the child, before the body of the child and each part thereof hath his perfect proportion and forme. Why the life or soule doth not presently exe∣cute all his of∣fices.
• * 1.2

  1 Cor. c. 12.
• * 1.3

  What the soule or life is.
• * 1.4

  The life is in all the whole bodys and in every portion thereof. The life or soule is simple and indivisible.
• * 1.5

  Divers names, and the reason of divers names that are given to humane formes.
• * 1.6

  Three kinds of living bodies.
• * 1.7

  The superiour soule containeth in it selfe all the powers of the inferiour.
• * 1.8

  What the com∣mon sense is.
• * 1.9

  The function of the common sense is double.
• * 1.10

  For what cause the internall sense is called the common sense.
• * 1.11

  The common sense understan∣deth or know∣eth those things that are simple onely.
• * 1.12

  What Imagina∣tion is.
• * 1.13

  What Reason is.
• * 1.14

  The functions of Reason.
• * 1.15

  What Memory is.
• * 1.16

  Wisdome the daughter of me∣mory and ex∣perience.