Varieties: or, A surveigh of rare and excellent matters necessary and delectable for all sorts of persons. Wherein the principall heads of diverse sciences are illustrated, rare secrets of naturall things unfoulded, &c. Digested into five bookes, whose severall chapters with their contents are to be seene in the table after the epistle dedicatory. By David Person, of Loghlands in Scotland, Gentleman.

SECT. 1.

Of the severall titles and appellations that have beene given by Heathnick and Christian Philosophers to Mataphysick; the reasons wherefore every of those names were attributed unto it; and finally whereof it principally treateth.

THe high and sublime Science, which we call Metaphysick, hath divers titles and styles attributed unto it, partly by A∣ristotle himselfe, and partly by other Authors, as is observed by Suarez in the beginning

of his first Metaphysicall Disputation,* 1.1 and by Fonseca in his prooemium, prefixed to his Commen∣taries upon Aristotles Metaphysicks cap. 8.

For first, this Science is called Sapient••a •• Me∣taph. c. 1. & 2. because it disputeth of highest and most hard matters, and of the first and most gene∣rall causes of things.

Secondly it is called Philosophia 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 or by way of excellencie,* 1.2 4 Metaph. cap. 2. because it ex∣ceedeth all other parts of Philosophy in dignity very farre, and as a Queene it hath Soveraignty, and royall prerogatives above them all, prescri∣bing unto every particular Science the bounds and limits of it, confirming or establishing the princi∣ples of them all.

Thirdly,* 1.3 it is called prima Philosophia, 6. Me∣taph. cap. 1. & lib. 2. cap. 6. because it treateth of most excellent matters, as of God and of the An∣gels, in so farre as they may be knowne, by the light of Nature: for as they are knowne to us by divine revelation, the consideration of them belon∣geth to Divinity.

In the same respect it is called Philosophia Theo∣logica,* 1.4 6 Mataph. cap. 1. and Scientia Theologica, 2 Metaph. cap. 6. and by Christian Philosophers, who know another Theologie above, for distinctions cause, it is called Naturalis Theologia.

Last of all,* 1.5 it is called Metaphysica, which word occurreth not in Aristotle himselfe, but is used by his Interpreters and followers; yet it is grounded upon the titles of Aristotles Bookes of Metaphy∣sicks,

which after by Aristotle himselfe, or by Theophrastus, who is thought to have collected A∣ristotles Workes, and to have digested them in or∣der, are intituled 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, idest, post naturalia aut transnaturalia, and that, either because this Sci∣ence was invented after Naturall Philosophy, for the knowledge of the natures of bodily substances, (which is called Physiology) or else because the things considered in it, are beyond and above the order or ranke of naturall things; that is, of grosse and bodily substances, for it doth treate of spiri∣tuall and invisible substances,* 1.6 viz. of God and of the Angels; as also it treateth of the attributes and notions or conceptions of entity or beeing, which are common to all things, which have a reall being, whether they be bodily substances, or spirituall, yea whether they be substances or accidents.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Metaphysick first called Sa∣pientia.
• * 1.2

  2 Phylosophia 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• * 1.3

  3 Prima Phi∣losophia.
• * 1.4

  4 Philosophia Theologica.
• * 1.5

  5 Metaphysica and why.
• * 1.6

  Whereof it treateth.