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L. VIVES.
THeology (a) saith] The Platonists, Stoiks, Pythagorians and the Ionikes before them all, held God to bee a soule: but diuersly: Plato gaue the world a soule, and made them conioyned, god. But his other god, his Mens, he puts before this later, as father to him. The Stoikes and hee agree, that agree at all. Thales and Democritus held the worlds soule the highest god. (b) That this] Plato, the Stoikes and many Phylosophers held this. (c) Skie the highest] Aristotle puts the fire aboue the ayre and the heauen: the Platonists held the heauen to be fiery, and therefore cal∣led Aether. And that the ayre next it was a hurtlesse fire, kindled by it. This many say that Pla∣to held•…•… following Pythagoras, who made the vniuersall globe of 4. bodies. But Uarro heere maketh ayre to be next heauen, as the Stoikes did especially, and others also. Though the Plato∣•…•… and they differ not much, nor the Peripatetiques, if they speak as they meane, and be rightly vnderstood. But aether is the aire as well as the skie and fire, as caelum is in latine. Virgil.
Illa leuem fugiens raptim secat aethera pennis: With swift-wing'd speede she cuts the yeelding aire.
(a) 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the moone] The first region of the Ayre (Aristotle in his Physicks) ending at the toppe of the cloudes; the second contayning the cloudes, thunder, rayne, hayle and snow•…•… the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 from thence to the Element of fire.