St. Augustine, Of the citie of God vvith the learned comments of Io. Lod. Viues. Englished by I.H.

Of the opinion that some held, that the Angels weee meant by the se∣ueral waters, and of others that held the waters vncreated. CHAP. 34.

YEt some there (a) were that thought that the (b) company of Angels were meant by the waters: and that these wordes, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it seperate the waters from the waters, meant by the vpperwa∣ters * 1.1 the Angels, and by the lower, eyther the nations, or the diuels. But if this bee so, there is no mention of the Angels creation, but onely of their seperation. (c) Though some most vainely, and impiously deny, that God made the waters, be∣cause hee neuer said, Let there be waters. So they may say of earth: for he neuer said Let there be earth. I but say they: it is written God created both heauen and earth. Did he so? Then is water included therein also, for one name serues both: for the Psalm sayth: The sea is his, and he made it, and his hands prepared the dry land: but the (d) elementary weights do moue these men to take the waters aboue, for the An∣gels, * 1.2 because so an element cannot remayne aboue the heauens. No more would these men, if they could make a man after their principles, put fleame, be∣ing (e) in stead of water in mans body, in the head: (f) but there is the seate of fleame, most fitly appointed by God: but so absurdly in these mens conceits, that if wee know not (though this booke told vs playne) that God had placed this fluid, cold and consequently heauy humor in the vppermost part of mans body,

these world-weighers would neuer beleeue it. And if they were subiect to the scriptures authority, they would yet haue some meaning to shift by. But seeing that the consideration of all thinges that the Booke of God conteineth concerning the creation, would draw vs farre from our resolued purpose, lette vs now (to∣gether with the conclusion of this booke) giue end to this disputation of the two contrary societyes of Angells, wherein are also some groundes of the two societies of mankinde, vnto whome we intend now to proceed, in a fitting discourse.

L. VIVES.

SOme (a) there were] as Origen for one, who held that the waters aboue the heauens were no waters but Angelicall powers, and the waters vnder the heauens, their contraries, di∣uels. Epiph. ad Ioan. Hierosol. Episc. (b) Companies] Apocal. The peaple are like many waters, and here-vpon, some thought the Psalme meant, saying: You waters that bee aboue the heauens praise the name of the Lord: for that belongs only to reasonable creatures to do. (c) Though some] Au∣gustine reckoneth this for an heresie to hold the waters coeternall with God: but names no author. I beleeue Hesiods Chaos and Homers all producing waters were his originals. (d) Ele∣mentary] I see all this growes into question, whether there be waters aboue the heauens, and whether they be elementary as ours are. Of the first there is lesse doubt. For if (as some hold) * 1.3 the firmament be the ayre, then the seperation of waters from waters was but the parting of the cloudes from the sea. But the holy men, that affirme the waters of Genesis to be aboue the star∣ry firmament, preuaile. I gesse now in this great question, that a thicke clowd, commixt with ayre was placed betwixt heauen and earth, to darken the space betweene heauen and vs: And that part of it, beeing thickned into that sea we see, was drawne by the Creator, from the face of the earth, to the place where it is, & that other part was borne vp by an vnknowne power, to the vttermost parts of the world. And hence it came that the vpper still including the lower, heauen the fire, fire the ayre, ayre the water, this water includeth not the earth, because the whole element thereof is not vnder the Moone, as fire and ayre is. Now for the nature of those waters, Origen, (to begin with the eldest) holds them resolued into most pure ayre: which S. Thomas dislikes, for such bodies could neuer penetrate the fire, nor the heauens. But he is too Aristotelique, thinking to binde incomprehensible effectes to the lawes of nature, as if this were a worke of nature strictly taken, and not at the liberty of GODS omnipotent power, or that they had forced through fire and heauen by their condensed violence: Some disliked the placing of an element aboue heauen, and therefore held the Christal∣line heauens composed of waters, of the same shew, but of a farre other nature then the Elementary Both of them are transparent, both cold, but that is light and ours heauy. Basill sayth those waters doe coole the heate of the heauens. Our Astronomicall diuines, say that Saturnes frigidity proceedeth from those waters: ridiculous as though all the starres of the eighth spere are not cooler then Saturne! These waters (sayth Rede) are lower then the spirituall heauens, but higher then all corporeall creatures: kept (as some say) to threaten a second deluge: But (as others hold better) to coole the heate of the starres. De nat•…•…rer. But this is a weake coniecture. Let vs conclude as Augustine doth, vpon Genesis: How, or what they are we know not: there they are we are sure, for the scriptures au∣thority weigheth downe mans witte. (c) In stead of] Another question tossed like the first: How the elements are in our bodies. In parcels and Atomes peculiar to each of the foure, saith * 1.4 Anaxagoras, Democritus, Empedocles, Plato, Cicero, and most of the Peripatetiques, Arabians Auerroes, and Auicen: parcels enter not the bodies composition, sayth another, but na∣tures only. This is the schoole opinion, with the leaders, Scotus and Occam, Aristole is doubtfull (as hee is generally) yet holdes the ingresse of elements into compoundes. Of the Atomists, some confound all, making bodies of coherent remaynders, Others destroy all substances. Howsoeuer it is, wee feele the Elementary powers, heate and drought in our gall, or choller of the fire: heate and moysture, ayry, in the blood:

colde and moyst, watery in the fleame: Colde and dry, earthly, in the melanchol∣ly: and in our bones solydity is earth, in our brayne and marrow water, in our blood, ayre: in our spirits cheefely of the heart, fire. And though wee haue lesse of one then another, yet haue some of each. (f) But there] And thence is all our trou∣blesome * 1.5 fleame deriued: Fitly it is seated in the brayne, whether all the heate aspyreth. For were it belowe, whither heate descendeth not so, it would quickly growe dull, and congeale: Whereas now the heate keepes it in continuall acte, vi∣gor and vegetation.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Gen. 1.
• * 1.2

  Ps. 95.
• * 1.3

  Waters a∣boue hea∣uen.
• * 1.4

  Elements how com∣mixtures.
• * 1.5

  The seat of the brayne