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CHAP. IX. The Earth. (Book 9)

1. That the Fire is neither an Element, nor co-mingled materially with Bo∣dies, nor that it is a matter, nor that it hath a matter in it. 2. The Earth is not a part of the thing mixed. 3. The Virgin-Earth is demonstrated by Handicraft operation. 4. Grounds or Soils in the Earth, are distinguished. 5. The Water within the Earth, doth more than a thousand times exceed the water of the Sea, and Rivers. 6. The true Original of Fountains. 7. How Waters do of their own accord ascend. 8. The continuity or hold∣ing together of a thread is proved, in the Waters. 9. By what chance, the Earth happens to Bodies, that are believed to be mixt. 10. The number of Elements, and their temperaments, are most destructive trifles, after that the same are translated into the art of healing. 11. The Earth is the Wombe, but not the Mother of Bodies, and that is demonstrated by many Arguments. 12. Water and Air do not convert any other thing into themselves. 13. What kinde of thing mixture is, and what the adjoyning or application of Bodies. 14. Objections concerning Glasse, and the Tile or Brick are resolved. 15. The Operations of the Fire of Hell. 16. How out of Glasse, Sand may be safely separated from its Alcali or Lixiviall Salt. 17. That the Center of the World is sometimes changed.

THerefore, neither is the Fire an Element, nor is it materially co-mixed in Bodies; because I will shew, the Fire neither to be a matter, nor to have it in it self. Yea [unspec 1] the Earth doth no where offer it self to be co-mixt with any natural body besides it self, which may be re-taken thence by any labour. Therefore I have lamented, and [unspec 2] been angry with my self, that the foundation of healing hath been stuft with trifles, and that the sick should be constrained to yield obedience to so great mockeries. But I name the original Earth, of the Virgin-Element, the constant Body of Sand it self: but the rest of every kinde of Earth, the fruit of the Earth, from a Mineral off-spring. [unspec 3] The which by the art of the fire, is sufficiently and over proved. For, that the Sand is the original Earth, first of all, its hard reducement into water, proveth; because the Sand out of a flint, or an Adamant, may be sooner reduced into water, than the Sand, Quellem. And then, that thing also the Spade proveth, because in digging, truly di∣vers Soils do meet nigh the light, indeed made to differ in colours, and thickness, and [unspec 4] the which, although by the rustical or homely Etymologie of the Schooles, they are believed to be black, white, yellow, read Earths, &c. yet they are fruits of the Earth, and do consist of a Seed: under which, is a Sand, also elsewhere manifold in its va∣rieties of Soils, as well in one onely, as in divers places: at length, under those, doth the Sand reside, which our Countreymen call, Keybergh, or the flinty Mountain, from whence do flow the originall of Rocks and Mountains, and the chief riches of Mines. At length (the last of them all) the white or boyling Sand Quellem, doth shew it self in a living and vitall Soil, which the Spade or Mattock never pierceth. For how much soever Sand, and Water thou shalt take away from thence, so much doth there suc∣ceed in the room of that which was taken away, filling up again the same place. This Sand I say being unmixt, is a certain Hair-cloth, or sieve, and the foundation of na∣ture, by which, all waters are strained thorow, that all of them may keep a Commu∣nion among each other, from the beginning of the Creation, unto the end, and from the Superficies or upper part of the Earth, even to its Center. And moreover, the water detained in this Soil of Sand, is perhaps, actually greater by a thousand fold, [unspec 5] than the whole heap of Seas and Rivers floating on the Superficies of the Earth. And that is easily verified, by supposing, the whole superficies of the Earth also to be co∣vered with waters to the depth of 600 paces. Therefore it followes, respect being had to the Diameter of the Earth, that there is easily a thousand times more water, under,

than upon the Earth. For truly dry Sand, drinks up at least, about a fourfold quanti∣ty of water, in the same extension of place: yet I will not have it, that although, the Quellem be the last ground or Soil to the Digger, that all subjected grounds are every where to be found by order. For the aforesaid Sand, which sometimes overwhelms it self perhaps to a thousand paces beneath the Horizon, elsewhere boils up with speed under the open Air, yea, and oft-times in the top of Mountains. Of which thing the Schooles, with their Aristotle, being ignorant, do toughly hold, that all true springs [unspec 6] do owe the cause of their continuance from the Air co-thickned into water, when as notwithstanding, they cannot maintain that thing; because in the tops of the highest Mountains, springs do oft-times leap forth, where another Mountain of the like height is not neer, nor a water-Channel extended on either side to this. Therefore they hold their peace with a lofty look, and are silent at the unwonted miracle of the thing.

Surely, as long as waters do wander in the living and vitall Soil of the Earth, and are detained in the Sand Quellem, so long I say they are not constrained to bring [unspec 7] forth by the water drawing lawes of Scituations, No otherwise, than as the bloud, while it is nourished with life in the veins, so long also, it knowes not above and be∣neath, and it is as well in the fore-head as in the feet. But at the very moment, wherein it once falls out of the veins, or the waters do disgorge themselves out of the Quellem, they cease not to flow down by obeying the lawes of Scituations. Therefore the Sea in its own ground, doth sup up the received waters in the sieve of the Virgin-Sand. For so, according to the wise man; however all waters do flow into the Sea, [unspec 8] yet it never re-gorgeth them again. Because by one onely thread, there is a conti∣nuall passage out of the Virgin-Sand, into Springs, Streams, Rivers, and the Sea, to moysten the Earth, and appointed to enrich it with Mineralls. Whither again, the waters being driven, they are supt up partly by the Quellem, and partly do snatch the Air. So indeed doth the Universe distribute its waters, and lay them aside for divers fruits. And therefore I have meditated with admiration, that the Almighty hath set before him the necessities of ungrateful immortal men, as the aims of things. I return to the Earth. I have found for certain, that the original Earth doth no where [unspec 9] of its own accord concur to the mixtures of fruits, slide thereto by chance, nor that it is assumed by nature, nor is found to have assumed the works of nature or art.

And therefore the reason of mixtures waxeth lean, the number of Elements, Qua∣lities, [unspec 10] and Temperaments ceaseth; and so they are lying fopperies, which have been hitherto stifly and ignorantly garnished out by the Schooles. For of a man, Wood, &c. be it dust, or ashes that is left by the fire, yet Earth is never drawn out: for else our burying places would soon swell. Therefore the Earth is at least the remaining [unspec 11] wombe, but not the Mother. Which if it should sometimes have a conflux unto fruits or mixt bodies: it would either abide in the same, and so by the solution of art or nature, would sometimes be found, or should return from thence (which is false) or plainly should be taken to the mixt Body, and in it should cease to be Earth, being already changed into another thing: and so should be elsewhere diminished (which I will straightway shew to be alike false) or by the death, or dissolution of the thing, should return again into earth, and there should be a daily and repeated returning of one and the same Element, from a privation to a habit. Or if this should not return into earth, it should remain changed into fruits, and so the whole Earth had long since gone into fruits, and nature had lost her constancy, and had mocked the first aims of the Creator, or the earth had returned from the dissolved mixt body into ano∣ther Element: the impertinency whereof ceaseth. For truly, it is not natural to wa∣ter or air, to turn another Element into its own substance. From hence I will straight∣way [unspec 12] demonstrate, that never one drop of water is turned into air, or likewise air changed into water. Which changes notwithstanding do appear lesse labour some, than of the earth into water, or into air. And therefore if nature hath not as yet attempt∣ed the more easie transmutations; after what sort shall it presume on the more diffi∣cult ones? For otherwise, the earth should be ••upt up and brought to nothing by Ele∣ments that are so much more large, co-touching with it, and more active. But the Father of the Universe, being a lover of Concord, hateth discord and brawlings, and chiefly in the Elements, which, that they might be the stable props of nature, he hath not created the same, fighting ones. For he hath also directed the Elements to their ap∣pointed ends, and lawes of continuance, to wit, that he may bring forth, and nou∣rish

his own fruits, for his own honour, and the use of man. Notwithstanding, nei∣ther the honour of God, nor mans necessity, did any where, or any way require, the battels, devourings, strifes of the Elements; their trampling on each other, as neither the exchanging, or nourishing of one by the other. Nor lastly that at the end of an Element to increase it self by covetousness, hunger, luxury, or necessity, with the destruction of anomer. For neither are they guilty of the fault of coverousness, or hatred, as neither do they desire to be nourished. Last of all; neither have the Elements obtained an Archeus, a kitchin, or properties for that transchanging. Therefore the whole Do∣ctrine of the Schooles concerning the elementary War, is an old Wives fable.

Therefore the earth is never taken, or of its own accord doth materially run out of it self, into the constitution of bodies. And there is by right, made no mixture in [unspec 13] nature, which can firmly grow together under the unity of the natural composed form, unless it be between juyces and spirits. On the contrary, no pulverous or powder all co-mixture doth tend to generation: but there is onely an apposition or applying, presently of its own accord, and again quickly decaying. Therefore all earth, Clay, and every body that may be touched, is truly and materially the off∣spring of water onely, and is reduced again into water, by nature and art. Neither doth that hinder, because of Clay and sand, a Tile or Brick is boyled, even as of sand and ashes, Glasse. For truly, whatsoever is of Clay, is at length of its own accord [unspec 14] resolved into a salt, the same sand remaining, which the clay had contracted into it self. Glasse also, as it hath passed, by art, and without a seed, into an artificial com∣posure: So by art again, its bond being unloosed, it refurns to its auntient Beginnings, so that sand is drawn out from thence, altogether the same in number and weight, the which by the flowing of the Furnace, had grown together with the fixed salt, into a clear stone, or glasse. For from hence it appeares, that the sand, or the Element of the earth, doth never concur to natural and seminal generations. And that as oft as it serves for artificial things, for often the sand doth alway remain unchanged in the bright burning-glasse, being hidden in the flux of the salt, and taken into transparent glasse. For silver hath not lost its being, when it is dissolved by Aqua Fortis, although the Eye hath lost that thing, and it hath obtained a clearness like Christall. Seeing therefore, the Sand or original earth, doth resist as well art, as nature, neither can it by any helps (the one onely fire of artificial Hell-fire excepted) of nature or art, depart [unspec 15] from its first-born constancy (under which artificial fire, the Sand is made salt, and at length water, because it hath the force of acting upon any sublunary things, without a re-acting) it followes also, that the original earth is never by any meanes taken unto the seminall generations of nature. Neither doth that convince, because some un∣skilful [unspec 16] man will have glasse to be the last subject of art, and the which can therefore be blotted out, neither by art, nor by fire. For he will be instructed, if he shall co∣melt the fine powder of glasse, with more of the Alcali, and shall set them forth in a moyst place; he shall straightway finde all the glasse to be resolved into water: on which, if Chrys••ca be powred, so much being added as sufficeth to the fill∣ing or satisfying of the Alcali, he shall presently finde in the bottom, the Sand to settle, it being of the same weight, which at first was fitted for the making of the glasse. Therefore the Earth remains unchanged, although it may seem throughout the whole World, to be moveable, and to have been moved. Yea a mold, by digging thorow an heap, makes an inundation of a great tract or space of Land, and so the [unspec 17] despised Creature, can remove the Earth from its Centre, and the World from its place, if we believe the Centre to hold the place of an equall tenor of height: and we do see the Seas lately to fall and lean on the back of the earth. In Rekem, high the passage of the River Mose, a Sea-ship was found under a sandy Hill, in the year 1594. In the Region of Peele, Pine-Tlees were found standing in rank, under the Earth, which willingly grow not but in Mountains. In Hingsen nigh Scalds, twelve foot un∣der the Horizon, in a moyst Meadow, was found an Elephants Tooth, with the whole Cheek-bone, whose third part, being two foot long, I keep with me. And so living Elephants were once in this Countrey. But, very lately, Groenland hath ceased to be found subverted by the Sea, whence the Centre of the Earth ought necessarily to be changed or removed.