Enthusiasmus triumphatus, or, A discourse of the nature, causes, kinds, and cure, of enthusiasme; written by Philophilus Parresiastes, and prefixed to Alazonomastix his observations and reply: whereunto is added a letter of his to a private friend, wherein certain passages in his reply are vindicated, and severall matters relating to enthusiasme more fully cleared.

Anthroposophia Theomagica. SECT. II.

1. Mastix makes himself merry with Eugenius his rash assertion, that all Souls at their entrance into the body have an explicite knowledge of things. 22. And that after a whole Springs experience he had found out those two known principles of Ari∣stotle, Matter, and Privation. His absurd hope of seeing Substances. 3. The vanity of Devotion without purification of the mind. That Aristotle agrees with Moses in acknowledging the World to be framed by a knowing Principle, 4. Life alwayes accompanied with a naturall warmth. 5. Eugenius his fond mistake, as if either the Divine Light or Ideas could be kept out any space of time from shining in the opakest matter. 6. The little fruit of that rarity of Doctour Marci in making the fi∣gure of a Plant suddenly rise up in a glasse. 7. Eu∣genius his naturall Idea (which he affirms to be a subtile invisible fire) no Idea at all. 8. His vain

boasting of himself as if he were more knowing amd communicative then any that has wrote before him. 9. His tearming the Darknesse or the first Matter the fuliginous spawn of Nature. 10. His inconstancy in creating and uncreating this Mat∣ter. 11. The horrible confused Qualme he fancies in the moist Matter at the creation of the world, Heat and Siceitie the two active qualities in the Principle of Light assisting by their Mid-wifry.

Observation 1. Pag. 2. l. 11.

So have all souls before their entrance, &c. But hear you me M^r. Anthroposophus! are you in good earnest that all Souls before their entrance into the body have an explicite methodicall knowledge? and would you venture to lose your wit so much by im∣prisoning your self in so dark a dungeon, as to be able to write no better sense in your Preface to the Rea∣der? But I'll excuse him, it may be he was riding before his entrance into the body on some Theomagi∣call jade or other, that stumbled and flung him into a mysticall quagmire against his will, where he was so soused and doused and bedaubed and dirtyed, face and eyes and all, that he could never, since the mid∣wife raked him out all wet and dropping like a drown'd mouse, once see clearly what was sense and what non-sense to this very day. Wherefore we will set the saddle on the right Horse; and his Theoma∣gick Nag shall bear the blame of the miscarriage.

Observation 2. Pag. 3.

Lin. 3. I took to task the fruits of one Spring, &c. Here Anthroposophus is turned Herbalist for one

whole Spring, damned to the grasse, and fields like Nebuchadnezzar when he went on all four among the Beasts. But see how slow this Snail amongst the herbs is, in finding out the truth; when he confesses it was the work of one whole Spring to find out, That the Earth or seeds of flowers are nothing like the flow∣ers. There's not any old Garden-weeder in all London, but without a pair of spectacles will discover that in four minutes, which he has been a full fourth part of a year about. But certainly, he intends a great deal of pomp and ceremony, that will not take up such a Conclusion as this, (viz. That things that are pro∣duced in Nature, are out of something in Nature which is not like the things produced) but upon the full experience and meditation of one entire Spring. And now after this whole Springs meditation and ex∣perience, he is forced to turn about to him whom he so disdainfully flies, and confesse two of the three prin∣ciples of the Aristotelean Physicks. viz. Mat••er and Privation, that homo is ex non homine, arbor ex non arbore, &c. But this Matter, he sayes, (and it is the wisest word he has spoken yet) he knows not what it is. But presently blots his credit again with a new piece of folly, intimating he will finde it out by ex∣perience. Which is as good sense as if he should say, he would see it when his eyes are out. For it is alike easie to see visibles without eyes, as to see invisibles with eyes. But he flies off hence, and is in quest af∣ter a Substance, which he smels out like a nosegay in Natures bosome; which Substance he hopes to see by Art. Why! Eugenius, are you so sharp sighted that you can see Substances? A kind of Philoso∣phick Hog, he can see the wind too I warrant you. But how can you hope to see that Substance, when Nature onely exposes it, as you say, to her own vitall

celestiall breath? And tell what this Breath is, and do not amaze us with strange words, or else keep your breath to your self to cool your pottage.

Observation 3. Pag. 4.

Here a fit of devotion has taken him, and I am nei∣ther so irreligious nor uncivill as to interrupt him. But now Sir you have done, I hope it will not be any of∣fence to addresse my discourse to you again. And it will not be unseasonable to tell you, that Truth is not to be had of God Almighty for an old song, no nor yet for a new one. And that no man is to measure his wisdome by his devotion, but by his humility and pu∣rity of mind and unprejudicate reason; nor that any man is wiser by making others seem more contem∣ptibly foolish, as your juvenility has thought good to deal with poor Aristotle & his Orthodox Disciples all this time. Nay, and that you may not take Sanctua∣ry at Moses his Text, let me also tell you, that before you prove any thing thence, you ought first to make good, that Scripture is intended for naturall Philo∣sophy as well as a divine life. But we need not arm our selves so well yet; for from the fourth page to the eight page nothing is said, but that God from a know∣ing Principle made the World. Which Aristotle also seems to assert, while he is so frequent in telling the ends of naturall things, which could not be sense, un∣lesse he supposed that Nature was guided by a know∣ing Principle, which is to acknowledge a God after the best manner. And that subtil Philosopher Iulius Scaliger uses no contemptible arguments to prove, that Aristotles Philosophy furnisheth us also with the knowledge of a Trinity in God, so that Anthro∣posophus

is very unkind and uncivill to so good a Master.

Observation 4. Pages 8. and 9.

What an Aristotelean would dispatch in a word or two, viz. that Life is alwayes accompanied with a naturall warmth, he is mysteriously fumbling out and drayling on to the length of almost two whole pages.

Observation 5. Pag. 9.

Lin. 10. The divine light pierced the bosome of the matter, &c. This compared with what is at the bot∣tome of the fourth page, we see that this rare philo∣sopher tells us, that the Matter is an horrible empty darknesse. And me thinks his description is an hideous empty fancie, and conveys not so much to the under∣standing as Aristotles description of the Matter, which he would describe to be, The first subject out of which every thing is. This latter is more clean and sober, the other more slabby and fantasticall. And to call it Primitive waters is but yet metaphors and poetry: For you do not mean waters such as we wash our hands in. But they must be waters and dark, that you may bring in the conceit of the light shining in them, that like as in rivers and pools the images of trees & birds, and clouds and stars, and what not, may be seen in them. And this must help us to conceive, that upon the breaking through of the light, the di∣vine Idea's shone in the waters, and that the holy Spi∣rit, not being able to see till then, by looking then up∣on

those images, framed the matter into form. But I pray you tell me, Mr. Anthroposophus! that would be so wise as if you stood by while God made the World, doe not you think that God can now see in the dark, or behold his own Idea's in the depth of the Earth? You'l say you doe not mean this Natural light but a divine light. If so, was ever the matter so st••ff and clammy dark, as to be able to keep it out? So that the divine Idea's shone in the Water so soon as God was, and the Spiritus Opifex could see to begin his work ab omni retro aeternitate. And it could never be dark in your blind sense. Is it not so Anthroposophus?

Observation 6.

Lin. 25. Si plantam quasi momento nas••i, &c. If Anthroposophus had such a device as this in a glasse, what a fine gew-gaw would it be for the lad? What fine sport would he make with his companions? He would make them believe then that he was a Conju∣rer indeed. But what other use there would be of it, Anthroposophus! truly I do not know. For it would not state one controversie in Philosophy more then what may be done without it. For whether there be any such things as rationes seminales, or whether these forms visible arise from heat, which is motion, and the conspiracy of fitted particles, is as well and safely de∣termined from your experiments of one spring, as from this strange whim-wham in a glasse. But weak sto∣machs and weak wits long most after rarities.

Observation 7. Pag. 10.

Lin. 4. Two-fold Idea, divine, natural, &c. Anthro∣posophus!

Your natural Idea, is but an idea of your own brain. For it is no more an idea then a sheath is a knife, or the spittle that wets the seal is the seal•• or the grease the saw, or the water the Grindle-stone. But you must strike betwixt this and the divine Id••a, or else you will misse of your natural one. And so will be forced to do that of penury, which he did of choise and for brevity sake, divide your Text into one part. But your quotation of Moses here neer the bottom of the page, is either nothing to your natural Idea, or if you mean it of the divine, is no new notion, but nim∣med out of Philo the Iew. And yet in the beginning of the following page you magnify your self, as one that concerning this primitive supernatural part of the Creation as you call it, though you have not said so much as you can say by far, (as being a Nip-crust or Niggard of your precious speculations) yet you have produced not a little new.

Observation 8. Pag. 11.

Lin. 5. Some Authors, &c. And the reason why the world is beholding to this Gentleman more then to any for new discoveries of mighty truths, is, that whereas some Authors have not searched so deeply into the Center of Nature, and others not willing to publish such spiritual mysteries, this new Writer is the onely man, that is both deeply seen into the Cen∣ter of Nature, and as willing also to publish these spi∣ritual mysteries. So that he goes beyond them all. O brave Anthroposophus! What a fine man would you fain appear to the World.

In the residue of this page, Anthroposophus his phansie is pudled so and jumbled in the Limbus or

Huddle of the Matter, that he cannot distinguish be∣twixt God and the Creature; For he knows not whe∣ther the Chaos be created or uncreated. How much wiser are you now then Aristotle, Mr. Eugenius! that made the world Eternal? If you can admit this; by the rule of proportion you might swallow the great∣est Gudgeon in Aristotle without kecking or strain∣ing.

Observation 9. Pag. 12.

Lin. 11. Fuliginous spawn of Nature. A rare ex∣pression! This Magicician has turned Nature into a Fish by his Art. Surely such dreams float in his swim∣mering Brains as in the Prophets, who tells us so Au∣thentick stories of his delicious Albebut.

Observation 10.

Lin. 12. The created Matter. Before the Matter was in an hazard of not being created, but of being of it self eternal. Certainly Eugenius! you abound with leasure that can thus create and uncreate, doe and undoe because the day is long enough.

Observation 11.

Lin. 21. A horrible confused qualm, &c. Here Nature like a child-bearing woman has a qualm comes over her stomach, and Eugenius like a man-midwife stands by very officiously to see what will be∣come of it. Let her alone, Eugenius! it is but a qualm, some cold raw rhewme. Margret will escape wel•• e∣nough. Especially if her two Handmaids Heat and

Siccity, which you mention, do but help with their A∣quavitae bottles. What a rare mode or way of Creati∣on has Eugenius set out? Certainly it cannot but sa∣tisfie any unreasonable man, if there be any men with∣out reason; and I begin to suspect there is, for Eugeni∣us his sake, such as feed as savourly on the pure milk of fansie, as the Philosophers Asse on Sow∣thistles.