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1. A twofold Heat in living things. 2. The Primitive Heat where, and how tempered. 3. Our spirits are not celestial, several Rea∣sons. 4. Our natural heat, what? it is no substance, in six Reasons. 5. Many excellencies of mans body. 6. The Head, why the no∣blest part, and highest, as Galen thinks.
THAT there is in living creatures besides the elementary heat, another called celestial, is manifest, because the fire or elementary heat, neither in part, nor in whole, is the cause
of generation. 2. Because the elementary heat remains after the celestial is gone, as may be seen in spices, which retain or rather increase their elementary heat, as they grow drier, being separate from the Tree; and yet they want that celestial heat by which they did live and had vegetation; for now being dead, nutrition, attraction, vegetation, growth, and other fun∣ctions of life cease, which were the effects of the celestial heat. 3. Because in Mandrakes and other cold herbs, there is this celestial heat, by which they live; and yet no elementary heat at all; for they are cold both actually and vertually.
II. As in living creatures there be divers dissimular parts, so there be temperaments, and diversity of heat; all which are united in the heart, the fountain of heat, which it communi∣cates to all parts by the bloud and spirits; this primitive heat is in perfect creatures compacted within the heart; in Trees and Plants, within the root; in Insects it is diffus'd through all the body, without any union in one part more then another; which is the cause that when snakes and worms are cut in pie∣ces, every piece moves, which is not so in the hand or foot of perfect animals if they be cut off; so wee see in some twigs of Trees, that being set in the ground, grow and take root; which shews, That the original heat and substance of the root, is in every part of the Tree; and that the primitive heat of the crea∣ture might bee brought to a temper, refrigeration is required, which in terrestrial animals is performed by the air, in fish∣es by the water, in herbs by the earth moistned, by which they are nourished and refreshed.
III. The animal and vital spirits in our bodies are not a celestial substance, as some have thought. For 1. The Heavens are not subject to generation and corruption as these are. 2. The Heavens are a quintessence, but these are elementary or aerial. 3. The Heavens cannot be diminished, which they must needs be if our spirits be heavenly bodies; for they are as they say, pieces of that great body, which at last will be quite spent, except they be repaired either by a new addition, or by the re∣uniting of the same spirits to it again. 4. Seeing the Heavens have but one motion which is circular; how can any part therof come down into our bodies, except it hath also a strait moti∣on? 5. Gravity and levity are elementary qualities, whereof the Heaven is not capable, and therefore cannot descend. 6. Our spirits must either be united to the bodies of the Heavens, and so continuated bodies with them, or else separated and divided; both which are absurdities. 7. These spirits did either move
them selves downward, or else they had some other mover; the first we cannot grant, except wee make the celestial bodies, living creatures, for only such move themselves; neither can we grant the second, except we know what this mover should be; it can∣not be natural, for the motion is violent; nor can the mover be violent, for the work of generation is natural; it remains then that these spirits are aerial in their nature and substance, but the instruments of the soul in regard of their function, in which re∣gard only we consider them as they are in our bodies; for ma∣ny actions proceed from them, as they are the souls instruments, which cannot be effected by the air, as air.
IV. The natural or primogenial heat in living creatures, is not a substance made up of seed and menstruous bloud, as Galen thought: For, 1. In Trees and Herbs there is this naturall héat, yet no menstruous bloud; in insects begot of putrified matter, there is this heat, but neither seed nor the foresaid bloud. 2. This heat must diffuse it self through all the least parts of the body, without which they cannot live; but if it be a body, there must be penetration of bodies; if there bee this diffusion; if there be only an agglutination of this heat to the parts of the body, then these parts have not life in them∣selves, and consequently neither nutrition, or attraction which are the effects of life, and by which it is preserved, and so the Fibres which are given for attraction are in these parts in vain. 3. If this body of our natural heat did live before it was arti∣culated and distinguished into membe••s, then the heart is not the first thing that liveth; besides it will follow, that the soul may be the act of an inorganical body, which is against the de∣finition of the soul. 4. Nor can the bloud in the veins be this body, because this bloud is the effect of concoction and nutri∣tion, and it is bloud only: but that body of Galens, is the ef∣fect of generation, and the mixture of seed and bloud. 5. If this natural heat hath no life in it, then it will follow that the chief part of the living creature is without life. 6. This heat then is a quality, in children more vigorous and intense then in men, because its work in these is only to concoct and nourish; but in those to extend the body also, which is a grea∣ter work, and therefore requires more heat. Besides, children cannot endure hunger so well as men, because their heat be∣ing greater wastes the bodie sooner, where it hath not food to work upon: children then are more hot intensively, but men extensively, because their bodies are larger, according to the dimension of which, their heat is diffused. And although
they can eat harder and more solid meats then children, it ar∣gues not that their heat is greater then that of childrens, but that their instruments of mastication (which is the first con∣coction) are better and stronger.
V. That mans body might be a fit habitation for the Soul, it was made of all bodies the most 1 temperate, and 2 propor∣tionable, 3 the most copious of organs, so that it may well be called a Microcosm, containing as in an epitome, the parts of the great world. 4. It was also made naked, as needing no other arms or defence, then what man was by his reason, tongue and hands, able to furnish himself with. 5. It was made not of an heavenly, but of an elementary substance, because man was made for knowledge, this is got by the senses; these are groun∣ded on the proportion of the 4 prime qualities, of which the Heavens are not capable. 7. It was made strait that 1 man may be put in minde of his original that he came from heaven in respect of his soul! 2 That he might affect and seek after the things above, not here below. 3. He abounds more in spi∣rits and heat then other creatures, and the heat and spirits raise the body upwards towards their own proper place. 4. If man had not been of a strait body, his hands which were made for many excellent uses, must have been hindred, and employed with the feet, for motion and supporting of his body. 6. Hee was made with long feet, that his body might be the more steddy and strongly supported: with feet forward, because all his actions and motions tend that way. 7. He was not made with wings to fly, because he had hands to make him fly on the water in ships; and he had knowledg to make him fly to Heaven in contemplation; with the wings of Faith we can fly swifter & farther, then David could have don with the wings of a Dove.
VI. Mans head is of all parts in the body the noblest, there∣fore it is placed in the highest Region, and nearest Heaven, which it resembleth both in figure and use; it is almost round, 1. That it may be the more capacious of spirits and of brain, of which is more in man then in any other creature, because in him is more variety, and perfection of animal spirits then in other creatures. 2. That it may bee the fitter for motion. 3. That it might be the stronger and more able to resist inju∣ries. Again for use: It is like Heaven, for this is the seat of the Angels or Intelligences, and that is the seat of the Intellect; so far forth, as it is the seat of the phantasie by which the intellect worketh, and of the senses by which the phantasie is informed. And as all sublunary bodies receive life,
sense, or motion from the Heavens, so do all our members from the Head; so that if our brain be wounded, sense and motion in the body presently cease. The head is that by which man is Lord over the beasts, therefore deserved to have the highest place in the body: it is the Citadel of this little world, in the safety of which consisteth the safety of the body; therefore hands, feet, arms, and all, are ready to protect the head when it is in danger. Hence anciently the head and brains were hono∣red above the other members: they used to swear by the head, [per caput hoc juro, per quod pater ante solebat.] When any snee∣zed, they were wont to blesse them with a prayer, because the brain is affected in sneezing. Men use to uncover their heads to their superiours, intimating that they discover and present to their service the noblest part of their bodies; and for ho∣nours sake the Priest abstained from eating of the brains.