Arcana microcosmi, or, The hid secrets of man's body discovered in an anatomical duel between Aristotle and Galen concerning the parts thereof : as also, by a discovery of the strange and marveilous diseases, symptomes & accidents of man's body : with a refutation of Doctor Brown's Vulgar errors, the Lord Bacon's natural history, and Doctor Harvy's book, De generatione, Comenius, and others : whereto is annexed a letter from Doctor Pr. to the author, and his answer thereto, touching Doctor Harvy's book De Generatione / by A.R.

CHAP. XIV.

1. The cause of Niles inundation. 2. Lots wife truly transformed into a salt Pillar. 3. Hels fire truly black: brimstone causeth blackness. 4. Philoxenus a glutton, and his wish not absurd: How long necks conduce to modulation.

THe Inundation of Nilus (saith the Doctor) proceeds from the rains in AEthiopia. This I deny not, because averred by Diodorus, Seneca, Strab••, Herodotus, Pliny, Solinus, and others both ancient and modern Writers: and it stands with reason; for the Springs of Nilus are neere the Tropick of Capricorn, where it is winter when the Sun is with us in Cancer: then doth it rain abundantly in that Southern climat; for though within the Tropicks the Suns vicinity causeth rains, yet without his distance is the occasion thereof: His melting of snow upon the Hils of AEthopia is a cause of this inundation. But Scaliger de∣nies that there is any snow at all; yet I doe not think the high mountains there should be lesse subject to snow then in Peru under the line, although the people in the low Countries thereof be black, and the windes in the vallies warm. The third cause of Nilus overflowing, are the Etesiae, or northerly windes, which blow there every yeare when the Sunne is in Cancer. This winde blowing into the mouth of Nile, keeps it from running into the Mediterranean sea. Scaliger refutes this reason, because at the same time the river Nigir which runs into the Western Ocean, overflows his banks; but to this I can ea∣sily answer, That at the same time there be different Etesi••, or constant windes in different regions of the world; so that whilst the North wind blows against Nilus, the West or South∣west, which also as Acosta saith, is predominant upon the coast of Peru, blowes against Nigir. As for the original of Nilus, it hath been still held uncertain; Pliny writes that King Iubia found out the springs thereof in the Mauritanian Mountains; but since, this river hath been found as far as the lake Zaire, which is in ten degrees of Southerly latitude. The AEgyptian Sultan did spare neither for men nor cost to search out these springs,

but could not find them; therefore Virgil calls these streams of Nilus, Latebrosa flumina. Herodotus witnesseth, that neither AE∣gyptian, Grecian, nor African could resolve him any thing of Nilus springs. Hence in Homer Nilus is called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that is, falling or descending from Iupiter, because God onely knew the original of this river.

The Doctor (book 7. c. 11.) will not question the metamorphosis of Lots wife, whether she were transformed into a reall statue of salt, though some conceive that expression metaphoricall. That the ex∣pression is not metaphorical, but the transformation real, is manifest by the testimonies of the Rabbins, by the Thargum of Jerusalem, by the best expositers, by Iosephus and Borchardus, in whose times that statue of Salt was yet extant; besides divers reasons doe evince the same: For it was as easie for God to turn her body into a salt Pillar, as to turn Moses rod into a Ser∣pent, Nilus into blood, Nebuchadnezzar into a beast. 2. We see daily transformations in generation, and in our own nutrition. 3. Nature can transform mens flesh into Worms, Calves flesh in∣to Bees, Horses and Asses flesh into Wasps and Hornets. We read also of Birds procreation out of old Timber, of Iaponian dogges transformed into fishes, of water turned into stones, and of an Oyster metamorphosed into a Bird, which was presented to Francis the first of France. 4. The Magicians of Egypt trans▪ formed divers substances, and the Devil by Gods permission hath often done the like; examples of which may be seen in Spuedanus, Camerarius, Peucerus, and others. 5. The Gen∣tiles who laugh at this transformation are convinced by their own stories or Fables, of Ulysses and his fellowes transformed into beasts; and of Diomedes his companions metamorphosed in∣to birds; if they can believe these changes, why should they doubt of Lots wifes transmutation?

III. To conceive a general blacknesse in hell, and yet therein the material flames of sulphur, is no Philosophical conception, nor will it consist with the real effects of its nature. Answ. What though this were no Philosophical conceptions, nor consisting with the ef∣fects of Nature, is it therefore untrue? God is not subject to Philosophical conceptions, nor to the lawes of nature who could make fire to burn, but not consume the bush, and make the fiery furnace burn the Chaldeans, and yet not sindge a haire of the three childrens cloathes; the same power can make blacknesse and the flames of sulphur dwel together in hell; and which is more, he can make fire, which naturally is accompa∣nied with light, to be the subject of darkness in Hell. But the

Doctor is deceived by his experiments, who thinks that sulphur affords no blacking smoak; for I know the contrary by blacking paper with the smoak thereof. Besides, both Philosophers and experience tell us, that the sulphurous vapours which in thun∣dring and lightning break through the clouds, do make black the things touched with them; so saith Aristotle, Pliny, and o∣thers: And though Brimstone make red Roses and Tiffany white, it wil not therfore follow that it will make any thing white; the Sun beams which whiteneth the Linnen, tawns the skin; and if the whitning of things by sulphur, proceeds as he saith from its drying and penetrating quality, much more would all things be whitened by the Sun and fire, whose heat is more penetrating and drying; but we see how many things by them are blackned; and the very heat of the fire will induce black∣nesse upon paper, though there come no smoke at all to it. He therefore who long since destroyed Sodom with fire and brim∣stone, will with the same materials punish the wicked in hell, where shall be in stead of light, blackness and darkness.

IV. Philoxenus the Musician desired a Crains neck, not for any pleasure at meat, but fancying thereby an advantage in singing, (Book 7. c. 14.) Answ. That this Philoxenus was a glutton, ancient Historians do affirme, and that he wished a Cranes neck to en∣joy the longer pleasure of meat and drink, is asserted by Aristo∣tle, Athenaeus, Machon the Comick, AElian and others: Machon sayes, that he wished a neck of three cubits long. He was a great Fish eater, therefore was nick-named Phylichthys, and Solenista from Solenes, a kind of Oysters which he delighted in. Being one day at Table with Dionysius the tyrant, he had a small mullet set before him, which he takes up in his hand, and holds to his eare; Dionysius asks what he meant by that? He answers, that he had asked advice of Galataea, but she sayd that she was too young to advise him; and that he were best to consult with the old Galataea in Dionysius his dish: At which the Tyrant laughing, gave him the great Mullet that he had before him, which was very pleasing to the glutton. This story is recor∣ded by Caelius Rhodiginus, and doubtless that proverb, Collaria cadavera, that is long necked carcasses, which Erasmus borrowes from Aristophanes, hath relation to this wish of Philoxenus; for by it are meant Gluttons and Drunkards, who being buried in sleep and wine, are little better then dead carcasses with long necks, as this Philoxenus was, whose belly was his God; of whom it is recorded, that when he saw a dish of good meat, he would spit upon it, that he might enjoy it all alone: Yet

the Doctor denies this wish upon no other ground, but because it was absurd. Sure this is no ground at all; for it is no unusall thing with Gluttons and Drunkards, both to wish and doe absurdly. His wish was not so ausurd as that of Midas, vvho vvished all he touched might become gold; or that of Helioga∣balus, vvho vvished and longed that he might eat the Phoenix, being the onely single bird in the World. Again, this vvish of Philoxenus was not so absurd as the Doctor thinks: for though the Tongue be the organ of tast, yet the Oesophagus cannot be altogether tastlesse, seeing there is one common membrane which is nervous to it and the Tongue. Now the membrane of the Tongue is the medium of tast: vvill any man say then, There is no tast or pleasure in deglutition? We find by expe∣rience, how unpleasant to the throat is the discent of bitter pills, or potions; so that I could never yet swallow a bitter pill, be it never so small. That there is much pleasure in de∣glutition of sweet meats and drinks, is plain by the practice of those vvho to supply the vvant of long necks, use to suck their drink out of long small Canes, or Quils, or glasses with long narrow snouts: And others for vvant of these vvill tipple lea∣surely, and let their liquor glide down the throat gently and by degrees: therefore doubtlesse Philoxenus knew that a long neck conduced much to the pleasure of eating and drinking, which made him vvish for a Cranes neck, that he might en∣joy for some longer time the relish of his delicate viands, which gave the name afterwards to dainties and sweet meats; for they vvere termed Placontae Philo••eniae. Again, when he saith, That it had been more reasonable if Philoxenus had wished himselfe a Horse; because in this animall the appetite is more vehement; he is deceived, for the vehemency of the appetite is no pleasure, but pain; there is no pleasure in hunger and thirst, but in eating and drinking. And indeed there is no reason that he who lo∣ved fish and sweet meats so well, should with himselfe a Horse, vvho must content himselfe vvith Oats and Hay, and somtimes vvith dry straw, without any sawce; he should rather have vvished himself to have been Apuleius his Asse, who sometimes filled his belly with good pies, and other dainties. Lastly, when he saith, That canorous birds have short necks, and that long necked birds are not musicall. I answer, It is not the length of the neck that hinders medulation, but the widenesse thereof: For which cause youth before puberty, women, & Eunuchs, have more melodious voyces then men, whose a••pera arteria, vvith other vessels, are dilated by the heat of the Testicles: For

therwise we find that the length of the neck is ahelp to singing: Hence birds thrust out their necks when they chant, which the Poet intimates when he saith,

Longa canoros dant per colla modos.

Therefore the proportionable length of wind-instruments doth conduce to modulation.