The history of philosophy, in eight parts by Thomas Stanley.

Sect. 1. That Water is the Principle of all things.

IN his disquisition of the naturall Causes of things, he concei∣ved Water to be the first Principle of all naturall Bodies, whereof they consist, and into which they resolve. His reasons (as deliver'd by * 1.1 Plutarch, and repeated by* 1.2 Stobaeus) these.

First, because naturall Seed, the Principle of all living creatures, is humid; whence it is probable that humidity is also the principle of all other things.

Secondly, because all kinds of Plants are nourish'd by moisture; wanting which, they wither and decay.

Thirdly, because Fire, even the Sun it self and the stars are nourish'd and maintain'd by vapours proceeding from Water, and consequently the whole world consists of the same. Whence Homer supposing all things to be engendred of water, saith,

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 The Ocean whence all things receive their birth.

In pursuit (* 1.3 as Aristotle saith) of this opinion, he assign'd water the lowest place, holding (according to* 1.4 Seneca) that the whole Earth ••••oats, and is carried above the water, whether that we call the Oce∣an or great Sea, or any simple moisture of another nature, or a moist ele∣ment. By this water (saith he) the earth is sustained as a great ship, which presseth upon the water that bears it up, because the most weighty part of the world cannot be upheld by the Air, which is subtle and light. Thus is* 1.5 Aristotle to be explain'd, who saith, Thales held, that the Earth being capable of swimming, resteth as wood or the like; now of such things, none suim upon Air, but upon Water.

Upon this ground it was that he held Water (as Laertius saith) to be the cause of Earthquakes. Thus* 1.6 Seneca; He holds that the Globe of the Earth is upheld by water, and carried as a bark, and floateth by the mobility thereof, at such time as it is said to quake. One of his rea∣sons alledged by* 1.7 Seneca, is this, because in all extraordinary moti∣ons thereof some new Fountains commonly issued, which if they incline to one side, and shew their keel asidelong, gather water, which, if it chance the burden they bear be overweighty, raiseth it selfe higher towards the right or left side.

From the testimony of Homer, by which Thales (according to Pluta••ch and Iustine Martyr) defended this Tenet (that water is the principle of all things) it is manifest it was deliver'd, (though imperfectly) by other Grecians before Thales; Plutarch * 1.8 else where producing this Authority of* 1.9 Hesiod.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉— Of all things Chaos was the first—

addeth, the greater part of antient Philosophers called water Chaos 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 from dissusion. The Scholiast of* 1.10 Apollonius upon these words.

—〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 The Earth of slime was made,

affirms (citing Zeno) that the Chaos whereof all things were made according to Hesiod was water, which setling became slime, the slime con∣dens'd into solid Earth, to which adde this testimony of* 1.11 Orpheus.

〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Of Water slime was made:

This opinion they borrow'd from the Phoenicians, with whom the Grecians had a very antient correspondence. Linus came from thence; Orpheus had his learning from thence; as Thales is conceived to have done likewise, which appears clearly in * 1.12 Numenius, an antient Philosopher, who cites the very words of Moses for this opinion, The spirit of God moved on the face of the wa∣ters. There is an eminent place in* 1.13 Eusebius to prove this; the divi∣nity of the Phoenicians asserts the principle of this world to be a dark spi∣rituall air, or the spirit of dark air, and Chaos troubled and involv'd in darknesse; that this was infinite and a long time had no bound, but (say they) the spirit being moved with the love of his own principles, there was made a mixtion, which nexure was called love; this was the begin∣ning of the production of all things; but the spirit it self had no generati∣on, and from this connexion of the spirit was begotten 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which some call slime, others corruption of watery mistion, and of this was made the seed of all creatures, and the generation of all things.

Nor were the Indians ignorant of this, as Megasthenes delivers their opinion.* 1.14 They are of the same mind in many things with the Grecians, as that the world had beginning, and shall have end; that God its Maker and Governour goes quite through it; that all things had diffe∣rent beginnings, but that of which the world was made was water.

The word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Principle, because with Philosophers it in∣cludes the efficient cause, and consequently understood singly excludes the rest, that being the most noble, hath given occasion to some to mistake Thales, as is by acknowledging no other prin∣ciple, he consequently accounted Water to be God; but that Thales understands by Principle only the material Cause, we may easily gather from Plutarch,* 1.15 who condemneth Thales for confounding a Principle with an Element, and for holding them to be both one; Wheras (saith he) there is great difference; Elements are cōpounded, Prin∣ciples are neither compounded, nor are any compleat substance, & truly water, air, earth, fire we term elements, but principles we call other natures, in this respect that there is nothing precedent ••to them, wherof they are engendred.

For otherwise, if they were not the first, they would not be Principles, but that rather should be so termed whereof they were made. Now certaine things there are precedent whereof Earth and water are compounded, viz. The first informe matter, and the forme it selfe and privation. Thales therefore erres, affirming Water to be both Element and principle of all things. Thus we see by Plutarch, that the objection can, onely be as to the name, not to reason of the name; for the distinction of principle and element being not used in that time, Thales by principle, meant nothing of the efficient cause which is most certaine from Aristotle.* 1.16 Thales, saith, he affirmes water to be the prin∣ciple: wherefore he held the earth to be above the water; perhaps hee conceived so, because he saw that the nutriment of all things is humid, that heat it selfe consists thereof, and that every creature lives thereby; He held that of which things are made to be the principls of all things, for these reasons he was of this opinion, as also because the seeds of all things are of a humid nature, and water is the principle of things humid.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Placit. philot. 1. 3.
• * 1.2

  Eclog. phys. 1. 13.
• * 1.3

  Metaph. 1. 3.
• * 1.4

  Natur. quast. 6. 6.
• * 1.5

  Metaphys. 1. 3
• * 1.6

  Nac. quaest. 3. 13.
• * 1.7

  Nat. quaest. 6.
• * 1.8

  Ignis an aqu•• ••tilior?
• * 1.9

  Theogon.
• * 1.10

  Argonant. 4.
• * 1.11

  Cited by A∣thenog••ras.
• * 1.12

  Porphyr. de antro. Nymph.
• * 1.13

  Prae••ar. Evangel. 1. 10.
• * 1.14

  Strab. lib. 15.
• * 1.15

  De placit. philot. 1. 2.
• * 1.16

  Metaphys. 1. ••.