A general collection of discourses of the virtuosi of France, upon questions of all sorts of philosophy, and other natural knowledg made in the assembly of the Beaux Esprits at Paris, by the most ingenious persons of that nation / render'd into English by G. Havers, Gent.

I. Of the Touch

WHat the Centre is in the Earth, the Earth amongst the Elements, a Star in Heaven, Sovereignty in a State, Faith in Religion, Natural Motion in Physick, Equity in Law, Rea∣son in Philosophy, the Body in Man, the Sense in a living Crea∣ture, that the Touch is in all the other Senses; that is to say, 'tis their foundation, and the condition without which none of them can subsist. For there are Animals which see not, as Moles; which hear not, as the Asp, and most Insects; which have not Smelling, as those who are troubled with rheume; which have no Taste, as most sick persons. But if there be found any which hath not the Sense of Touching, at the same time it ceases to be an Animal, since it is not term'd such but inasmuch as it hath a sensitive life, which consists in the knowledge of good and evil, sensible by pleasure and pain, the two symptoms of the Touch, and which alone bear the sway, and turn the balance in all the actions of Man; the scope of all which, is, either to pursue good, or to avoid evil.

The Second said, That, for this purpose, as sensitive life is diffus'd throughout the Body; so the Touch, which is insepa∣rable from that life, hath not, as the other Senses, a particular and limited Organ, but is extended into all the parts of the Body. Because, as among the objects of the Senses, onely the tangible Qualities give being, and constitute the Animal by their proportion and temperature; so they alone destroy it by their excess and disproportion. So that as onely a small part of the Body sees, another hears, another smells, and another tasts; if there had been but one part of the Body that could by touching have discern'd the quality of its object, it would have hapned, that whilst this part were delighted with one of those objects, the excess of some other might have destroy'd all the rest of the Animal, without its perceiving the same; and so it would have perish'd without knowing, and conse∣quently being able to avoid the same, which is the principal

end of the Senses; which, for this reason, represent death to themselves so terrible, to the end that the horrour thereof might oblige them to a greater care of their preservation.

The Third said, That as Man is surpass'd in other senses by brutes, so he excells them in Touching, which he hath most exqui∣site and perfect. He alone, of all creatures, has Hands wherewith to touch, and a smooth soft skin the better to judge of tangible qua∣lities. For being he was made to judge of things, it was requisite that he should be provided of a faithful messenger, as the touch is, to make him a true report thereof. And because he was design'd to more sublime actions then brutes, therefore he needed a more perfect temperature; of which the goodness of Touch is a most sure sign. Hence the Physiognomist reckons the subtlety of this sense to a most certain token of that of the Mind; as its contra∣ry, of stupidity; an exquisite Touch denoting the softness and tenderness of the flesh, upon which, consequently, tangible Qua∣lities easily make their impression; and this tenderness denotes the good temper of the Body, which is followed by sutable actions of the Mind. Hence it is that great wits have commonly weak and delicate bodies; but the stupid and dull the most robust and brawny. Therefore as the Touch distinguishes Men from brutes, so it does Men from one another. But the Sight and the other Senses do not so; for, on the contrary, it frequently comes to pass that great spirits have the shortest sight, and the other Senses less exquisite.

The Fourth said, That the Touch is not only the most necessa∣ry in all Animals, since it serves them for a specifical difference; (sensibility, which distinguishes them from Plants, being com∣monly taken for the faculty of Touching, witness our vulgar phrase, which calls one man more sensible then another, when he is more easily affected by the tactile qualities) but 'tis the sole sense of many Animals, especially, Zoophytes or Plant-animals, such as Spunge, Coral, and all kind of Oysters. The first of which hears not, sees not, smells not, and tastes not its nourish∣ment; but only dilates it self to receive it, and contracts it self to retain it as soon as it feels it neer. The second, by the rela∣tion of divers, who fetch it from under the water, averts it self by bowing the contrary way as soon as it feels the touch of their instruments. The last have no Organical parts; and if they had, the same would be useless to them, because they are destitute of local motion, and of every other sense, except that of Touching, by which they open and shut themselves. And which Nature has given, as gross as it is, for a supplement to the subtilest sense, to wit, the Sight.

The Fifth said, That the nobleness of the Touch appears, principally, in that 'tis the most infallible of all the senses; as the most honourable persons are accounted most worthy of cre∣dit. Therefore our Lord being to convince S. Thomas, at that time incredulous, caus'd him to feel his side; and manifest

things are call'd palpable, because the Touch is the last sense that is deceiv'd. Whence they who dream do not frequently find their errour, till putting forth their hands to the phantasin they begin to be convinc'd that it is nothing but air.

The Sixth said, That as 'tis a common vice to all the Senses to be deceiv'd, so that of Touch is not more exempt from it then the rest; and the less, because it judges of the quality of its objects only by comparison; according to the diversity of which one and the same thing diversly affects it, and is some∣times apprehended one way, sometimes another. A man that comes out of a hot Bath shivers in the same air which he ac∣counted warm before he enter'd into the water; and when he that learns to dance puts off his leaden soles he thinks his feet lighter then he did before he put them on.

The Seventh said, The Touch is an external sense, terrestri∣al and gross; it perceives hot and cold, dry and moist, heavy and light▪ hard and soft, smooth and rough, or unequal, acide, viscous or slippery, thick and thin, tough and friable, or brittle, and other such tactile and earthy qualities. For, as there are five simple Bodies in Nature, namely the Heaven and the Ele∣ments, so each of the five external Senses corresponds to one of them; the Sight to Heaven, in regard of its transparence and lucidity; the other four to the Elements; of which the Earth symbolizeth with the Touch▪ because every thing that is felt must have some solidity and consistence, which proceeds from the Earth; otherwise it could not make it self felt by it self, but only by some predominant quality, as we feel not the air when it touches us, unless it be extreamly cold or hot. The Organ of Feeling is inward skin which incompasses the whole body of a creature, by reason of its so perfect and equal tempe∣rature that it is neither hot nor cold, dry, moist, but equally partakes of all these qualities (a requisite condition in the Or∣gans of the senses which must be unprovided of all the qualities whereof they are to judge.) So the Crystalline humour is without colour, the tongue without sapour, the nostrils with∣out scent, the ears without any sound. And the skin is neither hard like the bones, nor soft like the flesh, but of a temper be∣tween both; being therefore call'd a Nervous flesh, and a fleshy Nerve: which skin, never so little touch'd, feels perfectly; which would not come to pass if it were not the Organ of the Touch. 'Tis therefore woven of infinite nerves, terminated in it and bringing the animal spirits to it, which are the efficient causes of the Touch as well as of all the other Senses. For what the Philosopher saith, That a sensible object apply'd upon the Organ is not perceiv'd, must be understood only of the three Senses which are for the convenience of an animal, to wit, the Sight, Hearing and Smelling; not of the other two, which are for its absolute necessity, upon which consideration Nature hath appointed them to judge more neerly, exercising these

two Senses by a medium internal and inseparable from the Organ.