Peripateticall institutions. In the way of that eminent person and excellent philosopher Sr. Kenelm Digby. The theoricall part. Also a theologicall appendix of the beginning of the world. / By Thomas White Gent.

CHAP. III.

A Philosophicall discourse of the vvorks of the tvvo first daies.

1. THe Matter of the World being Created, it remains that we see what follow'd, by the additional o∣peration of Creatures. And because the ope∣ration of Angels is no other then rarefaction: & nature wanted its naturall instrument, viz. Fire; for This we see principally made use of for almost all naturall effects, espe∣cially, the generation of Substances: and This is not rais'd out of Water and Earth immediately without first becoming Aire: it must be, that the Angels or Angel whose task this was, by rarefying the Aire rais'd a vast Fire.

2. And since there are many sorts of Fire; and that, which, far from the fiery body, smoaks no longer, but shoots out directly with pure rayes, is, by a speciall

name, call'd Light: Light must needs have been made by the Angels, through the rare∣faction of pure Aire, as, from which no Smoak rises.

3. Nor is it lesse certain, this must be done in the very confines of Aire and wa∣ter. For, since the Angels could not in an instant convert Aire into Light; and a locall motion of the neighbouring bodies follows upon rarefaction; the Aire must needs have been mov'd whilst 'twas yet in the form of Aire: and since motion can∣not be without a plurality of Substances, 'tis plain that the Aire divided the water; and consequently, the first Fire was rais'd in the confines of both.

4. Since, therefore, the Fire being rais'd, of necessity, acted upon the water; it follows, that the Waters being stir'd, those particles to which the Fire stuck, (being rarer then the rest, and coveting still a larger place), by their own and the denser parts of the Water's motion, must needs be thrust out into the Aire, which is more yielding: and those excluded, be aggregated together, specially towards the Light, where, by reason of the more vehement action, there must needs be greatest abundance of them: and, more

flowing from one side then another, (since naturall causes work not rigorously e∣ven), the whole masse of Water, and Earth adhering to it, by little and little attain a motion towards the same Light; so that, successively and by parts, it rol'd in a Circle and was enlightned, having in some places Night in others Day.

5. Besides, another effect must evident∣ly have follow'd from this production of Light, viz. a vast abundance of Clouds be rais'd up into the Aire, which, by the cir∣culation of the Light about the inferiour Globe, must necessarily be remov'd a vast distance from the Globe it self and the Light: Whence, being no longer sensible of the Globe's attraction, they could not, by any order of Causes, be remitted back towards the Globe. Thus, therefore, ther's a vast space establisht, between the waters in the Globe, whence the Clouds were extracted, and between those very Clouds themselves; which may keep them from one another separate for ever or, at least, till the end of the World.