A most certaine and true relation of a strange monster or serpent found in the left ventricle of the heart of Iohn Pennant, Gentleman, of the age of 21. yeares. By Edward May Doctor of Philosophy and Physick, and professor elect of them, in the colledge of the academy of noble-men, called the Musæum Minervæ: physitian also extraordinary unto her most Sacred Majesty, Queene of great Brittany, &c.

§. 8.

I trust then that this speculation and pra∣ctise will in time be thought of, and that it may, I will set this signature upon it (al∣though seldome or scarce ever noted by any except by Friar Bacon in his Booke de Caelo & mundo, &c. More especially by that incom∣parable sage Alkinaus, the most learned man that the East since his time, or long before hath brought forth unto the world: that every thing hath his radios proprios, as well as the starres of Heaven have: Alkindus his wordes are these, in his Treatise de radijs, as a firme conclusion, and sufficiently there by him confirmed; Agite ergo cum mundus Elementaris sit exemplum mundi, it a quod quae∣libet res in ipso contenta ipsius speciem continet. Manifestum est quod omnis res huj us mundt sive sit substantia, sive accidens, radios facit suo modo ad instar siderum, alioquin figuram mundi syderci ad plenum non haberet. But this we will ma∣nifest to the sense in some few (saith hee) the fire transmitteth his beames to a certaine distance: the earth sends out her beames of colde, of medicine, and of health; and me∣dicines taken into the body, or outwardly applied, diffuse their beames through the wholebody of him that receives them: the collision of solid bodies makes a sound which diffuseth it selfe by the beames of the thing

moved: and every coloured body sendeth out his beames, by which it is perceived, and this is subtely knowne in most other things: by which by vive reason it is certainely knowne to be true in all things; taking this therefore for truth wee say, that every thing which hath actuall existence in the elemen∣tary world, sendes forth his beames, which fill the elementary world after their manner, whereupon every place of this world con∣tayneth the beames of all things which are actually existent in every place: And as every thing differeth from other; so the beames of every thing do differ in effect and nature from the beames of all other things, by which it comes to passe that the operation of the beames is diverse in all diverse things: Thus farre, and much more Alkindus to the same and like effect: Yet I will ad some few in∣stances more. The severall smelles of all things in the world, are their severall radij which doe discover themselves unto us, and we perceive them to be many times where we see them not: Wee smell Roses, Musk, Civit, Amber, Quinces, Apples, Plantes and herbes of all sortes, and very many other thinges in roomes or boxes, before we come neere them: and we are most times assured of such things to be neere us, by their proper and peculiar emanations, or irradiations, which are their specifick beames, darting out and diffusing themselves from one cen∣ter,

unto a certaine distance, according to the vertue of the species or his proper nature, which may doubtlesse also be intended, or remitted, or varied, and so make strong pro∣jection, according to the rectitude of line, or else be debilitated according to the pro∣portion of obliquation: but this I insist not upon.

Fetted things also have their radios, accor∣ding to their owne proper nature, and there is the same reason of them in all points accor∣ding to their species: The colours of other things are also beames: and the very truth is, that as all thinges in the world have their pro∣per radios: so all the actions that they have is by vertue of these radij: and as Alkindus saith, by these beames is exercised in con∣junctum localiter, aut in seperatum: which the Schoole-men call immediatio virtutis, or im∣mediatio suppositi: in both, nothing is done sine radijs, nor truly knowne: As for exam∣ple, If two men come close together, one cannot strike another, Immediatione suppositi, except the animales radij actuate the nerves and muscles of the hand, and therefore imme∣diatio virtutis is supposed. These spirits are the radij animales, and by these every action arbitrary or not arbitrary is effected in or by man, and every other creature.

And as cleare to us is that action which is performed immediatione virtutis in other creatures; for we see an Adamant to draw

yron at a distance: A looking Glasse to re∣present the Images of things separated from the glasse: And this we know must bee by some Emission or projection of beames one towards another, as well as by the Emission of the animall spirits from the braine into the nerves. And a mar∣vellous wonder it hath beene to me to see how Mineralls purified and defecated from heterogeniall mixtures, finding themselves free doe strike out themselves in any liquour into branches and Starrs, as is acknowledged by Physitians, calling them medicinas stell at as, as Mercurius Stellatus: Regulas Antimonij Stellatas, &c. and not onely Minerals doe thus, but the Salt of vegetables, and animals I have made so, that they will doe the like: So that it is evident that every thing in the world hath his beames; and it cannot, nor ought not to be otherwise, sith the nine times most blessed and most glorious Essentator of all things who hath beene so diffusive, as to branch out himselfe into every thing visible and invisible, that any thing should not have some likenesse unto him who made all things summaratione, and with as great perfections as their severall species were capable of. And for them therefore not to shew them∣selves, and who was their Father, it is impos∣sible.

Coelum est in terra sed modo terrestri: Terra est in Coelo, sed modo Coelesti:

Yea even putrid humours, and materiall causes of diseases, as being naturall things though corrupted are good: and have their beames and their signatures in savours, pustles, bubos, spots, and tokens without, of divers sorts according to the severall spe∣cies of the humour putrified within, or from the commixtion with other causes by which a Physitian is much instructed, what is with∣in, and how to take heed himselfe; and to come home to the very point, and cause of all this Discourse, we see in all kind of Animals in the world (and I doubt not but your incredible desire to know and excellent naturall sagacity hath often observed) that according as their arteriall blood is exalted, such radij are in their Eyes; as we see in some men more then others, and in Cocks, and in Serpents: A Cocke hath an Eye whose radij are almost exalted to the beames of the Eye of a Serpent: And doubtlesse such blood had this man, and such spirits of an incredible heate or acri∣mony: The Eye is an Index animi, which cannot otherwise be then by the radij or spi∣rits of it, much more then doth it shew the blood arteriall upon which those spirits are founded; and thus from the Eye I have made it evident, that we may know much of the left Ventricle of the heart where the arteriall bloud is elaborated and made: And thus in other matters, if from the radij or signatures

exterior we play the good Magitians and dili∣gently consider them: I am perswaded wee may have a singular helpe and insight to cure the most hidden and most dangerous diseases of all, and such as otherwise cannot be known. You see Sir, I have founded my sentence upon God, Nature, and Experience, and if it be hidden or not believed by any, it is to them incredible who have grosse conceptions, small skill, as J am sure your great insight and wisdome will and can better confirme: For what is that which makes some men wiser then others? Magis sapiens est & dicitur qui minus perceptibilia percipit de rebus & earum conditionibus, saith that wise man Alkindus: There is no doubt ther∣fore (as the same man saith) but that they who are informed with an holy desire of wisedome will labour much to comprehend the secret conditions of things, as the an∣tient Physitians did who with wonderfull sa∣gacity searched for that skill which we injoy: As for such as are neither wise nor have desire of wisedome, I leave them to Ptolemey that other miracle of knowledge to instruct the world of them; Reprehen∣dunt insipientes quod non comprehendunt, unwise men reprehend all that they doe not comprehend.