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THe phantasie is an imagination and an impression made in the soule of such formes and shapes as are let in by the senses, or by such as are imagined without any sight.
The way how these imaginations are wrought in the braine is this: The naturall spirits which are in the
heart are sent up by the arteries to the braine, and there they waken these phantasies which are sleeping as it were in the braine, and then they begin to compose devide or abstract.
The resemblance of these imaginations wakened by the spirits, are speedily carried from the braine to the heart, and from the heart to the liver, from the liver to the blood, and from the blood to the seed. And as the influences of the heavens when they meet with a fit object, make diverse impressions in the earth, so doe the spirits in the seed; [Simile.] and as the painter useth to adde, divide and compose, so doe the imaginations as it were set a copie to the spirits, sometimes by encrease as when we imagine that wee see a Gyant; sometimes by diminution as when we imagine that we see a pigmei or a dwarse, and sometimes by translation, as when wee imagine the eye to be in the breast; and as the painter by art borroweth the nose from one, the lip from an∣other, and the eye from the third, so doth the phanta∣sie, and as nature composeth sometimes, as struthie∣camelus, pardo-camelus, so doth the phantasie compose things, and make up diverse formes.
The spirits when they ascend unto the braine, and are cleare without fogge or mist of grosse exhalations, then they compose and divide, and play the part as it were of a Poet or painter in the braine; and this we see by experience, for when a man lieth downe first, and the grosse exhalations arise out of his stomacke, then he cannot dreame, or if he dreame, his dreames are won∣derfully confused & undistinct: but when the humors are setled, and the spirits begin to be more cleare, then they compose or divide more distinctly; [Simile.] as a man seeth not his face so clearely in the water when it is troubled as when it is settled: so the spirits when they are trou∣bled with these fogges of mist and grosse exhalations
arising out of the stomacke, then they worke not so clearely and distinctly as they doe when the humors are setled.
That the phantasie of it selfe worketh no alteration within a man, it is proved thus.
First, nihil agit extra genus suum, as thornes bring not forth figges, [Reason, 1] nor thistles grapes, Mat. 7.16. The imagi∣nation conceiveth not the things themselves but the images of things, for as we are not fed by the nature of bread apprehended in the phantasie, but by the bread it selfe: So neither can the notions of things appre∣hended in the phantasie affect or change the body; [Simile.] and as the sense is to the thing taken by the sense, so is the imagination to the thing imagined, but the sense and the thing taken up by the sense are idem numero one and the selfe same thing, as the eche and the sound are one. So the fight, and the thing taken up by the sight are one, even so the thing imagined, and the imagination are one; and there is no other act without the imagi∣nation, it is not actio transiens here sed immanens, it is not a transient action, but permanent, and therefore worketh nothing upon the bodie.
The imagination cannot worke upon the bodie. [Reason, 2] First, it worketh not formally, for that which worketh formally, produceth an effect like the thing it selfe, as the fire produceth heate. Secondly, it worketh not virtually, for one body virtually onely affecteth ano∣ther, as Physicke worketh upon our bodies. Thirdly, it worketh not eminenter by way of excellencie upon the bodies, for then it should produce such an effect which should be more excellent than the cause.
The spirits then ascending from the heart, wakeneth these phantasies in the braine, and carrieth these idea's or shapes downe againe by the Nerves, to the heart, and to the Liver, and then to the blood, and last ••o the
seede where they take their impressions, and there is a great correspondencie betwixt the two begettings, the imaginarie begetting and the bodily begetting, and the one taketh the examplary from the other; and although these imaginations be not actually seene in the seede, yet they are virtually in it, as the rest of the members are comprehended in it before they bee fashioned; so are the colours, markes and shapes.
The spirits draw out these shapes and colours, taking the parterne of them from the phantasie, and they im∣print them in the seede; neither must this seeme strange unto us, for if the divell can mixe himselfe with the humors of the bodie, and out of these humours, frame diverse shapes and colours, much more may the natu∣rall spirits doe this in the humors. Augustine sheweth this, how the Divell did delude the Aegyptians and con∣tinued Idolatrie amongst them, presenting to the Cow when she was engendring, an Oxe marked with the same markes wherewith the oxe was marked which they worshipped in Aegypt, so that when he dyed they had still an Oxe marked after the same manner.
Whether was this a miracle or not, [Quest.] when Iacobs ewes brought forth speckled lambs? [Answ.]
It was mirum but it was not miraculum. God in wor∣king a miracle sometimes he useth an ordinarie meanes, as when he cured Ezekias sore, he bade lay figges to it, figges naturally mature and ripen the sore, but because hee healed Ezekias in an instant the naturall cause wrought no more here than Pauls girdle, when he hea∣led the sicke by it: but when Iacobs ewes conceived speckled lambes, this cannot bee called a miracle, for they conceived by naturall meanes here, and they brought not forth their lambs upon an instant, but kept their course as other ewes did. [Quest.]
What is the reason that other men who have try∣ed,
this conclusion could never doe the like?
God who is the God of nature, [Answ.] and worketh by his handmayd nature (who is natura naturans, whereas she is but natura naturata) can doe many things by her, which neither the Divell nor men can doe, who are but natures instruments; the Nazarets by the law might drinke no wine, yet their cheekes were most comely and ruddie, Lament. 4.7. But ordinarily drinking of wa∣ter maketh the face more pale: ye see here how the God of nature did worke beside the ordinary course of na∣ture; but Sathan albeit hee be not the God of nature, yet hee could dive farre and invegle himselfe into the phantasie of the Cow, when she was in gendering, and so made the braine of the Cow more pregnant, and the spirits made the colours more vively in the feede, and brought forth such a calfe marked with such spottes: but God being the God of nature, gave such a blessing to the ewes that they brought forth all their young ones speckled. Man can onely present to a Cow when shee is gendering an oxe or a bull marked with such markes, but he cannot give that blessing which the Lord gave to the ewes, neither can hee invegle himselfe in the phantasie of the Cow, as the Divell did who is a spirit; and therefore a Cow bringeth not forth a calfe so vively marked, when a man, the instrument of na∣ture hath a hand in the worke, as when the Devell hath an hand in it.
Man is an instrument of nature two manner of wayes, either he is propinquum instrumentū naturae, or remetum instrumentum naturae; he is propinquum instrumentum naturae the neere instrument of nature quando sol & homo generant hominem, and here he worketh more forciblie in nature; than Sathan can doe. Againe he is the remote instrument of nature: example; when a Physitian com∣poseth his drugges of so many hearbs and simples, here
he cannot worke so effectually as Sathan can doe, be∣cause he is but remotum instrumentum naturae: so if a man should have presented a marked oxe bfore the Cow, she would not have brought forth a calfe marked after that manner, because hee was but instrumentum remo∣tum naturae here, and could not worke so as the divell could doe.
Last observe, that the parents give matter and forme to the birth, and if there be not a like efficacie in them both, then the imagination appeareth not so vively in the birth; now the Lord by his directing hand matched the like with the like, the strong imagination with the stronger, and the weake with the weaker, and so, they brought forth lambs some with broader spots, and some with lesser.
The phantasie then by it selfe worketh not this alte∣ration, but yet the phantasie when it apprehendeth the object either as profitable or hurtfull, then it moveth the spirits, and the spirits altereth the body. [Conclusion. 1]
The conclusion of this is, as in naturall things, the I∣mages breed Imaginations in the phantasie; when they behold monstrous objects the birth is oftentimes mar∣ked with the like. The Concubine of Pope Nicolas brought forth a child marked like a Beare, because in her conception she beheld the armes of the Vrsins, and therefore his successor Pope Martine caused the armes of the Vrsins to be rased out. So wee must beware of obsceene spectacles and filthy objects, for they breed monstrous sinnes in the heart.
Secondly, [Conclusion. 2] seeing that the phantasie of the mind pro∣cured by the object of the fight or some other cogitati∣on in the time of conception, is of such force to fashion the birth: It becommeth men and women not to come together with beastly appetites and uncleane imaginations, for by such meanes monsters and misha∣pen birthes are often procured.
The Phastasie what.
How Imaginations are wrought in the Phan∣tasie.
How the resemblance of the imaginations are carried from the braine to the seede.
The spirits being free from exhalations, doe compose and divide in the braine.
Why dreames in the forcpart of the night are not so distinct as in the latter part of the night.
Reasons proying that the phantasie worketh no alteration of it selfe in man.
Sensus & sensile idem numere.
The imagination nei∣ther worketh formallie nor vietually upon the bodie.
How the spirits waken the phantafies and carry them to the seed.
The imaginations are not actuallie but virtually in the seed.
The spirits imprint the shapes and colours in the seed.
Augustirus de civitate dei lib. 8. cap. 8.
Iacobs Ewes bringing forth speekled Lambs whether a miracle or not.
Sathan can dive farre in nature.
The parents give mat∣ter and forme to the birth.
The phantasie doth not alter the bodie, but mo∣veth the spirits and they alter the bodie.