Observations, naturall and morall with a short treatise of the numbers, weights, and measures used by the Hebrews, with the valuation of them according to the measures of the Greeks and Romans : for the clearing of sundry places of Scripture in which these weights and measures are set downe by way of allusion / by Iohn Weemse ...

CHAP. VII. Whether the water or the fire be the more excellent Element.

2 Peter 3.7. But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved un∣to fire against the day of judgement, and perdition of ungodly men.

THere was a controversie upon a time, betweene the fire and the water, * 1.1 which of them were the more excellent element, and he who stood for the water al∣ledged these reasons.

First, [Reas. 1] the water is the most profitable element to man, and he standeth most in need of it, at all times both in Sommer and Winter, by night and by day, & it is pro∣fitable both to sicke and whole persons, but the fire is many times hurtfull to man.

Secondly, [Reas. 2] that which was found out since the begin∣ning, and was not from the beginning, is not so necessa∣ry as that which was first from the beginning: Nature furnished that as simplie necessary; Art found out this but for superfluous uses, it can never be shewn that man wanted water, neither is there any amongst the most excellent men, that are sayd to be inventers of the water as Prometheus was of the fire; and the life of man was long without fire, but never without water.

Thirdly, [Reas. 3] there are many people, that have not the use of fire, but there is no people in the world, but have the use of water, no man can live without water; but Diogenes never vsed fire, and many other creatures live without fire, and are nourished onely in the water: doe

not the fish live in the sea? beasts upon raw flesh and upon rootes? and no creature liveth without wa∣ter.

Fourthly, [Reason, 4] no creature liveth in the fire (for that of the Salamander is but a fable that it liveth in the fire, it de∣liteth to be neere the fire, for the coldnesse of it) but the greatest creatures and a multitude of diverse kinde live in the water.

Fiftly, [Reason, 5] that is thought to bee the most excellent ele∣ment which standeth in need of the least preparation, but the fire hath need of much wood, and coale to nou∣rish it, but the water is such an element as it standeth in neede of nothing to maintaine it, & nihilexira se de∣siderat.

Sixtly, That element is judged, [Reason, 6] most necessarie and profitable which may bee joyned with another, as the water admitteth the fire, for ye may heate it, but the fire never admitteth the water, ignis nuit quam humidus, aqua sape calida.

Seventhly, there are foure elements, [Reason, 7] and the water hath brought forth the sea, which wee may terme the fift element because it is as profitable to us as any of the rest, for what commerce would men have touether without the sea? it breedeth interchange and commerce amongst Nations, and as Heraclitus sayd, if wee wanted the Sunne, we should live in perpetuall darkenesse, so we may say if, we wanted the sea, we should live like barbarous people and wild creatures.

Eightly, [Reason, 8] when the heathen sent their embassadors to any nation that they would have subdued to them, * 1.2 they desired to them terram & aquam, and they in token of subjection sent them water and earth because all com∣mandement is either by sea or by land, and all possessi∣ons and riches are gotten out either of the sea or land: and in the body of man, the water and the earth are the

elements which prevaile most, when Darius sent to the King of Scythia, * 1.3 he desired the King to send him water and earth, and when the King of Scythia had sent him a Fowle, a Mouse, and a Frog, and five arrowes; Darius interpreted the matter this wayes, that the Mouse signi∣fied the earth, because the Mouse is bred in the earth, and liveth upon the same things which man doth; the frog to be the water, because it liveth in the water, and the fowle to be his horses, because it is likest unto a horse for swiftnesse, and the five arrowes which hee sent to him (for they were excellent archers) lignified that he would yeeid unto him, and deliver all his strength and armour unto him, when they required the earth and water in token of subjection, this sheweth the excel∣lencie of the water above the fire.

We are baptized by water and not by fire. [Reason, 9]

In the creation when God created the foure ele∣ments, * 1.4 the water and the earth, were but like the matter; the ayre and the fire like the forme, forming and fashi∣oning these dead and dull elements, for what were the water and the earth without the fire to cherish them? take heate from the water, it doth puttifie, as wee see in standing waters, which wanting motion (which bree∣deth heat) putrifie and corrupt; but the running waters we call them living waters, because the motion keepeth heat in them.

Take away heat from living creatures, [Reason, 2] they die pre∣sently; there is moysture found in the creatures after they are dead but no heat, therefore water is not so ne∣cessarie as the fire, and in effect we may say, that death is nothing but a privation of heat.

These things which have least heate in them, [Reason, 3] have least perfect life, as we see in the body of man, the nailes and the hayre being farthest removed from the heart, and consequently from heat, are most imperfect of all the parts of the body.

How necessary hath the use of fire beene for the fin∣ding out of all Arts and preserving of them, [Reas. 4] and there∣fore the heathen made Valcan the chiefe inventer of all arts, but the water hath no use in the invention of Arts, therefore not so excellent as the fire. [Reas. 5]

The Philosopher sayd that sleepe tooke up the halfe of a mans life which is but a short time, but if a man cannot sleepe in the night, then the fire serveth with the light of it to make as it were a second day to him, and taketh away the difference betwixt the day and the night. [Reas. 6]

That is the most excellent element which serveth for the temperature of the most excellent sense, and this is seene most in the sense of seeing, which is as it were a firie substance. This sense is most profitable for us, to behold the workes of God. * 1.5

And where it is objected that the water admitteth the fire to be joyned with it, [Object.] therefore it is most excel∣lent.

When the water is hot and cureth us, [Answ.] this proceedeth more from the heat than from the water, and this argu∣eth rather an imperfection in the water than any desert in the fire.

Where it is objected that some men live without fire, [Object.] and all the beasts live without it.

Although they want the outward element, [Answ.] yet they have aboundance of heat within them: what maketh the sea more profitable than other waters? is it not the heate of it? And creatures doe not grow by humor onely, but by hot humor, for the colder that the waters are the lesse fruitfull they be.

Nothing liveth in the element of the fire, [Object.] as it doth in water.

The element of the fire in it selfe is so pure that com∣posed bodies cannot live in it; [Answ.] this argueth no defect in

the element, but onely the grosnesse of composed bodies; and nothing liveth without the fire, for every thing that liketh hath the naturall heate to preserve it.

But wee are baptized with water, and not with fire.

This proveth onely the water to be the better ele∣ment for this use, but it doth not prove simply that the water is the better element: the earth which is the basest of all the elements, furnisheth bread and wine, for the sacrament, yet this will not prove the earth to bee the best element.

The Aegyptians who held themselves to be the most ancient people of the world and the most noble people, * 1.6 contended with three diverse nations; first, they con∣tended with the Scythians for their antiquitie: second∣ly, with the Ethiopians for their wisedome; thirdly, they contended with the Chaldeans for their God: the Ae∣gyptians had the water for their god; and the Chaldaeans had the fire for their god, and the Chaldaeans sayd that their God the fire was the more excellent god because it was a part of the Sunne. * 1.7 And Rufinus saith that the Chaldeans went in the dayes of Constantine through many parts of the earth, to prove the excellencie of their god the fire, and their god burnt the rest of the images, but when they came to Aegypt, and there ap∣pointed a day of triall for their gods, * 1.8 the Aegyptians brought forth the huge image of Nilus which was hol∣low within, and filling it with water hored some holes in it, and closed them with wax artificially, that they could not be discerned. The Chaldeans set their god the fire round about the image, but the fire melting the wax, the water gushed out in aboundance, and so quenched the Chaldeans God the fire: the Egyptians con∣cluded, by this that the water their element was a more excellent goddesse than the fire; see how the blind hea∣then

here had neither grace nor reason; they wanted grace forgetting the Creator to worship the creature; and then they wanted reason, for when the water is cast upon the fire, the fire is not extinguished but ascen∣deth up to the owne element of it.

The conclusion of this: [Conclusion.] although both these elements be necessarie for the use of man, yet simply the fire is the more excellent element.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Reasons proving the water to be the more excellent elements.
• * 1.2

  The manner how the heathen subdued other Nations.
• * 1.3

  Herodetus libre Scytha•• rum.
• * 1.4

  Reasons proving the fire to be the more excellent element.
• * 1.5

  Answers to the objec∣tions.
• * 1.6

  Diorodus Siculus verum antiq. lib. 2. cap. 1. Plutarchus in convivie septem saptentum.
• * 1.7

  Lib. 2. eccles. hist.
• * 1.8

  Vide Suidam in voce Canopus.