The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

CENT. VII. NATURAL HISTORY. 81
CENTURY VII
Experiments in consort touching the afilnities and and mould or putrefaction; for all putrefaction, if
differences between plants and animate bodies. it dissolve not in arefaction, will in the end issue
601. THE differences between animate and in- into plants or living creatures bred of putrefacanimate bodies, we shall handle fully under the. tion. I accoul t moss, and mushrooms, and agatitle of life, and living spirits, and powers. We ric, and other X those kinds, to be but moulds
shall therefore make but a brief mention of them of the ground, ills, and; trees, and the like.
in this place. The main differences are two. All As for flesh, and fish, and plants themselves, and
bodies have spirits, and pneumatical parts within a number of other things, after a mouldiness, or
them: but the main differences between animate rottenness, or corrupting, they will fall to breed
and inanimate are two: the first is, that the spirits worms. These putrefactions, which have affinity
of things animate are all continued with them- with plants, have this difference from them: that
selves, and are branched in veins, and secret they have no succession or propagation, though
canals, as blood is: and in living creatures, the they nourish, and have a period of life, and have
spirits have not only branches, but certain cells or likewise some figure.
seats, where the principal spirits do reside; and 606. I left once by chance a citron cut, in a
whereunto the rest do resort; but the spirits close room, for three summer months that I was
in things inanimate are shut in, and cut off absent; and at my return there were grown forth,
by the tangible parts, and are not pervious out of the pith cut, tufts of hairs an inch long,
one to another, as air is in snow. The second with little black heads, as if they would have
main difference is, that the spirits of animate bo- been some herb.
dies are all in some degree, more or less, kindled
and inflamed; and have a fine commixture of Exjperiments in consort touching the affinities and
flame, and an aerial substance. But inanimate differences of plants and living cr'eatures, and the
bodies have their spirits no whit inflamed or kin- confners and participles of them.
dled. And this difference consisteth not in the 607. The affinities and differences between
heat or coolness of spirits; for cloves and other plants and living creatures are these that follow.
spices, naphthaand petroleum, have exceeding hot They have both of them spirits continued, and
spirits, -hotter a great deal than oil, wax, or tal- branched, and also inflamed. But first in living
low, &c., but not inflamed. And when any of creatures, the spirits have a cell or seat, which
those weak and temperate bodies come to be in- plants have not: as was also formerly said. And
flamed, then they gather a much greater heat than secondly, the spirits of living creatures hold more
others have uninflamed, besides their light and of flame than the spirits of plants do. And these
motion, &c. two are the radical differences. For the secondary
602. The differences, which are secondary, and differences, they are as follow: —First plants
proceed from these two radical differences, are, are all fixed to the earth, whereas all living creafirst, plants are all figurate and determinate, which tures are severed, and of themselves. Secondly,
inanimate bodies are not; for look how far the living creatures have local motion, plants have not.
spirit is able to spread and continue itself, so far Thirdly, living creatures nourish from their upper
goeth the shape of figure, and then is determined. parts, by the mouth chiefly; plants nourish from beSecondly, plants do nourish, inanimate bodies do low, namely, from the roots. Fourthly, plants have
not; they have an accretion, but no alimentation. their seed and seminal parts uppermost; living
Thirdly, plants have a period of life, which in- creatures have them lowermost; and therefore it
animate bodies have not. Fourthly, they have a was said, not elegantly alone, but philosophisuccessionand propagation of their kind which is cally; " Homo est planta inversa;" Man is like
not in bodies inanimate. a plant turned upwards: for the root in plants is
603. The differences between plants, and me- as the head in living creatures. Fifthly, living
tals or fossils, besides those four before-men- creatures have a more exact figure than plants.
tioned, for metals I hold inanimate, are these; Sixthly, living creatures have more diversity of
first, metals are more durable than plants; se- organs within their bodies, and, as it were, incondly, they are more solid and hard; thirdly, ward figures, than plants have. Seventhly, livthey are wholly subterrany;'whereas plants are ing creatures have sense, which plants have
part above earth and part under earth. not. Eighthly, living creatures have voluntary
604. There be very few creatures that partici- motion, which plants have not.
pate of the nature of plants and metals both; 608. For the difference of sexes in plants they
coral is one of the nearest of both kinds: another is are oftentimes by name distinguished, as maleVitriol, for that is aptest to sprout with moisture. piony, female-piony, male-rosemary, female-rose605. Another special affinity is between plants mary, he-holly, she-holly, &c.; but generation by
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