The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

FABLE OF CUPID. 443
ancient bounds so as to conceive that whatever contracted, since they do not fill their own meawas situated above the moon was the same with sure, but that of matter. But Telesius devises a
the moon itself, or whether he thought that an method by which to explain the rise of so various
opposing power ascended higher. But he held a fecundity of entities out of this discord. And
a portion of the earth (which is the seat of an first he has regard to the earth, though the inferior
opposite nature) to be in the same way quite of element, and shows why it is that it has not been
an unmixed and solid nature, and impenetrable and never will be absorbed and destroyed by the
by heavenly influences. But he considered that sun. The chief reason he makes to be the imthere was no reason for inquiring into the nature mense distance of the earth from the fixed stars,
of that portion, only that it was endowed with sufficiently great from the sun itself, and such
these four natures, cold, darkness, density, and as it should be, well proportioned in measure.
rest, and those perfect, and no way impaired. Secondly, the declination of the sun's rays from
But he assigns to the generation of things the the perpendicular, respect being had to the different
part of the earth toward its surface as a kind of parts of the earth, that for instance the sun should
bark or incrustation, and that all the entities never be vertically above the greater part of the
which have come to our knowledge in any way, earth, or the falling of his rays perpendicular; so
even the heaviest, hardest, and the lowest down, that it can never occupy the whole globe of the
metals, stones, the sea, are produced from the earth with any very powerful body of heat.
earth, subdued in some part by the heat of the Thirdly, the obliquity of the sun's motion in its
heaven, and which has already conceived some- passage through the zodiac, respect being had to
what of heat, radiation, tenuity, and mobility, and the same parts of the earth whence the heat of the
which partakes of a middle nature between the sun, in whatever power it is, is not incessantly
sun and the pure earth. It is requisite, therefore, increased, but returns by greater intervals.
that pure earth be placed lower than the bottom Fourthly, the celerity of the sun in respect of his
of the sea, than minerals, and every thing that is diurnal motion, which accomplishes so great a
generated: and that from that pure earth, even to course in so small a space of time, whence arises
the moon, or perhaps higher, there be placed a a less delay of heat, nor is there any moment of
certain middle nature, proceeding from the tem- time in which the heat may settle. Fifthly, the
perarnents and refractions of the heaven and earth. continuation of series of bodies between the sun
But having sufficiently fortified the interior of both and the earth; so that the sun does not send forth
kingdoms, he proceeds to the march aild to the an unbroken power of heat through a vacuum, but
war. For in the space within the outermost passing through so many resisting bodies, and
region of heaven and the innermost of earth, is all having to do and to contend with each, is weakkind of tumult, and conflict, and horror; as it is ened over this immense space; and so much the
with empires, the borders of which are infested more, since the further it proceeds and the weaker
with incursions whilst the interior provinces enjoy it becomes, so much the more increase of resistprofound peace. That so these natures with their ance does it find in the bodies, and most of all
concretions have the power of incessantly gene- after arriving at the surface of the earth., where
rating and multiplying themselves, and of pour- there seems not only a resistance, but even some
ing themselves on every side, and of occupying degree of repulsion. And he thus lays down his
the whole bulk of nature, and of mutually op- theory on the process of change. That there is
posing and invading each other, and of casting as it were a deadly and interminable war, and
one the other from their proper seats, and of that those contrary natures do not come together
establishing themselves in them; that they also by any compact, nor by a third, excepting primihave the power of another nature and its actions, tive matter. That either nature, therefore, natuboth those that are proper to perception and appre- rally seeks the destruction of the other, and the
hension, and that from this kind of perception putting into matter itself, and our nature only, so
they have the power of moving and adjusting that it is the object of each (as he repeatedly and
themselves; and that from this conflict is deduced very plainly saith) to effect a change of the other,
the whole variety of all entities, actions, and of the sun, the change of the earth into the sun;
influences. But it seems elsewhere to have and of the earth, the change of the sun into the
ascribed to it, though rather by the way and earth; and that the regularity and justly proporhesitatingly, somewhat of the property of matter; tioned motions of all things present no obstacle to
first, that it should not admit of increase or dimi- this theory; nor that every action has in its due
nution through forms and active entities, but course its beginning, its progress, its increase, its
should be made up of one whole: then, that the diminution, and its rest: that, nevertheless, not
motion of gravity or descent should be referred to any of these happen through the laws of order,
it. He moreover inserts something on the black- but entirely through want of restraint and order;
ness of matter: but that he does plainly; that for that the whole difference, whether of excess or
heat and cold by the same force and power remit inferiority in influence and action, is not occasioned
their strength in extended matter expand it in by the direction of the effort of the motion itself',