The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

514 HISTORY OF LIFE AND DEATH.
as may be seen in serpents, eels, and flies, whereof the liveless spirits, not that they are more flamy
every of their parts move along after they are cut than air.
asunder. Birds also leap a good while after their
heads are pulled off, because they have little heads CANON VII.
and little cells. But the nobler sort of creatures
7The spirit hzath two desires, one of mul6tiplying
have those ventricles larger, and man the largest, the osher of twying forth, and ongregating
of all. The other difference betwixt the spirits itse, with the connaturals.
is, that the vital spirit hath a kind of enkindling,
and is like a wind or breath compounded of flame
and air, as the juices of living creatures have both EXPLICATION.
Oil and water. And this enkindling ministereth The canon is understood of the liveless spirits;
peculiar motions and faculties; for the smoke for as for the second desire, the vital spirit doth
which is inflammable, even before the flame con- most of all abhor flying forth of the body, for it
ceived, is hot, thin, and movable, and yet it is finds no connatural here below to join withal.
quite another thing after it is become flame; but Perhaps it may sometimes fly to the outward
the enkindling of the vital spirits is by many de- parts of the body, to meet that which it loveth;
grees gentler than the softest flame, as of spirit but the flying forth, as I said, it abhorreth. But
of wine, or otherwise; and, besides, it is in great in the liveless spirits each of these two desires
part mixed with an aerial substance, that it should holdeth. For to the former this belongeth, every
be a mystery or miracle, both of a flammeous and spirit seated amongst the grosser parts dwelleth
aereous nature. unhappily; and, therefore, when it finds not a
like unto itself, it doth so much the more labour
CANON V. to create and make a like, as being in a great
The natural actions are proper to the several solitude, and endeavour earnestly to multiply
parts, beut it is the vital spirit that excites and itself, and to prey upon the volatile of the grosser
sharpens them; parts, that it may be increased in quantity. As
for the second desire of flying forth, and betaking
THE EXPLICATION. itself to the air, it is certain, that all light things
The actions or functions which are in the seve- (which are ever movable) do willingly go unto
ral members, follow the nature of the members their likes near unto them, as a drop of water is
themselves, (attraction, retention, digestion, assi- carried to a drop, flame to flame; but much more
milation, separation, excretion, perspiration, even this is done in the flying forth of spirit into the
sense itself,) according to the propriety of the air ambient, because it is not carried to a particle
several organs, (the stomach, liver, heart, spleen, like unto itself, but also as unto the globe of the
gall, brain, eye, ear, and the rest,) yet none of connaturals. Meanwhile this is to be noted, that
these actions would ever have been actuated but the going forth, and flight of the spirit into air is
by the vigour and presence of the vital spirit, and a redoubled action, partly out of the appetite of the
heat thereof; as one iron would not have drawn spirit, partly out of the appetite of the air, for the
another iron, unless it had been excited by the common air is a needy thing,, and receiveth all
loadstone; nor an egg would ever have brought things speedily, as spirits, odours, beams, sounds,
forth a bird, unless the substance of the hen had and the like.
been actuated by the treading of the cock....-. CANON VIII.
CANON VI. Spirit detained, if it have no possibility of begetThe liveless spirits are next cosnsubstantial to air; ting new spirits, intenerateth the grosser parts.
the vital spirits approach more to the substance of
flame. THE EXPLICATION.
THE EXPLICATION, Generation of new spirit is not accomplished
The explication of the precedent fourth canon but upon those things which are in some degree
is also a declaration of this present canon. But near to the spirit, such as are humid bodies. And,
yet further, from hence it is, that all fat and oily therefore, if the grosser parts (amongst which the
things continue long in their being. For neither spirit converseth) be in a remote degree, although
doth the air much pluck them, neither do they the spirit cannot convert them, yet (as much as it
much desire to join themselves with air. As for can) it weakeneth, and softeneth, and subdueth
that conceit, it is altogether vain, that flame them, that seeing it cannot increase in quantity,
should be air set on fire, seeing flame and air are yet it will dwell more at large, and live amongst
no less heterogeneal, than oil and water. But good neighbours and friends. Now, this aphorism
whereas it is said in the canon, that the vital is most useful to our end, because it tendeth to
spirits approach more to the substance of flame; the inteneration of the obstinate parts by the detenIt must be understood, that they do this more than tion of the spirit.