THE WATERS. 9 



Hexameron) soeme somewhat doubtfull of this point, yet in LlB&amp;gt; T - 



the end they grant that the world is round. It is true that 



S. Ambrose doth not yeelde to this quintessence 1 which Amb.,iib.y 



Hexam., 



Aristotle attributes to the heavens, without doubt it is a ca i j - G - 

 goodly thing to see with what a grace and excellent stile 

 the holy Scripture treates of the scituation and firmenes of 

 the earth to breed in vs a wonderfull admiration, and no 

 lesse content to behold the vnspeakable power and wisedome 

 of the Creator. For that in one place God himselfe saies J^. 

 that it was hee which planted the pillers which support the 

 earth ; giving vs to vnderstand (as S. Ambrose doth well Amb - * 



tLcxsi. 



expound it) that the vnmeasurable weight of the whole 

 earth is held vp by the hands of the divine power. The 

 holy Scripture doth commonly so call them, and vseth this 

 phrase, naming them the pillers of heaven and earth, not 

 those of Atlas, as the Poets faine, but of the eternall word 

 of God, who by his vertue supports both heaven and earth. 

 Moreover, the holy Scripture in an other place teacheth, Job ix, 20. 

 that the earth, or a great part thereof, is ioyned to and com 

 passed in by the Element of water, speaking generally, that 

 God placed the earth vpon the waters. And in another Heb&amp;gt; L 

 place, that hee framed the roundnes of the earth vpon the 

 Sea. And although S. Augustine doth not conclude vpon 

 this text, as a matter of faith, that the earth and the water 

 make one globe in the midst of the world, pretending by 

 this meanes to give another exposition to the words of the 

 Psalm e ; yet notwithstanding it is most certaine that by the 

 words of the psalme we are given to vnderstand that we 

 haue no other reason to imagine any other ciment or vniting 

 to the earth then the Element of water, the which although 

 it be pliant and moveable, yet doth it support and inviron 

 this great masse of the earth, the which was wrought by the 

 wisedome of that great Architect. They say, the earth is 

 built vpon the waters and vpon the sea ; but contrariwise, 

 the earth is rather vnder the waters ; for according to com- 

 1 &quot; Quin ta substantial 



