544 DE AUGMENTIS SCIENTIARUM 



ex semine prognata 1 ; vespertiliones, inter aves et quadrupedes ; 

 pisces volantes (qui jam notissimi sunt), inter aves et pisces ; 

 phocae, inter pisces et quadrupedes ; et alia hujusmodi. Neque 

 rursus causam indagavit quispiam, cur cum similia simUibus 

 gaudeant 9 ferrum ferrum non trahat, quod magnes facit ; neque 

 aurum ipsum aurum, licet argentum vivum alliciat. Circa 

 haec, et similia, in disceptatione de Transcendentibus illis altum 

 est silentium ; orationis enim apices, non rerum subtilitates, 

 secuti sunt homines. Quamobrem horum Transcendentium, 

 sive conditionum Entium adventitiarum, inquisitionem veram et 

 solidam, secundum nature non sermonis leges, Philosophiam 

 Primam recipere volumus. Atque de Philosophia prima (sive 

 de Sophia) quam inter Desiderata haud immerito retulimus, 

 haec dicta sint. 



CAPUT II. 



De Theologia Naturali ; et Doctrina de Angelis et Spiritibus, 

 qua ejusdem est Appendix. 



COLLOCATA igitur sua in sede Communi Scientiarum Parente, 

 instar Berecynthiae tanta gaudentis coelesti sobole, 



Omnes coelicolas, omnes supera alta tenentes ;* 



revertamur ad partitionem illam trium Philosophiarum, Divinae, 

 Naturalis, et Humanae. Nam Theologia Naturalis, Philoso- 

 phia etiam Divina recte appellatur. Diffinitur autem haec, ut 

 sit talis scientia, seu potius scientiae scintilla, qualis de Deo 

 haberi potest per lumen naturae et contemplationem rerum 

 creatarum ; et ratione objecti, sane divina, ratione informatio- 

 nis, naturalis censeri potest. Hujus scientiae limites ita vere 

 si^nantur, ut ad atheismum confutandum et convincendum, 



O * ' 



et ad legem naturae informandam, se extendant ; ad religio- 

 nem autem astruendam non proferantur. Quamobrem nee 



1 It is exceedingly difficult to ascertain what animals were generally supposed to be 

 produced by equivocal generation. In a note on a passage in the Novum Organum 

 (ii. 41.) I have collected some contradictory opinions on this question. That mice 

 are mentioned as intermediate between the classes of animals which can and cannot be 

 equivocally generated, is perhaps connected with Aristotle's having affirmed that by 

 licking salt they breed without impregnation. This however does not affect the truth 

 of the remark in the text ; but it is worth while to notice that the aberrant types, 

 as they are called, of any cla-'s often appear to connect that class with more than 

 one other. E. g. the Monotremata and especially the Ornithorhynchus connect the 

 Mammalia with Reptiles as well as with Birds. 



* Virg. Mn. vi. 788. 



