L I B. IV. Of the Advancement of Learning. iiq 



^ Cun'-y Cofmetick^ or the Art of Decoration ^i Athkticli^ or the Art of 

 AHivity 5 and Art Voluptuary^ which Tacitus calls Eruditus Luxus. 



(j Medicine is a noble Art, and according to the Poets defcended of 

 a moft generous race 3 for they have brought in Apollo^ as the chief God 

 ofMedicine, towhora they haveaffigned^^ycw/^/^iwi-forhisfon, a God Hower. 

 too, and.a Profeflor o^Phyjlck^: Becaufe in things natural the; Sun is the "n^in^'*" 

 Author^ and Fountain of Life 5 the Phyfician the Conferver of Nature 3 and 

 as it were afecondfpring of Life. But the greateft glory to Phyfick is from 

 the works of our Saviour, who was a Phyfician both of Soul and Body; 

 And as hq made the Soul the peculiar objedt of his heavenly Dodrinej 

 fo he defign'd the Body the proper fubjeft of his miracles. For wc ne- 

 ver read of any miracles done by him refpeding Honour or Wealth, (be- 

 fides that one when Tribute was to be given toC£far)h\it only refpedt- 

 ing the Body of man; or to prelerve, or tofuftain,or tocureit. 



§ The SuhjeH of Medicine (namely mans Body) is, of all other things 

 which nature hath brought forth, moft capable of Remedy, bnt then 

 that Remedy is moft capable of Error : For the fame fubtility, and va- 

 riety of the fubje<S, as it affords great poffibility of Cure, fo it gives 

 great facility to error. Wherefore as that Art (fiich as now it is) may 

 well be reckon'd amongft Arts conjed:ural ; Co the enquiry thereof may 

 htQ placed in the number of the moft difficult, and axafteft Arts. Nei- 

 ther yet are we (b fenflels, as to imagine with ParacelftiSj and the Al- 

 chymifts ; That there are to be found in mansBbdy certain Corrcfponden- lib'j"'''' 

 ces, and Parallels to all the variety offpccifickjSIatures in the world (as Stars^ R-ob. 

 Minerals., and the reftj as they foolifhly fancy and Mythologize; ftrai- ^I^^"^*^° 

 ning, but very impertinently, that emblem of the Ancients, That man 

 »as Microcofmus^ an abjira^, or model of the whole worlds to counte- 

 nance their fabulous, and fiftious invention. Yet notv/ithftandirig this 

 is an evident truth, (which we were about to fay) That amongfi all Bo- 

 dies Natural, there is not found any fo multiplicioufly compounded as the 

 Body of man. For we (ee Herbs, and Plants, are nourifhed by earth 

 and water 5 Beafts by Herbs and Fruits ; But man by the flefh of living 

 Creatures; as Beafts, Birds, Filh; and alfo of Herbs, Grains, Fruits, 

 Juice, and divers Liquors; not without manifold commixtures, lea- 

 jfoning, and Preparation of thefe Bodies before they come to be mans 

 meat, and aliment. Add hereunto, that Beafts have a more fimple or-* 

 der of life, and lefs change ofafFeftions to work upon their Bodies, and 

 they commonly working one way ; whereas man in his Manfions, Ex* 

 ercifes, Paffions, Sleep, and Vigilances is fub/eft to infinite viciffitudes 

 of changes. So that it is moft evident that of all other natural fubftan- 

 ces, the Body of man is the moft fermentated, compounded, and \n^ 

 corporated Mais. The foul, on the other fide, is the fimpleft offub- 

 ftances, as it is well expreftj 



— — 'Vurumq'-) relinquit 



JEthereum fenfum, atqj Auraijimplicis ignem. J'/S- ^n. 



Ariff. 



So that it is no marvail , though the (bul fb placed, enjoy no reft ; ac- ''hyf.&d* 

 cording to that Principle, Motusrerum extra locum efi rapidus^ placidus " * 

 in loco: But to the purpole, this various and fubiile compofition and 

 fabrick of mans body hath made it, as a curious and exquifite inftru« 



ment^ 



