L I B. I V Of the Advancement of Learning. i^y 



gefted, egefted; Humours and fucculent Moiftures carried upwards 

 and downwards 5 the Heart and Pulfe beat j the Guts as fo many Shops, 

 or Work-houfes ftiould every one accomplilh his proper Work, and 

 yet all thefe, and many fuch like are performed without Setife ^ But 

 men have not with fufficient enquiry (earcht or found out of what Na-_ 

 ture the Aftion of Senfe is 3 and what kind of Body; what delay, 

 what Conduplication of Irapreffion are required to this, that pain or 

 pleafure fhould follow? Toclofe this Point they do feem to be altoge- 

 ther ignorant of the difference betwixt jimple perception and fenfe-j how 

 far perception may he made veithont fenfe ^ Nor is this enquiry a contro- 

 verfie of words, but a matter of great and important moment, where' 

 fore let there be madea better inquiry of this knowledge, as of a matter 

 very profitable, and of manifold ufe. Conlidering alfo that the igno- 

 rance of fomc of the ancient Philofophers touching this matter , fo far 

 oblcured the light of reafon, as that they thought, there veas^ ivithoitt any 

 difference^ a Soul infnfed into al/ Bodies j nor did they conceive how Mo- 

 tion, with a difcerning inftinft, could be made with Senfe , or Senfe exift 

 without a Soul. * 



§ As. for the F ohm of Light, that there hath been made a due en- radix 

 quiry thereof (fpecially feeing men have Co painfully employ 'd their ^^1^^' 

 Studies in the Perfpe^ives') may well be cenfur'd as a ftrange overfight, sive de 

 For neither in the Perfpe^ivet, nor elfewhere, is there any thing in- lucis, 

 quired concerning Light, of any worth or weight ; The Radiations of 

 it are handled, the Originals not : But the placing of Perfpe&ives amongfl 

 the Mathematicl{s hath begotten this defe&j and others of like nature 5 

 becanfe men have made a too early departure from Phyjick. So on the o- 

 ther fide the handling of Light, and the Caufes thereof, in Phyftcks is 

 commonly (liperftitious , as of a thing of a middle nature, betwixt 

 natural and Divine 5 in fo much as (bme of Plato's School have intro- ^-^^.^^ 

 duced Light as a thing more ancient than Matter it felf : For when the Caid.'j« 

 empty fpace was fpread abroad they affirm'd, in a vain imaginationjthat ^"f^-. 

 it was firft fiU'd with Light ; and afterwards with a Body-, whereas Ho- 

 ly Writ (ets down plainly the Mafs of Heaven and Earth to be a dark. Chaos ' '" 

 before the Creation ofLight.Eut what are handled Phyfically, and accord- 

 ing to ftnfe, of this fubjeft, prefently defcendeth to Radiations ^ fbas 

 there is very little Philofbphical enquiry extant touching this point. 

 And men ought to fubmit their Contemplations a while, and to enquire 

 what is common to all Lucid Bodies, as of the Form of Light : For what 

 an immenfe difference of Body is there fif they may beconfidered ac- 

 cording to their dignity) betwixt the Sun and the rotten Wood, or 

 the putrid fcales of Fifh? They fhould likewife make enquiry, what 

 (hould be the Caufe why fome things take fire, and once throughly 

 heated caft fortha Light j others not? Iron^Metals, Stones, Glafs, Wood, 

 Oyl, Tallow by fire, either caft forth a Flame, or at leaft grow Red / 

 But Water and Air heated with the fury of the hotteft Flames, to the 

 fiigheft degree they are capable of, acquire no fuch Light, nor caft 

 forth any Splendor. If any man think, it therefore thus comes to pa(s, 

 becaufeit is the property of fire to give light j hmiVatcmnd Air arc 

 utter enemies to Fire ; fure he was never rowed with Oars in a dark 

 night upon (alt waters, and in a hot feafon •■, where he might have fcen 

 foall drop3 of water rebounding from the clafhing of the Oars, to 



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