32 History oj Nature. [^ OOK ** 



CHAPTER III. 

 The Motion of the World. 



THAT the World thus framed, in a continued Circuit, 

 with unspeakable Swiftness turneth round in the Space of 

 four-and-twenty Hours, the ordinary Rising and Setting of 

 the Sun leaves no Room to doubt. Whether it being in 

 Height exceedingly great, and therefore the Sound of so 

 huge a Frame, whilst it is whirled about unceasingly, cannot 

 be heard with our Ears, I cannot easily imagine : no more, 

 by Hercules ! than 1 may vouch the Ringing of the Stars that 

 are driven round therewith, and roll their own Spheres : or 

 determine, that as the Heaven movetb, it represents a plea- 

 sant and incredibly sweet Harmony : although to us within, 

 by Day and Night, it seemeth to roll on in Silence. That 

 there is imprinted on it the Figures of living Creatures, and 

 of all Kinds of Things besides without Number, as also that 

 the Body thereof is not all over smooth and slippery (as we 

 see in Birds' Eggs), which excellent Authors have termed 

 Tenerum, is shewn by Arguments ; for by the Fall of natural 

 Seeds of all Things from thence, and those for the most Part 

 mixed one with another, there are produced in the World, 

 and in the Sea especially, an immense Number of monstrous 

 Shapes. Besides this, our Sight testifieth the same ; for in 

 one Place there appeareth the Resemblance of a Chariot, in 

 another of a Bear, or a Bull, and of a Letter (A), and prin- 

 cipally the middle Circle over our Head, where it is more 

 white than the Rest. 



CHAPTER IV. 

 Why the World is called Mundus. 



FOR my own Part, I arn ruled by the general Consent of 

 all Nations. For, the World, which the Greeks, by the 

 Name of Ornament, called Ko<r/y,o$, we, for the perfect Neat- 

 ness and absolute Elegance thereof, have termed Mundus. 

 And we have named the Sky Calum, because it is engraven, 



