The Works of Sir Thomas Browne Volume I Part 2

_There are no Grotesques in nature_, etc.] So _Monsr. Montaign_, _Il n'ya rien d'inutil en nature, non pas l'inutilite mesmes, Rien ne s'est ingere en cet Univers qui n'y tienne place opportun._ Ess. l. 3. c. 1.

_Who admires not_ Regio-monta.n.u.s _his Fly beyond his Eagle?_] Of these _Du Bartas_.

_Que diray je de l'aigle, D'ont un doct Aleman honore nostre siecle Aigle qui deslogeant de la maistresse main, Aila loin au devant d'un Empereur Germain; Et l'ayant recontre suddain d'une aisle accorte, Se tournant le suit au seuil de la porte Du fort Norembergois, que lis piliers dorez, Les tap.i.s.sez chemins, les arcs elabourez, Les fourdroyans Canons, in la jeusnesse isnelle, In le chena Senat, n'honnoroit tant come elle.

Vn jour, que cetominer plus des esbats, que de mets, En prive fasteyoit ses seignieurs plus amees, Vne mousche de fer, dans sa main recelee, Prit sans ayde d'autroy, sa gallard evolee: Fit une entiere Ronde, et puis d'un cerveau las Come ayant jugement, se purcha sur son bras_.

Thus Englished by _Silvester_.

_Why should not I that wooden Eagle mention?

(A learned_ German's _late admir'd invention) Which mounting from his Fist that framed her, Flew far to meet an_ Almain _Emperour: And having met him, with her nimble Train, And weary Wings turning about again, Followed him close unto the Castle Gate Of _Noremberg_; whom all the shews of state, Streets hang'd with Arras, arches curious built, Loud thundring Canons, Columns richly guilt, Grey-headed Senate, and youth's gallantise, Grac'd not so much as onely this device.

Once as this Artist more with mirth than meat, Feasted some friends that he esteemed great; From under's hand an Iron Fly flew out, Which having flown a perfect round about, With weary wings, return'd unto her Master, And (as judicious) on his arm she plac'd her._

_Or wonder not more at the operation of two souls in those little bodies, than but one in the Trunk of a Cedar?_] That is, the _vegetative_, which according to the common opinion, is supposed to be in _Trees_, though the _Epicures_ and _Stoiques_ would not allow any Soul in Plants; but _Empedocles_ and _Plato_ allowed them not only a _vegetative_ Soul, but affirm'd them to be _Animals_. The _Manichees_ went farther, and attributed so much of the rational Soul to them, that they accounted it _Homicide_ to gather either the flowers or fruit, as St. _Aug._ reports.

_We carry with us the wonders we seek without us._] So St. _Aug._ l. 10.

de civ. c. 3. _Omni miraculo quod fit per hominem majus miraculum est h.o.m.o._

_Sect. 16. Pag. 25._

_Another of his servant Nature, that publique and universal Ma.n.u.script that lies expansed_, etc.] So is the description of _Du Bartas 7. jour de la sepm._

_Oyes ce Docteur muet estudie en ce livre Qui nuict et jour ouvert t'apprendra de bien vivre._

_All things are artificial, for Nature is the Art of G.o.d._] So Mr.

_Hobbes_ in his _Leviathan_ (_in initio_) Nature is the Art whereby G.o.d governs the world.

_Sect. 17. Pag. 27._

_Directing the operations of single and individual Essences_, etc.]

Things singular or individuals, are in the opinion of Philosophers not to be known, but by the way of sense, or by that which knows by its Essence, and that is onely G.o.d. The Devils have no such knowledge, because whatsoever knows so, is either the cause or effect of the thing known; whereupon _Averroes_ concluded that G.o.d was the cause of all things, because he understands all things by his Essence; and _Albertus Magnus_ concluded, That the inferiour intelligence understands the superiour, because it is an effect of the superiour: but neither of these can be said of the _Devil_; for it appears he is not the effect of any of these inferiour things, much less is he the cause, for the power of Creation onely belongs to G.o.d.

_All cannot be happy at once, because the Glory of one State depends upon the ruine of another._] This Theme is ingeniously handled by Mr.

_Montaigne livr. 1. des Ess._ cap. 22. the t.i.tle whereof is, _Le profit de l'un est dommage de l'autre_.

_Sect. 18. Pag. 29._

_'Tis the common fate of men of singular gifts of mind, to be dest.i.tute of those of Fortune._] So _Petron. Arbiter. Amor ingenii neminem unquum divitem fecit_, in _Satyric_. And _Apuleius_ in Apolog. _Idem mihi etiam_ (saith he) _paupertatem opprobravit acceptum Philosopho crimen et ultro profitendum_; and then a little afterwards, he sheweth that it was the common fate of those that had singular gifts of mind: _Eadem enim est paupertas apud Graecos in Aristide justa, in Phocyone benigna, in Epaminonde strenua, in Socrate sapiens, in Homero diserta._

_We need not labour with so many arguments to confute judicial_ Astrology.] There is nothing in judicial _Astrology_ that may render it impious; but the exception against it is, that it is vain and fallible; of which any man will be convinced, that has read _Tully de Divinat._ and St. _Aug._ book 5. _de Civ. dei_.

_Sect. 19. Pag. 31._

_There is in our soul a kind of Triumvirate----that distracts the peace of our Commonwealth, not less than did that other the State of_ Rome.]

There were two _Triumvirates_, by which the peace of _Rome_ was distracted; that of _Cra.s.sus_, _Caesar_ and _Pompey_, of which _Lucan_, _l._ 1.

_----Tu causam aliorum---- Facta tribus Dominis communis Roma, nec unquam In turbam missi feralia fdera Regni._

And that other of _Augustus_, _Antonius_ and _Lepidus_, by whom, saith _Florus_, _Respublica convulsa est lacerataque_, which comes somewhat near the Author's words, and therefore I take it that he means this last Triumvirate.

_Sect. 19. Pag. 32._

_Would disswade my belief from the miracle of the brazen Serpent._] Vid.

_Coqueum in_, _l. 10._ _Aug._ _de Civ. Dei_, c. 8.

_And bid me mistrust a miracle in_ Elias, etc.] The History is 18. 1 _Reg._ It should be _Elijah_. The Author in _15. cap. lib. 7.

Pseudodox._ sheweth it was not perform'd naturally; he was (as he saith) a perfect miracle.

_To think the combustion of_ Sodom _might be natural_.] Of that opinion was _Strabo_, whereupon he is reprehended by _Genebrard_ in these words: _Strabo falsus est----dum eversionem addicit sulphuri et bitumini e terra erumpentibus, quae erat a.s.signanda Clo_, i.e. _Deo irato_.

_Tacitus_ reports it according to the Bible, _fulminis ictu arsisse_.

_Sect. 20. Pag. 33._

_Those that held Religion was the difference of man from Beasts_, etc.]

_Lactantius_ was one of those: _Religioni ergo serviendum est, quam qui non suspicit, ipse se prosternit in terram, et vitam pecudum secutus humanitate se abdicat._ Lactant _de fals. Sapientia_, cap. 10.

_The Doctrine of_ Epicurus _that denied the providence of G.o.d, was no Atheism, but_, etc.] I doubt not but he means that delivered in his Epistle to _Menaeceus_, and recorded by _Diogenes Laertius_, lib. 10.

_Quod beatum aeternumque est, id nec habet ipsum negotii quicquam, nec exhibit alteri, itaque neque ira, neque gratia tenetur, quod quae talia sunt imbecillia sunt omnia_; which the _Epicurean_ Poet hath delivered almost in the same words.

_Omnis enim per se divum natura necesse 'st Immortali aevo summa c.u.m pace fruatur, Semota a nostris rebus sejunctaq; longe: Nam privata dolore omni, privata periclis Ipsa suis pollens opibus nihil indiga nostri Nec bene pro meritis capitur, nec tangitur ira._

Lucret. _lib. 2._

_That Villaine and Secretary of h.e.l.l, that composed that miscreant piece of the three Impostors._] It was _Ochinus_ that composed this piece; but there was no less a man than the Emperour _Frederick_ the Second, that was as lavish of his tongue as the other of his pen; _Cui saepe in ore, Tres fuisse insignes Impostores, qui genus humanum seduxerunt: Moysem, Christum, Mahumetem. Lips. monit. et exempl. Politic._ cap. 4. And a greater than he, Pope _Leo_ the Tenth, was as little favourable to our Saviour, when he us'd that speech which is reported of him, _Quantas n.o.bis divitias comparavit ista de Christo fabula_.

_Sect. 21. Pag. 34._

_There are in Scripture, stories that do exceed the fables of Poets._]

So the Author of _Relig. Laici. Certe mira admodum in_ S. S. _plus quam in reliquis omnibus Historiis traduntur_; (and then he concludes with the Author) _sed quae non retundunt intellectum, sed exercent_.

_Yet raise no question who shall rise with that_ Rib _at the Resurrection_.] The Author _cap. 2 l. 7_. _Pseudodox_. sheweth that it appeares in Anatomy, that the Ribs of Man and Woman are equal.

_Whether the world were created in Autumn, Summer, or the Spring_, etc.]

In this matter there is a consent between two learned Poets, _Lucretius_ and _Virgil_, that it begins in _Spring_.

_At novitas mundi nec frigora dura ciebat, Nec nimios aestus, nec magnis viribus auras._ Lucretius.

Which he would have to be understood of _Autumn_, because that resembles old age rather than Infancy. He speaks expresly of the Fowls.

_Principio genus alituum variaeq; volucres Ova relinquebant exclusae tempore verno._ Lucret.

Then for _Virgil_.

_Non alios prima nascentis origine mundi Illuxisse dies aliumve habuisse tenorem Crediderim, ver illud erat, ver magnus agebat Orbis, et hibernis parcebant flatibus Euri._

Virgil 2. Georgic.

But there is a great difference about it betwixt Church-Doctors; some agreeing with these Poets and others affirming the time to be in Autumn: but truly, in strict speaking, it was not created in any one, but all of the seasons, as the Author saith here, and hath shewed at large.

_Pseudodox. Epidemic._ lib. 6. cap. 2.