Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	call_v	dead_a	life_n	4,436	5	4.6305	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A53057	Philosophicall fancies. Written by the Right Honourable, the Lady Newcastle.	Newcastle, Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of, 1624?-1674.	1653 (1653)	Wing N865; ESTC R202988	32,128	119

made it So as it is not impossible but the same particular Figures may be erected by the same Motions that joynd those parts and in the Matter may repeat the same Motion eternally so by succession and the same Matter in a Figure may be Erected and dispersed eternally Thus the Dispersing of the Matter into particular Figures by an Alteration of Motion we call Death and the joyning of Parts to create a Figure we call Life Death is a Separation Life is a Contraction Of LIFE LIfe is the Extract or Spirit of Common Matter This Extract is Agile being alwayes in motion for the Thinnesse of this Matter causes the subtelty of the Quality or property which Quality or property is to work upon all dull Matter This Essence or Life which are Spirits of Sense move of themselves for the dull part of Matter moves not but as it is moved thereby Their Common Motions are foure Atractive Retentive Digestive Expulsive Atractive is that which we call Growth or Youth Retentive is that we call Strength Digestive is that we call Health that is an equall distribution of Parts to Parts and agreeing of those Sprits Expulsive is that which we call Death or Decay The Attractive Spirits gather and draw the Materialls together The Digestive Spirits do cut and carve out every thing The Retentive do fit and lay them in their proper places The Expulsive do pull down and scatter them about Those Spirits most commonly move according to the matter they worke on For in spungy and in Porous light matter their motion is quick in solid and weighty their motion is slower For the solid parts are not onely dull and immoveable in themselves but they hinder and * obstruct those Spirits of sense and though they cut and peirce through all yet it is with more labour and slower motion for their motions change according to the quantity and quality of that Matter they meet with for that which is Porous and Spungy the Figures that they forme that matter in are sooner made and suddenlier destroyed then that which is more combustible This is the reason Mineralls last longer then Vegetables and Animals because that Matter is both tougher and harder to worke on then Vegetables and Animals are These Sensitive spirits we may similize to severall Workmen being alwayes busily imployed removing lifting carrying driving drawing digging and the like And although these Spirits are of substance thinner then dull matter yet they are stronger by reason of their subtlety and motion which motion gives them power for they are of an acute quality being the Vitrioll as it were of Nature cut and divide all that opposeth their way Now these Spirits although they be infinite yet we cannot thinke them so grosse an infinite as combustible matter yet those thinner infinites may cut and carve the thicker infinites all into severall Figures like as Aqua-fort is will eate into the hardest Iron and divide it into small parts As I have sayd before the Spirits of life worke according as the Matter is for every thing is shap'd according to the solidity of the matter like as a man which builds a House makes the beames of the House of such wood which is tough and strong because he knows otherwise it will breake by reason of the great weight they are to bear but to make Laths he takes his Wood and cuts it thin that the Nayls may easier passe through so joyning and fitting severall forts to proper uses to build his house Or like a Cooke when he 's to raise a Pye must take stiffe Dough for otherwise it will not onely fall before it be finished but it cannot be raised and to make the Lids to cover his Pye hee must use a softer Paste otherwise it will not rowle thinn thus a stiffe Paste is not fit for a Lid nor a thinner Paste for to raise a Pye it may make a Cake or so So the Spirits of life must make Figures as the matter is fit and proper thereto for the figure of man or the like the Spirits of life take the solid and hard matter for the * Bones The Glutinous Matter for the Sinews Nerves Muscles and the like and the Oyly matter for Flesh Fat Marrow So the fluid for Blood and such like matter And the Spirits themselves do give this dull matter motion not onely in the building of the Figure but to make the Figure move when it is built Now the spirits of life or lively spirits do not onely move dull and in moving matter but makes that matter to move and worke upon others for some kinde of Figures shall make † another to resemble it selfe though not just be as it selfe is made but as the shadow like the substance for it workes as a Hand that is guided by another and not of its owne strength that is the reason Arts have not so much persection as Nature The Copy is not so lively as the Originall for the spirits of life move and work of their own strength and the dull matter by the strength of the Spirits Of CHANGE THe Change of motion in severall Figures makes all change and difference in the World and their severall properties and effects thereto And that which we call Death or corruption is not * an absence of life but an expulsive motion which doth annihilate those figures that erecting motion hath made So death is an annihilation of the Print not of the Mould of figures for the Moulds of those figures of Mankinde Beast or Plant of all kinds whatsoever shall never be annihilated so long as motion and matter last which may alwayes be for the mould of all Figures is in the power of motion and the substance of matter Of Youth or Growth THus Spirits of sense work according to the substance of the matter for if the matter be porous and light they form those Figures quicker and dissolve them suddenly But if their matter be solid and hard they worke slower which makes some figures longer ere they come to perfection and not so easily undone And if their strength be too weake for the matter they worke upon as wanting helpe then the Figure is imperfect and mishapen as we say This is the reason Animals Vegetables which are young have not so great strength as when they are full growne because there are fewer spirits and the materialls are loose and unsetled not knockt close But by degrees more spirits gather together which helpe to forward their worke bring in materialls by Food setling them by nourishment carrying out by Evacuations that matter that is unusefull and that Rubbish and Chips as I may say which would hinder their motion If they bring in unusefull matter their figure increases not as we say thrives not And if they carry out the principall materials the figure decayes and falls downe But those parts of matter which are not spirits do not carry that part of matter which

is spirit but the spirits carry the dull matter Thus the spirits the innated matter move in dull matter and dull matter moveth by the spirits and if the matter be fine and not grosse which they build withall and their motion be regular then the Figure is beautifull and well proportioned Of Increasing THe reason that the corruption of one Figure is the cause of making of another of the same kinde is not onely that it is of such a tempered matter that can onely make such a kinde of figure but that the spirits make figures according to their strength So that the spirits that are in the Seed when they have undone the figure they are in by a generall expulsion which we call corruption they begin to create againe another figure of the same kinde if no greater power hinder it For the Matter that is proper to make such like Figures is fitted or temper'd to their strengths So as the Temper of the Matter and the strength of the Spirits are the Erectors of those Figures eternally And the reason that from one Seed lesse or more Numbers are increased and raisd is that though few begin the work more will come to their help And as their Numbers are increased their Figures are more or lesse weaker or stronger Of Decay WHen Spirits of Life have created a Figure and brought it to perfection if they did not pull it down again they would be idle having no work to do and Idlenesse is against the Nature of Life being a perpetuall Mption For as soon as a Figure is perfected the Spirits generally move to an Expulsive Motion This is the reason that Age hath not that strength as Full-growth But like an old house falling down by degrees shed their Haires or Leaves instead of Tiles the Windowes broke downe and stopped with Rubbish So Eyes in Animals grow hollow and dimme And when the Foundation of a house is loose every little wind shakes it So when the Nerves being slack and the Muscles untyed and the Joynts unhing'd the whole Body is weak and tottering which we call Palsies which Palsies as the wind shakes The Blood as the Springe dries up Rheumes as Raine fals down and Vapours as Dust flye up Of Dead and Death DEad is where there is a Generall Alteration of such Motion as is proper to such Figures But Death is an Annihilation of that Print or Figure by an Expulsive Motion And as that Figure dissolves the Spirits disperse about carrying their severall burthens to the making of other Figures Like as a house that is ruin'd by Time or spoyled by accident the severall Materials are imployed to other uses sometimes to the building of an house again But a house is longer a building then a pulling down by reason of the cutting carving laying carrying placing and fitting every part to make them joyn together so all the works of Nature are sooner dissolv'd then created Of Locall Shapes SOme Shapes have power over others but t is not alwaies in the size or bulck of the Figure but in the manner of their Formes that gives advantage or disadvantage A little Mouse will run through the Snowt of a great Elephant A little Flye will sting a great Figure to death A Worm will wind through a thick Body The Lions force lies in his Clawes The Horses in his Hoofe The Dogs in his Teeth The Bulls in his Hornes and Mans in his Armes and Hands Birdes in their Bills and Talons And the manner of their Shapes gives them severall properties or faculties As the Shape of a Bird causes them to flye a Worm to creep the Shape of a Beast to run the Shape of Fish to swim yet some flye swifter and higher then others as their Wings are made So some run nimbler then others according as their Limbs are made and some swim glider then others according as their Fins are made But Man surpasses the shape of all other Creatures because he hath a part as it were of every shape But the same Motion and the same Matter without the shape could not give such Externall Properties since all Internall Properties are wrought out of dull Matter So as it is their shapes joyned with such Motions proper thereunto that give strength Agilenesse But the Internall Qualities may be alike in every Figure because Rationall Spirits worke not upon dull Matter but Figures themselves The Visible Motion in Animals Vegetables and Minerals THE Externall Motions of Animals are running turning winding tumbling leaping jumping shoving throwing darting climbing creeping drawing heaving lifting carrying holding or staying piercing digging flying swimming diving The Internall Motion is contriving directing examining comparing or judging contemplating or reasoning approving or disapproving resolving From whence arise all the Passions and severall Dispositions These and the like are the visible Internall Motions in Animals The Internall Motions of Vegetables and Minerals are in operation As contracting dilating which is Attractive Retentive Digestive Expulsive The Vegetables Externall Motion is increasing decreasing that is enlarging or lasting although there may be Matter not moving yet there is no Matter which is not moved Of the Working of severall Motions of Nature MOtions do work according as they finde Matter that 's fit and proper for each kinde Sensitive Spirits work not all one way But as the Matter is they cut carve lay Joyning together Matter solid Light And build form some Figures streight upright Or make them bending and so jutting out And some are large and strong and big about And some are thick and hard and close unite Others are flat and low and loose and light But when they meet with Matter fine and thin Then they do weave as Spiders when they spin All that is woven is soft smooth thin things As flowry Vegetables Animall Skins Observe the Graine of every thing you le see Like inter-woven Threads lye evenly And like to Diaper Damask wrought In severall workes that for our Table 's bought Or like to Carpets which the Persian made Or Sattin smooth which is the Florence Trade Some Matter they ingrave like Ring and Seale Which is the Stamp of Natures Common-weale T is Natures Armes where she doth print On all her Works as Coyne that 's in the Mint Some severall sorts they joyn together glu'd As Matter solid with some that 's fluid Like to the Earthly ball where some are mixt Of severall sorts although not fixt For though the Figure of the Earth may last Longer then others yet at last may waste And so the Sun and Moon and Planets all Like other Figures at the last may fall The Matter 's still the same but Motion may Alter it into Figures every way Yet keepe the property to make such kind Of Figures fit which Motion out can find Thus may the Figures change if Motion hurles That Matter of her waies for other Worlds Of the Minde THere is a degree of stronger Spirits then the Sensitive Spirits as