Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A64764
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A brief natural history intermixed with variety of philosophical discourses and refutations of such vulgar errours as our modern authors have hitherto omitted / by Eugenius Philalethes.
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Vaughan, Thomas, 1622-1666.
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1669
(1669)
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Wing V145; ESTC R1446
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49,654
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136
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to be the Pastor both of our Nation and of the most honourable Order of Knighthood in the World 3. That the Wise-men that came out of the East to Worship our Saviour were Kings and from hence their bodies being Translated to Cullen they are at this day commonly called the three Kings of Cullen and the day Consecrated to their Memory is by the French termed Le jour de Trois Rois The day of the Three Kings Yet Mantuan a Monk fears not to declare his Opinion to the contrary and gives his reason for it Nec Reges ut opiner trant ntque enim tacuissent Historiae Sacrae Authores Genus illud honoris est Inter Mortales quâ— non sublimius ullum Adde quâ—d Herodus ut magnificentia Regum Postulat hospitibâ—â— tantis regale dedisset Hospitiuâ—â— secumquâ— Lares duxisset in amplos Had they been Kings not holy History Would have concealed their so great Majesty Higher on which on Earth none can be named Herods Magnificance would sure have framed Some entertainment fitting their Estates And harbour'd them within his Royal Gates 4. That the Sybills clearly foretold touching the Name of the forerunner the Birth and Death of Christ the coming of Antichrist the overthrow of Râ—â—â— and the consummation of the World which notwithstanding as Cansabon hath learnedly observed seems to be contrary to the Word of God that so profound Mysteries should be revealed to the Gentiles so long before the Incarnation of Christ especially since they write more plainly and particularly of those matters then the Prophets of God themselves amongst the Jeâ—s and the greatest Claâ—ks amongst the Gentiles Plato Aristotle Thâ—â—pâ— astus and others curious searchers into all kind of Learning never so much as once mention either their Names or then Writings nor any of their Mysteries While the Church of Christ was yet in her Infancy many such kind of Books were forged thereby to make the Doctrine of the Gospel more passible among the Gentiles and no marvel then that these of the Sybills passed for current amongst them 1. In History Civil or National it is commonly received that there were four and but four Monarchies succeeding one the other the African the Persian the Grecian and the Roman yet John Bodwin a man of singular Learning especially in matter of History dares thus to begin the seventh Chapter of his Method Inveteratus error de quaâ—â—â— Imperiis ac magnorum virorum opinione pervulgatus tam altc radices egit ut vix evelli posse videatur That inveterate errour of Four Empires made famous through the Opinion of great Men hath taken such deep roots as it seems it can hardly be pluckt up and thorow a great part of that Chapter labours he the confutation of those that maintain that Opinion 2. That Brute a Trojan by Nation and a great Grand-child to AEneas arrived in this Island and gave it the Name of Great Brittain from himself here Reigned and left the Government thereof divided amongst his three Sons England to Lâ—â—griâ—â—â— Scotland to Albanak and Wales to Camber Yet Camden our great Antiquary Brit. de primis Incolis beating as he professeth his Brains and bending the force of his Wits to maintain that Opinion he found no warrantable ground for it Nay by forcible Arguments produced as in the person of others disputing against himself he strongly proves it in my judgment altogether unwarrantable and unsound Boccace Vives Adricamâ—â— Junius Polidorus Vignier Genebrard Molinaeus Bodine and other latter Writers of great account are all of opinion that there was no such man as this supposed Brute And amongst our own Ancient Chronicles John of Watâ—â—sted Abbot of St. Alban holdeth the whole Narration of Brute rather to have been Poetical then Historical as you shall find in his Granarto 1440. which methinks is agreeable to reason since Caesar Taciâ—us Gildas Ninius Bede William of Malmesbury and as many others as have written any thing touching our Country before the year 1160. make no mention at all of him The first that ever broached it was Gâ—ffery of Monmouth about Four hundred years ago during the Reign of Henry the Second who publishing the British story in Latin pretended to have it taken out of Ancient Monuments written in the British Tongue but this Book as soon as it peeped forth into the Light was sharply censured both by Giraldus-Cambrensis and William of â—â—â—â—â— who lived at the same time the formeâ—â—â—â—â—â— in no better then Eabulosam Historiam â—â—â—â—â—â—â—â—â—y and the latter Ridicula Figmâ—â—â— ridiculous Fictions and it now stands branded with a black cole amongst the Books prohibited by the Church of Rome 3. That the Saxons called the remainder of the Brittains Welch as being strangers to them Whereas that Word signifies not as strangers either in the high or low Dutch as Verstigan a man skilful in those Languages hath observed and that the Sexons gave them the name of Welch after themselves came into Brittain is altogether unlikely For that inhabiting so neer them as they did to wit but over against them on the other side of the Sea they could not want a more particular and proper Name for them then to call them Strangers It seems then to be more likely that the Romans being Originally descended from the Gaules the Saxons according to their manner of speech by turning the G. into the W. and instead of Galtish called them Wallish and by a breviation Walâ—h or Welch as the French at this day call the Prince of Wales Prince de Galles 4. That the Pigmies are a Nation of People not above two or three foot high and that they solemnly set themselves in battail array to fight against the Cranes their greatest Enemies of these notwithstanding Caesaâ—ion in his Book De. Gigantibus Cap. Uâ—â—â—â—â— saith Fabulesâ— illa omnia sunt quae de illis vel Poetae vel alii Scriptures tradiderunt All those things are Fabulous which touching them either the Poets or other Writers have delivered And with him further accordeth Cardaâ— De rorâ—â— variâ—tate Cap. 4. Apparet ergo Pigmiorum Historiam esse fabulosam quod Strabo sentit nostra aeras â—â—â—â—â—â—â—â— firmè â—â—is mirabitia innotuerint declarae It appeares then that the History of the Pigmies is but a Ficton as both Straba thought and our age which have now discovered all the wonders of the World fully declares Gellius also and Redogis refer those Pigmies if any such these be to a kind of Apes 1. In Natural History to pass by that Vulgar Errour of the Phâ—â—â—ix so learnedly refuted by one of our late Writers I shall here first gain say than gross Opinion that the Wholps of Bears are at first littering without all form or fashion and nothing but a little congealed Blood or lump of Flesh which afterwards the Dam â—â—â—apeth by licking yet is the Truth most evidently otherwise as by the Ey witness of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and others it hath been proved And herein as in many
Sterling whereunto may be added that the Ancients copying out their Books for the most part with their own hand it could not but work in them a deeper impression of the matter therein contained and being thereby forced to content themselves with fewer Books of neceâ—sity they held themselves more closely to them And it is true what Seneca saith as well in reading as eating Varietas delectat certitudo predest Variety is delightful but certainty more useful and profitable So that upon the matter reckonings cast up on all sides and one thing being set against another as we want some helps which the Ancients had so we are freed from some hindrances wherewith they were incumbred as again it is most certain that they wanted some of our helps and were freed from some of our hindrances if then we come short of their perfections it is not because Nature is generally defective in us but because we are wanting to our selves and do not strive to make use of and improve those abilities wherewith God and Nature hath endowed us Male de Natura censet quicuâ—que unâ— illaâ— aut altero partu effatum esse arbitratur saith Vives He thinks unworthily and irreverently of Nature who conceives her to be barren after one or two Births No no that which the same Authour speaks of places is likewise undoubtedly true of times Ubiquâ— bona nascuntur ingenia excâ—lantur modâ— alibi fortassis frequâ—ntiorae sed ubique nonnulla Every where and in all ages good Wits spring up were they dressed and manured as they ought though happily more frequently in some places and ages then others Scythia it self anciently yielded one Anacharsis And no doubt had they taken the same course as he did more of the same Metal would have been found there There is it seems both in Wits and Arts as in ' all things besides a kind of circular progress they have their Birth their growth their flourishing their falling and fading and within a while after their Resurrection and reflourishing again The Arts flourished for a long time amongst the Persians the Caldeans the AEgypitans and therefore is Moses is said to be learned in all the wisdom of the AEgyptians who well knowing their own strength were bold to object to the Grecians that they were still Children as neither having the knowledge of Antiquity nor the Antiquity of Knowledge But afterwards the Grecians got the start of them and grew so excellent in all kind of Knowledge that the rest of the World in regard of them were reputed Barbarians which reputation of wisdom they held even till the Apostles time I am debter saith St. Paul Both to the Graecians and to the Barbarians both to the wise and to the unwise Rom. 1. 14. And again The Jews require a Signe and the Graecians seek after Wisdom 1 Cor. 1. 22. By reason whereof they relished not the simplicity of the Gospel it seeming foolishness unto them And n the seventeenth of the Acts the Philosophers of Atbens sometimes held the most famous University in the World out of the opinion of their own great Learning scorned St. Paul and his Doctrine terming him a sower of Words a very Babler or trifler yet not long after this these very Graecians declined much and themselves whether through their own inclination or the reason of their Bondage under the â—urk the common Enemy both of Religion and Learning I cannot determine are now become so strangly Barbarous that their Knowledge is converted into a kind of Ignorance as is their Liberty into a contented Slavery yet after the loss both of their Empire and Learning they still retained some spark of their former Wit and Industry As Juvenal hath it Sat. 7. Ingenium â—elox audacia perdita serâ—â—â— Prâ—mptus Isaeo terrentâ—or ede quid illum Esse putas quemvis hominem secum attulit ad nos Grammaticus Rhetâ—r Geometres Picter Aliptes Angur Schaenobates Medicus Magnus â—mnia novis Graeculus â—suriens in Caelum jusseris ibit Quick witted wondrous bold well spoken then Isaeus Pluenter who of all Men Brought with himself a Soothsayer a Physitian Magician Rhetorician Geometrician Grammarian Painter Ropewalker all knows The needy Greekâ— bid goe to Heaven he goes But now they wholly delight in ease in shades in dancing in drinking and for the most part no further endeavour either the enriching of their minds or purses then their bellies compel them The Lamp of Learning being thus neer extinguished in Greece In Latium spretis Accademia â—igrat Athenis Athens forsaken by Philosophy She forthwith travell'd into Italy It began to shine afresh in Italy neer about the time of the Birth of Christ there being a general peace thorow the World and the Roman Empire fully setled and Established Poets Orators Philosophers and Historians never more Excellent From whence the Light spread it self over Christendom and continued bright till the Inundation of the Gothes Hunns and Vandals who ransaked Libraries and defaced almost all the Monuments of Antiquity insomuch as that Lamp seemed again to be put out for the space of almost a Thousand years and had longer so continued had not Mensor King of Africa and Spain raised up and spurred on the Arabian Wits to the restauration of good Letters by proposing great rewards and encouragements to them And afterwards Petarch a man of singular Wit and rare Natural Endowments opened such Libraries as were left undemolished beat off the Dust from the Moth-eaten Books and drew into the Light the best Authors He was seconded by Bâ—ccaâ—e and Jâ—hâ— of Ravenna And soon after by Aretine Philephus Valla Poggius Onimbonus Vergerius Blâ—ndus and others And those again were followed by AEneus Sylvius Angelus Politianus Hermolaâ—s Barbarus Marsilius Ficinus and that Phoeâ—ix of Learning J. Picus Earl of Mirandula who as appears in his entrance of his Apogie proposed openly at Râ—â—â— Nine hundred questions in all kind of Faculties to be disputed inviting all strangers thither from any part of the known World and offering himself to bear the Charges of their Travel both coming and going and during all their abode there so as he deservedly received that Epitaph which after his Death was bestowed on him Joannes hic jacet Miraudula caetera â—â—â—â—nt Et Tagus Ganges forsan Antipodes Here lies Mirandula Tagus the rest doth know And Ganges and perhaps the Antipodes also And rightly might that be verified of him which Lucretius sometimes wrote of Epicurus his Master Hic genus humanum ingenis superavit omnes Praestrinxit stellas exortus us aetherâ—â—â— Sâ—l In Wit all men he far hath overgrown Ecclipsing them like to the rising Sun This Path being thus beaten out by these Heroical Spirits they were backed by Rodulphus Agricola Reucline Melanctâ—on Joachimus Camerarius Musculus Beatus Rhenanus Almains the great Erasmus a Netherlander Lodovicus Vives a Spaniard Bembus Sadoletus Eugubnius Italians Turnebus Muretus Ramus Pithaeus Budaeus Amiot Scaliger Frenchmen Sr. Thomas More and