Medicine have sufficiently explain'd themselves upon this Subject and the difficulties they have left therein give every man the liberty to propose his conjectures in order to the clearing up of a thing so obscure and so intricate Art 1. Of the Nature of the Spirits WIthout engaging our selves upon an exact disquisition of the Elements whereof bodies are compos'd it is a thing both certain and sensibly acknowledg'd that there are three sorts of parts which enter into the composition of all mixt bodies Of those parts some are subtile active and volatile others gross passive and heavy and the third are moist as being design'd to joyn together those two so opposite extreams For they have somewhat of the subtilty of the first and of the grossness of the others and when these are resolved the whole mixt body is destroy'd in regard they are the cement whereby all the parts are united together Those subtile parts are called Spirits inasmuch as they have so little matter and so much activity that they seem not fit to be ranked among bodies and while they are united with the others they serve for principal Organs to the forms as being the most active parts and they are as it were the bond which keeps them within the body The reason whereof is that Nature which ever joyns the extreams by a certain mean that hath some rapport thereto employs the subtile parts which have little of matter to joyn and unite the forms which have not any to the grosser parts that have much True it is that they may be separated and yet be afterwards conserv'd as we find by experience in distillations for so it is that the Spirit of Wine Sulphur c. is extracted And being so extracted though they lose the use they had when they were united to their natural forms yet do they not lose any thing of their substance or subtilty Art 2. Of the matter of the Spirits NOw as Plants are nourish'd by the juices which they draw out of the Earth so have these juices their subtile and spirituous parts as well as all the other Mixt bodies which parts not being lost as we said before pass into the Animals which feed on those Plants as those of the Animals pass into such as they become nourishment to So that it is not to be doubted but that the blood is full of these subtile essences which the natural heat afterwards digests and refines in the veins to be made the instruments of the Soul and that they are the matter us'd by Nature to frame and entertain the vital Spirits since subtile things are to be made of those which are of the same nature with them Art 3. How the Spirits are framed BUt to find out the secret of all this Oeconomy we are to represent to our selves that the blood which is in the Hollow Vein enters into the right ventricle of the Heart where it is warm'd by the heat and motion of that part which is the hottest of any about the body After its being warm'd there it issues out boyling and reeking and enters into the Lungs where it meets with the air attracted in by respiration which by its coolness thickens the fumes which it exhales from all parts which fumes are no other then the spirituous parts wherewith it is fill'd and which upon the accession of the least heat are separated and evaporated So that Nature does in this what commonly happens in the distilling of Aqua-Vitae in which work there is cold water cast about the Recipient as it were to gather together and reduce into a body the spirits of the wine then chang'd into vapour and to promote their passage along with the others Thence it comes that the vein which carries this reeking blood into the Lungs is as big as an Artery as it were to prevent the dissipation which might be made thereof before it be so cooled On the contrary the Artery which receives it after it hath been cool'd is as small as any vein there being not then any fear of dissipation And it is not unlikely that this is the reason why that Artery hath but two valvula whereas the other Vessels which enter into the Heart have three For as these valvulae whatever some others may be pleased to say were made only to prevent the impetuosity of the blood which is to enter into the heart and afterwards to come out of it so was there not any necessity that the veiny Artery should have so many obstacles to retain the impetuosity of the blood it carries in regard it must needs have left much thereof after it hath been cool'd and temperated by the air which is in the Lungs But however it be hence proceeds the indispensable necessity of respiration for if those parts of the blood which are so reduc'd into fumes should not be condens'd and reassume a kind of body they would be immediately dissipated And whereas this must be the matter of the Spirits as being the most subtile and most pure portion thereof there would not be made any new generation if nature had not found out a means to condense these vapours by the coolness of the air which is continually attracted by the Lungs Thence it comes that there is no possibility of continuing long without respiration in regard that all parts of the body standing in need of the continuall influence of the Spirits it is requisite the Heart should continually repair them and that cannot be done without respiration for the reason we gave before Art 4. An Objection against the precedent Doctrine answered I Know well enough that the common Doctrine would have the Air to enter into the composition of the Spirits and that natural heat nay indeed fire it self stands in need of air to moderate thâ—m as not being able to conserve themselves without it And that this is the reason why respiration is necessary in regard it conducts air to the Heart and moderates the excessive heat thereof But we are taught by Anatomical observations that there is not any vessel which conducts the air into that part and that the veiny Artery which was heretofore conceiv'd to serve for that use is alwaies full of blood and does undoubtedly convey to the Heart all that which is entered into the Lungs Besides it may be urged that Fishes have their vital Spirits though there be not any air which may contribute to their production True it is they have the motion of the Gills as also of the holes at which they sprout out the water and that is answerable to that of the Lungs and causes the same effect with the water which they ever and anon attract as the Lungs do with the air they respire Yet is there not any thing to be deduc'd hence which may imply my not being of opinion that the air respir'd which is all full of these spirituous parts exhal'd by all bodies do not furnish the vitall Spirits with some portion of themselves which
the effort of that part We shall not make it our business to oppose this circulation and though it be accompany'd with great difficulties yet may it nevertheless be affirmed that it is true and that it is effectually wrought though haply not after the same manner as is held by the maintainers thereof It is sufficient for the prosecution of our design to shew that the beating of the Heart is not the cause of the blood's motion especially that which comes into the veins For that done it will be easie to make it appear that they are only the Spirits which can transport it to the places whither it goes and consequenlty that they are bodies distinct from the humours which follow the motions of the Soul and not that of the Heart and may be mov'd by an agitation different from that of the latter Art 8. The heating of the Heart forces not the Blood into all the Parts IT being suppos'd then as the Patrons of this opinion would have it that the Heart by a certain compression or contraction of it self drives out into the arteries the blood which it hath receiv'd into its ventricles and that by the violence of that motion it forces it even to their extremities so to make its passage into the small veins which are near them and thence into the hollow vein and at last to the Heart whence it afterwards passes back again into the arteries and then into the veins perpetually running out of one into another by a continuall circulation This I say being sâ—ppos'd it might be said that there is some probability that this impulsion which it receives from the Heart may cause it to flow along into the arteries but it can never be conceiv'd how this impulsion should be continu'd even into the veins after that its force hath been check'd and broken by so many windings and so many obstructions which the blood must needs meet with in its way What! it shall open the moâ—ths of the vessels it shall force its passage through the fleshy parts as they pretend it shall surmount the impressions which the air and other external causes every moment make in the parts and after all this by vertue of that first impulsion it shall reascend to the Heart with the same agility that it descended thence But this is a thing cannot enter into a man's imagination I am content that as it passes through the small vessels the compression it suffers therein may continue the impetuosity of its motion but that it should be so when it flows into the greater veins and the spaciousness of their channels gives it more liberty is a thing which cannot be affirm'd without a defiance of experience and reason and there is a necessity it should have the same fate as rivers and torrents which flowing out of a narrow into a broad channel abate much of the impetuosity of their course And certainly if the beating of the Heart and arteries causes the blood to be thus moved Nature hath forgot her self extreamly that she gave not the same agitation to the veins especially those in the lower parts where the blood is more gross and heavy and hath so great a way to get up to the Heart For there it is that the cause and instruments of this miraculous transportation ought to be the more powerful having a greater and heavier weight to conduct nay indeed to force upward then is the arterial blood which is more subtile more susceptible of motion and at that time only descends downwards It may then be conceiv'd that those who first advanc'd this opinion never consider'd that fluid bodies cannot long conserve the vertue and impulsion if it be not extreamly strong and that that which is made in the Heart is too weak to maintain the motion of the blood in so long a course and through so many obstacles That if it were forc'd out as they pretend it would so much swell the veins that they would alwayes seem full and stretch'd out especially when it should be forc'd to ascend And in fine that opening the veins it should issue out by certain sallies and reiterations as that which comes out of the arteries since it is the same impulsion that makes both move and that we find in Water-Engines that the water alwayes flows proportionably to the violent shocks it received at the entrance of its channell But why should there be imagin'd in the veins a motion of the blood different not only from that which is made in the bones into the depth whereof it penetrates in order to their nourishment but also from that which conveys the sap of plants to all their parts For this sap and the blood we speak of is the last Aliment whereby they are sustein'd and therefore it is but one and the same Faculty that hath the direction and conveyance thereof and Nature who loves uniformity in all her operations will not easily change this since it may and ought to be performed after the same manner Moreover if the impulsion be the only cause of the motion of the blood it must be also the same of all the natural motions whereby it is agitated And yet that transportation of the humours which Nature makes in Crises and the regularity punctually observ'd by her when she conveys them from one place to another depends on another principle For the violence done in the Heart ought to be equally communicated to all the vessels and cannot determine the blood to flow towards one part rather then another How shall it then cause it to ascend to the left nostril in Inflammations of the Spleen rather then to the right Shall it be also the impulsion that shall force choler to the Intestines in Fluxes without inflammation And convey the serosities to the skin in critical sweats For all these sorts of motions proceed from nature and are made or at least begun in the veins though the beating and impulsion of the Heart and Arteries contribute nothing thereto To conclude since Nature multiplies not the ways of acting in those operations which are of the same kind it is necessary that she cause the blood to ascend by the same vertue whereby she causes the chylus to do so making it to pass out of the Intestines into the Vessels and afterwards conducting it to those places where it is necessary Now I do not think there is any body will affirm that the beating of the Heart contributes ought to this motion as having no communication with the Intestines at least so great as to force the chylus upwards and consequently it may be said that the blood is no more mov'd then it by that impulsion We must therefore find out some other cause then that whereto we may referr not only the ordinary transportation of the blood and all its other motions which though they seem extraordinary are nevertheless natural thereto as those which happen in the Passions but also those of the chylus and the other
being mixt therewith passes and insinuates it self into the Heart and Arteries through the Pores of the Vessels Hence it comes that Animals are sensible of the qualities of the air which they respire and Hippocrates affirms that the most sudden nourishment is wrought by odors But this is a thing happens by chance and is not to be admitted into the design of Nature And as to the cooling or refreshment which is caused by the air it is not intended to moderate the excess of the heat but for the reason given by us before which is common to fire and the spirits For the coldness of the air condenses the exhalations which should be enflam'd it gathers them together and hinders their rarefaction and dispersion And therefore when it is very cold the fire is the more violent and scorching in regard the matter of the flame suffers a greater contraction And the light of the Sun diminishes the heat of the fire in regard it rarifies and disperses the exhalation which feeds it Not but that the air does moderate the heat of the Heart when it is violent but that is not the main end at which Nature aims it is only a slender service and convenience which she derives by the by from her principal design But howere it be this is certain that after the blood which came out of the right ventricle hath travers'd the Lungs it is discharged into the left where it may be said it is return'd into the furnace and is stirr'd and agitated afresh and where it s more subtile parts are so refin'd that they acquire all the dispositions necessary to Spirits to make them vital and then they are endu'd with the form and vertue thereof and assume the place and function of those which have been distributed to the parts Art 5. Why the heart moves FRom what hath been deliver'd it may be inferr'd that the motion of the Heart serves for the generation of Spirits But that that should be the principal motive which oblig'd Nature to give it that motion is what cannot be easily affirm'd For in a word all Animals have those sorts of spirits but all have not that motion so that this may be stood upon that it is not absolutely necessary to their generation For my part I am of opinion that in this Nature had a greater regard to the conservation of the Spirits then to their production For whereas chings are conserv'd by that which is conformable and natural thereto and that motion is natural to the Spirits which are of a fiery nature and proportion'd to the Element of the Stars as Aristotle speaks it is accordingly requisite that they should be in perpetual motion as those bodies are And in effect we cannot stop the motion of fire without quenching it and all those things which hinder the Spirits from moving as Narcoticks and fulness deprave them and destroy the Animal It therefore concern'd the providence of Nature to find out some artifice whereby the vital Spirits should be continually stirr'd to the end they might be conserv'd by that which is most proper and natural to them And there could not be a more commodious way found then the motion of the Heart and Arteries which ever and anon excites and awakens the Spirits which are intermix'd with the blood For that humour being gross and heavy there would have been some danger of its smothering them by its weight if that miraculous ressort which gives a continual motion to the arterial blood should not hinder that disorder Hence it comes that the arteries alwayes accompany the greater veins that their agitation might excite the Spiâ—its which are mixt with the blood the lesser veins standing not in need of that attendance by reason of the small quantity of humour which they contain as such as is not capable of hindring their motion And in those Animals which have no blood that motion is neither so sensible nor so necessary in regard the humours there are more subtile and for the most part are only serosities which are in a more easie subjection to the Spirits It was therefore the principal intention of Nature to bestow motion on the Heart in order to the conservation of the Spirits yet with this precaution that it hinder not but that she may employ it to other uses For as a frugal and provident Housewife she makes that which is necessary to her main design to be subservient also to other conveniences which were it not for that she might have been without Upon this account is it that she employes the motion of the Heart to subtilize the matter of the Spirits to force away the impurities that are therein to moderate the heat thereof which might become excessive and to force the Spirits to the extremities of the Arteries so to disperse the heat and vital vertue into all parts Now of all these employments there are certain advantages yet are they not absolutely necessary since all this is done in many Animals without any motion of the Heart Art 6. That the Spirits are moved for three ends TO resume our discourse of the motion of the Spirits we said before that it was design'd for the communication of the vital heat to all the parts to convey into them the blood whereby they are to be nourish'd and to translate the humours from one place to another as it happens in the Passions in Crises and upon such other occasions As to the first it will be no hard matter to prove it for it is generally acknowledg'd and sense and reason teach us that all the heat and vigour of the parts proceeds from the vital Spirits which are produced by the Heart and as soon as this influence ceases they become cold and languishing Art 7. That the Spirits convey the blood into the parts BUt for the conveyance of the blood into the several parts there are not any Philosophers that have made it the employment of the Spirits but it is generally attributed by them either to the impulsion which it receives from the beating of the Heart or to some attractive vertue which draws it forth into every part It is therefore requisite we make it appear that these opinions cannot be maintain'd and that it is the proper work of the Spirits to dispose it into the veins For there is a necessity that it should be either forc'd out or attracted or convey'd so that when it shall have been shewn that there is not any thing whereby it is either forc'd out or attracted it will follow that there must be something to convey it and that only the Spirits can be capable of the employment Most of those who maintain the circulation of the blood do not admit of the Spirits at least as bodies distinct from the blood and affiâ—m that it is not mov'd in the veins but only by the impulsion which it receives from the beating of the Heart and that it admits not of any motion but that which proceeds from
humours which are mov'd in the body Now after we have throughly examin'd all the ressorts and instruments which Nature may make use of to that purpose it will be found that she cannot employ any other then the Spirits Art 9. That the blood is not attracted by the Fibres WE shall not here bring any thing upon the stage concerning Attraction though it were the only means whereby the Antients were of opinion that the motion of the blood was to be wrought inasmuch as it is an imaginary motion which opposes reason and experience Nor indeed can it be conceiv'd to be done but two wayes to wit either by some Boay which touching the blood brings and draws it to it or by some Magnetick vertue which may be in the parts and spreading it self into the vessels seizes on and drags it towards them much after the same manner as the quality of the Loadstone draws iron and causes it to approach it And these two wayes of attraction have bred two opinions which ever since the birth of Medicine even to the present age have been follow'd by some or other For some have imagin'd that the streight Fibres which enter into the structure of the veins had the power of attraction and that it was by their means the blood was convey'd to the several parts But they never consider'd that when some body is to attract a fluid and slippery thing there is a necessity it should touch it that it should seize on it and retain it in all its parts otherwise those which shall be at liberty will escape and will not be attracted Of this we have an experiment when we would take any liquor with our hand for those parts which shall not be comprehended within the hand will get away and not be gather'd in with the rest Now it is certain that the Fibres touch only the superficies of the humour which is in the vein and so whatsoever is in the bottome of the vessel will slip away notwithstanding all their endeavour to retain it To this we may add that the Fibres have no other way of attraction then by straining and compressing the veins and if so then would the senses perceive something of that motion as they do of that of the Intestines which is made after that manner Whence it follows that since we do not see any sign thereof how strong soever that contraction and compression of the veins might be for the making of that motion there is just ground to imagine that it is not made after that manner But what absolutely decides this question is that the aliment of Plants is convey'd by their channels after the same manner and by the same vertue as the blood may be in Animals and yet their Fibres suffer no such contraction as is imagin'd in the veins It is requisite therefore that we find out some other means whereby the moisture which nourishes them may ascend into the branches and withall such as may be found also in Animals to convey the blood into all the parts I add further that the bones attract as the common expression hath it their nourishâ—â—nt without any assistance of the Fibres and that sometimes the blood is so violently mov'd in the Passions that this pretended motion of the Fibres cannot be any way answerable to that swiftness as being made but slowly and by successive contractions which require much time in so long a transportation and conveyance as that of the blood is Art 10. That the blood is not attracted by any Magnetick vertue AS to the other opinion which admits a Magnetick vertue though it hath been more generally receiv'd yet is it not confirm'd by any other reason then the weakness of the precedent and the impossibility it imagin'd to it self of finding any other means then these two to make the blood flow into the veins So that it is maintain'd only upon the accompt of certain examples and instances as that of the Loadstone which draws iron to it and those of some purgative Medicines which attrract the humours and some others of the like kind But this is a very weak proof and such as the very ground thereof is of little certainty since we pretend to make it apparent that neither the Loadstone nor purgatives nor any other thing whatsoever have any attractive vertue But whether it be maintainable or not the Patrons of this opinion ought to suppose as they have done that this vertue is in every particular part since there is not any but does as they affirm attract blood for its nourishment The case being thus laid down they may be asked Whether all parts have this vertue equally or not For if it be equal in all there being superiour and inferiour parts it is impossible the blood should march up into the superiour parts in regard the inferiour have as powerful an attraction as the other there being no reason why they should follow the impression of the one rather then that of the other On the other side if there be any parts have this vertue in a higher degree then others they will attract all the blood to themselves and that just distribution which ought to be made thereof all over the body will never be perfected and compleated since it must needs be obstructed where that Magnetick vertue is most vigorous For to explain it by the example it must be done in the same manner as is observ'd in the iron which being plac'd near several Loadstones will alwayes make towards that which is most attractive Besides if it be true that the influence of natural vertues is performed by direct lines How is it to be imagin'd that the Attractive vertue shall observe that regularity in the innumerable turnings and windings of the veins and arteries What intermixture or to say better what confusion will there not be in the vessels wherein every part will spread its Magnetick vertue To conclude if the conformity of substance be the ground-work of this Attraction as is affirm'd by the maintainers of the foresaid opinion how is it to be conceiv'd that the blood which is alter'd and corrupted shall be able to flow into the veins By what means shall the mineral waters which admit not coction and are incapable of receiving the form of blood be able to pass wholly pure into the vessels What conformity or sympathy can we imagine between all these substances which are so different among themselves and the Liver or the Heart or any other part which attracts them to it self And lastly why should the blood ever go out of the body since that quality attracts it inwards and that it should be like the powder of steel which the Loadstone holds fast and suffers not to fall Art 11. That there are not any Attractive vertues BUt I shall proceed further and affirm that it is an errour to imagine there are in Nature any of these Attractive vertues she acknowledges not any other then that which is wrought by
a free passage into them How can this be done unless they be animate for the faculties of the Soul are not separated from her Some indeed have maintain'd that they convey'd not the faculties but only a certain quality which put them into the exercise and without which they could not act But they do not make it out of what nature that quality is and there is no great probability that one single quality should relate to so many different faculties and functions But how ere it be the greatest Philosophers who have examin'd these matters to the bottome have found themselves so much at a loss to give a reason of the motion of the Spirits according to the common opinion have ingenuously acknowledg'd that it is one of the hardest things to comprehend of any in Nature and all they have said thereof hath neither satisfy'd themselves nor those who would have follow'd their sentiments What inconvenience then is there in maintaining that the Spirits are animate since that position takes away the difficulties which arise in others and that there is a necessity the Organs which act with so much discernment and move in all situations and perform so many different actions should have in themselves a principle of life Art 1. Objections answered ALl this presuppos'd there remain yet two things which hold the mind in suspence and keep it from giving an absolute consent to this truth One is that there is no likelihood that bodies which are in perpetual motion and disperse themselves every moment can be animate The other that life which ought to be common to all the parts cannot be found in those that are separated from their whole and that the Spirits are of that rank as having not any union or continuity with the solid parts As to the former it is not certain that they alwaies disperse themselves so suddenly as is affirm'd Those Spirits which conduct the blood through the veins are conserv'd a long time and make the same circulation as the other doth and it is frequently observ'd that after they have apply'd themselves to some part and there acted according to the orders of the Soul they fall back and return to their source But be it granted that they should so disperse themselves why may they not be nevertheless animate The long continuance is not a disposition necessary to life and there are some parts as the softest pieces of the Flesh which in a short time after they have been animated may be resolv'd and dispers'd by a violent heat As soon as the Spirits have acquir'd the dispositions necessary for their being instruments of the Soul she insinuates her self among them and animates them When they are dispers'd or have lost the continuity which they ought to have with their principle she leaves them after the same manner as she does other parts that are separated from the Body But what Can the Soul animate such a simple and homogenious body as the Spirits are Why not since she animates the radical moisture the Flesh the Fibres and all the other similar parts When it is said that the Soul requires an organical Body it is meant of the whole Body which she is to animate and not of its parts which ought to be simple Nay indeed there was a necessity that as most of these parts are fixt and solid so there should be some apt to motion and subtile to perform the severall functions for which it is design'd and since the Soul is alwaies in action it was requisite she had an Organ that should continually move Art 2. The union between the Spirits and the Parts AS concerning the union there is between the Spirits and the other parts there is no doubt to be made of it since the least interruption that happens therein causes an immediate cessation of the actions of life For hence proceed faintings and swoundings and Syncopes in the excess of joy and grief the Spirits being forc'd with such impetuosity that they lose the continuity which they ought to have with the Heart Hence also proceed Apoplexies by the interception of the veins as Hippocrates speaks the matters which are therein contained obstructing the fluxion of the Spirits and interrupting the union which was between them and the others But with what can they be united so as to participate of the union which is common to the whole body It is no doubt with the spirituous parts which enter into the composition of the Heart it is with the fixt Spirits which are of the same nature with them And 't is possible this may be the end for which the beating of the Heart serves For by the agitation it gives them it makes them penetrate one into another it binds and soders and cements them together if we may use such expressions of things so subtile Art 3. How the foresaid union is consistent with the intermixture of the Spirits with the blood and humours ALl that is now left to give occasion of doubt is that the Spirits are intermixt with the blood and humours and that it is a hard matter to comprehend how in this intermixture they can conserve the union which ought to be between them But to take away this we are only to represent to our selves the light which passes through the clouds for it hath certain beams which cannot pass through them and those that make their way through appear at certain distances one from another yet so as that not any one of them loses the continuity which it hath with the luminous body Or not to go out of the order of Bodies the case is the same as in those exhalations which are intermixt with the Air they have several lines which are diffus'd of all sides but those lines have commonly a continuity with the matter from which the exhalation proceeds The same thing is to be imagin'd in the Spirits for they issue out of the heart as a mass of beams and spirituous lines which scatter themselves on all sides and penetrate into the humours yet without any division from their principle And this is the more easily imagin'd in that besides the difficulty which things of the same nature find to be separated one from the other the Soul who knows that this interpretation of the Spirits must cause a cessation of all actions does all that lies in her power to prâ—vent it But whether the Spirits be animate or not certain it is that they move and that it is the Soul which gives them their motion For though it may be said that they derive their agitations in the Passions from the Heart by reason it opens shuts dilates and contracts it self as they do and that it is most likely that it being the principle both of life and the Spirits themselves should also be the same principle of aâ—l their motions yet we know by experience that there are many Passions rais'd in the Soul so as that there can be no change observ'd in the beating
less certain Whereto this may be added that the Common Signs do not signifie any thing certain unless there be some proper Sign whereby they should be determinated Art 2. Of the Means assign'd by Aristotle to discover the efficacy of Signs ARistotle proposes another Maxim tO find out the efficacy and certitude of Signs For he affirms that such as are observable in the principal and most excellent parts are accordingly the most certain and that among those the Head is the most considerable but in that the Eyes challenge the preheminence the Forehead hath the next place and then the Face comprehending all that is below the Eyes Next to the Head are accounted the Breast and shoulders in the third place come the Arms and Legs The Belly is the last of all and the least considerable But this Rule seems somewhat disconsonant to the Maxims of Aristotle nay indeed to Reason it self For he who assigns the Heart for the principle of all Actions as being that part wherein he affirms the Passions to be framed should have bestow'd the first and most excellent place on the Breast and not on the Head and have maintain'd that the most certain signs of the Inclinations and Passions are derivable from that part which encompasses the place where they have their first birth But it is to be observed that Aristotle does not there pass his judgment of the excellency of the parts as a Philosopher or Physician would do he considers them only upon this reflection that the Passions are more discoverable in those then others And accordingly he places the Arms and Leggs before the Belly though they be much less excellent and less considerable as to the essence and nature of the Animal Now it is certain that there is not any part wherein the Passions are sooner and more apparently observable then they are in the Head as we shall shew more particularly in the next Article Art 3. That the Passions are most apparent in the Head THe first reason we shall give for the more remarkable manifestation of the Passions in the Head is this that they are not fram'd without the use of the Senses from which is derived the first knowledge of those things that move the Passions and that all of them Touching only excepted are placed in the Head Add to this that the Estimative Faculty whose work it is to conceive the things which are good and bad and gives the first shock to the Appetite is in the Brain and that the strength and weakness of mind which have also a dependence on the same part hath a great influence over the Inclinations and Passions For it is certain that Children Sick persons and Women are ordinarily enclin'd to Anger out of pure weakness of mind as having not that heat of blood and heart which is requisite for a disposition to that Passion But the principal reason hereof proceeds from the impression which the Passions make on that part For as the Soul hath no other design in the motions of the Appetite then to bring the Animal to the enjoyment of that Good which she conceives necessary thereto and to remove the Evil whereby it may be injur'd so to compass her desires she employs all the parts that are under her jurisdiction and causes them to move answerably to the intention she hath Now of these some being more susceptible of motion then others they accordingly make a speedier discovery of the agitation wherein she is and the progress she makes therein for there are several degrees in every Passion In the first place there is the emotion or first stirring of the Appetite which does not issue out of the Soul as being an immanent action Then the Heart and Spirits are stirr'd as being the chief Organs of the sensitive Appetite and if the Passion increase the eyes the forehead and the other parts of the Head are shaken but if it still advance and come to execution and that the Soul would really arrive at the enjoyment of the Good and shun the Evil she moves the parts design'd for that purpose till at last she puts the whole body into motion if she be not prevented So that it is to be hence observ'd that the Heart and Spirits are those parts of the body which are first moved in the Passions But the motion of the Heart is not sensible as that of the Spirits which is immediately to be seen in the Countenance in regard they carry the blood along with them the sudden arrival or departure whereof alters in a moment the colour and figure of the face which alteration happens not to the other parts and that for two reasons One is because the Spirits make their recourse to the face more abundantly then to any of the other parts upon this account that the Senses are lodg'd therein which stand in need of spacious channels whereby the Spirits may flow thither in greater quantities and with more ease The other is that the skin of the Face is of a particular constitution which is not to be found in any of the other parts For all elswhere unless it be in the palms of the hands or the soals of the feet the skin may be separated from the flesh But in the Face they are both so united together that they cannot be separated one from the other without tearing and rending it Whence it comes that the colour which proceeds from the motion and quality of the blood is more manifest there then in all the rest of the body and this also so much the more for that the skin there is very thin and delicate which is not to be found in the hands and feet So that it being shewn that the Passions do principally and more easily change the colour of the Face then that of any of the other parts it is to be maintain'd as certain that in such a case it must be the place where they appear soonest and most evidently Moreover whereas the Soul being stirr'd moves not onely the Heart the Spirits and Humours but also those parts which move voluntarily it is not to be question'd but that those which are most apt to motion are the first stirr'd by her though their motion contribute but very little to the execution of her design For to what end serves the wrinkling of the forehead the lifting up of the Eye-brows and the widening of the nostrils in the Passion of Anger or in Bashfulness the casting down of the eyes blushing and being out of countenance And yet it is not to be doubted but that all these motions proceed from the disturbance caus'd by the Passion in the Soul and whereby she is hurried to make use of whatever stands in her way though it be no advantage to her as we said before Since therefore that of the parts there are not any so susceptible of motion nor so suddenly betray their resentment of the Passions as those which are in the Head Aristotle had reason to assign
is requisite that in Man who is the Epitome and abbreviation of the World the parts should be ranked conformably to their dignity And that it may be affirmed not onlâ— that the most excellent are in the noblest situation but also that those which are in the noblest situation are therefore the most excellent For it follows thence that the Hands being plac'd in the upper part are more excellent then the Feet which are in the lower and the Hand which is on the right side is more excellent then that on the left But whereas the excellency of the parts is deduc'd from the advantages they bring to the Animal we are to examine in order to the prosecution of our design what use the Hands may serve for wherein they are more serviceable then the Feet and what advantage the Right hath over the Left Art 3. What advantages may be deduced from the Hands IN the first place it is certain that all Animals which consist of Blood and for that reason have the denomination of perfect creatures have been furnish'd with four organs to facilitate their motion from one place to another which organs are answerable to the four first differences of situation before-mentioned to wit Above Beneath Right and Left For there have not been any instruments which might be conceiv'd answerable to the two last to wit Before and Behind there being not any perfect Animal which naturally moves backward and the other organs being sufficient to carry on the motion which is made forwards as experience hath made apparent This truth is evident in all kinds of perfect creatures since that most of the terrestrial have four feet volatiles have two feet and two wings the Fishes have four finns and Serpents make four different folds or twinings And all these parts are so absolutely necessary in order to the progressive motion which is natural to them that if they wanted any one of them it could not be performed without some trouble For the Volatiles are not able to fly when their legs are broken nor can the Fish swim when they have lost any of their finns nor â—an the Serpents crawl it those parts of their bodies be cut off which make the last twinings of their motion From what hath been said it may be concluded that the Hands being of the same rank with instruments which are design'd for progressive motion do serve to promote that of Man and that if he were depriv'd thereof he would not perform that motion with so much ease For we find that a man cannot run without much trouble when his hands are bound as also that he shuts his fist when he goes to jump and in his ordinary gate the arm still falls back when the legg on the same side is put forward To this may be added that in infancy they do the office of feet that when one is fallen he cannot well get up without them and that if one be to climb up or come down some steepy places they are no less serviceable then the legs All which are evident signs that these parts contribute much to the progressive motion of Man But whereas Nature discovers a great frugality in all she does and makes all the advantages she can of them she does not content her self with this first imployment she hath impos'd upon the hands but she hath design'd them for so many other uses as it is impossible to give a particular account of them all So that thence came the necessity of making a comparison between them and the Understanding and affirming that as this latter is the form of forms as having them all in its power in like manner the Hand is the Instrument of Instruments as comprehending alone the vertue of all the rest For it is by the Hands that a Man receives and retains those things which are necessary and delightful to him By them it is That he defends himself and overcomes those things that are hurtful and prejudicial to him In a word they are the principal Agents in the compassing of all Arts and the general Utensils employ'd by the Mind to bring to light the noblest and most advantageous â—nventions And no doubt Man derives so great an advantage from them over all other Animals that if it cannot be affirm'd as it was by that antient Philosopher That he is wise because he hath Hands this at least may be inferr'd that he seems Wise because he hath Hands This premis'd it is not to be admir'd the Hands should be disposed into the upper part of Man as the more honourable place and that Nature should design their situation as neer as she could to the Seat of Reason and the Senses between them and which there is so great a correspondence and connexion Art 4. That the Right Hand is more noble than the Left BUt though Nature hath plac'd the Hands in the same rank as to situation yet are they not equal in point of esteem with her in as much as she treats the RIGHT hard as the elder and the first in dignity For if those things which are most active are consequently most excellent and most considerable it follows that the Right Hand being stronger and more nimble then the Lest should also be more excellent then it Now that it hath more strength and agility is the consequence of its having more heat which is the source of those qualities And its having more heat is again the consequence not only of its being sited on the same side as the right ventricle of the Heart where the bloud is more hot and suming not onely of its being neer the Liver which is the spring of bloud not onely because the Veins of all the parts on the right side are larger as Hippocrates affirms but also by reason of its being plac'd on the Right side where motion hath its first beginning For as the Spirits are the principal organs of all the actions of the body and are by Nature most abundantly sent to those places where they ought to be strongest and have most employment so is it not to be doubted since it is requisite Motion should begin on the Right side and that all the preparations necessary thereto and the principal effort it requires should be made in that part but that a greater quantity of Spirits make their recourse thither chafe and fortifie it by the heat they carry along with them and by the secret influences of the vital principles which they communicate thereto Thence it comes that even those parts which do not contribute any thing to Motion and are on that side have a resentment of that force and vigour which was design'd for that sole action onely For the right Eye is stronger and surer then the left and the certitude of the sight which is made by both together absolutely depends on the former All the organs subservient to generation which are on that side are apt to frame Males and those which are on the left
the Reins the third in the Liver the fourth in the Eyes and the Fift in the Head from whence he draws four pair of Veins which are afterwards spread into divers places Art 17. That the distribution of the Veins made by Hippocrates for the discovery of the said Sympathy was not understood either by Aristotle or Galen FRom what is abovesaid it is not to be inferr'd that Hippocrates was of opinion that those were the first Sources from which the Veins derive their origine as Aristotle Galen and in a manner all their followers have impos'd upon him since he could not be ignorant that all of them have their root in the Liver whence they are distributed into all the parts of the Body in order to the conveyance of their nourishment into them as he afterwards makes it appear in the distribution he hath made of the Liver-vein and whereof he hath given a further account in the second Book of Popular diseases But it was only to denote the correspondence there is between those five parts and the rest the diseases and symptomes which they mutually communicate Accordingly when he saies that the left Eye receives a Vein from the Right and the latter another from the Left it is not to be taken literally as if those Veins did really derive their origine from those places but it is to shew that the indispositions of one eye are communicated to the other as if they had veins whereby they might be directly convey'd True indeed it is that this communication is wrought by the interposition of the veins and that these veins do also proceed from some common branch but that is at such a distance from the Eyes that it cannot be precisely affirm'd there is any intercourse of veins between them upon any other account then that of the sympathy there is between them And this is so certain that many times Hippocrates considers not the continuity of the veins in the distribution he makes thereof since he shews that the Head and Lungs hold a correspondence with the Spleen though the veins of the Spleen are not united nor continuous with those of the aforesaid parts in as much as it is sufficient in order to the correspondence whereof he speaks that there should be some kind of communication between those veins by some means or other as we shall shew hereafter But to make a more particular discovery of the secret and advantage of this admirable distribution it is requisite we should examin some articles of it For when he tells us that from these four pair of veins which issue from the Head there is one which hath two branches which falling from the Temples descend into the Lungs whereof one passes from the right side to the left and spreads into the Spleen and left Kidney and the other passes from the left side and goes into the Liver and right Kidney and afterwards both those branches end at the Hemorrhoidal veins Does he not thereby teach us not only why the opening of the Hemorrhoidal veins is good for those who are troubled with pains in the Reins Plurifies and Inflammations of the Lungs but also why the suppression of them causes the Dropsie and the Phthisick For though there be other places where it should seem that the reflux of the blood which they contain might be made yet the correspondence there is between them and the Liver and Lungs is the only reason why it is not made elsewhere And questionless those branches which descending from them pass from the right side to the left and from the left to the right acquaint us with the cause which hath been sought after to so little purpose to wit why the imposthumes and swellings which happen from the upper part to the lower are not alwayes on the same side where the source of the disease is observ'd but sometimes on the right sometimes on the left whereas those which happen from the lower part to the upper are alwayes consonant to the regularity of the part where the seat of the indisposition is For without this distribution of the Veins it is impossible to give a reason for all these accidents Nay further without the said distribution it would not be known why there is so great a correspondence between the Breast and the Genitals that the Cough ceases when those are swell'd that the swelling is asswag'd when the Cough follows nay that the swellings of the Veins which happens to them correct the defects that make the voice small or hoarse In a word this is the only secret to discover the wayes which Nature observes in her transportation of the humours from one part to another and for the discerning of the veins which are to be opened in every particular indisposition For though they have all the same root though divers of them have common branches which should equally distribute unto them the blood and humours which they contain yet the correspondence and friendship there is between the parts prevails with Nature to force them rather by one vein then another and she making choice of that which is most convenient for her purpose meddles not with the others which are near it and proceed from the self-same origine And this is evidently remarkable in the sympathy whereof we have heretofore given such pressing examples For in all probability it is by the Veins and Arteries that the secret vertue which is communicated from the Heart and Liver to certain fingers is convey'd into them and yet all those which are in the Hand are not employ'd in that conveyance and though they proceed from the same branch yet is there not any more then one whereby the vertue of the Heart and another whereby that of the Liver is convey'd Otherwise there would be no determinate place for the reception of their influence and all the fingers of the Hand which have veins and arteries would receive it equally the contrary whereof we find by experience Accordingly to say the truth all these vessels are only channels and conduit-pipes which cannot no more then those of springs or fountains give any motion to the humours But they are the Spirits only which convey and force them to those places where they are ordered to go And as the correspondence there is between the members is carry'd on and improv'd by means of these Spirits so is it not to be doubted but that the blood wherewith they are intermix'd marches along with them from one part to another and consequently occasions that miraculous harmony of the veins observ'd by Hippocrates For no doubt that Harmony was the ground upon which he and the ancient Masters of Medicine have in the same member observ'd veins that held a certain correspondence with several parts as in the Arm the Head-vein the Liver-vein and the Spleen-vein which they alwayes punctually opened in the particular indispositions of those parts slighting or at least not minding the weak reasons which the inspection of Bodies
to fear So that upon such occasions weakness of mind is the cause of those emotions as on the other side soundness of judgment smother them The Sixth Whereas it is possible that vicious Inclinations may be reform'd by study and bad education may alter corrupt the good it concerns the Artist to add as much as may be the Moral marks to the Natural and endeavour to discover by the Words and Actions of the person whose humour he would be acquainted with whether he follows his Inclinations or hath reform'd them Art 4. Of the Moderation of Spirit indispensibly requisite in the Study of this Art NOw whereas all these Rules and all these Observations are very hard to be reduc'd to practice it must be laid down as a thing certain that it is very easie to make many temerarious judgments thereby and to abuse this art if great care be not taken Therefore among all the Qualities requisite in the person who is desirous to study it I wish him particularly Moderation of Spirit that he may not be partial or praecipitate in his judgments and above all things not to make any to the disadvantage of others but in the secret closet of his own Heart so as that neither his Tongue nor their Ears may be witnesses thereof Otherwise Religion and Prudence would not permit the exercise of this noble Science and in stead of being necessary and serviceable to Society it would become its greatest Enemy FINIS THE TABLE THE FIRST BOOK CHAP. I. AN Idaea of the natural Perfection of Man page 1 ART 1. That only man hath the sense of Touching in perfection 3 2. All in man should be in a mediocrity 4 3. That all the Faculties ought to be in a mean 6 4. That all natural Inclinations are defects 7 5. That every Species hath its proper Temperament 9 6. Why Sexes were bestowed on Animals and why the male is hot and dry and the female cold and moist 10 7. Wherein the Beauty of Sexes consists That there are two sorts of natural effects 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 12 8. That there are some Faculties and Inclinations which it is Natures design to bestow on the Sexes others not 13 9. That there are some parts fram'd by nature out of design others not 15 SECT 2. Wherein the perfection of the Male consists p. 16 ART 1. Of the Inclinations proper to Man ib. 2. That the Temperament of Man is hot and dry in the first degree 18 3. A model of Man's figure 19 4. Of the figure of Man's parts 21 5. The Reasons of the figure of Man's parts 22 6. That the figure of the parts denotes the inclinations 23 SECT 3. Shewing wherein consists the natural perfection of the Woman 24 ART 1. The Reasons of these Inclinations 26 2. That the Inclinations of the Woman are not defects 28 3. That the Inclinations of Man are defects in the Woman 30 4. Wherein the Beauty of the Woman consists 31 5. The causes assign'd of this figuration of parts in the Woman 33 6. That all these parts denote the Inclinations which are proper to the Woman 34 7. Wherein perfect Beauty consists 36 CHAP. II. Of the Inclinations SECT 1. Of the Nature of Inclination p. 40 Art 1. The Object of the Inclination 41 2. The distinction of the Inclinations 42 3. The Seat of the Inclinations 43 4. How Inclination is to be defin'd 44 5. Whence proceeds the Disposition wherein the Inclination consists 45 6. How the motions of the Appetite are wrought 47 7. Of the Judgments of the said Faculties 48 8. That the Images which are in the memory the causes of Inclination 50 9. That the disposition facility of the Appetites motion proceeds from the same Images 52 SECT 2. What are the Causes of the Inclinations 54 Art 1. The several distinctions of the said causes ibid. 2. That the Instinct is one of the causes of the Inclinations 55 3. That the Temperament is one of the causes of the Inclinations 56 4. That the Conformation of the parts is a cause of the Inclination 58 5. How Figure acts 60 6. How Inclinations are produc'd by the remote Causes 63 7. Of the nature of Aversion 65 CHAP. III. Of the Motions of the Soul 67 SECT 1. That the Soul moves ibid. Art 1. What part of the Soul moves 68 2. That the motions of the Soul are not metaphorical ibid. 3. That the rational Soul hath a real motion as the Angels have 69 4. That the motions of the Will are real motions 70 5. That Objections made against the motions of the Soul considered 73 6. The Motions of the Appetites 75 SECT 2. How Good and Evil move the Appetite 77 Art 1. How Knowledge is wrought 79 2. That the Images are multiply'd 81 SECT 3. What are Motions of the Soul 84 SECT 4. Of the Number of the Passions 87 Art 1. What the Simple Passions and how many there are 88 2. That there are but eight Simple Passions 89 3. Why there are but eight simple Passions ibid. 4. The Definitions of the simple Passions 91 5. The Definitions of the mixt Passions 92 6. The Natural order of the Passions 94 7. That there are three Orders of the Passions 95 SECT 5. How the Passions of one Appetite are communicated to the another 98 SECT 6. What is the Seat and first Subject of the Appetite 106 Art 1. What is the Seat of the Sensitive Appetite 107 2. The Seat of the natural Appetite 111 3. How the Passions are compleated 113 CHAP. IV. Of the Motion of the Heart and Spirits in the Passions 114 Art 1. Of the Nature of the Spirits 115 2. Of the matter of the Spirits 116 3. How the Spirits are framed ibid. 4. An Objection against the precedent Doctrine answered 118 5. Why the heart moves 120 6. That the Spirits are moved for three ends 122 7. That the Spirits convey the blood into the parts 123 8. The beating of the Heart forces not the Blood into all the Parts 124 9. That the blood is not attracted by the Fibres 128 10. That the blood is not atttracted by any Magnetick vertue 130 11. That there are not any Attractive vertues 131 12. That there is not any attractive vertue in Purgative Medicines 133 13. That Grief and Heat are not attractive 134 14. That the blood is convey'd to the parts only by the Spirits 136 SECT 1. Of the animation of the Spirits 137 Art 1. Objections answered 142 2. The union between the Spirits and the Parts 143 3. How the foresaid union is consistent with the intermixture of the Spirits with the blood and humours 144 SECT 2. Why the Heart and Spirits move in the Passions 146 SECT 3. What Faculty it is that moves the Spirits 149 Art 1. Of what kind the motion of the Heart and Spirits is in the other Passions 152 SECT 4. How the Soul causes the Body to move 154 CHAP. V. Of the Vertues and Vices whereof the
Salvatella without dispersing it self into the other veins which may be imagin'd done after the same manner as it is that the parts disburthen themselves only on those which are particularly attributed and affected to them though they have a connexion with some others by their vessels and situation And hence it is that the several transportations of the humours and the changes which diseases make from one place to another do proceed as we shall shew more at large hereafter As to the largeness of the Veins which makes the evacuations of them more advantageous then are those of such as are less it is a thing out of all dispute when the question is of diminishing somewhat of the universal fulness of the body But for what concerns the discharging of some part it is observ'd that many times the lesser veins provided they be neer it and that there be some secret communication between them do it more safely and more effectually then the greater In fine since it is an opinion without prescription of time that the opening of the vein hath prov'd successful in diseases of the Spleen as may be seen in the writings of Hippocrates Galen and all the Arabians it is not likely it should be approv'd by such eminent persons and that it should continue in repute for so many ages through which it hath descended to us had it not been supported and confirm'd by experience in as much as there is not any Reason which might have given ground to that persuasion And if it be by this way that this remedy came to be known there is no necessity we should reduce it to the examination of reasons no more then we do the purgative faculties and all the other specifick vertues whereof Medicine is full To return therefore to the proof which this discourse interrupted we said that some advantage might be made of this observation to confirm the sympathy there is between the Spleen and the middle finger But if particular instances might serve for proofs to general Maxims I dare affirm that I have one which wonderfully makes good this sympathy For I know a person who being subject to the diseases of the Spleen is never troubled therewith but the middle finger of the left Hand becomes cold benumm'd and of a wan colour as if it were depriv'd of life To this we may add the Story related by Hippocrates in the fourth Book of Popular diseases of the Woman whose Hypochondriae were so extended and the respiration so obstructed to whom there happen'd the eleventh day a fluxion and inflammation in that very finger which gave her some ease for a certain time though afterwards the violence of the Fever and the Imposthume which bred in her entrails occasion'd her death For it may be conjectur'd thence that some part of the humour which was in the Spleen was disburthen'd into that finger as being a part between it and which there was a communication and correspondence and that the said disburthening procur'd it some ease but with this further observation that it being not possible that the whole cause of the indisposition should be contain'd in so narrow a place the remainder occasion'd the imposthume whereof she died However to deal ingenuously we must confess that these are only conjectures not fit to enter into competition with the precedent observations which seem to have demonstrated the truth we are enquiring after Art 14. That there is a Sympathy between all the interiour parts and the other parts of the Hand WHat hath been said in the precedent Articles is so evictive that it were to be wish'd we had as good proofs to make a distinct discovery of the rest of the Sympathies which are between the other interiour parts and some other places in the Hand But to excuse the negligence of not looking after them it may with much probability be affirmed that since those of the Heart and Liver are certain and unquestionable it must necessarily follow that the others should be so too though they are not apparent to us And that not only the Brain and the other parts which have publick and principal functions as well as the Heart and Liver but also that the Spleen the Stomach the Lungs the Kidneys and possibly some other parts should have each of them in the Hand their proper and affected place between which and them there is a certain correspondence and complyance Art 15. That the Face is the Epitome of all the exteriour parts IT may therefore be brought in as a proof of that secret intelligence which is between some parts and others and for the honour of that we now treat of that the Hand and Face are as it were an abstract of all the parts of the Body For the latter is an Epitome of all the exteriour members there being not any part of it but hath its particular and manifest resemblance to some one of them as the former in like manner is of all the interiour parts as having not any place between which and some one of them there is not a secret connexion and sympathy And no doubt this is one of the principal reasons that these two parts have had so peculiar a constitution of the skin which though all elsewhere it be separated from the Muscles is in these so joyn'd that it is impossible to separate the one from the other it being Nature's pleasure who hath design'd these parts for Mirrours wherein all the others were to be represented that the flesh should be joyn'd to the skin that the impression it receives from the Nerves Veins and Arteries which are spread through it should be more easily communicated and be more suddenly apparent without Which thing may also be observ'd in the soles of the Feet which in some sort participate of the same advantages with the Hands and upon the said advantages there is another Science establish'd called Podomancy which promises the same things as Chiromancy but not with so good success for the reasons we shall give elsewhere Art 16. That there is a mutual Sympathy between all the parts NOr is it only between the exteriour and manifest parts that this association and mutual correspondence is found there is yet another more general sympathy which was known by Hippocrates and such as he made it his ground of that ingenious division of the Veins which he hath made in his book Of the Bones For that transcendent Wit having consider'd the several transportations of the humours and the changes of diseases so often made from some certain parts to others hath design'd the Veins whereby they might be made and which accordingly were to be opened in order to the preventing thereof And that such an order might be observ'd in that procedure as should take away the confusion thereof he hath laid down several heads or as it were articles at which he would begin the distribution of those Vessels for he hath plac'd the first in the Heart the second in