not lug them at this Time I will only instruct thee Aire and Heaven are incorruptible Essences It is the office of the Aire to praeserve the two weak passive Elements out of which all things are made namely Earth and Water These two I speak what I know may be easily disordered by excessive heate or by Excessive cold But lest the piercing swift Action of the superior fires should distemper them the Aire is commonly stirr'd with cold winds and charg'd with clouds to allay the Influence of the Fire-world On the Contrarie lest too much Cold should oppresse them the same Aire doth reach to the stars and immediatly receiving their heate conveys it down hither but Qualified This spirit floating and moving about the Earth and Water like a warme soft breath doth pierce and passe thorough them for he contains them in his silken Bosome and is their outward refreshing spirit Where art thou now Mastix what a miserable Cacofogue art thou But I march up to thy next Fort and now have at thy Lunatic Argument Here the Procupine shoots his last Quill and tels me the Flux and Reflux cannot be the pulse of the Great World because it proceeds from the Moon not from the Sun And is it so It proceeds indeed from the Moon as much as from Fromondus his Anti-Moone But come hither thou Man in the Moone I am an observator and I observe thee quite disarm'd thou art a bare Gentleman without sword or Buckler In this naked posture I scorne to kill Thee I will only trip up thy Heels and leave Thee You and your Peripatetics as you say allow all Naturall Bodies an inward Principle of Motion Is not the Sea then a naturall Body If so it hath an inward Principle of motion and needs not to be rockt by the Moone which is an outward one But perhaps the Principle you allow the Sea is a lame Principle and takes hold of the Moone-beames for Crutches or is it not sea-sick tell me lyes a bed of a Vomit and cannot stir O Mastix Mastix O portet Mendacem esse memorem And now Sirrah your Observations on my Epistle to the Reader which your Ignorance calls a Praeface are grinded into Powder They are shatter'd and batter'd into Atoms and you may look your scriblings in the Chaos of Democritus and Des Chartes Here is nothing more spoken but a little dirtie Nonsense which you freely fling at my Person woe to thee thou Man-mouse now comes thy finall and fatall Ruine Receive it from my mouth for I am thy Destinie Now art thou come from words to Matter I have thee where I could wish Thee in the Mysteries of my Theomagia Here hadst thou hang'd thy self like a Monkie intangl'd in his Chaine before ever I touch'd thee What will become of thee now when I shall put thee to the Torture I am sorrie thou hast brought thy self to this unnecessarie Confusion how dar'st thou ever looke Day in the face Come and appeare you Punie Now will I take Thee by the Beard pluck thee and tuck thee souse thee and salt thee like a Freshman Reader he hath upon my Anthroposophia Fourty nine Observations for so he calls his Oversights In what order I find them in the very same will I take them I will return him so many Knocks on the Coxcomb and leave him a pitifull Death's-head without Eyes or Brains And now my great Pike of Cham I am come up to your Observations to your Spawn and Minoes which shall no more escape my Net than the Mouse my Trap I will observe thee and conserve thee and lay thee up in Pickle for Posterity But I must fall from words to blowes my Observator opens and speaks Observation 1. BUt hear you me c. Mr. Mastix I do heare thee but I can heare no Sense Art thou the hobling Poet who sometimes Prais'd with his Quill Plato's Philosophie I believe thou hast heard of Plato but how canst thou praise his Philosophie when thou doest not know it every triviall Latin Authour can tell thee of Platonicum Reminisci that according to Plato's Doctrine the Knowledge which Soules attaine to in the Body is but a Remembrance of what they formerly knew before they were imbodied But thy Question is Am I in good Earnest that all Souls before their Entrance into the Body have an explicit methodicall Knowledge Assure thy self Mastix I am very earnest and I wish from my Soul thou hadst written something against this Truth and not oppos'd thy bare Negative Believe me I should have gall'd thy sides for it and set Spurs to a very Iade but not a whit Theo-magicall Observation 2. HEre Anthroposophus is turned herbalist for one whole Spring c. And why for one whole Spring who told thee so He confesses say'st thou it was the work of one whole Spring to find out that the Earth or seeds of Flowers are nothing like the Flowers Sirrah my words are these I took to task the fruits of one Spring This is all that I said of the Spring either whole or broken and now I prethee where is my Confession Sure it was an Auricular one for it is no where to bee found in my Book But Mastix I will discover thy Logic Eugenius observ'd the fruits of one Spring Ergo one whole Spring was spent in the Observation Certainly thou hast got the fool's Metaphysics for Non-sense is naturall to thee The fruits of a Spring cannot be studied for a whole Spring for Nature before ever I can find them spends a good part of the Spring in their production How can I then be damned thou doest speak devilishly for one whole Spring to the fields This is but thy Moorish malice to my Person and indeed it is eminent for elsewhere thou doest advise me to drown my self in the river Ysca which is the right way to be damned I am beholding to thee wherefore I will teach thee a Cure for Disgrace Thou hast already done something which Achitophel did When thou didst Scrible thy Notes thou didst saddle thy Asse and I shall not fail to ride him and spur him for thee Now to prevent thy future shame thou mayst imitate him in the rest dispose of what thou hast set thy house in order and hang thy self But before you be hang'd I will Shrieve you you must come to Confession of your Non-sense Mr. Mastix I have met with a very strange expression of yours to find out that the Earth or seeds of Flowers are nothing like the Flowers Doe you think then that the Earth is the seed of Flowers or that the seeds of Flowers are Earth thou monstrous Ignorant There 's not any old Garden-weeder in all London but can tell thee thou art a fool in this and no Philosopher But I am forc'd you say to turn about and confesse a Principle of Aristotel for Matter Sirrah is a principle of Nature Namely Privation My Book is extant any man may read it if
to Mr. Lilie or to Mr. Booker they are both Learned Artists and can instruct thee in these Things I dare say they will answer thee in thy own Phrase and tell thee that Epicycles in this respect are but a mite in a Cheese Observation 14. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} c. Here he doth abuse the Creture make God an Idol The Aire saith he is a Sive through which Iupiter doth pisse This he proves out of Aristophanes a heathenish â—omoedian sure Mastix thou art one of his Frogs Observation 15. THerefore again I ask thee O Eugenius c. I have formerly answered to what you ask and I will not whip you twice for the same fault Observation 16. POeticall Eugenius c. Thou Moore of {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Observation 17. I Tell thee Eugenius c. He is a professed enemy to all Elegancies a â—lownish Scribler that will admit of no Metaphors But why dost thou speak Mastix of a Lady in a Black-bag Thou art a Presbyterian and doest look a Tythe-pig in a Bag not a Lady Observation 18. HOw the man is frighted into Devotion c. Thou canst not speak of my Devotion but thou doest mistake it for thy own which as I proved formerly is not very wholsome Observation 19. T IS no new-sprung Truth c. If there be but two Elements namely Earth and Water you tell me Mr. Mastix it is no new-sprung truth I know it man better than thy self it is a truth as ancient as the Creation But now Doctour Moore will confute his Hypothesis though with some mercy on me Seeing saith he that AEthereall vigor and Coelestiall heat which is egregious Non-sense as if he had said Coelestiall heat and Coelestiall heat for {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} is a burning heating spirit and it comes not from {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} as your Aristotel dreams but from {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} ardeo as Anaxagoras would have it The Originall is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} adar and signifies bright or shining for the Fire which is inclos'd in the moyst spirit makes it to shine Now Sir Mastix I beseech you tell me what is the vigor of heaven but the heat thereof Certainly here is one Bull more and I charge the Reader to drop a Counter for it But you proceed and tell me that if heaven and Aire passe thorough all things and I freely grant you that they are in all things then there are more Elements than two A mad sequel my friend and in which you say you will not severely tug with me lest you should foyl me Your meaning is Mastix lest you should be foil'd for you dare not say that heaven and Aire are Elements Get thee gone thou hast disgrac'd Cambridge for ever Observation 20. WHy did you ever sneak in Eugenius and take them c. Here he hath got two Greek Phrases which he doth use to good purpose He leads me to the Bawdie house and asks me if I did ever see Rem in re as the Lawyer speaks Fie fie some Rose-water for his mouth Sure this filthy dreamer thought of a Puritan Conventicle I believe if you had so much clean language Mastix you would ask me if I did ever see the Fire of Nature united to his moyst foeminine Principle I did Sirrah and now your Mouth is muzzled Observation 21. NOw as you are Philalethes tel me truly c. In this place Reader I cited Sendivow and my Adversary asks me if I understand the Citation I doe Mastix I doe I am not of thy humor to speak that which I doe not know Observation 22. HEre I cannot but take notice c. You take notice Mastix of a Back-doore but why an ordinary man's Back-doore It seems an Extraordinary mans Back-doore hath a more precious Aire Sure your Nose hath been there you are so well skill'd in the Differences This is Cambridge Philosophie it is not worth Observation 23. NOw Eugenius you are so good natur'd as to give Aristotel one of his two Elements again c. Here I said the Aire was our Animal Oile the fuell of the Vital sensual Fire But Mastix concludes I call'd it an Element because I call'd it Oile and Fuell Thou illiterate insipid Thing it had been more tolerable in thee to think it a Compound made of Elements for such are Oile and Fuell Observation 24. AN excellent performance c. My words are these I have now in some measure performed that which at first I promised an Exposition of the world and the parts thereof Here my Observator recapitulates and brings his routed Pultrons to a Rally Mastix Mastix I will charge quite thorough thou art no way able to stand me The first thing he observes in my performance is a dark Masse and that 's a clear Bull For how can darknesse be it never so deeply dark be call'd a Masse when in truth it is a thin vaporous Matter Mastix this Masse out of which God extracted the fierie and Airie substances was a thick ponderous water or sperm into which the darknes was condens'd it was not dark but very white and clear But you go on and accuse me of Contradiction I make as if the Masse did contain in a farre lesse Compasse all that was after extracted It is very true Sir but where is the Contradiction Hear me thou Asse didst ever see any common distillations A Glasse full of Water whiles it is Water fills but a very narrow place but if it be rarified into Clouds then it requires more Roome All Substances in the Chaos were condens'd but in the Act of Separation they were rarifi'd In this sense the Firmament is called in the Scripture expansuÌ„ for in the Masse it was contracted by condensation but being separated afterwards it was extended by Rarefaction and fill'd all that space wch thou doest now see Art thou then a Master of Arts and canst not distinguish between Condensation and Penetration of Dimensions Canst thou not admit of pure naturall extractions but presently there must follow an unnaturall Vacuum in thy Braines Doth not the Sun from the Earth which is the very subsidence of the Chaos extract Clouds every day And doth there any Vacuum succeed therefore Hast not thou thy self formerly granted that Heaven and Aire fill all Things How then can there be a Vacuity or if thou say'st there is tell me Where if it be not in thy Noddle Thou great ridiculous Owle Assure thy self I will so handle thee for thy Malice to me and to Magic that I shall make thee stink and tremble at the very name of a Magician This is all you could except at in my performance and now you begin to rail at my Person You make use of me in this place that you may abuse the Independents whom you correct here
the Language for these many hundred yeares together an order of Philosophers which no man knows how to name but a certaine Mr. of Arts of Cambridge Why sure you think that we at Oxford understand the Peripatetics no better than you understand the Platonics Tell me who are they that so stiffely affirm the Heavens to bee moved by Intelligences by outward assistent Spirits not by inward informing Principles and this for no other Reason but to avoid their Animation Be they not Peripatetics Are you blind then Sirrah and will you judge of Colours Cobler keep to thy Last But you run on and still blindly The grand fault of the Peripatetics say you is that they do not say the world is Animate And what say you I beseech you for you are faultlesse Is the World a meere Animal as you call me or is it not The Truth is you durst not bee Positive and Expresse in this point but I will shew you what you have granted and afterwards deny'd I said the Peripatetics look'd on Gods works as on the work of a Carpenter made without Infusion of Life You told me this was false they did not look on the World which is the work of God as on a thing made without any Infusion of Life for they granted an inward principle of Motion in all naturall Bodies I take you at your word Mr. Mastix and say that if they look not on the World as on the work of a Carpenter they must look on it as a Thing made with Infusion of Life and by Consequence your inward principle of Motion inferres Animation And now Blind Bayard how can it be their grand fault to say the World is not Animate when you answer so wisely for them and prove they say it is Animate Verely Sir you that can rightly say nothing must have the liberty to say any thing Tell me thou Scribler didst thou conceive I would not look on my Reproofs or doest thou think any thing shall passe from thee hereafter without my Correction Thou hast abus'd me basely and assure thy self I will persecute thee as long as there is Ink or Papyr in England But I have Positively pronounc'd the World an Animal and now this Non-sense but scarce Animal calls me to an Accompt for that Tenet I come my friend and if I do not make thee the most ridiculous Animal that ever was in the World then the world is no Animal Here then he falls upon certain Similitudes and Analogies of mine and positively makes Earth Flesh and Flesh Earth Surely he never saw the Vniversity otherwise he had met with that trivial Topic Omne Simile non est idem but he strictly insists upon Metaphors and mistakes Analogies for Positions Prethee Mastix go on all these advantages shall not hinder thee to break thy Neck This is as irrationall and incredible saith he speaking of Earth and VVater which I compar'd to Flesh and Bloud as if he should tell us a tale of a Beast whose bloud and flesh put together beares not so great a proportion to the rest of the more fluid parts of the Animal suppose his Vitall and Animal spirits as a mite in a Cheese to the whole globe of the Earth But hear me thou pitifull Alaz What is all this to the purpose for if such an Animal there be then I tel thee no Tale but a true History This were enough to check such an impotent Adversary as thou art but I will make thee ridiculous Mastix I have thee by the Snout and I will lug thy great Log Come Sirrah certainly you know those Weights and Proportions which God and Nature use in their Buildings and Compositions I have I confesse a weak faeminine brain if compar'd to your strong Curds but give me leave like the Queen of Sheba to propose a few Questions onely to try your profound Experience Doth God then compose Anaticè so much of each or do his Scales admit of Imparities Answer me Positively either in Verse of Spencer or in Prose of Moore Suppose the Earth of Man were separated and laid aside every grain by it self what proportion would it bear doest thou think to his fluid parts Quot Libras in duce summo Invenies Nay how many Handfulls would there be tell me if thou canst. Most excellent was that Poetic fire in the Ashes of Hercules Anilis heu me caepit Alciden sinus But I will come nearer to you I will take you by the Chops and your owne foul mouth shall instruct you Were you ever at the charge to take one Pipe of Tobacco when it is cleanly burnt and the moist parts all evaporated what Quantity of Ashes or Earth is there left Surely not neer so much as will fill half the Bowl How excessive then was the Proportion of the fluid parts to this little dust for they fill'd your mouth many times for all you speak so broad Now Sir if you think there is too little Earth in the world you must tell me where it is wanting In the Interim here is no more Anasarca than in a Fat Elder But you have another Objection and it proves you as wise as a Goose How shall this water which I call Bloud be refreshed by the Aire that is warmer than it Here is a Question indeed Oh that I had the Lungs of Democritus to laugh at thee Art thou not refreshed or restor'd by heate when thou art oppressed with cold and art thou not restor'd or refreshed by cold when thou art oppressed by heat All the parts of the world mutually help one another according to their severall Natures and Qualities But here comes a Third senselesse Exception and to beare it companie a Bull That Bodie which we see between the stars namely the Inter-stellar waters is excessive in proportion so thou say'st but thou canst not say wherefore Doest hear Mastix Look up and see what a number of Bone-sires Lamps and Torches are Kindel'd in that miraculous caelestiall water I tell thee a little flame requires much Oyle And now Sir comes in a point of your owne Philosophie at least a flash of your wit make it which you will Coelum stellatum say you is the skin of this great Animal what his skin above the Sun and his flesh here under thy feet why thou hast stript and stayd the World thou Moore's face Indeed thy Buttocks should be so serv'd O thou foole when wilt thou understand But he is at me againe and flings another Caltrop in my way but it will not prick it is smooth and plaine as a pad staffe How improperly saith he is the aire said to be the outward refreshing spirit when it is ever in the very middest of the world Reader did'st thou ever see such a Bundle of simples Come Sir Mastix come neer that I may kick thee Doest thou know what parts of the world the Aire is appointed to refresh surely no neither doest thou consider it Lend me both thy Eares I will