Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	word_n	world_n	year_n	387	4	4.3522	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66047	Mathematicall magick, or, The vvonders that may be performed by mechanicall geometry in two books, concerning mechanicall povvers, motions, being one of the most easie, pleasant, usefull (and yet most neglected) part of mathematicks, not before treated of in this language / by I.W. ...	Wilkins, John, 1614-1672.	1648 (1648)	Wing W2199; ESTC R227427	93,737	280

and transient 1. The fixed are such as move only according to their severall parts and not according to their whole frame In which though each wheel hath a distinct rotation yet the whole doth still remain unmoved The chiefest kind of these are the clocks watches in ordinary use the framing of which is so commonly known by every Mechanick that I shall not trouble the Reader with any explication of it He that desires fuller satisfaction may see them particularly described by Cardan D. Flood and others The first invention of these saith Pancirollus was taken from that experiment in the multiplication of wheels mentioned in Vitruvius where he speaks of an instrument whereby a man may know how many miles or paces he doth goe in any space of time whether or no he doe passe by water in a boat or ship or by land in a chariot or coach they have been contrived also into little pocket instruments by which after a man hath walked a whole day together he may easily know how many steps he hath taken I forbear to enter upon a larger explication of these kind of Engines because they are impertinent unto the chief businesse that I have proposed for this discourse The Reader may see them more particularly described in the above cited place of Vitruvius in Cardan Bessonius and others I have here only mentioned them as being the first occasion of the chiefest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that are now in use Of the same kind with our clocks and watches though perhaps more elaborate and subtle was that sphere invented by Archimedes which did represent the heavenly motions the diurnall and annuall courses of the sun the changes and aspects of the Moon c. This is frequently celebrated in the writings of the Ancients particularly in that known Epigram of Claudian Iupiter in parvo cum cerneret aethera vitro Risit ad superos talia dicta dedit Huccine mortalis progressa potentia curae Iam meus in fragili luditur orbe labor Iura poli rerumque fidem legesque Deorum Ecce Syracusius transtulit arte senex Inclusus variis famulatur spiritus astris Et vivum certis motibus urget opus Percurrit proprium mentitus Signifer annum Et simulata novo Cynthia mense redit Iamque suum volvens audax industria mundū Gaudet humanâ sidera mente regit Quid falso insontem tonitru Salmonea miror Aemula naturae parva reperta manus Excellently Translated by T. Randolph Iove saw the heavens fram'd in a little glasse And laughing to the gods these words did passe Comes then the power of mortall cares so far In brittle orbs my labours acted are The statutes of the Poles the faith of things The laws of Gods this Syracusian brings Hither by art Spirits inclos'd attend Their severall spheres and with set motions bend The living work each year the feigned Sun Each month returns the counterfeited Moon And viewing now her world bold industry Grows proud to know the heavens his subjects be Beleeve Salmoneus hath false thunders thrown For a poor hand is natures rivall grown But that this Engine should be made of glasse is scarce credible Lactantius mentioning the relation of it affirms it to consist of brasse which is more likely It may be the outside or case was glasse and the frame it self of brasse Coelius Rhodoginus speaking of the wondrous art in the contrivance of this sphere breaks out into this quaere Nonne igitur miraculorum omnium maximum miraculum est homo He might have said Mathematicus and another to this purpose Sic manus ejus naturam ut natura ipsa manum imitata putetur Pappus tels us that Archimedes writ a Book de Sphaeropoeia cōcerning the manner of framing such Engines and after him Posidonius composed another discourse on the same subject though now either the ignorance or the envy of time hath deprived us of both those works And yet the art it self is not quite perished for we read of divers the like contrivāces in these latter times Agrippa affirms that he himself had seen such a sphere Ramus tels us how he beheld two of them in Paris the one brought thither amongst other spoiles from Sicily and the other out of Germany And it is commonly reported that there is yet such a sphere at Strasburg in Germany Rivaltus relates how Marinus Burgesius a Norman made two of them in France for the King And perhaps these latter saith he were more exact then the former because the heavenly revolutions are now much better understood then before And besides it is questionable whether the use of steel springs was known in those ancient times the application of which unto these kind of spheres must needs be much more convenient then weights 'T is related also of the Consull Boethius that amongst other Mathematicall contrivances for which he was famous he made a sphere to represent the Suns motion which was so much admired and talked of in those times that Gundibaldus King of Burgundy did purposely send over Embassadors to Theodoricus the Emperour with intreaties that he would be a means to procure one of these spheres from Boethius the Emperor thinking hereby to make his kingdom more famous and terrible unto forain Nations doth write an Epistle to Boethius perswading him to send this instrument Quoties non sunt credituri quod viderint Quoties hanc veritatem lusoria somnia putabunt Et quando fuerint à stupore conversi non audedebunt se aequales nobis dicere apud quos sciunt sapientes talia cogitasse So much were all these kind of inventions admired in those ruder darker times whereas the instruments that are now in use amongst us though not so much extolled yet doe altogether equall if not exceed the other both in usefulnesse and subtilty The chiefest of these former Engines receiving their motion from weights and not from springs which as I said before are of later and more excellent invention The particular circumstances for which the Automata of this kind are most eminent may be reduced to these four 1. The lastingnesse of their motion without needing of any new supply for which purpose there have been some watches contrived to continue without winding up for a week together or longer 2. The easinesse and simplicity of their composition Art it self being but the facilitating and contracting of ordinary operations therefore the more easie and compendious such inventions are the more artificial should they be esteemed And the addition of any such unnecessary parts as may be supplied some other way is a sure sign of unskilfulnesse and ignorance Those antiquated engines that did consist of such a needlesse multitude of wheels and springs and screws like the old hypothesis of the heavens may be compared to the notions of a confused knowledge which are always full of perplexity and complications and seldome

ten ounces of sublimate dissolve them in a Cellar upon some marble for the space of four days till they become like oyl olive distill this with fire of chaffe or driving fire and it will sublime into a dry substance and so by repeating of these dissolvings and distillings there will bee at length produced divers small atomes which being put into a glasse well luted and kept dry will have a perpetuall motion I cannot say any thing from experience against this but me thinks it does not seem very probable because things that are forced up to such a vigorousnesse and activity as these ingredients seem to be by their frequent sublimatings and distillings are not likely to be of any duration the more any thing is stretched beyond its usualll nature the lesse does it last violence and perpetuity being no companions And then besides suppose it true yet such a motion could not well be applied to any use which must needs take much from the delight of it Amongst the Chymicall experiments to this purpose may be reckoned up that famous motion invented by Cornelius Dreble and made for King Iames wherein was represented the constant revolutions of the Sun and Moone and that without the help either of spring or weights Marcellus Vranckhein speaking of the means whereby it was performed he cals it Scintillula animae magneticae mundi seu Astralis insensibilis spiritus being that grand secret for the discovery of which those Dictators of Philosophie Democritus Pythagoras Plato did travell unto the Gymnosophists and Indian Priests The Authour himself in his discourse upon it does not at all reveal the way how it was performed But there is one Thomas Tymme who was a familiar acquaintance of his and did often pry into his works as he professes himself who affirms it to bee done thus By extracting a fiery spirit out of the Minerall matter joyning the same with his proper aire which included in the Axle tree of the first moving wheel being hollow carrieth the other wheels making a continuall rotation except issue or vent bee given in this hollow axle tree whereby the imprisoned spirit may get forth What strange things may be done by such extractions I know nor and therefore dare not condemn this relation as impossible but me thinks it sounds rather like a chymicall dream then a Philosophicall truth It seems this imprisoned spirit is now set at liberty or else is grown weary for the instrument as I have heard hath stood still for many years It is here considerable that any force is weakest near the center of a wheel and therefore though such a spirit might of it self have an agitation yet 't is not easily conceivable how it should have strength enough to carry the wheels about with it And then the absurdity of the Authours citing this would make one mistrust his mistake he urges it as a strong argument against Copernicus as if because Dreble did thus contrive in an Engine the revolution of the heavens and the immoveablenesse of the earth therefore it must needs follow that 't is the heavens which are moved and not the earth If his relation were no truer then his consequence it had not been worth the citing CAP. X. Of subterraneous lamps divers historicall relations concerning their duration for many hundred yeares together UNto this kind of Chymicall experiments wee may most probably reduce those perpetuall lamps which for many hundred yeares together have continued burning without any new supply in the sepulchres of the Ancients and might for ought wee know have remained so for ever All fire and especially flame being of an active and stirring nature it cannot therefore subsist without motion whence it may seem that this great enquiry hath been this way accomplished and therefore it will be worth our examination to search further into the particulars that concern this experiment Though it be not so proper to the chief purpose of this discourse which concerns Mechanicall Geometry yet the subtilty and curiosity of it may abundantly requite the impertinency There are sundry Authours who treat of this subject on the by and in some particular passages but none that I know of except Fortunius Licetus that hath writ purposely any set and large discourse concerning it out of whom I shall borrow many of those relations and opinions which may most naturally conduce to the present enquiry For our fuller understanding of this there are these particulars to be explained 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or quod sit 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cur sit quomodo sit 1. First then for the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or that there have been such lamps it may be evident from sundry plaine and undeniable testimonies Saint Austin mentions one of them in a Temple dedicated to Venus which was always exposed to the open weather and could never be consumed or extinguished To him assents the judious Zanchy Pancyrollus mentions a Lamp found in his time in the sepulchre of Tullia Cicero's daughter which had continued there for about 1550 years but was presently extinguished upon the admission of new air And 't is commonly related of Cedrenus that in Iustinians time there was another burning lamp found in an old wall at Edessa which had remained so for above 500 years there being a crucifixe placed by it whence it should seem that they were in use also amongst some Christians But more especially remarkable is that relation celebrated by so many Authours concerning Olybius his lamp which had continued burning for 1500 years The story is thus As a rustick was digging the ground by Padua he found an Urne or earthen pot in which there was another urne and in this lesser a lamp clearly burning on each side of it there were two other Vessels each of them full of a pure liquor the one of gold the other of silver Ego Chymiae artis si modo vera potest esse ars Chymia jurare ausim elementa materiam omnium saith Maturantius who had the possession of these things after they were taken up On the bigger of these urns there was this inscription Plutoni sacrum munus ne attingite fures Ignotū est vobis hoc quod in orbe latet Namque elementa gravi clausit digesta labore Vase sub hoc modico Maximus Olybius Adsit faecundo custos sibi cotia cornu Ne tanti pretium depereat laticis The lesser urn was thus inscribed Abite hinc pessimi fures Vos quid vultis vestris cum oculis emissitiis Abite hinc vestro cum Mercurio Petasato Caduceatoque Donum hoc Maximum Maximus Olybius Plutoni sacrum facit Whence wee may probably conjecture that it was some Chymicall secret by which this was contrived Baptista Porta tels us of another lamp burning in an old marble sepulchre belonging to some of the ancient Romans inclosed in a glasse viall found in his time about the year 1550