Arcana microcosmi: or, the hid secrets of mans body disclosed: first, in an anatomatical [sic] duel between Aristotle and Galen, about the parts thereof. Secondly, by a discovery of the ... diseases, symptomes, and accidents of mans body. With a refutation of Doctor Brown's Vulgar errors, the Lord Bacon's Natural history, and Doctor Harvy's book De generatione, Comenius, and others; whereto is annexed a letter from Doctor Pr. [i.e. Primrose] to the author, and his answer thereto, touching Doctor Harvy's book ... / By A.R.

Alexander Ross

Date:: 1652

Credit: Arcana microcosmi: or, the hid secrets of mans body disclosed: first, in an anatomatical [sic] duel between Aristotle and Galen, about the parts thereof. Secondly, by a discovery of the ... diseases, symptomes, and accidents of mans body. With a refutation of Doctor Brown's Vulgar errors, the Lord Bacon's Natural history, and Doctor Harvy's book De generatione, Comenius, and others; whereto is annexed a letter from Doctor Pr. [i.e. Primrose] to the author, and his answer thereto, touching Doctor Harvy's book ... / By A.R. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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| . | breed in fnovv; our fenfes tell us thereis no heat in {novy; and WTI AR vvhere there is no heat, there can be no putrifa@ion nor gene- PUTA T ALL EE LT ration 5 rhe vvormis then are bred in the ground under the I a | i) fnovv, but not of the fnovv, which is not vvarm, but keeps in | | | Hi i the vvarnrth of the earth, and defends it, asit vvere a mantle aN HEAL A from the piercing air, therefore in great fnovves, fheep vvill A aa i live longer under the fnow then above in the fharp' air. And Rat a whereas the werm dieth when it comes out of the fnow, this aie ' Wig proceedes not (ashe faith) from the exhaling of the worms {pirits, Hai ai which was {but in by the cold, but rather from the chilling of that WE: fpirit which was kept in by heat? for whilft it was under the An {nhow,the worm was kept warm from the plercing air which Wi 657 now kilsic. He faith, That the flies called Ephemera,/ave but a day, ane tive caufets the exility of the fpirits,or perhaps the abfence of the Sun. ai | But neither of thefe is the caufe: not the exility of fpitit;for we WE AE | fee that among men they that have weak and attenuated fpirits, Me | | live longer then they who have more {irong, denfe, and more plenty of {pirits,and fo in other creatures, a Horfe,or Bull, are notfo long lived as'a Crow,or Raven, which have more exilj- ty of fpirit. The caufe therefore of fhort and leng lifeis the goodneffe or badnefle of the crafisand temperament of the r4- ; dical moifture,and its due or undue proportion with the’ na- | tural heat, the fymarrie or affymatrie of the four humours, and fir{t qualities,and the conformity of the organs. As for the Suns abfence, that cannot Be a caufe of fhart life : For, 1. the Sun is i ae never abfencin his vertue, efficacy, and influencce. ‘2. Man i ie creatures profper beft in fhades,as plants. 3. In thofe Northern ; | fae parts where,the body and light of the Sun is not feen in many i” ei] ! moneths rogerher,yet multitudes of creatures are generated and | Ta Lan | livethere. 4. It feems that the Ephemera are hurt rather by the al Suns prefence thenabfence : for Scaliger writes ( Exer.194.5. ) aula wiht That thofe Ephemera flies which he had feen, were always to | | Hil be feen in the evening,never at the Sun rifing,and oneof them . | aah He which he had caught, lived all night, but died in the morning. aaa | Hi The Suns prefence then rather then hisabfence, is the caufe of a ae, this fhort life.in the flye. ip | ike goq, . He faith, That the motion of gravity is a meer motion of ‘the mat. Me eae dd ter,an d hath no affinity with the form. If it be fo,what ufe is there me eT of the form ? the form of every thing is the nacure thereof, and ee an nature, as the Philofopher tells us,is the principle and caiife 6f . motion : the matter is bur the paffive, the motion is the active | | principle of motion. When he tells us, That over moiffure doth { ' fome-

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