Democritus Platonissans Part 2

_De generali totius hujus mundi aspectabilis constructione ut recte Philosophemur duo sunt imprimis observanda: Unum ut attendentes ad infinitam Dei potentiam & bonitatem ne vereamur nimis ampla & pulchra & absoluta ejus opera imaginari: sed e contra caveamus, ne si quos forte limites n.o.bis non cert cognitos, in ipsis supponamus, non sats magnifice de creatoris potentia sentire videamur._

_Alterum, ut etiam caveamus, ne nimis superbe de n.o.bis ipsis sentiamus.

Quod fieret non mod, si quos limites n.o.bis nulla cognitos ratione, nec divina revelatione, mundo vellemus affingere, tanquam si vis nostra cogitationis, ultra id quod a Deo revera factum est ferri posset; sed etiam maxime, si res omnes propter nos solos, ab illo creatas esse fingeremus. =Renatus DesCartes in his Princip. Philosoph. the third part.=_

THE ARGUMENT.

_'Gainst boundlesse time th' objections made, And wast infinity Of worlds, are with new reasons weigh'd, Mens judgements are left free._

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Hence, hence unhallowed ears and hearts more hard Then Winter clods fast froze with Northern wind.

But most of all, foul tongue I thee discard That blamest all that thy dark strait'ned mind, Can not conceive: But that no blame thou find; What e're my pregnant Muse brings forth to light, She'l not acknowledge to be of her kind, Till Eagle-like she turn them to the sight Of the eternall Word all deckt with glory bright.

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Strange sights do straggle in my restlesse thoughts, And lively forms with orient colours clad Walk in my boundlesse mind, as men ybrought Into some s.p.a.cious room, who when they've had A turn or two, go out, although unbad.

All these I see and know, but entertain None to my friend but who's most sober sad; Although the time my roof doth them contain Their pretence doth possesse me till they out again.

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And thus possest in silver trump I found Their guise, their shape, their gesture and array.

But as in silver trumpet nought is found When once the piercing sound is past away, (Though while the mighty blast therein did stay, Its tearing noise so terribly did shrill, That it the heavens did shake, and earth dismay) As empty I of what my flowing quill In heedlesse hast elswhere, or here, may hap to spill.

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For 'tis of force and not of a set will.

Ne dare my wary mind afford a.s.sent To what is plac'd above all mortall skill.

But yet our various thoughts to represent Each gentle wight will deem of good intent.

Wherefore with leave th' infinitie I'll sing Of time, Of s.p.a.ce: or without leave; I'm brent With eagre rage, my heart for joy doth spring, And all my spirits move with pleasant trembeling.

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An inward triumph doth my soul up-heave And spread abroad through endlesse 'spersed aire.

My nimble mind this clammie clod doth leave, And lightly stepping on from starre to starre Swifter then lightning, pa.s.seth wide and farre, Measuring th' unbounded Heavens and wastfull skie; Ne ought she finds her pa.s.sage to debarre, For still the azure Orb as she draws nigh Gives back, new starres appear, the worlds walls 'fore her flie.

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For what can stand that is so badly staid?

Well may that fall whose ground-work is unsure.

And what hath wall'd the world but thoughts unweigh'd In freer reason? That antiquate, secure, And easie dull conceit of corporature; Of matter; quant.i.tie, and such like gear Hath made this needlesse, thanklesse inclosure, Which I in full disdain quite up will tear And lay all ope, that as things are they may appear.

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For other they appear from what they are By reason that their Circulation Cannot well represent entire from farre Each portion of the _Cuspis_ of the Cone (Whose nature is elsewhere more clearly shown) I mean each globe, whether of glaring light Or else opake, of which the earth is one.

If circulation could them well transmit Numbers infinite of each would strike our 'stonishd sight;

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All in just bignesse and right colours dight But totall presence without all defect 'Longs onely to that Trinitie by right, _Ahad_, _aeon_, _Psyche_ with all graces deckt, Whose nature well this riddle will detect; A Circle whose circ.u.mference no where Is circ.u.mscrib'd, whose Centre's each where set, But the low Cusp's a figure circular, Whose compa.s.se is ybound, but centre's every where.

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Wherefore who'll judge the limits of the world By what appears unto our failing sight Appeals to sense, reason down headlong hurld Out of her throne by giddie vulgar might.

But here base senses dictates they will dight With specious t.i.tle of Philosophie, And stiffly will contend their cause is right From rotten rolls of school antiquitie, Who constantly denie corporall Infinitie.

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But who can prove their corporalitie Since matter which thereto's essentiall If rightly sifted 's but a phantasie.

And quant.i.tie who's deem'd Originall Is matter, must with matter likewise fall.

What ever is, is Life and Energie From G.o.d, who is th' Originall of all; Who being everywhere doth multiplie His own broad shade that endlesse throughout all doth lie.

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He from the last projection of light Ycleep'd _Shamajim_, which is liquid fire (It _aether_ eke and centrall _Tasis_ hight) Hath made each s.h.i.+ning globe and clumperd mire Of dimmer Orbs. For Nature doth inspire Spermatick life, but of a different kind.

Hence those congenit splendour doth attire And lively heat, these darknesse dead doth bind, And without borrowed rayes they be both cold and blind.

12

All these be knots of th' universall stole Of sacred _Psyche_; which at first was fine, Pure, thin, and pervious till hid powers did pull Together in severall points and did encline The nearer parts in one clod to combine.

Those centrall spirits that the parts did draw The measure of each globe did then define, Made things impenetrable here below, Gave colour, figure, motion, and each usuall law.

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And what is done in this Terrestriall starre The same is done in every Orb beside.

Each flaming Circle that we see from farre Is but a knot in _Psyches_ garment tide.

From that lax shadow cast throughout the wide And endlesse world, that low'st projection Of universall life each thing's deriv'd What e're appeareth in corporeall fas.h.i.+on; For body's but this spirit, fixt, grosse by consp.i.s.sation.

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And that which doth consp.i.s.sate active is; Wherefore not matter but some living sprite Of nimble Nature which this lower mist And immense field of Atoms doth excite, And wake into such life as best doth fit With his own self. As we change phantasies The essence of our soul not chang'd a whit, So do these Atoms change their energies Themselves unchanged into new Centreties.

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And as our soul's not superficially Colourd by phantasms, nor doth them reflect As doth a looking-gla.s.se such imag'rie As it to the beholder doth detect: No more are these lightly or smear'd or deckt With form or motion which in them we see, But from their inmost Centre they project Their vitall rayes, not merely pa.s.sive be, But by occasion wak'd rouze up themselves on high.

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So that they're life, form, sprite, not matter pure, For matter pure is a pure nullitie, What nought can act is nothing, I am sure; And if all act, that is they'll not denie But all that is is form: so easily By what is true, and by what they embrace For truth, their feigned Corporalitie Will vanish into smoke, but on I'll pa.s.se, More fully we have sung this in another place.

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Wherefore more boldly now to represent The nature of the world, how first things were How now they are: This endlesse large Extent Of lowest life (which I styled whileere The _Cuspis_ of the _Cone_ that's every where) Was first all dark, till in this s.p.a.cious Hall Hideous through silent horrour torches clear And lamping lights bright s.h.i.+ning over all Were set up in due distances proportionall.

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