By thefe methods, in a few weeks, there starts up many a writer, capable of managing the profoundeft, and moft univerfal fubjects. For what though his head be empty, provided his commonplace book be full? And if you will bate him but the circumftances of method, and ftyle, and grammar, and invention; allow him but the common privileges of transcribing from others, and digreffing from himself, as often as he fhall fee occafion; he will defire no more ingredients towards fitting up a treatife, that fhall make a very comely figure on a bookfeller's fhelf, there to be preferved neat and clean for a long eternity, adorned with the heraldry of its title fairly infcribed on a label; never to be thumbed or greased by ftudents, nor bound to everlasting chains of darknefs in a library; but when the fulness of time is come, shall happily undergo the trial of purgatory, in order to afcend the fky. Without thefe allowances, how is it poffible we modern wits fhould ever have an opportunity to introduce our collections, lifted under fo many thousand heads of a different nature? For want of which, the learned world would be deprived of infinite delight, as well as inftruction; and we ourfelves buried, beyond redrefs, in an inglorious and undiftinguithed oblivion. From fuch elements as thefe, I am alive to behold the day, wherein the corporation of authors can outvie all its brethren in the guild: a happinefs derived to us with a great many others, from from our Scythian ancestors; among whom the number of pens was fo infinite, that the Grecian eloquence had no other way of expreffing it, than by faying, that in the region far to the North, it was hardly poffible for a man to travel, the very air was fo replete with feathers *. The neceffity of this digreffion will easily excufe the length; and I have chosen for it as proper a place as I could readily find. If the judicious reader can affign a fitter, I do here impower him to remove it into any other corner he pleases. And fo I return, with great alacrity, to purfue a more important concern.. SE C T. VIII. A TALE O F A TUB. HE learned Æolifts + maintain the original caufe of all things to be wind, from which principle this whole univerfe was at first produced, and into which it must at last be refolved; that the fame breath which had kindled, and blew up the flame of nature, fhould one day blow it out: Quod procul a nobis flectat fortuna gubernans. * Herodot. l. 4. † All pretenders to inspiration whatsoever.. This is what the adepti understand by their 'anima mundi; that is to fay, the spirit, or breath, or wind of the world. For examine the whole fyftem by the particulars of nature, and you will find it not to be difputed. For whether you pleafe to call the forma informans of man, by the name of spiritus, animus, afflatus, or anima; what are all these but feveral appellations for wind? which is the ruling element in every compound, and into which they all refolve upon their corruption. Farther, what is life itself, but, as it is commonly called, the breath of our noftrils? Whence it is very justly observed by naturalifts, that wind still continues of great emolument in certain myfteries not to be named, giving occafion for those happy epithets of turgidus, and inflatus, applied either to the emittent or recipient organs. By what I have gathered out of ancient records, I find the compafs of their doctrine took in two and thirty points, wherein it would be tedious to be very particular. However, a few of their most important precepts, deducible from it, are by no means to be omitted; among which the following maxim was of much weight. That fince wind had the mafter-fhare, as well as operation in every compound, by confequence, thofe beings must be of chief excellence, wherein that primordium appears moft prominently to abound; and therefore man is in highest perfection of all created things, as having, by the great bounty of philofophers, been endued with three diftinct anima's anima's or winds, to which the fageres, all their much liberality, have added a fourth, qurer the neceffity, as well as ornament, with the on by three; by this quartum principium, taking in out four corners of the world; which gave occafion to that renowned cabalift, Bumbaftus *, of placing the body of men in due pofition to the four cardinal points. In confequence of this, their next principle was, That man brings with him into the world a peculiar portion or grain of wind, which may be called a quinta effentia, extracted from the other four. This quintessence is of a catholic use upon all emergencies of life, is improvable into all arts and fciences, and may be wonderfully refined, as well as enlarged, by certain methods in education. This, when blown up to its perfection, ought not to be covetously hoarded up, ftifled, or hid under a bufhel, but freely communicated to mankind.. Upon these reasons, and others of equal weight, the wife Æolifts affirm the gift of BELCHING to be the nobleft act of a rational creature. cultivate which art, and render it more ferviceable to mankind, they made use of several methods. At certain feasons of the year, you might behold the priests among them in vaft numbers, with their mouths gaping wide enough against a Storm +. At other times were to be seen several hundred To *This is one of the names of Paracelfus. He was called Chriftophorus Theophraftus Paracelfus Bumbaftus. This is meant of thofe feditious preachers, who blow up the feeds of rebellion, &c. 332 hundred linked together in a circular chain, with every man a pair of bellows applied to his neighbour's breech, by which they blew up each other to the fhape and fize of a tun; and for that reafon, with great propriety of speech, did usually call their bodies their vefels. When, by these and the like performances, they were grown fufficiently replete, they would immediately depart, and difembogue, for the public good, a plentiful share of their acquirements into their disciples chaps. For we must here observe, that all learning was efteemed among them to be compounded from the fame principle: Because, first, it is geor confeffed, that learning nerally affirmed, puffeth men up: And, fecondly, they proved it by the following fyllogifm: Words are but wind, and learning is nothing but words; ergo, learning is nothing but wind. For this reason, the philosophers among them did, in their schools, deliver to their pupils, all their doctrines and opinions by eructation, wherein they had acquired a wonderful eloquence, and of incredible variety. But the great characteristic by which their chief fages were best diftinguished, was a certain pofition of countenance, which gave undoubted intelligence to what degree or proportion the spirit agitated the inward mafs. For, after certain gripings, the wind and vapours iffuing forth; having first, by their turbulence and convulfions within, caufed an earthquake in man's little world; diftorted the mouth, bloated the cheeks, and gave the eyes a terrible |
