Of the Qauses of Wonderful things . 7

any of them to be idle, but all at woik, some more and somelesse ; but above allother, the form is moll active and bnsie, strengthening the rest; which surely wouldbe to no purpose if the form should fail them, in as much as they are not capableof heavenly influences. And though the form of it self be not able to produce sucheffects, but the rest also must do their parts, yet are they neither confounded toge-ther, nor yet become divers things; but they are so knit among themselves, thatone stands in need of anothers help. He that scans these things well by the searchof reason, shall find no obscurity herein,nor confound the knowledge os the truth.Wherefore that force which is called the property of a thing, proceeds not fromthe temperature, but from the very form it self.

Chap. VI.

Whence the Form Cometh ; and of the chain that Homer faigned , and the rings that Pla-to mentioneth .

S O then, the form, as it is the most excellent part, so it Cometh from a most ex-cellent place - even immediately from the highest heavens, they receiving it fromthe intelligences, and these from God himself: and the same original which theForm hath, consequently the properties also have. Zeno C'itttcm holds two begin-nings, God and Matter 5 the one of them active or efficient, the other the passiveprinciple. For God, as Plato thinks, when by the Almighty power of his Deity hehad framed in due measure and order the heavens, the stars, and the very first prin-ciples of things the Elements, which wast away by reason of so many generationsand corruptions, did afterwards by the power of the Heavens and Elements, or-dain the kinds of living creatures, plants, and things without life, every one intheir degree, that they might not be of the fame estate and condition as the hea-vens are - and he enjoyned inferiour things to be ruled of their fuperiours, by a setLaw, and poured down by heavenly influence upon everything his own properForm/ul ok much strength and activityrand that there might be a continual encreafeamongst them, he commanded all things to bring forth feed, and to propagate andderive their Form wheresoever should be fit matter to receive it. So then, seeingthat formes come from heaven, they must needs be counted Divine and heavenlythingsffor such is the pattern and the most excellent cause of them,which r Plato,t\\tx.chief Philosopher, calls the soul of the World, and Aristotle universal Nature, andAvicenna calls itthe Form-giver. This Form-giver doth not make it of any thin^as though it were but some frail and transitory substance, but fetchech it meetly oneof himself, and bestows it first upon intelligences and stars, and then by certainaspects informeth the Elements, as being fit instruments to dispose the matter. See-ing therefore this Form comech from the Elements, from heaven, from the intellf"gences, yea from God himself; who is so foolish and untoward , as to fay that icdoth not favour of that heavenly nature, and in some fort of the Majesty of Godhimself? and that it doth not produce such effects, as nothing can be found morewonderfull, feeing it bath inch affinity with God ? Thus hath the providence ofGod linked things together in their rankes and order, that all inferiour things mightt>y their due courses be derived originally from God him sols, and from him receivetheir Operations. For God the first cause and beginner of things, as Macrobimfaith, of his own fruitfulneffe bath created and brought forth a Spirit, the Spiritbrought forth a Soul, (but the truth of Christianity faith otherwise) the Soul is fur-nished partly with reason, which ic bestows up Divine things,as heaven and thestars (for therefore are they saidro have Divine Spirits) and partly with sensitive andvegetativepowers,which it bestows upon frail and transitory things. Thus much Vfr*gil vyell perceiving, calleth tbis'Spirit,'The foul of the World; The Spirk, faith he,eherisheth ic within, and conveying ic self through the inmost parts, quickens andmoves the whole lump,'and closeth with this huge body. Wherefore seeing Manstands as ft were in the middle,betwixt eternal and those transitory things^mdis not

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