The Wonderful Workmanship of the World, Discourse · Chapter 30
¶ The. xxx. Chapter. Where theſe poſitions are to bee found, high, low, beefore, behind, on the right hand, and on the left.
S.
DIſcourſe nowe concernyng the ſundrie differences of ſituations and places, whiche are noted and marked in this worlde.
M.
Thei are in number ſixe. and thei are taken from thoſe three dimenſions, whiche properly beelong vntounto bodies. To wit, high, lowe, beefore, beehinde, on the right hande, on the left.
S.
How ſo?
M.
For that is proper vntounto eueryevery naturall bodie too bee long, broad, deepe or thicke. As for thoſe deliniations whiche are plaine and flat, thei are not bodies, but ſuperficies, that is to ſaie, vppermoſte faces: and therefore one of thoſe three dimenſions is noted and taken by a right line. But there bee twoo extreme partes or endes of eueryevery ſtreight line. Wherefore there bee ſixe extreame partes or endes of thoſe three dimenſions or ſtreight lines, whiche doe diſtinguiſhe and make ſo many ſundrie differences of place or ſituation. And in lengthe, wee terme one ende highe, another lowe. In breadth, wee place thoſe, on the right hande, and on the lefte hande. In deapthe or thickneſſe, beefore, and beehinde. Howbeeit theſe twoo latter differences can not bee obſerued in eueryevery kinde of bodie, but onelyonly in that whiche is called the bodie of a liuyng Creature, and is endued with ſenſe.
S.
How commeth this about, that you recken onelyonly thre dimenſions of a bodie, and S. Paule reciteth fower, to wit, length, breadth, height and deapth: to the Epheſians the 3. chapter, and 18. verſe: likewiſe in Iob the 11. chapiter, and 8. and 9. verſes, the ſame are recited.
M.
You ſaie truely. Howbeeit theſe twoo, deapthe and heighth, are indeede, and ſubiect all one, and in reaſon onelyonly diſtinguiſhed.
S.
Declare this more at large.
M.
Like as it is the very ſame waie, ſaith Aristotl…, which leadeth from Athenes to Thebes, and from Thebes to Athenes: and like as in one and the ſelf ſame ladder and ſtaiers, indeede and in reſpecte of the ſubiecte, the goyng vp, and the goyng doune is all one: the goyng vp, if a man climbe from the loweſt ſtep to the higſteſt: the goyng doune, if hee deſcende from the higheſt ſtep too the loweſt. So in verie deede are highth and deapth: but it is then called highth, when a man looketh vp from the loweſt to the higheſt: and deapth when hee looketh doune from the top to the bottome, ſo that we vſe but one kinde for bothe theſe dimenſiōs. And thus it commeth to paſſe, that there bee onelyonly ſixe differences of place, and not eight.
S.
Maie there then, or ought any regions in this world bee called, on the right hande, on the lefte hande, firſte, laſt, high, or lowe?
M.
Uerely, if I ſhould ſtande to declare, how diuerſe the opinions of men bee, touchyng this poincte onelyonly▪ I ſhould not onelyonly bee weariſome, but alſo farre paſſe the boundes of mine argument, whiche I hauehave taken in hande. For Aſtronomers doe otherwiſe, and in other places appointe them, and Southſaiers otherwiſe, and Hiſtoricians otherwiſe. To bee ſhort, eeuen in that verie pointe, ſundrie nations are of ſundrie opinions: as for example the Egiptians, who will hauehave the Eaſt to bee the forepart of the worlde: the Weſt the hinder parte: The North, the right ſide: and the South the left, as Plutarche writeth in Iſide, contrarie vntoo that whiche Nature, and common courſe of all thynges doeth admit. The Eaſte is the right ſide of the worlde, ſaieth Aristotle, and the Weſte the lefte: for the worlde mooueth eeuen like a man that beeginneth at the right hande to ſet forthe vponupon his iourney, on whoſe right ſide then is the Northe, and the South parte of the worlde on his lefte. Varro in his 6. booke de lingua Latina, is of an other opiniō, to wit, that the Eaſt is on the lefte hande, the Weſte on the right, the Southe right beefore, and the Northe beehinde. But the Scripture ſaieth otherwiſe.
S.
What ſaieth the Scripture?
M.
It conſtantly calleth the Eaſte the fore parte of the world: the Weſt, the hinder: the South the right ſide: and the North the left.
S.
How prooue you that?
M.
Firſt, out of that place of Iob, whiche is in the 23. chapiter, 8. and 9. verſes: and bicauſe it followeth neceſſarily, that if you make the Eaſt the foremoſte part of the worlde, that then the Northe multe bee on the left hande: and the South on the right it plainly appeareth vntounto him, whoſoeuer ſhall looke into ye Eaſt. And likewiſe Dioniſius. Halicarnaſseus teacheth, that the ſame is neceſſarily gathered.
S.
Why doeth the Scripture make the Eaſte to bee the face and foremoſte part of the worlde?
M.
Bicauſe, like as our ſenſes, ſpecially our eyes and countenance, are placed in the face and foremoſte part of the man: ſo dooeth the light firſt riſe vntounto vsus from that part of the worlde. Whereby it commeth to paſſe, that al men turne their countenances thither: yea the brute beaſtes alſo of the fielde, who in the mornynges as thei feede in the Medowes, doe turne themſelues towardes the riſyng of the Sunne, for light. Thus, by verie inſtinct of Nature, all thynges doe acknowledge and confeſſe that this parte of the worlde, is as it were, the face, eyes, and fore part of the worlde.
S.
Me thinkes, that theſe thyngs in the worlde are diſtinguiſhed rather in reſpect of vsus, than of Nature.
M.
Truely, the worlde is diſtinguiſhed indeede, ſpecially in reſpecte of vsus. For in a circle properly, and of it ſelf, nothyng can bee ſaied to bee on the right hande, nothyng on the left, nothyng beefore, nothyng beehinde, foraſmuche as all partes of the circumference, in that kinde of figure, are equally placed. And therefore Arnobius ſaieth well in his 4. booke: The worlde of it owne nature, hath neither right hande, neither left: neither high regions, neither lowe: neither beefore, neither beehinde. For whatſoeuer is roūd hath neither beginning, neither ending. And therfore when we ſay, this countrie is on the right hande, this on the left: we ſpeake it not in reſpecte of the worlde, but of the place where wee ourſelues are ſituate and dwel…yng. This farre Arnobius. Whereby it appeareth, how fooliſhe and without grounde that opinion of the auncient Hetruſcane Southſaiers is, who iudged, that lefte hande lightnyng, lefte hand birde fliyng, lette hande ſignes of heauen, are of nature more fortunate, than thoſe whiche appeared in any other parte of the worlde. For that whiche is on the lefte hande to mee, maie bee on the right hande to you, becauſe theſe differences of place and ſituation, are chaunged by the diuerſe reſpecte and reaſon of men.
S.
What, doth the Scripture alſo note high, and low in the worlde?
M.
Yea, plainely.
S.
Where?
M.
In the 11. chapte of Iob, the 8. and 9. verſes: and Exodue, the 20. chapter, and 4. verſe.
S.
Is there then, ſome place of the world high and ſome lowe?
M.
The whole region of heauē is called high and aboue: and the earth lowe and beneath.
S.
How proue you that?
M.
Out of the aboue recited places of Iob, & Exodus: whervnto alſo you may adde if you pleaſe the 6. verſe of the 10. chapter to the Romaines: and Deut. the 5. chapter, and 8. verſe, and almoſt infinite other like places, as Iſay the 44. chapter, and 23. verſe: and Prouerbes the 25. chapter, and 1. verſe.
S.
But tell mee, is it ſo of nature, or conſiſteth it onelyonly in the opinion of men, that one parte of the worlde is high, and another lowe?
M.
Of nature ſurely: for thoſe thinges that are lyght do naturally tende vpwarde, and goe towardes heauen: and the thinges that are heauie downwarde, and towardes the earth. Moreouer, if we conſider the order of thinges, God hath thus appointed, that thoſe higher thinges ſhall woorke vpoon theſe lower. For heauen woorketh vppon theſe earthly thinges, and wee perceiue the influences and effectes thereof diuerſely, and either it bringeth foorthe, or diſtroyeth manye things vponupon the earth, as it were, with to much rain, or drought. Wherefore, Heauen, both by nature of the place, and alſo ſituation, is higher than the earth. Howbeit, concerning this poinet S. Auguſtine grauely diſputeth in the 83. booke, and 29. queſtion. For hee demaundeth this queſtion, whether in this vniuerſalitie and world, which is conteined within a circulare fourme, ſumthing may bee called high and ſumthing lowe, ſeeinge all the partes thereof conſiſt in equall ſituation.
M.
Concerning the circumferēce of a circle, perhaps this queſtion may bee demaunded, which indeed was S. Auguſtines meaning, whether the one part thereof bee high & an other lowe: for in truth, in reſpect of themſelues, thei are al of equall ſituatiō. But touching the thinges themſelues which are comprehended within the Circle, thys queſtion is cleere, and out of doubte. For in eueryevery circle the circumferēce is the vpper part therof, & the centre the lower: vntounto which parte thoſe thinges whiche come neereſt of loweſt: like as thoſe higheſt yt are neereſt to the circumference of the circle.
S.
Which is the middle parte of the worlde?
M.
The mideſt of the worlde may bee doubly conſidered, either in reſpect of ſubſtance, or of place. Whiche the great Philoſopher Plutarche firſt obſerued in his booke of the contrarietie of the Stoikes. The midds of the worlde in reſpect of ſubſtance is not ſome o…e certein body, but many, as y• aier, water, with other that …e partly of the nature of heauen, and partly of the earth. But the midds in reſpect of place, is the earth, as it is agreed vponupon by thoſe that holde opinion, that the compaſſe and capableneſſe of the world is of a round and ſphericall figure. For, as they affirme, the earth ſtandeth in ſtead of a centre, in cōpariſon of the whole world. Touching which opinion, although they contende againſt it, which dency that there bee any Antipodes, or dwellers on the otherſide of the earth right againſt vsus, as Lactantius and S. Auguſtine, good and allowed auctours hauehave doone: yet is it more true and credible that there are ſuch Antipodes, & the rather, for that there can bee nothing alleaged out of the Scriptures, to confyrme the auctoritie of Lactantius and S. Auguſtine by: and alſo reaſon plainely prooueth it to bee true, to wit, the ſituation of countries, and the eleuation of the Poales.