An Account of Some Books

An English mile from Freistat in Hungary North-ward, is a Quarry of Stone, out of which many great Stones are digged, transparent and resembling Sugarcandy. At Banca, two Hungarian miles from Freistat North-ward, is a Quarry of white stone, nigh the Hot Baths of that place; over which is a lay of Chalk of about a yard thick, very beautiful to the Eye, as being of all colors, except green; so finely mixt, streaked, and shaded, that it surpasseth Marble-paper; and the water dropping upon it, doth as twere varnish it. At Schemnitz in Hungary, famous for Silver-Mines, is an high perpendicular Rock, part of which, from the top to the bottom, is naturally tinctur'd with a shining fair blew and green: And I have heard from a Spaniard, who liv'd long in the West-Indies, that there is also a rock, like this nigh to the Silver-mines in Peru. The Mountain of Clissura, being a part of Mount Hamus, as also Mount Pyrlipe (both which I pass'd over travelling from Belgrade towards Larissa in Thessaly) doe shine like Silver, and day and night, either by the light of the Sun or Moon, afford a glittering pleasant shew, caused by the great quantity of Muscovy-glass, wherewith these Hills abound. There are also Talcum-rocks nigh Spitall in upper Carinthia, as I have been informed by M. Donellan, who liveth there. I am unwilling to omit an Hill nigh Sarvizza, two days journey on this side Larissa, which consists of an earth of a fine red colour, out of which the red Earthen Vessels of that Country are made; as also the great number of Acidula nigh Transchin in Hungary, there being 32 plentiful springs of them; likewise an Hot Bath nigh Bellacherqua in Bulgaria, it being situated farr from any habitation, yet well built by the Turks, and very refreshing to Travellours. It hath a red sediment, and maketh a gray stone. Being at Larissa in Thessaly, where the Gr. Signor hath long resided, I understood, that he had pass'd a good part of the hot Summer of 1669. upon the neighbouring mount Olympus; and by the Interpreters to the Emperours Resident, the Illustrious Signor di Casa nova, (who were obliged to attend the Sultan upon the mountain) I was informed that there was a Spring of a whitish water upon that Hill, which was drank of by many persons in their great heat and thirst, contracted by ascending the mountain, but proved very destructive unto them in 3 dayes, they then complaining of an heaviness and coldness of their Stomacks till they dyed. An Account of some Books. There being lately fallen into our hands three Books written by several Authors, concerning the Production of the World, all three pretending to assert and confirm what is delivered by Moses in the first of Genesis, though they do it different ways; We thought, it would not be unaccep- I. COSMOPOEIA DIVINA, seu Fabrica Mundi explicata, per Ludov. de Beauport Parisiensem Med. Doct. Lugd. Batav. 1656. in 12°. This Author having in the Dedication of his Book professed his aversion from devising any other Systeme of the world, than that, which is described by Moses, and having also expressed his labors and endeavours to adjust and accommodate all the Phænomena of Nature to the mind of that Divine Writer, tells us, In his first Section, that God in the beginning of Time created, in a space before void, Heaven and Earth, or the Matter of both, and of all things comprehended therein, as an unshapen Mass, continued, un-divided, and un-moved: And that afterwards by his divine cherishing and separating power he resolved that dull and moveless matter into moving waters, or divided it into innumerable parts, and put it into motion by that division, and by the introduction of a vacuum, by the means of which imparted motion, the particles began to extricate themselves, to stirre, and to tend to their several places, and to afford the first Rudiments of three Ranks of great Bodies: so that, after the space of 12 hours or thereabout, some Light began to appear, there being then so much of that subtile matter collected, as was sufficient to illuminate a certain medium. In the second Section, that the Creator formed the Firmament, as a kind of Arched Vault in the midst of the Waters, that is, more perfectly distinguishing three Ranks or Material Principles of Bodies, viz. one in the middle, the Firmament, and two extremes, retaining the name of Waters but moveable and moved: For, since on the first day all the parts began to be gather'd into three Classes, and the grossest to take the lowest place, the least gross, the middlemost, and the finest, the uppermost, he conceiveth, that the Firmament was well said to have been made this 2nd day, forasmuch as the Celestial matter was collected in the middle, and placed 'twixt the subtler, whose place was above, and the thickest Elementary, being below: Which Waters were simply so called before, as then actually constituting but one fluid body, but now distinguished into three ranks. In the third, that the Creator began to subdivide the third rank, or the Elementary matter, (which was yet very Heterogeneous) by gathering together into one place all the Elementary Aqueous particles, which he call'd Sea, so that the Dry began to appear, which he called Earth; resolving and raising upwards into vapors and exhalations the thinner particles, thence to produce Air and Fire; which are the four commonly so called Elements and reputed simple Bodies: out of which the other are compounded, first the imperfectly mix't, then gradually the more perfectly mixt, and after that the Vegetative, which about the end of this day began to be actually produced. In the fourth, that he made the Sun, Moon and Stars, adorning and perfecting the Heavens. Where the Author thinks it no wonder, that these were not created before the fourth day, in regard there was required more time for the framing (without a new Miracle) so many and such various vortices, thence to form the Heavens and the Stars, than for a simple separation of the Water from the Earth. In the fifth, that he produced Sensitive and Moving Creatures, of a lower order, viz. Fish, and Fowle. In the sixth, that he brought forth the other more perfect Animals, namely the Beasts of the Earth; over which, as over all the rest, the Great and Bountiful Creator set Man, whom he form'd after his own Image, endowing him with a Mind, and constituting him an Epitome of the Universe, and his Lieutenent General and Governour on Earth. In all which the Author taketh notice of two Sovereign Miraculous Works; first, the Production of the Matter of the World out of Nothing; the second, the Division and Motion caused in that Matter: declaring, that the other works may be conceiv'd to be produced without a new Miracle in the space of the six dayes, enumerated by Moses. Besides, he takes occasion, to explicate the nature of Motion, and to give the Laws of the same; to shew the necessity of a Vacuum before and in the Formation of the World; and to solve the Arguments alleged against a Vacuum; In short, to deliver his opinion, concerning all the main parts of Natural Philosophy. II. CARTESIUS MOSAIZANS, Anth. Joh. Amerpoel. Leuwardie 1669. in 12°. The design of this Author is to make it out, that the Philosophy delivered by the famous Des-Chartes doth well agree, at least not disagree with the History of the Creation, recorded by Moses. A design, which that Eminent Philosopher entertained himself, and would have set upon, if Death had not prevented him, as appears in his Letters to Mersennus, viz. the 24th and 53d of the 2d Tome, where he affirms, that comparing his Principles with the Mosick History he had found, to his wonder, that the latter could be much better explicated according to the former, than by any other of all those ways, wherein Interpreters have hitherto explain'd it. To evince this, our Author hath taken the pains to make a parallel between the first Chapt. of Genesis, and the Principles of Des-Chartes, endeavouring to make it appear. 1. That Moses as well as Des-Chartes did acknowledg in the Corporal Sphere of things nothing but one Homogeneous and Uniform Matter, divided and diversify'd by Motion, put into that Matter by the Creator, and preserv'd therein by the same. 2. That 2. That both begin their Philosophy from the Consideration of Light, as the first Effect of the Distinction of things from one another. 3. That both do attribute a Fluidity to the Heavens; yet so, as that Des-Chartes enlarges upon the particular Disposition of the Constituent parts of that Body, which Moses is silent of. 4. That the Cartesian Doctrine of the Distinction of the Earth from the Waters and Air, and of the proper Constitution of each of them, is not inconsistent with that of Genesis. 5. That the growth and variety of Vegetables, and the causes thereof, assigned by Des-Chartes, do not disagree with the same Sacred History. 6. That the Cartesian Doctrine of the Constitution and Use of the Luminaries and Fix't Stars, and their difference from the Planets and Comets; as also that of the Motion of the Earth about the Sun, and its own Axis, and the deflexion of its Axis from the Parallelisme to the Axis of the Ecliptick, and the keeping in a perpetual Parallelisme to itself, is very rational; and consequently not incongruous to that of the Divine Philosopher. 7. That there is a great agreement between Moses and Des-Cartes in assigning the difference between the Life of Beasts, and the Soul of Man; forasmuch as both teach, that the former consists in the Blood; Which Des-Chartes further declaring, teacheth, That the Blood heated in the Heart and subtilized into spirits, is diffused from the Heart and Arteries through the Brain into the Nerves and Muscles, and by a continual influx into the same, moves the whole and wonderfully contrived Frame of the Body and all the parts thereof, according to the various impulses and actions of Objects upon them: But that the Soul of Man consists in Thinking and Understanding, whereby principally Man resembleth his Creator, to whose Image he is made. Which difference is confirm'd by what Moses saith, that God commanded the Earth to bring forth Living Creatures or Beasts, as well as he commanded the Earth to produce Plants; whereas, after he had formed Man out of the Earth, he is said to have breath'd into him the Breath of Life, whereby Man became a Living Soul, not only Living and Moving, but a Soul too, that is, perceiving and knowing. The third Book, promised in the Contents, we must refer to the next, for want of room. ERRA. A leaf uncorrected in No. 55. Pag. 1104. l. 21 r. one digit obscuration. p. 1106. l. 22, put out. The Horizontal Parallax, and, read, The Suns true place. X--17d.-35m. 47s. X 17d.-37m.-51s. Betwixt this and the line preceding, insert, The Horizontal Parallax 53m. 10s. Pag. 1108. l. 19. make the Parallax of Longitude in the second Column, om 32° 3 and betwixt the l. 21 and 22. insert, with apparent South-latitude 4d. 24m. 59s. | 4d. 28m. 48s. l. 33 and 34 read, the { Subingreis. 16.4.3.3. } Emerson. 18. 2. 24. Pag. 1111. l. 15. for 52m. r. 52m. 52 s. Pag. 1119. l. 3. r. about 28. inches. London, Printed by T. N. for J. Martyn Printer to the R. Society. 1670.