SUBSEC. 2. Of the Soul and her Faculties.

According to Aristotle, the Soul is defined to be ἐντελέχεια, perfectio & actus primus corporis Organici, vitam habentis in potentia: the perfection or first act of an Organical body, having power of life, which most Philosophers approve. But many doubts arise about the Essence, Subject, Seat, Distinction, and subordinate faculties of it.

For the Essence and particular knowledge, of all other things it is most hard (be it of Man or Beast) to discerne, as Aristotle himself, Tully, Picus Mirandula, Tolet, and other Neoterick Philosophers confess. We can understand all things by her, but what she is we cannot apprehend. Some therefore make one Soul, divided into three principal faculties; others, three distinct Soules. Which question of late hath been much controverted by Piccolomineus, and Zabarel.

Paracelsus will have four Soules, adding to the three granted faculties, a Spiritual soul: which opinion of his, Campanella in his book de Sensu rerum, much labours to demonstrate and prove, because Carkasses bleed at the sight of the murderer; with many such arguments: And some again, one soul of all Creatures whatsoever, differing only in Organs; & that beasts have reason as well as men, though for some defect of Organs, not in such measure. Others make a doubt, whether it be all in all, and all in every part; which is amply discussed in Zabarel amongst the rest.

The common division of the Soul, is into three principall faculties, Vegetal, Sensitive, and Rational; which make three distinct kinde of living Creatures: Vegetal Plants, Sensible Beasts, Rational Men. How these three principal faculties are distinguished and connected, Humano ingenio inaccessum videtur, is beyond humane capacity, as Taurellus, Philip, Flavius & others suppose. The inferiour may be alone, but the superiour cannot subsist without the other; so Sensible includes Vegetal, Rational both; which are contained in it (saith Aristotle) ut trigonus in tetragono, as a Triangle in a Quadrangle.

Vegetal, the first of the three distinct faculties, is defined to be a substantial act of an organical body, by which it is nourished, augmented, and begets another like unto it self. In which definition, three several operations are specified, Altrix, Auctrix, Procreatrix; the first is Nutrition, whose object is nourishment, meat, drink, and the like; his Organ the Liver in sensible creatures; in Plants, the root or sap. His office it to turne the nutriment into the substance of the body nourished, which he performes by natural heat. This nutritive operation hath four other subordinate functions, or powers belonging to it, Attraction, Retention, Digestion, Expulsion.

Attraction is a ministring facultie, which as a Loadstone doth Iron, drawes meat into the stomack, or as a lamp doth oyle; and this attractive power is very necessary in Plants, which suck up moisture by the root, as another mouth, into the sap, as a like stomack. Retention keeps it, being attracted unto the stomack, untill such time it be concocted; for if it should pass away straight, the body could not be nourished.

Digestion is performed by natural heat; for as the flame of a torch consumes oyle, wax, tallow: so doth it alter and digest the nutritive matter. Indigestion is opposite unto it, for want of natural heat. Of this Digestion there be three differences, Maturation, Elixation, Assation.

Maturation, is especially observed in the fruits of trees: which are then said to be ripe, when the seeds are fit to be sowne again. Cruditie is opposed to it, which Gluttons, Epicures, and idle persons are most subject unto, that use no exercise to stir up natural heat, or else choke it, as too much wood puts out a fire.

Elixation is the seething of meat in the stomack, by the said natural heat, as meat is boyled in a pot; to which corruption or putrefaction is opposite. Assation is a concoction of the inward moisture by heat; his opposite is Semiustulation.

Besides these three several operations of Digestion, there is a fourfold order of concoction: Mastication, or chewing in the mouth; Chilification of this so chewed meat in the stomack; the third is in the Liver, to turne this Chylus into bloud, called Sanguification; the last is Assimulation, which is in every part. Expulsion is a power of Nutrition, by which it expels all superfluous excrements, and reliques of meat and drink, by the guts, bladder, pores; as by purging, vomiting, spitting, sweating, urine, haires, nailes, &c.

As this Nutritive facultie serves to nourish the body, so doth the Augmenting facultie (the second operation or power of the Vegetal facultie) to the increasing of it in quantity, according to all Dimensions, long, broad, thick, and to make it grow till it come to his due proportion and perfect shape: which hath his period of augmentation, as of consumption: and that most certaine, as the Poet observes:

Stat sua cuique dies, breve & irreparabile tempus Omnibus est vitæ;——

A terme of life is set to every man; Which is but short, and pass it no one can.

The last of these Vegetal faculties is Generation, which begets another by meanes of seed, like unto it self, to the perpetual preservation of the Species. To this faculty they ascribe three subordinate operations: The first to turne nourishment into seed, &c.

Necessary concomitants or affections of this Vegetal facultie, are life, & his privation, death. To the preservation of life the natural heat is most requisite, though siccity and humidity, and those first qualities, be not excluded. This heat is likewise in Plants, as appeares by their increasing, fructifying, &c. though not so easily perceived. In all bodies it must have radicall moisture to preserve it, that it be not consumed; to which preservation our clime, country, temperature, and the good or bad use of those six non-natural things availe much.

For as this natural heat and moisture decayes, so doth our life it selfe: and if not prevented before by some violent accident, or interrupted through our own default, is in the end dryed up by old age, and extinguished by death for want of matter, as a Lampe for defect of oyl to maintain it.