Aristotle's book of problems

157 Pages·2016·8.85 MB·English

Great Arjlotle s Pidhire view.
All other’s falfe, this only true.
ARISTOTLE’S
BOOK OF
PROBLEMS,
With other
ASTRONOMERS, PHYSICIANS,
ASTROLOGERS, PHILOSOPHERS.
Wherein is contained divers
Questions and Answers
Touching the
State of M A N’s Body.
Together with
The Reafons of divers Wonders in the
Creation The Generations of Birds
Beajis Fif:hes-> and Infedis and many,
other,Problems on the m;oll weighty
Matters,byWayofQueftionzn&Anfwer.
The Twenty-Seventh Edition.
LONDON:
Printed for J.W. J.K. D. M. A.B. E, R. M.
R. T.L. B.M. and A.W.
Reader^
THESE Problems have beenprinted
very often, andfindingfo generalan
acceptance,diverfieBookshavebeenhoifiedinto
the JVorld under the Na?ne ofAriftotle, fo
that manyPeoplehave bought them,thinking
theyhad therightfort, by which thePublick
has beeninjuredas wellastheProprietors
.
The Matter it contains is neceffaryfor all
People to know and as Man isfaid tobe a
\
Microcofm (or littleWorld) and inhim the
Almightyhas imprintedhisownImagefolive-
ly, that no Power whatfoever isable to blot
itout-,fothisImageand Similitude isthe Soul
aitdUnderfibinding. And notwithftandingall
the Perfections which Man hathin himfelf’,
few ornone takeDelight inthe Studyofhim-
felf,oriscareful toknow the Subjlance, State,
Condition,Quality, orufeofthefeveralParts
ofhis own Body, althd> he be the honour of
Nature, and more to be admired than the
firongefi and rarefi JVonder that ever hap-
pened. Ihave thereforepublifhed this little
Book wrote byAriftotle and the deepefiPhi-
iofophers, who teach the Ufe ofall Parts of
theBody, their Nature, Quality, Property,
and Subftance, and qhefiion not but it will
afford both innocent, neceffary, and ufeful
Knowledge, ar.d prove profitable to both
Sexes,
Farewd.
5
AR!STOTLE‘s PROBLEMS.
A MONG all living Creatures, nvhy hath
Mas: only his Countenance liftedup tonuards
Heaven?
A. Unto the QuelHon thereare divers Anf.vers.
Firft, Itproceeds from the Will of theCreator.
And although theAnfwerbe true, yet in this our
purpofe it feemethnot to be offeree, becaufe that
fo allQueftions eafily mightberefolved.
Secondly, I anfwer, that for the mod part every
Workman doth make his fird work worfe, and
then his fecond better, and fo God creating all
other Beads before Man, gave them their Face
looking down to the Earth, And then feconcly,
he created Man,as it doth appear in Genefis, unto
whom he gave an honed Shape, lifted up unto
Heaven, becaufe it is drawn fr-om divinity, and
doth alfo derogate from the Goodnefs of God,
who maketh all his Works perfedland good.
Thirdly, It is anfwered, that Man only among
all living Creaturesis ordained to the Kingdom of
Heaven, and therefore hath his Faceelevated, and
liftedup to heaven, becaufe that defpiling worldly
and earthly things, he ought tocontemplate on
heavenly things.
Fourthly, That thereafonableSoulis like unto
Angels, and finally ordained towardsGod; as it
appeared by Jvencis, in thefirft de Anima and,
;
thereforehehatha Figure looking upward.
6 The PROBLEMS
Fifhly, that Man is a Micrccofm, that is, a
little World, as it pleafeth Arijiotle to fay in the
Eight of thisPhyf and therefore he doth command1
all other livingCreatures, andthey obey him.
Sixthly, It is anfwered, that naturally there is
unto every thingand everywork, that form and
figure given which isfit and proper forits motion
:
As unto the roundnefs, to the fire a py-
ramidical form, thatis, broad beneath, and lharp
towards thetop; which form ismollapt toafeend;
and foMan had his face up to Heaven, to behold
thewonders ofGod’sworks.
Why is the HeadofBeafls hairy?
A. The Anfver, according to the Opinion of
Conji.is, thatthehairsareanornamentofthehead,
and of thebrain and thebrainis purgedand eva-
;
cuatedofgrofshumoursbythegrowing of thehair,
from thehigheftunto the loweft parts whichpafs
:
through thepores of theexterior flelh, and do be-
come dry, and are convertedinto hairs. Thisap-
pears to be true, becaufe that in all Man’s body
thereis nothing dryerthan the hairs; for they are
dryer than thebones, as AlbertusMagnus doth af-
firm, bccaufe that feme Bealls are nourilbedwith
bones, asDogs, but noBealls can digell feathers,
or hair, but do void them undigelled and they
;
are notfor nutriment.
Secondly, It is anfwered, that thebrain is purg-
edfour manner ofways Firft, offuperfluous wa-
:
tryhumours, by theEyes from melancholy, by
;
the Ears and ofcholer, by the Nofe flegm, by
; ;
the Hair; and that is the intent ofthePhyfician.
Ch Why have MenlongerHairon theirHeadsthan
other living Creatures
?
A. Arift, de Genrat. Anim. fays, thatMen have
the moillell brain ofall livingCreatures, from the
which the feed proceedeth, whi«h is converted
into thelong hairof thehead.
of ARISTOTLE.
Secondly, It is anfwered, that the humours of
Man are fat, and do rot become dry eafijy, and
therefore thehair groweth long in him in other
;
Keafts the humours are eafilydryed, and therefore
the hair growethnot fo long.
Q. Why doth the hair take deeperroot inMad’s
fin, thanin other living Creatures? >
A• Becaufe they have greater llore of nourifit-
ment in Man, and therefore grow more into the
inward parts of Man. And this is alfo the reafon
why in other Creacuies the hair doth alter and
change with the Ikin, andnot in Man, uniefs it be
fometimes afear or wound.
Why have Women longer hair thanMen?
A. Becaufe Women are moilier than Men, and
ftegmatick, and therefore there is more matter
of hair in them, and by confequence, the length
alfo of their'hairs doth follow. And further more,
this matter is more increaled in Women than in
Men from theirinterior parts, and efpecially in the
lime oftheir Monthly Terms, becaufe thematter
doth then afcend, whereby the Humour which
breedeth the hair doth increafe. And Alhertus
doth fay, that if the hair ofaWoman in the time
of her Flowers be put into dung, a venomous
Serpentis engendered ofit.
The fecond anfwer is, becaufe Women want
Beards, and fo the matterof the Beard doth go
into the matter ofthe hair.
r Why havefome Menfoft hair andJcmehardi
A. We anfwer with Arijiotle, th,atthe hairhath
proportion with the (kin, of whichfome is hard,
feme thick, fome fubtle and foft, fome grofs;
therefore the hair which groweth out ofa thick
and grofs fkin, is thick and gtofs, and thatwhich
growethofafubtle and fine, is fine and foft, and
when thePores are open, then cometh forthmuch
humour, and therefore hard hair is engendered;
ne PROBLEMS
and when the pores are ftrait, then there doth
grow foft andfine hair. And this doth Arijiole
,
fhewin Men, in whom we have an eminent token,
BecaufeWomenhavefofterhair than they, becaufe
that in Women the Pores are Ihut, and are ftrait
byreafon oftheircoldnefs.
Secondly, becaufe that for the moft part chole-
rick Menhave harderand thickerhair thanothers;
by reafon oftheir heat,and becaufe thepores are
ever open in them, and therefore alfo they have
Beards foohcr thanothers. Whereupon thePhilo-
fopher faith, that thofe beaft which have hard
hair are the boldeft, becaufefnch hair proceedeth
of heat and choler, which choler maketh Men
fight. Arifotkalfo giveth example in theBearand
the Boar; and contrariwife thofe bcafts that have
Jbft hair are fearful, becaufe theybe cold, as the
Hareand Hart. Arijlotle doth giveanotherreafon
of the foftnefs and hardnefsof the hair, drawn
from the Climate where a Man is born; becaufe
thatinhot Regionshard and grofs hairis ingen-
dered,as itappears in the Ethiopians and the con-
trary is true in the cold Country, as, tovyards ths
North. . u
Q. Why have /owe Men curled Hair andfame
fmooth
?
A. The anfwer is. That the caufeof the curl-
ing ofthe hairis greatadundanceof heat; fo that
if therebe much heat in a Man, then the hair
doth cur! and growupward. And a fign of this
proved true, becaufe that fometlmes a Man doth
enterintoaBath fmoothhaired,andafterwards by
the Bath becometh curled. And therefore the
Keepers of Baths have often curled hair, asalio
theEthiopiansand cholerick Men. But thecaufeof
thefmoothnefs is the abundance ofmoift humours
which tend downwards; and a proof of this is,
becaufe they have much humidity in them, and
fmall heat.
of ARISTOTLE. 9
Why do WomenJhenutheirripenefsby their hair
in theirPrivy Parts, andnot elfevohere but Men is
,
their Breafis?
A. We anfwerPhyfician like, becaufe in Men
and Women there are abundance ofhumidity in
that place, but more in Women, becaufe in Men
have themouth of the bladderin thatplace where
the Urine is contained, ofwhich the hair is the
breads is ingendered, andabout the Navel. But of
Womenit is faid, that thehumidity of theBladder,
and ofthe Matrix or Womb, is joined, and meet-
eth in that low fecret Place; and thereforeis dif-
folved and feperated in that place through much
vapours and fumes, which are the caufe ofhair.
And the like doth happen in otherPlaces where
hair is, and underthearms.
Q. Why havenotwomen Beards?
A. Becaufe they wantheat, as appearethinfome
effeminate Men, who are berrdlefsfor the fame
caufe, becaufe they are of the complexion of
Women.
Whydoththehairgrowin themthatarehanged}
A. Becaufe their bodies are expofedto theSun,
the which through its heat doth diffolve all the
moifture into afume or vapour, ofwhich thehair
dothgrow andincreafe,
Q. Why is thehairoftheBeardthickerandgroffer
than elfewhere, and the more Men are fhaven, the
harderandthickerit groweth.
A. Becaufe according to the rule of the Phyfi-
cians, by how much more the humour or vapour
of any liquoris diffolved and taken away, by fo
much the more the humour remaining doth draw
to the fame; and therefore how much the more
the hairis lhaven, fo much the more the humours
gather thicker; andofthem hairisingendred, and
doth there alfo wax-hard.
CK W/rp are womenfmooth andfair in refpeft of
Men?
10 Tic PROLEMS
A. The anfwer is, according unto Arifiotle de
General.Animal Becaufe that in Women allhu-
,
midity-and fuperfluity, which are the matter and
caufe of the hair of the body, is expelled with
their Monthly Terms; the which fuperfluityre-
mained! in Men, and through vapours dopafs into
thehair. And a fign of this is, becaufe Women
have any running at theNofe, or Impofthume or
Ulcer, but fuch matter is expelled-alfo. And we
fee fomeold Women begin tohave beards in their
old age, that s,s after fortyor fifty Years ofAge,
v
when their Flowers are ceafed: as Arifiotle doth
teach, deanimqlPtb, g
W/, dotjiManonly aide allotherCreatures,
•wax hoary} and grey, ax,Pythagoras and Ariftbtle
affirm? t
A. The anfvyer, according unto the Philofo-
phers is, becaufe Man hath the hotteftheart ofall
living Creatures; A*nd thereforenaturebeing more
wife, left a Man fhouldbe faffocated through the
heat of his heart, hath placed theheart, whichis
modhot, under theBrain, whichis moftcold; to
theend, thatthe heat of the heart may be tempe-
red with thecoldnefs ofthe brain,and contrariwife
that theooldnefs of the brain may be heated with
theheat of the heart, and thereby there mightbe
a temperature in both. Align toprove thisis, be-
caufe that of all living Creatures Man hath the
worlt breath, ifhecorhe to hisfull age. Further-
more, Man doth confume halfhis time infleeping,
which doth proceed from the great accefs of the
coldnefs and moifture of the brain, and by that
means doth want natural heat todigeft and con-
fume that moiftnefs; the which heathe hath fuf-
fcciently in his Youth and therefore in that age is
;
not grey, but inhis old age, when heat faileth
;
and thereforethe vapours afeending from theSto-
mach remain undigefted and unconfumed for want
■ofnaturalheat, and then putrefies, of which pu-