C H A P.  V I I.

(pp. 197–201)

4. Some Animals live long without food: The Camelions food is onely aire; the contrary reasons answered: Air turns to water, and is the pabulous supply of fire.

I read of divers both beasts and men, which have lived a long time without meat or drink: We know that Swallowes, Cuckows, Dormice, and divers other animals fast all the Winter: The like is recorded of Lizards, Serpents, water-Crocodiles, Bears, and other ravenous beasts, whose bodies by reason of their humidity & rapacity, are ful of crudities, by which they are fed in the Winter. Mendoza (de Flor. Philos. Prob. 24.) speaks of a Hen in his time, which lived 80 dayes without food and water. Cardan (de Subtil. l. 10.) writes that the Indian bird called Manucodiata, lives only in the aire upon dew, as Grasshoppers doe. Rondiletius (l. 1. de Piscib. c. 12.) shewes that his wife kept a fish three yeares in a glasse, without any other food but water; and yet the fish grew so big, that the glasse could not at last contain it. And I have kept Spiders my selfe in a glass, which I dismissed after they had fasted nine moneths. The Camelion also liveth upon the aire, Oscitans vescitur, follicans ruminat, de vento cibus, saith Tertullian (in Pallio.) I have seen a Cemelion which was brought hither from Africa by sea, and kept in a Box, which all the while was never seen to feed on any thing else but aire. Yet D. Brown (Book 3. c. 21.) will not have aire to be his food for these reasons, 1. Because Aristotle and AElian speak nothing of this. Answ. Neither doe they speak any thing against it, which likely they would have done, if they had thought their feeding on aire had bin fabulous. They do not speak of what food each animall is sustained: and though they doe not speak of this airy food, yet Pliny and others doe. 2. Scaliger writes, that Claudius saw a Camelion lick up a flye from his breast. And Bellonius upon exenteration found Flies in the Camelions belly. Ans. So I have seen Dogges and Cats eat Flies; Munkies and Turkies eat Spiders, and Dogges eat grasse; yet it will not follow that they feed on these, but rather eat them out of wantonnesse, or for Physick; so doth the Camelion sometimes eat flies; and so doth the Ostridge eat Iron, and divers birds swallow stones. 3. There are found in this animall the guts, the stomach, and other parts for nutrition, which had been superfluous if it feed on air onely. Answ. These parts are not superfluous through they feed on air, but necessary; because the air on which they feed, is not pure, but mixed, and therefore nutritive. Again, they were to eat sometimes flies, for pleasure or physick, therefore the stomach was necessary. Moreover, we must not think every thing in nature superfluous, whereof we can give no reason; for so we may accuse her for giving eyes to Wonts, teats to Men, Goats, and Dogges, whereof they make no use. And why she is so bountifull to the Fox, add so niggardly to the Ape, in giving the one too great a taile, the other none at all. 4. He reasons From the bignesse of the Camelions tongue and the slimy matter in it, that aire cannot be its nutriment. Ans. Its tongue was made to catch flies, but not for nutriment, as is said: and that slimy matter is given as well for its prey, as for the destruction of Serpents its enemies: for it useth upon the sight of a Serpent, to let fall that slimy matter on his head, with which he is presently killed. 5. The air cannot nourish, because it hath no tast. Answ. Tast belongs not to nourishment; for they who have lost their tast, are not therefore the lesse nourished. Again, though the pure aire be tastlesse, yet aire thickned and mixed, is not so as we may perceive by the divers tasts in waters. Besides, though the aire be tastlesse to us, it may be otherwise to the Camelion. 6. There can be no transmutation of aire into the body nourished, because there is no familiarity of matter between air and a living body. Answ. This may be true of pure aire, but not of mixed and of our bodies, not of the Camelions. Besides, divers creatures live on dew, which is but watrish aire; add how many in Arabia are fed with Manna, which is both begot of and in the aire. 7. Nutriment is condensated by the naturall heat, but aire by the bodies heat is rarified. Ans. The contrary of this is seen continually by the aire we breath out, which is still thicker then that we take in: For though heat doth rarifie the aire, yet by the moisture of our bodies it is thickned. 8. All aliment must remain some time in the body; but aire is presently expelled. Answ. The aire which is attracted by the Lungs, and serves for the refrigeration of the heart, is quickly again expelled, because it is to stay no longer then it performs its office, which is to refrigerate; but that aire on which the Camelion and other creatures feed, must and doth stay longer. 9. Aire in regard of our naturall heat is cold, and so contrary; but aliment is potentially the same. Answ. All aliment is contrary at first, or else there could be no action, and so no nutrition. Again, what is cold, is potentially the same with our bodies in respect of the substance, not of the quality. Besides, how many sorts of cold meats, fish, fruits, hearbs, sallets do men eat in Summer, which notwithstanding are the same potentially with their bodies. 10. Some deny aire to be an aliment, or that it entreth into mixt bodies, and it’s not easie to demonstrate, that it is convertible into water; and we doubt that aire is the pabulous supply of fire, much less that flame is properly aire kindled. Answ. Some have denied snow to be white, or fire hot, therefore no wonder if some fantasticall heads deny aire to be an element, or that it entreth into mixt bodies. Danaeus indeed thinks aire and water to be all one, because water is quickly turned into aire, and because they have great affinity: but this is against himselfe; for what can be turned into another substance is not the same, nothing is convertible into it selfe: and if aire be water, because this can be turned into that; then water is earth; for in many caves water drops turn to stones, and so we shall make but one element. Again, if aire enter not into mixt bodies, what is that unctuous humidity or oyle which we find in all perfect mixt bodies? It cannot be fire nor earth; for these are neither unctuous nor humid: nor can it be water; for though that be humid, it is not unctuous, it must needs then be aire. Again, when the Doctor saith, It is not easie to demonstrate the conversion of aire into water; he denieth both sense and reason: for this conversion is as demonstrable as our respiration in winter, when the aire which a man attracteth, is turned into water drops on his beard, sheets, rugges, and blankets: reason also shewes this; for if water can be turned into aire, why cannot aire be turned into water, both communicating in the symbolicall quality of humidity. Lastly, his doubting, and the Lord Verulams denying aire to be the pabulous supply of fire, is causlesse: For I ask, what is it that substantially maintains the fire? They answer, It is combustible matter in the kindled body. But in this they trifle: for I ask what this combustible matter is? Earth it cannot be; for earth, 1. as earth, is not combustible; and we see that after the fire is spent, earth remains in the ashes. Nor can it be water; for that maintains not the fire, but extinguisheth it. It must then necessarily be aire: for we see by daily experience, that the more of this unctuous or aereall humidity is in the fewell, the more apt it is to burn. And when this is spent, the fire dieth, as we see in candles, lamps, torches, links, & whatsoever hath pinguedinous matter in it. Fernelius indeed gives a threefold food to the fire, to wit, combustible stuffe, smoak, and aire; but all this may be reduced to aire: For nothing is combustible which hath not in it aereall humidity: and smoke is nothing else but aire cloathed with the fiery quality of siccity [i.e., dryness] and calidity [i.e., heat], wanting nothing but light to make it fire. Therefore we see how quickly smoke is turned into flame, and this into smoke again. To conclude, aire is the very life of fire, which would quickly die if it received not animation by ventilation. This we see in Cupping-glasses, how nimbly the fire, when almost extinguished, will upon a little vent suck the aire to it.

 

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C H A P.  V I I I.

(pp. 201–203)

1. Divers animals long-lived without food. The Camelion lives on aire onely.

That divers animals, even men and women, can subsist without food, is plain by these examples. A certain maid in the Diocesse of Spire, anno 1542. lived three yeares without meat or drink. In the yeare 1582. in the Palatinat there lived a maid nine years together without food; who afterward married and had children. Rondeletius (l. 1. de pis. c. 13.) writes of a maid in France, and of another in Germany, who lived divers years without food: & of another whom he saw; this had no other food but aire ten yeares together. Ficinus saw a man who had no other food but what the aire & Sun affoorded him. In the year 1593, a maid lived at Colen three years without food; another at Berne lived eighteen yeares on the aire alone anno 1604. Other examples I could alledge out of Citesius Physitian of Padua, Lentulus of Bern, Joubertus & others; but these may suffice to let us see that nutrition doth not consist meerly in meat and drink. I will not here alledge examples of miraculous fasts, or of Diabolical and Magical; but such as are meerly natural, as these which I have named: for in them the naturall heat was weak, and not able to master the humidity with which they abounded: So then, where there is a weak heat, and much sweet Phlegme, which is imperfect blood, as Physitians call it, there the life may be prolonged without food. I have read (Mendoza in Flor. Phil.) of a Venetian who fasted 46. yeares, being of a cold constitution, and abounding with thick phlegme; we see this in the herb Semper-vivum, which many yeares together liveth and is green without earth or water, having much naturall humidity within it. So the Camelion is only fed by aire, as is said, which appears to be true (however D. Brown (3 Book c. 21) writes to the contrary) by these reasons, 1. The testimonies both of ancient and modern Writers, except a few, and the witnesses of some yet living, who have kept Camelions a long time, and never saw them feed but on aire. 2. To what end hath Nature given it such large lungs beyond its proportion? Sure not for refrigeration; lesse Lungs would serve for this use, seeing their heat is weak; it mush be then for nutrition. 3. There is so little blood in it, that we may easily see it doth not feed on solid meat. The Doctor saith, That Frogs and divers fishes have little blood, and yet their nutriment is solid. But he doth not prove the nutriment to be solid. Besides, they have more blood then is in the Camelion. 4. To what end should it continually gape more then other animals, but that it stands more in need of aire then they, to wit, for nutrition as wel as refrigeration. The Doctor imputeth this gaping to the largenesse of his Lungs: This is but a shift; for other animals whose Lungs do exceed both the Lungs and whole bodies of many Camelions, doe not gape as this doth, and yet they stand more in need of refrigeration, as having more blood and heat, then ten thousand Camelions. 5. He that kept the Camelion which I saw, never perceived it to void excrements backwards; an argument it had no solid food: and what wonder is it for the Camelion to live on aire, when Hay a beast of Brasill as big as a Dog, was never seen to feed on any thing else, as Lerius witnesseth? The Doctor concludes, That the Camelion is abstemious a long time, but not still, because divers other animals are so. He may as well inferre, that the Camelion is cornuted, because divers other animals are so. Each species hath its property, which is not communicable to other species; otherwise it were no property.