Archimedes Texts

491
of Nature ought to be perpetual) may be said to be immutable
and immoveable, and the Heavens themselves to be immovea
bly moved, and Terrene things to be immutably changed, be
cause those never cease moving, nor these changing. By this Prin
ciple or Maxime all difficulties belonging to the first Classis are
cleared, by which the Earth is said to be stable and immoveable,
that is, by understanding this one thing, That the Earth, as to its
own Nature, though it include in it self a local Motion, and that
threefold, according to the opinion of Copernicus (scilicet Diur

nal, with which it revolveth about its own Centre; Annual,
by which it moveth through the twelve Signes of the Zodiack,
and the motion of Inclination, by which its Axis is alwayes op
posed to the same part of the World) as also other Species of
Mutation, such as Generation and Corruption, Accretion and
Diminution, and Alteration of divers kinds; yet in all these she
is stable & constant, never deviating from that Order which God
hath appointed her, but moveth continually, constantly and im
mutably, according to the six before named Species of Motion.

My third Maxime shall be this; When a thing is moved ac
cording to some part of it, and not according to its whole, it
cannot be said to be simply & absolutely moved, but only per acci
dens, for that stability taken simply & absolutly do rather accord
with the same. As for example, if a Barrel or other measure of
Water be taken out of the Sea, and transferred to another place,
the Sea may not therefore absolutely & simply be said to be remo
ved from place to place; but only per accidens, and secundum
quid, that is, according to a part of it, but rather (to speak sim
ply) we should say that the Sea cannot be carried or moved out of
its proper place,, though as to its parts it be moved, and transfer
red to & again. This Maxime is manifest of it self, and by it may
the Authorities be explained which seem to make for the immo
bility of the Earth in this manner; namely, The Earth per se &
absolutè considered as to its Whole, is not mutable, seeing it is
neither generated nor corrupted neither increased nor diminished;
neither is it altered secundum totum, but only secundum partes.

Now it plainly appears, that this is the genuine and true Sense of
what is ascribed to it out of Ecclesiastes, cap. 1. v. 4. One Generation
passeth away, and another Generation cometh, but the Earth abideth
for ever: as if he should say; although the Earth, according to its
parts, doth generate and corrupt, and is liable to the vicissitudes of
Generation and corruption, yet in reference to its Whole it never
generateth nor Corrupteth, but abideth immutable for ever:
Like as a Ship, which though it be mended one while in the Sail
yard, another while in the Stern, and afterwards in other parts
it yet remains the same Ship as it was at first. But tis to be ad