Archimedes Texts

232
makes the objection, yea, it is totally overthrown by that which
immediately after he addeth for a greater confirmation of his argu
ment, as you shall hear. He re-inforceth his argument, I say, with

another Axiome, which is this; That natura in rebus necessari is
nec deficiat, nec abundat: i.e. That nature in things necessary is
neither defective, nor superfluous. This is obvious to the obser

vers of natural things, and chiefly of animals, in which, because
they are to move with many motions, Nature hath made many
flexures, and hath thereunto commodiously knitted the parts for
motion, as to the knees, to the hips, for the inabling of living
creatures to go, and run at their pleasure. Moreover in man he
hath framed many flexions, and joynts, in the elbow, and hand, to
enable them to perform many motions. From these things the ar

gument is taken against the threefold motion of the Earth. [Ei
ther the Body, that is one, and continuate, without any manner of
knittings or flexions, can exercise divers motions, or cannot: If it
can without them, then in vain hath nature framed the flexures in
animals; which is contrary to the Axiome: but if it cannot with
out them, then the Earth, one body, and continuate, and deprived of
flexures, and joynts, cannot of its own nature move with plurali
ty of motions.] You see now how craftily he falls upon your an
swer, as if he had foreseen it.

SALV. You must therefore see that you have as fortunate an
hand in defending the reply of this Philosopher, against some o
ther rejoynders made to him; therefore answer for him, I pray
you, seeing we cannot have him here. You first admit it for true,
that Nature hath made the joynts, flexures, and knuckles of li
ving creatures, to the intent that they might move with snndry
and divers motions; and I deny this proposition; and say, that
these flexions are made, that the animal may move one, or more

of its parts, the rest remaining immoved: and I say, that as to the
species and differences of motions those are of one kind alone, to
wit, all circular, and for this cause you see all the ends of the mo

veable bones to be convex or concave, and of these some are sphe
rical, as are those that are to move every way, as in the shoulder

joynt, the arme of the Ensigne doth, in displaying the Colours,
and that of the Falconer in bringing his Hawk to the lure; and
such is the flexure of the elbow, upon which the hand turns round,
in boring with an augure: others are circular onely one way, and
as it were cylindrical, which serve for the members that bend one

ly in one fashion, as the joynts of the fingers one above another,
&c. But without more particular inductions, one only general dis
course may make this truth understood; and this is, that of a solid