Human Virtues In the Body of Man

AN ASTROLOGO-PHYSICAL DISCOURSE OF THE
HUMAN VIRTUES IN THE BODY OF MAN; BOTH
PRINCIPAL AND ADMINISTERING

HUMAN virtues are either principal for procreation, and conservation: or administering, for Attraction, Digestion, Retention, or Expulsion.

Virtues conservative, are Vital, Natural, and Animal.

By the natural are bred Blood, Choler, Flegm, and Melancholy.

The animal virtue is Intellective, and Sensitive.

The Intellective is Imagination, Judgment, and Memory.

The sensitive is Common, and Particular.

The particular is Seeing, Hearing, Smelling, Tasting, and Feeling.

The scope of this discourse is, to preserve in soundness and vigour, the mind and understanding of man; to strengthen the brain, preserve the body in health, to teach a man to be an able co-artificer, or helper of nature, to withstand and expel Diseases.

I shall touch only the principal faculties both of body and mind; which being kept in a due decorum, preserve the body in health, and the mind in vigour.

I shall in this place speak of them only in the general, as they are laid down to your view in the Synopsis, in the former pages, and in the same order.

Virtue Procreative : The first in order, is the Virtue Procreative: for natural regards not only the conservation of itself, but to beget its like, and conserve in Species.

The seat of this is the Member of Generation, and is governed principally by the influence of Venus.

It is augmented and encreased by the strength of Venus, by her Herbs, Roots, Trees, Minerals, &c.

It is diminished and purged by those of Mars, and quite extinguished by those of Saturn.

Observe the hour and Medicines of Venus, to fortify; of Mars, to cleanse this virtue; of Saturn, to extinguish it.

Conservative : The conservative virtue is Vital, Natural, Animal.

Vital : The Vital spirit hath its residence in the heart, and is dispersed from it by the Arteries; and is governed by the influence of the Sun. And it is to the body, as the Sun is to the Creation; as the heart is in the Microcosm, so is the Sun in the Megacosm: for as the Sun gives life, light, and motion to the Creation, so doth the heart to the body; therefore it is called Sol Corporis, as the Sun is called Cor Cœli, because their operations are similar.

Inimical and destructive to this virtue, are Saturn and Mars.

The Herbs and Plants of Sol, wonderfully fortify it.

Natural : The natural faculty or virtue resides in the liver, and is generally governed by Jupiter, Quasi Juvans Pater; its office is to nourish the body, and is dispersed through the body by the veins.

From this are bred four particular humours, Blood, Choler, Flegm, and Melancholy.