A Select Collection of Old English Plays, vol 1 | Page 7

they be corrupted, Each element I reduce to his first estate, So
that nothing can be utterly annihilate; For though the form and fashion
of anything That is a corporal body be destroyed, Yet every matter
remaineth in his being, Whereof it was first made and formed; For
corruption of a body commixed Is but the resolution by time and space
Of every element to his own place. For who that will take any body
corporal, And do what he can it to destroy, To break it or grind it into
powder small, To wash, to drown, to bren it, or to dry, Yet the air and
fire thereof naturally To their own proper places will ascend, The water
to the water, the earth to the earth tend; For if heat or moisture of
anything certain By fire or by water be consumed, Yet earth or ashes on
earth will remain, So the elements can never be destroyed. For
essentially there is now at this tide As much fire, air, water, earth, as
was Ever before this time, neither more nor less; Wherefore thou,
man--now I speak to thee-- Remember that thou art compound and
create Of these elements, as other creatures be, Yet they have not all
like noble estate, For plants and herbs grow and be insensate. Brute
beasts have memory and their wits five, But thou hast all those and soul
intellective; So by reason of thine understanding, Thou hast dominion
of other beasts all, And naturally thou shouldst desire cunning To know
strange effects and causes natural; For he that studieth for the life

bestial,[12] As voluptuous pleasure and bodily rest, I account him
never better than a beast.
HUMANITY.
O excellent prince, and great lord Nature, I am thine own child and
formed instrument! I beseech thy grace, take me to thy cure, And teach
me such science thou thinkest expedient.
NATURE.
Then sith thou art so humble and benevolent, That thing that is meet for
thy capacity And good for thy knowledge I shall instruct thee. First of
all, thou must consider and see These elements, which do each other
penetrate, And by continual alteration they be Of themselves daily
corrupted and generate. The earth as a point or centre is situate In the
midst of the world, with the water joined, With the air and fire round,
and whole environed. The earth of itself is ponderous and heavy, Cold
and dry of his own nature proper; Some part lieth dry continually, And
part thereof covered over with water, Some with the salt sea, some with
fresh river, Which earth and the water together withal So joined make a
round figure spherical; So the water which is cold and moist is found In
and upon the earth filling the hollowness, In divers parts, lying with the
earth round, Yet the hills and mountains of the earth excess Take
nothing of it away the roundness, In comparison because they be so
small, No more than the pricks do that be on a gall. The air which is hot
and moist also, And the fire which is ever hot and dry, About the earth
and water jointly they go, And compass them everywhere orbicularly,
As the white about the yoke of an egg doth lie. But the air in the lower
part most remaineth; The fire naturally to the higher tendeth. The
ethereal region which containeth The stars and planets, and every
sphere, About the elements daily moveth, And covereth them round
about everywhere. Every star and sphere in strange manner Upon his
own poles moveth diversely, Which now to declare were too long to
tarry. The fire and the air of their natures be light, Therefore they move
by natural providence; The water, because it is ponderous in weight,
Moveth not naturally, but by violence Of the stars and planets, by
whose influence The sea is compelled to ebb and flow daily, And fresh

waters to spring continually. And though that the water be gross and
heavy, Yet nothing so gross as the earth, I wiss; Therefore by heat it is
vapoured up lightly, And in the air maketh clouds and mists; But as
soon as ever that it grossly is Gathered together, it descendeth again,
And causeth upon the earth hail, snow, and rain. The earth, because of
his ponderosity, Avoideth equally the movings great Of all extremities
and spheres that be, And tendeth to the place that is most quiet; So in
the midst of all the spheres is set Foremost object from all manner
moving, Where naturally he resteth and moveth nothing. Mark well
now, how I have thee showed and told Of every element the very
situation And quality, wherefore this figure behold For a more manifest
demonstration. And because thou shouldst not