Chap. lvi. The same is confirmed by reason.

The world, the heavens, the Stars, and the Elements have a soul, with which they cause a soul in these

inferior and mixed bodies. They have also as we said in the former book, a spirit, which by the mediating of

the soul is united to the body: For as the world is a certain whole body, the parts whereof are the bodies of all

living creatures, and by how much the whole is more perfect and noble then the parts, by so much more

perfect, and noble is the body of the world then the bodies of each living thing. It would be absurd, that all

imperfect bodies and parts of the world, and every base Animal, as Flies, and Worms should be worthy of a

life, and have a life and soul, and the whole entire world a most perfect, whole, and most noble body, should

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa: Occult Philosophy. Book II. (Part 4, excerpts)

file:///M|/ PDF-Bücher/Esoterik & Magie/HTML/Agrippa2/agripp2d.htm (11 von 17) [20.02.2001 16:12:24]

have neither life, nor soul; It is no less absurd, that Heavens, Stars, Elements, which give to all things life,

and soul most largely, should themselves be without life, and soul; and that every plant, or tree should be of

a more noble condition then the Heaven, Stars, and Elements, which are naturally the cause of them; And

what living man can deny that earth, and water live, which of themselves, generate, vivifie, nourish, and

increase innumerable trees, plants, and living creatures? as most manifestly appears in things that breed of

their own accord, and in those which have no corporeall seed. Neither could Elements generate and nourish

such kind of living creatures, if they themselves were without life or soul. But some haply may say, that such

kind of living creatures are not generated by the soul of the earth, or water, but by the influencies of

Celestiall souls; These the Platonists answer, that an Accident cannot beget a substance, unless haply as an

instrument it be subjected to the next substance, because an instrument removed from an artificer is not

moved to the effect of the art; so also those Celestiall influencies, seeing they are certain accidents being

removed far from vital substances, or from the life it self, cannot generate a vital substance in these inferiors.

And Mercurius in his book which he cals De Communi, saith, All that is in the world is moved either by

increase, or decrease. Now what moves, must needs have life; and seeing that all things move, even the earth,

especially with a generative and alterative motion, they must themselves live. And if any doubt that the

heavens live, saith Theophrastus, he is not to be accounted a Philosopher; and he which denyes the heaven to

be animated, so that the mover thereof is not the form thereof, destroyes the foundation of all Philosophy;

The World therefore lives, hath a soul, and sense; for it gives life to plants, which are not produced of seed;

and it gives sense to Animals, which are not generated by coition.

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