De docta ignorantia

The ancients did not attain to these things now said, since they failed in learned ignorance. It is now manifest to us that this earth is in truth moved, although to us this does not appear. We do not apprehend motion except through a certain comparison to the fixed. For if one ignorant that water flows and seeing not the banks, existing in a ship in the midst of water, how would he apprehend the ship to be moved? And on this account since it always seems to anyone, whether he be on earth or sun or another star, that he is in the center as it were immobile and that all other things are moved, he will certainly always constitute other poles for himself, existing in the sun others and others on earth and others on the moon and Mars, and so of the rest. Whence the world machine will be as it were having center everywhere and circumference nowhere, since circumference and center is God, who is everywhere and nowhere.

This earth too is not spherical, as some said, although it tends to sphericity, for the figure of the world is contracted in its parts, as also motion; when, however, the infinite line is considered as contracted in such a way that as contracted it cannot be more perfect and more capacious, then it is circular; for there beginning coincides with end. The more perfect motion, therefore, is circular, and from this the more perfect corporeal figure spherical. Hence every motion of part is for perfection to the whole, as heavy things toward earth, and light upward, earth to earth, water to water, air to air, fire to fire, and the motion of the whole as much as it can accompanies the circular, and every figure the spherical figure, as in parts of animals and trees, and heaven we experience. Whence one motion is circular and more perfect than another, so also figures are different.

The figure of earth, therefore, is noble and spherical, and its motion circular, but it can be more perfect. And since there is no maximum in perfections, motions and figures in the world, as is clear from what has now been said, then it is not true that this earth be vilest and lowest, for although it seems more central, as to the world, yet by the same reason it is also nearer the pole, as has been said. Nor is earth itself a proportional or aliquot part of the world, for since the world has neither maximum nor minimum, neither has it a mean, nor aliquot parts, as neither man or animal; for the hand is not an aliquot part of man, although its weight seems to have proportion to the body, and so of magnitude and figure. Nor is the color of blackness an argument of its vileness; for in the sun if one were, that clarity which is to us would not appear. For considering the body of the sun, then it has a certain as it were more central earth and a certain lucidity as it were circumferential fiery, and in the middle as it were a watery cloud and brighter air, just as this earth its elements. Whence, if one were outside the region of fire, this earth in the circumference of its region through the medium of fire would appear a lucid star, as to us, who are outside the circumference of the region of the sun, the sun appears most lucid. And the moon does not appear so lucid, since perhaps about its circumference we are toward the more central parts, say in its as it were watery region; and hence its light does not appear to us, although it has its own light, appearing to those existing in the extremities of its circumference, and only the light of reflection of the sun appears to us. Even therefore the heat of the moon, which without doubt it effects from motion more in the circumference, where motion is greater, is not communicated to us, as in the sun. Whence this earth seems situated between the region of the sun and the moon and through their medium participates the influence of other stars, which we do not see for this, that we are outside their regions; for we see only their regions which scintillate.

The earth, therefore, is a noble star, which has light and heat and influence other and diverse from all other stars, as also anything whatever differs from anything whatever in light, nature and influence, and so any star whatever communicates to another light and influence, not from intention, since all stars are moved only and run, that they be in the better way, whence from consequence participation arises, as light from its nature shines, not that I see, but from consequence participation comes to be, while I use light to the end of seeing. Indeed blessed God created all things, that while anything whatever strives to conserve its being, as it were a certain divine gift, it do this in communion with others, and as the foot serves not itself only, but eye and hands and body and whole man, through this that it is only for walking, and so of eye and remaining members, likewise of parts of the world. For Plato called the world an animal, whose soul if you conceive God without immersion, many of these things which we said will be clear to you.

Nor must it be said that because earth is less than the sun, and receives influence from it, that therefore it be viler; since the whole region of earth, which extends even to the circumference of fire, is great. And although earth be less than the sun, as from shadow and eclipses this is known to us, yet it is not known to us how much the region of the sun be greater or less than the region of earth, as it precisely cannot be, for no star can be equal to another. Nor is earth the least star, since it is greater than the moon, as experience of eclipses taught us, and than Mercury too, as some say, and perhaps other stars. Whence from magnitude an argument does not conclude vileness.

The influence too which it receives is not an argument concluding imperfection, for itself, as it is a star, perhaps likewise influences the sun and its region, as is preferred; and since we do not experience ourselves otherwise than to be in the center, in which influences flow together, concerning this influence we experience nothing. For although that formal earth in respect of it and the moon as a middle nexus, so that these stars placed within one region unite their influences to one another for others, namely Mercury and Venus and the rest existing above, as the ancients said, and some also that one cannot be without another. There will therefore be one and trine in anything whatever likewise according to its degrees. Hence it is clear that it cannot be known through man whether the region of earth be in a more perfect or more ignoble degree in respect of the regions of other stars, of the sun and moon and the rest, than this.

Nor even as to place, say that this place of the world be the habitation of men and animals and vegetables, which are in a more ignoble degree than those inhabiting in the region of the sun and other stars.

For although God be center and circumference of all regions of stars, and from him diverse nobility natures proceed in any region whatever inhabiting, lest so many places of heavens and stars be empty, and not only this earth perhaps be inhabited by lesser ones, yet to the intellectual nature which here inhabits on this earth and in its region, no nobler and more perfect seems able to be given according to this nature, even if inhabitants of another genus be in other stars. For man does not desire another nature, but only to be perfect in his own.

Disproportionate, therefore, are those inhabitants of other stars, whatever they be, to the inhabitants of this world, even if that whole region to this whole region bear a certain occult proportion to us to the end of the universe, that so the inhabitants of this earth or region to those inhabitants through the medium of the universal region hence bear a certain habitude to one another, as particular joints of the fingers of the hand through the medium of the hand have proportion to the foot, and particular joints of the foot through the medium of the foot to the hand, that all things be proportioned to the integral animal. Whence since that whole region is unknown to us, those inhabitants remain wholly unknown, as in this earth it happens that animals of one species as it were making one specific region unite themselves and mutually participate for the common region those things which are of their region, of others apprehending nothing or impeding themselves or truly. For an animal of one species cannot apprehend the concept of another, which it expresses through vocal signs, except in fewest extrinsic signs and then through long use and only opinatively. Less, however, concerning inhabitants of another region disproportionately shall we be able to know, suspecting in the region of the sun the solar inhabitants to be more clear and illuminated intellectuals, more spiritual even than on the moon, where more lunatic, and on earth more material and gross, that those solar intellectual natures be much in act and little in potency, terrestrial indeed more in potency and little in act, lunar fluctuating in the middle.

This indeed we opine from the fiery influence of the sun and the watery at once and aerial of the moon and the material heaviness of earth, likewise suspecting concerning other regions of stars that none lack inhabitability, as there be so many particular worldly parts of one universe as there are stars, of which there is no number; that one universal world be contracted in its trine progression by its quaternary descent into so many particulars that of them there is no number except with him who created all things in number.

Even the corruption of things on earth, which we experience, is not an efficacious argument of ignobility. For it cannot be established to us, after there is a universal world and proportions of influences of all particular stars to one another, that anything be wholly corruptible, but well according to another mode of being, when these influences now as it were contracted in one individual are resolved, that the mode of being so or so perish, that there be no place for death, as Virgil says, for death seems nothing except that the composite be resolved to its components; and whether such resolution be only in terrestrial inhabitants, who shall be able to know? Some said there be so many species of things on earth as there are stars. If therefore earth so contracts the influence of all stars to singular species, as likewise is not done in the regions of other stars receiving influences of others, who shall be able to know whether all influences contracted before in composition return in dissolution, that the animal now existing an individual of some species in the region of earth contracted from all influence of stars be resolved, whether it return to principles, with form only returning to its own star, from which that species received actual being in earth the mother, or whether form only return to the exemplar or soul of the world, as the Platonists say, or to the possibility of matter, with the spirit of union remaining in motion of stars, which spirit while it ceases to unite withdraws itself on account of indisposition of organs or otherwise, that from diversity of motion it induce separation, then as it were returning to the stars, with form ascending above the influence of stars and that mind descending? Or whether they rest, and through it attain that end which is the end of the world, and how this end is attained through inferior forms in God through it, and how it ascends to the circumference, which is God, with body descending toward the center, where God also is, that the motion of all things be to God, in whom sometime as center and circumference are one in God, body also, although it seemed as it were to descend to the center, and soul to the circumference, be again united in God, with not all motion ceasing, but that which is to generation, as those essential parts of the world necessarily return, then with successive generation ceasing, without which the world cannot be, with the spirit of union returning and connecting possibility to its form — these things indeed no man can know from himself, unless singularly he have it from God. Although no one doubts that the best God created all things to himself, and wills nothing to perish of those things which he made, and knows him the most large remunerator of all worshipping him, yet the mode of divine operation, of present and future remuneration, God himself alone knows, who is his operation. I shall say, however, below according to the divinely inspired truth few things concerning this, concerning which now it suffices thus to have touched in ignorance.