moste highe to haue climbed. So that sonne and Moone, and the planetes all,
participatyng of the nature of that lighter substaunce: moue so muche the
faster, in how muche thei are of the more subtile parte. But that whiche
was mixed with waterie moisture, to haue rested in the place, for the
heauinesse thereof, and of the watery partes, the sea to haue comen: and
the matier more compacte to haue passed into a clamminesse firste, and so
into earth. This earth then brought by the heate of the sonne into a more
fastenesse. And after by the same power puffed and swollen in the
vppermoste parte, there gathered manye humours in sondry places, which
drawing to ripenesse enclosed them selues in slymes and in filmes, as in
the maresses of Egipt, and other stondynge waters we often se happen. And
seynge the heate of thaier sokynly warmeth the cold ground and heate meint
[Footnote: Mingled.--A word of Chaucer's time. "And in one vessel both
together meint." _Fletcher's Purple Island_, iv., st. 21.] with moisture is
apt to engendre: it came to passe by the gentle moisture of the night aire,
and the comforting heate of the daie sonne, that those humours so riped,
drawyng vp to the rinde of thearth, as though their tyme of childbirthe
ware come, brake out of their filmes, and deliuered vpon the earth all
maner of liuing thinges. Emong whiche those that had in them moste heate,
became foules into the aire: those that ware of nature more earthie, became
wormes and beastes of sondrie kindes: and where water surmounted, thei
drewe to the elemente of their kinde, and had to name fishes. But
afterwarde the earth beyng more parched by the heate of the Sonne, and the
drouthe of the windes, ceased to bring furthe any mo greate beastes: and
those that ware already brought furthe, (saie thei) mainteined, and
encreased by mutualle engendrure, the varietie, and nombre. And they are of
opinion that in the same wise, men ware engendred in the beginning. And as
nature putte them forth emong other beastes, so liued they at the first an
vnknowen lyfe wyldely emong them, vpon the fruictes, and the herbes of the
fieldes. But the beastes aftre a while waxing noysome vnto them, they ware