[Sidenote: Dense bodies, such as stones, resist an easy separation of parts; whereas the particles of liquid or flowing things, such as air and water, are easily separated and soon reunited.] {and} yit the harde thinges as stoones clyuen {and} holden hyr partyes to gydere ryht faste {and} harde / {and} deffenden hem in withstondenge 2768 þ{a}t they ne departe nat lyhtly a twyne // {and} the thinges þ{a}t ben softe {and} fletynge as is water {and} Eyr they departyn lyhtly // {and} yeuen place to hem þ{a}t brekyn or deuyden hem // but natheles they retorne{n} 2772 sone ayein in to the same thinges fro whennes they ben arraced // [Sidenote: Fire avoids and utterly refuses any such division.] but fyr [fleetħ] {and} refuseth alle deuysyou{n} / [Sidenote: I am not now treating of the voluntary motion of a conscious soul, but of the natural intention and instinct.] ne I. ne trete nat heer{e} now of weleful moeuynges of the sowle þ{a}t is knowynge // but of the naturel entenciou{n} 2776 of thinges // [Sidenote: We swallow our meat without thinking of it, and we draw our breath in sleep without perception.] As thus ryht as we swolwe the mete þ{a}t we resseyuen {and} ne thinke nat on it / {and} as we drawen owr{e} breth in slepynge þ{a}t we wite it nat whil we slepyt // [Sidenote: The love of life in animals is not derived from an intellectual will, but from natural principles implanted in them.] For certes in the beestys the loue of hyr lyuynges ne of 2780 hyr beeinges ne comth nat of the wilnynges of the sowle // but of the bygynnyngis of natur{e} // [Sidenote: For the will, induced by powerful reasons, sometimes chooses and embraces death, although nature dreads and abhors it.] For certes thorw constreynynge causes / wil desireth {and} embraceth ful ofte tyme / the deth þ{a}t natur{e} dredith // that is to seyn [[pg 99]] as thus that a man may ben constreynyd so by som 2785 cause that his wil desireth and taketh the deth which þ{a}t natur{e} hateth {and} dredeth ful sore // [Sidenote: And, on the contrary, we see that concupiscence (by which alone the human race is perpetuated) is often restrained by the will.] And som tyme we seeth the contrarye / as thus that the wil of a wight / 2788 destorbeth {and} constreyneth þ{a}t þ{a}t natur{e} desireth / and requereth al-wey // that is to sein the werk of gen{er}aciou{n} / by the whiche gen{er}aciou{n} only / dwelleth {and} is sustenyd the longe durablete of mortal thinges // [Sidenote: Self-love possessed by every creature is not the product of volition, but proceeds from a natural impression or intention of nature.]