The Works of Sir Thomas Browne, Volume 2Browne, Thomas, Sir
Religion
The Works of Sir Thomas Browne, Volume 2
Browne, Thomas, Sir
Christianity; Ethics; Religion and medicine
Lastly, These lateralities in Man are not only fallible, if relatively
determined unto each other, but made in reference unto the heavens and
quarters of the Globe: for those parts are not capable of these
conditions in themselves, nor with any certainty respectively derived
from us, nor from them to us again. And first in regard of their proper
nature, the heavens admit not these sinister and dexter respects; there
being in them no diversity or difference, but a simplicity of parts, and
equiformity in motion continually succeeding each other; so that from
what point soever we compute, the account will be common unto the whole
circularity. And therefore though it be plausible, it is not of
consequence hereto what is delivered by _Solinus_. That Man was
therefore a Microcosm or little World, because the dimensions of his
positions were answerable unto the greater. For as in the Heavens the
distance of the North and Southern pole, which are esteemed the
superiour and inferiour points, is equal unto the space between the East
and West, accounted the dextrous and sinistrous parts thereof; so is it
also in Man, for the extent of his fathome or distance betwixt the
extremity of the fingers of either hand upon expansion, is equal unto
the space between the sole of the foot and the crown. But this doth but
petionarily infer a dextrality in the Heavens, and we may as reasonably
conclude a right and left laterality in the Ark or naval edifice of
_Noah_. For the length thereof was thirty cubits, the breadth fifty, and
the height or profundity thirty; which well agreeth unto the proportion
of Man, whose length, that is, a perpendicular from the vertex unto the
sole of the foot is sextuple unto his breadth, or a right line drawn
from the ribs of one side to another; and decuble unto his profundity;
that is, a direct line between the breast bone and the spine.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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