Author: Poems and Fancies Research Assistant

¹
The cause a coal doth² set a house on fire
Is atoms sharp are in that coal entire.
Being strong armed with points, do quite pierce through³
Those flat dull atoms, and⁴ their forms⁵ undo.
And atoms sharp, whose form is made for flight,              5
If loose, do run to help the rest in fight,
For like as⁶ soldiers which are of one side,
When they see⁷ friends engaged, to rescue ride.⁸
But atoms flat, where motion is but slow,
They cannot fight, but straight to ashes go.                        10

Burnt wood¹ is like unto an army’s rout;
Their forms undone lie scattered all about.
When atoms sharp unbind the flat, then all²
Those loose flat atoms, we do³ ashes call.⁴

Fire being kindled first appears¹ but small,
But growing strong, it wastes and burns up² all.
Just like a crow, that on a dead horse lights:
When other crows perceive it³ in their flights,
They straight invite themselves unto that feast,             5
And thus⁴ from one, to numbers are increased.
So atoms sharp which singly fly about
Join with the rest to eat the fuel out.
And as the fuel doth increase, so⁵ they,
And as it wastes, so they do⁶ fly away.⁷                           10

Fire such power hath of every thing,¹
As like to needle points that pierce the skin.²
For all it meets, it doth fast to it stick,³
Be’t ne’er so close, hard, solid, strong and thick.⁴
All things it doth dissolve, or bow, or break,          5
Keeping its strength by making others weak.

¹

The reason why fire burns,² and burning smarts,
Is that it hath so many³ little parts—
Which parts are atoms sharp, and wound more fierce⁴
If they so far into our skins do pierce—⁵
And like an angry porcupine, doth shoot⁶                             5
His⁷ fiery quills, if nothing quench them out.
Their figure makes their motion nimble, quick,⁸
And being sharp, they do like⁹ needles prick.
If they do pierce too deep,¹⁰ our flesh will¹¹ ache;
If they but¹² touch the skin,¹³ we pleasure take;                 10
That kind of pain we do¹⁴ a “burning” call.
These atoms numerous are,¹⁵ and very small,
And make from needles’ points¹⁶ a different touch,
Whose¹⁷ points are gross, and numbers not so much,
And¹⁸ cannot lie so close, nor¹⁹ spread so thin,                   15
All at one time to enter through our skin.²⁰

The reason fire by water is quenched¹ out
Is that round atoms do² put to a rout
The sharp,³ for when a house on fire is set,⁴
Then atoms sharp are⁵ in great armies met,⁶
Where they themselves range into⁷ ranks and files,          5
And strive always to havoc and make spoils,
Running about as nimble as may be⁸
From side to side, as in great fires⁹ we see.
But atoms round do like a rescue come,¹⁰¹¹
And separate the sharp, which in heaps run.¹²                  10
For being separate, they have no force,
Like to a troop or regiment of horse,
Which when great cannon bullets are shot through,
They disunite, and quite their strength undo.
So water that is thrown on flaming fire                               15
Doth separate and make that strength expire.

¹

When crowds of atoms meet, not joinèd close,
By Motion quick they² give each other blows.³
So atoms hollow, which are long and round,
When they do strike, do make the greatest sound.
Not that there’s anything that moves therein                      5
To make rebounds, but that their form’s more thin.⁴
For being thin, they larger are, and wide,
Which make them apt to strike each other’s side.
In larger bulks, encounters are more fierce
When they do⁵ strike, though not so quick to pierce.       10
This is the reason water, air, and flame
Do make most noise when motions move the same.
For atoms loose are like to people rude,
And make great⁶ noise when in a multitude.

All water’s spherical; when tides do flow,
Beat all those spherical drops as they do go.¹
So winds do strike those wat’ry drops together,
Which we at sea do call tempestuous weather.
And being spherical and cymbal-like,                            5
They make a sound when each ’gainst other strike.

¹

Water is apt to move, since² round like balls:
No points it hath, but trundles³ as it falls.
This makes the sea, when like great⁴ mountains high
The waves do rise, it cannot steady⁵ lie,
But falls again into a liquid plain                                         5
When winds disturb it not, there to⁶ remain.
Thus wat’ry balls, they do not intermix,⁷
But stick so close,⁸ as nothing is betwixt.

¹

In infinites² no center can be laid,
But if the world has limits, center’s made.³
For all that with circumference is⁴ faced,
A center in the midst must needs be⁵ placed.
This makes each form that’s limited⁶ and bound        5
To have a center and circumference round.
This⁷ is the cause: the world in circle runs⁸
Because a center hath whereon it turns.⁹
The center’s¹⁰ small, circumference¹¹ big without,
Which by the weight doth make it turn about.           10