These senses are united in one, in the brain, by the common sense, but are operatively distinguished into their several seats, and places of residence.
The sight resides in the eyes, and particularly in the christaline humour. It is in quality cold and moist, and governed by the luminaries. They who have them weak in their genesis, have always weak sights; if one of them be so, the weakness possesses but one eye.
The hearing resides in the ears; is in quality, cold and dry, melancholy, and under the dominion of Saturn.
The smelling resides in the nose, is in quality hot and dry, choleric, and that is the reason choleric creatures have so good smells, as dogs. It is under the influence of Mars.
The taste resides in the palate, which is placed at the root of the tongue on purpose to discern what food is congruous for the stomach, and what not; as the meseraik veins are placed to discern what nourishment is proper for the liver to convert into blood. In some very few men, and but a few, and in those few, but in few instances these two tasters agree not, and that is the reason some men covet meats that make them sick, viz. the taste craves them, and the meseraik veins reject them: In quality hot and moist, and is ruled by Jupiter.
The feeling is deputed to no particular organ, but is spread abroad, over the whole body; is of all qualities, hot, cold, dry, and moist, and is the index of all tangible things; for if it were only hot alone, it could not feel a quality contrary, viz. cold, and this might be spoken of other qualities. It is under the dominion of Venus, some say, Mercury: A thousand to one, but it is under Mercury.
The four ADMINISTERING VIRTUES are, attractive, digestive, retentive, and expulsive.
The attractive virtue is hot and dry, hot by quality, active, or principal, and that appears because the fountain of all heat is attractive, viz. the sun. Dry by a quality passive, or an effect of its heat; its office is to remain in the body, and call for what nature wants.
It is under the influence of the Sun, say authors, and not under Mars, because he is of a corrupting nature, yet if we cast an impartial eye upon experience, we shall find, that martial men call for meat none of the least, and for drink the most of all other men, although many times they corrupt the body by it, and therefore I see no reason why Mars being of the same quality with the Sun, should not have a share in the dominion. It is in vain to object, that the influence of Mars is evil, and therefore he should have no dominion over this virtue; for then,
1. By the same rule, he should have no dominion at all in the body of man.