An action, or function, is an active motion proceeding from a faculty; for as the facultie depends on the temperament, so the Action on the faculty, and the act or worke depends upon the action by a certaine order of consequence. But although that the words actions and act or worke are often confounded, yet there is this difference between them, as that the action signifies the motion used in the performance of any thing; but the act or worke, the thing already done and performed.

For example, Nurition and the Generating of flesh are naturall Actions, but the parts nourished, and a hollow ulcer filled with flesh are the workes of that motion, or action. Wherefore the act ariseth from the action, as the action ariseth from the faculty, the integrity or perfection of the instruments concurring in both. For as, if the facultie be either defective, or hurt, no action will be well performed: so unlesse the instruments keepe their native and due conformitie (which is their perfect health, the operator of the action proper to the instrument) none of those things, which ought to be, will be well performed. therefore for the performance of blamelesse and perfect actions, it is fit a due conformity of the instrument concurre with the faculty. But actions are two-fold; for the yare either Naturall, or Voluntary. They are termed Naturall, because they are performed not by our will, but by their owne accord and against our will: As are that continuall motion of the Heart, the beating of the Arteryes, the expulsion of the Excrements, and such other like which are done in us by the Law of Nature whether we will, or no.

These Actions flow either from the Liver and veines, or from the Heart and Arteries. Wherfore we may comprehend them under the names of Naturall and Vitall Actions. For we must attribute his Action to each faculty, lest we may seeme to constitute an idle faculty, and no way profitable for use. The unvoluntary vitall actions are the dilation & contraction of the Heart and Arteryes, the which we comprehend under the sole name of the Pulse: by that they draw in, and by this they expell, or drive forth. The unvoluntary vitall actions be,

• Generation, Growth, Nutrition
  • which proceed from the:
    • Generative, Growing, and Nourishing
      • Faculty

Generation is nothing else than a certaine producing, or acquiring of matter, and an introducing of a substantiall forme into that matter. This is performed by the assistance of 2. faculties; of the Altering which doth diversly prepare and dispose the seed and menstruous blood to put on the forme of a Bone, nerve, spleene, flesh and such like, and of the forming faculty which adornes with figure, site and composition, the matter ordered by so various a preparation.

Growth is an inlarging of the solide parts into all the dimensions, the pristine and ancient forme remaining safe and sound in figure and solidity. For the perfection of every growth is judged only by the solid parts; for if the body swell into a masse of flesh, or fat, it shall not therefore be said to be grown: but then only when the solid parts do in like manner increase, especially the bones, because the growth of the  whole body followes their increase, even although at the same time it waxe leane, and pine away.

Nutrition is a perfect assimulation of that nourishment which is digested, into the nature of the part which digests. It is performed by the assistance of 4. subsidiary or helping actions, Attractive, Retentive, Digestive and Expulsive.

The voluntary actions which we willingly perform, are so called, because we can at our pleasure hinder, stir up, slow or quicken them. They are three in generall, the sensitive, moving, and principall action. The sensative Soule comprehends all things in five senses, in Sight, Hearing, Smell, Taste, and Touch. Three things must necessarily concur to the performance of them, the organe, the medium or mean, and the object. The principal organe, or instrument, is the animal spirit diffused by the nerves into each severall part of the body, by which such actions are performed. Wherefore for the present we will use the parts themselves for their organs. The mean is a body, which carries the object to the instrument. The object is a certain external quality, which hath power by a fit medium or mean to stir up and alter the organ. This will be more manifest by relating the particular functions of the senses by the necessary concurring of these three.

Sight, is an action of the seeing facultie, which is done by the eye fitly composed of its coats and humors, and so consequently the organical body of this action. The object is a visible quality brought to the eye. But such an object is two-fold; for either it is absolutely visible of itself, and by its own nature, as the sun, the fire, the moon and stars: or desires as it were the help of another that it may be actually such, for so by the coming of light the colors, which were visible in power only, being brought to the eye do seem and appear such as they actually are. But such objects cannot arrive at the eye, but thorough a clear and illuminate medium, as the air, water, glass and all sorts of crystal.

The hearing hath for its organ the ear and auditory passage, which goes to the stony bone furnished with a membrane investing it, an auditory nerve, and a certain inward spirit there contained. The object is every sound arising from the smitten or broken air, and the collision of two bodies meeting together. The medium is the encompassing air which carries the sound to the ear. 

Smelling (according to Galen’s opinion) is performed in the mamillary processes produced from the proper substance of the brain, and seated in the upper part of the nose; although others had rather smelling should be made in the very foremost ventricles of the brain. This action is weak in man in comparison of other creatures: the object thereof is every smell, or fumide exhalation breathing out of bodies. The medium by which the object is carried to the noses of men, beasts, and birds, is the air, but to fishes the water itself. 

The action of taste is performed by the tongue being tempered well and according to nature, and furnished with a nerve spred over its upper part from the third and fourth conjugation of the brain. The object is taste, of whose nature and kinds we will treate more at large in our Antidotary. The medium by which the object is so carried to the organ, that it may affect it, is either external or internall. The externall is that spattle which doth as it were anoynt and supple the tongue; the internal is the spongy flesh of the tongue itself, which affected with the quality of the object doth presently so possesse the nerve that is implanted in it, that the kind and quality thereof by the force of the spirit may be carried into the common sense. 

All parts endued with a nerve enjoy the sense of touching, which is cheifly done, when a tractable quality doth penetrate even to the true and nervous skinne, which lyeth under the cuticle, or scarse-skinne; we have formerly noted, that it is most exquisite in the skinne which invests the ends of the fingers.

The object is every tractable quality, whether it be of the first rank of qualities, as heat, cold, moisture, drynesse, or of the second, as roughnesse, smoothnesse, heavinesse, lightnesse, hardnesse, softnesse, rarity, density, friability, unctosity, grossenesse, thinnesse. The medium by whose procurement the instrument is affected, is either the skinne or the flesh interwoven with many nerves.

The next action is that motion which by a peculiar name we call voluntary; this is performed and accomplished by a muscle, being the proper instrument of voluntary motion. Furthermore every motion of a member possessing a muscle is made either by bending and contraction, or by extention. Although generally there be so many differences of voluntary motion, as there are kinds of site in place; therefore motion is said to be made upward, downward, to the righthand, to the left, forward and backward; hither are referred the many kinds of motions, which the infinite variety of muscles produce in the body. Into this rank of voluntary actions, comes respiration, or breathing because it is done by the help of the muscles; although it be cheifly to temper the heat of the heart. For we can make it more quick, or slow as we please, which are the conditions of a voluntary motion.

Lastly, that we may have somewhat in which we may safely rest and defend ourselves against the many questions which are commonly moved concerning this thing, we must hold, that respiration is undergone and performed by the animal faculty, but cheifly instituted for the vital.

The principall action and prime amongst the voluntary is absolutely divided in three: imagination, reasoning, and memory.

Imagination is a certain expressing, and apprehension which discernes and distinguishes between the forms and shapes of things sensible or which are known by the senses. 

Reasoning is a certain judicial estimation of conceived or apprehended forms or figures, by a mutuall collating, or comparing them together.

Memory is the sure storer of all things, and as it were the treasurie which the mind often unfolds and opens, the other faculties of the mind being idle and not employed. But because all the forementioned actions whether they be natural, or animal and voluntary, are done and performed by the help and assistance of the spirits; therefore now we must speak of the spirits.