ayde and coadiutor to nature, and a
furtherer of her actions to good effect, or peraduenture a meane to supply
her wants, by renforcing the causes wherein shee is impotent and
defectiue, as doth the arte of phisicke, by helping the naturall
concoction, retention, distribution, expulsion, and other vertues, in a
weake and vnhealthie bodie. Or as the good gardiner seasons his soyle by
sundrie sorts of compost: as mucke or marle, clay or sande, and many times
by bloud, or lees of oyle or wine, or stale, or perchaunce with more
costly drugs: and waters his plants, and weedes his herbes and floures,
and prunes his branches, and vnleaues his boughes to let in the sunne: and
twentie other waies cherisheth them, and cureth their infirmities, and so
makes that neuer, or very seldome any of them miscarry, but bring foorth
their flours and fruites in season. And in both these cases it is no smal
praise for the Phisition & Gardiner to be called good and cunning
artificers.

In another respect arte is not only an aide and coadiutor to nature in all
her actions, but an alterer of them, and in some sort a surmounter of her
skill, so as by meanes of it her owne effects shall appeare more
beautifull or straunge and miraculous, as in both cases before remembred.
The Phisition by the cordials hee will geue his patient, shall be able not
onely to restore the decayed spirites of man and render him health, but
also to prolong the terme of his life many yeares ouer and aboue the stint
of his first and naturall constitution. And the Gardiner by his arte will
not onely make an herbe, or flowr, or fruite, come forth in his season
without impediment, but also will embellish the same in vertue, shape,
odour and taste, that nature of her selfe woulde neuer haue done: as to
make the single gillifloure, or marigold, or daisie, double: and the white
rose, redde, yellow, or carnation, a bitter mellon sweete; a sweete apple,
soure; a plumme or cherrie without a stone; a peare without core or
kernell, a goord or coucumber like to a horne, or any other figure he
will: any of which things nature could not doe without mans help and arte.
These actions also are most singular, when they be most artificiall.

In another respect, we say arte is neither an aider nor a surmounter, but
onely a bare immitatour of natures works, following and counterfeyting her
actions and effects, as the Marmesot doth many countenances and gestures
of man, of which sorte are the ar