THE BOOK OF GIORDANO BRU-

NO OF NOLA, ON THE

EXISTENCE OF THE MINIMUM.

BOOK.

CHAPTER I.

As the mind of nature, implanted in the subjects of things, original: "mens naturae." Bruno refers to the Universal Intellect, a divine force that organizes the material world from the inside out.
Brings them forth to be graded by its own moments, and,
Blending them in fit
Orders, distinguishes them deeply by numbers:
So the work of reason, so the vivid force of the sharp
Human sense, pre-conceives at the very
Gates the parts to which it may apply those
Measures by which it may weigh them; wandering far from the boundaries The "gates" represent the initial points of perception or the basic principles of understanding.
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Of these gates, a vast crowd of sophists, nonetheless blind and bereft, Bruno frequently used the term "sophist" to describe the academic philosophers of his time who he believed were obsessed with logic games rather than the true nature of reality.
Has led minds further away than they could, through shortcuts
Or gentle marks, grasp better teachings,
And of their own accord turn toward the most pleasant sunrise of light:
From which arises whatever nourishing nature skillfully
Depicts with colors and thunders with voices.