The Description of a New World, Called the Blazing-World

The Vehicles, answered they, make them neither better, nor worse; for though some Vehicles sometimes may have power over others, yet these by turns may get some power again over them, according to the several advantages and disadvantages of particular Natural parts. The Empress asked further, Whether Animal life came out of the spiritual World, and did return thither again? The Spirits answered, They could not exactly tell; but if it were so, then certainly Animal lives must leave their bodies behind them, otherwise the bodies would make the spiritual World a mixt World, that is, partly material, and partly immaterial; but the Truth is, said they, Spirits being immaterial, cannot properly make a World; for a World belongs to material, not to immaterial Creatures. If this be so, replied the Empress, then certainly there can be no world of Lives and Forms without Matter? No, answered the Spirits; nor a world of Matter without Lives and Forms; for Natural Lives and Forms cannot be immaterial, no more then Matter can be immovable. And therefore natural lives, forms and matter, are inseparable. Then the Empress asked, Whether the first Man did feed on the best sorts of the Fruits of the Earth, and the Beasts on the worst?