Wherefore, since the former basis has been removed, and a real temporal interval has been established for these days, as other Fathers have taught, and as we maintain, Augustine’s explanation is not necessary. And besides if that discussion of his is on firm ground, the same thing might be said about the production of fishes and birds on the fifth day, and of other animals on the sixth day, because all these animals are composite, and therefore they were not made in themselves in the first moment: therefore it will be necessary to say that on the fifth and sixth days they were made only in potentiality or in seed. But this cannot in any way be said. First, because that patently is contrary to the words of Scripture, for it says first: God created the large great-sea-creatures and every living thing and flying thing etc. These words are sufficiently explicit in themselves, nevertheless they are more evidently made clear because as soon as the things were so produced, God blessed [them], saying, Increase and multiply. These words clearly suppose that the animals had already been created, [animals] that could generate ones like themselves. And in the same way the words of the sixth day can be introduced, in which what is said is most apparent, And God created man. Besides a special process (ratio) is added in animals because they cannot be produced by seed, because the seed must be separated from the animal itself, and neither can it be naturally preserved outside the animal itself nor [can it] effect its own operation, and therefore it was necessary that each species of animal be immediately made at first by the author of nature in some individual or in some individuals… . . Hence therefore we turn to the same method of argumentation with respect to plants…
