The Nature of Things combines some of the greatest poetry ever written, with a scientific and philosophical treatise. Lucretius guides the reader through an extraordinary breadth of subject matter, ranging from the indestructibility of atoms and the discovery of fire, to the folly of romantic love and the phenomena of clouds and rainstorms. Further, he expresses his belief that the soul is mortal, and that mechanical laws of nature govern the world; and that by believing this, men can live