Philosophical Letters: or, modest Reflections upon some Opinions in Natural PhilosophyNewcastle, Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of
Philosophy
Philosophical Letters: or, modest Reflections upon some Opinions in Natural Philosophy
Newcastle, Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of
Newcastle, William Cavendish, Duke of, 1592-1676; Philosophy
_Water_, according to your _Authors_ opinion,[1] _is frozen into Snow,
Ice, or Hail, not by Cold, but by its own Gas._ But since I am not able
to conceive what his Gas is, being a term invented by him self, I will
briefly declare my own opinion, which is, That Snow, Ice, and Hail, in
my judgment, are made in the like manner, as Passions or Colours are
made and raised in Man; for a sad discourse, or a cruel object will
make a Man pale and cold, and a fearful object, will make him tremble;
whereas a wanton and obscene discourse will make some red and hot.
But yet these discourses and objects are onely external, occasional,
and not immediate efficient causes of such alterations. Also when a
Man eats or drinks any thing that is actually hot or cold, or enters
into a cold or hot room, bath, or air, he becomes hot or cold by the
actions of those external agents that work upon him, or rather whose
motions the sensitive motions of his body do pattern out. The like
for diseases; for they may be caused either by hearing ill reports,
or by taking either hurtful or superfluous food into the Body, or by
Infections inwardly or outwardly, and many other ways. Likewise may
Colours be made different ways; And so may Snow, Ice, and Hail; for
all loose, rare, and porous Bodies are more apt to alter and change
then close, solid, and dense bodies; and not onely to change from
what they are, but to rechange to what they were. But, _Madam_, many
studious persons study Nature more in her own substance, then in her
various actions, which is the cause they arrive to no knowledg of
Natures Works; for the same parts of Matter may act or work several
ways: Like as a Man, or other animal creature, may put one part of his
body into various and several postures, and move it many different
ways. Your _Author_ may say, that although several Creatures may be
changed to our sight or perception, yet they are not really changed in
Nature. I answer, Their Principle, which is a natural matter, of which
all Creatures are made, cannot be changed, because it is one, simple,
and unalterable in its Nature; but the figures of several Creatures
are changed continually by the various motions of this matter; not
from being matter, but onely from such or such a figure into another;
and those figures which do change, in their room are others produced
to keep up the certain kinds of Creatures by a continual successive
alteration. And as there are changes of parts, so there are also
mixtures of several parts, figures and motions in one and the same
Matter; for there are not different kinds in the nature of Matter:
But, although Matter is of several degrees, as partly animate and
partly inanimate, and the animate Matter is partly rational, and partly
sensitive; Nevertheless, in all those degrees it remains the same onely
or meer Matter; that is, it is nothing else but Matter, and the onely
ground in which all changes are made. And therefore I cannot perceive
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