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
Earthquakes, and those we have, which is hardly one in many ages, are
not so furious, as to do much harm; and so in many other places of
the World, are as few and as gentle Earth-quakes as here; when as in
others, Earth-quakes are very frequent and dreadful: From whence it
must needs follow, if Earth-quakes be onely a Judgment from God for
the sins of Impenitent Men, and not a natural effect, that then those
places, where the Earth is not so apt to tremble, are the habitations
of the blessed, and that they, which inhabit those parts that are
apt to tremble, are the accursed; when as yet, in those places where
Earthquakes are not usual and frequent, or none at all, People are as
wicked and impious, if not more, then in those where Earthquakes are
common. But the question is, Whether those parts which suffer frequent
and terrible Earthquakes, would not be so shaken or have such trembling
fits, were they uninhabited by Man, or any other animal Creature?
Certainly, in my opinion, they would. But as for the Natural Cause
of Earthquakes, you must pardon me, _Madam_, that I cannot knowingly
discourse thereof, by reason I am not so well skilled in Geography,
as to know the several Soils, Climats, Parts, Regions, or Countries,
nor what disposed matter may be within those parts that are subject
to frequent Earthquakes: Onely this I may say, that I have observed,
that the light of a small Fire or Candle, will dilate it self round
about; or rather that the air round about the Fire or Candle, will
pattern out both its light and its heat. Also I have observed, That a
Man in a raging fit of Madness will have such an unusual strength, as
ten strong men shall hardly be able to encounter or bind him, when as,
this violent fit being past, a single man, nay a youth, may over-master
him: Whence I conclude, that the actions, as the motions of Nature, are
very powerful when they use their force, and that the ordinary actions
of Nature are not so forcible as necessary; but the extraordinary are
more forcible then necessary. Lastly, your _Author_ takes great pains
to prove,[5] That _the Sun with his light rules the Day, and the Moon
with hers the Night; and that the Moon has her own Native light; and
that Bats, Mice, Dormice, Owles, and many others, as also Men, which
rise at night, and walk in their sleep, see by the light and power
of the Moon; also that Plants are more plentifully nourished by the
night._ But lest it might be concluded, that all this is said without
any probability of Truth, by reason the Moon doth not every night
shine upon the Earth, he makes a difference between the Manner of the
Sun's and Moon's enlightning the Earth; to wit, that the Sun strikes
his beams in a right line towards the Earth, but the Moon doth not
respect the Centre of the World, which is the Earth, in a right line;
but her Centre is always excentrical, and she respects the Earth onely
by accident, when she is concentrical with the World; And therefore he
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