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
For there are so many several desires to Novelty, as there are Senses,
and so many Novelties that satisfie those desires, as a Novelty to the
Ear, a Novelty to the Sight, to Touch, Taste, and Smell; besides in
every one of these, there are many several objects; To mention onely
one example, for the novelty of Sight; I have seen an Ape, drest like a
Cavalier, and riding on Horse-back with his sword by his side, draw a
far greater multitude of People after him, then a Loadstone of the same
bigness of the Ape would have drawn Iron; and as the Ape turn'd, so did
the People, just like as the Needle turns to the North; and this is
but one object in one kind of attraction, _viz._ Novelty: but there be
Millions of objects besides. In like manner good cheer draws abundance
of People, as is evident, and needs no Demonstration. Wherefore, as I
said in the beginning, Sympathy is nothing else but natural Passions
and Appetites, as Love, Desire, Fancy, Hunger, Thirst, &c. and its
effects are Concord, Unity, Nourishment, and the like: But Antipathy is
Dislike, Hate, Fear, Anger, Revenge, Aversion, Jealousie, &c. and its
effects are Discord, Division, and the like. And such an Antipathy is
between a Wolf and a Sheep, a Hound and a Hare, a Hawk and a Partridg,
&c. For this Antipathy is nothing else but fear in the Sheep to run
away from the Wolf, in the Hare to run from the Hound, and in the
Partridg to flie from the Hawk; for Life has an Antipathy to that
which is named Death; and the Wolf's stomack hath a sympathy to food,
which causes him to draw neer, or run after those Creatures he has a
mind to feed on. But you will say, some Creatures will fight, and kill
each other, not for Food, but onely out of an Antipathetical nature. I
answer: When as Creatures fight, and endeavour to destroy each other,
if it be not out of necessity, as to preserve and defend themselves
from hurt or danger, then it is out of revenge, or anger, or ambition,
or jealousie, or custom of quarrelling, or breeding. As for example:
Cocks of the Game, that are bred to fight with each other, and many
other Creatures, as Bucks, Staggs, and the like, as also Birds, will
fight as well as Men, and seek to destroy each other through jealousie;
when as, had they no Females amongst them, they would perhaps live
quiet enough, rather as sympathetical Friends, then antipathetical
Foes; and all such Quarrels proceed from a sympathy to their own
interest. But you may ask me, what the reason is, that some Creatures,
as for example, Mankind, some of them, will not onely like one sort
of meat better then another of equal goodness and nourishment, but
will like and prefer sometimes a worse sort of meat before the best,
to wit, such as hath neither a good taste nor nourishment? I answer:
This is nothing else, but a particular, and most commonly an inconstant
Appetite; for after much eating of that they like best, especially if
they get a surfeit, their appetite is chang'd to aversion; for then all
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