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
into the world, would be troubled with the Gout, if it be as natural
to him as life, or have its habitation in the Spirit of Life. Also
your _Author_ is speaking of _an Appoplexy in the head, which takes
away all sense and motion._ But surely, in my opinion, it is impossible
that all sense and motion should be out of the head; onely that sense
and motion, which is proper to the head, and to the nature of that
Creature, is altered to some other sensitive and rational motions,
which are proper to some other figure; for there is no part or particle
of matter that has not motion and sense. I pray consider, _Madam_,
is there any thing in Nature that is without motion? Perchance you
will say, Minerals; but that is proved otherwise; as for example, by
the sympathetical motion between the Loadstone and Iron, and between
the Needle and the North, as also by the operation of Mercury, and
several others; Wherefore there is no doubt, but all kinds, sorts and
particulars of Creatures have their natural motions, although they are
not all visible to us, but not such motions as are made by Gas, or
Blas, or Ideas, &c. but corporeal sensitive and rational motions, which
are the actions of Natural Matter. You may say, Some are of opinion,
that Sympathy and Antipathy are not Corporeal motions. Truly, whosoever
says so, speaks no reason; for Sympathy and Antipathy are nothing else
but the actions of bodies, and are made in bodies; the Sympathy betwixt
Iron and the Loadstone is in bodies; the Sympathy between the Needle
and the North is in bodies; the Sympathy of the Magnetic powder is in
bodies. The truth is, there is no motion without a body, nor no body
without motion. Neither doth Sympathy and Antipathy work at distance
by the power of Immaterial Spirits, or rays, issuing out of their
bodies, but by agreeable or disagreeable corporeal motions; for if
the motions be agreeable, there is Sympathy; if disagreeable, there
is Antipathy; and if they be equally found in two bodies, then there
is a mutual Sympathy or Antipathy; but if in one body onely, and not
in the other, there is but Sympathy or Antipathy on one side, or in
one Creature. Lastly, concerning _swoonings or fainting fits_, your
_Authors_ opinion is, that they _proceed from the stomack_: Which I
can hardly believe; for many will swoon upon the sight of some object,
others at a sound, or report, others at the smell of some disagreeable
odour, others at the taste of some or other thing that is not agreeable
to their nature, and so forth: also some will swoon at the apprehension
or conceit of something, and some by a disorder or irregularity of
motions in exterior parts. Wherefore, my opinion is, that swoonings
may proceed from any part of the body, and not onely from the stomack.
But, _Madam_, I being no Physicianess may perhaps be in an error,
and therefore I will leave this discourse to those that are thorowly
learned and practised in this Art, and rest satisfied that I am,
Madam,
_Your Ladiships_
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