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
seal do print another body; I answer, if any thing could print, yet it
is not probable, that so soft and rare bodies as light and air, could
print such solid bodies as glass, nor could air by reverberation make
such a sound as Eccho. But mistake me not, for, _I do not say_, that
the Corporeal motions of light or air, cannot, or do not pencil, copie,
or pattern out any figure, for both light and air are very active in
such sorts of Motions, but I say, they cannot do it on any other bodies
but their own. But to cut off tedious and unnecessary disputes, I
return to the expressing of my own opinion, and believe, that the glass
in its own substance doth figure out the copy of the face, or the like,
and from that copy the sensitive motions in the eyes take another copy,
and so the rational from the sensitive; and in this manner is made both
rational and sensitive perception, sight and knowledg. The same with
Ecchoes; for the air patterns out the copy of the sound, and then the
sensitive corporeal motions in the ear pattern again this copy from
the air, and so do make the perception and sense of hearing. You may
ask me, _Madam_, if it be so, that the glass and the air copy out the
figure of the face and of sound, whether the Glass may be said to see
and the Air to speak? I answer, I cannot tell that; for though I say,
that the air repeats the words, and the glass represents the face, yet
I cannot guess what their perceptions are, onely this I may say, that
the air hath an elemental, and the glass a mineral, but not an animal
perception. But if these figures were made by the pressures of several
objects or parts, and by reaction, there could not be such variety as
there is, for they could but act by one sort of motion: Likewise is
it improbable, that sounds, words or voices, should like a company of
Wild-Geese fly in the air, and so enter into the ears of the hearers,
as they into their nests: Neither can I conceive, how in this manner
a word can enter so many ears, that is, be divided into every ear, and
yet strike every ear with an undivided vocal sound; You will say, as
a small fire doth heat and warm all those that stand by; for the heat
issues from the fire, as the light from the Sun. I answer, all what
issues and hath motion, hath a Body, and yet most learned men deny that
sound, light and heat have bodies: But if they grant of light that it
has a body, they say it moves and presses the air, and the air the eye,
and so of heat; which if so, then the air must not move to any other
motion but light, and onely to one sort of light, as the Suns light;
for if it did move in any other motion, it would disturb the light; for
if a Bird did but fly in the air, it would give all the region of air
another motion, and so put out, or alter the light, or at least disturb
it; and wind would make a great disturbance in it. Besides, if one body
did give another body motion, it must needs give it also substance, for
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