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
a Traveller; for, as the man moves from the house or tree, so the
house or tree seems to move from the man; or like one that sails upon
a Ship, who imagines that the Ship stands still, and the Land moves;
when as yet it is the Man and the Ship that moves, and not the House,
or Tree, or the Land; so when a Man turns round in a quick motion,
or when his head is dizzie, he imagines the room or place, where he
is, turns round. Wherefore it is the Inherent Perceptive motions in
the Eye, and not the motions in the Looking-glass, which cause these
effects. And as for several figures that are presented in one glass,
it is absurd to imagine that so many several figures made by so many
several motions should touch the eye; certainly this would make such
a disturbance, if all figures were to enter or but to touch the eye,
as the eye would not perceive any of them, at lead not distinctly;
Wherefore it is most probable that the glass patterns out those
figures, and the sensitive corporeal motions in the eye take again a
pattern from those figures patterned out by the glass, and so make
copies of copies; but the reason why several figures are presented in
one glass in several places, is, that two perfect figures cannot be in
one point, nor made by one motion, but by several corporeal motions.
Concerning a Looking-glass, made in the form or shape of a Cylinder,
why it represents the figure of an external object in an other shape
and posture then the object is, the cause is the shape and form of the
Glass, and not the patterning motions in the Glass. But this discourse
belongs properly to the Opticks, wherefore I will leave it to those
that are versed in that Art, to enquire and search more after the
rational truth thereof. In the mean time, my opinion is, that though
the object is the occasion of the figure presented in a Looking-glass,
yet the figure is made by the motions of the glass or body that
presents it, and that the figure of the glass perhaps may be patterned
out as much by the motions of the object in its own substance, as the
figure of the object is patterned out and presented by the motions of
the glass in its own body or substance. And thus I conclude and rest,
Madam,
_Your Faithful Friend_
_and Servant._
XXVI.
_MADAM,_
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