The Description of a New World, Called the Blazing-WorldNewcastle, Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of
Science
The Description of a New World, Called the Blazing-World
Newcastle, Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of
Science fiction; Utopias -- Fiction; Voyages, Imaginary -- Early works to 1800
The Empress having thus declared her mind to the Ape-men, and given them
better Instructions then perhaps they expected, not knowing that her
Majesty had such great and able judgment in Natural Philosophy, had
several conferences with them concerning Chymical Preperations, which
for brevities sake, I'le forbear to reherse: Amongst the rest, she
asked, how it came that the Imperial Race appear'd so young, and yet was
reported to have lived so long; some of them two, some three, and some
four hundred years? and whether it was by Nature, or a special Divine
blessing? To which they answered, That there was a certain Rock in the
parts of that World, which contained the Golden Sands, which Rock was
hallow within, and did produce a Gum that was a hundred years before it
came to its full strength and perfection; this Gum, said they, if it be
held in a warm hand, will dissolve into an Oyl, the effects whereof are
following: It being given every day for some certain time, to an old
decayed man, in the bigness of a little Pea, will first make him spit
for a week, or more; after this, it will cause Vomits of Flegm; and
after that it will bring forth by vomits, humors of several colours;
first of a pale yellow, then of a deep yellow, then of a green, and
lastly of a black colour; and each of these humours have a several
taste, some are fresh, some salt, some sower, some bitter, and so forth;
neither do all these Vomits make them sick, but they come out on a
sudden, and unawares, without any pain or trouble to the patient: And
after it hath done all these mentioned effects, and clear'd both the
Stomack and several other parts of the body, then it works upon the
Brain, and brings forth of the Nose such kinds of humors as it did out
of the Mouth, and much after the same manner; then it will purge by
stool, then by urine, then by sweat, and lastly by bleeding at the Nose,
and the Emeroids; all which effects it will perform within the space of
six weeks, or a little more; for it does not work very strongly, but
gently, and by degrees: Lastly, when it has done all this, it will make
the body break out into a thick Scab, and cause both Hair, Teeth, and
Nails to come off; which scab being arrived to its full maturity, opens
first along the back, and comes off all in a piece like armour, and all
this is done within the space of four months. After this the Patient is
wrapt into a Cere-cloth, prepared of certain Gums and Juices, wherein
he continues until the time of nine Months be expired from the first
beginning of the cure, which is the time of a Childs formation in the
Womb. In the mean while, his diet is nothing else but Eagles-eggs, and
Hinds-milk; and after the Cere-cloth is taken away, he will appear of
the age of Twenty, both in shape, and strength. The weaker sort of this
Gum is soveraign in healing of wounds, and curing of slight distempers.
But this is also to be observed, that none of the Imperial race does use
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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