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
Collations are ended, they Dance; and if they be upon the Water, they
dance upon the Water, there lying so many Fish-men so close and thick
together, as they can dance very evenly and easily upon their backs, and
need not fear drowning. Their Musick, both Vocal and Instrumental, is
according to their several places: Upon the Water, it is of
Water-Instruments, as shells filled with Water, and so moved by Art,
which is a very sweet and delightful harmony; and those Dances which
they dance upon the Water, are, for the most part, such as we in this
World call swimming- Dances, where they do not lift up their feet high:
In Lawns, or upon Plains, they have Wind-Instruments, but much better
than those in our World: And when they dance in the Woods, they have
Horn-Instruments, which although they are of a sort of Wind-Instruments,
yet they are of another Fashion than the former: In their Houses they
have such Instruments as are somewhat like our Viols, Violins,
Theorboes, Lutes, Citherins, Gittars, Harpsichords, and the like; but
yet so far beyond them, that the difference cannot well be exprest; and
as their places of Dancing, and their Musick is different, so is their
manner or way of Dancing. In these and the like Recreations, the
Emperor, Empress, and the Nobility pass their time.
The Epilogue to the Reader.
By this Poetical Description, you may perceive, that my ambition is not
onely to be Empress, but Authoress of a whole World; and that the Worlds
I have made, both the Blazing- and the other Philosophical World,
mentioned in the first part of this Description, are framed and composed
of the most pure, that is, the Rational parts of Matter, which are the
parts of my Mind; which Creation was more easily and suddenly effected,
than the Conquests of the two famous Monarchs of the World. Alexander
and Cesar. Neither have I made such disturbances, and caused so many
dissolutions of particulars, otherwise named deaths, as they did; for I
have destroyed but some few men in a little Boat, which dyed through the
extremity of cold, and that by the hand of Justice, which was
necessitated to punish their crime of stealing away a young and
beauteous Lady. And in the formation of those Worlds, I take more
delight and glory, then ever Alexander or Cesar did in conquering this
terrestrial world; and though I have made my Blazing-World a Peaceable
World, allowing it but one Religion, one Language, and one Government;
yet could I make another World, as full of Factions, Divisions and
Warrs, as this is of Peace and Tranquility; and the Rational figures of
my Mind might express as much courage to fight, as Hector and Achilles
had; and be as wise as Nestor, as Eloquent as Ulysses, and be as
beautiful as Hellen. But I esteeming Peace before Warr, Wit before
Policy, Honesty before Beauty; instead of the figures of Alexander,
Cesar, Hector, Achilles, Nestor, Ulysses, Hellen, &c. chose rather the
figure of Honest Margaret Newcastle, which now I would not change for
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account