Thirdly, whether no urine at all pass: for liquors also nourish as they go. I think it were somewhat inhumane to examin these things too nearly, when it so little concerneth the commonwealth: nor do I know of any law that authoriseth a Justice of peace, or other subject, to restrain the liberty of a sick person so farr as were needful for a discovery of this nature. I cannot therefore deliver any judgment in the case. The examining whether such a thing as this bee a miracle, belongs I think to the Church. Besides, I myself in a sickness have been without all manner of sustenance for more than six weeks together: which is enough to make mee think that six months would not have made it a miracle. Nor do I much wonder that a young woman of clear memory, hourely expecting death, should bee more devout then at other times. ’Twas my own case. That which I wonder at most, is how her piety without instruction should bee so eloquent as ’tis reported. THO. HOBBES. _Chatsworth, Oct. 20. 68._ ----- Footnote 6: Amongst the MSS. of the Royal Society. ----- VI. LETTER TO MR. OLDENBURG.[7] WORTHY S^R In the last Transactions for September and October I find a letter addressed to you from D^r Wallis, in answer to my LUX MATHEMATICA. I pray you tell me that are my old acquaintance, whether it be (his words and characters supposed to be interpreted) intelligible. I know very well you understand sense both in Latine, Greeke, and many other languages. He shows you no ill consequence in any of my arguments. Whereas I say there is no proportion of _infinite_ to _finite_. He answers, he meant _indefinite_; but derives not his conclusion from any other notion than simply _infinite_. I said the root of a square number cannot be the length of the side of a square figure, because a root is part of a square number, but length is no part of a square figure. To which he answers nothing. In like manner, he shuffles off all my other objections, though he know well enough that whatsoever he has written in Geometry (except what he has taken from me and others) dependeth on the truth of my objections. I perceive by many of his former writings that I have reformed him somewhat as to the Principles of Geometry, though he thanke me not. He shuffles and struggles in vaine, he has the hooke in his guills, I will give him line enough: for (which I pray you tell him) I will no more teach him by replying to any thing he shall hereafter write, whatsoever they shall say that are confident of his Geometry. _Qui volunt decipi, decipiuntur._ He tells you that I bring but _crambe sæpe cocta_. For which I have a just excuse, and all men do the same; they repeat the same words often when they talk with them that cannot heare.