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A53055
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The philosphical and physical opinions written by Her Excellency the Lady Marchionesse of Newcastle.
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Newcastle, Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of, 1624?-1674.
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1655
(1655)
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Wing N863; ESTC R31084
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172,000
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202
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to be in talking which I have not practised very much unlesse it be to particular friends for naturally I am so wedded to contemplations that many times when I have been in company I had not known one word they have said by reason my busie thoughts have stopped the sense of my hearing and though I prefer the delight of contemplation before the pleasure of the senses yet when the neerest and dearest of my friends speak as my husband brothers sisters or their children my affection is such that I give such an atention to them as if I had no other thoughts but of what they say or any other sense but hearing but as I have said of the names and tearms of art and the several opinions of the Antients and the distinguishment of the sciences and the like I learned them from my neerest and dearest friends as from my own brothers my Lords brother and my Lord but having the words and termes of art makes me not a Philosopher nor a Poet and if every one in justice ought to have a due then nature must have a share and truly I will never be so ingrateful as not to acknowledge her favours or to belie her in saying she hath not been bountiful to me for she hath given me such materials as I hope to build me a monumental fame therewith but to satisfie my Readers I will tell them as well as I can how I came to know and understand passages all though I never practised or were a spectator therein or thereof as put the case my husband or brothers should tell me of an Army of horse and foot and that two Armies encountred and fought a battle and expresse the forms and figures rancks and fiels the flanck the wings the vans the rears and the like by which relation to my conceit I see it in my brain as perfectly as if the battle was pitcht and fought there and my fancy will build discourse therefrom Likewise if they should tell me all the parts of an Animal body and how they are formed and composed I conceive it as perfectly to my understanding as if I had seen it dissected although I never did and therefore may be deceived in my understanding for truly I have gathered more by piece-meals then from a full relation or a methodical education for knowledge but my fancy will build thereupon and make discourse therefrom and so of every thing they discourse of I say they that is my husband and brothers For the singularity of my affections are such that though I have an ill memory and could not if it were for my life relate word for word of any discourse if it be any thing long that I shall hear from strangers for I am the worst repeater of a story from strangers or out of a book in the World when from my neer friends especially my Lord whose discourses are lively discriptions I cannot forget any thing they say such deep impressions their words print in my brain when I cannot remember one discourse perfectly from others were they holy sermons to save my soul. but as I have said from a bare relation I can conceive to my thinking every particular part and passage as if I were a witnesse thereof or an actor therein but many things although I should never have heard of any such thing yet my natural reason will guide and discover to me the right and the truth For put the case I see a watch or any other invention and none should tell me how it was made yet my natural reason would conceive how it was made so in natural things my natural reason will conceive them without being any wayes instructed and so working a brain I have that many times on small objects or subjects will raise up many several phancies and opinions therein from which my discourse betwixt reason and those opinions will be produced but the truth is I have more materials to build with then ground to build on wherby they become uselesse but I beleeve time will moulder them to dust or accidents as sicknesse may destroy them as dropsies may drown them fevers may burn them consumptions may waste them or griefs may wither them or other imployments like usurpers may throw it out of my head but as yet my head is fully populated with divers opinions and so many phancies are therein as sometimes they lie like a swarm of bees in a round heap and sometimes they flie abroad to gather honey from the sweet flowry rhetorick of my Lords discourse and wax from his wise judgement which they work into a comb making chapters therein But those that make these and the like idle objections against me either have not read all my Epistles and the rest of my books or understands them not but that is not my fault but their unjust natures to censure and condemn before they examine or understand Nay they do in somethings faulsely ac cuse and maliciously break out of some of my Epistles some parts to throw against me which is most base and cruel to dismember my book tormenting it with spiteful objections misforming the truth with falshood but those that have noble and generous souls will beleeve me and those that have base and mechannick souls I care not what they say and truly I would not have troubled my self in striving to satisfie this present age which is very censorious but fear the future age wherein I hope to live may be deceived and I by false constructions wronged for I have observed that the ignorant and malicious do strive to disturb and obstruct all probable opinions wittie ingenuities honest industry vertuous indeavours harmlesse phancies innocent pleasures and honourable fames although they become infamous thereby Readers I had forgotten to mention the objection that there is no distinction between a scholer and a Philosopher if they mean as being vulgarly called both scholers I answer a scholer is to be learnd in other mens opinions inventions and actions and a philosopher is to teach other men his opinions of nature and to demostrate the works of nature so that a scholer is to learn a Philosopher to teach and if they say there is no distinction between a profest scholer and a profest philosopher I am not of their opinion for a profest scholer in theologie is not a profest Philosopher for Divines leave nature on the left hand and walk on the right to things supernatural and if they mean profest scholers as being bred at universities I answer that I take not all those that are bred at an Vniversity and those that are learned to be profest scholers or those that are great Philosophers to be profest unlesse they make it their profession as a profest Divine that hath taken Orders or a profest Physitian that hath commenced Doctor or profest Pleaders or Lawyers that are made Barresters or Philosophers that teach Scholers but certainly there are many that are very learned that are not profest as being of
that profession by which they live Likewise an objection for my saying I have not read many Books but I answer for not reading of many Authors had I understood several Languages as I do not I have not had so much time had I indeavoured to have been learned threin for learning requires close studies long time and labour Besides our sex takes so much delight in dressing and adorning themselves as we for the most part make our gowns our books our laces our lines our imbroderies our letters and our dressings are the time of our studie and instead of turning over solid leaves we turn our hair into curles and our sex is as ambitious to shew themselves to the eyes of the world when finely drest as Scholers do to expresse their learning to the ears of the world when fully fraught with Authors But as I have said my head was so full of my own naturai phancies as it had not roome for strangers to boord therein and certainly natural reason is a better tutor then education for though education doth help natural reason to a more sudden maturity yet natural reason was the first educator for natural reason did first compose Common-Wealths invented arts and sciences and if natural reason have composed invented and discoverd I know no reason but natural reason may finde out what natural reason hath composed invented and discovered without the help of education but some may say that education is like mony n put to use which begets increase I say it is true but natural reason is the principal which without increase could not be but in truth natural reason is both the principal and the increase for natural reason produceth beneficial effects and findes out the right and the truth the wrong and the falshood of things or causes but to conclude what education hath not instructed me natural Reason hath infor med me of many things TO THE TWO UNIVERSITIES Most Famously learned I Here present the sum of my works not that I think wise School-men and industrious laborious students should value my book for any worth but to receive it without a scorn for the good incouragement of our sex lest in time we should grow irrational as idiots by the 〈◊〉 of our spirits through the carelesse neglects and despisements of the masculine sex to the effeminate thinking it impossible we should have either learning or understanding wit or judgement as if we had not rational souls as well as men and we out of a custom of dejectednesse think so too which makes us quit all all industry towards profitable knowledge being imployed onely in looe and pettie imployments which takes away not onely our abilities towards arts but higher capacities in speculations so as we are become like worms that onely live in the dull earth of ignorance winding our selves sometimes out by the help of some refreshing rain of good educations which seldom is given us for we are kept like birds in cages to hop up and down in our houses not sufferd to fly abroad to see the several changes of fortune and the various humors ordained and created by nature thus wanting the experiences of nature we must needs want the understanding and knowledge and so consequently prudence a nd invention of men thus by an opinion which I hope is but an erronious one in men we are shut out of all power and Authority by reason we are never imployed either in civil nor marshall affaires our counsels are despised and laught at the best of our actions are troden down with scorn by the over-weaning conceit men have of themselves and through a dispisement of us But I considering with my self that if a right judgement and a true understanding a respectful civility live any where it must be in learned Universities where nature is best known where truth is oftenest found where civility is most practised and if I finde not a resentment here I am very confident I shall finde it no where neither shall I think I deserve it if you approve not of me but if I desserve not Praise I am sure to receive so much Courtship from this sage society as to bury me in silence thus I may have a quiet grave since not worthy a famous memory but to lie intombed under the dust of an University will be honour enough for me and more then if I were worshipped by the vulgar as a Deity Wherefore if your wisdoms cannot give me the Bayes let your charity strow me with Cypres and who knows but after my honourable burial I may have a glorious resurrection in following ages since time brings strange and unusual things to passe I mean unusual to men though not in nature and I hope this action of mine is not unnatural though unusual for a woman to present a Book to the University nor impudence for the action is honest although it seem vain-glorious but if it be I am to be pardoned since there is little difference between man and beast but what ambition and glory makes AN EPILOGE TO MY PHILOSOPHICAL OPINIONS SOme say that my Book of Philosophy it seems as if I had converst with Des-Cartes or Master Hobbes or both or have frequented their studies by reading their works but I cannot say but I have seen them both but upon my conscience I never spake to monsieur De Cartes in my lise nor ever understood what he said for he spake no English and I understand no other language and those times I saw him which was twice at dinner with my Lord at Paris he did appear to me a man of the fewest words I ever heard And for Master Hobbes it is true I have had the like good fortune to see him and that very often with my Lord at dinner for I conversing seldom with any strangers had no other time to see those two famous Philosophers yet I never heard Master Hobbes to my best remembrance treat or discourse of Philosophy nor I never spake to Master Hobbes twenty words in my life I cannot say I did not ask him a question for when I was in London I meet him and told him as truly I was very glad to see him and asked him if he would please to do me that honour to stay at dinner but he with great civility refused me as having some businesse which I suppose required his absence And for their works my own foolish fancies do so imploy my time as they will not give me leave to read their books for upon my conscience I never read more of Mounsieur Des-Cartes then half his book of passion and for Master Hobbes I never read more then a little book called De Cive and that but once nor never had any body to read to me as for their opinions I cannot say I have not heard of many of them As the like of others but upon my conscience not throughly discoursed of for I have heard the opinions of most Philosophers in general yet