The Blazing World and Other Writings (Penguin Classics) (22 page)

This relation confirmed partly the observation of the bird-men
concerning the cause of snow; but since they had made mention that that same extract, which by its commixture with water made snow, proceeded from the element of fire, that is under the moon; the Empress asked them of what nature that elementary fire was; whether it was like ordinary fire here upon earth, or such a fire as is within the bowels of the earth, and as the famous mountains Vesuvius and Ætna do burn withal, or whether it was such a sort of fire as is found in flints, etc. They answered, that the elementary fire, which is underneath the sun, was not so solid as any of those mentioned fires; because it had no solid fuel to feed on; but yet it was much like the flame of ordinary fire, only somewhat more thin and fluid; for flame, said they, is nothing else but the airy part of a fired body.

Lastly, the Empress asked the bird-men of the nature of thunder and lightning? and whether it was not caused by roves
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of ice falling upon each other? To which they answered, that it was not made that way, but by an encounter of cold and heat; so that an exhalation being kindled in the clouds, did dash forth lightning, and that there were so many rentings of clouds as there were sounds and cracking noises: but this opinion was contradicted by others, who affirmed that thunder was a sudden and monstrous bias, stirred up in the air, and did not always require a cloud; but the Empress not knowing what they meant by bias (for even they themselves were not able to explain the sense of this word) liked the former better; and to avoid hereafter tedious disputes, and have the truth of the phaenomenas of celestial bodies more exactly known, commanded the bear-men, which were her experimental philosophers, to observe them through such instruments as are called telescopes, which they did according to her Majesty’s command; but these telescopes caused more differences and divisions amongst them, than ever they had before; for some said, they perceived that the sun stood still, and the earth did move about it, others were of opinion, that they both did move; and others said again, that the earth stood still, and the sun did move; some counted more stars than others; some discovered new stars never seen before; some fell into a great dispute with others concerning the bigness
of the stars; some said the moon was another world like their terrestrial globe, and the spots therein were hills and valleys; but others would have the spots to be the terrestrial parts, and the smooth and glossy parts, the sea: at last, the Empress commanded them to go with their telescopes to the very end of the Pole that was joined to the world she came from, and try whether they could perceive any stars in it; which they did; and being returned to her Majesty, reported that they had seen three blazing-stars appear there, one after another in a short time, whereof two were bright, and one dim; but they could not agree neither in this observation; for some said it was but one star which appeared at three several times, in several places; and others would have them to be three several stars; for they thought it impossible, that those three several appearances should have been but one star, because every star did rise at a certain time, and appeared in a certain place, and did disappear in the same place: next, it is altogether improbable, said they, that one star should fly from place to place, especially at such a vast distance, without a visible motion, in so short a time, and appear in such different places, whereof two were quite opposite, and the third side-ways: lastly, if it had been but one star, said they, it would always have kept the same splendour, which it did not; for, as above mentioned, two were bright, and one was dim. After they had thus argued, the Empress began to grow angry at their telescopes, that they could give no better intelligence; for, said she, now I do plainly perceive, that your glasses are false informers, and instead of discovering the truth, delude your senses; wherefore I command you to break them, and let the bird-men trust only to their natural eyes, and examine celestial objects by the motions of their own sense and reason. The bear-men replied, that it was not the fault of their glasses, which caused such differences in their opinions, but the sensitive motions in their optic organs did not move alike, nor were their rational judgments always regular: to which the Empress answered, that if their glasses were true informers, they would rectify their irregular sense and reason; but, said she, nature has made your sense and reason more regular than art
has your glasses, for they are there deluders, and will never lead you to the knowledge of truth; wherefore I command you again to break them; for you may observe the progressive motions of celestial bodies with your natural eyes better than through artificial glasses. The bear-men being exceedingly troubled at her Majesty’s dipleasure concerning their telescopes, kneeled down, and in the humblest manner petitioned that they might not be broken; for, said they, we take more delight in artificial delusions, than in natural truths. Besides, we shall want employments for our senses, and subjects for arguments; for were there nothing but truth, and no falsehood, there would be no occasion for to dispute, and by this means we should want the aim and pleasure of our endeavours in confuting and contradicting each other; neither would one man be thought wiser than another, but all would either be alike knowing and wise, or all would be fools; wherefore we most humbly beseech your Imperial Majesty to spare our glasses, which are our only delight, and as dear to us as our lives. The Empress at last consented to their request, but upon condition, that their disputes and quarrels should remain within their schools, and cause no factions or disturbances in state, or government. The bear-men, full of joy, returned their most humble thanks to the Empress; and to make her amends for the displeasure which their telescopes had occasioned, told her Majesty, that they had several other artificial optic-glasses, which they were sure would give her Majesty a great deal more satisfaction. Amongst the rest they brought forth several microscopes, by the means of which they could enlarge the shapes of little bodies, and make a louse appear as big as an elephant, and a mite as big as a whale. First of all they showed the Empress a grey drone-fly, wherein they observed that the greatest part of her face, nay, of her head, consisted of two large bunches all covered over with a multitude of small pearls or hemispheres in a trigonal order,
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which pearls were of two degrees, smaller and bigger; the smaller degree was lowermost, and looked towards the ground; the other was upward, and looked sideward, forward and backward: they were all so smooth and polished, that they were able to represent the image
of any object, the number of them was in all 14000. After the view of this strange and miraculous creature, and their several observations upon it, the Empress asked them what they judged those little hemispheres might be? They answered, that each of them was a perfect eye, by reason they perceived that each was covered with a transparent cornea, containing a liquor within them, which resembled the watery or glassy humour of the eye. To which the Empress replied, that they might be glassy pearls, and yet not eyes, and that perhaps their microscopes did not truly inform them: but they smilingly answered her Majesty, that she did not know the virtue of those microscopes; for they did never delude, but rectify and inform their senses; nay, the world, said they, would be but blind without them, as it has been in former ages before those microscopes were invented.

After this, they took a charcoal, and viewing it with one of their best microscopes, discovered in it an infinite multitude of pores, some bigger, some less; so close and thick, that they left but very little space betwixt them to be filled with a solid body; and to give her Imperial Majesty a better assurance thereof, they counted in a line of them an inch long, no less than 2700 pores; from which observation they drew this following conclusion, to wit, that this multitude of pores was the cause of the blackness of the coal; for, said they, a body that has so many pores, from each of which no light is reflected, must necessarily look black, since black is nothing else but a privation of light, or a want of reflection. But the Empress replied, that if all colours were made by reflection of light, and that black was as much a colour as any other colour; then certainly they contradicted themselves in saying, that black was made by want of reflection. However, not to interrupt your microscopical inspections, said she, let us see how vegetables appear through your glasses; whereupon they took a nettle, and by the virtue of the microscope, discovered that underneath the points of the nettle there were certain little bags or bladders containing a poisonous liquor, and when the points had made way into the interior parts of the skin, they like syringe-pipes served to convey that same liquor into them. To which observation the Empress replied, that if there were such
poison in nettles, then certainly in eating of them, they would hurt us inwardly, as much as they do outwardly. But they answered, that it belonged to physicians more than to experimental philosophers, to give reasons hereof; for they only made microscopical inspections, and related the figures of the natural parts of creatures according to the presentation of their glasses.

Lastly, they showed the Empress a flea, and a louse; which creatures through the microscope appeared so terrible to her sight, that they had almost put her into a swoon; the description of all their parts would be very tedious to relate, and therefore I’ll forbear it at this present. The Empress after the view of those strangely-shaped creatures, pitied much those that are molested with them, especially poor beggars, which although they have nothing to live on themselves, are yet necessitated to maintain and feed of their own flesh and blood, a company of such terrible creatures called lice, who instead of thanks, do reward them with pains, and torment them for giving them nourishment and food. But after the Empress had seen the shapes of these monstrous creatures, she desired to know whether their microscopes could hinder their biting, or at least show some means how to avoid them? To which they answered, that such arts were mechanical and below that noble study of microscopical observations. Then the Empress asked them whether they had not such sorts of glasses that could enlarge and magnify the shapes of great bodies, as well as they had done of little ones? Whereupon they took one of their best and largest microscopes, and endeavoured to view a whale through it; but alas! the shape of the whale was so big, that its circumference went beyond the magnifying quality of the glass; whether the error proceeded from the glass, or from a wrong position of the whale against the reflection of light, I cannot certainly tell. The Empress seeing the insufficiency of those magnifying-glasses, that they were not able to enlarge all sorts of objects, asked the bear-men whether they could not make glasses of a contrary nature to those they had showed her, to wit, such as instead of enlarging or magnifying the shape or figure of an object, could contract it beneath its natural proportion: which, in obedience
to her Majesty’s commands, they did; and viewing through one of the best of them, a huge and mighty whale appeared no bigger than a sprat; nay, through some no bigger than a vinegareel; and through their ordinary ones, an elephant seemed no bigger than a flea; a camel no bigger than a louse; and an ostrich no bigger than a mite. To relate all their optic observations through the several sorts of their glasses, would be a tedious work, and tire even the most patient reader, wherefore I’ll pass them by; only this was very remarkable and worthy to be taken notice of, that notwithstanding their great skill, industry and ingenuity in experimental philosophy, they could yet by no means contrive such glasses, by the help of which they could spy out a vacuum, with all its dimensions, nor immaterial substances, non-beings, and mixed-beings, or such as are between something and nothing; which they were very much troubled at, hoping that yet, in time, by long study and practice, they might perhaps attain to it.

The bird- and bear-men being dismissed, the Empress called both the syrens, or fish-men, and the worm-men, to deliver their observations which they had made, both within the seas, and the earth. First she enquired of the fish-men whence the saltness of the sea did proceed? To which they answered, that there was a volatile salt in those parts of the earth, which as a bosom contain the waters of the sea, which salt being imbibed by the sea, became fixed; and this imbibing motion was that they called the ebbing and flowing of the sea; for, said they, the rising and swelling of the water, is caused by those parts of the volatile salt as are not so easily imbibed, which striving to ascend above the water, bear it up with such a motion, as man, or some other animal creature, in a violent exercise uses to take breath. This they affirmed to be the true cause both of the saltness, and the ebbing and flowing motion of the sea, and not the jogging of the earth, or the secret influence of the moon, as some others had made the world believe.

After this, the Empress enquired, whether they had observed that all animal creatures within the seas and other waters, had blood? They answered, that some had blood, more or less, but
some had none; in cray-fishes and lobsters, said they, we perceive but little blood; but in crabs, oysters, cockles, etc. none at all. Then the Empress asked them in what part of their bodies that little blood did reside? They answered, in a small vein, which in lobsters went through the middle of their tails, but in cray-fishes was found in their backs: as for other sorts of fishes, some, said they, had only blood about their gills, and others in some other places of their bodies; but they had not as yet observed any whose veins did spread all over their bodies. The Empress wondering that there could be living animals without blood, to be better satisfied, desired the worm-men to inform her, whether they had observed blood in all sorts of worms? They answered, that as much as they could perceive, some had blood, and some not; a moth, said they, had no blood at all, and a louse had but like a lobster, a little vein along her back: also nits, snails, and maggots, as well as those that are generated out of cheese and fruits, as those that are produced out of flesh, had no blood. But replied the Empress, if those mentioned creatures have no blood, how is it possible they can live; for it is commonly said, that the life of an animal consists in the blood, which is the seat of the animal spirits? They answered, that blood was not a necessary propriety to the life of an animal, and that which was commonly called animal spirits, was nothing else but corporeal motions proper to the nature and figure of an animal. Then she asked both the fish- and worm-men, whether all those creatures that have blood, had a circulation of blood in their veins and arteries? But they answered, that it was impossible to give her Majesty an exact account thereof, by reason the circulation of blood was an interior motion, which their senses, neither of themselves, nor by the help of any optic instrument could perceive; but as soon as they had directed an animal creature to find out the truth thereof, the interior corporeal motions proper to that particular figure or creature were altered. Then said the Empress, if all animal creatures have not blood, it is certain, they have neither all muscles, tendons, nerves, etc. But, said she, have you ever observed animal creatures that are neither flesh, nor fish, but of an intermediate degree
between both. Truly, answered both the fish- and worm-men, we have observed several animal creatures that live both in water, and on the earth indifferently, and if any, certainly those may be said to be of such a mixed nature, that is, partly flesh, and partly fish: but how is it possible, replied the Empress, that they should live both in water, and on the earth, since those animals that live by the respiration of air, cannot live within water, and those that live in water, cannot live by the respiration of air, as experience doth sufficiently witness. They answered her Majesty, that as there were different sorts of creatures, so they had also different ways of respirations; for respiration, said they, was nothing else but a composition and division of parts, and the motions of nature being infinitely various, it was impossible that all creatures should have the like motions; wherefore it was not necessary, that all animal creatures should be bound to live either by the air, or by water only, but according as nature had ordered it convenient to their species. The Empress seemed very well satisfied with their answer, and desired to be further informed, whether all animal creatures did continue their species by a successive propagation of particulars, and whether in every species the off-spring did always resemble their generator or producer, both in their interior and exterior figures? They answered her Majesty, that some species or sorts of creatures, were kept up by a successive propagation of an offspring that was like the producer, but some were not; of the first rank, said they, are all those animals that are of different sexes, besides several others; but of the second rank are for the most part those we call insects, whose production proceeds from such causes as have no conformity or likeness with their produced effects; as for example, maggots bred out of cheese, and several others generated out of earth, water, and the like. But said the Empress, there is some likeness between maggots and cheese; for cheese has no blood, and so neither have maggots; besides, they have almost the same taste which cheese has. This proves nothing, answered they; for maggots have a visible, local, progressive motion, which cheese hath not. The Empress replied, that when all the cheese was
turned into maggots, it might be said to have local, progressive motion. They answered, that when the cheese by its own figurative motions was changed into maggots, it was no more cheese. The Empress confessed that she observed nature was infinitely various in her works, and that though the species of creatures did continue, yet their particulars were subject to infinite changes. But since you have informed me, said she, of the various sorts and productions of animal creatures, I desire you to tell me what you have observed of their sensitive perceptions? Truly, answered they, your Majesty puts a very hard question to us, and we shall hardly be able to give a satisfactory answer to it; for there are many different sorts of creatures, which as they have all different perceptions, so they have also different organs, which our senses are not able to discover, only in an oyster-shell we have with admiration observed, that the common sensorium of the oyster lies just at the closing of the shells, where the pressure and reaction may be perceived by the opening and shutting of the shells every tide.