The Blazing World · The Description of a New World, Called the Blazing-World (4/14)

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 2,700 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 representation 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 the 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 vinegar-eel; 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 crea-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 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 dissected 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 all have neither 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, is nothing else but a composition and division of parts, and the motions of nature being infinitely various, it is 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 offsprings 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, nor maggots neither; 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.

After all this, the Empress desired the Worm-men to give her a true relation how frost was made upon the earth? To which they answered, that it was made much after the manner and description of the Fish- and Bird-men, concerning the congelation of water into ice and snow, by a commixture of saline and acid particles; which relation added a great light to the Ape-men, who were the chemists, concerning their chemical principles, salt, sulphur, and mercury. But, said the Empress, if it be so, it will require an infinite multitude of saline particles to produce such a great quantity of ice, frost and snow: besides, said she, when snow, ice and frost, turn again into their former principle, I would fain know what becomes of those saline particles? But neither the Worm-men, nor the Fish- and Bird-men, could give her an answer to it.

Then the Empress enquired of them the reason, why springs were not as salt as the sea is? also, why some did ebb and flow? To which it was answered, that the ebbing and flowing of some springs, was caused by hollow caverns within the earth, where the seawater crowding through, did thrust forward, and drew backward the spring-water, according to its own way of ebbing and flowing; but others said, that it proceeded from a small proportion of saline and acid particles, which the spring-water imbibed from the earth; and although it was not so much as to be perceived by the sense of taste; yet it was enough to cause an ebbing and flowing-motion. And as for the spring-water being fresh, they gave, according to their observation, this following reason: There is, said they, a certain heat within the bowels of the earth, proceeding from its swift circular motion, upon its own axe, which heat distills the rarest parts of the earth into a fresh and insipid water, which water being through the pores of the earth, conveyed into a place where it may break forth without resistance or obstruction, causes springs and fountains; and these distilled waters within the earth, do nourish and refresh the grosser and drier parts thereof. This relation confirmed the Empress in the opinion concerning the motion of the earth, and the fixedness of the sun, as the Bird-men had informed her; and then she asked the Worm-men, whether minerals and vegetables were generated by the same heat that is within the bowels of the earth? To which they could give her no positive answer; only this they affirmed, that heat and cold were not the primary producing causes of either vegetables or minerals, or other sorts of creatures, but only effects; and to prove this our assertion, said they, we have observed, that by change of some sorts of corporeal motions, that which is now hot, will become cold; and what is now cold, will grow hot; but the hottest place of all, we find to be the center of the earth: Neither do we observe, that the torrid zone does contain so much gold and silver as the temperate; nor is there great store of iron and lead wheresoever there is gold; for these metals are most found in colder climates towards either of the poles. This observation, the Empress commanded them to confer with her chemists, the Ape-men; to let them know that gold was not produced by a violent, but a temperate degree of heat. She asked further, whether gold could not be made by art? They answered, that they could not certainly tell her Majesty, but if it was possible to be done, they thought tin, lead, brass, iron and silver, to be the fittest metals for such an artificial transmutation. Then she asked them, whether art could produce iron, tin, lead, or silver? They answered, not, in their opinion. Then I perceive, replied the Empress, that your judgments are very irregular, since you believe that gold, which is so fixed a metal, that nothing has been found as yet which could occasion a dissolution of its interior figure, may be made by art, and not tin, lead, iron, copper or silver, which yet are so far weaker, and meaner metals than gold is. But the Worm-men excused themselves, that they were ignorant in that art, and that such questions belonged more properly to the Ape-men, which were her Majesty’s chemists.