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Lastly, They shewed the Emperess a Flea, and a
Lowse; which Creatures through the Microscope
appear'd 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'le forbear
it at this present. The Emperess 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 Emperess had
seen the shapes of these monstrous Creatures, she
desir'd to know whether their Microscopes could
hinder their biting, or at least shew 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 Emperess asked
them whether they had not such sorts of Glasses that
could enlarge and magnifie 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 thorow 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 Emperess 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 shewed 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 Majesties
Commands, they did; and viewing through one
of the best of them, a huge and mighty Whale appear'd
no bigger then a Sprat; nay, through some no
bigger then a Vinegar-Eele; and through their ordinary
ones, an Elephant seemed no bigger then a Flea; a
Camel no bigger then a Lowse; and an Ostrich no
bigger then a Mite. To relate all their optick observations
through the several sorts of their Glasses; would
be a tedious work, and tire even the most patient Reader,
wherefore I'le pass them by; onely this was very
remarkable and worthy to be taken notice of, that notwithstanding
their great skil, 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 Mixt-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.
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| And if any should like the world I have made,
and be willing to be my subjects, they may imagine themselves such, and they are such—I mean
in their minds, fancies or imaginations. But if they cannot endure to be subjects, they may
create worlds of their own and govern themselves as they please.
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| © 2025 by Sarah Reitmeier, except text from The Description of a New World, Called the Blazing World, published 1666 by Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle.
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