_MADAM,_
Passing by those Chapters of your _Authors_, that treat of _Power and
Act, Identy and Difference, Analogisme, Angle and Figure, Figures
deficient, dimension of Circles_, and several others, most of which
belong to art, as to Geometry, and the like; I am come to that wherein
he discourses of _Sense_ and _Animal Motion_, saying,[1] _That some
Natural bodies have in themselves the patterns almost of all things,
and others of none at all_; Whereof my opinion is, that the sensitive
and rational parts of Matter are the living and knowing parts of
Nature, and no part of nature can challenge them onely to it self, nor
no creature can be sure, that sense is onely in Animal-kind, and reason
in Man-kind; for can any one think or believe that Nature is ignorant
and dead in all her other parts besides Animals? Truly this is a very
unreasonable opinion; for no man, as wise as he thinks himself, nay
were all Man-kind joyned into one body, yet they are not able to know
it, unless there were no variety of parts in nature, but onely one
whole and individeable body, for other Creatures may know and perceive
as much as Animals, although they have not the same Sensitive Organs,
nor the same manner or way of Perception. Next your _Author_ says,[2]
_The cause of Sense or Perception consists herein, that the first organ
of sense is touched and pressed; For when the uttermost part of the
organ is pressed, it no sooner yields, but the part next within it is
pressed also, and in this manner the pressure or motion is propagated
through all the parts of the organ to the innermost. And thus also the
pressure of the uttermost part proceeds from the pressure of some more
remote body, and so continually, till we come to that, from which, as
from its fountain, we derive the Phantasme or Idea, that is made in
us by our sense: And this, whatsoever it be, is that we commonly call
the object; Sense therefore is some Internal motion in the Sentient,
generated by some Internal motion of the Parts of the object, and
propagated through all the media to the innermost part of the organ.
Moreover there being a resistance or reaction in the organ, by reason
of its internal motion against the motion propagated from the object,
there is also an endeavour in the organ opposite to the endeavour
proceeding from the object, and when that endeavour inwards is the last
action in the act of sense, then from the reaction a Phantasme or Idea
has its being._ This is your _Authors_ opinion, which if it were so,
perception could not be effected so suddenly, nay I think the sentient
by so many pressures in so many perceptions, would at last be pressed
to death, besides the organs would take a great deal of hurt, nay
totally be removed out of their places, so as the eye would in time be
prest into the centre of the brain; And if there were any Resistance,
Reaction or Indeavour in the organ, opposite to the Endeavour of the
object, there would, in my opinion, be always a war between the animal
senses and the objects, the endeavour of the objects pressing one way,
and the senses pressing the other way, and if equal in their strengths,
they would make a stop, and the sensitive organs would be very much
pained. Truly, _Madam_, in my opinion, it would be like that Custom
which formerly hath been used at _Newcastle_, when a man was married,
the guests divided themselves, behind and before the Bridegroom, the
one party driving him back, the other forwards, so that one time a
Bridegroom was killed in this fashion; But certainly Nature hath a
more quick and easie way of giving intelligence and knowledg to her
Creatures, and doth not use such constraint and force in her actions;
Neither is sense or sensitive perception a meer Phantasme or Idea, but
a Corporeal action of the sensitive and rational matter, and according
to the variation of the objects or patterns, and the sensitive and
rational motions, the perception also is various, produced not by
external pressure, but by internal self-motion, as I have declared
heretofore; and to prove, that the sensitive and rational corporeal
motions are the onely cause of perception; I say, if those motions
in an animal move in another way, and not to such perceptions, then
that animal can neither hear, see, taste, smell nor touch, although
all his sensitive organs be perfect, as is evident in a man falling
into a swoon, where all the time he is in a swoon, the pressure of the
objects is made without any effect; Wherefore, as the sensitive and
rational corporeal motions make all that is in nature; so likewise
they make perception, as being perception it self, for all self-motion
is perception, but all perception is not animal perception; or after
an animal way; and therefore sense cannot decay nor die, but what is
called a decay or death, is nothing else but a change or alteration of
those Motions. But you will say, _Madam_, it may be, that one body,
as an object, leaves the print of its figure, in the next adjoyning
body, until it comes to the organ of sense, I answer that then soft
bodies onely must be pressed, and the object must be so hard as to
make a print, and as for rare parts of matter, they are not able to
retain a print without self-motion; Wherefore it is not probable that
the parts of air should receive a print, and print the same again
upon the adjoyning part, until the last part of the air print it
upon the eye; and that the exterior parts of the organ should print
upon the interior, till it come to the centre of the Brain, without
self-motion. Wherefore in my opinion, Perception is not caused either
by the printing of objects, nor by pressures, for pressures would
make a general stop of all natural motions, especially if there were
any reaction or resistence of sense; but according to my reason, the
sensitive and rational corporeal motions in one body, pattern out the
Figure of another body, as of an exterior object, which may be done
easily without any pressure or reaction; I will not say, that there
is no pressure or reaction in Nature, but pressure and reaction doth
not make perception, for the sensitive and rational parts of matter
make all perception and variety of motion, being the most subtil parts
of Nature, as self-moving, as also divideable, and composeable, and
alterable in their figurative motions, for this Perceptive matter can
change its substance into any figure whatsoever in nature, as being not
bound to one constant figure. But having treated hereof before, and
being to say more of it hereafter, this shall suffice for the present,
remaining always,
Madam,
_Your constant Friend,_
_and faithful Servant._
[1] _C._ 25. _a._ 1.
[2] _Art._ 2.