Observations, censures, and confutations of notorious errours in Mr. Hobbes his Leviathan and other his bookes to which are annexed occasionall anim-adversions on some writings of the Socinians and such hæreticks of the same opinion with him / by William Lucy ...

Sect. 5.

[For the 3. we are to consider, first, th••t every great agi∣tation,* 1.1 or concussion of the b••aine (as it hapneth from a stroak, especially if the stroak be upon the eye) where the Op∣tick Nerve suffereth any great violence, there appeareth be∣fore the eye a certain light] I w••ll stop here, and examine it piece-meal. Could a man imagine such a perturbed discourse to come from so learned a man? He begins with a high language of a great concussion in the braine, which I wondred how he could fetch about, and exem∣plifies only, as it happens from a stroake, especially if the stroak be upon the eye. What proportion has a stroak upon the eye to a concussion of the brain? though some sparks (as I remember in my childhood, for I will not try those experiments now) though such sparks, I say, may appear after a stroak upon the eye, yet I cannot conceive why any such thing proportionable should happen from a concus∣sion of the brain.* 1.2 He proceeds [which light is nothing without but an apparition onely, all that is real, being the concussion or motion of that Nerve] For this instance, al∣though it be not necessary, as you will see anon, yet, for satisfaction of the reader, I will set downe my conceipt of it, as I can remember the experiment of this great rule, Nosce teipsum, thus; That fire, light or sparkes (for such it seemed to me) which after a great blow flasheth out of the eye, I conceive not to be any issue of the Op∣tick Nerve, which is no way capable, in my judgment, of producing such an effect; but proceeds either from the white or crystalline humor, either of which may have a disposition to it, the crystalline humour, like such a light substance agitated in the dark, may chance to make a lit∣tle flaring. For the white, as I have seen a very white Cat in the dark, or a very white Napkin, firm & stiff, struck in

the dark, send out visible sparks, like those of fire, being, as I think, nothing but strong emission of species. Now the eye is utterly in the dark, for the present, upon such a blow, and therefore these little irruptions of its own light, quickly stopt by some opposition, may return themselves a spectacle to that eye out of which they came; what he saith, That this light is nothing without, I deny it, it is, as I expressed, the sparkling, not from the Nerve, but either the white or crystall••ne humour, or both; This is my conceipt, and hath for its proofe some Illustrations from other experiments, when his de∣vice of the optick Nerve hath no colour for what he af∣firmes, nor can he shew me any thing like it besides; but if he could, let him know, that it is a poor arguing for such a man, who despiseth Universitie learning, to ar∣gue an universal conclusion concerning Sense, from a par∣ticular Inst••nce, from a disturbed organ; we poor peo∣ple, that have been onely used to University learning, have a conceipt amongst us, that that great Axiome, up∣on which all Philosophy, and perhaps Divinity too is founded, That sense is not deceived, when it is conversant about its proper object, must be understood of a right Me∣dium, a well disposed organ, or else it may, yea, will be deceived, when either of these faile. For him there∣fore to draw an Aphorisme from an experiment of sense, where the Organ is indisposed, must be so far from a good deduction, as a man would argue the contrary.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Sparks appear∣ing upon a str••ke on the eye not from any concussi∣on of the brain.
• * 1.2

  From the cry∣stalline hu∣mour▪ not the optick nerve.