The philosphical and physical opinions written by Her Excellency the Lady Marchionesse of Newcastle.

AN EPISTLE To justifie the LADY NEW CASTLE, AND Truth against falshood, laying those false, and malicious aspersions of her, that she was not Authour of her BOOKS.

I Would willingly begin with the common, and Dun∣stable rode of Epistles, Gentle Readers, but finding you much otherwise, I will fall to our discourse in hand. First 'tis but your envious Supposition that this Lady must have converst with many Scholers of all kindes in learning, when 'tis well known the con∣trary, that she never convert with any profest Shooler in learning, for to learn, neither did she need it, since she had the conversation of her Honorable, and most learned Brother from her cradle; and since she was married, with my worthy and learned Brother; and for my self I have lived in the great world a great while, and have thought of what has been brought to me by the senses, more then was put into me by learned discourse; for I do not love to be led by the nose, by Autho∣rity and old Authours, ipse dixit will not serve my turn, were Aristotle made a more Philosophical Bible then he is, and all scholers to have a lively faith in him, doth not move me to be of their Philosophical churche at all. And I assure you her conversation with her Brother, and Brother-in-law, were enough without a miracle or an impossibility to get the language of the arts, and learned professions, which are their terms, without taking any degrees in Schooles. It is not so difficult a thing though they make mountains of mole-hills, & say they, thatthis Lady useth many termes of

the Schooles; but truly she did never Impe her high-flying Phan∣cies, with any old broken Fethers out of any university; and if you read well, which is to understand, and look on her Poems, you will 〈◊〉〈◊〉 they are all new born Phansies, never toucht of heretofore. But for the rarity of the terms, or nests of Divines, Philosophers, Physici∣ans, Geometricians, Astrono mers, and the rest of the Gown-Tribe, as one tearms them, how is it possible she should know them; And first for Divinity, when she speaks of Predestination, Free-will, 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and consubstantiation; truly these termes are not so hard to be got by heart as to be understood, since I beleeve it puzzels the learned to make sense of them. But I beseech you give this Lady so much ca∣pacity, as to get them by heart, since every Tub-preacher discourses of them, and every sanctified wife gossips them in wafers, and hipo∣cris at every Christening. Next are the termes of the Philosophers, Certainly 'tis no Conjuration to conceive Atomes, invisible, and indi∣visible bodies, elements, earth, air, water and fire, whereof your ele∣mentary fire under the moon is much doubted of, and then you have but three elements. Motion is a difficult thing indeed, to understand the varietes of it, but certainly not of a body moved, that's no such transcen∣dent thing. Dilation a spreading, Contraction a gathering together Ra∣rificationthinning, and Condensation thickning; I confesse in the La∣tine it seems very learned, but in the English very vulgar, there-fore I beseech you give this Lady leave to have the wit, and the judge∣ment to understand these Great no mysteries. And put the case now that this Lady should name materia prima, -and understand the English of it to be first matter, and ask her friend again what they mean by it, and he tells her they say they mean matter without form, and she should answer, there is no matter without some form, so materia prima are two Latine words that mean nothing. An incorporeal substance is too learned to be understood, so that is waved. Now for the termes of Physicians, when she speaks of Choler, Phlegme, Melancholy and Blood, and of Ventricles in the heart and brain, of veines, arteries and nerves, and discourses of fevers, apoplexies, convulsions, Drop∣sies, and divers other diseases with their particular causes, symptoms and cures; how should this Lady understand these terms say some? truly a good Farmers wife in the country, by seeing one of her sheep opened, may well understand the tearms of most of these, and a Consta∣bles wife of a hundred in Essex that useth Physick and Surgery may well talk of the diseases, without any great learned mystery, they are so plain and so common, as none needsto construe Greek in Hippocra∣tes or Galen for them. But would you know how we know the great Mystery of these Physical terms, I am almost ashamed to tell you; not that we have been ever sickly, but by Melancholy often supposed our selves to bave such diseases as we had not, and learned Physitians were too wise to put us out of that humour, and so these tearms cost us much more then they are Worth, and I hope there is no body so malicious, as to envie our bargain, neither truly do I repent my bargain, since Phy∣sitians are the most rational men I have converst with all, and my worthy and very good friends, and truly this Lady never converst with

any Physitian of any disease, but what she thought she had her self, neither hath she converst with many of that profession. Now for the great learning of knowing the terms of Geometricians, when this La∣dy touches upon Triangles, Squares, Circles, Diameters, Circumfe∣rences, Centers, lines straight and crooked &c. I will not dissect these great mysteries, because they are so very common, as the meanest under∣stands all these termes, even to Joyners and Carpenters, therefore sure∣ly this Lady is capable of them.

Then of Astronomers, say they, when she speak's of the Horizon, Meridian, Equator, Zodiack, Eclyptick, Tropicks, Poles of the world &c. When these termes are understood thats their meaning, they are no such subtilties, since every boy may be taught them, with an apple for the Globe, and the parings for the sphears, it is so ridiculous then to think that this Lady cannot understand these tearms, as it is rather to be laught at, then to trouble ones self to answer. And that invinci∣ble Problem, the quadrature of the circle, as they call it, which makes me doubt that they think themselves wiser, for naming the quadrature, then squaring the circle, who lives that hath not heard of it, and who lives that can do it, and who is dead that hath done it, and put the case it were done, what then? why then 'tis squa∣red, and that's all, and that all is nothing, much ado about nothing. But we will leave these impertinent, malicious, and most false ex∣ceptions to the Lady, and her Books, and will now begin with her book of Poems, examining first her Philosophy there. Thats an old o∣pinion of Atomes, say some, witnesse Democrates and many others; Tis very true they have talkt of atomes, but did they ever dispose of them as they are there, or tell you what several sorts there are of them, and what figure they bear, and being joyned, what forms they produce of all kindes, in all things, if you have read any such things before, i'le be bold to burn the Book. Why then all these are new opinions, and grounded upon Reason, I say some, but they are Paradoxes, what then? I hope a Paradox may be as true as an old opinion, and an old opinion as false as a Paradox, for neither the one nor the other makes a truth, either the new or the old, for what is most reason & reasonable; for in natural Philosophy, one opinion may be as true as another, since no body knows the first cause in nature of any thing. Then this Ladies Philosophy is excellent, and will be thought so hereafter, and the truth is that it was wholy, and onely wrought out of her own brain, as there are many witnesses, by the several sheets that she sent daily to be writ fair for the presse. As for her Poems, where are the exceptions to these? marry they misse sometimes in the numbers and in the rimes. It is well known by the copies, that those faults lie most upon the Corrector, and the Printer; but put the case there might be some slips in that kinde, is all the book damned for it, no mercy Gentlemen? when for the num∣bers, every Schoole-boy can make them on his fingers, and for Rimes Fenner would have put down Ben. Johnson, and yet neither the boy or Fenner so good Poets. No, it is neither of those either makes, or condemns a Poet, it is new born and creating Phansies that Glori∣fies

a Poet, and in her Book of Poems, I am sure there is excellent, and new Phancies, as have not been writ by any, and that it was onely writ by her is the greatest truth in the world. Now for her Book called the Worlds Olio, say some, how is it possible that she showld have such experience, to write of such things so; I answer, that I living long in the great world, and having the various fortunes of what they call good and bad, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the reading of men might bring me to as much experience as the reading of Books, and this I have now and then discourst unto this Lady, who hath wisely and elegantly drest it in her own way, and sumptuously cloathed it, at the charge of her own Phancies and expressions; I say some of them she hath heard from me, but not the fortieth part of her book, all the rest are absolutely her own in all kindes, this is an ingenious truth, therefore beleeve it. As for the Book of her Philosophical opinions, there is not any one thing in the whole Book, that is not absolutely spun out by her own studious phancy, and if you will lay by a little passion against writers, you will like it, and the best, of any thing she has writ, therefore read it once or twice, not with malice to finde a little fault, but with judgement to like what is good. Truly I cannot beleeve so unworthily of any Scho∣ler, honouring them so much as we both do, that they should envie this Lady, or should have so much malice or emulation, to cast such false as∣persions on her, that she did not write those Books that go forth in her name, they will hardly finde out who else writ them, and I protest none ever writ them but her self; You should rather incourage her, then by false suppositions to let her see the world is so ill natured, as to beleeve fal∣shoods before truths. But here's the crime, a Lady writes them, and to in∣trench so much upon the male prerogative, is not to be forgiven; but I know Gown-men will be more civil to her, because she is of the Gown too, and therefore I am confident you will defend her and truth, and thus be undeceived. I had not troubled you with this, but that a learned Doctor, our very noble friend, writ is word of the infidelity of some people in this kinde; whatsoever I have write is absolutly truth, which I here as a man of Honour set my hand to.

W. NEWCASTLE.