Poems, and phancies written By the Thrice Noble, Illustrious, And Excellent Princess The Lady Marchioness of Newcastle [i.e. Margaret Cavendish]. The Second Impression, much Altered and Corrected |
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Nature calls a Council, which is Motion, Figure, Matter, and Life, to advise about making the World.
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 | Poems, and phancies |  |
Nature calls a Council, which is Motion, Figure, Matter, and Life, to advise about making the World.
When
Nature first the World's Foundation laid.
She call'd a Council how it might be made;
Motion was first, which had a subtile Wit,
And then came Life, and Form, and Matter fit.
Nature began: My friends, if we agree,
We can and may do a fine Work, said she,
And make some things which us may Worship give,
Whereas now we but to our selves do Live.
Besides, it is my Nature things to make,
To give out Work, but you Directions take;
Wherefore, if you will pleasure have therein,
You'l breed the Fates in Huswifry to Spin,
And make strong Destiny to take the pains,
Lest she should Idle grow, to link some Chains;
Inconstancy and Fortune turn a Wheel,
Since both are wanton, cannot stand, but reel;
And as for Moisture, let it VVater give,
Which Heat suck up, to make things grow and live,
And let sharp Cold stay things that run about,
And Drought stop holes, to keep the water out;
Vacuum and Darkness they will Domineer,
If Motion's power make no Light appear;
VVherefore produce a Light, the World to see
My only Child from all Eternity,
Beauty my Love, my Joy, and Dear delight,
Else Darkness rude will cover her with spight.
She call'd a Council how it might be made;
Motion was first, which had a subtile Wit,
And then came Life, and Form, and Matter fit.
Nature began: My friends, if we agree,
We can and may do a fine Work, said she,
And make some things which us may Worship give,
Whereas now we but to our selves do Live.
Besides, it is my Nature things to make,
To give out Work, but you Directions take;
Wherefore, if you will pleasure have therein,
You'l breed the Fates in Huswifry to Spin,
And make strong Destiny to take the pains,
Lest she should Idle grow, to link some Chains;
Inconstancy and Fortune turn a Wheel,
Since both are wanton, cannot stand, but reel;
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Which Heat suck up, to make things grow and live,
And let sharp Cold stay things that run about,
And Drought stop holes, to keep the water out;
Vacuum and Darkness they will Domineer,
If Motion's power make no Light appear;
VVherefore produce a Light, the World to see
My only Child from all Eternity,
Beauty my Love, my Joy, and Dear delight,
Else Darkness rude will cover her with spight.
Alas, said Motion, all the pains I take
VVill do no good, a Brain must Matter make,
And Figure draw a Circle round and small,
VVhere in the midst must stand a Glassy Ball,
VVithout Convex, but inwardly Concave,
And in its middle a round small Hole must have,
That Species may thorow pass, and Life
May view all things as through a Prospective.
VVill do no good, a Brain must Matter make,
And Figure draw a Circle round and small,
VVhere in the midst must stand a Glassy Ball,
VVithout Convex, but inwardly Concave,
And in its middle a round small Hole must have,
That Species may thorow pass, and Life
May view all things as through a Prospective.
Alas, said Life, what ever we do make,
Death, my great Enemy, will from us take,
And who can hinder his so mighty Power?
He with his Cruelty will all devour,
And Time his Agent bring all to decay,
Thus neither Death, nor Time will you Obey;
He cares for none of your Commands, nor will
Obey your Laws, but doth, what he likes still;
He knows his Power farr exceedeth Ours,
For whatsoe're we make he soon devours;
Let me advise you, ne're to take such pains
A World to make, since Death hath all the gains.
Death, my great Enemy, will from us take,
And who can hinder his so mighty Power?
He with his Cruelty will all devour,
And Time his Agent bring all to decay,
Thus neither Death, nor Time will you Obey;
He cares for none of your Commands, nor will
Obey your Laws, but doth, what he likes still;
He knows his Power farr exceedeth Ours,
For whatsoe're we make he soon devours;
Let me advise you, ne're to take such pains
A World to make, since Death hath all the gains.
Figure's Opinion did agree with Life,
For Death, said she, will fill the VVorld with strife;
VVhat Form soever I do turn into,
Death finds me out, that Form he doth undo.
Then Motion spake, None hath such Cause, as I,
For to complain; for Death makes Motion Dye.
'Tis best to let alone this work, I think,
Says Matter, Death corrupts and makes me stink.
Says Nature, I am of another mind,
If we let Death alone, we soon shall find,
He warrs will make, and raise a mighty power,
If we divert him not, may us devour;
He is ambitious, will in triumph stand,
Envy my works he will, my state Command;
And Fates, though they upon great Life attend,
Yet fear they Death, and dare him not offend;
Though two be true, and Spin as Life them bids,
The third is false, and doth cut short the threads.
Let us agree, for fear we should do worse,
And make some work for to imploy his force.
Then all rose up, We do submit, said they,
And Nature's will in every thing Obey.
For Death, said she, will fill the VVorld with strife;
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Death finds me out, that Form he doth undo.
Then Motion spake, None hath such Cause, as I,
For to complain; for Death makes Motion Dye.
'Tis best to let alone this work, I think,
Says Matter, Death corrupts and makes me stink.
Says Nature, I am of another mind,
If we let Death alone, we soon shall find,
He warrs will make, and raise a mighty power,
If we divert him not, may us devour;
He is ambitious, will in triumph stand,
Envy my works he will, my state Command;
And Fates, though they upon great Life attend,
Yet fear they Death, and dare him not offend;
Though two be true, and Spin as Life them bids,
The third is false, and doth cut short the threads.
Let us agree, for fear we should do worse,
And make some work for to imploy his force.
Then all rose up, We do submit, said they,
And Nature's will in every thing Obey.
First, Matter, she Materials in did bring,
And Motion cut and carv'd out everything;
And Figure she did draw the forms and plots,
And Life divided all out into Lots;
And Nature she survey'd, directed all,
And with four Elements built the World's Ball:
The solid Earth, she as the Ground-work laid,
The Waters round about as Walls were made,
VVhere every drop lay close, as Stone or Brick,
VVhose moisture like to Mortar made them stick.
Air as the Seeling, did keep close each thing,
Lest some Materials out of place might spring,
And pressed down the Seas, lest they should rise,
And overflow the Earth, and drown the Skies:
For as a Roof is laid upon a Wall,
To keep it Steddy, that no side may fall,
So Nature in that place Air wisely staid,
And Fire like Tile or Slate the highest laid,
To keep out Rain or Wet, else it would rot,
And would the VVorld corrupt, if Fire were not.
The Planets like as Weather-fans turn round,
The Sun a Dial in the midst is found,
Where he doth Time within strict bounds confine,
And measures all, though round, by even Line.
But when the Earth was made, and Seed was sown,
Plants on the Earth, and Minerals were grown,
Then Creatures made, which Motion did give Sense,
Yet Reason none to have Intelligence.
But Nature found, when she to make Man came,
It was more difficult, than Worlds to frame;
For she did strive to make him long to last,
And so into Eternity him cast,
VVho in no other place could be kept long,
But in Eternity that Castle strong;
There, she was sure that Death would be kept out,
Although he is a VVarriour strong and stout.
Man she would make, but not like other kind,
Though not in Body, like a God in Mind.
Then she did call her Council once again,
Told them, the greatest work did yet remain:
For how can we Create our selves? said she,
Yet Man we must make like our selves to be,
Or else he never can escape Death's snare;
To make this Work, requires both skill and care;
Wherefore I'l mix his Mind, as I think fit,
With Knowledge, Understanding, and with Wit;
And, Motion, you your Servants must imploy,
Which Passions are, to wait still in the Eye,
To dress, and cloath this Mind in Fashions new,
Which none knows better how to do than you,
That though his Body Dye, the Mind may Live;
And a Free-will we must unto it give;
But, Matter, you from Figure form must take,
And Man from other Creatures different make,
For he shall upright go, the rest shall not;
And, Motion, you in him must tye a Knot
Of several Motions, there to meet in one,
Thus Man like to himself shall be alone.
You, Life, command the Fates a thread to Spin,
From which small thread the Body shall begin,
And while the thread doth last, not cut in twain,
The Body shall in Motion still remain;
But when the thread is broke, he down shall fall,
And for a time no Motion have at all:
But yet the Mind shall Live and never Dye,
Wee'l raise the Body too for Company;
Thus like our selves, we may make things to Live
Eternally, but no Past times can give.
And Motion cut and carv'd out everything;
And Figure she did draw the forms and plots,
And Life divided all out into Lots;
And Nature she survey'd, directed all,
And with four Elements built the World's Ball:
The solid Earth, she as the Ground-work laid,
The Waters round about as Walls were made,
VVhere every drop lay close, as Stone or Brick,
VVhose moisture like to Mortar made them stick.
Air as the Seeling, did keep close each thing,
Lest some Materials out of place might spring,
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And overflow the Earth, and drown the Skies:
For as a Roof is laid upon a Wall,
To keep it Steddy, that no side may fall,
So Nature in that place Air wisely staid,
And Fire like Tile or Slate the highest laid,
To keep out Rain or Wet, else it would rot,
And would the VVorld corrupt, if Fire were not.
The Planets like as Weather-fans turn round,
The Sun a Dial in the midst is found,
Where he doth Time within strict bounds confine,
And measures all, though round, by even Line.
But when the Earth was made, and Seed was sown,
Plants on the Earth, and Minerals were grown,
Then Creatures made, which Motion did give Sense,
Yet Reason none to have Intelligence.
But Nature found, when she to make Man came,
It was more difficult, than Worlds to frame;
For she did strive to make him long to last,
And so into Eternity him cast,
VVho in no other place could be kept long,
But in Eternity that Castle strong;
There, she was sure that Death would be kept out,
Although he is a VVarriour strong and stout.
Man she would make, but not like other kind,
Though not in Body, like a God in Mind.
Then she did call her Council once again,
Told them, the greatest work did yet remain:
For how can we Create our selves? said she,
Yet Man we must make like our selves to be,
Or else he never can escape Death's snare;
To make this Work, requires both skill and care;
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With Knowledge, Understanding, and with Wit;
And, Motion, you your Servants must imploy,
Which Passions are, to wait still in the Eye,
To dress, and cloath this Mind in Fashions new,
Which none knows better how to do than you,
That though his Body Dye, the Mind may Live;
And a Free-will we must unto it give;
But, Matter, you from Figure form must take,
And Man from other Creatures different make,
For he shall upright go, the rest shall not;
And, Motion, you in him must tye a Knot
Of several Motions, there to meet in one,
Thus Man like to himself shall be alone.
You, Life, command the Fates a thread to Spin,
From which small thread the Body shall begin,
And while the thread doth last, not cut in twain,
The Body shall in Motion still remain;
But when the thread is broke, he down shall fall,
And for a time no Motion have at all:
But yet the Mind shall Live and never Dye,
Wee'l raise the Body too for Company;
Thus like our selves, we may make things to Live
Eternally, but no Past times can give.
| Poems, and phancies | |