Part 23

Concerning Sympathy and Antipathy, and attractive or magnetick Inclinations, which some do ascribe to the influence of the Stars, others to an unknown Spirit as the Mover, others to the Instinct of Nature, hidden Proprieties, and certain formal Vertues; but your _Author_,[1] doth attribute to _directing Ideas, begotten by their Mother Charity, or a desire of Good Will_, and calls it[2] a _Gift naturally inherent in the Archeusses of either part_: If you please to have my opinion thereof, I think they are nothing else but plain ordinary Passions and Appetites. As for example: I take Sympathy, as also Magnetisme or attractive Power, to be such agreeable Motions in one part or Creature, as do cause a Fancy, love and desire to some other part or Creature; and Antipathy, when these Motions are disagreeable, and produce contrary effects, as dislike, hate and aversion to some part or Creature. And as there are many sorts of such motions, so there are many sorts of Sympathyes and Antipathyes, or Attractions and Aversions, made several manners or ways; For in some subjects, Sympathy requires a certain distance; as for example, in Iron and the Loadstone; for if the Iron be too far off, the Loadstone cannot exercise its power, when as in other subjects, there is no need of any such certain distance, as betwixt the Needle and the North-pole, as also the Weapon-salve; for the Needle will turn it self towards the North, whether it be near or far off from the North-pole; and so, be the Weapon which inflicted the wound, never so far from the wounded Person, as they say, yet it will nevertheless do its effect: But yet there must withal be some conjunction with the blood; for as your _Author_ mentions,[3] the Weapon shall be in vain anointed with the Unguent, unless it be made bloody, and the same blood be first dried on the same Weapon. Likewise the sounding of two eights when one is touched, must be done within a certain distance: the same may be said of all Infectious and catching Diseases amongst Animals, where the Infection, be it the Infected Air, or a Poysonous Vapour, or any thing else, must needs touch the body, and enter either through the Mouth, or Nostrils, or Ears, or Pores of the body; for though the like Antipathies of Infectious Diseases, as of the Plague, may be in several places far distant and remote from each other at one and the same time, yet they cannot infect particular Creatures, or Animals, without coming near, or without the sense of Touch: For example; the Plague may be in the _East Indies_, and in this Kingdom, at one and the same time, and yet be strangers to each other; for although all Men are of Mankind, yet all have not Sympathy or Antipathy to each other; the like of several Plagues, although they be of the same kind of disease, yet, being in several places at one time, they may not be a kin to each other, nor one be produced by the other, except the Plague be brought over out of an infected Country, into a sound Country, by some means or other. And thus some Sympathy and Antipathy is made by a close conjunction, or corporeal uniting of parts, but not all; neither is it required, that all Sympathy and Antipathy must be mutual, or equally in both Parties, so that that part or party, which has a Sympathetical affection or inclination to the other, must needs receive the like sympathetical affection from that part again; for one man may have a sympathetical affection to another man, when as this man hath an antipathetical aversion to him; and the same may be, for ought we know, betwixt Iron and the Loadstone, as also betwixt the Needle and the North; for the Needle may have a sympathy towards the North, but not again the North towards the Needle; and so may the Iron have towards the Loadstone, but not again the Loadstone towards the Iron: Neither is Sympathy or Antipathy made by the issuing out of any invisible rayes, for then the rays betwixt the North and the Needle would have a great way to reach: But a sympathetical inclination in a Man towards another, is made either by sight, or hearing; either present, or absent: the like of infectious Diseases. I grant, that if both Parties do mutually affect each other, and their motions be equally agreeable; then the sympathy is the stronger, and will last the longer, and then there is a Union, Likeness, or Conformableness, of their Actions, Appetites, and Passions; For this kind of Sympathy works no other effects, but a conforming of the actions of one party, to the actions of the other, as by way of Imitation, proceeding from an internal sympathetical love and desire to please; for Sympathy doth not produce an effect really different from it self, or else the sympathy betwixt Iron and the Loadstone would produce a third Creature different from themselves, and so it would do in all other Creatures. But as I mentioned above, there are many sorts of attractions in Nature, and many several and various attractions onely in one sort of Creatures, nay, so many in one particular as not to be numbred; for there are many Desires, Passions, and Appetites, which draw or intice a man to something or other, as for example, to Beauty, Novelty, Luxury, Covetousness, and all kinds of Vertues and Vices; and there are many particular objects in every one of these, as for example, in Novelty. For there are so many several desires to Novelty, as there are Senses, and so many Novelties that satisfie those desires, as a Novelty to the Ear, a Novelty to the Sight, to Touch, Taste, and Smell; besides in every one of these, there are many several objects; To mention onely one example, for the novelty of Sight; I have seen an Ape, drest like a Cavalier, and riding on Horse-back with his sword by his side, draw a far greater multitude of People after him, then a Loadstone of the same bigness of the Ape would have drawn Iron; and as the Ape turn'd, so did the People, just like as the Needle turns to the North; and this is but one object in one kind of attraction, _viz._ Novelty: but there be Millions of objects besides. In like manner good cheer draws abundance of People, as is evident, and needs no Demonstration. Wherefore, as I said in the beginning, Sympathy is nothing else but natural Passions and Appetites, as Love, Desire, Fancy, Hunger, Thirst, &c. and its effects are Concord, Unity, Nourishment, and the like: But Antipathy is Dislike, Hate, Fear, Anger, Revenge, Aversion, Jealousie, &c. and its effects are Discord, Division, and the like. And such an Antipathy is between a Wolf and a Sheep, a Hound and a Hare, a Hawk and a Partridg, &c. For this Antipathy is nothing else but fear in the Sheep to run away from the Wolf, in the Hare to run from the Hound, and in the Partridg to flie from the Hawk; for Life has an Antipathy to that which is named Death; and the Wolf's stomack hath a sympathy to food, which causes him to draw neer, or run after those Creatures he has a mind to feed on. But you will say, some Creatures will fight, and kill each other, not for Food, but onely out of an Antipathetical nature. I answer: When as Creatures fight, and endeavour to destroy each other, if it be not out of necessity, as to preserve and defend themselves from hurt or danger, then it is out of revenge, or anger, or ambition, or jealousie, or custom of quarrelling, or breeding. As for example: Cocks of the Game, that are bred to fight with each other, and many other Creatures, as Bucks, Staggs, and the like, as also Birds, will fight as well as Men, and seek to destroy each other through jealousie; when as, had they no Females amongst them, they would perhaps live quiet enough, rather as sympathetical Friends, then antipathetical Foes; and all such Quarrels proceed from a sympathy to their own interest. But you may ask me, what the reason is, that some Creatures, as for example, Mankind, some of them, will not onely like one sort of meat better then another of equal goodness and nourishment, but will like and prefer sometimes a worse sort of meat before the best, to wit, such as hath neither a good taste nor nourishment? I answer: This is nothing else, but a particular, and most commonly an inconstant Appetite; for after much eating of that they like best, especially if they get a surfeit, their appetite is chang'd to aversion; for then all their feeding motions and parts have as much, if not more antipathy to those meats, as before they had a sympathy to them. Again, you may ask me the reason, why a Man seeing two persons together, which are strangers to him, doth affect one better then the other; nay, if one of these Persons be deformed or ill-favoured, and the other well-shaped and handsom; yet it may chance, that the deformed Person shall be more acceptable in the affections and eyes of the beholder, then he that is handsom? I answer: There is no Creature so deformed, but hath some agreeable and attractive parts, unless it be a Monster, which is never loved, but for its rarity and novelty, and Nature is many times pleased with changes, taking delight in variety: and the proof that such a sympathetical affection proceeds from some agreeableness of Parts, is, that if those persons were vail'd, there would not proceed such a partial choice or judgment from any to them. You may ask me further, whether Passion and Appetite are also the cause of the sympathy which is in the Loadstone towards Iron, and in the Needle towards the North? I answer, Yes: for it is either for nourishment, or refreshment, or love and desire of association, or the like, that the Loadstone draws Iron, and the Needle turns towards the North. The difference onely betwixt the sympathy in the Needle towards the North, and betwixt the sympathy in the Loadstone towards the Iron is, that the Needle doth always turn towards the North, but the Loadstone doth not always draw Iron: The reason is, because the sympathy of the Needle towards the North requires no certain distance, as I said in the beginning; and the North-pole continuing constantly in the same place, the Needle knows whither to turn; when as the sympathy between the Loadstone and Iron requires a certain distance, and when the Loadstone is not within this compass or distance, it cannot perform its effect, to wit, to draw the Iron, but the effect ceases, although the cause remains in vigour. The same may be said of the Flower that turns towards the Sun; for though the Sun be out of sight, yet the Flower watches for the return of the Sun, from which it receives benefit: Like as faithful Servants watch and wait for their Master, or hungry Beggers at a Rich man's door for relief; and so doth the aforesaid Flower; nay, not the Flower onely, but any thing that has freedom and liberty of motion, will turn towards those Places or Creatures whence it expects relief. Concerning ravenous Beasts that feed on dead Carcasses, they, having more eager appetites then food, make long flights into far distant Countries to seek food to live on; but surely, I think, if they had food enough at home, although not dead Carcasses, they would not make such great Journies; or if a battel were fought, and many slain, and they upon their journey should meet with sufficient food, they would hardly travel further before they had devoured that food first: But many Birds travel for the temper of the Air, as well as for food, witness Woodcocks, Cranes, Swallows, Fieldfares, and the like; some for cold, some for hot, and some for temperate Air. And as for such Diseases as are produced by conceit and at distance, the cause is, the fearfulness of the Patient, which produces Irregularities in the Mind, and these occasion Irregularities in the Body, which produce such a disease, as the Mind did fearfully apprehend; when as without that Passion and Irregularity, the Patient would, perhaps, not fall sick of that disease, But to draw towards an end, I'le answer briefly to your _Authors_ alledged example[4] which he gives of Wine, that it is troubled while the Vine flowreth: The reason, in my opinion, may perhaps be, that the Wine being the effect of the Vine, and proceeding from its stock as the producer, has not so quite alter'd Nature, as not to be sensible at all of the alteration of the Vine; For many effects do retain the proprieties of their causes; for example, many Children are generated, which have the same proprieties of their Parents, who do often propagate some or other vertuous or vicious qualities with their off-spring; And this is rather a proof that there are sensitive and rational motions, and sensitive and rational knowledge in all Creatures, and so in Wine, according to the nature or propriety of its Figure; for without motion, sense and reason, no effect could be; nor no sympathy or antipathy. But it is to be observed, that many do mistake the true Causes, and ascribe an effect to some cause, which is no more the cause of that same effect, then a particular Creature is the cause of Nature; and so they are apt to take the Fiddle for the hot Bricks, as if the Fiddle did make the Ass dance, when as it was the hot Bricks that did it; for several effects may proceed from one cause, and one effect from several causes; and so in the aforesaid example, the Wine may perhaps be disturbed by the alteration of the weather at the same time of the flowring of the Vines; and so may Animals, as well as Vegetables, and other Creatures, alter alike at one and the same point of time, and yet none be the cause of each others alteration. And thus, to shut up my discourse, I repeat again, that sympathy and antipathy are nothing else but ordinary Passions and Appetites amongst several Creatures, which Passions are made by the rational animate Matter, and the Appetites by the sensitive, both giving such or such motions, to such or such Creatures; for cross motions in Appetites and passions make Antipathy, and agreeable motions in Appetites and Passions make Sympathy, although the Creatures be different, wherein these motions, Passions and Appetites are made; and as without an object a Pattern cannot be, so without inherent or natural Passions and Appetites there can be no Sympathy or Antipathy: And there being also such Sympathy betwixt your Ladiship and me, I think my self the happiest Creature for it; and shall make it my whole study to imitate your Ladiship, and conform all my actions to the rule and pattern of yours, as becomes,

Madam,

_Your Ladiships_

_faithful Friend, and humble Servant._

[1] _Ch._ Of Sympathetical Mediums.

[2] In the Plague-Grave.

[3] In the Magnetick care of Wounds.

[4] _Ch._ Of the Magnetick Power.

XVI.

_MADAM,_

My opinion of Witches and Witchcraft, (of whose Power and strange effects your _Author_ is pleased to relate many stories) in brief, is this; My Sense and Reason doth inform me, that there is Natural Witchcraft, as I may call it, which is Sympathy, Antipathy, Magnetisme, and the like, which are made by the sensitive and rational motions between several Creatures, as by Imagination, Fancy, Love, Aversion, and many the like; but these Motions, being sometimes unusual and strange to us, we not knowing their causes, (For what Creature knows all motions in Nature, and their ways?) do stand amazed at their working power; and by reason we cannot assign any Natural cause for them, are apt to ascribe their effects to the Devil; but that there should be any such devillish Witchcraft, which is made by a Covenant and Agreement with the Devil, by whose power Men do enchaunt or bewitch other Creatures, I cannot readily believe. Certainly, I dare say, that many a good, old honest woman hath been condemned innocently, and suffered death wrongfully, by the sentence of some foolish and cruel Judges, meerly upon this suspition of Witchcraft, when as really there hath been no such thing; for many things are done by slights or juggling Arts, wherein neither the Devil nor Witches are Actors. And thus an Englishman whose name was _Banks_, was like to be burnt beyond the Seas for a Witch, as I have been inform'd, onely for making a Horse shew tricks by Art; There have been also several others; as one that could vomit up several kinds of Liquors and other things: and another who did make a Drum beat of it self. But all these were nothing but slights and jugling tricks; as also the talking and walking Bell; and the Brazen-Head which spake these words, _Time was, Time is_, and _Time is past_, and so fell down; Which may easily have been performed by speaking through a Pipe conveighed into the said head: But such and the like trifles will amaze many grave and wise men, when they do not know the manner or way how they are done, so as they are apt to judg them to be effected by Witchcraft or Combination with the Devil. But, as I said before, I believe there is Natural Magick; which is, that the sensitive and rational Matter oft moves such a way, as is unknown to us; and in the number of these is also the bleeding of a murdered body at the presence of the Murderer, which your _Author,_ mentions;[1] for the corporeal motions in the murthered body may move so, as to work such effects, which are more then ordinary; for the animal Figure, being not so quickly dissolved, the animal motions are not so soon altered, (for the dissolving of the Figure is nothing else but an alteration of its Motions;) and this dissolution is not done in an instant of time, but by degrees: But yet I must confess, it is not a common action in Nature, for Nature hath both common, and singular or particular actions: As for example, Madness, natural Folly, and many the like, are but in some particular persons; for if those actions were general, and common, then all, or most men would be either mad, or fools, but, though there are too many already, yet all men are not so; and so some murthered bodies may bleed or express some alterations at the presence of the Murtherer, but I do not believe, that all do so; for surely in many, not any alteration will be perceived, and others will have the same alterations without the presence of the Murtherer. And thus you see, _Madam_, that this is done naturally, without the help of the Devil; nay, your _Author_ doth himself confess it to be so; for, says he, _The act of the Witch is plainly Natural; onely the stirring up of the vertue or power in the Witch comes from Satan._ But I cannot understand what your _Author_ means, by the departing of spiritual rays from the Witch into Man, or any other animal, which she intends to kill or hurt; nor how Spirits wander about in the Air, and have their mansions there; for men may talk as well of impossibilities, as of such things which are not composed of Natural Matter: If man were an Incorporeal Spirit himself, he might, perhaps, sooner conceive the essence of a Spirit, as being of the same Nature; but as long as he is material, and composed of Natural Matter, he might as well pretend to know the Essence of God, as of an Incorporeal Spirit. Truly, I must confess, I have had some fancies oftentimes of such pure and subtil substances, purer and subtiler then the Sky or Æthereal substance is, whereof I have spoken in my Poetical Works; but these substances, which I conceived within my fancy, were material, and had bodies, though never so small and subtil; for I was never able to conceive a substance abstracted from all Matter, for even Fancy it self is material, and all Thoughts and Conceptions are made by the rational Matter, and so are those which Philosophers call Animal Spirits, but a material Fancy cannot produce immaterial effects, that is, Ideas of Incorporeal Spirits: And this was the cause that in the first impression of my _Philosophical Opinions_, I named the sensitive and rational Matter, sensitive and rational Spirits, because of its subtilty, activity and agility; not that I thought them to be immaterial, but material Spirits: but since Spirits are commonly taken to be immaterial, and Spirit and Body are counted opposite to one another, to prevent a misapprehension in the thoughts of my Readers, as if I meant Incorporeal Spirits, I altered this expression in the last Edition, and call'd it onely sensitive and rational Matter, or, which is all one, sensitive and rational corporeal motions. You will say, perhaps, That the divine Soul in Man is a Spirit: but I desire you to call to mind what I oftentimes have told you, to wit, that when I speak of the Soul of Man, I mean onely the Natural, not the Divine Soul; which as she is supernatural, so she acts also supernaturally; but all the effects of the natural Soul, of which I discourse, are natural, and not divine or supernatural. But to return to Magnetisme; I am absolutely of opinion, that it is naturally effected by natural means, without the concurrence of Immaterial Spirits either good or bad, meerly by natural corporeal sensitive and rational motions; and, for the most part, there must be a due approach between the Agent and the Patient, or otherwise the effect will hardly follow, as you may see by the Loadstone and Iron; Neither is the influence of the Stars performed beyond a certain distance, that is, such a distance as is beyond sight or their natural power to work; for if their light comes to our Eyes, I know no reason against it, but their effects may come to our bodies. And as for infectious Diseases, they come by a corporeal imitation, as by touch, either of the infected air, drawn in by breath, or entring through the pores of the Body, or of some things brought from infected places, or else by hearing; but diseases, caused by Conceit, have their beginning, as all alterations have, from the sensitive and rational Motions, which do not onely make the fear and conceit, but also the disease; for as a fright will sometimes cure diseases, so it will sometimes cause diseases; but as I said, both fright, cure, and the disease, are made by the rational and sensitive corporeal motions within the body, and not by Supernatural Magick, as Satanical Witchcraft, entering from without into the body by spiritual rays. But having discoursed hereof in my former Letter, I will not trouble you with an unnecessary repetition thereof; I conclude therefore with what I begun, _viz._ that I believe natural Magick to be natural corporeal motions in natural bodies: Not that I say, Nature in her self is a Magicianess, but it may be called natural Magick or Witchcraft, meerly in respect to our Ignorance; for though Nature is old, yet she is not a Witch, but a grave, wise, methodical Matron, ordering her Infinite family, which are her several parts, with ease and facility, without needless troubles and difficulties; for these are onely made through the ignorance of her several parts or particular Creatures, not understanding their Mistress, Nature, and her actions and government, for which they cannot be blamed; for how should a part understand the Infinite body, when it doth not understand it self; but Nature understands her parts better then they do her. And so leaving Wise Nature, and the Ignorance of her Particulars, I understand my self so far that I am,

Madam,

_Your humble and_

_faithful Servant._

[1] _Ch._ Of the Magnetick cure of wounds.

XVII.

_MADAM,_