Briefwisseling. Deel 5: 1649-1663

5535. Margaret, hertogin van Newcastle⁴⁾. (H.A.)

Hartelijk dank voor uw brief en voor de verzen, waarin gij mijn boek hebt geprezen meer dan het verdient. ‘As for your request concerninge my opinion of the glasses, you have done mee the favor to sende mee, I know not civilly how to deny it, nor prudently to graunt it, nor lernedly to give itt, for itt were a presumtion to give my oppinion after these famous and lerned phylosophers, as those which are in France, whose braynes nature have soe tempered and furnished with such conceptions, reasons, judgements and witt, to find out the truths, both of obscure nature and subtill arts, that I may rather wounder with the ignorant then give my opinion with the lerned; but to myne outward sense these glasses doe appeare to have on the head, body or belly a liquid and oyly substance, which may be the oyly spirrits or essences of sulpher; alsoe the glasses doe appeare to my senses like the nature or arte

4) Zie No. 5534.

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of guns and the spirrit of sulpher as the powder; where although they are charged, yet untill they bee discharged, gives no report or sound; the discharging of these glasses is by the breakeinge of a piece or part or end of the tailes, where the discharging of guns are by much firelockes, scrues or the like, which setts fire or gives vent to the powder, but these sulpherousse spirrits, having as it seemes a more forceable nature, it doth viollently thrust itselfe out, where itt findes vent, like as wind, but rather like fire, being of a firy nature, and may have the effects of bright shineing fire, which, when it has noe vent, lyes as dead, but as soone as it can ease out a passage, or findes a vent, it breakes forth in a violent crack or thundering noisse. I doe not saye, the effects of these spirritts are to flame or to burne after your way, but only it hath the like effects as to break, dispersse and spread abroad as bright shineing fire doth, for oylye sulphur, vittral¹⁾ spirritts and the like firy natures are those which are called a cold dead fire, that is the exterior part is colde and dull, although the interior is hott and active. As for the wounder, how this liquid matter should be putt into this glasse, for it is vissible, a liquid matter is therein, which to my senses itt must be first putt into the matter or substance that makes the glasses, and when the glasse is blowne, the liquer runs or crouds to the most hollowest and largest place it can get into, like as wind will blow the watter into a crowd or heape togeither and fill all hollow places it can gett into, as ditches, pitts or the like; soe doth the breath of the glassemaker blow that oyly essences or spirritts into the belly of the glasse, where, before it can have soe much tyme to retire back, the end of the little porus taile is soathred²⁾ up, where affterwards, when the soadred²⁾ part is broke of, the spirritts findeing vent strugles and strives to gett forth, wherin the strife it breakes the glasse to pieces, wherwith itt makes a noise or report like a gun, or rather as a fired house or the like; I meane not for the loudenesse of the sound, for the report is small to such loud reports, though it be great for so smale a bodye, but I compare these spirritts like to fire, and the glasse as the house wherin the firy spirritts are in as much as when they breake forth, they rend and disperse the materialls of theire transparant house severall wayes, as alsoe the firy oyly spirritts spreads ittselfe into vapor and dyes, for dilation is the way to desolation, and as this glasses breakes when discharged, soe I believe guns at there discharging would breake, if the barrills were of glasse, as they are of iron, and I know nothing to the contrary, but this liquid substance in these glasses may be the oyle of saltpietter, which is flatious, brimstone and charcole, which is hot mixt togeither, and soe may be a liquid gunpowder, or rather gunpowder made liquid, put into the glasses; as for the sound or report it gives, when discharged by giving the glasse vent, may be the same cause, which makes ayre give a report, for ayre, although it be equall tempred or cold, yet when it have ben pent up and afterwards have vent, will make a loud report; soe will watter or any liquer, for ayre and winde have vocall noisses; but to draw you towards an end, itt appeares thus to my senses, that the strife and the spirritts or gunpowder liquer and the bricklynesse of the glasse is the cause of the breakinge and powdering of the same, and the spirrits being airy, and the liquer windy,

1) Lees: vital

2) = soared?

2) = soared?

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and being first pent up and then getts vent, is the cause of your sound or report, and for the inclosure of the liquer [,it] is done by the arte of the artifficiers, which arte if the philosophers knewe, or had ben bound apprentice to, might soone have satisfied the King of Frances curiossitye, and instructed him in the knowlledg therof, for these glasses more concernes the artificier than the naturall philosopher or speculators; but weomen weares at there eares for pendents as great wounders, although they make not soe great report, which are glasse bobbes with narrowe neckes as these glasses have tailes, and yet is filled with severall coullers silkes and coursse black cottonwooll, which to my senses is more difficult to putt into these glasse pendants, then liquer into these glasse gunnes. But, Sir, I have made a tedious discource of what my senses have observed of these glasses you sent me, which discources may tyre or weary your sense to read itt, but I have only this to excuse me, that I chose rather to say to much to shew or exspresse my obedience to your comands, then to say soe little as it may be thought, I was negligent or idle, but if I have comitted a fault in being overdilligent, pray pardon me .... Antwerp, 20^th March 1657.