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208 LITERATÛRZINÂTNE, FOLKLORISTIKA, MÂKSLA
world of Mankind, is sunk into Night” and, consequently, “We are all in the Dark,
one with another” 16 .
Thus, Dyer dismisses “the narrow Conceptions of this Generation of Writers who
speak with Sir Chris. of a new Restauration of Learning, and who prattle something
too idly on the new Philosophy of Experiment and Demonstration: these are but poor
Particles of Dust which will not burie the Serpents”. 17 The new experimental method
will not and cannot put an end to man’s irrational desires, nor will it satisfy man’s
yearning for the bizarre, exotic, unusual, mysterious, supernatural, inexplicable in
terms of a materialistic and mechanistic philosophy. Dyer calls the new philosophy
“fantasticall and perishable Trash” 18 .
According to Locke the mind is a blank sheet (tabula rasa) on which physical
objects make their imprints. It is a receptacle for sensory inputs from the external
world19 . For Wren perception is a simple contact of the mind with an external object,
whereas for Dyer perception is inseparably linked with emotions, imagination and
memory. For Dyer Stonehenge is a monument to Eternity impervious to the destructive
passage of time, a place of worship full of mystery and enchantment, possessing
the power to have a great impact upon man’s psyche. For Dyer visiting Stonehenge
is an awe–inspiring, mystical experience. He “was struck by an exstatic Reverie” 20 .
He calls it a “huge and monstrous Work” 21 and sees its elements as “Men
metamorphosised into Stone” 22 . In contrast, the only thing that Wren is interested in
when visiting Stonehenge is the geometric and mathematical properties of the place.
He is fascinated by its beautiful proportions. Wren sees Stonehenge simply as an
architectural monument designed according to the laws of mathematics and mechanics.
Dyer’s perceptions of Stonehenge are interconnected and filled with the images
of his imagination. As he leans against the stones he can perceive not only their cold
surface but also “the Labour and Agonie of those who erected it, the power of Him
who enthrall’d them, and the marks of Eternity which had been placed there” 23 . Also,
he could hear their “Cryes and Voices” 24 .
We see, thus, that Dyer’s perceptions of external objects are inextricably interconnected
with his emotions and with the images of the imagination, completing and enriching
each other 25 . In Wren’s mind, however, perceptions are dissociated from the imagination
and memory. Wren talks about Stonehenge solely in terms of its proportions and
other mathematical properties. In contrast, Dyer contemplates its mystical aspects. He
feels, hears and sees the ancient builders of Stonehenge. While Wren’s perceptions are
subjected to the scrutiny of reason, Dyer’s perceptions immediately evoke intense emotions
in his soul and provoke the working of his imagination.
Similarly, Wren’s and Dyer’s perceptions of an autopsy are very different. Dyer
contrasts the story of the flagellant, who scourged himself for his sins to relieve his
torment and anguish, with the story of Sir Chris., who besmeared himself with blood
when dissecting a woman’s corpse to satisfy his curiosity. Wren’s speech when he is
preparing to dissect and examine the corpse is interspersed with Dyer’s extremely rude
and anguished remarks. Dyer is disgusted by Wren’s disquisition on human anatomy
because for Wren “the Body it self is a perfect peece of Work from the Hand of the
Omniscient Architect” 26 and the bodily processes simply “the Union and Dissolution
of little Bodies or Particles” 27 . Dyer believes that “The meerest Rake–hell has a