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true notice of the mysterie. I am bolder in importunating her with these trifles, for as
much I remember, your Ex. cie would declare unto me, that beeing to day of an opinion
in matter of philosophie, she would not so be bound to it that to morrow she might
not make choice of a better. I leave all to her most ingenious perspicacitie, and with
her leave do signe me ..... 27 March 1657.
5538. Margaret van Newcastle 1)
. (B.M.)
I have received your second letter by Mr. Dewerts 2) , wherin I find your dissatisfaction
of the opinion of those little glasses. Truly arts are as obscure and hard to finde out
by those that are unlerned in them, as natures workes; but to cleer my opinion, or
rather to answer yours desires, I shall argue something more of them, though my
arguments may be as weake as my opinions, and my opinions as weake as my
judgement, and my judgement as weake as want of knowlledge can make it. - As
for your liquor, you say in your letter, that if it were a sulphurous liquor, or a liquid
gunpowder - as I said - I thought it might bee, doubtlesse it would be active by the
help of fire; I answer for that, fire hath severall active effects both in ittselfe and
uppon other substances, or subjects, wherfore, if the liquor had be[e]n dry powder,
it might be subject to that effect of fire, as to flash, flame, or bounce, but if the powder
were wett, the fire could worke noe such effects; but as the substance is a liquor,
fire is as subject to that substance or matter, as that substance or matter is to fire,
for all liquors, although strong with spirritts and hott in operation, will quench fire as
sudenly, as fire shall evapporate liquor; take quantity for quantity, and it is probable,
that the high fire, you did applye to the glasse, did eveporat out the liquor in the
glasse, which might be the weakening and changing or altering the former effects.
Alsoe you say, you cannot perceive the buble to be a licquor. I answer, that it is
probable, the licquor, if any be therin, was evaporated out either by the fire, you
applyed, or by the vent of passage, which may soone turn itt into vapor, by reason
of the little quantity that is in a glasse; thus it might be wasted before the truth could
possible be found out; for certainly to my sense, as alsoe to my reason, a liquor
apeared to be in those glasses, you sent me; but if there be noe licquor in those
glasses, then it is probable, it might be pent up ayre enclosed therin, which having
vent was the cause of the sound or report, which those glasses gave. - Thus, Sir,
you may perceive by my argueings, I strive to make my former opinion or sense
good, allthough I doe not binde myselfe to opinions, but truth; and the truth is, that,
though I cannot finde out the truth of the glasses, yet in truth I am ..... Antwerp, 30
March 1657.
Sir, I would have writt my leters to you in my own hand, but be reson my
handwritten is not legabell, I think you might rather have gest 3) up at what I would
say, then had read what I had writt; thise is the reson, they wer writt by another
hand.
5539. J. van der Burgh. (L.B.)
1) Uitgegeven in Oeuvres complètes de Christiaan Huygens, II, blz. 20. De brief is niet gericht
aan Christiaan, maar aan zijn vader. De afschrijver in het Britsch Museum heeft niet bemerkt,
dat de persoon, die Margaretha's brieven schreef, meestal ye schrijft voor the, en yt voor that.
- Zie No. 5537.
2) Nl. Duarte.
3) Lees: guessed
Constantijn Huygens, Briefwisseling. Deel 5: 1649-1663