The Epilogue to the Reader
By this poetical description, you may perceive, that my ambition is not only to be Empress, but authoress of a whole world; and that the worlds I have made, both the Blazing and the other philosophical world, mentioned in the first part of this description, are framed and composed of the most pure, that is, the rational parts of matter, which are the parts of my mind; which creation was more easily and suddenly effected, than the conquests of the two famous monarchs of the world, Alexander and Caesar. Neither have I made such disturbances, and caused so many dissolutions of particulars, otherwise named deaths, as they did; for I have destroyed but some few men in a little boat, which died through the extremity of cold, and that by the hand of justice, which was necessitated to punish their crime of stealing away a young and beauteous lady. And in the formation of those worlds, I take more delight and glory, than ever Alexander or Caesar did in conquering this terrestrial world; and though I have made my Blazing-World a peaceable world, allowing it but one religion, one language, and one government; yet could I make another world, as full of factions, divisions and wars, as this is of peace and tranquility; and the rational figures of my mind might express as much courage to fight, as Hector and Achilles had; and be as wise as Nestor, as eloquent as Ulysses, and as beautiful as Helen. But I esteeming peace before war, wit before policy, honesty before beauty; instead of the figures of Alexander, Caesar, Hector, Achilles, Nestor, Ulysses, Helen, etc. chose rather the figure of honest Margaret Newcastle, which now I would not change for all this terrestrial world; and if any should like the world I have made, and be willing to be my subjects, they may imagine themselves such, and they are such, I mean in their minds, fancies or imaginations; but if they cannot endure to be subjects, they may create worlds of their own, and govern themselves as they please. But yet let them have a care, not to prove unjust usurpers, and to rob me of mine: for, concerning the philosophical-world, I am Empress of it myself; and as for the Blazing-World, it having an Empress already, who rules it with great wisdom and conduct, which Empress is my dear platonic friend; I shall never prove so unjust, treacherous and unworthy to her, as to disturb her government, much less to depose her from her imperial throne, for the sake of any other, but rather choose to create another world for another friend.
Colophon
The Blazing World
was published in 1666 by
Margaret Cavendish.
This ebook was produced for
Standard Ebooks
by
Jason Livermore,
and is based on a transcription produced in 2016 by
Marc D’Hooghe
for
Project Gutenberg
and on digital scans from the
Internet Archive.
The cover page is adapted from
Hélène offrant à Ménélas la potion de la reine Polydamne,
a painting completed around 1650 by
Simon Vouet.
The cover and title pages feature the
League Spartan and Sorts Mill Goudy
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Uncopyright
May you do good and not evil.
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