Cowley's Prose Works (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1887. Excerpt: ... A PROPOSITION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF EXPERIMENTAL PHILOSOPHY. NOTES. Page 1. The title-page to the first Edition of this 'Proposition' sets forth that it was published in London: 'Printed by J. M. for Henry Herringman, and are to be sold at his shop at the sign of the Blew Anchor in the Lower Walk of the New Exchange, 1661.' The publisher who signs himself P.P. says that he puts forth the book during the author's absence in France, and in his address he presents it to the 'Honourable Society for the Advancement of Experimental Philosophy.' 5. mediate creatures. Defined in the next line as 'the creatures of God's creature man.' We have to bear in mind that the sense of the Latin creatura is 'anything created.' In English 'creature'-has now become in a great measure restricted to living creatures. God's mediate creatures are all things fashioned or wrought out by the medium or means--f man. 7. humane. This is Cowley's-constant orthography. We now distinguish two senses from the same Latin root hnrnnnttt. 'Human' is that which concerns or belongs to man, as 'human life' 'human race' &c. 'humane' is confined to those tender and kindly feelings which ought to characterise the family of man. The orthography of this edition is that of the earliest published copies and it was thought at first that some principles of spelling might have been traced throughout, but there will be found a great degree of inconsistency. This however, as it in no case interferes with the comprehension of Cowley's sense, it has been decided to preserve, especially as some of the peculiarities are among the spelling reforms at present widely advocated, e.g. mixt for mixed, in line 14, mist for missed p. 122,1. 11, and many others. 15. then. The distinction between 'then' as an adver...