And now for some more Mad Madge

Again it's been a while since I posted a poem by 17th century Essex girl Margaret Cavendish (aka Mad Madge). Luckily for her posterity she was also the Duchess of Newcastle otherwise her great works may have been lost to the world. One of her favourite subjects was atomic theories. Here is a poem of hers dating back to 1652

The Bignesse of Atomes

MHEN I say Atomes small, as small can bee;
I mean Quantity, quality, and Weight agree
Not in the Figure, for some may shew
Much bigger, and some lesser: so
Take Water fluid, and Ice thats firme, [5]
Though the Weight be just the Bulke is not the same.
So Atomes are some soft, others more knit,
According as each Atome's Figured;
Round and Long Atomes hollow are, more slacke
Then Flat, or Sharpe, for they are more compact: [10]
And being hollow they are spread more thin,
Then other Atomes which are close within:
And Atomes which are thin more tender far,
For those that are more close, they harder are.

If you enjoyed this offering from Mad Madge on atomes then you can find an elephant's sufficency of her scientific poems here