An Elegant and Learned Discourse of the Light of Nature. Nathaniel Culverwell
[rule] By NATHANIEL CULVERWEL, Master of Arts, and / lately Fellow of EMANUEL Colledge in CAMBRIDGE, [rule]Imprimatur, EDM. CALAMY. [rule]London. Printed by T. R. and E. M. for John Rothwell at the Sun / and Fountain in Pauls Church-yard. 1652. Sigs. A4, [a]4, Aa–Ee4, A–X4, Y2, Z4, Aa–Dd4.
Signature “a” appears to have been reserved for further prefatory material, including Richard Culverwell’s letter dated eight days after Dillingham’s “To the Reader.” Richard’s letter is missing in some copies of the first edition and is bound sometimes before, sometimes after, the table of contents, perhaps suggesting that it arrived late at the printer.
This volume was reprinted at London in 1654 and 1661. The copyright was transferred to Thomas Williams, October 30, 1663, and he printed the fourth edition at Oxford [London] in 1669. The Discourse has been reprinted twice since the seventeenth century: John Brown edited the text in 1857 and published it at Edinburgh with a prefatory critical essay by John Cairns; E. T. Campagnac reprinted the Oxford edition of 1669, omitting chapters 2, 12, 13, 14, 17, and 18 in The Cambridge Platonists (Oxford, 1901).
The principles for translating foreign-language quotations which John Worthington adopted in his edition of John Smith’s Discourses (London, 1660) have been adhered to in the present work: “It seemed expedient to render the Latine, but especially the Hebrew and Greek, Quotations into English; (except in such places where, the substance and main importance of the Quotations being insinuated in the neighboring words, a Translation was less needful).” Accordingly, all foreign phrases, with the exception of a few obvious Latin tags, have been translated if Culverwell did not himself translate or closely paraphrase them.
Further Reading
Beiser, Frederick. “Culverwell, Nathaniel.” In Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, ed. Edward Craig, vol. 2, 750–52. London, 1998.
Culverwell, Nathaniel. “Introduction.” In An Elegant and Learned Discourse of the Light of Nature, ed. Robert A. Greene and Hugh MacCallum. Toronto, 1971.
Darwall, Stephen. The British Moralists and the Internal “Ought” 1640–1740, 23–52. Cambridge, 1995.
Dockrill, D. W. “The Heritage of Patristic Platonism in Seventeenth Century English Philosophical Theology.” In The Cambridge Platonists in Philosophical Context, ed. G. A. J. Rogers, J. M. Vienne, and Y. C. Zarka. Dordrecht, 1997.
Gewirth, Alan. “Cambridge Platonists.” In The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, ed. Robert Audi, 99–101. Cambridge, 1995.
Greene, Robert A. “Whichcote, the Candle of the Lord and Synderesis.” Journal of the History of Ideas 51 (1991): 617–44.
AN ELEGANT AND LEARNED DISCOURSE OF THE LIGHT OF NATURE
The Epistle Dedicatory
To the Reverend and Learned
ANTHONY TUCKNEY
D. D. Master of Emmanuel Colledge
In
CAMBRIDGE,
And to the Fellows of that Religious and happy Foundation.
Honoured Sirs,
[5] The many testimonies of your real affection towards this pious and learned Authour, (especially while he lay under the discipline of so sad a Providence) deserve all thankful acknowledgement, and grateful commemoration: which I doubt not but himself would have made in most ample manner, had it pleased God to have granted him longer life, and farther opportunity. But since Divine Providence hath otherwayes disposed; I thought it no solecisme in friendship to undertake the Executorship of his desires, and so farre to own his debt of gratitude, as to endeavour some Publike acknowledgement of it, though the greatnesse of your benefits admit not of just recompence and satisfaction. Having therefore the disposal of his papers committed to me by his nearest and dearest friends, and finding them to be of such worth and excellency as ought not to be smothered in obscurity; I interpreted this a fit opportunity to let both your selves and others understand, how deep an impression your kindnesse to him hath left in the apprehensions and memories of those his friends, whom God and Nature had given the advantage of being more peculiarly interested in his welfare. Upon which account I do here present you with this Elegant issue of his noble and gallant abilities; which, besides the relation it hath to you by the Fathers side, would gladly intitle it self unto your acceptance and protection, as having been conceived in your Colledge, and delivered in your Chappel; and therefore hopes that you, who with much delight were sometimes ear-witnesses of it, will now become its Susceptours.1
And thus having lodged it in its Mothers armes, I leave it to her embraces. On whose behalf I shall only offer up this serious and hearty wish; That as, by the blessing of heaven upon her fruitful womb, she hath been made a Mother of many profitable instruments both in Church and Common-wealth: so God would be pleased to make good her name unto her, and delight still to use her as the handmaid-instrument of his glory; that he would lay her topstone in his blessing, as her foundation was laid in his fear.
So prayes The meanest of her sonnes,and Your humble servant
WILLIAM DILLINGHAM.
Aug. 10. 1652.
TO THE READER
COURTEOUS READER;
[6] Not many moneths have passed since I sent abroad into the world a little Treatise, which knew it self by the name of Spiritual Opticks, with intention only to make some discovery of the mindes and affections of men towards pieces of that Nature; which having met somewhere (it seemes) with kinde entertainment, and acceptance beyond its expectation; hath now perswaded all its fellows into a resolution to take wing, and adventure themselves upon thy candour and ingenuity. I intend not here to hang out Ivy; nor with my Canvase to preface this cloth of gold. The work is weaved of Sunne-beams, to hang any thing before it, were but to obscure it; yet something here must needs be said for mine own discharge, and thy better satisfaction. Know therefore, (gentle Reader) that these pieces were first intended as Scholastick Exercises in a Colledge-Chappel, and therefore more properly suited to such an Auditory; yet I make no question but some of them, the White Stone especially, may be read with much profit, by those who are of meaner capacities, and lesse refined intellectuals. The Discourse of the Light of Nature (which, though here it beare the torch before the rest, is younger brother to them all) was written above six yeers ago; the designe of it was, as on the one hand to vindicate the use of Reason in matters of Religion from the aspersions and prejudices of some weaker ones in those times, who, having entertained erroneous opinions, which they were no way able to defend, were taught by their more cunning seducers to wink hard, and except against all offensive weapons: so on the other hand to chastise the sawcinesse of Socinus and his followers, who dare set Hagar above her Mistresse,1 and make Faith waite at the elbow of corrupt & distorted Reason; to take off the head of that uncircumcised Philistim with his