CENTURY 111. 135 



of his eye, to remove the film of the cataract, he never 

 saw any thing more clear or perfect than that white 

 needle : which, no doubt, was, because the needle 

 was lesser than the pupil of the eye, and so took not 

 the light from it. The other error may be, for that 

 the object of sight doth strike upon the pupil of the 

 eye directly without any interception ; whereas the 

 cave of the ear doth hold off the sound a little from 

 the organ : and so nevertheless there is some dis 

 tance required in both. 



273. Visibles are swiftlier carried to the sense 

 than audibles ; as appeareth in thunder and light 

 ning, flame and report of a piece, motion of the air 

 in hewing of wood. All which have been set down 

 heretofore, but are proper for this title. 



274. I conceive also, that the species of audibles 

 do hang longer in the air than those of visibles : for 

 although even those of visibles do hang some time, 

 as we see in rings turned, that shew like spheres ; in 

 lute-strings fillipped ; a fire-brand carried along, 

 which leaveth a train of light behind it ; and in the 

 twilight, and the like : yet I conceive that sounds 

 stay longer, because they are carried up and down 

 with the wind ; and because of the distance of the 

 time in ordnance discharged, and heard twenty 

 miles off. 



275. In visibles there are not found objects so 

 odious and ingrate to the sense as in audibles. For 

 foul sights do rather displease, in that they excite the 

 memory of foul things, than in the immediate objects. 

 And therefore in pictures, those foul sights do not 



