Some may think that a Man has rather an Excellent, than a Vitiated Sight, who can See Octjects with a far less degree of Light than other Men have need of to Discern them. But tho’ an Extraordinary Tenderness may be a kind of Perfection in the Eyes of Bats and Owls, whose usual Food may be more easily Purchased by Twilight: Yet as to Man, the main part of whose Actions is to be perform’d by the Light of the Day, or some other almost Equivalent; it may Argue the provident goodness of the Author of Nature, to have given Him Eyes Constituted as those of Men generally are: Since, That a very great Tenderness of the Retina, or principal part of the Organ of Sight, would be, if not an Imperfection, at least a great Inconvenience, may appear by the Memorable Story I am going to Relate.
In the Army of the late King of Hapy Memory, (Charles the First) there was a Gentleman of great Courage and good Parts, that was Major to one of the Regiments; who being afterwards by the prevailing Usurpers forc’d to seek his Fortune abroad, ventur’d to do his King a piece of Service at Madrid, which was of an Extraordinary Nature and Consequence, and there judg’d very Irregular. Upon this he was committed to an Uncommon Prison, which, tho’ otherwise Tolerable enough, had no Window at all belonging to it, but a Hole in the thickness of the Wall, at which the Keeper once or twice a day put in liberal provision of Victuals and Wine, and presently Clos’d the Window, if it may be so call’d, on the Out side, but not perhaps very Solicitously. For some Weeks this poor Gentleman continu’d in the Dark, very Disconsolate. But afterwards he began to think he saw some little Glimering of Light, which from time to time Increased; insomuch, that he could not only Discover the Parts of his Bed, and other such large Objects, but at length came to Discover things so Minute, that he could Perceive the Mice that frequented his Chamber, to eat the Crumbs of Bread that fell upon the Ground, and Discern their Motions very well. Several other Effects of his Sight in that Dark Place He Related. And that which Confirms that this Proceeded mainly from the great Tenderness the Visive Organ had acquired, by so long a stay in so Obscure a Place, was, that when after some Months, the Face of Affairs Abroad being somwhat Chang’d, His Liberty was restor’d him, he durst not leave his Prison Abruptly, for fear of losing his Sight by the Dazling Light of the Day; and therefore was fain to Accustom his Eyes by slow degrees to the Light. This Strange, as well as once Famous Story, I the less Scruple to set down in this Place, because I had the Curiosity to learn it from the Genttleman’s own Mouth, who acquainted me with other Particulars about it, that, for want of the Notes I then took, I shall not now venture to speak of.
← Observations About Vitiated Sight, Observation 13 · Contents