From 8 February until at least 19 April 1686, the Dublin Philosophical Society was occupied with a prodigiously talented young girl whose name was never recorded. She was less than eleven years of age, but still much older than the society itself, which had begun meeting less than three years previously. Although one of many wonders engaging the curiosity of the nascent society, this girl served a surprising range of purposes, so that accompanying her anonymity was a curious malleability. Pressed into several different roles and identities, her exploitation affords a glimpse into the various qualities that could make a spectacle useful in a philosophical climate that was unique among the British Isles. The use of this girl therefore not only sheds light on the needs of a less familiar learned society, but also shows how these could differ from those of its better-understood counterparts. For a period of time, it was the versatility not of the gentlemen in Dublin, but of the prodigy they used, that best served this group on the periphery.

中文翻译：

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在不同的地方表演：使用都柏林哲学协会的神童

从 1686 年 2 月 8 日到至少 4 月 19 日，都柏林哲学学会挤满了一位才华横溢的年轻女孩，她的名字从未被记录下来。她还不到 11 岁，但仍然比不到三年前开始见面的社会本身要古老得多。尽管这个女孩是吸引新生社会好奇心的众多奇迹之一，但她的用途却出人意料，因此伴随着她的匿名而来的是一种奇怪的可塑性。她被塑造成几个不同的角色和身份，她的利用让我们得以一瞥在不列颠群岛独特的哲学氛围中可以使奇观发挥作用的各种品质。因此，使用这个女孩不仅揭示了一个不太熟悉的知识社会的需求，但也显示了这些与更易理解的对应物有何不同。有一段时间，最适合边缘群体的不是都柏林绅士的多才多艺，而是他们使用的神童的多才多艺。