HISTORY OF THE ATOMIC THEORY. 91 



for anything to be clashed in pieces without a vacuum, nor to be 

 broken, nor to be divided in two, by cutting ; nor to admit moisture, 

 nor moreover subtle cold, nor penetrating fire, by which all things 

 are dissolved ; and the more anything contains empty space within 

 it, the more it yields when thoroughly tried by these means. If, 

 therefore, the primary atoms are solid and without void, they must 

 of necessity be eternal. 



" Again, unless there had been eternal matter, all things before 

 this time would have been utterly reduced to nothing, and whatsoever 

 we behold would be a reproduction from nothing. But since I have 

 shown above that nothing can be produced from nothing, and that 

 that which has been produced can not be resolved into nothing, the 

 primary elements must be a of an imperishable substance, into which 

 every body may be dissolved, so that matter may be supplied for the 

 reproduction of things, The primordial elements therefore are of 

 pure solidity, nor could they otherwise, preserved as they have been 

 for ages, repair things through the infinite space of time. 



** Besides, if nature had set no limit to the destruction of things, 

 the particles of matter would by this time have been so reduced, 

 every former age wasting them, that no body compounded of them 

 could, from any certain time, reach full maturity of existence. For 

 we see that anything may be sooner broken to pieces than put to- 

 gether again ; for which reason, that which the infinitely long dura- 

 tion of past time had broken into parts, disturbing and dissevering it, 

 could never be repaired in time to come. But now, as is evident, 

 there remains appointed a certain limit to destruction, since we see 

 every thing recruited, and stated portions of time assigned to every 

 thing according to its kind, in which it may be able to attain full 

 vigour of age. 



" To this is added, that although the primary particles of matter 

 are perfectly solid, yet that all things which are formed of them, 

 may be rendered soft, as air, water, earth, fire, because there is 

 vacant space intermingled with the things compounded. But, on the 

 other hand, if the primordial elements were soft, how strong flints and 

 iron could be produced, no explanation could be given, for nature 

 would be deprived of all possibility of commencing a foundation. 

 The primordial elements therefore are endowed with pure solidity ; 



