HISTORY OF THE ATOMIC THEORY. 87 



In looking on physical nature, as far as our object is con- 

 cerned, little is got in Aristotle, the idea of which did not 

 exist elsewhere. His first form of substance, which is per- 

 ceptible to the senses, is finite and perishable ; he uses the 

 ordinary four elements. There is a fifth element preceding 

 the four elements, with a tendency neither above nor below ; 

 this is ether. The heaven is made of it, and never changes. 

 The four elements seem to be substance united to the warm, 

 the cold, the light, and the heavy.* He more clearly brought 

 forward existing theories, expressing his own with greater care, 

 and giving a history of others. 



The varying phases of matter and of force shewed them- 

 selves in after philosophies. Matter rose and fell, mind rose 

 and fell. Matter was mind, mind was matter, and even at 

 this period we see no such nice distinction between them 

 among the ancients as we now have, whatever be the founda- 

 tion of our opinions. 



The stoics said, that " matter (that is ; considered in itself 

 without quality and form) did not exist except under a 

 certain form, and with certain properties. It is the principle 

 of every thing which springs from it, and consequently is 

 variable. Being absolutely passive it is infinitely divisible as 

 body is."t But these opinions would lead into grounds too 

 little physical. 



The stoics retained the four elements which lasted so long in 

 science, and believed that fire was condensed into air, air into 

 water, water into earth. They called matter a collection of 

 dimensions, length, breadth and thickness, leaving out solidity, 

 so that matter became penetrable.^ Only matter can do any 

 thing. This led to the wildest assertions, that laughing, 

 dancing, walking, crying, as well as emotions, anger, joy, 

 fear and passions, avarice, pride and envy, vices and virtues, 

 day, night, and sound, were bodies. This was carrying 



• Tiedemann, Vol. II , p. 284. f Ritter, p. 479. t Tiedemano, p. 434. 



