100. ESSAYS anb OBSERVATIONS 
“force applied ; the thread breaks, or the load- 
ftone feparates, without feeming at all to 
move the body. The nature of mertia and 
_refiftance has been fo much mifunderftood, 
or mifreprefented, that it was neceflary to 
explain thefe phenomena from their true prin- 
ciples. In particular it might be thought, 
confiftently with the falfe notions advanced 
concerning the refiftance of matter, that the 
reafon why a body did not move forwards 
when a part of it was broke off by a great 
force, was this, that the zvertia or refiftance 
to motion in that cafe, became ftronger than 
the power of cohefion. 
PuiLosopHERs have fondly perplexed them- 
felves, with many fubtile queftions con- 
cerning the communication of motion; and 
have perfifted, with the utmoft anxiety, in a 
very fruitlefs inquiry, how motion can pafs 
out of one body into another: as if motion 
was fomething that could be feparated from 
the moving body, and infufed from one into 
the other, like water poured into a phial. 
But, notwithftanding all the intricacy of this 
affair, it would appear to be ftill a greater 
mytftery, if one body in motion were not to 
moye another lying freely at reft. Itis in- 
deed 
