lo ESSAYS AND OBSERVATION'S 



aaive kind ; and every man who is con- 

 verfant with the operations of chemiftry, 

 muft have a ftrong impreffion that mat- 

 ter is extremely aclive. 



Fo R the fake of iUuftration, let us fup- 

 pofe a fubftance or thing having the fol- 

 lowing properties, that it makes no re- 

 fiftanceto bodies impinging upon it; that, 

 when carried along in a man's hand, 

 even with the moft violent motion, it does 

 not increafe the momentum of the hand 

 and that it flops Ihort the inftant the 

 hand ceafes to move. This would cer- 

 tainly be the mofl inert of all conceivable 

 things. And if fo, matter cannot be 

 abfolutely inert or paffive, when its pro- 

 perties differ fo widely from thefe defcri- 

 bed. In many circumftances matter be* 

 gins motion, and acls often with great 

 violence. It has a conftant endeavour, 

 when once fet in motion, to preferve it- 

 felf in the fame degree of motion, and, 

 when at reft, is not put in motion with^ 

 out refiftance. 



But it is maintained by the bulk of 

 cur philofophers, that matter is altoge- 



