^8 ESSAYS AND OBSERVATIONS 



Of the force of BODIES 

 IN MOTION. 



1 N explaining the firft law of motion, 

 viz. that every body perfeveres, as 

 much as in it lies, in its prefent ftate 

 of refl: or motion ; I have touched at that 

 remarkable power which all matter is en- 

 dued with, of moving on v/ith its origi- 

 nal velocity ; and to which power I have 

 chofen to confine the term "uis inftta. I 

 now iproceed to unfold fome further pro- 

 perties of that power. It appears clear, 

 that the njis inftta might have been fo or- 

 dered, as to produce an accelerated or re- 

 tarded, inftead of an uniform motion. 

 And it might have been fo ordered as to 

 yield to the fmalleft oppoilng force, which 

 is the cafe of the 1^2* refijlentide when the 

 body is at reft. There is no difficulty to 

 conceive a body endued with fuch a pro- 



pcrty> 



