PHYSICAL And LITERARY. 13^ 



it hot equally felf evident, that dead mat^ 

 ter can never begin motion of itfelf ; far 

 lefs regulate its motions according to a law? 

 If bodies are not fenfible of the neigh- 

 bourhood of other bodies, of their quan- 

 tities of matter, and of their precife dif- 

 tance from them j is it to be imagined 

 that they will move themfelves with fuch 

 determined degrees of force, correfpond- 

 ing to the different quantities of matter 

 and different diftances ? 



The adive powers both of attradion 

 and repulfion are of fuch a fort, as could 

 not be exercifed by the bodies themfelves, 

 without either diftind perceptions of their 

 own fituations and magnitudes with re- 

 fped to other bodies, or a regular fuccef- 

 fion of fome kind of clear perceptions, 

 Gorrefponding to every variety of fituation 

 and magnitude, and all this accompanied 

 with a memory and a power of comparinc/ 

 part with prefent perceptions. It would 

 therefore make nothing to the prefent 

 purpofe to have recourfe to that extfaor-' 

 dinary fubteffuge, made ufe of by Mr 

 Ilobbs on a like occafion, 1 hat all mat- 

 Vol. L ~ S tef 



