PHYSICAL AND LITERARY. 145 



friends to religion have done. Plutrach, 

 in recomnriending the philofophy of A- 

 naxagoras, obferves, that fuperftition pro- 

 ceeds from ignorance of caufes, and 

 want of experience ; but that natural phi- 

 lofophy banifhes all fuperftition, and be- 

 gets in the miiid a well grounded piety, 

 with comfortable hopes. 



Many fruitlefs attempts have former- 

 ly been made to explain all the phaenome- 

 na of nature, on mechanical principles a- 

 ione. But it is exceedingly furprifing, 

 that, in the prefent age, fo eminent an a- 

 ftronomer as M. Maupertuis ^ fliould a- 

 gain revive exploded notions, and fug- 

 geft, that the planets may pofTibly be re- 

 tained in their orbits by the motion of a 

 circumambient fluid, as an ultimate caufe. 

 There is nothing more demonllrably cer- 

 tain, than that gravity cannot arife from 

 the preflure of a whirlpool, or vortex of 

 a denfe fluid, once put in motion, and con • 

 tinuing to move round of itfelf, as M. Des 

 Vol. I. T Carres 



* Gofrnologie. 



