PHYSICAL AND LITERARY. 147 



faac's intention, to afcrlbe adlivity to mat- 

 ter in any fhape ; though his meaning has 

 been fometimes miflaken *. To do fo, 

 would be a nianifeft contradidlion to the 

 primary laws of motion, delivered by 

 himfelf in the beginning of his Princi- 

 pia. 



According to Spinoza, one piece of 

 matter is moved by another, and that by 

 a third ; and thus there is a progreffion 

 of caufes and eflfe(5ls, in infinitum, all acting 

 blindly, without intelligence and delign. 

 Not to repeat here the metaphyfical argu- 

 ment againft the poflibility of an endlefs 

 feries of dependent caufes of any kind, it 

 will be a fufficient confutation of this 

 fcheme to obferve, that it fuppofcs that 

 an infinite number of undefigning beings 

 can continually produce the greateft or^ 

 der, regularity, and harmony : Which is 

 no better fenfe than to fay, that, though 

 one fingle cypher be of no value, yet an 

 infinite number of nothings can amount 



tQ 



• Philofophical Effays, p. ii<^, 



