Chap. XIX. ANTIE NT METAPHYSICS. ,265 



lefsly and inattentively, he may go out of the line, cither towards the 

 center, or from it ; but this is to be afcribed, not to the nature of the 

 motion, but to our infirmity, or, perhaps, to the animal form, which 

 is more fitted for progrefiive motion in a right line, than for any kind 

 of curvilineal motion. But this is not the cafe of a fphere or fpheroid, 

 which is equally adapted to movement in all directions. 



The vulgar, I know, will think it incredible, that a fphere fhould 

 be animated, or, that mind fhould move body, otherwile than by the 

 machinery of bones, mufcles, and finews ; but the philofopher, who 

 has more enlarged ideas of tniitdy and its poivers^ and knows that the 

 whole univerfc is moved by the Supreme Mind, without the aid of 

 any fuch machinery of any kind, will rejedt fuch a narrow no- 

 tion, and will ridicule it in the fame manner as the learned philofo- 

 phers of old ridiculed the fancy of Epicurus, that intelligence could 

 only be in the human form ; for which reafon, he gave that form to 

 his Gods *. 



What has led men Into this miflake, concerning the circular 

 motion, is motion produced by material and external impulfe ; 

 that is, by one body impelling another. In fuch a cafe, as that 

 motion is always in a flraight line, it is evident that feveral im* 

 pulfes, in different diredlions, are abfolutely neceffary, in order to 

 form a circle or ellipfis; but, where mind is the mover, and efpeci- 

 ally mind internal, as I fuppofe, there can be no difficulty in con- 

 ceiving the motion to be made fimply and in a natural way ; or, ra* 

 ther, it is impoffible to conceive it otherwife. 



Thus, I think, I have proved^ that, if the Celeftial bodies are moved 

 by mind, and by mind not controulcd by material neceffity, they cannot 



LI be 



* Cicero Dc Naiura DeiruiHi lib. i. cap^ tjt 



