Chap. I. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 345 



work, by mere mechanical caufes. But this wonderful machine they 

 have never been able to explain, except by making fuppofitions of 

 mechanical powers of attradlion, repulfion, and the like, which, if not 

 inherent in matter, and elTential to it, are, they fay, originally impref- 

 fed upon it ; but that one original impreffion fliould produce fuch a 

 variety of motions, and fhould give matter 2in adive and truly felf-mo- 

 ving power,'- is not, as 1 have fhown *, fupported by any experiment 

 or obfervation, and is diredly contrary to that vis inertiae^ or perfe(3; 

 pafllvity, which they fay is eflential to matter, 



I fhould think this mechanical fyflem more compleat, if they made 

 every thing mechanical, the animated, as well as the inanimate parts of 

 nature. And, accordingly, the opinion of the French philofophers ap- 

 pears to me more confident, who make animals to be machines ; and, 

 though they profefs to confine this to brute-animals, I have little doubt 

 but that the greateft part of them, at leaft, believe that man likewife is 

 a machine ; and one of them has written a book to prove it t. But 

 our philofophers, who allow that the movements of men and other a- 

 nimals are produced, neither by mere matter and mechanifm, nor by 

 the immediate ad of the Deity, but by fome internal principle, call it 

 nmidi life, or whatever elfe you will, ought not, I think, to flop there, 

 but to account for all the other motions they fee in the univerfe, in 

 the fame manner — But of this I have faid enough in the preceding 

 book. 



Thus, I have concluded what I have to fay upon the fubjed of the 

 Categories ; the dodrine of which undoubtedly belongs to this fcience 



Xx of 



* Page 282. 



t Abbe du Prade, author gf the book entitled, Vhamme Machine 



