Chap. IV. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 



19 



According to this definition of Aaion and PafTion, Mind, that 

 moves, muft neceflarily act. Body, that is moved, muft as ncceffarily 

 fuffer, or be pajftvc. And, as every thing in the univerfe either ads 

 or fuffers, here, again, we may fee that it is true what I faid above, 

 that there is nothing in the univerfe but Mind and Body. 



Paffivity is as effential a quality of Body as Adivity is of Mind. It 

 is improperly exprefled, as I have obferved elfewhere, by the New- 

 tonians, when they call it vis inert iae, becaufe the term vis expref- 

 fes a power, and even a power exerted, which does not belong to 

 Matter. Nor do I approve of their language, when they fpeak of the 

 Readion of a Body, when it is impelled by another Body ; for that 

 alfo implies a principle of Adivity in Body ; and I would rather call 

 it by the well known name of Refiflance, which, as I have fhown, 

 is an effential quality of Matter ; for the Body that is impelled does 

 not ad, but is aded upon, and is only paffive, as all Body, by its na- 

 ture, is. And, as to the Refiflance, which the Body impelled makes, 

 it is the neceffary confequence of its Paffivity ; for, whatever is paf- 

 five, muft, in fome degree, refift. It may be objeded, that Space is 

 paffive of Body, and yet makes no Refiflance. But I fay it is fpeak- 

 ing improperly to fay, that Space is paffive, or that it has any qua- 

 lity at all, being, as 1 have ftiown in my Firft Volume, and fhall 

 fhow more clearly afterwards, a thing which has no exiftence by 

 itfelf, and is nothing, except in relation to Body. 



» 

 The meaning, therefore, of that law of Nature of the Newtonians, 

 That the Adion and Readion of Bodies are equal, when properly 

 explained, comes juft to this, that, as aBing 2in<\ fuffering are Rela- 

 tives, as much as the agent ads, fo much muft the patient fuffer ; 

 from whence it follows, that any Body, which receives motion from 

 another, deftroys juft as much in that which gives it *. And though, 



in 



* Sec what I have faid upon this Newtonian axiom Vol. I. p. 29. and p. 18?. 



And 



