ISO LIMITS AND FLUXIONS 



master of a new mathematica! school founded at 

 Rochester, and, in 1739, Lucasian professor of 

 mathematics at Cambridge, in succession to Nicholas 

 Saunderson. Colson was a man of great industry 

 but only ordinary ability. 



In his preface, Colson refers to the controversies 

 on fluxions, and says that the defenders as well as 

 their opponents were little acquainted with Newton's 

 own exposition, that this hook now published for 

 the first time is "the only genuine and originai 

 Fountain of this kind of knowledge. For what has 

 been elsewhere deliver'd by our Author, concerning 

 this Method, was only accidental and occasionai" 

 (p. x). Colson accompanies Newton's hook "with 

 an ampie Commentary " and " particularly with an 

 Eye to the fore-mention'd Controversy " (p. x). 

 Colson in this preface represents Newton as hold- 

 ing the principle "that Quantity is infinitely 

 divisible, or that it may (mentally at least) so far 

 continually diminish, as at last, before it is totally 

 extinguish'd, to arrive at Quantities that may be 

 call'd vanishing Quantities, or which are infinitely 

 little, and less than any assignable Quantity. Or 

 it supposes that we may form a Notion, not indeed 

 of absolute, but of relative and comparative infinity " 

 (p. xi). Colson opposes " indivisibles," as also 

 the " infinitesimal method" and "infinitely little 

 Quantities and infinite orders and gradations of 

 these, not relatively but absolutely such " (p. xii). 

 He argues against " imaginary Systems of infinitely 

 great and infinitely little Quantities, and their 



