NATURE OF THINGS. 437 



cipally absorbed : as if one were of set purpose and reso 

 lution, to employ himself in poring over the dissection of 

 the dead carcass of nature, rather than to set himself to 

 ascertain the powers and properties of living nature. In 

 deed the examination of the principles of motion is gene 

 rally looked upon as a matter by the way, so that it passes 

 admiration in what a perfunctory and remiss manner, a 

 subject of all others the most momentous and most useful, 

 has been investigated and treated. For to turn our atten 

 tion for a moment to the themes which are actually dis 

 coursed of; will the impulse communicated to matter by 

 privation, the formation of matter on mind (or archetypal 

 ideas), the coalition of like particles, the fortuitous play 

 of atoms in vacancy, the enmity and friendship supposed to 

 exist in substances, the mutual action of heaven and earth 

 on one another, the commerce of the elements by the inter 

 mediation of consenting properties, the influence of the 

 celestial bodies, occult and specific medicinal powers and 

 properties of drugs, fate, fortune, necessity ; will, I say, 

 such vague generalities as these, which are nothing but 

 phantasms and spectral illusions floating about and playing 

 on the surface of things, as in water, really advance the 

 blessings, or effectually augment the powers of man. They 

 indeed occupy or rather inflate the imagination, but con 

 tribute absolutely nothing to establish new methods of 

 working nature, to the power of altering her forms, or com 

 manding her motions. And again, all their attempts to 

 reason and subtilize regarding motion, natural and violent, 

 motion self-determined or impressed exteriorly, the limita 

 tions of motion, these too do not enter to any depth the 

 trunk of nature, but show rather like figures inscribed in 

 the bark. Wherefore dismissing such speculations, or con 

 demning them to exile among the theatres of popular dis 

 play, we must make it our business to trace those affections 

 and tendencies of things, by which that surprising multi 

 plicity of effects and of changes, visible alike in the works 

 of art and of nature, grows up and emerges into view. 

 We must thus endeavour to bind nature as a Proteus ; for 

 the various species of motions, duly discovered and metho 

 dically discriminated, may be regarded as the true bonds 

 to tie this Proteus withal. For according as the just im 

 pulses and restraints of motion, that is, of matter stimulated 

 to activity or restrained in it, are invented and applied, 

 there follows the capacity of modifying and transmuting 

 matter itself. 



