THEORY OF THE FIRMAMENT. 11 



nomers shape new and, as they suppose, corrected theories, 

 and adapt causes eternal and invariable to things more fre 

 quently, as it were, fortuitous. 



The second is that those turbulent actions of compres 

 sion, expansion, resistence, and yielding, which seem to be 

 produced by a certain softness and hardness of bodies, 

 taken for elementary qualities, are not compatible with the 

 heavens, which is doubtless of the fifth and least elemen 

 tary essence. But this assertion is a presumptuous and 

 arbitrary reprobation of things and sense. For wheresoever 

 any body in nature is in a state of rest, there also is a reluc 

 tance to change, and that in proportion to the size of the 

 body. But wherever are natural bodies, and a local motion, 

 there will take place either repulsion, or a yielding, or a 

 resolution of motion;* for those things which have been 

 named compactness, looseness of parts, resistance, a giving 

 way, with many others, are what matter universally under 

 goes every where. Yet, however, from this source have 

 come down to us all that multiplicity of orbits capriciously 

 jumbled together, which, nevertheless, they are pleased to 

 say are so distinctly interlineated, and which move and 

 turn within each other so evenly and glibly, that, notwith 

 standing their intricacy, there is no entangling or vibration ; 

 all which are visionary and a palpable mockery of facts. 



A third is, that to each individual body appertains a 

 peculiar and appropriate motion ; and if more motions are 

 observable, all, except one, are extrinsic, and derived from 

 some other moving body. Nothing falser than this can be 

 conceived, since all bodies, from the manifold consent of 

 things, are endued with even many motions, some denoting 

 their nature, others waxing weaker and weaker, others even 

 lying hid until they be drawn forth; but there are no 

 special or proper motions of things, except the exact mea 

 sures and ratios of common motions. And hence again 

 has been presented to us that primum mobile severed and 

 made distinct, and heavens on heavens, and newfangled 

 mansions contained in them, that they may suffice for the 

 performances of so many different motions. 



* Sectio means, classically, a confiscation of goods, division of spoil, &c. so, 

 possibly, here it may mean dissipation of motion ; if the illustrious author uses it 

 here for secutio (a sequor) then it means an &quot; orderly following&quot; (consequentia 

 i iraKoXovOijtnc;) ; but such a word in such a sense is utterly unclassical. 



