78 KANT'S UNIVERSAL NATURAL HISTORY 



distance at which they move. The result, finally, is that 

 only those particles continue to move in this region of 

 space which have acquired by their fall a velocity, and 

 through the resistance of the other particles a direction, 

 by which they can continue to maintain a free circular 

 movement. In this state, when all the particles are 

 moving in one direction and in parallel circles, i.e. in 

 free circular movements carried on by the acquired pro- 

 pulsive forces around the central body, the conflict and 

 the concourse of the elements is annulled, and every- 

 thing is then in the state of the least reciprocal action. 

 This state is the natural consequence which always 

 ensues in the case of matter involved in conflicting 

 movements. It is therefore clear that a great number of 

 the scattered multitude of particles must attain to such 

 exact determinate conditions through the resistance by 

 which they seek to bring each other to this state ; 

 although a much greater multitude of them do not reach 

 it and only serve to increase the mass of the central 

 body into which they fall, as they cannot maintain them- 

 selves freely at the distance at which they are moving, 

 but cross the circles of the nearer particles, and, finally, 

 by their resistance lose all motion. This body in the 

 centre of attraction which, in consequence of all this, 

 has become the chief part of the planetary system by 

 the mass of its collected matter, is the sun, although it 

 has not yet that glow of flame which bursts out on its 

 surface after its formation has become entirely complete. 



It is further to be observed, that all the elements of 

 nature, when fashioning itself, thus move, as has been 

 shown, in a direction round the centre of the sun; and 

 hence in these revolutions, which are directed to a 



