1 1 A Treat! fe of BODIES. Chap, 2. 



observe in the familiar anfwers to qucftions of continued Quan- 

 tity, which exprefie by number the content of it : as when one 

 delivereth the Quantity of a piece of ground, by fuch a number 

 of furlongs, acres, perches, or the like. 



* But we mutt take heed of conceiving, that thofe parts, which 



Pans of Qiian- \ve confider todifcern the nature of Quantity, are actually and 

 Sul'iyb* their really in the whole of any continued one that contajneth them, 

 whale. Ells, feet, inches, are no more reall Entities in the whole that is 



meafured by them, and thatmaketh impreffions of fuch notions 

 in our understanding ; then in our former example, colour, fi- 

 gure, mellownefTe, taft, and the like,are feverall fubftances in rhe 

 apple that aflfe&eth our feverall fenfes with fuch various impre 

 fions. It is but one whole, that may indeed be cut into fo many 

 feverall parts : but thofe parts are not really there, till by divi- 

 fion they are parcelled out : and then, the -whole ( out of which 

 they are made ) ceafeth to be any longer : and the narts iuccecd 

 in lieu of it; and are every one of them a new nko/e. 



This truth is evident out of the very definition we have ga- 

 thered of Quantity. For fjnce t is divifibility ( that is, a bare 

 capacity to divifion ) it followeth, that it is not yet divided: and 

 confequently, that thofc parts arc not yet in it, which may be 

 made of it; for divifion, is the making two or more things of 

 one. 



4 But becaufe this is a very great controverfie in fchools, and fo 



aa ny iTthVr i m P or t ant to be determined and fettled, as without doing fo, we 



whole, Quan. fhall be lyable to mainerrours in fearching the nature and ope- 



cSi^ofedo? rations of bodies; and that the whole progrefTe of our difcourfc, 



indivifibics. will be uncertain and wavering, if this principle and foundation 



be not firmly laid ; we muft apply our felves, to bring fbmc 



more particular and immediate proof of the verity of this afler- 



tion. Which we will do, by (hewing the inconvenience, impoP 



fibility and contradiction , that the admittance of the other 



Icadeth unto. For if we allow a&uall parts to be diftinguifhcd 



in Quantity, it will follow that it is compofed of points or in- 



divifibles, which we (hall prove to be impoffible. 



The firft will appear thus : if Quantity were divided into all 

 the parts into which it is divifible, it would be divided into in- 

 divifibles ( for nothing divifible, and not divided , would re- 

 main in it) but it is difiinguifhed into the fame parts jnto which 



ic 



