Chap.*. <t^7>^//j?0/BODIES. yi 



notion of, diftinft from the notion of the fire from whence it 

 iffueth to burn thtf wood that is near it ; is nothing elfe, in the 

 fire, but the very fubftance of it in fuch a degree of rarity; or 

 a continual! ftream of parts ifluing out of the main ftock of 

 the fame fire, that entreth into the wood, and by the rarity of 

 it makctb its way through every little part, and divideth them. 

 All which a&ions are comprifed by the understanding under 

 one notion of burning : and the power, ( which is fire it felf ) 

 to do thefc actions, under one notion of the quality of heat : 

 though burning in effect, and explicated Philofbphically, be 

 nothing elfe but the continuance of thofc materiall motions 

 we have even now defcribed. In like manner, the cubic-all fi- 

 gure of a deye, is nothing clfc but the very body of the deye ic 

 lelf, limited by other bodies from being extended beyond thole 

 dimenfions it hath : and fo the quality of figure or fquare- 

 ncfle , which in common fpeech is faid to be in it ; is truly, the 

 fubftance it felf, under fuch a confederation as is exprefTcd by 

 that word. 



Bat to come to our queftion, npon the dccifion of which dc- 3. 

 pendeth the fate of all the fictitious Entities which in the fchools F:VC "Jj 

 are termed qualities. The cheif motives that perfwade light to 

 be one of thofej may, to my beft remembrance, be reduced to 

 five feverall heads. The firft' is, that it illuminateth the airein 

 aninftant,and therefore cannot be a body: fora body re- 

 quireth fucccflion of time to move in : whereas, this feemeth to 

 fpread it felf over the whole hemifphere in aninftant; for as 

 farre as the funnc is diftant from us, he no {boner raifeth his 

 head above our horizon, but his darts are in our face : and ge- 

 nerally, no imagination can be framed, of any motion it hath 

 in its dilatation. 



The next is j that whereas no body can admit another into 

 its place,without being removed away it felf, to leave that room 

 unto the advcnient one neverthclefle, plain experience flicw- 

 eth us dayly, that two lights may be in the fame place ; and 

 the firft is fo farre from going away at the coining of the ie- 

 cond, that the bringing in of a fecond candle, and fetting it near 

 the firft, encreafcth the light in the room ; which diminifheth 

 again when the fecond is removed away. And by the fame rea- 

 fon; if light were a body, ic fliould drive away the airc 



D 2 (which 



