7 $ <4 Trettife of B O D I E S. Chap. 8. 



and yet not fear any violent effc& from its blows : unlefle it be 

 condenfcd, and many parts of it be brought together to work 

 as U they were but one. 



As concerning the laft objection; that if light were a body,it 

 Thcrcaionwhy would be fanned by the wind:we fnuft confider what is the caufe 

 i-'ohiSever ^ a things appearing to be moved: & then examine what force 

 perceived tob t hat caufe hath in light. As for the firft part; we fee that whtn 

 " cdb) C a k ot ty * s difccrned now in one place, now in another , then it 

 appcarcth to be moved.And this we fee happeneth alfo in light; 

 as when the funne or a candle is carried or moveth, the light 

 thereof in the body of the candle or funne feemeth to be moved 

 along with it. And the like is in a fhining cloud or comet. 



But to apply this to our purpofe : We muft note that the in- 

 tention of the obi'e&ion is, that the light which goeth from the 

 fire to an opacous body farrc diftant without interruption of its 

 continuuy,fhould teem to be jogged or put out of its way by the 

 wind that crofleth it. Wherein the firtt failing is, that the ob- 

 je&our conceiveth light to (end fpecies unto our eye from the 

 midft of its linerwhercas with a little confideration he may per- 

 ceive, that no light is feen by us but that which is reflected from 

 an opacous body to our eye: to that the light he meaneth in his 

 objection is never feen at all. Secondly, it is manifeft that the 

 light which ft riketh our eye, doth ftrike it in a ftraight line; and 

 feemeth to be at the end of that ftraight line, whercfoever that 

 is; and fb can never appear to be in another place: but the light 

 which we fee in another place, we conceive to be another light. 

 Which maketh it again evident, that the light can never appear 

 to fhake, though we fhould fuppofe that light may be (cen from 

 the middle of its line; for no part of wind or airc can come IA- 

 to any fenfiblc place in that middle of the line, with fuch fpecd 

 that new light frem the fburcc doth not illuminate itfooner then 

 it can be Cccn by us:whcrefore it will appear to us illuminated, 

 as being in that place: and therefore the light can never appear 

 fhaken. And laftly, it is caficr for the aire or wind to deftroy 

 the light, then it is to remove it out of its place , wherefore 

 it can never fo remove it out of its place , as that we fhould 

 fee it iu another place. But if it (hould remove it, it would 

 wrap it up within it felf and hide it. 



S. In conclusion; after this long difpute concerning the nature 



of 



