Chap. IT: '^THrffe if BODIES. irr 



parts of the world, for in the torrid zone it will alwtyet 

 happen as in fu owner in places of the temperate zone ; and 

 in the polar climes as i deepcft winter: fb that no where 

 there would be any ftandard or certainty in the weight of 

 bodies, if it depended upon fo mutable a can/e. And it ma- 

 kcch to the fame effect, that a body which Jieth under a 

 th'ck rock, or any other very dcnfe body, that cannot be 

 penetrated by any great ftorc of atomes ; fliould not be fo 

 heavy as it would be in the open and free aire , where the 

 atomts in their complete numbers have ttair full ttrokes. 



For anfwer to thefe and fiich like inftances ; we arc to 

 note firft , chat it is not fb much the number or the vio- 

 lence of the percuflion of the ftriking atomes, as the dcn- 

 fity of the thing ftruckcn which givcth the meafure to the 

 descending of a weighty body : and the chief thing which 

 the ttroke of the atonies gtveth unto a denfe body , is a 

 determination of the way which a denfe body is to cut un 

 to it felf : therefore multiplication or leflening of the a- 

 tomes , will not make any lenfiblc difference betwixt the 

 weight of one desfc body where many atomes do ftrike, 

 and an other body of the fame denfitie where but a few do 

 ftrike ; fo that the ftroke downwards of the dcfcending a- 

 tomes , be greater then the ftroke upwards of the afccnd- 

 ing atomes; and thereby decermineth it to weigh to the 

 ecrterwards, and not rife floating upwards , which is all tta 

 fenfiblc effcft we eaitperccive. 



Next we may obfesvc, that the firft particulars of the ob- 

 je<ftion, do not reach home to enfeeble our doftrinc in this 

 particular , although we admit them to be in fuch ibct as 

 they are propofed : for they do withall imply fuch a pcrpcc'.i- 

 all variatioii of caulcs > ever Bvoiirable to our po/kion , thac 

 nothing can be inferred out of them to repugne againrt IP. 

 AS thus : When there are many aeofnesdefcendingki the airc, 

 the fame generall caufe which maketh them be many, mak.rlj 

 them alfo be light in proportion to their multitude. Ami fe* 

 when chey are few thty arehearie ; likcwife when the atomes. 

 arc light, the air* is ratified andthirmc; and when they we 

 heavie the airc is thick; and fo upon tta whole matter it 

 is evident, tUat we caimot make fuch a predtc asd exa& jtufge-r 



menr 



