Chap. ii. 4 Trutifc ^/BODIES. 121 



flance of the celerity which itgetteth in descending. And now I 

 hope the reader is fully fatisfied that there is no contradiction in 

 putting T^cnfitj and <jr*vity. to be the fame thing materially; 

 andtlut neverthelcfle the fame thing may be more heavie then 

 denfe, or more denfe then heavy , as we took it to our fever all 

 puipofesin theinvoftigation of the Elements. 



Having thus laid an intelligible ground to difcover how thefe u.' 

 motions that are gencrall to all bodies and are naturall in chief, The opinion of 

 are contrived by nature; we will now endeavour to (hew that fnlnSec'a?! 8 

 the contrary pofition is not oncly voluntary,but alfo impoffiblc. inclination of a 



T i r r r L IJLI i botj y tc tlic 



Lc; us therefore iuppoie that a body hath a quality to move it center refuted 



downwards. And firft we (hall ask what downwards fignifi- b y rca ' on 



eth: for either it fignifieth towards a fixed point of imaginary 



fpace; or towards a fixed point of the univerfe;or towards (bmc 



moveable point. As for the firft, who would maintain it rrruft 



have more imagination then judgement,to think that a naturall 



quality could have n efience determined by a nothing : becaufe 



we can frame a conceit of that nothing. As for the fecond, it is 



very uncertain whether any fuch point I>e in nature : for as for 



the cemer of the earth, it is clear that if the earth be carried a- 



bout, the center of it cannot be a fixed point. Again,ifthe center 



fignifieth a determinate point in the earth that is the medium of 



gravity or of quantity , it is changed as often as any duft lighteth 



unequally upon any one fide of the earth , which wonld make 



tha't fide bigger then it was: and I doubt a quality cannot have 



morall coniiderations to think that fb little doth no harm. As 



for the third pontion, likewife it is not intelligible how a quality 



(hould change its inclination or eflcnce, according to the change 



:hat (hould light to make now one point, now another > be the 



renter unto which it (hould tend. 



Again.let us confider that a quality hath a determinate cflence. 

 Then feeing its power is to move, and to move fignifieth to cut 

 :hemediumitis moved in;itbelongcth unto it of its nature to cut 

 fo much of (uch a medium in fuch a time. So that if no other caufe 

 be added but that you take precifelyand in abftraftojilw quali- 

 :y,that mcdium,& that time;this effetfl: will follow, that fo much 

 Tiotion is made. And if this effect fliould not follow it is clear, 

 :hat the being able to cut fb much ofiucli a medium in fuch a 

 :ime,is not the efiencc ofthis quality, as it was fuppojed to be. 

 dividing then the time & the medium, half the motion (houKt 



