63 



the sides of the containing vessel. And indeed this 

 property of fluids, which is so uniform, is the necessary 

 consequence of the sphericity of their constituent 

 particles. 



Now, could any thing but the almighty power of 

 God, have rounded those infinite numbers of small 

 particles ? Or could any thing but his wisdom have 

 assigned them their true dimensions, their exact weights, 

 and required solidities? We shall allow him to con- 

 tinue in his infidelity, who ran demonstrate by what laws 

 of mechanism, all the particles of water were turned of 

 the same diameter, solidity, and weight; and those of 

 air, mercury, and light, turned of all different diameters, 

 solidities, and weights from one another; but all of the 

 same diameters, solidities, and wejghtS among themselves. 

 And what a beautiful idea of this fluid do Sir Isaac New- 

 ton's later discoveries present us with ! Every ray is en- 

 dowed with its own colour, and its different degree of 

 refrangibility and reflexibility. One ray is violet, another 

 indigo, a third blue, a fourth green, a fifth yellow, a 

 sixth orange, and the last red. And these are the pri- 

 mary and original colours, from the mixture whereof 

 all the intermediate ones proceed ; and white from an 

 equal mixture of the whole; black on the contrary, 

 'from the small quantity of any of them being reflected ; 

 " or all of them in a great measure suffocated. So that 

 it is not properly bodies that are coloured, but the light 

 that falls upon them ; and their colours arise from their 

 aptitude, to reflect rays of one colour, and transmit all 

 those of another. The prominent little parts, upon 

 their surface, according to their different degree of den- 

 sity and thinness, are apt to reflect back upon our organ, 

 rays of one colour, and of one degree of refrangibility 

 and refiexibility, and to let others pass through their 

 pores. And this one colour too is less or more intense, 

 according as their prominent parts are of different den- 

 sities. I ? or the first degrees of mtenseness, in all the 

 primary colours, seem to arise from the degrees of den- 

 sity and thinness; aud the subsequent degrees, from the 



