VIEWS OF THE ANCIENTS. 459 



materials by which we are nourished ; and if 

 so, there is no good reason why it should be more 

 mysterious than any of the other phenomena of 

 nature. 



It was remarked by Cicero, that " to be igno- 

 rant of what has been done before our time, is 

 ever to remain in a state of childhood ;" and Lord 

 Bacon observes, that " whoever undertakes to 

 investigate the first principles of science, should 

 know the opinions of the ancients concerning 

 the foundations of nature." Coinciding with 

 these views, and having often felt the want of 

 such information, I shall give a brief outline of 

 the leading doctrines which have come down to 

 us from a remote antiquity, in regard to the pri- 

 mary cause of motion and life throughout nature. 



From the earliest dawn of civilization, men 

 sought to resolve this great problem : and there 

 is nothing more remarkable in the history of 

 mankind, than the universal consent with which 

 they regarded elementary fire as the organizing 

 principle ; a doctrine which, although but vaguely 

 understood by the ancients, was the basis of all 

 their physical theories ; and which, when clearly 

 unfolded, is destined to survive all the more 

 elaborate systems of later ages, because it was 

 the result of observation, experience, and the 

 dictates of common sense. Yet as it was mingled 

 with many superstitious and fabulous traditions 

 of the ancient paganism, it has been almost 

 wholly disregarded by the moderns : the con- 



