ON MATTER AND FORCE. 31 



vibratory motions of ponderable matter, having 

 quantitative relations to all other forms of 

 motion. A clear idea of the nature of a 

 complex transverse double polar motion of a 

 particle of gaseous, liquid, or solid matter, is, 

 however, far beyond our attainment now. 



Such, then, is a sketch of the history of the 

 three stages of ideas regarding the separability 

 of matter and force. 



It must, however, be remembered, that these 

 three stages pass insensibly into one another ; and 

 that, in the history of these ideas in individual 

 minds, some ideas regarding the separability 

 of matter and force may be found in the third 

 stage, while other ideas may still halt at the 

 second, or never get beyond even the first stage 

 which I have described. 



Thus every one may admit the inseparability 

 of matter from the causes of gravitation and 

 chemical action; whilst some may hardly be 

 prepared even now to allow that heat is equally 

 inseparable from matter. Still less readily may 

 the cause of light be admitted to be inherent in 

 ponderable matter ; and few at present are able 

 to believe that electricity and magnetism are 



