ITS FAILURE. 71 



We may take, as examples of this, the problems 

 of the simplest kind, where the principles lay nearest 

 at hand, the mechanical ones. "Why," he asks 1 , 

 " do small forces move great weights by means of a 

 lever, when they have thus to move the lever added 

 to the weight? Is it," he suggests, "because a greater 

 radius moves faster ?" " Why does a small wedge 

 split great weights 2 ? Is it because the wedge is 

 composed of two opposite levers?" "Why 3 , when 

 a man rises from a chair, does he bend his leg and 

 his body to acute angles with his thigh ? Is it be- 

 cause a right angle is connected with equality and 

 rest?" "Why* can a man throw a stone further 

 with a sling than with his hand ? Is it that when he 

 throws with his hand he moves the stone from rest, 

 but when he uses the sling he throws it already in 

 motion ?" " Why 5 , if a circle be thrown on the 

 ground, does it first describe a straight line and then 

 a spiral, as it falls ? Is it that the air first presses 

 equally on the two sides and supports it, and after- 

 wards presses on one side more ?" " Why 6 is it dif- 

 ficult to distinguish a musical note from the octave 

 above ? Is it that proportion stands in the place of 

 equality ?" It must be allowed that these are very 

 vague and worthless surmises ; for even if we were, 

 as some commentators have done, to interpret some 

 of them so as to agree with sound philosophy, we 

 should still be unable to point out, in this author's 



1 Mech. Prob. 4. 2 Ib. 18. 3 Ib. 31. 4 Ib. 13. 

 5 Hepi 'A\lsvx<i. 11. " Uept 'Apvov. 14. 



