[ >• ] 



" at leaft like to lofe my time, without re- 

 " ceiving any valuable compenfation for fo 

 " great a lofs : But if a writer endeavours 



by new and real obfervations, and expe- 

 " riments to credit his opinions, the cafe is 



much otherwife ; for let his opinions be 



never fo falfe (his experiments being true) 

 " I am not obliged to believe the former, 

 " and am left at my liberty to benefit my 



felf by the latter ; and altho' he has er« 

 " roneoufly fuperftruded upon his experi- 



meats, yet the foundation being folid, a 

 " more wary builder may be much fur- 

 " thered by it, in the creftion of a more 

 " judicious and confiftent fabrick," 



But he has unhappily in fome other par» 

 ticulars, left me to fteer my way in this phy- 

 fical ocean without a compafs j and in places 

 too where I much want one— Since fhould 

 this little piece peradventure make it's appear- 

 ance in polite company, that the fame fliould 

 have worn a polite drefs of ftile. And what 

 perplexes the matter, is, that the modern 

 habit and mode of writing, which is moft 

 taking with fuch, is not fo to another fett 

 of readers, is indeed but partially intelligible. 



3 



The 



