ATT 
form and confident with herfelf. Thofe juft mentioned, 
reach to fenfible difiances, and fo have been obferved by 
vulgar eyes ; but there may be others which reach to fuch 
fmall dirtances as have hitherto efcaped obfervation ; and 
it is probable eleCtricity may reach to Inch diftances, even 
without being excited by friction.” 
Sir Ifaac Newton proceeds to confirm the reality of thefe 
fufpicions from a great number of phenomena and expe¬ 
riments, which plainly argue fuch powers and aCtions be¬ 
tween the particles, for example, of falts and water, oil 
of vitriol and water, aquafortis and iron, fpirit of vitriol 
and faltpetre. He alfo fhews, that thefe powers are un¬ 
equally flrong between different bodies ; ftronger, for in- 
ffance, between the particles of fait of tartar and thofe of 
aquafortis than thofe of (ilver, between aquafortis and lapis 
calaminaris than iron, between iron than copper, and cop¬ 
per than filver or mercury. So fpirit of vitriol aids on 
water, but more on iron or copper. And the other expe¬ 
riments are innumerable which countenance the exiftence 
of fuch principle of attraction in the particles of matter. 
Thefe actions, by virtue of which the particles of the bo¬ 
dies above-mentioned tend towards each other, are called 
by the general indefinite name, attradion ; a name equally 
applicable to all adtions by which bodies tend towards one 
another, whether by impulfe, or by any other more latent 
power : and from hence he accounts for an jnfinity of phe¬ 
nomena, otherwife inexplicable, to which the principle of 
gravity is inadequate. Thus, adds Sir Ifaac, “ will na¬ 
ture be found very conformable to herfelf, and very Am¬ 
ple; performing all the great motions of the heavenly 
bodies by the attradtion of gravity, which intercedes thofe 
bodies, and altnoft all the fmall ones of their parts, by 
fome other attradtive power diff'ufed through their parti¬ 
cles. Without fuch principles, there never would have 
been any motion in the world ; and without the continu¬ 
ance of it, motion would foon perifli, there being other- 
wife a great decreafe or diminution of it, which is only 
fupplied by thefe aCtive principles.” 
It need not be faid how unjuft it is to declare againff a 
principle which furnifftes fo beautiful a view, for no other 
reatbn but becaule we cannot conceive how one body 
fhould adt on another at a diffance. It is indeed true, 
that philofophy allows of no action but what is by imme¬ 
diate contact and impulfion ; for how can a body exert any 
adtive power where it does not exift ? yet we fee eftedts, 
without perceiving any fuch impulfe ; and, where effedts 
are obferved, there nnift exilt caufes, whether we fee them 
or not. But we may contemplate fuch effedts, without 
entering into the confideration of the caufes, as indeed it 
feerns the bufmefs of a philofoplier to do : for to exclude 
a number of phenomena which we do fee, would be to 
leave a great chafm in the hiltory of nature ; and to argue 
about actions which we do not fee, would be to raife caf- 
tles in the air. It follows therefore, that the phenomena 
of attradtion are matter of phylical confideration, and as 
fuch intitled to a fhare in the fyfiem of phyfics ; but that 
their caufes will only become fo when they become fenfi- 
ble, that is, when they appear to be the effect of fome 
other higher caufes ; for a cattle is no otherwife feen than 
as itfelf is an effect, fo that the firft caufe muff needs be 
always invifible : we are therefore at liberty to fuppofe 
the caufes of attractions what we pleafe, without any in¬ 
jury to the effedts. The illuffrious author himfelf feerns 
to be a little indetermined as to the caufes ; inclining fonie- 
times to attribute gravity to the adtion of an immaterial 
eaufe (Optics, p. 343, &c.) and fometimes to that of a ma¬ 
terial one. lb. p. 325. 
In his philofophy, the refearch into caufes is the laft 
thing, and never comes under confideration till the laws 
and phenomena of the effedt be fettled ; it being to thefe 
phenomena that the caufe is to be accommodated. The 
caufe even of any, the groffed and mod fenfible, action, is 
not adequately known. How impulfe or percuffion itfelf 
produces its effedts, that is how motion is communicated 
from.body to body, confounds the deepelt phiiofophersj 
ATT 543 
yet is impulfe received not only into philofophy, but into 
mathematics : and accordingly the laws and phenomena 
of its effedts make the chief part of common mechanics. 
The other fpecies-of attradtion, therefore, in which no 
impulfe is obfervable, when their phenomena are fuffici- 
ently afcertained, have the fame title to be promoted from 
phyficial to mathematical confideration ; and this without 
any previous inquiry into their caufes, to which our con¬ 
ceptions may not be proportionate. 
This great philofopher then, far from adulterating fcience 
with any thing foreign or metaphylical, as many have re¬ 
proached him with doing, has the glory of having throwo 
every thing of this kind out of his fyffem, and of having 
opened a new fource of fublimer mechanics, which, duly 
cultivated, might be of far greater extent than all the 
mechanics yet knowm. Hence it is alone that we mult ex- 
peCt to learn the manner of the changes, produdlions, ge¬ 
nerations, corruptions, Sc c. of natural things ; with all 
that l'cene of wonders opened to us by the operations of 
chemiffry. Some of our countrymen have profecuted the 
difcovery with laudable zeal. Dr. Keil particularly has 
endeavoured to deduce fome of the laws of this new ac¬ 
tion, and applied them in refolving feveral of the more 
general phenomena of matter, as cohelion, fluidity, ehaf- 
ticity, foftnefs, fermentation, coagulation, See. and Dr- 
Friend, feconding his endeavours, has made a farther ap¬ 
plication of the fame principles, at once to account for al- 
moft all the phenomena that chemiffry prefents. So that 
fome philofophers are inclined to think that the new me¬ 
chanics fhould feem already raifed to a complete fcience, 
and that nothing now can occur but what we have an im¬ 
mediate folution of, from the principles of attractive forces. 
But this feerns a little too precipitate : a principle fo fer¬ 
tile fhould have been farther explained ; its particular 
laws, limits, &c. more induftriouffy detected and laid 
down, before vie had proceeded to the application. At¬ 
traction in the grofs is fo complex a thing, that it may 
folve a thoufand different phenomena alike. The notion 
is but one degree more fimple and precife than aCtion it¬ 
felf; and, till its properties are more fully afcertained, it 
were better to apply it lefs, and ftudy itj t more. It may be 
added, that fome of Sir Ifaac Newton’s followers have 
been charged with falling into that error which he induf¬ 
triouffy avoided, viz. of confidering attraction as a caufe 
or aCHve property in bodies, not merely as a- phenomenon 
or eft'eCt. For the laws, properties, &c. of the different 
fortsof attraction, fee Chemistry, Cohesion, Gra¬ 
vity, Magnetism, &c. 
Attraction (centre of). See Centre of Attrac¬ 
tion. 
Attraction of Mountains. See Mountain. 
ATTRAC'Tl VE, adj. Having power to draw any thing. 
What if the fun 
Be centre to the would ; and other ffars, 
By his attradive virtue, and their own, 
Incited, dance about hinvvarious rounds ? Milton. 
Bodies aCt by the attractions of gravity, magnetifm, and 
electricity ; and thefe inftances make it not improbable 
but there may be more attradive powers than thefe. Newt- 
ton. — Inviting ; alluring; enticing.. 
Happy is Flermia, wherefoe’er flie lies ; 
For (he hath blefled and attradive e yes. Shahefpeare , 
Attractive,/. That which draws or incites; allure¬ 
ment : except that attradive is of a good or indifferent 
fenfe, and allurement generally bad. —The condition of a 
fervant ffaves him off to a diffance ; but the gofpel fpeaks 
nothing but attradives and invitation. South. 
ATTR AC'TIVELY, adv. With the power of attract¬ 
ing or drawing. 
ATTR AC'TIVENESS,/! Quality of being attractive. 
ATTRAC'TOR,/! The agent that attracts; a .drawer.. 
■—If the ffraws be in oil, amber draweth them not; oil 
makes the ffraws to adhere fo, that they cannot rife unto 
the attjador. Brown. 
ATTRA'HENT„ 
