NAT 
diligence. Rural fcenes of almoft every kind are delight¬ 
ful to the mind of man. But the misfortune is, that the 
greater part are hurried on in the career of life with too 
great rapidity to be able to give attention to that which 
l'olicits no paffion. The darkeft habitation in the dirtied: 
ftreet of the metropolis, where money can be earned, has 
greater charms with many, than the groves of Hagley. 
The patron of refined pleafure, the elegant Epicurus, 
fixed the feat of his enjoyment in a garden. He was of 
opinion, that a tranquil fpot, furnifhed with the united 
fweetsof art and nature, was the belt adapted to delicate 
repofe. And even the feverer philofophers of antiquity 
were wont to difcourfe in the fhade of a fpreading tree, in 
fome cultivated plantation. It is obvious, on intuition, 
that Nature often intended folely to pleafe the eye in her 
vegetable produftions. She decorates the floweret that 
fprings beneath our feet in all the perfections of external 
beauty. She has clothed the garden with a conftant fuc- 
cefiion of various hues. Even the leaves of the tree un¬ 
dergo a pleafing viciflitude. The frefli verdure which 
they exhibit in the fpring, the various fliades which they 
aflume in fummer, the yellow and ruflet tinge of autumn, 
and the nakednels of winter, afford a conftant pleafure to 
a lively imagination. From the fnowdrop to the mofs- 
rofe, the flower-garden difplays an infinite variety of (hape 
and colour. The tafte of the florift has been ridiculed as 
trifling; yet furely without reafon. Did Nature bring 
forth the tulip and the lily, the rofe and the honeyfuckle, 
to be neglefted by the haughty pretender to fuperior 
reafon ? To omit a Angle focial duty for the cultivation 
of a polyanthus were ridiculous as well as criminal; but 
to pafs by the beauties lavifhed before us, without ob- 
ferving them, is no lefs ingratitude than ftupidity. A bad 
heart finds little amulement but in a communication with 
the aftive world, where fcope is given for the indulgence 
of malignant paflions; but an amiable difpofition is com¬ 
monly known by a tafte for the beauties of the animal and 
the vegetable creation.” Knox's Ejfays. 
It is difficult to fay, whether the natural or the moral 
world affords the moll confpicuous and ftriking difplays 
of the wifdom of God. In proportion as human know¬ 
ledge has enlarged the fphere of refearch and difcovery, 
in the fame proportion has the wifdom of the Creator 
ftruck the minds of all inquirers and obfervers with the 
higheft admiration. Thus the greatefl philofophers have 
been the moll devout men. All nature is in truth a fcene 
of wonders. In the difpofition of the heavenly bodies, 
and the general arrangement of the fyftem of theuniverfe; 
in the ftrufture of the earth, in the endlefs variety of 
living creatures that fill it, and in the provifion made for 
them all to enable them to fulfil the ends of their being, 
it is not eafy to determine whether power, wifdom, or 
goodnefs, be moll confpicuous. It belongs not only to 
the heavens to declare the glory of God, and to the firmament 
to flow forth his handy-work ;—but in the linalleft and 
mofl inconfiderable, as well as in the moll illuflrious, of 
the works of God, equal marks appear of profound defign 
and confummate art. It has been juftly faid, that there 
is not a vegetable that grows, nor an infeCt that moves, 
but what is fufficient to confound the atheift, and to 
afford the candid obferver endlefs materials for devout 
adoration and praife. Blair , Sermon 20. vol. iv. 
NAT'URAL PHILOS'OPHY is commonly defined to 
be that branch of knowledge which confiders the powers 
and properties of natural bodies, and their mutual aClions 
on one another. The province of moral philofophy is the 
mind of man ; its inquiries and refearches are into the 
intellectual world. Natural philofophy, on the other 
hand, is only concerned with the material part of the 
creation. Indeed, the firft and principal part of this fci- 
ence is to colleCt all the manifefl and feniible appearances 
of things, and reduce them into a body of natural hiftory. 
Philofophy has often been faid, and is even now very ge¬ 
nerally thought, to mean an inquiry into all the caules 
N A T (J03 
of things; but experience informs us, that, though We 
are acquainted with a good number of effeCls, we can trace 
but few of their caufes; fo that philofophy itfelf will 
really be found to be in general but a collection of fads. 
Still, however, it differs from natural hiftory in its ap¬ 
propriated fenfe ; the bufinefs of which is only to obferve 
the appearances of natural bodies feparately, and from 
thefe appearances to clals them with other bodies; natu¬ 
ral philofophy goes farther, and recites the aCtion of two 
or more bodies of the fame or different kinds upon one 
another; and, though it can neither inveftigate nor point 
out the caufes of thofe eftefts, whatever they are, yet, 
from mathematical reafoning, combined with experience, 
it can be demonllrated that in fuch circumffances fuch 
effeCts muff always take place. 
Natural philofophy was till lately divided only into four 
parts, commonly called the four'branches ; viz. 1. Mecha¬ 
nics ; 2. Hydrollatics ; 3. Optics ; and 4. Aftronomy ; and 
thefe again are fub-divided into various parts. Modern 
difcoveries have added, however, two more parts to the 
number; viz. 5. Magnetifm, and 6. EleClricity. It is re¬ 
markable, that in the Englifh univerfities thefe two latter 
branches are never taken notice of in leCturing on natural 
philofophy, the old divifion being ftill retained, without 
any mention of thefe two important articles. The reafon 
may be, that they are only fubjeCl to experiment, and not 
yet reduced to mathematical reafoning; which is the 
method of teaching philofophy .in one of thofe celebrated 
feminaries. Of thefe branches of this extenfive fcience, 
it is not our intention to take even a general view in this 
place. We muff, therefore, refer our readers to each par- 
cular article, where they will find them treated at confi- 
derable length. 
NAT'URALISM, f. Mere ftate of nature.—Lord Bo- 
lingbroke died in 1751, and his philol’ophical works were 
publifhed in 1753. Every one knows the principles and 
prefumption of that unhappy nobleman. He was of that 
left, which, to avoid a more odious name, choofes to 
diftinguifh itlelf by that of naturalifn. Hard's Life of 
Warburton. 
NAT'URALIST, f. A ftudent in phyfics or natural 
philofophy. — Admirable artifice! wherewith Galen, 
though a mere naturali/l, was fo taken, that he could 
not but adjudge the honour of a hymn to the wife 
Creator. More. —It is not credible that the naturalijt 
could be deceived in his account of a place that lay in the 
neighbourhood of Rome. Addifon on Italt/. 
NATIJRAL'ITY, f Naturalnefs. Not in ufe.—This 
dillinftion will be found of moil general ufe, forafmuch 
as there is fuch an intricate mixture of naturality and 
preter-naturality in age. Smith on Old Age, 1666. 
NATURALIZATION, f. [from naturalize.'] The aft 
of invefting aliens with the privileges of native lubjefts.— 
The Spartans were nice in point of naturalization ; where¬ 
by, while they kept their compafs, they Hood firm ; but, 
when they did fpread, they became a windfal. Bacon. — 
Encouragement may be given to any merchants that lhall 
come over and turn a certain flock of their own, aj natu¬ 
ralization, and freedom from culloms the two firft: years. 
Temple. 
In France, before the revolution, the .Swifs, Savoyards, 
and Scots, needed not any naturalization ; being reputed 
regnicoles, or natives. As for other foreigners, the king 
might naturalize them by his prerogative ; but in England 
this is only to be done by aft of parliament. But none 
can be naturalized unlefs they have received the facra- 
ment within one month before the bringing in of the bill, 
and taken the oaths of allegiance and lupremacy in the 
prefence of the parliament. A perfon who is naturalized 
may have lands by defcent as heir-at-law, as w'ell as obtain 
them by purchafe ; but he is difabled from being a mem¬ 
ber of the privy-council or parliament, or from holding 
offices. 7 Jac. I. c. 2. 12 Will. III. c. 2. All children bom 
out of the king’s dominions, whole fathers w'ere or are 
fubjefts of this kingdom at the time of their birth, are 
_» adjudged 
