Page:Discourse Concerning the Natation of Bodies.djvu/73

 Therefore, the Fallacy lyes more in the Discourse of Aristotle, than in that of Democritus, who with severall other Reasons might oppose Aristotle, and alledge; If it be true, that the extreame Elements be one simply grave, and the other simply light, and that the mean Elements participate of the one, and of the other Nature; but the Air more of Levity, and the water more of Gravity, then there shall be a great Mass of Air, whose Gravity shall exceed the Gravity of a little quantity of water; and therefore such a Mass of Air shall descend more swiftly than that little water: But that is never seen to occurr: Therefore its not true, that the mean Elements do participate of the one, and the other quality. This argument is fallacious, no less than the other against Democritus.

Lastly, Aristotle having said, that if the Position of Democritus were true, it would follow, that a great Mass of Air should move more swiftly than a small Mass of water, and afterwards subjoyned, that that is never seen in any Case: methinks others may become desirous to know of him in what place this should evene, which he deduceth against Democritus, and what Experiment teacheth us, that it never falls out so. To suppose to see it in the Element of water, or in that of the Air is vain, because neither doth water through water, nor Air through Air move, nor would they ever by any whatever participation others assign them, of Earth or of Fire: the Earth, in that it is not a Body fluid, and yielding to the mobility of other Bodies, is a most improper place and Medium for such an Experiment: Vacuum, according to the same Aristotle himself, there is none, and were there, nothing would move in it: there remaine the Region of Fire, but being so far distant from us, what Experiment can assure us, or hath assertained Aristotle in such sort, that he should as of a thing most obvious to sence, affirm what he produceth in confutation of Democritus, to wit, that a great Mass of Air, is moved no swifter than a little one of water? But I will dwell no longer upon this matter, whereon I have spoke sufficiently: but leaving Democritus, I return to the Text of Aristotle, wherein he goes about to render the true reason, how it comes to pass, that the thin Plates of Iron or Lead do swim on the water; and, moreover, that Gold it self being beaten into thin Leaves, not only swims in water, but flyeth too and again in the Air. He supposeth that of Continualls, some are easily divisible, others not: and that of the easily divisible, some are more so, and some less: and these he affirms we should esteem the Causes. He addes that that is easily divisible, which is well terminated, and the more the more divisible, and that the Air is more so, than the water, and the water than the Earth. And, lastly, he supposeth that in each kind, the lesse quantity is easlyer divided and broken than the greater.