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118 acrib'd all the Feats of ancient Heroes.

a Critique that was made in London on Mr. de Fontenelle's Dicoure, the Writer preum'd to aert that Des Cartes was not a great Geometrician. Thoe who make uch a Declaration may jutly be reproach'd with flying in their Mater's Face. Des Cartes extended the Limits of Geometry as far beyond the Place where he found them, as Sir Iaac did after him. The former firt taught the Method of expreing Curves by Equations. This Geometry which, Thanks to him for it, is now grown common, was o abtrue in his Time, that not o much as one Profeor would undertake to explain it; and Schotten in Holland, and Format in France, were the only Men who undertood it.

applied this geometrical and inventive Genius to Dioptricks, which, when treated of by him, became a new Art. And if he was mitaken in ome Things, the Reaon of that is, a Man who dicovers a new Tract of Land cannot