Page:The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy - 1729 - Volume 1.djvu/21

Rh arie from the particular natures of thoe bodies. But whence it is that bodies derive thoe natures they don't tell us; and therefore they tell us nothing. And being entirely employed in giving names to things, and not in earching into things themelves, we may ay that they have invented a philoophical way of peaking, but not that they have made known to us true philoophy.

Others therefore by laying aide that ueles heap of words, thought to employ their pains to better purpoe. Thee uppoed all matter homogeneous, and that the variety of forms which is een in bodies aries from ome very plain and imple affections of the component particles. And by going on from imple things to thoe which are more compounded they certainly proceed right; if they attribute no other properties to thoe primary affections of the particles than Nature has done. But when they take a liberty of imagining at pleaure unknown figures and magnitudes, and uncertain ituations and motion of the parts; and moreover of uppoing occult fluids, freely pervading the pores of bodies, endued with an all-performing ubtilty, and agitated, with occult motions; they now run out into dreams and chimera's, and neglect the true contitution of things; which certainly is not to be expected from fallacious conjectures, when we can carce reach it by the mot certain obervations. Thoe who fetch from by hypothees the foundation on which they build their peculations, may form indeed an ingenious romance, but a romance it will till be.

There is left then the third clas, which proes experimental philoophy. Thee indeed derive the caues of all things from the mot imple principles