THOUGHTS ON THE NATURE OF THINGS
which are actually discoursed of; will the im pulse communicated to matter by privation, the formation of matter on mind, (or archetypal ideas,) the coalition of like particles, the fortui tous play of atoms in vacancy, the enmity and friendship supposed to exist in substances, the mutual action of heaven and earth on one another, the commerce of the elements by the intermedia- thn of consenting properties, the influence of the celestial bodies, occult and specific medicinal powers and properties of drugs, fate, fortune, necessity; will, I say, such vague generalities as these, which are nothing but phantasms and spectral illusions, floating about and playing on the surface of things, as in water, really advance the blessings, or effectually augment the powers of man? They indeed occupy or rather inflate the imagination, but contribute absolutely nothing to establish new methods of working nature, to the power of altering her forms, or commanding her motions. And, again, all their attempts to reason and subtilize regarding motion, natural and violent, motion self-determined or impressed exteriorly, the limitations of motion, these too do not enter to any depth the trunk of nature, but show rather like figures inscribed in the bark. Wherefore dismissing such speculations, or con demning them to exile among the theatres of popular display, we must make it our business to trace those affections and tendencies of things, by which that surpris ; ng multiplicity of effects and of changes, visible alike in the works of art and of nature, grows up and emerges into view. We must thus endeavour to bind nature as a Proteus ; for the various species of motions, duly discovered and methodically discriminated, may be regarded as the true bonds to tie this Proteus withal. For according as the just impulses and restraints of motion, that is, of matter stimulated to activity or restrained in it, are invented and applied, there follows the capacity of modifying and transmuting matter itself. Of the common Division of Motion, that it is equally deficient in point of Utility and Dis crimination. IV. The division of motion in the philosophy in Togue appears to be superficial and without foun dation, as it forms its distribution of it only by its effects, and does not at all conduce to our knowledge of it by its causes. For generation, corruption, increase, diminution, alteration, re moval to place, are only the operations and effects of motions, which having attained to the produc tion of a visible transmutation of things, palpa ble to vulgar observation, are (in the inertness of
- ommon apprehension) distinguished by these
appellations. We have no doubt that the mean ing of the terms stands thus : that when bodies, VOL. I. 52 in the progression of their motion, (of whatever character llu- iip-tinn IK- ) have r< ached that puil {at which they assume a new t..rm. . r lay aside | the old, (forming a sort of full break, and th* completion of a regular stage of that motion.) 1 this is termed the motion of ^enerati .n ami r-.r- jruptioR. Again, if, the configuration remaining I the same, they acquire only a new quantity or i measure of dimension, this is called the Ni-.ti.ri I of increase and diminution ; so also, if the masH and the outline of the object remain unaltered, yet its quality, operations, and properties, under go change, this is said to be the motion of altera tion; lastly, if the body continue unmodified in figure, matter, and quantity, but change its place, and that only, this is indicated by the words, motion of removal. But to him who looks into this matter with something more of penetration and accuracy, these phrases will appear to repre sent only points in the measurement of motion, pauses and breaks . : t. or, as it were, the suc cessive courses motions have to run, and tasks they have to perform, but to convey no real dis tinctions; as they only point to that which has been done, but scarcely even hint at the mode of doing it. Words of this description are required for the purpose of giving information, and adjust ed to the forms of the scholastic logic, but they are utterly unproductive of physical knowledge. For they all signify motions combined, re-com bined, and in manifold ways still further com bined; whereas men of more acute meditation ought to penetrate to simpler principles. For the principles, the sources, the causes, and the mode* of motion, that is, the tendencies and appetencies of every form of matter, are the proper field of philosophy; and so in their order the modes of communicating and stimulating motion, its re straints, retardations, lines, impediments, its reactions and combinations, its indirect paths and concatenations, in short, the entire progression of motions. For of little avail are windy disputa tions, or specious discourses, or vague medita tions, or, lastly, plausible maxims. The busi ness is, by well digested methods, and a manage ment adapted to nature, to acquire a capacity to control, to intensify, to remit, to combine with other motions, to let gently down, to bring to a pause the motion of every portion of susceptible matter, and so to accomplish the conservation, the modification, and the transformation of bodies. We must, however, direct our inquiries princi pally to those motions which are uncompounded, original, ultimate, of which the rest are constitu ted. For it is most unquestionable, that in pro portion as simpler motions are discovered, in the same proportion will the power of man be augmented, delivered frorr. the trammel of using only specific and elaborated subetane- invigorated to strike o )t new lines of operation. And, assuredly, since the words or vocabl-s o/ 911
