619
Qu. 23. By what means do they bodies act on one another at a distance.
The ancient Philosophers who held Atoms & Vacuum attributed gravity to Atoms
without telling us the means unless perhaps in figures: as by calling God Har
mony &
Sun the prison of Jupiter because he keeps the Planets in their orbs. Whence it
seems to have been an ancient opinion that matter depends upon a Deity
for its laws of motion as well as for its existence. The Cartesians make God the
author of all motion & its as reasonable to make him the author of
the laws of motion. Matter is a passive principle & cannot move it self.
It continues in its state of moving or resting unless disturbed. It receives motion
proportional to the force impressing it. And resists as much as it is resisted.
These are passive laws & to affirm that there are no other is to speak against
experience. For we find in orour selves a power of moving our bodies by orour
thought Life & thinking will are active Principles by wchwhich we move our bodies, & thence arise other laws of motion unknown to us.
And since all matter duly formed is attended with signes of life & all things natural
things are framed wthwith perfect & art & wisdom & Nature does nothing in vain; if there
be an universal life & all space be the sensorium of a thinking being & finite things
therein he to his what instead of their pictures formed in orour sensorium by motion are to us, as having
a perception perceiving of these things themselves his by the actual presence of himself as we have perceive a perception
of these their pictures by This the actual presence of what thinks in us who by immediate presence perceives all things in it as that wchwhich thinks in us perceivessee their pictures in the brain: these laws of
motion arising from life or will may be of universal extent.
— those laws. To some such laws the ancient Philosophers seem to have
elluded when they called God Have said that God was called God Harmony, & attributing musick to the spheres represented signified his actuating
the matter & harmonicaly proportion by the God Pan's playing upon a Pipe
& attribute attribute musick to the spheres made the distances & motions of the heavenly bodies to be harmonical, & called
the Sun the Prison of Jupiter represented the Planets by the seven strings of Apollo's
Harp. & attributing musick to the spheres
——— If you think that yethe Vis inertia is sufficient for conserving motion, pray tell me the Experi
ments from whence you gather this conclusion. For Does experim Do you learn by any experiment
that the beating of the heart give no new motion to yethe blood, that the explosion of Gun
pouder gives no new motion to a bullet or that a man by his will can give no new
motion to his body? Or do you learn do you learn by experimtment that the beating of yethe
heart takes away as much motion from something else as it gives to the blood or that explosi
on takes away as much motion rom something else as it gives to th a bullet or that a man
by his will takes away as much motion from something else as he gives to his body? If so, tell
me your experiments ; if not, your opinion is a dream ungrounded ungrounded without
a prejudice. Arguments Reasoning without experience is very slippery. A man may puzzle
me by arguentsarguments against localized motion but I'le beleive my ey experience my eyes. A man may puzzle
not by may bring plausible arguēments against doing doing what I will acting my will voluntary motion the power of the will but I'le beleive experience. A man
may argue plausibly against for blind fate against final causes but I find by experience that
all m I am constantly aiming
that or that matter or that I think o I think or
am or that there is matter or any thing else. in the being And therefore to affirm any thing more then I
know by An A Even arguments for a Being if not taken from Phænomena are slippery & serve only for ostentation. An Atheist will allow
that there is a Being absolutely perfect, necessarily existing & the author of all th mankingd
& call it Nature: & if you talk of infinite wisdom or of any perfection more then he allows to say in natur heel reccon at a chemæra & tell you that you have the notion of
finite or limited wisdom from what you find in yorour self & are able without yethe of your self to add prefin yethe word
not & to understan or more ytthen to any verb or adjective & without the existence of wisdome not limited or wisdome more then finite to understand the meaning of the sentence
phrase words phrase as easily as Mathematicians understand the p what is meant by an infinite
line or an infinite area. Arguments not borrowed from And heel may tell you further that yethe
And While these powers are of so large extent, I do not see but that they may be num
bred among the general laws of motion. The Vis inertiæ is a passive principle by wchwhich bodies persist
in their state motion or rest, receive motion in proportion to yethe force impressing it & resist in pro
portion to yethe for as much as they are resisted: By this principle alone there could never have been any motion in the world. Thinking is an active principle by wchwhich we move
orour bodies according to orour will, & thence arise other laws of motion unknown to us, wchwhich may be
of great entent if if not be alive & all the Universe be the sensorium of a thinking bBeing, may be of greater entent.
Gravity was recconed among the laws of motion & by the ancient Philosphers who attributed
gravity to their Atoms in vacuo, & the same the forces by above mentioned by wchwhich smal
bodies act on one another seem to at small distances may have a good a title as gravity to be recconed among those laws.
But while I call those forces attraction & repulse I would not be understood to define the
cause or manner of yethe action. That wchwhich I call attraction may be done by impulse or by some other
meane unknown to me. I only use that word to signify a force by wchwhich bodies tend towards
one another whatever perfect great Art & be the cause duly formed is attended with signes of life:
& if since all things are framed wthwith wisdome & Nature does nothing in vain all matter if there be an universal life & all space be the sensorium of
a thinking Being & the finite things rour Brain; such those laws
may be of Universal extent.
I have hitherto been arguing from the effects to their causes & fro carried
the argument as high as up to the power certain forces by wchwhich little bodies act on one another at small
distances. These forces may be recconed among the laws of motion, & referred to
an active principle perhaps but whether they depend on For bodies alone Bodies alone considered only a long broad & thick bodies alone may be a question For are passive. They By their vis inertiæ they continue in their state of moving or
resting & receive motion proportional to yethe force impressing it & are resistes as much as
they are are resisteded, but they cannot move themselves; & without some other principle
then the vis inertiæ there could be no motion in the world. And what that Principle is & by means or laws it acts
on matter is a mystery & how it stands related to matter is a difficult to ex
plain And if there be another Principle of motion there must be other laws of motion
deg depending on that Principle. [And the first thing to be done in Philosophy is to find out all
the general laws of motion so far as they can be discover on wchwhich the frame of nature depends.]
For the powers of Nature are not And in this search metaphysical
arguments are very slippery. A man must argue from phenomena. We find in orour selves
a power of moving our bodies by orour thoughts [but the laws of this power were do not
know] & see yethe same power in other living creatures but the of this pow
laws of this power how this is done & by what laws we do not know. [And By this instance & that of gravity it appears that there are
other laws of motion unknown to us, & by consequence wchwhich is enough to justify & encourage orour search
after them} And We cannot say that all Nature is not alive. [What bodies are & whence
it is that they are hard & moveable & mo impenetrable & moveable we do not know
we have no certain knowledge of any thing without as the metaphysical con we cannot see the Our senses tell us not the essencesof things essences of things & Metaphysical arguments about them are very slippery. By such arguments a man
may prove that And Tis safest to argue from Phænomena, & stop where Phænomena
& sound reasoning from them are wanting to carry us farther] What bodies are I do not know her laws or powers any
further then we gather them from Phænomena. And by such arguments
If the parts body is compact & yet bends or yealds inward to pre pression or without sliding any sliding of its parts, the bod it is
hard & return to its figure with elastic returning to its figure with an elastick force arising from the mutual attraction of its parts. If the parts slide
figure size most apt to be agitated by heat
it is fluid but is hard whenever & the heat is big enough to keep its parts in agitation the body is fluid, & if
it the fluid be apt to stick to things it is humid; & what yethe drops of every fluid when affect a round figure
by the mutual attraction of its parts as the globe of the earth & sea affects a round figure
by the mutual attraction of its parts & by gravity.
621
But how two Æthers can be diffused through all space one of wchwhich acts upon the
other & by consequence is reacted upon, without retarding slackening shattering & confounding
one anothers motions, is inconceivable & in is inconceivable. And against filling
the heavens with fluid Medium unless they be exceeding rare a great objection arises
from the regular & very lasting motions of the Planets & Comets through the heavens in all — — —
By a vacuum I do not mean a space void of all substances. Glass
cannot attract light without a Medium. I mean only such a Vacuum
as may be made by drawing Aer out of a vessel of glass.
What I mean here in this Question by a Vacuum, & the attractions of the glass on the rays of light may
by towards the glass or crystall, may be understood by the 18th Quæstion what was said in the
18th Question.
Now in bodies — — — — — forces more easily. And for the like reason Gravity in
the surfaces of small globes is greater in proportion to the globes then in
the surfaces of great globes of equal density. And therefore since the rays
of light are the smallest bodies yet known to us (For I do not here consider
the particles of æther) we may expect to find their attractions very
strong. And how strong they are may be gatherred by this Rule — — — —
— — —; — to be above an hundred million of millions of millions of tinestimes
greater in proportion to the matter in them then th
to the matter in it.
As attraction is stronger in small magnets then in great ones in proportion
to their bulk, & gravity is greater in the surfaces of small Planets then on in those of great
ones in proportion to their bulk so the smallness of the rays of light may very much
contribute to the force by which they are refracted. And so if any one should suppose
that aEther to be of the same nature with Aer but exceedingly more subtile (like our aer)consists of may containe particles which f endeavour to recede from one another the (for I
do not know what the Ether is) & that its particles are exceedingly smaller then those of aer, or even their those of light, the the exceeding smalness of its of Ether may
contribute to the greatness of the force by which those particles sh recede from one another &
thereby compose make that medium exceedingly more rare & elastick then Aer.
And that the gravity of the Planets towards the Sun may not be thought too
great for to be produced by the cause of gravity here insinuated suggested: upon a fair computation it will
found that the gravity of our earth towards the Sun in proportion to the
quantity of its matter is above ten hundred millions of millions of millions
of millions of times less then then the force by wchwhich a ray of light in entring
into glass or crystall is drawn or forced impelled towards the refracting body. And therefore
the gravity of the earth towards the Sun is effected by a requires a variation of
the density of the Ether at the Orb of yethe Earth an hundred millions of
millions of millions of millions of times slower then the variation of the density
of the Ether at the surface of glass or crystal requisite to refract light. For
the velocity of light is to the annual velocity of the Earth reciprocally in the Orbis magnus as about 70 minutes the time in wchwhich
light comes from the sun to it to 58 days the time in the Earth describes the
same space; that is an earth equal to the chwhich light comes fro ☉ to as as about 12000 to 1. And the curvity of a ray of light is to
the curvity of la ray of light in during it refraction at the surface of glass
on wchwhich it falls very obliquely, is to the curvity of the earths Orb, as the radius
of that Orb to the space radius of the curvity of the ray [which is less then the
five five hundred thousandth parat of an inch,] or as above the 21000000000000000000
to 1. And the force which bends the ray is to the force wchwhich keeps the earchearth on it or
Orb or l any Projectile in its orb or line of Projection in a ratio
cities & this ratio
The Atmosphere by its weight presses the Quicksilver into the glass to
the height of 29 or 30 inches. And some other Agent raises it higher, not
by pressing it into the glass but by making its parts stick to yethe glass & to one
another. For upon any discontinuation of parts made either by bubbles or by shaking the
glass, the whole liquor falls down.
And if it were not for these Principles the & Comets
Sun & all things in them would grow cold, & freeze & become inactive masses, & putrefaction generation & vegetation &
life would cease, & the Planets & Comets would not remain in their Orbs.
— causes be not yet explained. For these are manifest qualities & their
causes only are occult. [Occult qualities are not manifest qualities but are specific quailitesqualities chwhich do not yet appear to be in the Species but are only supposed to be in their species for producing manifest effects whose causes are unko] the To tell — — extent & leave their causes to be enquired
into.
of any third thing. The Organs of sense are not for enabling the soul to
perceive the species of things
& God has no need of such Organs, the things themselves being present to them.
he being every where present to the things themselves.
& in arguing from them by Induction taking the Argument & admitting of no And tho objections but from exptsExperiments this sort of argumtment
is not demonstrative but yet it is the best which the nature of things admits off, &
may be looked upon as so much the stronger by how much the induction is more
general. And if no exception occur from Phenomena, the Conclusion may be
pronounced generally. But if at any time afterwards any exception occur from Experi
ments, it may then begin to be pronounced wthwith such exceptions as occurr.
— & admitting of no objections fr against exp the conclusions but such
as are taken from Experiments. For Hypotheses are not to be regarded
in Experimental Philosophy. Nor are we here to regard Metaphysical
Principles unless so far as they are founded upon exper
physicks not founded upon experience is
Metaphysical Propositions are founded upon experience they are a part of
experimental Philosophy. Even that celebrated Proposition Ego cogito ergo
sum is known to us by experience. We know that we think by an inward sen
sation of orour thoughts. And therefore from
more is true then what we deduce from experience✝ ✝Metaphysical proofs of a deity not grounded on Phænomena are no dreams
✝And even in proving a Deity all aguments not taken from Phænomena are little
better then dreams. Now altho the arguing from experiments & observations by Induc
tion be no demonstration of general Propositions, yet it is the best way of
Eve Even in Metaphy. Now the ar Now altho the
arguing from experiments & obsvationsobservations by Induction beis not fully demonstra
tive yet it is the best way of arguing which the nature of things admits
of, & may be looked — — — as ocean. By this way of arguing we may pro
ceed from compositions to ingredients & from motions to the forces producing
them & in general from effects — — — the most general. This is the
Analysis & the Synthesis consists in assuming
If two plane polished plates of glass three or four inches broad & about twenty long
be laid togeth one of them parallel to the horizon the other upon the first so as to
touch it & make an angle with it. at our end
moistened on their inward sides with a cleane cloth dipt into oyle of Oranges, & rubbed upon it & a drop or two of the oyle
be let fall upon he lower glass at the other end: so soon as the upper glass
is laid down upon the lower so as to touch it at one end & to touch the drop at
the other end the making with the lower glass an angle of about 10 or 15
as above; the drop will begin to move towards the concourse of the glasses
will continue to move with an accelerated motion till it arrives at that con
course of the glasses. while it while it is in motion you then open the glasses
where they met & touched & make them touch meet & touch at their other end in the
same acute angle as before; the g dopdrop will run back th to that end of the
glasses where they now touch, & where it was at first.] And if For the two
glasses attract the drop, & make it by the attraction make it run that way
towards which the attractions conspire incline. And if when the drop is in motion
you lift up that end of the glasses where they meet
the drop is in motion moves: the drop will ascend between the glasses, &
therefore is attracted. And if as you lift up the glasses, more & more the drop will ascend
slower & slower & at length rest. And when it rests the drop being And when you see it rest you may reccon that it then
carried downward by its weight as much as upwards by the attraction. And
thereby you may know the force by wchwhich the drop is attracted at all distances
from the plane contact of the glasses. And it has been by some experi
ments, the attraction is almost reciprocally as the square in a duplicate proportion of the distance
of the center middle of the drop from the concours of the glasses. And by some
experim [And when the drop is four inches distant from the concourse of the
glasses, the it will contein an angle of about 18′ & rest if the glasses be lifted up at that end where
they touch so that the lower end glass be inclined to yethe horizon in an
angle of about 7 or 8 degrees. And from] And by this recconin And by this progression, the attractive force will become exceeding great where the distance between the glasses is exceeding little] viz in a som viz reciprocally in a simple proportion of the distance between the glass by reason of the spreading of the drop & its touching the glasses in alarger surface; & again reciprocally in a duplicate simple proportion by reason of the attractions growing stronger within the same quantity of surface attracting surface. The attraction therefore wthwithin the same quantity of surface is reciprocally as the distance between the glasses. And therefore where the distance is very small, suppose the ten-thousand-thousandth part of an inch, the attraction must be exceeding great; so as to hold up the perhap great perhaps as within in a circle of an inch in diameter to hold suffice to hold up a cylinder of water a mile or two long weight equal to an cylinder of water of an inch in diameter, & one above a miles in length. There are therefore Agents in nature sufficient to make strong enough Attractive Agents in Nature able to to make the particles of bodies attract one another very strongly & to stick together strongly those by such attractions. One of those causes Agents may be the Æther above mentioned whereby light is refracted. Another may be the Agent or Spirit which causes electrical attraction. For tho this Agent acts not at great distances only except when it is excited by the friction of electrick bodies: yet it may act perpetually at very small distances not only when it is excited by fr eve without friction, & that not only in electrick these bodies accounted electric, but also in some others. And as there are still other mediums wchwhich may cause attractions, (such as are the Magnetick effluvia); & it is the business of experimental Philosophy to cause find out all these Mediums with their properties.
Now the smallest particles of matter may cohere
By the Table in the second part of the second bBook of Opticks wherein the thicknesses of water between two glasses coloured plates of water are set do between two glasses are set down, the thickness of the plate where it appears very black is three eighths of the thousand-thousandth part of an inch. And where the Oyle of Oranges between the glasses is of this thickness, the attraction seems to be so strong as within a circle of an inch in diameter to suffice to hold up a weight equal to ytthat of a cylinder of water of an inch in diameter & two or three furlongs in lenghth And where it is of a less thickness the attraction seems to may be proportionally greater. & increase untill the thickness be no bigger then that of a single particle of water.
For the Velocitys of the pulses of Elastick mediums are a subduplicate ratio of the elasticityes directly & of the densities inversely. For the squares of the velocities of the pulses of Elastick Mediums are in to com as the elasticities & the rarities together of the Mediums taken together
The parts — — — — any sensible effect. All bodies — — — — difficult to conceive The same thing — — — — cohesion of its parts. It is not therefore by the motion pressure of the Æther upon the outside of the Marbles or Mercury (tho such a pressure may contribute to the effect) but by the action of either that or some other Medium or Mediums upon the inward parts of those bodies by wchwhich the contiguous parts of the Marbles stick to one another & those of the glass & Mercury stick to one another. The like ExptExperiment hath been tried wthwith water — — — — amongst themselves.
And of the same kind with these Experiments is this Experiment are those that follow. If two plane polished plates of glass (suppose two pieces of a broken looking-glass) bee laid together so that their parall sides be plane parallel & at a very small distance from one another; & then their lower edges be dipped into water; the water will rise up between them. And the less the distance of the glasses is from the greater will be the height to wchwhich the water will rise. If the distance be about the two &thirtith four & twentith hundreth part of an inch, the water will rise to the light of about an inch & if the distance be greater or less in any proportion, the hleight will be reciprocally proportialproportional to the distance very nearly. [And the experiment succeeds in vacuo as well as in pleno the open air, & therefore is not influenced by the weight or pressure of the Atmosphere]. For the attractive force of the glasses is the same whether the distance between them be greater or or less & the weight of the water of the water drawn up is the same if the height of it be reciprocally proportional to the distance between the glasses. [And in like manner water ascends between two Marbles polished plane, when their polished sides are parallel to one another, & at a very little distance from one another.] And if slender pipes of glass be dipt at one end into stagnating water the water will rise in the up within the pipe [& the hight to wchwhich it rises will be reciprocally proportional to the diameter of the cavity of the pipe] to hight which & will equall the height to wchwhich it rises between two planes glass planes of glass if the semidiameter of the cavity of the Pipe be equal to the distance of between the planes, or thereabouts. And these experiments suceed after the same manner in vacuo as in the open air, & therefore are not influenced by the weight or pressure of the Atmosphere.
And if a wide pipe of glass be filled with sifted ashes well pressed together in the glass & one end of the pipe be dipped into stagnating water; the water will rise up slowly in the glass so as in the space of a week or afortnight to reach up to 30 or 40 inches above the surface of the stagnating water. And by the sensin this case the water is raised to this height by the attraction of those partsicles of the ashes only wchwhich are upon the surface of the elevated water; the particles fet wchwhich are dipt into within the water, attracting it as much downwards as upwards. And therefore the attraction is very strong & but it would be much stronger were if the ashes were one upon the surface of the attracted water were one continued body, as the glass is wchwhich keeps quicksilver suspended in a pipe of glass to the hight of above 60 or 70 inches, as above & therefore attracts with a force wchwhich would keep water suspended to the height of above fifty feet. And the particles of glass, wchwhich lie closer to one another then they they do or the quicksilver mor attracts one another with a force much stronger.
By the same principle a sponge sucks in water, & the glands in the bodies of animals suck according their several natures & dispositions suck in various juices from the blood