essential to Matter, Sec. 29

observable in matter. And first, it is plainsuch an hypothesis makes these powers notinherent, or lodged in the matter of thebodies themselves, as properties of it, oras accidents are said to be inherent in theirsubject ; but impulses ab extra upon thebodies so heavy, elajiic, repelling ; as hereis concluded. This doth not suppose twoinconsistent tendencies in matter; one notto change its present state, and anotherto change that same state : but leaves it as

cause of it is, the Newtonian philosophy doth mt pretendto determine, for want os phenomena , upon which founda-tion it is, that that philosophy is grounded , and not uponchimerical and uncertain hypotheses. [Why suppose itimprinted upon all matter by the Creator’s fiat at thecreation, and yet seek another cause for it?] But what-ever the cause is, (the following words are a citation fromSir If Newton’s principles) that cause penetrates even tothe centers of the fun and planets, without any diminutionof it’s virtue', and it alieth not according to the superficiesof bodies, {as mechanical causes do) but in proportion to thequantity of their solid matter ; and lastly it alieth all roundit at immense distances, decreasing in a duplicate proporti-on to these difiances. Here Sir If Newton himself seemsto refuse a mechanical cause of gravity; and for thatteason ; for which Dr. s’Grsvesande rejects it, as shallbe observed immediately.

much