inaBivity of Matter, &c. i i 3

to overcome their vis inertia , if there werefto other principle, or extraneous power thatacted j and the more eajily the parts of thesemight be separated: and yet the farther downthe division goes* it shews but the greaterfirmness of these lesser parts, since they arelast in yielding. This is contradictory tothere being no force but the force of inacti-vity exerted in them. Whence this remark-able property of matter appears, ‘That theforce of cohesion (that is of an extraneouspower to keep the parts of the smallest cor-puscles in their relative state of rest amongthemselves, by N° 8. of this section)?; great-est^ where the force of inaSlivify to remain inthat sate is least. Every man is intreated toconsider this at leisure with himself, and todraw that consequence from it which it willhear. To me it appears an irrefragable in-stance of Almighty power. And yet, it isnecessary it should be so ; the consistency ofnatural bodies requires it. All the bodies wsare concerned within architecture, agricul-ture, &c. nay our own bodies not excepted,would be like sand, dust, or rather infinitelyfluid things, if the parts of them yielded tothat force, which would simply overcomeVol. I, I their