physical and MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES. 89

absolute neglect of examination in reference to those onthe surface of our globe. In the former case, they madevery correct observations; in the latter, they satisfiedthemselves with noticing a small part of the facts andimagining the rest, and knew just enough of the cir-cumstances to be misled by them; they were assiduouslyawake to the motions of the heavens, but dreamed overthose of bodies on the earth.

The former case was a matter of observation, henceit was successfully elucidated, as far at least as theirpowers and means of observation extended: again, therewere not wanting some other classes of facts, even onthe earth’s surface, to which observation was applicable,and which they did accordingly observe.

In general, they noticed the facts which offered them-selves, and even brought some of them under the do-minion of geometrical demonstration, but they did notattempt to make any new combinations, and thus totrace the cause through new modifications of the phe-nomena ; in a word, they made observations but not ex-periments ; they received the information which naturespontaneously furnished, but they did not questionher for more. This prevented them from tracing therelations between one class of facts and another; andparticularly was this the case with regard to the scienceof motion.

The motion of bodies on the earth’s surface could notbe investigated without special experiments institutedon purpose. No regular cases of its occurrence presentedthemsat?es to be watched and recorded by the observer;its laws, therefore, remained completely unknown; and,without that essential preliminary, no step could be takentowards assimilating terrestrial with celestial motion.But, in referring to the deficiency of experimental en-quiry in the ancient physics, it ought, in the first in-stance, to be borne in mind what small means theypossessed for conducting it; and we should recollect, thatto experimental research an advanced state of the arts is