PREFACE.

Man to boast that his Philosophy is not thatof Ntwton *, till he has first satisfied theWorld his Abilities and Discernment intothe Nature of Things are greater than thoseof Sir Isaac. This I am well assured of,that the greater Share of MathematicalKnowledge any Man has, the more readilyhe embraces Sir Isaac's Principles ; and Iscarce ever found any that oppugn’d SirIsaac, but who were either grossly ignorantof what they despised, or were actuated bysome particular Views. In short, nothingbut Pride, Prejudice, and Ignorance , willever stir up Enemies to the Newtonian Phi-losophy.

They who depreciate this Philosophy bythe Term Hypothess , seem to me not to haveread (at least not considered) what Sir Isaac haswrote, when he tells us, “ That in Experi-“ mental Philosophy, Hypotheses are not to" be regarded.—What I call Attraction" may be performed by Impulse, or by" some other Means unknown to me." I use that Word to signify only in general" any Force by which Bodies tend towards“ one another , whatsoever be the Cause f.”After our illustrious Author had thus ex-pressly

* See the Preface of Abbot Nollet’s Le com de Physique.

\ Optics, j^a. 31. See also the Definitions of hisPrincipia.