Book IV. of Natural Philosophy* 273

obtain, if all the Matter of which it consists Wascollected in its-Center*, what has been demonjtra- *1126ted in Chap. 16. of the AAion of the Sun upon theMoon falling towards the Earth, Whilst with the jgpoEarth it gOes towards the Sun, may be applied tothe Adlion of the Moon upon the Particles of Water inthe Earth’s Surface, which do not cohere with theMass of the Earth, but tend towards its Center,and continually with its Mass fall towards theMoon ; by which Force, as We have shewn*, the *jz8oEarth is kept in its Orbit, about the commonCenter of Gravity of the Earth and the Moon.

Plate XXV. Fig■ i.J. Let S be the Moon, 1391A L B L / the Surface of the Earth, whose Masstends towards the Moon, as if it was all collectedat T ; by the Action of the Moon, the Particlesof Water A and B acquire a greater Gravity to-wards T* ; on the contrary, the Particles at L/ *1287lose of their Gravity* ; whence we deduce, that *1296if the whole Earth was cover’d with Water therewould not be an Equilibrium, unless this Waterwas more elevated in the Points L and I, than ina whole Circle 90 Degrees distant from thesePoints, and therefore pasting thro’ the Points Aand B ; therefore by the Action of the Moon the Wa- 1392ter acquires a spheroidical Figure, formed by the Re-volution of an Oval about its greater Axis, which be-ing continu'd, goes thro ’ the Moon.

Let us suppose the Moon in the Equator, allthe Sections of the Earth, which are parallel tothe Equator, as they are also parallel to the Axisof the Spheroid*, are oval, whose greater Axes *1392pass thro' the Meridian of the Moon ; whence itfollows, that the Earth being at rest in any Circle IZ9Zof Latitude, the Water is more elevated in the Me-ridian in which the Moon is, and in the opposite Me-ridian, than in the intermediate Places .

Vol. II.

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