170 Sir Isaac Newton’s BookII.

lifted by a fluid fo denfe, as abfolutely to fill up all the fpace,through which it is fjpread. And left it fhould be thought,that this objection might be evaded by afcribing to this fluidfuch very minute and fmooth parts, as might remove all ad-befion or friction between them, whereby all refiftancewould be loft, which this fluid might otherwile give to bo-dies moving in it; Sir I s a a c N e w t o n proves, in themanner above related, that fluids refill from the power ofinactivity of their particles ; and that water and the air re-fill almoft entirely on this account: fo that in this fubtilefluid, however minute and lubricated the particles, whichcompofe it, might be; yet if the whole fluid was as denfe aswater, it would refill very near as much as water does; andwhereas luch a fluid, whofe parts are abfolutely clofe toge-ther without any intervening fpaces, mull be a great dealmore denfe than water, it mull refill more than water inproportion to its greater denfity; unlefs we will fiippofo thematter, of which this fluid is compofed, not to be enduedwith the lame degree of inactivity as other matter. But ifyou deprive any fubftance of the property fo univerfally be-longing to all other matter, without impropriety of fpeechit can fcarce be called by this name.

iy. SirlsAAcNEWTON made alfo an experiment to try inparticular, whether the internal parts of bodies fullered any re-fiftance. And the refult did indeed appear to favour fome finalldegree of refiftance; but fo very little, as to leave it doubtful,whether the effeCt did not arife from fome other latent caufe*.

* Princ. philof. par- J 1 1 * 1 '

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