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Show Let. L The Principles of Bodies, The Natureof Misti, . Book IVTA Ag? Bells ina Steeple, making a pitiful Chime: but tryeth to rife up to Natures own Number, and fo to ring all the Changes in the World. 6. §. Yet doth not this vaft Diverfity take away the Regiment and Subordination of Principles. There being a certain lefler zumber of Of the NATURE of Mixture. them, which either by their greater quantity, or other ways, have Rule and Dominion, in their feveral Orders, over all the reft. For where-ever the SubjeG is Multitude, Order is part of its Perfection. For Orderis Proportion. And how can Nature be imagin’d to hold Proportionin all things elfe, and not here ? Wherefore, as certainly, as Order and Government are in all the Parts of the Rational; fo certainly, of the Material World. Whence it is, That although the Species of Principles be very numerows 5 yet the Principles called Galenical, Chymical, or any others, which do any way fall under the notice of Senfe, are notwithftanding reduceable to a fmaller number : viz, according to the xwmber of Predominant Principles in Natures or,rather in this part of the Oxiverfe which is ear and round about us. To the Power and Empire whereof, all other Principles do fabmit. Which Submilfien, is notthe quitting of their own Nature 5 but only their appearance under the external Face or Habit of the faid Predominant Principles. 7. §. Asthere can be no Order of Principles, without Diwerfity fo no Diverfity, but what is originally made by thefe two ways; fc. by Size and Figure. Bythefé they may be exceedingdifferent : and all other Properties befides, whereby they differ, muft be dependent upon thefe Two. 8. §. Nor therefore, can they be of any other Figures, than what are Regular. fore all kinds thefelfe fame Atomes, they For Regularity, is a Similitude contin’'d. Since thereof Atomes are divers only by their Sizeand Figure 5 if Size and Figure were not common toa certain number of could not befaid to be of any one kind: andconfequent- ly, if there were no Similitude of Atomes, there could be no DiftinGion of Principles. . 9. §. Hence alfo, thefe two Modes of Atomes, viz. their Size and Figure, are the true, and only original Qualities of Atomes, Thatis, an Atome is fuch orfuch, becaufe ft is of fuch a certain size and Fi- gure. to. g. alah ip Laftly, Asthefe two Modes, taken feverally, are the Qua- lities of an Atome: {0 confider’d together, they are its Form. A fubStantial Form of a Body, being an unintelligible thing. I fay of a Bodys for although the Rational Soul be a fibftantial Form , yet is itthe Form of a Man, and not of a Body, For the Form of a Bodp, wecan conceiveof no otherwife, thanas of the Modification of a Body, or a Complexion of all the Modes of a Body. Which alfo agrees with that Definition of a Form, whichamongft the Peripatetick Philofophers is well enough accepted,viz. Quod(it, Ratio ejus Effentie, qua cuique Rei competit. Which Ratio, ifitbe referred to a Body, whatisit,but the Modification of that Body? Having thus propofed a Summary of my Thoughts about Principles; 1 thal! next proceed to fhew what their Mixtureis. aw, ND firlt of all, from the Premiffes, we arriveat this Conclufton 5 fe.That the Formationand Transf ormatiri on Of all Bodies, can be nothing elfe,but the Mixture @ of Bodies. Forall Prixciples are immutable, as we @ have above proved: and therefore not generable, Ch. 2. $.3. ps formable, ox transformable. And the Forms of Prin. ZF ciples, being but their Modes, are allo immutable. Ch. 2.§.10, So that the whole Bufine/s of the Material World, is nothin g elfe, but Mixture. : 2. §. Again, as Nature worketh every where only by Mixture fois this Mzxture every where but ove thing, and can be but one. For whether it be the Afixture of great Bodies, or of wall; of Compounds, or of Atomes 5 it is every where Afixture, and the Mixture of nodes, Ch. 2. $.2. Wherefore, Mixture is either an intelligible Affecti on of all Bodies, or of wove 3 which later, no man will fay. As many ways therefore as wecan fee, or conceive the Mixture of any grof* Bodies, which we holdin ourhand; fo many ways, we may, of the furbtile/? Mixtures which Nature maketh, or of Atomes themflves 3 and no ot}ner Ways. 3. §. Nowall the ways we can diftinguith Asixture by, are, in general, thefe Tivo 5 eitherin refpect of the Bodies mixed, or elie of the Modes of the Mixture it felf, ‘ 4. §. In refpect of the Bodies Mixed, Mi®ture is diftiog uifhed alfo two ways viz. by Conjugation, and by Proportion. 5. §. By Conjugation, 1 mean, a Mixture of fome certain Principles, and not of others. Which is threefold. Firs#, As to Number: as when one Body may be compounded of tio Princip les, another of Secondly, As to Kind: where, though there be a conjunétion of the fame yet not of the fame Kind. Thirdly, When theydiffer from Number, one another three, a third offour, a fourth of fue, and fo on. both in Number and Kind, So many ways the Principles of Bodies may be conceived to be Conjugated; and therefore are: for here, that which way be, is. The Confeq uence is clear. For ftrft, Nature hath various Materials wherew ith to make Mixtures, as we have fhewed. Secondly, Bythele Mixtures thethefe may, and Ch, 2.§, 5. without the concurrence ‘of anyimaginary Forms, uf? produce all the varieties in the material World’; as likewife hath been {3 faid. Where- Ch | 3. §. 1. fore, fince all imaginable Mixtures may be made, and that to Some purpofe x ifthey fhould not be fo, Nature would be Imperfe% = becaufe we our felves can think, how fhe might put her Materials to further ufe, then the would do. To think therefore, that all Kinds ciples, or all Elements go to makeup every Compounded Body, asof Prinbythe Peripatetickh Philofophy weare taught 5 is a conceit, no more to be credited, than one that fhould tell us, all Kind of Wheels and other CHAP, Xr Mm parts |
