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men's fubftantial formes, which much give way to Monf. Des Cartes's ingenious hypothefis, who, as his followers pretended, could folve all the phænomena in nature, by his principles of matter, and motion, without the help of attraction and occult qualities. He was the first world-maker this Century produced, for he supposes that God at the beginning created only a certain quantity of matter, and motion, and from thence he endeavours to fhew, how, by the neceffary laws of Mechanifme, without any extraordinary concurrence of the Divine Power, the world and all that therein is might have been produced. Nay he was fo bold, that he pretended he could folve that infuperable problem, viz. having a quantity of matter and motion to produce any animal. But with what confidence could he pretend to folve fo intricate a problem, who blundered fo much in the easiest and most abstracted things in nature, (for fuch are the laws of motion) that of the feven rules he has given us about motion, there is but one of them true.

I wonder therefore why Mr. Wotton in his reflections on ancient and modern Learning, "should say that Des Cartes joined to his

great genius an exquifite skill in Geometry, "fo that he wrought upon intelligible prin"ciples, in an intelligible manner, tho' he very often failed of one part of his end, name"ly a right explication of the Phænomena of << nature, yet by Marrying Geometry and

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"Phyficks together, he put the World in "hopes of a Masculine ofspring. This I think is a clearer demonftration than any in Des Cartes's principles of Philofophy, that Mr. Wotton either underftands no Geometry, or elfe that he never read Des Cartes's principles, for from the beginning to the end of them there is not one demonftration drawn from Geometry, or indeed any demonftration at all. Except Mr. Wotton will fay, that every thing that is illuftrated by a figure, is a demonftration, and then indeed he may produce enough of fuch demonftrations in his Philofophical works. So far was Des Cartes from Marrying Phyficks with Geometry, that it was his great fault that he made no ufe at all of Geometry in Philofophy. It may perhaps be thought that he understood Geometry as well as most of his cotemporaries, and therefore Mr. Wotton might have prefumed, that he ought to have joined Geometry to natural Philofophy, but fince he afferts that he actually did fo, I think it a convincing argument that he makes himfelf a judge of things he does not understand. But what he falfly afcribes to Des Cartes, is really true of Galileo and Kepler, who, by the help of Geometry have difcovered Phyfical truths that are worth more than all Des Cartes's Volumes of Philofophy, who was fo far from applying Geometry and obfervations to natural Philofophy, that his whole System is but one continued blunder upon the account

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of his negligence in that point. This I can eafily prove by fhewing that his Theory of the Vortices, upon which his Syfteme is grounded, is abfolutely falfe. The great Philofopher of this age, the moft Ingenious and Incomparable Mr. Newton by his great and deep skill in Geometry, has thewed that the periodical times of all Bodies which fwim in Vortex, must be directly as the fquares of their diftances from the center of the Vortex. But it is evident from obfervations, that the Planets in turning round the Sun, obferve quite another fort of a law than this, for the fquares of their Periodical times, are always as the cubes of their distances, and therefore fince they do not obferve that law, which of neceffity they muft, if they swim in a Vortex, it is a demonftration that there are no vortices, in which the Planets are carried round the Sun.

Befides if the earth were carried in a Vortex, it must neceffarily move fafter, when it is in the beginning of Virgo, where the fluid is in a narrow space, (and by confequence moves fo much the fwifter,) than it would do when it is in the beginning of Pifces, and that in the proportion of three to two, which is directly against experience, and obfervation.

It is impoffible therefore upon this, and a great many other accounts, which Mr. Newton has fhew'd in his principles, that the earth and the other planets can move in a Vortex. So that the notion of a Vortex being ruined, the

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whole Cartefian fyftem muft of neceffity fall to the ground; and that world, whofe origina tion he pretended to have deduced from Mechanical principles, must be a wild chimera of his own imagination.

I cannot pafs without reflecting upon another great error in the Cartefian Philofophy, which he committed purely for want of due obfervations. And that is, his reason why at the Moon's oppofition, or conjunction with the Sun, the Tides fhould be greater than at her quadratures. To explain this, he makes the Moon move round the earth, in an Ellipfis, in whofe centre the earth is placed, fo that by this means, the Moon will have two Apogeons, and two Perigeons, and he fays that the Moon is in one of her Perigeons always at the time of her oppofition, or conjunction, and by this means the preffes then more strongly upon the Sea, than fhe does at her quadratures, at which time according to him fhe is always in one of her Apogeons, and therefore her preffure muft be weaker. All this is fo notoriously falfe, that there is no Almanackmaker but can demonftrate the contrary, and if he had but in the leaft confidered the The ory of the Moon, he might eafily have seen that the Moon is as often in her Apogeons at new and full Moon, as fhe is in her Perigeons at that time, tho' it feldom happens at the lunations that he is exactly in either.

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By this it may fufficiently enough appear, that the most ingenious thoughts in the Cartefian Philosophy, are falfe, and difagreeable to nature, which I have fhew'd not only because the Philofophers of that fect have pretended to fo very great things, as to give a true account of all the Phænomena's in nature, whilst they understand fo very little, that they have not given us a right explication of any one thing; but also because Mr. Des Cartes, the author of that Sect, was the first who introduced the fancy of making a World, and deducing the origination of the Universe from Mechanical principles. Which notion has been fo ftifly maintained by his admirers, that by it they have given the ignorant Atheists (for fo are most of that perfwafion) fome plaufible pretences for their incredulity without any real ground.

But of all Philofophers, thofe have done Religion the leaft fervice, who have not only afferted, that the world was made by the laws of Mechanifm, without the extraordinary concurrence of the Divine power, but also that all the great changes which have happened to it, fuch as the Deluge, and other great effects delivered to us as miracles by the facred writers, were the neceffary confequences of natural causes, which they pretend to account for. Thefe contrivers of Deluges, have furnished the Atheist with an Argument, which upon their fuppofition is not fo easily

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