1and it ſhall ſuffice to reply, that he believed that it would ſwim;
and I will again charge him with having avoided a more wonderfull
and intricate Probleme, and introduced the more facile and leſs
wonderfull.
and I will again charge him with having avoided a more wonderfull
and intricate Probleme, and introduced the more facile and leſs
wonderfull.
We ſay freely therefore; that Ariſtotle did hold, that only the
broad Figure did ſwim, but the long and ſlender, ſuch as a Needle,
not. The which nevertheleſs is falſe, as it is alſo falſe in round
Bodies: becauſe, as from what hath been predemonſtrated, may be
thered, little Balls of Lead and Iron, do in like manner ſwim.
broad Figure did ſwim, but the long and ſlender, ſuch as a Needle,
not. The which nevertheleſs is falſe, as it is alſo falſe in round
Bodies: becauſe, as from what hath been predemonſtrated, may be
thered, little Balls of Lead and Iron, do in like manner ſwim.
different from the truth, and it is, That ſome things, by reaſon of
their littleneſs fly in the Air, as the ſmall duſt of the Earth, and the
thin leaves of beaten Gold: but in my Opinion, Experience ſhews
us, that that happens not only in the Air, but alſo in the water, in
which do deſcend, even thoſe Particles or Atomes of Earth, that
diſtur be it, whoſe minuity is ſuch, that they are not deſervable, ſave
only when they are many hundreds together. Therefore, the duſt
of the Earth, and beaten Gold, do not any way ſuſtain themſelves
in the Air, but deſcend downwards, and only fly to and again in
the ſame, when ſtrong Windes raiſe them, or other agitations of the
Air commove them: and this alſo happens in the commotion of the
water, which raiſeth its Sand from the bottom, and makes it muddy.
But Ariſtotle cannot mean this impediment of the commotion, of
which he makes no mention, nor names other than the lightneſs of
ſuch Minutiæ or Atomes, and the Reſiſtance of the Craſſitudes of the
Water and Air, by which we ſee, that he ſpeakes of a calme, and
not diſturbed and agitated Air: but in that caſe, neither Gold nor
Earth, be they never ſo ſmall, are ſuſtained, but ſpeedily
He paſſeth next to confute Democritus, which, by his Teſtimony
would have it, that ſome Fiery Atomes, which continually aſcend
through the water, do ſpring upwards, and ſuſtain thoſe grave Bodies,
which are very broad, and that the narrow deſcend to the bottom,
would have it, that ſome Fiery Atomes, which continually aſcend
through the water, do ſpring upwards, and ſuſtain thoſe grave Bodies,
which are very broad, and that the narrow deſcend to the bottom,
I ſay, Ariſtotle confutes this poſition, ſaying, that that ſhould
much more occurre in the Air, as the ſame Democritus inſtances
gainſt himſelf, but after he had moved the objection, he ſlightly
ſolves it, with ſaying, that thoſe Corpuſcles which aſcend in the Air,
make not their Impetus conjunctly. Here I will not ſay, that the
reaſon alledged by Democritus is true, but I will only ſay, it ſeems
in my judgement, that it is not wholly confuted by Ariſtotle, whilſt he
ſaith, that were it true, that the calid aſcending Atomes, ſhould
ſuſtain Bodies grave, but very broad, it would much more be done
in the Air, than in Water, for that haply in the Opinion of Ariſtotle,
much more occurre in the Air, as the ſame Democritus inſtances
gainſt himſelf, but after he had moved the objection, he ſlightly
ſolves it, with ſaying, that thoſe Corpuſcles which aſcend in the Air,
make not their Impetus conjunctly. Here I will not ſay, that the
reaſon alledged by Democritus is true, but I will only ſay, it ſeems
in my judgement, that it is not wholly confuted by Ariſtotle, whilſt he
ſaith, that were it true, that the calid aſcending Atomes, ſhould
ſuſtain Bodies grave, but very broad, it would much more be done
in the Air, than in Water, for that haply in the Opinion of Ariſtotle,