Observations upon experimental philosophy to which is added The description of a new blazing world / written by the thrice noble, illustrious, and excellent princesse, the Duchess of Newcastle.

17. Des Cartes Opinion of Motion examined.

I Cannot well apprehend what Des Cartes means, by Matter being at first set a moving by a strong and lively action, and by his extraordinary swift rotation or whirling motion about the Center; as also by the sha∣vings of his aethereal subtil Matter which fill'd up all vacuities and pores, and his aethereal globules; I would ask whether this kind of motion did still continue; if so, then not onely the rugged and uneven parts, but also the aethereal globules would become less by this continual rotation, and would make this world a very weak, dizzie, and tottering world; and if there be any such shaving and lessening, then according to his prin∣ciples there must also be some reaction, or a reacting and resisting motion, and then there would be two op∣posite motions which would hinder each other. But I suppose he conceived, that Nature, or the God of Nature, did produce the world after a Mechanical way, and according as we see Turners, and such kind of Artificers work; which if so, then the Art of Turn∣ing is the prime and fundamental of all other Mecha∣nical Arts, and ought to have place before the rest, and a Turner ought to be the prime and chief of all Me∣chanicks, and highly esteemed; but alas! that sort of

people is least regarded; and though by their turning Art they make many dusty shavings, yet they get but little profit by them; for all they get is by their se∣veral wooden figures they make, as Spoons, Ladles, Cups, Bowls, Trenchers, and the like, and not by their shavings. Wherefore as all other Mechanicks do not derive their Arts from Turners, so neither is it probable, that this world and all natural Creatures are produced by a whirling Motion, or a spherical ro∣tation, as if some spirits were playing at Bowls or Foot∣ball; for as I have often mentioned, Nature has in∣finite ways of Motions, whereof none is prime or prin∣cipal, but self-motion, which is the producer of all the varieties Nature has within her self. Next, as for his Opinion of transferring and imparting Motion to o∣ther bodies, and that that body which imparts Motion to another body, loses as much as it gives, I have an∣swer'd in my Philosophical Letters; to wit, that it is most improbable, by reason Motion being material and inseparable from Matter, cannot be imparted with∣out Matter; and if not, then the body that receives Motion would increase in bulk, and the other that lo∣ses Motion would decrease, by reason of the addition and diminution of the parts of Matter, which must of necessity increase and lessen the bulk of the body, the contrary whereof is sufficiently known.