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Chap. 89. Of Softnesse.
ALL that is wett is soft, I mean that which is naturally wet; but all that is soft is not wet, as hair, wool, feathers, and the like.
Likewise all that is soft or wet is made by extenuating motions; now some may ask me, why extenuating motions* 1.1 should cause figures to be soft, more then any other? I an∣swer, first, that all extentions causeth porousnesse, or spungi∣nesse, by spreading or loosing parts, and all that are po∣rous tend to hollownesse, and all that is hollow tends to slacknesse, and all that are porous hollow, and slack tend to softnesse; for we may perceive whatsoever figure is porous, is not so firm, strong, nor hard, as those which are close compact; for that which hath no Vacuum, or Conveni∣ent distance, hath not so much Liberty, as that which hath Va∣cuum;* 1.2 for Vacuum is space and distance betwixt parts, which gives those parts liberty to move, and remove, and that which hath most liberty is most loose, and that which is most loose is least contracted, and that which is least contracted, is most pliant, and that which is most pliant is soft. But I desire my Readers would not mistake me, for as there is hard, soft, light, heavy, thick, thin, quick, slow, belonging to the nature of the onely infinite matter, so there are belonging to such shapes, or figures made by the working of the infinite moti∣ons making infinite figures out of infinite matter; but the dif∣ference is, that what is in the nature cannot be altered, but what is done by the working of motions may be undone again, for the effects may alter, but not the cause; thus motion and figure, or figure by motion may alter, but not the nature of the matter; For motion and figure are but the effects of the onely and infinite matter &c.