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I Know it may be objected in fa∣vour of the Chymists, that as their Hypostatical Principles, Salt, Sulphur and Mercury, are but three, so the Corpuscularian Principles are but very few; and the chief of them Bulk, Size, and Motion, are but three neither; so that it appears not why the Chymical Principles should be
more barren than the Mechanical. To which allegation I answer, that, be∣sides that these last nam'd Principles are more numerous, as taking in the Posture, Order, and Scituation, the Rest, and, above all, the almost infi∣nitely diversifiable Contextures of the small parts, and the thence re∣sulting structures of particular bodies, and fabrick of the world: Besides this, I say, each of the three Me∣chanical Principles, specified in the objection, though but one in name, is equivalent to many in effect; as Figure, for instance, comprehends not only Triangles, Squares, Rhom∣busses, Rhomboids, Trapezions, and a multitude of Polygons, whether ordinate or irregular; but, besides Cubes, Prismes, Cones, Spheres, Cy∣linders, Pyramids, and other Solids of known Denominations, a scarce numerable multitude of hooked, branched, Eel-like, screw-like, and other irregular bodies; whereof though these, and some others, have distinct appellations, yet the greatest
part are nameless; so that it need be no wonder, that I should make the Mechanical Principles so much more fertile, that is, applicable to the production and explication of a far greater number of Phaenomena, than the Chymical; which, whilest they are considered but as similar bodies, that are Ingredients of mixt and com∣pounded ones, are chiefly variable but by the greater or lesser quanti∣ty that is employed by Nature or Art to make up the mixt body. And Painters observe, that Black and White, though mixt in differing Pro∣portions, will still make but lighter and darker grays. And if it be said, that these Ingredients, by the Tex∣ture resulting from their mixtures, may acquire Qualities that neither of them had before; I shall answer, that, to alledge this, is in effect to confess, that they must take in the Mechanical Principles, (for to them belongs the Texture or Structure of bodies) to as∣sist the Chymical ones. And on this occasion, to borrow an illustration
from our unpublished Dialogue of the Requisites of a good Hypothesis, I shall add, that a Chymist that should pre∣tend, that because his three Principles are as many as those of the Corpus∣cularians, they are as sufficient as these to give an account of the Book of Nature, methinks, I say, he would do like a man that should pretend, that with four and twenty words he would make up a language as well as others can with the four and twenty Letters of the Alphabet, because he had as many words already formed, as they had of bare Letters; not con∣sidering that instead of the small number of variations that can be made of his words by Prepositions and Terminations, the Letters of the Alphabet being variously combined, placed and reiterated, can be easily made to compose not only his four and twenty words, with their variati∣ons, but as many others as a whole language contains.