GOD. We know him only by his most wife and excellent Contrivances of Things, and final Caufes; we admire him for his Perfections; but we reverence and adore him on Account of his Dominion. For we adore him as his Servants; and a God, without Dominion, Providence, and final Caufes, is Nothing elfe but Fate and Nature. Blind metaphyfical Neceffity which is certainly the fame always, and every where, could produce no Variety of Things. All that Diversity of natural Things which we find fuited to different Times and Places, could arife from Nothing but the Ideas and Will of a Being neceffarily exifting. But, by Way of Allegory, GoD is faid to fee, to speak, to laugh, to love, to bate, to defire, to give, to receive, to rejoice, to be angry, to fight, to frame, to work, to build. For all our Notions of God are taken from the Ways of Mankind, by a certain Similitude, which, though not perfect, has some Likeness however. And thus much concerning GOD; to difcourfe of whom from the Appearances of Things does certainly belong to natural Philosophy.

General Scholium, B. III. P. 388, Principia.

A Vacuum being only fo in refpect of all Space not being equally full of Matter, or with an etherial Fluid, the Impoffibility of an abfolute Vacuum is proved from God's Omniprefence, thus: I am, who fill Infinitude: nor vacuous the Space; Though I, uncircumfcrib'd myself, retire And put not forth my Goodness; which is free To act, or not: Neceffity and Chance

Approach not ME; and what I will is Fate.

MILTON'S Par. Loft. B. VII, L. 168.

Sir Ifaac Newton's Scholium, abovementioned, concludes thus,

Concerning the NATURE of SPIRIT.

A moft fubtil Spirit pervades and lies hid in all grofs Bodies, by the Force and Action of which Spirit the Particles of Bodies mutually attract one another at near Distances, and cohere, if contiguous. And electric Bodies operate to great Distances, as well repelling, as attracting the neighbouring Corpufcles. And Light is emitted, reflected, refracted, inflected, and heats Bodies; and all Senfation is excited, and the Members of animal Bodies move at the Command of the Will, namely, by the Vibrations of this Spirit, mutually propagated along the folid Filaments of the Nerves, from the outward Organs of Senfe to the Brain, and from the Brain into the Mufcles.

The Laws, by which this elaftic and electric Spirit operates, must be demonftrated and determined from Sufficiency of Expe

riments.

Of the Nature and Origin of MATTER. According to Sir Ifaac Newton.

IT feems probable to me that Gon, in the Beginning, formed MATTER in folid, massy, bard, impenetrable, moveable Particles, of fuch Sizes and Figures, and with fuch other Properties, and in fuch Proportion to Space, as most conduced to the End for which he formed them. And, that these primitive Particles being folid, are incomparably harder than any porous Bodies compounded of them; even fo very hard, as never to wear or break in Pieces: no ordinary Power, being able to divide what God himself made one in the firft Creation. While the Particles continue entire, they may compofe Bodies of one and the fame Nature and Texture, in all Ages: But fhould they wear away, or break in Pieces, the Nature of Things depending on them, would be changed. Water and Earth compofed of old worn Particles, and Fragments of Particles, would not be of the fame Nature and Texture now, with Water and Earth compofed of entire Particles in the Beginning. And therefore, that Nature may be lafting, the Changes of corporeal Things are to be placed only in various Separations, and new Allociations and Motions of these permanent Particles; compounded Bodies being apt to break, not in the Micft of solid Particles, but where thofe Particles are laid together, and only touch in a few Points.

Hence may the Reafon be affigned concerning the Diversity of Bodies. For Particles which touch one another by large Surfaces, by a mutual Attraction of their Parts, compose a very hard Body. Particles which are not fo ftrongly attracted or entangled with each other, compofe a Body which is brittle.

If they touch one another in lefs Surfaces, then the Body is not fo hard as the brittle, but may be more folid. If they only approach each other without being one under another, the Body is elaftic, and will spring to its priftine Form. If they slip under each other the Body is foft, and eafily fubmits to any Collifion, or Stroke, as that of a Hammer, &c. If they fcarcely touch one another 'tis a crumbling Body, or one whofe Parts may be eafily feparated. If they are fmall, round, flippery, and eafily agitated by Heat, it is then a fluid Body. If the Particles are of an equal Surface, and hooked or entangled with one another, 'tis then a flexible or pliant Body.

N. B. We shall defcribe the Measure, Denfity, Bulk, Motions Forces, and other Properties of Matter or Bodies, in future Palladiums; and there exhibit the most useful and distinguished Parts of Science, and of all the Newtonian Philofophy extracted from the Principia! &c.

NEW

NEW

ENIGMA S.

By Mr. CHRISTOPHER MASON.
WHEN Eden Gates the Serpent first affailed,
And SIN and DEATH in Paradife prevailed,
An Evil Spirit did this Globe poffefs,
Whose First Descent is merely but to guefs.
The Fat relate, when you have heard the Tale,
How this Fell Fiend both Men and Beaft affail.
How Brute to Brute communicates the Pett,
In difmal Dole, where e'er it gets poffefs'd,
And Man and Brute, will merciless infest.
Dreadful to all-except fome learned Wight-
Should conjure, and allay the fatal Spright!

A late learned Author, in his Works declare,
All Mankind of this - has a Share:
Some more, fome lefs, in various Mode and Guife,
Some ne'er will own it, others will difguife.
Sometimes, in Flights, it strongly Operates,
And imperceptibly it actuates.

Moft feel th' Effects, the Mero and the Slave,
The Cit and Ruftic, Coward and the Knave,
Let every Artist from this Viper fly,
Expel the Poifon, and th' Effects defy,

An ENIGMA. By Mr. Thomas Vaughan, negr
Morpeth, in Northumberland.

BOTH Earth and Trees, and Fire and Art,
In forming me have each a Part,

But which of these have greatest share
The Ridling wits will foon declare.
From me's diftill'd a healthful Draught
Which cures Diftempers very oft.
What I perform, I need not tell
Already I am known fo well.

I oft, when you are rack'd with Pain
When other Medicines prove in Vain,
Reftore you to your Health again.
All Maladies which Quacks pretend
To cure, but cheat you in the End, -
At very small Expence I do
Perform with Eafe and Safety too.
I give a Name t' a numerous Race,
By which I'm known in ev'ry Place,
Whene'er the Phenix does expire,
Another fprings out of the Fire;
So I (to throw off the Difguife)
Out of my Parents Ashes rife,

NIGMA

ENIGMA. By Mr. Chriftopher Mafon.
FROM the prolific pregnant Womb of Earth
Did first proceed my primogenious Birth;

Who, in my Prime, was feiz'd by furious Foes,
Who ftruck me down, then stript me of my Cloaths;
And ftrait to Prison hurried me away,

Nor Bail, nor Main-prife, did my Journey stay ;
But quickly was my direful Sentence paft,
And I ftraitway into cold Water caft.
From thence repriev'd, I was to Bed convey'd,
Where kindly Warmth and Vigour gave me Aid.
I pregnant grew, my Race to propagate,
But my harsh Goaler did my Like defeat.

But when I teem'd, my Young advanc'd a-pace,
1, Strumpet-like, was tofs'd from Place to Place;
And not allow'd one Sort of Nutriment,
Till Life in me, at last, was almost spent.
When in this Plight with toffing to and fro,
My kinder Fate ordain'd the Bagnio;
Where I receiv'd patt Vigour once again,
But did not long my priftine Shape retain.
Polyphemus, with pond'rous Rocks, in Rage,
Crush'd my foft Sides his Fury to affwage;
But when the Cyclops had done all he could,
I was transform'd, like Acis, to a Flood.

N. B. More of these Enigmas, to please the Ladies, for next Year.

The QUERIS T.

NEW QUERIES.

I. QUERE 76. By Curiofa.

SUPPOSE the Arches of London Bridge to be damned, or clofely stopped up, at Time of Low-water, what Effect, at London, would the Tide produce at next High-water? And what would be the Difference of Height of a Spring-tide in fuch a Cafe, and the Height of a Spring-tide with all the Arches of London Bridge open?

II. QUERE 77. By Mr. Chriftopher Mason. WHENCE proceed thofe green Circles, or Parts of Circles, feen upon Sheep-downs, and other Pasture-lands?

III. QUERE 78. By Orthodox.

WHETHER Life, Senfe, &c. in Animals, fpring from mexe Matter, or material Subftance of the Egg, by the Caufe of Heat only fuperadded, contrary to the Berkleyian Principle of no Matter exifting, and Nothing but Spirit and Ideas in the World ?,

IV. QUERE 79. By Honeftus.

WHAT is the beft Remedy for a drunken, profligate Wife? And how may a Husband beft return the Compliment of a Wife given to oblige other Men ?

V. QUERE 80. By Honorius.

HOW far do Vice and Folly contribute to the Benefit of others? And who are those that live and thrive by the Vice and Folly of others? And fince the Great BEING brings Good out of all Kinds of Evil, how far may private Vices be confidered as public Benefits?

VI. QUERE 81. By Philofophia.

AS all the planetary Bodies are probably inhabited, and fome of those Bodies (particularly the Moon) are thought to have no furrounding Atmosphere, what would follow if our Atmosphere was taken away, and the Inhabitants of this Earth were yet able to live? As a late Author of a voluminous Work of Aftronomy has fuppofed they may live without an Atmosphere ?

VII. QUERE 82. By a Widow.

WHY do drowned Perfons lie fo long under Water before they

rife and float?

VIII. QUERE 83. By Mr. Stapley, of Scots float near Rye.

SUPPOSE the Tide flows 13 Feet high into a Canal 120 Feet wide at 3 Miles from the Sea in 2 Hours and a Half; and if the fame Canal is reduced by a Sluice, a Quarter of a Mile from the Sea, to an Opening only of 40 Feet Breadth to admit the Tide up, Quere, What Height will the Water flow in the faid Canal (of Breadth and Length from the Sea as given) in the Time aforefaid?

IX. QUERE 84. By Inspector.

WHETHER Mr. Simpson's late pretty Rook, entitled Miscellaneous Tracts on fome curious and interefting Subjects, pretending to determine the less lunar Equations from a mechanic Principle, &c. (leaving the Reader to ftrike out the Light) is not like a Tinder-bex, or a Dark-lantborn? And wherein does it excel the Principia of Sir Isaac Newton?

X. QUERE 85. By an Inkle-Weaver.

WHICH is the moft ingenious and reputable Profeffion, a Fortune-teller, Almanac-maker, Haberdasher of Mathematical Problems, or Mrs. Phillips's Trade in Half-moon Street, near the Strand?

XI