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"As to your first query," says he, "it seems to me, that if the matter of our sun and planets, and "all the matter of the universe, were evenly scat"tered throughout all the heavens, and every par“ticle had an innate gravity towards all the rest, "and the whole space throughout which this "matter was scattered, was but finite; the matter "on the outside of this space would by its gravity "tend towards all the matter on the inside, and by "consequence fall down into the middle of the whole space, and there compose one great spherical mass. But if the matter was evenly disposed 66 throughout an infinite space, it could never convene into one mass, but some of it would convene "into one mass, and some into another, so as to "make an infinite number of great masses, scattered "at great distances from one to another throughout “all that infinite space. And thus might the sun and "fixed stars be formed, supposing the matter were "of a lucid nature. But how the matter should "divide itself into two sorts, and that part of it "which is fit to compose a shining body, should "fall down into one mass and make a sun, and the "rest, which is fit to compose an opaque body, "should coalesce, not into one great body like the "shining matter, but into many little ones; or if "the sun at first were an opaque body like the

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planets, or the planets lucid bodies like the sun, "how he alone should be changed into a shining "body, whilst all they continue opaque, or all they "be changed into opaque ones, whilst he remains unchanged, I do not think more explicable by mere "natural causes, but am forced to ascribe it to the ❝counsel and contrivance of a voluntary agent."

The hypothesis of matter evenly disposed through infinite space, seems to labour with such difficulties, as makes it almost a contradictory supposition, or a supposition destructive of itself.

Matter evenly disposed through infinite space, is either created or eternal; if it was created, it infers a Creator: if it was eternal, it had been from eternity evenly spread through infinite space; or it had been once coalesced in masses, and afterwards been diffused. Whatever state was first, must have been from eternity, and what had been from eternity could not be changed, but by a cause beginning to act as it had never acted before, that is, by the voluntary act of some external power. If matter infinitely and evenly diffused was a moment without coalition, it could never coalesce at all by its own power. If matter originally tended to coalesce, it could never be evenly diffused through infinite space. Matter being supposed eternal, there never was a time when it could be diffused before its conglobation, or conglobated before its diffusion.

This Sir Isaac seems by degrees to have understood: for he says, in his second Letter, "The reason "why matter evenly scattered through a finite space "would convene in the midst, you conceive the same "with me; but that there should be a central par

ticle, so accurately placed in the middle, as to be "always equally attracted on all sides, and thereby "continue without motion,seems to me a supposition

fully as hard as to make the sharpest needle stand "upright upon its point on a looking-glass. For if "the very mathematical centre ofthe central particle "be not accurately in the very mathematical centre

"of the attractive power of the whole mass, the

particle will not be attracted equally on all sides. "And much harder is it to suppose all the parti"cles in an infinite space should be so accurately "poised one among another, as to stand still in a "perfect equilibrium. For I reckon this as hard "as to make not one needle only, but an infinite "number of them (so many as there are particles "in an infinite space) stand accurately poised upon "their points. Yet I grant it possible, at least "by a divine power; and if they were once to be "placed, I agree with you that they would con"tinue in that posture, without motion for ever, "unless put into new motion by the same power. "When therefore I said, that matter evenly spread

through all space, would convene by its gravity " into one or more great masses, I understand it "of matter not resting in an accurate poise.'

Let not it be thought irreverence to this great name, if I observe, that by matter evenly spread through infinite space, he now finds it he now finds it necessary to mean matter not evenly spread. Matter not evenly spread will indeed convene, but it will convene as soon as it exists. And, in my opinion, this puzzling question about matter is only how that could be that never could have been, or what a man thinks on when he thinks of nothing.

Turn matter on all sides, make it eternal, or of late production, finite or infinite, there can be no regular system produced but by a voluntary and meaning agent. This the great Newton always asserted, and this he asserts in the third letter; but proves in another manner, in a manner perhaps more happy and conclusive.

"The hypothesis of deriving the frame of the "world by mechanical principles from matter evenly spread through the heavens being incon"sistent with my system, I had considered it very "little before your letter put me upon it, and "therefore trouble you with a line or two more "about it, if this comes not too late for your use.

"In my former I represented that the diurnal ro"tations of the planets could not be derived from gravity, but required a divine arm to impress them. "And though gravity might give the planets a mo"tion of descent towards the sun, either directly,

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or with some little obliquity, yet the transverse "motions by which they revolve in their several "orbs, required the divine arm to impress them "according to the tangents of their orbs. I would "now add, that the hypothesis of matter's being "at first evenly spread through the heavens, is, in

my opinion, inconsistent with the hypothesis of "innate gravity, without a supernatural power to "reconcile them, and therefore it infers a Deity. "For if there be innate gravity it is impossible now "for the matter of the earth, and all the planets "and stars, to fly up from them, and become " evenly spread throughout all the heavens, with"out a supernatural power; and certainly that "which can never be hereafter without a superna"tural power, could never be heretofore without "the same power."

REVIEW

OF 'A

JOURNAL OF EIGHT DAYS JOURNEY, from PORTSMOUTH to KINGSTON UPON THAMES, ' through SOUTHAMPTON, WILTSHIRE, &c. with Mis'cellaneous Thoughts, moral and religious; in Sixty' four Letters: addressed to Two Ladies of the Partie. To which is added, An ESSAY on TEA, considered as pernicious to Health, obstructing Industry, and impo'verishing the Nation: with an Account of its Growth, ' and great Consumption in these Kingdoms; with se'veral Political Reflections; and Thoughts on Publick Love in Thirty-two Letters to Two Ladies. 'Mr. H*****'

OU

[From the Literary Magazine, Vol. II. No xiii. 1757.}

By

UR readers may perhaps remember, that we gave them a short account of this book*, with a letter extracted from it, in November 1756. The author then sent us an injunction to forbear his work till a second edition should appear: this prohibition was rather too magisterial; for an author "This book is gene

* The short account is in these words. rally known to be the work of Mr. Hanway, a man who has formerly travelled to a greater distance, and whose travels have been for several years in the hands of the publick. The author has not printed it for sale, but distributes it among his acquaintance. It may be wondered how a large quarto should arise from a ramble of eight days. The account of what he has seen fills but a small part. We are told much that might have been as well told without the journey. Digression starts from digres sion, and one subject follows another with or without connexion. It is said that those letters were not written to be printed; they were printed, perhaps, only because they had been written. Of such a book it imports little which part is first read, or first examined. For the entertainment of the present month, we have selected letters from a long and vehement invective against tea. Perhaps we may hereafter exhibit some of his descriptions, for we are far from thinking the relation less curious or useful, for being confined to our own country," C.