"AUCTORIBUS UTI OPTIMIS in omnibus caufis, et debet et folet valere plurimum: et primum quidem, OMNI ANTIQUITATE; que, quo propriùs aberat ab ortu et divina progenie, boc meliùs ea, fortafle, quæ erant vera, cernebat." 00 Ουκ έγνω ο Κοσμο, δια της σοφίας, ΤΟΝ ΘΕΟΝ. “Non novit Mundus, Sapientia [humana] ope, Deum.” Cic. PAUL. APPENDIX II. DE ETHERE VIBRATORIO. CE grand homme (NEWTON) voyoit à travers d'un voile, ce qu'un autre ne diftingue qu'à peine avec un Microscope!" DAN. BERNOULLI *. 142. Nuper, cum perlegerim opus eximium, perutile, tempeftivum, à viris bonis ubique laudatum,-" Proofs of a Conspiracy against all the Religions and Governments of Europe, &c. by John Robison, A. M. Profeffer of Natural Philofophy, &c. Edinburgh,"-incidi in cenfuram haud levem Patris Philofophia Britannica, p. 483. "Were it poffible for the departed foul of Newton to feel pain, he would furely recollect with regret that unhappy hour, when, provoked by Dr. Hooke's charge of plagiarifm, he first threw out his whim of a Vibrating Ether; to fhew what might be made of an Hypothefis: (for Sir Ifaac Newton must be allowed to have paved the way for much of the Atomical Philofophy of the Moderns.) Newton's Ether is affumed as a fac totum by every precipitate fciolift, who, in despite of logic, and in contradiction to all principles of mechanics, gives us theories of mufcular motion, of animal fenfation, and even of intelligence and volition, by the undulations of atherial fluids. "Not one of a hundred of thefe theorists can go through the fundamental theorem of all this doctrine, (the 47th Prop. of the Second Book of the PRINCIPIA); and not one of a thoufand know that Newton's investigation is incon-clufive-yet they talk of the effects and modifications of thofe undulations as familiarly as if they could demonftrate the propofitions in Euclid's Elements.” Talis viri ictus, PHYSICAM excolentis, et NEWTONUM quafi præceptorem adamare profitentis, acerbiùs lædunt: Antiftiti ipfi fcientiarum venerando, * Vide Note (e). pofthac. annon exclamare fas fit, jamdudùm hujufmodi crimina aufcultanti :-" Si id Cinerem aut Manes credis curare fepultos (a)." "Pol, me occidiftis AMICI! Obe jam fatis eft!-Et TU, BRUTE!!!~ Telum imbelle jacis; imò, tuum in cerebrum facilè retorquendum, vibranti medium tranfverberans itu.” 143. Plufquàm viginti retrò annis, Difquifitionem edebam, anno 1778, Dublin, De Sonis et De Modificationibus Atmosphæra, fecundùm Theoriam Newtonianam,primitias Studiorum meorum Philofophicorum,—dum, apud Academicos Dublinienfes, Socius degerem. Et, cum ita difquifitio forsàn nondum ad manus pervenerit Profefforis Rebifon, me operam vel illi viro clariffimo. déque Republicâ optimè merenti, haud ingratam impenfurum fpero, fi exinde pauca excerpferim, hanc rem fpectantia. Primo igitur in limine, monendus eft, Newtonum, haudquaquam "opinionum feu hypothefeen vanarum fludiofum, nec novum neque inauditum " commentum de "there quodam vibratorio" finxiffe; fed vetuftum omninò, atque à philofophis fanioribus receptum : § 42. Zeno, audiendi facultatem ità exponit, Laert. Lib. 7. § 158.-Anger de, 78 μεταξύ τ8 τε φωνέλος και το ακ8ολος, αέρος πληττομενε σφαιροειδώς, είτα κυματομένα, και ταις ακοαίς προσπιπλοντος· ὡς κυματεται το εν τη δεξαμενη ύδωρ, κατα κυκλες, ύπο το εμβληθέντος λιθο. "Auditus fit, ubi aer inter loquentem audientémque interpofitus, pulfatur Sphærice; deinde undulatur, auribúfque impingit: ficuti undulatur aqua in cifternâ, fecundùm circulos, injecto lapide." (a) Quantum à difputationibus controverfiífque abhorruit mite Newtoni ingenium, conftabit ex Epiftolâ ejus ad Oldenburgh, Oct. 24, 1676. -“Five years ago, (1671,) when, at the perfuafion of my friends, I had refolved to publish a Treatife of the Refraction of Light and Colours, which I had then by me; I began again to turn my thoughts to thefe Seriefes [for determining the Areas of Curves]; and wrote likewife a Treatife upon them, that I might publish both together.--But having wrote you a letter upon the Reflecting Telescope, in which I explained briefly my notions on the Nature of Light, fomething unexpected fell out, which made me imagine it concerned me to write to you fpecdily about priating that Letter. Immediately upon the back of this, I met with frequent interruptions from feveral perfons' letters, taken up with objections, and other things, which frighted me entirely from executing my defign; and made me find fault with myfelf for my imprudence that, by catching at a fhadow, I had been To far deprived of the peace and quiet of my own mind; which is a thing of more fubftanial worth.” At laft Negotin found out an expedient that rid him of much of this troublefome and tearing correfpondence: when objections were ftated against the accuracy or validity of his Optical experi ments, he fimply replied " I doubt the fall;"-" repeat the experiment,"-inftead of entering into any difcuffion or vindication about his own. Diogenis Diogenis atque Platonis placita quoque, fic refert Plutarchus, De Placit. Philof. Lib. 4. cap. 16. Διογένης, το εν τη κεφαλῇ αέρος ύπο της Φωνης τυπζομενε και κινεμένε Πλάτων, και δι απ' αυτό, πληίζεσθαι τον εν τη κεφαλη αέρα, τόλον δε ανακλασθαι εις τα ἡγεμονικα, και γινεσθαι της ακοής την αισθησιν. "Diogeni [placet hoc effici] aëre intrà caput à voce pulfato atque commoto. Platoni, ejúfque fequacibus, aërem intrà caput pulfari, deinde ad partes imperatorias reflecti; atque hoc pacto fenfum auditûs fieri." Lucretius quoque phænomena Lucis et Sonorum difertè confert: Lib. 4. "Quod fupereft, non eft mirandum quâ ratione, Quæ loca per, nequeunt oculi res cernere apertas ; :. Ut funt miffa femèl; quaproptèr cernere nemo Atqui hic habes quafi feminarium totius Dorina Sonorum, rationalis et experimentalis, in difficillimâ parte difficillimi operis, nempè, in Sectione oltava, Lib. 2. Princip. "De Motu per fluida propagato expofitæ et demonftratæ.” 144. Haudquaquàm patitur hujus inftituti ratio, de Doctrinâ fubtiliffimâ Pulfuum et Vibrationum Aëris, feu Medii Ætherei, jam differere, quæ vel mathematicè doctos non parùm morantur; accuratiùs autem exponitur fufiúfque illuftratur tota hæc doctrina, in Difquifitione prædictâ De Sonis. Unam faltèm obfervationem inde depromere non pigebit, p. 139, de veritate: propofitionis illius fundamentalis 47, à Profeflore Robifon denegatæ : "Le Sœur et facquier veritatem propofitionis deducunt ex vibrationibus partium chorda elaftica, quæ peraguntur viribus in ratione diftantiarum à medio vibrationum loco: fed fingulæ aëris particulæ motum chordæ mutuantur lucEeffivè ergò, inftar chordæ ipfius, moventur viribus, &c. At hæret deductio L nifi.... |