been enquired into, at the very instant of the creation.

YOU'LL obferve farther, that the fun, which in France is faid to have nothing to do in the affair, comes in here for very near a quarter of its affiftance. According to your Cartefians, every thing is per formed by an impulfion, of which we have very little notion; and according to Sir Ifaac Newton, it is by an attraction, the cause of which is as much unknown to us. At Paris you imagine that the earth is fhap'd like a melon, or of an oblique figure; at London it has an oblate one. A Cartefian declares that light exists in the air; but a Newtonian afferts that it comes from the fun in fix minutes and a half. The feveral operations of your chymistry are perform'd by Acids, Alkalies, and fubtile matter; but attraction prevails even in chymiftry among the English.

THE very effence of things is totally changed. You neither are agreed upon the definition of the Soul, nor on that of matter. Des Cartes, as I obferved in my laft, maintains that the Soul is the fame thing with thought; and Mr. Locke has given a pretty good proof of the con

trary.

DES CARTES afferts farther, that extenfion alone constitutes matter, but Sir Isaac adds folidity to it.

How

How furiously contradictory are these opinions!

Non noftrum inter vos tantas componere lites.

VIRGIL, Eclog. III.

Tis not for us to end fuch great Difputes:

This famous Newton, this deftroyer of the Cartefian fyftem, died in March Anno 1727. His countrymen honoured him in his life-time, and interred him as tho' he had been a king who had made his people happy.

THE English read with the highest fatisfaction, and tranflated into their tongue, the elogium of Sir Ifaac Newton, which Mr. de Fontenelle fpoke in the academy of fciences. Mr. de Fontenelle prefides as judge over Philofophers; and the English expected his decifion, as a folemn declaration of the fuperioriry of the English Philofophy over that of the French.

But

when it was found that this gentleman had compar'd Des Cartes to Sir Ifaac, the whole Royal Society in London rofe up in arms. So far from acquiefcing with Mr. Fontenelle's judgment, they criticis'd his difcourfe. And even feveral (who however were not the ableft philofophers in that body) were offended at the compa

rifon; and for no other reafon but because Des Cartes was a Frenchman.

Ir must be confefs'd that these two great men differ'd very much in conduct, in fortune, and in philosophy.

NATURE had indulged Des Cartes a fhining and strong imagination, whence he became a very fingular perfon both in private life, and in his manner of reasoning. This imagination could not conceal it self even in his philofophical works, which are every where adorned with very fhining, ingenious metaphors and figures. Nature had almost made him a poet; and indeed he wrote a piece of poetry for the entertainment of Christina Queen of Sweden, which however was fupprefs'd in honour to his memory.

HE embrac'd a military life for fome time, and afterwards becoming a complete philofopher, he did not think the paffion of love derogatory to his character. He had by his mistress a daughter called Froncine, who died young, and was very much regretted by him. Thus he experienc'd every paffion incident to mankind.

He was a long time of opinion, that it would be neceffary for him to fly from the fociety of his fellow-creatures, and efpecially from his native country, in order to enjoy the happinefs of cultivating his philofophical studies in full liberty.

DES

DES CARTES was very right, for his contemporaries were not knowing enough to improve and enlighten his understanding, and were capable of little else than of giving him uneafiness.

He left France purely to go in fearch of truth, which was then perfecuted by the wretched philofophy of the schools. However, he found that reafon was as much difguis'd and deprav'd in the universities of Holland, into which he withdrew, as in his own country. For at the time that the French condemned the only propofitions of his philosophy which were true, he was perfecuted by the pretended philofophers of Holland, who understood him no better; and who, having a nearer view of his glory, hated his perfon the more, fo that he was obliged to leave Utrecht. Des Cartes was injuriously accus'd of being an atheist, the laft refuge of religious scandal: And he who had employ'd all the fagacity and penetration of his genius, in fearching for new proofs of the existence of a God, was fufpected to believe there was no fuch being.

SUCH a perfecution from all fides, must neceffarily fuppofe a most exalted merit, as well as a very diftinguish'd reputation: and indeed he poffefs'd both. Reafon at that time darted a ray upon the world thro' the gloom of the fchools, and the prejudices

of

1

of popular fuperftition. At laft his name
fpread fo univerfally, that the French were
defirous of bringing him back into his na-
tive country by rewards, and accordingly
offered him an annual penfion of a thou-
fand crowns.
Upon these hopes Des
Cartes return'd to France; paid the fees
of his patent, which was fold at that time,
but no penfion was fettled upon him. Thus.
difappointed, he returned to his folitude
in North-Holland, where he again pursued
the study of philofophy, whilft the great
Galileo, at fourfcore years of age, was
groaning in the prifons of the inquifition,
only for having demonftrated the earth's

motion.

AT laft Des Cartes was fnatch'd from the world in the flower of his age at Stock-. holm. His death was owing to a bad Regimen, and he expir'd in the midst of some Literati who were his enemies, and under the hands of a physician to whom he was odious.

THE progrefs of Sir Ifaac Newton's life was quite different. He liv'd happy, and very much honour'd in his native country, to the age of fourfcore and five years.

'TWAS his peculiar felicity, not only to be born in a country of liberty, but in an age when all fcholaftic impertinencies were banish'd from the world. Reason

alone