Morton, Charles, 1627-1698. Naturall phylosophy. A system of physicks : manuscript, 1706. MS Am 2523. Houghton Library, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.

chap. 3d: Naturall Phylosophy. 13 the corruption of another, and so on ye contrary; as ye generation of ashes is ye corruption of wood. 'tis true consequently but not formally, for they are two Distinct Effects of ye Same act.

{Two motions, generation and corruption} {of both is Instantaneous production.} 3 Augmentation is a motion from less quantity to a greater, as in filling a vessel. 4 Diminution is from greater to less, as in emptying a vessel. 5 Alteration is from one Quality to another; 'tis either Essentiiall or Graduall. 1. from one kind to another, as from Essentiall, [insertion] as [/insertion] from hot to cold. 2 Graduall from one degree to another of ye same Quality, as fr: om hot to hotter. 6 Location or Locomotion is from one place to another, this only is allowed, by latter Phylosophers to be true motion for augm :entation and diminution are included in ye Same, and ye rest they call mutations not motions

{Gen: Cov: augment, Disminish alteration} {are changes, ye only motion is location.} 'tis divided in respect to ye line, & principle. 1. Line in or by which it passeth, and so 'tis either simple or mixt. 1. Simple, made in one Simple Line, and so 'tis either Right or cir: :cular 1 Right, from, and to ye center. 1 from ye Center to ye circumference, called ascention, proper to light or Less heavy bodies, they being thrust up to make way for ye heavier as wood or Cork being put to ye bottom of water ascends to ye top thereof. 2 to ye center from the circumference, called descent, proper to heavy bodies as a Stone put to ye top of ye water descends to ye bottom thereof. Ye cause of this is much disputed, wheter from a magneticall virtue in ye globe of ye Earth, or from a quality in ye body Descending called gravity but Let gravita: :tion be from what cause soever; certain it is yt it's necessa: :ry to hold all ye parts that belong to a globe together , or else they would soon disperse themselves, and ye concrete body vanish; so yt if matter should never perish, ye destroying of but this one inclination, and common bond, would soon diss: :olve ye universe, whose atoms wandring in ye universe wo: :uld soon loose themselves. 2 Circular, is made in a line whose parts are equally distant.

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from ye center of ye motion: so moves a wheel a pendulum. (ie a bullet hung by a line when 'tis put a swinging) so move ye planets about ye Earth; and ye Earth (or terragneous globe) probably, about its own Axis. 2 mixt motion is clone by a line partly right, and a patrly circular, such is ye motion of an arrow shot straight for a while, and yn it turns down in a peice of a circle towards the Earth.

{Simple right up or down or circular} {or mist ye lines of Locomotion are} 2 In respect of ye principle from whence ye motion doth arise, and so it is either naturall, violent or mixt. Naturall, as when ye principle of motion in within ye body, as ye descent of a stone; yt is from some Natural power; either active, whereby it contends or endeavours down-wards; (as ye ancients will have it) or passive, whereby it is capable to be attracted to ye Earth (as ye latter men would have it) 2 violent, when ye principle is out of ye Body, as when a stone is thrown upwards. 3 mixt when addition is mate to ye force of nature. as when a stone is thrown down-wards. The Opposite to motion is quiet or rest, is "ch" in respect to motion 1 is Ending before, and so 'tis privation of motion. 2 beginning after it, and yn 'tis ye perfettion thereof. This resolves a doubt whether rest be a positive or privative thing. {all motion, nature, force, or both commands} {opposite rest before and after stands.} as to ye fifth affection of naturall body, Duality, (as some would have it reconed) 'tis various and consequent upon ye particular nature of ye severall species, rather yn one, or from ye generall nature of body: utherefore belong to ye Speciall part of Physicks whither we shall refer it.

Cap:4: of the speciall part of Physicks and first of ye Heavens in Generall.

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The Speciall part of physicks treats of ye Species of bodies and ye first Distribution is into Simple [underlined] and mixt [underlined]. Simple body is y[superscript]t which is not composed of other bodies, and these if Antients thought were Heaven and Elements. [Margin]N not, ye ground of yt Antients to pronounce ye Heavenly [underlined] bodies[underlined] Simple was because they could observe no changes, generations, or Corruptions in ym: but Ye late invention of Telescope (besides other reformations in Astronomy) there's also another Doctrine of Heavenly bodies; for (say ye Latter Phylosophers) had Aristotle's eyes been placed in ye moon, or any oth er of ye Colestiall gloves, he would have seen no more alterations in this our naked Earthly glove, by his naked eyes, than he did from ye Earth Discern in ye Heavens. but our eyes by ye help of this new art, being fortified above 1000 fold can see there those things wch he could not: generations, & corruptions and many other matters we can see in ye body of ye moon, hills, and dales, dry-Land, and water we can see about ye meteors, and Comets; and about ye Sun clouds and steams & therefore, certainly many of ye Colestial globes are concrete bodies as our Earth is, and is no more Simple yn this. upon this consideration, rather, let us divide natural bodies (as ye Scripture doth Gen:1) into Heaven and Earth, & for Earth into Simple [underlined] and mixt [underlined].

[in margin]1 Heaven [underlined] or colestiall body is all ye rest of ye universe. (the aspectible. or visible world) which is farther distant from us un our highest air; as for ye invisible world [underlined] (ye Heave of Heavens, ye throne of god, ye Seat of ye blessed angels and Saints) we are not here to treat of; yt third heaven (as the Apostle calls it) or Empyreall (as ye Phylosophers) is above Phylosophical notion; but there is a first and Second which they make Gold to meddle with. ye first is aeriall )whence birds are called fowls of ye Heaven) this indeed belongs to ye Earth, and is hereafter to be handled in its place. ye second for distinction is called Aethereall [underlined], from Aether, conceived to be more pure yn our finest air, which fills up all ye space between ye Heavenly bodies: and this heaven it is which we have now to do with; and of this Something in generall and Speciall. {first Heaven do birds, yh second stars possess:} {third throne of god, angels and souls doubtless.} in generall [underlined], it was antiently defined [underlined] a simple [underlined] body made up of matter [underlined] & colestial form, but as to ye simplicity [underlined] tis before Laid aside; the matter is now thought the same with outs; &

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Naturall Phylosophy the [ye] form perhaps not much unlike. ye affection [aseri] bed unto ye Heavens were formerly greatest tenuityand sub tility, round figure, with virtue and action upon inferiour bodies, promoted by their motion; of all which some are now found to be mistakes, ye rest figure, influence, and motion(being [nghtly] un derstood) may be admitted, and we shall [anon]. speak something to them. But first, it will be here need full to saya little [of] ye severall systems of ye world as they have been diversly Delivered to us. these are 3,yt of Ptolomy, Tycho, and Copernicus. [margin] 1 of ye old system of Aristotle and Ptolomy, which placeth ye ear =th quite in ye center of ye universe, with it water, 3 versions of air, and ye element of five round about it. [yn] they thought yt ye heavenly orbs were round, holloh, Solid, and transparent globes, or [vessels], containing each other (like ye coats of an Onion) that most of their imagined orbs had some one part more dense [it if] rest, [yt] it might reflect light which they called ye planet of the orb [...]: yt every planet had its distinct orb or sphere to car= :ry it about (like a nail in a wheel) because they knew not how else to solve ye various motions which they had obser= :ved, and could give no other account of ; yea they imagined Some orbs without stars (as ye 2 christallines and ye [primu~] mobile, or first mover) also to each of ye planetary orbs they added [Epicicles] and other Inventions in a most intricate and perplexed modell; and still, to solve ye Phainomena or appea: =rences [arifing] from ye variety and seeming irregularity of their motions, they gave also each orb its intelligence(or an= =gell) who was allways to impell and direct it. according to their frame in [thii] motion of ye. Spheres diverse ways, the inner surface of ye one rubbed against ye outer surface of ye next, and though very polite and smooth (else ye motion wo= =uld have been hindred) yet made a noise with such ah harm= =ony, as ye musick would be admirable if it could be heard. they further say , yt (ye Earth standing still and looking on) the planets have 2, contrary motions. ye one naturall, the other violent. The Naturall Inclination [is] from ye West to ye east, and they compleat their circles round ye Earth in Several periods of time (called therefore ye periodicall motion) ye moon comes in a month; ye Sun with venus and Mercu =ry once in a year; mars in 2; Jupiter in 12 : Saturn in 30 : ye 8th Sphere filled with many stars fixed, most whereof are bigger then ye Earth, and some manyfold) in 36000 years, which great period they call ye Platonick year,

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Wherein all things return where they were (you and I were ye Last revolution here in this place talking of these lame things; when we yn Dyed we drank of Lethe, and so forgot all things as if we had never been) and thus according to Aristotles eternall world) it will be again in ye next revolution He: above this gre: :at 8th sphere of fixed stars, they have their christallines to solve some approaches of ye zodicack and beyond all them is their first mover (or primum mobile) which without regard or conf: :ormity to ye other great periods) whirls at no intelligible rate quite about its vast circle in ye small time of 24 hours and this from East to West by a violent (yet perpetuall) motion, carries with it all ye Inferioun and inclosed orbs, (though it hath no hooks to fasten on their smooth and hard [sioes?] quite con: :trary to their natural inclination. and all these incredibles of ye primum mobile are only to solve ye Diurnall motion, y rising and setting of ye stars and planets which we dayly seen; this is ye ole system.

2 The Latter Hypothesis is by Nicholas Copernicus about 15'0 years since, taken from some old hints of Pythagoras, and the manifest absurdities discovered in ye Ptolomaick Hypothesis was thus proposed: Suppose ye sun in ye center of ye universe not moving from it's place, but turning swiftly in it about it's own axis, to spring or whirl abroad (Like a womans mop) it's rays of heat and Light in ye world. ye planets he supposed to be solid, concrete ([?] perh: :aps habitable) globes. ye Earth he accounted among their numb: :er (by ye name of Proserpina) all these recieve ye light of ye sun for their own use, and reflect it (as so many moons) from one to another, ye next to ye sun was Mercury, who went about he not in a solid sphere, But free space (As ye Birds in ye air, or fis: :hes in ye sea) and ye same is said of all ye vest. ye next about Mercury was ye circle of Venus, these two being near the sun reflect his light most vividly to us, and their circles being least they finish their course in ye shortest periods. about these ye next in ye Earth, and ye Moon, which goes round about it; as [?] men holding hands may dance ye one about ye other, ye one be: :ing as it were ye center of ye others motion. ye Earth and the Moon with it (at due distance) goes round ye sun in yt Line, which was before supposed to be ye suns annuall march, anf by its rolling round its own axis in a tolerable swiftness, once in 24 hours all ye Difficulty about ye dayle motionof ye He: :avens is easily solved, and the primum mobile with its vio: :Lent whirl is Discharged: