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

2.8 Naturall Phylosphy Chap.5th which being more diphonoul do think in ye rays rather yn relfect ym, thus we see this with ye windows of an house wh= ich at distnace. Seem darker or left illuminated yn ye walls wherem they stand. Ye telesope discovers other spots in ye moon. besides these, which are variable and change their places; there are but ye shadows of mountions in ye moon, wchcast their shadows variously as ye sun shines upon ym and this in yt which gives occasion to some to think ye moon (and perhaps other planets) in habitable as our earth is. lastly, from this borrowed light do arise ye serveall & peculiar affection next to be spoken of. (Which 4 things common planets are affected (manitude, numbers,motion, & light refected. asforaffections peculiar to ye sun and moon are considered ye ecclipses wch are obstuction of ye suns luminous rays by ye interpositon of an apacous ( or not trasparent ) body . this 2 fold ( solar. ( Lunar. Solar, when at new=moon, ye moons body is directly inter = posted between ye sun and our eye, whereby its rays cannot co= me Directly to im: tis a full ecclipes when ye interposition in centerall; but tis never totall; bec: ye moon body us lefs yn ye earth. Lunar, when at full : moon, ye earth is at like position bet= ween ye sun and ye moon wherely ye earth's shadow falls thereonll, and keeps off ye sun's light from it. this may be totally ( when centrell) bec: ye earths body in bigger than ye moon. these ecclipes would be every new moon and full moon , were ye moons circular revolution directly under the suns ecliptick (or ye earths) for yn, at all such times, there would be a centrall interposition ; but this not so as experience and atronomy teacheth us. tis only at certain times which ye astronomer that knows ye moons course can fore tell & hence ye uses of ecclipeses are admirable in chronology, to know ye true time of historicall actions, when an ecclipse in noted by ye historian to be near ye time of that action; for ye astronomer can tell soon if there were a ecclipes at that time in Geography, to settle ye true longitude of places for by caculation they can tell at what hour and minute ye eccli= pese must begin and end in this or that longitude, round ye whole world. The Earth magnitude is thereby truly known; for

Chap. 6th Naturall Phylosophy geomentricians can by a segment of circle givin quickly find ye whole circumference, and thereby if true diameter and semi dismeter. 4) and so atronomers have gotten a measure for ye planets , yr distance, and yn by consequence, their magnitudes besides ye certainty, wherewith they are satisfied yt they kn= ow ye true emotions of ye heavens, for otherwise they could ne= ver tell those ecclipses so exactly ai they do. and thus this little shadow gives light to many eminent parts of learning, and therefore we may say yt for those ( or such like) noble ends, did ye wise creator command ye phainomenon in nature. But for these prodigious effects which Astrologers are pleased to aser= ibe unto ym, they ware iole conceits by no wise man to be regarded. ( Ecclipeses solar, Lunar have their use (in Science in Astrology abuse. and thus we have gone through ye heavens, so far as con =cerns naturall phylosophy and how now we come to ye other species of bodies, viz, terrestriall, of wch in the following chapter

Chap: 6 Of Terresriall Bodies, and of ye Elements in Gener: all

Body Terrestriall is either simple or mixt. ye simple are called Elements which are ye materiall con stituent parts of all other bodies. these were commonly acc: ounted four fire, water, earth, air. Cartes makes 3 matters which he denominateth of ye 1st, 2nd, and 3rd element crafs matter ( called matter of ye 3rd element) in it (sas he) of wch all terrestriall bodies are made. Most tenuous or most subtile ye strate matter ( of ye 1st: Element) of this he makes not any body at all, but will have it imployed to. permeate all other bodies, to fill up all the pores & vacuities between their minute parts and so

Thus mettalls of Diverse lumps melted by heat, do run into one; so also in ye burning of wood, ye sulphureous and watery parts (being in some respects alike) do fly up together in ye sm:? :oak? driven up by ye heat; whereas ye earthy and saline (being congeniall one to ye other) do fall down in ye ashes. 2. Colo? (on ye contrary) congregates heterogeneous as well as homoge: :neall bodies: so wood, water, stones etc: are by cold all compatted into one lump of ice, which heat will make soon to fall asunder? again. 2. Palsive? are moist and dry. 1. moist, humidity (or rather indeed sluidity?) in a quality whereby a Gody is easily contained in ye Gounds (or hollow surface) of ano: :ther Gody and with difficulty under its own. So water is easily kept together in ye hollows surface of a glass, gut spatters abro: :ad if cast forth on ye floor. 2. Dry, siccity, (or rather solidity or swiltnels?) whereby Godies (on ye contrary) are easily contained in their own surface, hardly in anothers, as a stone that will not conform it self to ye shape of a glass. N: note, that humid and fluid are mentioned to be but one dual: :ity, yet they seem to be very different; for a thing may be dry and yet freely flow, as ye sand on an hour:glass ye only answer in this case is yt sound is not one body except by Accident as all aggregates and heaps are; gut ye presents distinction concerns bo: :dies lay ye Anistolelians, but ye atomists will have al fluids to be but heaps of round particles, which by yt figure have an easy motion. Thus powdered plaister? of paris? will boil like milk. {First qualities of elements do lye {in active, hot, cold; palsive? moist and dry 2. Second qualities of elements are those which are said to arive from ye 4 first which do affect only, or affect and move. 1. Those yt do affect only, without motion, or do not from their own nature cause ye motion of a body such as these opposite parts density, and rarity, cralsitude?, grolinels?, se?: 1. Density and rarity, a body is dense it is full of it seel?, or yt is compact, having few or small pores, or hath much matter in little surface; so gold is said to be most dense. But rare is to be very porous having little matter in much space as a spunge or cork. N: note, rare is here taken phylosophically; not as culgarly for yt, which is scarce. 2: crafsitude, and tenuity; by crafs or groh, understand (not as culgarly)

A big thick, or fat body but yt which in unapt to enter into ye pores of another body, and on ye other hand tenuous (is not sleneder) but yt wch is apt to enter into pores as generally all fluids are. So ye rays of light pals through ye straight pores of geals? how small so ever they be. And so fine insinuates it self in ye least pores of ye most dense bodies as of gold when it melts it; and thus we see air more tenuous yn water, and five yn air, bee: it can pals? where ye other cannot, Haronels? and Softnets?, hand yeilds not to touch as soft bodies do, so when wax is heated it yields to imprefion?, but not when tis cold. Toughnefs? and Brittlenels?: this is fragile having parts easy to be separated. But yts not so, having parts strongly adhearing together. Now these rare said to come to pals partly from ye position, partly from ye figure, of ye particiles where of ye body is composed. For suppose ye minute parts are Luminous (ie: of plain and flat surfaces) these will stick close together as we see in greater bodies; two flat marbles exactly polished and laid plain to plain, may be easily slipped apart, but hardly by any force, pulled asunder, bec: yn there would be a vacuity in ye middle eve ye air could rush in form ye sides to fill it. So if ye minute parts be Hamated (ie:Hooked) as burns they must needs hitch one in ye other, which if intermingled with parts apt for fluidity it makes yt wch we call clamminels? as in birdlime. etc?: So if ye particles are striated (or long) and these interwoven, traverse, or wreathed, they would hold together as we see in ye wool of yarm, yarn of cloath, splinters of wood wch we may observe in ye cleaving there of with a wedge. Elasticity (or Springinels?) and flexiblenels? so as to stand bent. ye difference we see in steal and led. ye region of elasticity by Dr. Petty is judges to be a magnetical virtue in each of ye particles, where by they incline to stand in a line so as their amicable poles may touch each other and therefore if they are removed from their verticity they will of their own accord recur there into. I know not a better solution of this phainomenon more of this after in ye chapters of aid and mettallarionels?, which hinders motion and Seipperinels, which promotes it; hence we apply oyl, or grease to wheels; ye oyly particles being round do truckle under weight as pease feattered on ye floor may give a man a fall. These and such other like second qualities are decribed by ye antients to be derived from ye 4 first qualities of elements. But latter men do choose rather to solve ym mechanically by ye figure and site of the matter or particles of ye body to which they do belong; as is before explained concerning some of them.