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# Title: An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding (shelfmarks Leibn. Marg. 38; ZEN Leibn. Marg. 38)
# Folio 144, page id 778263916:0160
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Our Ideas of Substances.
Bodies atd divisible, nor vet hor cheir parrs colere, ther ranrins chac
caule oF cotiesion, Wrhich is giren of the cohetion of the parts oF all other
Bodies.
8. 24. Dut in truch the pressure of any ambient Fluid, hoW Great (oever,
ean be nointelligible cause of The cohesion of the solid parts of Matier. For
thousl such a pressure may hinder the avulsion ot ero polistied Super-
fcies, one trom another in a Line perpendicular tothem, as in the Expe.
riment ofero politred Marbles: Vet ic can never, in che least, hinder tho
separation by a Motion, in a Line parallel to thele Superticies. Because
che ambient Auid, havins a tull liberty to succced in cach point ot Space,
diserted by a lateral motion, relists such a motion oF Bodies (0 joincd, no
more, than it ould resist the motion ot thar Body, vere it on all sices
environed by that Fluid, and touched no other BodY: Andtheretore, il
chere vere no other caule ot cohesion, aIl parts of Bodies must be casily
separable by such a lateral Piding motion. Forit che pressure ofche Acher
be the adequate eause of cohetion, irhere ever that cause operates nOE,
there can be no cohesion. And since it Cannor operate againt such a la-
ceral separation, (as has been Mered,) cheresore in every unaginary plain,
interlecting any mass ot Marter, there could be no more cohelion, thanot
erro polistied Superticies; erhieh will alvars, nocwithtandivs any ima
sinable precture of2 Fluid, casilz Aide one trom anocher: (0 thaF, per-
haps, hor clear an Ldea soever e thinte re have oF the Fixcension
ofBodr, ertich is nochins bur the cohesion ot solid parts, he chac Mall
ell consider it inhris Mind, may have realon to conclude, Thac ris as
easie For tim to have a clear Idea, hou the Soul thints, as hou Body is ex-
tended. For lince Body is no Parther, nor otherwise extended, than by
the union and cohesion of its solid parts, e Mall very ill comprehend
the extension of Body, withour understanding iherein consilts the union
and cohesion of ies parts; Which seems to me as incomprehiensible, as the
manner of Thintins, and hor ic is pertormed.
6. 25. Tallon, it is usual for most People to monder, hoir aur one
Mrould finda disficultr in Wwhat chez chink thez every day observe. Do We
not scc, ill they be ready to Pay, the parts oF Bodies sick fumly tore.
ther: Is there any thins more common: And wrhat doubt can there be
made ofit: And chelike, I say, concernins Thintins, and voluntarr
Motion: Dore nocevers moment experiment it in our lelves; and there-
fore can it be doubted. The matrer ot tactis clear, I contels; but wten
ere vould a little nearer look into it, and consider hor it is done, there,
Ichink, We areat a lols, both inthe one, and theottier; and can as lictle
understand hou the parts of Body cohere, as how ve our selves perceive,
Or move. Ivould have ans one intellisibls explain to me, hior the
parts of Gold, or Brals, (that but vorr in fusion vere as le ole trom onc ano-
ther, as tho Particles oF Water, or ehe Sands ot an ITour- glals,) come in
a terr moments to be sounited, and adhere (0 Aronely one ro another,
thac the utmost Force otMensarms cannot separare them: a considerine
Nan will. Ysuppose, be here at a lols, tolatistie his omn, or another Mans
Vnderctandine
5. 26. Thelittle Bodies that compose that Fluid, WWe calI Water, are 10
extreamlr lnall, that l have never heard ot anv one, Who by a Micro
Scope, (and vet P hare heard oF lome, that hare magnihied tO FOCOO;
naY; to much abore 10000otimes,) pretended to perceire cheir di
Rinct Bult, Figure, Or Motion: And the Particles ofWater, are allo (0 per.
Tectly loole one trom another, that the least torce sensibly separates them.
Pas, il We consider iheis perpecual morion, ne mult allor rhemco have
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