Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	effect_n	natural_a	nature_n	4,625	5	5.6875	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51133	Dioptrica nova, A treatise of dioptricks in two parts : wherein the various effects and appearances of spherick glasses, both convex and concave, single and combined, in telescopes and microscopes, together with their usefulness in many concerns of humane life, are explained / by William Molyneux of Dublin, Esq. ...	Molyneux, William, 1656-1698.; Halley, Edmond, 1656-1742.	1692 (1692)	Wing M2405; ESTC R3440	201,330	332

This is manifest in every Branch of Learning Logick has put on a Countenance clearly different from what it appeared in formerly How unlike is its shape in the Ars Cogitandi Recherches de la Verite c. from what it appears in Smigletius and the Commentators on Aristotle But to none do we owe for a greater Advancement in this Part of Philosophy than to the incomparable Mr. Locke Who in his Essay concerning Humane Understanding has rectified more received Mistakes and delivered more profound Truths established on Experience and Observation for the Direction of Man's mind in the Prosecution of Knowledge which I think may be properly term'd Logick than are to be met with in all the Volumes of the Antients He has clearly overthrown all those Metaphysical Whymsies which infected mens Brains with a Spice of Madness whereby they feign'd a Knowledge where they had none by making a noise with Sounds without clear and distinct Significations Natural Philosophy is now prosecuted by Observation Experiment and History thereof And indeed if we consider it rightly there is really no other sort of Natural Philosophy but this only For by Natural Philosophy or Physicks do we mean any thing else but the Knowledge of the Properties and Affections of Natural Bodies And is this to be obtain'd any otherwise than by Experiment and Observation Can any Man Dispute me into the Knowledge of the Magnet's Attraction Direction and Variation or of the Phaenomena of the Mercurial Baroscope without Tryal and Experiment Can any Arguments prove that a little Sulphur Nitre and Charcole should produce such a quick and strong Blast as Gunpowder before they be actually put together and tryed Men might have disputed to all Eternity before their Gibberish could discover the Use of that ordinary despicable Substance Iron-Ore To which for ought I see as a most ingenious Author has observ'd we are beholding for all the Politure and Plenty all the Learning State and Magnificence of the World beyond the Rudeness Wants and Ignorance of the ancient savage Americans Whose Natural Endowments and Provisions equal those of the most flourishing and polite Nations But they wanted the Advantagious Uses of this contemptible Mineral So that he who first discovered the Use of that one poor Mine or Tubalcain that first taught the way of working in Iron may be deservedly celebrated as the Father of Arts and Author of most of the Conveniences of Human Life I know some will say that by Natural Philosophy is meant not only the Knowledge of the Properties and Uses of Natural Bodies but also the Assgning the true Reasons or Causes of these Properties But in this Particular we are to proceed with great Caution I know the Mind of man is of that inquisitive prying Nature that upon any Appearance offer'd to the Senses it immediately falls to the search after the Cause producing this Effect But indeed in Natural Disquisitions 't is generally I may say almost alwayes to no purpose We may make plausible Conjectures and some sort of feasible Guesses but others perhaps may make others and these also equally probable But these deserve not the Name of Natural Philosophy they serve only for Chat and Diversion For the omnipotent Contriver of the Universe has order'd Natures Operations to be performed by such ●ine Springs secret Motions and inexplicable Ways that Man in this Life may well despair of attaining the intimate Knowledge thereof and must therefore content himself with the Contemplation of plain matter of Fact in which he cannot be deceived But yet that we may not wholly suppress this inquisitive Humour but may only keep it within just Bounds It will be granted That whatever immediate Cause can be assigned to an Effect and it can be proved so to be by some convincing Experiments and these be often repeated and diligently examn'd and found to agree and conspire together we may be allow'd to found thereon an Hypothesis or Supposal of this Cause but no more We must not positively establish it as the undoubted adequate Cause for this we may miss after our most diligent Inquiry However the Experiments we use and demonstrate to sense for the establishing our Hypothesis shall be allowed as unquestionable Verities and shall be embraced as so many Steps of Advancement in the Knowledge of Nature But of the Uncertainty of Assigning Natural Causes I shall give but one Instance and that perhaps as strong as any we shall meet with in Philosophy We are apt to think that the Cause of the Suspension of the Mercury in the Torricellian Experiment is undoubtedly the Gravitation of the Air And we prove it by a most convincing Experiment for putting the Baroscope into the Pneumatick Engine exhaust the Air and the Mercury immediately subsides But when we consider it a little farther we shall find That hereby we have obtaind little more certain Knowledge than plainly the matter of Fact of this latter Experiment and not the adequate Cause of the first Experiment enquired after For we can only conclude from hence that the Equipoise of Liquors is the Cause of the Mercury's Suspension But what is the Cause of this Equipoise of Liquors or the Cause of the Gravitation of any Liquors or any Bodies That is What is the Cause of Gravity in general is clearly unknown to us and consequently the ultimate Cause of the Mercury's Suspension is not hereby discovered 'T is true indeed by this Experiment we have most probably arriv'd at the Knowledge of one Link more in the Chain of Natural Causes but this is not conclusive this puts not an end to the Enquiry For so if one looking at a Pendulum Clock should enquire Why the Pendulum does not cease by degrees from vibrating And he were answered That it is kept in motion by the next immediate Wheel that beats on the Pallats And this were offer'd to be proved by Experiment for stop the motion of this Wheel and the Pendulum soon ceases Would he not presently be satisfied and go away secure that he had discovered the Cause of the Continuation of the Pendulum's Motion And yet certainly he has mistaken one single Link for the whole Chain For if he proceeded farther and had enquired What moved this Wheel He would find the next Wheel and so onwards to the Weight or Spring But here he 's at a Loss for what moves them is absolutely unknown As to most other Reasons in Natural Philosophy that usually pass as satisfactory and are received as Accounts of Nature's Proceedings We shall generally find them little more than farther Illustrations of the Matter enquired after in some different Words Thus if it be asked What is the Reason the Sun casts a shadow from some Bodies viz. those we call opaque and none from others viz. Transparent Bodies 'T is answer'd Because by the opaque Body the Rays of the Sun are stopt in their Progress and hindred from enlighting that Part of the Ground or Floor that is behind the Body

over and that is A pious Reflection which he makes on this occasion concerning Final Causes For 't is manifest that the Ray proceeding from C does not consult with it self how it may with the greatest ease arrive at the Point E or D or G neither is it carried by it self to those Points But the Great Creator of all things has so made Light that this most beautiful orderly and admirable Event should result from its very Nature Wherefore they are in a great Error who reject Final Causes in Natural Philosophy which besides affording us occasion of admiring and adoring the Divine Wisdom do often discover to us a curious Principle of finding out the Properties of those things whose inward Nature is not so clearly known by us as that we can explain the immediate efficient Causes and Instruments which the Almighty Mover imploys in producing those Effects and obtaining those Ends. Indeed I should think it an Attempt worth the Thought of some profound Philosopher to give an Account of those admirable orderly and beautiful Appearances in Nature whereof we can most plainly apprehend the Designs and Final Causes but can hardly proceed to any farther Knowledg of them Thus for instance suppose it were asked What is the cause of Refraction Were it not much satisfactory to answer That thereby the Ray may proceed the easiest way possible This surely might be able to convince the most obstinate Opposers of Divinity For certainly if we can rely upon ●ny Deduction or Consequence drawn out by the Mind of Man we may assuredly rest satisfied in this that so many Phaenomena stupendous and surprising for their designed Contrivance could not proceed but from an Omnipotent and Designing Being But if after all they will arrive to such an height of Extravagance as to say We cannot rely on these Conclusions as being all in the dark and knowing nothing let them look to the hazard of their own Principles who endanger their eternal Happiness on confidence of their own Arguments But to resume our Subject The Famous Mons. Fermat has written a long Demonstration of this same Principle in Dioptricks 'T is publish'd amongst the French Letters at the end of his Opera Mathematica Tolosae 1679. Pag. 158. To which I refer the Reader 4. But after all perhaps it may not be amiss to illustrate this Business of Refraction by some more familiar and sensible Instance Wherefore Tab. 38. Fig. 5. Let the Parallelogram A B C D represent a Ray of Light of this breadth and let it fall on the plain Surface of the Glass E F this in some measure does stop its Course and the Point B entering the Glass shall endeavour but slower to proceed onwards directly to G in the Line A B produced But all this while the Point D continuing yet in the Air shall continue its former motion in the Right Line C D H but now 't is impossible for both the Points to obtain what both endeavour for each cannot perform his direct Motion one slower and t'other quicker And therefore that they may both come nighest to what each endeavours they shall both be turned about some certain Point Z in the Right Line D B produced So that whilst the Point D in the thinner Medium proceeding quicker describes the greater Arch D d the Point B proceeding more slowly in the more Dense Medium describes the lesser Arch B b and when they have thus run through both these Arches the Right Line B D shall obtain the Posture b d. And now that the Point D also is emerged into the more Dense Medium at d and it also is now as much retarded as b these circular Motions shall now cease for D is not now carried quicker than B and therefore describes not as before a greater Arch. Wherefore forsaking as soon as they can their former Progress they shall both proceed in d c b a the Tangents to their Arches And the whole Ray A B C D thus bent and brought into the Posture a b c d proceeds onwards directly in that Course And here 't is to be noted That whatever Inclination A B has on E F the Arches D d B b or their Semidiameters Z D Z B have always the same Proportion to wit such a Proportion as the peculiar Difference in the Resistance or Density of one and t'other Medium does require which is to be determined by Experiment For Tab. 38. Fig. 6. Let us suppose the Point B thrust forwards towards Q or N and that the Medium below E F is perfectly Homogeneous that is equally resisting in all Parts thereof there is then no reason why this Point should not be carried with an equal Celerity towards whatever Part that is it shall tend equally quick towards Q in the Right Line O B Q supposing its direction lye that way as towards N in the Right Line A B N And therefore the Rays of Light A B O B however differently inclined shall find an equal Resistance and the Point B whether it tend towards Q or N shall be equally retarded And also seeing the Point D Tab. 38. Fig. 5. continues in the first Medium it shall be thrust forwards with the same Celerity whatever is its Inclination Whence 't is manifest that these Motions or Paths passed over in the same time to wit the circular Arches D d B b shall always observe the same Proportion that is the Proportion of their Semidiameters Z D Z B or Z d Z b which Proportion therefore principally and chiefly measures and determines the Refractions of Rays in the same two Mediums And this is the same Proportion as is between the Sines of the Angles opposite to Z d Z B in the Triangle Z d B that is of the Angles Z B d or Z B E and Z d B. But Z B E is the Complement of the Angle A B E and therefore by Def. 2. Part. I. Z B E is the Angle of Incidence or Inclination of A B to E F and the Angle Z d B is the Complement of the Angle F d c and therefore Z d B is the Refracted Angle by Def. 3. Part. I. From hence is manifest what we assert in the 7 Experiment Part I. And here we shall note that according to Exper. 6. Part I. Z D shall be to Z B As 300 To 193 or as 14 to 9. 5. And thus much concerning Refraction The Consideration whereof does naturally suggest unto us That Light is a Body For however the Antient Aristotelians defined it Actus perspicui quatenus perspicuum which is perfectly unintelligible yet so much we may perceive hereby that they designed to exclude it from all Corporeal Notion But the various Properties of Light that do necessarily belong to a Body are so many and evident that they leave no room for any farther doubt in this matter I shall mention but a few 6. And first by this Affection of being refracted 't is