He hath enriched mathematics with many precife and geometrical quadratures of the circle. He firft difcovered the caufe of gravity, and the inteftine motion of fluids. To him we owe all the obfervations on the parallax of the pole ftar, and all the new theories of the deluge. He it was that first taught the right ufe fometimes of the fuga vacui, and fometimes of the materia fubtilis, in refolving the grand phænomena of nature. He it was that firit found out the palpability of colours; and, by the delicacy of his touch, could diftinguifh the dif ferent vibrations of the heterogeneous rays of light. His were the projects of perpetuum mobiles, flying en gines, and pacing faddles; the method of discovering the longitude by bomb veffels, and of increafing the tradewind by vaft plantations of reeds and fedges. I fhall mention only a few of his philofophical and ma- thematical works. 1. A complete digeft of the laws of nature, with a review of thole that are obfolete or repealed, and of those that are ready to be renewed and put in force. 2 A mechanical explication of the formation of the univerfe, according to the Epicurean hypothefes. 3. An investigation of the quantity of real matter in the univerfe, with the proportion of the fpecific gravity of folid matter to that of fluid. 4. Microfcopical obfervations of the figure and bulk of the constituent parts of all fluids. A calculation of the proportion in which the fluids of the earth decrease, and of the period in which they will be totally exhausted, 5. A computation of the duration of the fun, and how long it will laft before it is burned out.. 6. A method to apply the force arifing from the im menfe velocity of light to mechanical purposes. 7. An aufwer to the queftion of a curious gentleman; how long a new far was lighted up before its appearance to the inhabitants of our earth? To which is fubjoined, a calculation how much the inhabitants of the moon eat for fupper, confidering that they pafs a night equal to fifteen of our natural days. 8. A demonftration of the natural dominion of the in habitants of the earth over thofe of the moon, if ever anintercourfe fhould be opened between them. With a pro- · pofal of a partition-treaty among the earthly potentates,, in cafe of fuch difcovery. 9. Tide-tables, for a comet, that is to approximate to-wards the earth. 10. The number of the inhabitants of London determined by the reports of the gold-finders, and the tonnage of their carriages; with allowance for the extraordinary. quantity of the ingefta and egefta of the people of England, and a deduction of what is left under-dead walls, and dry ditches. It will from hence be evident, how much all his studies were directed to the univerfal benefit of mankind. Numerous have been his projects to this end, of which two alone will be fufficient to fhew the amazing grandeur of his genius. The first was a propofal, by a general contribution of all princes, to pierce the firft cruft or nu cleus of this our earth, quite through, to the next concen trical fphere. The advantage he propofed from it was, to find the parallax of the fixt flars; but chiefly to refute Sir Ifaac Newton's Theory of Gravity, and Mr. Halley's of the Variations. The fecond was, to build two poles to the meridian, with inmenfe light-houfes on the top of them ; to fapply the defect of nature, and to make the longitude as caly to be calculated as the latitude. Both thefe he could not but think very practicable, by the power of all the potentates of the world. May we prefume after thefe to mention, how he defcended from the fublime to the beneficial parts of know. lege, and particularly his extraordinary practice of phyfic. From the age, complexion, or weight of the perfon given, he contrived to prefcribe at a distance, as well as at a patient's bed-fide. He taught the way to many mo dern phyficians, to cure their piticats by intuition, and to others to cure without looking on them at all. He projected a menftruum to difolve the ftone, made of Dr. Woodward's univerfal deluge-water. Hi all was the device to relieve confumptive or afthmatic perfons, by bringing fresh air out of the country to town, by pipes of the nature of the recipien's of ir-pumps and to introduce the native air of a man's country into any other in which he should travel, with a feasonable intromiffion of fuch teams as were moft familiar to bin; to the inexpreffible comfort of many Scotfinen, Laplanders, and white bears. In phyfiognomy, his penetration is fuch, that, from the picture only of any perfon, he can write his life; end from the features of the parents, draw the portrait of any child that is to be born. Nor hath he been fo enrapt in these studies, as to neglect the polite arts of painting, architecture, mufic, poetry, &c. It was he that gave the first hint to our mo dern painters, to improve the likeness of their portraits, by the ufe of fuch colours as would faithfully and conftantly accompany the life, not only in its prefent ftate, but in all its alterations, decays, age, and death itself. In architecture, he builds not with fo much regard to prefent fymmetry or conveniency, as with a thought well worthy a true lover of antiquity, to wit, the noble effect the building will have to pofterity, when it fhall fall and become a ruin. As to mufic, I think Heidegger has not the face to de-ny that he has been much beholden to his fcores. In poetry, he hath appeared under a hundred different names, of which we may one day give a catalogue.. In politics, Lis writings are of a peculiar caft, for the most part ironical, and the drift of them often fo delicate and refined as to be mistaken by the vulgar. He once went fo far as to write a perfuafive to people to eat their own children, which was fo little understood as to be taken in ill part *. He has often written against liberty in the name of Freeman and Algernon Sydney, in vindication of the measures of Spain under that of Raleigh, and in praise of corruption under thofe of Cato and Publicola.. It is true, that at his last departure from England, in the reign of Q. Anne, apprehending left any of these might be perverted to the fcandal of the weak, or encouragement of the flagitious, he caft them all, without mer-cy, into a bog-boufe near St. James's. Some however Swift's ironical tract on that fubject, intitled, A modest propofal for preventing the children of poor people in Ireland from being a burden to their parents, &c. vol. iii. have been with great diligence recovered, and fished up with a hook and line, by the minifterial writers, which make at prefent the great ornaments of their works. Whatever he judged beneficial to mankind, he conftantly communicated (not only during his itay among us, but ever fince his abfence) by fome method or other in which oftentation had no part. With what incredible modesty he concealed himself, is known to numbers of those to whom he addreffed fometimes Epiftles, fometimes Hints, fometimes whole Treatifes, Advices to friends, Projects of first minifters, Letters to members of parliament, Accounts to the Royal Society, and innumerable others. All these will be vindicated to the true author, in the course of these memoirs. I may venture to fay, they can no: be unacceptable to any, but to thofe, who will ap pear too much concerned as plagiaries, to be admitted as judges. Wherefore we warn the public, to take particular notice of all fuch as manifeft any indecent paffion at the appearance of this work, as perfons moft certainly invol ved in the guilt. The End of the Firft Book MARTINUS I Written in the Year 1727. CHA P. I. Thath been long, my dear countrymen, the fubject of my concern and furprize, that whereas numberless poets, critics, and orators, have compiled and digefted the art of antient poefy, there hath not rifen among us one perfon. fo public-fpirited, as to perform the like for the modern. Although it is univerfally known, that our every way induftrious moderns, both in the weight of their writings, and in the velocity of their judgments, do fo infinitely excel the faid antients, Nevertheless, too true it is, that while a plain and di rect road is paved to their 40s, or fublime, no track has been yet chilked out to arrive at our 05, or profound. The Latins, as they came between the Grecks and us, made ufe of the word altitudo, which implies equally heighth and depth. Wherefore confidering, with no small grief, how many promiling geniufes of this age are wan dering, as I may fay, in the dark without a guide, I have undertaken this arduous but neceffary talk, to lead them, as it were by the hand, and step by step, the gentle downhill way to the bathos; the bottom, the end, the central point, the non plus ultra, of true modern poefy! When I confider, my dear countrymen, the extent, fertility, and populoufnefs of our lowlands of Parnaffus, the flourishing tite of our trade, and the plenty of our manus |