HKB
[84] Aristotles confutation of Democritus refuted by the Author.
That which hath made Aristotle believe, the Motion of Ascent to be swifter in Air, than in water, was first, the having referred the Causes of slow and quick, as well in the Motion of Ascent, as of Descent, only to the diversity of the Figures of the Moveable, and to the more or less Resistance of the greater or lesser Crassitude, or Rarity of the Medium; not regarding the comparison of the Excesses of the Gravities of the Moveables, and of the Mediums: the which notwithstanding, is the most principal point in this affair: for if the augmentation and diminution of the Tardity or Velocity, should have only respect to the Density or Rarity of the Medium, every Body that descends in Air, would descend in water: because whatever difference is found between the Crassitude of the water, and that of the Air, may well be found between the Velocity of the same Moveable in the Air, and some other Velocity: and this should be its proper Velocity in the water, which is absolutely false. The other occasion is, that he did believe, that like as there is a positive and intrinsecall Quality, whereby Elementary Bodies have a propension of moving towards the Centre of the Earth, so there is another likewise intrinsecall[85], whereby some of those Bodies have an Impetus of flying the Centre, and moving upwards: by Vertue of which intrinsecall Principle, called by him Levity, the Moveables which have that same Motion more easily penetrate the more subtle Medium, than the more dense: but such a Proposition appears likewise uncertain, as I have above hinted in part, and as with Reasons and Experiments, I could demonstrate, did not the present Argument importune me, or could I dispatch it in few words.
[85] Lib. 4. Cap. 5.
The Objection therefore of Aristotle against Democritus, whilst he saith, that if the Fiery ascending Atomes should sustain Bodies grave, but of a distended Figure, it would be more observable in the Air than in the water, because such Corpuscles move swifter in that, than in this, is not good; yea the contrary would evene, for that they ascend more slowly through the Air: and, besides their moving slowly, they ascend, not united together, as in the water, but discontinue, and, as we say, scatter: And, therefore, as Democritus well replyes, resolving the instance they make not their push or Impetus conjunctly.
Aristotle, in the second place, deceives himself, whilst he will have the said grave Bodies to be more easily sustained by the said Fiery ascending Atomes in the Air than in the Water: not observing, that the said Bodies are much more grave in that, than in this, and that such a Body weighs ten pounds in the Air, which will not in the water weigh 1/2 an ounce; how can it then be more easily sustained in the Air, than in the Water?
[Sidenote: Democritus confuted by the Authour.]