An Examen of Mr. T. Hobbs His Dialogus Physicus de Natura Aeris; As Far as It Concerns Mr. Boyle's Book of New Experiments Touching the Spring of the (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: fbme Months before the Society was begun. And the Experiments themfelves had been long before the Book came fortbj not onely feen and difcourfedof by divers Learned Men and Illuftrious Perfbns, but had the Honour to have our great Monarch of the VirtMofi, as well as of Great Britain, for a Spectator. And though poffibly divers of the Learned Mem- bets of our Aflembly may have no unfavourable opinion of what I have delivered in that Book5 yet the AfTembly, as fuch, has been fo far from Adopting or Owning my Opinions as theirs, that it has with Approbation been propos'd among them, to repeat the Experiments, and take a review of the Explications, that upon a ftrift Exataen of the feveral Opinions, and the Objections that could be brought in againft them, they might fee what Judgement will be fit to be part on them. And although there be very few Philofophers whofe Parts may make their Judgement more formidable to me 5 yet to comply with their Defign, whatfoeverthe event might be, I prefented them the Engine it felf, I had made ufe of and defcrib'd in my Book5 chufing rather to undergo their Cenfures, than want their InftrucHons. By which it may appear, upon how little ground Mr. Hobbs has thought fit to impute to the Society thofe Opinions which (how Erroneous fbever he is pleas'd to think them,) I muft own to be mine. And this Juftice I the rather do It, becaufe 'tis all that I am to do in this Treatife on their Behalf, not onely for the Rea.- fons above intimated, but becaufe the Vindication of fuch an Afiembly againft Mr. Hobbsdeferves' a better Pen than mine, though it doth not need it, Secondly, undertaking then the Defence of my own Caufe, without Intereffingthemin my Quarrel, I muft next admon- ifh the Reader, that whereas Mr. Hobbs writes, as if the new Experiments were d...