written with feelings of acrimony, hostility, or disrespect towards the individuals, merely because I have strenuously assailed the errors which their arguments are calculated to extend; every hostile feeling is absorbed by the errors, and the only feeling with which they themselves inspire me, is a jealousy of estimation on behalf of that Sacred Authority which rightfully claims the entire devotion of their great and splendid endowments. Though courtesy, by the laws of chivalry, was ever to precede, accompany, and follow the tournament, and never to be relinquished, (from which laws I am not conscious that I have in any instance departed); yet, I never read, that it was accounted courteous to fight feebly, in order to procure the prize for the opposite party. The purpose, for which the lists were entered, was to be actively and energetically pursued; and, whichever party was unhorsed fairly, no want of courtesy was imputed to the vigour of the charge; nor, if they were true knights, would it in any degree corrupt the courtesy of the feeling. As those contended exclusively for honour, so I shall assume, that our contest will be exclusively for truth. We are not to copy the French peasant, who ran in the night to fetch a priest to his dying father; and who knocked at the priest's door for three hours gently, for fear of waking him1. I respect fully invite refutation, and am equally ready to acknowledge with frankness the power of victory in an adversary's argument, or, still further to demonstrate its fallacy "Le père d'un paysan se mouroit. Le paysan fut la nuit "trouver le Curé, et demeura trois heures à sa porte à heurter douce"ment. Le Curé lui dit: Que ne heurtiez-vous plus fort? "J'avois peur, dit-il, de vous réveiller." p. 212. Dict. d'Anecdotes, tom. ii. or its infirmity. "In pugna pugilum et gladiatorum, plerumque non quia fortis est vincit quis, aut quia non potest vinci, sed quoniam ille qui victus est, "nullis viribus fuit: adeo idem ille victor, bene valenti 66 66 1 postea comparatus, etiam superatus recedit 1." I shall honour and esteem that writer, who shall demonstrate the errors of my argument on this great subject, with feelings congenial to those with which I have pointed out the errors of others. Let him only accomplish his task sincerely, and successfully, and he cannot expose too severely for my sensibility the reality of the errors, inconsequences, or absurdities which he may have to reveal; that they may not mislead others, and may cease to mislead myself; οφρα τις ώδ' ειπῃσιν Αχαιων τε Τρώων τε η μεν εμάρνασθην εριδος περι θυμοβόροιο, But, this supposes an Ajax in an opponent. If I obtain a competent, just, and honourable refuter, "Possum ego censuram scriptoris ferre severi, "Et possum modicâ laude placere mihi." 1 TERTULLIAN, de Prascriptionibus, &c. cap. 2. . 2 Il. vii. 300. ERRATA. VOL I. p. 315, line 1, for 50 lunar years, read 50th lunar year. p. 326, 16, for quid, read quod. VOL. II. p. 114, line 17, dele it. p. 261, note, line ult. for Chorographia, read Chronographia. OF THE MODE OF THE FIRST FORMATIONS OF THE EARTH, ACCORDING TO THE MINERAL GEOLOGY. Page CHAPTER I. OF THE MATERIALS WHICH COMPOSE THE CRUST OF THE EARTH- CHAPTER II. MINERAL ............... OF THE MINERAL GEOLOGY:- - ITS DISTINCTION FROM MINERALOGY -ITS APPEAL TO THE PHILOSOPHIES OF BACON AND NEWTON .... CHAPTER III. ITS FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE, CHAOTIC AND CHEMICAL - VARI OUSLY MODIFIED: -ESSENTIAL OPPOSITION OF THAT PRINCIPLE TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF NEWTON-EXEMPLIFIED-1ST, WITH RELATION TO THE MODE OF FIRST FORMATIONS CHAPTER IV. EXEMPLIFIED, 2DLY, WITH RELATION TO THE CAUSE OF THE SPHERICAL FIGURE OF THE EARTH ............ .......... 1 17 23 36 CHAPTER V. Page EXEMPLIFIED, 3DLY, WITH RELATION TO THE METHODS OF ANALYSIS AND SYNTHESIS IN PHYSICAL INQUIRIES; AND TO THE INDUCTION, BY THE FORMER, OF THE MOST GENERAL PRINCIPLE WHICH OPERATES IN NATURE. .-DEFICIENCY OF THAT MOST GENERAL PRINCIPLE IN THE SYSTEMS OF THE MINERAL GEOLOGY.. 53 CHAPTER VI. THAT DEFICIENCY DEMONSTRATED FIRST, BY DEDUCING THE MODE OF FIRST FORMATIONS IN THE TWO KINGDOMS OF NATURE, ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE 63 CHAPTER VII. SECONDLY, BY APPLYING THE SAME RULE TO FIRST FORMATIONS IN THE REMAINING THIRD, OR MINERAL, KINGDOM:- THE MODE OF FIRST FORMATION, DEMONSTRATED TO BE, NECESSARILY, ONE AND THE SAME IN ALL THE THREE KINGDOMS; NAMELY, THE MODE OF INTELLIGENT CREATION, CONFORMABLY TO THE PRINCIPLES OF NEWTON'S PHILOSOPHY CHAPTER VIII. THE CHAOTIC CHEMICAL PRINCIPLE, ASSUMED BY THE MINERAL GEOLOGY TO ACCOUNT PARTIALLY FOR FIRST FORMATIONS IN ONE ONLY OF THE THREE KINGDOMS OF NATURE, SHEWN TO BE CONTRARY TO, AND IRRECONCILABLE WITH, TRUE PHILOSOPHY; CONGENIAL WITH ALCHYMY-AND, THE CONSEQUENCE OF THAT DEFICIENCY OF THE MOST GENERAL PRINCIPLE IN ITS SCIENCE, WHICH WAS BEFORE DEMONSTRATED CHAPTER IX. THE CAUSE OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE CHAOTIC PRINCIPLE BY THE MINERAL GEOLOGY, SHEWN TO BE, THE EXCLUSION OF MORAL PRINCIPLES FROM ITS PHYSICAL SPECULATIONS; IN DIRECT OPPOSITION TO THE METHOD OF NATURAL PHILOSOPHY EMPLOYED AND TAUGHT BY NEWTON 79 103 117 CHAPTER X. GENERAL CONCLUSION FROM THE PRECEDING ARGUMENT.... 136 |