many. Therefore he enquir'd strictly into all such Bodies as he had
about him, _viz_. those which he had been employ'd about all along, and
he found that they were all liable to _Generation_ and _Corruption_: And
if there were any which did not suffer a total Corruption, yet they were
liable to a partial one, as _Water_ and _Earth_, the parts of which are
consum'd by Fire. Likewise he perceiv'd, that the _Air_ was by extremity
of Cold chang'd into Snow, and then again into Water; and among all the
rest of the Bodies which he was conversant with, he could find none
which had not its Existence anew, and required some _voluntary Agent_ to
give it a Being. Upon which account he laid them all aside, and
transferr'd his Thoughts to the Consideration of the Heavenly Bodies.
And thus far he reach'd in his Contemplations, about the end of the
fourth Septenary of his Age, _viz_. when he now eight and twenty Years
old.

§ 51. Now he knew very well, that the Heavens, and all the Luminaries in
them, were Bodies, because they were all extended according to the three
Dimensions Length, Breadth and Thickness, without any exception; and
that every thing that was so extended, was Body; _ergo_, they were all
Bodies. Then, he consider'd next, whether they were extended infinitely,
as to stretch themselves to an endless Length, Breadth and Thickness;
or, whether they were circumscrib'd by any Limits, and terminated by
some certain Bounds, beyond which there could be no Extension. But here
he stopp'd a while, as in a kind of Amazement.

§ 52. At last, by the strength of his Apprehension, and Sagacity of his
Understanding, he perceiv'd that the Notion of infinite Body was absurd
and impossible, and a Notion wholly intelligible. He confirm'd himself
in this Judgment of his, by a great many Arguments which occurr'd to
him, when he thus argued with himself. _That this heavenly Body is