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wish, if poffible, to understand you. Do you mean, then, you know by experiments that there are more bodies in which vis inertia ând gravity are equal, than in which the former exists without the latter, If fo, I wish you had been fo kind as to have favoured us with one or two of these experiments. At prefent I make ao fcruple to affirm that vis inertia and gravity are in no cafe either equal to, or greater or lef than each other. They do not meafure each other, neither have they any common meafure. As well may you compare the found of a cannon with the velocity of the ball thrown from it, or either of the two with the finell of the powder."

po

A typographical error, in the printing more for most, in our Review, hath here given Mr. Cole an opportunity of difplaying his knack at mifconception. Our purpofed ufe of the tential, may be, inftead of the indicative, is, affords him, alfo, a like opportunity of verbal triumph; to both which he is heartily welcome. We flatter ourfelves we can afford to make much greater blunders, without lofing credit with our readers. We did not difpute, however, about words, but things; and may probably have failed, therefore, in due precifeness of expreffion. By the term equal we meant only that the two properties, in bodies of the fame kind, bear, cæteris paribus, the fame ratio of proportion. To speak, if we can, ftill plainer; by the equality mentioned was meant merely that in bodies of the fame denfity, electricity, &c. their vis inertia is always greater or lefs, in proportion to their weight, & vice versa; the reciprocation between the two qualities arifing from the one's being a neceflary refult or mechanical effect of the other The weight of palpable bodies, which we meant by gravity, Mr. Cole might have known, we have repeatedly deduced from the action of their vis inertia on their furrounding medium according to which hypothefis, they muft neceffarily bear in all bodies a reciprocal relation to each other-Mr.'

*For the vis inertia is an active, pra&tical, principle in compound corpufcles and bodies, and not any occult inactive quality in fimple elements. -Mr. Cole either ignorantly mistakes, or wilfully mifapplies, our remark, that, "there may be vis inertia where there is no gravity," in fupponing we meant to infinuate that there are palpable bodies without gravity. We are convinced that all palpable bodies (by which we mean all fuch as are feverally objects of fenfe) do gravitate; but then there are elementary cor pufeles, fuch for inftance as the particles of light, which are feverally impalpable, and may not gravitate. And yet thefe, not being fimple elements, may have vis inertie, or a tendency to refift any alteration of their prefent ftate of motion or reft; a property apparently infeparable from every thing that hath locality. Even a tendency to expand, in all directions, no more inter a difpofition to change of place, than doth an abfolute indifpofition to move or expand. Univerfal repulfion is furely neater akin to is inertia than partial attraction!

Cole,

Cole, indeed, affects to understand that by "gravity and vis inertia being, on moft occafions, equal," we meant to say that the vis inertia of one body might be made the criterion or standard of the gravity of another. But, if we had given fufficient reafon for fuch mifunderstanding, we fhould follow his example and take fhame to ourfelves.-And yet, if we eftimate the gravity, or weight, of a body by the velocity it acquires in falling for a certain period of time (and this we may justly do, as fuch weight itself is relative, depending altoge ther on the velocity of the body's defcent at the first moment of its fall), we fhall find that the vis inertia, and gravity, even of different bodies, are not properties fo totally diftinct, different, and incommenfurable, as Mr. Cole is pleased, in his po Jitive tone, to maintain.

We might, fays he, as well compare the report of a cannon with the velocity of the ball or the fmell of the powder.Surely, we fmell gunpowder here! Take care, Mr. Cole, you are not blown up! How! the gravity or weight of bodies, in no wife to be measured by their vis inertia, or power of perfifting in their prefent ftate of motion or reft! Surely they are both phyfical powers, and are capable of reciprocally acting againft, of counterballancing, and overcoming each other, in practical mechanics. When I fufpend a weight by a running liné over a pulley, and faften the other end of the line to a body placed on a fmooth horizontal plane (fuppofe a plane fo fmooth, or the body raised on wheels fo light and high, as to remove all friction), is not the gravity of the defcending weight in this cafe oppofed, to the vis inertia of the horizontally-mov ing body? And is not the one, in fome light of comparison, a criterion of the other? We are told that the weight of a fly moves the whole globe of the earth: but how many miles an hour? Will a fufpended fly, though it might be faid to overcome the vis inertia of the fuppored body, make it move as faft as a greater weight? Or, if it did, would a fly defcending with any velocity, and pulling a line the contrary way, flop fuch moving body, or retard it more than proportionally, viz. out of all proportion between the vis inertia of the horizontally-moving body and the weight of the vertically-defcending one? Till thefe queftions are properly answered, let Mr. Cole take fhame, again, to himfelf; or more gallantly liften to the noife of his own cannon, and gratefully fnuff up the fcent of his own gun-powder. The finell of gun powder ! quotha!

Palabras, Neighbour Verges, comparitons are odorous." But we have almoft outrun the conflable too; and muft, thereVOL. VI.

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fore,

fore, take our leave of Mr. Cole of Colchefter; which we fhall do with a gratulatory remark on the concluding paragraph of his well-penned epiftle.

*

"So much for that part of your criticifm which wears the femblance of argument. The abufive, the fcurrilous parts of it deferre no anfwer from,

Colchester, Nov. 27,

1777.

Sir,

Your humble fervant,

WILLIAM COLE"

Well faid, Mafter Cole? difcreetly defigned, and as prudently executed! Having fo critically and argumentatively anfwered all that wore the femblance of argument, it would have been abfurd to answer that which had none. Nay it would have been fomewhat puzzling too, with all your ingenuity, to give, even an unmerited anfwer to queftions, that were never afked. And nothing but a queftion in exprefs terms, you know, is to be answered. This continual harping, how ever, on abuse and fcurrility, and applying fuch terms to the provoked freedom (we cannot fay feverity) with which Mr. Cole's tract was before treated, feems to infinuate that the writer is entitled to fome extraordinary degree of deference. We wifh, therefore, he had condefcended to favour us with an intimation of his pretenfions, that we might have regulated our devoirs accordingly. He may be defcended, for aught we know, from that celebrated genius of modern antiquity,

86 Old King Cole,
That jolly old foul."

By the fignature of his Chriftian name, he cannot be at prefent a peer of the realm; and, if a baronet, not above the degree of a commoner. Nay, had he been a lord! and had fo unjustly charged us, the Lord might have had mercy upon him; we know not if we fhould have found in our hearts to have any; though, having returned his compliment, we bear him no animofity, but part from him in the beft humour in the world.

We do not, indeed, recollect to have received a piece of better perman fhip in the whole courte of our literary correfpondence.

The

The Juftification: a Poem. By the Author of the Diaboliad. 4to. 2s. 6d. Bew.

If this author is not fo elaborate, in his verfification, as Pope, nor fo rhetorical, in his declamation, as Churchill, he is at least as bold a fatyrift as either. Indeed, the approbation, he has met with in this way of writing, appears to have encouraged him to make it a trade; the prefent poem being profeffedly meant as an Introduction to a Series of Satires; with which he intends occafionally to furnish the public.

"This defign," fays he in his Preface," has been represented to me as big with danger; but the man, who is deftitute of courage, wants an effential requifite to fucceed in great and noble employments.-Indeed, he whofe purfuits expofe him to the violent pallions of wicked men, will find it most effentially neceffary to his fuccefs and his repofe. I fear not the threats of impetuous Youth! the hand of Greatnefs dare not fmire me! and Malice will tremble as the purfues her dark path to accomplish my diftrefs. This may be thought to be the hoaft of Vanity, or the tone of Affectation. It may be fo, for I may be deceived; but, if I am capable of forming a judgement from the circumstances about me, it is the language of Truth;-and if I know myself,—it is the language of my heart.'

All this is very courageous; and if (that if is a moft convenient and fignificant monofyllable) our author be really fuch a fort of a man as he defcribes himself, and can do and suffer what he fays he can, he may fnap his fingers at the proudest he, she, or they, that take umbrage at his fatire.

I laugh at danger.-Should your angry men

Draw forth their fwords,-I'll anfwer with my pen.

On the fuppofition, we conceive, that he is to have always the choice of his weapons. Otherwife a drawn fword in the hands of an angry man might prove too much

Both for the point and feather of the pen.

As to the points of their canes, though converted into poisoned arrows, he defpifes them equally; for a reafon, however, that is worded a little equivocally.

Let them, in air, their threat'ning canes difplay;

I bear a cane, my Lord, as well as they.

We are at fome lofs, we fay, to determine, whether the author means to make here a declaration of his active or his paffive courage; his capacity to give, or to take, a drubbing! For, to bear a cane, may either fignify to carry or wear one, for offence and defence; or it may fignify that fuch canebearer can bear a beating; a very useful quality, let us tell you, in a public fatirift. That the latter is here the true meaning,

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feems

feems to be confirmed by the fubfequent lines; in which he boldly declares his intention of taking the law of any body that ftrikes, or even offers to fcratch him..

"Should dragon Tyranny unfold its claw,-
I claim protection of protecting law:
That law which to the meaneft will afford
Its equal bleffings with the proudest Lord;
That will to ali, who to its covert fly,

Secure their Peace and guard their Liberty."

We hope this writer does not mean to incur a pramunire by appealing to any foreign jurifdiction: for moft certainly fuch law, as he talks of, is not the law of England. Go where he will, alfo, he will find that a law-fuit is the laft thing in the world to give peace; and that fuch country is the land of the greatest liberty, in which juftice is to be bought the cheapeft; for it is no where administered at free-coft.-With respect to himfclf, indeed, he may defy both the expence and vexation of fuits, it he be in fact fuch a ftony-hearted ftoic as he pretends. "Upon the cold ground I can lay my head, And fleep with pleasure on a flinty bed."

At leaft, if this gentleman hath not a hard heart, he must have a confounded hard hide; unless, indeed, he fleep, like the citychampion on a Lord-Mayor's day, in armour.-But, hear him

on.

"Or reft in caverns on the fea-beat fhore,

Though tempefts howl around and billows roar.
Let the rude form affail!-Its utmost din.
Shail rage in vain without-'tis peace within.".

A little hard of hearing too, or he must have a dexterous knack at taking a comfortable nap.

To be ferious, we admire both the fpirit and talents of this writer; and have only to wish they were more tempered by good-fenfe and difcretion. The man, who takes his motto from Horace, Quifquis erit vitæ, fcribam, color, ought to know fo much of the world as to know that fuch extravagant and enthufiaitic pretenfions to fortitude and independency are by no means likely.to gain credit; efpecially if he be not himfeli a man of independent fortune as well as fpirit; a circumftance which a celebrated new-convert, who knows the world well, conceived it neceffary to promulgate, in order to gain

Both which may be fufpected :-Of the latter we have fomething of a proof in his being evidently a political partizan. A fatirist and an hiflorian hould be of no party. Rev.

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