ESSAY XII. 407 may be said of all other sensible qualities, viz. the variety of odors, sapeurs, sounds. For if all these were only a sort of in- herent qualities, such as we perceive them, the surfaces of these several bodies might be the same as to the figure, size and tex- ture of the said particles that compose them, and consequently they would make the same same uniform impressions on our or- gans of sense, and raise the same uniform sensations and we could never distinguish these things which we call sensible quali- ties, viz. the different taste, smells, &c. of different bodies. All these therefore must arise from the different cónfigurations, &c. of the particles of these different bodies ; for nothing else can excite different impressions on our senses. Shall it be objected here, that Sir Isaac Newton has found by experiment, that the rays of light themselves are different, according to the various colours which the eye perceives ? what need is there thenaf any difference in the surfaces of objects I answer, That the rays of light differ according to Sir Isaac Newton, in the degrees of their refrangibility; and objects of all colours, would reflect the same rays, and in the same man- ner, if the surfaces of all coloured objects were the same : There must be something therefore in the surface of different coloured objects, more suited to reflect these different rays to the eye; and that object is called red, which reflects the red-making rays, others blue, others yellow, &c. It is confessed indeed, where a prism separates the different sorts of rays, and throws, for instance, only the red-making rays upon a yellow body very plentifully, and strongly, this yellow body in such a situation will appear red, because there are few other rays for it to reflect: But when red, blue, yellow, green and purple bodies are placed in common light, the surfaces of each of them will reflect to the eye only, or chiefly their own sort of rays, by virtue of their own different surfaces, and thus dis- tinguish their own colours. Another argument which Mr. Lee uses in his notes on Mr. Locke, is this, that there are many things which appear of differ- ent coloursat the saine time only by their different situation to the light, or the different position of the eye. So glasses, cut diamonds, bubbles, silks, pictures, &c. which prove that colour is not a tincture really inherent in them ; but so far as it is in the bodies, it is only a particular texture or disposition of the parti- cles of the surface suited to make different reflections of light to the eye, according to its various positions in relation to the co- loured body. But it must be confessed, Mr. Locke's chapter on this sub jest is admirably well written, and worthy of diligent perusal and study by every young philosopher. a g
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