ESSAYS, OR DISCOURSES, SELECTED FROM THE WORKS OF FEYJOO, AND TRANSLATED FROM THE SPANISH, BY JOHN BRETT, ESQ. VOLUME THE FOURTH. LONDON, Printed for the TRANSLATOR: Sold by H. PAYNE, Pall-Mall; C. DILLY, in the Poultry; and T. EVANS, in the Strand. MDCCLXXX. CONTENTS OF THE FOURTH VOLUME. PHYSICAL PARADOXES page 1 SCEPTICAL PHILOSOPHY 36 THE SHEW OR AFFECTATION OF LEARNING 137 MORAL AND POLITICAL PARADOXES 163 THE GREAT AND MASTERLY AUTHORITY OF EXPERIENCE 226 A DISPLAY OF THE INTELLECTUAL FACULTIES OF THE VARIOUS PEOPLE, WITH REMARKS ON THE TALENTS OF THE DIFFERENT ONES 329 PHYSICAL PARADOXES. I. The Greek word Paradox, or Paradoxologia, does not properly signify a false or implicatory proposition, but an improbable or incredible one; and therefore, this word is commonly applied to those propositions, which in the eye of the generality of mankind, at first sight seem false and contradictory, and difficult to be assented to; but upon examining them strictly and with attention, appear to be either true or probable. In this discourse, we shall treat of some of the things of this species, which are to be found in the line of natural philosophy. PARADOX I. _Elemental Fire is not hot in the highest Degree._ SECT. I. II. Vulgar physics, distribute the four qualities which are called first, among the four elements, assigning to each element one of them that is intense in the highest degree, and another which approaches, or comes near to the highest. Thus to fire they attribute heat in the highest degree, and dryness which is nearly approaching to the highest. To the air, humidity in the highest degree, and heat near to it. To the water, coldness in the highest degree, and moisture near to it. To the earth, dryness in the highest degree, and coldness near to it. This distribution, which if regulated, not by a nice examination of the nature of things, but only by an imaginary proportion, is exposed to three serious and weighty objections which are started against it by the modern philosophers; and it is only to the proposition that fire is hot in the highest degree, that they have hitherto made no difficulty of assenting; but that is the point I at present mean to controvert.