The Sceptical Chymist | Page 7

of the freedome we have
us'd in presuming to surprise you, or else give us leave to repair the
injury we should otherwise do you, by leaving you to the freedom we
have interrupted, and punishing our selves for our boldness by
depriving our selves of the happiness of your company. With these last
words he and I rose up, as if we meant to be gone, But Carneades
suddenly laying hold on his arme, and stopping him by it, smileingly
told him, We are not so forward to lose good company as you seem to
imagine; especially since you are pleas'd to desire to be present at what
we shall say, about such a Subject as that You found us considering.
For that, being the number of the Elements, Principles, or Materiall
Ingredients of Bodies, is an enquiry whose truth is of that Importance,
and of that Difficulty, that it may as well deserve as require to be
searched into by such skilfull Indagators of Nature as your selves. And
therefore we sent to invite the bold and acute Leucippus to lend us
some light by his Atomical Paradox, upon which we expected such
pregnant hints, that 'twas not without a great deal of trouble that we had
lately word brought us that he was not to be found; and we had likewise
begg'd the Assistance of your presence and thoughts, had not the
messenger we employ'd to Leucippus inform'd us, that as he was going,
he saw you both pass by towards another part of the Town; And this
frustrated expectation of Leucippus his company, who told me but last
night that he would be ready to give me a meeting where I pleas'd to
day, having very long suspended our conference about the freshly
mention'd Subject, it was so newly begun when you came in, that we
shall scarce need to repeat any thing to acquaint you with what has
pass'd betwixt us before your arrival, so that I cannot but look upon it
as a fortunate Accident that you should come so seasonably, to be not
hearers alone, but we hope Interlocutors at our conference. For we shall
not only allow of your presence at it, but desire your Assistance in it;
which I adde both for other reasons, and because though these learned

Gentlemen (sayes he, turning to his two friends) need not fear to
discourse before any Auditory, provided it be intelligent enough to
understand them, yet for my part (continues he with a new smile,) I
shall not dare to vent my unpremeditated thoughts before two such
Criticks, unless by promising to take your turnes of speaking, You will
allow me mine of quarrelling, with what has been said. He and his
friends added divers things to convince us that they were both desirous
that we should hear them, and resolved against our doing so, unless we
allowed them sometimes to hear us. Elutherius [Transcriber's Note:
Eleutherius] after having a while fruitlesly endeavoured to obtain leave
to be silent promis'd he would not be so alwayes, provided that he were
permitted according to the freedom of his Genious and Principles to
side with one of them in the managing of one Argument, and, if he saw
cause, with his Antagonist, in the Prosecution of another, without being
confin'd to stick to any one party or Opinion, which was after some
debate accorded him. But I conscious to my own Disability's told them
resolutely that I was as much more willing as more fit to be a hearer
then a speaker, among such knowing Persons, and on so abstruse a
Subject. And that therefore I beseeched them without necessitating me
to proclaim my weaknesses, to allow me to lessen them by being a
silent Auditor of their Discourses: to suffer me to be at which I could
present them no motive, save that their instructions would make them
in me a more intelligent Admirer. I added, that I desir'd not to be idle
whilst they were imploy'd, but would if they pleas'd, by writing down
in short hand what should be delivered, preserve Discourses that I knew
would merit to be lasting. At first Carneades and his two friends utterly
rejected this motion; and all that my Resoluteness to make use of my
ears, not tongue, at their debates, could do, was to make them acquiesce
in the Proposition of Eleutherius, who thinking himself concern'd,
because he brought me thither, to afford me some faint assistance, was
content that I should register their Arguments, that I might be the better
able after the conclusion of their conference to give them my sence
upon the Subject of it, (The number of Elements or Principles:) which
he promis'd I should do at the end of the present