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specting it: if you would therefore be kind enougli to leave this with
him, I should like to hear his opinion. If Prof. Vallerius would lay aside
a little his own and his dear father’s Descartes, I would also like to
have his opinion. This is a subject with which I might produce a large
book, as is done by the learned abroad with their speculations, but as
we have no appliauces liere for so large a publication I must cut my
coat according to the clotli, and introduce only the most general views.
The use of this seems to me to enable us more thoroughly to investigate
the nature of air and water in all its parts: for if the true shape of the
particles is once discovered, we obtain with it all the properties which
belong to such a shape.» 1
Swedenborg here opposes the Cartesian tlieory with regard to the
sliape of the particles, and incidentally indicates how faithfull}’- Harald
Wallerius and his son Johan adhered to the Cartesian philosophy. But
that Swedenrorg had by no means become an opponent of the
»Cartesian» tlieory of vortices is evident not only from the numerous references
to vortical theories with which his later »Principia» abounds, but also from
his three little works on the »Earth and Planets». 2fi9-820 Swedenborg’s
conception of the earth’s revolution around the sun in the planetary vortex
is further shown by the following quotation from his letter to Eric
Ben-zelius, Jr., dated November 3rd, 1719:1 2
»Most honored and dear brother.
»A few days ago I arri ved here in Stockholm, when I was at once
informed by various persons that a new discovery had been made in
France affecting the inhabitants of this earth, viz. that our earth had
approåched about 35,000 miles nearer the suip and that tliey had written
on this subject to the learned Academies. I should like very much, for
better information, to obtain more particular knowledge respecting it,
viz. whether observations have been made of the sun’s diameter, and its
visible increase, or of the parallaxes of the planets and their supposed
1 See tho original Swedish letter in Vol. I., p. 281, of this series. The version
above is a revised form of the English translation in Vol. I., pp. 296—297 of the
»Documents concerning Swedenborg», edited by tbe Dr. R. L. Tafel, London, 1875—1877.
2 The original Swedish letter from which we have quoted is printed in Vol. I., p.
290, of this series. The translation below is revised from Dr. R. L. Tafel’s
»Documents», Vol. I., pp. 307—309.
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