Part of the First Dialogue.

shutting, and much more by the posture wherein I found Persons qualifi’d to discourse of serious matters; and so accustom’d to do it, that you three were before our coming, engag’d in some Philosophical conference, which I hope you will either prosecute, and allow us to be partakers of, in recompence 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