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of a particle left uninfluenced by any other,
it becomes natural for us to suppose that it
moves in a straight line. The reason this
turns out true is, therefore, that this first
law of motion is a corollary from a more
general law which, governing all dynamics
governs light, and causes the idea of straightness to
be a predominant one in our minds.

In this way, general considerations concerning
the universe, strictly philosophical
considerations, all but demonstrate that
if the universe conforms,
with any approach to accuracy, to certain
highly pervasive laws, and if man's mind
has been developed under the influence