of his Heart: And from the Remembrance of Them I receive this fatisfaction, That, in what I am now doing, I have His Voice and Concurrence; and that, as These Discourses are His, fo the Dedication of Them to Your MAJESTY may, in no improper fenfe, be faid to be His alfo.

NAY, if I may be permitted to go a little farther, I will add That, if Dr Clarke himself were to chufe, under what Character He would be defcribed and known to Pofterity, He would wish That from other Points it might rife at laft into This, That whilft He lived He was honoured with the frequent Conversations of a QUEEN, as much distinguished by Her Ca

pacity and Taft of Good fenfe, as by Her Excellent Behaviour in Every Relation of Life.

PERMITT therefore, MADAM, his Works now to reft under the fame Patronage, which He himfelf once enjoyed. Suffer these Remains of His to be confecrated to that Great Perfon who esteem'd and cherish'd their Author; and to fhelter Themselves under that Royal Name which was the Glory of His laft Years.

AND permitt Me, MADAM, at the fame time to acknowledge, with all the Sentiments of a Gratefull Heart, the Many Expreffions of Your Regard to

His

His Memory, as well as Your Generous Goodnefs and Beneficence to Myself, fince his death and to profefs Myself, with all poffible Respect and Duty,

MADAM,

Your MAJESTY's

Moft Devoted and

Moft Humble Servant,

Catharine Clarke.

[i]

THE

PREFACE,

Giving fome Account of the LIFE, WRITINGS, and CHARACTER, of the AUTHOR.

D

R. SAMUEL CLARKE was born at Norwich, Oct. 11. A. D. 1675. His Father was Edward Clarke, Efq; Alderman of That City, and One of the Representatives of It, in Parliament, for feveral Years: A Perfon of an Excellent Natural Capacity, and of an untainted Reputation for Probity and all Virtue. His Mother was Hannah, the Daughter of Mr. Samuel Parmenter, Merchant, of the fame City. He received the first Rudiments

Rudiments of Learning in the Free-school at Norwich, from the Reverend Mr. Bura ton, under whofe Care He made a very Uncommon Proficiency in the Learned Languages. In the Year 1691, He was removed to Cambridge, and placed at Caius College, under the Tuition of Mr. Ellis, afterwards Sir John Ellis. And here, His Impatient Thirst after True Knowledge, and his Great Capacity both for discovering and improving it, prefently began to shew Themselves.

THE Philofophy of Des Cartes was then the Established Philofophy of that Univerfity; and the Syftem of Nature hardly allowed to be explained any otherwife than by His Principles: Which, at beft, were evidently no more than the Inventions of a very Ingenious and Luxuriant Fancy; having no Foundation in the Reality of Things, nor any Correfpondency to the Certainty of Facts. His Tutor himself, though a Learned Man, and for ever to be honoured for his Confcientious Care of All under Him, was a Zelot for this Philosophy; and as He was Moft Diligent in reading to his Pupils, without doubt gave

Them