262. The fixation is the perquisite, but the necessary one, of the substance. The diversity of things resides only in the perquisite. In the substance all are alike. There is only one substance, only one essence.
ELEMENTAL BODIES. (How many kinds of Æther-condensations may exist?)
263. The æther has three forms, and can therefore condense itself after a ternary manner, or in other words, there can be only three kinds of fixations of poles.
264. The condensations of the several forms of æther must be simple matters or Elemental bodies, as they are called.
265. There can therefore be only three simple bodies, a body of gravity = 0, one of light = +, and one of heat = -.
266. If the heat of the æther becomes fixed, the rarest, most mobile and lightest body must originate. The body of heat is Hydrogen.
267. If the light of the æther becomes fixed, a less dense, and thus a less heavy matter, must originate, and one whose atoms are moveable against each other. The body of light must be the most active in nature; it must determine the changes of all other elemental bodies. The body of light is Oxygen.
268. If the gravity of the æther become fixed, the greatest condensation must originate. The densest matter is necessarily the heaviest. The dense matter must be immoveable in its atoms, i. e. endowed with form. The body of gravity is Carbon (as basis of the metals).
269. Besides these 3 elemental bodies, hydrogen, oxygen and carbon, there can be no other simple bodies. All other bodies must be only different degrees of fixation of the above-mentioned bodies, or combinations of the same. Different degrees of carbon are without doubt the metals. Different degrees of oxygen are probably chlorine, iodine, bromine. Different degrees of hydrogen are probably sulphur. Nitrogen is probably peroxydised hydrogen, or an oxyd of hydrogen; this is indicated by its medium weight, and its perfectly azotic character.
ELEMENTS.