uch an assumption would have involved, first, the necessity of
entertaining a conception which I have shown no man _can_ entertain, and
which (as I will more fully explain hereafter) all observation of the
firmament refutes--the conception of the absolute infinity of the
Universe of stars--and would have involved, secondly, the impossibility
of understanding a reaction--that is, gravitation--as existing now--since,
while an act is continued, no reaction, of course, can take place. My
assumption, then, or rather my inevitable deduction from just
premises--was that of a _determinate_ irradiation--one finally
_dis_continued.

Let me now describe the sole possible mode in which it is conceivable
that matter could have been diffused through space, so as to fulfil the
conditions at once of irradiation and of generally equable distribution.

For convenience of illustration, let us imagine, in the first place, a
hollow sphere of glass, or of anything else, occupying the space
throughout which the universal matter is to be thus equally diffused, by
means of irradiation, from the absolute, irrelative, unconditional
particle, placed in the centre of the sphere.

Now, a certain exertion of the diffusive power (presumed to be the
Divine Volition)--in other words, a certain _force_--whose measure is the
quantity of matter--that is to say, the number of atoms--emitted; emits,
by irradiation, this certain number of atoms; forcing them in all
directions outwardly from the centre--their proximity to each other
diminishing as they proceed--until, finally, they are distributed,
loosely, over the interior surface of the sphere.

When these atoms have attained this position, or while proceeding to
attain it, a second and inferior exercise of the same force--or a second
and inferior force of the same character--emits, in the same manner--that
is to say, by irradiation as before--a second stratum of atoms which
proceeds to deposit itself upon the first; the number of atoms, in this
case as in the former, being of course the measure of the force which
emitted them; in other words the force being precisely adapted to the
purpose it effects--the force and the number of atoms sent out by the
force, being _directly proportional_.

When this second stratum has reached its destined position--or while
approaching it--a third still inferior exertion of the force, or a third
inferior force of a similar character--the number of atoms emitted being
i