faster vpon vs. The daintiest Smells of Flowers are out of those Plants whose Leaues smell not As Violets Roses Wall-flowers Gilly-flowers Pinckes Woodbines Vine-flowers Apple-Bloomes Lime-Tree Bloomes Beane-Bloomes c. The Cause is for that where there is Heat and strength enough in the Plant to make the Leaues Odorate there the Smell of the Flower is rather Euanide and Weaker than that of the Leaues As it is in Rose-Mary-Flowers Lauender-Flowers and Sweet-Briar-Roses But where there is lesse Heat there the Spirit of the Plant is disgested and refined and feuered from the Grosser Iuyce in the Esstorescence and not before Most Odours Smell best Broken or Crusht as hath beene said But Flowers Pressed or Beaten doe leese the Freshnesse and Sweetnesse of their Odour The Cause is for that when they are Crushed the Grosser and more Earthy Spirit commeth out with the Finer and troubleth it Whereas in stronger Odours there are no such Degrees of the Issue of the Smell It is a Thing of very good Vse to Discouer the Goodnesse of Waters The Taste to those that Drinke Water onely doth somewhat But other Experiments are more sure First try Waters by Weight Wherein you may finde some difference though not much And the Lighter you may account the Better Secondly try them by Boyling vpon an Equall Fire And that which consumeth away fastest you may account the Best Thirdly try them in Seuerall Bottles or Open Vessels Matches in euery Thing else and see which of them Last Longest without Stench or Corruption And that which holdeth Vnputrified longest you may likewise account the Best Fourthly try them by Making Drinkes Stronger or Smaller with the same Quantity of Mault And you may conclude that that Water which maketh the Stronger Drinke is the more Concocted and Nou-rishing though perhaps it be not so good for Medicinall vse And such Water commonly is the Water of Large and Nanigable Riuers And likewise in Large and Cleane Ponds of Standing Water For vpon both them the Sunne hath more power than vpon Fountaines or Small Riuers And I concelue that Chalke-water is next them the best for going furthest in Drinke For that also helpeth Concoction So it be out of a Deepe Well For then it Cureth the Rawnesse of the Water But Chalkie Water towards the Top of the Earth is too fretting As it appeareth in Laundry of Cloaths which weare out apace if you vse such Waters Fifthly The Houswiues doe finde a Difference in Waters for the Bearing or Not Bearing of Soape And it is likely that the more Fat Water will beare Soape best For the Hungry Water doth kill the Vnctuous Nature of the Soape Sixthly you may make a Iudgement of Waters according to the Place whence they Spring or Come The Rain-Water is by the Physitians esteemed the Finest and the best But yet it is said to putrifie soonest which is likely because of the Finenesse of the Spirit And in Conseruatories of Raine-water such as they haue in Venice c. they are and not so Choice waters The worse perhaps because they are Couered aloft and kept from the Sunne Snow-water is held vnwholesome In so much as the People that dwell at the Foot of the SnowMountaines or otherwise vpon the Ascent especially the Women by drinking of Snow-water haue great Bagges hanging vnder their Throats Well-water except it be vpon Chalke or a very plentifull Spring maketh Meat Red which is an ill Signe Springs on the Tops of High-Hills are the best For both they seeme to haue a Lightnesse and Appetite of Mounting And besides they are most pure and Vnmingled And againe are more Percolated thorow a great Space of Earth For Waters in Valleyes ioyne in effect vnder Ground with all Waters of the same Leuell Whereas Springs on the Tops of Hills passe thorow a great deale of Pure Earth with lesse Mixture of other Waters Seuenthly Iudgement may be made of Waters by the Soyle whereupon the Water runneth As Pebble is the Cleanest and best tasted And next to that Clay-water And Thirdly Water vpon Chalke Fourthly that vpon Sand And Worst of all vpon Mudde Neither may you trust Waters that Taste Sweet For they are commonly found in Rising Grounds of great Cities which must needs take in a great deale of Filth In Peru and diuers Parts of the West Indies though vnder the Line the Heats are not so Intolerable as they be in Barbary and the Skirts of the Torrid Zone The Causes are First the Great Brizes which the Motion of the Aire in great Circles such as are vnder the Girdle of the World produceth Which doe refrigerate And therefore in those Parts Noone is nothing so hot when the Brizes are great as about Nine or Ten of the Clocke in the Fore-Noone Another Cause is for that the Length of the Night and the Dewes thereof doe compense the Heat of the Day A third Cause is the Stay of the Sunne Not in Respect of Day and Night for that wee spake of before but in Respect of the Season For vnder the Line the Sunne crosseth the Line and maketh two Summers and two Winters But in the Skirts of the Torrid Zone it doubleth and goeth backe againe and so maketh one Long Summer The Heat of the Sunne maketh Men Blacke in some Countries as in AEthiopia and Ginny c. Fire doth it not as wee see in GlasseMen that are continually about the Fire The Reason may be because Fire doth licke vp the Spirits and Bloud of the Body so as they Exhale So that it euer maketh Men looke Pale and Sallow But the Sunne which is a Gentler Heat doth but draw the Bloud to the Outward Parts And rather Concooteth it than Soaketh it And therefore wee see that all AEthiapes are Fleshy and Plumpe and haue great Lips All which betoken Moisture retained and not drawne out Wee see also that the Negroes are bred in Countries that haue Plenty of Water by Riuers or otherwise For Meroe which was the Metropolis of AEthiopia was vpon a great Lake And Congo where the Negroes are is full of Riuers And the Confines of the Riuer Niger where the Negroes also are are well watered And the Region about Capo Verde is likewise Moist in so much as it is pestilent through Moisture But the Countries of the Abyssenes and Barbary and Peru. where they are Tawney and Oliuaster and Pale are generally more Sandy and Dry. As for the AEthiopes as they are Plumpe and Fleshy So it may bee they are Sanguine and ruddy Coloured if their blacke Skinne would suffer it to be seene Some Creatures doe moue a good while after their Head is off As Birds Some a very little time As Men and all beasts Some moue though cut in feuerall Pieces As Snakes Eeles Wormes Flies c. First therefore it is certaine that the Immediate Cause of Death is the Resolution or Extinguishment of the Spirits And that the Destruction or Corruption of the Organs is but the
of the Sawcer is aboue the Water But that Flatnesse of Sound is ioyned with a Harshnesse of Sound which no doubt is caused by the Inequalitie of the Sound which commeth from the Part of the Sawcer vnder the Water and from the Part aboue But when the Sawcer is wholly vnder the Water the Sound becommeth more cleare but farre more low And as if the Sound came from a farre off A Soft Body dampeth the Sound much more than a Hard As if a Bell hath Cloth or Silke wrapped about it it deadeth the Sound more than if it were Wood. And therefore in Clericalls the Keyes are lined And in Colledges they vse to line the Tablemen Triall was made in a Recorder after these seuerall manners The Bottome of it was set against the Palme of the Hand stopped with Wax round about set against a Damaske Cushion Thrust into Sand Into Ashes Into Water halfe an Inch vnder the Water Close to the Bottome of a Siluer Basin And still the Tone remained But the Bottome of it was set against a Woollen Carpet A Lining of Plush A Locke of Wooll though loosely put in Against Snow And the Sound of it was quite deaded and but Breath Iron Hot produceth not so full a Sound as when it is Cold For while it is hot it appeareth to be more Soft and lesse Resounding So likewise Warme Water when it falleth maketh not so full a Sound as Cold And I conceiue it is softer and neerer the Nature of Oyle For it is more slippery As may be perceiued in that it scowreth better Let there be a Recorder made with two Fipples at each end one The Truncke of it of the length of two Recorders and the Holes answerable toward each end And let two play the same Lesson vpon it at an Vnison And let it be noted whether the Sound be confounded or amplified or dulled So likewise let a Crosse be made of two Trunckes thorow-out hollow And let two speake or sing the one long-waies the other trauerse And let two heare at the opposite Ends And note whether the Sound be confounded amplified or dulled Which two Instances will also giue light to the Mixture of Sounds wherof we shall speake hereafter A Bellowes blowne in at the Hole of a Drum and the Drum then strucken maketh the Sound a little flatter but no other apparent Alteration The Cause is manifest Partly for that it hindreth the Issue of the Sound And partly for that it maketh the Aire being blowne together lesse moueable The Loudnesse and Softnesse of Sounds is a Thing distinct from the Magnitude and Exility of Sounds For a Base String though softly strucken giueth the greater Sound But a Treble String if hard strucken will be heard much further off And the Cause is for that the Base String striketh more Aire And the Treble lesse Aire but with a sharper Percussion It is therefore the Strength of the Percussion that is a Principall Cause of the Loudnesse or Softnesse of Sounds As in knocking harder or softer Winding of a Horne stronger or weaker Ringing of a Hand-bell harder or softer c. And the Strength of this Percussion consisteth as much or more in the Hardnesse of the Body Percussed as in the Force of the Body Percussing For if you strike against a Cloth it will giue a lesse Sound If against Wood a greater If against Metall yet a greater And in Metals if you strike against Gold which is the more pliant it giueth the flatter Sound If against Siluer or Brasse the more Ringing Sound As for Aire where it is strongly pent it matcheth a Hard Body And therefore we see in discharging of a Peece what a great Noise it maketh We see also that the Charge with Bullet Or with Paper wet and hard stopped Or with Powder alone rammed in hard maketh no great difference in the Loudnesse of the Report The Sharpnesse or Quicknesse of the Percussion is a great Cause of the Loudnesse as well as the Strength As in a Whip or Wand if you strike the Aire with it the Sharper and Quicker you strike it the Louder Sound it giueth And in playing vpon the Lute or Virginalls the quicke Stroke or Touch is a great life to the Sound The Cause is for that the Quicke Striking cutteth the Aire speedily wheras the Soft Striking doth rather beat than cut The Communication of Sounds as in Bellies of Lutes Empty Vessells c. hath beene touched obiter in the Maioration of Sounds But it is fit also to make a Title of it apart The Experiment for greatest Demonstration of Communication of Sounds is the Chiming of Bells where if you strike with a Hammer vpon the Vpper Part and then vpon the Midst and then vpon the Lower you shall finde the Sound to be more Treble and more Base according vnto the Concaue on the Inside though the Percussion be onely on the Outside When the Sound is created betweene the Blast of the Mouth and the Aire of the Pipe it hath neuerthelesse some Communication with the Matter of the Sides of the Pipe and the Spirits in them contained for in a Pipe or Trumpet of Wood and Brasse the Sound will be diuers So if the Pipe be couered with Cloth or Silke it will giue a diuers Sound from that it would doe of it selfe So if the Pipe be a little wet on the Inside it will make a differing Sound from the same Pipe dry That Sound made within Water doth communicate better with a hard Body thorow Water than made in Aire it doth with Aire Vide Experimentum 134. We haue spoken before in the Inquisition touching Musicke of Musicall Sounds wherunto there may be a Concord or Discord in two Parts Which Sounds vve call Tones And likewise of Immusicall Sounds And haue giuen the Cause that the Tone proceedeth of Equality and the other of Inequality And we haue also expressed there what are the Equall Bodies that giue Tones and what are the Vnequall that giue none But now we shall speake of such Inequality of Sounds as proceedeth not from the Nature of the Bodies themselues but is Accidentall Either from the Roughnesse or Obliquity of the Passage Or from the Doubling of the Percutient Or from the Trepidation of the Motion A Bell if it haue a Rift in it whereby the Sound hath not a cleare Passage giueth a Hoarse and Iarring Sound So the Voice of Man when by Cold taken the Wesill groweth rugged and as we call it furred becommeth hoarse And in these two Instances the Sounds are Ingrate because they are meerely Vnequall But if they be Vnequall in Equality then the Sound is Gratefull but Purling All Instruments that haue either Returnes as Trumpets Or Flexions as Cornets Or are Drawne vp and put from as Sackbuts haue a Purling Sound But the Recorder or Flute that haue none of these Inequalities giue a cleare Sound Neuerthelesse the Recorder it selfe or Pipe moistened a little in the Inside
is in September For that they need the whole Summers Feed and Grasse to make them fit for Generation And if Raine come Earely about the Middle of September they goe to Rut somewhat the sooner If Drought somewhat the later So Sheepe in respect of their small Neat. generate about the same time or somewhat before But for the most part Creatures that generate at certaine Seasons generate in the Spring As Birds and Fishes For that the End of the Winter and the Heat and Comfort of the Spring prepareth them There is also another Reason why some Creatures generate at certaine Seasons And that is the Relation of their Time of Bearing to the time of Generation For no Creature goeth to generate whilest the Female is full Nor whilest shee is busie in Sitting or Rearing her Young And therefore it is found by Experience that if you take the Egges or Young Ones out of the Neasts of Birds they will fall to generate againe three or foure times one after another Of Liuing Creatures some are Longer time in the Wombe and some Shorter Women goe commonly nine Moneths The Cow and the Ewe about six Moneths Doe's goe about nine Moneths Mares eleuen Moneths Bitches nine Weekes Elephants are said to goe two Yeares For the Receiued Tradition of ten Yeares is Fabulous For Birds there is double Enquiry The Distance betweene the Treading or Coupling and the Laying of the Egge And againe betweene the Egge Layed and the Disclosing or Hetching And amongst Birds there is lesse Diuersity of Time than amongst other Creatures yet some there is For the Hen sitteth but three Weekes The Turky-Hen Goose and Ducke a Moneth Quare of others The Cause of the great Difference of Times amongst Liuing Creatures is Either from the Nature of the Kinde Or from the Constitution of the Wombe For the former those that are longer in Comming to their Maturity or Growth are longer in the Wombe As is chiefly seene in Men And so Elephants which are long in the Wombe are long time in Comming to their full Growth But in most other Kindes the Constitution of the Wombe that is the Hardnesse or Drinesse thereof is concurrent with the former Cause For the â—â—lt hath about foure yeares of Growth And so the Fawne And so the Calfe But Whelps which come to their Growth commonly within three Quarters of a yeare are but nine Weekes in the Wombe As for Birds as there is lesse Diuersity amongst them in the time of their Bringing forth So there is lesse Diuersity in the time of their Growth Most of them comming to their Growth within a Twelue-Moneth Some Creatures bring forth many Young Ones at a Burthen As Bitches Hares Conneyes c. Some ordinatily but One As Women Lionesses c. This may be caused either by the Quantity of Sperme required to the Producing One of that Kinde which if lesse be required may admit greater Number If more fewer Or by the Partitions and Cells of the Wombe which may feuer the Sperme There is no doubt but Light by Refraction will shew greater as well as Things Coloured For like as a Shilling in the Bottomes of the Water will shew greater So will a Candle in a Lanthorne in the Bottome of the Water I haue heard of a Practise that Glo-wormes in Glasses were put in the Water to make the Fish come But I am not yet informed whether when a Diuer Diueth hauing his Eyes open and swimmeth vpon his Backe whether I say he seeth Things in the Aire greater or lesse For it is manifest that when the Eye standeth in the Finer Medium and the Obiect is in the Grosser things shew greater But contrariwise when the Eye is placed in the Grosser Medium and the Obiect in the Finer how it worketh I know not It would be well boulted out whether great Refractions may not be made vpon Reflexions as well as vpon Direct Beames For Example We see that take an Empty Basen put an Angell of Gold or what you will into it Then goe so farre from the Basen till you cannot see the Angell because it is not in a Right Line Then fill the Basen with Water and you shall see it out of his Place because of the Reflexion To proceed therefore put a Looking-Glasse into a Basen of Water I suppose you shall not see the Image in a Right Line or at equall Angles but aside I know not whether this Experiment may not be extended so as you might see the Image and not the Glasse Which for Beauty and Strangenesse were a fine Proofe For then you should see the Image like a Spirit in the Aire As for Example If there be a Cesterne or Poole of Water you shall place ouer against it a Picture of the Deuill or what you will so as you doe not see the Water Then put a Looking-Glasse in the Water Now if you can see the Deuills Picture aside not seeing the Water it will looke like a Deuill indeed They haue an old Tale in Oxford that Friar Bacon walked betweene two Steeples Which was thought to be done by Glasses when he walked vpon the Ground A Weighty Body put into Motion is more easily impelled than at first when it Resteth The Cause is Partly because Motion doth discusse the Torpour of Solide Bodies Which beside their Motion of Grauity haue in them a Naturall Appetite not to moue at all And partly because a Body that resteth doth get by the Resistance of the Body vpon which it resteth a stronger Compression of Parts than it hath of it Selfe And therefore needeth more Force to be put in Motion For if a Weighty Body be Pensile and hang but by a Thred the Percussion will make an Impulsion very neare as easily as if it were already in Motion A Body Ouer-great or Ouer-small will not be throwne so farre as a Body of a Middle Sixe So that it seemeth there must be a Commensuration or Proportion betweene the Body Moued and the Force to make it moue well The Cause is because to the Impulsion there is requisite the Force of the Body that Moueth and the Resistance of the Body that is Moued And if the Body be too great it yeeldeth too little And if it be too small it resisteth too little It is Common Experience that no Weight will presse or cut so strong being laid vpon a Body as Falling or strucken from aboue It may be the Aire hath some part in furthering the Percussion But the chiefe Cause I take to be for that the Parts of the Body Moued haue by Impulsion or by the Motion of Grauity continued a Compression in them as well downwards as they haue when they are throwne or Shot thorow the Aire forwards I conceiue also that the quicke Loose of that Motion preuenteth the Resistance of the Body below And Priority of the Force alwaies is of great Efficacy As appeareth in infinite Instances Tickling is most in the Soles of the Feet and
may be many Deawes fall that spend before they come to the Valleys And I suppose that he that would gather the best May-Deaw for Medicine should gather it from the Hills It is said they haue a manner to prepare their Greeke-Wines to keepe them from Fuming and Inebriating by adding some Sulphur or Allome Whereof the one is Vnctnous and the other is Astringent And certaine it is that those two Natures doe best represse Fumes This Experiment would be transferred vnto other Wine and Strong Beere by Putting in some like Substances while they worke Which may make them both to Fume lesse and to Inflame lesse It is conceiued by some not improbably that the reason why Wilde-Fires Whereof the principall Ingredient is Bitumen doe not quench with Water is for that the first Concretion of Bitumen is a Mixture of a Fiery and Watry Substance So is not Sulphur This appeareth for that in the Place neare Puteoli which they call the Court of Valcan you shall heare vnder the Earth a Horrible Thundring of Fire and Water conflicting together And there breake forth also Spouts of Boyling Water Now that Place yeeldeth great Quantities of Bitumen Whereas AEtna and Vesuuius and the like which consist vpon Sulphur shoot forth Smoake and Ashes and Pumice but no Water It is reported also that Bitumen Mingled with Lime and Put vnder Water will make as it were an Artificiall Rocke The Substance becommeth so Hard. There is a Cement compounded of Floure Whites of Egges and Stone powdred that becommeth Hard as Marble wherewith Piscina mirabilis neare Cuma is said to haue the Walls Plastered And it is certaine and tried that the Powder of Load-Stone and Flint by the Addition of Whites of Egges and Gumm-Dragon made into Paste will in a few dayes harden to the Hardnesse of a Stone It hath beene noted by the Ancients that in Full or Impure Bodies Vlcers or Hurts in the Leggs are Hard to Cure And in the Head more Easie. The Cause is for that Vlcers or Hurts in the Leggs require Deficcation which by the Defluxion of Humours to the Lower Parts is hindred Whereas Hurts and Vlcers in the Head require it not But contrariwise Drinesse maketh them more apt to Consolidate And in Moderne Obseruation the like difference hath beene found betweene French-Men and English-Men Where of the ones Constitution is more Dry and the others more Moist And therefore a Hurt of the Head is harder to cure in a French-Man and of the Legge in an English-Man It hath beene noted by the Ancients that Southerne Winds blowing much without Raine doe cause a Feuourous Disposition of the Yeare But with Raine not The Cause is for that Southerne Winds doe of themselues qualifie the Aire to be apt to cause Feuers But when Showers are ioyned they doe Refrigerate in Part and Checke the Sultry Heat of the Southerne Wind. Therefore this holdeth not in the Sea-Coasts because the Vapour of the Sea without Showers doth refresh It hath beene noted by the Ancients that Wounds which are made with Brasse heale more easily than Wounds made with Iron The Cause is for that Brasse hath in it selfe a Sanatiue Vertue And so in the very Instant helpeth somewhat But Iron is Corrosiue and not Sanatiue And therefore it were good that the Instruments which are vsed by Chirurgians about Wounds were rather of Brasse than Iron In the Cold Countries when Mens Noses and Eares are Mortified and as it were Gangrened with Cold if they come to a Fire they rot off presently The Cause is for that the few Spirits that remaine in those Parts are suddenly drawne forth and so Putrefaction is made Compleat But Snow Put vpon them helpeth For that it preserueth those Spirits that remaine till they can reuiue And besides Snow hath in it a Secret Warmth As the Monke proued out of the Text Qui dat Niuem sicut Lanam Gelu sicut Cineres spargit Whereby he did inferre that Snow did warme like Wooll and Frost did fret like Ashes Warme Water also doth good Because by little and little it openeth the Pores without any sudden Working vpon the Spirits This Experiment may be transferred vnto the Cure of Gangrenes either Comming of themselues or induced by too much Applying of Opiates Wherein you must beware of Dry Heat and resort to Things that are Refrigerant with an Inward Warmth and Vertue of Cherishing Weigh Iron and Aqua Fortis seuerally Then dissolue the Iron in the Aqua Fortis And weigh the Dissolution And you shall finde it to beare as good Weight as the Bodies did seuerally Notwithstanding a good deale of Wast by a thicke Vapour that issueth during the Working Which sheweth that the Opening of a Body doth increase the Weight This was tried once or twice but I know not whether there were any Errour in the Triall Take of Aqua-Fortis two Ounces of Quick-siluer two Drachmes For that Charge the Aqua-Fortis will beare The Dissolution will not beare a Flint as big as a Nutmeg Yet no doubt the Increasing of the Weight of Water will increase his Power of Bearing As we see Broine when it is Salt enough will beare an Egge And I remember well a Physitian that vsed to giue some Minerall Baths for the Gout c. And the Body when it was put into the Bath could not get downe so easily as in Ordinary Water But it seemeth the Weight of the Quick-siluer more than the Weight of a Stone doth not compense the Weight of a Stone more than the Weight of the Aqua-Fortis Let there be a Body of Vnequall Weight As of Wood and Lead or Bone and Lead If you throw it from you with the Light-End forward it will turne and the Weightier End will recouer to be Forwards Vnlesse the Body be Ouer-long The Cause is for that the more Dense Body hath a more Violent Pressure of the Parts from the first Impulsion Which is the Cause though heretofore not found out as hath been often said of all Violent Motions And when the Hinder Part moueth swifter for that it lesse endureth Pressure of Parts than the Forward Part can make way for it it must needs be that the Body turne ouer For turned it can more easily draw forward the Lighter Part. Gaâ—â—laeus noteth it well That if an Open Trough wherein Water is be driuen faster than the Water can follow the Water gathereth vpon an heape towards the Hinder End where the Motion began Which he supposeth holding confidently the Motion of the Earth to be the Cause of the Ebbing and Flowing of the Ocean Because the Earth ouer-runneth the Water Which Theory though it be false yet the first Experiment is true As for the Inequality of the Pressure of Parts it appeareth manifestly in this That if you take a Body of Stone or Iron and another of Wood of the same Magnitude and Shape and throw them with equall Force you cannot possibly throw the
Strainer it selfe is tincted with Salt The Remedie therefore is to digge still New Pits when the old wax Brackish As if you would change your Strainer It hath beene obserued by the Ancients that Salt Water will dissolue Salt put into it in lesse time than Fresh Water will dissolue it The Cause may be for that the Salt in the Precedent Water doth by Similitude of Substance draw the Salt new put in vnto it Whereby it diffuseth in the Liquour more speedily This is a Noble Experiment if it be true For it sheweth Meanes of more Quicke and Easie Infusions And it is likewise a good Instance of Attraction by Similitude of Substance Trie it with Sugar put into Water formerly Sugred And into other Water Vnsugred Put Sugar into Wine part of it aboue part vnder the Wine And you shall finde that which may seeme strange that the Sugar aboue the Wine will soften and dissolue sooner than that within the Wine The Cause is for that the Wine entreth that Part of the Sugar which is vnder the Wine by Simple Infusion or Spreading But that Part aboue the Wine is likewise forced by Sacking For all Spungie Bodies expell the Aire and draw in Liquour if it be Contiguous As wee see it also in Spunges put part aboue the Water It is worthy the Inquiry to see how you may make more Accurate Infusions by Helpe of Attraction Water in Wells is warmer in Winter than in Summer And so Aire in Caues The Cause is for that in the Hither Parts vnder the Earth there is a Degree of some Heat As appeareth in Sulphureous Veines c. Which shur close in as in Winter is the More But if it Peripire as it doth in Summer it is the Lesse It is reported that amongst the Leucadians in Ancient time vpon a Superstition they did vse to Precipitate a Man from a High Cliffe into the Sea Tying about him with Strings at some distance many great Fowles And fixing vnto his Body diuers Feathers spred to breake the Fast. Certainly many Birds of good Wing As Kites and the like would beare vp a good Weight as they file And Spreading of Feathers thinne and close and in great Bredth will likewise beare vp a great Weight Being euen laid without Tilting vpon the Sides The further Extension of this Experiment for Flying may be thought vpon There is in some Places namely in Cephalonia a little Shrub which they call Holy-Oake or Dwarfe-Oake Vpon the Leaues whereof there riseth a Tumour like a Blister Which they gather and rub out of it a certaine Red Dust that conuerteth after a while into Wormes which they kill with Wine as is reported when they begin to Quicken With this Dust they die Scarlet In Zant it is very ordinary to make Men Impotent to accompany with their Wines The like is Practised in Gasconie Where it is called Nouër l' eguillette It is practised alwayes vpon the Wedding Day And in Zant the Mothers themselues doe it by way of Preuention Because thereby they hinder other Charmes and can vndoe their Owne It is a Thing the Ciuill Law taketh knowledge of And therefore is of no Light Regard It is a Common Experiment but the Cause is mistaken Take a Pot Or better a Glasse because therein you may see the Motion And set a Candle lighted in the Bottome of a Basen of Water And turne the Mouth of the Pot or Glasse ouer the Candle and it will make the Water rise They ascribe it to the Drawing of Heat Which is not true For it appeareth plainly to be but a Motion of Nexe which they call Ne detur vacuum And it proceedeth thus The Flame of the Candle as soone as it is couered being suffocated by the Close Aire lesseneth by little and little During which time there is some little Ascent of Water but not much For the Flame Occupying lesse and lesse Roome as it lesseneth the Water succeedeth But vpon the Instant of the Candles Going out there is a sudden Rise of a great deale of Water For that the Body of the Flame filleth no more Place And so the Aire and the Water succeed It worketh the same Effect if in stead of Water you put Flower or Sand into the Basen Which sheweth that it is not the Flames Drawing the Liquour as Nourishment As it is supposed For all Bodies are alike vnto it As it is euer in Motion of Nexe Insomuch as I haue seene the Glasse being held by the Hand hath lifted vp the Basen and all The Motion of Nexe did so Claspe the Bottome of the Basen That Experiment when the Basen was lifted vp was made with Oyle and not with Water Neuerthelesse this is true that at the very first Setting of the Mouth of the Glasse vpon the Bottome of the Basen it draweth vp the Water a little and then standeth at a Stay almost till the Candles Going out as was said This may shew some Attraction at first But of this we will speake more when we handle Attractions by Heat Of the Power of the Gelestiall Bodies and what more Secret Influences they haue besides the two Manifest Influences of Heat and Light We shall speake when we handle Experiments touching the Celestiall Bodies Meane-while wee will giue some Directions for more certaine Trials of the Vertue and Influences of the Moone which is our Nearest Neighbour The Influences of the Moone most obserued are Foure The Drawing forth of Heat The Inducing of Putrefaction The Increase of Moisture The Exciting of the Motions of Spirits For the Drawing forth of Heat we haue formerly prescribed to take Water Warme and to set Part of it against the Moone-Beames and Part of it with a Skreene betweene And to see whether that which standeth Exposed to the Beames will not Coole sooner But because this is but a Small Interposition though in the Sunne wee see a Small Shade doth much it were good to try it when the Moone shineth and when the Moone shineth not at all And with Water Warme in a Glasse-Bottle as well as in a Dish And with Câ—â—â—rs And with Iron Red-Hot c. For the Inâ—â—â—ing of Putrefaction it were good to try it with Flesh or Fish Exposed to the Moone-Beames And againe Exposed to the Aire when the Moone shineth not for the like time To see whether will corrupt sooner And try it also with Capon or some other Fowle laid abroad to see whether it will mortifie and become tender sooner Try it also with Dead Flies or Dead Wormes hauing a little Water cast vpon them to see whether will Putrifie sooner Try it also with an Apple or Orenge hauing Holes made in their Tops to see whether will Rot or Mould soonerâ— Try it also with Holland-Cheese hauing Wine put into it whether will breed Mites sooner or greater For the Increase of Moisture the Opinion Receiued is That Seeds will grow soonest And Haire and Nailes and Hedges and
the first lay looser and the latter lay deeper So that if you infuse Rubarb for an houre and crush it well it will purge better and binde the Body lesse after the purging then if it stood twenty foure houres This is tried But I conceiue likewise that by Repeating the Infusion of Rubarb seuerall times as was said of Violetts letting each stay in but a small time you may make it as strong a Purging Medecine as Scammony And it is not a small thing wonn in Phisick if you can make Rubarb and other Medecines that are Benedict as strong Purgers as those that are not without some Malignity Purging Medecines for the most part haue their Purgatine Vertue in a fine Spirit As appeareth by that they indure not boiling without much losse of vertue And therfore it is of good vse in Phisick if you can retaine the Purging Vertue and take away the Vnpleasant tast of the Purger which it is like you may doe by this Course of Infusing oft with little stay For it is probable that the Horrible and Odious Tast is in the Grosser part Generally the working by Infusions is grosse and blinde except you first try the Issuing of the seuerall Parts of the Body which of them Issue more speedily and which more slowly And so by apportioning the time can take and leaue that Quality which you desire This to know ther be two waies The one to try what long stay and what short stay worketh as hath been said The other to try in Order the succeding Infusions of one and the same Body successiuely in seuerall Liquors As for example Take Orenge-Pills or Rose-Mary or Cinnamon or what you will And let them Infuse halfe an houre in VVater Then take them out and Infuse them againe in other VVater And so the third time And then tast and consider the First water the Second and the Third And you will find them differing not only in Strength and Weaknes but otherwise in Tast or Odour For it may bee the First water will haue more of the Sent as more Fragrant And the Second more of the Tast as more bitter or Biting c. Infusions in Aire for so we may well call Odours haue the same diuersities with Infusions in VVater In that the seuerall Odours which are in one Flower or other Body issue at seuerall times Some earlier some later So we finde that Violetts Woodbines Strawberries yield a pleasing Sent that commeth forth first But soone after an ill Sent quite differing from the Former Which is caused not so much by Mellowing as by the late Issuing of the Grosser Spirit As we may desire to extract the finest Spirits in some Cases So we may desire also to discharge them as hurtfull in some other So VVine burnt by reason of the Evaporating of the finer Spirit enslameth lesse and is best in Agues Opium leeseth some of his poisonous Quallity if it be vapoured out mingled with Spirit of Wine or the like Sean leeseth somewhat of his windines by Decocting And generally subtile or windy Spirits are taken off by Incension or Evaporation And euen in Infusions in things that are of too high a Spirit you were better poure off the first Infusion after a small time and vse the latter BVbbles are in the forme of a Hemisphere Aire within and a little Skin of VVater without And it seemeth somewhat strange that the Aire should rise so swiftly while it is in the VVater And when it commeth to the topp should be staid by so weake a Couer as that of the Bubble is But as for the swift Ascent of the Aire while is vnder the VVater that is a Motion of Percussion from the VVater which it selfe descending driueth vpp the Aire and no Motion of Leuity in the Aire And this Democritus called Motus Plaga In this Common Experiment the Cause of the Enclosure of the Bubble is for that the Appetite to resist Separation or Discontinuance which in solide Bodies is strong is also in Liquours though fainter and weaker As wee see in this of the Bubble we see it also in little Glasses of Spittle that children make of Rushes And in Castles of Bubbles which they make by blowing into water hauing obtained a little Degree of Tenacity by Mixture of Soape Wee see it also in the Stillicides of water which if ther be water enough to follow will Drawe themselues into a small thredd because they will not discontinue But if ther be no Remedy then they cast themselues into round Dropps which is the Figure that saueth the Body most from Discontinuance The same Reason is of the Roundnes of the Bubble as well for the Skin of water as for the Aire within For the Aire likewise auoideth Discontinuance And therfore casteth it self into a Round Figure And for the stopp and Arrest of the Aire a little while it sheweth that the Aire of it selfe hath little or no Appetite of Ascending THE Reiection which I continually vse of Experiments though it appeareth not is infinit But yet if an Experiment be probable in the Worke and of great Vse I receyue it but deliuer it as doubtfull It was reported by a Sober Man that an Artificiall Spring may be made thus Finde out a hanging Ground wher ther is a good quick Fall of Raine-water Lay a Half-Trough of Stone of a good length 3. or 4. foote deep within the same Ground with one end vpon the high Ground the other vpon the lowe Couer the Trough with Brakes a good thicknes and cast Sand vpon the Topp of the Brakes You shall see saith he that after some showers are past the lower End of the Trough will runn like a Spring of water which is no maruaile if it hold while the Raine-water lasteth But he said it would continue long time after the Raine is past As if the water did multiply it self vpon the Aire by the helpe of the Coldnesse and Condensation of the Earth and the Consort of the first Water THE French which put off the Name of the French Disease vnto the Name of the Disease of Naples doe report that at the Siege of Naples ther were certaine wicked Merchants that Barrelled vpp Mans flesh of some that had been lately slaine in Barbary and sold it for Tunny And that vpon that foule and high Nourishment was the Originall of that Disease Which may well be For that it is certaine that the Caniballs in the West Indies eate Mans flesh And the West Indies were full of the Pockes when they were first discouered And at this day the Mortallest poisons practised by the West Indians haue some Mixture of the Bloud or Fatt or Flesh of Man And diuers Witches and Sorceresles aswell amongst the Heathen as amongst the Christians haue fedd vpon Mans flesh to aid as it seemeth their Imagination with High and foule Vapours IT seemeth that ther be these waies in likelihood of Version of Vapours or Aire into Water and Moisture
make the Humours passe readily And for the former of these Sirrups are most profitable And for the Latter Apozumes or Preparing Broaths Clisters also helpe lest the Medicine stop in the Guts and worke gripingly But it is true that Bodies abounding with Humours And fat Bodies And Open weather are Preparatines in themselues because they make the Humours more fluide But let a Physitian beware how he purge after hard Frostie Weather and in a Leane Body without Preparation For the Hurt that they may doe after Purging It is caused by the Lodging of some Humours in ill Places For it is certaine that there be Humours which somewhere placed in the Body are quiet and doe little hurt In other Places especially Passages doe much mischiefe Therefore it is good after Purging to vse Apozumes and Broths not so much Opening as those vsed before Purging but Absterfine and Mundifying Clisters also are good to conclude with to draw away the Reliques of the Humours that may haue descended to the Lower Region of the Body Bloud is stanched diuers waies First by Astringents and Repercussiue Medicines Secondly by Drawing of the Spirits and Bloud inwards which is done by Cold As Iron or a Stone laid to the neck doth stanch the Bleeding at the Nose Also it hath beene tryed that the Testicles being put into sharp Vineger hath made a suddaine Recesse of the Spirits and stanched Bloud Thirdly by the Recesse of the Bloud by Sympathy So it hath beene tried that the part that bleedeth being thrust into the Body of a Capon or Sheepe new ript and bleeding hath stanched Bloud The Bloud as it seemeth sucking and drawing vp by similitude of substance the Bloud it meeteth with and so it selfe going backe Fourthly by Custome and Time So the Prince of Aurange in his first hurt by the Spanish Boy could finde no meanes to stanch the Bloud either by Medicine or Ligament but was faine to haue the Orifice of the Wound stopped by Mens Thumbes succeeding one another for the space at least of two Dayes And at the last the bloud by Custome onely retired There is a fifth Way also in vse to let Bloud in an Aduerse Part for a Revulsion It helpeth both in Medicine and Aliment to Change and not to continue the same Medicine Aliment still The Cause is for that Nature by continuall Vso of any Thing groweth to a Sacietie and Dulnesse either of Appetite or Working And we see that Assuetude of Things Hurtfull doth make them leese their force to Hurt As Poyson which with vse some haue brought themselues to brooke And therefore it is no maruaile though Things helpfull by Custome leese their force to Helpe I count Intermission almost the same thing with Change For that that hath beene intermitted is after a fort new It is found by Experience that in Diets of Guaiacum Sarza and the like especially if they be strict the Patient is more troubled in the beginning then after continuance Which hath made some of the more delicate Sort of patients giue them ouer in the middest Supposing that if those Diets trouble them so much at first they shall not be able to endure them to the End But the Cause is for that all those Diets doe drie vp Humours Rheumes and the like And they cannot Drie vp vntil they haue first attenuated And while the Humour is attenuated it is more Fluid then it was before and troubleth the Body a great deale more vntill it be dried vp and consumed And therefore Patients must expect a due time and not checke at them at the first The Producing of Cold is a thing very worthy the Inquisition both for Vse and Disclosure of Causes For Heat and Cold are Natures two Hands whereby she chiefly worketh And Heat we haue in readinesse in respect of the Fire But for Cold we must staie till it commeth or seecke it in deepe Caues or high Mountaines And when all is done we cannot obtaine it in any great degree For Furnaces of Fire are farre hotter then a Sommers Sunne But Vaults or Hills are not much Colder then a Winters Frost The first Meanes of Producing Cold is that which Nature presenteth vs withall Namely the Expiring of Cold out of the Inward Parts of the Earth in Winter when the Sun hath no power to ouercome it the Earth being as hath beene noted by some Primum Frigidum This hath beene asserted as well by Auncient as by Moderne Philosophers It was the Tenet of Parmenides It was the opinion of the Authour of the discourse in Plutarch for I take it that booke was not Plutarches owne De prime Frigide It was the opinion of Telesius who hath renewed the Philosophy of Parmenides and is the best of the Nouellists The Second Cause of Cold is the Contact of Cold Bodies For Cold is Actiue and Transitiue into Bodies Adiacent as well as Heat which is seene in those things that are touched with Snow or Cold water And therefore whosoeuer will be an Inquirer into Nature let him resort to a Conseruatory of Snow and Ice Such as they vse for delicacy to coole Wine in Summer Which is a Poore and Contemptible vse in respect of other vses that may bee made of such Conseruatories The Third Cause is the Primary Nature of all Tangible bodies For it is well to be noted that all Things whatsoeuer Tangible are of themselues Cold Except they haue an Accessory Heat by fire Life or Motion For euen the Spirit of Wine or Chyâ—icall Oyles which are so hot in Operation are to the first Touch Cold And Aire it selfe compressed and Condensed a little by blowing is Cold. The Fourth Cause is the Density of the Body For all Dense Bodies are Colder then most other Bodies As Mettalls Stone Glasse And they are longer in Heating than Softer Bodies And it is certaine that Earth Dense Tangible hold all of the Nature of Cold. The Cause is for that all Matters Tangible being Cold it must needs follow that where the Matter is moist Congregate the Cold is the greater The Fifth Cause of Cold or rather of increase and vehemence of Cold is a Quicke Spirit inclosed in a Cold Body As will appeare to any that shall attentiuely consider of Nature in many Instances Wee see Nitre which hath a Quicke Spirit is Cold more Cold to the Tongue then a Stone So Water is Colder then Oile because it hath a Quicker Spirit For all Oile though it hath the Tangible Parts better digested then Water yet hath it a duller Spirit So Snow is Colder then Water because it hath more Spirit within it So we see that Salt put to Ice as in the producing of the Artificiall Ice increaseth the Actiuity of Cold So some Inâ—â—cta which haue Spirit of Life as Snakes and Silkwormes are to the touch Cold. So Quick-filuer is the Coldest of Mettals because it is Fullest of Spirit The Sixth Cause of Cold is the Chasing and Driuing away of Spirits
the bottome the Morter will become as hard as the Brick wee see also that the Wood on the sides of Vessles of Wine gathereth a Crust of Tartar harder then the wood it selfe And Scales likewise grow to the Teeth harder then the Teeth themselues Most of all Induration by Assimilation appeareth in the Bodies of Trees and liuing Creatures For no Nourishment that the Tree receiueth or that the liuing Creature receiueth is so hard as Wood Bone or Horne c. but is Indurated after by Assimilation The Eye of the vnderstanding is like the Eye of the Sense For as you may see great Obiects through small Crannies or Leuells So you may see great Axiomes of Nature through small and Contemptible Instances The Speedy Depredation of Aire vpon watry Moisture and Version of the same into Aire appeareth in nothing more visible than in the sudden Discharge or vanishing of a little Cloud of Breath or Vapour from Glasse or the Blade of a Sword or any such Polished Body Such as doth not at all Detaine or Imbibe the Moisture For the Mistinesse scattereth and breaketh vp suddenly But the like Cloud if it were Oyly or Fatty will not discharge Not because it sticketh faster But because Aire preyeth vpon Water And Flame and Fire vpon Oyle And therefore to take out a Spot of Grease they vse a Coale vpon browne Paper because Fire worketh vpon Grease or Oyle as Aire doth vpon Water And we see Paper oyled or Wood oyled or the like last long moist but Wet with Water drie or putrifie sooner The Cause is for that Aire meddleth little with the Moisture of Oyle There is an Admirable demonstration in the same trifling Instance of the little Cloud vpon Glasse or Gemmes or Blades of Swords of the Force of Vnion euen in the least Quantities and weakest Bodies how much it Conduceth to Preseruation of the present Forme And the Resisting of a New For marke well the discharge of that Cloud And you shall see it euer breake vp first in the Skirts and last in the middest We see likewise that much Water draweth forth the Iuyce of the Body Infused But little water is imbibed by the Body And this is a Principall Cause why in Operation vpon Bodies for their Version or Alteration the Triall in great Quantities doth not answer the Triall in small And so deceiueth many For that I say the greater Body resisteth more any Alteration of Forme and requireth farre greater Strength in the Actiue Body that should subdue it We haue spoken before in the fifth Instance of the Cause of Orient Colours in Birds which is by the Finenesse of the Strainer we will now endeuour to reduce the same Axione to a Worke. For this Writing of our Sylue Syluerum is to speake properly not Neturall History but a high kinde of Naturall Magicke For it is not a Description only of Nature but a Breaking of Nature into great and strange Workes Trie therefore the Anointing ouer of Pigeons or other Birds when they are but in their downe Or of Whelps cutting their Haire as short as may be Or of some other Beast with some oyntment that is not hurtfull to the Flesh And that will harden and sticke very close And see whether it will not alter the Colours of the Feathers or Haire It is receiued that the Pulling off the first Feathers of Birds cleane will make the new come forth white And it is certaine that White is a penurious Colour where Moisture is scant So Blew Violets other Flowers if they be starued turne Pale and White Birds and Horses by Age or Scarres turne white And the Hoare Haires of Men come by the same reason And therefore in Birds it is very likely that the Feathers that come first will be many times of diuers Colours according to the Nature of the Bird For that the Skin is more porous But when the Skin is more shut and close the Feathers will come White This is a good Experiment not only for the Producing of Birds and Beasts of strange Colours but also for the Disclosure of the Nature of Colours themselues which of them require a finer Porositie and which a grosser It is a worke of Prouidence that hath beene truly obserued by some That the Yolke of the Egge conduceth little to the Generation of the Bird But onely to the Nourishment of the same For if a Chicken be opened when it is new hatched you shall finde much of the Yolke remaining And it is needfull that Birds that are shaped without the Females Wombe haue in the Egge as well Matter of Nourishment as Matter of generation for the Body For after the Egge is laid and seuered from the Body of the Hen It hath no more Nourishment from the Hen But onely a quickening Heat when shee sitteth But Beasts and Men need not the matter of Nourishment within themselues Because they are shaped within the Wombe of the Female and are Nourished continually from her Body It is an Inueterate and receiued Opinion that Cantharides applyed to any Part of the Body touch the Bladder and exulcerate it if they stay on long It is likewise Receiued that a kinde of Stone which they bring out of the West Indies hath a peculiar force to moue Grauell and to dissolue the Stone In so much as laid but to the wrest it hath so forcibly sent downe Grauell as Men haue beene glad to remoue it It was so violent It is receiued and confirmed by daily Experience that the Soales of the Feet haue great Affinity with the Head and the Mouth of the Stomach As we see Going wet-shod to those that vse it not affecteth both Applications of hot Powders to the Feet attenuate first and after drie the Rheume And therefore a Physitian that would be Mysticall prescribeth for the Cure of the Rheume that a Man should walke Continually vpon a Camomill Alley Meaning that he should put Camomill within his Sockes Likewise Pigeons bleeding applyed to the Soales of the Feet ease the Head And Soporiferous Medicines applied vnto them prouoke Sleepe It seemeth that as the Feet haue a Sympathy with the Head So the Wrests and Hands haue a Sympathy with the Heart We see the Affects and Passions of the Heart and Spirits are notably disclosed by the Pulse And it is often tried that Iuyces of Stock-Gilly-Flowers Rose-Campian Garlicke and other things applied to the Wrests and renewed haue cured long Agues And I conceiue that washing with certaine Liquours the Palmes of the Hands doth much good And they doe well in Heats of Agues to hold in the Hands Egges of Alablaster and Balls of Crystall Of these things we shall speake more when we handle the Title of Sympathy and Antipathy in the proper Place The Knowledge of man hitherto hath beene determined by the View or Sight So that whatsoeuer is Inuisible either in respect of the Finenesse of the Body it selfe Or the Smallnesse of the
Riuer though a swift Streame is not heard in the Channell but runneth in Silence if it be of any depth But the very Streame vpon Shallowes of Grauell or Pebble will be heard And Waters when they beat vpon the Shore or are straitned as in the falls of Bridges Or are dashed against themselues by Windes giue a Roaring Noise Any peece of Timber or Hard Body being thrust forwards by another Body Contiguous without knocking giueth no Noise And so Bodies in weighing one vpon another though the Vpper Body presse the lower Body downe make no Noise So the Motion in the Minute Parts of any solide Body which is the Principall Cause of Violent Motion though vnobserued passeth without Sound For that Sound that is heard sometimes is produced onely by the Breaking of the Aire And not by the Impulsion of the Parts So it is manifest That where the Anteriour Body giueth way as fast as the Posteriour commeth on it maketh no Noise be the Motion neuer so great or swift Aire open and at large maketh no Noise except it be sharply percussed As in the Sound of a String where Aire is percussed by a hard and stiffe Body And with a sharp loose For if the String be not strained it maketh no Noise But where the Aire is pent and straitned there Breath or other Blowing which carry but a gentle Percussion suffice to create Sound As in Pipes and winde-Instruments But then you must note that in Recorders which goe with a gentle Breath the Concaue of the Pipe were it not for the Fipple that straitneth the Aire much more than the Simple Concaue would yeeld no Sound For as for other winde-Instruments they require a forcible Breath As Trumpets Cornets Hunters-hornes c. Which appeareth by the blowne-cheeks of him that windeth them Organs also are blowne with a strong winde by the Bellowes And note againe that some kinde of winde-Instruments are blowne at a small Hole in the side which straitneth the Breath at the first Entrance The rather in respect of their Trauerse and Stop aboue the Hole which performeth the Fipples Part As it is seene in Flutes and Fifes which will not giue Sound by a Blast at the end as Recorders c. doe Likewise in all Whistling you contract the Mouth And to make it more sharp Men sometimes vse their Finger But in Open Aire if you throw a Stone or a Dart they giue no Sound No more doe Bullets except they happen to be a little hollowed in the Casting Which Hollownesse penneth the Aire Not yet Arrowes except they be ruffled in their Feathers which likewise penneth the Aire As for Small whistles or Shepheards Oaâ—â— Pipes they giue a Sound because of their extreame Slendernesse whereby the Aire is more pent than in a Wider Pipe Againe the Voices of Men and Liuing Creatures passe through the throat which penneth the Breath As for the Iewes Harpe it is a sharp Percussion And besides hath the vantage of penning the Aire in the Mouth Solide Bodies if they be very softly percussed giue no Sound As when a man treadeth very softly vpon Boards So Chests or Doores in faire weather when they open easily giue no Sound And Cart-wheeles squeak not when they are liquoured The Flame of Tapers or Candles though it be a swift Motion and breaketh the Aire yet passeth without Sound Aire in Ouens though no doubt it doth as it were boyle and dilate it selfe and is repercussed yet it is without Noise Flame percussed by Aire giueth a Noise As in Blowing of the Fire by Bellowes Greater than if the Bellowes should blow vpon the Aire it selfe And so likewise Flame percussing the Aire strongly as when Flame suddenly taketh and openeth giueth a Noise So Great Flames whiles the one impelleth the other giue a bellowing Sound There is a Conceit runneth abroad that there should be a white Powder which will discharge a Peece without Noise which is a dangerous Experiment if it should be true For it may cause secret Murthers But it seemeth to me vnpossible For if the Aire pent be driuen forth and strike the Aire open it will certainly make a Noise As for the white Powder if any such thing be that may extinguish or dead the Noise it is like to be a Mixture of Petre and Sulphur without Coale For Petre alone will not take Fire And if any Man thinke that the Sound may be extinguished or deaded by discharging the Pent Aire before it commeth to the Mouth of the Peece and to the Open Aire That is not probable For it will make more diuided Sounds As if you should make a Crosse Barrell hollow thorow the Barrell of a Peece it may be it would giue seuerall Sounds both at the Nose and at the Sides But I conceiue that if it were possible to bring to passe that there should be no Aire pent at the Mouth of the Peece the Bullet might fly with small or no Noise For first it is certaine there is no Noise in the Percussion of the Flame vpon the Bullet Next the Bullet in piercing thorow the Aire maketh no Noise As hath beene said And then if there be no Pent Aire that striketh vpon Open Aire there is no Cause of Noise And yet the Flying of the Bullet will not be stayed For that Motion as hath beene oft said is in the Parts of the Bullet and not in the Aire So as triall must be made by taking some small Concaue of Metall no more than you mean to fill with Powder And laying the Bullet in the Mouth of it halfe out into the Open Aire I heard it affirmed by a Man that was a great Dealer in Secrets but he was but vaine That there was a Conspiracy which himselfe hindred to haue killed Queene Mary Sister to Queene Elizabeth by Burning-Glasse when shee walked in Saint Iames Parke from the Leads of the House But thus much no doubt is true That if Burning-Glasses could be brought to a great strength as they talke generally of Burning-Glasses that are able to burne a Nauy the Percussion of the Aire alone by such a Burning-Glasse would make no Noise No more than is found in Cornscations and Lightnings without Thunders I suppose that Impression of the Aire with Sounds asketh a time to be conueighed to the Sense As well as the Impression of Species visible Or else they will not be heard And therefore as the Bullet moueth so swift that it is Inuisible So the same Swiftnesse of Motion maketh it Inaudible For we see that the Apprehension of the Eye is quicker than that of the Eare. All Eruptions of Aire though small and slight giue an Entity of Sound which we call Crackling Pussing Spitting c. As in Bay-salt and Bay-leaues cast into the Fire So in Chesnuts when they leape forth of the Ashes So in Greene Wood laid vpon the Fire especially Roots So in Candles that spit Flame if they be wet So in Rasping Sneezing c. So in a Rose-leafe
gathered together into the fashion of a Purse and broken vpon the Fore-head or Backe of the Hand as Children vse The Cause giuen of Sound that it should be an Elision of the Aire wherby if they meane any thing they meane a Cutting or Diuiding or else an Attenuating of the Aire is but a Terme of Ignorance And the Motion is but a Catch of the Wit vpon a few Instances As the Manner is in the Philosophy Receiued And it is common with Men that if they haue gotten a Pretty Expression by a Word of Art that Expression goeth currant though it be empty of Matter This Conceit of Elision appeareth most manifestly to befalse in that the Sound of a Bell String or the like continueth melting some time after the Percussion But ceaseth straight-waies if the Bell or String be touched and stayed wheras if it were the Elision of the Aire that made the Sound it could not be that the Touch of the Bell or String should extinguish so suddenly that Motion caused by the Elision of the Aire This appeareth yet more manifestly by Chiming with a Hammer vpon the Out-side of a Bell For the Sound will be according to the inward Concaue of the Bell whereas the Elision or Attenuation of the Aire cannot be but onely betweene the Hammer and the Out-side of the Bell So againe if it were an Elision a broad Hammer and a Bodkin strucke vpon Metall would giue a diuers Tone As well as a diuers Loudnesse But they doe not so For though the Sound of the one be Louder and of the other Softer yet the Tone is the same Besides in Eccho's wherof some are as loud as the Originall Voice there is no new Elision but a Repercussion onely But that which conuinceth it most of all is that Sounds are generated where there is no Aire at all But these and the like Conceits when Men haue cleared their vnderstanding by the light of Experience will scatter and breake vp like a Mist. It is certaine that Sound is not produced at the first but with some Locall Motion of the Aire or Flame or some other Medium Nor yet without some Resistance either in the Aire or the Body Percussed For if there be a meere Yeelding or Cession it produceth no Sound As hath beene said And therin Sounds differ from Light and Colours which passe thorow the Aire or other Bodies without any Locall Motion of the Aire either at the first or after But you must attentiuely distinguish betweene the Locall Motion of the Aire which is but Vehiculum Caussae A Carrier of the Sounds and the Sounds themselues Conueighed in the Aire For as to the former we see manifestly that no Sound is produced no not by Aire it selfe against other Aire as in Organs c. but with a perceptible Blast of the Aire And with some Resistance of the Aire strucken For euen all Speech which is one of the gentlest Motions of Aire is with Expulsion of a little Breath And all Pipes haue a Blast as well as a Sound We see also manifestly that Sounds are carried with Wind And therefore Sounds will be heard further with the Wind than against the Wind And likewise doe rise and fall with the Intension or Remission of the Wind. But for the Impression of the Sound it is quite another Thing And is vtterly without any Locall Motion of the Aire Perceptible And in that resembleth the Species visible For after a Man hath lured or a Bell is rung we cannot discerne any Perceptible Motion at all in the Aire a long as the Sound goeth but only at the first Neither doth the Wind as far as it carrieth a Voice with the Motion therof confound any of the Delicate and Articulate Figurations of the Aire in Variety of Words And if a Man speake a good loudnesse against the Flame of a Candle it will not make it tremble much though most when those Letters are pronounced which contract the Mouth As F S V and some others But Gentle Breathing or Blowing without speaking will moue the Candle far more And it is the more probable that Sound is without any Locall Motion of the Aire because as it differeth from the Sight in that it needeth a Locall Motion of the Aire at first So it paralleleth in so many other things with the Sight and Radiation of Things visible Which without all question induce no Locall Motion in the Aire as hath beene said Neuerthelesse it is true that vpon the Noise of Thunder and great Ordnance Glasse windowes will shake and Fishes are thought to be frayed with the Motion caused by Noise vpon the water But these Effects are from the Locall Motion of the Aire which is a Concomitant of the Sound as hath beene said and not from the Sound It hath beene anciently reported and is still receiued that Extreme Applanses and Shouting of People assembled in great Multitudes haue so rarified and broken the Aire that Birds flying ouer haue fallen downe the Aire being not able to support them And it is beleeued by some that Great Ringing of Bells in populous Cities hath chased away Thunder and also dissipated Pestilent Aire All which may be also from the Concussion of the Aire and not from the Sound A very great Sound neare hand hath strucken many Dease And at the Instant they haue found as it were the breaking of a Skin or Parchment in their Eare And my Selfe standing neare one that Lured loud and shrill had suddenly an Offence as if somewhat had broken or beene dislocated in my Eare And immediately after a loud Ringing Not an ordinary Singing or Hissing but far louder and differing so as I feared some Deafenesse But after some halfe Quarter of an Houre it vanished This Effect may be truly referred vnto the Sound For as is commonly receiued an ouer-potent Obiect doth destroy the Sense And Spirituall Species both Visible and Audible will worke vpon the Sensories though they moue not any other Body In Delation of Sounds the Enclosure of them preserueth them and causeth them to be heard further And wee finde in Roules of Parchment or Trunckes the Mouth being laid to the one end of the Rowle of Parchment or Truncke and the Eare to the other the Sound is heard much further than in the Open Aire The Cause is for that the Sound spendeth and is dissipated in the Open Aire But in such Concaues it is conserued and contracted So also in a Peece of Ordnance if you speak in the Touch-hole and another lay his Eare to the Mouth of the Peece the Sound passeth and is farre better heard than in the Open Aire It is further to be considered how it proueth and worketh when the Sound is not enclosed all the Length of his Way but passeth partly through open Aire As where you speake some distance from a Truncke or where the Eare is some distance from the Truncke at the other End Or where both Mouth and Eare are distant
from the Truncke And it is tried that in a long Truncke of some eight or ten foot the Sound is holpen though both the Mouth and the Eare be a handfull or more from the Ends of the Truncke And somewhat more holpen when the Eare of the Hearer is neare than when the Mouth of the Speaker And it is certaine that the Voice is better heard in a Chamber from abroad than abroad from within the Chamber As the Enclosure that is Round about and Entire preserueth the Sound So doth a Semi-Concaue though in a lesse degree And therefore if you diuide a Truncke or a Cane into two and one speake at the one end and you lay your Eare at the other it will carry the Voice further than in the Aire at large Nay further if it be not a full Semi-Concaue but if you doe the like vpon the Mast of a Ship or a long Pole or a Peece of Ordnance though one speake vpon the Surface of the Ordnance and not at any of the Bores the Voice will be heard further than in the Aire at large It would be tried how and with what proportion of disaduantage the Voice will be carried in an Horne which is a line Arched Or in a Trumpet which is a line Retorted Or in some Pipe that were Sinuous It is certaine howsoeuer it crosse the Receiued Opinion that Sounds may be created without Aire though Aire be the most fauourable Deferent of Sounds Take a Vessell of Water and knap a paire of Tongs some depth within the Water and you shall heare the Sound of the Tongs well and not much diminished And yet there is no Aire at all present Take one Vessell of Siluer and another of Wood and fill each of them full of Water and then knap the Tongs together as before about an handfull from the Bottome and you shall finde the Sound much more Resounding from the Vessell of Siluer than from that of Wood And yet if there be not water in the Vessell so that yo knap the Tongs in the Aire you shall finde no difference betweene the Siluer and Woodden Vessell Whereby beside the maine point of creating Sound without Aire you may collect two Things The one that the Sound communicateth with the Bottome of the Vessell The other that such a Communication passeth farre better thorow Water than Aire Strike any Hard Bodies together in the Middest of a Flame and you shall heare the Sound with little difference from the Sound in the Aire The Pneumaticall Part which is in all Tangible Bodies and hath some Affinity with the Aire performeth in some degree the Parts of the Aire As when you knocke vpon an Emptie Barrell the Sound is in part created by the Aire on the Out-side And in part by the Aire in the Inside For the Sound will be greater or lesser as the Barrell is more Emptie or more full But yet the Sound participateth also with the Spirit in the Wood thorow which it passeth from the Outside to the Inside And so it commeth to passe in the Chiming of Bells on the Outside where also the Sound passeth to the Inside And a number of other like Instances whereof we shall speake more when we handle the Communication of Sounds It were extreame Grossenesse to thinke as wee haue partly touched before that the Sound in Strings is made or produced betweene the Hand and the String or the Quill and the String or the Bow and the String For those are but Vehicula Motûs Passages to the Creation of the Sound the Sound being produced betweene the String and the Aire And that not by any Impulsion of the Aire from the first Motion of the String but by the Returne or Result of the String which was strained by the Touch to his former Place which Motion of Result is quicke and sharpe Wheras the first Motion is soft and dull So the Bow tortureth the String continually and thereby holdeth it in a Continuall Trepidation Take a Truncke and let one whistle at the one End and bold your Eare at the other and you shall finde the Sound strike so sharpe as you can scarce endure it The Cause is for that Sound diffuseth it selfe in round And so spendeth it Selfe But if the Sound which would scatter in Open Aire be made to goe all into a Canale It must needs giue greater force to the Sound And so you may note that Enclosures doe not onely preserue Sound but also Encrease and Sharpen it A Hunters Horne being greater at one end than at the other doth encrease the Sound more than if the Horne were all of an equall Bore The Cause is for that the Aire and Sound being first contracted at the leffer End and afterwards hauing more Roome to spread at the greater End doe dilate themselues And in Comming out strike more Aire whereby the Sound is the Greater and Baser And euen Hunters Hornes which are sometimes made straight and not Oblique are euer greater at the lower end It would be tried also in Pipes being made far larger at the lower End Or being made with a Belly towards the lower End And then issuing into a straight Concaue againe There is in Saint Iames Fields a Conduit of Bricke vnto which ioyneth a low Vault And at the End of that a Round House of Stone And in the Bricke Conduit there is a Window And in the Round House a Slit or Rift of some little breadth If you crie out in the Rift it will make a fearfull Roaring at the Window The Cause is the same with the former For that all Concaues that proceed from more Narrow to more Broad doe amplifie the Sound at the Comming out Hawkes Bells that haue Holes in the sides giue a greater Ring than if the Pellet did strike vpon Brasse in the Open Aire The Cause is the same with the first Instance of the Trancke Namely for that the Sound Enclosed with the Sides of the Bell commeth forth at the Holes vnspent and more strong In Drums the Closenesse round about that preserueth the Sound from dispersing maketh the Noise come forth at the Drum-Hole farre more loud and strong than if you should strike vpon the like Skin extended in the Open Aire The Cause is the same with the two precedent Sounds are better heard and further off in an Euening or in the Night than at the Noone or in the Day The Cause is for that in the Day when the Aire is more Thin no doubt the Sound pierceth better But when the Aire is more Thicke as in the Night the Sound spendeth and spreadeth abroad lesse And so it is a Degree of Enclosure As for the Night it is true also that the Generall Silence helpeth There be two Kinds of Reflexions of Sounds The one at Distance which is the Eccho Wherein the Originall is heard distinctly and the Reflexion also distinctly Of which we shall speake hereafter The other in Concurrence When the Sound Reflecting the
Reflexion being neare at hand returneth immediatly vpon the Originall and so iterateth it not but amplifieth it Therefore we see that Musicke vpon the water soundeth more And so likewise Musicke is better in Chambers Wainscotted than Hanged The Strings of a Lute or Violl or Virginalls doe giue a far greater Sound by reason of the Knot and Board and Concaue vnderneath than if there were nothing but onely the Flat of a Board without that Hollow and Knot to let in the Vpper Aire into the Lower The Cause is the Communication of the Vpper Aire with the Lower And Penning of both from Expence or Dispersing An Irish Harpe hath Open Aire on both sides of the Strings And it hath the Concaue or Belly not along the Strings but at the End of the Strings It maketh a more Resounding Sound than a Bandora Orpharion or Citterne which haue likewise Wire-strings I iudge the Cause to be for that Open Aire on both Sides helpeth so that there be a Concaue Which is therefore best placed at the End In a Virginall when the Lid is downe it maketh a more exile Sound than when the Lid is open The Cause is for that all Shutting in of Aire where there is no competent Vent dampeth the Sound Which maintaineth likewise the former Instance For the Belly of the Lute or Viâ—ll doth pen the Aire somewhat There is a Church at Glocester and as I haue heard the like is in some other places where if you speake against a Wall softly another shall heare your Voice better a good way off than neare hand Enquire more particularly of the Frame of that Place I suppose there is some Vault or Hollow or Isle behinde the Wall and some Passage to it towards the further end of that Wall against which you speake So as the Voice of him that speaketh slideth along the Wall and then entreth at some Passage and communicateth with the Aire of the Hollow For it is preserued somewhat by the plaine wall but that is too weake to giue a Sound Audible till it hath communicated with the backe Aire Strike vpon a Bowstring and lay the Horne of the Bow neare your Eare and it will encrease the Sound and make a degree of a Tone The Cause is for that the Sensory by reason of the Close Holding is percussed before the Aire disperseth The like is if yo hold the Horne betwixt your Teeth But that is a plaine Delation of the Sound from the Teeth to the Instrument of Hearing For there is a great Entercourse betweene those two Parts As appeareth by this That a Harsh Grating Tune setteth the Teeth on edge The like falleth out if the Horne of the Bow be put vpon the Temples But that is but the Slide of the Sound from thence to the Eare. If you take a Rod of Iron or Brasse and hold the one end to your Eare and strike vpon the other it maketh a fat greater Sound than the like Stroke vpon the Rod not so made Contiguous to the Eare. By which and by some other Instances that haue beene partly touched it should appeare That Sounds doe not onely slide vpon the Surface of a Smooth Body but doe also communicate with the Spirits that are in the Pores of the Body I remember in Trinity Colledge in Cambridge there was an Vpper Chamber which being thought weake in the Roofe of it was supported by a Pillar of Iron of the bignesse of ones Arme in the middest of the Chamber Which if you had strucke it would make a little flat Noise in the Roome where it was strucke But it would make a great Bombe in the Chamber beneath The Sound which is made by Buckets in a Well when they touch vpon the Water Or when they strike vpon the side of the Well Or when two Buckets dash the one against the other These Sounds are deeper and suller than if the like Percussion were made in the Open Aire The Cause is the Penning and Enclosure of the Aire in the Concaue of the Well Barrells placed in a Roome vnder the Floare of a Chamber make all Noises in the same Chamber more Full and Resounding So that there be fine wayes in generall of Maioration of Sounds Enclosure Simple Enclosure with Dilatation Communication Reflexion Concurrent and Approach to the Sensory For Exility of the Voice or other Sounds It is certaine that the Voice doth passe thorow Solide and Hard Bodies if they be not too thick And thorow Water which is likewise a very Close Body and such an one as letteth not in Aire But then the Voice or other Sound is reduced by such passage to a great Weaknesse or Exility If therefore you stop the Holes of a Howkes Bell it will make no Ring but a flat Noise or Rattle And so doth the Aëtites or Eagles Stone which hath a little Stone within it And as for Water it is a certaine Triall Let a Man goe into a Bath and take a Paile and turne the Bottome vpward and carry the Mouth of it Euen downe to the Leuell of the Water and so presse it downe vnder the Water some handfull and an halfe still keeping it euen that it may not tilt on either side so the Aire get out Then let him that is in the Bath diue with his Head so far vnder Water as he may put his Head into the Paile there wil come as much Aire bubling forth as will make Roome for his Head Then let him speak and any that shal stand without shal heare his Voice plainly but yet made extreme sharp and exile like the Voice of Puppets But yet the Articulate Sounds of the Words will not be coÌ„founded Note that it may be much more handsomely done if the Paile be put ouer the Mans head aboue Water and then he cowre downe and the Paile be pressed downe with him Note that a Man must kneele or sit that he may be lower than the Water A Man would thinke that the Sicilian Poet had knowledge of this Experiment For he saith That Hercules Page Hylas went with a Water-pot to fill it at a pleasant Fountaine that was neere the Shore and that the Nymphs of the Fountaine fell in loue with the Boy and pulled him vnder Water keeping him aliue And that Hercules missing his Page called him by his Name aloud that all the Shore rang of it And that Hylas from within the Water answered his Master But that which is to the present purpose with so small and exile a Voice as Hercules thought he had beene three miles off when the Fountaine indeed was fast by In Lutes and Instruments of Strings if you stop a String high whereby it hath lesse Scope to tremble the Sound is more Treble but yet more dead Take two Sawcers and strike the Edge of the one against the Bottome of the other within a Paile of Water And you shall finde that as you put the Sawcers lower and lower the Sound groweth more flat euen while Part
soundeth more solemnly and with a little Purling or Hissing Againe a Wreathed String such as are in the Base Strings of Banderaes giueth also a Purling Sound But a Lute-string if it be meerely Vnequall in his Parts giueth a Harsh and Vntuneable Sound which Strings we call False being bigger in one Place than in another And therefore Wire-strings are neuer False We see also that when we try a False Lute-string wee vse to extend it hard betweene the fingers and to fillip it And if it giueth a double Species it is True But if it giueth a treble or more it is False Waters in the Noise they make as they runne represent to the Eare a Trembling Noise And in Regalls where they haue a Pipe they call the Nightingale-Pipe which containeth Water the Sound hath a continuall Trembling And Children haue also little Things they call Cockes which haue Water in them And when they blow or whistle in them they yeeld a Trembling Noise Which Trembling of Water hath an assinity with the Letter L. All which Inequalities of Trepidation are rather pleasant than otherwise All Base Notes or very Treble Notes giue an Asper Sound For that the Base striketh more Aire than it can well strike equally And the Treble cutteth the Aire so sharpe as it returneth too swift to make the Sound Equall And therefore a Meane or Tenor is the sweetest Part. We know Nothing that can at pleasure make a Musicall or Immusicall Sound by voluntary Motion but the Voice of Man and Birds The Cause is no doubt in the Weasill or Wind-pipe which we call Aspera Arteria which being well extended gathereth Equality As a Bladder that is wrinckled if it be extended becommeth smooth The Extension is alwaies more in Tones than in Speech Therefore the Inward Voice of Whisper can neuer a giue Tone And in Singing there is manifestly a greater Working and Labour of the Throat than in Speaking As appeareth in the Thrusting out or Drawing in of the Chinne when we sing The Humming of Bees is an Vnequall Buzzing And is conceiued by some of the Ancients not to come forth at their Mouth but to be an Inward Sound But it may be it is neither But from the motion of their Wings For it is not heard but when they stirre All Metalls quenched in Water giue a Sibilation or Hissing Sound which hath an Affinity with the letter Z. notwithstanding the Sound be created betweene the Water or Vapour and the Aire Seething also if there be but small Store of Water in a Vessell giueth a Hissing Sound But Boyling in a full Vessell giueth a Bubling Sound drawing somewhat neare to the Cocks vsed by Children Triall would be made whether the Inequality or Interchange of the Medium will not produce an Inequality of Sound As if three Bells were made one within another and Aire betwixt Each And then the outermost Bell were chimed with a Hammer how the Sound would differ from a Simple Bell. So likewise take a Plate of Brasse and a Plancke of Wood and ioyne them close together and knock vpon one of them and see if they doe not giue an vnequall Sound So make two or three Partitions or Wood in a Hogshead with Holes or Knots in them And marke the difference of their Sound from the Sound of an Hogshead without such Partitions It is euident that the Percussion of the Greater Quantity of Aire causeth the Baser Sound And the lesse Quantity the more Treble Sound The Percussion of the Greater Quantity of Aire is produced by the Greatnesse of the Body Percussing By the Latitude of the Concaue by which the Sound passeth and by the Longitude of the same Concaue Therfore we see that a Base string is greater than a Treble A Base Pipe hath a greater Bore than a Treble And in Pipes and the like the lower the Note Holes be and the further off from the Mouth of the Pipe the more Base Sound they yeeld And the nearer the Mouth the more Treble Nay more if you strike an Entire Body as an Andiron of Brasse at the Top it maketh a more Treble Sound And at the Bottome a Baser It is also euident that the Sharper or Quicker Percussion of Aire causeth the more Treble Sound And the Slower or Heauier the more Base Sound So we see in Strings the more they are wound vp and strained And thereby giue a more quicke Start-backe the more Treble is the Sound And the slacker they are or lesse wound vp the Baser is the Sound And therfore a Bigger String more strained and a Lesser String lesse strained may fall into the same Tone Children Women Eunuchs haue more small and shrill Voices than Men. The Reason is not for that Men haue greater Heat which may make the Voice stronger for the strength of a Voice or Sound doth make a difference in the Loudnesse or Softnesse but not in the Tone But from the Dilatation of the Organ which it is true is likewise caused by Heat But the Cause of Changing the Voice at the yeares of Puberty is more obscure It seemeth to be for that when much of the Moisture of the Body which did before irrigate the Parts is drawne downe to the Spermaticall vessells it leaueth the Body more hot than it was whence commeth the Dilatation of the Pipes For we see plainly all Effects of Heat doe then come on As Pilosity more Roughnesse of the Skinne Hardnesse of the Flesh c. The Industry of the Musitian hath produced two other Meanes of Strayning or Intension of Strings besides their Winding vp The one is the Stopping of the String with the Finger As in the Necks of Lutes Viols c. The other is the Shortnesse of the String As in Harps Virginalls c. Both these haue one and the same reason For they cause the String to giue a quicker Start In the Straining of a String the further it is strained the lesse Superstraining goeth to a Note For it requireth good Winding of a String before it will make any Note at all And in the Stops of Lutes c. the higher they goe the lesse Distance is betweene the Frets If you fill a Drinking-Glasse with Water especially one Sharp below and Wide aboue and fillip vpon the Brim or Outside And after empty Part of the Water and so more and more and still try the Tone by Fillipping you shall finde the Tone fall and be more Base as the Glasse is more Empty The Iust and Measured Proportion of the Aire Percussed towards the Basenesse or Treblenesse of Tones is one of the greatest Secrets in the Contemplation of Sounds For it discouereth the true Coincidence of Tones into Diapasons Which is the Returne of the same Sound And so of the Concords and Discords betweene the Vnison and Diapason Which we haue touched before in the Experiments of Musicke but thinke fit to resume it here as a principall Part of our Enquiry touching the Nature of Sounds It
vpon the Water But then it will come to the Eare Not in the Instant of the Shooting off but it will come an Houre or more later This must needs be a Continuance of the First Sound For there is no Trepidation which should renew it And the Touching of the Ordnance would not extinguish the Sound the sooner So that in great Sounds the Continuance is more than Momentany To try exactly the time wherein Sound is Delated Let a Man stand in a Steeple and haue with him a Taper And let some Vaile be put before the Tapar And let another Man stand in the Field a Mile off Then let him in the Steeple strike the Bell And in the same Instant withdraw the Vaile And so let him in the Field tell by his Pulse what distance of Time there is betweene the Light seene and the Sound heards For it is certaine that the Delation of Light is in an Instant This may be tried in farre greater Distances allowing greater Lights and Sounds It is generally knowne and obserued that Light and the Obiect of Sight moue swifter than Sound For we see the Flash of a Peece is seene sooner than the Noise is heard And in Flewing wood if one be some distance off he shall see the Arme lifted vp for a second Stroke before he heare the Noise of the first And the greater the Distance the greater is the Preuention As we see in Thunder which is farre off where the Lightning Precedeth the Cracke a good space Colours when they represent themselues to the Eye fade not nor melt not by Degrees but appeare still in the same Strength But Sounds melt and vanish by little and little The Cause is for that Colours participate nothing with the Motion of the Aire but Sounds doe And it is a plaine Argument that Sound participateth of some Locall Motion of the Aire as a Cause Sinè quônon in that it perisheth so suddenly For in euery Section or Impulsion of the Aire the Aire doth suddenly restore and reunite it selfe which the Water also doth but nothing so swiftly In the Trialls of the Passage or Not Passage of Sounds you must take heed you mistake not the Passing By the Sides of a Body for the Passing thorow a Body And therefore you must make the Intercepting Body very close For Sound will passe thorow a small Chincke Where Sound passeth thorow a Hard or Close Body as thorow Water thorow a Wall thorow Metall as in Hawkes Bells stopped c. the Hard or Close Body must be but thinne and small For else it deadeth and extinguisheth the Sound vtterly And therefore in the Experiment of Speaking in Aire vnder Water the Voice must not be very deepe within the Water For then the Sound pierceth not So if you speake on the further side of a Close Wall if the Wall be very thicke you shall not be heard And if there were an Hogshead emptie whereof the Sides were some two Foot thicke and the Bunghole stopped I conceiue the Resounding Sound by the Communication of the Outward Aire with the Aire within would be little or none But onely you shall heare the Noise of the Outward Knocke as if the Vessell were full It is certaine that in the Passage of Sounds thorow Hard Bodies the Spirit of Pneumaticall Part of the Hard body it selfe doth cooperate But much better when the Sides of that Hard Body are strucke than when the Percussion is onely within without Touch of the Sides Take therefore a Hawkes Bell the holes stopped vp and hang it by a threed within a Bottle Glasse And stop the Mouth of the Glasse very close with Wax And then shake the Glasse and see whether the Bell giue any Sound at all or how weake But note that you must in stead of the Threed take a Wire Or else let the Glasse haue a great Belly lest when you shake the Bell it dash vpon the Sides of the Glasse It is plaine that a very Long and Downe-right Arch for the Sound to passe will extinguish the Sound quite So that that Sound which would be heard ouer a wall will not be heard ouer a Church Nor that Sound which will be heard if you stand some distance from the wall will be heard if you stand close vnder the Wall Soft and Foraminous Bodies in the first Creation of the Sound will dead it For the Striking against Cloth or Furre will make little Sound As hath beene said But in the Passage of the Sound they will admit it better than Harder Bodies As we see that Curtaines and Hangings will not stay the Sound much But Glasse-windowes if they be very Close will checke a Sound more than the like Thicknesse of Cloth Wee see also in the Rumbling of the Belly how easily the Sound passeth thorow the Guts and Skin It is worthy the Enquiry whether Great Sounds As of Ordnance or Bells become not more Weake and Exile when they passe thorow Small Crannies For the Subtilties of Articulate Sounds it may be may passe thorow Small Crannies not confused But the Magnitude of the Sound perhaps not so well The Mediums of Sounds are Aire Soft and Porous Bodies Also Water And Hard Bodies refuse not altogether to be Mediums of Sounds But all of them are dull and vnapt Deferents except the Airè In Aire the Thinner or Drier Aire carrieth not the Sound so well as the more Dense As appeareth in Night Sounds And Euening Sounds And Sounds in moist Weather and Southerne Winds The reason is already mentioned in the Title of Maioration of Sounds Being for that Thinne Aire is better pierced but Thicke Aire preserueth the Sound better from Wast Let further Triall be made by Hollowing in Mists and Gentle Showers For it may be that will somewhat dead the Sound How farreforth Flame may be a Medium of Sounds especially of such Sounds as are created by Aire and not betwixt Hard Bodies let it be tried in Speaking where a Bonsire is betweene But then you must allow for some disturbance the Noise that the Flame it selfe maketh Whether any other Liquours being made Mediums cause a Diuersity of Sound from Water it may be tried As by the Knapping of the Tongs Or Striking of the Bottome of a vessell filled either with Milke or with Oyle which though they be more light yet are they more vnequall Bodies than Aire Of the Natures of the Mediums we haue now spoken As for the Disposition of the said Mediums it doth consist in the Penning or not Penning of the Aire Of which we haue spoken before in the Title of Delation of Sounds It consisteth also in the Figure of the Concaue through which it passeth Of which we will speake next How the Figures of Pipes or Concaues through which Sounds passe Or of other Bodies deferent conduce to the Varietie and Alteration of the Sounds Either in respect of the Greater Quantitie or lesse Quantitie of Aire which the Concaues receiue Or in respect of
Mouldie or Rotten but were become a little harder than they were Otherwise fresh in their Colour But their Iuyce somewhat flatted But with the Buriall of a Forthnight more they became Putrified A Bottle of Beere buried in like manner as before became more liuely better tasted and Clearer than it was And a Bottle of Wine in like manner A Bottle of Vinegar so buried came forth more liuely and more Odoriferous smelling almost like a Violet And after the whole Moneths Buriall all the Three came forth as fresh and liuely if not better than before It were a profitable Experiment to presrue Orenges Limons and Pomgranates till Summer For then their Price will be mightily increased This may be done if you put them in a Pot or Vessell well couered that the Moisture of the Earth come not at them Or else by putting them in a Conseruatorie of Snow And generally whosoeuer will make Experiments of Cold let him be prouided of three Things A Conseruatorie of Snow A good large Vault twenty foot at least vnder the Ground And a Deepe Well There hath beene a Tradition that Pearle and Coraâ— and TurchoisStone that haue lost their Colours may be recouered by Burying in the Earth Which is a thing of great profit if it would sort But vpon Triall of Six Weekes Buriall there followed no Effect It were good to trie it in a Deepe Well Or in a Conseruatory of Snow where the Cold may be more Constringent And so make the Body more vnited and thereby more Resplendent Mens Bodier are heauier and lesse disposed to Motion when Sâ—â—ther â—â— Winds blow than when Northerne The Cause is for that when the Southerne Winds blow the Humours doe in some Degree melt and waxe fluide and so flow into the Parts As it is seene in Wood and other Bodies which when the Southerne Winds blow doe swell Besides the Motion and Actiuity of the Body consisteth chiefly in the Sinewes which when the Southerne Wind bloweth are more relaxe It is commonly seene that more are Sick in the Summer and more Dye in the Winter Except it be in Peslilent Diseases which commonly raigne in Summer or Autumne The Reason is because Diseases are bred indeed chiefly by Heat But then they are Cured most by Sweat and Purge which in the Summer commeth on or is prouoked more Easily As for Pestilent Diseases the Reason why most Dye of them in Summer is because they are bred most in the Summer For otherwise those that are touched are in most Danger in the Winter The Generall Opinion is that Yeares Hot and Moist are most Pestilent Vpon the Superficiall Ground that Heat and Moisture cause Putrefaction In England it is found not true For many times there haue beene great Plagues in Dry Yeares Whereof the Cause may be for that Drought in the Bodies of Islanders habituate to Moist Aires doth Exasperate the Humours and maketh them more apt to Putrifie or Enflame Besides it tainteth the Waters commonly and maketh them lesse wholesome And againe in Barbary the Plagues breake vp in the Summer-moneths when the Weather is Hot and Dry. Many Diseases both Epidemicall and others breake forth at Particular times And the Cause is falsely imputed to the Constitution of the Aire at that time when they breake forth or raigne whereas it procâ—edeth indeed from a Precedent Sequence and Series of the Seasons of the Yeare And therefore Hippocrates in his Prognosticks doth make good Obseruations of the Diseases that ensue vpon the Nature of the Precedent foure Seasons of the Yeare Triall hath beene made with Earthen Bottles well stopped hanged in a Well of Twenty Fathome deepe at the least And some of the Bettles haue beene let downe into the Water some others haue hanged aboue within about a fathome of the Water And the Liquours so tried haue beene Beere not New but Ready for drinking and Wine and Milke The Proofe hath beene that both the Beere and the Wine as well within Water as aboue haue not beene palled or deaded at all But as good or somewhat better than Bottles of the same Drinks and Stalenesse kept in a Celler But those which did hang aboue Water were apparently the best And that Beere did flower a little whereas that vnder Water did not though it were Fresh The Milke sowred and began to Purrifie Neuerthelosse it is true that there is a Village neare Blois where in Deepe Canes they doe thicken Milke In such sort that it becommeth very pleasant Which was some Cause of this Triall of Hanging Milke in the Well But our proofe was naught Neither doe I know whether that Milke in those Caues be first boysed It were good therefore to try it with Milke Sodden and with Creame For that Milke of it selfe is such a Compound Body of Creame Curds and Whey as it is easâ—ly Turned and Dissolued It were good also to try the Beere when it is in Wort that it may be seene whether the Hanging in the Well will Accelerate the Ripening and Clarifying of it Diuers we see doe Stut The Cause may be in most the Refrigeration of the Tongue Whereby it is lesse apt to moue And therfore we see that Naturalls doe generally Stut And we see that in those that Stut if they drinke Wine moderately they Stut lesse because it heateth And so we see that they that Stut doe Stut more in the first Offer to speake than in Continuance Because the Tongue is by Motion somewhat heated In some also it may be though rarely the Drinesse of the Tongue which likewise maketh it lesse apt to moue as well as Cold For it is an Affect that commeth to some Wise and Great Men As it did vnto Moses who was Lingâ—epr apedita And many Stutters we finde are very Cholericke Men Choler Enducing a Drinesse in the Tongue Smells and other Odours are Sweeter in the Aire at some Distance than neare the Nose As hath beene partly touched heretofore The Cause is double First the finer Mixture or Incorporation of the Smell For we see that in Sounds likewise they are Sweetest when we cannot heare euery Part by it selfe The other Reason is for that all Sweet Smells haue ioyned with them some Earthy or Crude Odours And at some distance the Sweet which is the more Spirituall is Perceiued And the Earthy reacheth not so farre Sweet Smells are most forcible in Dry Substances when they are Broken And so likewise in Orenges or Limons the Nipping of their Rinde giueth out their Smell more And generally when Bodies are Moued or Stirred though not Broken they Smell more As a SweetBagge waued The Cause is double The one for that there is a Greater Emission of the Spirit when Way is made And this holdeth in the Breaking Nipping or Crushing It holdeth also in some Degree in the Mouing But in this last there is a Conâ—urrence of the Second Cause Which is the Impulsion of the Aire that bringeth the Sent
Bodies than we know any For there haue beene Cups made of them and an Image of Iupiter But it is like they were Wilde-Vines For the Vines that they vse for Wine are so often Cut and so much Digged and Dressed that their Sap spendeth into the Grapes and so the Stalke cannot increase much in Bulke The Wood of Vines is very durable without Rotting And that which is strange though no Tree hath the Twigges while they are greene so brittle yet the Wood dryed is extreme Tough And was vsed by the Captaines of Armies amongst the Romans for their Cudgells It is reported that in some Places Vines are suffered to grow like Herbs spreading vpon the Ground And that the Grapes of those Vines are very great It were good to make tryall whether Plants that vse to be borne vp by Props will not put forth greater Leaues and greater Fruits if they be laid along the Ground As Hops lâ—y Wood bine c. Quinces or Apples c. if you will keepe them long drowne them in Honey But because Honey perhaps will giue them a Taste Ouerlushious it were good to make Triall in Powder of Sugar Or in Syrrup of Wine onely Boyled to Height Both these would likewise be tried in Orenges Limons and Pomgranats For the Powder of Sugar and Syrrup of Wine will serue for more times than once The Conseruation of Fruit would be also tried in Vessells filled with fine Sand or with Powder of Chalke Or in Meale and Flower Or in Dust of Oake-wood Or in Mill. Such Fruits as you appoint for Long Keeping you must gather before they be full Ripe And in a Faire and Dry Day towards Noone And when the Wind bloweth not South And when the Moone is vnder the Earth And in Decrease Take Grapes and hang them in an Empty Vessell well Stopped And set the Vessell not in a Cellar but in some dry Place And it is said they will last long But it is reported by some they will keepe better in a Vessell halfe full of Wine so that the Grapes touch not the Wine It is reported that the Preseruing of the Stalke helpeth to preserue the Grape Especially if the Stalke be put into the Pith of Elder the Elder not touching the Fruit. It is reported by some of the Ancients that Fruit put in Bottles and the Bottles let downe into Wells vnder Water will keepe long Of Herbs and Plants some are good to eat Raw As Lettuce Endiue Purslane Tarragon Cresses Cucumbers Muske-Melons Radish c. Others onely after they are Boyled or haue Passed the Fire As Parsley Clary Sage Parsnips Turnips Asparagus Artichoakes though they also being young are eaten Raw But a Number of Herbs are not Esculent at all As Worme-wood Grasse Greeke-Corne Centory Hyssope Lauender Balme c. The Causes are for that the Herbs that are not Esculent do want the two Tastes in which Nourishment resteth Which are Fat and Sweet And haue contrariwise Bitter and Ouer-strong Tastes or a Iuyce so Crude as cannot be ripened to the degree of Nourishment Herbes and Plants that are Esculent Raw haue Fatnesse or Sweetnesse as all Esculent Fruits Such are Onions Lettuce c. But then it must be such a Fatnesse for as for Sweet Things they are in effect alwayes Esculent as is not Ouer-grosse and Loading of the Stomach For Parsnips and Leeks haue Fatnesse But it is too Grosse and Heauy without Boyling It must be also in a Substance somewhat Tender For we see Wheat Barley Artichoakes are no good Nourishment till they haue Passed the Fire But the Fire doth ripen and maketh them soft and tender and so they become Esculent As for Radish and Tarragon and the like they are for Condiments and not for Nourishment And euen some of those Herbes which are not Esculent are notwithstanding Poculent As Hop 's Broome c. Quare what Herbs are good for Drinke besides the two aforenamed For that it may perhaps ease the Charge of Brewing if they make Beere to require lesse Malt or make it last longer Parts fit for the Nourishment of Man in Plants are Seeds Roots and Fruits But chiefly Seeds and Roots For Leaues they giue no Nourishment at all or very little No more doe Flowers or Blossomes or Stalkes The Reason is for that Roots and Seeds and Fruits in as much as all Plants consist of an Oyly and Watry Substance commixed haue more of the Oyly Substance And Leaues Flowers c. of the Watry And secondly they are more Concocted For the Root which continueth euer in the Earth is still Concocted by the Earth And Fruits and Graines we see are halfe a yeare or more in Concocting Whereas Leaues are out and Perfect in a Moneth Plants for the most part are more strong both in Taste and Smell in the Seed than in the Leafe and Root The Cause is for that in Plants that are not of a Fierce and Eager Spirit the Vertue is increased by Concoction and Maturation which is euer most in the Seed But in Plants that are of a Fierce and Eager Spirit they are stronger whilest the Spirit is enclosed in the Root And the Spirits doe but weaken and dissipate when they come to the Aire and Sunne As we see it in Onions Garlicke Dragon c. Nay there be Plants that haue their Roots very Hot and Aromaticall And their Seeds rather Insipide As Ginger The Cause is as was touched before for that the Heat of those Plants is very Dissipable which vnder the Earth is contained and held in But when it commeth to the Aire it exhaleth The Iuyces of Fruits are either Watry or Oyly I reckon amongst the Watry all the Fruits out of which Drinke is expressed As the Grape the Apple the Peare the Cherry the Pomgranate c. And there are some others which though they be not in vse for Drinke yet they appeare to be of the same Nature As Plummes Serukes Mulberries Rasps Orenges Limons c. And for those Iuyces that are so fleshy as they cannot make Drinke by Expression yet perhaps they may make Drinke by Mixture of Water Poculaque admistis imitantur vitea Sorbis And it may be Heps and Brier-Berries would doe the like Those that haue Oyly Iuyce are Oliues Almonds Nuts of all sorts Pine-Apples c. And their Iuyces are all Inflammable And you must obserue also that some of the Watry Iuyces after they haue gathered Spirit will Burne and Enflame As Wine There is a Third Kinde of Fruit that is sweet without either Sharpnesse or Oylinesse Such as is the Fig and the Date It hath beene noted that most Trees and specially those that beare Mast are fruitfull but once in two yeares The Cause no doubt is the Expence of Sap For many Orchard-Trees well Cultured will beare diuers yeares together There is no Tree which besides the Naturall Fruit doth beare so many Bastard-Fruits as the Oake doth For besides the Acorne it beareth Galls Oake-Apples and certaine Oake-Nuts
the Spirits and make them Strong and Aleger But it seemeth they are taken after seuerall manners For Coffa and Opium are taken downe Tobacco but in Smoake And Betel is but champed in the Mouth with a little Lime It is like there are more of them if they were well found out and well corrected Quare of Henbane-Seed Of Mandrake Of Saffron Root and Flower Of Folium Indum Of Amber-grice Of the Assyrian Amomum if it may be had And of the Scarlet Powder which they call Kermez And generally of all such Things as doe inebriate and prouoke Sleepe Note that Tobacco is not taken in Root or Seed which are more forcible euer than Leaues The Turkes haue a Blacke Powder made of a Minerall called Alcohole Which with a fine long Pencill they lay vnder their Eye-lids Which doth colour them Blacke Whereby the White of the Eye is set off more white With the same Powder they colour also the Haires of their Eye-lids and of their Eye-browes which they draw into Embowed Arches You shall finde that Xenophon maketh Mention that the Medes vsed to paint their Eyes The Turkes vse with the same Tincture to colour the Haire of their Heads and Beards Blacke And diuers with vs that are growne Gray and yet would appeare Young finde meanes to make their Haire blacke by Combing it as they say with a Leaden Combe or the like As for the Chineses who are of an ill Complexion being Oliuaster they paint their Cheekes Scarlet Especially their King and Grandes Generally Barbarous People that goe Naked doe not onely paint Themselues but they pownce and raze their Skinne that the Painting may not be taken forth And make it into Works So doe the West Indians And so did the Ancient Picts and Brittons So that it seemeth Men would haue the Colours of Birds Feathers if they could tell how Or at least they will haue Gay Skins instead of Gay Cloathes It is strange that the Vse of Bathing as a Part of Diet is left With the Romans and Grecians it was as vsuall as Eating or Sleeping And so is it amongst the Turkes at this day Whereas with vs it remaineth but as a Part of Physicke I am of Opinion that the Vse of it as it was with the Romans was hurtfull to Health For that it made the Body Soft and easie to Waste For the Turkes it is more proper because that their Drinking Water and Feeding vpon Rize and other Food of small Nourishment maketh their Bodies so Solide and Hard as you need not feare that Bathing should make them Froathie Besides the Turkes are great Sitters and seldome walke Whereby they Sweat lesse and need Bathing more But yet certaine it is that Bathing and especially Annointing may be so vsed as it may be a great Helpe to Health and Prolongation of Life But hereof we shall speake in due Place when we come to handle Experiments Medicinall The Turkes haue a Pretty Art of Chamoletting of Paper which is not with vs in vse They take diuers Oyled Colours and put them seuerally in drops vpon Water And stirre the Water lightly And then wet their Paper being of some Thicknesse with it And the Paper will be Waued and Veined like Chamolet or Marble It is somewhat strange that the Bloud of all Birds and Beasts and Fishes should be of a Red Colour and only the Bloud of the Cuttle should be as Blacke as Inke A Man would thinke that the Cause should be the High Concoction of that Bloud For wee see in ordinary Puddings that the Boyling turneth the Bloud to be Blacke And the Cuttle is accounted a delicate Meat and is much in Request It is reported of Credit that if you take Earth from Land adioyning to the Riuer of Nile And preserue it in that manner that it neither come to be Wet nor Wasted And Weigh it daily it will not alter Weight vntill the seuenteenth of Iune which is the Day when the Riuer beginneth to rise And then it will grow more and more Ponderous till the Riuer commeth to his Heighth Which if it be true it cannot be caused but by the Aire which then beginneth to Condense And so turneth within that Small Mould into a degree of Moisture Which produceth Weight So it hath beene obserued that Tobacco Cut and Weighed and then Dried by the Fire loseth Weight And after being laid in the open Aire recouereth Weight againe And it should seeme that as soone as euer the Riuer beginneth to increase the whole Body of the Aire thereabouts suffereth a Change For that which is more strange it is credibly affirmed that vpon that very Day when the Riuer first riseth great Plagues in Caire vse suddenly to breake vp Those that are very Cold and especially in their Feet cannot get to Sleepe The Cause may be for that in Sleepe is required a Free Respiration which Cold doth shut in and hinder For wee see that in great Colds one can scarce draw his Breath Another Cause may be for that Cold calleth the Spirits to succour And therefore they cannot so well close and goe together in the Head Which is euer requisite to Sleepe And for the same Cause Paine and Noise hinder Sleepe And Darknesse contrariwise furthereth Sleepe Some Noises whereof wee spake in the 112. Experiment helpe Sleepe As the Blowing of the Wind the Trickling of Water Humming of Bees Soft Singing Reading c. The Cause is for that they moue in the Spirits a gentle Attention And whatsoeuer moueth Attention without too much Labour stilleth the Naturall and discursiue Motion of the Spirits Sleepe nourisheth or at least preserueth Bodies a long time without other Nourishment Beasts that sleepe in Winter as it is noted of Wilde Beares during their Sleep wax very Fat though they Eat nothing Bats haue beene found in Ouens and other Hollow Close Places Matted one vpon another And therefore it is likely that they Sleepe in the Winter time and eat Nothing Quare whether Bees doe not Sleepe all Winter and spare their Honey Butterflies and other Flies doe not onely Sleepe but lye as Dead all Winter And yet with a little Heat of Sunne or Fire reuine againe A Dormonse both Winter and Summer will Sleepe some dayes ' together and eat Nothing To restore Teeth in Age were Magnale Naturae It may be thought of But howsoeuer the Nature of the Teeth deserueth to be enquired of as well as the other Parts of Liuing Creatures Bodies There be Fiue Parts in the Bodies of Liuing-Creatures that are of Hard Substance The Skull The Teeth The Bones The Hornes and the Nailes The greatest Quantity of Hard Substance Continued is towards the Head For there is the Skull of one Entire Bone There are the Teeth There are the Maxillary Bones There is the Hard Bone that is the Instrument of Hearing And thence issue the Hornes So that the Building of Liuing Creatures Bodies is like the Building of a
vnder the Arme-Holes and on the Sides The Cause is the Thinnesse of the Skin in those Parts Ioyned with the Rarenesse of being touched there For all Tickling is a light Motion of the Spirits which the Thinnesse of the Skin and Suddennesse and Rarenesse of Touch doe further For we see a Feather or a Rush drawne along the Lip or Cheeke doth tickle Whereas a Thing more Obtuse or a Touch more Hard doth not And for Suddennesse We see no Man can tickle himselfe Wee see also that the Palme of the Hand though it hath as Thinne a Skin as the other Parts Mentioned yet is not Ticklish because it is accustomed to be Touched Tickling also causeth Laughter The Cause may be the Emission of the Spirits and so of the Breath by a Flight from Titillation For vpon Tickling we see there is euer a Starting or Shrinking away of the Part to auoid it And we see also that if you Tickle the Nosthrills with a Feather or Straw it procureth Sneezing Which is a Sudden Emission of the Spirits that doe likewise expell the Moisture And Tickling is euer Painfull and not well endured It is strange that the Riuer of Nilus Ouer-flowing as it doth the Country of AEgypt there should be neuerthelesse little or no Raine in that Country The Cause must be Either in the Nature of the Water Or in the Nature of the Aire Or of Both. In the Water it may be ascribed either vnto the Long â—â—â— of the Water For Swift Running Waters vapour not so much as Standing Waters Or else to the Concoction of the Water For Waters well Concocted vapour not so much as Waters Raw No more than Waters vpon the Fire doe vapour so much after some time of Boyling as at the first And it is true that the Water of Nilus is sweeter than other Waters in Taste And it is excellent Good for the Stone and Hypochondriacall Melancholy Which sheweth it is Lenefying And it runneth thorow a Countrey of a Hot Climate and flat without Shade either of Woods or Hills Whereby the Sunne must needs haue great Power to Concoct it As for the Aire from whence I conceiue this Want of Showers commeth chiefly The Cause must be for that the Aire is of it selfe Thin and Thirsty And as soone as euer it getteth any Moisture from the Water it imbibeth and dissipateth it in the whole body of the Aire And suffereth it not to remaine in Vapour Whereby it might breed Raine It hath beene touched in the Title of Percolations Namely such as are Inwards that the Whites of Eggs and Milke doe clarifie And it is certaine that in AEgypt they prepare and clarifie the Water of Nile by putting it into great Iarres of Stone and Stirring it about with a few Stamped Almonds Wherewith they also besmeare the Mouth of the Vessell And so draw it off after it hath rested some time It were good to trie this Clarifying with Almonds in New Beere or Must to hasten and perfect the Clarifying There be scarce to be found any Vegetables that haue Branches and no Leaues except you allow Corall for one But there is also in the Desarts of S. Macario in AEgypt a Plant which is Long Leauelesse Browne of Colour and Branched like Corall faue that it closeth at the Top. This being set in Water within House spreadeth and displayeth strangely And the People thereabouts haue a Superstitious Beleefe that in the Labour of Women it helpeth to the Easie Deliuerance The Crystalline Venice Glasse is reported to be a Mixture in equall Portions of Stones brought from Pauia by the Riuer Ticinum And the Ashes of a Weed called by the Arabs Kall which is gathered in a Desart betweene Alexandria and Rosetta And is by the AEgyptians vsed first for Fuell And then they crush the Ashes into Lumps like a Stone And so sell them to the Venetians for their Glasse-workes It is strange and well to be noted how long Carkasses haue continued Vncorrupt and in their former Dimensions As appeareth in the Mummies of AEgypt Hauing lafted as is conceiued some of them three thousand yeeres It is true they finde Meanes to draw forth the Braines and to take forth the Entrailes which are the Parts apteft to corrupt But that is nothing to the Wonder For wee see what a Soft and Corruptible Substance the Flesh of all the other Parts of the Body is But it should seeme that according to our Obseruation and Axiorne in our hundredth Experiment Putrefaction which we conceiue to be so Naturall a Period of Bodies is but an Accident And that Matter maketh not that Haste to Corruption that is conceiued And therefore Bodies in Shining-Amber In Quicke-Siluer In Balmes whereof wee now speake In Wax In Honey In Gummes And it may be in Conseruatories of Snow c. are preserued very long It need not goe for Repetition if we resume againe that which wee said in the aforesaid Experiment concerning Annihilation Namely that if you prouide against three Causes of Putrefaction Bodies will not corrupt The First is that the Aire be excluded For that vndermineth the Body and conspireth with the Spirit of the Body to dissolue it The Second is that the Body Adiacent and Ambiens be not Commateriall but meerely Heterogeneall towards the Body that is to be presured For if Nothing can be receiued by the One Nothing can issue from the Other Such are Quick-Siluer White-Amber to Herbs and Flies and such Bodies The Third is that the Body to be preserued be not of that Grasse that it may corrupt within it selfe although no Part of it issue into the Body Adiacent And therefore it must be rather Thinne and Small than of Bulke There is a Fourth Remedie also which is That if the Body to be preserued be of Bulke as a Corps is then the Body that Incloseth it must haue a Vertue to draw forth and drie the Moisture of the Inward Body For else the Putrefaction will play within though Nothing issue forth I remember Liuy doth relate that there were found at a time two Coffins of Lead in a Tombe Whereof the one contained the Body of King Numa It being some foure hundred yeares after his Death And the other his Bookes of Sacred Rites and Ceremonies and the Discipline of the Pontises And that in the Coffin that had the Body there was Nothing at all to be seene but a little light Cinders about the Sides But in the Coffin that had the Bookes they were found as fresh as if they had beene but newly Written being written in Parchment and couered ouer with Watch-Candles of Wax three or foure fold By this it seemeth that the Romans in Numa's time were not so good Embalmers as the AEgyptians were Which was the Cause that the Body was vtterly consumed But I finde in Plutarch and Others that when Augustus Caesar visited the Sepulchre of Alexander the Great in Alexandria he found the Body to keepe his
hath lesse being many wayes corrected And this Experiment would be made about the End of March For that Season is likest to discouer what the Winter hath done And what the Summer following will doe vpon the Aire And because the Aire no doubt receiueth great Tincture and Infusion from the Earth It were good to trie that Exposing of Flesh or Fish both vpon a Stake of Wood some heighth aboue the Earth and vpon the Flat of the Earth Take May-Dew and see whether it putrifie quickly or no For that likewise may disclose the Qualitie of the Aire and Vapour of the Earth more or lesse Corrupted A Drie March and a Drie May portend a Wholesome Summer if there be a Showring Aprill betweene But otherwise it is a Signe of a Pestilentiall Yeare As the Discouerie of the Disposition of the Aire is good for the Prognosticks of Wholesome and Vnwholesome Yeares So it is of much more vse for the Choice of Places to dwell in At the least for Lodges and Retiring Places for Health For Mansion Houses respect Prouisions as well as Health Wherein the Experiments aboue mentioned may serue But for the Choice of Places or Seats it is good to make Triall not only of Aptnesse of Aire to corrupt but also of the Moisture and Drinesse of the Aire and the Temper of it in Heat or Cold For that may concerne Health diuersly Wee see that there be some Houses wherein Sweet Meats will relent and Baked Meats will mould more than in others And Wainscoats will also sweat more so that they will almost run with Water All which no doubt are caused chiefly by the Moistnesse of the Aire in those Seats But because it is better to know it before a Man buildeth his House than to finde it after take the Experiments following Lay Wooll or a Sponge or Bread in the Place you would trie comparing it with some other Places And see whether it doth not moisten and make the Wooll or Sponge c. more Ponderous than the other And if it doe you may iudge of that Place as Situate in a Grosse and Moist Aire Because it is certaine that in some Places either by the Nature of the Earth or by the Situation of Woods and Hills the Aire is more Vnequall than in Others and Inequalitie of Aire is euer an Enemy to Health It were good to take two Weather-Glasses Matches in all things and to set them for the same Houres of One day in seuerall Places where no Shade is nor Enclosures And to marke when you set them how farre the Water commeth And to compare them when you come againe how the Water standeth then And if you finde them Vnequall you may be sure that the Place where the Water is lowest is in the Warmer Aire and the other in the Colder And the greater the Inequalitie be of the Ascent or Descent of the Water the greater is the Inequalitie of the Temper of the Aire The Predictions likewise of Cold and Long Winters and Hot and Drie Summers are good to be knowne As well for the Discouerie of the Causes as for diuers Prouisions That of Plenty of Hawes and Heps and Briar-Berries hath beene spoken of before If Wainscast or Stone that haue vsed to Sweat be more drie in the Beginning of Winter Or the Drops of the Eaues of Houses come more slowly downe than they vse it portendeth a Hard and Frostie Winter The Cause is for that it sheweth an Inclination of the Aire to Drie Weather which in Winter is euer ioyned with Frost Generally a Moist and Coole Summer portendeth a Hard Winter The Cause is for that the Vapours of the Earth are not dissipated in the Summer by the Sunne And so they rebound vpon the Winter A Hot and Drie Summer and Autumne and especially if the Heat and Drought extend farre into September portendeth an Open Beginning of Winter And Colds to succeed toward the latter Part of the Winter and the Beginning of the Spring For till then the former Heat and Drought beare the Sway And the Vapours are not sufficiently Multiplied An Open and Warme Winter portendeth a Hot and Drie Summer For the Vapours disperse into the Winter Showres Whereas Cold and Frost keepeth them in and transporteth them into the late Spring and Summer following Birds that vse to change Countries at certaine Seasons if they come Earlier doe shew the Temperature of Weather according to that Country whence they came As the Winter-Birds namely Woodcocks Feldefares c. if they come earlier and out of the Northerne Countries with vs shew Cold Winters And if it be in the same Country then they shew a Temperature of Season like vnto that Season in which they come As swallowes Bats Cuckooes c. that come towards Summer if they come early shew a Hot Summer to follow The Prognosticks more Immediate of Weather to follow soone after are more Certaine than those of Seasons The Resounding of the Sea vpon the Shoare And the Murmur of Winds in the Woods without apparent Wind shew Wind to follow For such Winds breathing chiefly out of the Earth are not at the first perceiued except they be pent by Water or Wood. And therefore a Murmur out of Caues likewise portendeth as much The Vpper Regions of the Aire perceiue the Collection of the Matter of Tempest and Winds before the Aire here below And therefore the Obscuring of the Smaller Starres is is a Signe of Tempests following And of this kinde you shall finde a Number of Instances in our Inquisition De Ventis Great Mountaines haue a Perception of the Disposition of the Aire to Tempests sooner than the Valley's or Plaines below And therefore they say in Wales when certaine Hills haue their Night-Cups on they meane Mischiefe The Cause is for that Tempests which are for the most part bred aboue in the Middle Region as they call it are soonest perceiued to collect in the Places next it The Aire and Fire haue Subtill Perceptions of Wind Rising before Men finde it Wee see the Trembling of a Candle will discouer a Wind that otherwise wee doe not feele And the Flexuous Burning of Flames doth shew the Aire beginneth to be vnquiet And so doe Coales of Fire by Casting off the Ashes more than they vse The Cause is for that no Wind at the first till it hath strooke and driven the Aire is Apparent to the Sense But Flame is easier to moue than Aire And for the Ashes it is no maruell though Wind vnperceiued shake them off For wee vsually trie which way the Wind bloweth by casting vp Grasse or Chaffe or such light Things into the Aire When Wind expireth from vnder the Sea As it causeth some Resounding of the Water whereof wee spake before so it causeth some Light Motions of Bubbles and White Circles of Froth The Cause is for that the Wind cannot be perceiued by the Sense vntill there be an Eruption of a great Quantitie from vnder the Water And so it
getteth into a Body Whereas in the first Putting vp it commeth in little Portions We spake of the Ashes that Coales cast off And of Grasse and Chaffe carried by the Wind So any Light Thing that moueth when we finde no Wind sheweth a Wind at hand As when Feathers or Downe of Thistles fly to and fro in the Aire For Prognosticks of Weather from Liuing Creatures it is to be noted That Creatures that Liue in the Open Aire Sub Diô must needs haue a Quicker Impression from the Aire than Men that liue most within Doores And especially Birds who liue in the Aire freest and clearest And are aptest by their Voice to tell Tales what they finde And likewise by the Motion of their Flight to expresse the same Water-Fowles as Sea-Gulls More-Hens c. when they flocke and fly together from the Sea towards the Shores And contrariwise Land-Birds as Crowes Swallowes c. when they fly from the Land to the Waters and beat the Waters with their Wings doe fore-shew Raine and Wind. The Cause is Pleasure that both Kindes take in the Moistnesse and Density of the Aire And so desire to be in Motion and vpon the Wing whither soeuer they would otherwise goe For it is no Maruell that Water-Fowle doe ioy most in that Aire which is likest Water And Land-Birds also many of them delight in Bathing and Moist Aire For the same Reason also many Birds doe proine their Feathers And Geese doe gaggle And Crowes seeme to call vpon Raine All which is but the Comfort they seeme to receiue in the Relenting of the Aire The Heron when she foareth high so as sometimes she is seene to passe ouer a Cloud sheweth Winds But Kites flying aloft shew Faire and Dry Weather The Cause may be for that they both mount most into the Aire of that Temper wherein they delight And the Heron being a Water-Fowle taketh pleasure in the Aire that is Condensed And besides being but Heauy of Wing needeth the Helpe of the Grosser Aire But the Kite affecteth not so much the Grossenesse of the Aire as the Cold and Freshnesse thereof For being a Bird of Prey and therefore Hot she delighteth in the Fresh Aire And many times flyeth against the Wind As Trouts and Salmons swimme against the Streame And yet it is true also that all Birds finde an Ease in the depth of the Aire As Swimmers doe in a Deepe Water And therefore when they are aloft they can vphold themselues with their Wings Spred scarce mouing them Fishes when they play towards the Top of the Water doe commonly foretell Raine The Cause is for that a Fish hating the Dry will not approach the Aire till it groweth Moist And when it is Dry will fly it and Swimme Lower Beasts doe take Comfort generally in a Moist Aire And it maketh them eat their Meat better And therefore Sheepe will get vp betimes in the Morning to feed against Raine And Cattell and Deere and Conneyes will feed hard before Raine And a Heifer will put vp his Nose and snuffe in the Aire against Raine The Trifoile against Raine swelleth in the Stalke and so standeth more vpright For by Wet Stalkes doe erect and Leaues bow downe I here is a Small Red Flower in the Stubble-Fields which Country People call the Wincopipe Which if it open in the Morning you may be sure of a faire Day to follow Euen in Men Aches and Hurts and Cornes doe engrieue either towards Raine or towards Frost For the One maketh the Humours more to Abound And the Other maketh them Sharper So we see both Extremes bring the Gout Wormes Vermine c. doe fore-shew likewise Raine For Earth-wormes will come forth and Moules will cast vp more and Fleas bite more against Raine Solide Bodies likewise fore-shew Raine As Stones and Wainscot when they sweat And Boxes and Peggs of Wood when they Draw and Wind hard Though the Former be but from an Outward Cause For that the Stone or Wainscot turneth and beateth backe the Aire against it selfe But the latter is an Inward Swelling of the Body of the Wood it selfe Apetite is moued chiefly by Things that are Cold and Dry The Cause is for that Cold is a Kinde of Indigence of Nature and calleth vpon Supply And so is Drinesse And therefore all Soure Things as Vinegar Iuyce of Limons Oyle of Vitrioll c. prouoke Appetite And the Disease which they call Appetitus Caninus consisteth in the Matter of an Acide and Glassy Flegme in the Mouth of the Stomach Appetite is also moued by Soure Things For that Soure Things induce a Contraction in the Nerues placed in the Mouth of the Stomach Which is a great Cause of Appetite As for the Cause why Onions and Salt and Pepper in Baked Meats moue Appetite it is by Vellication of those Nerues For Motion whetteth As for Worme-Wood Oliues Capers and others of that kinde which participate of Bitternesse they moue Appetite by Abstersion So as there be foure Principall Causes of Appetite The Refrigeration of the Stomach ioyned with some Drinesse Contraction Vellication And Abstersion Besides Hunger which is an Emptinesse And yet Ouer Fasting doth many times cause the Appetite to cease For that Want of Meat maketh the Stomach draw Humours And such Humours as are Light and Cholericke which quench Appetite most It hath beene obserued by the Ancients that where a Raine-Bow seemeth no hang ouer or to touch there breatheth forth a Sweet Smell The Cause is for that this happeneth but in certaine Matters which haue in themselues some Sweetnesse Which the Gentle Dew of the Raine-Bow doth draw forth And the like doe Safe Showers For they also make the Ground Sweet But none are so delicate as the Dew of the Rain-bow where it falleth It may be also that the Water it selfe bath some Sweetnesse For the Raine-Bow consisteth of a Gloâ—â—eration of Small Drops which cannot possibly fall but from the Aire that is very Low And therefore may hold the very Sweetnesse of the Herbs and Flowers as a Distilled Water For Raine and other Dew that fall from high cannot preserue the Smell being dissipated in the drawing vp Neither doe we know whether some Water it selfe may not haue some degree of Sweetnesse It is true that wee finde it sensibly in no Poole Riuer nor Fountaine But good Earth newly turned vp hath a Freshnesse and good Sent Which water if it be not too Equall For Equall Obiects neuer moue the Sense may also haue Certaine it is that Bay-Salt which is but a kinde of Water Congealed will sometimes smell like Violets To Sweet Smells Heat is requisite to Concoct the Matter And some Moisture to Spread the Breath of them For Heat we see that Woods and Spices are more Odorate in the Hot Countries than in the Cold For Moisture we see that Things too much Dried lose their Sweetnesse And Flowers growing smell better in a Morning or Euening than at Noone Some Sweet Smells are
But in the first Kinde it is more Diffused and more Mastered by the Grosser Parts which the Spirits doe but disgest But in Drinkes the Spirits doe raigne and finding lesse Opposition of the Parts become themselues more Strong Which causeth also more Strength in the Liquour Such as if the Spirits be of the Hotter Sort the Liquour becommeth apt to Burne But in Time it causeth likewise when the Higher Spirits are Euapourated more Sourenesse It hath beene obserued by the Ancients that Plates of Metall and especially of Brasse applied presently to a Blow will keepe it downe from Swelling The Cause is Repercussion without Humectation or Entrance of any Body for the Plate hath onely a Virtuall Cold which doth not search into the Hurt Whereas all Plasters and Ointments doe enter Surely the Cause that Blowes and Bruises enduce Swellings is for that the Spirits resorting to Succour the Part that Laboureth draw also the Humours with them For we see that it is not the Repulse and the Returne of the Humour in the Part Strucken that causeth it For that Gouts and Tooth-Aches cause Swelling where there is no Percussion at all The Nature of the Orris Root is almost Singular For there be few Odoriferous Roots And in those that are in any degree Sweet it is but the same Sweetnesse with the Wood or Leafe But the Orris is not Sweet in the Leafe Neither is the Flower any thing so Sweet as the Root The Root seemeth to haue a Tender dainty Heat Which when it commeth aboue Ground to the Sunne and the Aire vanisheth For it is a great Mollifier And hath a Smell like a Violet It hath been obserued by the Ancients that a great Vessell full drawne into Bottles And then the Liquour put againe into the Vessell will not fill the Vessell againe so full as it was but that it may take in more Liquour And that this holdeth more in Wine than in Water The Cause may be Triuiall Namely by the Expence of the Liquour in regard some may sticke to the Sides of the Bottles But there may be a Cause more Subtill Which is that the Liquour in the Vessell is not so much Compressed as in the Bottle Because in the Vessell the Liquour meeteth with Liquour chiefly But in the Bottles a Small Quantity of Liquour meeteth with the Sides of the Bottles which Compresse it so that it doth not Open againe Water being contiguous with Aire Cooleth it but Moisteneth it not except it Vapour The Cause is for that Heat and Cold haue a Virtuall Transition without Communication of Substance but Moisture not And to all Madefaction there is required an Imbibition But where the Bodies are of such seuerall Leuity and Grauity as they Mingle not there can follow no Imbibition And therefore Oyle likewise lyeth at the Top of the Water without Commixture And a Drop of Water running swiftly ouer a Straw or Smooth Body wetteth not Starre-light Nights yea and bright Moone-shine Nights are Colder than Cloudy Nights The Cause is the Drinesse and Finenesse of the Aire which thereby becommeth more Piercing and Sharpe And therefore Great Continents are colder than Islands And as for the Moone though it selfe inclineth the Aire to Moisture yet when it shineth bright it argueth the Aire is dry Also Close Aire is warmer than Open Aire which it may be is for that the true Cause of Cold is an Expiration from the Globe of the Earth which in open Places is stronger And againe Aire it selfe if it be not altered by that Expiration is not without some Secret Degree of Heat As it is not likewise without some Secret Degree of Light For otherwise Cats and Owles could not see in the Night But that Aire hath a little Light Proportionable to the Visuall Spirits of those Creatures The Eyes doe moue â—â—â—â—â—â— way For when one Eye moueth to the Nosthrill the other moueth from the Nosthrill The Cause is Motion of Consent which in the Spirits and Parts Spirituall is Strong But yet Vse will induce the Contrary For some can Squint when they will And the Common Tradition is that if Children be set vpon a Table with a Candle behinde them both Eyes will moue Outwards As affecting to see the Light and so induce Squinting We see more exquisitely with One Eye Shut than with Both Open. The Cause is for that the Spirits Visuall vnite themselues more and so become Stronger For you may see by looking in a Glasse that when you shut one Eye the Pupill of the other Eye that is Open Dilateth The Eyes if the Sight meet not in one Angle See Things Double The Cause is for that Seeing two Things and Seeing one Thing twice worketh the same Effect And therefore a little Pellet held betweene two Fingers laid a-crosse seemeth Double Pore-blinde Men see best in the Dimmer Lights And likewise haue their Sight Stronger neare hand than those that are not Pore-blinde And can Reade and Write smaller Letters The Cause is for that the Spirits Visuall in those that are Pore-blinde are Thinner and Rarer than in others And therefore the Greater Light disperseth them For the same Cause they need Contracting But being Contracted are more strong than the Visuall Spirits of Ordinary Eyes are As when we see thorow a Leuell the Sight is the Stronger And so is it when you gather the Eye-lids somewhat close And it is commonly seene in those that are Poreblinde that they doe much gather the Eye-lids together But Old Men when they would see to Reade put the Paper somewhat a farre off The Cause is for that Old Mens Spirits Visuall contrary to those of Pore-blinde Men vnite not but when the Obiect is at some good distance from their Eyes Men see better when their Eyes are ouer-against the Sunne or a Candle if they put their Hand a little before their Eye The Reason is for that the Glaring of the Sunne or the Candle doth weaken the Eye wheras the Light Circumfused is enough for the Perception For we see that an Ouer-light maketh the Eyes Dazell Insomuch as Perpetuall Looking against the Sunne would Cause Blindnesse Againe if Men come out of a Great Light into a Darke Roome And contrariwise if they come out of a Darke Roome into a Light Roome they seeme to haue a Mist before their Eyes and see worse than they shall doe after they haue stayed a little while either in the Light or in the Darke The Cause is for that the Spirits Visuall are vpon a Sudden Change disturbed and put out of Order And till they be recollected doe not performe their Function well For when they are much Dilated by Light they cannot Contract suddenly And when they are much Contracted by Darknesse they cannot Dilate suddenly And Excesse of both these that is of the Dilatation and Contraction of the Spirits Visuall if it belong Destroyeth the Eye For as long Looking against the Sunne or Fire hurteth the Eye by Dilatation
And I wish the same to be tried outwardly in Vapours The One is Nitre which I would haue dissoluted in Malmesey or GreekeWine and so the Smell of the Wine taken Or if you would haue it more forcible poure of it vpon a Fire-pan well heated as they doe Rose-Water and Vinegar The other is the Distilled Water of Wilde Poppy which I wish to be mingled at halfe with Rose-Water and so taken with some Mixture of a few Clones in a Perfuming-Pan The like would be done with the Distilled Water of Saffron Flowers Smells of Muske and Amber and Ciuit are thought to further Venereous Appetite Which they may doe by the Refreshing and Calling forth of the Spirits Incense and Nidorous Smells such as were of Sacrifices were thought to Intoxicate the Braine and to dispose Men to Deuotion Which they may doe by a kinde of Sadnesse and Contristation of the Spirits And partly also by Heating and Exalting them Wee see that amongst the Iewes the Principall Perfume of the Sanctuary was forbidden all Common Vses There be some Perfumes prescribed by the Writers of Naturall Magicke which procure Pleasant Dreames And some others as they say that procure Propheticall Dreames As the Seeds of Flax Fleawort c. It is certaine that Odours doe in a small Degree Nourish Especially the Odour of Wine And we see Men a hungred doe loue to smell Hot Bread It is related that Democritus when he lay a dying heard a Woman in the House complaine that she should be kept from being at a Feast and Solemnity which she much desired to see because there would be a Corps in the House Whereupon he caused Loaues of New Bread to be sent for and opened them And powred a little Wine into them And so kept himselfe aliue with the Odour of them till the Feast was past I knew a Gentleman that would fast sometimes three or foure yea fiue dayes without Meat Bread or Drinke But the same Man vsed to haue continually a great Wispe of Herbes that he smelled on And amongst those Herbes some Esculent Herbs of strong Sent As Onions Garlicke Leekes and the like They doe vse for the Accident of the Mother to burne Feathers and other Things of Ill Odour And by those Ill Smells the Rising of the Mother is put downe There be Aires which the Physitians aduise their Patients to remoue vnto in Consumptions or vpon Recouery of Long Sicknessess Which commonly are Plaine Champaignes but Grasing and not Ouen-growne with Heath or the like Or else Timber-Shades as in Forrests and the like It is noted also that Groues of Bayes doe forbid Pestilent Aires Which was accounted a great Cause of the Wholesome Aire of Antiochia There be also some Soyles that put forth Odorate Herbes of themselues As Wilde Thyme Wilde Maioram Penny-Roiall Camomill And in which the BriarRoses smell almost like Muske-Roses Which no doubt are Signes that doe discouer an Excellent Aire It were good for Men to thinke of hauing Healthfull Aire in their Houses Which will neuer be if the Roomes be Low-roosed or full of Windowes and Doores For the one maketh the Aire Close and not Fresh And the other maketh it Exceeding Vnequall Which is a great Enemy to Health The Windowes also should not be high vp to the Roofe which is in vse for Beauty and Magnificence but Low Also Stone-Walls are not wholesome But Timber is more wholesome And especially Brick Nay it hath beene vsed by some with great Successe to make their Walls thicke And to put a Lay of Chalke betweene the Brickes to take away all Dampishnesse These Emissions as we said before are handled and ought to be handled by themselues vnder their Proper Titles That is Visibles and Andibles each a-part In this Place it shall suffice to giue some generall Obseruations Common to both First they seeme to be Incorporeall Secondly they Worke Swiftly Thirdly they Worke at Large Distances Fourthly in Curious Varieties Fifthly they are not Effectiue of any Thing Nor leaue no Worke behinde them But are Energies meerely For their Working vpon Mirrours and Places of Eccho doth not alter any Thing in those Bodies But it is the same Action with the Originall onely Repercussed And as for the Shaking of windowes or Rarefying the Aire by Great Noyses And the Heat caused by Burning-Glasses They are rather Concomitants of the Andible and Visible Species than the Effects of them Sixthly they seeme to be ofso Tender and Weake a Nature as they affect onely such a Rare and Attenuate Substance as is the spirit of Liuing Creatures It is mentioned in some Stories that where Children haue been Exposed or taken away young from their Parents And that afterwards they haue approached to their Parents presence the Parents though they haue not knowne them haue had a Secret Ioy or Other Alteration thereupon There was an AEgyptian South-Sayer that made Anthonius beleeue that his Genius which otherwise was Braue and Confident was in the Presence of Octanianus Caesar Poore and Cowardly And therefore he aduised him to absent himselfe as much as he could and remoue far from him This South-Sayer was thought to be suborned by Cleopatra to make him liue in AEgypt and other Remote Places from Rome Howsouer the Conceit of a Perdominant or Mastering Spirit of one Man ouer Another is Ancient and Receiued still euen in Vulgar Opinion There are Conceits that some Men that are of an Ill and Melancholy Nature doe incline the Company into which they come to be Sad and Ill disposed And contrariwise that Others that are of a Iouiall Nature doe dispose the Company to be Merry and Cheerefull And againe that some Men are Lucky to be kept Company with and Employed And Others Vnlucky Certninly it is agreeable to Reason that there are at the least some Light Effluxions from Spirit to Spirit when Men are in Presence one with another as well as from Body to Body It hath beene obserued that Old Men who haue loued Toung Company and beene Conuersant continually with them haue beene of Long Life Their Spirits as it seemeth being Recreated by such Company Such were the Ancient Sophists and Rhetoricians Which euer had Young Auditours and Disciples As Gorgias Protagoras Isocrates c. Who liued till they were an Hundred yeares Old And so likewise did many of the Grammarians and Schoole-Masters such as was Orbilius c. Audacity and Confidence doth in Ciuill Businesse so great Effects as a Man may reasonably doubt that besides the very Daring and Earnestnesse and Persisting and Importunity there should be some Secret Binding and Stooping of other Mens Spirits to such Persons The Affections no doubt doe make the Spirits more Powerfull and Actiue And especially those Affections which draw the Spirits into the Eyes Which are two Loue and Enuy which is called Oculus Malus As for Loue the Platonists some of them goe so farre as to hold that the Spirit of the Louer doth passe into the Spirits of
Disgestions In the Stomach In the Liuer In the Arteries and Nerues And in the Seuerall Parts of the Body are likewise called Concoctions And they are all made to be the Workes of Heat All which Notions are but ignorant Catches of a few Things which are most Obuious to Mens Obseruations The Constantest Notion of Concoction is that it should signifie the Degrees of Alteration of one Body into another from Crudity to Perfect Concoction Which is the Vltimity of that Action or Processe And while the Body to be Conuerted and Altered is too strong for the Efficient that should Conuert or Alter it whereby it resisteth and holdeth fast in some degree the first Forme or Consistence it is all that while Crude and Inconcoct And the Processe is to be called Crudity and Inconcoction It is true that Concoction is in great part the Worke of Heat But not the Worke of Heat alone For all Things that further the Conuersion or Alteration as Rest Mixture of a Body already Concocted c. are also Meanes to Concoction And there are of Concoction two Periods The one Assimilation or Absolute Conuersion and Subaction The other Maturation whereof the Former is most conspicuous in the Bodies of Liuing Creatures In which there is an Absolute Conuersion and Assimilation of the Nourishment into the Body And likewise in the Bodies of Plants And againe in Metalls where there is a full Transmutation The other which is Maturation is seene in Liquours and Fruits wherein there is not desired nor pretended an vtter Conuersion but onely an Alteration to that Forme which is most sought for Mans vse As in Clarifying of Drinkes Ripening of Fruits c. But note that there be two Kindes of Absolute Conuersions The one is when a Body is conuerted into another Body which was before As when Nourishment is turned into Flesh That is it which wee call Assimilation The other is when the Conuersion is into a Body meerely New and which was not before As if Siluer should be turned to Gold or Iron to Copper And this Conuersion is better called for distinctions sake Transmutation There are also diuers other Great Alterations of Matter and Bodies besides those that tend to Concoction and Maturation For whatsoeuer doth so alter a Body as it returneth not againe to that it was may be called Alteratio Maior As when Meat is Boyled or Roasted or Fried c. Or when Bread and Meat are Baked Or when Cheese is made of Curds or Butter of Creame or Goales of wood or Brickes of Earth And a Number of others But to apply Notions Philosophicall to Plebcian Termes Or to say where the Notions cannot fitly be reconciled that there wanteth a Terme or Nomenclature for it as the Ancients vsed They be but Shifts of Ignorance For Knowledge will be euer a Wandring and Indigested Thing if it be but a Commixture of a few Notions that are at hand and occurre and not excited from sufficient Number of Instances and those well collated The Consistences of Bodies are very diuers Dense Rare Tangible Pneumaticall Volatile Fixed Determinate Not Determinate Hard Soft Cleauing Not Cleauing Congealeable Not Congealeable Liquefiable Not Liquefiable Fragile Tough Flexible Inflexible Tractile or to be drawen forth in length Intractile Porous Solide Equall and Smooth Vnequall Venous and Fibrous and with Graines Entire And diuers Others All which to referre to Heat and Cold and Moisture and Drought is a Compendious and Inutile Speculation But of these see principally our Abecedarium Nature And otherwise Sparfim in this in our Sylua Syluarum Neuerthelesse in some good part We shall handle diuers of them now presently Liquefiable and Not Liquefiable proceed from these Causes Liquefaction is euer caused by the Detention of the Spirits which play within the Body and Open it Therefore such Bodies as are more Turgide of Spirit Or that haue their Spirits more Sraitly Imprisoned Or againe that hold them Better Pleased and Content are Liquefiable For these three Dispositions of Bodies doe arrest the Emission of the Spirits An Example of the first two Properties is in Metalls And of the Last in Grease Pitch Sulphure Butter Wax c. The Disposition not to Liquefie proceedeth from the Easie Emission of the Spirits whereby the Grosser Parts contract And therefore Bodies Ieiune of Spirits Or which part with their Spirits more Willingly are not Liquefiable As Wood Clay Free-stone c. But yet euen many of those Bodies that will not Melt or will hardly Melt will notwithstanding Soften As Iron in the Forge And a Sticke bathed in Hot Ashes which thereby becommeth more Flexible Moreouer there are some Bodies which doe Liquefie or dissolue by Fire As Metalls Wax c. And other Bodies which dissolue in Water As Salt Sugar c. The Cause of the former proceedeth from the Dilatation of the Spirits by Heat The Cause of the Latter proceedeth from the Opening of the Tangible Parts which desire to receiue the Liquour Againe there are some Bodies that dissolue with both As Gumme c. And those be such Bodies as on the One Side haue good store of Spirit And on the other Side haue the Tangible Parts Indigent of Moisture For the former helpeth to the Dilating of the Spirits by the Fire And the Latter stimulateth the Parts to Receiue the Liquour Of Bodies some are Fragile And some are Tough and Not Fragile And in the Breaking some Fragile Bodies breake but where the Force is Some shatter and fly in many Peeces Of Fragility the Cause is an Impotency to be Extended And therefore Stone is more Fragile than Metall And so Fictile Earth is more Fragile than Crude Earth And Dry Wood than Greene. And the Cause of this Vnaptnesse to Extension is the Small Quantity of Spirits For it is the Spirit that furthereth the Extension or Dilatation of Bodies And it is euer Concomitant with Porosity and with Drinesse in the Tangible Parts Contrariwise Tough Bodies haue more Spirit and sewer Pores and Moister Tangible Parts Therefore wee see that Parchment or Leather will stretch Paper will not Woollen Cloth will tenter Linnen scarcely All Solide Bodies consist of Parts of two seuerall Natures Pneumaticall and Tangible And it is well to be noted that the Pneumaticall Substance is in some Bodies the Nature Spirit of the Body And in some other plaine Aire that is gotten in As in Bodies desiccate by Heat or Age For in them when the Natiue Spirit goeth forth and the Moisture with it the Aire with time getteth into the Pores And those Bodies are euer the more Fragile For the Natiue Spirit is more Yeelding and Extensiue especially to follow the Parts than Aire The Natiue Spirits also admit great Diuersitie As Hot Cold Active Dull c. Whence proceed most of the Vertues and Qualities as wee call them of Bodies But the Aire intermixt is without Vertues and maketh Things Infioide and without any Extimulation The Concretion of Bodies
is commonly solued by the Contrary As Ice which is congealed by Gold is dissolued by Heat Salt and Sugar which are Excocted by Heat are Dissolued by Cold and Moisture The Cause is for that these Operations are rather Returnes to their former Nature than Alterations So that the Contrary cureth As for Oyle it doth neither easily congeale with Cold nor thicken with Heat The Cause of both Effects though they be produced by Contrary Efficients seemeth to be the Same And that is because the Spirit of the Oyle by either Meanes exhaleth little For the Cold keepeth it in and the Heat except it be Vehement doth not call it forth As for Cold though it take hold of the Tangible Parts yet as to the Spirits it doth rather make them Swell than Congeale them As when Ice is congealed in a Cup the Ice will Swell in stead of Contracting And sometimes Rift Of Bodies some wee see are Hard and some Soft The Hardnesse is caused chiefly by the Ieiunenesse of the Spirits And their Imparitie with the Tangible Parts Both which if they be in a greater degree maketh them not only Hard but Fragile and lesse Enduring of Pressure As Steele Stone Glasse Drie Wood c. Softnesse commeth contrariwise by the Greater Quantitie of Spirits which euer helpeth to Induce Yeelding and Cession And by the more Equall Spreading of the Tangible Parts which thereby are more Sliding and Following As in Gold Lead Wax c. But note that Soft Bodies as wee vse the word are of two Kinds The one that easily glueth place to another Body but altereth not Bulke by Rising in other Places And therefore wee see that Wax if you put any Thing into it doth not rise in Bulke but only giueth Place For you may not thinke that in Printing of Wax the Wax riseth vp at all But only the depressed Part giueth place and the other remaineth as it was The other that altereth Bulke in the Cession As Water or other Liquours if you put a Stone or any Thing into them they giue place indeed easily but then they rise all ouer Which is a False Cession For it is in Place and not in Body All Bodies Ductile and Tensile as Metals that will be drawne into Wires Wooll and Towe that will be drawne into Yarne or Thred haue in them the Appetite of Not Discontinuing Strong Which maketh them follow the Force that pulleth them out And yet so as not to Discontinue or forsake their owne Body Viscous Bodies likewise as Pitch Wax Bird-Lime Cheese toasted will draw forth and roape But the difference betweene Bodies Fibrous and Bodies Viscous is Plaine For all Wooll and Towe and Cotton and Silke especially raw Silke haue besides their Desire of Continuance in regard of the Tenuitie of their Thred a Greedinesse of Moisture And by Moisture to ioyne and incorporate with other Thred Especially if there be a little Wreathing As appeareth by the Twisting of Thred And the Practise of Twirling about of Spindles And wee see also that Gold and Siluer Thred cannot be made without Twisting The Differences of Impressible and Not Impressible Figurable and Not Figurable Mouldable and Not Mouldable Scissile and Not Scissile And many other Passions of Matter are Plebcian Notions applied vnto the Instruments and Vses which Men ordinarily practise But they are all but the Effects of some of these Causes following Which we will Enumerate without Applying them because that would be too long The First is the Cession or Not Cession of Bodies into a Smaller Space or Roome keeping the Outward Bulke and not flying vp The Second is the Stronger or Weaker Appetite in Bodies to Continuitie and to flie Discontinuitie The Third is the Disposition of Bodies to Contract or Not Contract And againe to Extend or Not Extend The Fourth is the Small Quantitie or Great Quantitie of the Pneumaticall in Bodies The Fifth is the Nature of the Pneumalicall whether is â—â— Natiue Spirit of the Body or Common Aire The Sixth is the Nature of the Natiue Spirits in the Body whether they be Actiue and Eager or Dull and Gentle The Seuenth is the Emission or Detention of the Spirits in Bodies The Eighth is the Dilatation or Contraction of the Spirits in Bodies while they are detained The Ninth is the Collocation of the Spirits in Bodies whether the Collocation be Equall or Vnequall And againe whether the Spirits be Coaceruate or Diffused The Tenth is the Densitie or Raritie of the Tangible Parts The Eleuenth is the Equalitie or Inequalitie of the Tangible Parts The Twelfth is the Disgestion or Cruditie of the Tangible Parts The Thirteenth is the Nature of the Matter whether Sulphureous or Mercuriall Watrie or Oylie Drie and Terrestriall or Moìst and Liquid which Natures of Sulphureous and Mercuriall seeme to be Natures Radicall and Principiall The Fourteenth is the Placing of the Tangible Parts in Length or Transuerse As it is in the Warpe and the Woofe of Textiles More Inward or More Outward c. The Fifteenth is the Porofitie or Imporositie betwixt the Tangible Parts And the Greatnesse or Smalnesse of the Pores The Sixteenth is the Collocation and Pesture of the Pores There may be more Causes but these doe occurre for the Present Take Lead and melt it and in the Middest of it when it beginneth to Congeale make a little Dint or Hole and put Quicke-Siluer wrapped in a Peece of Linnen into that Hole and the Quicke-Siluer will fix and run no more and endure the Hammer This is a Noble Instance of Induration by Consent of one Body with another and Motion of Excitation to Imitate For to ascribe it only to the Vapour of Lead is lesse Probable Quare whether the Fixing may be in such a degree as it will be Figured like other Metals For if so you may make Works of it for some purposes so they come not neere the Fire Sugar hath put downe the vse of Honey Insomuch as wee haue lost those Obseruations and Preparations of Honey which the Ancients had when it was more in Price First it seemeth that there was in old time Tree-Honey as well as Bee-Honey Which was the Teare or Bloud issuing from the Tree Insomuch as one of the Ancients relateth that in Trebisond there was Honey issuing from the Box-Trees which made Men Mad. Againe in Ancient time there was a Kinde of Honey which either of the owne Nature or by Art would grow as Hard as Sugar And was not so Lushious as Ours They had also a Wine of Honey which they made thus They crushed the Honey into a great Quantitie of Water and then strained the Liquour After they boyled it in a Copper to the halfe Then they powred it into Earthen Vessels for a small time And after tunned it into Vessels of Wood and kept it for many years They haue also at this day in Russia and those Northerne Countries Mead Simple which well made and seasoned is a good