A continuation of new experiments physico-mechanical, touching the spring and weight of the air and their effects. The I. part whereto is annext a short discourse of the atmospheres of consistent bodies / written by way of letter to the right honourable the Lord Clifford and Dungarvan by the honourable Robert Boyle ...

EXPERIMENT IV.

About a new Hydraulo-pneumatical Fountain, made by the Spring of uncompress'd Air.

I Shall now add such an application of the Principle whereon the former Experiment was grounded, as I should scarce think

worth mentioning in this place, were it not that besides that di∣vers Virtuosi seem not a little delighted with it, it may for ought I know prove to be of some Philosophical use (to be pointed at hereafter.)

We took a Glass-bottle with a convenient quantity of Water in it, and fitted this Bottle with a slender glass-pipe open at both ends, and about three foot long, which was so plac'd, that the lower Orifice was a good way beneath the Surface of the Water, and the Pipe it self passed perpendicularly upwards through the Neck of the Bottle, which Neck was, by the Pipe and by good hard Cement imploy'd to fill the space betwixt the Pipe and the inside, so well and firmly clos'd, that no Water or Air could get out of the bottle,* 1.1 nor no externall Aire could get in∣to it, but by passing through the Pipe. This Instrument was convey'd into a large Receiver shap'd like a Pear, of which a good part of the blunt end, and a small part of the sharp end are cut off by Sections parallel to the Horizon, and consequently to one a∣nother. And because this Receiver was not (nor ought to be) long enough to receive the whole Pipe, there was Cemented on to the upper part of it a smaller Receiver of white Glass, of such a length and bigness, that the upper end of the Pipe might reach to the middle of its Cavity, or thereabouts, and that the motions of the springing water might have a convenient Scope, and so be the better taken notice of.

This double Receiver being cemented on to the Engine, a little of the Air was by one Suck of the Pump drawn out from it, by which the Pressure of the remaining Air being weakned, it was ne∣cessary, that since the Air included in the Bottle had not its Spring likewise weakned, it should expand it self, and consequently im∣pell up the water in the same Bottle through the Pipe, which it did so vigorously, as to make it strike briskly at first against that part of the top of the smaller Receiver, which was just over the Ori∣fice of the Pipe. But after it had a while made the Water thus shoot up in a perpendicular line, as the Spring of the Air in the Bottle grew by that Airs dilatation to be weaken'd, the Water

would be impell'd up less strongly and less directly, till the Air in the Bottle being as much expanded as that in the Receiver, the Ascent of the Water would quite cease, unless by Pumping a lit∣tle more Aire out of the Receiver we renew'd it again.

About the making of this Experiment these Particulars may be noted.

1. Tis convenient, that the upper part of the Pipe be made (as it easily may be at the flame of a Lamp) very slender, that the Water having but a very small Orifice to issue out at, may be spent but slowly, and thereby make the Experiment last so much the longer.

2. You may, if you please, in stead of making the upper part of the Pipe slender, as was just now directed, Cement on to it a Top either of Glass or Brass, consisting of three or more very slender Pipes, with a Pin-hole at the end of each, that one of these pointing directly upwards, and the others to the right hand and to the left, the Water may spin out several ways at once, by which kind of branched Pipes we have sometimes imitated the Jets d' eau (as the French call them) and Artificial fountains of Gar∣dens and Groto's.

3. In regard that so short a Cylinder of Water, as exceeded not the length of our Glass pipe, could not make any considerable resistance to the expansion of the included Air, it was thought and found safe enough to imploy in stead of a strong Glass-bot∣tle a much larger Viol, without being sollicitous about its shape, or that it should be very strong, and by this means we could make this pleasant Spectacle last a great while, especially if we also made use of the expedient to be mentioned in the following Note.

4. If you find that the included Air have by expanding it self too much weaken'd its Spring, whilst there yet remains with it a good quantity of Water in the Bottle or Viol, you may reinforce the pressure of the Air by onely turning the Stop-cock, and let∣ting in what air you think fit to the exhausted Receiver: for upon the admission of this new Air, the Air in the Receiver will press

sisted on? If as a Law-maker, then even the Sanction will continue, by which such Laws as these obliged formerly: So they will still oblige as Laws, whilst the same reason continues for which God was at first pleas'd to impose them. If as an infallible Judge of Reason; still it will follow, that whilst the Reason holds, they will be so far from being made unlawful in such Particulars wherein the Reason does indeed hold, that their performance will still be acceptable to God, tho' not commanded by him. Either way of Explication is sufficient to overthrow his whole way of reasoning, as manag'd by our Adversaries.

But what if we should turn this way of reason∣ing us'd by the Apostles,* 1.2 against our Adversaries? What if we should conclude, That because Instru∣mental Musick was us'd then in their Temple Sacri∣fices, therefore it should still be at least fit and ac∣ceptable in our present Eucharistical Sacrifices? I can∣not foresee what they could say, why we should not have reason'd as the Apostles did; or how the Apostles could blame us for doing so; or why our Adversaries should blame us; who profess themselves such Enemies of Impositions, if they did not impose upon us more than the Apostles, in so easily con∣demning matters of this nature as unlawful. They can pretend no more condemnation in other places of the Writings of the Apostles in this Case, than in those others wherein the Apostles themselves allow this way of Arguing. And I know no reason from the natures of the things themselves, that even our Adversaries can pretend to be temporary, or that will not make Instrumental-Musick as suitable to our present Worship, as it was to that of the Apostles. No sort of Sacrifices were more proper for Hymns than those that are Eucharistical, and such all ours are now, but were not so in the Days of the A∣postles. And the use of Hymns neither is, nor can be denied by our Adversaries, as well in the private Synaxes of the Apostolical Christians, as in the Wor∣ship of the Temple. The Hymn to Christ as a God in Pliny,* 1.3 appeal'd to in the latter end of the second Century as a very early evidence of the belief of his Deity, seems to have been joined with the Eu∣charist.

For Pliny tells us, on the same occasion, of the Covenant the Christians entred into against all the liberties us'd by wicked Persons. And the pub∣lick Singers are mention'd in the earliest distinct Ac∣counts we have of their Offices, not as newly introduc'd, but as actually obtaining without any memory of a late Original. Had the reasons of the things been all that had been requisite for raising of the Affections, I cannot conceive any need our Adversaries can pretend for Sing∣ing: That does no otherways contribute to the raising of the Affections, than as the assistance and improvement of the Imagination may be supposed to contribute to it. The Singing does not add a new Reason, nor impose the old ones, why the Affections should be raised. But however, they do dispose the Affections to follow Reason, more readily and more vigorously than they would if they had not the assistance of a favourable Imagination: And that by the Nature of the Things themselves; and in that regard, Musick Instrumental, also was acknow∣ledg'd to have the same influence that Singing had by the Imagination over the Affections; and to add to the advantages of Singing Vocally: So it was, that David's playing on the Harp cured Saul of the evil Spirit, by curing that Melancholy which disposed him to receive the Influences of the Evil Spirit: So it was, that the like use of Instrumental Musick dispos'd Elisha for the influences of the good Spirit, by composing that Passion which his Zeal against the Idolatry of the King of Israel had put the Prophet into; it made him capable of being acted by the Spirit of Pro∣phesy: For chearfulness of Temper is one of the Dispositions requir'd by the Rabinnical Jews them∣selves, for fitting Men for Prophecy. That may possibly be the Reason why the Scriptures mention Instrumental Musick as receiv'd in the Schools of the Prophets,* 1.4 especially when they were actually Prophe∣sying; as it should seem to dispose them for the freer Influences of the Divine Spirit. The Singing Hymns to such Instruments is call'd Prophesying, in the places now mention'd. So far the nature of the Spiritual Worship of the Gospel, is from superseding this assistance of Instrumental Musick, as our Adver∣saries would have us believe, that on the contrary

I had done) not satisfied about them. Onely He sometimes (as I also did) observ'd the Salient water to describe part of a line per∣fectly enough Parabolical, with which sort of Curves he has been particularly conversant.

This made me resolve for further satisfaction to attempt by a∣nother contrivance, (of whose success, if I can procure the Imple∣ments I need, Your Lordship may expect an account,) what the Figures will be not onely of Salient water, but Mercury, and o∣ther Liquors; and that when the Receiver is much better exhau∣sted, then it was necessary it should be in the foregoing Experi∣ment.

Notes

• * 1.1

  See plate the Figure the
• * 1.2

  10. The same reasons which made Instrumen∣tal Musick fit for Sacri∣fices in the Apostles days make it fit still.
• * 1.3

  Pli. l. x. Ep.
• * 1.4

  1 Sam. x. 5. Chr. xxv. ••.