The origine of formes and qualities, (according to the corpuscular philosophy) illustrated by considerations and experiments (written formerly by way of notes upon an essay about nitre) by ... Robert Boyle ...

OF THE ORIGINE OF FORMS.

THe Origine of Forms, Pyrophilus, as it is thought the Noblest, so, if I mistake not, it hath been found one of the most perplex'd Enquiries, that be∣long to Natural Philosophy: and, I con∣fesse, it is one of the things that has in∣vited me to look about for some more satisfactory Account, then the Schools usually give of this matter, that I have observ'd, that the wisest that have bu∣sied themselves in explicating Forms according to the Peripatetick Notions of them, have either knowingly Con∣fess'd themselves unable to explain them, or unwittingly Prov'd themselves * 1.1

to be so, by giving but unsatisfactory Explications of them.

It will not (I presume) be expected, that I, who now write but Notes, should enumerate, much lesse examine all the various Opinions touching the Origine and Nature of Forms; it being enough for our purpose, if, having already inti∣mated in our Hypothesis, what, accor∣ding to that, may be thought of this Subject; we now briefly consider the general Opinion of our Modern Aristo∣telians and the Schools concerning it. I say, the Modern Aristotelians, because diverse of the Antient, especially Greek Commentators of Aristotle, seem to have understood their Masters Doctrine of Forms much otherwise, and lesse in∣congruously, then his Latin followers, the Schoolmen and others, have since done. Nor do I expresly mention Ari∣stotle himself among the Champions of substantial Forms, because though he seem in a place or two expresly enough

to reckon Formes among Substances, yet elsewhere the Examples he imploies to set forth the Forms of Natural things by, being taken from the Figures of ar∣tificial things, (as of a Statue, &c.) which are confessedly but Accidents, and making very little use, if any, of Substan∣tial Forms to explain the Phaenomena of Nature, He seems to me upon the whole matter, either to have been irre∣solv'd, whether there were any such Substances, or no, or to speak ambigu∣ously and obscurely enough of them, to make it questionable, what his Opini∣ons of them were.

But the summe of the Controversy betwixt Us and the Schools is this, whether or no the Forms of Natural things, (the Souls of Men alwaies ex∣cepted) be in Generation educed, as they speak, out of the power of the Matter, and whether these Forms be true substanti∣al Entities, distinct from the other sub∣stantial Principle of Natural Bodies, namely Matter.

The Reasons that move me to em∣brace the Negative, are principally these three. First, That I see no necessity of admitting in Natural things any such substantial Forms, Matter and the Ac∣cidents of Matter being sufficient to ex∣plicate as much of the Phaenomena of Nature, as we either do or are like to understand. The next, That I see not what use this puzling Doctrine of sub∣stantial Forms is of in Natural Philoso∣phy; the Acute Scaliger, and those that have most busied themselves in the In∣dagation of them, having freely acknow∣ledg'd, (as the more Candid of the Pe∣ripateticks generally do,) That the true Knowledg of Forms is too difficult and abstruse to be attain'd by them. And how like it is, that particular Phaenome∣na will be explain'd by a Principal, whose Nature is confessedly ignor'd, I leave you to judg: but because to these considerations I often have had, and shall have here and there occasion to

say something in the body of these Notes, I shall at present insist upon the third, which is, That I cannot conceive, neither how Forms can be generated, as the Peripateticks would have it, nor how the things, they ascribe to them, are consistent with the Principles of true Philosophy, or even with what them∣selves otherwise teach.

The Manner how Forms are educed out of the Power of the Matter, according to that part of the Doctrine of Forms, wherein the Schools generally enough agree, is a thing so Inexplicable, that I wonder not it hath put Acute men upon several Hypotheses to make it out. And indeed the number of These is of late grown too great to be fit to be here re∣cited, especially since I find them all so very unsatisfactory, that I cannot but think, the acute Sticklers for any of them are rather driven to embrace it by the palpable inconveniences of the wayes they reject, then by any thing

they find to satisfy them, in that which they make choice of: and for my part I confess, I find so much Reason in what each Party sayes against the Explicati∣ons of the rest, that I think they all Con∣fute well, and none does well Establish.

But my present way of Writing for∣bidding me to insist on many Argu∣ments against the Doctrine, where they most agree, I shall onely urge▪ That which I confess chiefly sticks with me, namely that I find it not Compre∣hensible.

I know the Modern Schoolmen fly here to their wonted Refuge of an Ob¦scure Distinction, and tell us, that the Power of Matter in reference to Forms is partly Eductive, as the Agent ca•• make the Form out of it, and partly Re∣ceptive, whereby it can receive the For•• so made; but since those that say this, will not allow, that the Form of a ge∣nerated Body was actually praeexisten•• in its Matter, or indeed any where else,

'tis hard to conceive, how a Substance can be educ'd out of another Substance totally distinct in Nature from it, with∣out being, before such Eduction, actually existent in it. And as for the Recep∣tive Power of the Matter, That but fit∣ting it to receive or lodge a Form, when brought to be United with it, how can it be intelligibly made out to contribute to the Production of a new Substance, of a quite differing Nature from that Matter, though it harbours it when pro∣duc'd? And 'tis plain, that the Humane Body hath a receptive Power in refe∣rence to the Humane Soule, which yet themselves confess both to be a sub∣stantial Form, and not to be educ'd out of the Power of Matter. Indeed if they would admit the Form of a Natural Bo∣dy to be but a more fine and subtle part of the Matter, as Spirit of Wine is of Wine, which upon its recess remains no longer Wine, but Flegm or Vinegar, then the Eductive Power of Matter

might signifie something; and so it might, if with us they would allow the Form to be but a Modification of the Mattter; for then it would import b•• that the Matter may be so order'd •••• dispos'd by fit Agents, as to constitut•• a Body of such a sort and Denominati¦on: and so (to resume that Example the Form of a Sphaere may be said 〈◊〉〈◊〉 lurk potentially in a piece of Brass, in a•• much as that Brass may by casting, tu••¦ning, or otherwise, be so figur'd as •• become a Sphaere. But this they w•• not admit, least they should make Form to be but Accidents, though it is ••o ought I know as little intelligible, ho•• what is educ'd out of any Matter, with∣out being either praeexistent, or being any part of the Matter, can be a tr•• Substance, as how that Roundness, tha•• makes a piece of Brass become a Sphere can be a new Substance in it. Nor ca•• they admit the other way of educing 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Form out of Matter, as Spirit is out o••

Wine, because then not onely Matter will be corruptible against their grounds, but Matter and Form would not be two differing and substantial Principles, but one and the same, though diversify'd by firmness, and grosseness, &c. which are but Acciden∣tal differences. I know they speak much of the efficacy of the Agent upon the Matter, in the Generation of Na∣tural Bodies, and tell us strange things of his manner of working. But not to spend time in examining those obscure niceties, I answer in short; That since the Agent, be he what he will, is but a Physical and finite Agent, and since what way soever he works, he can do nothing repugnant to the nature of things, the difficulty, that sticks with me, will still remain. For if the Form produc'd in Generation, be, as they would have it, a Substance, that was not before to be found any where out of that portion of Matter, wherewith it

constitutes the Generated Body; I say that either it must be produc'd, by re∣fining or subtiliating some parts of the Matter into Form, or else it must b•• produc'd out of nothing, that is, Cre••∣ted, (for I see no Third way, how a Sub∣stance can be produc'd de novo.) If they allow the First, then will the Form b•• indeed a Substance, but not, as they hol•• it is, distinct from Matter; since Matter however subtiliated, is Matter still, •• the finest Spirit of Wine is as truly Body, as was the Wine it self, that ye••∣ded it, or as is the Grosser Flegm, from which it was extracted: besides that, the Peripateticks teach, that the Form is no•• made of any thing of the Matter; n•••• indeed is it conceivable, how a Physica•• Agent can turn a Material into an Im∣material Substance, especially Matte•• being, as they themselves confesse, a•• well incorruptible as ingenerable. B•• if they will not allow, as indeed they do not, that the substantial Form is made

of any thing that is Material, they must give me leave to believe, that tis pro∣duc'd out of Nothing, till they shew me, how a Substance can be produc'd other∣wise, that existed no where before. And at this rate every Natural Body of a spe∣cial Denomination, as Gold, Marble, Nitre, &c. must not be produc'd barely by Generation, but partly by Genera∣tion, and partly by Creation. And since tis confess'd on all sides, that no Natu∣ral Agent can produce the least Atome of Matter, tis strange they should in Ge∣neration allow every Physical Agent the power of producing a Form, which, according to them, is not onely a Sub∣stance, but a far nobler one then Mat∣ter, and thereby attribute to the mea∣nest Creatures that power of creating Substances, which the Antient Natura∣lists thought too great to be ascrib'd to God himself, and which indeed is too great to be ascrib'd to any other then Him, and therefore some Schoolmen

and Philosophers have deriv'd Forms immediately from God; but this is not onely to desert Aristotle and the Peri∣patetick Philosophy they would seem to maintain, but to put Omnipotence upon working I know not how many thousand Miracles every hour, to per∣forme that (I mean the Generation of Bodies of new Denominations) in a su∣pernatural way, which seems the most familiar effect of Nature in her ordinary course.

And as the Production of Forms out of the Power of Matter is for these Rea∣sons incomprehensible to me, so those things, which the Peripateticks ascribe to their substantial Forms, are some of them such, as, I confesse, I cannot recon∣cile my Reason to: for they tell us posi∣tively, that these Forms are Substan∣ces, and yet at the same time they teach, that they depend upon Matter, both in fieri and in esse, as they speak, so that out of the Matter, that supports them,

they cannot so much as exist, (whence they are usually call'd Material Forms,) which is to make them Substances in name, and but Accidents in truth: for not to ask how (among Physical things) one Substance can be said to depend upon another in fieri, that is not made of any part of it, that very notion of a Substance is to be a self-subsisting Enti∣ty, or that which needs no other Created Being to support it, or to make it exist. Besides that, there being but two sorts of Substances, Material, and Immate∣rial, a substantial Form must appertain to one of the two, and yet they ascribe things to it, that make it very unfit to be referr'd to either. To all this I adde, that these imaginary Material Forms do almost as much trouble the Doctrine of Corruption, as that of Generation: for if a Form be a true Substance really distinct from Matter, it must, as I lately noted, be able to exist of it self, with∣out any other Substance to support it;

as those I reason with confess, that the Soul of Man survives the Body, it did before Death inform: whereas they will have it, that in Corruption the Form is quite abolish'd, and utterly perishes, as not being capable of existing, separated from the Matter, whereunto it was uni∣ted: so that here again, what they call a Substance they make indeed an Acci∣dent, and besides contradict their own vulgar Doctrine, That Natural things are upon their Corruption resolv'd into the first Matter, since at this rate they should say, that such things are but part∣ly resolv'd into the first Matter, and partly either into Nothing, or into Forms, which being as well immaterial as the Souls of Men, must, for ought appears, be also, like them, accounted immortal.

I should now examine those Argu∣ments, that are wont to be imploy'd by the Schools to evince their substantial Forms, but, besides that the nature and

scope of my present Work injoynes me Brevity, I confesse that, one or two excepted, the Arguments I have found mention'd, as the chief, are rather Meta∣physical, or Logical, then grounded up∣on the Principles and Phaenomena of Nature, and respect rather Words then Things, and therefore I, who have nei∣ther inclination, nor leasure, to wrangle about Terms, shall content my self to propose, and very briefly answer two or three of those that are thought the plau∣siblest.

First then they thus argue. Omne Compositum substantiale (for it is hard to English well such Uncouth Terms) requirit materiam & formam substantia∣lem, ex quibus componatur. Omne corpus naturale est compositū substantiale. Ergo &c. In this Syllogisme some do plau∣sibly enough deny the Consequence, but for brevities sake, I shall rather choose to deny the Minor, and desire the Proposers to prove it. For I know

not any thing in Nature that is com∣pos'd of Matter, and a Substance distinct from Matter, except Man, who alone is made up of an immaterial Form, and a humane Body; and if it be urg'd, that then other Bodies cannot be properly said to be Composita substantialia: I shall, rather then wrangle with them, give them leave to find out some other name for other Natural things.

But then they argue in the next place, that, if there were no substantial Forms, all Bodies would be but Entia per acci∣dens, as they speak, which is absurd. To which I answer, That in the Notion, that divers Learned men have of an Ens per Accidens, namely, that tis That which consists of those things, quae non ordi∣nantur ad unum, it may be said, That though we do not admit substantial Forms, yet we need not admit Natural Bodies to be Entia per accidens; because in them the several things that concur to constitute the Body, as Matter,

Shape, Scituation, and Motion, ordi∣nantur per se & intrinsecè to constitute one Natural Body. But, if this An∣swer satisfie not, I shall adde, that for my part, That which I am sollicitous about, is, what Nature hath made things to be in themselves, not what a Logi∣cian or Metaphysician will call them in the Terms of his Art; it being much fitter in my judgment to alter Words, that they may better fit the Nature of Things, then to affix a wrong Nature to Things, that they may be accommo∣dated to forms of Words, that were probably devis'd, when the things themselves were not known or vvell understood, if at all thought on.

Wherefore I shall but adde one Ar∣gument more of this sort, and That is, that, if there vvere no substantial Forms, neither could there be any substantial Definitions, but the Consequent is ab∣surd, and therefore so is the Antecedent. To vvhich I reply, that since the Peri∣pateticks

themselves confess the Forms of Bodies to be of themselves un∣known, all that this Argument seems to me to conclude, is but this, That if we do not admit somethings, that are not in rerum natura, we cannot build our De∣finitions upon them: nor indeed could we, if we should admit substantial Forms, give substantial Definitions of Natural things, unlesse we could also define Natural Bodies by things that we know not; for such * 1.2 the substantial Forms are (as we have seen already) con∣fess'd to be, by the wisest Peripateticks, who pretend not to give the substantial Definition of any Natural Compositum, except Man. But it may suffice Us to have, instead of substantial, essential De∣finitions of things; I mean such as are taken from the Essential Differences of things, which constitute them in such a sort of Natural Bodies, and discriminate

them from all those of any other sort.

These three Arguments, Pyrophilus, for substantial Forms, You may possi∣bly, as well as I, find variously propos'd, and perhaps with some light alterations multiply'd in the writings of the Peripa∣teticks and Schoolmen; but all the Ar∣guments of this kind that I have met with, may, if I mistake not, be suffici∣ently solv'd by the Answers we have given to these▪ or at least by the grounds upon which those Answers are built; those seemingly various Arguments a∣greeing in this, That either they respect rather Words then Things, or that they are grounded upon precarious Supposi∣tions; or lastly that they urge That as an Absurdity, which, whether it be one or not in those, that admit the Peripate∣tick Philosophy, to me, that do as little acquiesce in many of their other Princi∣ples, as I do in their substantial Forms, doth not appear any Absurdity at all. And tis perhaps for fear that Argu∣ments

of this sort should not much pre∣vaile with Naturalists, that some of the Modern assertors of the Forms we que∣stion, have thought it requisite to adde some more Physical Arguments, which (though I have not found them all in the same Writers, yet) being in all but few, I shall here briefly consider them.

First then among the Physical Argu∣ments, that are brought to prove sub∣stantial Forms, I find That the most confidently insisted on, which is taken from the spontaneous return of heated Water to Coldness, which Effects, say they, must necessarily be ascrib'd to the Action of the substantial Form, whose office it is to preserve the Body in its Natural state, and, when there is occa∣sion, to reduce it thereunto: and the Ar∣gument indeed might be plausible, if we were sure, that heated Water would grow cold again (without the Avolati∣on of any Parts more agitated then the rest,) supposing it to be remov'd into

some of the imaginary spaces beyond the World; but as the case is, I see no necessity of slying to a substantial Form, the Matter seeming to be easily explicable otherwise. The Water we heat is surrounded with our Air, or with some Vessel, or other Body contiguous to the Air, and both the Air and the Water in these Climates are most com∣monly lesse agitated, then the Juices in our hands, or other Organs of Touch∣ing, which makes us esteem and call those Fluids, cold. Now when the Wa∣ter is expos'd to the fire, it is thereby put into a new Agitation, more vehe∣ment then that of the parts of our Sen∣sory, which you will easily grant, if you consider, that when the Heat is intense, it makes the Water boyl and smoak, and oftentimes run over the Vessel; but when the Liquor is remov'd from the fire, this acquir'd Agitation must needs by degrees be lost, either by the avola∣tion of such fiery Corpuscles as the

Epicureans imagine to be got into heated Water, or by the Water's com∣municating the Agitation of its Parts to the contiguous Air, or to the Vesse•• that contains it, till it have lost its sur∣plusage of Motion, or by the ingress o•• those frigorifick Atoms, wherewith (i•• any such be to be granted) the Air i•• these Climates is wont to abound, and so be reduc'd into its former Tempera∣ture: which may as well be done with¦out a substantial Form, as if a Shi•• swimming slowly down a River, should by a sudden gust of Wind, blowing the same way the Stream runs, be driven o•• much faster then before, the Vessel upo•• the ceasing of the Wind may, without any such internal principle, return after a while to its former slowness of Moti∣on. So that in this Phaenomenon, we need not have recourse to an internal princi∣ple, the Temperature of the extern•••• Air being sufficient to give an acco•• of it. And if Water be kept, (as is u∣sual

in poor mens houses that want Cel∣lars,) in the upper Rooms of the house, in case the Climate be hot, the Water will, in spight of the Form, continue far lesse cold, then, accord••ng to the Peri∣pateticks, its nature requires, all the Summer long. And let me here re∣present to the Champions of Forms, that, according to their Doctrine, the Fluidity of Water, must at least as much proceed from its Form as the Coldnesse, and yet this does so much depend upon the Temperature of the Air, that in Nova Zembla vast quanti∣ties of Water are kept in the hard and solid Form of Ice all the year long, by the sharp Cold of the ambient Air, not∣withstanding all the pretended Office and Power of the substantial Form to keep it fluid, which it will never be re∣duc'd to be, unlesse by such a thawing Temperature of the Air, as would it self, for ought appears, make it flow a∣gain, although there were no substanti∣al

Form in rerum naturâ.

There is another Argument much urg'd of late by some Learned Men, the substance whereof is this; That Matte•• being indifferent to one sort of Acci∣dents as well as to another, it is necessa∣ry there should be a substantial Form to keep those Accidents, which are said to constitute it, united to the Matter they belong to, and preserve both then and the Body in their Natural state; so since tis confess'd, that Matter hath o•• appetite to these Accidents, more th•••• to any others, they demand, how with∣out a substantial Form these Acciden•• can be contain'd and preserv'd? T•• this I might represent, that I am not •• well satisfy'd with the Notion wont i•• be taken for granted, not onely by the vulgar, but by Philosophers, of the Na∣tural state of Bodies; as if it were unde¦niable, that every Natural Body, (for a to some, I shall not now question it,) has a certain state, wherein Nature en∣deavours

to preserve it, and out of which it cannot be put, but by being put into a Praeternatural state. For the World being once constituted by the great Au∣thor of Things, as it now is, I look upon the Phaenomena of Nature to be caus'd by the Local Motion of one part of Matter hitting against another, and am not so fully convinc'd, that there is such a thing, as Natures designing to keep such a parcel of Matter in such a state, that is cloth'd with just such Accidents, rather then with any other. But I look upon many Bodies, especially fluid ones, as frequently changing their state, according as they happen to be more or lesse agitated, or otherwise wrought up∣on by the Sun, and other considerable Agents in Nature. As the Air, Water, and other Fluids, if the temperature as to Cold or Heat, and Rarefaction or Condensation, which they are in at the beginning of the Spring here at London, be pitcht upon as their Natural state,

then not onely in the torrid and frozen Zones they must have other and very differing Natural states, but here it self they will, almost all the Summer and all the Winter, as our Weather Glasses in∣form us, be in a varying Praeternatural state, because they will be in those sea∣sons either more hot and rarify'd, or more cold and condens'd, then in the be∣ginning of the Spring. And in more sta∣ble and constant Bodies I take, in many cases, the Natural state to be but either the most usual state, or That, wherein that, which produces a notable Change in them, finds them. As when a slender piece of Silver, that is most commonly flexible, and will stand bent every way, comes to be well hammer'd, I count that Flexibility to be the Natural state of that Mettal, because most common∣ly Silver is found to be flexible, and be∣cause it was so before it was hammer'd; but the Springinesse it acquires by ham∣mering is a state, which is properly no

more unnatural to the Silver then the other, and would continue with the Mettal as long as It, if both pieces of Silver, the one flexible, the other sprin∣gy, were let alone, and kept from out∣ward violence: And as the Silver, to be depriv'd of its flexibleness, needed the violent Motion of the Hammer, so to deprive it of its Spring, it needs the vio∣lent Agitation of a nealing fire. These things, and much more, I might here represent, but to come close to the Ob∣jection, I Answer, That the Accidents spoken of are introduced into the Mat∣ter by the Agents or Efficient Causes, whatever they be, that produce in it what, in the sense formerly explain'd, we call an essential (though not a substantial) Form. And these Accidents being once thus introduc'd into the Matter, we need not seek for a new substantial Principle to preserve them there, since by the general law, or common course of Nature, the Matter qualify'd by

them, must continue in the state such Accidents have put it into, till, by some Agent or other, it be forcibly put out of it, and so divested of those Accidents; as in the formerly mention'd Example, borrow'd from Aristotle, of a Brazen Sphaere, when once the Motion of Tools, impell'd and guided by the Ar∣tificer, have turn'd a piece of Brass into a Sphaere, there needs no new Substance to preserve that round figure, since the Brasse must retain it, till it be destroy'd by the Artificer himself, or some other Agent able to overcome the resistance of the Matter, to be put into another figure. And on this occasion let me confirme this ad hominem, by represen∣ting, That there is not an inconsiderable Party among the Peripateticks them∣selves, who maintain, That in the Ele∣ments the First Qualities (as they call them) are instead of Forms, and that the Fire (for instance) hath no other Form then Heat and Drynesse, and the

Water then Coldnesse and Moisture. Now if these Bodies, that are the vast∣est and the most important of the Sub∣lunary World, consist but of the Uni∣versal Matter, and the few Accidents; and if in these there needs no substanti∣al Form to keep the Qualities of the Matter united to it, and conjoyn'd a∣mong themselves, and preserve them in that state, as long as the Law of Na∣ture requires, though besides the four Qualities that are call'd First, the Ele∣ments have divers others, as Gravity and Levity, Firmnesse and Fluidity, Opacousnesse and Transparency, &c. why should the favourers of this Opini∣on deny, That, in other Bodies besides the Elements, Qualities may be pre∣serv'd and kept united to the Matter they belong to, without the Band or Support of a substantial Form? And as, when there is no competent destructive Cause, the Accidents of a Body will by the Law of Nature remain such as they

were, so if there be, it cannot with rea∣son be pretended, that the substantial Form is able to preserve all those Acci∣dents of a Body, that are said to slow from it, and to be as it were under its care and tuition; for if, for instance, you expose a Sphaere or Bullet of Lead to a strong fire, it will quickly loose (not to mention its Figure) both its Coldness, its Consistence, its Malleableness, its Colour, (for 'twill appear of the colour of fire,) its Flexibility, and some other Qualities, and all this in spight of the imaginary substantial Form, which, ac∣cording to the Peripatetical Principles, in this case must still remain in it with∣out being able to help it. And though upon the taking the Lead from off the fire, it is wont to be reduc'd to most of its former Qualities, (for it will not of it self recover its Sphaericity,) yet That may well be ascrib'd partly to its peculiar Texture, and partly to the Coldness of the ambient Air, according to what we

lately discours'd touching heated and re∣frigerated Water, which Temperature of the Air is an extrinsecal thing to the Lead, and indeed it is but Accidental, that the Lead upon refrigeration regains its former Qualities; for in case the Lead have been expos'd long enough to a suf∣ficiently intense fire, it will (as we have purposely try'd) be turn'd into Glasse, and loose its colour, its opacity, its mal∣leableness, and (former degree of) flexi∣blenesse, and acquire a Reddishness, a degree of Transparency, a Brittlenesse, and some other Qualities, that it had not before: and let the supposed substantial Form do what it can, even when the Vessel is remov'd from the fire, to re∣duce or restore the Body to its Natural state and Accidents, yet the former Qualities will remain lost, as long as these Praeternatural ones, introduc'd by the fire, continue in the Matter; and nei∣ther the one will be restor'd, nor the o∣ther destroy'd, till some sufficiently

powerful extrinsick Agent effect the Change. And on the other side I con∣sider, that the Fruit, when sever'd from the Tree it grew on, is confess'd to be no longer animated (at least the Kernels or Seeds excepted) by the Vegetative Soul, or substantial Form of the Plant; yet in an Orange or Lemmon (for in∣stance) pluckt from the Tree, we see, that the same Colour, the same Odour, the same Tast, the same Figure, the same Consistence, and, for ought we know, the same other Qualities, whether sen∣sible, or even occult, as are its Antido∣tal and Antiscorbutical virtues, that must before be said to have flow'd from the Soul of the Tree, will continue, ma∣ny months, perhaps some years, after the fruit has ceas'd to have any com∣merce with the Tree, (nay though the Tree, whereon it grew, be perhaps in the mean time hewn down or burnt, and though consequently its Vegetative Soul or Form be destroy'd,) as when it

grew thereon, and made up one Plant with it. And we find, that Tamarinds, Rhubarb, Senna, and many other Sim∣ples will for divers years, after they have been depriv'd of their former Vegeta∣tive Soul, retain their Purgative and o∣ther Specifick properties.

I find it likewise urg'd, that there can be no Reason, why Whiteness should be separable from a Wall, and not from Snow or Milk; unlesse we have recourse to substantial Forms. But in case men have agreed to call a thing by such a name, because it has such a particular Quality, that differences it from others, we need go no farther to find a Reason, why one Quality is essential to one thing, and not to another. As in our former example of a Brass Sphaere, the Figure is that, for which we give it that Name, and therefore, though you may alter the figure of the Matter, yet by that very alteration the Body perishes in the capacity of a Sphaere, whereas its

Coldness may be exchang'd for Heat, without the making it the less a Sphaere, because tis not for any such Quality, but for Roundness, that a Bo∣dy is said to be a Sphaere. And so Firmness is an inseparable Quality of Ice, though this or that particular Figure be not, because that tis for want of fluidity, that any thing, that was im∣mediately before a Liquor, is call'd Ice, and congruously hereunto, though Whiteness were inseparable from Snow and Milk, yet that would not necessarily infer, that there must be a substantial Form to make it so: for the Firmness of the Corpuscles, that compose Snow, is as inseparable from it, as the Whitenesse; and yet is not pretended to be the effect of the substantial Form of the Water, but of the excesse of the Coldnesse of the Air, which (to use vulgar, though perhaps unaccurate, expressions,) puts the Water out of its Natural state of Fluidity, and into a Praeternatural one

Firmness and Brittleness. And the rea∣son, why Snow seldome looses its white∣ness but with its nature, seems to be, that its component Particles are so dis∣pos'd, that the same heat of the ambi∣ent Air, that is sit to turn it into a trans∣parent Body, is also fit to make it a flu∣id one, which when it is become, we no longer call it Snow, but Water; so that the Water looses its whiteness, though the Snow do not. But if there be a cause proper to make a convenient alteration of Texture in the Snow, without mel∣ting or resolving it into water, it may then exchange its Whiteness for Yel∣lownesse, without loosing its right to be call'd Snow; as, I remember, I have read in an eminent Writer, that de facto in the Northern Regions towards the Pole, those parcels of Snow, that have lain very long on the ground, degene∣rate in time into a Yellowish colour, ve∣ry differing from that pure Whiteness to be observ'd in the neighbouring

Snow lately fallen.

But there yet remains an Argument for substantial Forms, which though (perhaps because Physical) wont to be overlook'd, or slightly answer'd by their Opposers, will for the same reason de∣serve to be taken notice of here; and it is, That there seems to be a necessity of admitting substantial Forms in Bodies, that from thence we may derive all the various changes, to which they are sub∣ject, and the differing Effects they pro∣duce, [the Preservation and Restitution of the State requisite to each particular Body,] as also the keeping of its seve∣ral parts united into one Totum. To the answering of this Argument, so many things will be found applicable, both in the past and subsequent parts of these Notes, that I shall at present but point the chief particulars, on which the Solu∣tion is grounded.

I consider then first, that many and great Alterations may happen to Bo∣dies,

which seem manifestly to proceed from their peculiar Texture, and the Action of outward Agents upon them, and of which it cannot be shewn, that they would happen otherwise, though there were no substantial Forms in re∣rum natura: as we see that Tallow (for instance) being melted by the fire looses its Coldness, Firmness, and its White∣ness, and acquires Heat, Fluidity, and some Transparency, all which, being suffer'd to cool, it presently exchanges for the three first nam'd Qualities. And yet divers of these Changes are plainly enough the effects partly of the Fire, partly of the ambient Air, and not of I know not what substantial Form: and it is both evident and remarkable, what great variety of changes in Qualities, and Productions of new ones, the Fire (that is, a Body consisting of insensible parts, that are variously and vehemently mov'd) doth effect by its Heat, that is, by a modify'd Local Motion. I consider

further, that various Operations of a Body may be deriv'd from the peculiar Texture of the Whole, and the Mecha∣nical Affections of the particular Cor∣puscles or other parts that compose it, as we have often occasion to declare here and there in this Treatise; and particu∣larly by an Instance, ere long to be fur∣ther insisted on, namely, that though Vitriol, made of Iron with a Corrosive liquor, be but a factitious Body, made by a convenient apposition of the small parts of the saline Menstruum to those of the Mettal, yet this Vitriol will do most, if not all, of the same things, that Vitriol, made by Nature in the bowels of the Earth, and digg'd out thence, will perform; and each of these Bodies may be endow'd with variety of differing Qualities, which I see not, why they must flow, in the native Vitriol, from a substantial Form, since in the factitious Vitriol, the same Qualities belong to a Form, that does plainly emerge from

the coalition of Metalline and Saline Corpuscles, associated together and dis∣pos'd of after a certain manner.

And lastly, as to what is very confi∣dently, as well as plausibly, pretended, That a substantial Form is requisite to keep the parts of a Body united, without which it would not be one Body. I an∣swer, That the contrivance of conveni∣ently figur'd parts, and in some cases their juxta-position, may without the assistance of a substantial Form be suffi∣cient for this matter; for not to repeat what I just now mention'd concerning Vitriol made by Art, whose Parts are as well united and kept together, as those of the Native Vitriol, I observe▪ that a Pear grafted upon a Thorn, or a Plum inoculated upon an Apricock, will bear good fruit, and grow up with the Stock, as though they both made but one Tree, and were animated but by the same common Form; whereas indeed both the Stock and the inoculated or

grafted Plant have each of them its o•• Form, as may appear by the differing leaves, and fruits, and seeds they be••▪ And that which makes to our presen•• purpose is, that even Vegetation and the Distribution of Aliments are in such cases well made, though the nourish'd parts of the Total Plant, if I may so ca•• it, have not one common Soul or Form which is yet more remarkable in the Misletoes, that I have seen growing up∣on old Hazletrees, Crab-trees, Apple-trees, and other plants, in which the Misletoe often differs very widely from that kind of Plant on which it grow and prospers. And for the durableness•• of the Union betwixt Bodies that a sub∣stantial Form is not requisite to procure it, I have been induc'd to think by con¦sidering, that Silver and Gold, being barely mingl'd by Infusion, will ha•• their minute parts more closely united then those of any Plant or Animal tha•• we know of. And there is scarce any

Natural Body, wherein the Form makes so strict, durable, and indissoluble an U∣nion of the parts it consists of, as that, which, in that Factitious Concrete we call Glass, arises from the bare com∣mistion of the Corpuscles of Sand with those Saline ones, wherewith they are colliquated by the violence of the fire: and the like may be said of the Union of the proper Accidents of Glasse with the Matter of it, and betwixt one ano∣ther.

To draw towards a Conclusion, I know tis alledg'd as a main Consideration on the behalf of substantial Forms, that these being in Natural Bodies the true principles of their Properties, and con∣sequently of their Operations, their Natural Philosophy must needs be ve∣ry imperfect and defective, who will not take in such Forms: but for my part I confess, that this very consideration does rather indispose then incline me to admit them. For if indeed there were

in every Natural Body such a thing as a substantial Form, from which all its Properties and Qualities immediately flow, since we see that the Actions o•• Bodies upon one another are for the most part (if not all) immediately per∣form'd by their Qualities or Accidents, it would scarce be possible to explicate very many of the explicable Phaenomen•• of Nature, without having recourse to Them; and it would be strange, if many of the abstruser Phaenomena were not ex∣plicable by them onely. Whereas indee•• almost all the rational Accounts to be met with of difficult Phaenomena, are given by such as either do not acknow∣ledge, or at least do not take notice of substantial Forms. And tis evident by the clear Solutions (untouch'd by many vulgar Philosophers,) we meet with of many Phaenomena in the Staticks, and o∣ther parts of the Mechanicks, and espe∣cially in the Hydrostaticks, and Pneu∣maticks, how clearly many Phaenomena

may be solv'd, without imploying a sub∣stantial Form. And on the other side, I do not remember, that either Aristo∣tle himself, (who perhaps scarce ever at∣tempted it,) or any of his Followers, has given a solid and intelligible soluti∣on of any one Phaenomenon of Nature by the help of substantial Forms; which you need not think it strange I should say, since the greatest Patrons of Forms acknowledg their Nature to be * 1.3 un∣known to Us, to explain any Effect by a substantial Form, must be to declare (as they speak) ignotum per ignotius, or at least per aquè ignotum. And indeed to explicate a Phaenomenon, being to deduce it from something else in Na∣ture more known to Us, then the thing to be explain'd by It, how can the im∣ploying of Incomprehensible (or at least Uncomprehended) substantial Forms help Us to explain intelligibly This or

That particular Phaenomenon? For to say, that such an Effect proceeds not from this or that Quality of the Agent, but from its substantial Form, is to take an easie way to resolve all difficulties in general, without rightly resolving any one in particular; and would make a rare Philosophy, if it were not far more easie then satisfactory: for if it be demanded, why Jet attracts Straws, Rhubarb pur∣ges Choller, Snow dazles the Eyes ra∣ther then Grasse, &c. to say, that these and the like Effects are perform'd by the substantial Forms of the respective Bodies, is at best but to tell me, what is the Agent, not how the Effect is wrought; and seems to be but such a kind of general way of answering, as leaves the curious Enquirer as much to seek for the causes and manner of parti∣cular Things, as Men commonly are for the particular causes of the several strang Things perform'd by Witchcraft, though they be told, that tis some Di∣vel

that does them all. Wherefore I do not think, but that Natural Philosophy, without being for That the more De∣fective, may well enough spare the Do∣ctrine of Substantial Forms as an useless Theory; not that Men are yet arriv'd to be able to explicate all the Phaenome∣na of Nature without them, but be∣cause, whatever we cannot explicate without them, we cannot neither intel∣ligibly explicate by them.

And thus, Pyrophilus, I have offer'd You some of those many things, that in∣dispos'd me to acquiesce in the receiv'd Doctrine of Substantial Forms; but in case any more piercing Enquirer shall perswade himself, that he understands it throughly, and can explicate it clearly, I shall congratulate him for such happy Intellectuals, and be very ready to be inform'd by him. But since what the Schools are wont to teach of the Ori∣gine and Attributes of substantial Forms, is that, which, I confess, I can∣not

yet comprehend; and since I have some of the eminentest Persons among the Modern Philosophers to joine with me, though perhaps not for the same Considerations, in the like confession, that tis not necessary the Reason of my not finding this Doctrine conceivable, must be rather a Defectiveness in my Understanding, then the unconceivable nature of the thing it self: I, who love not (in matters purely Philosophical) to acquiesce in what I do not understand, nor to go about to explicate things to others, by what appears to me it self in∣explicable, shall, I hope, be excus'd, if, leaving those that contend for them, the liberty of making what use they can of substantial Forms, I do, till I be better satisfied, decline imploying them my self, and endeavour to solve those Phae∣nomena, I attempt to give an account of, without them, as not scrupling to con∣fess, that those that I cannot explicate, at least in a general way, by intelligible

principles, I am not yet arriv'd to the distinct and particular knowledg of.

Now for our Doctrine touching the Origine of Forms, it will not be diffi∣cult to collect it from what we former∣ly discours'd about Qualities and Forms together: for the Form of a Natural Body, being according to us, but an Es∣sential Modification, and, as it were, the Stamp of its Matter, or such a conven∣tion of the Bigness, Shape, Motion (or Rest,) Scituation and Contexture, (to∣gether with the thence resulting Quali∣ties) of the small parts that compose the Body, as is necessary to constitute and denominate such a particular Body; and all these Accidents being produci∣ble in Matter by Local Motion, 'tis a∣greeable to our Hypothesis to say, That the first and Universal, though not im∣mediate cause of Forms is none other but God, who put Matter into Motion, (which belongs not to its Essence,) and Establish'd the Laws of Motion amongst

Bodies, and also, according to my Opi∣nion, guided it in divers cases at the be∣ginning of Things; and that, among Se∣cond Causes, the Grand Efficient of Forms is Local Motion, which by vari∣ously dividing, sequestring, transposing, and so connecting the parts of Matter, produces in them those Accidents and Qualities, upon whose account the por∣tion of Matter they diversifie comes to belong to this or that determinate spe∣cies of Natural Bodies, which yet is not so to be understood, as if Motion were onely an Efficient cause in the Genera∣tion of Bodies, but very often (as in, water, fire, &c.) tis also one of the chiefe Accidents, that concurre to make up the Form.

But in this last Summary Account of the Origine of Forms, I think my self oblig'd to declare to you a little more distinctly, what I just now intimated to be my own Opinion. And this I shall do, by advertising you, that though I

agree with our Epicureans, in thinking it probable, that the World is made up of an innumerable multitude of singly insensible Corpuscles, endow'd with their own Sizes, Shapes, and Mo∣tions; and though I agree with the Car∣tesians, in believing (as I find that * 1.4 A∣naxagoras did of Old,) that Matter hath not its Motion from its self, but Origi∣nally from God; yet in This I differ both from Epicurus and Des Cartes, that, whereas the former of them plain∣ly denies, that the World was made by any Deity, (for Deities he own'd,) and the Latter of them, for ought I can find in his Writings, or those of some of his Eminentest Disciples, thought, that God, having once put Matter into Mo∣tion, and establish'd the Laws of that Motion, needed not more particularly

interpose for the Production of Things Corporeal, nor even of Plants or Ani∣mals, which according to him are but Engines: I do not at all believe, that ei∣ther these Cartesian Laws of Motion, or the Epicurean casual Concourse of A∣toms, could bring meer Matter into so orderly and well contriv'd a Fabrick as This World; and therefore I think, that the wise Author of Nature did not one∣ly put Matter into Motion, but when he resolv'd to make the World, did so re∣gulate and guide the Motions of the small parts of the Universal Matter, as to reduce the greater Systems of them into the Order they were to continue in; and did more particularly contrive some portions of that Matter into Seminal Rudiments or Principles, lodg'd in con∣venient Receptacles, (and as it were Wombs,) and others into the Bodies of Plants and Animals: one main part of whose Contrivance, did, as I apprehend, consist in this, That some of their Or∣gans

were so fram'd, that, supposing the Fabrick of the greater Bodies of the U∣niverse, and the Laws he had establish'd in Nature, some Juicy and Spirituous parts of these living Creatures must be fit to be turn'd into Prolifick Seeds, whereby they may have a power, by generating their like, to propagate their Species. So that according to my ap∣prehension, it was at the beginning ne∣cessary, that an Intelligent and Wise Agent should contrive the Universal Matter into the World, (and especially some Portions of it into Seminal Or∣gans and Principles,) and settle the Laws, according to which the Motions and Actions of its parts upon one ano∣ther should be regulated: without which interposition of the Worlds Architect, however moving Matter may with some probability (for I see not in the Notion any Certainty) be conceiv'd to be able, after numberless Occursions of its insen∣sible parts, to cast it self into such

grand Conventions and Convolutions, as the Cartesians call Vortices, and as, I remember; * 1.5 Epicurus speaks of under the name of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; yet I think it utterly improbable, that brute and unguided, though moving, Matter, should ever convene into such admira∣ble Structures, as the Bodies of perfect Animals. But the World being once fram'd, and the course of Nature esta∣blish'd, the Naturalist, (except in some few cases, where God, or Incorporeal Agents interpose,) has recourse to the first Cause but for its general and ordi∣nary Support and Influence, whereby it preserves Matter and Motion from An∣nihilation or Desition; and in explica∣ting particular Phaenomena, considers onely the Size, Shape, Motion, (or want of it) Texture, and the resulting Quali∣ties and Attributes of the small parti∣cles of Matter. And thus in this great Automaton the World, (as in a Watch

or Clock,) the Materials it consists of, being left to themselves, could never at the first convene into so curious an Engine: and yet, when the skilful Ar∣tist has once made and set it a going, the Phaenomena it exhibits are to be ac∣counted for by the number, bignesse, pro∣portion, shape, motion, (or endeavour,) rest, coapration, and other Mechanical Affections of the Spring, Wheels, Pil∣lars, and other parts it is made up of: and those effects of such a Watch, that cannot this way be explicated, must, for ought I yet know, be confess'd, not to be sufficiently understood.

But to return thither, whence my Duty to the Author of Nature oblig'd me, to make this short Digression.

The hitherto propos'd Hypothesis, touching the Origination of Forms, hath, I hope, been rendred probable by divers particulars in the past Discour∣ses, and will be both exemplify'd and confirm'd by some of the Experiments,

that make the Latter part of this pre∣sent Treatise, (especially the Fifth and 7^th of them,) which, containing Expe∣riments of the Changing the Form of a Salt and a Mettal, do chiefly belong to the Historical or Experimental part of what we deliver touching the Origine of Forms. And indeed, besides the two kinds of Experiments presently to be mention'd, we might here present you a Third sort, consisting partly of divers Relations of Metalline Trans∣mutations, deliver'd upon their own Credit by Credible men, that are not Alchymists; and partly of some Expe∣riments (some made, some directed by us) of Changing both Bodies, totally inflammable, almost totally into Water, and a good part ev'n of distill'd Rain water without Additament into Earth; and distill'd Liquors, readily and totally mingleable with Water, pro parte into a true Oyle, that will not mix with it, This sort of Experiments, I say, I might

here annex, if I thought fit, in this place, either to lay any stresse upon those, that I cannot my self make out, or to trans∣fer hither those Experiments of Chan∣ges amongst Bodies not Metalline, that belong to another * 1.6 Treatise. But o∣ver and above, what the past Notes and the Experiments, that are to follow them, contain towards the making of what we teach concerning Forms, we will here, for further Confirmation, pro∣ceed to adde two sorts of Experiments, (besides the Third already mention'd.) The one, wherein it appears, that Bodies of very differing Natures, being put to∣gether, like the Wheels, and other pei∣ces of a Watch, and by their connecti∣on acquiring a new Texture, and so new Qualities, may, without having re∣course to a substantial Form, compose such a new Concrete, as may as well de∣serve to have a substantial Form attri∣buted to it, by virtue of that new Dis∣position

of its parts, as other Bodies that are said to be endow'd therewith. And the other, that a Natural Body be∣ing dissipated, and as it were taken in peices, like a Watch, may have its parts so associated, as to constitute New Bo∣dies, of Natures very differing from its own, and from each other; and yet these dissipated and scatter'd parts, by being recollected and put together again, like the pieces of a Watch, in the like order as before, may recompose (almost, if not more then almost) such another Body, as that they made up, before they were taken asunder.

I. EXPERIMENTS, and THOUGHTS, about the Production and Repro∣duction of FORMS.

IT was not at randome, that I spoke, when, in the foregoing Notes about the Origine of Qualities, I intimated, That 'twas very much by a kind of tacit agreement, that Men had distinguish'd the Species of Bodies, and that those Distinctions were more Arbitrary then we are wont to be aware of. For I con∣fesse, that I have not yet, either in Ari∣stotle, or any other Writer, met with a∣ny genuine and sufficient Diagnostick and Boundary, for the Discriminating

and limiting the Species of Things, or to speak more plainly, I have not found, that any Naturalist has laid down a de∣terminate Number and sort of Quali∣ties, or other Attributes, which is suffi∣cient and necessary to constitute all por∣tions of Matter, endow'd with them, di∣stinct Kinds of Natural Bodies. And therefore I observe, that most com∣monly Men look upon these as Di∣stinct Species of Bodies, that have had the luck to have distinct Names found out for them; though perhaps diverse of them differ much lesse from one ano∣ther, then other Bodies, which (because they have been hudled up under one Name,) have been look'd upon, as but one sort of Bodies. But not to lay any weight on this Intimation about Names, I found, that for want of a true Characteristick, or discriminating notes, it hath been, and is still, both very un∣certain as to divers Bodies, whether they are of different Species or of the same,

and very difficult to give a sufficient rea∣son, why divers Bodies, wherein Nature is assisted by Art, should not as well pass for distinct kinds of Bodies, as others, that are generally reckon'd to be so.

Whether (for instance) Water and Ice be not to be esteem'd distinct kinds of Bodies, is so little evident, that some, that pretend to be very well vers'd in Aristotle's Writings and Opinions, af∣firme him to teach, that Water looses not its own nature by being turn'd into Ice; and indeed I remember I have read a * 1.7 Text of his, that seems express e∣nough to this purpose, and the thing it self is made plausible by the reducible∣nesse of ice back again into Water. And yet I remember, Galen is affirm'd to make these two, distinct Species of Bo∣dies;

which Doctrine is favour'd by the differing Qualities of Ice and Water, for not onely the one is fluid, and the other solid, and even brittle, but Ice is also commonly more or less opacous in comparison of Water, being also ligh∣ter then it in specie, since it swims up∣on it. To which may be added, that Ice, beaten with common Salt, will freez other Bodies, when Water mingled with Salt will not. And on this occasi∣on, I would propose to be resolv'd, whether Must, Wine, Spirit of Wine, Vinegar, Tartar, and Vappa, be Speci∣fically distinct Bodies? and the like que∣stion I would ask concerning a Hens Egg, and the Chick that is afterwards hatch'd out of it: As also concerning Wood, Ashes, Soot, and likewise the Eggs of Silkworms, which are first small Caterpillars, or (as some think them) but Worms, when they are newly hatch'd, and then Aurelia's, (or husked Maggots,) and then Butterflies, which I

have observ'd with pleasure to be the successive Production of the Prolifick Seed of Silkworms. And whether the Answer to these Quaeries be Affirmative or Negative, I doubt the reason, that will be given for either of the two, will not hold in divers cases, whereto I might apply it. And a more puzling Questi∣on it may be to some, whether a Char∣coal, being throughly kindled, do spe∣cifically differ from another Charcoal? for, according to those I argue with, the fire has penetrated it quite through; and therefore some of the recent Aristoteli∣ans are so convinc'd of its being trans∣muted, that all the satisfaction I could find from a very subtle modern School∣man to the Objection, That if the glow∣ing Coal were plung'd into Water, it would be a black Coal agen, was, That notwithstanding That reduction, the Form of a Charcoal had been once a∣bolish'd by the fire, and was reproduc'd by God, upon the regain'd Disposition

of the Matter to receive it.

Nor is it very easie to determine, whether Clouds, and Rain, and Ha••l, and Snow, be bodies specifically distinc•• from Water, and from each other, and the writers of Meteors are wont to han∣dle them as distinct. And since if such slight differences as those, that discrimi∣nate these Bodies, or that which distin∣guishes Wind from Exhalations, whose Course makes it, be sufficient to consti∣tute differing kinds of Bodies, 'twill be hard to give a satisfactory Reason, why other Bodies, that differ in more or more considerable particulars, should not en∣joy the same Priviledge. And I presume, that Snow differs less from Rain, then Paper doth from Rags, or Glass made of Wood-ashes does from Wood. And indeed, Men having, by tacit consent, a∣greed to look upon Paper, and Glass, and Soape, and Sugar, and Brass, and Ink, and Pewter, and Gunpowder, and I know not how many others, to be di∣stinct

sorts of Bodies, I see not, why they may not be thought to have done it, on as good grounds, as those, upon which divers other d••ffering Species of Bodies have been constituted. Nor will it suf∣fice to object, that these Bodies are fa∣ctitious; for 'tis the present nature of Bodies, that ought to be consider'd in referring them to Species, which way soever they came by that Nature: for Salt, that is, in many Countries, made by boiling Sea water in Cauldrons, and o∣ther vessels, is as well true Sea-salt, as that which is made in the Isle of Man, (as Navigators call it,) without any co∣operation of Man, by the bare action of the Sun upon those parts of the Sea wa∣ter, which chance to be left behind in hollow places, after a high Spring-tide. And Silk worms, which will hatch by the heat of humane Bodies, and Chick∣ens, that are hatch'd in Aegypt by the heat of Ovens or Dunghils, are no less true Silk-worms or Chickens, then

those that are hatch'd by the Sun, or by Hens.

As for what may be objected, that we must distinguish betwixt Factitious Bodies and Natural, I will not now stay to examine, how far that Distincti∣on may be allow'd: for it may suffice for our present purpose to represent, that whatever may be said of Factitious Bo∣dies, where Man does, by Instruments of his own providing, onely give Figure, or also Contexture to the sensible (not insensible) parts of the Matter he works upon; as when a Joyner makes a Stool, or a Statuary makes an Image, or a Turner a Bowl: yet the case may be very differing in those other factitious Productions, wherein the insensible parts of Matter are alter'd by Natural A∣gents, who perform the greatest part of the work among themselves, though the Artificer be an Assistant, by putting Them together after a due manner. And therefore I know not, why all the Pro∣ductions

of the Fire made by Chymists should be look'd upon, as not Natural, but Artificial Bodies: since the Fire, which is the grand Agent in these Changes, doth not, by being imploy'd by the Chymist, cease to be, and to work as, a Natural Agent. And since Nature her self doth, by the help of the fire, sometimes afford us the like Pro∣ductions that the Alchymists art pre∣sents us: as in Aetna, Vesuvius, and o∣ther burning Mountains, (some of whose Productions I can shew you,) Stones are sometimes turn'd into Lime, (and so an Alcalizate Salt is produc'd,) and sometimes, if they be more dispos'd to be flux'd, then calcin'd, brought to vi∣trification; Metalline and Mineral Bo∣dies are by the violence of the fire colli∣quated into Masses of very strange and compounded Natures. Ashes and Me∣talline flowers of divers kinds are scat∣ter'd about the neighbouring places, and copious flowers of Sulphur, sublim'd

by the internal fire, have been several times found about the Vents, at which the Fumes are discharg'd into the Air: (As I have been assur'd by Ingenious Visiters of such Places, whom I pur∣posely inquir'd of, touching these stores; for of these Travellers more then one answer'd me, they had themselves ga∣ther'd, and had brought some very good.) Not to adde, that I have some∣times suspected, upon no absurd grounds, that divers of the Minerals and other Bodies, we meet with in the lower parts of the Earth, and think to have been formed and lodg'd there ever since the beginning of Things, have been since produc'd there by the help of sub∣terraneal fires, or other heats, which may either by their immediate action, and ex∣ceedingly long application, very much alter some Bodies by changing their Texture; as when Lead is turn'd into Minium, and Tin into Putty by the o∣peration of the fire in a few hours, or by

elevating, in the form of Exhalations or Vapours, divers Saline and Sulphureous Corpuscles or Particles of unripe (or to use a Chymical Term of Art) Embrio∣nated Minerals, and perhaps Mettals, which may very much alter the Nature, and thereby vary the Kind of other sub∣terraneal Bodies, which they pervade, and in which they often come to be in∣corporated; or else may, by convening among themselves, constitute particu∣lar Concretions, as wee see that the fumes of Sulphur and those of Mercu∣ry unite into that Lovely red Mass, which in the Shops they call Vermilion, and which is so like to the Mineral, whence we usually obtain Mercury, that the Latines give them both the same Name Cinnabaris, and in that are imi∣tated by the French and Italians; in whose favour I shall adde, That if we sup∣pose this Mineral to consist of a stony Concretion, penetrated by such Mine∣ral fumes as I have been speaking of, the

Appellation may be better excus'd then perhaps you imagine, since from Cinna∣baris nativa not onely I obtain'd a con∣siderable quantity of good running Mercury, (which is That, Men are wont to seek for from it,) but to gratifie my Curiosity somewhat further, I try'd an easie way, that came into my mind, whereby the Caput mortuum afforded me no despicable Quantity of good combustible Sulphur. But this upon the By, being not oblig'd to set down here the grounds of my Paradoxical Conjecture about the Effects of subter∣raneal Fires and Heats, since I here lay no stress upon it, but return to what I was saying about Aetna, and other Vol∣cans. Since then these Productions of the Fire, being of Nature's own make∣ing, cannot be deny'd to be Natural Bodies, I see not why the like Produ∣ctions of the Fire should be thought unworthy that Name, onely because the Fire, that made the former, was kind∣led

by chance in a Hill, and that which produc'd the latter was kindled by a Man in a Furnace. And if flower of Sulphur, Lime, Glass, and colliquated mixtures of Metals and Minerals are to be reckon'd among Natural Bodies, it seems to be but reasonable, that, upon the same grounds, we should admit flow∣er of Antimony, Lime, and Glass, and Pewter, and Brass, and many other Chymical Concretes, (if I may so call them) to be taken into the same num∣ber; and then 'twill be evident, that to distinguish the species of Natural Bo∣dies, a Concourse of Accidents will, without considering any Substantial Form, be sufficient.

But because I need not, on this occa∣sion, have recourse to instances of a di∣sputable nature, I will pitch, for the illu∣stration of the Mechanical Production of Forms, upon Vitriol. For since Nature her self, without the help of Art, does oftentimes produce that Concrete,

(as I have elsewhere shewn by Expe∣rience,) there is no reason why Vitriol, produc'd by easie Chymical Operati∣ons, should not be look'd upon as a Bo∣dy of the same Nature and Kind. And in Factitious Vitriol, our knowing what Ingredients we make use of, and how we put them together, inables us to judge very well, how Vitriol is pro∣duc'd. But because it is wont to be reckon'd with Salt-petre, Sea-salt, and Sal Gem among true Salts, I think it re∣quisite to take notice in the first place, that Vitriol is not a meer Salt, but That, which Paracelsus somewhere, and after him divers other Spagyrists, call a Ma∣gistery, which in their sense (for there are that use it in another,) commonly signifies a Preparation, wherein the Body to be prepar'd has no•• its Princi∣ples separated, as in Distillation, Incine∣ration, &c. but wherein the whole Body is brought into another form, by the addition of some Salt or Menstruum,

that is united per minima with it. And agreeably to this Notion we find, that from common Vitriol, whether native or factitious, may be obtain'd (by Distil∣lation and Reduction) an acid Saline Spirit, and a Metalline Substance, as I elsewhere mention, that from blew Vi∣triol, Copper may be (by more then one way) separated. And I the rather give this Advertisement, because that as there is a Vitriol of Iron, which is u∣sually green; and another of Copper, which is wont to be blew; and also a white Vitriol, about which it is disputed what it holds, (though that it holds some Copper I have found;) and yet all of these are without scruple reputed true Vitriols, notwithstanding that they dif∣fer so much in Colour, and (as I have discover'd) in several other Qualities; so I see no reason, why the other Minerals, being reduc'd by their proper Menstru∣ums into Salt like Magisteries, may not pass for the Vitriols of those Metals,

and consequently for Natural Bodies▪ which, if granted, will adde some con∣firmation to our Doctrine, though its being granted is not necessary to make it out. For, to confine our selves to Vi∣triol, 'tis known among Chymists, that if upon the filings of Mars one put a convenient quantity of that acid distill'd Liquor, which is (abusively) wont to be call'd Oyl of Vitriol, diluting the mixture with Rain, or with common Water, 'tis easie by Filtrating the So∣lution, by Evaporating the Aqueous superfluity of it, and by leaving the rest for a competent while in a Cellar, (or other cold place) to Christallize, 'tis easie, I say, by this means to obtain a Vitriol of Iron; which agrees with the other Vitriol of Vitriol-stones or Mar∣chasites, presented us, by Nature, with∣out the help of any other Menstruum, then the Rain that falls upon them from the Clouds, in I know not how many Qualities, part Obvious, and part of

them Occult: As, (of the first sort) in Colour, Transparency, Brittlenesse, easiness of Fusion, Styptical Tast, redu∣cibleness to a Red Powder by Calcina∣tion, and other Qualities more obvious to be taken notice of; to which may be annex'd divers Qualities of the second sort, (I mean the more abstruse ones,) as the power to turn in a trice an Infusi∣on of Galls, made in ordinary water, (as also to turn a certain clear Mineral So∣lution, elsewhere mention'd,) into an Inckly colour, to which, in all probabi∣lity, we may adde a faculty of causing Vomits even in a small Dose, when ta∣ken into the Stomach of a Man, and that remarkable property of being en∣dow'd with as exact and curious a shape or figure, as Those, for which Salts have been, by modern Philosophers especially, so much admir'd. But, that no scruple might arise from hence, that in the Vitriolum Martis, wont to be made by Chymists, the Menstruum,

that is imploy'd, is the Oyl of common Vitriol, which may be suspected to have retain'd the nature of the Concrete whence it proceeded, and so this Facti∣tious Vitriol may not be barely a new Production, but partly a Recorporifi∣cation, as they speak, of the Vitriolate Corpuscles contain'd in the Menstruum: To prevent this Scruple I say, (which yet perhaps would not much trouble a Considering Chymist,) I thought fit to imploy a quite other Menstruum, that would not be suspected to have any thing of Vitriol in it. And though Aqua fortis, and Spirit of Nitre, howe∣ver they corrode Mars, are unfit for such a work, yet having pitch'd upon Spirit of Salt instead of Oyl of Vitriol, and proceeding the same way that has been already set down, it answer'd our Expe∣ctation, and afforded us a good green Vitriol. Nor will the great disposition, I have observ'd in this our Vitriol, to resolve, by the moisture of the Air, into

a Liquor, make it essentially differing from other Vitriols, since it has been observ'd, and particularly by Guntherus Belichius more then once, that even the common Vitriol he us'd in Germany, will also, though not so easily as other Salts, run (as the Chymists phrase it) per deliquium. And to make the Ex∣periment more compleat, though we did not find either Oyl of Vitriol, or Spirit of Salt, good Menstruums to make a blew Venereal Vitriol out of Copper, (however fil'd, or thinly lami∣nated,) and though upon more Tryals then one, it appear'd, that Aqua fortis, & Spirit of Nitre, which we thought fit to substitute to the above mention'd Li∣quors, did indeed make a Solution of Copper, but so unctuous a one, that twas very hard to bring any part of it to dry∣nesse, without spoyling the Colour and Shape of the desir'd Body: yet repeating the Experiment with care and watchful∣ness, we, this way, obtain'd one of the

loveliest Vitriols that hath perhaps been seen, and of which you your self may be the judg by a parcel of it I keep by me for a Rarity.

To apply now these Experiments, especially That, wherein Spirit of Salt is imploy'd, to the purpose, for which I have mention'd them, let us briefly con∣sider these two things; the one, that our Factitious Vitriol is a Body, that, as well as the Natural, is endow'd with many Qualities, (manifest, and occult,) not onely such as are common to it with other Salts, as Transparency, Brittle∣ness, Solublenesse in Water, &c. but such as are Properties peculiar to it, as Greenness, easiness of Fusion, Styptici∣ty of Tast, a peculiar Shape, a power to strike a Black with infusion of Galls, an Emetick faculty, &c.

The other thing we are to consider is, that though these Qualities are in common Vitriol believ'd to flow from the substantial Form of the Concrete,

and may, as justly as the Qualities, whe∣ther manifest or occult, of other Inani∣mate Bodies, be imploy'd as Arguments to evince such a Form: yet in our Vi∣triol, made with Spirit of Salt, the same Qualities and Properties were produc'd by the associating and juxtaposition of the two Ingredients, of which the Vi∣triol was compounded, the Mystery being no more but this, That the Steel being dissolv'd in the Spirit, the Saline Particles of the former, and the Metal∣line ones of the latter, having each their Determinate Shapes, did by their Asso∣ciation compose divers Corpuscles of a mix'd or compounded Nature, from the Convention of many whereof, there re∣sulted a new Body, of such a Texture, as qualify'd it to affect our Sensories, and work upon other Bodies, after such a manner as common Vitriol is wont to do. And indeed in our case, not one∣ly it cannot be made appear, that there is any substantial Form generated anew,

but that there is not so much as an ex∣quisite mixture, according to the com∣mon Notion the Schools have of such a Mixture. For Both the Ingredients retain their Nature, (though perhaps somewhat alter'd,) so that there is, as we were saying, but a Juxta-position of the Metalline and Saline Corpuscles; onely they are associated so, as by the mannner of their Coalition to acquire that new Texture, which Denominates the Magistery they compose, Vitriol. For 'tis evident, that the Saline Ingre∣dient may either totally, or for much the greatest part be separated by Distil∣lation, the Metalline remaining behind. Nay some of the Qualities, we have been ascribing to our Vitriol, do so much depend upon Texture, that the very Beams of the Sun (converg'd) will, as I have purposely try'd, very ea∣sily alter its Colour, as well as spoyl its Transparency, turning it at first from Green to White, and, if they be con∣center'd

by a good Burning glass, make∣ing it change that Livery for a deep Red.

Doubts and Experiments, touching the Curious Figures of SALTS.

ANd here let me take notice, that though the exact and curious Fi∣gures, in which Vitriol and other Salts are wont to shoot, be made Arguments of the Presence, and great Instances of the Plastick skill of substantial Forms and Seminal Powers, yet, I confess, I am not so fully satisfied in this matter, as even the Modern Philosophers ap∣pear to be. Tis not that I deny, that Plato's excellent Saying, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, may be apply'd to these exquisite Pro∣ductions of Nature. For though God has thought fit to make things Corpo∣real after a much more facile and intelli∣gible way, then by the intervention of substantial Forms; and though the Pla∣stick

power of Seeds, which in Plants and Animals I willingly admit, seem not in our case to be needful; yet is the Di∣vine Architect's Geometry (if I may so call it) neverthelesse to be acknowledg'd and admir'd; for having been pleas'd to make the primary and insensible Cor∣puscles of Salts and Metals of such de∣terminate, curious, and exact Shapes that, as they happen to be associated to∣gether, they should naturally produce Concretions, which, though differing∣ly figur'd according to the respective Natures of their Ingredients, and the various manners of their Convening should yet be all of them very curious and seem elaborate in their Kinds. How little I think it fit to be allow'd, that the Bodies of Animals, which consist of so many curiously fram'd and wonderfully adapted Organical parts, (and whose Structure is a thousand times more Ar∣tificial then that of Salts, and Stones, and other Minerals,) can be reasonably

suppos'd to have been produc'd by Chance, or without the Guidance of an Intelligent Author of Things, I have elsewhere largely declar'd. But I con∣fess, I look upon these Figures we ad∣mire in Salts, and in some kinds of Stones, (which I have not been Incuri∣ous to collect,) as Textures so simple and slight in comparison of the Bodies of Animals, & oftentimes in comparison of some one Organical part, that I think it cannot be in the least inferr'd, that be∣cause such slight Figurations need not be ascrib'd to the Plastick power of Seeds, it is not necessary, that the stu∣pendious and incomparably more elabo∣rate Fabrick and structure of Animals themselves should be so. And this pre∣mis'd, I shall adde, that I have been in∣clin'd to the Conjecture about the shapes of Salts, that I lately propos'd, by these Considerations.

First, That by a bare Association of Metalline and Saline Corpuscles, a Con∣crete,

as finely figur'd as other Vitriols, may be produc'd, as we have lately seen

Secondly, because that the Figures of these Salts are not constantly in all respects the same, but may in diverse manners be somewhat varied, as they happen to be made to shoot more hasti∣ly, or more leisurely, and as they shoot in a scanter, or in a fuller proportion of Liquor. This may be easily observ'd by any, that will but with a little Atten∣tion consider the difference that may be found in Vitriolate Christals or Grains, when quantities of them were taken out of the great Coolers, as they call them, wherein that Salt, at the Works where tis boyl'd, is wont to be set to shoot. And accordingly, where the Experienc'd Mineralist Agricola, describes the seve∣ral wayes of making Vitriol in great Quantities, he does not onely more then once call the great Grains or Chri∣stals, into which it coagulates, Cubes; but speaking of the manner of their

Concretion about the Cords or Ropes, that are wont (in Germany) to be hang'd from certain cross Bars into the Vitrio∣late Water or Solution for the Vitriol to fasten its self to; he compares the Concretions indifferently to Cubes or Clusters of Grapes: Ex his (sayes he, speaking of the cross Bars,) pendent re∣stes lapillis extentae, ad quos humor spis∣sus adhaerescens densatur in translucentes atramenti sutorii vel Cubos, vel Acinos, qui uvae speciem gerunt. I remember al∣so, that having many years since a sus∣picion, that the Reason why Alkalys, such as Salt of Tartar and Pot-ashes are wont to be obtain'd in the form of white Powders or Calces, might be the way, wherein the Water, or the Lixivi∣ums, that contain them, is wont to be drawn off, I fancied, that by leaving the Saline Corpuscles a competent quanti- of Water to swimme in, and allowing them leasure for such a multitude of * 1.8

Occursions, as might suffice to make them hit upon more congruous Co∣alitions then is usual, I might obtain Christals of Them, as well as of other Salts: conjecturing this, I say, I caus'd some well purify'd Alkalys, dissolv'd in clear water, to be slowly evaporated, till the Top was cover'd with a thin Ice-like Crust, then taking care not to break That, least they should (as in the ordi∣nary way, where the Water is all forc'd off,) want a sufficient stock of Liquor, I kept them in a very gentle heat for a good while; and then breaking the a∣bove mentioned Ice like Cake, I had, as I wish'd, divers figured Lumps of Chri∣stalline Salt shot in the Water, and transparent almost like white Sugar Candy.

I likewise remember, that having, on several occasions, distill'd a certain quan∣tity of Oyl of Vitriol, with a strong So∣lution of Sea-salt, till the remaining Matter was left dry, that Saline Resi∣due

being dissolv'd in fair water, filter'd, and gently evaporated, would shoot in∣to Christals, sometimes of one figure, sometimes of another, according as the quantity or strength of the Oyl of Vi∣triol and other Substances determin'd. And yet these Christals, though some∣times they would shoot into Prisme-like Figures, as Roch'd Petre; and sometimes into shapes more like to Allome or Vitriol; nay though often∣times the same Caput mortuum dissolv'd, would in the same Glass shoot into Christals, whereof some would be of one shape, some of another, yet would these differing Grains or Christals ap∣pear for the most part more exquisitely figur'd, then oftentimes Vitriol does. From Spirit of Urine and Spirit of Ni∣tre, when I have suffer'd them to re∣main long together before Coagulati∣on, and free'd the mixture from the su∣perfluous moisture very slowly, I have sometimes obtain'd fine long Christals,

(some of which I can shew you) so shap'd, that most Beholders would take them for Christals of Salt-petre. And I have likewise tryed, that whereas Silver is wont to shoot into Plates exceeding thin, almost like those of Moscovis glass, when I have dissolv'd a pretty quantity of it in Aqua fortis, or spirit of Nitre, and suffer'd it to shoot very lei∣surely, I have obtain'd Lunar Christals, (several of which I have yet by me,) whose Figure, though so pretty as to have given some wonder even to an Excel∣lent Geometrician, is differing enough from that o•• ••••e thin Plates formerly mention'd; each Christal being com∣pos'd of many small and finely shap'd Solids, that stick so congruously to one another, as to have one surface, that ap∣pear'd Plain enough, common to the•• all.

Thirdly, that insensible Corpuscles of different, but all of them exquisite, shapes, and endowed with plain as well

as smooth sides, will constitute Bodies variously, but all very finely figur'd, I have made use of several waies to mani∣fest. And first, though Harts-horn, Bloud, and Urine, being resolv'd, and (as the Chymists speak) Analiz'd by Distillation, may well be suppos'd to have their substantial Forms (if they had any) destroy'd by the action of the Fire: yet in regard the Saline Particles, they contain, are endow'd with such fi∣gures as we have been speaking of, when in the Liquor, that abounds with either of these volatile Salts, the dissolv'd Particles do leisurely shoot into Chri∣stals, I have divers times observ'd, in these, many Masses, (some bigger, and some less,) whose surfaces had Plains, some of Figures, as to sense exactly Ge∣ometrical, and others very curious and pleasant. And of these finely shap'd Christals of various sizes, I have pretty store by me. And because (as it may be probably gather'd from the Event)

the Saline Corpuscles of Stillatitio••s acid liquors, and those of many of the Bodies, they are fitted to dissolve, have such kind of Figures as we have been speaking of, when the solutions of these Bodies, upon the recess of the superflu∣ous moisture, shoot into Christals; these, though they will sometimes be differing enough, according to the particular na∣tures of the dissolv'd Bodies and the Menstruum, yet either the Christals themselves, or their Surfaces, or both, will oftentimes have fine and exquisite Figures; as I have try'd by a Menstru∣um, wherewith I was able to dissolve some Gems; as also with a solution of Coral, made with Spirit of Verdigreese, to omit other Examples. And for the same reason, when I try'd whether the Particles of Silver, dissolv'd in Aqu•• fortis, would not, without Concoagu∣lating with the Salts, convene, upon the Account of their own shapes, into little Concretions of smooth and flat surfa∣ces,

I found, that having (to afford the Metalline Corpuscles scope to move in) diluted one part of the Solution with a great many parts of distill'd Rain water, (for common water will often∣times make such Solutions become white or turbid,) a Plate of Copper be∣ing suspended in the Liquor, and suffer'd to lie quiet there a while, (for it need not be long) there would settle, all about it, swarms of little Metalline and Undia∣phanbus Bodies, shining in the water like the scales of small Fishes, but form'd into little Plates extremely thin, with surfaces not onely flat, but exceeding glossy: and among those, divers of the larger were prettily figur'd at the Edges. And as for Gold, its Corpu∣scles are sufficiently dispos'd to convene with those of fit or congruous Salts into Concretions of determinate Shapes, as I have found in the Christals I obtain'd from Gold dissolv'd in Aqua Regis, and after having been suffer'd to loose its

superfluous moisture, kept in a cold place: and not onely so, but also when by a more powerful Menstruū I had subdi∣vided the Body of Gold into such mi∣nute Particles, that they were sublima∣ble, (for That, I can assure you, is possi∣ble,) these volatile Particles of Gold, with the Salts, wherewith they were ele∣vated, afforded me (sometimes) store of Christals, which, though not all of the•• near of the same Bigness, resembled one another in their shape, which wa•• regular enough, and a very pretty one. But of this more elsewhere. §. I remem∣ber I have also long since taken pleasure to dissolve two or more of those saline Bodies, whose shapes we know already, in fair Water, that by a very gent•••• Evaporation I might obtain Concreti∣ons, whose Shapes should be, thoug•• curious, yet differing from the Figu•••• of either of the Ingredients. But we must not expect, that, in all cases, the Salts dissolv'd together should be totaly

compounded: for oftentimes they are of such different Natures, that one will shoot much sooner then another, and then it frequently happens, that a good Proportion of that will be first Chri∣stalliz'd in its own shape: as is conspicu∣ously to be observ'd in the refining of that impure Pet••e, (which, from the Country that affords it, the Purifiers call Barbary Nitre,) from the common Salt it abounds with: and (also) as Agricola observes,* 1.9 that in some cases, where a Vitriolate Matter is mingled with that, which yields Allom, those two kinds of Salts will shoot separately in the same large vessel, (which the Tryals, I have made with the compounded So∣lutions of those two Salts, do not dis∣countenance.) Now in such cases, all that can be expected, or needs be desir'd, is, that the remaining part of the mixture, or some portion of it, afford Christals, or Grains of compounded solid figures.

Though the Venetian Borax, wont to be sold in shops, be known to be a facti∣tious Body, compounded of several Salts, that I shall not now stay to enu∣merate; and though, when we buy it, we usually find it to consist of Lumps and Grains mishapen enough, yet when I dissolv'd some of it in a good quantity of fair water, and made it coagulate ve∣ry leisurely, I had Chrystals▪ upon whose surfaces I could perceive very exquisite and, as to sense, regular Geometrical fi∣gures. And one thing I must not here by any means praetermit, which is, that though the Caput mortuum of common Aqua fortis consists of Bodies of very differing Natures, (for such are Nitre and Vitriol,) and has been expos'd to a great violence of the Fire, yet I have sometimes admir'd the curiousness of those figures, that might be obtain'd barely by frequent Solutions and Coa∣gulations of the Saline Particles of this Caput mortuum in fair water. But be∣cause

the Glasses, wherein my Concre∣tions were made, were too little to af∣ford great Christals, and they ought to shoot very slowly; I choose rather to shew the Curious some large Christals, which I took out of the Laboratory of an Ingenious Person, who, without minding the Figures, had upon my Re∣commendation made great quantity of that Salt, in large vessels, for a Medicine: (it being the Panacea duplicata, so fa∣mous in Holstein.) For divers of these Christals have not onely Triangles, Hexagons, and Rhomboids, and other Figures exquisitely Cut on their smooth & specular surfaces; and others, Bodies of Prismatical shapes: But some of them are no less accurately figur'd then the finest Nitre or Vitriol I remember my self to have observ'd, and some also terminate in Bodies almost like Pyramids, consi∣sting of divers Triangles, that meet in one Vertical point, and are no less admi∣rably shap'd then the fairer sort of

Cornish Diamonds, that have been brought me for Rarities. Besides, the producing of Salts of new shapes, by compounding of Saline Bodies, I have found it to be practicable not onely i•• some Gross, or, as they speak, Corpo∣ral Salts, such as Sea-salt, Salt-petre, but also in some. Natural and some Chymical Salts dissolv'd together; and, which perhaps you will think more con∣siderable in saline Spirits, made by di∣stillation: Not that all of them are fit for this purpose, but that I have found divers of those, that work upon one ano∣ther with Ebullition, to be so. For i•• that Conflict the Saline Corpuscles come to be associated to one another, and thereby, or by their newly acquir'd figure, whilst their Coalition lasts, to loose much of their former Volatility: so that, upon Evaporation of the super∣fluous Liquor, they will not fly, as other∣wise they might; but concoagulate into finely shap'd Christals, as I have try'd

among other Saline Liquors, with Spi∣rit of Urine, and Spirit of Nitre, and with Oyl of Vitriol, and Spirit of fer∣mented Urine with Spirit of Sheeps bloud, and spirit of Salt, and also with the Spirits of Salt and of Urine; which Last Experiment I the rather mention, because it shews, by the difference of the Christals, afforded by those two Li∣quors, from the Christals resulting from one of them, namely the spirit of Urine, (or if you please, the Volatile Salt, wherewith it abounds,) concoagulated with a fit Dose of Oyl of Vitriol, how much those compounded emergent fi∣gures depend upon the more simple fi∣gures of the saline Corpuscles, that hap∣pen to convene into those new Con∣cretes. For the spirit of Urine, satiated with spirit of Salt, and both very gent∣ly, and not too far, Evaporated, often afforded me Christals, that differ'd ex∣ceedingly in shape from those, which I obtain'd from the same spirit of Urine,

satiated, either with Oyl of Vitriol, or with spirit of Nitre. For, (to adde That upon the By,) that Salt, compoun∣ded of the two Spirits of Urine▪ and of common Salt, is wont to be very pret∣tily figur'd, consisting of one long Beam as it were, whence on both sides issue out far shorter Christals, some∣times perpendicular to that, and paral∣lel to one another like the Teeth in a Combe, and sometimes so inclining, as to make the Whole appear almost like a Feather; which is the more remarkable, because I have (many years ago) ob∣serv'd, that common Sal Armoniack, that is made of Urine and common Salt, both crude, with a Proportion of Soot, will, if warily dissolv'd, and coagulated, shoot into Christals of the like shape. How far the unknown Figure of a Salt may Possibly (for I fear it will not Easi∣ly) be ghess'd at, by that of the Figure, which it makes with some other Salt, whose Figure is already known, I leave

to Geometricians to consider; having, I fear, insisted too long on this subject al∣ready. But yet I must adde one particular more, which will, as well illustrate and confirme much of what has been said a∣bove touching the Origination of Vi∣triol, as shew, that the Shape of Vitriol depends upon the Textures of the Bo∣dies, whereof it is compos'd.

Fourthly then, when I consider'd, that (as I formerly noted) Vitriol being but a Magistery, made by the concoa∣gulation of the Corpuscles of a dissolv'd Metal, with those of the Menstruum, the Magisteries of other Metals might, without inconvenience, be added, as o∣ther Vitriolate Concretes to the green, the blew, and white Vitriol, that are without scruple referr'd to the same spe∣cies: and when I consider'd, that Oyl of Vitriol was not a fit Menstruum to dissolve divers of the Metals, nor even all those, that it will corrode; and that the like unfitness also is to be found in

common spirit of Salt, I pitch'd upon Aqua fortis or spirit of Nitre, as that Menstruum, which was likeliest to af∣ford variety of Vitriols: and according∣ly I found, that besides the Lovely Vi∣triol of Copper formerly mention'd, that Liquor would with Quicksilver afford one sort of Christals, with Silver another, and with Lead a third; all which Christals of Vitriol, as they differ'd from each other in other Qualities, (upon which score you will find this Experi∣ment elsewhere mention'd,) so they did very manifestly and considerably differ in Shape: the Christals of Silver shoo∣ting in exceeding thin Plates, and those of Lead and Quick-silver obtaining fi∣gures, though differing enough from each other, yet of a far greater depth and thickness, and lesse remote from the figure of common Vitriol or Sea salt: and yet all these Vitriols, especially That of crude Lead, when it was happily made, had Shapes curious and elaborate,

as well as those, we admire in common Vitriol or Sea-salt.

IF then these Curious shapes, which are believed to be of the admirablest Ef∣fects, and of the strongest Proofs of substantial Forms, may be the Results of Texture; and if Art can produce Vi∣triol its self, as well as Nature; why may we not think, that in ordinary Phaenome∣na, that have much less of wonder, re∣course is wont to be had to substantial Forms without any Necessity? (Matter, and a Convention of Accidents being able to serve the turn without them;) and why should we wilfully exclude those Productions of the Fire, wherein the Chymist is but a Servant to Nature, from the number of Natural Bodies? And indeed, since there is no certain Diagnostick agreed on, whereby to dis∣criminate Natural and Factitious Bo∣dies, and constitute the species of both; I see not, why we may not draw Argu∣ments

from the Qualities and Operati∣ons of several of those, that are call'd Factitious, to shew how much may be ascrib'd to, and perform'd by, the Me∣chanical Characterization or Stamp of Matter: Of which we have a noble In∣stance in Gunpowder, wherein by a bare comminution and blending the Ingredi∣ents, Nitre, Charcoal, and Brimstone, which have onely a new, and That an exceeding slight Contexture, each re∣taining its own Nature in the Mixture; so that there is no colour afforded to the pretence of a substantial Form, there is produc'd a new Body, whose Operati∣ons are more powerful and prodigious, then those of almost any Body of Na∣tures own compounding. And though Glass be but an Artificial Concrete, yet, besides that 'tis a very noble and useful one, Nature her self has produc'd very few, if enough, to make up a Num∣ber more lasting and more unalterable. And indeed divers of those factitious

Bodies that Chymistry is able to afford us, are endow'd with more various and more noble Qualities, then many of those, that are unquestionably Natural. And if we admit these Productions into the number of Natural Bodies, they will afford us a multitude of Instances, to shew, that Bodies may acquire many and Noble Qualities, barely by having Mechanical Affections, introduc'd by outward Agents into the Matter, or de∣stroy'd there. As though Glass be such a Noble Body, as we have lately taken notice of, yet since tis Fusibility, Trans∣parency, and Brittleness, that are its onely Constituent Attributes, we can in less then an hour, (or, perhaps halfe that time,) turn an Opacous Body into Transparent Glass, without the Additi∣on of any other Visible Body, by a change of Texture, made in the same Matter, and by another change of Tex∣ture, made without Addition, as former∣ly, we can, in a trice, reduce Glass into, or

obtain from it a Body, not Glassy, but Opacous, and otherwise of a very diffe∣ring Nature, as it had been before. And here let me adde what may not a little conduce to our present Design, That even those, that imbrace Aristotle's principles, do unawares confesse, that a slight change of Texture, without the introduction of a substantial Form, may not onely make a Specifical difference betwixt Bodies, but so vast a one, that they shall have differing Genus'es, and may (as the Chymists speak) belong to differing Kingdoms. For Coral, to pass by all other Plants of that kind, that may be mention'd to the same pur∣pose, whilst it grows in the Bottom of the Sea, is a real Plant, and several times (which suffices for my present scope) hath been there found by an Acquain∣tance of mine, as well as by other In∣quirers, soft and tender like another Plant. Nay, I elsewhere* 1.10 bring ve∣ry

good and recent Authority to prove, that it is oftentimes found very succu∣••ent, and does propagate its species, as well as other Shrubs; and yet Coral, being gather'd and remov'd into the Air, by the recess of its Soul, no new Lapidifick Form being so much as pre∣••ended to, turns into a Concretion, that ••s, by many Eminent Writers and others, ••eckon'd among Lapideous ones: as in∣••eed Coral does not burn like Wood, ••or obey Distillation like it; and not onely its Calx is very differing from the Ashes of Vegetables, and is totally so∣••••ble in divers acid Liquors, and even ••pirit of Vinegar, but the uncalcin'd Coral its self will be easily corroded ••y good Vinegar, after the same man∣••er as I have seen Lapis stellaris, and o∣••••er unquestionably Mineral stones dis∣••olv'd, some by that Liquor, and some ••y the Spirit of it. A much stranger ••ing may be seen in the East-India ••sland of Sombrero, not very far from

Sumatra, if we may believe our Coun∣tryman S^r James Lancester, who relates it as an Eye witnesse, for which reason, and for the strangeness of the thing, I shall adde the story in his own word Here (* 1.11sayes he, speaking of the Co•• of Sombrero) we found upon the sand 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the Sea side, a small Twigge growing 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to a young Tree, and offering to pluck•• the same, it shrunk down into the gro•••• & sinketh, unless you hold very hard. A•• being pluck'd up, a great Worme is the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of it: and look how the Tree groweth •• greatnes, the VVorme diminisheth N•••• soon as the VVorm is wholly turn'd i•• the Tree, it rooteth in the ground, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 so groweth to be great. This Transfo••¦mation was one of the greatest wo•••• I saw in all my Travels. This 〈◊〉〈◊〉 being plucked up a little, the Leaves stra¦ped off and the Pill, by that time it i•• dry turned into a hard Stone, much 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to white Coral. So that (concludes 〈◊〉〈◊〉

this worme was twice transformed into different natures: of these we gather'd and brought home many. The Industrious Pis••, in his Excellent History of Brasil, vouches a multitude of Witnesses (not having Opportunity to be one himself) for the ordinary Transformation of a sort of Animals not much unlike Grass∣hoppers) into Vegetables, at a certain season of the * 1.12 year.

But since I sate down this Relation of S^r John Lancester, I have met with another, whose strangeness may much countenance it, in a small Tract newly publish'd by a Jesuite, F. Michael Boym, whom a good Critick much commen∣ded to me. For this Author doth, as an Eyewitnesse, affirme that, which is little lesse to my present Purpose. * 1.13 Ie vis,

i.e. I saw in a small fresh water, and shal∣low Lake of the Island Hainan, (which belongs to China) Crabs, or Crawfishes, which, as soon as they were drawn out of the water, did in a moment loose both Life and Motion, and became petrify'd, though nothing appear'd to be chang'd either to the External or Internal figure of ther•• Bodies. What he further addes of these Fishes, is but of their Virtues in Phy∣sick, which, not concerning our subject▪ I shall (Pyrophilus) willingly praeterm•• it; and even, as to our Country-man'•• relation, hoping, by means of an Inge∣nious Correspondent in the East-In∣dies, to receive a further Information a∣bout the strange Plant he mentions, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 shall, at present, urge onely what ha•• been taken notice of concerning Co∣ral, to countenance the Observation for whose sake these Narratives have been alleadg'd. And so likewise, as to what I was saying of Glass, and Gu••-powder, our receiving of those and the

generality of Factitious Bodies into the Catalogue of Natural Bodies, is not (which I formerly also intimated) neces∣sary to my present Argument: whereto it is sufficient, that Vitriol is granted on all hands to be a Natural Body, though it be also producible by Art. And also to the Argument it affords us, we might adde that memorable Experiment de∣liver'd by Helmont, of turning Oyl of Vitriol into Allom, by the Odour (as he calls it) of Mercury, if, however it be not despicable, we had found it fit to be rely'd on. But reserving an Account of that for another place, we shall substi∣tute the Instance, presented us by our Author, about the Production of Salt∣petre: for if, having dissolv'd Pot-ashes in fair water, you coagulate the filtra∣ted Solution into a white Salt, and on that pour Spirit of Nitre, till they will not hiss any longer together, there will shoot, when the superfluous water is Evaporated, Christals, that proclaim

their Nitrous Nature by their Prisma∣tical, (or at least Prisme-like) Shape, their easie Fusion, their Accension, and Deflagration, and other Qualities, part∣ly mention'd by our Author, and partly discoverable by a little Curiosity in making Tryals.

II. Experimental Attempts about the Redintegration of Bodies.

THe former of those two Argu∣ments, (Pyrophilus) by which I propos'd to confirme the Origine o•• Forms, was, as you may remember, grounded upon the Manner, by which such a Convention of Accidents, as de∣serves to passe for a Form, may be pro∣duc'd: and That having been hitherto

prosecuted, it now remains, that we pro∣ceed to the Second Argument, drawn, not (as the former) from the first Pro∣duction, but from the Reproduction of a Physical Body. And though both these Arguments are valid; yet if this Latter could, in spight of the Difficul∣ties intervening in making of the Expe∣riments that belong to it, be as clearly made out as the former, you would, I suppose, like it much the better of the two. For if we could Reproduce a Bo∣dy, which has been depriv'd of its sub∣stantial Form, you would, I presume, think it highly probable, if not more then probable, that (to borrow our Author's Expression) That which is commonly call'd the Form of a Con∣crete, which gives it its Being and De∣nomination, and from whence all its Qualities are in the Vulgar Philosophy, by I know not what inexplicable waies, suppos'd to flow; may be in some Bo∣dies but a Characterization or Modifi∣cation

of the Matter they consist of; whose parts, by being so and so dispos'd in relation to each other, constitute such a determinate kind of Body, endow'd with such and such Properties; whereas, if the same parts were otherwise dis∣posd, they would constitute other Bo∣dies, of very differing Natures from that of the Concrete, whose parts they formerly were, and which may again result or be produc'd, after its dissipati∣on, and seeming destruction, by the Re∣union of the same component Particles, associated according to their former Di∣sposition.

But though it were not Impossible to make an adaequate Redintegration of a Chymically Analiz'd Body, because some of the dissipated parts will either escape through the Junctures of the Vessels, (though diligently clos'd,) or, if they be very subtle, will fly away up∣on the disjoyning of the Vessels; or, will irrecoverably stick to the inside of

them: yet I see not, why such a Repro∣duction, as is very possible to be effe∣cted, may not suffice to manifest what we intend to make out by it. For, even in such Experiments, it appears, that when the Form of a Natural Body is a∣bolish'd, and its parts violently scatter'd; by the bare Reunion of some parts after the former manner, the very same Mat∣ter, the destroy'd Body was before made of, may, without Addition of other Bo∣dies, be brought again to constitute a Body of the like Nature with the for∣mer, though not of equal Bulk. And in∣deed, the Experiment, recorded by our Author, about the Reproduction of Salt Petre, as it is the best and successesful∣lest I have ever been able to make upon Bodies, that require a strong Heat to dissipate them; so I hope it will suffice to give you those thoughts about this mat∣ter, that the Author design'd in alledg∣ing it; and therefore, though having premis'd thus much, I shall proceed to

acquaint you with the success of some Attempts he intimates (in that Essay) his Intention of making, for the Redin∣tegration of some Bodies; yet doing it onely out of some Historical Notes I find among my loose Papers, That, which I at present pretend to, is, but partly to shew you the difficulty of such Attempts, which, since our Author's Essay was communicated, have been represented (I fear by Conjecture one∣ly) as very easie to be accurately enough done; and partly, because our Author does not, without reason, intimate the usefulness of Redintegrations, in case they can be effected; and does, not cause∣lesly, intimate, that such Attempts, though they should not Perfectly suc∣ceed, may increase the Number of No∣ble and Active Bodies, and consequent∣ly, the Inventory of Mankind's Goods.

Upon such Considerations we attemp∣ted the Dissipation and Reunion of the parts of common Amber; and though

Chymists, for fear of breaking their Vessels, are wont, when they commit it to distillation, to adde to it a caput mortuum (as they speak) of Sand, Brick, &c. (in whose room we sometimes choose to substitute beaten Glass;) which hinders them to judge of and employ the Remanence of the Amber, after the Distillation is finish'd: yet we suppos'd, and found, that if the Retort were not too much fill'd, and if the Fire were slowly and warily enough administer'd, the Addition of any other Body would be needless. Wherefore having put into a Glass Retort four or five Ounces of Amber, and administred a gentle and gradual heat, we observ'd the Amber to melt and bubble, (which we therefore mention, because ingenious men have lately questioned, whether it can be mel∣ted,) and having ended the Operation, & sever'd the vessels, we found, that there was come over in the form, partly of Oyl, partly of Spirit & Flegm, and partly of

volatile Salt, near half the weight of the Concrete: and having broken the Re∣tort, we found, in the bottom of it, a Cake of coal-black Matter, then whose upper surface I scarce remember to have seen in my whole life any thing more ex∣quisitely polish'd; in so much, that, not∣withstanding the Colour, as long as I kept it, it was fit to serve for a Look∣ing Glass: and this smooth Mass being broken, (for it was exceeding brittle,) the larger fragments of it appear'd a∣dorn'd with an excellent lustre. All those parts of the Amber, being put together into a Glass Body, with a blind head lu∣ted to it, were placed in Sand, to be in∣corporated by a gentle heat: but whilst I stept aside to receive a Visit, the Fire having been increas'd without my knowledge, the Fumes ascended so co∣piously, that they lifted up the Vessel out of the Sand, whereupon falling a∣gainst the side of the Furnace, it broke at the top, but, being seasonably call'd,

we sav'd all but the Fumes; and the re∣maining Matter looks not unlike Tarre, and with the least heat may be powr'd out like a Liquor, sticking even when it is cold to the fingers. Yet this open'd Body doth not easily communicate so much as a Tincture to spirit of Wine, (which therefore seems somewhat strange, because another time presume∣ing, that this would be a good way to obtain a Solution of some of the resi∣nous parts of Amber, we did, by pou∣ring spirit of Wine, that (though recti∣fy'd) was not of the very best, upon the reunited parts of Amber, lightly dige∣sted into a Mass, easily obtain a clear Yellow Solution, very differing from the Tincture of Amber, and abounding (as I found by Tryal) in the dissolv'd substance of the Amber:) but in Oyl of Turpentine we have, in a short time, dis∣solv'd it into a bloud red Balsome, which may be of good use (at least) to Chi∣rurgions. And having agen made the

former Experiment with more wariness then before, we had the like success in our Distillation, but, the reunited parts of the Amber being set to digest in a large Bolt head, the Liquor that was drawn off, did, in a few hours, from its own Caput mortuum extract a bloud red Tincture, or else made a Solution of some part of it, whereby it obtain'd a very deep Red; but having been, by in∣tervening Accidents, hindred from fini∣shing the Experiment, we mist the Sa∣tisfaction of knowing to what it may be brought at last.

And as for what our Author tels us of this design to attempt the Redinte∣gration of Vitriol, Turpentine, and some other Concretes, wherein it seem'd not unpracticable, he found in it more diffi∣culty then every one would expect. For the Bodies, on which such Experi∣ments are likeliest to succeed, seem to be Allom, Sea salt, and Vitriol. And as for Allom, he found it a troublesome

work to take (as a Spagirist would speak) the Principles of it asunder, in regard, that it is inconvenient to distill it with a Caput mortuum, (as Chymists call any fix'd Additament,) least that should hinder the desir'd Redintegration of the dissipated parts: And when he distill'd it by its self, without any such Addita∣ment, he found, that, with a moderate heat, the Allom would scarce part with any thing but its Phlegm, and if he urg'd it with a strong fire, he found, it would so swell, as to endanger the brea∣king of the Retort, or threaten the boy∣ling over into the Receiver. (Yet having once been able very warily to abstract as much Flegm and Spirit, as I conveniently could, from a parcel of Roch Allom, and having powr'd it back upon that pulveriz'd caput mortuum, and left the vessel long in a quiet place, I found, that the Corpuscles of the Li∣quor, having had time, after a multitude of Occursions, to accommodate and re∣unite

themselves to the more fix'd parts of the Concrete, did by that Associati∣on (or Dissolution) recompose, at the top of the Powder, many Christalline Grains of finely figur'd Salt, which in∣creasing with time, made me hope, that, at the length, the whole or the greatest part would be reduc'd into Allom, which yet a Mischance, that robb'd me of the Glass, hindred me to see.) So likewise of Sea salt, if it be distill'd, as it is usual, with thrice its weight of burn'd Clay, or beaten Brick, twill prove inconvenient in reference to its Redintegration; and if it be distill'd alone, it is apt to be fluxt by the heat of the fire, and, whilst it re∣mains in Fusion, will scarce yield any Spirit at all. And as for Vitriol, though the Redintegration of it might seem to be less hopeful, then that of the other Salts, in regard that it consists not one∣ly of a Saline, but of a Metalline Body, whence it may be suppos'd to be of a more intricate and elaborate Texture

yet because there needs no caput mortu∣um in the Distillation of it, we did, to pursue our Author's intimated designs, make two or three Attempts upon it, and seem'd to miss of our Aime, rather upon the Account of accidental hinde∣rances, then of any insuperable difficul∣ty in the thing it self. For once, we with a strong fire, drew off from a parcel of common blew Vitriol, the Phlegm and Spirit, and some quantity of the heavy Oyl, (as Chymists abusively call it:) These Liquors, as they came over with∣out Separation, we divided into several parts, and the remaining very red Caput mortuum into as many. One of these parcels of Liquor we poured over night upon its correspondent portion of the newly mentioned red Powder. But having left it in a Window, and the Night proving very bitter, in the mor∣ning I found the Glass crack'd in many places by the violence of the Frost, and the Liquor seem'd to have been soak'd

up by the Powder, and to have very much swelled it. This mixture then I took out, and placing it in an open mouth'd Glass in a Window, I found, after a while, divers Grains of pure Vitri∣ol upon the other Matter, and some lit∣tle Swellings, not unlike those we shall presently have Occasion to speak of. I took likewise a much larger parcel of the forementioned Liquor, and its cor∣respondent proportion of Caput mortu∣um; and having leisurely mixt them in a large Glass Bason, I obtain'd divers Phae∣nomena, that belong not to this place, but may be met with, where they will more properly fall in. In this Bason (which I lay'd in the Window, and kept from Agitation,) I perceived, after a while, the Liquor to acquire a blewish Tincture, and after ten or twelve weeks, I found the mixture dry, (for, it seems, it was too much exposed to the Air:) but the Surface of it adorn'd in divers places with Grains of Vitriol very cu∣riously

figur'd. And besides these, there were store of Protuberances, which con∣sisted of aboundance of small vitriolate particles, which seem'd in the way to a Coalition; for having let the Bason a∣lone for four or five months longer, the Matter appear'd crusted over, partly with very elevated Saline protuberan∣ces, partly with lesser parcels, and partly also with considerably broad Cakes of Vitriol, some of above half an Inch in breadth, and proportionably long; and indeed the whole surface was so odly diversifi'd, that I cannot count the trou∣ble, these Tryals have put me to, mis∣pent. Another time in a more slender and narrow mouth'd Glass I pour'd back upon the Caput mortuum of Vitriol the Liquors, I had by violence of the fire forc'd from it; so that the Liquid part did swim a pretty height above the red Calx, and remain'd a while limpid and colourless: but the vessel having stood, for some time, unstop'd in a Window,

the Liquor after a while, acquir'd by degrees a very deep vitriolate colour, and not long after, there appear'd, at the bottom and on the top of the Calx, ma∣ny fair and exquisitely figur'd Grains of Vitriol, which cover'd the surface of the Calx; and the longer the ves••el con∣tinu'd in the Window, the deeper did this Change, made upon the upper part of the Powder, seem to penetrate: so that I began to hope, that, in process of time, almost (if not more then almost) the whole mixture would be reduc'd to perfect Vitriol. But an Accident robb'd me of my Glass, before I could see the utmost of the Event.

And, on this Occasion, I must not praetermit an odd Experiment I lately made, though I dare not undertake to make it agen. I elsewhere relate, how I digested, for divers weeks, a Quantity of powder'd Antimony, with a greater weight by half of Oyl of Vitriol, and how having at length committed this

mixture to Distillation, and thereby ob∣tained, besides a little Liquor, a pretty quantity of combustible Antimonial or Antimonio Virriolate Sulphur; there remained, in the bottom of the Retort, a somewhat light and very friable Caput mortuum, all the upper part of which was at least as white as common Wood-ashes, and the rest look'd like a Cinder. And now I must tell you what became of this Caput mortuum, whereof I there make no further mention. We could not well foresee what could be made of it, but very probable it was, that it would afford us some new Discovery, by being exposed to the fire, in regard of the copious Sulphur, whereof it seem'd to have been deprived: provided it were urg'd in close Vessels, where no∣thing could be lost. Whereupon com∣mitting it to a naked fire in a small glass Retort, well Coated, and accommoda∣ted with a Receiver, we kept it there many hours, and at length severing the

Vessels, we found (which need not be wonder'd at) no Antimonial Quick-sil∣ver, and much less of Sulphur sublim'd then we expected: wherefore greedily hastning to the Caput mortuum, we found it flux'd into a Mass, covered with a thin Cake of Glass, whose fragments being held against the light, were not at all coloured, as Antimonial Glass is wont to be, but were as colourlesse as common white Glass. The Lump above mentioned being broken, was found, somewhat to our wonder, to be perfect black Antimony, adorn'd with long shining streaks, as common Antimony is wont to be: onely this Antimony seem'd to have been a little refin'd by the sequestration of its unnecessary Sul∣phur; which Ingredient seems by this Experiment, as well as by some other Observations of ours, to be more copi∣ous in some particular Parcels of that Mineral, then is absolutely requisite to the constitution of Antimony. Though

in our case it may be suspected, that the reduction of part of the Mass to a colour∣less Glass, was an effect of the Absence of so much of the Sulphur, and might in part make the remaining Masse some amends for it. What we further did with this new or reproduced Concrete, is not proper to be here told you: onely, for your satisfaction, we have kept a Lump of it, that you may, with us, take notice of what some Philosophers would call the Mindfulness of Nature, which, when a Body was deprived of a not inconsiderable portion of its chiefe Ingredient, and had all its other parts dissipated, and shuffled, and discolour'd, so as not to be knowable, was able to rally those scatter'd and disguised parts, and Marshal or dispose them into a Bo∣dy of the former Consistence, Colour, &c. though (which is not here to be o∣verlook'd) the Contexture of Antimo∣ny, by reason of the copious shining Styriae, that enoble the darker Body, be

much more elaborate, and therefore more uneasie to be restored, then that of many other Concretes.

But among all my Tryals about the Redintegration of Bodies, That which seem'd to succeed best, was made upon Turpentine: for having taken some Ounces of this, very pure, and good, and put it into a Glass Retort, I distill'd so long with a very gentle fire, till I had separated it into a good quantity of very clear Liquor, and a Caput mortuum very dry and brittle: then breaking the Re∣tort, I powder'd the Caput mortuum, which, when it was taken out, was ex∣ceeding sleek, and transparent enough, and very Red; but being powder'd, ap∣pear'd of a pure Yellow colour. This Powder I carefully mixt vvith the Li∣quor, that had been distill'd from it, vvhich immediately dissolv'd part of it into a deep red Balsam; but by further Digestion in a large Glass exquisitely stopt, that Colour began to grovv fain∣ter,

though the remaining part of the Povvder, (except a very little propor∣tionable to so much of the Liquor, as may be suppos'd to have been vvasted by Evaporation, and Transfusion out of one Vessel into another,) be perfect∣ly dissolv'd, and so well reunited to the more fugitive parts of the Concrete, that there is scarce any, that by the smell, or tast, or consistence vvould take it for other then good and laudable Tur∣pentine.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Formarum cognitio est rudis, con••usa, nec nisi per 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉; neque verum est, formae substantialis speciem recipi in intellectum, non enim in sensu usquam fuit. J.C. Scalig.

  Formae substantiales sunt incognitae nobis, quia insensiles: ideo per qualitates, quae sunt principia immediatae Trans∣mutationis, exprimuntur. Aquinas ad 1. de generat. & corrupt.

  In hac humanae mentis caligine aequè forma Ignis ac Mag∣netis nobis igno••a est. Sennertus.
• * 1.2

  Nego tibi uil••m esse formam nobis notam plenè & pla∣nè, nostram{que} scientiam esse umbram in Sole. Scalig.
• * 1.3

  Nomina tu lapidis, q••i quo••idie tuis oculis observatur, formam, & Phyllida solus habeto. Seal. contra Card.
• * 1.4

  Aristotle speaking of Anaxagoras in the first Ch. of the last Book of his Physicks, hath this passage: Dicit (Anaxagoras) cùm omnia simul essent, atque qu••escere••t tempore infinito, Mentem movisse, a•• segregasse.
• * 1.5

  Epicurus in his Epistle to Pythocles.
• * 1.6

  The Sceptical Chymist.
• * 1.7

  See Lib. 1. de Gen. & Cor. t. 80. Idem Corpus (sayes he there) qua••quam continuum, aliàs liquidum, aliàs concre∣tum videmus, non divisione aut compositione hoc passum, aut conversione, aut attactu, sicuti Democritus asserit: nam neque transpositione, neque Naturae demutatione (〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉) ex liquido concretum evadere solet.
• * 1.8

  Georg: Agricola de re metall. lib. 12. p. 462.
• * 1.9

  G. Agricola de re Metallica. lib. 12.
• * 1.10

  In the Essays about things supposed to be spontane∣ously generated.
• * 1.11

  Parchas. Pilgr. part. the first. p. 152.
• * 1.12

  The passage, which is long, I do not here transcribe, having had occasion to do it elsewhere. It is extant Lib. 5. C••p. 21. and at the close of his Narrative he sub∣joynes, Non est, quod quisquam de veritate dubitet, cum infinitos ••estes habeat Brasilta, &c.
• * 1.13

  Flo••a Sinensis o•• Traite des Flerus &c. under the title Lozmeoques.