An entire body of philosophy according to the principles of the famous Renate Des Cartes in three books, (I) the institution ... (II) the history of nature ... (III) a dissertation of the want of sense and knowledge in brute animals ... / written originally in Latin by the learned Anthony Le Grand ; now carefully translated from the last corrections, alterations, and large additions of the author, never yet published ... by Richard Blome.

CHAP. III. Of the wonderful Properties of some sorts of Waters.

I. Of the cause of hot Waters or Baths. SOme Waters are hot when they break out of the Ground; yea there are some Springs that are so hot, as to boil an Egg hard that is put into them.

Some derive this heat that is found in hot Baths from Subterraneous Fires, which lye hid

in the Bowels of the Earth, and are diffused up and down through it by certain Channels, which as the water passeth through, it becomes heated. But this doth not seem agreeable to Reason; for whence are these Subterraneous Fires fed and maintained, where is their Fewel, or how can the same be kindled into a flame under ground? Or how comes it to pass that these Fires are not choaked by the smoak that proceeds from them? Or why do not they dilate themselves, and break∣ing out at the Surface devour all before them? It seems therefore more probable, that this heat of some waters is the effect of a mixture of Li∣quors, proper to produce that quality; as we find that water poured upon quick Lime grows hot; and the same effect ariseth from the mixture of Oyl of Tartar, with Oyl of Vitriol; and Butter of Antimony, with Spirit of Niter: Which tho' singly they be cold Liquors, yet when put toge∣ther, produce a very intense heat; for if Oyl of Tartar be poured into Aquafortis wherein Iron is dissolved, it will not only work and boil, but break forth into a Flame.

Conclude we therefore, that the heat of Baths proceeds from a mixture of Jews Lime and Brim∣stone, which being united together produce heat by effervescence.

II. The heat of Baths, doth not proceed from subter∣raneous Fires. That this is so, may be evidently proved from hence, that the water of hot Baths being set upon the Fire, is as long a boiling as any other cold water: Neither doth it scortch and burn the Tongue as common water doth, which hath ac∣quired a like degree of heat from our Culinary Fire; which shews that the Subject of this heat is a thin Vapour, which doth not so much pene∣trate the parts of the Tongue and Mouth. It is found likewise that this water, doth not boil and make tender, soft and juicy Herbs that are put into it, such as Sorrel, &c. as soon as common water, that hath the same degree of heat. The reason whereof seems to be, because the Volatile Sulphurs, that produce the heat in these waters, do so insinuate themselves into the Pores of the Mouth, or of the Leaves of Sorrel, that they hinder the water from entring into them; or be∣cause the heat of these waters doth wholly con∣sist in these Sulphurs, the parts whereof are so Subtile, that they cannot exert their force, neither upon the Mouth, nor upon the Leaves of Sorrel; for the very same reason that the flame of Spirit of Wine, will not burn a Handkerchief that hath been dipt in it.

III. Corrosive Spirits do dissolve Metals, and rather act upon hard than soft Bodies. Corrosive Spirits, or Stygian waters, as the Chymists call them, do penetrate the hardest of Metals, and in a short time do dissolve them; but act little or nothing at all upon Wax which is soft, but leave it in a manner untoucht. The said waters do also more easily dissolve Iron and Steel, than Lead, which is softer than they, and more easily divisible.

The reason is, because these Corrosive Spirits do not meddle with those Bodies that give way to them, but crumble them to pieces that oppose and resist their entrance. Which will be easily apprehended by those who know that all Bodies, do not consist of the same parts, nor have their parts joyned in one and the same manner, but suitable to the variety of their Bulk and Figures. For as a heap of Earthen Vessels, may with a Stick be broken into a Thousand pieces, whereas Wool being struck with the same Stick and force, doth admit no change at all; and as Wool may be easily cut with the edge of Knives and Scissars, whereas Earthen Vessels cannot; so we may easily understand▪ how some Bodies are easily dissolved by Corrosive Spirits, whereas others are scarcely toucht by them.

IV. A Fountain of Epirus extinguish∣eth flaming Torches, and kindles those which are extin∣guisht▪ Historians tell us of a River in Epirus, pro∣ducing contrary effects. In DODONA, saith PLINY, Is a Fountain dedicated to Jupiter, which tho' it be cold and doth extinguish the lighted Torches that are put into it, yet doth it kindle those which are extinguisht when approacht to it.

This seems at first sight impossible, that in∣flammation should proceed from a cold Body as the water is: Yet for the clearing of this difficulty we may say, that the water of this Fountain be∣ing cold, does extinguish a flaming Torch that is dipt into it, this being the property of water to quench and choak Fire, and so put a stop to the motion of its agitated parts; but the rekind∣ling of extinguisht Torches, cannot be attributed to the water, but to the Bituminous and Sulphu∣rous▪ exhalations, that rise up from the water. For it is probable, that this Fountain did send forth Vapours mixt of Jews-Lime, Brimstone and Nitre, which rising up through the Fountain as through a Chimny, became inflammable in the open Air, especially when a newly extinguisht Torch was approacht to them.

V. The cause of the In∣terruption of the flow∣ing of the Collismar∣tian Foun∣tain. GASSENDUS upon occasion of a Foun∣tain mentioned by PLINY, which Flows and Ebbs thrice a day, mentions the Collismartian Fountain, which Ebbs and Flows 8 times in an hour; for the water being ready to break forth, discovers it self by a soft purling noise, and for about half a minutes time swells and encreaseth, and the 6 following minutes decreaseth again; and when the decrease is ceased, the water con∣tinues in the same state for a little while, and then begins to flow again. But the intervals between one Eruption and another, are not equal, being sometimes more, and at other times less; tho' it very seldom happens, but that in one hour 8 flow∣ings or Eruptions, and as many Cessations or Eb∣bings may be perceived in an hour.

It is certainly a difficult matter to render a satisfactory reason of this interrupted flowing of the water; neither will the instance of the Foun∣tain in Epirus, be of any great help to us towards the solving of it. For whereas the same abounds with water in the day time, which fails and ceas∣eth in the night, this may be attributed to the heat of the Sun, whereby Fountains in Summer∣time are often dried up, and overflow in the Win∣ter. But this cant be applied to the Collismartian Fountain, which observes its interrupted Ebbings and Flowings in the night, as well as in the day time. However, if I may speak my conjecture concerning so abstruse a Riddle in Nature, I am apt to believe, that within the Hill whence this Spring breaks forth, there is some hollow, or pit, which a Rivulet continually fills up: As likewise a passage through which some subterranean steam, or breeze continually blows, and keeps back the water, sending it back to the place opposite to that from whence it came; where it then swells

and encreaseth, till being overcome by its own weight, it overbears the force of the Wind, and so runs down, until the hollow or pit be almost ex∣hausted and remain dry. And after this the Wind having recovered its free passage again, doth as before withold the waters that would run out, and continually drives it back, until by force of the water that breaks in, it be driven away again, and give way to it.

VI. Another like River. A like Fountain to this is mentioned by F. MAIGNAM TOLOSAS in his Horary Per∣spective, which in Summer time doth every hour flow from a vast, and most deep hollow, and for a quarter of an hour encreaseth bydegrees, with a very great noise; and the next quarter becomes a great River; the following quarter it sinks again, and the last quarter, lies still, and is in a manner quite dry'd up.

VII. What is the cause of poisonous or deadly Fountains. Some Fountains are Poisonous and deadly, as was that famous one of Terracina, which was called Neptunes, in the Country of the Volsci, which was the death of all those that drunk of it, and therefore was stopt up with Stones, by the Inhabitants.

This may be occasioned when the waters of such Springs run through Arsenical, Mercurial or Antimonial Mines. For as the Fumes of Arsenick do kill living Creatures, so waters impregnated with the said steam, produce the same effect. Of this kind is the Lake Asphaltites, because of the Arsenical Jews-Lime it abounds with; and many other Fountains that are found in the Countries about the Alps; but as soon as they are discover∣ed they are filled up and stopt with Stones, which is the reason why so few of these deadly Springs are known.

VIII. Whether it be true that the Fountain of Jupi∣ter Ammon was cold and hot by turns. In the Povince of Cyrene, as Historians tell us, was a Fountain of the Sun, which was hot at Midnight, and afterwards growing luke warm by degrees, was cold at the breaking of day; and as the Sun rose higher, grew still more cold, so that at Noon it was cold to extremity; and from that time began by little and litle to grow luke warm again, till at the beginning of night it was hot, and so grew hotter and hotter till Midnight.

Some Philosophers have endeavoured to give a reason of this change, by asserting that there are some Seeds of heat in water, which the Earth, when chill'd and contracted with the coldness of the night sends forth, but when dila∣ted by the heat of the day, doth take in again. But I fear that in this case, we are vainly employed in searching for a true cause of a meer figment; see∣ing that ARRIAN, CURTIUS, PLINIUS, MELA and other Historians and Geographers, who give the description of this Fountain, did never see it, and had only by report whatsoever they relate con∣cerning it. Every body knows how basely the Priests of Jupiter Ammon did flatter Alexander, when he visited that Temple, and therefore we cannot think strange if they made him believe many things, which they feigned, or by some im∣posture represented to him, to make him conceive a greater veneration for the place and them. And therefore I think it is but reasonable that we should be fully assured of the truth of the thing, before we trouble our selves about searching out the cause of it.

IX. What is the reason of the heat that is found in Well water in the Win∣ter season. Well water in Summer is cold, and in the Winter hot, or at least somewhat luke warm.

This cold and heat doth not proceed so much from the water, as from our Sense, which finds the water colder in Summer than Winter. For when we touch any thing with a very cold Hand, it appears warm to us; as those things feel cold, which we touch with a hot Hand. This we ex∣perience when we enter into hot Baths, which are distinguisht by several Degrees of heat; for when we are enter'd into the first Bath, we think it warm, because our Body is yet cold, but when we return again from the hottest Baths to the first where we entred, we take that to be cold then, and not hot as we thought it was at our first en∣trance into it. And the same is the case of Grot∣tos and Caverns, which always are of the same temperature, but are thought to be cold, because in the Summer we come into them out of the hot Air, in comparison of which they seem cold to us: And in the Winter seem hot, because the Ex∣ternal Air is much colder, than those Grottos or Caves are, with respect to which we think them warm. As before hath been shewed by the Ex∣ample of Oil.

X. The steam that lies up∣on the wa∣ter doth not commu∣nicate any heat to it. We must not conceit, as some Peripateticks do, that the steam which in the Winter time appears upon Well water, doth impart any heat to them, because that steam when felt by the Hand, will be found as cold, as the Air that surrounds it: Whereas the water it self will be found to be hot; which is a sufficient proof, that the water bor∣rows no heat from the steam that lies upon it. Moreover we find as much steam lying upon the surface of hot Baths, as upon Well-water, and yet no body will say, that this heat which is in those hot Baths, proceeds from the said steam or vapor, seeing that it scarcely covers the water, and dis∣appears in a Moment. The reason therefore why Well-water in Winter time seems to be hot to us, is, because we come to it from the External Air, which is many Degrees colder.

XI. Of Springs that make the Persons that Drink of them, Drunk, and others that make the Drinkers to run Mad. The water of some Springs does inebriate like Wine or other strong Drink, and this effect is attri∣buted to the River Lethe, which being drunk of too freely, does produce the same effect as, Wine does. Others again being drunk cause Madness, or Dull stupidity.

The cause whereof must be ascribed, to the Jews-lime wherewith those waters do abound. For Jews-lime, doth strongly affect the Brain, and by obstructing the Pores of the Nerves, doth dull and stupifie the Senses; much in the same manner as the seeds of wild Parsneps, (as AGRI∣COLA tells us in his 2d Book of things flowing out of the Earth) being wrapt in a thin Linnen, and put in Wine do; as also the powder of the Flowers of Hermodactils, which being put into Wine, do presently, and strongly inebriate. And thus Jews-lime being mixt with water, doth ine∣briate those that Drink of it, and makes the Body heavy and lumpish.

XII. A Fountain that makes the Drink∣ers of it to hate Wine. We are told of a Fountain in Arcadia, near the City Clitor, and from thence called Clitorius, which makes those that Drink of it to have an a∣version for Wine, as Ovid assures us.

Who with Clitorian Streams his Thirst allays, Doth Wine abhor, and water Drinks always.

The Reason is, because, as Wine doth cause a nauseousness, not only to those that are drunk, but also after that they are grown sober; so those who drink of those Fountains, impregnated with Jews-Lime, and having had their Heads clouded and troubled thereby, become affected after the same manner as those who are sick of an Ague, and abhor VVine and the smell of it.

XIII. Some Dis∣eases are cured by Medicinal Waters. Some VVaters are endued with a Medicinal Vir∣tue, and are made use of by Physicians for the cu∣ring of several Diseases.

The waters derive this their virtue, from some Metalline or Mineral Matter which they pass through, as Brimstone, Salt, Vitriol, Alome, Nitre and Jews-Lime. And hence proceeds that great variety which we find in VVaters; for Sulphurous VVaters do heat and attenuate▪ Bituminous do dull and cloud the Brain; Aluminous do dry moist and running Sores; and Vitriolick do ad∣stringe. Some of them are immediately conveyed to the Bladder and Urinary passages, by opening and dilating the pores that make way for the said water to pass to those parts.

XIV. Of pretend∣ed Miracu∣lous Foun∣tains. As to those Fountains, of which many Mira∣culous Effects are reported, we may take it for granted, that their highly extolled Virtues are com∣monly grounded upon the reports of some poor People, who are many times set on by others, for Mony, to tell many Lies concerning the Miracu∣lous Effects they have performed. For whatever some may talk, there is no Universal Remedy, or such as is able to cope with, and overcome all Diseases. And seeing that great numbers of Peo∣ple do drink, or otherways make use of these Mi∣raculous Fountains; those that suppose themselves to have been benefited by them, do extol them; when in the mean time we hear nothing of those to whom they have been of no use at all.