Chap. 93. Motion changing the figure from wa∣ter to fire.
VVHen these watry circle lines begin to inlarge, they grow smaller, and thereby become lesse wet, and more thinne, as vapor which is lesse wet then water, and not so grosse; for as I said before, when the circle comes in such a degree of extenuating, it becomes wet, and beyond such a degree, it becomes lesse wet; and so lesse and lesse, as be∣forè it came to such a degree, it became more and more wet, as from being pores to soft, from soft to liquid, from liquid* 1.1 to wet, likewise from wet to moist, from moist to thin, which thin is air.
But when the extenuating lines come to such a degree of smalnesse, as to cut, as a very smal line will do, which is to such a degree, as to be sharp as an edge, it makes it in a degree towards burning fire, so far as to become sulphury hot, as we know by the sense of feeling, we finde the air to be hot. This sort of air which is made of watry circles, is like seething hot water, for it is a moist heat, and not like the natural air, for this is but a Metamorphosed air; for the interior nature of water is undissolved, onely the exterior is altered, the lines being become small and edged, by the fair extenuations, but when those circles extenuate smaller then the quantity of matter will afford to give a compasse, it breaks, and turns to hot burn∣ing fire; for the extenuating motions therein ceasing not, do stretch those lines so smal, as they fall into pointed parts; this alters the interior nature from being water, to burning fire, for the interior nature of water is the circle line, but if those lines be drawn by contracting motions into bigger lines, and lesse circles, it becomes from thin hot air to vapor, or mists, and from vapor to water, and so from water to slime, from slime to mud, from mud to earth, as it did extenuate, so it contracts, if nothing hinders the same; for contraction draws