New experiments physico-mechanicall, touching the spring of the air, and its effects (made, for the most part, in a new pneumatical engine) : written by way of letter to the Right Honorable Charles, Lord Vicount of Dungarvan, eldest son to the Earl of Corke / by the Honorable Robert Boyle, Esq.
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Title
New experiments physico-mechanicall, touching the spring of the air, and its effects (made, for the most part, in a new pneumatical engine) : written by way of letter to the Right Honorable Charles, Lord Vicount of Dungarvan, eldest son to the Earl of Corke / by the Honorable Robert Boyle, Esq.
Author
Boyle, Robert, 1627-1691.
Publication
Oxford :: Printed by H. Hall ... for Tho. Robinson,
1660.
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Subject terms
Air -- Early works to 1800.
Air-pump -- Early works to 1800.
Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/a29003.0001.001
Cite this Item
"New experiments physico-mechanicall, touching the spring of the air, and its effects (made, for the most part, in a new pneumatical engine) : written by way of letter to the Right Honorable Charles, Lord Vicount of Dungarvan, eldest son to the Earl of Corke / by the Honorable Robert Boyle, Esq." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/a29003.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed October 31, 2024.
Pages
descriptionPage 394
The Conclusion.
BEing come thus far, My Dear Lord, not without thoughts of proceeding further: The unwelcome Importunity of my Occasions becomes so prevalent, that it quite hinders, for the present, my de∣sign'd Progress; and reduces me, not onely to reserve for another opportunity that kinde of Experiments, which, at some distance from the beginning of this Letter, I call'd (as Your Lordship may remember) Experiments of the second sort; but to leave unessay'd some of the first sort, which I might try in the En∣gine, as it now is, were it not that my Avocations are grown so urgent, for my remove from the place where the Engine was set up, that I am put to write Your Lordship this Excuse, Weary, and in an Inne which I take in my way to my Dear∣rest
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Brother Corke: Who being at length arriv'd in England, after I h••ve for diverse Yeares been deprived of His Company, and wish'd for it as long; what ever my other occasions may be, my first Businesse must be to wait on Him and Your Excellent Mother; in whose gratefull Company I may hope to forget a while those publick calami∣ties that distresse this too deservedly unhappy Nation. Since that is indear'd to me, both by their personall Merit; by the near Relation which Nature gives me to Him, Affinity to Her, and Friendship to both; and also by their many Favours, especially that of my owing them My Lord of Dungarvan. But I suffer my selfe to be transported too farre with these delightfull thoughts; To returne therefore to our Engine. Though I find this Letter is beyond my expectation swell'd, not only into a Book, but almost into a Volume; yet the Experiments already mentioned in it, are so farre from comprising all those that may be try'd by the help of our Engine, that I have not yet been able to try all those, which, presently occurring
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to my thoughts, upon my first seeing the working of it, I Caus'd to be set down in a Catalogue within lesse then halfe an houre. But I doubt I have but too much cause to apprehend that the Affaires, and other things I complaine of, have made it needfull for me to A∣pologize, as well for the things I have set down, as for those I am necessitated to omit. For as partiall as men use to be to the children of their own Braines, as well as to those of their Loines, I must not deny that the foregoing Try∣als are not altogether free from such unaccuratenesses, nor the recitall of them from such imperfections, as I my selfe can now discerne, and could perhaps partly mend, if I had the leasure to re∣peate the Experiments, with the Cir∣cumstances that have since offer'd them∣selves to my thoughts, as things that might have been worth Observation or Enquiry. But the truth is, that I was reduc'd to make these Experiments, when my Thoughts had things that more concernd me to imploy them, and the same avocations made me set them down, for the most part, assoone as I
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had made them, and in the same order, and that so fast that I had not over-fre∣quently the opportunity to mind any more then the bare Truth of what I set down; without allowing it any of those Advantages that Method, Style, and decent Embellishments, are wont to confe••••e on the Composures they are imploy'd do adorne.
But, my Lord, though to invite and encourage You and your learned Friends at Paris, to make a further use of this Engine than I have yet been able to do, I am thus free to acknowledge the im∣perfections of the foregoing Letter: yet if some Intelligent Persons mistake not, by what has been done, such as it is, there is a way open'd, whereby Sagacious Wits will be assisted to make such fur∣ther Discoveries in some points of Na∣turall Philosophy, as are yet scarce dream'd of. And I am the more desirous to engage You to that Imployment, be∣cause I am apt to think, that if the Ma∣king and Writing of such Experiments shall cost You as much trouble as they have me, You will be inclin'd to Excuse me; and if the Discoveries give You
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as much pleasure as they gave me, You will (perhaps) be invited to thank me. However, I think (my Lord) I may ju∣stly pretend, that the things I have set down have been faithfully Recorded, though not elaborately Written; and I suppose my former Papers may have long since satisfi'd You, that though many devise Experiments better that Your Ser∣vant, none perh••ps has related them more carefully and more truely: And particu∣larly of These; sometimes one, some∣times another hath been perform'd in the p••esence of Persons, diverse of them eminent for their Writings, and all for their Learning. Wherefore hav••ng in the foregoing Narratives made it my businesse to enoble them with the chiefe Requisites of H••storicall Composures, Candor, and Truth, I cannot despair that You will either Excuse their Imper∣fections, or at least Forgive them: Espe∣cially considering, that this unpolish'd Letter is as well a Production of Your Lordship's Commands and my Obedi∣ence, as a Testimony of my Desire to make others beholden to my Lord of
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Dungarvan, by the same way by which I indeavour to expresse my selfe
Bec••n's-fi••ld
this 20••h. of Decem∣ber, 1659.
His Lordships Most obedient Servant, and Most affectionate Unckle, ROBERT BOYLE.
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