The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

CENT. IV. NATURAL HISTORY'. 53
and root while it grew. 12. Part of the wood of a more active habit. Cardamon is in Latin
that shined was steeped in oil, and retained the " nasturtium," and with us water-cresses; which,
shining a fortnight. 13. The like succeeded in it is certain, is an herb that, whilst it is young,
some steeped in water, and much better. 14. is friendly to life. As for the quickening of
How long the shining will continue, if the wood natural heat, it must be done chiefly with exercise;
be laid abroad every night, and taken in and and therefore no doubt much going to school,
sprinkled with water in the day, is not yet tried. where they sit so much, hindereth the growth of
15. Trial was made of laying it abroad in frosty children; whereas country people that go not to
weather, which hurt it not. 16. There was a school are commonly of better stature. And
great piece of a root which did shine, and the again men must beware how they give children
shining part was cut off till no more shined; yet any thing that is cold in operation, for even long
after two nights, though it were kept in a dry sucking doth hinder both wit and stature. This
room, it got a shining. hath been tried, that a whelp that hath been fed
with nitre in milk hath become very little, but
Exprriment solitary touching the acceleration of extreme lively: for the spirit of nitre is cold.
birth. And though it be an excellent medicine in strength
353. The bringing forth of living creatures may of years for prolongation of life; yet it is in childbe accelerated in two respects: the one, if the em- ren and young creatures an enemy to growth:
bryo ripeneth and perfecteth sooner: the other, if and all for the same reason, for heat is requisite
there be some cause from the mother's body, of to growth; but after a man is come to his middle
expulsion or putting it down: whereof the former age, heat consumeth the spirits, which the coldness
is good, and argueth strength; the latter is ill, of the spirit of nitre doth help to condense and
and cometh by accident or disease. And therefore correct.
the ancient observation is true, that the child born
in the seventh month doth commonly well; but Experiments in consort toucMingg sulphuAr and mere
born in the eighth month, doth for the most part cury, two ff Paracelsus's princples.
die. But the cause assigned is fabulous; which There be two great families of things, you may
is, that in the eighth month should be the return term them by several names; sulphurous and merof the reign of the planet Saturn, which as they curial, which are the chymists' words, for as for
say, is a planet, malign; whereas in the seventh their " sal," which is their third principle, it is a
is the reign of the moon, which is a planet propi- compound ofthe othertwo; inflammable and not intious. But the true cause is, for that where there flamable; mature and crude, oily and watery. For
is so great a prevention of the ordinary time, it we see that in subterranies there are, as the fathers
is the lustiness of the child; but when it is less, of their tribes, brimstone and mercury; in vegetait is some indisposition of the mother. bles and living creatures there is water and oil:
in the inferior order of pneumaticals there is air:Experimrent solitary touching the acceleration of and flame, and in the superior there is the body
growth and stature. of the star and the pure sky. And these pairs,
354. To accelerate growth or stature, it must though they be unlike in the primitive differences
proceed either from the plenty of the nourishment, of matter, yet they seem to have many consents:
or from the nature of the nourishment, or from the for mercury and sulphur are principal materials
quickening and exciting of the natural heat. For of metals; water and oil are principal materials
the first excess of nourishment is hurtful; for it of vegetables and animals, and seem to differ but
maketh the child corpulent; and growing in in maturation or concoction: flame, in vulgar
breadth rather than in height. And you may take opinion, is but air incensed; and they both have
an experiment from plants, which if they spread quickness of motion, and facility of cession, much
much are seldom tall. As for the nature of the alike: and the interstellarsky,though the opinion
nourishment; first, it may not be too dry, and be vain, that the star is the denser part of his orb,
therefore children in dairy countries do wax more hath notwithstanding so much affinity with the
tall, than where they feed more upon bread and star, that there is a rotation of that, as well as of
flesh. There is also a received tale, that boiling the star. Therefore it is one of the greatest
of daisy roots in milk, which it is certain are great, magnalia naturge," to turn water or watery
driers, will make dogs little. But so much is juice into oil or oily juice: greater in nature than
true, that an over-dry nourishment in childhood to turn silver or quicksilver into gold..
putteth back stature. Secondly, the nourishment 355. The instances we have wherein crude and
must be of an opening nature, for that attenuateth watery substance turneth into fat and oily, are of
the juice, and furthereth the motion of the spirits four kinds. First in the mixture of earth and
upwards. Neither is itwithout cause,thatXeno- water; which mingled by the help of the sun
phon, in the nurture of the Persian children, doth so gather a nitrous fatness, more than either of them
much commend their feeding upon cardamon, have severally; as we see in that they put fortli
which; he saith, made them grow better, and be plants, which need both juices.