The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

94 NATURAL HISTORY. CENT. VII1.
body of the object. So it is sound alone that the nightingale-pipe of a regal; and in a discord
doth immediately and incorporeally affect most; straight falling upon a concord; but if you stay
this is most manifest in music, and concords and upon it, it is offensive: and therefore there be
discords in music; for all sounds, whether they these three degrees of pleasing and displeasing in
be sharp or flat, if they be sweet, have a round- sounds, sweet sounds, discords, harsh sounds,
ness and equality; and if they be harsh, are un- which we call by divers names, as shrieking or
equal; for a discord itself is but a harshness of grating, such as we now speak of. As for the setdivers sounds meeting. It is true that inequality ting of the teeth on edge, we see plainly what an
not stayed upon, but passing, is rather an increase intercourse there is between the teeth and the organ
of sweetness; as in the purling of a wreathed of the hearing, by the taking of the end of a bow
string; and in the raucity of a trumpet; and in between the teeth, and striking upon the string.
CENTURY VIII.
Experinment solitary touching veins of medicinal may have them new at some good distance from
earth. the sea: and besides, it may be, the fish will eat
701. THERE be minerals and fossils in great the pleasanter, and may fall to breed. And it is
variety; but of veins of earth medicinal, but few; said, that Colchester oysters, which are put into
thechiefare, terralemnia, terrasigillatacommunis, pits, where the sea goeth and cometh, but yet so
and'bolus armenus; whereof terra lemnia is the that there is a fresh water coming also to them
chief. The virtues of them are, for curing of when the sea voideth, become by that means
wounds, stanching of blood, stopping of fluxes, fatter, and more grown.
and rheums, and arresting the spreading of
poison, infection, and putrefaction: and they Experiment solitary touching attraction by similihave of all other silnples the perfectest and purest t1ude of substance.
quality of drying, with little or no mixture of 704. The Turkish bow giveth a very forcible
any other quality. Yet it is true, that the bole- shoot; insomuch as it hath been known, that the
arimoniac is the most cold of them, and that terra arrow hath pierced a steel target, or a piece of
lemnia is the most hot, for which cause the island brass of two inches thiclk: but that which is more
Lemnos, where it is digged, was in the old fabu- strange, the arrow, if it be headed with wood,
ious ages consecrated to Vulcan. hath been known to pierce through a piece of wood
of eight inches thick. And it is certain, that we
Exrperiment solitary touching the growth of sponges. had in use at one time, for sea fight, short arrows,
702. About the bottom of the Straits are ga- which they called sprights, without any other
thered great quantities of sponges, which are ga- heads, save wood sharpened: which were disthered from the sides of rocks, being as it were charged out of muslkets, and would pierce through
a large but tough moss. It is the more to be the sides of ships where a bullet would not pierce.
noted, because that there be but few substances, But this dependeth upon one of the greatest seplant-like, that grow deep within the sea; for crets in all nature; which is, that similitude of
they are gathered sometimes fifteen fathom deep: substance will cause attraction, where the body
and when they are laid on shore, they seem to be is wholly freed from the motion of gravity: for
of great bulk; but crushed toogether, will be if that were taken away, lead would draw lead,
transported in a very small room. and gold would draw gold, and iron would draw
iron, without the help of the loadstone. But this
ExlPeriment solitary touching sea-fishput in fresh same motion of weight or gravity, which is a
waters. mere motion of the matter, and hath no affinity
703. It seemeth that fish that are used to the with the form or kind, doth kill the other motion,
salt water, do nevertheless delight more in fresh. except itself be killed by a violent motion, as in
WV~e see, that salmons and smelts love to get into these instances of arrows; for then the motion
rivers, though it be against the stream. At the of attraction by similitude of substance beginneth
haven of Constantinople you sthall have great to show itself. But we shall handle this point
quantities of fish that come from the Euxine sea, of nature fully in due lilace.
that when they come into the fresh water, do inebriate, and turn up their bellies, so as you may Experiment solitary touching certain drinks in
take them with your hand. I doubt there hath Ttrkey.
not been sufficient experiment made of putting 705. They have in Turkey and the east certain
sea-fishl into fresh water ponds, and pools. It is confections, which they call servets, which are
a tillng of great use and pleasure; for so you I like to candied conserves, and are made of sugar