DUKE 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Treasure %oom 
 
4- 
 
TRACTS- 
 
 I. Suspicions .about fome Hidden 
 QuAltties of the ^ IR-^ wi;:h an 
 Appendix toucXying CELESTIAL 
 CM A G NE Ts 5 and fome other 
 Particulars. 
 
 IT. Animadversions upon 
 Mr. Hobbes's P ROBLEMATA 
 DeFACUO. 
 
 III. A Discourse of the CAUSE 
 of K^ttraEiion by SUCTION. 
 
 By the Honourable 
 ROBERT BOYLE, Efqj 
 Fellow of the Roy a l Soc i b t y. , 
 
 t JSL D Ny 
 
 Printed by W,G. and are to be Sold by M.Pitt, 
 
 at the Angtl againO the Little North JDoor 
 
 of St. P4«rs Church. 1674. 
 
304- 
 
 »fiSi 
 
 Preface. 
 
 AMong other Papers that I 
 defegnd to contribute to-' 
 wards the Natural Hi- 
 flory of the Air^ I began fonte 
 years ago to fet down a CoUeSlion 
 offome mtp or leji heeded Ohfer^ 
 vaiions and Experiments relating 
 to the Canfes and EffeBs of 
 Changes in the Air , which I re- 
 ferr'd to federal Heads , as to the 
 Airs Heat ^ Coldnejiy Moijiure j 
 Drineji , Diaphaneity , Opacity , 
 Confidences f ever al Saltneffes and 
 other Titles j the lafi of which was 
 Aj2 of 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 of the Occult OmUties of the Air^ 
 fuppoftng there be any fuch. And 
 though afterwards I TPOSy by Sick^ 
 nefs and other Impediments , di^ 
 ^verted from proceeding in that 
 ColleBioU^ and indued to lay a fide 
 fonte of the Obferi/ations 1 had 
 provided^ and imploy in other 
 Treatifes fuch as tvere proper to 
 them 5 yet as to the Title that con^ 
 taind Su(picions about fome 
 Hidden Qualities of the Air, 
 the pojpbility, if not likelihood j 
 that either the Matters of faSi^ or 
 the Intimations deliz^ered in ihem^ 
 might afford hints not ufelefs to 
 the Sagacious and Inquifitivey per^ 
 fwadedme to let it efcape the Fate 
 of its Companions , though pofp' 
 bly ^ if I had more confulted my 
 own Reputation^ 1 Jhould leafi of 
 alt ha<ue fuffer^d thk Title to ap- 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 pear , there being none of the refty 
 that TPas not lefs conjeBHraL But 
 it being thought unfit , that any 
 thing fhould penp , that related to^ 
 fo confiderable and uncommon a 
 Subject , as that of this Title , t 
 xpos content ta, caji the coUeSied 
 Experiments into the foUotPzng 
 EJfaj^ for the Keafons expref/d at 
 the beginning andclofeofth^in- 
 fuing Paper. Which ^ 'twas hpfd^ 
 may be the better underjiood^ ,afid 
 lefs liable to ha*z/e its Deftgn mi- 
 fiah^n > by being ufherd in by this 
 Advertifement about the occafton 
 of it. 
 
 41^-^^^ ER^ 
 
ERRATA. 
 
 I3(^ the firjl Tralf , J^ag. 41 . /. 4, redd 
 Halicarnafleus. 
 I^ the Tra^ of the Caufe of Sui^ion, 
 f, 14. /. 4. r. 33 } for }6 }. 
 
 ^r-jtx 
 
[1 1 
 
 SUSPICIONS 
 
 ABOUT 
 
 Some Hidden Qualities 
 in the AIR. 
 
 Efides the four firft Qua- 
 lities of the Air , (Heat , 
 Cold 3 DrynefsandMoi- 
 fture) that ate known 
 even to the Vulgar •, and 
 thofe more unobvious , that Philofo- 
 phers'andChymifts have dilcovered ^ 
 fuch as Gravity 5 Springinefs, the 
 power of Refrading the beams of 
 Light • drc. I have often fuipeded , 
 that there may be in the Air fome yet 
 more latent Qualities or Powers dif- 
 fering enough from all theie, and 
 prineipally due to the Subftantial 
 Parts or Ingredients, whereof it con- 
 B fifts. 
 
2 durptcionsi about Tome 
 
 lifts . And to this conjefture I have 
 been led , partly (though not only or 
 perhaps chiefly ) by confidering the 
 Conftitution of that Air wc live and 
 breath in 5 which, to avoid ambigui- 
 ties, I elfewhere call Atmojpherical Air. 
 For this is not , as many imagine , a 
 Simple and Elementary Body , but a. 
 confus'd Aggregate of Effluviums 
 from fuch differing Bodies , that , 
 though they all agree in conftituting , 
 by their minutenefs and various mo- 
 tions, one great mafs of Fluid matter, 
 yet perhaps there is fcarce a more Jac- 
 terageneous Body in the world. 
 
 AndasbyAir lunderftand not (as 
 the Perifateticks are wont to do) a 
 meer Elementary Body • fo, when I 
 fpeakof the (IJualities of the Air, I 
 would not be thought to mean fuch 
 naked and abftraded Beings ( as the 
 Schools often tell us of,) hut fuch as 
 they call equalities inconcreto, name- 
 ly Corpufcles indued with C^ali- 
 ties , or capable of producing them 
 in the SubjeiSs they invade and a- 
 bound in. 
 
 I 
 
I have clfe where fliewn it to be 
 highly probable, that, be- y^« p^.,, ^. 
 fides thofe vapours and ex- lout subter- 
 halations which by the '^^'^i^'^^^^^- 
 Heat of the Sun are elevated into the 
 Air, and there afford matter to foine 
 Meteors, as Clouds, Rain, Parhe- 
 lions and Rainbows , there are , at 
 leaft at fome times , and in fome pla- 
 ces, ftoreof Effluviums emitted from 
 the Subterrancal parts of the Terre- 
 firial Globe 5 and 'tis no lefs probable, 
 (from what I have there and elfe- 
 where deliver'd,) that in the Subter- 
 rancal Regions there are many Bodies, 
 fome fluid and fome confiftent, which, 
 though of an operative nature , and 
 like upon occafion to emit fleams, fel- 
 domor never appear upon the furface 
 of theEarth,fo that many of them have 
 not fo much as naanes afligned them 
 even by the Mmeralifts. Now a- 
 mong this multitude and variety of 
 Bodies, that lye buried out of our 
 fight , who can tell but that there may 
 be fome , if not many , of a nature 
 very differing from thofe w^e are hi- 
 fi 2 therto 
 
4 ^urpicion$( about fome 
 
 thcrto familiarly acquainted with- 
 and that 5 as divers wonderful and 
 peculiar operations of the Loadjlone , 
 (though a Mineral many Ages ago fa- 
 mous among Philofophers and Phy- 
 fitians,) were not diicovered 'till of 
 later Ages, wherein its nobler Virtues 
 have been difclofed • [0 there may be 
 other Subterraneous Bodies , that are 
 indowcd with confiderable powers , 
 which to us are yet unknown 5 and 
 wouldp if they were known, be found 
 very differing from thofe of the FoJ/iUs 
 we are wont to deal with < 
 
 I alfo further confider , that , (as I 
 have elfewhere endeavoured to make 
 it probable) the Sun and Planets (to 
 fay nothing of the Fixt Stars) may 
 have influences here below diftinft 
 from their Heat and Light. On which 
 Suppofition it feenrs not abfurd to me 
 to fufped 5 that the Subtil , but Cor- 
 poreal, Emanations even of thefe Bo- 
 dies may (fometimes. at leaft) reach 
 to our Air, and mingle \;vith thofe. 
 of our Globe in that great receptacle 
 or rendevouz of Celeftial and Ter- 
 
 reftrial 
 
I^men aualitiCiB! in t^e Mit. y 
 
 reftrial Effluviums, the Atmojphere, 
 And if this fufpition be not ground* 
 lefs, the very imali knowledge we 
 have of the fl:ru(5ture and conftitution 
 of Globes fo many thoulands or hun- 
 dred of thoufands of miles remote 
 from us J and the great ignorance we 
 muft be in of the nature of the par^ 
 ticular Bodies that .may be prefum'd 
 to be contain'd in thole Globes , (as 
 Minerals and other Bodies are in the 
 Earthy) which in many things ap- 
 pear of kin tothofe that we inhabit, 
 (as with excellent Telefcopes I have 
 often with attention and pleafure ob- 
 fcrved , particularly in the Moon,) 
 this great imperfection, I fay , of our 
 knowledge may keep it from being 
 unreafonable to imagine , that fome , 
 if not many , of thofe Bodies and 
 their effluxions may be of a nature 
 quite differing from thofe we take no- 
 tice of here about us , and confe- 
 quently may operate after a very diffe- 
 ifing and peculiar manner. 
 
 And though the chief of the He- 
 
 teroclite Effluviums 5 that indow the 
 
 » 3 Air 
 
6 &urpidon!Sial)out(ome 
 
 Air with hidden Qualities , may pro- 
 bably proceed from beneath the fur- 
 face of the Earth, and from the Ce- 
 leftial Bodies . yet I would not deny 
 but that 5 efpecially at fome times and 
 in fome places , the Air may derive 
 multitudes of efficacious particles 
 from its own operations , afting as a, 
 fluid Subftance upon that vaft number 
 and varietjyof Bodies that are imme- 
 diately expos'd to it. For ^ though 
 by reafon of its great thinnefs, and 
 of its being in its ufual ftate devoid 
 both cf taft and fmell , itfeems whol- 
 ly unfit to be a CMenflruum ; yet I 
 am not fure but it may have a dilTol- 
 ving 5 or at leaft a confuming, power 
 on many Bodies , efpecially fuchas are 
 peculiarly difpos'd to admit its ope- 
 rations. 
 
 For I confider , that the Air has a 
 great advantage by the vaft Quantity 
 of it 3 that may come to work in pro- 
 portion to the Bodies that are expos'd 
 to it : And I have long thought, that, 
 in divers cafes, the Quantity of a 
 MfnfirHum may much more confide- 
 
 rably 
 
^itmm Tmalititfi in ttiz %it, 7 
 
 rably compenfate its want of ftrength, 
 than Chymifts are commonly aware 
 of, (as there may be occafion elfe- 
 where to exemplifie.) And there are 
 liquors, which pafsfor infipid v(and 
 are therefore thought to be altoge^ 
 ther unfit to be Solvents,) which, 
 though they have their acftive parts 
 too thinly difperfed to be able pre- 
 fently to make fenfible Impreflions 
 upon our Organs of Tailing , yet 
 are not quite deftjtute of Corpufcles 
 fit to ad: as a Solvent 5 efpecially if 
 they have time enough to make with 
 the other parts of the Fluid fuch nu- 
 merous and various motions, as mull 
 bring, now fome of them , and then 
 ^ others , to hit againft the Body ex- 
 pos'd to. them. Which maybe illu^ 
 ftrated by the Ruft like to Verdigreafe, 
 which we have obferv'd in Copper 
 that has been long exposed to the Air, 
 whofe faline particles , little by little, 
 do in trad: of time fallen themfelves 
 in fuch numbers to the furface of the 
 Metal as to corrode it , and produce 
 that efflorefcence coloured like Verdi- 
 B 4 gr^afe 
 
? durpinmi!^ about feme 
 
 greafe, which you know is a fa<5li^ 
 tious Body , wont to be made of the 
 lame Metal, corroded by the Iharp 
 Corpufcles of Vineger , or of the 
 Hu§k3 of Grapes ; Befides , that by 
 the power, which CMercury has to 
 dilTolve Gold and Silver, it appears, 
 that it is not always necelTary for the 
 making a Fluid fit to be a Diuolvent , 
 that it fhould afFeft the Taft. And 
 as to thofe Bodies, on which the ^^' 
 rid Menfiruum can , though but flo w- 
 ly, work, the greateft quantity of 
 it raay bring it this advantage , that, 
 whereas even the ftrongelt <JMen- 
 flruums , if they bear no great propor- 
 tion in bulk to the Bodies they are to 
 work on, are eafily glutted , and be- 
 ing unable to take up any more , are 
 fain to leave the reft of the Body un- 
 diffolved, our Aerial Menftruum bears 
 fo vaft a proportion to the Bodies ex- 
 pos'd to it, that when one portion 
 of it has impregnated it felf as much 
 as 'tis able, there may ftill come frefh 
 and freih to work further on the re- 
 maining part of the expos'd Body. 
 
 Befides 
 
Befides the Saline ai;d Sulphureous 
 particles, that, atleaftin lomc pla- 
 ces, may (asIhaveeUewhereihewn) 
 impregnate the Air, and give it a 
 greater affinity to Chymical Me/u 
 Jlruums more ftridly fo called 5 I am 
 not averfe from thinking,that the Air, 
 meerly as zfiu^d Body , that confifts of 
 Corpufcles of differing fizes and fo- 
 lidities reftlefly and very varioufly 
 moved , may upon the account of 
 thefe Corpuibres beftill rerolving,or 
 preying upon , the particles of the 
 Bodies that are expos'd to their adion. 
 For , many of thofe Aerial Corpu- 
 fcles , fome hitting and fome rubbing 
 themfelvcs every minute againft thole 
 particles of expos'd Bodies that chance 
 to lye in their way , may well , by 
 thofe numerous occurfions and affri- 
 ftions, ftrike off and carry along 
 with them now fome and then others 
 of thofe particles ^ as you fee it hap- 
 pens in water , which , as foft and 
 fluid as it is, w^ears out fuch hard and 
 folid Bodies as Stones themfelves , 
 if it often enough meet them in its 
 
 pafTage, 
 
I o l&ufpictons; about fome 
 
 paflage, according to the known 
 faying , 
 
 Gutta, cAvat Updem non vi , fed fepe 
 cadendo. 
 
 And though the Aerial Corpufcles 
 be very minutCjand the Bodies exposed 
 to theiji oftentimes large and fee- 
 mingly folid 5 yet this needs not make 
 you rejed: our fuppofition , becaufe 
 *tis not upon the whole Body at once, 
 that 5 according to us , the Aerial 
 Corpufcles endeavour to work , but 
 upon the Superficial particles , which 
 may often be more minute than thofe 
 Corpufcles 5 as you will the more ea- 
 fily believe, if you/;;y? obferve with 
 a good Microfcope , how many exn 
 tant particles may be met with on the 
 furface of Bodies , that to the naked 
 Eye feem very fmooth , and even of 
 thofe that arc polifh'd by Art with 
 Tripoly or Puttee •, and then confider, 
 that one of thefe protuberancies , be- 
 ing yet manifcftly vifible , may well 
 be prefum'd to ^nfift of a multitude 
 
 of 
 
 
i^ttiDeri i^mMtk^ in t^ Sir. 1 1 
 
 of leiTer particles , divers of which 
 may very well be as minute as thofe 
 Aerial Corpufcles, that fucceffively 
 hit againft them , and endeavour to 
 carry them along with themfeives. 
 And this may be illuftrated by a fami- 
 liar inftance, For, if you ta^e a lump 
 of Loaf Sugar, or even of a much fo- 
 lider and harder Body, Sal Gemm£ ^ 
 and caft it into common water, 
 fhough this liquor be infipid , and th« 
 motions of its corpufcles but very 
 languid 3 yet thefe corpufcles are ca- 
 pable to loofen and carry off the fu- 
 perficial particles of Sugar or Salt , 
 that chance to lye in their way, anc) 
 ifirefh •corpufcles of water ftill fuc- 
 ceeding to work upon the remaining 
 particles of the exposed Body that 
 fland in their way , the whok lump 
 is by little and little diflblved , and 
 ceafes to appear to the Eye a thing di° 
 ftind from the liquor. 
 
 Some things that have occunr'd to 
 
 ; me have made me fufpeft , that 'tis 
 
 not impoflible, but that fome Bodies 
 
 ipay receive a difpofition to Volatility , 
 
 and 
 
12 durpictoniS about rente 
 
 and confequently to pafs into the Air 
 by the adion either of the Sun-beams, 
 in the form of the Suri-beams , or of 
 fome fubftance that once iflued out 
 of the Sun and reached unto our 
 Air. For , there may be certain Bo- 
 dies for the moft part in tjie form of 
 liquors 5 which, though they pafs 
 off from fome pecuUarlydifpos'd Bo- 
 dies 5 may during their ftay or con- 
 taft produce in them a great and 
 ftrange aptnefs to be volatilized. In 
 favour of which conjedure , I might 
 here alledge both the effecSs , which 
 th& Par acelfians and Helmonttans afcribe 
 to the i^lkaheji of volatilizing even 
 fixt and ponderous Bodies barefy by 
 being often abftraded from them, 
 and fome other things , which I jfhall 
 now leave unmention'd , becaufe you 
 may find them in my Notes about Fb- 
 Utility and fixity . 
 
 But, whatever become of this Con- 
 jeBure , *tis confonant to Experience , 
 that, either upon the above-recited 
 accounts , or alfo fome others , thofe 
 parts of the Atmdfphcre , which , in 
 
 a flri» 
 
a ftrider fenfe , may be call'd the Air, 
 are 5 at leaft in fome places 5 fo in- 
 termixt with particles of differing 
 kinds 3 that among that great num- 
 ber of various forts of them, 'tis 
 very likely that there fhould be fome 
 kinds of an un-common and an un^ 
 obferved nature. And I could coun- 
 tenance what has been faid by the 
 wafting of Odorous Bodies 5 and efpe- 
 cially Camphire , and by reprefenting 5 
 that I have obferved fome folid Bodies 
 aftually cold , when their fuperficial 
 parts were newly taken off, to emit^ 
 though invifibly, fuch copious fleams 
 into the Air 5 as to grow continually 
 and manifeftly lighter upon the bal- 
 lance, fo as to fuffer a notable decre- 
 ment of weight in a minute of an 
 hour. But the mention I make of 
 fuch things in an other paper , dif- 
 fwades me from infifting on them 
 here 3 where 'twill be feafonable to 
 refume the difcourfe, which the men- 
 tion of the Dijfolvmg power, that 
 may be guefs'd to be in the Air, has 
 for fome pages interrupted, and to tell 
 
 you. 
 
14 Si^urpicion^ about (ome 
 
 you 5 that thofe propounded , before 
 I enter'd upon the digreflion , are the 
 two main Confiderations a friori (as 
 they fpeak) whereon I have groun- 
 ded my furmizc, which being pro- 
 posed but as a Sufficion , I prefumc it 
 will not be expeded , that the Argu- 
 ments afojierioriy which I fhall bring 
 to countenance it, fhould be more 
 than Conjectures , much lefs that they 
 fliould be Demonjlratiom. And there- 
 fore I fhali venture to lay before you 
 fome few Fh^ncmena , which feem to 
 be at leaft as probably referable to 
 fome Utent Quality in the Air, as to 
 any other caufe I yet know. Upon 
 which fcore fuch vh^nomena may be 
 allowed to be pleaded in favour of 
 our Sufpicion , 'till fome other certain 
 caufc of them fhall be fatisfa(aorily 
 aflign'd. 
 
 Having premised thus much to 
 keep you from looking for ftronger 
 procfs than I think my task obliges, 
 me to give • the firfi Phaenomenon , 
 I (hall propofe , fhall be the appearing 
 or growth of fome Salts in certain 
 
 Bodies , 
 
Bodies , which we obferv'd to afford 
 them either not at all , or at leaft 
 nothing near in fuch plenty , or {o 
 foon, unlefs they be exposed to the 
 Air. Of fuch a Phaenomenon as this, 
 that is not fo much as mentioned by 
 Vulgar Philofophers, and very rarely, 
 if at all 5 to be met with in the La- 
 boratories of Chymifts, you will not, 
 I fuppofe, wonder, that I do not 
 prefent you many Examples, and 
 fome few I am able to name. For I 
 remember, that fufpcding a folid 
 Marchafite , hard as ftone , to be fit 
 to be made an inftance for my pur- 
 pofe, I caus'd it to be broken, that 
 the internal morefhining parts might 
 be expos'd to the Air • but , though 
 this were done in a room , where a 
 good fire was ufually kept , fo that 
 the Marchafite was not only fhelter'd^'* 
 from the rain , but kept in a dry Air, 
 yet after a while I difcover'd upon 
 the glittering parts an efflorefcence of 
 a vitrioUte nature. ' * 
 
 And afterwards meeting with a 
 ponderous and dark colour'd Mineral, 
 
 and 
 
 I 
 
I e S^urptctonjet about feme 
 
 and which, at the firft breaking, 
 difcover'd to the Eye no appearance 
 
 * of any Salt , nor fo much as any flii- 
 ning Marchafitical particles, we found 
 nevertheiefs , that a good quantity of 
 thefe hard and heavy Bodies , being 
 kept expos'd to the Air , even in a 
 room that preferved them from the 
 rain, though probably they had lain 
 many ages intire in the hill, wherein 
 they were found under ground ^ yet 
 in not many months , by the opera- 
 tion of the Air upon them, they were, 
 in great part, crumbled to powder 
 exceeding rich in Copperas. Nay , 
 I remember, that having for Curio- 
 lities fake, laid up fome of thefe 
 ftones in a room , where I conftantly 
 kept fire, and in the drawer of a Ca- 
 binet , which I did not often take out 
 
 l|to give them frefliAir , fome, if not 
 moftof them, were notwithftanding 
 cover'd with a copious efflorefcence , 
 which by its confpicuous colour be- 
 • tween blew and green , by its tafte , 
 and by its fitnefs to make in a trice 
 an inky mixture with infufion of 
 
 galls. 
 
galls 5 fufficiently manifefted it fcif 
 to be Fitriol; whofe growth" by the 
 help of the contad: of the Air is the 
 more confiderable^ becaufe it is not 
 a meer Acid Salt, but abounds in 
 Sulphureous and Combuftible parts , 
 which I have divers times been able , 
 by Methods elfewhere mentioned , 
 adually to feparate or obtain 'from 
 common Vitriol without the addition 
 of any combuftible body , and fome- 
 times without any additament at all. 
 It was alfo uncommon , that our 
 blackilh Minerals required no longer 
 time, nor no rain, to make them af- 
 ford their VitrioUte Efflorefcences : 
 For I remember , I kept many of thofe 
 Marchafites , both glittering ones and 
 others, of which they make and fell 
 great quantities of Vitriol ac Deptford, 
 without perceiving in them a change 
 that came any thing near to what I 
 have recited. And loblerv'd thofe, 
 whofe trade it is to make- Vitriol, 
 to be often obliged to let their Vitriol- 
 ftones 3 as they call them , lye half a 
 year , or even eighteen: months , or 
 C two 
 
is ^s^ufptaoniet about rome 
 
 two years expofed , not only to the 
 open Air , but to the Rain and Sun 3 
 to be. able to obtain from them their 
 yitriolate parts. 
 
 That alfo the Earth or Ore of Al- 
 lum 5 being robb'd of its Salt , will 
 in trad of time recover it by being 
 exposed to the Air, we are anur'd by 
 the expericnc'd ^^grtcola , where , 
 having deliver'd the way of making 
 K^llumy he fubjoins this Advertife- 
 ment : Term AluminofA , qm in cajlel- 
 lis diluta , fojlquam effuxit y fuperfuit 
 tgefiA et coacerzfata quotidie , rurfm ma^ 
 gis (^ magis fit alumimfa ^ mn aliter 
 at que terra ex quA hdinitrum fuit con- 
 feUum y fuo fticco flenior fit ; quare dtr 
 mo in CafieUa conjicitur ^ aqux. affun 
 fjieapercoUntur. 
 
 I have likewife obferv'd 5 as you 
 alfo perchance have done , that fome 
 kind of Lime in old walls and moift 
 places hasgain'd in length of time a 
 copious efflorefcence 5 very much of 
 a Nitrons Nature ; as I was convinc'd 
 by having obtain'd Salt-feter from it 
 by barely dilTolving it in common 
 
 water. 
 
water , and evaporating the filtrated 
 Solution : And that in calcin'd Vi- 
 triol 5 whofe faline parts have .been 
 driven away by the violence of the 
 fire, particles of frcfh Salt may be 
 found after it has lain a competent 
 time in the Air 3 I fhall e're long have 
 occafion to inform you. 
 
 But in the mean time 5 Cto deal in- 
 genuoufly with you, ) I ihall freely 
 confefs to you , that , though thefe 
 and the like obfervations have fatif- 
 fied Learned men , without having 
 been caird in queftion, and confe- 
 quently have , at leaft , probability 
 enough to ground our Sufpicion 
 upon ^ yet I , that am more concerned 
 for the Difcovery of a Truth than the 
 Reputation of a Paradox , propofe the 
 Argument drawn from the foregoing 
 Obfervations , but as a Probationer. 
 For it yet feems to me fomewhat 
 doubtful, vphether the Salts, that ap- 
 pear in the forementioned cafes , are 
 really produced by the operation of 
 the Air working as an Agent , or alfo 
 concurring as an Ingredient j or whe- 
 C % thee 
 
20 ^urptctonjai about Tome 
 
 ther thefe faline fubftances be not the 
 production of fome internal thing 
 that isanalagous to a Seminal Prin- 
 ciple 3 which makes in thefe bodies a 
 kind of maturation of fome parts , 
 which being once ripen'd, and per- 
 haps aflifted by the moifture of the 
 Air 3 difclofe themfelves in the form 
 of faline Concretions - as in the fe- 
 culent or Tartareous parts of many 
 Wines there will in tra<5l of time be 
 generated or produc'd ftore of Cor- 
 pufcles of a faline nature , that pro- 
 duce the acid tafte we find in Tartar , 
 efpecially that of Rhenijh wine. It 
 may alfo be fufpeded , that the for- 
 merly mention'd Salts found in Mar- 
 chafiteSj in Nitrous and Aluminous' 
 Earths 5 &c, are made by the faline 
 particles of the like nature, that 
 among multitudes of other kinds' 
 fwim in the Air , and are attrad:ed by 
 the congenerous particles, that yet* 
 remain in the Terreftrial bodies, that- 
 are , as it were, the wombs of fuch 
 Minerals, (as I have elfewhere ihewn, 
 rhat Spirit of Nitre will, with fixt 
 
 Nitre 
 
Nitre and forne other Alkalys , com- 
 pofe Salt-peter 5) or elfe^ that thefe 
 Aerial Salts 5 if I may fo call them , 
 ^ffifted by the moifture of thq Air, 
 do foften and open 5 and almoft cor- 
 rode or diffolve the more Terreftriai 
 Subftance of thefe wombs, and there- 
 by follicit out ^d fomewhat extri- 
 cate the latent Saline particles , and, 
 by their union with them , compofe 
 thofe Emerging bodies that refemble 
 
 But not only to fuggeft thefe fcru- 
 ples , as if I had a mind they ihould 
 but trouble you , and keep you irre- 
 folute, I fliall propound fomething 
 towards the rernoval of them • name- 
 ly, that a convenient quantity of 
 Nitrous Earth, or that other of thofe 
 Subilances , which you would exa- 
 mine, be kept in a clofe velTel to 
 which the Air has not accefs , for at 
 leaft as long time as has been obfer- 
 ved to be fuflicient to impregnate the 
 like fubftance , or rather a portion of 
 the fame parcel that was chofen to be 
 included : For , if the body , that 
 C 3 was 
 
22 dufpicioniES about fome 
 
 was kept clofe y have either gain'd no 
 Salt at all, or very much lefs in pro- 
 portion to its bulk than that which 
 was kept expos'd, we may thence 
 eftimate , what is to be aicribed to 
 the Air in theproduftionof Nitre or 
 other faline Concrqiions. And , be- 
 caufe I have obferved none of thefe 
 bodies , that would fo foon , and fo 
 manifeftly, even to the eye , difclofe 
 a faline fubftance, as the blackifli 
 Vitriol-Ore , I lately told you I kept 
 in a drawer of my Cabinet ; I judg*d 
 that^ a very fitfubjeft, wherewith to 
 try 5 what maturation or time , when 
 the Air was feeluded , would perform 
 towards the deciding of our Diffi- 
 culty; And accordingly having ta- 
 ken fome fragments of it , which we 
 had carefully freed from the adhering 
 Vitriolate efflorefcence , by whole 
 plenty we were affured that it was 
 very well difpos'd to be wrought on 
 by the Air, we put of thefe frag- 
 ments of differing fizes into two con- 
 veniently fhap'd glafTcs, which be- 
 ing Hermetically fealed were ordered 
 
 to 
 
to be carried away 5 and kept in fit 
 places 5 by which means 'twas ex- 
 pecfted 5 that 5 even without opening 
 the glalTes , we fhould be able eafiiy 
 to fee by the chang'd colour of the 
 fuperficial parts , whether any Vitrio- 
 late efPxorefcence were produced -, but, 
 through the neghgence ormiftake of 
 thole 5 to whom the care was recom- 
 mended 3 the experiment was never 
 brought to an iiTuc 5 and though I 
 afterwards got more of the Mineral, 
 and made a fecond tryalof thefame, 
 I have not yet been informed of the 
 event. 
 
 But, Siry though J 'till the fuceels 
 of fome fuch tryal be known , I 
 dare not too confidently pronounce 
 about the Produdion or Regeneration 
 of Salts in bodies that have been 
 robb'd of them , and afcribe it wholly 
 to the Air. yet, when I confiderthe 
 feveral and great effeds of the Air 
 upon divers other bodies, I think it 
 not rafh to conjediure in the mean 
 time, that the operations of the Air 
 may have a eonfiderable Iharein thefe 
 C 4 fh4^ 
 
24 S)u(ptctDnie( about tme 
 
 Thjinomemi , and fo that there may be 
 latent Qualities in the Air , in the 
 fenfe I declared above , where I told 
 you 5 that , when I fpeak of thefe 
 Qualities , I look upon them in Co/t- 
 creto , (as they phrafe it ^ ) together 
 with the Subftances or Corporeal effu- 
 via they refide in : And of thefe Ae- 
 rial Qualities , taken in this fenfe , I 
 fliall now proceed to mention fomc 
 other Inftances, 
 
 The Difficulty we find of keeping 
 rlame and Fire alive , though but for 
 a little time, without Air, makes 
 me fome times prone to fufpeft , that 
 there may be difpers'd through the 
 reft of the Atmofphere fome odd fub- 
 ftance , either of a Solar , or Aftral, 
 or fome other exotic , nature , on 
 whofe account the Air is fo neceflary 
 to the fubfiftence of Flame 5 which 
 Neceflity I have found to be greater, 
 and lefs dependent upon the mmifefi 
 Attributes of the Air, than Natu- 
 ralifts feem to have obferved. For I 
 have found by tryals purpofely made ,' 
 that a fmall flame of a Lamp, though 
 
 fed 
 
^ttiticn ^uaUtiest in t^e ^it. 2 5 
 
 fed perhaps with a fubtil thin Oyl , 
 would in a large capacious glafs-Re- 
 ceiver expire 5 for want of Air 5 in a 
 far lefs time than one would believe. 
 And it will not much lelTen the diffi- 
 culty to alledgej that either the grofs 
 fuliginous Smoak did in a clofe VeP 
 fel llifie the flame , or that the pref- 
 fure of the Air is requifite to impel 
 up the aliment into the wieck ; For, 
 to obviate thefe objeftions , I have 
 in a large Receiver imploy'd a very 
 imall wieck with fuch redtified Spirit 
 of Wine, as would in the free Air 
 burn totally away ♦ and yet , when 
 a very fmall Lamp, furniihed (as I was 
 faying) with a very flender wieck, 
 was made to burn, and , filFd with 
 this liquor, was put lighted into a 
 large Receiver , that little flame, 
 though it emitted no vififele fmoak at 
 all , would ufually expire within a- 
 bout one minute of an hour , and , 
 notfeldom, in a Icfs time- and this, 
 though the wieck was not fo much 
 as fing'd by the flame : Nor indeed 
 is a wieck necefTary for the experi- 
 ment. 
 
^6 dnfptctonjBi about tome 
 
 ment 5 fince highly reftified Spirit of 
 Wine will in the free Air flame away 
 well without it. And indeed it feems 
 to deferve' our wonder, what that 
 fhould be in the Air, which inabling 
 it to keep flame alive , does yet 5 by 
 being confum'd or deprav'd , fo fud- 
 denly render the Air unfit to make 
 flame fubfift-. And it feems by the 
 fudden wafting or fpoiling of this, 
 fine Subjed: , wljatever it be , that 
 the bulk of it is but very fmall in 
 proportion to the Air it impregnates 
 with its virtue. For after the ex- 
 tinftion of the flame , the Air in the 
 Receiver was not vifibly al»:er'd , and, 
 for ought I could perceive by the 
 ways of judging I had then at hand, 
 the Air retained either All , or at 
 leafl: far the greateft part of its f /^t- 
 fiicityy which I take to be its raofi: 
 genuine and diftinguifliing property. 
 
 And this undejiroyd Jprmgynefi of 
 the Air feems to make the neceflity 
 of frefh Air to the Life of hot Ani- 
 mals, (few of which, as far as I 
 can gucfs after many tryals, would 
 
 be 
 
be able to live two minutes of an 
 hour 5 if they were totally and all 
 at once deprived of Air,) foggeft a 
 great fufpicion of fome vitd [ubftanccy 
 if I may fo call it 5 diffused through 
 the Air, whether it be a voUtiU 
 Nitre , or (rather) fbme yet mony* 
 mem fubftance, Sydcreal or Subter- 
 raneal , but not improbably of kin 
 to that 5 which I lately noted to be 
 fo neceflary to the maintenance of 0- 
 ther flames. 
 
 I know not, whether you will 
 think it pertinent to our prefent 
 Difcourfcj that I obferve to you, 
 that by keeping putrifying bodies 
 in glafles , which by Hermes his feal 
 were tecur'd from the conta<ft of the 
 external Air , I have not been able 
 to produce any Infeft or other living 
 Creature , though fometimcs I have 
 kept y^nimd Subftances and even 
 Blood fo included for many months , 
 and one or two of them for a longer 
 time • and though alfo thefe Subftan* 
 ces had a manifeft change made in 
 their confiftcnce w hilft they remained 
 feal'd up. On 
 
28 . ^urptctoniei about Tome 
 
 On this occafion I (hall add an odd 
 Obfervation, that I met with in a 
 little Differtation de admirandis Hm- 
 garU aquis , written by an Anony- 
 mous 5 but Ingenious , Nobleman of 
 that Countrey 5 where ^ fpeaking of* 
 the native Salt that abounds in their 
 Regions , he fays , that in the chief 
 Mine (by them call'd Deftenjis) of 
 Tranfyhmiay there was, a few years 
 before he writ , a great Oak Uke a 
 huge beam dug out of the middle of 
 the Salt 5 but , though it was fo hard, 
 that it would not eafily be wrought 
 upon by Iron-tools, yet being ex- 
 posed to the Air out of the Mine , it 
 became fo rotten , as he exprcffes it , 
 that in four days it was eafie to be 
 broken and crumbled between o;ies 
 fingers. And of that corruptive or 
 diffolutive Power of the Air near 
 thofe Mines , the Ikme Author men- 
 tions other Inftances. 
 
 Having found an Antimonial Pre- 
 paration to procure Vomits , in a 
 cafe where I did not at all exped it, 
 I was afterwards curious to inquire 
 
 '^j of 
 
 J 
 
of fome Phyfitians and Chymifts, 
 that were of my Acquaintance, Xvhe- 
 ther they had not taken notice, that 
 K^ntimonmm VUphoreticttm ^ which , 
 as its name imports , is wont to work 
 by fweatortranfpirationj Would not 
 become vomitive 3 if 'twere not kept 
 from the Air < To which one Phy- 
 fitian 5 that was a Learned Man ^ at 
 fur*d me , it would , as he had found 
 by particular tryals : And the like 
 anfwer has been given me by more 
 than one. And I find, that the ex- 
 perienc'd Zvpelfer himfelf does fome- 
 where give a caution agairift letting 
 the Air have, accefs to thefe Afiti- 
 monial Medicines , left it fhould ren-. 
 der them, as he fays it will , in tf-Jtft 
 of time, not only* Emetic, fcutdifpos'd 
 to produce heart-burnings , (as they 
 call them,) faintings, and other bad 
 Symptoms. And I learnt by inquiry 
 from a very Ingenious Doftor 6f 
 Phylic, that, having carefully pre-f 
 par*d ^^^ntimonium DUfhoreticum , he 
 gave many dvfes^f it whilft: it was 
 frcfh and kept ftopt in a glafs (without 
 - finding 
 
30 ftufptcions^ about rome 
 
 finding that in any Patient it procured 
 fo much as one vomit,) but having 
 kept a parcel of the felf fame Remedy 
 for a pretty vC^hile in a glafs only co- 
 vered loofely with a paper , the Me- 
 dicine 5 vitiated by the Air , proved 
 emetic (ftrongly enough) to thofe, 
 who neither by Conftitution , or 
 foulnefs of ftomach , or on any other 
 difcernable account, were more than 
 others that had taken it difpofed to 
 vomit. By which Obfervations, and 
 from what I formerly told you of the 
 Salt-peter obtainable from Quickr 
 lime 5 a Man partial to the Air would 
 be made forward to tell you , that this 
 looks 5 as if either there were in the 
 Air a fubftance difpos'd to beaflimi- 
 lated by all kinds of bodies , or that 
 the Air is fo vaft and rich a Rendc- 
 V0U2 of innumerable femind Qot^ 
 pufcles and other Analogous parti*- 
 cles, that almoft any body long ex- 
 posed to it may there meet with par- 
 ticles of kin to it, and fit to repair 
 its wrongs and loffes , and reftore it 
 to its natural Condition. But with- 
 out 
 
out taking any further notice of this 
 odd furmizejl will proceed to mention 
 two or three oxh^xPh^mme^a of, Na- 
 ture 5 that feem to favour the Sufpi- 
 cion 3 that there may be Secret Qua- 
 lities in the Air in reference to fome 
 bodies. 
 
 The ingenious CMonfteur de Roche* 
 fort y in the handfom account he gives 
 of the Apple or Fruit of the Tree 
 Junifa, whofe juice is imploy'd by 
 xhQ Indians to black theit^kins, that 
 they may look the more terrible to 
 their Enemies, obferves, that, though 
 the jftain , or , as he fpeaks , the Tin- 
 dure of this Fruit cannot be wafh'd 
 out with Soap, yet within nine or 
 ten days it will vanifli of it felf • 
 which would make one fufpeiS , that 
 there may be in the Air fome fecret 
 powerful fubftance , that makes it a 
 KMenfirmm of more efficacy than 
 Soap it felf to obliterate ftains. I re- 
 member 5 1 have feen this Fruit , but 
 not whilft it was fucculent enough te 
 have a tryal made with it-, which \ 
 was therefore troubled at, becaufe 
 
 the 
 
^2 S>urpicioni$ about Tome 
 
 the Author does not clearly exprefs , 
 whether this difappearing of thetin- 
 ifture happens indifferently to the bo- 
 dies it chances to ftain , or only is 
 oblervedon theskinsof CM en. For, 
 as in the former Cafe 'twill afford an 
 inftance pertinent to ourprefentpur- 
 pofe 5 fo in the latter I fhould fufpeft, 
 th^at the vanifhing of the tinfture 
 may be due not fo much to the ope- 
 ration of the Air upon it , as to the 
 fweat and exhalations of a human 
 body 5 which abounding with vola- 
 tile Salt 5 may either deltroy or carry 
 off with them, the coloured particles 
 they meet with in their palfage. 
 
 I have fometimes, not altogether 
 without wonder , obferv'd the exce^ 
 Icncy of the better fort of Damafco-- 
 fieely (for I fpeak not of all that goes 
 under that name,) in comparifon of 
 ordinary fteel. And 5 befides what I 
 have elfewhere taken notice of con- 
 cerning it 5 xhQtQis onQFhanomenon.y 
 which though I am not fure it belongs 
 to the latent Qualities of the Air, 
 yet becaufe it may well do fo , and I 
 
 am 
 
bidden ;llttdUeiei$ in t^^ Slit ai 
 
 am unwilling it fliould be loft 5 I will 
 here tell you, that having inquired 
 of an eminent and experience Arti- 
 ficer, (whom I long fince imployed 
 in fome difficult Experiments,) about 
 the properties of Vamafio-Jleel y this 
 honeft and fober Man averr'd to me ^ 
 that when he made Inftruments of it, 
 and gave them the true temper, 
 which is fomewhat differing firom 
 that of other Steel 5 he generally ol> 
 ferved, that though, when Rafors 
 or other Inftruments made of it were 
 newly forged , they would be fome* 
 times no whit better , and fometimes 
 lefs good , than thofe made of other 
 Steel 5 yet when they had been kept 
 a year or two or three in the Air, 
 though nothing elfe were done to im- 
 prove them , they would be found 
 much to furpafs other Inftruments of 
 the fame kind , and what themfelves 
 were before •, in fo much , that fome 
 of them have been laidafide atfirft, 
 as no way anfwering the great expe- 
 ctation conceived of them, which 
 after two or three years were found 
 D to 
 
^4 ^ufptctortiei {(tMmtDttte 
 
 to furpafs it 5 of which alfo I am now 
 making a tryal. I havq feveral times 
 made a fubftance that confifts chiefly 
 of a Metalline body , and is of a tex- 
 ture dole enough to lye for many 
 hours undiflblv'd in a CorrofiveMen- 
 ftruum 5 and yet this fubftance, that 
 was fixt enough to endure the being 
 melted by the Fire without lofing it^ 
 colour ) would , when I had pur- 
 pofely expos'd it to the Air, be dif-, 
 coloured in a very ihort time , and 
 have its fuperficial parts turned al- 
 mofl black. 
 
 And this brings into my mind thatj 
 very pretty Obfervation, that has[ 
 been newly made m Italy by an inge^ 
 niousMan, who took notice, that^ ' 
 if after the opening of a Vein thft 
 blood be kept 'till it be concreted ^ 
 and have excluded the fuperficial ye*-? 
 rum , though the lower part be ufu-r 
 ally of a dark and blackiih colour in^* 
 comparifon of the fuperficial parts y 
 and therefore be counted far more 
 feculent * yet , if the lump or clott 
 of blood be broken 3 and the internal 
 
 and 
 
and dark CQloured parts of the blood 
 be expos'd to the Aif , it will after $ 
 time (for 'tis not faid how long) be 
 fo wrought on by the coiitaft of the 
 Air 5 that the fuperiicial part of the 
 blood will appear as florid as the 
 lately mentioned upper part (fuppos'd 
 to be 5 as it were , the flower of the 
 bloodj) did feern before. And this 
 Obfervation I found to hold in the 
 blood of fome Beafis, whereon I tryed 
 it 5 in which I found it to fucceed ia 
 much fewer minutes, than the Italiatt^ 
 Virtuoffs Experiment on Humm blood 
 would make me expedl. 
 
 On the other fide I have often pre- 
 par'd a Subftance, whole effeft ap- 
 pears quite contrary to this, For^ 
 though this factitious Concrete , 
 whilfl: kept to the Fire or very care- 
 fully prefqrved from the Air, be of a 
 ted colour almofl like j:he commoa 
 opacous Bloodfione of the fhops • yet , 
 if I broke it, and left the lumps or 
 fragments of it a little while in the 
 Air 5 it would in a fliort time (fome- 
 times perhaps not amounting to a 
 D 2 quar- 
 
3($ durpicionjS about Tome 
 
 quartet of an hour) it would ^ I fay, 
 have its fuperficiJl parts turn'd of a 
 very dark colour, very little, and 
 fometimes fcarce at all , (hort of 
 blacknefs. 
 
 A very inquifitive Perfon of my 
 acquaintance 5 having occafion to 
 make, by Diftillation , a Medicine 
 of his ov^n devifing , chanc'd to ob- 
 fcrve this odd property in it , Tha(^ 
 at that time of the year , if it were 
 kept ftopt 5 it would be coagulated 
 almoft like Oyl of Annifeeds in cold 
 weather 5 yet , if the ftopple were 
 taken out , and fo accefs were for a 
 while given to the Air , it would turn 
 to a liquor, and the velTel being again 
 ftopt , it would , though more (low- 
 ly , recoagulate. The hints , that I 
 guefs'd might be given by fuch a Phae- 
 nomenon , making me defirous tp 
 know fomething of it more than 
 barely by Relation , I exprefs'd rather 
 a curiofity than a diffidence about it ; 
 and the IV^ker of it telling me , he 
 thought, he had in a fmall Vial about 
 a fpoonful of this Medicine left in a 
 
 neigh: 
 
 I 
 
neighbouring Chamber , Idefircdhis 
 leave to confider it my felf , which 
 Requeft being prefently complied 
 with 5 I found it , when he brought 
 it into the Room which I ftayedin, 
 not Uquid but confident , though of 
 but a flight and foft contexture. And 
 having taken out the Cork , and kt 
 the Vial in a window 5 which (if I 
 well remember) was open, though 
 theSeafon, which was Winter, was 
 cold 5 yet in a little time that I ftayed 
 talking with theChymift, I found, 
 that the fo lately coagulated fubftance 
 was almoft all become fluid. And 
 another time , when the Seafon was 
 lefs cold, having occafion to be where 
 the Vial was kept well fl:opt , and 
 calling my Eyes on it , I perceiv'd the 
 included fubftance to be coagulated 
 much like Oyl of Annifeeds. And 
 this fubftance having , as the Maker 
 aflTurd me, nothing at all of Mineral 
 in it 5 noranyChymicalSalt 5 itcoqr 
 fiftingonlyof two fimple bodies, the 
 one of a vegetable and the ot;her of 
 an animal lubftance, diftill'd toge- 
 P 3 th^x^ 
 
^8 S^ttrpittoniS about tome 
 
 ther 5 I fcarce doubt but you will 
 think with me , that thefc contrary 
 operations of the Air, which feems 
 to have a power in fome Circumftan- 
 ces to coagulate fuch a body , and 
 yettodiflblve and make it fluid when 
 frefh and frefh parts are- allow'd accefs 
 to it 5 may deferve to be further re- 
 fleded on , in reference (among other 
 things) to the opportune operations, 
 the infpired Air may have on the 
 confiftence and motion of the circu- 
 lating blood, and to thedifchargeof 
 the fuliginous recrements tobeiepa- 
 rated from the blood in its paffaga 
 through the Lungs. 
 
 There are two other Vhdimmeni 
 that feem favourable to our Sufpicion, 
 Thdt there are ^^nonymom Subftances 
 and Qmlities in the ^^^ir , which 
 ought not to be altogether praeter- 
 mitted oti this occafion • though y 
 becaufe to fpeak fully of them woulc} 
 require far more time than I can now 
 ipare , I fhall fpeak of them but {\JiQ^\ 
 pindly* ' 
 
 •'3^he Utter of thefetwo Phanomend 
 
 ■-'-■ i§ 
 
is the growth or appearing produ- 
 £tion of iMeta/s or Minerals dug out 
 of the Earth, and expos'd to the 
 Air. And this 5 though it be the laft 
 of the two 3 I mention firft , becaufe 
 it feems expedient, left it lliould prove 
 too long an interruption to our Dii- 
 courfe, to poftponc the Obfervations 
 and annex them to the end of this 
 Paper x, only intimating to you now, 
 that the caution! formerly interpofed 
 about the Regeneration of Salts in 
 Nitrous and other Earths , may , for 
 greater fecurity, be applied, wHtatis 
 mutandis y to that produ(aionof Me- 
 talline and Mineral bodies we are fpea- 
 king of. 
 
 The other of the two Phenomena , 
 I lately promised to mention , is affor- 
 ded me by thofe various and odd 
 Difeafes , that at fome times and in 
 fomc places happen to invade and 
 deftroy numbers of Beajisy fometimes 
 of one particular kind, and fometimes 
 of another. Of this we have many 
 inftances in the Books of approved 
 Authors^ both Phyfitians and others • 
 P 4 ^nd 
 
40 i^urptctonjEt About Tome 
 
 and I have my felf obferv'd fome no- 
 table Examples of it. But yet I 
 ihould not mention it as a ground of 
 Sufpicion, that there may be, in 
 fome times and places , unknown Ef- 
 fiuvU and powers in the Air, but 
 that I diftinguifh thefe from thofc Di- 
 feafes of Animals , that proceed, as 
 the Rot in Sheep often does , from 
 the exorbitancy of the Seafons, the 
 immoderatenefs of Cold , Heat , or 
 any other manifeft equality in the 
 Air. And you will eafily perceive , 
 that fome of thefe Examples probably 
 argue , that the Subterraneal parts do 
 fometimes (elpecially after Earth- 
 quakes or unufual cleavings of the 
 ground) fend up into the Air peculiar 
 kinds of veiiomous Exhalations, that 
 produce new and mortal Difeafes in 
 Animals of fuchaj^^^/V/, and not in 
 thofe of another, and in this or that 
 particular place, and not elfe where: 
 Of which we have an eminent \^ 
 ftance in that odd Plague or Murrain 
 pf the year 1514, which :!^ erne litis 
 y^% us 4Avad?d none but gats. And 
 
 even 
 
l@itilien€lualttie)e!itit]^eli(v. 41 
 
 even in Animals of the (aimcjpecies 
 fometimes one fort have been incom-* 
 parably more obnoxious to the Plague 
 than another 5 as Vionyfius Halicama^ 
 seti4 mentions a Plague that attacked 
 none but CMdds ; whereas the Pe- 
 jftilence that raged in the time of Gen- 
 tilts (a fam'd Phyfitian) kili'd few 
 Women , and fcarce any but lufty Men. 
 And fo Boterm mentions a great 
 Plague, that affaulted almoft only 
 the younger fort of perfons , few paft 
 thirty years of age being attacked by 
 it : Which laft Obfervation has been 
 alfo made by fcveral later Phyfitians. 
 To which may be added , what Lear- 
 ned Men of that Faculty have noted 
 at feveral times concerning Plagues, 
 that particularly invaded thole of 
 this or that Nation, though confu- 
 fedly mingled with other People 5 as 
 Cardan fpeaks of a Plague at Bafil, 
 with which only the Smtzers^ and 
 not the Italians y French, or Germans y 
 were infciSed. And Johannes liten-^ 
 hovious takes notice of a cruel Plague 
 at Copenhagen^ which, though it raged 
 
 among 
 
42 ^(pictoniE; about fome 
 
 among the Danes , fpared both the 
 Bnglijhy Dutch y and Germans, thoM^ 
 they freely enter'd infeded houfes, 
 and were not careful to fhun the fick. 
 In reciting of which Inftances I 
 would not be underftood, as if I im- 
 puted thefe ef&fts meerly to noxioUs 
 Subterraneal fumes • for I am far from 
 denying , that the peculiar Confti- 
 tutions of Mens Bodies are likely to 
 have a great intereft in them : But 
 yet it feems lefs probable , that the 
 peftilent venom diffuled through the 
 Air fliould owe its enormous and fa- 
 tal efficacy to the excefs of the mn- 
 •nifefi Qualities of the Air, than to 
 the pecuUar nature of the peftilential 
 poifon fent up into the Air from un- 
 der ground, which when it is by 
 dilution or diflipation enervated , or 
 by its progrefs paft beyond the Kvt 
 we breath in , or rendered ineflfeftual 
 by fubterraneal or other Corpufcles 
 or a contrary Quality , the Plague \ 
 which it, as a con-caufe , produced j>' 
 either quite ceafes, or degenerates in- 
 to fomewhat dfc But \ have not 
 
 time. 
 
time to countenance this Conjeifturc, 
 much lefs to confider y whether fome 
 of thofe Difeafcs, that are wont to be 
 caird ^eiv , which either did begin to 
 appear , or at leaft to be rife , with- 
 in thefe two or three Centuries , as 
 the Sudor K^nglkus in the fifteenth 
 Century, xki^ Scurvy, ^nd tht Morbus 
 JJungciricm , the Lues \Mora.vz^^ No- 
 vm CMorhm Ijtnehurgenfis , and fome 
 others, in the laft Century of all, may 
 be in part caus*d by the exotic fleams 
 this Difcourfe treats of. But this 
 Gonfideration I willingly refign to 
 Phyfitians. 
 
 And now , if the two foremen- 
 tioned Sufpicions , the one about Sub- 
 t err mealy the other about Syderedy 
 Effluviums, {hall prove to be well 
 
 f rounded , they may lead us to other 
 ufpicions and further thoughts about 
 things of no mean Confequencc; 
 three of which I fhall venture to make 
 mention of in this place. 
 
 I. For we may hence be awakened 
 to confider 5 whether divers changes 
 of Temperature and Conftitution in 
 
 the 
 
44 durpictonsi about tome 
 
 the Air 5 not only as to manifeft Qua- 
 lities 5 but as to th6 more latent ones, 
 may not fometimes in part , if not 
 chiefly , be derived from the paucity 
 or plenty , and peculiar nature of one 
 or both of thefe forts of Effluviums. 
 And in particular, we find in the moft 
 approved Writers fuch ftrange Pha-^ 
 nomenx to have fcveral times hap^ 
 pen'd in great Plagues and conta- 
 gious Difeafes , fomented and com- 
 municated, nay (as many eminent 
 Phyfitians believed) begun , by fome 
 Utent peftiferous, or other malig- 
 nant, Diathefts or Conftitution of 
 the Air, as have obliged many of 
 the Learned'ft of them to have re- 
 courfe to the immediate operation of 
 the Angels, or of the Power and 
 Wrath of God himfelf , or at leaft 
 to fome unaccountable influence of 
 the Stars • none of the Solutions of 
 which difficulties feems preferable to 
 what may be gathered from our Con- 
 jedurc; fince of Phyfical Agents 
 of which we know nothing fo much, 
 as that they are to us invifible and 
 
 probably 
 
probably of a heteroclitc nature , it 
 need be no great wonder, that the 
 operation ihould alfo be abftrufe , and 
 the effefts uncommon. And on this 
 oecafion it maybe confider'd, that 
 there are clearer inducements t6 per- 
 fwade us, that another Quality of 
 the Atmofphere, its Gravity, may 
 be alter'd by unfeen Effluviums,' 
 afcending from the Subterraneous 
 Regions of our Globe • and we have 
 often perceived by the Mercurial Ba^ 
 roficfe thQ fVeight of the Air to be no- 
 tably increafed , when we could not 
 perceive in the Air nor furface of 
 Earth any caufe to which we could 
 afcribe fo notable a change. And 
 this gives me a rife to add , that I 
 have fometimes allowed my felf to 
 doubt , whether even the Sun it felf 
 may not now and then alter the 
 Gravity of the Atmofphere otherwife 
 than by its Beams or Heat. And I 
 remember, I defired fome Firtuofi of 
 my acquaintance to aflift me in the 
 inquiry, whether any of the Sfots, 
 that appear about the Sun , may not, 
 
 upon 
 
4^ .if^rptctons(abctttroife 
 
 upqji tjieir fudden diflToIution, have 
 foliie: of their difcufsy and difpers'4 
 matter thrown off, as far as to out 
 Atmplphere, and that copioufly e- 
 ©cHiigh to produce fome fenfible alte- 
 rations in it, atleaft asto Gravity. 
 
 Jl,; Another thiag 5 that our two 
 for^mention'd Sufpicions^ if allowed 
 pf , will fuggeft 5 is 5 that it may 
 not feiem altogether improbable , tha^ 
 jfbmQ bodies, we are converfant witfei 
 m^y h^ve a peculiar difpofition aflil 
 fitnefstiobe wrought on by , or to bf 
 aflbciated with , fome of thofc exotic 
 Efl|uvi^5 that aye emitted by un^ 
 I^npwn bodies lodged underground, 
 i^ Ahat; proceed from this or that 
 Vhntt. For wb^ti we call Sympa-r 
 thies and Antipathies , depending in* 
 deed on the peculiajc Textures and 
 Other Mpdificatipnsi of the bodies j 
 between whom thefe friendihips and 
 hoftiUties are faid to be exercifed , I 
 fee aot why it ihould be impoflible , 
 th^t there be aCognatioi^ betwixt ^ 
 body of a congruous or convenient 
 Texture, (efpecially as to the ihap« 
 
 and 
 
and fize of its Pores,) and tbe Efflu- 
 viums of any other body , whether 
 Subterraneal or Sydereal. We fee, 
 that convex Buifning-glaffes , by vir- 
 tue of their figure and the difpofition 
 of their pores , $re fitted to be per- 
 vaded by the beams of Light and to 
 refrad: them , and thereby to kindle 
 combuftible matter^ and the fame 
 beams of the Sun will impart a lucid- 
 nefs to the Bolonian ftone* And as 
 for SuhteYYAned bodies j I eUewher^ 
 mention two Minerals, t, • • 
 which being prepa- VnL'mB^''^f 
 red 5 (as I there inti- »/» i>eur*mnH9 
 mate,) the fleams of ^^J«r.p/Effluw, 
 the one , afcending 
 without adventitious Heat andwan^^ 
 dering through the Air, will not 
 fenfibly work on other bodies • but if 
 they meet with that which wc pre- 
 pared, they will immediately have 
 an operation on it , whofe effe^ will 
 be both manifeft and lafting. 
 
 111. I now pafs on to the otbw 
 thing 5 that the two formerly men- 
 tioned Sufpicions may fyggeft, which 
 
 is. 
 
4S ^ufptcioniij about tome 
 
 is 5 that if they be granted to be well 
 founded, we may be alio w'd to con- 
 fider 5 whether among the bodies we 
 are acquainted with here below ^ 
 there may not be found fome, that 
 may be Receftaclesy if not alfo Attra- 
 Hives J of the Sydereal, and other 
 exotic Effluviums that rove up and 
 down in our Air. 
 
 Some of the Myfterious Writers 
 about th^Philofofhers-fione, fpeak great 
 things of the excellency of what 
 they call their Philofophicd ^JMngnet'y 
 which, they feem to fay, attrafts 
 and (in their phrafe) corporifies the 
 Univerfal Sfirit y or (as (ome fpeak) 
 the Spirit of the World. But thefe 
 things being abftrufities, which the 
 Writers of them profefs'd to be writ- 
 ttn for y and to beunderftoodonly^, 
 the Sons of^rt; I, who freely ac- 
 knowledge I cannot clearly appre- 
 hend them 5 fliall leave them in their 
 own worth as I found them, and 
 only, for brevity fake, make ufe of 
 the received word of a Magnet y which 
 I may do in my ownfenfe, without 
 
 avow- 
 
l^iDOen ^mlititg in tl)e Sir. 49 
 
 avowing the received Dodrine of 
 Attradion. For by fuch a Magnet , 
 as I here purpofe tofpeakof, I mean 
 not a body that can properly attrad 
 our foreign Effluviums; but fuch an 
 one 5 as is fitted to detain and join 
 with them ^ when by virtue of the 
 various motions , that belong to the 
 Air as a Fluid , they happen'd to 
 accoft the Magnet. Which may be 
 iUuftrated by the known way of ma- 
 king 0)fl of TarUr (as the Chymilts 
 call it) perDe/iqmum. For^ though 
 the Spagyrifts and others fuppole, 
 that the fiery Salt draws to it the 
 Aqueous Vapours, yet indeed it does 
 but arrefl: , and imbody with , fuch 
 of thofe that wander through the 
 Air , as chance in their palTage to ac- 
 ! coft it. 
 
 And 5 without receding from the 
 Coypufcularim Principles , we may al- 
 low fome of the bodies , we fpeak of, 
 a greater refemblance to Magnets , 
 than what I have been mentioning. 
 For not only fuch a Magnet may upon 
 the bare account of Adhefion by 
 
50 ^urpictoniB! about fome 
 
 Juxta^fefition or Contacft, detain the 
 Effluviums that would glide along it, 
 but thefe may be the more firmly 
 arrefted by a kind of precipitating 
 faculty, that the Magnet may have 
 in reference to fuch Effluviums 5 
 which 5 if I had time , I could illu- 
 ftrate by fome Inftances • nay I dare 
 not deny it to be poffible , but that 
 in fome Cireumftances of time or 
 place one of our Magnets may, as 
 it were 5 fetch in fuch fteams as would 
 indeed pafs near it , but would not 
 otherwife come to touch it. On 
 which occafion I remember , I have 
 in certain cafes been able to make 
 fome bodies 5 not all of them EleBri^ 
 cdy attrad (as they fpeak) without 
 being excited by rubbing , &c. far 
 lefs light bodies, than the Effluviums 
 we are fpeaking of. 
 
 But this it may fliffice to have 
 glanc'd at , it not being here my pur* 
 pofe to meddle with the myfrical 
 Theories of the Chymifts • but ra- 
 ther to intimate, that, without a* 
 dopting or rejefting them, one may 
 
 difcourle 
 
f^tDSen dualities^ in tl^e nit: 5 1 
 
 difcourfe like a Naturalift about Mag- 
 nets of Celeftial and other Emana- 
 tions 5 that appeat not to have been 
 confider'd , not to fay , thought of ,^ 
 either by the Scholaftic , or even the 
 Mechanical, Philofophersj 
 
 E 2 6 F 
 
 < 
 
) ::i!j:rjc:!^ .vil oj Ton <.!. 
 
 a 
 ii 
 
 14 
 
■i1;^^C5^3 
 
 <MW «tR» «A» 
 
 t 
 
 f-fhvnrofri ^ i 'i'j !!f;r<!f 
 CeLESTUI- & i?LERIAL 
 
 IFnoWj up6n what^I have gran- 
 ted in -the clofe of the paft Dif- 
 courfe, you Ihoiild urge the 
 queftion further 3' and prefs me 
 to declare , Whether , ^ as I think it 
 no impoffible thing , that Natures 
 fliould makcy [6 1 think it no unpra^i- 
 cable or hopelefs thing , that <J^e?^ 
 fliould fi^d, or ^rt fhould prepare , 
 ufeful CHagnets of the exotic Efflu- 
 viums of the lower region of the 
 Earth , ot the upper of the World : 
 It would much diflrrefs me to give 
 any other anfwer, than that I think 
 it extreamly difficult 3" and not abfb- 
 lutely impoflible^ and therefore I 
 would not difcourage any curious or 
 E 3 indu? 
 
54 ^nipitimfi aiioui: fome 
 
 induftrious Man from attempting tO- 
 fatisfie himfelf by Experiments, be- 
 caufe even a feemingly flight difccJ- 
 very in a thing of this nature may be 
 of no fn^all ufe in the inveftigation 
 of the nature of the Air, efpecially 
 in fome jparticular places , and of the 
 Correfpondepcy 3 which, by the in- 
 tervention of the Air *^' the fuperficial 
 part of the Terreftrial Globe may 
 have both with the Sfthtenmed Kq- 
 gions of the Earth , and the celejiid 
 ones of the Univerfe. Some of the 
 things I hav^ tryed or feen relating to 
 this difcovery , J muft for certain rea- 
 fons leave here unmentioned, an4 
 only advertife you , that feveral bor. 
 dies, which experience has alTurcJ 
 USl do imbibe or retain fomething 
 from the Air, as fome calcin'd Mi- 
 nerals, fomeMarchafites, fome Salts, 
 a& weU factitious as natural, &Cy, 
 may be fit to be often expofed to it,, 
 and then weighed again , and farther 
 diligently examined , whether that 
 which makes the increment of, 
 weight , be a meer inibibed moifturc i 
 
 ox ! 
 
pr alfo fomewhat elfe • and likewife 
 whether it be feparable from the body 
 jor not, or however have endowed 
 it with any confiderably Quality 5 
 and if you chance to meet with a 
 good Magnet , you may then vary Ex- 
 periments with it 5 by expofing it 
 long to the Air in Regions differing 
 much in Climat , or Soil , or both , 
 by expofing it by day only 5 or by 
 night 3 at feveral Seafons of the Year , 
 in feveral Temperatures of the Air, 
 ^t feveral confiderable Afpeds of the 
 Stars and Planets , by making it more 
 or lefs frequently part with what it 
 has gain'd from the Air ^ and in fhort, 
 by having regard to variety of Cir- 
 cumftances, which your Curiofity 
 and Sagacity may fuggeft. For , by 
 thus diverfifying the Experiment ma- 
 ny ways 3 you may perhaps , by one 
 or other of them, make fomeunex- 
 peded and yet important difcovery 
 of what Effluviums the Air, in par^ 
 ticular places and times , abounds 
 with , or wants , and perchance too, 
 of foine correfpondency between the 
 E4 Ter- 
 
56 ^ufptcion^ about Tome 
 
 Terreftrial and Etherial Globes of the 
 World. 
 
 I (hall neither be furpriz'd nor quar- 
 rel with you 5 if you tell me ^ that 
 thefe are extravagant thoughts • but 
 if I had been fortunate in preferving 
 all) that Tryal , Obfervation , or Or 
 ther produdions of fome Curiofity^ 
 I once had for fuch Inquiries ^ pro- 
 cured me, you would not perhaps 
 think me fo very extravagant. But 
 though I muft not here make any fur- 
 ther mention of them , and fhall only 
 take notice of one body , namely 
 VITRIO Ly whether crude, or un- 
 ripe, and (as Chymifts fpeak) embrio4 
 nated , or Spagyrically prepar'd • yet 
 fome Phenomena of thefe Vitriolate 
 Subftances may for the prefent , I 
 hope , fomewhat moderate your cen- 
 fure for my putting you upon Obfer- 
 vations that I fear you your felf will 
 judge unpromifing, and lefs favou- 
 rable perfons than you would think 
 phantaftical. And to let you fee by 
 a pregnant Inftance , that the Air 
 may not only have a Notable opera- 
 tion 
 
tion upon Fitriol , and that , after a 
 ftrong fire could work no farthei? on 
 it 5 but that this operation was con- 
 fiderably diverfified by Circumftan- 
 ces 3 I fliall begin what I have to al- 
 ledge, with what the experienced 
 Zwelfer occafionally obferv'd , aqd 
 relates to uflier in a caution about a 
 Chymical Preparation of Vitriol: For, 
 having inform'd his Reader, that the 
 Colcothar y that is made by a ftrong 
 Diftillation, is not corrofive, he de- 
 nies, that, (to ufe his own words) 
 Hatim a D'lfiilUtione Sal ex eodem, affu- 
 sa aquay elici que at ; fed turn frim , 
 (continues he) uhi aliquandiu aeri ex- 
 pfitum f Her it ; tunc enim fal prabet 
 quandoque candidt^i , quandoque furpu^ 
 reum , ajpe6iu pdcherrimum , quod di- 
 quando tn cofia acquijivi , ^ fenes me 
 ajfervoy quandoque etiamNitrofum. 
 
 Which Teftimony of this candid 
 Spagyrift has much the more weight 
 with me , becaufe I find, what he af- 
 firms of the Saltlefnefs of newly and 
 ftrongly calcin'd Vitriol to be very 
 agreeable to fome of my Experi- 
 
 - ments 
 
$8 S^iiipitmfi about rome 
 
 jnents about Colcothar of blew (vtne- 
 real) Vitriol 5 which Salt or Mineral 
 (I meaa Vitriol) is fo odd a Concrete, 
 that I have thought fit more than 
 once to recommend the making Ex- 
 periments about it to feveral Curi- 
 ous Perfons, that had better oppor- 
 tunity to continue them than I, whofc 
 refidence was not fo fixt. And I 
 remember 5 that one of thefe , a Per- 
 fon induftrious and verfed in Chy- 
 mical Operations , gave me this ac- 
 count 5 that not only he had differing 
 kinds of Salts from Colcothar expos'dl 
 to the Air for many months, and 
 robb'd at convenient times of what 
 it had acquired , but that in traft of 
 time he found it fo alter'd , that he 
 obtain'd from it a pretty quantity of 
 true running Mercury. 
 
 And now , to refume and conclude 
 what I was faying about Colcothar , 
 there are two or three things I would 
 propofe to be obferved by you, or 
 any Virtuojb that would aflift me in 
 thefe tryals about this odd Cdcina- 
 turn, (for to call it Terra dammta, were 
 to injure it.^ Th? 
 
The firji is , to take notice of fome 
 Circumftances that moft Obfervers 
 would overlook ^ fuch as (befides the 
 Nature of the Soil) the Temperature 
 of the Air 5 the Month of the Year , 
 and the Winds , the weight of the 
 Atmofphere , the Spots of the Sun y 
 if any be , the Moons Age, and her 
 Place in the Zodiack , and the princi- 
 pal Afpecls of the Planets 5 and the 
 other chief Stars. For , though it be 
 a boldnefs to ajprm , that any, or per- 
 haps all of thefe together, will have 
 any intereft in the production of the 
 Salt or other Subftance , to be made 
 or difclofed in the Colcothar^ yet in 
 things new and exorbitant , it may 
 be fometimes rafli and peremptory to 
 deny, even fuch things as cannot, 
 without ralhnefs , be pofitively alTer- 
 ted 5 and in our cafe the fmall trouble 
 of taking notice of Circumftances 
 will be richly paid by theleaft difco- 
 very made in things lb abftrufe and 
 confiderable. And as we cannot yet 
 knowingly pronounce, fo much as 
 mgativdy , whether the Lihra,tiot$ of 
 
 the 
 
6q &\x{ptim% about Tome 
 
 the Moongiwd. tht Motion of the Sun{^nd. 
 perhaps of fomeof the other Planets) 
 about their own Centers , and con- 
 fequently their obverting feveral parts 
 of their bodies to us , may have an 
 operation upon our Atmofphere 5 fo, 
 for ought I know 5 there may be in 
 thofe vaft internal parts of the Earth, 
 whofe thin cruft only has been here 
 and there dug into by Men 5 confide- 
 rable MalTes of Matter, that may have 
 periodical Revolutions, or Accenfi- 
 ons 5 or Eftuations , or Fermentati- 
 ons , or , in (hort , fome other notable 
 Commotions , whofe Effluvia and 
 Effeds may have operations , yet un- 
 obferved , on the Atmofphere and on 
 fome particular bodies expos'd to it 5 
 though thefe periods may be perhaps 
 either altogether irregular , or have 
 fome kind of regularity differing from 
 what one would exped:. As we lee, 
 that the Sea has thofe grand Intu- 
 mefcencies , we call Spring-tides , not 
 every day, nor at anyconftantday of 
 the month or week , but about the 
 Full and New Moon 5 and thefe 
 
 Spring- 
 
f^iDHen I^ttaUttejS in ti^e Mt. 6 1 
 
 spring-tides are moft notably heigh- 
 ten'd, not every months but twice 
 a year 5 at or about the Vernal and 
 Autumnal Equinoxes 5 which Obfer- 
 vations have not been near fo antient 
 5tnd known , as the daily Ebbing and 
 -Flowing of the Sea. The Btefians of 
 theAntients I (hall not now infifl: 
 on',: northeObfervationsthatI think 
 I eifewhere mentioned of the Elder 
 Inhabitants of the C/^r/^^-Iflands , 
 who, when the Europe am firft refor- 
 ted. thither , were wont to have /f/^r- 
 riV/?;^^/ but once in kv^n years 5 af- 
 terwards they were molefted with 
 them but once in three years • and 
 of late they are troubled with them 
 almoft every year. And a Phyfitian 
 that lived there told me , that he had 
 fcarce ever obferved them ' to come 
 but within the xompafs dfv two 
 months joyning to one another. In 
 which Inttances;, and divers others 
 thg^t may be noteid of what changes 
 happened to; great Quantities of Mat- 
 ter^ Nature :feemSi to aiFe<5i: fome- 
 thing of periodical, but not in a 
 v.^c way 
 
^2 ^ur^eiottjs about rome 
 
 way that appears to us, regulaf. 
 
 One may add on this occafion that 
 
 memorable paffagc related by the 
 
 Learned Vareniusdi 
 
 omnesferi quM novi- 10 Germany , that he 
 musftneceffatioue fiu- ^alls Therms PifeH^ 
 
 7eL'aniT,%c!^'''^ ^^ > of whlch hC af- 
 
 firms in more than 
 one place , that they have this pecu- 
 liarity 5 that they annually begin and 
 ceafe to flow at ceiftain times 5 the 
 former about the third day di May y, 
 and the latter near the middle of 
 September , at which tfane they are 
 wont to reft till the following Spring. 
 But though, for ought I know 3 our 
 Geographers Obfcrvation will hold in 
 hot Springs 5 yet it muft not be ex^ 
 tended to all , at leaft , if we admit 
 that which is related by the accurate 
 
 Johannes de Ldety (I 
 
 menes , or the famous Gonquerour of 
 LMexicOy Cortes y) who tells US y that 
 in the Mexican Province, Xiletepec^ 
 ¥ons celebratory qui ^mtmr coi^inuU 
 
 annii 
 
^mtn SXmlitit^ in tt^t Mt, 6^ 
 
 annisfcaturit^ Aeinde quatmr fequentihus 
 deceit:, C^ rurfus ad frier em modum erum- 
 fit ? & ) ^^(^^ mirabile , fluviis diehm , 
 farcius , quum fudum eji temfus ^ aru 
 dumy copiofmsy exuberat. 
 
 But this is not a place to enlarge 
 upon the grounds of my fufpefting , 
 there may be fome periodical Mo- 
 tions and Commotions within the 
 Terreftrial Globe; what has been 
 mentioned being only to invite you 
 to take notice of Circumflrances in 
 your Obfervations of Colcothary fomc 
 of which may , with the more Ihew 
 of probability 5 be kept expos'd for a 
 long time, becaufe that Bars of Win- 
 dows and other erected Irons I have 
 found to acquire in trad of time from 
 the Effluvia of the Earth a fettled 
 Magnetifm. 
 
 The other main thing I would re- 
 commend 5 is 5 that notice be taken 
 not only of the kind of Vitriol, the 
 Colcothar is made of; (for I general- 
 ly ufed blew Danzig Fitriol) as Mar- 
 tial ritriol, Hmgarian Vitriol j Roman 
 Vitridy &c, to which I have, for 
 
 Curi- 
 
^4 S^urptetotijS about Tome 
 
 Curiofity 5 added Vitriol made by our 
 felves of the Solution of the more 
 faline parts of Marchafites in water , 
 without theufual additament of Iron, 
 or Copper- but alfo, to what degree 
 the calcination is made , and how* 
 far the calcin'd Matter is freed from 
 the Salt by water. For thefe Cir- 
 cumftances, at leaft in fbme places^ 
 may be of moment, and perhaps 
 may afford us good hints of the Con- 
 ftitution of the Atmofphere in parti- 
 cular parts 5 as well as of the beft 
 preparation of Colcothar for detain- 
 ing the exotic Effluviums, And I 
 would the rather have Experiments 
 tryed again in other places with 
 Colcothar not calcin'd to the utmoflr, " 
 nor yet fo exquifitly edulcorated, but 
 that fome faline particles fhould be 
 left in it for future increafe 5 becaufe 
 I have more than once purpofely 
 tryed in vain, that the C^put Mortmm 
 of blew Vitriol , .whereof the Oyl 
 and other parts had been driven oif 
 with a violent and lafting fire, would 
 not, whenfrefh , impart any faltnefs 
 ]' i to 
 
to the water 5 nor do I think , that 
 out of fome ounces purpofely edulco- 
 rated I obtained one grain of Salt. 
 And this faltlefs Colcothar being ex- 
 posed 3 fome by me, and fome by a 
 Friend that had convenicncy in ano- 
 ther place not far off^ to the Air, 
 fome for many weeks and fome for 
 divers months, we did not find it to 
 have manifeftly increafcd in weight, 
 or to have acquired any fenfible falt- 
 ncky which, fuppofing the Vitriol 
 to have nothing extraordinary , gave 
 mc the ftronger fufpicion of fome 
 peculiarity in the Air of that part of 
 Lmdon^ where the Tryals haa been 
 made, at ieaft during thofe times 
 wherein we made them 5 becaufe not 
 •only former experience , made here 
 in £/;g/^W, hadaflur'dme, that fome 
 Colcothars will gain no defpicable 
 acceflion of weight by being exposed 
 to the Air 5 but accidentally complai- 
 nmg of my lately mention'd difap- 
 pointmient to an ingenious Traveller, 
 that had, in divers Countries, been 
 curious to examine theiif Vitriols, he? 
 F affured 
 
6& &ufptctonje( about fome 
 
 aflTured me , that , though he ufually 
 dulcified his Colcothar very well , 
 yet within four or five weeks he 
 found it confiderably impregnated by. 
 the Air 'twas expofeS to. 
 
 It remains , that I add one intima- 
 tion more about Vitriol , which is , 
 that I have found it to have fo great 
 a correfpondency with the Air, that 
 it would not be amifs to try, not 
 only Colcothar of differing Vitriols 
 (whether barely made the common 
 way 5 or without any Metalline ad- 
 dition to the Vitriol Stones or Ore,) 
 but other Preparations of Vitriol too, 
 fuch as expofing Vitriol , only cal- 
 cin'd to whitenefs by the Sun-beams, 
 or further to an higher colour by a 
 gentle Heat, or throughly calcined, 
 and then impregnated with a Jittle' 
 of its own Oyl. For fuch Vitrio-* 
 late Subftances asthefe, the Air may 
 work upon , nay even liquid Prepa^ 
 rations of Vitriol may be peculiarly 
 affededby the Air, and thereby per- 
 haps be ufeful to difcoverthe prefent 
 conftitution, orforctcl fomeapproa- 
 -.v:':- chingj 
 
 I 
 I 
 
ching changes of it. Of the ufe of 
 which conjedlure 5 namely the pecu- 
 liar adiion of the AironfomcVitrio- 
 late Liquors , I remember I fhew'd 
 fome Vtrtnoft a new Inftance in an Ex- 
 periment, whereof this was the Sum : 
 [ I elfewhere mention a Compofi- 
 tion that I devis'd, to make with 
 SublimatCiCopper, and Spirit of Salt, 
 a Liquor of a Green exceeding love- 
 ly. But in the defcription of it I 
 mentioned not (having no need to do 
 it there) a circumftanceasodd as the 
 liquor it felf was grateful. For the Air 
 has fo much intereft in the production 
 of this green , that when you have 
 made the Solution of the Copper and 
 Mercury with the Spirit of Salt, that 
 Solution will not be green , nor fo 
 much as greemjjj , as long as you keep 
 it ftopt in the bolt-head , or fuch like 
 glafs wherein 'tis made. But if you 
 pour it out into a Vial, which, by 
 not being ftopt , leaves it expos'd to 
 the Air , it will after a while fooner 
 or later attain that delightful green 
 that fo much endears it to the Behol- 
 F i ders 
 
6S ^tttpimnH about fome 
 
 ders Eye. This appeared foodd an 
 Experiment to the r/W^^/, to whoni 
 I firft related it , that thofe that could 
 not guefs by what means I attained 
 it 5 could fcarce believe ii\ But that 
 troubled not me 5 who, tofatisfierny 
 felf not only cf the Truth of the 
 Experiment 3 but that 'twas not fo 
 contingent as many others , repeated 
 it feveral times , and found the So- 
 lution 3 'till the o^;> made it florilh, 
 to be of a muddy reddifh colour 
 quite differing from green. So that 
 I remember , that having once kept 
 fome of the liquor in the fame glafs- 
 egg 5 wherein the Solution had been 
 made , it looked like very dirty water, 
 whilft the- other part of the fame So^ 
 lution 5 having been exposed to the 
 Air, emulated the colour of an Eme- 
 rald. In which change *tis remar-r 
 kable , that to clarifie this liquor and 
 give it a tranfparent greenefs ^ I per- 
 ceived not 5 that any precipitation of 
 foul matter was made to which the 
 alteration could be afcrib'd- and yet 
 to make it the more probable that fhis 
 
 changQ 
 
 i 
 
\ change proceeded not from a fubfi- 
 I dence made of fome opacating mat- 
 ter cffecSed by fome days reft, I kept 
 fome of the Solution feal'd up in a fine 
 Vial feveral months, without finding 
 it at the end of that time other than 
 a dark or muddy liquor , which , in 
 /hort time , it ceas*d to be , when , 
 the Hermetic Seal being broken off, 
 the Air was permitted to work upon 
 it. And this I further obfery'd in 
 our various Experiments on this li- 
 quor 5 that, according to the quality 
 of the matter and other Circumftan- 
 ces, the greenefswas not attained to 
 but at certain periods of time, now 
 and then difcloiing itfelf within two 
 pr three days, and fometimes not be- 
 fore nine or ten.] 
 
 With how little Confidence of 
 fuccefs Tryals , that have the aimes 
 of thcfe I have been fpeaking of, 
 are to be attempted , not only confi- 
 deration but experience have made 
 me fenfible. But yet I would not 
 difcourage Mens Curiofity from ven- 
 turing even upon flight probabilities, 
 F 3 where 
 
70 S^ufptcionie^ about feme 
 
 where the Noblenefs.of the Subjeds 
 and Scope may make even fmall 
 attainments very defirable. And 
 'till tryal have been made on occa- 
 fions of great moment , 'tis not eafic 
 to be fatisfied, that Men have not been 
 wanting to themfelves 5 which I 
 fliall only illuftrate by propofing, 
 what y I prefume , will not need that 
 I fhould make an application of it. 
 Thofe adventurous Navigators 5 that 
 have made Vayages for Difcovery 
 in unknown Seas , when they firft 
 difeern'd fomething obfcure near the 
 Horizon at a ereatdiftance off, have 
 often doubted , whether v^hat they 
 had fo imperfeft a fight of, were a 
 Cloud 5 or an Ifland, or a Mountain : 
 But though fometimes it were more 
 likely to be the former 5 as that which 
 more frequently occurred, than the 
 latter 5 yet they judged it advifableto 
 fteer towards it, 'till they had a 
 clearer profpe<5l: of it : For if it were 
 a deluding Meteor 5 they would not 
 ' however luftain fo great a lofs in that 
 of a little labour 5 as^ in cafe it were 
 
 a Coun- 
 
l^inazn saualitiesJ in t\fi T^it, 71 
 
 a Country , they would in the lofs 
 of what might prove a rich Difco- 
 very ; And if they defifted too fbon 
 from their Curiofity, they could not 
 rationally fatisfie themfelves, whether 
 they flighted a Cloud or negledled a 
 Country. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
OBSERVATIONS 
 
 i^BOUT THE 
 
 ^GROWTH 
 
 OF 
 
 MET4LS in their ORE 
 
 Expofed to the AIR. 
 
 By the Honourable 
 
 ROBERT BOYLE, 
 
 Fellow of the Royal Society. 
 
 L o ?i.i) o 2\L, 
 
 Ptintodhym/lia^^Godlpid, and are ta 
 
 be Sold by Aiofcs Pitt ^zt the J^gelowet 
 
 againft the little North Door of 
 
 St. ?/fWs ChQtch. x57^* 
 
nn 
 
 1 T V V O ^ 
 
 ^'ih «^ I v^:v 
 
 ,a^. 
 
5rj)ajaiiw(^jt.d-f- 
 
 **» x*> <<A* «Jr2i JE'I'** *xt "^ «"|f» /S 
 
 ;^fcSgii«2' 
 
 pB|t!ip;VATIONS : 
 
 1 1 is rf 4tt(5g^th^^' tfthecefflity f^ 
 my prejferit pUrpofe 3 ta examine 
 wheth^ir Metals and' Minerals , 
 . as if they were a kind 6f fubter* 
 r^-neal Planils:, do properly grow ai 
 Vegetables d^j). For this Ihquiry be* 
 longs to'anbther plac^, but not t6 
 this 5 where the reference made in the 
 39th page of the foregoing Paper does 
 not oblige me to fpeak of the Grovcth 
 of LMetals in any other than a lax 
 akid popular fenfe 5 in which a Metal 
 may be faid to grow , if a portion of 
 A z Mat- 
 
% fiDbrerbatiotijS about t^e 
 
 Matter being aflign'd , wherein ^ryet ^' 
 Men can find cither no Metal, as GolU 
 or Tin , or but fuch a quantity of it 5 
 this, being expos'd to the Air, will 
 after a time either afford fome Metal 
 where there appeared none before, or 
 a greater proportion of Metal than 
 it had before. ^ a 
 
 Obfervatioiis of this kind requi- 
 ring length of time , as well as refi- 
 dence near places abounding with 
 Minerals , I have little or no oppor- 
 tunity to make any of them rny felf, 
 at leaft with the warinefs , that to me 
 feems due to Obfervations that I think 
 not eafic to be well niade. And 
 therefore I muft content my felf lo 
 fet down what I have been able to 
 learn by converfing withMineralifts 
 and Travellers 5 and to add fome par- 
 ticulars that I met with in Authors 
 of good Credit. 
 
 0& 
 
(!5;ot»t^oe SS^etm. 
 
 OBSERVATIONS 
 
 K^BOUr THE 
 
 (jromb of T I N. 
 
 AN ancient Owner of Mines y 
 being asked by me , Whether 
 he coulcj, other wife than upon the 
 Conjedures of vulgar Tradition , 
 prove, that Minerals grow even after 
 the Veins have been dug f Anfwer'd 
 aiErmatively 5 and being defired to 
 let me know his proofs , he gave me 
 thcfe that follow. 
 
 He told me , that not far from his 
 Houfe there was a Tin-Mwe , which 
 the old Diggers affirmM to have been 
 left off, fome faid eighty/ome an hun- 
 dred & twenty years ago, bccaufe they 
 had by their waihing and vanning fe-' 
 parated all the Ore from the reff of 
 the Earth, and yet of late years they 
 A3 found 
 
4 gDbrettia(iote( about t^t 
 
 found it fo richly impregnated with 
 Metalline Particles , that it was 
 wrought over again with very good 
 profit, and pifcferrM to fome othe? 
 Mines that were a(5iually wrought, 
 and liad never been fo robb'd. And 
 when I objedted , that probably this 
 might proeeed7from the lazinels and 
 unskilfulnefs of Workmen ' in thofe 
 times 3 who left in the Earth the Tin 
 that was lately feparated 5 and might 
 then have been fo • I was anfwer'd , 
 that -twas .a fenown thing in the 
 Country, that in thofe times the 
 Mine-men were more careful and la- 
 t|orious to feparate the Metalline part 
 from the reft of the Ore , than now 
 they are. ; . : . 
 
 He alfo affirmed to mev that in his^ 
 own time fome Tenants and Neigh- 
 bours of his (imploy-d by him) ha- 
 ving got all the Ore they could out* 
 of a great quantity of liuff, dugout^ 
 of a Tin-Mine , they laid the re- 
 mains in great Jieaps exposed to the ^ 
 Air, and within twenty and thirty- 
 years after, found them fo richly 
 
 im- 
 
impregnated , that they wroxighjt 
 them over again with good benefit* .: 
 And laftly he affured me , that. In 
 a Work of his own , wherein he hjid 
 exercis'd his skill and ejiperieng^^ 
 (which is faid to be very great) to 
 feparate all the particles of the Tin 
 from the Terreftrial fubftances, that 
 were dug up with it out of the Vein, 
 he caus'd Dams to be made to flop 
 the Earthy Subftance , which the 
 Stream waflied away from the Ore, 
 giving palTage to the water after it 
 had let fall this Subftance , which 
 lying in heaps expos'd to the Air , 
 within ten or twelve years, and fome- 
 times much lefs, he examined this 
 or that heap , and found it to contain 
 fueh ftore of Metalline particles , as 
 invited him to work it again and do 
 it with profit. And yet this Gentle- 
 man was fo dexterous at feparating 
 the Metalline from the other parts of 
 Tin-Ore , that I could (not without 
 wonder) fee what fmall Corpufcles 
 he would, to fatisfie my Curiofity, 
 fever from vaft quantities (in propor- 
 A 4 tion) 
 
5 mxtt^tion^ about tlie 
 
 tion) of Earthy and other Mineral 
 ftuff. 
 
 Relations agreeable to thefe , I re- 
 ceived from another very ingenious 
 Gentleman that was converfant with 
 Tin-Mines, and lived not far from 
 more than one of them. 
 
 I was the more folicitous to pror 
 cure an information about the Growth 
 of this Metal , becaufe the bulk of 
 that, which isus'd in Europe y being 
 found in BngUniy I have met with 
 little or no mention of the Growth of 
 it in Outlandifh Writers. 
 
 OB- 
 
OBSEKVAriONS 
 
 t^BOUT THE 
 
 growth of LEAT>, 
 
 AS for the Growth of Lead in the 
 Ore expos'd to the Air , I re^ 
 memberjl enquirM about it of a Perfon 
 of Quality 5 who had a Patent for di- 
 vers Leaden Mines that were fuppos'd 
 to contain Silver , and wrought fome 
 of them himfelf at no fmall charge , 
 yet not without profit 5 and, as I 
 remember, he anfwer'd me, that the 
 Lead-Ore , that had been wrought and 
 laid in heaps, did, in traft of time, 
 grow impregnated with Metal again, 
 and, as experience manifefted, be- 
 came worth working a fecond time. 
 And indeed fome Mineralifts deliver 
 it as a general Qbfervation , that the 
 Growth and Renafcenceof Metals is 
 
 more 
 
^ ^SMcriMttons? about tl)e 
 
 more manifeft in LeaJ, than in any 
 other of them. le^uUrmn mons in 
 Hetruria, fays Boccattus Certardti^, who 
 delivers it as a pjoft approved Truth^ 
 florenti^ Civitati imminens ^ lapides 
 flumbarios habet , qui ft excidantur bre- 
 *vi temporis (patio norvis Incrementis in- 
 JlauriWtHr, J. Gerhard, inDeeade c^ua- 
 fiionum^fdg, m. 22. 
 
 Tn fubtiliusne qn^ras (fays AgricoUy 
 fpeaking of the Growth of Mines in 
 general) fed tAntummodo refer animum 
 Ad cuniculos , ^ confdera , e9s ade^o in-^ 
 terdum memorii hominum in angufium 
 venijfe , ut diquA fui parte nullHm auP 
 ddmodum difficiUm pr Abe ant tranfitum , 
 cum eosfatis late agerefileant Fojfores, ne 
 tranfituros irnpediant. In tales autem 
 angttfiias funt adducti propter accretion 
 »em materia ex qua lapis ef:fa5lm. 
 
 But whether this increment of 
 Lead isobfervable in all Mines of that 
 Metal 5 i was induced to doubt by the 
 anfwer given me by a Gentleman , 
 whole Houfe was feated near feveral 
 Lead-Mines , and who was himfelf 
 Owner of one or two, whi«h he yet 
 
 ' caufes 
 
caiifcs t6. be wrought : For thi^Gen- 
 fleitian , though a Chymift , affured 
 me 5 that in the Country where he 
 lives 5 which is divided by the Seai 
 from that of the Perfon aboye-men- 
 tion'd , he never obferv'd the Leadr 
 Ore to increafe , cither out of the 
 Veins or in them; but that in fome 
 places 5 whence Ore had been dug 
 thirty or forty, if not fifty, years be- 
 fore 5 he perceived not on the fides 
 of the paflages , whence the Ore had 
 been dug , that any other had grown 
 in its place, or that the paflages , 
 though narrow before , were fenfibly 
 ftraighten'd, much lefs block'd up. 
 
 And indeed , if there were no o- 
 ther Arguments in the cafe , the 
 ftraightning of the ancient pafTages 
 in procefs of time would not con- 
 vince me. For , when I confider , 
 that the Soils that abound with Me- 
 tals do ufually alfo abound with 
 waters, ^hich are commonly imbi- 
 bed by the neighbouring Eartn ^ and 
 when I confider too , that water is 
 fpmewhat expanded by being turned 
 
 • into 
 
into Ice, and that this expanfixm is 
 made 5 (as I have often tryed)tJiough 
 flowly 5 yet with an exceeding great 
 force, by which it often ftretchesorl 
 breaks the VefTels that contain it zi 
 When I confidcr thefe things, I fry , 
 I am apt to fufpcft, that fon^etimes, 
 the increafingnarrownefs of thefubr; 
 terraneal paflages in Mines may pro- 
 ceed from this, that the Soil that in-r 
 virons them , if they lye not deep , 
 may have the water,imbibed by thpm, 
 frozen in {harp Winters. By which 
 glaciation , the moiftened portion of 
 the Soil muft forcibly endeavour to 
 expand it felf , and aftually do fo in 
 the parts contiguous to the paflage , 
 fince there it finds no refiftance : And 
 though the expanfion made in one 
 year or two be but fmall , and there- 
 fore not obferved-, yet, in a fuccef- 
 fionof many Winters, it may by de- 
 grees grow to be very confiderable. 
 But this fufpicion I fuggeft not, that 
 J would deny the Growth of Mine- 
 rals , but to recommend this Argu- 
 ment for it to further Confideration. 
 
 And 
 
And yet I take this to be a better 
 proof, than what is much relied on 
 by forae Writers of Metals , who 
 urge, that im Churches, and other 
 magnificent Buildings , that are Lea- 
 ded over, the Metalline Roofs , in a 
 long traiS of years, gtow far more 
 ponderous, in fo much that often 
 times there is a neceflity to remove 
 them , and exchange them for Braft 
 ones. For though this plaufiblc Ar- 
 gument be urged by feveral Writers, 
 and among them by the Learned Jp. 
 Cerhardu^, pag.m, 22 5 yet I fear they 
 proceed upon a Miftake. For ha- 
 ving had fome occafion to obferve 
 and inquire after this kind of Lead, 
 Ifoon fufpefted, that the increment 
 of weight , (which fometinies may 
 indeed be very great) was no clear 
 proof of the real Growth of the Me- 
 tal it felf. For in that which! had 
 occafion to confider, the additional 
 weight as well as bulk feem'd to pro- 
 ceed from Acetous or other Saline 
 Corpufcles of the Timber of thofe 
 Buildings, which by degrees exhaling 
 
 and 
 
14 fi^bfett^atioos! ftbout Hit 
 
 and corroding thit fide of the L«id 
 which they faftcu'd on > turxicd 'dj: 
 with themfelvcs into a, kind of CA- 
 ruffe: Whichfufpicion.I fhall briefly 
 make probable by noting, i. That 
 I have found by tryair purpdely 
 made 5. that Woods affbrd ^n^aeidi, 
 though notmeerly acid^ liquor, caj- 
 pable of corroding Lead h. That 
 !tis known, that LUd turned rinto 
 Ceruffe indreales notably in weighty 
 fome fay, (for I had not opportunity 
 to try it) above fix or feven in the 
 hundred. 3. That from the Sheets 
 of L^ad that have very long coven'^ 
 Churfches and the like Buildings.^ 
 therfi [is often obtained by fcrapingia 
 good . proportion of white Lead^ 
 which I have known much preferred 
 by an e^minent Artift to common Gci 
 tuflfe^ ;when a white Pigment wastq 
 be employed. And, by the way^ 
 Mens finding this Ccruite not oil that , 
 fide of theLead that isexpos'dto^thc I 
 outwitrdAir , (where I fcarce ever 
 obfetved any) but on the infide that 
 regards the Timber and other wooded | 
 
(Bttibattf tit S0m\^^ Si 
 
 work 5 may diiabufe thofe that fan- 
 cied this CcrulTe to be a part of the 
 Lead calcined by the Beams of the 
 Sun, that ftrike immediately upou 
 the Metal. And if to this it be addecf, 
 that by Diftillation and .other wife I 
 have found caufe to fufped , that 
 Alahajier and white Marble may;mnit 
 Spirituous parts that will iAvade 
 Lead 5 it may be doubted , whether 
 what Qden relates of the great fntu- 
 mefcence of Leaden bands or: fefte- 
 x\\t%% wherewith the Feet of Statues 
 were \ faften'd (to their Pedeftais,) be 
 a fure Argument of the real Growth 
 of that Metal in the Air. ; ^rubra 
 But I begin to digrefs , and ;fe> 
 mingly to the prejudice of the partis 
 cular Scope of this Paper ^ but yet 
 not to that of one of the main Soof^s 
 of all my P^/?r^/ Writings , the J^ii^ 
 quifition and Advancement of Truth* 
 
 m 
 
14 E>i3kt\mtmn^ abdur t^ 
 mSBKFATlONS 
 
 Kyi BOUT THE 
 
 • ■■■'-«»«•■ ' 
 
 (jramb of I KOK.: 
 
 II>id not find in one of oUr chief 
 Mines of Iron , that there was any 
 iK)tiGC taken of the Growth of that 
 Metal $ but in another place or two^ 
 fome thatdeai in Iron-Ore^ infor- 
 med me, that they believe it grows ^ 
 and may be regenerated ^ and upoii 
 that account one of them fct up a 
 Work, contiguous to fome Land of 
 mine, to melt over again the re- 
 mainder of Ore that had been already 
 wrought (at a great diftance from 
 that place) and had for fome Ages 
 lain in heaps exjpofed to the free Air 5 
 but with what fuccefs this chargeable 
 Attempt has been made, I am not yet 
 informed. 
 
 But 
 
feutof the Growth of Iron in the: 
 Ifland o( Ilva or Ehd, in the 7>r- 
 rhe^^e Sea , not far from the Coaft of 
 Tufcany , iiot only ancient Authors , 
 zsPliHy and Strah^, take fpecial notice, 
 but modern Minerahfts of very good 
 credit, ^sFalopiHs znACafatfinusy par- 
 ticularly atteft the fame thing, of 
 whom the latter fpeaks ^.^ ^^, ^^ 
 thus : Vena fern copo- 
 fiffima eft in It dim y ol^- earn mhilitata > 
 ilva^ Tyrrehi Mms Infula , incredibili 
 copii etiam noftris tenuforibus am gig- 
 nens I Nam terra -^q^ eruitur dum 
 wena effidiPur, tota froccdente temfore 
 in venam conruertitur. 
 
 And the experienced K^gricoU gives 
 US the like account of a place in his 
 Country, Germany, In Agrk. deVet. & 
 Lygiisy v^'^s\\^^adSagam Nov,Mtt.mjt 
 vppidum injratis eruitur ^*^* "^- ' 
 ferruwy fojfis ad altitudinem htfedaneani 
 a6iis, id decenHio renatum denuo fodi' 
 fur, non aliter ac llvaferrum. 
 
 The Learned Johan. Qerhardus , out ^" 
 of a Book which he calls Condones 
 C^ietallifa; 1 fuppofe he means the 
 
x6 S)bferi)attot^«botiii^e 
 
 High'Dmh Sermons of i^jtthefifis^ 
 
 ( wfaofe Language I underftftpd iK>t) 
 
 has this notiahk paffageto Qurprefent. 
 
 w n u A ■ « .: |>?^Pofe : Ref4tm mihi 
 
 t. Gerhard, frtf- ^ a .^ -* . /; rtT J 
 
 J55(r^. Tubingen- eJ}ameulluofo}JQre,.U 
 
 W4nem cum f€rn Mimra 
 erutam > ^/^^;^ '^^^^^^ tKn;0HttintCC 9 
 
 mixtam cum recrementis ferrijy . qute of* 
 fe Hater Xitt l^iV^Zti cotigepxm in a^ 
 mulos y mJlarmagm^ujufdam'u^Miyfdit 
 bus fluviifyue extern , ^ deums mi^nt^ 
 Anno denm excoqui^ eliqua^i^ fenufn^ 
 tantA tenrntat^^ 4^ foU lamina inde 
 
 
 U ' .?. 
 
 
^ f .. . 
 
 OBSERVATIONS 
 
 y^BOUf THE 
 
 gromb of SILVER. 
 
 OF the Growth , as is fuppofed ^ 
 of silver in the form of Trees 
 or Grafs or other Vegetables , I have 
 met with forae Inftances among Mi- 
 rieralifts , and I have elfwhere men- 
 tioned, that an Acquaintance of mine 
 fliew'd me a Stone , wherein he af- 
 firmed the Silver 5 I faw in it , to 
 have increaled fince he had it. But 
 for certain Reafons^ none of thefe 
 Relations feem to me very proper to 
 my prefent purpofe5 in order to 
 which I (hall therefore fet down only 
 one Inftance, which I lately met 
 with in a Fremh CoUedion of Voy- 
 ages, publiih'd by a Peribn of great 
 Curioiity and laduftry ,. (from whofd^ 
 B 2 Civility 
 
ig £)btcKbation{S about t^e 
 
 Civility I receiv'd the Book.) Fot 
 there, in an account given by a Gen-' 
 tleitian of his Country of a late Voy- 
 age h^ made to Peru, wherein he 
 vifited the famous Silver-Mines of 
 Fotofi , I found a paffage which fpeaks 
 to this fenfe : Le meilUur K^rgent^ c^c. 
 
 /. e. The beft Silver in 
 r;i'i/'.T all the Indies and the. 
 
 pureft is that of the 
 Mines of Fctofi*^ the chief have been 
 found in the Mountain of '^ranzaffe : 
 And 5 (fome Lines being interposed) 
 'tis added , that they draw this Metal 
 even from the Mineral Earths that 
 were in times paft thrown afide, 
 when the ground was open , and 
 the Groves and Shafts that are in the 
 Mountains were made • it having 
 been obferv'd that in thefe recrements 
 Metal had been formed afrefti fince 
 thofe times, which fufficiently Ihews 
 the propenfity of the Soil to the pro- 
 duction of this Metal 5 yet 'tis true , 
 that thefe impregnated Earths yield 
 not fo much as the ordinary Ore 
 which is found in Veins betwixt the 
 Rocks* OB- 
 
I — g— — — — ■■' ' II I.I. I »—»^— —— > 
 
 OBSERVATIONS 
 
 i^BOUr THE 
 
 gromh of goiT>, 
 
 As for the Growth oi GoU^ the 
 Enquiries I have yet made a- 
 mong Travellers give me no great 
 fatisfadion about it , and though I 
 have fpoken with feveral that have 
 been at the Coaft of Guiny , and in 
 Congo, and other Parts of ^fric ^ 
 where much Gold is to be had 5 yet 
 I could not learn by them 5 that they, 
 or any Acquaintance of theirs among 
 the Natives , had feen any Mines or 
 Veins of Gold , (which yet divers 
 Authors affirm to be found in more 
 than one Kingdom in Ethiopia, and in 
 fome other African Countries.) And 
 having afterwards met with a Lear- 
 ned Traveller ^ that had carefully vi- 
 B 3 fited 
 
tb m^nbtitim^ about t^e 
 
 fited the famous Gold-Mine of Crern^ 
 nitz. in Hiii&gary , \iQ anfwer'd me. 
 That he did not learn from the Mi- 
 ners, whether or no the Ores of Gold, 
 (^r. did really grow or were rege-^ 
 nerated in trad of time, by being 
 expos'd to the Air , or upon any other 
 account-, but the Grand Overfeer, 
 who was Lord of part of the Soil , 
 told him 5 that he thought the whole 
 Mountain to abound with particles of 
 Gold , and therefore was wont, when 
 the Diggers had almoft exhaufted 
 the Vein , to caft-in ftore of Earth, 
 and dig up other neighbouring pla- 
 ces , which , being kept there as in a 
 Confervatory , would afterwards af- 
 ford Gold, as the Mine did before. 
 
 And , if a late German Profeflbr of 
 Phyficdo not mifinformus, his Coun- 
 try affords us an eminent Inftance of 
 the Growth or Regeneration of Gold, 
 -r u r> u ^^f^ Corbdchi:, favs he, 
 
 dus in Decade ^f^^ 9* CtVttiU WejifhALU 
 
 Qu^tftionumJ^ng. Jul, iitime Cdnitis de /- 
 
 ^* fefthorg & wddeck , Au^ 
 
 rum exccijmtur ex crnntdis a^ngefiis, ita 
 
 ut 
 
C5mtf9 OE iS^ttm. it 
 
 fit fingulis quadrieHniis itertm eUlfere* 
 tur cumulus urns , femferje refimrnnte 
 mturky (jtc. 
 
 POSTSCRIPT. 
 
 Since the fetting down of the fore- 
 going Obfervations^ I cafually 
 met with a curious Book of Travels, 
 lately made by the very Ingenious 
 Dr, Edvpard Brown ^ and finding in 
 fag, I GO. a couple of Relations, that 
 feem pertinently referable , the one » 
 to a palTage above-cited out of o^r/- 
 coUy in the Notes about the Growth 
 of Lead , and the other to the prefent 
 Title about the Growth of Gold • I 
 thought fit to annex them in the 
 Learned Authors own words, viz. 
 
 I, Some pajfag€S in this Mine cut 
 through the Rocky and long dijhs^dyhiive 
 grmn up again: And I d>ferved the 
 fides of fome , which had been formerly 
 wide cHoitgh , to carry their On thr^hy 
 B ^ to 
 
U approach each of her, fo of we faffe/i 
 with difficulty. This happens mofiin 
 moijl places ; the faff ages unite mt from 
 the top to the bottom , hut from one fide 
 to another p 
 
 2. The common yellow £arth of the 
 Country near CremnitZj efpe daily of the 
 Hills towards the Wefl , although mt 
 e^eenid Ore , affords fome Gold : Ly^nd 
 in one place, I jaw a great part of an Hill 
 digged away , which hath been cajl int& 
 the Works y wajhed and wrought in the 
 fame manner as pounded Ore, with confu 
 derable profit. 
 
 THe foregoing Obfervations a^ 
 bout the Growth of Gold and 
 other Metals are not all that I might5 
 perhaps without being blamed for it, 
 have referred to that Title. But all my 
 Papers, wherein other Obfervations 
 of this kind were fet down , are not 
 now at hand , and divers other Inr 
 ftance^ ^ that I have met with among 
 
 Wri- 
 
writers of the Growth of Metals, 
 (taking that exprtffion in the fenfe I 
 formerly declared) do not feem to me 
 ft) pertinent in this place , becaufe 
 the improving Ores were not expos'd, 
 nor perchance acceffible, to the Air. 
 And even as to the Inftances that I 
 have now mention'd, 'till feverer 
 Obfervations have been made , to de- 
 termin whether it be partly the con- 
 tad: or the operation of the Air , or 
 fome internal difpofition , analogous 
 to a Metalline Seed or Ferment^ that 
 caufes this Metalline Increment, I 
 dare not be pofitive . though I thought 
 the Intereft of the Air in this E&A 
 might make it pardonable, to add on 
 'this occafion to the Hiftory of Na- 
 ture fome particulars , of which the 
 Caufe conjedurally propofed may be 
 probable enough to countenance a 
 Sufpicion , 'till further Experience 
 have more clearly inftruded us* 
 
 To what has been faid of the 
 Growth of Metals in the Air, I 
 might add fome Inftances of the 
 
 Growth 
 
14 &)b(etbatiomt about t^e 
 
 Growth of FofSle Salts , and of fome 
 other Minerals : But , befides that 
 thefe belong to the Paper about the 
 Saltneffes of the Air ; what has beeit 
 already faid may fuiEcc for the pre- 
 fent Qccafion. 
 
 FOStSCRlPT. 
 
 AFter what I writ in the 23^^ pag^ 
 of the foregoing Difeourfej har- 
 ving an opportunity to look again upr 
 on the Marchafite there mentioned to 
 have been Hermetically feal'd up af- 
 ter its furface had been freed from the 
 grainy of Vitriolate Salt that adher'd 
 to it H I perceiv'd , that, notwithftan- 
 ding the Glafs had been fo clofely 
 ftopp'd, yet there plainly appear'd 
 from the outfid^ of the mafs fome 
 grains of an Efflorefcence , whofe 
 colour, between blew and green, ar- 
 gued it to be of a Vitriolate nature* 
 If this be feconded with other trials 
 
 made 
 
made with the like fuccefs , it may 
 fuggeft new thoughts about the 
 Growth of Metds and Minerals, efpc- 
 cially with reference to the Air. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
SOME ADDITIONAL 
 
 EXPERIMENTS 
 
 Relating to the 
 
 SUSPICIONS 
 
 i^BOUT THE 
 
 Hidden Qu alities 
 of the A I R. 
 
 By the Honourable 
 
 ROBERT BOrLE, 
 
 Fellow of the Rcyal Society. 
 
 L o T^D o ?C> 
 
 Printed by William Codiid, and are to 
 
 be Sold by M>ffS Pitty at the Angel osti 
 
 againft the little North Door of 
 
 SttP^/y/sChnrch. 1674, 
 
..; V. < 
 
 \\;t 
 
 i 
 
 z :; 
 
 3Ga I !^ 
 
 ' T in, 
 
 ^i a ^ 
 
 ^ ^- i /ii:iO/. ... : 
 
•T !'•; ;■■,-;. -rrr. 
 
 SOME ADDltibNAL'^^'^^^ 
 
 EXf BKIMBUTJ 
 
 ' \ ■■ \ .. 
 
 Relating to the ,.^/, 
 
 SUSPICIONS- 
 
 ABOUT THE 
 
 Hidden Qnalities of the AIR. 
 
 THe ESSAY about Sutpicions 
 of fome hidden Qualities of^ 
 the Air-, having been de- 
 tained fomewhat long at 
 thePrefs, that it might come abroad 
 accompanied with the other Tracts 
 dcfign'd to attend it, whilft I waSj 
 A 2 ruma- 
 
i HUDttional C>:|?ecimentier* 
 
 rumaging among feveral Papers tq 
 look K>t fome other things, I met now 
 aqd then with an Experiment ojr 0\5f 
 fervation, that feem- d to relate to fome 
 of the things deliver'd in that Tra^ ; 
 and though they be ia themfelves of 
 no great moment, I am content to 
 annex them to the reft, becaufc, as 
 in that company they may figrjifie 
 fomewhat , lb I am un\yilling that 
 any matter of fad, relating to (udf. 
 a Subjeft , fliould perifli to fave thq 
 labour of tranfcribing. 
 
 EXPER. /. 
 
 Having occafion to dulcific Ibmc 
 Cd/x of Bdntzig'Fitriol , from which 
 the Oil had been a good while before 
 diftiird • water was put upon two 
 large portions of it , that the liq^uor 
 might be impregnated with the Vitri;- 
 blate particles remaining in the Calx; 
 the water put upon one of thefepor- 
 tions was, foon after it was fuiR.' 
 
 cicntly 
 
iiently impregnated , filtrated and 
 gently abftra<fted 5 by which means 
 it afFof-ded niany drams of a kind of 
 Salt of Vitriol that feem'd to differ 
 very little frorri the Vitriol that had 
 beeri calcih'd : But tb$ Water that was 
 jput tiport the other portion of caU 
 cin'd Vitriol , was in a wide-mouth'd 
 i^effei left in the Air for a month or 
 fix wetksv aftei" wHich time, when 
 it came to be abftra(ileA after the 
 manner formerly recited , it afforded 
 many drams of a Salt that did not 
 then, norlohg after, look at all like 
 common Vkriolv or like the other, 
 but (hot white almoft like Salt-pctre > 
 6r fome other uritinfted Salt. Whe- 
 ther this Experiment will conftantly 
 fucceed, and at other Seafons of the 
 Year than that *twas made in, whicK 
 was Summer, I had not the oppor- 
 tunity to make a full trial , though 
 I ehdeavQur'd it. But that: the Air 
 may have a great ftroke ift varying 
 the Sahs obtainable from calcinM Vif 
 iriol,j feem'd the more probable, be^ 
 A 3 caufc 
 
4 HUDttioofti ^ptmatitft. 
 
 caufe we hadfome CQipothar th^ 
 had laia maiiy .tnontte^ if jtK)t fpn^ 
 years > in ithe Air, but ia 4 pl^ee 
 ftielter'd fromthe R,aijav and having 
 baus'd iJixmm i:0;be flfedbpf itjto 
 try what ibrtojr Iplmtiy ictf Satiniepari 
 tides it would yieid, we fQuijidj whe/^ 
 the fuperfluows iwifture was lexhaled, 
 that they /bogin to flioc;* into Salt 
 farinore white than Vitriol^jind very 
 differing fidomiti in itsiigur^^ndwaif 
 faf;ConeretipsDU;i^'.i \; rx.-iJi 7..';iHr^ 
 3oa bib 3i;ffi 3lf-<i r. 'io zrnxiib vnirn 
 
 Silif.iJi; 31; >!;.:•! , '»-jii;. grtr)! ion /f:::>d! 
 
 ryn^l''^^s?v~Ai\ iiorr-lf; t^iirlv/ jorllr'rl 
 ^ We toolr' Gdlcotharj joFj oVenereal 
 Vitriol carfcifbily dulcified^ and lea^ 
 vrhg it in my Study in the 
 IfoTJ.- Month of pmarymd Ff 
 -1' iq .' ':h i^ud^jf i' By. Tweighilig it 
 careftiUy J)efor^l an oiuic^; of it iwas 
 iMfpos'd to the Air, and after itJhad 
 Continued there fome ; weel© , we 
 fbwnd it to have increase in wdght 
 four grains and about a quarter ^ be- 
 
 fides 
 
•; Thi^ iSgbt Experiment is her^ 
 cne^tiofl'd, ttot, bdog i^omp^r d with 
 jbi0 next enfuing Trial, it may apposir^ 
 Shar thp diflfeiencQcf Airs, Sealoto^^ 
 G^l^^fMi Vitriol, or; other) CirevMn^ 
 ftange6,,imy produce lifn^tatle difpa^ 
 j^it y irt the Imx^mmt of . wjsight, th^ 
 i^xjpfed B@dk&gaiaifi(th6Air. i;; 
 
 : ": ./ ,71:.., . -; 'nUr^ .ill 
 
 :; AVe p«t eight 6tinces M Ckitlandi^ 
 Vitridl, calcin'd ta a deep rednefs , 
 into a fotnewhat broad and flat Metal-* 
 line veffel , aqd fet it by upon a flielf , 
 in a Study that was feldom frequen* 
 ted ^ and at the fame time , that we 
 might obferve what increment woulc^ 
 be gain xl by expofi^g to the Air a 
 larger.j!»/d'rjfc/^jof the powder in re- 
 ference to the bulk, we put into 
 another Maalline veffel, fmaller than 
 theDtber^ only two guiices of Col* 
 A 4 Gothar, 
 
6 ^Dttumal €%pmitimsi. 
 
 cothar 5 and fet it on the fame flielf 
 with the other, this was done at the 
 Vernal Equinox, (thd twelfth of 
 March;) on the twenty fifth of J/^/^tf 
 we weigh'd thefe powders again , 
 and found the eight ounces to have 
 gained one dram and feventeen 
 grains^ but the two ounces had ac- 
 quired the fame weight \vithin a 
 grain : Then putting them back into 
 their former veiTeis, we left them in 
 the fame place as formerly , 'till the 
 twenty fourth of Lyifugujiy when we 
 found caufe tofuppofe, that the grea- 
 ter parcel of Colcothar had met with 
 fome mifchance , either by Mice or 
 otherwife -, .btit the lefler parcel 
 weigh'd Twenty fix grains heavier 
 than it did in Ju^e , amounting now 
 to two ounces , one dram , forty two 
 grains , having incfeafed, in lefs than 
 fix months, above an hundred grains, 
 and confequently above a tenth part 
 of its firft weight. , i 
 
 No Trial was made to difcover 
 what this acquired Subftance may 
 
 be, 
 
be y that we might lidt diftuj* the 
 intended profeciition of the 'E)^ri- 
 inentv'^-- ^ '- '". ^' ^^m<.ui 
 
 ' >'.j 
 
 Bccaufe in moft of the Experi- 
 ments of SubftancejS expps'd to be im- 
 pregnated by the Aiir, dr detain its 
 Saline or other exotic particles , we 
 employed Bodies prepar'd aiidmiich 
 aker'd by the previous operation of 
 the Fire ^ we thought fit to -make 
 fome Trials with Bodies unchanged 
 by- the Fire , and to this purpofe We 
 took a Marchafite , which was part- 
 ly of ^ a fliining and partly of a darkifli 
 colour, and which feem'd well dif* 
 pos'd to afford Vitriol 5 of this wc 
 took feveral fmaller Lumps, that a- 
 mounted to two ounces 5 theft Wctc 
 kept i« a robm^ where they wert 
 freely acceflible to the Air , which , 
 byreafon that the Houfe, that was 
 ftated in the Country viftood high ; 
 
 was 
 
8 .i!K)(^9lif^i$)i«l(»W0lfl^ 
 
 room fomewhat lefs than fe ven wfi^j 
 we weighed them again in the fame 
 Ballance , and found the two ounces 
 to have gaiiafed abcWi twelve grains 
 in weight. 
 
 th^itj.^fmplpy'd .i^ m^kiijg [tlmtilvi-i 
 qq^r jiib^t' wtns gm^ in :rfi^ ^ i 
 b^^ig i/wiewhat tfPttbl^fo^^b: Ii(re-r 
 msmb^f I thoughii 61: tQ fryrJii^oo 
 tJ)e feflipgrouiid ^ wayof: priciiudng 
 tbeiirtoePh WQinf;ji0ij. mOr$^|e,&nQ 
 6^1015^ ^^p^ditiw^. : Aj^id thojygb peri 
 hapsrthi§ W^Y vriji pc^fc fwc^d fi) §^&A 
 
 Qtber^yefcforit^ ntmtk ^d Qb<mp«efi 
 
 |t, will \mt ' prQb^itiy te ^nweliepme 
 
 / to 
 
to thofe that are defirous to fee the 
 odd PhaenornciCioiXi, a '\ 7. w 
 
 We took then , more than once , 
 filings of clean cifi^d^ : Cop^^ ind 
 having put on them la ctoveiiient 
 quantity of gapd:Sp^i]t of ^ait.^i wo 
 Cifferdthe Menftrni^^ in HcjN: (which 
 ne^^ pot? be v^y:gr^ftt) to'worfe iip-» 
 OOjihe Metal , : ft^hich it ufualiy^ dbes 
 flpwiy^ and; tmilXik^j v^#/^/>i: 
 When the I>i(5p^;^dj,by.tbisLopbi. 
 mxm acquir'd Yi^dtk^iqi^i J^ndi muddy 
 cptour ^ w6 : degat^ed: k irif a a <3leaa> 
 qkfe ; wM a wid^ iuwt;b i rwhichbe^ 
 iog left foTi^ljCofiipetent timfejnthc 
 pp^'Air^.tho exppfed Liqm)riC4me 
 to i be- (if a feirlgc^^n ithojugh itjdid 
 aotbiappear tl)ut;wyithii3g wsji pce^ 
 cipitiaittd at tlie bptf:^^ ^ to ioate it 
 cle^r^.'^ .. -,u*^ii: i:i :.-ij.-/ jj^ii] -iciii 
 -pjX3 t)ih iLtJii gfiiifj yni; e^voiO tjiii 
 >'H jin^'iOri sfij vd LIuo'./ ^liA hn 
 
 .. ' T 'io,e302iq Lrrn aisbbf.J 
 
to 4lilittiorua#(iti^mts(i 
 
 EXPBR. VI. 
 
 \ Perhaps It' maynot be impertinent 
 to add 5 that I oiiceoi' twice obferv 4I 
 the i\mm of a (teirp Liquor to sVprk 
 mot^e quickly or mariifeltiy on acfer-i 
 tain Metal fuftained ki the Aii*^ thail 
 did the Menfiruuin it felf that emitted 
 ihofe fiinfjies on' th^fe' p*arts of thid 
 M^tar that it cover'4 : And thii 
 brings 1 into my triiiid , that , asking 
 divers ^Queftions of a -Ghymift that? 
 had teeb in itungAry OiXi^ c«:hef parts^ 
 purpofeiy to fee the Mines 5 he an^^ 
 fwery nte, artiong other thit^s jf 
 that ,12$ to the Latdd'ers and other 
 wooden vrork imployed inf one^oc 
 more of the deep HnftgArUn Mines^y 
 thofe that were in the upper part of 
 the Groves any thing near the exter- 
 nal Air, would by the fretting Ex- 
 halations be rendered unfervrceablc, 
 id ftot many months , whereas thofe 
 Ladders and pieces of Timber , &c, 
 that were imployedin the lo\^^rpart 
 
 of 
 
of the Mine, Would hold go6d for 
 two or three times arfong.;-^ ^f'^i « 
 
 £XPER. r//.:t0 3rlT 
 
 d vi::ruh 
 
 We took about the bigflefs of a 
 Nutmeg of a certain foft but ' con- 
 fiftent Body, that we had eaus'd to 
 be Chymically prepared, and which 
 in the free Air would continually 
 emit a thick finoak: This being put 
 into a Vial , and placed in a middle 
 fized Receiver in pur Engin, conti- 
 nued for fome time to afford mani- 
 feft funics, whilfttheexhauftionwas 
 making- -till at length , the Air ha- 
 ving been more and more pump'd 
 out 5 the vifible afcenfion of fumes 
 out of the Vial quite ceas'd, and the 
 matter having remained fome time iii 
 this ftate, the fmoaking fubftance was 
 fo altered, that it would not emit 
 fumes 5 not only when the Air was 
 let into the Receiver, but not in a 
 pretty while after the Vial was taken 
 
 OUf 
 
t)qt of it ,. *tiH it h^ been removed 
 to the windowy, where the Win4 
 blowing-in frefh and frefh Air , it be- 
 gan to imoak as formerly. 
 
 The oth^tPh^nmeHa of this Expe- 
 riment belong not to this place 5 
 but there are twQ;, which will not 
 be impertinent here, and the latter 
 of them may djeferv^ a ferious Rev 
 fleftiod* . L.qn I A;0 ) i 
 
 Tb^ Jirji of thlem^was, that the 
 Subftadce hitherto mentioned had 
 been kept in a large Glafs;, where* 
 into it. had been diftiird at leaftfive 
 or fm weeks , and yet would fmoak 
 very plentifully upon the contadl of 
 th^ Air, and be kept from fmoaking^ 
 though the Chymical Receiver were 
 ftopp'd but with a piece of paper. 
 
 :^hQ feccnci was, that, when the 
 Vial v^as put unftopp'd in the Re^ 
 ceiver-^ and the Receiver elofe luted 
 on 5 though no exhauftion were 
 made, yet the white fumes did very 
 quickly ceafe to afcend into theRe* 
 f eiyer , as if this Sraoak participated 
 
 of 
 
of the nature of Flame , and pre- 
 fently glutted the Air, or otherwife 
 made it unfit (and yet without dimi- 
 nutionof its gravity) to raife the Bo- 
 dy that ibould afcepd. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
: (71 i 7 
 
JNIMADFERSIONS 
 
 UPON 
 
 M" HOBBESs 
 VROBLEMATA 
 
 D E 
 
 VACUO. 
 
 By the Honourable 
 
 ROBERT BO r LE, 
 
 Fellow of the Royal Society. 
 
 L o K.V K,7 
 
 PnnttdhyjvilliamGoSid, and are to 
 
 be Sold by MofesPitt^^ixh^ Angel os^i 
 
 againfl the little North Door of 
 
 St, P4»/'s Chorch. 1674. 
 

 
C 3 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 UPON the coming abroad of 
 <Mr. Hobbes'^ Problemata 
 Phyfica , finding th^m in the 
 hands of an Ingenious Person, 
 that intended to write a Cenfure of them, 
 which fever al Employments private and 
 publick have , it feems , hindered him to 
 do; I begany as isufual onfuchoccafions y 
 to turn over the leaves of the Booky to fee 
 what particular things it treated of. This 
 I had not long done before I found , by ob- 
 vious paffages in the third Chapter, or 
 Dialogue , as well as by the Title , which 
 n?^ Problemata de Vacuo, that I was 
 particularly concern d in it ; upon which 
 I defired the Poffeffor of the Book , who 
 readily confented y to leavemetoexamin 
 that Dialogue, on which condition I 
 would leave him to deal with all the reji 
 of the Book, Nor did I look upon the Re* 
 fleifions J meant to make oi repugnant 
 ' a'^ to 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 fp the Kefolutions I had taken againji rvrU 
 ting Books of Contr<nferfte, fince the Ex- 
 flicAtionSy Mr. VLohh^s gave of hU fro^s 
 hle?nSy feem'd to contain hut j'ome Varia* 
 tions ofy or an Appendix to, hit Tracf. 
 DeNatura Aeris , -which , being one of 
 the two frjl pieces that rverf pkblijhed 
 againjl what I had written , rva<s one of 
 ifjofe that I had exprejly referv'd mjfelf 
 the liberty to anfvcer. But the ATiimad- 
 verlions Ifrjl made upon Mr. Hobhts's 
 Problems De Vacuo , having been 
 casually mi (laid e're they were finijhedz 
 before I had occafion to refnme my task ^ 
 there pajl time enough to let meperceivcy 
 that his Doctrine y which * twill eafily 
 be thought that the Vacuifts difapproved. 
 Wits not much relijhed by mof ef the Ple- 
 nifts themselves , the modernejl Peripa- 
 teticks and the Cartefians- each of 
 them maintaining the Fullnefs of the 
 World, upon their own grounds y which are 
 differing enough from thofe of our Author y 
 the natural Indijpoftion J have to "Pole- 
 mical Difcourfes , eafly perjwaded me to 
 let alone a Contr over fie , that did not 
 Appear needful; And I had flill per f fled 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 /> my filem€y if ^A Hbbbes had not 
 as ^tvoere fummond me to break it by 
 fublifloing again his ExplicationSj vchich . 
 tn my Exameii of his Dialogue De Na-^ 
 tura htnsihadfhervn to be erroneotis^'^''^ 
 And I did notgrovp at allmore Jatisfed} 
 to find him fo conjiant ds weU ^ JUff- ari 
 uidverfary to interfpers'd VacuitieSj iy 
 comparing what he maintains in his Dia-^ 
 logue De Vacuo , mthfome things that 
 he teaches J efpecially concerning God, the 
 Caufeof Motion , and the Impervioufnejl 
 of Glafy in fom.e other of his Writings' 
 that are fubli(hed in the fame Volume 
 vpith it. For fince he ajferts that there 
 is a Gody and owns Htm to be the Creator 
 $f the JVorld ; and fince on the other fide 
 the Tenetration of himenfions is confejfed 
 to be impjjible , and hi denies that there 
 is- any Vacuum intheUniverfe; it fie ems 
 difficult to conceive y how in a WoHd that 
 is already perfectly full of Bodie, a Cor- 
 poreal P-f/r^, (uch as he maintains in his 
 Append, ad Lev^iath. cap. 5, can have 
 that accefi even to the minute farts of 
 the Mundane Matter ^ that fie ems re ^ui^ 
 fiite to the Attributes and Operations that 
 d^ % belong 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 ifcloHg to the Deity , in reference to the 
 World, But I league Divines to con- 
 Jider what Influence the conjunction of 
 Mr, Hobbe^'j two Opinions , the Corpo- 
 reity of the Deity , and the perfect Ple- 
 nitude of the World, may have on Theo- 
 logy, And perhaps I jhould not in a Phy- 
 sical Difcourfe have taken any notice of 
 the proposed Difficulty y but that, to pre- 
 vent an Imputation on the Study of Na- 
 tures Works , (as if it taught m rather 
 to degrade than admire their Author,) 
 itfeenid not amif to hint (in tranfitu) 
 that Mr. Hobbes'i grofS Conception of a 
 Corporeal God , is not only unwarranted by 
 found philosophy, but ill befriended even 
 by his own. 
 
 My Adverfary having proposed his Pro- 
 blems by way of Dialogue between A. 
 and V» '^ * twill not y I pre fume y be wonder' d 
 a$ y that I have given the fame form to 
 my i^ntmadv^rftons ; which come forth 
 no earlier , becaufe I had divers other 
 treatises , that I was more concern i for i 
 topubttjh before them. 
 
 But becaufe it willprobably be deman- 
 ded y why en a *tra5t that is but jhorty 
 
 my 
 
PREFACE- 
 
 my y^nimadverfiom jhould take up f$ 
 much YDom f It mil he requiJiUy that r 
 here give an account of the bulk of this 
 Treatife, 
 
 And firlt J having found that there 
 was not any one Problem , in ivhofe £jf- 
 plication, as fropos'dhy Mr. Hobb^Sy I 
 faw caufe to acquiefce, I was induced for 
 the Readers eafe y and that /might be fure 
 to d& my Adversary no wrong , tj> tran- 
 scribe his whole hialogue^ bating frme few 
 TranfitionSy and other Claufes not needful 
 to be transferred hither. 
 
 Next , / was not ^^ \ ( h' ^f* 
 willing to imitate Mr, ti^ l^lJZ v$mt, 
 Hobbes ^ who reeites gus Pfcyfi- 4ms^ /. 
 inthe Dialogue we are Z.ll^Z '^' 
 conftdering the fame Reftitutionis, Hobbii 
 Experiments that he ^^ > ^ a^ '^Jo P""!^ 
 had already mentto- Lib. dc ۩rpore, cap. 
 ned in his Trail D« ^i- Aft. 1. Sine qua 
 
 $Ut adding as his own fumpwis, ad rerum Na. 
 
 (thatlremeMtber)Mih l"fa!»" invifibHes cau- 
 
 ^ ^/ ♦. ^ w» mvemendas adhj-* 
 
 ntVfOnetOthm. But beatur,fruftraerit.A.^ 
 Wy Unwillingne^ to [peaking of the GtmU^ 
 
 tire the Reader mth TiX^/^r; 
 bare gtvi 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 gwej^pthfiei^thiKiis'd hAreRefetitimsofthe 
 
 hf.ihe Katki> of the : tftmy Exameo cf that 
 
 Royal Society, he thus q-yact , invited me to 
 
 treats them and their ,. ' .J, V • / 
 
 haj tf htqutrwg htto e/tdcAVour. ^ ^ Po » f»ake 
 
 n^Lkrej Comxmnx^ :fmt fifne amends f of 
 
 tarn Telunt , nifi 3k ttenc€ by tn\erting , 
 
 PjiricipusAifsnturme-' ^.^cAftonw^ ofe/d, 
 
 is, nihil prphtlenr. ^ -* r _ r-^^^ 
 
 hil ba6wws a Coljegis fimef^s , th^tvpillmt 
 
 iuralium,nifi quod U- made by every Reader 
 
 ous -ecriims Macbinam ^^^^ will be able {novi 
 
 In , ut partes Sphxr* tnfyfrofos'd them) ti 
 
 daflt ad Centrum, oc i t ai ?• 
 
 utHyj)DthcfesHobbia- ^/^^ lajtly , fWce 
 
 fix, ante quidem fatis ^^^ HobbcS fe /^(J? 
 iwobabiies, hinc red- , ^ * ^ aV 
 
 ^Dtur probabiliores. heen content t^ mag^ 
 
 f. Nec.fartri pu- %i^e jjifHptf and his 
 
 der: «|m efl a^i^u.d ^^y ^f treating 4 
 prodire tenus, ft non /^ J, ^ , -^ 
 
 daiur ultra. Phyjical mattets , bu» 
 
 J, Quid tenm-i f^ y^^ pleas' d to 
 
 Machinarum faftudif- ly of Experiment ariaH 
 
 ficiiium^uteatenrntan- philofofherS ( OS he 
 tarn prodirens quan- J i^ /J 7 
 
 tum 
 
PREFACE 
 
 Me S them) in ^cne. turn ante prodierat 
 f . J / ' L • Hobbius ? Cur non in- 
 
 rat y onAy -ephich u j^ porf^s incepiiiis ubi 
 rcorfe-^ to drfpArage the i^ie <leiiit ? cir Pnn^ 
 
 --^^-<? ^/ -^%', :;reft.s Z "^ 
 
 Experiments 'ylpdgd cue Arifloteles rede 
 
 the thim , )&^ {eernd *^«'^ > igncrato mo- 
 
 to aim at, Jo prejudt- i^^. 
 
 f/\«/ /a /^r/^^ /e;/^ /ir/^- r— Ad C^fas aurem, 
 
 ftd Phtlofophy y that I propter quas pr^ficere 
 
 thought y it might do potuiftis, nee poteriv^ 
 
 Come Service totheleK t«. accedunt ctiama- 
 knowrngjandlepvpary, ^^ ' 
 
 pr^ (?/^ Readers , if 'I 
 tryed ta make his ovon Explications ener- 
 vate his Authority , and by a jbr/kvchat 
 particular Examen of the Soltttimi he 
 hits given of the Broblems I am comernd 
 in , jheWy that 'tis much more cafie to un- 
 dervalue a frequent recourse to Experi- 
 ments , than truly to explicate the Ph?e- 
 nomtnd, of Nature without t hern. And 
 fmce, mr Author , Jpeaking of his Vxor 
 blemata Phyfica, {vchich isbut ajmatl 
 Book) fcruplcs not to tell His CMajcfly ^ 
 i to whom he dedicates them , that he has 
 therein comprised {to fpeak in his ovpn 
 terms) the greateft and mpft probable 
 
 part 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 part rf his Thyftcal MeiitAtims ; and 
 fince hy the alterations , he has made in 
 rohat he formerly vcrit about the Pheno- 
 mena of my Engine , he feems to have 
 dejignd to give it a more advantageous 
 form: I conceive ^that ly thefe feleBed 
 Solutions of his , one may, without doing 
 him the leajl injujlice , make an ejiimate 
 of his voay of discoursing about Natural 
 things. And though Irvould not inter e^ 
 the credit of Experiment arian Philofo- 
 fhers in no confider abler a Fafer than 
 this ; yet if Mr, HobbesV Explications 
 and mine be attentively compared, it vpill 
 not y I hope , by them be found, that the 
 rvay of Fhiloj'ofhifing he employs, is much 
 to lepreferrd before that yphich he under-^ 
 va^lues. 
 
 /:• : 
 
 ^NI- 
 
itfe jfe ife £^ *A* .2*1 ife ^fe Xfe. **» **^ 
 
 ANIMADVERSIONS 
 
 VPON 
 
 M^ HOBBES's 
 
 Problemata de V a c u o. 
 
 4. n^ y^^y o^^5 without too 
 j\ /I bold an inquifitive- 
 
 I V 1^ ^^^^5 ^^^5 what Book 
 you are reading fo at- 
 tentively ^ 
 
 5. You will eafily believe you 
 may , when I fhall have anfwer'd you, 
 that *twas Mr. Hobbes'% lately publifh'd 
 Trad of Phyfical Problems, which 
 iwasperufing. 
 
 A. What progrefs have you made 
 in ittf 
 
 iS, I was finiihing the third Dia^ 
 
 logue or Chapter when you came in, 
 
 A 2 and' 
 
2 3[[ntmaDbetGonj3 upon 
 
 and finding my felf 5 though not na- 
 med 5 yet particularly concern'd , I 
 was perufing it with that attention 
 which it feems you took notice of. 
 
 A, Divers of your Experiments 
 are fo exprefly mentioned there , that 
 one need not beskill'd in decyphering 
 to perceive that you are interefled in 
 that Chapter, and therefore feeing 
 you have heedfuUy read it over, pray 
 give me leave to ask your Judgment, 
 both of Mr. tiobbes\ Opinion^ and his 
 Reafonings about Vacuum. 
 
 B. Concerning his Opinion, lam 
 forry I cannot now fatisfie your Cu- 
 riofity, having long fince taken, and 
 ever fince kept , a llefolution to de- 
 cline 5 at leaft until a time that is not 
 yet come , the declaring my felf ei- 
 ther for or againft the Plemjis. But 
 as to-the other part of your Qucftion, 
 which is about Mr. HoUes's Argu- 
 ments for the abfolute Plenitude of 
 the World 3 I fhall not fcruple readily 
 to anfwer, that his Ratiocinations 
 feem to mefarfhortof that cogency, 
 which the noife he would make in 
 
 thQ 
 
M, HobbesV Problemata de Fdcuo, j 
 
 the world , and the way wherein he 
 treats both ancient and modern Philo- 
 fophers that diflent from him ^ may 
 warrant us to expeft. 
 
 A. You will allow me the free- 
 dom to tell you. That, to convince 
 me 5 that your refentment of his ex- 
 plicating divers of thePhaenomenaof 
 your Pneumatic Engine otherwife 
 than you have been wont to do, (and 
 perhaps in terms that might well have 
 been more civil,) has had no ihare 
 in dictating this Judgment of yours 5 
 the beft way will be, that entering for 
 a while into the party of the Vmufis 
 you anfwer the Arguments he alledges 
 in this Chapter to confute them. 
 
 -5. Having always , as you know, 
 forborn to declare my felf either way 
 in this Controverfie , I fhall nottye 
 my felf ftridly to the Principles and 
 Notions of the r^^////?/,nor,though but 
 for a while, oppofe my felf to thofe 
 of t\iQ Plemfts : But fo far I fhall com- 
 ply with your Commands , as either 
 upon the Docftrineof xh^FacmJis , or 
 upon other grounds, toconfider, rvhe- 
 A 3 thev 
 
4 ilmmaiObecQonjS upott 
 
 ther this Dialogue of Mr, Hobhes have 
 cogently proved his, and the Schools, 
 Affertion, Non dari Vacuum ; and vphe- 
 ther he has rightly explained fome 
 Phaenomena of Nature.which he un- 
 dertakes to give an account of , and e- 
 fpecially fome produced in ourEngin, 
 whereof he takes upon him to render 
 the genuine Caufes. And this laft in- 
 quiry is that which I chiefly defign. 
 
 A, By this I perceive 5 that if you 
 can make out your own Explications 
 of your Adverfaries Problems de Va- 
 cuo y and Ihew them to be preferable 
 toKis, you will think you have done 
 your work, and that 'tis but your 
 lecondary fcope to fhew, that iq 
 Mr. Hobbes his way of folving them, 
 he gives the Vacmfis an advantage 
 againfl: Him , though not againft the 
 Plemjis'm general. 
 
 B. You do not miflake my mean- 
 ing, and therefore without any fur- 
 ther Preamble, let us now proceed to 
 the particular Phssnomena confider'd 
 by iVlr. Hobbes ; the firft of which is 
 an Experiment propofed by me in the 
 
 one 
 
M. Hobbes'/ Vrohlemat4 de Vacuo. . j 
 
 one and thirtieth of the Phyfico-Me- 
 chmicd Experiments concerning the 
 Adhefion of two flat and polifh'd 
 Marbles, which I endeavoured to fol ve 
 by the preffure of the Air. And this 
 Experiment Mr. Hobbes thinks fo con- 
 vincing an one to prove the Plenitude 
 of the World , that, though he tells 
 us he has many cogent Arguments 
 to make it out , yet he mentions but 
 this one, becaufe thap, he fays, fuifices. 
 J. The Confidence he thereby 
 cxpreffes of the great force of this 
 Argument does the lefs move me , 
 becaufe , I remember , that formerly 
 in his Elements of Phi/ofophy he thought 
 it fuiBcient to employ one Argument 
 to evince the Plenitude of the World, 
 and for that one he pitch'd upon the 
 Vulgar Experiment of a Gardeners 
 Watering-Pot : Butjwhetherhewere 
 wrought upon by the ObjciJlions made 
 to his Inference from that Phaenome- 
 nonin yourExamenof his Dialogue 
 De Natura K^eris , or by fome other 
 Confiderations 5 I will not pretend to 
 divine. But I plainly perceive, he 
 A 4 ^^W 
 
.6 mimnxibn^n^ upon 
 
 now prefers the Experiment of the 
 cohering Marbles. 
 
 i^' B. Of which it will not be amifs, 
 •though the paflage be fomewhat long, 
 to read you his whole Difcourfe out 
 of the Book I have in my hand. 
 . ^. 'Tis fit that you , who for my 
 fake are content to take the pains of 
 anfwering what he fays 5 ihould be ' 
 cafed of the trouble of reading it , 
 which I will therefore, with your 
 leave, take upon me. His Difcourfe 
 then about the Marbles is this ; 
 
 A. o^^ prol^a^fdam Univerfi Tlenu 
 tuAi'nem , nullum nojlm K^rgumentum 
 cogens f 
 
 B. Imo mult A : Unum autem fufficit 
 ex eoj'umptum , Quod duo corf or a f Una , 
 f Je mutul) fecundum amborumfUnitiem 
 commune m tangant , non fuctle in in^ 
 
 ft ante dwelli pojfunt ; fuccejffve vera 
 faciUimi. Non dicoy impoffibile effe duo 
 duriffima Marmora ita cohdirentia diveL 
 lere , [ed difficile -^ ^ vimpojlulare tan- 
 tarn , quanta fufficit ad duritiem lapidis 
 fuperandam, Siquidem ver^o major e vi 
 ad feparationem o^tis [it quam ill^y qua 
 ' . moven- 
 
M. HobbcsV Problemata. de Vacuo. 7 
 fnoventur fefarata y id, fignum eji non 
 dari Vacuum, 
 
 A. K^^ertiones ilU demonfiratione 
 indigent. Pritno autemofiendey quomo- 
 do ex duoYum durijjimorum corforumy 
 conjun5lorum ad fuperficies exqutfite la- 
 ves ) dirempione dtfficili , fecjuatur Pie- 
 nitudo UMundi ? 
 
 B. Si duo plana , dura y folita Cor^ 
 for a {ut CM armor a) coUocentur unumfu- 
 fra alterum , it a ut eorum fuperficies fe 
 rnutuo per omnia punBa exaiie , quan- 
 tum fieri potejl y contingant y ilia fine 
 magna dijficultate it a divelli non pof- 
 funt y ut eodem infiante per omnia pun- 
 eta dirimantur, Veruntamen Marmora 
 eademy fi communis eerum fuperficies ad 
 Horizontem erigatur , aut non valde in-^ 
 clinetur , alterum ah alter facillime 
 (ut fcis) etiam folo psndere dilabentur. 
 
 \ Nonne caufa hujus rei hdc efi , Quod 
 i lahenti Marmori fuccedit Aer^ c^ reli- 
 ' ^tum locum femper implet ? 
 
 A. Certiffime, Quid ergo? 
 
 B. Quando vero eadem uno infiante 
 divellere conaris , nonne multo major vis 
 adhibenda ejl 5 Quam ob caufam ? 
 
 A. EgOy 
 
8 3(nimatiber6onjS upon 
 
 A. EgOy ^mecum{futo)omnescdH- 
 famjlatuunt y Quod Jpatium totum i/tter 
 duo ill A MtirmoYA divulfa , fimul uno in^ 
 fiante imflere o/e-r ncn fotefi , qumta^ 
 cunque celeritatejiat divuljio. 
 
 B. (-xf5* quijpatia in K^ere dart va* 
 cua, coHtendunt y in illo Aere foU dari 
 negant qui Marwora ilia conjun^a tir^ 
 cumdat <* 
 
 A. MinimCy fed ubique interjperfa, 
 
 B. Dum ergo illiy qui MArmor\unum 
 ab alter rev client es Aerem corner tmunty 
 (^ per confequens Vacuum exprimunt y 
 Vacuum faciunt locum per revulfionem 
 relictum ; nulla ergo feparationis erit 
 difficulties y faltem non major quam eji 
 difficultas corpora eadem movendi in 
 <^ere pojlquam feparata fuerint, Ita- 
 que quoniaj^n , concejfo Vmuo , difficultas 
 Maxmora ilia dirimendi nulla efi , |^- 
 quitur per difficult atis experientiam ,, 
 nullum ejfe Vacuum. 
 
 A. Re Cte qui dem illud infers, Mun- 
 di autem Plenitudine fuppofita , quomodo 
 demonjlrabis poffibile omnino ejfe ut di- 
 vellantur f 
 
 B# Cogita primo Corpm aliquod du- 
 ctile , 
 
M. Hobbes' J Problemata, de Vacuo, g 
 
 £tile y nee nimis durum , ut ceram , m 
 duos partes dijlrahi , qu<e tamen partes 
 non minus exuSte in communi piano fe 
 mutuo tangunt quam Uvtffima CMar- 
 mora. Jam quo faiio difirahatur cerXy 
 consider emus, Nonne ferpetuo attenua- 
 tur donee in filum evadat tenuiffimum , 
 cjr omni dato crajfo tenuius y ^ ftc tan- 
 dem divellitur? Eodem modo etiam du- 
 rijjima columna in du^ts partes dijlra- 
 hetur , fe vim t ant am adhihe.ts , quanta 
 fufficit ad refejlentiam duritiei fuperan- 
 dam. Sicut enim in cera partes prima 
 extima difirahuntur , in quarum locum 
 fuccedit Aer ; it a etiam in Corpore quan- 
 tumlib^i duro ui^r locum fubit partium 
 extimarumy quaprim^ Vulfeonis viribm 
 dirumpuntur. VU autem qudt fuperat re- 
 fijlentiam partium extimarum huri^ fa- 
 : cile fuperabit refejlentiam reliquarum. 
 Nam reftfientia prima efi a Toto Duro , 
 reliquarumverofemper a Refeduo, 
 
 A. I^^ quidem videtur conftderantiy 
 quam Corpora quadam^ prafertim vero 
 durifjima^ fragtlia ftnt. 
 
 Does this Ratiocinatdon feem to 
 you as cogent, as it did to the Propofer 
 pf it^ B, You 
 
lo SImmaDberQonjS upon 
 
 B. You will quickly think it does 
 not, and perhaps you will think it 
 ihould not , if you pleafe to confider 
 with me fome of the Reflexions that 
 the Reading of it fuggefted to me. 
 
 And firft, without declaring for 
 the Vacmfts Opinion , I muft profefs 
 my felf unfatisfied with yit.Hohbes's 
 way of arguing againft them ; For , 
 where he fays , Bum ergo illi qui Mar- 
 mor unum ab altera revellentes Aerem 
 comprimunt c^ fer confequens Vacuum 
 exprimunt y Vacuum faciunt locum per 
 revulfionem reliBum ; nulla ergofepara- 
 tionu erit difficult a^ , fait em non major 
 quam efi dijficultas corpora eadem mo-- 
 "vendi in Aere pojiquam feparatafuerint, 
 Jtaque qmniam , concejfo Vacuo , diffi- 
 cult as Marmara tlla dirimendi nulla ejl , 
 fequitur per difficult at is experientiam ^ 
 nullum ejfe Vacuum. Methinks heex- 
 prefTes himfelf but obfcurely , and 
 kaves his Readers to ghefs , what the 
 word Vum refers to. But that which 
 feems to be his drift in this palTage, is, 
 that, fince the Vacuifis allow inter- 
 fperfed Vacuities, not only in the Air 
 
 that 
 
M. HobbesV ProblematA de Vacuo, 1 1 
 
 that furrounds the conjoyned Mar- 
 bles 5 but in the reft of the ambient 
 Air 5 there is no reafon, why there 
 ftiould be any diiBcuhy in feparating 
 the Marbles , or at leaft any greater 
 difficulty than in moving the Marbles 
 in that Air after their reparation. But, 
 not to confider 3 whether his Adver- 
 faries will not accufe his phrafc of 
 fqueezing out a Vacuum as, if it were 
 a Body , they will eafily anfwer, that 
 notwithftanding the Vacuities they 
 admit in the ambient Air , a manifelt 
 reafon may be given in their Hypo- 
 thefis of our finding a diiBculty in the 
 Divulfion of the Marbles. For, the 
 Vacuities they admit being but inter- 
 fpers'dj and very fmall, andtheCor- 
 pufcles of the Atmofphere being ac- 
 cording to them endowed with Gra- 
 vity , there leans fo many upon the 
 upper furface of the uppermoft Mar- 
 ble, that that ftone cannot be at 
 once perpendicularly drawn up from 
 the lower Marble contiguous to it, 
 without a force capable to furmount 
 the weight of the Atrial Corpufcles 
 
 that 
 
12 ^nimatibevQon^ upoti 
 
 that lean upon it. And this weight 
 has already fo conftipated the neigh- 
 bouring parts of the ambient Air, 
 that he, that would perpendicularly 
 raife the upper Marble from the lower, 
 ftiall need a confiderable force to mak^ 
 the Revulfion , and compel the al- 
 ready contiguous parts of the incum* 
 bent Air to a fubingreflion into the 
 pores or :^ intervals intercepted be-, 
 tween thOTi. For the Comtm of hittij 
 that endeavours to remove the upper 
 Marble , whilft the lower furface of 
 it is fenc'd from the preflure of th6 
 Atmo(phere by the Contadl of the 
 lower Marble which fuffers no Air to 
 come in between them, is not afliftedl 
 by the weight or prejQTure of the At- 
 mofphere, which, when the Marbles 
 are oncefeparatedjprefling asftrong- 
 ly againft the unoermoft furface of 
 the upper Marble , as the incumbent i 
 Atmofpherical Pillar does againft thd 
 upper furface of the fame Marble ,' 
 the hand that endeavours to raife it' 
 in the free Air has no other refiftance, 
 than that fmall one of the Marbleii 
 own weight to furmount. ^. But 
 
M. Hobbes'i Prohlemxta de Vacuo. 1 3 
 
 A. But what fay you totheRea- 
 fon that Mr. Hobbesy and, as he thinks, 
 all others give of the difficulty of the 
 often mentioned Divulfion , namely. 
 Quod Jpatium totum inter dm ilU Mar- 
 mora divulfaftmul um infiante imflere 
 Aer non ptefi , quant acnnque celeritate 
 pat divulfto. 
 
 B. I fay 5 that, for ought I know^ 
 the Plenifts may give a mof e plaufible 
 account of this Experiment, than 
 Mr. Hobbes has here done 5 arid there- 
 fore abftradling from the two oppofite 
 Hypothefes , I ihall further fay , That 
 the genuine Caufe of the Phssnome- 
 non feems to be that which I have 
 already affign'd 5 and that, difficulty 
 of raijQng the upper flone that ac- 
 companies the Airs not being able 
 to come in all at once, to pollefs the 
 fpacc left betii^een the furfaces of the 
 two Marbles upon their feparation, 
 proceeds from hence, that, 'till that 
 Ipace be fiU'd with the Atraofpherical 
 Air, the hand of him that would 
 lift up the fuperiour Marble cannot 
 be fully affifted by the preffure of 
 
 the 
 
14 ^mmaitberfioniS upon 
 
 the Air againft the louder furface of 
 that Marble. 
 
 A. This is a Paradox , and there- 
 fore I (hall defire to know on what 
 you ground it ^ 
 
 B. Though I mention it but as a^ 
 Gonjedlure propos'd ex ahunAmtir j 
 yet I (hall on this occafion counte-i 
 nance it with two things- xh^firjly 
 that, fince I declare not for the Hypo- 
 thefls of the Flentfts as 'tis maintained 
 by lAt.Hohbesy I am not bound to ^V 
 low, what the common Explication , 
 adopted by my Adverfary, fuppofesj^ 
 namely , that either Nature abhors a 
 Vacuum (as the Schools would have 
 it,) or that there could be no Divul- 
 fionof the Marbles, unlefsatthefame 
 time the Air were admitted into the> 
 room that Divulfion makes for it* 
 And a Facuift may tell you, that, 
 provided the ftrength employed to: 
 draw up the fuperiour Marble be. 
 great enough to furmount the weight 
 of the Aerial Corpufcles accumulated 
 upon it , the divulfion would enfue , 
 tnough by Divine Omnipotence no 
 
 Air 
 
M. Hobbes'^j' Proi^lewaU de Vacuo, i j 
 
 Air or other Body lliould be permitted 
 to fill the room made for it by the 
 divulfion • and that the Air's ru- 
 fliing into that Ipace does not necef- 
 farily accompany, but in order of 
 Nature and tiniie follow upon, a fe- 
 parationof the. Marbles, the Air that 
 furrounded their contiguous furfaces 
 being by the weight of the collate- 
 rally fuperiour Air impell'd into the 
 room newly made by the divulfion. 
 But I Ihail rather countenance what 
 you call my Paradox by an Experi- 
 ment I purpofely made in our Pneu- 
 matical Receiver , where having ac- 
 j commodated two flat and polifh'd 
 Marbles, fo that the lower being fixt, 
 the upper might be laid upon it and 
 drawn up againvas there ihould be 
 occafion, I found, that if, when 
 the Receiver was- well exhaufted, the 
 upper Marble was by a certain con- 
 trivance laid flat upon the lower, 
 they would not then cohere as for- 
 merly, but be with great eafe fepa- 
 rated, though it did notbyanyPhasr 
 nomenori appear , that any Air could 
 J B come 
 
1 6 9mmat)l)e(8on)e( upon 
 
 come to rufli in, to poffefs the place 
 given it by the recefs of the upper 
 Marble 5 whole very eafie avulfion is 
 as eafily explicable by our Hypothefis • 
 fince the preffure of that little Air, 
 that remainM in the Receiver, being 
 too faint to make any at all confide- 
 rable rcfiftance to the avulfion of the 
 upper Marble, the hand that drew 
 it up had very little more than the 
 fingle weight of the ftone to fur- 
 mount. 
 
 y4. An ^^nti^fUniJi had expcified^ 
 that you would have obferved, that 
 the diiBcult feparation of the Mar- 
 bles in the open Air does rather prove, 
 that there may be a Vacmm , than 
 that there can be none. For in €afe 
 the Air can fuccecd as faft at the fides 
 as the divulfion is made , a Vncuifi 
 niay demand, whence comes the dif- 
 ficulty of the feparation^ And if the 
 Air cannot fill the whole room made 
 for it by the (eparated Marbles at the 
 fame inftant they are forc'd afunder^ 
 how is a V^uum avoided for that 
 time , how fmall foever, that is ne- 
 
 ceflary 
 
M. HobbesV Troblematade Vacuo, i 7 
 ccffary for the Air to pafs from tte 
 edges to the middle of the room new- 
 ly made < 
 
 B. What the Plemjls will fay to 
 your Argument I leave them tocon- 
 fider^ but I prefume, they will be 
 able to give a more plaufible account 
 of the Phenomenon we are treating 
 ofj than is given by Mr. Hohbes. 
 
 A. What induces you to diflike 
 his Explication of it i 
 
 B. Two things- the one, that I 
 think the Caufe he affigns impro- 
 bable 5 and the other , that I think a- 
 notherjthat is better, has been aflign'd 
 already. 
 
 And frfi, whereas Mr. Hobbes re- 
 quires to the Divulfion of the Mar- 
 bles a force great enough to fur- 
 mount the hardnefs of the ftone, 
 this is afTerted gratis , which it fliould 
 not be- finceitfeems very unlikely, 
 that the weight of fo few pounds as 
 will fuffice to feparate two coherent 
 Marbles of about an Inch, for in- 
 ftance, in Diameter, fliould be able 
 to furmount the hardnefs of fuchfolid 
 B 2 ftones 
 
i8 3BntmaDbetQon£( upon 
 
 ftones as we ufually employ in thi^ 
 Experiment. And though it be ge^ 
 nerally judg'd more eafie to bend'i 
 if it may be , or break a broader piece 
 of M^lMq ceteris partus, than a much 
 narrower- yet, whereas neither 1 5 
 nor any elfethat I know, nor I be- 
 lieve Mr. Hobbesy ever obferv*d any 
 difference in the refiftance of Mar- 
 bles to reparation from the greater or 
 leffer thicknefs of the ftones • I find 
 by conftant experience 5 that, c<ete- 
 risfaribusy the broadnefs of the cohe^ 
 rent Marbles does exceedingly increafe 
 the diiBculty of disjoyning them: 
 Infomuch that , whereas not many 
 pounds 5 as Iwas faying, would fe- 
 parate Marbles of an Inch, or a leffer. 
 Diameter 5 when I increafed their 
 Diameter to about four Inches, if I 
 mifremember not , there were feveral 
 Men that fuccefHvely try'd to pull 
 them afunder without being able by 
 their utmoft force to effedl it. 
 • ^; But what fay you to the 11^ 
 luftfation , that Mr. Hobbesi upon the 
 fuppofuion of the Worlds Plenitude, 
 ' - gives 
 
M. Kobb^s'/ ProblematA defTacuo. i p 
 
 ^ives of our Ph^nonienoiii by draw- 
 ing afander the oppofite pa^cs of a 
 ■piqce of Waxj: ..If .7 
 
 B. To me it fepms an Inftance 
 improper enough. Votfirji, the parts 
 that are to be divided in the Wax 
 -are of a foft and yielding confiftence, 
 and according to him of a duftile, 
 or 3 if you pjeafe , of a tra^ile na- 
 ture, and not J as the parts of the 
 coherent Marbles, very folid and hard. 
 Next, the. parts of the Wax do not 
 ,ftick together barely by a fuperf^cial 
 cont^6t of two fmooth Planes , as do 
 theMarblqs we are fpeaking of- but 
 have their parts implicated , and as 
 it were imangled with one another. 
 And therefore they are farfromadif- 
 pofition to Aide off, like the Marbles, 
 from one another, in how commo- 
 dious a pofture Ibever you place 
 them. Befides 'tis manifeft, that the 
 Air has opportunity tofucceedinthe 
 places fucceflively defertedby there- 
 ceding parts of the attenuated Wax • 
 but 'tis ndther manifeft, por as yet 
 well proved by Mx.Hol?hs ,. tht^t the 
 B 3 Air 
 
to SoimaD^etCionjS upon 
 
 Air does after the fame manner fuc- 
 ceed between the two Marbles, 
 which 5 as I lately noted, are not for- 
 ced afiinder after uich a way, but are, 
 as himfelf fpeaks , fever'd in all their 
 points at the fame inftant. 
 
 ^. 1 know, you forget not what 
 he fays of the dividing of a hard 
 Column into two parts by a force 
 fufficient to overcome the refiftance 
 of itshardnefs. 
 
 B. He does not here either affirnr, 
 that he , or any he can truft, has 
 feen the thing done 5 nor does he give 
 us any fuch account of the way 
 wherein the Pillar is to be broken , 
 whether in an ereded , inclined , or 
 horizontal pofture^ nor defcribe the 
 particular circumftances that were 
 fit to be mention'd in order to the 
 folution of the Phaenomenon. Where- 
 fore, 'till I be better inform'dof the 
 matter of fad , I can fcarce look up- 
 on what Mr./ft?^^^j fays of the Pil- 
 lar, as other than his Conjefture, 
 which now I fhall the rather paft 
 by , not only b^caufe the cafe is dif- 
 fering 
 
M. Hobbcs V Pr Mem At a de Vacuo, 2 1 
 
 fering from that of our polifh'd 
 Marbles , which are adlually diftina 
 Bodies, and only contiguous in one 
 GommifTurc 5 but alfo^becaufe I would 
 haften to the feccnd reafonof mydif- 
 like of Mr. Hobbe$*s Explication of 
 our Phaenomenon, which is, that a 
 better has been given already, from 
 the preffure of the Atmofohere upon 
 all the fuperficial parts of the upper 
 Marble fave thofe that touch the Plane 
 of the lower. 
 
 A. You would have put fair for 
 convincing Mr. Hohbes himfelf , at 
 leaft would have put him to unufual 
 fliifts , if you had fucceeded in the 
 attempt you made, among other of 
 your Phyfico^Mechanical Experi- 
 ments , to disjoyn two coherent Mar- 
 bles, by fufpending them horizon- 
 tally in your Pneumatical Receiver, 
 and pumping out the Air that invi- 
 ron a them 5 for , from your failing 
 in that attempt, though you ren- 
 dred a not improbable Reafon of it , 
 Mr. Hobbes tookoccafion , in his Dia- 
 logue De Natura ^erU , to fpeak in 
 B 4 fo 
 
3« aimmaMKtfioniGt ttpoti 
 
 {o high a ftrain as this: Nihil ijihic \ 
 erat quod ageret fonim . Exferimenh \ 
 hoc excogitari contra cfinionem eorum ' 
 qui j/'acuum afferunt aliud AYgumentum 
 fortius mt evident ius nonptuit^ Nam 
 ft duorum coh^rentium dlterutrumfeciin' 
 diim earn viam^ in qua jacentjff^ con- 
 tigu^ fuperficies , propulfum cjfet , facile 
 fepararentur , Aere fraximo in locum 
 reltdtum fuccef/ive femper influente ; fed 
 ilia it a dtvellere , ut fimul totum amit- 
 terent contaBum , impofjihile ejl^ mundo 
 pleno, Oporteret enim aut motum fieri ab 
 unotermino ad alium ininflante, aut duo 
 corpora eodem tempore in eodem ejfe Ucio i 
 Quorum utrumvis dicer e^ ejl abfurdum, \{ 
 B. You may remember , that 
 where I relate that Experiment , I 
 exprefs*d a hopejthat, wheal fhould 
 be better accommodated than I then' 
 was, I might attempt the Tryal with 
 profperous fuccefs , and accordingly 
 afterwards 5 having sot a leffer En- 
 gine than that I ufed before, where- 
 with the Air might be better pumpt 
 out and longer kept out , I cheerfully 
 repeated the Tryal. To fliew then , 
 
 that 
 
that when two coherent Marbles are 
 fuftained horizontally in the; Air ^ 
 the Caufe^ . why they arei not to be 
 fore*d afunder y j; if; they have itwoor 
 three Inches i in f Diameter i without 
 the. help of a confiderabie tveight, 
 is the preffure I was lately ;h)entio^ 
 nihg of the ambient Air- >I caufed 
 two fuch coherent Marbles to be fuf- 
 peiided in aj'arg^ Receiver 5; with a 
 weight at the io wermoft 5 that might 
 help; to keep them fteddy, but was 
 very inconfiderable to 'thitt which 
 their ^ GoheCion might have furmoun- 
 ted - then caufing the n Air I to be 
 pumpt by degreesi out of the Reeei-: 
 v^r 5 for a good while the M#bleS' 
 ftuck clofe ' together , becaUfe during 
 that time the Air could not Be fo 
 far pumpt out ^ but that) there iemai-. 
 ned, enough -to &ftain;oi;h^iimail 
 weight that eiadeavoured their dii^ul- 
 fion : But when the Air was fujjther 
 piimpt out > ; at length the Spring of 
 the little , but not. a little; expanded y 
 Air^ that rem^ined> bdng grpivri too 
 weak to fuftain the ^iowet Marble 
 
 and 
 
24 SbiimaDtetCotMlupoti 
 
 and its fixiall clog, they did, as I 
 expeiScd, dropofh 
 
 A. This will not agree ov,er-\veIl 
 with the confident ana triumphant 
 expreflions juft now recited. 
 
 ^. I never envied lAx.Hohbes^s 
 forwardnefs to triumph , and am con- 
 tent, his Conjeftures be recommended 
 by the confidence that accompanies 
 them 5 if mine be by the fuccefs that 
 follows them. But to confirm the 
 Explication given by me of our Phae- 
 nomenon, I fhall add, that as the 
 laft mentioned Tryal , which I had 
 fcveral times occafion to repeat, 
 fhews, that the cohefion of our two 
 contiguous Marbles would ccafe up- 
 on the withdrawing of the preflure 
 of the Atmofphcre •, fo by another 
 Experiment I made, it appears, that 
 the fupervening of that preflure fuf- 
 ficed to caufe that Cohefion. For , 
 in profecution of one of the lately 
 mentioned Tryals , having found , 
 that when the Receiver was well ex- ^ 
 haufted , two Marbles , though con- 
 fiderably broad, being laid upon one 
 
 ano- 
 
214. HobbcsV Prehlemnta de Vacuo. 1 5 
 
 another after the requifitc manner , 
 their adhefion was , if any at all, fo 
 weak 5 that the uppermoft would be 
 eafily drawn up from off the other; 
 we laid them again one upon the 
 other, and then letting the external 
 Air flow into the Receiv^er, we 
 found 5 according to expedation , 
 that the Marbles now cohered well, 
 and we could not raife the uppermoft 
 but accompanied with the lower- 
 moft. But I am fenfible 5 I have de- 
 tained you too long upon the fingle 
 Experiment of the Marbles ; And 
 though I hope the ftrefs Mr. Hol7i;es 
 lays on it will plead my excufe , yet 
 to make your Patience fome amends, 
 I Ihall be the more brief in the other 
 particulars that remain to be con- 
 fider'd in his Dialogue!)^ Vacuo. And 
 *twill not be difficult for me to keep 
 my promife without injuring my 
 Caufc, fincealmoft allthefe particu- 
 lars being but the fartie which he has 
 already allcdged in his Dialogue De 
 Natura K^eris y arid I foon after arh 
 fwered in my Sxamen of that Dia- 
 logue , 
 
26 JlmmaDbetfictiio! upon 
 
 logue > I fliall need but to refer you 
 to the paffages where you may find 
 thefe Allegations examin^dj onlyfub- 
 joy ning here fome Refle(5l:ions upon 
 thofe few and flight things, that he 
 has added in hiis Problems De Vacuo. . 
 
 A. I may then , I fuppofe , read 
 to you the next paflage to that long 
 one, you have hitherto been confide- 
 ring 5 and it is this ; i^d Vacuum nunc 
 reverter : Quas caujas^ fine fuppejinone 
 Vacui redditurus €S iltorum effe^uum^ qui 
 ojlenduntur fer CMachlnam illam c^u^ 
 ejl in Collegio Grefliamenfi < ^ 
 
 ^. \Machina ilia — 
 
 B. Stop here , I befeech you, a 
 little, that, before we go aiiy fur- 
 ther j I may take notice to you of a , 
 couple of things that will concern 
 our> fubfequent Pifcourfe. 
 
 .Whereof the frjl is ^ that it ap- 
 pears by Mr. Hobbes^s Dialogue about the 
 K^ir 3 that the Explications he there 
 gave of fome of the Phapnomena of 
 the OUachina Boyliana y were directed 
 partly againft th^Virtuoft^ that have 
 finc^ bejeo hopoyr'jj with the Title 
 
M. Hobbes V Froblemata de Vacuo. 1 7 
 
 of th^ Royal Society, and partly againft 
 the Author of that Engine, as if the 
 main thing therein dengn'd were to 
 prove a Vacuum. And fince he now 
 repeats the fame explications, I think 
 it neceffary to fay again, that if he ei- 
 ther takes xh^Society or me for profefs'd 
 Vacuifls, he miftafces , and {hoots be- 
 fidethe mark 5 for, neither they nor 
 I have ever yet declared either/ir or 
 againfl a Vacuum, < . ' .rvn 
 
 And the other r^vm% I would ob- 
 ferve to you , is , that Mr. Hobhes 
 feems not to have rightly underftood, 
 or at leaft not to have fufficiently 
 heeded in what chiefly confifts the 
 advantage, which the Vacuifis may 
 make of our Engine againft him; 
 For , whereas in divers places he is 
 very folicitous to prove, that the 
 cavity of our Pneumatical Receiver 
 is riot altogether empty, the Vacuifts 
 may tell him, that fince he afferts 
 the absolute plenitude of the World, 
 he muft , as indeed he does, rejed 
 not only great Vacuities, but .alfo 
 thofe very finall and interfpers'd 
 
 ones 5 
 
^s 3lnimaDb»fion)et upon 
 
 ones , that they fuppofe to be inter- 
 cepted between the folid corpufcles 
 of other bodies , particularly of the 
 Air: So that it would not confute 
 them to prove , that in our Receiver, 
 when moft diligently exhaufted-, 
 there is not one great and abfolutc 
 Vacuity , or, as they fpeak, a Vdcmm 
 coacervatum , fince (mailer and diffe- 
 minated Vacuities would ferve their 
 turn. And therefore they may think 
 their Pretenfions highly favour'd, as 
 by feveral particular eflFeds , ft) by 
 this general Phaenomenon of our En- 
 gine 5 that it appears by feveral Cir- 
 cumftances, that the Common or At- 
 mofpherical Air , which , before 
 the pump is fet a work, poffefs*d 
 the whole cavity of our Receiver, 
 far the greateft part is by the inter- 
 vention of the pump made to pafs^j 
 out of the cavity into the open Air, 
 without being able, at leaft for a 
 little while, to get in again; and 
 yet it does not appear by any thing 
 alledg'd by Mr. Hohhes , that any o- 
 ther body fucceeds to fill adequately 
 
 the 
 
M. Hobbes'/ PrihlemaU de Vacuo. 29 
 
 the places deferted by fuch a multitude 
 of Aerial corpufcles. 
 
 j4. If I ghefe aright, by thofe 
 words, (viz. it appears not by any 
 thing alledg^d hy O^tr, Hobbes,) you 
 defign to intimate , that you would 
 not in general prejudice the Plenifts. 
 
 B. Your conjefture was well 
 founded: For I think divers of them, 
 and particularly the Cart ffians , who 
 fuppofe a fubtilc Matter or uEther 
 fine enough to permeate glafs, though 
 our common Air cannot do it, have 
 not near fo difficult a task to avoid 
 the Arguments the Vacuifts may 
 draw from our Engine, as Mr. Hobbes^ 
 who , without luving recourfe to 
 the porofity of glafs, which indeed 
 is impervious to common Air, ftrives 
 to folve the Phaenomena, and prove 
 our Receiver to be always perfcftly 
 full, and therefore as full at any one 
 time as at any other of common or 
 Atmofpherical Air, as far as we can 
 judge of his opinion by the tendency 
 or import of his Explications. 
 
 A. Yet, if I were rightly inform^ 
 
 of 
 
30 TimmHtAtttwtifi upon 
 
 of an Experiment of ycmrs^Mr. HoUes 
 may be thereby -reduced eitb^r to 
 pafs ovir. to the Vacmfis , or to ac- 
 knowledge fome iEtherial or other 
 matter more fubtil than Air , and ca- 
 pable of pafling through the pores 
 of glafs^ and therefore, to (hew your 
 felf impartial between the Vacuifts 
 and their Adverfaries in this Control 
 verfie , I hope you will not refufe to 
 gratifie the Flemjis by giving your 
 friends a more particular account of 
 the Experiment. ■ ' 
 
 B. I know which you mean, and 
 remember itvery weU. For, though 
 I long fince devis*d ■ it , yet having 
 but the other day had occafion to 
 perufe the Relation I writ down of 
 one of the beft Tryals, I think I 
 can repeat it , almoft ; in the very 
 words v! which 5 if I miftake not , 
 werethefc: 
 
 There was taken a Bubble of thin 
 white glafs, about the bignefs of a 
 Nutmeg 5 with a very ilender ftemr, | 
 of about four or five Inches long, 
 and of the bignefs of a Crows-quill. 
 
 The 
 
M. Hobbes' J- Problem at a de Vacuo, j t 
 
 The end of the Quill being held in 
 the flame of a Lamp blown with a 
 pair of Bellows, was readily and well 
 leal'd up 3 and prefently the globous 
 part of the glafs , being held by the 
 ftem, was kept turning in the flame, 
 'till it was red hot and ready to melt • 
 then being a little removed from 
 the flame , as the included Air be- 
 gan to lofe of its agitation and fpring, 
 the external Air manifeftly and con- 
 I fiderably prefs^d in one of the fides of 
 jthe Bubble. But the glafs being a- 
 I gain 5 before the cold could crack it , 
 I held as before in the flame , the ra- 
 rified Air diftended and plumpM up 
 the Bubble • which being the lecond 
 time removM from the flame, was 
 the fecond time comprefs'd • and j 
 being the third time brought back 
 to the flame , fwell'd as before, and 
 remov'd , was again comprefs'd ^ (ei- 
 ther tiiis time or the lafh by twodi- 
 fl:ind cavities • ) 'till at length, having 
 fatisfied our felves , that the included 
 Air was capable of being condensed 
 or dilated without the ingrefs or 
 C egreii 
 
32 ainimaUfaerfion;^ upon 
 
 egrefs of Air (properly fo called) we 
 held the Bubble fo long in the flame, 
 ftrengthen'd by nimble blafts , that 
 not only it had its lides plump'd 
 up 5 but a hole violently broken in 
 it by the over-rarified Air, which,^ 
 together with the former watchful- 
 nefs, we imploy'd from time to time 
 to difcern if it were any where 
 crackt or perforated , fatisfied us that 
 it was till then intire. 
 
 A, I confefs, I did not readily 
 conceive before , how you couW, (as^ 
 I was told you bad,) make a folid 
 VefTel 5 wherein there was no danger 
 of the Aires getting in or out, whofe 
 cavity iliould be ftiUpoffefl: with. the 
 fame Air , and yet the VelTel be made * 
 by turns bigger and leffer. And, 
 though I prefently thought upon a 
 well ftopt bladder,yet I well forefaw, 
 that a diftruftful Adverfary might 
 make fome Objedions, which are by 
 your way of proceeding obviated , 
 and the Experiment agrees with your 
 Dodrine in (hewing , how imper- 
 vious we may well think your thick 
 
 Pneu- 
 
 i 
 
M, Hobbes 'x Prohlemnta "ie P^dcno, 5 3 
 
 Pneumatkk Receivers are to common 
 Aif) fince a thin glafsBubble,- when 
 its pores were open'd or rela'x'd by 
 flame, would not give palTageto the 
 Springy particles of the Air, though 
 violently agitated . for if thoie par- 
 ticles could have got out of the pores^ 
 they never '^^ould have^ broke the 
 Bubble, as at kiigth a more -violent 
 degree of Hedt made them do ^ nor 
 probably would the Compreffion ,• 
 that afterwards infued oF th^ Bubble 
 by the ambient Air, be cheekt near 
 fo foon, if thofe Springy Gofpuicles 
 had not remained within to make the 
 refiftance. Methinks, one may hence 
 draw a nqwJDroof of what Iremem-. 
 ber you eliewhere teach, that the 
 Spring of the Air may be much 
 ftrengthen'd by Heat. For, in our 
 cafe, the Spring of theAirwasthere-^ 
 by inabled to expand the compfeft 
 glafs, it was imprifon'd in , in fpite 
 of the refifting prelTureof the exter- 
 nal Air- and yet, that this preffure^ 
 was confiderable , appears bv this, 
 |that the weight of fafmall a Column ^ 
 C 2 of 
 
of Atmofpherical Air, as could beaif 
 upon the Bubble, was able to preft 
 in the heated glafs, in fpite of the re- 
 fiftance of its tenacity and arched fi- 
 gure. 
 
 B. Yet that which I mainly de- 
 fign'd in this Experiment was, (if 
 1 were able) to fhew and prove at 
 once , by an Inftance not lyable to the 
 ordinary exceptions , the true Nature 
 of Rarefadion and Condenfation, at 
 leaft of the Air. For, to fay nothing 
 of the Peripatetick Rarefadion and 
 Condenfation, ftriiflly fo call'd, which 
 I fcruple not to declare , I think to be 
 phyfically inconceptible or impofli- 
 ble 5 'tis plain by our Experiment y 
 that, when the Bubble, after the Glafs 
 had been firft thruft in towards the 
 Center, was expanded again by heat, 
 the included Air p&Jfefs*d more room 
 than before, and yet it could perfedly 
 /// no more room than formerly, each 
 Aerial Particle taking up, both before 
 and after the heating of the Bubble , 
 a portion of fpace adequate to its own 
 bulk - fo that i^ the Cavity of the 
 
 cxpan- 
 
M. Hobbes*/ ProhUmata de Vacuo, 3 j 
 
 expanded Bubble we muft admit 
 cither Vacuities interfpers'd between 
 the Corpufcles of the Air , or that 
 fome fine Particles of the Flame,' or 
 other fubtil matter , came in to fill up 
 thofe Intervals , which matter mull 
 have enter'd the Cavity of the Glafs 
 at its pores; And afterwards, when 
 the red-hot Bubble was removed from 
 the flame , it is evident , that , fince 
 the grofler particles of the Air could 
 not get through the Glafs , which 
 they were not able to do, even when 
 vehemently agitated by an ambient, 
 Flame , the Comprcflion of the Bub- 
 ble, andtheCondenfationof the Air, 
 which was neceffarily confequent up- 
 on it , could not , fuppofing the Ple- 
 nitude of the World , be performed 
 without fqueezing out fome of the 
 fubtil matter contained in the cavity 
 of the Bubble, whence it could not 
 iffue but at the pores of the Glafs. 
 But I will no longer detain you from 
 Mr. Hohbes his Explications of the 
 Machine Boyliana ; to the firft of v\'hich 
 you may now, if youpleafe, advance. 
 g 3 ^- Th<? 
 
%6 ammat^faetQon^' upon 
 
 A. The paffage I'was going to 
 fead, when you interrupted, me j, 
 was this; ■jJ.yc:---. > 
 
 B. \S\iuhin.% ilk eofiem ejfe^mfro- 
 ducity quos fr:^ducerei in Loco mn m^gm 
 mngnidii wchtfu6 vcntm, 
 
 A. Qmmodoingreiiiturifiucventm.f 
 ^JMachimm ^ofti Cylindram ejfe cavum-, 
 ^neum ^ in ejuem protruditur Cylinkrm 
 alius ^^lidt<4 Ligmtis y cortote&us.y (qmm 
 fuctorem dicunt) it a, exquisite congrucHS., 
 ut ne w'mimm ^uidemAcr inter corium 
 ^ as intrare .{ut pitunt) pcffit, 
 
 B. Scio y ^- quo Su^or faciliU(S Jnh 
 trtidi poffit J for Amen qmdddm efi in. fh- 
 per ion parte Cylindri , per qmd o4^;r 
 {qui fuchris ingrejfum alioqm impedire 
 pfjjit) emittatur. Quod for amen aper ire 
 pcjjunt ^ clatidere quoties \u[pts pojiulat, 
 Efl etiam inCylindrt pavi recejjujummo 
 d^trn aditm-Aeri in globtim concaviim 
 Vitreum , quern eiiam aditum cUvicula 
 obturare c^ aperire poffunt quoties volunt, 
 J)cn/que tn globo uitreo fummor.elinqm'- 
 tur forarnenfatis amplumj{cla%>icula it^m 
 cUtidendum dr recludendum) ut in ilium 
 ^uA vohnt immitler^ pil]j>nt) ^x^erictidi 
 
 '£mk:\ ; :;;* b. The 
 
M. Hobbes'j- ProUfmata de Vacuo. 5 y 
 
 B, The imaginary wind to which 
 lAx.Hobhes h^XQ afcribes the efFedsof 
 . our Engine, he formerly had recourfe 
 to in the 13^^ page of his Dialogue y 
 and I have liifliciently anfwer'd that 
 paiTage of it in the 45 '^ and 46^^ pa- 
 ges of my Examen , to which I there- 
 fore refer you. 
 
 A. I prefume, you did not over- 
 look the comparifon Mr. Hohhcs an- 
 nexes to what I laft read out of hi$ 
 Problems ^.'fince he liked the conceit 
 fo well 3 that we meet with it in this 
 place again, though he had formerly 
 printed it in his Dialogue DeNatura 
 K^eris, The words (as you fee) are 
 thefe : Tot a. denique CMdchina non mul- 
 turn dijfert y fi naturam e]tis fpecies y a 
 Sclofeto eX Samiuco, quo fueri fe de- 
 lect ant , imitaf^tes Sclopetos militum, nift 
 quod major fit, ^ majoriarte fabric at ^^ 
 ^ fluris conjlet, 
 
 B. I could fcarce , for the reafon 
 you give , avoid taking notice of it. 
 And if Mr. Hobbes intended it for a 
 piece of llallieryj willingly let it pafs, 
 and could eafily forgive him, a more 
 
 C 4 confi^ 
 
3$ ^EmmatibetGonjE; upon 
 
 confiderable attempt than this, to be 
 reveng'd on an Engine that has de^ 
 ftroyed feveral of Iiis opinions : But , 
 if he ferioufly meant to make a Phy- 
 fical Comparifon , I think he made a 
 very improper one. For, not to urge, 
 that one may well doubt how he 
 knows 5 that in the inclofed cavity 
 of his Pot-gun , there is a very vehe- 
 ment windj (fince that does not ne- 
 ceffarily follow from the compreiBon 
 of the included Air : ) In Mr. Hobbes's 
 Inftrumentj the Air, being forcibly 
 compreft, has an endeavour to expand 
 it felf 3 and when it is able to fur- 
 mount the refiftance of its prifoq , 
 that part that is firft disjoyn'd is for- 
 cibly thrown outwards •, whereas in 
 pur Engine it appears by the paflage 
 lately cited of our Examen , that the 
 Air is not compreli but expanded in 
 our Receiver , and if an intercourfe 
 be opened , or the Veflel be not ftrong 
 enough 3 the outward Air violently 
 ruflics in : And if the Receiver chance 
 to break, the fragments of the glafs are 
 riQt thrown outwards, but forced in- 
 
M. Hobbes V FroblemAta de Vacuo. 3 9 
 
 A. So that 5 whether or no 
 Mr. Hobbes could have pitch'd upon 
 a Comparifon more fuitable to his 
 Intentions , he might eafily have im- 
 ployed one more fuitable to the Phe- 
 nomena, 
 
 B. I prefume, you will judge it the 
 lefs agreeable to the Phaenomena, if 
 I here fabjoyn an Experiment , that 
 poflibly you will not diflike 5 which 
 I devis'd to fhew , not only that in 
 our cxhaufted Receivers there is no 
 fuch ftrong endeavt)ur outwards, as 
 pioft of Mr. Hobbes^s Explications of 
 the things that happen in them are 
 built upon 5 but that the weight of 
 the Atmofpherical Air, when 'tis not 
 refifted by the counterpreffure of any 
 internal Air , is able to perform what 
 a weight of many pounds would not 
 fuiBce to do. 
 
 A. I (hall the more w illingly learn 
 an Experiment to this purpofe, be- 
 paufe in your Receivers , the rigidity 
 pf the glafs keeps us from feeing, by 
 ^ny manifeft change of its figure, 
 whether 3 if it could yield without 
 
 breaking, 
 
40 ^nimatibetfiotvB? upon 
 
 breaking , it would be prefs'd in , as 
 your Hypothefis requires. 
 
 B, The defires to obviate that 
 very difficulty , for their fatisfaftion , 
 that had not yet penetrated the 
 grounds of our Hyfothefis, made me 
 think of employing, inftead of a 
 Receiver of Glafs , one of a ftiff and 
 tough 3 but yet fomewhat flexible , 
 Metal. And accordingly having pro* 
 vided a new Pewter Porrengcr, and 
 whelm'd it upfide down upon an Iron 
 plate faften'd to (the upper end of ) 
 our Pneumatical Pump, we carefully 
 faften'd by Cement the orifice to the 
 plate, and though the inverted Velfel, 
 by reafon of its ftiffnefs and thick-i 
 nefs and the convexity of its fuper-^ 
 ficies, were flrrong enough to have 
 fupported a great weight without 
 changing its figure •, yet, as foon as 
 by an exfudlion or two the remain- 
 ing part of the included Air was 
 brought to fuch a degree of expan- 
 fion 3 that its weaken'd Spring was 
 able to afford but little affiflance to the 
 tenacity and firmncfs of the Metal , 
 
 the 
 
M* Hobbes V Trohlemata de V^acuo, 4 1 
 
 the weight of the pillar of the in- 
 cumbent Atmofphere (which by rea- 
 fon of the breadth of the VeflTel was 
 confiderably wide alfo) did prefently 
 and notably depreis the upper part 
 of the Porringer , both lefTening its 
 caj>acity and changing its- figure 5 
 fo thnt inftead of the Convex furface, 
 the Receiver had before, it came to 
 a^Concave one, which new figure 
 Was fomewhat , though not much ^ 
 increafed by the further withdrawing 
 of the included and already rarified 
 Air. The Experiment fucceeded al- 
 fo with an other common Porringer 
 of the fame Metal. But in fuch kind 
 of VeiTels, made purpofely of Iron 
 plates , it will fometimes fucceed and 
 fotnetimes not , according to the Dia- 
 meter of the vefTel and the thicknefs 
 of the plat^, which was fometimes 
 ftrong enough and fometimes too 
 weak to refift the prelfure of the in- 
 cumbent Air. A-nd fometimes I found 
 alfo,' that the vefTel would be thruft 
 in^ not at the top but fide-ways, in 
 cafe that fide w.ere the only part that 
 V were 
 
4^ 3lmmaDi)ev6onsr npm 
 
 were made too thin to refift the 
 preffure of the Ambient; which 
 Phaenomenon I therefore take notice 
 of, that you may fee 5 that that pow- 
 erful preiTure may be exercifed late- 
 rally as well as perpendicularly. 
 
 Perhaps this Experiment, and that 
 I lately recited of an Hermetically 
 fealed Bubble, by their fitnefstodif- 
 prove Mr. nMes's Dodrine , may do 
 fomewhat towards the letting him 
 fee, that he might have fpar'd that 
 not over-modett and wary expreffion^ 
 where fpeaking of the Gentlemea 
 that meet at Grepam-Co/Iege, (of whom 
 I pretend not to be one of the chief) 
 he is pleafed to fay , Experiment a fa^ 
 ciant quanttim volunt^ niji TrimifiU u^ 
 tantur meis nihil proficient. But let 
 us, if you pleafe, pafs on to what 
 he further alledges to prove, that 
 the fpace in the exhaufted Receiver , 
 which the Vacuifts fuppofe to hepartfy 
 empty , is full of Air. (f^ideo (fays 
 A.) p fuBor trndatur ufque adfundum 
 Cylindri Mnei J cbturentHrque foramina,^ 
 SecHturum ejfe^ dum piiigr retrahitur^ 
 
 locmn 
 
M, Hobbes V Prohlemata de Vacuo. 45 
 hcum m Cylindro cavo reli^um fore va^ 
 cuum. Nam ut in locum ejus fitccedat 
 Aery eflimfojfihile. To which B. an- 
 fwcrs 5 Credo equidem^fu^orem cum Cy- 
 lindri cavi fuperficie fatis ariie cohx- 
 rere ad excludendum fir amen (^ flu^ 
 mam , non auUm Aerem neque Aquam. 
 Cogita enim , quod non it a accurate con- 
 gruerent , quin undiquaque iraerfiitium 
 relinqueretur^ quantum tenuiffimi capUi 
 cap ax ejfet, Retracfo ergo fulforey tan- 
 turn imfelleretur Aeru^y quantum i/iribm 
 illis convtniret quihus Aer frofter fuBo- 
 ris Retr actionem reprimitur y idque (ine 
 cmni difficult ate fenftbili. Quanta an- 
 tern interfiitium illud minus effet, tan^ 
 turn ingrederetur Aer velocim : JCel fi 
 I contacts ft y fed non fer omnia fun0a , 
 ! etiam tunc intr obit Aer y modifufforma* 
 jore vi retr ah at ur. Pofiremby etfi con- 
 taffm ubique exactijjimus fit , "vi tanaen 
 fat is au5ia fer cochleam ferream y turn 
 corium cedet , turn iffum es ; at que its 
 quoque ingredietur K^er. Credin* tu , 
 pffibile effe duos fuperfcies ita exaiti 
 comfonere , ut ha6 C4>mpdfitas ejfe fupfo- 
 vunt illi • aut corium ita durum ejfe y 
 
 ut 
 
44 ainimaDbetRoniBf upon 
 
 iit Aeri-, qui Cochlea ope tncutittir , nihil 
 omnino cedat ^ Cerium qmnquxm opti^ \ 
 mum admtttit aquam, ut ipfe fiif , fi 
 forte fecifii unquam iter vento ^pluruix 
 lioy^^ )Cf etittA)©-. Itaque dubitare mh 
 potes ,;quin retr actus Suitor tantum Ae^ 
 Yts in Cylindrum adeoqtie in ipfum Rect^ 
 piens incutiat, quantum fufficit ad locun^ 
 fempsr relt6ium perfefte implendunii, 
 Effect us. ergo :, qui oritur a KetraBione 
 fuel oris y alius mn efi quam ventusl 
 njentus (tnquam) vchementifflmus , qui 
 ingreditui^ undiquaque inter Suet or is fu^ 
 perficiem convexam , ^ Cylindri <xnei 
 concavam , proceditque (versi claviculk) 
 in cavitatemglobi Fitrei,five (ut vocatur) 
 Recipientis: ^ - " * 
 
 The Subftance of this Ratiocina^ 
 tion having been already proposed by 
 Mr. Hobbes in his -Dialogue of thd 
 Air 5 the 1 1^^ page , I long fince an^^ 
 fwer'd it in the 30*^^ and fome of the 
 following pages of my£jc^«^^/^; and 
 therefore I Ihall only now take notide 
 in tranfituoi fome flight whether adA 
 ditions or variations , that occur in 
 what you have been readins. And , 
 
M. Hobbes V Problemata de Vacuo. 45 
 
 frfiy I fee no probability in what he 
 gYAtls afferts , that fo thick a Cylinder 
 of Brafs, as made the Chief part 'of 
 the piimp of our Engine, fhould yield 
 to the Sucker , that was mov'd up 
 and down in it 5 though by the help 
 of an Iron rack 3 and whereas he 
 addSj that the leather, that furrounds 
 tlie more folid part of the Sucker, 
 would yield to fu'ch a force 5 it feems, 
 that that compreflion of the leather 
 fhould by thrufting the folid parts in- 
 to the pores make the leather rather 
 lefs than more fit to give paffage to 
 the Air • nor woald it however fol- 
 low 3 notwithftanding Mr. Hohbes's 
 Example, that, becaufe a Body ad- 
 mits Water , it muft be perviouis to 
 Air : For I have feveral tirries , by 
 ways elfewhere taught , made Water 
 penetrate the pores of Bladders ] and 
 yet Bladders refift the paffage of the 
 Air fo well , that even when Air in- 
 cluded in them was fuiBciently rari- 
 fied by Heat, or by our Engine, it 
 was necelTary for the Air to break 
 them before it could get out 5 which 
 
 would 
 
4^ ^nimaDberOoti^ u(K)tt 
 
 would not have been , if it could 
 have efcap'd through their pores. 
 What Mr. ^obbes inculcates here a- 
 gain concerning his ventus vehemen- 
 tijjiims:, you will find anfwer*d in the 
 place of my ExAmen \ lately direiited 
 you to* 
 
 A. We may then proceed to 
 Mr. H'^^/'Ws next Explication 5 which 
 he propofes in thefe terms : 
 
 A. Caufam video nunc unius ex Ma- 
 chin A mirabilibus , nimirum cur Su^or, 
 faflquam ejl aliqudtenus retr alius (^ de- 
 indi amiJfuSfJubito recur rit ad Cylindri 
 fummitatem. Nam Aery qui vi magna 
 fuit tmpulfus, rurfus per refercujjionem 
 ad externa vi eadem revertitur. 
 
 B. K^tque hoc quidem Argumenti 
 fat is efl etiahfolum , quod locus a fuit ore I 
 reli^us non ejl Vacuus. Quid enim aut 
 attrahere aut impeller e juitorem potuit | 
 ad Ucum ilium unde retr alius erat , ft 
 Cylindrus fuiffet vacuus ? Nam ut Aeris 
 pondus aliquod id ejficere potuijfet , fal^ 
 fom tffe fatis fupra demonfiravi ab eo 
 quod Aer in Aere gravitare non potefi. 
 Nojli etiam , qmd cum e recipients \ 
 
 Aerem 
 
M, HobbesV froblemata de VAcuo. 47 
 
 Aerem omnem {ut illi loquHntur) exege^ 
 tint y fojfunt tamen trans "vttrum id 
 quod intus jit videre y (^ jonum •, (iquis 
 pat, inde audire. Id quod folum, etfi 
 nullum aliud Argumentum ejfet (fimt 
 autem multa,) ad frohandum j nullum 
 ejfe in Recipient e Vacuum-, abundejufflcit, 
 B, Here are feveral things joyn'd 
 together 5 which the Author had be- 
 fore feparately alledg'd in his often^ 
 mention'd Dialogue. The Jirjl is 5 
 the Caufe he affigns of the afcenfion 
 of the Sucker forcibly depreft to the 
 bottom of the exhaufted Cylinder , 
 and then let alone by him that pumpt 5 
 I to which might be added , that this 
 afcenfion fucceeded, when the Sucker 
 was clogg*d with an hundred pound 
 weight.This Explication ofMr.Hobbes 
 you will find examined in the 3^^^ 
 and 3P^^3 and fome enfuing pages of 
 my Difcourfe. And as to his deny- 
 ing , that the weight or preffure of 
 the Air could drive up the Sucker in 
 that Phssnomenon 5 becauie the Air 
 does not weigh in Air ^ we may fee 
 the contrary largely proved in divers 
 D places 
 
48 ^nimaDbecfionsS upon 
 
 places of my Examen , and moire par- 
 ticularly and exprefly inthefourfirft 
 pages of the third Chapter. And 
 whereas he fays in the laft place , 
 that the vifibility of Bodies included 
 in our Receivers ^ and the propaga- 
 tion of Sound, (which, by the way , 
 is not to be underftood of all Sound 
 that may be heard, though made in 
 the exhaufted Receiver,) are alone^ 
 fufficient Arguments to prove no Va^ 
 cuum : I have confider'd that paflage 
 in theanfwer I made to the hke alle- 
 gation in the 45^^ page of the Exa- 
 men ; and Ihall only obferve here , 
 that, fince the l^acuifls can prove, 
 that much of the Air is pumpt out 
 of the exhaufted Receiver , and will 
 pretend, that, notwithftanding many 
 interfpers'd Vacuities, there may be 
 in the Receiver corporeal fubftance 
 enough to tranfmit Light and ftron- 
 ger Sounds, Mt.Hobhes has not per- 
 formed what he pretended, if he have 
 but barely proved , that there may 
 be Subftances capable of conveying 
 Light and Sound in the cavity of our 
 
 Re- 
 
M. Hobbes V Probiemata de Vacuo. 49 
 
 Receiver 5 fince he triumphantly aC- 
 ferts. Nullum ejfe in Recipienti Facuum* 
 But we may leave Mr. Hohbes and his 
 Adverfaries to difpute out this point, 
 and go on to the next paffage. 
 
 ji. W hich follows in thefe words : 
 K^d illud mtem^ quod fi V'ejica ali* 
 cjuatenus inflate in Kecipente includatur^ 
 faulofiojifer exuBionem aeris inflatur ve- 
 hement ins cjr dirumptuY-, quid rejpondes? 
 B. Motus partium Aeris undiquaque 
 concur rentium velociffimus ^ fer concur^ 
 fum in jp At its hrevifjimis numeroque in- 
 jinitis gyrationis velociffimd^ vejicam in 
 locis innumerabilihus ftmul ^ vi magna^ 
 injlar tot idem terebrarum , fenetrat , 
 frafertim ft vefca ^ antequam immitt^ 
 tur J quo magis rejijlat aliquatenus in* 
 flatafit, Pojiquam autem Aer fenetrani 
 feme I ingrejfus eji ^ facile cogitare potes, 
 quo pa^o deinceps veftcam tendet ^ ^ 
 tandem rumpet, Veriim f antequam 
 rumpatur, versk clanjiculay Aer externm 
 admittaturj videbis veficam propter vehe^ 
 mentiam motus temperatam diminuti. 
 tenfione rugofior^m. Nam id quoque ob* 
 fervatum ejl^ Jam fi hac, quam dixi. 
 
50 aiiiimatibergottsi upon 
 
 .c4i^fa mims tihi vide at ur verifimilis j' 
 vide an tu aut alius quicunqne imaginari 
 foteji y qtiopaciovefica dijlendi cjrrumpi 
 fojjit aviribus Facuiy idefi ^ Nthili. 
 
 B. This Explication Mr. Hobbes 
 gave us in the ip^^page of his Dia- 
 logue Ve Natura i^eris , and you may 
 find it at large confuted in the latter 
 part of the third Chapter of my Exa- 
 men. Nor does , what he here fays 
 in the clofe about the Vires Vacui or 
 Nihtli , deferve to detain us, fince 
 there is no reafon at all 5 that the 
 Vacuijls fhould afcribe to nothing a 
 power of breaking a Bladder, of 
 whofe rupture the Spring of the in- 
 cluded Air fupplies them fo eafily 
 with a fufficient Caufe. 
 
 After what Mr. Bobbes has faid of 
 the breaking of a Bladder , he pro- 
 ceeds to an Experiment which he 
 judges of affinity with it , and his A- 
 cademian having propos'd this Que- 
 ftion : 
 
 Unde ft ut animalia tarn citOy ni- 
 rnirum Jpatio quatuor minutorum hora , i 
 in recipente interpciantur? . | 
 
 For 
 
A/. Hobbes'^ Problemata de Fdcuo, y i 
 
 For anfwer to it our Author fays : 
 
 B. Nonne animdin fc mc/u-Ja w- 
 fugnnt in Pulmones K^erem vehementif- 
 ftme motumf Quo motn ncce^e eji ut 
 tranftttis fnnguinis ab urio ad alterum 
 oordisventrictdumintercepusj non mult'o 
 fojlfiftatur, Cejfatio mtem fangmmSy 
 Morsejh Vo^unt tamen anirndtA cef- 
 fante fanguine revivifcere , ft Aer ex- 
 ternus fatis mature tntrornittatur ^ vel 
 if fa ih Aerem temper atum , anteqiiam 
 rejrixeritfanguisy extrahantur. 
 
 This Explication is not probable 
 enough 5 to oblige me ro add any 
 thing about it to what I havefaid in 
 the 49^^ and the two following pages 
 I of my Examen ; efpecially the moft 
 vehement motion , afcrib'd to the Air 
 in the Receiver 5 having been before 
 proved to be an Imaginary thing. 
 You may therefore, if you pleafe, 
 take notice of the next Explication. 
 
 [Idem o^^r (fays he) in Recipients 
 Car bones ar denies extinguit y [ed^illi^ 
 Jiy dum fatis calidi junt y exirnanturyre- 
 lucebunt. Notifjimum efiy quodinfodi- 
 pis Carbonum terreorum (cujus rei ex- 
 P 3 perimentum 
 
f 2 a[ntmatii)erCott£( upon 
 
 perimcntum iffe vidi) f^epiffime e late^ 
 rihus fove<z ventus quidam undiquaque 
 exit y qui foffores iriterjicit ignemque 
 extinguit , qui tamen revivijcunt fi 
 fatis cito ad Aerem liberum extrahan- 
 
 fur.2 
 
 This Comparifon which Mx.Holpl;es 
 here fummarily makes , he more fully 
 difplay'd in his Dialogue De Natura 
 K^erisy and I confiderM, what he 
 there alledgy, in the ji*^^ page and 
 the two next of my Examen. And, 
 though I will not contradift Mx^Hobbes j 
 in.v/nat he hiftorically afferts in this 
 paffage 5 yet I cannot but fomewhat 
 doubt 5 whether he mingles not his 
 conjefture with the bare matter of 
 faft. For, though Ihavewithfome 
 curiofity vifited Mines in more places 
 than one , and proposed Queftions to 
 Men that have been converfant in 0- 
 ther Mines 5 both elfewhere and in 
 England (and particularly inDerbyjhire 
 where Mr. Hobbes lived long • ) yet I 
 could never find) that any'llich odd 
 and vehement wind , as Mr. Hobbes 
 afcribes the Phaenomenpn to , had 
 
 been 
 
m. HobbesV PrMemata de Vacuo. 5 ^ 
 
 been by them obferved to kill the 
 Diggers^ and extinguifli well-lighted 
 Coals themfelves ; And indeed , it 
 feems more likely, that trie damp, 
 by its tenacity or ibme peculiarly ma^ 
 lign quality, didthe mifchief 5 than 
 a wind , of which I found not any 
 notice taken 5 efpecially fince we lec, 
 what vehement winds Men will be 
 able to endure for a long time, with- 
 out being near-kilFd by them- and 
 that it feems very odd , that a wind , 
 that Mr. Hohbes does not obierve to 
 have blown away the Coals, that 
 were let down , lliould be able (in- 
 fteadof kindling them more fiercely) 
 to blow them out. 
 
 A. The laft Experiment of your 
 Engine, that your Adverfary men- 
 tions in thefe Problems , is delivered 
 in this paiTage : 
 
 A. si fhialam aqu£ in Recipiens 
 dimiferisy €xu6to Acre bullire vtdeiis a- 
 quam. ^id ad hoc Reffondehis ? 
 
 B. Credo ^me in tantA Aeris moti* 
 tatione faltaturam ejfe aqiiam , fed ut 
 ^defiat mndum mdivi. Sed imagina^ 
 
 D 4 ^^'^^ 
 
54 animalifectGon^ upon 
 
 bilenonejl, Saltationem illam a Vacuo 
 nafci poffe. 
 
 B. This Phaenomenon he likewife 
 took notice of, and attempted to ex- 
 plicate in his above-mention'd Dia- 
 logue 3 v/hich gave me occafion in 
 the 46^^ and 47^^ pages of my Exa- 
 men , to fhew how unlikely 'tis, that 
 the vehement motion of the Air 
 fliould be the caufe of it 5 but he 
 here tells us , that 'tis not imagina- 
 ble 5 that this dancing of the water 
 (as he is pleas'd to call it) proceeds 
 from a ^vacmm, nor do I know any 
 Man that ever pretended , that a va^ 
 cuum was the efficient caufe of it. 
 But the Facmjls perhaps will tell him, 
 that, though the bubbling of the 
 water be not an ejfe0 of a vacuum , 
 it may be a frocf of it againft him • 
 for they will tell him, that it has been 
 formerly proved, that a great part of 
 the Atmofpherical Air is by pumping 
 remov'd . out of our exhaufted Rcr 
 ceiver, and confequently can no more, 
 as formerly, prels upon the furface 
 of the water. Nor does Mr. Hobbes 
 
 ihe\^ 
 
M. Hobbes V Froblewata de Vacuo. 5 5 
 
 (hew what fucceeds in the room of 
 it • and therefore it will be allowable, 
 for them to conclude againft him 
 (though not perhaps againft the C^r- 
 tefiam) that there are a great many 
 interfpers'd Vacuities left in the Re- 
 ceiver^which are the occafion, though 
 not the proper efficient caufe, of the 
 Phssnoraenon. For they will fay , 
 that the Springy Particles of the yet 
 included Air, having room to unbend 
 themfelves in the fpaces defertedJby 
 the Air that was pumpt out, the 
 Aerial and Springy Corpufcles, that 
 lay conceal'd in the pores of the wa- 
 ter, being now freed from the wonted 
 prefllire that kept them coii'd up in 
 the liquor , expanded themfelves in- 
 to numerous bubbles, which, be- 
 caufe of their comparative lightnefe, 
 are extruded by the water , and ma- 
 ny of them appear to have rifen from 
 the bottom of it. And Mr. Hohhes's 
 vehement wind, to produce the fe- 
 veral Circumftances of this Experi-^ 
 ment , muft be a lafting one. For , 
 after the agitation of the Pump has 
 
 bei^ 
 
56 ItmmaDlietfionje! upon 
 
 been quite left off 5 provided the ex- 
 ternal Air be kept from getting in, 
 the bubbles will fometimes continue to 
 rife for an hour after. And that which 
 agrees very well with our Explication 
 and very ill with that of WHobbes*s^ 
 is 5 that, when by having continued 
 to pump a competent time 5 the wa- 
 ter has been freed from the Aerial 
 particles that lurk'd in it before , 
 though one continue to pump as lu- 
 ftily as he did , yet the water will 
 not at all be covcr'd with bubbles as 
 it was , the Air that produced them 
 being fpent5 though, according to 
 Mr, HoUes's Explication , the wind 
 in the Receiver continuing, the dance 
 of the water fhould continue too. 
 
 ^. I eafily ghefs, by what you 
 have faid already, what you may 
 fay of that Epifhonema wherewith 
 Mr. Hobbes (in his 18'^ page) concludes 
 the Explications of the Phaenomena 
 of your Engine. \S^er0 jam te cer- 
 ium ejfe^ fays he, nullum ejfe <J^ aching 
 iUius Fhanomenony quo demonfirari ptejl 
 uUumin liniverfo locum dari corf ore omni 
 i^acuumJ} B. If 
 
M. Hobbcs*/ VrohlemAta, de Vacuo. 57 
 
 B. If you ghefs'd aright 5 you 
 ghefs'd that I would fay , that as to 
 the Phenomena of my Engine , my 
 bufinefs was to prove, that he had 
 not fubftituted good Explications of 
 them in the place of mine, which 
 he was pleafed to rejed. And as for 
 the proving a Vacuum by the Ph^s- 
 nomena of my Engine, though I de- 
 clared that was not the thing inten- 
 ded, yet I {hall not wonder, that 
 the Vacuifis fliould think thofe Phae- 
 nomena give them an advantage a- 
 gainft Mr. Hobbes. For , though in 
 the paffage recited by you he Tpeak 
 more cautioufly than he is wont to 
 do , yet , by what you may have al^ 
 ready obferv'd in his Argumentations, 
 the way he takes to folve the Pha;- 
 nomena of our Engine , is by con- 
 tending, that our Receiver, when 
 we fay it is almoft exhaufted , is as 
 full as ever (for he will have it fer- 
 fecily full,) of common Air 5 whi<jh 
 is a conceit fo contrary to I know 
 not how many Phaenomena, that I 
 do not remember I have met with or 
 
 heard 
 
5S ^ntmabbetGonjet upon 
 
 heard of any Naturalifl: , whether 
 Vacuift or Plenift, that having read 
 my Phyfico- Mechanical Experiments 
 and his Dialogue , has embrac'd his 
 opinion. 
 
 A. After what you have faid ^ I 
 will not trouble you with what he 
 fubjoyns about Vacuum in general , 
 where having made his Academian 
 fay, [CMundum fits finitum ejfe y ^per 
 Confiquens vacuum ejfe oforPere totum 
 illud Spatium quod ejl extra mundum in- 
 fnitum. Quid impedit quo minus va^ 
 cuum illud cum Aere mundane permifie a- 
 fur?"] He anfwers: De rebus tranf- 
 mundanis nihil fiio. For I know, that 
 it concerns not you to take notice 
 of it. But poffibly the Vacuifis w^ill 
 think 5 he fathers upoa them an Im- 
 propriety they would not be guilty 
 of, making them fpeak, as if they 
 thought, the ultra-mundan Vacuum 
 were a real Subftance that might be 
 brought into this World and mingled 
 with our Air. And fince , for ought 
 I know, Mr. Hohbes might have 
 fpar'd this paflage, if he had not dcr 
 
 fign'd 
 
M, Kobbes'/ Problemata de Vacuo. 59 
 
 fign'd it fhould introduce the fligh- 
 ting anfwer he makes to it 5 I (hall 
 add 5 that by the account Mr. Hobbes 
 has given of feveral Phaenomena 
 •mthtn the World , *tis poffible, that 
 the Vacuifts may believe his Profef- 
 fion of knowing nothing of things 
 beyond it. 
 
 After the Experiments Boytiana (as 
 your other Adverfary calls them 5) 
 Mr. Hobbes proceeds to the Torricel- 
 lian Experiment , of which he thus 
 difcourfes : 
 
 A. Quid de experiment cenfes Tor- 
 rice III Am , probante Vacuum fer i^rgen- 
 turn vivum hoc modo : e(l in feq, figura 
 ad A 3 pelvis five aliud vas , (^ in eo 
 K^rgentum vivum ufyue ad h ^ ejl au- 
 tern C D tubus vitreus concavmreple- 
 tus quoque Argento vivo. Hunc tubum 
 ft dtgito obturaveris erexerijque in vafe 
 A, manumque abfiuleris , defcendet Ar- 
 gentum vivum a C ^ veriim non effun- 
 detur totum in pelvim , fedfijletur in di- 
 jlantia quadam^ put a in D. Nonne erg0 
 neceffarium eft, ut pars tubi inter C & 
 D ftt vacua ? Non enim puto negabis 
 
 quin 
 
6o UnimntjibttUmfi npon 
 
 quin fuperfiaes tubt concava ^ Argent i 
 'vivi cortvexx fe mutuo eyiqtU^tttJJimt 
 contingent, 
 
 B. Zgo neque nego contactrnn^ nequt 
 vim ConfequenttJi intelligo. 
 
 By which paffage it feems that he 
 ftill perfifts in the folution of this^ 
 Experiment 5 which he gave in his 
 Dialogue De Natura ^^eris , and for- 
 merly did, for the main, either pro- 
 pofe 5 or adopt , in his Elements of 
 Philofophy. 
 
 B. This opinion or explication of 
 Mr. Hobbes I have , as far as concerns 
 me, confider'dinthe36'^5 andfome 
 infuing pages , of my Examen , to 
 which it may well fumce me to refer 
 you. But yet let me take notice of 
 what he now alledges : 
 
 B. Si quis (fays he) in ^rgentum 
 vivum , qmd in vafe efl , veficam im- 
 merger it in^a.ta.m, nonne ilia, amotamanti 
 emerge t f 
 
 A. It a. certe , etfi ejfet veftca ferreA 
 vel ex materia quacunque f rater Aurtim^ 
 
 B. Vid,es igitur ab K^ere fenetrari 
 pojje Argentum vivum, 
 
 A. Etiam^ 
 
M. HobbesV Prohlemdtd de Vacuo. 6l 
 
 A. Etiamy & quidem ilia if si vi 
 quam a fonder e accifit Argentivivi. 
 
 I confefs this Allegation did a little 
 furprize me : It concerned Mr. Hohhts 
 to prove , that as much Air , as was 
 difplac'd by the defcending Mercury, 
 did at the orifice of the Tube , im- 
 mers'd in ftagnant Mercury, in vifibly 
 afcend to the upper part of the pipe. 
 To prove this he tells us , that a blad- 
 der full of Air being deprefs'd in 
 Quickfilver, will, when the hand 
 that deprefs'd it is remo v'djbe fqueez'd 
 up by the very weight of the Mer- 
 cury, whence it follows, that Air 
 may penetrate Quickfilver. But I 
 know not , who ever deny'd , that 
 Air inviron'd with Quickfilver may 
 thereby be fqueez'd upwards- but, 
 fince even very fmall bubbles of Air 
 may be feen to move in their paffage 
 through Mercury, I fee not, how 
 this Example will at all help the Pro- 
 pofer of it. For 'tis by meer acci- 
 dent, that the Air included in the 
 bladder comes to be buoy'd up, be- 
 caufe the bladder it felf is fo 5 and if 
 
 it 
 
6z 3llnimaDi}etfion!E( upoH 
 
 it were fiU'd with Water inftead of 
 Air, or with Stone inftead of Water^ 
 it would neverthcleis emerge, as 
 himfelf confelTes it would do , if it 
 were made of Iron, or of any Matter 
 befides Gold , becaufe all other Eo-^ 
 dies are lighter mjpecie than Quick-- 
 filver. But fince the emerfion of the 
 bladder is manifeft enough to the 
 fight, I fee not how it will ferve. 
 Mr. Hobbes's turn , who is to prove 
 that the Air gets into the Torricel- 
 lian Tube invifibly • fince 'tis plain ^ 
 that even heedful obfervation can 
 make our Eyes difcover no fuch tra- 
 jedlion of the Air 5 which (to add 
 that inforcement of our Argument) 
 muft: not only pafs urtfeen through the 
 fufi:ained Quickfilver , but muft like- 
 \viie unperceivedly dive, in fpite of 
 its comparative lightnefs , beneath 
 the furfaceof the ponderous ftagnant 
 Mercury , to get in at the orifice of 
 the erecfted Tube. But let us, if you 
 pieafe , hear the reft of his Difcourfe 
 about this Experiment. 
 A. Though it be fomewhat pro- 
 
 lix. 
 
M. Hobbes'i Prohlemdta de Vatuo. €% 
 
 lix, yet, according to my cuftom hi- 
 therto 5 I will give it you verbatim. 
 
 B. Simul at que \^rgentum vivum 
 defcenderit ad D , altim erit in vafe A 
 quam ante, nimirum plus erit K^rgenti 
 vivi in vafe quam erat ante defcenjum., 
 tanto quantum capt fars tfihi C , D» 
 Tanto quoque mintis eritfAeris extra tu-* 
 .hum quam ante erat. Jlle autem K^er 
 qui ab ^^rgento vivo locofuo extrufus ejl, 
 (fuppojita univerfi flenitudine) quoabire 
 foteji nifi ad eum locum-, qui in tubo inter 
 Q&Y> a de[cenfu ^rgenti vivi relin-^ 
 quebatur f fed qua, inquies , via in iU 
 ium locum [uccejftirus eflf Qua, nifi fer 
 iffum corpus Argenti vivi Aerem urgen^ 
 tis ? Sicut enim omne grave liquidum, fui 
 iffiu^ ponder ey Aerem , quem defcendendo 
 premit , afiendere cogit (fi via alia non 
 detur) per fuum ipftm corpus ; it a quoque^ 
 Aerem quem premit ajcendendo, (fi vi^ 
 alia non detur) per fuum ipfius corpus 
 tranfire cogit. CManifeJlum igitur efi^ 
 fuppofita mundi pUnitudine pejfe Aerent 
 externum ab ipfa gravitate Argenti vivi 
 cogi in locum illurn inter C ^ D# Itaque 
 fhanomemn illud neceffitatem vacui no» 
 E detnm^ 
 
6n HintmaDbetfionsS upon 
 
 dtmonjlrat. Qmniam autem corpus Ar^ 
 genti vivi fenetrationiy qi*£ fit ab Aere^ 
 non mini refijitt , c^ afcenfioni Argenti 
 *vivi in vafe A refijitt Aer • qumdo ill<e 
 duA refijientt^ ^equales ertmt ^ tunc m 
 tuho fijietnr dkubi Argent um *vivmn ; 
 ^tcjueihi eJiT>,% 
 
 B. In anfwer to this Explication 
 1 have in my £jf^;^^/^propos'd divers 
 things 5 which you may there meet 
 Mvith : And indeed his Explication 
 has appeared fo improbable to thofe 
 that have written of this Experi- 
 ment, that I have not found it em- 
 brac*d by any of them , though , 
 when divers of themoppos'd it, the 
 Phaenomena of our Engine were not 
 yet divulged. Not then needlefly to 
 repeat what has been faid already , I 
 fhall on this occafion only add one 
 Experiment, that I afterwards made, 
 and it was this; Having made the 
 Torricellian Experiment (in a ftraight 
 Tube) after the ordinary way, we 
 took a little piece of a fine Bladder, 
 and raififig the Pipe a little in the 
 ftagnant Mercury , but not fo high 
 
 as 
 
MMohh^s'sProblematadeVacuol 6$ 
 
 is the furface of it, the piece of Blad- 
 der was dexteroully conveyed in the 
 Quickfilver , fo as to be applied by 
 ones finger to the immetfecf orifice of 
 the Pipe , without letting the Air get 
 into the Cavity of it 5 then the Blad- 
 der was tyed very ftraight and care^ 
 fully to the lower end of the Pipe; 
 whofe orifice (as we faid) it Covered 
 before , and then the Pipe being flow- 
 ly lifted out of the ftagnant Mer- 
 cury , the impendent Quickfilver ap^ 
 pear'd to lean but very lightly upon 
 the Bladder, being fo near an exa<5t 
 ^Equilibrium with the Atmofperical 
 Air, that, if the Tube were but a very 
 little inclined, whereby the gravita- 
 tion of the Quickfilver, being not 
 fo perpendicular, came to be fome- 
 what lefTen'd, the Bladder would 
 immediately be driven into the ori- 
 fice of the Tube, and to the Eye^ 
 plac'd without , appear to have ac- 
 quired a concave fuperficies inftead 
 of the convex it had before. And 
 when the Tube was re-ereded, the 
 Bladder would no longer appear 
 E % fuck'd 
 
66 3|[mma&betOon!e( npon 
 
 fuek'd in, but be again fomewhat 
 protuberant. And if, when the 
 Mercury in the Pipe was made tode- 
 fcend a little below its ftation into 
 the ftagnant Mercury, if, Ifay^ at 
 that nick of time the piece of Blad- 
 der were nimbly and dexteroufly ap- 
 ply'd , as before , to the immers'd o- 
 rifice j and faften'd to the fides of the 
 Pipe , upon the lifting the Infl:rument 
 out of the ftagnant Mercury 5 the 
 Cylinder of that Liquor being now 
 fomewhat fhort of its due height, 
 was no longer able fully to counter- 
 poife the weight of the Atmofphe- 
 tical Air, which confequently,though 
 the Glafs were held in an ereftcd po- 
 fture, would prefs up the Bladder in- 
 to the orifice of the Pipe , and both 
 make and maintain there a Cavity 
 fenfible both to the Touch and the 
 Eye. 
 
 A. What did you mainly drive at 
 in this Experiment i 
 
 B. To fatisfie fome Ingenious 
 Men , that were more diiBdent of, 
 than skilful in , Hydroftaticks , that 
 
 the 
 
M» HobbesV Prohlemata de Vacuo, Sj 
 
 the prefTureof the external Air is ca- 
 pable of fuftaining a Cylinder of 29 
 or 30 Inches of Mercury, and upon 
 a fmall leflening of the gravitation 
 of that ponderous liquor , to prefs it 
 up higher into the Tube. But a far- 
 tner ufe may be made of it againft 
 Mt.Hohbes's pretenfion. For, when 
 the Tube is again erected 5 the Mer- 
 cury will fubfide as low as at firft, 
 and leave as great a fpace as former- 
 ly was left deferted at the top-, into 
 which how the Air lliould get to fill 
 it, will not appear eafie to them ,^ 
 that , like you and me , know by ma- 
 ny tryals , that a Bladder will rather 
 be burft by Air than grant itpalTage. 
 And if it fhould be pretended, either 
 that fome Air from without had yet 
 got through the Bladder , or that the 
 Air , that they may prefume to have 
 beenjuft before included between the 
 Bladder and the Mercury , made its 
 way from the lower part of the In- 
 ftrumetit to the upper 5 'tis obvious 
 to anfwer , That 'tis no way likely, 
 that it fliould pafs all along the Cy- 
 E 3 lindeif 
 
^8 ^limmaDbertiionst upoo 
 
 Under unfeen by lis • fince , whet^ 
 there are really any Aerial Bubbles , 
 though fmaller than Pins heads, they 
 are eafily difcernible. And in our 
 cafe 5 there is no fuch refiftance of the 
 Air to the afcenfion of the ftagnant 
 Mercury 5 as Mr. Hobbes pretends in 
 the Torricellian Experiment made the 
 ufual way. 
 
 A. But 5 whatever becomes of 
 Mr. Hobbes'^ Explication of the Phac- 
 iiomenon ; yet may not one ftill fay, 
 that it affords no advantage to the 
 Vacuifis againfl: him^ 
 
 B. Whether or no it do againft 
 other Plenijls , I fhall not now confi- 
 der 5 but I doubt, the Facuijls will tell 
 Mr. Hobbes y that he is fain in two 
 places of the Explication , we have 
 read , to fuppofe the Plenitude of the 
 JVorld 5 that is, to beg the thing in 
 queftion , which 'tis not to be pre- 
 uim'd they will allow. 
 
 A. But may not Mr. Hobbes fay , 
 that 'tis as lawful for him to fup- 
 jpofe 2iPlemm3 as for them to fuppofe 
 '^ Vacuum^ 
 ■ '- B. I 
 
M. Hobbes'i Problemata de Vacuo, 6^ 
 
 B, I think he may juftly fay fo^ 
 but *tis like they will reply , that , 
 in their way of explicating the Tor- 
 ricellian Experiment 3 they do no^ 
 ff^ppofe a racmm as to Air , hut prov^ 
 it. For they fliew a great fpape^ that 
 having been juft before filPd with 
 Quickfilver , is now deferred by it , 
 though it appeared not, that any Air 
 fucceeded in its room ; but rather , 
 that the upper end of the Tube is ei- 
 ther totally or near totally fo devoid 
 of Air, that the Quickfilver may 
 without refiftance, by barely incli^ 
 ning the Tube , be made to fill it to 
 the very top; Whereas Mr, HoUes is 
 fain to have recourfe p that which 
 he knows they deny , the Plenitude 
 of the World , not proving by any 
 fenfible Phgenomena, that there did 
 get in through the Quickfilver Air 
 enough to fill the deferred part of 
 the Tube , but only concluding, that 
 fb much Air mufi have got in there ^ 
 becaufe , the World being full , it 
 could find no room any where elfe 5 
 >vhich the Vamijis will take for no 
 E 4 proof 
 
TO 3IntmaDi)er0tonjS u^oti 
 
 proof at all, and the Cartefiam, though 
 flenifls^ who admit an Etherial mat- 
 ter capable of pafling through the 
 pores of Glafs, will, I doubt, look 
 upon but as an improper Explication. 
 
 A, I remember on this occafioii 
 another Experiment of yours, that 
 fcems unfavourable enough to Mr. 
 Jlobbes's Explication, and you will 
 perhaps call it to mind when I tell 
 you, that *twas made in a bended 
 Pipe almoft fiU'd with Quickfilver. 
 
 B. To fee whether we underftand 
 one another, I will briefly defcribe 
 the Inflrument I think you mean. 
 ^We took a Cylindrical Pipe of Glafs, 
 clos'd at the upper end , and of that 
 length, that being dexteroufly bent 
 at feme Inches from the bottom, the 
 ihorter legg was made as parallel as , 
 wecoflid to the longer: In this Glafs 
 we found an expedient , (for 'tis not 
 ealie to do,) to make the Torricellian 
 Experiment, the Quickfilver in the 
 fhorter legg ferving inflead of the 
 ftagnant (^ickfilver in the ufual Ba- 
 irofcope, and the Quickfilver in the 
 
 longer 
 
M. HobbesV Problemata de Vacuo, 7 1 
 
 longer legg reaching above that in 
 the fliorter about eight or nine and 
 twenty Inches. Then , by another 
 artifice , the ihorter legg , into which 
 the Mercury did not rife within an 
 Inch of the top , was fo order'd, that 
 it could in a trice be Hermetically 
 feal'd, without difordering the Quick- 
 filver. And this is the Inftrument 
 that I ghefs you mean. 
 
 A. Itisfoj and I remember, that 
 it is the fame with that, which in 
 the Paradox about Sudion you call , 
 whilft the ihorter legg remains un- 
 feal'd, a Travelling Barofcope, But 
 when I faw you make the Experi- 
 ment, that legg was Hermetically 
 feal'd 5 an Inch of Air in its natural 
 or ufual confiftence being left in the 
 upper part of it , to which Air you 
 outwardly applied a pair of heated 
 Tongs. 
 
 B. Yet that, which I chiefly aim'd 
 at in the Trial , was not the Phasno- 
 menon I perceive you mean 5 for, my 
 defign was, by breaking the Ice for 
 them^ to encQurage fome , that may 
 
 have 
 
72 ^mmaDbetQonj^ upon 
 
 have more skill and accommodation 
 than I then had , to make an attempt 
 that I did not find to have been made 
 by any 5 namely , to reduce the Ex- 
 panfive force of Heat in every way 
 included Air, if not in fome other 
 Bodies alfo , to fome kind of meafure,, 
 and, if 'twere poflible, to determia 
 it by weight. And I prefumed, that 
 atleaft the event of my Tryal would 
 much confirm feveral Explications of 
 mine , by fhewing , that Heat is able, 
 as long as it lafts , very confiderably 
 to increafe the Spring or prefling 
 power of the Air. And in this con- 
 jedure I was not miftaken • for, ha- 
 ving fliut up, after the manner new- 
 ly recited , a determinate quantity of 
 uncompreft Air , which, (in the Ex- 
 periment you faw,) was about one 
 Inch; we warily held a pair of hea- 
 ted Tongs near the outfide of the 
 Glafs, (without making it touch the 
 Inftrument , for fear of breaking it,) 
 vrhereby the Air being agitated was 
 enabled to expand it felf to double 
 its former Dimenfions^ and confe- 
 
 quently 
 
M. Hobbes*^ Problemata de Vacuo, 75 
 
 quently had its Spring fo ftrengthen'd 
 by Heat , that it was able to raife all 
 the Quickfilver in the longer legg , 
 and keep up or fuftain a Mercurial 
 Cylinder of about nine and twenty 
 Inches high , when by its expanfion 
 it would 5 if it had not been for the 
 Heat, have loft half the force of 
 its elafticity. But whatever I defign 
 in this Experiment, pray tell me, 
 what ufe you would make of it a- 
 gaintt Mr. Hobbes. 
 
 A. I believe , he will find it very 
 diificult to fhew, what keeps the 
 Mercury fufpended in the longer legg 
 of the TrAveUmg Barojcope , when the 
 fhorter legg is unftopt , at which it 
 may run out 5 fince this Inftrument 
 may , as I have try'd , be carried to 
 diftant places 5 where it cannot with 
 probability be pretended , that any 
 Air has been difplac'd by the fall of 
 the Quickfilver in the longer legg , 
 which perhaps fell long before above 
 a mile off. And when the fhorter 
 legg is feal'd , it will be very h^rd for 
 Mr. Hobbes to fhew there the odd 
 ^V ' motions 
 
^4 3mmat)i)erQonjS( upon 
 
 motions of the Air , to which he at 
 cribes the Torricellian Experiment. 
 For 3 if you warily incline the Inftru- 
 ment , tne Quickfilver will rife to the 
 top of the longer legg , and imme- 
 diately fubfide 5 when the Inftrument 
 is again ere<fted , and yet no Air ap- 
 pears to pafs through the Quickfilver 
 interposed between the ends of the 
 longer and the fhorter legg. But that 
 which I would chiefly take notice 
 of in the Experiment , is , that upon 
 the external application of a hot Bo- 
 dy to the fhorter legg of the Barof- 
 cope 3 when 'twas feal'd up , the in- 
 cluded Air was expanded from one 
 Inch to two 3 and fo rais'd the whole 
 Cylinder of Mercury in the longer 
 legg, and, whilft the heat continued 
 undiminiftied , kept it from fubfiding 
 again. For, if the Air were able 
 to get unfeen through the body of the 
 Quickfilver, why had it not been 
 much more able, when rarified by 
 Heat, to pafs through the Quick- 
 filver , than for want of doing fo to 
 taife and fuftain fo weighty a Cylin- 
 der 
 
der of Mercury ^ I fliall not ftay to in- 
 quire on this occafion, how Mr. Hobbes 
 will, according to his /^f^/^/^^//, ex- 
 plicate the rarefadion of the Air to 
 double its former dimenfions , and 
 the condenfation of it again 5 efpe- 
 cially fince , aflerting that part of the 
 upper legg, that is unfill'd with the 
 Quickfilvcr, to be perfe(ftly full of 
 Air, he affirms that 5 which I doubt 
 he cannot prove, and which may 
 very probably be difproved by the 
 Experiment you mention in the DiC- 
 courfe about Su^ion^ where you fliew, 
 to another purpofe, that in a Tya- 
 veiling Barofcope y whofe fhorter legg 
 is feal'd , if the end of the longer 
 legg be open'd , whereby it comes 
 indeed to be fill'd with Air, the 
 preflfure of that Air will enable the 
 iubjacent Mercury notably to com- 
 prefs the Air included inthefliorter 
 
 iegg- 
 
 B. I leave Mr, Hobbes to confider 
 what you have objefted againft his 
 Explication of the Torricellian Ex- 
 periment 5 to which I fliall add no-| 
 
 thing 3; 
 
-j6 limmatiDerCtoni^ upon 
 
 thing ) though pethaps I could add 
 much 5 becaufe I think it may be well 
 (bared > and our Conference has la- 
 Ited long already. 
 
 A. I will then proceed tothelaft 
 Experiment recited by Mr, Hobbes in 
 his ProblemaH de Vacuo. 
 
 A. ^^ Phialam , collum habentem 
 longmfculum y eandemque omni Corf ore 
 fr^ter K^erem vacuam ore fugas , con- 
 tmuoque FhiaU os aqu^ immergO'S . vi" 
 debts ac[HAm aliquoufque afcendere in Phi- 
 dUm. Qtn fieri hoc fotejl nifi fa6lum 
 fit Vacuum ab exu5tione AeriSy in cujus 
 locum fojjit Aqua ilia dfcenderef 
 
 B. Comejfo Vacuo ^ oportet quadam 
 loca vacua fuiffe in illo Aere y etiam qui 
 erat intra Phialam ante fu6tionem. Cur 
 ergo non afcendebat Aqua ad ea implen- 
 da absque fuclione? Is qui fugit Phi a- 
 lawyneque iriventrem quicquam, neque 
 infulmonesy neque in os e Phial a exa^ 
 git. Quid ergo agit ? ^^erem commo* 
 'vet , ^ infartibm ejm conatum fugendo 
 eff/cit per os exeundi , ^ non admitten- 
 doy conatum redeundi, Ab his conati^ 
 bmcontrariis componitur circumitio intrx 
 
 Phialanfy 
 
M. HobbesV Prohlemata de Vacuo. *77 
 
 Vhiddm , & conAtus exeundi quAquX'- 
 verfum. Itaque FhiaU ore aqudt im^ 
 merfoy Aer in fubje^iam aquam pemtrat 
 € PhiaU egredienSy cjr tantundem aqu<^ 
 in VhiaUmccgit. 
 
 Praterea vis ilU magna fuStionis 
 facity ut fugentis labra cum collo Thiala. 
 aliqmndo arciiffime cohareant frofter 
 contactum exqufitiffimum. 
 
 B. As to the firft Claufe of 
 Mr. Hobbes's account of our Phasno- 
 menon , the Vacuijis will eafily an- 
 fwer his Queftion by acknowledging, 
 that there were indeed interfpers*d 
 Vacuities in the Air contained in the 
 Vial before the fudion 5 but they will 
 add 5 there was no reafon , why the 
 Water fliould afccnd to fill them , be- 
 caufe 5 being a heavy body , it can- 
 not rife of it felf , but muft be raifed 
 by fome prevalent weight or pret 
 fure, which then was wanting. Be- 
 fides, that there being interfpers'd 
 Vacuities as well in the reft of the 
 Air that was very near the Water,' 
 as in that contained in the Vial, there 
 was no reafon 5 why the Water 
 
 fliould 
 
78 ^nim(Hii)ttGong uponi 
 
 (hould afcend to fill the Vacuities of 
 one portion of Air rather than thofe 
 of another. But when once by fu^ 
 dkion a great many of the Aerial 
 . Corpufcles were made to pafs out of 
 the Vial , the Spring of the remain- 
 ing Air being weaken'd , whilft the 
 preffure of the ambient Air , which 
 depends upon its conftant Gravity ^ 
 is undiminiflied , the Spring of the 
 internal becomes unable to refill th^ 
 weight of the external Air , which 
 is therefore able to impel the inter- 
 posed Water with fome violence into 
 the Cavity of the Glafs, 'till the 
 Air^ remaining in that Cavity, being 
 reduced almoft to its ufual Denfity, 
 is able by its Spring, and the weight 
 of the Water got up into the Vial ^ ji 
 to hinder any more Water from be- It 
 ing impeird up. For, as to what 
 Mr. Hobbes affirms, that. Is qui fu^ 
 git Phidam neque in ventrem quic- 
 quam , neque in fulmones , neque tn os 
 quicquam exugit : How it will agree 
 with what he elfewhere delivers a- 
 bout Sudion, I leave him to confiden 
 
 But 
 
M. HobbesV Problemata de Vacuo, yp^ 
 
 But I confefs, I cannot r bat; wonders 
 at his confidence 3 that can pofitive-; 
 ly aflert a thiqg fo repugpant to the 
 common fentiments of Men of al|j 
 opinions, without offering any pr6o£ 
 for it. But I fuppofe, they that are; 
 by tryal acquainted with 3ucking5and 
 have felt the Air come in at their 
 mouths J will prefer their own expe- 
 rience to his authority. And as to 
 what he adds , that the Perfon that 
 fucks agitates the Air., and turns it 
 I within the yial into a kind of circu* 
 I lating wind , that endeavours every 
 I where to get out 5 I wifli, he had 
 i fliewn us by what means a Man that 
 fucks makes this odd Commotion of! 
 the Air 5 efpecially in fuch Vials as I 
 ufe to employ about the Experiment, 
 the orifice of whofe neck is fometimes 
 lefs than a Pins head^ 
 
 A. That there may be really Ait 
 extrafted by Suction out of a Glafs,' 
 me thinks you might argue from aa 
 Experiment I faw you make with a 
 Receiver which was exhaufted by 
 your Pump, and confequently by Su* 
 
 ¥ <aion; 
 
So ^mmaD&ernonjS upon 
 
 dion. For I remember, when you 
 had counterpoised it with very good 
 Scales, and afterwards by turning a 
 ftop-cock 5 let in the outward Air , 
 there rufli'd in as much Air to fill the 
 foace that had been deferted by the 
 Air pumpt out , as weighed fome 
 fcruples (confifting of twenty grains 
 a piece) though the Receiver were 
 not of the largeft fize. 
 
 B. You did well to add that 
 Claufe 5 for 5 the CMagdehurgic Ex- 
 periment 5 mentioned by the induftri' 
 CMS Schottfts y having been made with 
 a vaft Receiver , the readmitted Air 
 amounted to a whole ounce and fome 
 drachms. But to return to Mr. HoUes, 
 I fear not that he will perfwade you , 
 that have feen the Experiment he re- 
 cites, that as foon as the neck of the 
 Vial is unftopt underwater, the Air, 
 that whirl'd about before, makes a 
 fallyout, and forces inasmuch wa- 
 ter. For , if the orifice be any thing 
 large , you will , inftead of feeling 
 an endeavour to thruft away your 
 finger that ftoptit;, find the pulp of 
 
 your 
 
M. HobbesV VrohleniAta de Vacuo . % i 
 
 your finger fo thruft inward , that 
 a Pertfatetick would aiBrm that hd 
 felt it fuckt in. And that Intrufion 
 may be the Reafon^ why the lip of him 
 that fucks is oftentimes ftrongly fa- 
 ften'd to the orifice of the Vials neck, 
 which Mr. Hohhes afcribes to a moft 
 exquifit contad: , but without clear- 
 ly telling us^ how that extraordina- 
 ry contad is effefted. And when 
 your finger is removed j inftead of 
 perceiving any Air go out of the 
 Vial through the water, (which, 
 if any fuch thing happen , you will 
 eafily difcovcr by the bubbles,) you 
 fhall fee the water briskly fpring up 
 in a flender ftream to the top of the 
 Vial 5 which it could not do / if the 
 Cavity were already full of Air. And 
 to let you fee 5 that, when the Airdoe^ 
 really pafs in or out of the Vial im-^ 
 mers'd under water 5 'tis very eafie 
 to perceive its motions, if you dip 
 the neck of the Vial in water, and 
 then apply to the globulous part of 
 it either your warm hands or any 
 other competent Heat, the internal 
 F a Air 
 
Si ^nimadberQotisi upon 
 
 Air being ratified -, you (hall fee a por- 
 tion of it 3 anfwerable to the degree 
 of Heat you applied 5 manifeftly pafs: 
 through the water in fucceflive bub-, 
 bles 5 whilft yet you ftiali not fee a- 
 ny water get into the Vial to fupplyv 
 the place deferted by that Air. And 
 if 5 when you have (as you may da 
 by the help of fucking) fiU'd the 
 neck and part of the belly of the 
 Vial with water , you immerfe the 
 orifice into ftagnant water , and ap-;. 
 ply warm hands to the globulous part 
 as before , you will find the water in 
 the Vial to" be driven out, before any 
 bubbles pafs out of the Vial into the 
 furrounding water; which fhews, 
 that the Air is not fo forward to dive 
 under the water , (and much lefs un- 
 der fo ponderous a liquor as Quick- 
 filverj) as Mr. Hobbes has fuppofed. 
 
 A. That 'tis the Prcffure of the, 
 external Air , that (furmounting the 
 Spring of the internal) drives up the 
 water into the Vial \ft have been 
 fpeaking of, does, I confefs, follow 
 lipon your Hypothefis ; But an Expe- 
 riment 
 
M.llohh^s^sJ^roblematade Vacuo, gjf 
 
 •rimentarian Philofophcr, as ^t.Hobbes 
 calls you among others , may pofli- 
 bly befurniflied with an Experiment 
 to confirm this to the Eye. • 
 
 B. You bring into my mind what 
 I once devifed to confirm my Hypo- 
 •thefis about Sudion, but found a 
 while fince that I had omitted it in 
 my Difcourfe about that Subjedi. 
 And therefore I fhall now repeat to 
 you the fubftance at leaft of the Me- 
 morial that was written of that Ex- 
 periment 5 by which the great inte- 
 refl of the weight of the Atmofphe- 
 rical Air in Sudion will appear, and 
 m which alfo fome things will oc- 
 cur, that will not well agree with 
 Mr. Hobbesh Explication , and pre- 
 vent fonie of his Allegations againfl 
 mine. 
 
 A. Having not yet met with an 
 ' Experiment of this nature , fuch an 
 
 one as you fpeak of will be welcome 
 tome. 
 
 B. We took a Glafs Bubble, whofe 
 long ftem was both very (lender and 
 very Cylindrical 5 then by applying 
 
94 Wnmnli^etVm^ upon 
 
 to the outfide of the Ball or globur 
 lous part a convenient heat , we ex- 
 peird fo much of the Air, as that, 
 when the end of the pipe was dipt 
 in water, and the inward Air had 
 time to recover its former coolnefs, 
 the water afcended either to the top 
 of the pipe or very near it. This 
 done 5 we gently and warily rarified 
 the Air in the Cavity of the Bubble, 
 'till by its expanfion it had driven out 
 almoft all the water that had got up 
 into the ftem , that fo it might attaip 
 as near as could be to that degree of 
 heat and meafure of expanfion y that 
 it had when the water began to rife 
 in it, . And we were careful to leave 
 two or three drops of water unexr 
 pell'd at the bottom of the pipe, that 
 we might be fure , that none of the 
 included Air was by this fecond ra- 
 refaftion driven out at the orifice of 
 it 5 as the depreflion of the water Co 
 low affured us, on the other fide, 
 that the included Air wanted nothing 
 fconfiderable of the expanfion it had 
 i¥hf n the w^ter began to afcend into 
 
 the 
 
the pipe. Whilft the Air was in this 
 rarified ftate , we prefently removed 
 the little Inftrument out of the ftag- 
 nant water into ftagnant Quickfii* 
 ver 5 which in a fliort time began to 
 rife in the pipe. Now , if the afceg- 
 fion of the liquor were the eifed of 
 Natures Abhorrence of a Vacuum ; or 
 of fome internal principle of Motion 5 
 or of the Compreffion and propaga- 
 ted Pulfion of the outward Air by 
 that which had been expell'd 5 why 
 Ihould not the Mercury have afcended 
 to the top of the pipe , as the water 
 did before ^ But de faffo it did not 
 afcend half, or perhaps a quarter Co 
 far 5 and if the pipe had been long ^^ 
 nough 3 as well as 'twas {lender e- 
 nough 5 1 queftioq, whether the Mer* 
 cury would have afcended (in pro^ 
 portion to the lengtli of tb^ ftem) 
 half fo high as it did. 
 
 Now of this Experiment , which 
 wetrycd more than once, I fee not, 
 for the reafon lately exprefs'd^ how 
 any good account will be given with* 
 out owt Hypothefts y but according to 
 71^4^ 'tis clear. f 4 4*\ 
 
i6 9)fnittmt)be¥fion^ upon 
 
 :' irf.' I think I jperceive why you 
 -fay.fd^f for the Afcenfioa of Liquors 
 being 'an effeft of the prevalency of 
 the external Airs preflbre againftthe 
 refiftaiice it meets with in the Ca- 
 vity of & Inflrrumentjand the Quick- 
 filver being bulk for bulk many times 
 heavier than water , the fame fur- 
 plufage of preflbre that was able to 
 impel up water to the top of the 
 pipe 5 ought not to be able to impel 
 Up the Quickfilver to any thing near 
 that height. And if it be here ob- 
 jected ^ as it very plaufibly may be, 
 that tne raifed Cylinder of Mercury 
 'was much longer than it ought to 
 have been in reference to a Cylinder 
 of Water, the proportion in gravity 
 between thofe two Liquors ( which 
 is alrhoft^ that of fourteen to one) be- 
 ing confidered • lanfwerj that when 
 the Cylinder of Water reached to the 
 ■pipe^the Air poflefs'd no more than the 
 Cavity pf the globulous part of the 
 Inftrumeiitv being very little allifted 
 to dilate it felf by fo light a Cylin- 
 der as that of Water : But wheti 
 
 the 
 
M. Hobbes'/ PrMemata de Vacuo. 87 
 
 the jQuickfilver came to fee^ impelled 
 into the Inftmment by the weight of 
 the external Air , that pondierous Bo- 
 dy did not flop its afcent as foon as 
 it c^me to be equiponderant to the 
 formerly expell'd Cylinder of Wa-r 
 ter. becaufe, to attain that height , 
 it reached but a little way into the 
 pipe, and left all the reft of the Ca- 
 vity of the pipe- to begird with part 
 of that Air , which formerly was all 
 fhutup in the Cavity of the Bubble 5 
 by which means the Air 5 included 
 in the whole Inftrument 5 ihuft needs 
 be in a ftate of expanfion , and there- 
 by have its Spring weakened^ and 
 * Gonfequently difabled to ^refift the 
 . preffureof theexternal Air, asmuch 
 as the fame included Air did befdre, 
 when it was lefs rarified - on which 
 account 5 thev uridiminiflied • weight 
 or' prefTure of the externa/l Air was 
 able to raife the Quickfilver higher 
 and higher , -till it had obtained that 
 height 5 at which the preffure, coni-' 
 pounded of the w^eight of the Mfer^ 
 giirial Cylinder and the Spring of the 
 * internal 
 
S8 3bumat)t)eKQon£(ttpen 
 
 internal Air (now lefs rarified than 
 before,) was equivalent to the pref- 
 fure of the Atraofphere or external 
 Air. 
 
 B. You have given the very Ex- 
 plication I was about to propofe; 
 wherefore I fhall only add, that, to 
 confirm this Experiment by a kind 
 of Inverfionof it, we drove by heat 
 a little Air out of the Bubble, and 
 dipt the open end of the pipe into 
 Quickfilver , which by this means 
 we made to afcend 'till it had fiU'd 
 about a fourth part or lefs of the 
 pipe a when that was held ereded, 
 Then carefully removing it without 
 letting fall any Quickfilver , or let- 
 ting in any Air, v/eheld the orifice 
 of the pipe a little under the furface 
 of a Glals full of Water , and ap? 
 plying a moderate heat to the outfide 
 of the Ball , we warily expell'd the 
 Quickfilver, yet leaving a little of 
 it to make it fure that no Air was 
 driven out with it^ then fuffering 
 the included Air to cool , the exter- 
 nal Air was ^ound abl^ to make thQ 
 
M, Hobbes V PrMmaia de ncuo. 89 
 
 Water not only afcend to the very 
 top of the pipe , and thence fpread it 
 fclf a little into the Cavity of the 
 ^all5 but to carry up before it the 
 Quickfilver that had remained unex- 
 peird at the bottom of the fteni. 
 And if in making the Experiment 
 we had firft raifed , as we fometimes 
 did, a greatef quantity of Quicks 
 filver, and afterwards drove it out, 
 the quantity of Water , that would 
 be impell'd into the Cavity of the 
 pipe and ball , would be accordingly 
 increafed. . :. 
 
 4. In this Experiment *tis mani- 
 feft, that fomething is driven out of 
 the Cavity of the Glafs before the 
 Water or Quickfilver begins to afcend 
 in it : And here alfo we fee not , 
 that the Air can pafs through the 
 pores of Quickfilver or Water , but 
 that it drives them on before it, with- 
 out fenfibly mixing with them. In 
 this Experiment there appears not at 
 all any Circular Wind, asMr. HMes 
 fancies in the fuckt Vial we aredifpu- 
 ting of, nor any tendency outwards 
 
 of 
 
<^ UttimMiiJctaoniBS upon ^ 
 
 o£ the included Afar upon the account 
 of fuch a Wind . but, inftead of thefe 
 things, that the afcenfion of the 
 Liquors into the Cavity of the pipe 
 depends upon the external Air , preC- 
 fingiup the Liquors into that Cavity, 
 may be argu'd by this, that the 
 ■fame weight of the Atmofphere im- 
 peird up into thepip6 fo much more 
 of the lighter Liquor, fVater, than of 
 the heavier IJc^ox-, Mercury. 
 
 B. You have faid enough on this 
 Experiment 5 but 'tis not the only I 
 have to oppofe to \At.Hobbes his Ex- 
 plication : For 5 that there is no need 
 of the fallying of Air out of a Vial , 
 to make the Atmofpherical Air prefs 
 againft a Body that clofes the orifice 
 of it, when the preffure of the inter- 
 nal Air is much w-eakened • I have 
 had occafion to fhew fome Firtmfi, by 
 fucking out , with the help of an In- 
 strument, a confiderable portion of 
 the Air contained in a Glafs • for ha-^ 
 ving then , inftead of unftopping the 
 orifice under water, nimbly applied a 
 flat Body to it, the external Air prefs'd 
 
 that 
 
that Body fo forciblY againft it , as to 
 keep it faftencd aad (jifpended, though 
 'twere clogg'd with a weight of ma- 
 nyounces. -. 
 
 A, Another ,Experinieriti>f ypurs 
 Mr. Hobbes's Explication brings into 
 my mind, by wfiiph it appeal's, that, 
 if there be fuch a Circular Wind, as 
 he pretends , .prp^uced by Si^^^ion ia 
 the Cavityof the Vial , it miift needs: 
 be ftrangely lafting. For I hax^^ feen( 
 more than once, that, when you have, 
 by an Inftrura^nt fuckt liiuch; of the; 
 Air out of a Vial, and afterwards^ 
 carefully clofed it , though you kept 
 the {lender neck of it ftopt a long 
 time , perhaps for fome weeks or 
 months, yet when 'twas open'd.under 
 water, a confiderable quantity of the 
 Liquor w^ould be briskly imffelKd up 
 into the neck arid belly of'iKeViaU 
 So that , though I will not be fo plea- 
 fantwith Mt.Hobbes, as tomindyoii 
 on this occafioh of" thofeWf, iters of 
 Natural Magick , that teach iisto ihut 
 up Articulate Sounds in :^ yelTel , 
 which being transported tQ^diftant 
 
 place 
 
9i 3lmmalti)et0onj( Upon 
 
 place and open'd there , will render 
 the Words that are Gommitted to it 5 
 yet I muft needs fay , that fo lafting 
 a Circular Wind 5 as , according to 
 Mr. Hobhes, your Experiments exhibi; 
 ted^may well deferve our wondet'. -^ 
 B. Your admiration would per- 
 chance increafe ^ if I fhould allure 
 you. that having with the Sun-beams 
 
 Srodiice^dfinoak in one of thofe well4 
 opt Vials 5 this Circular Wind did 
 not at all appear to blow it about^ but 
 fuffered it to rife ^ as it would have 
 done if the included Air had been ve^ 
 ry calm. And now Ifhall add but one 
 Experiment more , which will not be 
 liable to fome of the things as inva-^ 
 lid as they are , which Mr. Hobbeshz^s 
 ^Hedged in his account of the Vial , 
 and which will let you fee , that the 
 weight of the Atmofpherical Air is a 
 very confiderable thing- and which 
 may alfo incline you to think , that, 
 whilft Mx.Hobbes does not admit a fub- 
 tiler Matter than common Airtopafs 
 through the Pores of clofe and folid 
 Bodies , the Air he has recourfe to will 
 
 fome- 
 
M. Hobbes*^ Pr0hl€m^ta de V^acuo. 93 
 
 fometimes come too late to prevent a 
 Vacuum. The Experiment, which was 
 partly accidental, I lately found regi- 
 ftred to this fenfcjif not in thefe words: 
 |[ Having , to make fome Difcovery 
 of the weight of the Air, and for other 
 purpofes,caus'd an iEolipile,very light 
 confidering its bulk , to be made by a 
 famous Artift, Ihadoccafiontoput it 
 fo often into the fire for feveral Tryals, 
 that at length the Copper fcal'd off by 
 degrees, and left the Veffel much thin- 
 ner than when it firft came out of the 
 Artificers hands 5 and a good while af- 
 ter,this change in the Inftrument be- 
 ing not in my tlioughts, I had occafion 
 to imploy it,as formerIy,to weigh how 
 many grains it would contain of the 
 Airatiuch a determinate conftitution 
 of the Atmofpbere, as was to be met 
 with, where I then chanced to be. For 
 the making this Experiment the more 
 cxa<3:ly, the Air was by a ftrong, but 
 warily applied, fire fo carefully driven 
 away, that, when clapping a piece of 
 Sealing-wax to the Pin-hole, at which 
 it had been forced out^we hindred any 
 
 com- 
 
^4 3(mmat)betiion)e(9 &c. 
 
 communication betwixt the Cavity of 
 the Inftrument and the external Air, 
 -we fuppos'd the iEoHpile to be very 
 well exhaufted.and therefore laid it by> 
 that5when it fliould be grown cold^we 
 might, by opening the orifice with a 
 Pin, again let in the outward Air, and 
 obferve the encreafe of weight that 
 would thereupon enfue; But thelflr 
 ftrument, that, as I was faying , was 
 grown thin, had been fo diligently 
 freed from Air,that the very little that 
 remain'd, and was kept by the Wax 
 from receiving any. affiftance from 
 without 5 being unable bj? its Spring 
 to affift the iEolipile to liipport the 
 weight of the ambient Air 5 this exter- 
 nal fluid did by its weight prefs againfi 
 it fo ftrongly,that it comprefs'd it,and 
 thruft it lo confiderably inwards^ and 
 in more than one place fo changed its 
 figure, that, when I ihew'd it to the 
 Virtuofi that were aflembled at Grejham- 
 CoUedgeythty were pleafed to command 
 it of me to be kept in their Repofi- 
 tory 5 where I prefume it is ftill to be 
 feen. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
OF THE 
 
 CAUSE 
 
 OF 
 
 Attraftion 
 
 BY 
 
 SUCTION. 
 
 By the Honourable 
 
 ROBERT J50 rL E, 
 
 Fellow of the Royal Society. 
 
 L O 3CZ> O ?t> 
 
 'Pnntcdhy iviUiam GoMid y and are to 
 
 \>Q Sold by Mofes Pitt^ at the Ang^losix 
 
 againft the little North Door of 
 
 Sr. Ptustfi Chorch. 1674. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 HAvf^ about tvpelve yedrs agtf 
 fummarily exfrejl and fub- 
 lijh'dmy Ofinion of the Caufe 
 of Sucftion , a;tda while he- 
 fore or after brought to the Royal Society 
 the Glaflnjlrument J employed to mdke it 
 put',1 defijledforfome time to add any thing 
 about a Problem y that I had but ocea- 
 ftonally handled: Only ^ bee aufe the Inflrti^ 
 tnent 1 mentioned in my Examen of 
 Mr. Hobbes' J Ofinion , and afterwards 
 usdat Grefham-College, wa6 difficult 
 enough to be well made , and not to be f re- 
 cur'' d ready made y I did for the fake of 
 fome y irtuofi , that were curious offuch 
 things :, device a flight and eaftly made 
 Jnfirument , defcrib'd in the following 
 'TraB, chap. 0^n which the chief Phae- 
 nomena, I jhew'd before the Society, 
 were eafily producible. But afterwards 
 the mijiakes and erroneous Opinions . 
 a^* that, 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 thdty in Trint as well as in Difcourfe ^ I 
 met vpithy even amonp Learned Men y 
 About Su(ftion 5 and the Curiosity of an 
 Ingeniom Vernon , engaged me to resume 
 thatSub]eB and treat of it ^ as if I had 
 never before meddled with it , for the 
 reafon intimated in the beginning of the 
 infuing Paper, And finding upon there- 
 view of my later Animadverfions on 
 CMr, HobbesV Problemata de Vacuo , 
 that fome paffages of this Tra^ are re- 
 ferred to there ; I ^aw my f elf thereby 
 little lef than engaged to annex that 
 Vifcourfe to thofe Animadverfions. And 
 this I the rather confented to, becaufe it 
 contains fome Experiments , that 1 have 
 not elfewhere met with J which y together 
 with fome other parts of thatEffay^ mayy 
 I hope y prfive of fome ufe to illujlrate and . 
 confirm our Voclrine about the Weight 
 and Spring of the Air y and f^pply the 
 lefi experienced than ingenious friends 
 to our Hypothefis with more grounds of 
 anfwering the later Objections of feme 
 Learned Men , againft whofe endeavours 
 J perceive it will be ufeful to employ va- 
 riety of Experiments and other Proofs tp 
 
 &vince 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 ivime the fame T^^uth ; that fbme or 
 other of thefe may meet vpith thofe Ar- 
 guments or evafions vpith vphich they fir ive 
 to elude the force of the reft. 
 
 The Title of the foil ffwing Ejfay may 
 Sufficiently keef the Reader from expect ing 
 to find any other kind of Attra<5iion dtf- 
 coursed of, than that ivhtch is made by 
 Su^ion. But yet thus much ijhallhere 
 intimate in general, that I have found by 
 Trials fur fofely made, that the Examples 
 of Sudion are not the only noted ones of 
 Attradion , that may be reduced to 
 Pulfion. 
 
 I- 
 
 O F 
 
f' :- n 
 
^ 
 
 C i 3 
 
 OF THE 
 
 CAUSE 
 
 OF 
 
 ATTRACTION 
 
 BY 
 
 SUCTION. 
 
 Chap. I. 
 
 I Might 5 sify favemy felf fome 
 trouble in giving you that ac- 
 count you defirc of me about 
 Suction y by referring you to a 
 paffage in the Exameny I long finge 
 writ, of Mx.Hohbes^s Dialogus Phyjicus 
 4eNaturaAeriSy if I knew, you had 
 thofe two Books lying by you. But 
 becaufe I fufped, that my B^amefi 
 A ? may 
 
% S)nge€9ttreoE 
 
 may flpt be in yoyr h^nds , fince *tis 
 dmoff ; out df Rim V ind has not for 
 feme years been in my own 5 andbe- 
 caufe I do not fel ^trell iJeftiember, after 
 fo lon^ a timeyt|3e particulars that 
 I writ|theit3 a^ott Sj^dion , its I do 
 in gehdral, that the Hypthefis Ipro- 
 pofed 5 was very incidentally and 
 briefly difeours'd of, upon an occa- 
 fion fmniftred by a Wrong Explication 
 given of Suction by Mr. Hohbes , J 
 (hall here decline referring you to 
 what I there writ; andpropofingtor 
 you thofe thoughts about SucSion, 
 that f rcntember I there pointed at, 
 Ifhallannexfome things to illuftrate 
 and confirm them , tliat would not 
 have been fo proper for me to have 
 infilled on in a fhort and but occa^ 
 jBonal Excurficm. 
 
 And! fliould immediately proceed 
 to what you expe<a from me , but 
 that S^t^ton being generally look'd 
 upon as a kind bf AttrABkn , it will 
 be requifite for me to premife fomc-^ 
 thing about At^raiikn it felf. For ^ 
 be&tes that the Caufe of it, which 
 
 '■ ' ^ '''■-'^' ^^' ^ i 
 
I here difputenotofj isobfcure, the 
 very Nature and Notion of it is wont 
 by Naturalifts to be either left un- 
 touched , or but very darkly deliver'd, 
 and therefore will not be unfit to be 
 here fomewhat explained. 
 
 How general and ancient foever 
 the common Opinion may be, that 
 i^ttr action is a kind of jMotion quite 
 differing from Pulfton , if not alfo op- 
 pofite to it 5 yet I confefs, I concur 
 in opinion , though not altogether 
 upon the fame grounds, with fome 
 modern Naturalifts , that think At- 
 traction a Species of Pulfion. And at 
 leaft among inanimate Bodies I have 
 not yet obferved any thing, that 
 convincjss me, that Attracftion cannot; 
 be reduced to Pulfion 5 fqr, thefe two 
 feem to me to be but extrinfjcal deno- 
 minations of the fame Local Motion , 
 in ||hich , if a moved Body f recede 
 the Movent , or tend to acquire a 
 greater diftance from it, we call it 
 Fulfton; and if , upon the fcore of the 
 Motion , the fame Body/^//w theMo- 
 vept or approach to it^ we call it 
 A J M'^ 
 
4 0f t%z caufe or 
 
 AttrAtlm. But this difference may 
 confift but in an accidental refpeft ^ 
 which does not PhyfuaUy alter the na- 
 ture of the Motion , but is founded 
 upon the refpeft ^ which the Line ^ 
 wherein the Motion is made, happens 
 to have to the fituation of the Mo- 
 vent, And that which feems to me 
 to have been the chief caufe of mens 
 miftaking Attradion for a motion op- 
 
 })ofite to Pulfion , is , that they have 
 ook'd upon both the moving and 
 moved Bodies 3 in too popular andfu- 
 perficial a manner 5 and confider-d 
 in the CMcnjent rather the fituation 
 of the confpicuous and more bulky 
 part of the Animal or other Agent j 
 than the fituation of that part of thq? 
 Animal \ or Inftrument 5 that does 
 immediately imprefs that motion up- 
 on the Mobile. 
 
 For thofe that attentively heedljis, 
 may eafily take notice, that fome part 
 of that Body 3 or of the Inftrumpnty 
 which t^ reafbn of their conjunftioa 
 in this operation is to be look'd on 
 feut as making one with it^ is really 
 
 placed 
 
placed behind fome part of the Body 
 to be dra^tn, and therefore cannot 
 move outwards it felf without thru- 
 fting that Body forward. This will 
 Ibeeafilyunderfiood, if we cbnfider, 
 what happens when a Man drdws a 
 Chain after hiih- for, though his 
 Body do precede the Chain, yet his 
 finger or fome other part of* the hand, 
 wherewith he draws it, has fome 
 part or other that reaches hehind the 
 fore part of the firft JLinfc, and the 
 hinder part of this Link popites be- 
 hind the anteriour part of the fc 
 cond Link 5 and fo each Link has one 
 of its parts placed behind fbme part 
 I of the Link next after it, -till you 
 j come to the laft Link of all. And fo, 
 'as the finger 5 that is in the firft Link, 
 cannot move forwards but it muft 
 thruft on that Link, by this Series oi 
 Trufions the whole Chain is moved 
 forwards ^ and if any other Body be 
 drawn by that Chain , you may per- 
 ceive, that fome part of the laft Link 
 comes behind fome part of that Bo- 
 jdy, or of fame intervening Body; 
 A 4 which;. 
 
whiebi Jby its cohefioil with it^Vought 
 in oup prefent cafe to be confider'd as 
 partofiit^ And thus Attra^ion feems 
 to be but a Species of Fulfiony and u- 
 fuallys^belongsi to that, kind of it, 
 \vhichi| for diftindions fake , is cal- 
 led TruJio»y by whichiwe underftand 
 that kiad of Pulfion, wherein the 
 Movent goes along with the moved- 
 Body without quitting it: whilft the 
 progrefs lafts 5 as it happens , when . 
 a Gardiner drives his Wheel-barrow 
 before him without letting go his 
 hold of it.' ; rboir 
 
 But I inufl: not herfe diffemble a dif- 
 ficulty v that I forefee may be fpeei- 
 oufly urged againft this account of 
 Attradlion, For it may be faid , that 
 there are Attractions , where it can- 
 not be pretended , that any part of 
 the ^.^ttrahent comes behind the At- 
 traBed Body 5 as in CMagnetical and 
 'Ele^ricd Attradions, and in that 
 which is made of Water, when 'tis 
 drawn up into Springs and Pumps. 
 
 I need not tell you , that you know 
 fo well, ais that partly tliQ Caruji^f^s, 
 
 ancj 
 
attraction bp dttctfon. ^ 
 
 jUnd partly other Modern PhiiojR)- 
 phers, have recourfe on this occa- 
 (ion either to firerved P^rtiol^ and 
 other Magnetical Emiffions , to ex- 
 plicate Fh^xnomena of this kind. And ^ 
 according to fuch Hyfothefes, one may 
 fay 5 that many of thefe Magnetical 
 and Eledlrical Effluvia come behind 
 fome parts of the attrafted Bodies , 
 or: at leaft of the little folid Particles , 
 that are as it were the Walls of their 
 Pores 5 or procure fome difcuffion of 
 the Air, that may make itthruftthe 
 Moveable towards the Loadftone or 
 Amber, &c. But if there were none 
 qf thefe , noir any other fubtil Agents 
 that caufe this Motion by a real , 
 though unperceivedjPulfion ^ I fhould 
 make a diftiniflion betwixt other At- 
 tra<aions and thefe, which I Ihould 
 then ftile y^ttr Action by Invisibles, 
 But, whether there be really any 
 fuch in Nature, and why I fcruple 
 to admit things fo hard to be concei- 
 ved, may be elfewhere confider'd. 
 And you will, I prefume, the free- 
 lier allow me this liberty ^ if^ (fince 
 
m^tfelfe^plUce 'tis proper to do'itlyi 
 fliavir^yoUv that in the iaft of theitf- 
 ftances'l formerly obj^dled (that of 
 the drawing up of Water into tlte 
 Barrel of a Syringe,) there is nottUQ 
 AttraAion of the Liquor made by the 
 external Air. I fay then, that by 
 the afcending Rammer , as a part of 
 which I here confider the obtufe end. 
 Plug 5 or Sucker , there is no Attra-^ 
 ilion made of the contiguous and fiib- 
 jacent Water , but only there is room 
 made for it , to rife into , without 
 being expos^ to the preffure of the 
 fijperiour Air. For, if we fuppofe 
 the whole Rammer to be by Divine 
 Omnipotence annihilated , and con-^ 
 fequeritly lincapableof exercifingany 
 Attradion 5 yet , provided the fupe^ 
 riour Air were kept off from the Wa- 
 ter by any other way as well as 'twas 
 by the Ranimer, the Liquor would 
 ^ well ^ afcend into the Cavity of 
 the Barrel* fince 5 (as I have elfe- 
 where abundantly proved, ) the fur- 
 face of the Terraqueous Globe being 
 poiltiriually prefe'd on by the incum- 
 bent 
 
3ima(tion bi? Attction. > 
 
 bent Air or Atmofphere , the Water 
 muft be by that prefliire impeird Into 
 q.ny cavity here billow 5 where 'there 
 is no Air to refift it 5 as by otir Siip- 
 pofition there is not in the Barrel of 
 our Syringe , when the Ramnier > or 
 whatever elfe was in it, had Bee4 
 annihilated. Which Reafoningmay 
 be fufficiently confirmed byan Expe^ 
 riment , whereby j have more thaa 
 once ihewn fome curious pcrfolns, 
 that 5 if the external Air 5 and Qpnfc- 
 guently its preflure , be withdr;^wn 
 from about the Syringe , bnd may 
 pull up the Sucker as muth is h6 
 pleafes , without drawing up after it 
 the fubjacent Water. Inihort, let 
 us fuppofe , that a Man ftanding; in 
 an inner room does byhisutmolt re- 
 iiftance keep fliut a Door, ihat is 
 neither lock'd nor latch'd , Jagainft 
 another 5 who with equal forg^ en- 
 deavours to thruft it open : In this 
 cafe 5 ^ if one fhould forcibly pull 
 away the firft Man , it could not be 
 faid, that this Man, by his recefs 
 from the Door he endeavoured to 
 
 prefs 
 
to ,,i Mt^jBf^til 
 prefs /Outwards , did truely and pro-i 
 perlydrawin his Antagonift, though 
 upon that recefs the coming in of his 
 Antagonift would prefently enfue 5 
 p it cannot properly be faid , that by 
 the afcent of the Rammer , which 
 difplaces the fuperiour Air, either the 
 Rammer it felf , or the expelled Air, 
 does properly attract the fubjacent 
 Water , though the ingrefs of that 
 Liquor into the Barrel does there- 
 upon neceflarily enfue. And that, as 
 the Gomparifon fuppofes , there is a 
 prefTure of the fuperiour Air againft 
 the upper part of the Sucker 3 you 
 may eafily perceive , if having well 
 ftopt the lower orifice of the Syringe 
 with your finger , you forcibly draw 
 up the Sucker to the top of the Bar- 
 rel. For if then you let go the Ram- 
 mer 5 you will find it impelled down- 
 wards by the incumbent Air with a 
 notable force. 
 
 CHAR 
 
.'. loj ]){[u , :-y::i'J /n\ in 
 
 HAving thus premis'd fomething 
 in general about the Nature of 
 t^nra^ion, as far as *tis hecdflary ' 
 for my prefentdefign ; it will be rtow 
 feafonable to proceed to the confide- 
 ration of that kind of Atttaftion^' 
 that is employed to raife liiquors^ 
 and is by a diftiniS Name^ called 
 
 About the Caufe of this 'there is 
 great contention between 'the New' 
 Philofophers 3 ds they are ftiled, and 
 the Peripateticks. Foi^ the Followers 
 o(^^rijlotle j arid many Learned Men 
 that in other things diffent from him, 
 afcribe the afcenfioii of Liquors upon 
 SuBion to Natures abhorrence of a 
 Vacuum. For, fay^ they, when a Man 
 dips one end of a Straw or Reed into 
 ftagriant Water, and fucks at the 
 other end , the Air contained iii the 
 cavity of the Reed paffes into that 
 
 of 
 
%^ ,r )a>i t|>c cauft of 
 
 of his Lungs 3 and confequently the 
 Reed would be left empty , if no o- 
 ther Body fucceeded in the place it 
 deferts^ but there ^e only (that they 
 take notice of,) two Bodies that can 
 fueCiee^i die Air and the (grpffer Li- 
 quor) %h^ Water; and the Air caiir 
 RQt dok y becaufe of the interpofi-» 
 tioft.c^ the Water, that denies it ac- 
 cel^fiijQtiie immersed orifice of th0 
 Reed,^ and therefore itmuft be the 
 Water 4t felf^ which accordingly does 
 afcen^ to pirevent a Va.omm detefted 
 by Nature. ', 
 
 But many of the Modern Philolb^ 
 pheps, and generally all the corpufcH^ 
 /4r^^;?f2, look upon this Fuga VaciH 3^ 
 1^1^ aU[ imaginary Caufe of Si^io^f 
 dfeiaugh they do it upon very differing 
 gro]i^lKfc*- For, the ^^tomifisy that 
 \villingly admit of Vacuities, pro- 
 perly ofo:. galled , both within and 
 witflou-^ our World, cannot thinJ^ 
 thatiN^Wfls hates or fears 2iVAcmmr 
 ancj 4eclifie3 her ufual courfe to pre^ 
 yfmtVki .KtAx^L^cmefims, though 
 ihey do, as well as the Perifateticks , 
 
 deny 
 
^tttaction In? duttton; a 3 
 
 d^fjy that thattb^te is a Vacmm^ yet 
 fince they aiBrm not only, that there 
 is none m rerum Natura^ but; that 
 thcT^ ca^ ye tiot^y becaufe what o- 
 thers call an. empty Space having 
 three Dimenfions j . hath all that they 
 think belonging to the Effenceichf a 
 Boiy ^ they will not grant Nature to 
 be fo indifcreet , as to ftrain herfelf 
 to prevent the making of a thing that 
 is impoflibletobemade. a\v^\a\\\-\ 
 The P^rz/'^^^f^/V /Opinion aboutthe 
 Caufeof Sudion y though commonly 
 defended by the Schools^ as well Mo> 
 dera as Ancieitty fuppofes iuNaturi 
 fucb aa abhorrence of a Facuumy a$ 
 neither has been well proved-, ridr 
 does well agree with the lately diiibdr^ 
 ver d Phasnomenon of Suiiiovi For^ 
 according to their IiyfotheftSi,W2X&t 
 and other Liquors fliould afcaiiupon 
 SuAionto any hight to prevent, a it^i? 
 tuumy which yet is not agrecabfoftb 
 experience. For I have careftdlj? 
 tryed, that by pjimsping with at Pump 
 far more ftanch tmoithoie^ that axe 
 ufually miade , and indeed a^ m^ 
 
 dos'd 
 
14 ^' f^t tljeCauTeor 
 
 clos'd as we could poflibly bring it to 
 be, we could not by all our endeavours 
 *see cont. of ^^^^^ Water by Sudiott to 
 phjf,Mech.Exf, above *3 6 i foot. TheT^jr* 
 the istb Exp. riceUian Exp^ fliews, that 
 the weight of the Air is able to fuftaini 
 andfomcof ourExperim^* fliew^ 'tis 
 able to raife a Mercurial Cylinder e- 
 qualin weight to as high a Cylinder 
 of Water as we were able to raife by 
 pumping. ForMercurybeingnear 14 
 tihies as heavy as Water of the fame 
 bulk, if the weight of the Air be 
 equivalent to that of a Mercurial 
 Cylinder of 29 or 30 Inches , it muft 
 be able to counterpoife a Cylinder of 
 Water near fourteen times as long^ 
 that is, from thirty four to near thirty 
 fix foot. And very difagreeable to 
 the common HypotheftSy but confo- 
 nant to ours , is the Experiment that 
 I have more than once tryed , and I 
 think elfewhere deliver'd, namely. 
 That, if you take a GlafsPipe of a- 
 bout three foot long , and , dipping 
 one end of it in Water, fuck at the 
 other , the Water will be fuddenly 
 
 made 
 
3lttcactton bp ^uaicn; 1 5 
 
 made to flow briskly into your 
 mouth : But , if inltead of Water 
 you dip the lower end into Quick- 
 filver, though you fuck as ftrongiy 
 as ever )pu can, provided that in 
 this cafe, as in the former , you hold 
 the Pipe upright , you will never be 
 able to fuck up the Qujckfilver near 
 fo high as your mouth j fo that if the 
 Water afcended upon Suftion to the 
 top of the fame Pipe, becaufe elfe 
 there would have been a racuum left 
 in the cavity of it , why fhould not 
 we conclude , that , when we have 
 fuckt up the Quickfilver as fl:rongly 
 as we can , as much of the upper part 
 of the Tube as is deferred by the Air^ 
 and yet not fiU'd by the Mercury , ad- 
 mits, in part at leaft 5 aracmm^ (as 
 to Air) of which conlequeotly Na- 
 ture cannot reafonably be fuppos*d to 
 have fo great and unlimited an abhor-^ 
 rency , as the Perifateticks and their 
 Adherents prefume. Yet I will not 
 determine, whether there be any 
 more than many little Vacuities, ot 
 Spaces devoid of Air, in. the Cavity, 
 B fo 
 
%6 iSDf tl)e Caufe of 
 
 fo called, of the Pipe^unfiirdby the 
 Mercury • (fo that the whole Cavity is 
 not one entire empty Space 5) it being 
 fufficient for my purpofe, that my 
 Experiment affords a goodJ\rgument 
 ad hominem againft the Peripateticks y 
 and warrants us to feek for fome o- 
 ther Caufe than thtfuga Facuiy why 
 a much ftronger Suftion than that , 
 which made Water afcend with eafe 
 into the Suckers mouth , will not alfo 
 raife Quickfilver to the fame height 
 or near it. i 
 
 Thofe Modern Philofophers that 
 admit not the/ig^ Vacui to be the 
 Caufe of the raifing of Liquors in 
 Suftion, do generally enough agree 
 in referring it to the aftion of the 
 Suckers thorax. For, when a Man en- 
 deavours to fuck up a Liquor, he docs 
 by means of the Mufcles enlarge the 
 cavity of his Cheft , which he can- 
 not do but at the fame time hemuft 
 thruft away thofe parts of the ambi- 
 ent Air that were contiguous to his 
 Cheft, and the difplac'd Air does, 
 according to fome Learned Men , 
 
 (therein. 
 
mttmian i>v ^ucttoti. 17 
 
 (thereiiij if Imiftakenptj Follower? 
 of Gaffe^dm,) comprefs the CQptigUQUS 
 Air, and that the next to it, ^nd fd 
 outwards, 'till the preffure^ fuggqli 
 fjvely palling from one part of tj^($ 
 Air to the other , arrive at the furfag^ 
 of the Liquor ^ and all other places 
 being as to fenfe full , the impeli'd Air 
 cannot find place but by thrufting th« 
 Water into the room m^de for it irt 
 the Pipe bytherecefs of the Air that 
 pafs'd into the Suckers lung?. And 
 they differed not much from this Ex* 
 plication, that^ wit;hout taking in 
 the compreflion of the ambient Aiif 
 made by the thorax , refer the Phaeno* 
 menon to the propagated motion or 
 impulfe, that h imprcft on the Air dit 
 plac'd by the thorax in its dilatation, 
 I and yet unable to move in a World 
 perfectly fiU'd , as they fuppofe ours 
 to be, unlefs the Liquor be impeird 
 into as much of the cavity of the 
 Pipe 5 as faft as 'tis deferted by the 
 Air that is faid to be fuek'dupr Buc 
 though I readily confefs this Expii^ 
 gation to be ingenious , aod fugh as I 
 B A won-* 
 
i8 £>! tftcCaufeof 
 
 wonder not they fhould acquiefs in^ 
 who are acquainted but with the 
 long known and obvious Phdmmena 
 of Suftion 5 and though I am not 
 fure, but that in the moft familiar 
 cafes theCaufes affign'd by them may 
 contribute to the Effed ^ yet^ prefer- 
 ving for Carteftus and Gaffendus the 
 refpeft I willingly pay fuch great Phi- 
 lofophers, I muft take the liberty to 
 tell you 5 that I cannot acquiefs in 
 their Theory* For I think , that the; 
 Caufe of Su^ion , they aflign , is in 
 many cafes not neceflary , in others , 
 not fufficient. knAfirJl, as to the 
 Condenfation of the Air by the dila- 
 tation of the Suckers Cheft 5 when I 
 eonfider the extent of the ambient 
 Air, and how fmall a compreflion 
 no greater an expanfion than that of 
 the Thorax is like to make, I can 
 fcarce think, fo flight a condenfation 
 of the free Air can have fo confide- 
 rable an operation on the furface of 
 the Liquor to be rais'd , as the Hypo- 
 thefts I examin requires: And that 
 this impulfe of the Air by a Suckers 
 
 dilated 
 
Attraction bp Auction. 19 
 
 6\ht^AThorax , though it be wont to 
 accompany the afcenfion of the wa- 
 ter procured bySucaion, yet is not of 
 abfolute neceflity to it) will, I pre- 
 fume, be eafily granted 5 if it can be 
 made out , that even a propagated 
 Tulfion , abitradcd from any Gonden- 
 fation of Air, is not fo neceflarily the 
 Caufeof it, but that theEffed may 
 be produc'd without it. Forfuppofe, 
 that by Divine Omnipotence fo much 
 Air as is difplac'd by the Thorax were 
 annihilated 5 yet I fee not, why the 
 Afcenfion of the Liquor (hould not 
 enfue. For, when a Man begins to 
 fuck , there is an Equilibrium^ or ra- 
 ther iEquipollency between the pref- 
 fure, which the Air, contained in the 
 Pipe, (which is {hut up with the 
 prelTure of the Atmofphere upon it,) 
 has, by virtue of its ^prir^, upon 
 that part of the furface of the water 
 that is environed by the fides of the 
 Pipe , and the prefTure which the At- 
 mofpherical Air has , by virtue of its 
 vpeight , upon all the reft of the fur- 
 face of the ftagaant water-, fo that, 
 B 3 when 
 
t6 SDe t^eCftufeeC 
 
 wlitti by the dilatation of the Suc^ 
 kers thorax , the Ait xvithin the ca- 
 vity of the Pipe comes to be ratified , 
 ^na corlfequently loofe of its Sfrwgy 
 the vifeight of the external Ait Conti- 
 nuing in the me^n time the fame , it 
 ittuft necefTarily happen, that the 
 Spring of the internal Air will bfe 
 too weak to comprefs any longer the 
 gravitatiojj of the external, and con- 
 lequently , that part of the furfaceof 
 the ftagnant water , that is included 
 in the Pipe , being lefs prefs'd uport-j 
 than all the other parts of the fame 
 furfaces muft neceflatily give way^ 
 where it can leaft refifi, and conlei* 
 <juently be impelled up into the Pipe , 
 where the Aii^^ having had its Spring 
 weakened by expanfioh , is no lon- 
 ger able to refift , as it did before^ i 
 This may be illuftrated byfomewhat 
 varying an Iftftanee already given, 
 and coriceiving, that within a Cham-* 
 ber three Men thruft all together with 
 their utfll^fi: force agalnft a Door^ 
 (which we fiippofe to have neithet 
 l^olt nor Lateh) to keep it fliut, at 
 e - the 
 
ntttndim b? Auction » 
 
 the fame time the three other Men 
 have juft equal ftrengthj and imploy 
 their force to thruft it open. For 
 though 5 whilft their oppofite endea- 
 vours are equal , the Door vi^ill con- 
 tinue to be kept fhut, yet if one of 
 the three Men within the Room 
 ihould go away , there will need no 
 new force, nor other acceffion of 
 ftrength to the three Men, to make 
 them prevail and thruft open the 
 Door againft the refiftance of thofe 
 that endeavoured to keep it ihut, 
 wlio are now but two. 
 
 And here (upon the by) you may 
 take notice , that , to raife water in 
 Suiftion, there is no neceflityof any 
 rarified and forcibly ftretch'd Rope, as 
 'twere , of the Air, to draw up the 
 fubjacent water into the Pipe , fince 
 the bare debiUtation of the Spring of 
 the included Air may very v/ell (erve 
 the turn. And though, if wefliould 
 fuppofe the Air within the Pipe to be 
 quite annihilated, it could not be 
 pretended ( fince it would not have 
 10 much as Exiftenee) that it exer- 
 B 4 cifes 
 
12 Of t^e Caufe oC 
 
 cifes an attraftive Power 5 yet in this 
 cafe the water would afcend into the 
 Pipe5without the afliftance of Natures ^, 
 imaginary Abhorrence of a Vacuum , 
 but by a Mechanical Neceffity, plainly 
 arifing from this , that there would 
 be a preffure of the incumbent At- 
 mofphere upon the re(i of the fur- 
 ' face of the ftagnant water , and no 
 preffure at all upon that part of the 
 lurface that is within the Pipe, where 
 confequently there could be no refi- 
 ftance made to- the afcenfion of the 
 water ^ every where elfe ftrongly 
 urg'd by the weight of the incum- 
 bent Air. 
 
 I fliall add on this occafion^that, 
 to fhcw fome inquifitive Men , that 
 the weak refiftance within a VeiTel , 
 that had but one orifice expos'd to the 
 water, may much more contribute 
 to the afcenfion of that Liquor into 
 the Veflel, than either the comprelEon 
 or the continued or reflecfted impulfe 
 of the external Air 5 I thought fit to 
 produce a Phaenomenon, which ^by 
 the Beholder^ was without fcruple 
 
 judg'c} 
 
mttactton hv Auction. 23 
 
 judg'd an Effe<a of Sudlion , and yet 
 could not be afcrib'd to the Caufe of 
 Suftion, affign'd by either of the Sefts 
 of Philofophers I dilTent from. The 
 Experiment was this : By a way ^ 
 elfew here delivered , the long neck of 
 a Glafs-bubble was feal'd up , and al- 
 moft all the Air had been by Heat 
 driven out of the whole cavity of 
 the Bubble or Vial, and th^n th^ 
 Glafs was laid afide for fome hours , 
 or as long as we pleas'd -, afterwards 
 the feal'd apex of the neck was bro- 
 ken off under water : I demand now 
 of a Peripatetic, whether the Liquor 
 ought tobefuck'd or drawn into the 
 cavity of the Glafs, and why ^ if he 
 fays 5 as queftionlefs he will , that 
 the water would be attracted to hin- 
 der a Vacuum , he would thereby ac- 
 knowledge 5 that 5 'till theXilafs was 
 unftopt underwater, there was fome 
 empty fpace in it •, for , 'till the (ealed 
 end was broken off, the water could 
 not get in , and therefore, if the /ig4 
 'vacui had any thing to do in the afcen- 
 fion^ the Liquof muft rife, not tp 
 
 prer 
 
S4 t)( tl^e €Mt of 
 
 prevent an empty (^ace , but to fill 
 one that \vas made before. Nor does 
 our Experiment much more favour 
 the other Philofophdrs, Idiffent from : 
 for in it there is no dilatation made 
 of the fides of the Glafs, as inordi-r 
 nary Su(5lion there is made of the 
 "Thorax , but only there is fo much 
 Air driven out of the cavity of the 
 Bubble, into whofe room -fince nei- 
 ther common Air nor Water isper- 
 ' mitted to fucceed, it appears not, how 
 the propagated and returning impulle, 
 or the Circle of Motion , as to com- 
 mon Air and Water , does here take 
 place. And then I demand, what 
 becomes of the Air , that has been by 
 heat driven out , and is by the Her- 
 metical Seal kept out of the cavity of 
 the Bubbled If itbefaid, thatitdif- 
 fufes it felf into the ambient Air , 
 and mingles with it, that will be 
 granted which I contended for , that 
 K) little Air as is ufually difplac'd in 
 Su(fiion cannot make any confide- 
 rable compreflionof the free ambient 
 Airi for 5 what can one Cubic Inch 
 f of 
 
attifactloti hv fettttion^ 2 j 
 
 of Air 5 which is fomctirties more 
 than ode of oUrGIifles contains^ do, 
 to the condcnfatibii fo mudh as of 
 all the Air in the Chamber, when the 
 l&xpclrd Corpufcles are evenly diftri- 
 buted among thofe of the ambient. 
 And how comes this incotifiderable 
 conderifation to have fo great an ef- 
 fed.in every part of the room, as to 
 be able there to impel into thfc Glafs 
 as much water in extent as the ujiole 
 Air that was driven oiit of the cavity 
 of it ^ But if itbefaid, that the ex- 
 peird' Air coriden?>'d only the conti- 
 guous or very neighbouring Air, *tis 
 eafie to anfwer^ that 'tis no way 
 probable, that the expelFd Particles 
 of the Air fhould riot by the differing 
 hiotions of the ambient Air be quick- 
 ly made to mingle with it, but fhould 
 rather wait (whichif itdid wefomef- 
 times made it do fojr many hours) *tili 
 the V^ifels whence 'twas driven out 
 were unflopp'd again. But , though 
 this could probably be pretended, it 
 cannot truly be affert^d. ' For if ^ou 
 carry the feal'd Glafe quite out of the 
 
 room 
 
26 iDt t^e CaufeoC 
 
 room or houfe, and unftop it at fome 
 other place , though two or three 
 miles diftant ^ the afcenfion of the 
 water will , (as I found by tryal) ne- 
 verthelefs infue ^ in which cafe I pre^ 
 fume, it will not be faid, that the Air, 
 that was expell'd out of the Glafs , 
 and ccndensM the contiguous or near 
 contiguous Air , attended the Bubbly 
 in all its motions, and was ready at 
 hand to impel-in the water , as foon 
 as tTie feard apex of the Vial wa^ 
 broken off. But I doubt not , but 
 moft of the Embracers of the Opinion 
 I oppofe, being Learned and Inge- 
 nuous Perfons , if they had been ac- 
 quainted with thefe and the like 
 Thmomena , would rather have chan- 
 ged their Opinion about Sultim, than 
 have gone about to defend it byfuch 
 Evafions ^ which I fliould not have 
 thought worth propofing, if I had 
 not met with Objections of this na- 
 ture publickly maintain'd by a Lear- 
 ned Writer, onoccafion of the Air's 
 rufliing into the exhaufted C^agden- 
 hrgic Engine, But as in our Expe- 
 riment 
 
atttaaion hv Auction. 27 
 
 rimcnt thefe Objedions have no place, 
 fo in our Hyfothefis the Explication is 
 very eafiCj as will anon be intimated. 
 
 Chap. 1 1 L 
 
 HAving thus {hewn, that the 
 Afcenfion of Water upon Su- 
 dion may be caus'd otherwife than 
 by the Condenfation or i\\6 propaga- 
 ted Pulfion of Air contiguous to the 
 Suckers Thorax, and thruft out of 
 place by it •, it remains that I fhew , 
 (which was one of the two things I 
 chiefly intended,) that there may be 
 Cafes wherein the Caufe , aflign'd in 
 the Hyfothefts I am examining , will 
 not have place. But this will be bet- 
 ter undemood , if, before I proceed 
 to the proof of it , I propofe to you 
 the thoughts, I had many years fince, 
 and do ftill retain , about the Caufe 
 of the Afcenfion of Liquors in Su- 
 dion. 
 
 To clear the way to the right un- 
 
 derftanding 
 
^erftanding of theenfuing Difcourfe, 
 it will not be amifs here to premife 
 afummary intimation pf fome things 
 that are fuppos'd in our Hypothefis, 
 
 We fuppofe then firjl, without 
 difputing either the Exiftence or the 
 nature of Elementary Air, that the 
 Common Air we breath in , and . 
 which I often call Atmofpheric^l AiiS 
 abounds with Corpufcles not devoid 
 of Weight, and indowed with E^ 
 lafticity or Springinefs , whereby 
 the lower parts , compreft by the 
 weight of the upper , inceflantly en-r 
 deayour to expand themfelves, by 
 which expanfion , and in proportion 
 |0i it 5 the Spring of the Air is wea- 
 feea'd 5 (as other Springs are wont to ^ 
 be) the more they are permitted to 
 ftretch themfelves, 
 
 Jsfes^ty we fuppofe, that theTer- 
 raqueoiis Globe, being inviron*d with 
 this gravitating andfpringvAir, has 
 its furface and the Bodies plac'd on it 
 preft by as much of the Atnjolpherp 
 as either perpendicularly leans oa 
 thenx y or can otherwife come to bear 
 
 _.:- upon 
 
^ittvacttoa bit ^nam, 2$ 
 
 upon them. And this preflure is by 
 the lorricellian and other Experi- 
 ments found to be equivalent to a 
 perpendicularly eredled Cylinder of 
 about twenty nine or thirty Inches of 
 Quickfilver , (for the height is diffe- 
 ring, as the gravity of the Atmofphere 
 happens to be various.) 
 
 Lajilyy we fuppofe, that. Air be- 
 ing contained in a Pipe or other hol- 
 low Body that has but one orifice 
 open to the free Air , if this orifice be 
 Hermetically feal'd , or otherwife (as 
 with the mouth of one that fucks) 
 clos'd 5 the now included Air, whilft 
 it continues without any farther ex- 
 panfion , will have an elafticity equi- 
 valent to the weight of as much of 
 the outward Air as did before preft 
 againft it. For , if the weight of 
 the Atmofphere, to which it was 
 then expos'd , had been able to com- 
 prcfs it further , it would have done 
 fo 5 and then the clofing of the ori- 
 fice 5 at which the internal and ex- 
 ternal Air communicated, as it fenced 
 the included Air from the preflure 
 
 of 
 
30 SDf tl)e Caufe of 
 
 bf the incumbent , fo it hindred the 
 . fame included Air from expanding it 
 feJf ♦, fothat, as it was fliut up with 
 the preffure of the Atmofphere upon 
 ^it 5 that is in a ftate of as great com- 
 preflion as the weight of the Atmo- / 
 iphere could bring it to , p , being 
 ftiut up and thereby kept from wea- 
 kening that preffure by expanGon, 
 it muft retain a Springihefs equi- 
 pollent to the preffure 'twas expos'd 
 to before 5 which (as I juft now no- 
 ted) was^ as great as the weight of 
 the incumbent Pillar of the Atmo- 
 Iphere could make it. But if, as 
 was faid in the firft Suppofition , the 
 included Air fhould come to be dila- 
 ted or expanded, the Spring being , 
 then unbent, its Spring , like that of 
 other daftical Bodies^ would be de- 
 bilitated anfwerably to that expan- 
 fion. 
 
 To me then it feems , that , /pea- 
 king in general. Liquors are upon 
 Suiftion raifed into the cavities of 
 Pipes and other hollow Bodies, when, 
 and fo tar as, there is a lefs preffure 
 
 on 
 
^tttMion bv Auction, yi 
 
 m the furface of the Liquor ia the 
 cavity 5 than on the furface of the 
 external Liquor that furrounds the 
 Pipe 5 ^rvhether that prefTure on thofe 
 parts of the external Liquor , that 
 are from time to time impelled up in- 
 to the orifice of the Pipe 5 proceed 
 from the weight of theAtmofphere, 
 or the propagated compreflion orim- 
 pulfe of ibme parts of the Air , or 
 the Spring of the Air , or fome other 
 Caufe 5 as the preffure of fome other 
 I Body quite diftind: from Air.. 
 
 Upon the general view of thlsHy- 
 fothefisy it feems very confonant to 
 the Mechanical Principles. For, if 
 there be on the differing parts of the 
 furface of a fluid Body unequal pref- 
 fures, 'tis plain, as well by the na- 
 ture of the thing , as by what ha$ 
 been demonftrated by Archimedes, and 
 his Commentators , that, the greater 
 force will prevail againil the leffer , 
 and that that part of the waters fur-r 
 face mufl give way , Where itiskaft 
 preft. So that that , wherein th^Hy-^ 
 pthefis I venture tx* propofe to you , 
 C differs 
 
32 SDt t!)e €mit of 
 
 differs from that which I diflent 
 from 5 is not , that mine is lefs Me- 
 chanical 5 but partly in this 5 that, 
 whereas the Hypothefis, I qaeftion, 
 fuppofes a neceflity of the protrufion 
 or impulfe of the Air ^ mine does not 
 require that fuppofition , but , being 
 more general 5 reaches to other ways 
 of procuring the Afcenfion of Li- 
 quors, without raifing them by the 
 impulfe of the Air 5 and partly, and 
 indeed chiefly , in that the HypotheftSy 
 I decline , makes the Caufe of the 
 Afcenfion of Liquors to be only the 
 increafed prefTure of the Air exter-- 
 nal to the pipe 5 and I chiefly make 
 it to depend upon the diminiflied pref- 
 fure of the Air within the pipe ,• on 
 the fcore of the expanfion 'tis brought 
 to by Suftion. 
 
 To proceed now to ibme Experi- 
 ments that I made in favour of this 
 Hypothefis y I fliall begin with that 
 which follows : 
 
 ^ We took a Glafs-pipe bended like a 
 Syphon, but To that the fliorterlegg 
 was as parallel to the longer as we 
 
 could 
 
Sttttaction b)? duction. ^ 
 
 tould get it made 3 and was Herme* 
 tically feard at the end : Into this Sy^ 
 phon we made a fhift (for "tis not 
 very eafie) to convey water, fothat 
 the crooked part being held down* 
 wards , the liquor reach'd to thefame 
 height in both the leggs 5 and yet 
 there was about an Inch and half of 
 uncompreft Air fhut up in the fliortei: 
 legg. This little Inftrument (for 'twas 
 but about fifteen Inches long) being 
 thus prepared , 'tis plain , that accori> 
 ding to the Hypcthefts Idiflent from^ 
 there is no reafon , why the water 
 fliould afcend upon Sudion. For, 
 though we fhould admit, that the 
 external Air were confiderably com* 
 preft, or received a notable impulfe , 
 when the Suckers cheft is enlarged 5 
 yet in our cafe that compreflion or 
 protrufion will not reach the furface 
 of the water in the fhorter legg , be- 
 eaufe it is there fenc'd from the ^.Oiioxk 
 of the external Air by the fides of 
 the Glafs , and the Hermetical Seal 
 at the top; And yet , if one fnek'd 
 ftrongly at the open orifice in the 
 C 2r kn- 
 
\ ■ 
 
 34 SDf tl^c Caufe ot 
 
 longer legg , the water in theihorter 
 would be depreft^ and that in the 
 longer afcended at one fuck about an 
 Inch and half; Of which the reafon 
 is clear in our Hyfothefis, For , the 
 Spring of the included Air, together 
 with tlie weight of the water in the 
 fhorter legg , and the prefTure of the 
 Atmofpherical Air 5 affifted by the 
 weight of the liquor in the longer 
 legg 5 counter-ballanced one another 
 before the Sudion began : But, when 
 afterwards upon SuSion the Air in 
 the longer legg came to be dilated 
 and thereby weaken d , 'twas ren- 
 dered unable to refill: the undimi- 
 nifh'd prefTure of the Air included 
 in the fhorter legg, which confequent- 
 ly expanding it lelf by vertue of its 
 Elafticity, deprelt the contiguous 
 water , and made it proportionably 
 rife in the oppofite legg , 'till by the 
 expanfion its Spring being more and 
 more weaken'd , it arrived at an equi- 
 poUency with the gravitation or pref- 
 lure of the Atmofphere. Which laft 
 claufe contains the Reafon^ why,when 
 
 the 
 
SEttra^ton hv Auction. $s 
 
 the perfon that fuckt had rais'd the 
 water in the longer legg Upthm three 
 Inches higher by repeated endeavours 
 to fuck 5 and that without once fuffe- 
 ring the water to fall back again , he 
 was not able to elevate the water in 
 the longer, fo much a6 three Inches 
 above its firft ftation. And if in the 
 fliorter legg there was but an Inch 
 and a quarter of fpace left for the 
 Air unfiird by the water, by diverS 
 skilfully reiterated afts of Sudlion he 
 could not raife the liquor in the 
 longer legg above two Inches • be- 
 caufe by that time the Air included in 
 the fhorter legg had , by expanding 
 it felf further and further , proportion 
 nably weakened its Spring, 'till at 
 length it became as rarified, as was 
 the Air in the cavity of the longer 
 legg , and confequently was able to 
 thruft away the water with no more 
 force than the Air in the long legg 
 was able to refift. And by the reci- 
 ted tryal it appear 'd , that the rare- 
 faftion ufually made of Air by Sucfiion 
 is not near fo great , as one woyld 
 C 3 e)cpc(Jt3 
 
^5 &l i\^ Catt(e of 
 
 cxpeft , problably becaufe by the di- 
 ^latationof the Lungs the Air, being 
 ftill (hut up5 is but moderately rarifieo, 
 and the Air in the longer legg can by 
 them be brought to no greater de- , 
 gree of rarity , than that of the Air 
 within the Cheft. For , whereas th^ 
 included Air in our Inftrument was 
 not expanded , by my eftimate , at 
 one fuck to above the tiouble of its 
 former dimenlions, and by divers fuc- 
 ceflive fucks was expanded but from 
 one Inch and an half to lefs than four 
 Inches and an half, if the Sudion 
 could have been conveniently made 
 with a great and ftanch Syringe, the 
 rarefadion of the Air would proba- 
 bly have been far greater • fmce in 
 our Pneumatick Engin Air may, 
 without heat , and by a kind of Su- 
 (ftion, be brought to poffefs many 
 hundreds of times the fpace it tooK 
 Ijp before. From this rarefaiftion of 
 the Air in both the leggs of our In- 
 ftrument proceeds another Vh^nome^ 
 n>m , readily explicable by our Hyfo^ 
 thefis, For if 5 when the water was 
 
 impeird 
 
attraction bp S^uttton. 57 
 
 impeird up as high as the Sudioa 
 could raife it , the Inftrument were 
 taken from the Suckers mouth 5 the 
 elevated water would with violence 
 return to its wonted ftation. For , 
 the Air 5 in both the leggs of the In- 
 ftrument 5 having by the Sudion loft 
 much of the Spring , and fo of its 
 •power of preffing 5 when once the 
 orifice of the longer legg was left 
 open, the Atmoipherical Air came 
 again to gravitate upon the water in 
 that legg 5 and the Air , included in 
 the other legg 5 having its Spring de- 
 bilitated by the precedent expanfion, 
 was not able to hinder the external 
 Air from violently repelling the ele- 
 vated water, 'till the included Air 
 was thruft into the fpace it poffefs'd 
 before the Sudion* in which {pace it 
 had Denfity and Elafticity enough to 
 rcfift the preffure , that the external 
 Air exercised againft it through the 
 interpos'd water. 
 
 But our Hypothefis about theCaufe 
 
 of Siidion would not need to be foli- 
 
 citoufly prov'd to you by other ways , 
 
 C 4 '4 
 
if you had feen what I have fomcr 
 ti mes been able to do in our Pncu- 
 m atick Engin. For, there we found 
 by tryals purpofely devis'd, and care- 
 fully made , that a good Syringe be- 
 ing fo conveyed into our Receiver, 
 that the open orifice of the Pipe or 
 lower part was kept under water , if 
 the Engin were exhaufted, though 
 the handle of the Syringe were drawn 
 up, the water would not follow it, 
 w^hidi yet it would do if the exter- 
 nal Air were let in again. The Rea- 
 fon of which is plain in our Hyfothefts, 
 For , the Air , tjiat fliould have preft 
 upon the (urface of the ftagnant wa- 
 ter , having been pumpt out , there 
 was nothing to impell up the water 
 into the deferted cavity of the Sy- 
 ringe, as there was when the Recei- 
 ver was fiird with Air. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
Stttattioti hv^^ttion, 39 
 
 C H A p. I V. 
 
 BUt becaufe fuch a conveniency a$ 
 our Engin, and the apparatus ncr 
 ceffary for fuch Tryals are not eafily 
 procurable, I {hall endeavour to con- 
 firm our Hypothefts about Sujftion by 
 fubjoining Ibme Experiments , that 
 piay be tryed without the help of that 
 Engin, for the making out thefe three 
 things : . 
 
 I. 'That a Liquor may be raised by 
 Suction y vphen the prejjure of the Air y 
 neither a^ it h.ts Weight nor Blajiicity, is 
 the Casifeof the Elevation. 
 
 I I. That the weight of the ^^tmO" 
 Jphericali^ir is Efficient to raij'e upLi^ 
 
 quors in Suciion. 
 
 III. That in [ome cafes Su^ion mil 
 not be made , as , according tq the Hypo- 
 thefts I dijfentfrom , it jkould, although 
 there he a dilatation of the Suckers Tho- 
 rax, and no danger of a Vaeuum 
 though the liquor Jhould afcend. 
 
 An4 
 
40 S>t i\fe CHuie ni 
 
 And firjly to fhew, how much 
 the rifing of Liquors in Sudlion de- 
 pends upon the weight or preflure of 
 the impellent Body , and how little 
 neceffity there is , where that pref- 
 fure is not wanting, that, in the 
 place deferted by the Liquor that is 
 lucky 5 there fhould fucceed Air or 
 Ibme other vifible Body , as the Pen- 
 fatetic Schools would have it 5 to 
 (hew this, I fry y I thought on the 
 following Experiments. We took a 
 Glaft-pipe fit to have the Torricellim 
 Experiment made with it , but a good 
 deal longer than was neceffary for 
 that ufe : This Pipe being Hermeti- 
 cally feal'd at one end, the other end 
 was fo bent as to be refledbed upwards, 
 and make as it were the fhorter legs 
 of the Syphon as parallel as we could 
 to the longer, fo that the Tube now. 
 was fhap'd like an inverted Syphon 
 with leggs of a very unequal length* 
 This Tubc^ notv^thftanding its in- 
 convenient figure , we made a fhift, 
 (for *tis not eafily done) to fill with 
 Mercury J when 'twas in an inclined 
 
 pofture^ 
 
Utttactton bp ^nctioti. 41 
 
 pofture 5 and then erecting it , the 
 Mercury fubfided in the longer legg , 
 as in the Torricellian Experiment, and 
 attained to between two foot and a 
 quarter and two foot and an half a- 
 lx>ve the furfacc of the Mercury iii 
 the lliorter legg , which in this In- 
 ftrument anfwers to the ftagriant 
 Mercury in an ordinary Barometer y 
 from which to diftinguifh it I have 
 clfwhere call'd this Syphon , furniih'd 
 with Mercury , a Travelling Barofcope'y 
 becaufe it may be fafely carried from 
 
 f>lace to place. Out of the ffiorter 
 egg of this Tube we warily took as 
 much Mercury as was thought con- 
 venient for what we had further to 
 do 5 and this we did by fuch a way 
 as to hinder any Air from getting in- 
 to the deferted cavity of the longer 
 legg, by which means the Mercurial 
 Cylinder, (eftimated as I lately men- 
 tion'd) retained the fame height above 
 the ftagnant Mercury in thelliorter: 
 The upper and clos'd part of this 
 Travelling Barofcope you will tzftly 
 grant to have been free from Common 
 
 Air, 
 
4:^ / : JDf tj^CaufeoE 
 
 /LiiTj aot only for other Reafons that 
 have been giveiielfewhere, but par- 
 ticularly for this 5 that, if you gently 
 incline the Inftrument, the Quick- 
 filver will afcend^ to the top of the 
 Tube 5 which you know it could not 
 do, if the place, formerly deferted 
 by it, were poiTeftbythe Air, which 
 by its Spring would hinder the afcen- 
 fion' of the Mercury , (as is eafie to be 
 tryed.) The Inftrument having been 
 thus fitted , I caus'd one of the by- 
 ftanders to fuck at the fliortcr legg , 
 whereupon (as I expefted) there pre- 
 fently enfued an Afcenfion of four or 
 five Inches of Mercury in that legg , 
 and a proportionable Subfidence of 
 the Mercury in the longer , and yet 
 in this cafe the raifing of the Mer- 
 cury cannot be pretended to proceed 
 from the prefTure of the Air. For , 
 the weight of the Atmofphere is fenc'd 
 off by that, which clofes the upper, 
 end of the longer Tube , and the 
 Spring of the Air has here nothing 
 to do, fince, as we have lately fliewn, 
 fhe fgace deferted by the Mercury is 
 
 not 
 
^ttcactton bv S^uctton. 4^ 
 
 not poffcft by the included Air , and 
 the pulfion or condenfation of the Air, 
 fuppos'd by divers modern Philofo- 
 phers to be made by the dilatation of 
 the Suckers C heft 5 and to prefs upon 
 the furface of the Liquors that are to 
 be fuck'd up , this , / /^/ , cannot 
 here be pretended in regard the fur- 
 face of the Liquor in the longer legg 
 is every way fenc'd from the prelTure 
 of the ambient Air. So that it re- 
 mains, that the Caufe, which rais'd 
 the .Quickfilver in the (horter legg 
 upon the newly recited Suftion, was 
 the weight of the collaterally fupe-* 
 riour Quickfilver in the longer legg , 
 which 3 being (at the beginning of 
 theSuftion) equivalent to the weight 
 of the Atmofphere , there is a plain 
 reafon , why the ftagnant Mercury in 
 the fliorter legg ihould be rais'd fome 
 Inches by Sudtion • as Mercury ftag- 
 nant in an open VelTel will be rais*d 
 by the weight of the Atmofphere , 
 when the Sudion is made in the open 
 Air. For, in both cafes there is a 
 Pipe, that reaches to the ftagnant 
 
 Mercury, 
 
44 €)C ti)e Canre ot " 
 
 Mercury, and a competent weight to . 
 innpel it into that Pipe- when the | 
 Air in the cavity of the Pipe has its 
 Spring weakened by the dilatation 
 that accompanied Sudion. 
 
 The Second point formerly pro- 
 pose 3 which is 5 That the weight of 
 the K^ir is Sufficient to raife Liquors in 
 Suction; may not be ill prov'd by 
 Arguments legitimately drawn from 
 the Torricellian Experiment it felf, and 
 much more clearly by the firft and 
 fifteenth of our Continued Phyftco-Me- 
 chanical Experiments. And therefore I 
 /hall only here take notice of a Phas- 
 nomenon , that may be exhibited by 
 the Travelling ^^r^yc^/'^^whichjthough 
 it be much inferiour to the Experi- 
 ments newly referred to ^ may be of 
 fome ufe on the prefent occafion. 
 
 Having then provided an Inftru- 
 ment like the Travelling Barofcope ^ 
 mentioned under the former Head , 
 but whofe leggs were not fo unequally 
 long , and having in it made the T'<?r- 
 ricellian Experiment after the manner 
 lately defcrib'd 5 we order'd the mat- 
 ter 
 
Attraction hv ^ucttotit 45 
 
 ter fo, that there remain'd in the 
 ihorter legg the length of divers In- 
 ches unfiird with ftagnant Mercury. 
 Then I caus'd one , vers'd in what 
 he was to do, foto raife the Quick- 
 filver by Sudion to the open orifice 
 of the fliorter legg 5 that , the orifice 
 being feafonably and dexteroufly clo- 
 fed, the Mercury continued to fill 
 that legg 5 as long as wc thought fit 5 
 and then having put a mark to the 
 furface of the Mercury in the longer 
 legg, weunftopp'd the orifice of the 
 ihorter • w^hereupon the Mercury , 
 that before fiU'd it , was deprefs'd, 'till 
 the fame Liquor in the longer legg 
 was rais'd five Inches or more above 
 the markjand continued at that height. 
 I faid 5 that the Mercury that had 
 been raifed by Sudion , was deprefs'd, 
 rather than that it fubftded , becaufe its 
 ow^n weight could not here make it 
 fall, fince a Mercurial Cylinder of five 
 Inches was far from being able to raife 
 fo tall a Cylinder of Mercury as made 
 a counterpoife in the longer kgg • 
 and thereK)re the depreffion we fpeak 
 
4^ Of t^e Caure oe 
 
 of, is to be referred to the gravitation 
 of the Atmofpherical Air upon the 
 furface of the Mercury in the (horter 
 ^ legg : And I fee no eaufe to doubt but 
 that 5 if we could have procured an 
 Inftrument , into whofe (liorter legg 
 a Mercurial Cylinder of many In- 
 ches higher could have been Ibck'd 
 up y it would by this contrivance 
 have appeared , that the preffure of 
 the Atmofphere would eafily impel 
 up a far taller Cylinder of Mercury 
 than it did in our recited Experi- 
 ment. 
 
 That this is no groundlefs eonje- 
 dlure may appear probable by the Ex- 
 periment you will prefently meet 
 with. For if the gravity of an in- 
 cumbent Pillar of the Atmofphere 
 be able to comprefs a parcel of inclu- 
 ded Air as much as a Mercurial Cy- 
 linder, equivalent in weight to be- 
 tween thirty and five and thirty foot 
 of water, is able to condenfe it, it 
 cannot well be denied that the fame 
 Atmofpherical Cylinder may be able 
 by its weight to raife and counter- 
 
 ballance 
 
Attraction bp Smction 47 
 
 ballance eight or' nine and twenty 
 Inches of Quickfilver 5 or an equiva- 
 lent pillar of water in Tubes , where 
 the refiftance of thefetwo Liquors to 
 be rais'd and fuftain'd by the Air , 
 depends only upon their own unafli- 
 fted gravity. 
 
 To confirm our Doftrine of the 
 Gravitation of the Atmofphere upon 
 the furface of the Liquors expos'd to 
 it 5 I will fubjoin an Experiment, that 
 I devis'd to ihew , that the incum- 
 bent Air 5 in its natural or ufual rtate, 
 would comprefs other Air not rarified, 
 but in the like natural ftate , as much 
 as a Cylinder of eight or nine and 
 twenty Inches of Mercury would 
 condenfe or comprefs it. 
 
 In order to the making of this, I 
 muftputyou in mind of what Ihave 
 fliewn elfe where at 
 
 large, and Hull fur- f/,f' ^t«,t .^l^; 
 ther confirm by one the s^^ring and might of 
 of the Experiments 'l!^^'^;^ ''^'''"^^ ^'' ^'' 
 that follows the ''"'' '''*^ ^* 
 next 5 namely, that about twenty 
 nine or thirty Inches of Qiiickfilver 
 D wiU 
 
48 £Df tlje Caufe Of 
 
 will comprefs Air, that being in its 
 natural or ufual ftate (as to rarity and' 
 denfity) has been lliut up intheflior-; 
 ter legg of our Travelling or Syphon-i 
 like Barofcope, into halt the room! 
 that included Air polTefs'd before*^ 
 This premis'cl , I pals on to my Ejt-i 
 periment , which was this : 
 - We provided a Travelling Barofcope) 
 wherein the Mercury in the longer 
 legg was. kept lufpended by the coun- 
 terpoife of the Air that gravitated onl 
 the furface of the Mercury in the 
 llicu-ter legg , w hich v/e had fo or- 
 der'd , that it reached not by about 
 two Inches to the top of the fliorter 
 legg. Then making a mark at the 
 place where the ftagnant Mercury 
 refted, 'twas manifeft according to 
 our Hypothefis , that the Air in the 
 upper part bf the fliorter legg was im 
 its natural ftate, or of the fame de- 
 gree of denfity with the outward 
 Air, with which it freely commu- 
 nicated at the open orifice of the flior- 
 ter legg- fo that tliis ftagnant Air 
 was equally preft upon by the weight 
 
 of 
 
of the collaterally fuperiour Cylinder 
 of Mercury in the longer legg^and the 
 equivalent weight of a diredly in- 
 cumbent pillar of the At-mofphere. 
 Things being in this pofture , the 
 upper part of the ihorter legg, which 
 had been before purpofely drawn out 
 to an almoft capillary fmallnefs, was 
 Hermetically fcal'd , which , though 
 the Inftrument was kept ereded, was 
 fo nimbly done by reafon of the Ikn- 
 dernefs of the Pipe ^ that the inclu- 
 ded Air did not appear to be fenfibly 
 heated, though for greater caution 
 we ftaid a while from proceeding, 
 that 3 if any rarefadion had been 
 produced in the Air , it might have 
 time to lofe it again. This done , 
 we open'd the lower end of the lon- 
 ger legg, (which had been foorder'd 
 before , that we could eafily do it, and 
 without concudion of the Veffel,) 
 by which means the Atmofpherical 
 Air, gaining accefs to the Mercury 
 included in the longer legg , did ^ 
 as I expe^ed , by its gravitation upon 
 it fo comprefs the Air included in 
 D 2 ijie 
 
50 ©f ft)e Caufc o£ 
 
 the fliortcf legg , that ^ according to 
 the eftimate we made with the help 
 of a Ruler , (for by reafon of the 
 conical figure of the upper part of 
 the glafs we could not take precife 
 mealures,) it was thruft into near 
 half the room it took up before, and 
 confequently, according to what I 
 put you lately in mind of, endur'd a 
 compreffion like that, w^hich a Mer- 
 curial Cylinder of about twenty nine 
 Inches would have given it. 
 
 This Experiment , as to the main 
 of it , was for greater caution made 
 the fecond time with much the like 
 fuccefs • and though it had been more 
 eaiie to meafure the Condenfation of 
 the Air, if, inftead of drawing out 
 and fealing up the ihorter legg of the 
 Inftrument, we had contented our 
 felves to clofe it fome other way- 
 yet we rather chofe to imploy Hermes*s 
 Seal , left , if any other courfe had 
 been takeri , it might be pretended , 
 that fome of the included Air , when 
 it began to be compreft , might efcape 
 out at the not perfeftly and ftrongly 
 
 closy 
 
attraction bp S)Uctton. 51 
 
 clos'd orifice of the legg wherein 'twas 
 imprifon'd. 
 
 To make it yet further appear, how 
 much^the Afcenfion of Liquors by 
 Sud:ion depends upon PreiTare, rather 
 than upon Natures imaginary Abhor- 
 rence of a Facmmh or the propagated 
 Pulfion of the Air • I will fubjoin 
 an Infimce , wherein that prefum'd 
 Abhurrence cannot be pretended. 
 The Experiment was thus made : 
 . A Glafs-Syphon , hke thofe lately 
 defcrib'd, with one legg far longer 
 than the other, was Hermetically 
 fe^rd at the fliorter legg , and then by 
 degrees there was put in, at the orifice 
 of the longer legg , as much Quick- 
 filver as by its weight fuiEc-d to com- 
 prefs the Air in the fliorter legg into 
 about half the room it poffefs'd be- 
 fore • fo that 5 according to the Peri- 
 yatetick Dodlrine , the Air muft be in 
 3 ftate of preternatural Condenfa- 
 tion 5 and that to a far greater degree, 
 than (as I have tryed) 'tis ullially 
 brought to by Cold , intcnie enough 
 tP freeze water, Then meafuring 
 D 5 thp 
 
52 ©f tl^e Caufe of • 
 
 the heighth of the Quickfilver in the 
 longer Tube above the fuperficies of 
 that in the fliorter , we found it not 
 exceed thirty Inches. Now 5#.if Li- 
 quors did rife in Suction cb fugani 
 I'acuty there is no reafon, why thi^ 
 Quickfilver in the longer part of th6 
 Syphon fliould not eafily aicend upori 
 Suction 5 at leall 'till the Ait in the 
 fliorter legghad regained its formef 
 Dimenfions, fince it cannot in this 
 place be pretended, that , if the Mer- 
 cury fliould afcend , there would be 
 any danger of ^Fdcuum in thefli6rt'<^if 
 legg of the Tube 5 in regard that the 
 contiguous included Air is ready aig 
 hand to fucceed as faft as the Mercury 
 fubfides in the fliorter legg of the Syi 
 phon. Nor can it be pretended, that^ 
 to filltheplace^defertedby the Quick- 
 filver, the included Air muft {uSti 
 a preternatural rarefadion or difcenH. 
 fion ; fince 'tis plain in our cafe , that 
 pn the contrary , as long as the Air 
 continues in the ftate whereto the> 
 weight of the Quickfilver has re- 
 ;duc'd it 3 it is kept in a violent ftate 
 
 of 
 
attram'on bp Suction^ y^ 
 
 of compreflion 5 fince.in the flioricr 
 legg it was in its natural ftate, when 
 the Mercury , poured into the longer 
 iegg, did by its weight thruft it in- 
 to about half the room it took up 
 before. And yet 5 having, caus'd fe- 
 veral perfons 5 one of tliem vers'd in 
 fuekingj to fuck divers times as 
 ftrongly as they could , . they were 
 neither of them able , not fo much as 
 for a minute of an hour , to raife 
 the Mercury in the longer legg , and 
 make it fubfide in the fliorter for more 
 ifehan about an Inch at moft. And 
 yet to iliew.you , that the Experi- 
 ment was not favourably tryed for 
 Hij^y the height of the Mercurial Cy- 
 linder in the longer legg above the 
 furface of that in th^e ihorter legg 
 was, when the Suction w^as trj^ed, 
 an Inch or two fliorter than thirty 
 Inches , and the comprefl Air in the 
 ftorter legg was fo fa;' from having 
 been by the. exfudion expanded be- 
 yond its natural and firft dimenfions, 
 that it did not , when the contiguous 
 Mercury ftood as iow as we could 
 D 4 make 
 
54 2)f tl^eCaufeof; 
 
 make it fubfide, regain fo much as 
 one half of the fpace it had loft by 
 the precedent Compreflion, and con- 
 fequently was in a preternatural ftate 
 of condenfation , when it had been 
 freed from that ftate as far as Suftion 
 would do it. Whence it feem^ evi- 
 dent , that 'twas not ob fugamvacm), 
 that the Quickfilverdid upon SudtioA 
 afcend one Inch 3 for , upon the farne 
 fcore it ought to have afcendedtwo^ 
 or perhaps more Inches 5 fince there- 
 was no danger, that by fuch an afccn- 
 fion any Vdcmm fhould be produced 
 or left in the fhorter legg of the Sy- 
 phon • whereas , according to our 
 Hypothesis, a clear caufe of the Phae- 
 nomenon is affignable. For^ before 
 the Sudtion was begun , there wa$ 
 an Equilibrium or equipoUency be- 
 tween the weight of the fuperiour 
 Quickfiiver in the longer legg , and 
 a Spring of the compreft Air inclu- 
 ded in the fliorter legg ; But when 
 the Experimentor began to fuck, his 
 Cheft being widen'd , part of t:he 
 Air included in the upper p^rt of the 
 
 longer 
 
3ltttaction In> S^ttcttcn. 55 
 
 longer legg pafs'd into it, and that 
 which remain d had by that expanr 
 fion its preflure fo weakened, that 
 the Air in the fhorter legg, finding 
 no longer the former refiftanee, was 
 able by its owji Spring to expand it 
 felfj and confequently to deprefs the 
 contiguous Mercury iq the fame (hor- 
 ter legg ,. and raife it ^s much in the 
 longer. 11 b:in , v-rrrcrioMgr. 
 c 'b\xthQTQ2iEfydr^Jlatklan, thathced-i 
 fully marks this Experiment, may. 
 difcern a, difficulty , tliat may porhap^ 
 feme what perplex him, and feems 
 ti^ overthrow our Explication of the 
 Phaenomenon,. ■ Foii ;hevmay .objefty 
 that if the comprefl: Air in thteihorter 
 legg had a Spring equipolleht to thcj 
 weight of the Mercury in tlie longen 
 legg, it appear? not, why the Mer- 
 cury fliould not be fuckt up iri this 
 Jnftrument , a^ , well aS:. in ^the free 
 Air"; fince, aceording to me j, the 
 prefTure of the included Air upon the 
 fubjacent Mercury muft be equivalent 
 to the weight of the Atmofphere, 
 md yet experience fliewsj that the 
 
 weight 
 
s6 ®J t^e Cauft of 
 
 weiglitof the Atmorphere will, upon 
 Suftionjraife Quickfilver to the height 
 of fev^ai Inches. I .^ 
 
 Taclear this diiEctilty 5 and (hew^ 
 that 5 though it be Gonfiderable ^ 'tis 
 not at'^11 infnperabks be piea(ed'^ 
 confidcr with me, thp;t 1 make indeed 
 the Sf^rJm of the comprcft Air to be 
 equipoibnt toihtpyeJ^^M die cbm-i 
 prefling Mercury 5 and I have- ^ ifia- 
 nifeft reafon to do it ^ becaufe, if the 
 Spring: of the Air wete not equipol^ 
 lent to that Weight 3 the Mercury 
 muftv ikeceflarily comprefs {the- Aiif 
 farther , which 'tis^ granted' d^ ^fiS^ 
 not todoi i But then I confider ;, that 
 in our cafe' there ought to be a great 
 deal of difference betw^ri the' Ope- 
 ration '■ :oF the Sfrir^ of ^the included 
 Air andthe weight of the Atmofphe^e, 
 after Sucai(3a has been '*olic6 tegup^^ 
 Fori, 4;he Weight of the Atmolphere, 
 that impels up Mercury and other Li- 
 quors ^ when the Suftion is made in 
 the open Air, continues ftill the fame, 
 but the force or prefltire of the inclu- 
 ded Aif is equal to the counterprelTurc 
 
 of 
 
aitttaction bp Suction, 57 
 
 of the Mercury no longer than the 
 fir ft moment of the Suftion- after 
 which , the force of' the imjprifon'd 
 AiK' ftilt decreafes ttiore and more , 
 firtce this corrtpreft-'Air , being fur- 
 ther and further expanded, muft needs 
 have iti^ Spring proportionably wea- 
 ken'd 5 fo that it need be no wonder , 
 that the M^rcui*y- wks not fuckt up 
 anymore thatl M^e have related- 'for 
 there ^was nothing to make it afc^hd 
 to a greater height ., than that, at 
 which the idebilitated Spring of thd 
 (included but) fexpSnded Air was 
 brought to an equig^llericy with the 
 tiiOdiminiih-d and 'indeed fomewhat 
 increased \teight 'of the Merctarihl 
 Cylinder in the longer legg , andthe 
 prelTure of the Aerial Cylinder in the 
 fame legg, lelTeny by the ad:ion of 
 him that iuck'd. For whereas, when 
 the orifice bf this legg flood open ^ 
 the Mercury was preft on by a Cylin- 
 der of the Atmtofpherieal Air, equiyi- 
 ient toaboiit thirty Inches of Quick- 
 filver-^ by- the mouth and aftioh of 
 him that '' fuck'd the Tube was 
 
 freed 
 
58 S5f ti^e Caiifeof 
 
 freed from the external Air, and by 
 the dilatation of his Thorax, the neigh- 
 bouring Air 5 that had a free pafTagc 
 through his wind-pipe to it, was 
 proportionably expanded , and had 
 its Spring and preffure weaken d: 
 By which means, the compreft Air in 
 the fhorter legg of the Syphon was 
 inabled to impel up the Mercury, 'till 
 th? lately mentioned Eqmlibrmm or 
 equipoUency w^ap attain'd. And I 
 muft here take notice, that, as the 
 Quickfilver was rais'd by Su^ion 
 but a little way 5 /o the Cylinder 
 that was rais'd was a very long one 5 
 whereas , when Mercury is fuck'd up 
 in the free Air, it is feldom rais'd to 
 half that length 5 though , as I noted 
 before , th^' impellent caufe , which 
 is the weight of ths Atmofphere, 
 continued Itill the fame , whereas in 
 our Syphon , wheq the Mercury was 
 fuck'd up but an Inch , the compreft 
 Air, pofleflrng double the fpace it 
 did before 5 had by this expanfion al- 
 ready loft a very copfiderable part of 
 its former Spring and Preffure. 
 
 I 
 
^tuactton bn Auction. 59 
 
 I fliould here conclude this Dif- 
 courfe 5 but that I remember a Phx- 
 nomemn of our Pneumatic Engin , 
 which to divers Learned Men , efpe- 
 cially Arifiotelims , feem'd fo much 
 to argue , that Sudion is made either 
 by a Tuga. Vacuiy or fome internal 
 Principle , that divers years ago I 
 thought fit to fet down another ac- 
 count of it 5 and lately meeting with 
 that account among other papers^ I 
 ihall fubjoin it juft as I found it , by 
 way of Affendix to the foregoing 
 Traft. 
 
 Among the more familiar Ffuno- 
 menA of the CMachina Boy liana , (as 
 they now call it,) none leaves fo much 
 fcruple in the Minds of fome forts of 
 Men, as this. That, when ones fin- 
 ger is laid clofe upon the orifice of 
 the little Pipe , by which the Air is 
 wont to pafs from the Receiver into 
 the exhaufted Cylinder , the pulp of 
 the finger is made to enter a good 
 w^ay into the cavity of the Pipe, 
 which doth not happen without a 
 confiderable fenfe of pain in the lower 
 
 part 
 
60 Of t^e Caufe Of - , 
 
 part of the ifingef . For/inoft of thofe 
 that are flrrangets ' to Bydrojiaticks , 
 efpecially if they be prepofTefs'd with 
 the Opinions generally received both 
 in the Peripatetuk and other Schools, 
 perfwade- themfelves 5 that they feel 
 the newly mention'd and painful pro- 
 tuberance of the pulp of the finger, 
 to be effected not by preffure , as we 
 would have it ^ but diftindly by At- 
 tradion. 
 
 To this we are wont to anfwer , 
 That common Air being a Body not 
 devoid of weight , the Phenomenon 
 is clearly explicable by the preffure 
 of it : For 5 when the finger is firft 
 laid upon the orifice of the Pipe, no 
 pain nor fwelling is produc'd, Ix^caufe 
 the Air which is in the Pipe preffes 
 as well againft that part of the fin- 
 ger which covereth the orifice, as the 
 ambient Air doth againft the other 
 parts of the fame finger. But when 
 by pumping, the Air in the Pipe, or 
 the moft part of it, is made to pafs 
 out of the Pipe into the exhaufted 
 Cylinder , tlien there is nothing left 
 
 in 
 
SUttvactton tv Auction, ei 
 
 in the Pipe^ whofe prefTure can any 
 thing near countervail the undimi- 
 nifh'd preifure of the external Air on 
 the other parts of the finger 5 and 
 confequently 5 that Air thrufts the 
 moft yielding and fleihy part of the 
 finger , which is the pulp 5 into that 
 place where its preifTure is unrefifted, 
 that is 5 into the cavity of the Pipe ,^ 
 where this forcible intrufion caufeth 
 a pain in thofe tender parts of the 
 ftnger. 
 
 To give fome vifible lUuftration of 
 what we have been faying, as well 
 as for other purpofes , I thought on 
 the following Experiment. 
 
 We took a Glafs-pipe of a conve- 
 nient length, and open at both ends, 
 whofe cavity was near about an Inch 
 in Diameter , ( fuch a determinate 
 breadth being convenient, though not 
 necefTary : ) To one of the ends of 
 this Pipe we caufed to be firmly tyed 
 on a piece of very fine Bladder, that 
 had been ruffled and ayl'd , to make 
 it both very limber and unapt to ad- 
 mit water 5 and care was taken, that 
 
 the 
 
6^ Dttl^e Caufe of 
 
 the piece of Bladder tyed on fliould 
 be large enough , not only to cover 
 the orifice, but to hang loofe fome- 
 what beneath it. 
 
 This done , we put the cover'd end 
 of the Pipe into* a Glafs-body (or Cut 
 curbit) purpofely made more than or^ 
 dinarily tall , and the Pipe being held 
 in fuch manner, as that the end of 
 it reach'd almoft , but not quite ^ to 
 the bottom of the Glafs-body, we 
 caufed water to be poured both into 
 this Veffel and into the Pipe (at its 
 upper orifice , which was left open) 
 that the water might afcend equally 
 enough , both without and within 
 the Pipe. And when the Glafs-body 
 was full of water , and the fame li- 
 quor was level to it , or a little higher 
 within the Pipe , the Bladder at the 
 lower orifice was kept plump, be- 
 caufe the water within the Pipe did 
 by its weight prefs as forcibly do wn- 
 wards , as the external water in the 
 large Glafs endeavour'd to prefs it m- 
 .wards and upwards. 
 
 All this being done^ we caus'd 
 
 part 
 
|)art of the water in the Pipe to hd 
 taken out of it , (which may be done 
 either by putting in and drawing out 
 a piece of Spunge or of Linncn, or 
 tnore expeditiouily by fucking up part 
 of the water with a fmaller Pipe to 
 fife immediately after laid afide • ) up- 
 on which removal of part of the in-^ 
 ternal water , that which remained 
 in the Pipe being no longer able, by 
 reafon of its want of weight, to prels 
 againft the infide of the Bladder near 
 as forcibly as it did before , the ex- 
 ternal water , whofe weight was 
 iiot leffen'd, pt-efs'd the fides and 
 bottom of the Bladdef , whereto 
 it was contiguous 5 into ^he cavity 
 of the Pipe 5 and thrufted it up there-^ 
 ill fo fttorigly 5 that the diftended 
 Bladder made a kind of either Thim- 
 ble or Hemifphere within the Pipe. 
 So that here we have a px'otube- 
 rance , like that above-mentioned of 
 the finger, effeded by Pulfion, not 
 Attrailion • and in a cafe where there 
 can be no juft pretence of having 
 recourfe to Natures AbhoifreAce of a, 
 
#4 S>ll^€mztA 
 
 yacuHm, fmc€^ thqupperori&eof tlie 
 pipe being Irft wide open, the Air 
 may pafs in and out without refi* 
 ftance. 
 
 The like fwelling of the Bladder 
 in the pipe w^ could procure without 
 taking out any of the internal li- 
 (juor, by thrufting the Pipe deeper 
 into the water • for then the external 
 Uquor, having by reafon of its in- 
 creafe of depth a greater preffure on 
 the outfide of tjie Bladder , than the 
 intisrnal liquor hiad on the infide of 
 it 3 the Bladder muft yield to the 
 ftronger preffure, and confequently 
 be impell'd up* 
 
 If the Bladder lying loofe at the 
 lower end of the Pipe, the upper end 
 were carefully clos'd wi^h ones 
 thumb, that the upper Air might 
 not get out until the Experimentor 
 thought fit 3 and if the thus closed 
 Pipe were thruft almoft to the bot- 
 tom of the water, the Bladder would 
 not be protuberant inwards , as for- 
 merly-, becaufe the included Air by 
 virtue of its Spring , refifted from 
 
 within 
 
attraction \)f ^mim. 6$ 
 
 %Vithin the preflTure of th^ externa*! 
 water againft the outfidtof the Blad- 
 der : BtK: if the thumb 5 that ftopp'd 
 the Pipes tipper orifice , were re- 
 moved 5 the formerly comprcfs'd Air 
 having liberty to expand it felf , and 
 its ekfticity being weakened there- 
 by ^ the external watei? would with 
 fuddennefs and noife enough , not to 
 be unpleasant to the Sp^dlatorSj drive 
 up the Bladder into the!<i^vityof the 
 Pipe, and keep it theie v^ry protu- 
 berant, i ' '•'^' - ^ ^ ' 
 To obviate an Obj«e<fiion3 that I 
 forefaw might be brought in by per- 
 fons not well versM m Bj/drojtaticks y 
 I caus'd the Pipe fore-mentionM , or 
 fuch another 5 to befo bent near the 
 lower end, as that the orifice of it 
 ftood quite on one fide , and the 
 parts of the Pipe made an angle as 
 near to a; right one as he that blew 
 it could bring it to. This lower o- 
 rifice being htted with a Bladder, and 
 the Pipe with its contained liquor 
 being thruft under water after the 
 former manner y the lateral preflure 
 T^ z of 
 
^6 i£)f:t^cCattfeof 
 
 of the water forc'd the Bladder into 
 the fbort and horizontal legg, and I 
 jnade it protuberate there, as^ it had 
 jdone when the Pipe was ftraight. 
 - Laftly^ that the Experiment might 
 appear not to be confin'd to one li- 
 quor 5 inftead of Prater we put into 
 tne unbent Pipe as much red py^»^ 
 (whofe colour would make it con- 
 fpicuous) as was requifit to keep the 
 Bladder fompwhat fwelUng outwards, 
 when it was fomewhat near the bot- 
 tom of the water • and then ^was 
 manifeft, that, according as we had 
 forefeen , the fuperficies of the red 
 liquor in the Pipe was a good deal 
 Jiigher than that of the external wa- 
 ter, and if the depth of both liquors 
 were proportionably leffen'd , the dif- 
 ference of height betwixt the two 
 furfaces would indeed, as it ought 
 to happen 5 cjecreafe, blit ftill the fur^ 
 face of the wine would be the higher 
 of the two 3 becaufe being lighter in 
 Jpecie than the common water , the 
 .^(luilibrium between the prefFures of 
 |he two liquors upon the Bladder 
 
 would 
 
antrattion bv i&tttttoti. 6y 
 
 would not be maintained , unlefs z 
 greater height of rvine compenfated 
 its defeft or fpecifick gravity. And 
 if the Pipe was thruft deeper into 
 the water , then the Bladder would 
 be made protuberant inwards, as 
 when the Pipe had water in it. By 
 which it appears, that thefe Fh^no" 
 mena , without recourle to attra^ion, 
 may be explicated barely by the Laws 
 of the Mquilihrium of Liquors. 
 
 FINIS. 
 

 
 1 t)dl vfi 
 
NEW 
 
 EXPERIMENTS 
 
 About the 
 
 PRESERVATION 
 
 O F 
 
 BODIES 
 
 Vacuo BoYtiANo. 
 
 By the Honourable 
 
 ROBERT BOrLE, 
 
 Fellow of the Rojal Society. 
 
 L O 2\Ci> O 2^, 
 
 Vtmi^A\fpriBamG9Mnd y ^nd afe to 
 
 be Sold by ASfes Pitt ^^tiht j4fj£cioHt 
 
 againft the little North D66r of 
 
 Sr.P^^Aeharcfe 1674.^ 
 
^ :^ r 
 
 ' '..ilsriJ fin.: 
 
C 3 
 
 «*» iffir> #*» *»i> -^-^ c^-^ ^A» .<t 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 MYwiliingnejs Vo mat^ the 
 bulk of the Papers <i- 
 boHt the Hidden Qua- 
 lities of the Air lefs inconlfide- 
 rable^ by things that xpere of affi- 
 nity to the StibjeSi , inducing me 
 to tumble over fome of my Ad- 
 Verfaria , I niet among them tpitb 
 divers loofe Uotes^ or fhort Memo^ 
 rials of fome Experiments I made 
 feveral years ago (and fome of a 
 frejher date) about the i^referva- 
 tion of Bodies l?y excluding the 
 Air 5 wherefore I was eafily per* 
 Jvpaded to fubjoin thefe to the Ad- 
 a ditlonal 
 
PREFACE, 
 
 diiional Experiments laji recited. 
 For it feems not yet char ^ by rvhat 
 tnanifefi Qnality the Exctufion of 
 the Air Jhould fo much contribute 
 to h^ep from pHtrefaBion variety 
 of Bodies^ that are ufually found 
 v/ery much dijpofed to it. And 
 therefore 'till the Caufe of this 
 Trefervation be further penetrated^ 
 it may not be altogether impertinent 
 to mention fome Experiments rela- 
 ting to it. And though thefe be 
 onlyfuch as come now to hand^ and 
 vpere woji of themfet dovpn rather 
 as Notes than Relations , yet being 
 faithfully regijierd^ and mofi of 
 them ha^itJg been made in Vacuo 
 Boyliano (as they call it) they 
 tPiUpreblably beNew^ andfo per* 
 haps not altogether ufelefs to Na- 
 turaliftsy tpho may ^ary thenty and 
 requite me for them^ by trying the 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 fame Experiments'^ I made by tht 
 Kemo*z/al of the Air by the bare 
 Exclnfion of Sidwcntmom Air, For 
 fome times through haji I did not , 
 and fometimes for vpant of con^e- 
 niency I could voty try^ whether the 
 fame Pbaenotnena would appear^ 
 if the fame Bodies were fhut up 
 with Air in them y pro^vided they 
 were diligently h^ept from all com- 
 merce with the Air without them. 
 
 NEW 
 
\ 
 
H 3 
 
 ;5& xfe/te^;rfe ^ /fe 
 
 NEW 
 
 experiments;;^ 
 
 Prefer Vation of BoDtEi" 
 
 I N 
 VACVO BOYLIANO. 
 
 EXPER. I. 
 
 Apiece of roafted Rabbet, 
 being exadly cios'd up ia 
 an exhaufted Receiver the 
 ^ixth ofNovimher, was two 
 months and :Twie few days after %i- 
 feen out without appearing to be 
 GorruptecJ ^ or feofiWy altered in Co^ 
 loufj Taftj or Smell, 
 
BXPER. II. 
 
 A fmall Glafs-Receiver , being half 
 fiird with pieces of White-bread 5 
 (partCfuft and part Crumb) w^sex- 
 haufted 5 and fecur'd the eleventh of 
 March : The Receiver being open'd 
 the firft of Jf^ril , part of the Bread 
 was ihaken out 5 and appeared not to 
 have been confiderably , if at all fen- 
 fibly, impair'd in that time, fave that 
 the outfide of fome pieces of Crumb 
 feem'd to be a little , and but a little, 
 lefs foft and white than before. There 
 appear'd no drops or the leaft Dew on 
 the infide of the Glafs. The remai- 
 ning Bread was again fecur d foon 
 after. 
 
 The eighteenth of ^/'n/ , the Bread 
 was taken out again , and tafted 
 much as it did the laft time 5 the 
 Gruft being alfo foft, and no drops 
 of water appearing on the infide of 
 the Glafs. 
 
 £^'s 
 
EXPER. in. 
 
 ■ I 
 
 This day (being the ninth of 
 CMnrch) I open'd a final 1 exhaufted 
 and fecur'd Receiver, wherein, about 
 the ninth of December y that is, about 
 three months ago, we had included 
 fome Mtlk : Upon opening an accefs 
 to the Air , we found the Milk well 
 coloured, and turn'd partly into a kind 
 of Whey, and partly into a kind of foft 
 Curd. The taft was not ofFenfive , 
 only a little fowrifh like Whey , and 
 the fmell was not at all ftinking , but 
 fomewhat like that of fowrifti Milk. 
 
 EXPER. IV. 
 
 The Vtolet-leAves, that were put up^ 
 and freed and fecur'd from Air t^ 
 Rkhof March, being this d^yopen'd, 
 (April the feventh) appeared not to 
 have changed their {hapo,, or colour, 
 or confiftcnce : For , as for their o- 
 dour, it could not be well judg'd X)f , 
 becaufe he that iqcluded them had, for 
 A3 his 
 
i( ^^timenti^ About t^ 
 
 his own eafe , contrary to my exprefs 
 direftion, crufli'd many of them to- 
 gether in thrufting them down ; and 
 l^yfuch a violation of their Texture , 
 it's natural for Violas to lofe their 
 fragrancy ^ and acquire aii Earthy 
 fmell. 
 
 EXPER. r. 
 
 Having carefully placed fome F/>- 
 lets in an exhaufted Receiver , of a 
 ponvenient fize and bignefs, and kr 
 fcur'd it fpm immediate commerce 
 with the external Air 5 the Seventh 
 niondi after wc look'd upon theni 
 again , and found they were not pu- 
 triiied or refolved into any mucila- 
 ginous fubftance, but kept their fliape 
 intirey fome of them retaining their 
 colour, bat more of them having fo 
 loft it 5 as to look like vphite Violets. 
 
 jsxperI yt 
 
 Noventyer the fifth, wx conveyed 
 
 jutx) a conveniently fhap'd Receii 
 
 * v*ef 
 
l^;erer&ation of 75mt^, f 
 
 vcr fome ounces of sheep-blood ^ 
 taken from an Animal tnat had 
 been kill*d that afternoon. And 
 after the exhauftion of the Air, du- 
 ring whichj ftore of bubbles were 
 generated in the Liquor that made 
 it fvvell notably , the included Blood 
 •was kept in a place , (whofe 
 warmth we judg'd equal to that of a 
 digeftive Furnace) for twenty days 5 
 for one or two of the firftof which 5 
 the Blood feem'd to continue fluid, 
 and of a florid colour, which after- 
 wards degenerated into one that ten- 
 ded more to blacknefs. On the twen- 
 ty fifth of November we came to let- 
 in the external , and found it to rufh 
 into the Receiver , and the Glafs coti* 
 taining the Blood being held in a 
 lightfom place , the moft part of the 
 bottom of it feem'd to be thinly o* 
 verlaid with a coagulated fubftarice 
 of a higher colour than that which 
 fwam above it , which yet, though it 
 appeared dark and almoft blackifli irt 
 the Glafs whilfl: it was Jook'd on iri 
 ihe bulk 5 yet 5 if it was Q\6bk^ thofc 
 A 4 pa^'t^ 
 
parts of it that fell down along the 
 infidc of the Glafs, appeared of a deep 
 but fair colour. But whilft the Blood 
 eqntinued in the Glafs 5 it was fup* 
 pos'd not to ftink, (In^ey even when 
 it was poured out , though its fmell 
 feem'd to me (whofe Organs of Smet 
 ling are tender) to have I know not 
 what that was offenfive , yet to o^ 
 thers it feeni'd to finell but as the 
 Blood of a n^wly kill'd pog. 
 
 EXPER. rii. 
 
 ^ Some Cream being put up and fe^ , 
 cur'dthe feventeenth of March in an 
 j6!khaufted Receiver , did this day ap- 
 pear fo be more thick and almoll i 
 Butter-like at the top (whoC^ fuper- 
 fetes feem*d rugged) than otherwhere, 
 and afterwards by being well fhaken 
 together in the not inconveniently 
 (hap'd Glafs, was eafily enough re- 
 duc'd to Butter, whofe Butter-milk, 
 jby the judgment of thofe who were 
 more us'd to deal in it than I, apr 
 pear'd not differing fropi ordinary 
 
 Butter- 
 
Butter-milk. And I found it had, 
 like ttn^t, a grat^diTowrnefs. The 
 Butter was judg'd to be a little fow- 
 rer than ordinary, but was«otj a? 
 theyfpeak, «/iwfc. f/ r fi ■> : 
 
 £In the Entry of this Experiment j^ 
 Blanks were left for the years- but 
 the Tenour of the words, and De- 
 fign of the Experiment, aqd- other 
 Circumftances, affure me,'that the 
 Cream continued a year io the veflelj 
 
 .]i\t-\\A 3ud b i?ih 
 Fihrmry the eighteenth' we'Ioblc'd 
 again upon three Vials, that had' been 
 exhaufted and fecury the fifteenth of 
 Seftember laft, the one of thefe had 
 in it fome flices of roajled Beefy and 
 the other fome fhi vers ©f tr^/><?J?r^^^, 
 and the laft fojne.thin pieces ofcheefe ; 
 all which feem'd to be free from pu- 
 trefadlion , and look'd much as they 
 did when they were firft put up : 
 Wherefore we thought not fit to let 
 the Air into the Receiver, but left 
 them as they M^ere: to lengthen the de; 
 fign'd Trial. E X- 
 
£XPStL fX. 
 
 F^if^jr^'thc eighteenth, there was 
 a fourth Vial, wherein about fix 
 months before, *viz. jiuguji the twelfth, 
 had been inclos'diand fecur'd fome 
 July-flmers and a Rofe ; and yetthefe 
 being kept in the fame place with the 
 reft V though they feemed. a little 
 moift, retained their fhapc and co- 
 lour, efpecially the Rofe^ which look'd 
 frelh enough to feem to have been ga- 
 thered but lately, 
 
 ^ N. B. That weobferved not in any 
 of thefe four Receivers any great 
 drops , or fo much as Dew in the 
 upper piarts, viz^ thofc that were 
 fituated above the included matter. 
 
 EXP EM. X 
 
 ; rrral ovit o\ 01 b'mvv"." :'i7/ 
 jH^e the fouirth we left Come Strdi»^ 
 herrtes in an exhauftcd Receiver, and 
 coming to look upon them after the 
 beginning of November , we found 
 them to be difcolour^, but n©t ahcr'd 
 
 in 
 
k-fliape, nor affording any. fign of 
 Corruption by being at ailmouldy: 
 Wherefore we thought fit Ito leave 
 them flill in the Recei\rer forfurtheir 
 Trial. :^ " 
 
 :EX^£R. XL 
 
 •iMayyihe kcOtdy t669-^ a pi^ceof 
 roAfie^^eefy fecur'd Seftember th^M" 
 teenth , appeared to ht not at all al-^ 
 ter'd : As did likewife a piece of 
 Cheefe fecur'd in another Receiver 5 
 s^nd fome pieces of a Fremh Rofe th^ 
 i^me day (September the fifteenth) fe^ 
 curd in a third. . ^ i 
 
 N. B. The Flowers feal'd uf» v^^r 
 ^/^tlie twelfth) i^^j beiogtbi^day, 
 iook'dupon, appear*d frefti) aad eon- 
 fequ^ntly did fo. after having beeq 
 kep|t gight months and an half, 
 
 EXPBR. ZM'HVW bi:r 
 
 vlr-lBiere wastikea ^<?rr of eight ifeil- 
 ling^a BarrelvOf a year old,/ near a 
 firir of which, J^^thefeveoicen^h^ 
 
 .^^i was 
 
io tufftimmi About t^e 
 
 was put into a conveniently fliap'd 
 Glafs, and it was afterwards exhau- 
 fted and fecur'd from the Air 5 the 
 moft part of the month of ^^uguft 
 prov'd extraordinarily hot. Towards 
 the latter end there was at feveral 
 times great Thunder , which made 
 the Beer in our Cellar, and in moft 
 oi thofe of the Neighbourhood, turn 
 foure. The firft of September , the 
 Beer was open 'd , but did not feem to 
 have degenerated into any fourenefs. 
 
 nXPER. XIII. 
 
 Being defirous to try, whether the 
 Thunder would have uich effeftupon 
 Me cxaiftly ftopp'd in Glafs-veffels , 
 as it often has on that Liquor in the 
 ordinary wooden Casks 5 I caus'd 
 fome Ale moderately ftrong to be put- 
 into a conveniently fliap'd Receiver, 
 and having cxhaufted the Air and. 
 fecur'd a Glafs-veflel , 'twas put into 
 a quiet, but not cool, place; Laft 
 week, which ^vyas about fix weeks 
 ^fter the Liquor had been inclo^y , 
 
 there 
 
|»;erevtmtioti of l^tHtsi, t z 
 
 there happening fome very loud 
 Thunder 5 and our Beer, though the 
 Cask was kept in a good Cellar, be- 
 ing generally noted to have been 
 turn'd foure after this Thunder- I 
 ftaid yet a day or two longer , that 
 the operation upon our included Li- 
 quor might be the more certain and 
 manifeft 5 and then permitting an ac- 
 cefs to the outward Air, we took out 
 the Ale, and found it to be good drink, 
 and not at all foured. 
 
 Compare this with the Wilh made 
 in the Bjfay of the Great Efficacy of 
 Effluviums, chap. 5. pag. 28. that fuch 
 an Experiment Ihould be tried. 
 
 EXP BR. xir. 
 
 September the twenty firft, 1^70, 
 fome Blackberries, included in an ex- 
 haufted Receiver, were open'd 'junc 
 the twentieth, 167 j , and were found 
 free from all mouldinefs and illfent, 
 only there was found fome Liquor 
 that was foure, which being taken out 
 the Berries were fecur'd again, 
 
 {At 
 
^4^ the fame time wa^ m^th^r p4/cH 
 (if the fame Bcrrics e^^cfly cM^uf in 
 a Rec^i'pery -whence the K^ir vpos not 
 fun^fdf U tvy^, r»hat dijfereme in the 
 %vent would appear by this "uariation^ 
 Jjut , coming in O^ober the eleventh , 
 16733 to hok upon the cUfi^ w^fmndit 
 €rack'd, and the Fr»it atl covered ever 
 Vpith A thick wmUi JSfar -was this thet 
 enly Ve^el vf here in Tridsy mad^ to f re- 
 serve j^r nits y withoHt 4njt exhaujfion of 
 the Air, 7ni[carrted\^ 
 
 October the eleventh, i $745 the fame 
 Berries y being loofe'dupon, appear d 
 to have their eolour alter'd, and 
 much lefs black than before > but did 
 not appear putrefied by either lofs of 
 fhape 5 or by any (linking fnieli , nor 
 was the leaft mouldinefs obferved 
 to be on them, tbcRigh they had been 
 kept in tl^ tame Receiver above four 
 
 That Trn^m Horariiy efpecially fo 
 tender and juicy ones, fbould with- 
 out .-apy additam^nt be prefer ved 
 from putrefaftioa lb* many times lon- 
 ger than otheBwife they would have 
 
 lafted^. 
 
lafted 5 as 'tis more than would be 
 expeifted , fo it may give hopes, 
 that both odd and ufefiil things of 
 this kind may be this way per* 
 formed. 
 
 POST^ 
 
t4 tmtimmi^iiimttf^ 
 
 THe foregoing Experiments , as 
 the Memorials themfelves de- 
 clare, were all of them ntade in P^acuo 
 BoylUno , nor did I intend to fetdown 
 any other : But meeting among thofe 
 Memorials with a {hort account bf _^ % 
 couple of Trials made without, the 
 help of our Pneumatic Engine, I was 
 induc'd to annex them, becaufe many 
 may make the like 5 that will not be 
 able to make fuch as have been hi- 
 therto recited. And thefe two re- 
 quiring no peculiarly fliap'd VefTels , 
 'tis thought 5 it may prove of fome 
 OeeoneflfHoal- as - weU a5 P hy fieal ufe ,-- 
 if it be fhewn by experience, that 
 Liquors Hermetically-feard the or- 
 dinary way in common Bolt-heads 
 may be kept from fouring very niuch 
 beyond their ufual time of lafting. 
 
 M 
 
id^rerbation of i&oUt^, 1 5 
 
 Jup^e the fourteenth we put a con- 
 venient quantity of good Ale into a 
 Bait-head , and feal'd it up Hermeti- 
 cally 5 the next year, on the fifth of 
 J/ffyy we broke off the Seal^ and 
 found the Liquor very good and 
 without any fenfible fowrenefs. The 
 next day it was feal'd up again and 
 fet by for thirteen months ^ at which 
 time the neck of the Glafs being bro- 
 ken 5 the Ale was found pretty fowre, 
 and therefore the Trial was profe- 
 cuted no farther: So that 5 though 
 this Liquor would not by this way 
 of Prefervation be kept fromfowring 
 fo long as the Wine 5 to be men- 
 tioned in the following Experiment , 
 yet even a ftnall quantity of it was 
 preferved good at the leaft above a 
 year, which is very much longer than 
 Ale is wont to keep fromfowring, 
 
 June the fourteenth, 1670, in a 
 
 large Bolt-head was Hermetically 
 
 feard up about a Pint , by guefs, of 
 
 French Ckretrmne^, which, when we 
 
 S came 
 
came to look upon, Jfffy the fifth, 
 t6ji , appearM very clear and high 
 coloured 5 and had depofited ftore of 
 feces at the bottom of the Glafs , but 
 faften'd no Tartar that we could per- 
 dei ve to the fides. - Upon thebi'eaking 
 of the feaFd end of the Glifs', the 
 By-ftanders thought,that there \vas an 
 eruption of included Air or fteams , 
 and J above the furfaceof theWincj 
 there appeai^'d,^ to a pretty ^height , 
 a certain white frrioakalnloft ' like a 
 mift , and theh^^radually Vanished : 
 The Wine coAtlfkied Wdl-taft^d* and 
 was a little tcfughj ^iipoii ihct^gu^ , 
 but not at allTowr^. ;!::?[- Vij^i i i 
 
 The Bolt-head Sv^a(^ fcaM^&^J^gain 
 1i^/ the fixth ¥(^^i , ^art^ Td tet by 
 *till Juguft the fifth 1^72 i' ,^t^ which 
 time it was- pp^tf d agdiri , .^iid then 
 the Wine did ftiH taft vei^y Welly - 
 
 Jme the twenty fixth 1 573 -^ the 
 Bolt-head with the fame Claret-wine 
 wasopen'd, and wa^fpuhd Yefry-j^od^ 
 and was (ea,l*d up again. *^^ /^'-^ ^-p ^^ 
 ^ 'O^toher the ^fefeventh^, i6?^4 , the 
 faitie Glaret-wirie was op^n'd again, 
 * ' '^ and 
 
and appeared of a good colour, not 
 Ibwre, but leem'd lomewhat lefs fpi- 
 rituous than other good Claret- wine, 
 perhaps becaufe of the Cold weather. 
 
 This 5 and the foregoing Trial a- 
 bout the Prefervation of Ale , wxre 
 made in Mr. Oldenburg's Houfe and 
 Brefence. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
E?r^T''^r= 
 
 €