other men would now think that they could do the like; and so go on with a further collection: which, if the method had been exact, many would have despaired to attain by imitation. As for his lordship's love of order, I can refer any man to his lordship's Latin book, De Augmentis Scientiarum; which, if my judgment be any thing, is written in the exactest order that I know any writing to be. I will conclude with a usual speech of his lordship's; That this work of his Natural History is the world as God made it, and not as men have made it; for that it hath nothing of imagination. W. RAWLEY. This epistle is the same that should have been prefixed to this book, if his lordship had lived. CENTURY I. Experiments in consort, touching the straining and passing of bodies one through another; which they call Percolation. the water through the vessels, it falleth. Now certain it is that this salter part of water, once salted throughout, goeth to the bottom. And therefore no marvel, if the draining of water by descent doth not make it fresh: besides, I do somewhat doubt, that the very dashing of the water, that cometh from the sea, is more proper to strike off the salt part, than where the water slideth of her own motion. 3. It seemeth percolation, or transmission, which is commonly called straining, is a good kind of separation, not only of thick from thin, and gross from fine, but of more subtile natures; and varieth according to the body through which the transmission is made: as if through a woollen bag, the liquor leaveth the fatness; if through sand, the saltness, &c. They speak of severing wine from water, passing it through ivy wood, or through other the like porous body; but "non constat." 4. The gum of trees, which we see to be commonly shining and clear, is but a fine passage or straining of the juice of the tree through the wood and bark. And in like manner, Cornish diamonds, and rock rubies, which are yet more resplendent than gums, are the fine exudations of stone. DIG a pit upon the sea-shore, somewhat above the high-water mark, and sink it as deep as the low-water mark; and as the tide cometh in, it will fill with water, fresh and potable. This is commonly practised upon the coast of Barbary, where other fresh water is wanting. And Cæsar knew this well when he was besieged in Alexandria; for by digging of pits in the sea-shore, he did frustrate the laborious works of the enemies, which had turned the seawater upon the wells of Alexandria; and so saved his army, being then in desperation. But Cæsar mistook the cause, for he thought that all sea-sands had natural springs of fresh water: but it is plain, that it is the sea-water; becaus the pit filleth according to the measure of the tide; and seawater passing or straining through the sands, leaveth the saltness. 2. I remember to have read, that trial hath been made of salt-water passed through earth, through ten vessels, one within another; and yet it hath not lost its saltness, as to become potable: but the same man saith, that, by relation of another, salt-water drained through twenty vessels hath become fresh. This experiment seemeth to cross that other of pits made by the sea-side; and yet but in part, if it be true that twenty repetitions do the effect. But it is worth the note, how poor the imitations of nature are in common courses of experiments, except they be led by great judg-beasts; but that is manifestly untrue; for cattle are ment, and some good light of axioms. For first, there is no small difference between a passage of water through twenty small vessels, and through such a distance, as between the low-water and high-water mark. Secondly, there is a great difference between earth and sand; for all earth hath in it a kind of nitrous salt, from which sand is more free; and besides, earth doth not strain the water so finely as sand doth. But there is a third point, that I suspect as much or more than the other; and that is, that in the experiment of transmission of the sea-water into the pits, the water riseth; but in the experiment of transmission of 5. Aristotle giveth the cause, vainly, why the feathers of birds are more lively colours than the hairs of beasts; for no beast hath any fine azure, or carnation, or green hair. He saith, it is because birds are more in the beams of the sun than more in the sun than birds, that live commonly in the woods, or in some covert. The true cause is, that the excrementitious moisture of living creatures, which maketh as well the feathers in birds, as the hair in beasts, passeth in birds through a finer and more delicate strainer than it doth in beasts: for feathers pass through quills; and hair through skin. 6. The clarifying of liquors by adhesion, is an inward percolation; and is effected, when some cleaving body is mixed and agitated with the liquors; whereby the grosser part of the liquor sticks to that cleaving body; and so the finer parts are freed from the grosser. So the apothecaries 10. If you strike or pierce a solid body that is brittle, as glass, or sugar, it breaketh not only where the immediate force is; but breaketh all about into shivers and fitters; the motion, upon the pressure, searching all ways, and breaking where it findeth the body weakest. 11. The powder in shot, being dilated into such a flame as endureth not compression, moveth likewise in round, the flame being, in the nature of a liquid body, sometimes recoiling, sometimes breaking the piece, but generally discharging the bullet, because there it findeth easiest deliverance. 12. This motion upon pressure, and the reci7. The clarifying of water is an experiment tend-procal thereof, which is motion upon tensure, we ing to health; besides the pleasure of the eye, use to call, by one common name, motion of liwhen water is crystalline. It is effected by cast-berty; which is, when any body, being forced to ing in and placing pebbles at the head of a cur- a preternatural extent or dimension, delivereth rent, that the water may strain through them. and restoreth itself to the natural: as when a blown bladder pressed, riseth again; or when leather or cloth tentured, spring back. These two motions, of which there be infinite instances, we shall handle in due place. 8. It may be, percolation doth not only cause clearness and splendour, but sweetness of savour; for that also followeth as well as clearness, when the finer parts are severed from the grosser. So it is found, that the sweats of men, that have much heat, and exercise much, and have clean bodies, and fine skins, do smell sweet; as was said of Alexander; and we see commonly that gums have sweet odours. 13. This motion upon pressure is excellently also demonstrated in sounds; as when one chimeth upon a bell, it soundeth; but as soon as he layeth his hand upon it, the sound ceaseth: and so the sound of a virginal string, as soon as the quill of the jack falleth from it, stoppeth. For Experiments in consort, touching motion of bodies these sounds are produced by the subtile percus upon their pressure. sion of the minute parts of the bell, or string, upon the air; all one, as the water is caused to leap by the subtile percussion of the minute parts of the glass, upon the water, whereof we spake a little before in the ninth experiment. For you must not take it to be the local shaking of the bell, or string, that doth it: as we shall fully declare, when we come hereafter to handle sounds. Experiments in consort, touching separations bodies by weight. 9. Take a glass, and put water into it, and wet your finger, and draw it round about the lip of the glass, pressing it somewhat hard; and after you have drawn it some few times about, it will make the water frisk and sprinkle up in fine dew. This instance doth excellently demonstrate the force of compression in a solid body: for whensoever a solid body, as wood, stone, metal, &c. is pressed, there is an inward tumult in the parts thereof seeking to deliver themselves from the compression and this is the cause of all violent motion. 14. Take a glass with a belly and a long neb; Wherein it is strange in the highest degree, that fill the belly, in part, with water: take also this motion hath never been observed, nor inquir- another glass, whereinto put claret wine and waed; it being of all motions the most common, and ter mingled; reverse the first glass, with the belly the chief root of all mechanical operations. This upwards, stopping the neb with your finger; motion worketh in round at first, by way of proof then dip the mouth of it within the second glass, and search which way to deliver itself: and then and remove your finger: continue it in that posworketh in progress where it findeth the deliver- ture for a time; and it will unmingle the wine ance easiest. In liquors this motion is visible; from the water: the wine ascending and settling for all liquors strucken make round circles, and in the top of the upper glass; and the water dewithal dash; but in solids, which break not, it is scending and settling in the bottom of the lower so subtile as it is invisible; but nevertheless be- glass. The passage is apparent to the eye; for wrayeth itself by many effects; as in this instance you shall see the wine, as it were, in a small whereof we speak. For the pressure of the fin- vein, rising through the water. For handsomeger, furthered by the wetting, because it sticketh so ness' sake, because the working requireth some much the better unto the lip of the glass, after small time, it were good you hang the upper glass some continuance, putteth all the small parts of upon a nail. But as soon as there is gathered so the glass into work, that they strike the water much pure and unmixed water in the bottom of sharply; from which percussion that sprinkling the lower glass, as that the mouth of the upper cometh. glass dippeth into it, the motion ceaseth. time, and be often changed with fresh; it will make a sovereign drink for melancholy passions. And the like I conceive of orange flowers. 15. Let the upper glass be wine, and the lower [ must of wine, or wort of beer, while it worketh, water; there followeth no motion at all. Let before it be tunned, the burrage stay a small the upper glass be water pure, the lower water coloured, or contrariwise, there followeth no motion at all. But it hath been tried, that though the mixture of wine and water, in the lower glass, be three parts water and but one wine, yet it doth not dead the motion. This separation of water and wine appeareth to be made by weight; for it must be of bodies of unequal weight, or else it worketh not; and the heavier body must ever be in the upper glass. But then note withal, that the water being made pensile, and there being a great weight of water in the belly of the glass, sustained by a small pillar of water in the neck of the glass, it is that which setteth the motion on work: for water and wine in one glass, with long standing, will hardly sever. 16. This experiment would be extended from mixtures of several liquors, to simple bodies which consist of several similar parts: try it therefore with brine or salt-water, and fresh water: placing the salt-water, which is the heavier, in the upper glass; and see whether the fresh will come above. Try it also with water thick sugared, and pure water; and see whether the water, which cometh above, will lose its sweetness: for which purpose it were good there were a little cock made in the belly of the upper glass. Experiments in consort, touching judicious and 18. This rule, which we have given, is of singular use for the preparations of medicines, and other infusions. As for example: the leaf of burrage hath an excellent spirit to repress the fuliginous vapour of dusky melancholy, and so to cure madness: but nevertheless if the leaf be infused long it yieldeth forth but a raw substance, of no virtue: therefore I suppose, that if in the VOL. II.-2 19. Rhubarb hath manifestly in it parts of contrary operations: parts that purge; and parts that bind the body; and the first lie looser, and the latter lie deeper: so that if you infuse rhubarb for an hour, and crush it well, it will purge better, and bind the body less after the purging than if it had stood twenty-four hours; this is tried; but I conceive likewise, that by repeating the infusion of rhubarb several times, as was said of violets, letting each stay in but a small time, you may make it as strong a purging medicine as scammony. And it is not a small thing won in physic, if you can make rhubarb, and other medicines that are benedict, as strong purgers as those that are not without some malignity. 20. Purging medicines, for the most part, have their purgative virtue in a fine spirit; as appeareth by that they endure not boiling without much loss of virtue. And therefore it is of good use in physic, if you can retain the purging virtue, and take away the unpleasant taste of the purger; which it is like you may do, by this course of infusing oft, with little stay, for it is probable that the horrible and odious taste is in the grosser part. 21. Generally, the working by infusions is gross and blind, except you first try the issuing of the several parts of the body, which of them issue more speedily, and which more slowly; and so by apportioning the time, can take and leave that quality which you desire. This to know there be two ways; the one to try what long stay, and what short stay worketh as hath been said; the other to try in order the succeeding infusions of one and the same body, successively, in several liquors. As, for example; take orange pills, or rosemary, or cinnamon, or what you will; and let them infuse half an hour in water; then take them out, and infuse them again in other water; and so the third time: and then taste and consider the first water, the second, and the third; and you will find them differing, not only in strength and weakness, but otherwise in taste or odour; for it may be the first water will have more of the scent, as more fragrant; and the second more of the taste, as more bitter or biting, &c. 22. Infusions in air, for so we may well call odours, have the same diversities with infusions in water; in that the several odours, which are in one flower, or other body, issue at several times; some earlier, some later: so we find that violets, woodbines, strawberries, yield a pleasing scent, that cometh forth first; but soon after an ill scent quite differing from the former. Which is caused, not so much by mellowing, as by the late issuing of the grosser spirit. 23. As we may desire to extract the finest of a good length, three or four foot deep within spirits in some cases; so we may desire also to the same ground; with one end upon the high discharge them, as hurtful, in some other. So ground, the other upon the low. Cover the trough wine burnt, by reason of the evaporating of the with brakes a good thickness, and cast sand upon finer spirit, inflameth less, and is best in agues: the top of the brakes: you shall see, saith he,. opium loseth some of its poisonous quality, if it that after some showers are past, the lower end be vapoured out, mingled with spirits of wine, or of the trough will run like a spring of water: the like: sena loseth somewhat of its windiness which is no marvel, if it hold while the rainby decocting; and generally, subtile or windy water lasteth; but he said it would continue long spirits are taken off by incension, or evaporation. time after the rain is past: as if the water, did And even in infusions in things that are of too multiply itself upon the air, by the help of the high a spirit, you were better pour off the first coldness and condensation of the earth, and the infusion, after a small time, and use the latter. consort of the first water. Experiment solitary touching the appetite of con- Experiment solitary touching the venomous quality tinuation in liquids. 24. Bubbles are in the form of a hemisphere; air within, and a little skin of water without: and it seemeth somewhat strange, that the air should rise so swiftly while it is in the water; and when it cometh to the top, should be stayed by so weak a cover as that of the bubble is. But as for the swift ascent of the air, while it is under the water, that is a motion of percussion from the water; which itself descending driveth up the air; and no motion of levity in the air. And this Democritus called "motus plaga." In this common experiment, the cause of the inclosure of the bubble is, for that the appetite to resist separation, or discontinuance, which in solid bodies is strong, is also in liquors, though fainter and weaker; as we see in this of the bubble: we see it also in little glasses of spittle that children make of rushes; and in castles of bubbles, which they make by blowing into water, having obtained a little degree of tenacity by mixture of soap: we see it also in the stillicides of water, which if there be water enough to follow, will draw themselves into a small thread, because they will not discontinue; but if there be no remedy, then they cast themselves into round drops; which is the figure that saveth the body most from discontinuance: the same reason is of the roundness of the bubble, as well for the skin of water, as for the air within: for the air likewise avoideth discontinuance; and therefore casteth itself into a rough figure. And for the stop and arrest of the air a little while, it showeth that the air of itself hath little or no appetite of ascending. of man's flesh. 26. The French, which put off the name of the French disease unto the name of the disease of Naples, do report, that at the siege of Naples, there were certain wicked merchants that barrelled up man's flesh, of some that had been lately slain in Barbary, and sold it for tunney; and that upon that foul and high nourishment was the original of that disease. Which may well be, for that it is certain that the cannibals in the West Indies eat man's flesh and the West Indies were full of the pox when they were first discovered: and at this day the mortalest poisons, practised by the West Indians, have some mixture of the blood, or fat, or flesh of man: and divers witches and sorceresses, as well amongst the heathen, as amongst the Christians, have fed upon man's flesh, to aid, as it seemeth, their imagination, with high and foul vapours. Experiment solitary touching the version and transmutation of air into water. 27. It seemeth that there be these ways, in likelihood, of version of vapours of air into water and moisture. The first is cold; which doth manifestly condense; as we see in the contracting of the air in the weather-glass; whereby it is a degree nearer to water. We see it also in the generation of springs, which the ancients thought, very probably, to be made by the version of air into water, holpen by the rest, which the air hath in those parts; whereby it cannot dissipate. And by the coldness of rocks; for there springs are chiefly generated. We see it also in the effects of the cold of the middle region, as they call it, of the air; which produceth dews Experiment solitary touching the making of artifi- and rains. And the experiment of turning water. cial springs. 25. The rejection, which I continually use, of experiments, though it appeareth not, is infinite: but yet if an experiment be probable in the work, and of great use, I receive it, but deliver it as doubtful. It was reported by a sober man, that an artificial spring may be made thus: Find out a hanging ground, where there is a good quick fall of rain-water. Lay a half trough of stone, into ice, by snow, nitre, and salt, whereof we shall speak hereafter, would be transferred to the turning of air into water. The second way is by compression; as in stillatories, where the vapour is turned back upon itself, by the encounter of the sides of the stillatory; and in the dew upon the covers of boiling pots; and in the dew towards rain, upon marble and wainscot. But this is like to do no great effect; except it be Experiment solitary touching the condensing of air in such sort as it may put on weight, and yield nourishment. upon vapours, and gross air, that are already very near in degree to water. The third is that, which may be searched into, but doth not yet appear; which is, by mingling of moist vapours 29. Onions, as they hang, will many of them with air; and trying if they will not bring a re- shoot forth; and so will penny-royal; and so turn of more water than the water was at first: will an herb called orpin; with which they use for if so, that increase is a version of the air: in the country to trim their houses, binding it to a therefore put water in the bottom of a stillatory, lath or stick, and setting it against a wall. We with the neb stopped; weigh the water first; see it likewise more especially in the greater hang in the middle of the stillatory a large semper-vive, which will put out branches, two or spunge; and see what quantity of water you can three years: but it is true, that commonly they crush out of it; and what it is more or less com- wrap the root in a cloth besmeared with oil, and pared with the water spent; for you must under-renew it once in half a year. The like is reported, stand, that if any version can be wrought, it will by some of the ancients, of the stalks of lilies. be easiliest done in small pores: and that is the The cause is; for that these plants have a strong, reason why we prescribe a spunge. The fourth dense, and succulent moisture, which is not apt way is probable also, though not appearing; to exhale; and so is able, from the old store, which is, by receiving the air into the small pores without drawing help from the earth, to suffice of bodies: for, as hath been said, every thing in the sprouting of the plant: and this sprouting is small quantity is more easy for version; and chiefly in the late spring or early summer; which tangible bodies have no pleasure in the consort are the times of putting forth. We see also, that of air, but endeavour to subact it into a more stumps of trees lying out of the ground, will put dense body; but in entire bodies it is checked; forth sprouts for a time. But it is a noble trial, because if the air should condense, there is and of very great consequence, to try whether nothing to succeed: therefore it must be in loose these things, in the sprouting, do increase weight; bodies, as sand, and powder; which we see, if which must be tried, by weighing them before they lie close, of themselves gather moisture. they be hanged up; and afterwards again, when they are sprouted. For if they increase not in Experiment solitary touching helps towards the weight, then it is no more but this; that what beauty and good features of persons. 28. It is reported by some of the ancients; that whelps, or other creatures, if they be put young into such a cage or box, as they cannot rise to their stature, but may increase in breadth or length, will grow accordingly as they can get room; which if it be true and feasible, and that the young creature so pressed and straitened, doth not thereupon die, it is a means to produce dwarf creatures, and in a very strange figure. This is certain, and noted long since, that the pressure or forming of parts of creatures, when they are very young, doth alter the shape not a little as the stroking of the heads of infants, between the hands, was noted of old, to make "Macrocephali ;" which shape of the head, at that time, was esteemed. And the raising gently of the bridge of the nose, doth prevent the deformity of a saddle nose. Which observation well weighed, may teach a means to make the persons of men and women, in many kinds, more comely and better featured than otherwise they would be; by the forming and shaping of them in their infancy: as by stroking up the calves of the legs, to keep them from falling down too low; and by stroking up the forehead, to keep them from being low-foreheaded. And it is a common practice to swathe infants, that they may grow more straight, and better shaped: and we see young women, by wearing strait bodice, keep themselves from being gross and corpulent. they send forth in the sprout, they lose in some other part: for if they gather weight, then it is "magnale naturæ;" for it it showeth that air may be made so to be condensed as to be converted into a dense body; whereas the race and period of all things, here above the earth, is to extenuate and turn things to be more pneumatical and rare; and not to be retrograde, from pneumatical to that which is dense. It showeth also, that air can nourish; which is another great matter of consequence. Note, that to try this, the experiment of the semper-vive must be made without oiling the cloth; for else, it may be, the plant receiveth nourishment from the oil. Experiment solitary touching the commixture of flame and air, and the great force thereof. 30. Flame and air do not mingle, except it be in an instant; or in the vital spirits of vegetables and living creatures. In gunpowder, the force of it hath been ascribed to rarefaction of the earthy substance into flame; and thus far it is true: and then, forsooth, it is become another element; the form whereof occupieth more place; and so of necessity, followeth a dilatation; and therefore, lest two bodies should be in one place, there must needs also follow an expulsion of the pellet; or blowing up of the mine. But these are crude and ignorant speculations. For flame, if there were nothing else, except it were in very great quantity, will be suffocate with any hard body, such as a pellet is; or the barrel of a gun; |