that those creatures being engendered of putrefaction, when they abound, shew a general disposition of the year, and constitution of the air, to diseases of putrefaction. And the same prognostic (as hath been said. before) holdeth, if you find worms in oak-apples: for the constitution of the air appeareth more subtilly in any of these things, than to the sense of man.

Experiment solitary touching the prognostics of hard

winters.

737. It is an observation amongst country people, that years of store of haws and heps do commonly portend cold winters; and they ascribe it to God's providence, that (as the Scripture saith) reacheth even to the falling of a sparrow; and much more is like to reach to the preservation of birds in such seasons. The natural cause also may be the want of heat, and abundance of moisture, in the summer precedent; which putteth forth those fruits, and must needs leave great quantity of cold vapours not dissipate; which causeth the cold of the winter following.

Experiment solitary touching medicines that condense and relieve the spirits.

738. They have in Turkey a drink called coffa‚1· made of a berry of the same name, as black as soot,

1 Sandys, p. 52. The use of coffee was, when Bacon wrote, of comparatively recent introduction at Constantinople. According to Abd el Kadir ibn Mahommed (ap. Silvestre de Sacy, Chrestomathie Arabe), who wrote in the 16th century, it has been used from all antiquity in Abyssinia, and passed from thence into Aden about the beginning of the 14th century. From Aden it spread gradually over the Mahommedan world, and reached Constantinople about the middle of the 16th century. I believe the first scientific description of the coffee plant is that given by Jussieu, in the Memoirs of the Academy of Sciences for 1713.

and of a strong scent, but not aromatical; which they take, beaten into powder, in water, as hot as they can drink it and they take it, and sit at it in their coffahouses, which are like our taverns. This drink comforteth the brain and heart, and helpeth digestion. Certainly this berry coffa, the root and leaf betel, the leaf tobacco, and the tear of poppy (opium), of which the Turks are great takers (supposing it expelleth all fear), do all condense the spirits, and make them strong and aleger. But it seemeth they were taken after several manners; for coffa and opium are taken down, tobacco but in smoke, and betel is but champed in the mouth with a little lime. It is like there are more of them, if they were well found out, and well corrected. Quare of henbane-seed; of mandrake ;. of saffron, root and flower; of folium indum; of ambergrise; of the Assyrian amomum, if it may be had; and of the scarlet powder which they call kermez; and (generally) of all such things as do inebriate and provoke sleep. Note that tobacco is not taken in root or seed, which are more forcible ever than leaves.

Experiment solitary touching paintings of the body. 739. The Turks have a black powder, made of a mineral called alcohole, which with a fine long pencil they lay under their eye-lids; which doth colour them black; whereby the white of the eye is set off more white. With the same powder they colour also the hairs of their eye-lids, and of their eye-brows, which they draw into embowed arches. You shall find that Xenophon maketh mention, that the Medes used to paint their eyes. The Turks use with the same tinct1 Sandys, p. 53.

ure to colour the hair of their heads and beards black. And divers with us that are grown grey, and yet would appear young, find means to make their hair black, by combing it (as they say) with a leaden comb, or the like. As for the Chineses, who are of an ill complexion (being olivaster), they paint their cheeks scarlet, especially their king and grandes.1 Generally, barbarous people, that go naked, do not only paint themselves, but they pounce and raze their skin, that the painting may not be taken forth; and make it into works. So do the West Indians; and so did the ancient Picts and Britons; so that it seemeth men would have the colours of birds' feathers, if they could tell how; or at least they will have gay skins instead of gay clothes.

Experiment solitary touching the use of bathing and anointing.

740. It is strange that the use of bathing, as a part of diet, is left. With the Romans and Grecians it was as usual as eating or sleeping; and so is it amongst the Turks at this day: whereas with us it remaineth but as a part of physic. I am of opinion, that the use of it, as it was with the Romans, was hurtful to health;

1 I do not know where Bacon found this. It is not mentioned, I think, by modern travellers The Chinese call us red men. It appears from Pliny, xxxiii. 36., that in early times it was usual in Rome to colour the image of Jupiter red, or at least its face, and to smear in a similar way the bodies of those who triumphed O. K. Müller connects the two things, regarding the triumph as a kind of Apotheosis.

[I have retained the original spelling of grandes; the double e, which was no doubt introduced merely to mark the word as dissyllable, has led to the misplacing of the accent. The Spanish grande would not have changed into the English grande'e, as we now pronounce it, except through ignorance. J. S.]

For

for that it made the body soft, and easy to waste. the Turks it is more proper, because that their drinking water, and feeding upon rice, and other food of small nourishment, maketh their bodies so solid and hard, as you need not fear that bathing should make them frothy. Besides the Turks are great sitters, and seldom walk, whereby they sweat less and need bathing more. But yet certain it is that bathing, and especially anointing, may be so used as it may be a great help to health and prolongation of life. But hereof we shall speak in due place, when we come to handle experiments medicinal.

Experiment solitary touching chamoletting of paper.

741. The Turks have a pretty art of chamoletting of paper, which is not with us in use. They take divers oiled colours, and put them severally (in drops) upon water; and stir the water lightly; and then wet their paper (being of some thickness) with it; and the paper will be waved and veined, like chamolet or marble.

Experiment solitary touching cuttle-ink.

742. It is somewhat strange, that the blood of all birds and beasts and fishes should be of a red colour, and only the blood of the cuttle should be as black as ink.2 A man would think, that the cause should be

1 Sandys, p. 56. Beckmann, in speaking of the invention of this art, mentions the passage in the text; but not being aware of the source of Bacon's information, asserts that notwithstanding the name Turkish paper, by which what is now called marbled paper used to be known, the art of making it was discovered in Germany.

2 That the black fluid of the cuttle-fish is not blood was remarked by Aristotle, Hist. An. i. 4. The blood of the Invertebrata is most frequently colourless. It is in some cases red, and often of other colours. The house

the high concoction of that blood; for we see in ordinary puddings that the boiling turneth the blood to be black; and the cuttle is accounted a delicate meat, and is much in request.

Experiment solitary touching increase of weight in earth.

743. It is reported of credit, that if you take earth from land adjoining to the river of Nile, and preserve it in that manner that it neither come to be wet nor wasted, and weigh it daily, it will not alter weight until the seventeenth of June, which is the day when the river beginneth to rise: and then it will grow more and more ponderous, till the river cometh to his height.1 Which if it be true, it cannot be caused but by the air, which then beginneth to condense; and so turneth within that small mould into a degree of moisture, which produceth weight. So it hath been observed that tobacco, cut and weighed, and then dried by the fire, loseth weight; and after being laid in the open air, recovereth weight again. And it should seem that as soon as ever the river beginneth to increase, the whole body of the air thereabouts suffereth a change: for (that which is more strange) it is credibly affirmed, that upon that very day when the river first riseth, great plagues in Cairo use suddenly to break up.

Experiments in consort touching sleep.

744. Those that are very cold, and especially in their feet, cannot get to sleep.2 The cause may be, for that in sleep is required a free respiration, which

fly is commonly believed to have red blood, but the red stain produced when a fly is crushed is in reality due to the pigment of the eyes. 1 Sandys, p. 77. 2 Arist. Prob. viii. 2.