Experiment solitary touching the condensing of air in such sort as it may put on weight, and yield nourishment.

29. Onions, as they hang, will many of them shoot forth; and so will penny-royal; and so will an herb called orpin; with which they use in the country to trim their houses, binding it to a lath or stick, and setting it against a wall. We see it likewise more especially in the greater semper-vive, which will put out branches, two or three years: but it is true, that commonly they wrap the root in a cloth besmeared with oil, and

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 with air; and trying if they will not bring a return of more water than the water was at first: for if so, that increase is a version of the air: therefore put water in the bottom of a stillatory, with the neb stopped; weigh the water first; hang in the middle of the stillatory a large spunge; and see what quantity of water you can crush out of it; and what it is more or less compared 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 be easiliest done in small pores: and that is the reason why we prescribe a spunge. The fourth way is probable also, though not appearing; which is, by receiving the air into the small pores of bodies: for, as hath been said, every thing in small quantity is more easy for version; and tangible bodies have no pleasure in the consort of air, but endeavour to subact it into a more dense body; but in entire bodies it is checked; because if the air should condense, there is nothing to succeed: therefore it must be in loose bodies, as sand, and powder; which we see, if they lie close, of themselves gather moisture.

by some of the ancients, of the stalks of lilies. The cause is; for that these plants have a strong, dense, and succulent moisture, which is not apt to exhale; and so is able, from the old store, without drawing help from the earth, to suffice the sprouting of the plant: and this sprouting is chiefly in the late spring or early summer; which are the times of putting forth. We see also, that stumps of trees lying out of the ground, will put forth sprouts for a time. But it is a noble trial, and of very great consequence, to try whether these things, in the sprouting, do increase weight; which must be tried, by weighing them before 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.

66

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,

so as the flame would not expel the hard body; It appeareth also, that the form of a pyramis in but the hard body would kill the flame, and not flame, which we usually see, is merely by aecisuffer it to kindle or spread. But the cause of dent, and that the air about, by quenching the this so potent a motion, is the nitre, which we call sides of the flame, crusheth it, and extenuateth otherwise saltpetre, which having in it a notable it into that form; for of itself it would be round; crude and windy spirit, first by the heat of the and therefore smoke is in the figure of a pyramis fire suddenly dilateth itself; and we know that reversed; for the air quencheth the flame, and simple air, being preternaturally attenuated by receiveth the smoke. Note also, that the flame heat, will make itself room, and break and of the candle, within the flame of the spirit of blow up that which resisteth it; and secondly, wine, is troubled; and doth not only open and when the nitre hath dilated itself, it bloweth move upwards, but moveth waving, and to and abroad the flame, as an inward bellows. And fro; as if flame of its own nature, if it were not therefore we see that brimstone, pitch, camphire, quenched, would roll and turn, as well as move wild-fire, and divers other inflammable matters, upwards. By all which it should seem, that the though they burn cruelly, and are hard to quench, | celestial bodies, most of them, are true fires or yet they make no such fiery wind as gunpowder flames, as the Stoics held; more fine, perhaps, doth; and on the other side, we see that quick- and rarified than our flame is. For they are all silver, which is a most crude and watery body, globular and determinate; they have rotation; heated, and pent in, hath the like force with gun- and they have the colour and splendour of flame: powder. As for living creatures, it is certain, so that flame above is durable, and consistent, and their vital spirits are a substance compounded of in its natural place; but with us it is a stranger, an airy and flamy matter; and though air and and momentary, and impure: like Vulcan that flame being free, will not well mingle; yet bound halted with his fall. in by a body that hath some fixing, they will. For that you may best see in those two bodies, which are their aliments, water and oil; for they likewise will not well mingle of themselves; but in the bodies of plants, and living creatures, they will. It is no marvel therefore, that a small quantity of spirits, in the cells of the brain, and canals of the sinews, are able to move the whole body, which is of so great mass, both with so great force, as in wrestling, leaping; and with so great swiftness, as in playing division upon the lute. Such is the force of these two natures, air and flame, when they incorporate.

Experiment solitary touching the different force of flame in the midst and on the sides.

32. Take an arrow, and hold it in flame for the space of ten pulses, and when it cometh forth, you shall find those parts of the arrow which were on the outsides of the flame more burned, blacked, and turned almost into a coal, whereas that in the midst of the flame will be as if the fire had scarce touched it. This is an instance of great consequence for the discovery of the nature of flame; and showeth manifestly, that flame burneth more violently towards the sides than in the midst: and which is more, that heat

Experiment solitary touching the secret nature of or fire is not violent or furious, but where it is

flame.

31. Take a small wax candle, and put it in a socket of brass or iron; then set it upright in a porringer full of spirit of wine heated: then set both the candle and spirit of wine on fire, and you shall see the flame of the candle open itself, and become four or five times bigger than otherwise it would have been; and appear in figure globular, and not in pyramis. You shall see also, that the inward flame of the candle keepeth colour, and doth not wax any whit blue towards the colour of the outward flame of the spirit of wine. This is a noble instance; wherein two things are most remarkable: the one, that one flame within another quencheth not; but is a fixed body, and continueth as air or water do. And therefore flame would still ascend upwards in one greatness, if it were not quenched on the sides: and the greater the flame is at the bottom, the higher is the rise. The other, that flame doth not mingle with flame, as air doth with air, or water with water, but only remaineth contiguous; as it cometh to pass betwixt consisting bodies.

checked and pent. And therefore the Peripatetics, howsoever their opinion of an element of fire above the air is justly exploded, in that point they acquit themselves well: for being opposed, that if there were a sphere of fire, that encompassed the earth so near hand, it were impossible but all things should be burnt up; they answer, that the pure elemental fire, in its own place, and not irritated, is but of a moderate heat.

Experiment solitary touching the decrease of the natural motion of gravity, in great distance from the earth; or within some depth of the earth.

33. It is affirmed constantly by many, as a usual experiment, that a lump of ore in the bottom of a mine will be tumbled and stirred by two men's strength, which, if you bring it to the top of the earth, will ask six men's strength at the least to stir it. It is a noble instance, and is fit to be tried to the full; for it is very probable, that the motion of gravity worketh weakly, both far from the earth, and also within the earth: the former, because the appetite of union of dense

bodies with the earth, in respect of the distance, is more dull: the latter, because the body hath in part attained its nature when it is in some depth in the earth. For as for the moving to a point or place, which was the opinion of the ancients, it is a mere vanity.

Experiment solitary touching the contraction of bodies in bulk, by the mixture of the more liquid body with the more solid.

34. It is strange how the ancients took up experiments upon credit, and yet did build great matters upon them. The observation of some of the best of them, delivered confidently, is, that a vessel filled with ashes will receive the like quantity of water that it would have done if it had been empty. But this is utterly untrue, for the water will not go in by a fifth part. And I suppose, that that fifth part is the difference of the lying close, or open, of the ashes; as we see that ashes alone, if they be hard pressed, will lie in less room and so the ashes with air between, lie looser; and with water closer. For I have not yet found certainly, that the water itself, by mixture of ashes or dust, will shrink or draw into less room.

Experiment solitary touching the making vines more fruitful.

The qualities

And

the medicine, or by the quantity.
are three; extreme bitter, as in aloes, coloquinti-
da, &c. loathsome and of horrible taste, as in
agaric, black hellebore, &c. and of secret malig-
nity, and disagreement towards man's body, many
times not appearing much in the taste, as in
scammony, mechoachan, antimony, &c.
note well, that if there be any medicine that purg-
eth, and hath neither of the first two manifest
qualities, it is to be held suspected as a kind of
poison; for that it worketh either by corrosion,
or by a secret malignity, and enmity to nature;
and therefore such medicines are warily to be
prepared and used. The quantity of that which
is taken doth also cause purging; as we see in a
great quantity of new milk from the cow; yea
and a great quantity of meat; for surfeits many
times turn to purges, both upwards and down-
wards. Therefore we see generally, that the
working of purging medicines cometh two or
three hours after the medicines taken: for that
the stomach first maketh a proof whether it can
concoct them. And the like happeneth after sur-
feits, or milk in too great quantity.

37. A second cause is mordication of the orifices of the parts; especially of the mesentery veins; as it is seen, that salt, or any such thing that is sharp and biting, put in the fundament, doth provoke the part to expel; and mustard provoketh sneezing: and any sharp thing to the eyes provoketh tears. And therefore we see that almost all purgers have a kind of twitching and vellication, besides the griping which cometh of wind. And if this mordication be in an over-high degree, it is little better than the corrosion of poison; and it cometh to pass sometimes in antimony, especially if it be given to bodies not replete with humours; for where humours abound, the hu

35. It is reported of credit, that if you lay good store of kernels of grapes about the root of a vine, it will make the vine come earlier and prosper better. It may be tried with other kernels laid about the root of a plant of the same kind; as figs, kernels of apples, &c. The cause may be, for that the kernels draw out of the earth juice fit to nourish the tree, as those that would be trees of themselves, though there were no root; but the root being of greater strength rob-mours save the parts. beth and devoureth the nourishment, when they have drawn it: as great fishes devour little.

Experiments in consort touching purging medi

cines.

38. The third cause is attraction: for I do not deny, but that purging medicines have in them a direct force of attraction: as drawing plaisters have in surgery: and we see sage or betony bruised, sneezing powder, and other powders, or liquors, which the physicians call "errhines," put into the nose, draw phlegm and water from the head; and so it is in apophlegmatisms and gargarisms, that draw the rheum down by the palate. And by this virtue, no doubt, some pur

36. The operation of purging medicines and the causes thereof, have been thought to be a great secret; and so according to the slothful manner of men, it is referred to a hidden propriety, a specifical virtue, and a fourth quality, and the like shifts of ignorance. The causes of purg-gers draw more one humour, and some another, ing are divers: all plain and perspicuous, and thoroughly maintained by experience. The first is, that whatsoever cannot be overcome and digested by the stomach, is by the stomach either put up by vomit, or put down to the guts; and by that motion of expulsion in the stomach and guts, other parts of the body, as the orifices of the veins, and the like, are moved to expel by consent. For nothing is more frequent than motion of consent in the body of man. This surcharge of the stomach is caused either by the quality of

according to the opinion received: as rhubarb draweth choler; sena melancholy; agaric phlegm, &c. but yet, more or less, they draw promiscuously. And note also, that besides sympathy between the purger and the humour, there is also another cause why some medicines draw some humour more than another. And it is, for that some medicines work quicker than others: and they that draw quick, draw only the lighter and more fluid humours; and they that draw slow, work upon the more tough and viscous humours. B

And therefore men must beware how they take rhubarb, and the like, alone familiarly; for it taketh only the lightest part of the humour away, and leaveth the mass of humours more obstinate. And the like may be said of wormwood, which is so much magnified.

39. The fourth cause is flatuosity; for wind stirred moveth to expel: and we find that in effect all purgers have in them a raw spirit or wind; which is the principal cause of tortion in the sto mach and belly. And therefore purgers lose, most of them, the virtue by decoction upon the fire; and for that cause are given chiefly in infusion, juice, or powder.

are well digested of the stomach, and well received also of the mesentery veins; so they come as far as the liver, which sendeth urine to the bladder, as the whey of blood: and those medicines being opening and piercing do fortify the operation of the liver, in sending down the wheyey part of the blood to the reins. For medicines urinative do not work by rejection and indigestion, as solutive do.

to the guts. Pepper by some of the ancients is noted to be of the second sort; which being in small quantity, moveth wind in the stomach and guts, and so expelleth by stool; but being in greater quantity, dissipateth the wind; and itself

44. There be divers medicines, which in greater quantity move stool, and in smaller urine: and so contrariwise, some that in greater quantity move urine, and in smaller stool. Of the former sort is rhubarb, and some others. The cause is, 40. The fifth cause is compression or crushing; for that rhubarb is a medicine which the stomach as when water is crushed out of a sponge: so in a small quantity doth digest and overcome, we see that taking cold moveth looseness by being not flatuous nor loathsome, and so sendeth contraction of the skin and outward parts; and it to the mesentery veins; and so being opening, so doth cold likewise cause rheums, and deflux-it helpeth down urine: but in a greater quantity, ions from the head; and some astringent plaisters the stomach cannot overcome it, and so it goeth crush out purulent matter. This kind of operation is not found in many medicines; myrobolanes have it; and it may be the barks of peaches; for this virtue requireth an astriction; but such an astriction as is not grateful to the body; for a pleasing astriction doth rather bind in the hu-getteth to the mesentery veins, and so to the liver mours than expel them: and therefore, such astriction is found in things of a harsh taste. 41. The sixth cause is lubrefaction and relaxation. As we see in medicines emollient; such as are milk, honey, mallows, lettuce, mercurial, pellitory of the wall, and others. There is also 45. We have spoken of evacuating of the body: a secret virtue of relaxation in cold: for the heat we will now speak something of the filling of it, of the body bindeth the parts and humours to- by restoratives in consumptions and emaciating gether, which cold relaxeth: as it is seen in urine, diseases. In vegetables, there is one part that is blood, pottage, or the like; which, if they be more nourishing than another; as grains and roots cold, break and dissolve. And by this kind of nourish more than the leaves; insomuch as the relaxation, fear looseneth the belly because the order of the Foliatanes was put down by the pope, heat retiring inwards towards the heart, the guts, as finding leaves unable to nourish man's body. and other parts are relaxed; in the same manner Whether there be that difference in the flesh of as fear also causeth trembling in the sinews. living creatures is not well inquired, as whether And of this kind of purgers are some medicines | livers, and other entrails be not more nourishing made of mercury.

:

42. The seventh cause is abstersion; which is plainly a scouring off, or incision of the more viscous humours, and making the humours more fluid; and cutting between them and the part; as is found in nitrous water, which scoureth linen cloth speedily from the foulness. But this incision must be by a sharpness, without astriction: which we find in salt, wormwood, oxymel, and the like. 43. There be medicines that move stools, and not urine; some other, urine, and not stools. Those that purge by stool are such as enter not at all, or little, into the mesentery vein: but either at the first are not digestible by the stomach, and therefore move immediately downwards to the guts; or else are afterwards rejected by the mesentery veins, and so turn likewise downwards to the guts; and of these two kinds are most purgers. But those that move urine are such as

and reins; where, by heating and opening, it sendeth down urine more plentifully.

Experiments in consort touching meats and drinks that are most nourishing.

than the outward flesh. We find that amongst the Romans, a goose's liver was a great delicacy; insomuch as they had artificial means to make it fair and great; but whether it were more nourishing appeareth not. It is certain, that marrow is more nourishing than fat. And I conceive that some decoction of bones and sinews, stamped and well strained, would be a very nourishing broth: we find also that Scotch skinck, which is a pottage of strong nourishment, is made with the knees and sinews of beef, but long boiled: jelly also, which they use for a restorative, is chiefly made of knuckles of veal. The pulp that is within the crawfish or crab, which they spice and butter, is more nourishing than the flesh of the crab or crawfish. The yolks of eggs are clearly more nourishing than the whites. So that it should seem, that the parts of living creatures that lie more inwards, nourish more than the outward