should; for they have male and female as other fish have: neither are they bred of putrefaction; especially such as do move. Nevertheless it is certain that oysters and cockles and mussles, which move not, have no discriminate sex. Quære, in what time, and how they are bred? It seemeth that shells of oysters are bred where none were before; and it is tried, that the great horse-mussle with the fine shell, that breedeth in ponds, hath bred within thirty years: but then, which is strange, it hath been tried, that they do not only gape and shut as the oysters do, but remove from one place to another.

Experiment solitary touching the right side and the left.

876. The senses are alike strong both on the right side and on the left; but the limbs on the right side are stronger.1 The cause may be, for that the brain, which is the instrument of sense, is alike on both sides; but motion and abilities of moving are somewhat holpen from the liver, which lieth on the right side. It may be also, for that the senses are put in exercise indifferently on both sides from the time of our birth; but the limbs are used most on the right side, whereby custom helpeth; for we see that some are left-handed; which are such as have used the left hand most.

:

Experiment solitary touching frictions.2

877. Frictions make the parts more fleshy and full; as we see both in men, and in currying of horses, &c. The cause is, for that they draw greater quantity of spirits and blood to the parts and again, because they draw the aliment more forcibly from within and again, because they relax the pores, and so make better passage for the spirits, blood, and aliment: lastly, because they dissipate and digest any inutile or excrementitious moisture which lieth in the flesh; all which help assimilation. Frictions also do more fill and impinguate the body, than exercise. The cause is, for that in frictions the inward parts are at rest; which in exercise are beaten (many times) too much and for the same reason (as we have noted heretofore) galley-slaves are fat and fleshy, because they stir the limbs more, and the inward parts less.

which shell-fish form one, and insects another. See Arist. De Part. Animal. iv. 5. 1.; and compare Cardan, De Rer. Variet.

Arist. Prob. xxxi. 13. Hippocrates asserts the contrary.

2 See Arist. Prob. xxxvii. 3. and 6.

Experiment solitary touching globes appearing flat at distance. 878. All globes afar off appear flat.' The cause is, for that distance, being a secondary object of sight, is not otherwise discerned than by more or less light: which disparity when it cannot be discerned, all seemeth one: as it is (generally) in objects not distinctly discerned; for so letters, if they be so far off as they cannot be discerned, shew but as a duskish paper; and all engravings and embossings (afar off) appear plain.

Experiment solitary touching shadows.

879. The utmost parts of shadows seem ever to tremble.2 The cause is, for that the little motes which we see in the sun do ever stir, though there be no wind; and therefore those moving, in the meeting of the light and the shadow, from the light to the shadow, and from the shadow to the light, do shew the shadow to move, because the medium moveth.

Experiment solitary touching the rolling and breaking of the

3

seas.

880. Shallow and narrow seas break more than deep and large. The cause is, for that, the impulsion being the same in both, where there is greater quantity of water, and likewise space enough, there the water rolleth and moveth both more slowly and with a sloper rise and fall: but where there is less water, and less space, and the water dasheth more against the bottom, there it moveth more swiftly, and more in precipice; for in the breaking of the waves there is ever a precipice.

Experiment solitary touching the dulcoration of salt water. 881. It hath been observed by the ancients that salt water boiled, or boiled and cooled again, is more potable than of itself raw: and yet the taste of salt in distillations by fire riseth not; for the distilled water will be fresh. The cause may be, for that the salt part of the water doth partly rise into a kind of scum on the top, and partly goeth into a sediment in the

Aristotle (Prob. xvi. 7.) remarks this in the case of the sun and moon. That a luminous globe appears uniformly bright, shows that the intensity with which light radiates varies as the sine of the angle its direction makes with a normal to the radiating surface. Were this not the case, the brightness would increase indefinitely from the centre towards the circumference.

2 Arist. Prob. xvi. 12.

3 Id. ib. xxiii. 1. And see the eighteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first problems of the same section for the statements in the next three paragraphs.

bottom; and so is rather a separation than an evaporation. But it is too gross to rise into a vapour: and so is a bitter taste likewise; for simple distilled waters, of wormwood and the like, are not bitter.

Experiment solitary touching the return of saltness in pits upon the sea-shore.

882. It hath been set down before, that pits upon the seashore turn into fresh water, by percolation of the salt through the sand but it is further noted by some of the ancients that in some places of Africk, after a time, the water in such pits will become brackish again. The cause is, for that after a time the very sands through which the salt water passeth become salt; and so the strainer itself is tincted with salt. The remedy therefore is, to dig still new pits, when the old wax brackish; as if you would change your strainer.

Experiment solitary touching attraction by similitude of sub

stance.

883. It hath been observed by the ancients that salt water will dissolve salt put into it, in less time than fresh water will dissolve it. The cause may be, for that the salt in the precedent water doth, by similitude of substance, draw the salt new put in unto it; whereby it diffuseth in the liquor more speedily. This is a noble experiment, if it be true; for it sheweth means of more quick and easy infusions; and it is likewise a good instance of attraction by similitude of substance. Try it with sugar put into water formerly sugared, and into other water unsugared.

Experiment solitary touching attraction.

884. Put sugar into wine, part of it above, part under the wine; and you shall find (that which may seem strange) the sugar above the wine will soften and dissolve sooner than that within the wine. The cause is, for that the wine entereth that part of the sugar which is under the wine by simple infusion or spreading; but that part above the wine is likewise forced by sucking; for all spungy bodies expel the air and draw in liquor, if it be contiguous: as we see it also in spunges put part above the water. It is worthy the inquiry, to see

how you may make more accurate infusions by help of attraction.

Experiment solitary touching heat under earth.

885. Water in wells is warmer in winter than in summer; and so air in caves. The cause is, for that in the hither parts, under the earth, there is a degree of some heat (as appeareth in sulphureous veins, &c.); which shut close in (as in winter) is the more; but if it perspire (as it doth in summer), it is the less.

Experiment solitary touching flying in the air.

886. It is reported that amongst the Leucadians, in ancient time, upon a superstition, they did use to precipitate a man from a high cliff into the sea; tying about him with strings, at some distance, many great fowls; and fixing unto his body divers feathers, spread, to break the fall. Certainly many birds of good wing (as kites, and the like,) would bear up a good weight as they fly; and spreading of feathers thin, and close and in great breadth, will likewise bear up a great weight; being even laid, without tilting upon the sides. The further extension of this experiment for flying may be thought upon.

Experiment solitary touching the dye of scarlet.

887. There is in some places, (namely in Cephalonia) a little shrub which they call holy-oak, or dwarf-oak; upon the leaves whereof there riseth a tumour like a blister; which they gather, and rub out of it a certain red dust, that converteth (after a while) into worms, which they kill with wine, (as is reported,) when they begin to quicken: with this dust they dye scarlet.3

Experiment solitary touching maleficiating.

888. In Zant it is very ordinary to make men impotent to accompany with their wives. The like is practised in Gascony; where it is called nouër l'eguillette. It is practised always upon the wedding-day. And in Zant the mothers themselves do it, by way of prevention; because thereby they hinder other charms, and can undo their own. It is a thing the civil law taketh knowledge of; and therefore is of no light regard.

Leucacians in the original.-J. S.

2 This story is mentioned by Sandys, p. 4.

3 Sandys, ubi supra.

4 Id. p. 6.

Experiment solitary touching the rise of water by means of

flame.

889. It is a common experiment, but the cause is mistaken. Take a pot, (or better a glass, because therein you may see the motion,) and set a candle lighted in the bottom of a bason of water; and turn the mouth of the pot or glass over the candle; and it will make the water rise. They ascribe it to the drawing of heat; which is not true: for it appeareth plainly to be but a motion of nexe, which they call ne detur vacuum ; and it proceedeth thus. The flame of the candle, as soon as it is covered, being suffocated by the close air, lesseneth by little and little during which time there is some little ascent of water, but not much: for the flame occupying less and less room, as it lesseneth, the water succeedeth. But upon the instant of the candle's going out, there is a sudden rise of a great deal of water: for that the body of the flame filleth no more place, and so the air and the water succeed. It worketh the same effect, if instead of water you put flour or sand into the bason which sheweth that it is not the flame's drawing the liquor, as nourishment; as it is supposed; for all bodies are alike unto it; as it is ever in motion of nexe; insomuch as I have seen the glass, being held by the hand, hath lifted up the bason and all; the motion of nexe did so clasp the bottom of the bason. That experiment, when the bason was lifted up, was made with oil, and not with water: nevertheless this is true, that at the very first setting of the mouth of the glass upon the bottom of the bason, it draweth up the water a little, and then standeth at a stay, almost till the candle's going out, as was said. This may shew some attraction at first: but of this we will speak more, when we handle attractions by heat.

bodies, and what more the two manifest influspeak when we handle

Experiments in consort touching the influences of the moon. Of the power of the celestial secret influences they have besides ences of heat and light, we shall experiments touching the celestial bodies: meanwhile we will give some directions for more certain trials of the virtue and influences of the moon; which is our nearest neighbour.