THE HISTORY OF SULPHUR, MERCURY, AND SALT.

INTRODUCTION.

THIS triad of principles has been introduced by chemists, and as a speculative doctrine it is the best discovery that they have made. The deepest philosophers amongst them maintain the elements to be earth, water, air, and ether. But these they regard not as the matter of things, but as wombs, wherein specific seeds of things are generated, in the same manner as in the womb. But instead of the First Matter (which the schoolmen call matter spoiled and indifferent), they substitute these three things, sulphur, mercury, and salt; whereof all bodies are compounded and mixed. Their terms I accept, but not their opinions, which do not appear sound. It seems however not to sort ill with their opinion, that two of these, namely, sulphur and mercury (in the sense in which I take them), I judge to be the most primæval natures, the most original configurations of matter, and among the forms of the first class almost the principal. But these terms of sulphur and mercury may be varied, and receive different denominations; as, the oily, the watery, the fat, the crude, the inflammable, the non-inflammable, and the like. For they appear to be those two enormous

tribes of things which occupy and penetrate the universe. In the subterranean world we find sulphur and mercury, as they are called; in the animal and vegetable world we find oil and water; in pneumatical bodies of the lower order we find air and flame; in the celestial regions we find starry body and pure ether. But of this last pair I do not as yet pronounce decisively, though the concordance appears probable. With regard to salt, the case is different. For if by salt they mean the fixed part of a body, which does not turn either into flame or smoke, this belongs to the inquiry of matter fluid and matter determinate, whereof I am not now speaking. But if they mean salt to be taken. in its plain and literal signification, it cannot be regarded as a thing different from sulphur and mercury, seeing it is a formation compounded from them both, by means of a strong spirit. For all salt has some inflammable parts; and some parts which not only do not conceive flame, but strenuously shrink from and avoid it. However, since the inquiry concerning salt has some connection with the inquiry into the other two things, and moreover is of great use, seeing that salt comprises in itself the nature of sulphur and mercury, and is a rudiment of life itself, I have thought good to admit it likewise into this history and inquiry. But meanwhile I give notice that I reserve the inquiries into those pneumatical bodies, air, flame, the stars, and ether, for titles of their own (as they certainly merit); and that here I only institute a history of sulphur and mercury tangible, that is, either mineral, vegetable, or animal.

FOR THE INTRODUCTION

TO

THE HISTORY OF LIFE AND DEATH,

SEE THE HISTORY.

THE FRAGMENT OF A BACONIAN BOOK,

ENTITLED

THE ALPHABET OF NATURE.

WHEREAS SO many things are produced by the earth and water, so many things pass through the air and are received by it, so many things are changed and dissolved by fire, the other inquiries would be less clear and complete, if the nature of those common masses that occur so often were not well known and explained. To these I subjoin inquiries concerning the Heavens and Meteors, seeing that they also are Greater Masses, and belonging to the Universal.

Greater Masses. Sixty-seventh Inquiry, or that concerning the Earth; denoted by TTT.

Greater Masses. Sixty-eighth Inquiry, or that concerning Water; denoted by vv v.

Greater Masses. Sixty-ninth Inquiry, or that concerning Air; denoted by .

Greater Masses. Seventieth Inquiry, or that concerning Fire; denoted by xxx.

Greater Masses. Seventy-first Inquiry, or that concerning the Heavens; denoted by 4.

Greater Masses. Seventy-second Inquiry, or that concerning Meteors; denoted by

Conditions of Beings.

ωωω.

It remains to inquire in this alphabet into the conditions of Transcendental Beings, which have little concern with the body of nature, but yet in the method of inquiry which I use will give no small light to the rest. In the first place therefore since, as Democritus has well observed, the nature of things is rich and (according to him) infinite in the quantity of matter, and the variety of individuals; but so limited in combinations and species as even to appear scanty and destitute, for there are hardly enough species existing or capable of existing to make up a thousand in number; and since negatives attached to affirmatives are of great use for the information of the mind; we must institute an inquiry concerning Existence and Non-Existence, which comes seventy-third in order, and is marked by a aaa. Conditions of Beings; or concerning Existence and Non-Existence; denoted by

αααα.

Possibility and Impossibility are nothing else than Potentiality or Non-Potentiality of Being. Let the seventy-fourth inquiry be on this subject, and be marked ββββ.

Conditions of Beings. Concerning Possibility and Impossibility; denoted by ßßß ß.

Much and Little, Rare and Common, are the Potentialities of Being in Quantity. Let the seventy-fifth inquiry be concerning them, and be marked by Y Y Y Y

Conditions of Beings. Concerning Much and Little; denoted by γ ΥΥΥ