spirit of the body, or common air. The sixth is the nature of the native spirits in the body, whether they be active and eager, or dull and gentle. The seventh is the emission or detention of the spirits in bodies. The eighth is the dilatation or contraction of the spirits in bodies, while they are detained. The ninth is the collocation of the spirits in bodies; whether the collocation be equal or unequal; and again, whether the spirits be coacervate or diffused. The tenth is the density or rarity of the tangible parts. The eleventh is the equality or inequality of the tangible parts. The twelfth is the digestion or crudity of the tangible parts. The thirteenth is the nature of the matter, whether sulphureous or mercurial, watery or oily, dry and terrestrial, or moist and liquid; which natures of sulphureous and mercurial, seem to be natures radical and principal. The fourteenth is the placing of the tangible parts in length, or transverse (as it is in the warp and the woof of textiles); more inward or more outward, &c. The fifteenth is the porosity or imporosity betwixt the tangible parts, and the greatness or smallness of the pores. The sixteenth is the collocation and posture of the pores. There may be more causes; but these do occur for the present. Experiment solitary touching induration by sympathy. 847. Take lead and melt it, and in the midst of it, when it beginneth to congeal, make a little dint or hole, and put quicksilver wrapped in a piece of linen into that hole, and the quicksilver will fix, and run no more, and endure the hammer. This is a noble instance of induration, by consent of one body with another, and motion of excitation to imitate; for to ascribe it only to the vapour of lead, is less probable. Quare whether the fixing may be in such a degree, as it will be figured like other metals? For if so, you may make works of it for some purposes, so they come not near the fire. Experiment solitary touching honey and sugar. 848. Sugar hath put down the use of honey; insomuch as we have lost those observations and preparations of honey which the ancients had, when it was more in price. First, it seemeth that there was in old time tree-honey, as well as bee-honey; which was the tear or blood issuing from the tree: insomuch as one of the ancients relateth, that in Trebisond there was honey issuing from the box-trees which made men mad.1 Again, in ancient time there was a kind of honey which, either of the own nature or by art, would grow as hard as sugar, and was not so luscious as ours. They had also a wine of honey, which they made thus. They crushed the honey into a great quantity of water, and then strained the liquor; after, they boiled it in a copper to the half; then they poured it into earthen vessels for a small time; and after tunned it into vessels of wood, and kept it for many years. They have also at this day, in Russia and those northern countries, mead simple, which (well made and seasoned) is a good wholesome drink, and very clear. They use also in Wales a compound drink of mead, with herbs and spices. But meanwhile it were good, in recompence of that we have lost in 1 Arist. Mirab. 17. The honey was made from box; that is, apparently, by bees which fed on the box flower. There is no authority for saying that it issued from the box tree. : honey, there were brought in use a sugar-mead, (for so we may call it) though without any mixture at all of honey; and to brew it, and keep it stale, as they use mead for certainly, though it would not be so abstersive, and opening, and solutive a drink as mead: yet it will be more grateful to the stomach, and more lenitive, and fit to be used in sharp diseases: for we see that the use of sugar in beer and ale hath good effects in such cases.1 Experiment solitary touching the finer sort of base metals. 849. It is reported by the ancients, that there was a kind of steel in some places, which would polish almost as white and bright as silver.2 And that there was in India a kind of brass which (being polished) could scarce be discerned from gold. This was in the natural ure: 3 but I am doubtful, whether men have sufficiently refined metals, which we count base; as whether iron, brass, or tin be refined to the height? But when they come to such a fineness as serveth the ordinary use, they try no further. Experiment solitary touching cements and quarries. 850. There have been found certain cements under earth that are very soft; and yet, taken forth into the sun, harden as hard as marble: there are also ordinary quarries in Somersetshire, which in the quarry cut soft 1 The sugar-wine which Bacon here recommends is well known in Spanish America, where it is called guarapo. With respect to the wine made of honey, see Pliny, xiv. 20. 2 Arist. Mirab. 48. and 49. But the writer speaks of iron, steel. 8 So in the original. — J. S. not of to any bigness, and in the building prove firm and hard. Experiment solitary touching the altering of the colour of hairs and feathers. 851. Living creatures (generally) do change their hair with age, turning to be grey and white: as is seen in men, though some earlier, some later; in horses that are dappled, and turn white; in old squirrels that turn grisly; and many others. So do some birds; as cygnets from grey turn white; hawks from brown turn more white. And some birds there be that upon their moulting do turn colour; as robin-red-breasts, after their moulting, grow to be red again by degrees; so do goldfinches upon the head. The cause is, for that moisture doth (chiefly) colour hair and feathers; and dryness turneth them grey and white now hair in age waxeth drier; so do feathers. As for feathers, after moulting, they are young feathers, and so all one as the feathers of young birds. So the beard is younger than the hair of the head, and doth (for the most part) wax hoar later. Out of this ground a man may devise the means of altering the colour of birds, and the retardation of hoar hairs. But of this see in the fifth experiment. : Experiment solitary touching the differences of living creatures, male and female. 852. The difference between male and female, in some creatures, is not to be discerned, otherwise than in the parts of generation: as in horses and mares, dogs and bitches, doves he and she, and others. But some differ in magnitude, and that diversly; for in most the male is the greater; as in man, pheasants, peacocks, turkeys, and the like: and in some few, as in hawks, the female. Some differ in the hair and feathers, both in the quantity, crispation, and colours of them; as he-lions are hirsute, and have great manes: the shes are smooth like cats. Bulls are more crisp upon the forehead than cows; the peacock, and pheasant-cock, and goldfinch-cock, have glorious and fine. colours; the hens have not. Generally the hes in Some differ in divers birds have the fairest feathers. features as bucks have horns, does none; rams have more wreathed horns than ewes; cocks have great combs and spurs, hens little or none; boars have great fangs, sows much less; the turkey-cock hath great and swelling gills, the hen hath less: men have generally deeper and stronger voices than women. Some differ in faculty; as the cocks amongst singing-birds are the best singers. The chief cause of all these (no doubt) is, for that the males have more strength of heat than the females; which appeareth manifestly in this, that all young creatures males are like females; and so are eunuchs, and gelt creatures of all kinds, liker females. Now heat causeth greatness of growth, generally, where there is moisture enough to work upon : but if there be found in any creature (which is seen rarely) an over-great heat in proportion to the moisture, in them the female is the greater; as in hawks and sparrows. And if the heat be balanced with the moisture, then there is no difference to be seen between male and female; as in the instances of horses and dogs. We see also that the horns of oxen and cows, 1 That is, young male creatures. So we have merchants strangers, letters patents, &c.-J. S. |