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which fheweth an acid to abound and diffuse itself throughout the air.

139. By this fame air fire is kindled, the lamp of life preferved, respiration, digeftion, nutrition, the pulfe of the heart and motion of all the mufcles feem to be performed. Air therefore is a general agent, not only exerting its own, but calling forth the qualities or powers of all other bodies, by a divifion, comminution, and agitation of their particles, caufing them to fly off and become voJatile and active.

140. Nothing ferments, vegetates, or putrefies without air, which operates with all the virtues of the bodies included in it; that is, of all nature; there being no drug, falutary or poisonous, whofe virtues are not breathed into the air. The air therefore is an active mafs of numberless different principles, the general fource of corruption and generation; on one hand dividing, abrading, and car→ rying off the particles of bodies, that is, corrupting or diffolving them; on the other, producing new ones into being; deftroying and bestowing forms without intermiffion.

141. The feeds of things feem to lye latent in the air, ready to appear and produce their kind, whenever they light on a proper matrix. The extremely fmall feeds of fern, moffes, mushrooms, and fome other plants are concealed and wafted a bout in the air, every part whereof feems replete with feeds of one kind or other. The whole atmosphere seems alive. There is every where acid to corrode, and feed to engender. Iron will ruft, and mold will grow in all places, Virgin earth becomes fertile, crops of new plants ever and anon fhew themselves; all which demonftrates the air to be a common feminary and receptable of all vivifying principles,

142. Air may alfo be faid to be the feminary of minerals and metals, as it is of vegetables. Mr. Boyle informs us, that the exhausted ores of tin and iron being expofed to the air become again impregnated with metal, and that ore of alum having loft it's falt recovers it after the fame manner. And numberless inftances there are of falts produced by the air, that vaft collection or treasury of active principles, from which all fublunary bodies feem to derive their forms, and on which animals depend for their life and breath.

143. That there is fome latent vivifying spirit difperfed throughout the air common experience fheweth; inafmuch as it is neceffary both to vegetables and animals (b) whether terreftrial or aquatic, neither beafts, infects, birds, nor fifhes being able to fubfift without air. Nor doth all air fuffice, there being fome quality or ingredient, of which when air is deprived, it becometh unfit to maintain either life or flame. And this even though the air fhould retain it's elafticity; which, by the bye, is an argument that air doth not act only as an antagonist to the intercoftal mufcles. It hath both that and many other ufes. It gives and preferves a proper tone to the veffels: this elaftic fluid prómotes all fecretions: it's ofcillations keep every part in motion: it pervades and actuates the whole animal fyftem, producing great variety of effects, and even oppofite in different parts, cooling at the fame time and heating, diftending and contracting, coagulating and refolving, giving and taking, fuftaining life and impairing it, preffing without and expanding within, abrading fome parts, at the fame time infinuating and fupplying others, producing various vibrations in the fibres, and fer

(4) 138, 139.

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ments in the fluids; all which must needs enfue from fuch a fubtile, active, heterogeneous and elaftic fluid.

144. But there is, as we have obferved, fome one quality or ingredient in the air, on which life more immediately and principally depends. What that is, though men are not agreed, yet it is agreed it must be the fame thing that fupports the vital and the common flame; it being found that when air, by often breathing in it, is become unfit for the one, it will no longer ferve for the other. The like is obfervable in poisonous damps or fteams, wherein flame cannot be kindled. As is evident in the Grotto del cane near Naples. And here it occurs, to recommend the plunging them into cold water, as an experiment to be tried on perfons affected by breathing a poisonous vapour in old vaults, mines, deep holes or cavities under ground. Which, I am apt to think, might fave the lives of feveral, by what I have feen practifed on a dog convulfed, and in all appearance dead, but inftantly reviving on being taken out of the abovementioned Grotto and thrown into a lake adjacent.

145. Air, the general menftruum and feminary, Leemeth to be only an aggregate of the volatile parts of all natural beings, which varioufly combined and agitated produce many various effects. Small particles in a near and clofe fituation ftrongly act upon each other, attracting, repelling, vibrating. Hence divers fermentations, and all the variety of meteors, tempefts, and concuffions both of earth and firmament. Nor is the microcofm lefs affected thereby. Being pent up in the vifcera, veffels, and membranes of the body, by it's falts, fulphurs, and elastic power, it engenders cholics, fpafms, hysteric diforders and other maladies.

146. The fpecific quality of air is taken to be

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permanent elafticity. Mr. Boyle is exprefly of this opinion. And yet, whether there be any fuch thing as permanently elaftic air may be doubted,' there being many things which feem to rob the air of this quality, or at leaft leffen and fufpend it's exertion. The falts and fulphurs, for instance, that float in the air abate much of it's elafticity by their attraction.

147. Upon the whole it is manifeft, that air is no diftinct element, but a mass or mixture of things the most heterogeneous and even opposite to each other (m), which become air, by acquiring an elafticity and volatility from the attraction of fome active, fubtile fubftance; whether it be called fire, æther, light, or the vital fpirit of the world; in like manner as the particles of antimony, of themfelves not volatile, are carried off in fublimation and rendered volatile, by cohering with the particles of fal ammoniac. But action and reaction

being equal, the fpring of this æthereal spirit is diminished by being imparted. It's velocity and fubtilty are alfo lefs from it's being mixed with groffer particles. Hence found moves flower than light, as mud than water.

148. Whether air be only freed and fixed, or generated and deftroyed, it is certain that air begins and ceafes to exert or fhew itfelf, Much by experiments feems to be generated, not only from animals, fruits, and vegetables, but alfo from hard. bodies. And it is obferved by Sir Ifaac Newton, that air produced from hard bodies is moft elaftic. The tranfmutation of elements, each into other, hath been anciently held. In Plutarch we find in was the opinion of Heraclitus, that the death of fire was a birth to air, and the death of air a birth: to water. This opinion is alfo maintained by. (m) 137, 145.

Sir

Sir Ifaac Newton. Though it may be queftioned, whether what is thought a change be not only a difguife.

149. Fire feems the most elastic and expanfive of all bodies. It communicates this quality to moist vapours and dry exhalations, when it heats and agitates their parts, cohering closely with them, overcoming their former mutual attraction, and causing them, instead thereof, reciprocally to repel each other and fly afunder, with a force proportionable to that wherewith they had cohered.

150. Therefore in air we may conceive two parts, the one more grofs which was raifed and, carried off from the bodies of this terraqueous. mafs: the other a fine fubtile spirit by means whereof the former is rendered volatile and elaftic. Together they compofe a medium, whofe elafticity. is less than that of pure æther, fire, or spirit, in proportion to the quantity of falts, vapours, and heterogeneous particles contained therein. Hence it follows, that there is no fuch thing as a pure fimple element of air. It follows alfo, that on the higheft mountains air fhould be more rare than in proportion to the vulgar rule, of the spaces being reciprocally as the preffures; and fo in fact it is faid to have been found, by the gentlemen of the French Academy of Sciences.

151. Æther, fire, or spirit being attracted and clogged by heterogeneous particles becometh lefs active; and the particles cohering with thofe of æther, become more active than before. Air therefore is a mass of various particles, abraded and fublimated from wet and dry bodies of all forts, cohering with particles of æther; the whole permeated by pure æther, or light, or fire: for thefe words are used promifcuously by ancient philofo phers.

152. This

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