130. Salts, according to fir Ifaac New dry earth and watery acid united by a the acid rendering them foluble in water ( fuppofeth the watry acid to flow round reftrial part, as the ocean doth round being attracted thereby, and compares ticle of falt, to a chaos whereof the part is hard and earthy, but the furface watery. Whatever attracts and is attra ftrongly is an acid in his fenfe. 131. It feems impoffible to determine t of particular falts. All acid folvents tog the diffolved bodies are apt to fhoot in figures. And the figures, in which the cryftallize, have been fuppofed the prop fhapes of them and their acids. But hath clearly fhewed the contrary: forafm fame acid diffolving different bodies, aff ferent fhapes. Spirit of nitre, for infta ing diffolved copper, fhoots into hexagon the fame having diffolved iron, fhoots in lar fquares; and again, having diffol forms thin crystals of a triangular figure. * 132. Homberg nevertheless holds i that acids are fhaped like daggers, and a fheaths and that moving in the fame daggers run into the fheaths fitted to rec with fuch violence as to raise that efferv ferved in the mixture of acids and alcali feems very difficult to conceive, how, mere configuration of daggers and fheath in the fame liquor, fhould caufe the form with fuch vehemence, and direct thei aptly into the latter, any more than a pa gots and foffers floating together in the 1 hould rush one into the other. 11 are tion, He e ter arth, par rmoft t and moft Ligures certain Til falts e, hav, rystals; irregu filver, general, Ties like or, the e them, nce ob But it why the floating to rulh oints fo I of fpi ewater, 133 133. It fhould feem rather, that the vehement attraction which Sir Ifaac Newton attributes to all acids, whereby he fuppofeth them to rush towards, penetrate, shake, and divide the moft folid bodies, and to ferment the liquid of vegetables, could better account for this phænomenon. It is in this attraction, that Sir Ifaac placeth all their activity, and indeed it should feem, the figures of falts were not of fuch efficacy in producing their effects, as the ftrong attractive powers whereby they are agitated and do agitate other bodies. Efpecially if it be true (what was before remarked) that lixivious falts are alike purgative, whatever may be the shape of their angles, whether more or less acute or obtufe. 134. Sir Ifaac Newton accounts for the watery acids making earthy corpufcles foluble in water, by fuppofing the acid to be a mean between earth and water, its particles greater than those of water, and less than thofe of earth, and ftrongly to attract both. But perhaps there is no neceffary reafon for fuppofing the parts of the acid groffer than the parts of water, in order to produce this effect; may not this as well be accounted for, by giving them only a strong attraction or cohesion with the bodies to which they are joined?. 135. The acid fpirit or falt, that mighty inftrument in the hand of nature, refiding in the air, and diffufed throughout that whole element, is difcer nible alfo in many parts of the earth, particularly in foffils, fuch as fulphur, vitriol, and alum, it was already obferved from Homberg, that this acid is never found pure, but hath always fulphur joined with it, and is claffed by the difference of its fulphurs, whether mineral, vegetable, or animal. 136. Salts are vulgarly reckoned the most active of chemical principles. But Homberg derives all their their activity from the fulphurs joined with From which alfo, as hath been faid, he de their kinds and differences (g). Salt, wat and earth feem to be originally the fame in getables. All the difference, according chemifts, arifeth from a fpirit refiding in called the Rector or Archæus. This is d called by chemifts, ens primum, or the na rit, whereon depend, and wherein are co the peculiar flavour and odour, the fpecif ties and virtues of the plant. 137. Thefe native fpirits or vegetable f all breathed or exhaled into the air, whi the receptacle. as well as fource of all f forms, the great mafs or chaos which imp receives them. The air, or atmosphere, rounds our earth, contains a mixture of all t volatile parts of the whole habitable world of all vegetables, minerals, and animals. V perfpires, corrupts, or exhales, impregnate which, being acted upon by the folar fire ceth within itself all forts of chemical of difpenfing again thofe falts and fpirits generations, which it had received from ary and fur tive at is, e air; new trefactic and on all etable, motion Irynefs, Which 3. But aus iron rrupted, which , which theweth an acid to abound and diffuse itself throughout the air. 139. By this fame air fire is kindled, the lamp of life preferved, refpiration, 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 volatile 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 numberlefs different principles, the general fource of corruption and generation; on one hand dividing, abrading, and carrying off the particles of bodies, that is, corrupting or diffolving them; on the other, producing new ones into being; deftroying and beftowing 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 about in the air, every part whereof feems replete with feeds of one kind or other. The whole atmosphere feems 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. I 1420 142. Air may also be faid to be the fer minerals and metals, as it is of vegetab Boyle informs us, that the exhaufted and iron being expofed to the air become pregnated with metal, and that ore of alu loft it's falt recovers it after the fame man numberless inftances there are of falts pr the air, that vaft collection or treasury principles, from which all fublunary bod derive their forms, and on which anim for their life and breath. 143. That there is fome latent vivif difperfed throughout the air common fheweth; inafmuch as it is neceffary bo tables and animals (b) whether terrestrial neither beafts, infects, birds, nor fifhes to fubfift without air. Nor doth all there being fome quality or ingredient when air is deprived, it becometh unfi tain either life or flame. And this even air fhould retain it's elafticity; which, is an argument that air doth not act on tagonist to the intercoftal mufcles. It that and many other ufes. It gives and proper tone to the veffels: this elaftic motes all fecretions: it's ofcillations kee in motion: it pervades and actuates th mal fyftem, producing great variety of even opposite in different parts, cooling time and heating, diftending and cont agulating and refolving, giving and taining life and impairing it, preffing expanding within, abrading fome pa fame time infinuating and fupplying ducing various vibrations in the fibre |