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but thefe are of fmall cflccm ; for the double Rofe 

 Campion being a fine flower, lias turned the others 

 out of molt fine gardens. The fingle forts propagate 

 faft enough by the feeds, where they are permitted to 

 fcatter, for the plants come up better from felf-fown 

 feeds, than w^hen they are fown by hand, efpecially if 

 they are not fown in autumn. 



The fort with double flowers, which Is a variety of 

 the former, never produces any feeds, fo is only pro- 

 pagated by parting of the roots ^ the bed time for this 

 is in autumn, after their flowers are pafl: i in doing of 

 this, every head which can be flipped off with roots 

 Ihould be parted. Thefe fliould be plant;ed in a bor- 

 der of frelh undunged earth, at the dift:ance of fix 

 inches one from the other, obferving to water them 

 gently until they have taken root ^ after which they 

 wiU require no more, for much wet is very injurious 

 to them, as is alfo dung. In this border they may re- 

 main'tillfpring, when they fliould to be planted into the 

 borders of the flower-garden, where they will be very 

 ornamental during the time of their flowering, v/hich 

 is July and Augull. 



The fifth fort grows naturally upon the Helvetian 

 mountains \ this is a low plant, with woolly leaves , 

 the flower-fl:em rifes near a foot high ; the flowers 

 grow in umbels on tlie top of the flialk, which are of 

 a bright red colour. It flowers in July, and the feeds 

 ripen in September. It muft have a fliady fituation, 

 and will thrive beft: in a moift: foil. 

 AIR [Jer^ LaL 'Arp, of t2 ui\ pm, becaufe it always 

 flows i or as others, of a'ji^t, to breathe.] By air is 



meant all that fluid expanded mafs of matter v/hich 

 furrounds our earth, in which we live and walk, and 

 which we are continually receiving and cafl:ing out 

 again by refpiration. 



The fubft:ance whereof air confifl:s, may be reduced 

 to two kinds, viz. 



1. The rriatter of light or fire, which is continually 

 flowing into it from the heavenly bodies, 



2. Thofe numberlefs particles, which is in form ei- 

 ther of vapours, or dry exhalations, are raifed from 



■ the earth, water, minerals, vegetables, animals, &c. 

 either by the folar, fubterraneous, or culinary fire. 

 Elementary air, or air properly fo called, is a certain 

 fubtile, homogeneous, elaftic matter, the bafis or fun- 

 damental ingredient of the atmofpherical air, and that 

 which p^ives it the denomination. 

 Air therefore may be confidered in two refpefls ; ei- 

 ther as it is an univerfal aflfemblage, or chaos, "of all 

 kinds of bodies ; or as it is a body endued with its 

 own proper qualities. ' 



1 . That there is fire contained in all air Is demonfl:ra- 

 ble, in that it is evident, that there is fire exifl:ing in 

 all bodies, and to this fire it is that air feems to owe 

 all its fluidity ; and were the air totally diveft:ed of 

 that fire, it is more than probable that it would coa- 

 lefce into a folid body; for it is found by many expe- 

 riments, that the air condenfes and contracts itfelf fo 



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much the more, the lefs degree of warmth it has •, 

 and, on the contrary, expands itfelf the more, accord- 

 in? as the heat is greater. 



2. In refpeft of exhalations, air may be faid to be a ge- 

 neral colleftion of all kinds of bodies ; for there are no 

 bodies but what fire will render volatile, and difperfe 

 into air •, even falts, fulphurs, and ft:ones, nay and 

 gold itfelf, though the he^vieft and moft: fixed of all 

 bodies, are convertible into vapours by a large burn- 

 Ing-glafs, and are carried on high. 



Thofe floating particles, thus raifed from terreft;rial 

 bodies, are moved and agitated by the fiery particles 

 divers ways, and are difflifed through the whole at- 

 mofp here- 

 of the matters thus raifed in the atmofphere, thofe 

 which come from fluid bodies, are properly caUed va- 

 pours, and thofe from folid or diy ones, exhalations. 

 The caufe of this volatility and afcent is the fire, 

 without which all things would fall immediately down 



towards the center of the earth, and remain in eternal 

 rell. 



l^hus, if the air be full of vapours, and the cold fuc- 



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ceeds, thefe vapours before difperfed are congregated 

 and condenfed into clouds, and thus fall back again 

 into the form of water, rain, fnow, or hail. 

 From the time of the entrance of the fpring till au- 

 tumn, the evaporation is confliant ; but then it begins 

 to fail, and in the winter ceafes, to lay up frefli mat- 

 ter for the coming feafon. 



And thus it is that frofl:y winters, by congealing the 

 waters, and by covering the earth with a cruft:, and 



thus imprifoning the exhalations, make a fruitful 

 fummer. 



And this feems to be the reafon w^hy in fome coun- 

 tries, where the winter is feverer than ordinary, the 

 fpring is more than ordinary fruitful ; for in fuch 

 places the exhalations being pent up along time, are 

 difcharged in the greater quantity, when the fun makes 

 them a paflage j whereas, under a feebler cold, the 

 flux would have been continual, and confequently no 

 great ft:ock refervedfor the next occafion. 

 • This vaporous matter then being at length received 

 into the atmofphere, is returned again in the form of 

 rain, a forerunner of a chearful crop. 

 As the fun retires, the cold fuccecds, and thus the 

 divcrfity of the feafons of the year depends on a change 

 in the face of the crufl: of the eartli, the prefence of 

 the air, and the courfe of tlie fun. 

 And hence we conceive the nature of meteors, which 

 are all either collections of fuch vapours and exhala- 

 tions, or difperfions thereof. 



The fubtiler oils are always rifing into the air. Now 



two clouds, partly formed of fuch oils, happening to 

 meet and mix, by the attrition, the oil frequently takes 

 fire, and hence proceed thunder, lightnings, 'and 

 other phenomena, which may be 'farther promoted 

 by the difpofition of the clouds to favour the exci- 

 tation. 



And hence arlfe great and fudden alterations in the 

 air, infomuch that it Ihall be now Intenfely hot, and 

 raife the fpirits perhaps to eighty-eight degrees In a 

 thermometer ; and yet, after a clap of thunder with 

 a ftiower, it fliall fall again in a few minutes no lefs 

 than twenty or thirty degrees. 



It is therefore impoflible to pronounce what the de- 

 gree of heat will be in any given place at any time, 

 even though we know ever fo well the places and po- 

 fition of the fun and planets with refpe£t to us, fince 

 it depends fo much upon other variable things, no 

 ways capable of being afcertalned. ' 

 The lower die place, the clofer, denfer, and heavier 

 is the air, till at length you arrive at a depth where 

 the fire goes out ; fo that miners, who go deep, to 

 remedy this inconvenience, are forced to have re- 

 courfe to an Artificial wind, raifed by the fall of wa- 

 ters, to do the office of the other air. 

 Now, confidering the air as fuch a chaos, or aflTem- 

 blage of all kinds of bodies, and a chaos fo extremely 

 liable to change, it mufl: needs have a great influ- 

 ence on vegetable bodies. 



3. Air confidered in itfelf, or that properly called air. 

 Befides the fire and exhalations contained In the cir- 

 curhambient atmofphere, there is a third matter, 

 which is what we properly mean by air. 

 To define the nature of it would be extremely diffi- 

 cult, inafmuch as its intimate aff^eftions are unknown 

 to. US; all we know is, 



1. That air is naturally an 

 body. 



2. That it is fluid. ■ 



3. That it is heavy. 



4. That it is elaftic. 



5. That it rarefies by fire, and contracts by cold. 



6. That it is compreffible by a v/eight laid thereon, 

 and rifes, and refl:ores itfelf upon a removal of the 

 fame : all which circumftances fliould incline it to 

 coalefce into a folid, if fire were wantin^ 

 I. Air is divided into real and permanent, and ap- 

 parent or tranfient. 



Real air is not reducible by any compreffion or con- 

 dcnfation, or the like, into any fubfl:ance befides air. 

 Tranfient air is the contrary of the former, and by 



cold. 



homogeneous fimilar 



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