LETTER 82. 14 JuNE 1680 197 
Accordingly, I took two glass tubes, as ABCDEFHIKL 
[Plate XXIT], which, after they were both closed below at 
AL, were filled up to BK with pounded pepper, and then 
to CI with clean rain-water, as soon as it had been 
collected on May 26* in a clean china dish (in which no 
victuals had been put for quite ten years); then, by the 
heat of the flame, the glass was fashioned to the figure of 
ABCDGHIKL, having at its pointed end G a small 
opening ; for I considered that though the glass was now 
hot, the air within it would presently become equally cold 
with the air that was outside it; and after the lapse of 
about a quarter of an hour, I sealed up the aperture at G 
tight, by means of the flame. I also prepared myself a 
second glass, treating it likewise, save that in this I left 
the aperture at G open; in order to ascertain, if ’twere 
possible, in which water the living animalcules would first 
turn up. But after it had stood thus for three days, 
during which time I made divers observations upon it, I 
judged that if there were already any very little living 
animalcules in this water, ’twould not be possible for me 
to discover them, for the reason that the glass was too 
thick, and because of the many little particles of pepper 
which lay against the glass inside, so that it was not 
feasible to carry out such particular observations as the 
occasion required. On this account, I took a little water 
out of the second glass, through the small opening at G; 
and I discovered in it a great many very little animalcules, 
of divers sorts and moving about among one another, 
each several sort having its own particular motion. But 
as the first tube was of a somewhat thinner glass, I left it 
shut up till the fifth day, and during that time made 
various observations upon it; but I could discover no 
living animalcules in it, so I resolved to break the glass 
open at G, and in breaking it, the air which had thus 
been shut up for 5 days within it (and which was much 
" Anno 1680. 
