J30 NOVUM ORGANUM. 



the continuity of the water, but if there be not enough to 

 follow, the water forms itself into a round drop, which is 

 the best form to prevent a breach of continuity : and at the 

 moment the thread ceases, and the water begins to fall 

 in drops, the thread of water recoils upwards to avoid such 

 a breach. Nay in metals, which when melted, are liquid 

 but more tenacious, the melted drops often recoil and are 

 suspended. There is something similar in the instance of 

 the child s looking-glass, which little boys will sometimes 

 form of spittle between rushes, and where the same pellicle 

 of water is observable : and still more in that other amuse 

 ment of children, when they take some water rendered a 

 little more tenacious by soap, and inflate it with a pipe 

 forming the water into a sort of castle of bubbles, which 

 assumes such consistency by the interposition of the air as 

 to admit of being thrown some little distance without burst 

 ing. The best example is that of froth and snow, which 

 assume such consistency as almost to admit of being cut, 

 although composed of air and water, both liquids. All 

 these circumstances clearly show that the terms liquid and 

 consistent are merely vulgar notions adapted to the sense, 

 and that in reality all bodies have a tendency to avoid a 

 breach of continuity, faint and weak in bodies composed of 

 homogeneous parts (as is the case with liquids), but more 

 vivid and powerful in those composed of heterogeneous 

 parts : because the approach of heterogeneous matter binds 

 bodies together, whilst the insinuation of homogeneous 

 matter loosens and relaxes them. 



Again to take another example ; let the required nature 

 be attraction or the cohesion of bodies. The most remark 

 able conspicuous instance with regard to its form is the 

 magnet. The contrary nature to attraction is non-attrac 

 tion, though in a similar substance. Thus iron does not 

 attract iron, lead lead, wood wood, nor water water. But 

 the clandestine instance is that of the magnet armed with 

 iron, or rather that of iron in the magnet so armed. For 

 its nature is such that the magnet when armed does not 

 attract iron more powerfully at any given distance, than 

 when unarmed ; but if the iron be brought in contact with 

 the armed magnet, the latter will sustain a much greater 

 weight than the simple magnet, from the resemblance of 

 substance in the two portions of iron, a quality altogether 

 clandestine and hidden in the iron, until the magnet was 

 introduced. It is manifest, therefore, that the form of co 

 hesion is something which is vivid and robust in the magnet, 



