166 NOVUM ORGANUM. 



We then removed the bladder, and again took the weight 

 of the spirit which remained ; and so calculated the quan 

 tity which had been converted into vapour, or an aeriform 

 shape, and then examined how much space had been occu 

 pied by the body in its form of spirits of wine in the vial, 

 and how much on the other hand had been occupied by it 

 in its aeriform shape in the bladder, and subtracted the 

 results ; from which it was clear, that the body, thus con 

 verted and changed, acquired an expansion of one hundred 

 times beyond its former bulk. 



Again, let the required nature be heat or cold, of such a 

 degree as not to be sensible from its weakness. They are 

 rendered sensible by the thermometer as we described it 

 above ;* for the cold and heat are not actually perceived by 

 the touch, but heat expands and cold contracts the air. 

 Nor, again, is that expansion or contraction of the air in 

 itself visible, but the air when expanded depresses the 

 water, and when contracted raises it, which is the first re 

 duction to sight. 



Again, let the required nature be the mixture of bodies ; 

 namely, how much aqueous, oleaginous, or spirituous, ashy 

 or salt parts they contain ; or, as a particular example, how 

 much butter, cheese, and whey there is in milk, and the 

 like ? These things are rendered sensible by artificial and 

 skilful separations in tangible substances, and the nature 

 of the spirit in them, though not immediately perceptible, 

 is nevertheless discovered by the various motions and efforts 

 of bodies. And, indeed, in this branch men have laboured 

 hard in distillations and artificial separations, but with 

 little more success than in their other experiments now in 

 use ; their methods being mere guesses and blind attempts, 

 and more industrious than intelligent ; and what is worst 

 of all, without any imitation or rivalry of nature, but rather 

 by violent heats and too energetic agents, to the destruction 

 of any delicate conformation, in which principally consist 

 the hidden virtues and sympathies. Nor do men in these 

 separations ever attend to or observe what we have before 

 pointed out ; namely, that in attacking bodies by fire, or 

 other methods, many qualities are superinduced by the fire 

 itself, and the other bodies used to effect the separation, 

 which were not originally in the compound. Hence arise 

 most extraordinary fallacies. For the mass of vapour, which 

 is emitted from water by fire for instance, did not exist as 



* See Table of Degrees, No, 38. 



