NATURE OF THINGS. 435 



diate transmutation of bodies. It is whether all things do 

 not pass through an appointed circuit and succession of 

 transformations, that is the legitimate subject of inquiry. 

 For there is not a doubt that the elementary particles, 

 though they were originally equal, become, after having 

 been cast into certain assemblages and knots, entirely im 

 pregnated with the nature of the dissimilar bodies they 

 compose, till the several assemblages or knots of matter 

 undergo solution ; so that the properties and affections of 

 things in concretion, offer no less resistance and impedi 

 ment to immediate transmutation, than of things in their 

 simplest elements. But Democritus, acute as he is in 

 tracing the principles of quiescent body, is found unequal 

 to himself, and deficient in knowledge of his subject, when 

 he comes to examine the principles of motion; a common 

 failing of all the philosophers. And I know not but the 

 investigation we are now handling, of the primary charac 

 ter of seminal and atomic particles is of a utility greatly 

 superior to all others whatsoever, as forming the sovereign 

 rule of action and of power, and the true criterion of hope 

 and operation. Another inquiry also proceeds from it, less 

 comprehensively useful indeed, in its scope, but more im 

 mediately connected with practice and useful works. It is 

 respecting separation and alteration, that is, what opera 

 tions are the effect of separation, and what of the other 

 process. For it is an error habitual to the human mind, 

 and which has derived great force and depth from the phi 

 losophy of the alchymists, to ascribe those appearances to 

 separation which look quite the other way. For instance, 

 when water passes into the state of vapour, one would 

 readily suppose that the more subtile part of the fluid was 

 extricated, and the grosser remained, as is seen in wood, 

 where part flies off in flame and smoke, part is left in the 

 form of ashes. One might infer that something analogous 

 to this takes place in the water also, though not so dis 

 cernible to observation. For though the whole mass of 

 water is observed to bubble up and waste away, yet it 

 might occur, that a sort of sediment of it, its ashes as it 

 were, still remained in the vessel. Yet such an impression 

 is delusive ; for it is most certain, that the entire body of 

 water may be converted into air, and if any portion still 

 continues in the vessel, that does not happen in conse 

 quence of its separation and segregation as the grosser part, 

 but because a certain quantity of the fluid, though of pre 

 cisely the same substance with the part which evaporates, 

 remains in contact with the internal surface of the vessel. 



