142 HISTORY OF 



That water is the most fluid penetrating body, 

 next to fire, and the most difficult to confine, is 

 incontestably proved by a variety of experiments. 

 A vessel through which water cannot pass, may 

 be said to retain any thing. It may be objected, 

 indeed, that syrups, oils, and honey, leak through 

 some vessels that water cannot pass through ; but 

 this is far from being the result of the greater 

 tenuity and fineness of their parts ; it is owing to 

 the rosin wherewith the wood of such vessels 

 abounds, which oils and syrups have a power of 

 dissolving ; so that these fluids, instead of finding 

 their way, may more properly be said to eat their 

 way through the vessels that contain them. 

 However, water will at last find its way even 

 through these ; for it is known to escape through 

 vessels of every substance, glass only excepted. 

 Other bodies may be found to make their way 

 out more readily indeed ; as air, when it finds a 

 vent, will escape at once; and quicksilver, be- 

 cause of its weight, quickly penetrates . through 

 whatever chinky vessel confines it : but water, 

 though it operates more slowly, yet always finds 

 a more certain issue. As, for instance, it is well 

 known that air will not pass through leather ; 

 which water will very readily penetrate. Air 

 also may be retained in a bladder ; but water will 

 quickly ooze through. And those who drive 

 this to the greatest degree of precision, pretend 

 to say, that it will pass through pores ten times 

 smaller than air can do. Be this as it may, we 

 are very certain that its parts are so small that 

 they have been actually driven through the pores 



