56 NATURAL HISTORY. 



Experiment solitary touching water, that it may lie the 

 medium of sounds. 



792. It is certain (as it hath been formerly in part 

 touched) that water may be the medium of sounds. 

 If you dash a stone against a stone in the bottom of 

 the water, it maketh a sound. So a long pole struck! 

 upon gravel in the bottom of the water maketh a 

 sound. Nay, if you should think that the sound com- 

 eth up by the pole, and not by the water, yoju shall 

 find that an anchor let down by a rope maketh a 

 sound : and yet the rope is no solid body whereby the 

 sound can ascend. 



Experiment solitary of the flight of the spirits upon 

 odious objects. 



793. All objects of the senses which are very offen 

 sive, do cause the spirits to retire : and upon their 

 flight the parts are (in some degree) destitute ; and so 

 there is induced in them a trepidation and horror. For 

 sounds, we see that the grating of a saw, or any very 

 harsli noise, will set the teeth on edge, and make all 

 the body shiver. For tastes, we see that in the taking 

 of a potion, or pills, the head and the neck shake. 

 For odious smells, the like effect followeth ; which is 

 less perceived, because there is a remedy at hand by 

 stopping of the nose ; but in horses, that can use no 

 such help, we see the smell of a carrion, especially of 

 a dead horse, maketh them fly away, and take on 

 almost as if they were mad. For feeling, if you come 

 out of the sun suddenly into a shade, there followeth 

 a dullness or shivering in all the body. And even 

 in sight, which hath (in effect) no odious object, 



