80 NATURAL HISTORY. 



few things which are most obvious to men s observa- 



O 



tions. The constantest notion of concoction is, that it 

 should signify the degrees of alteration of one body 

 into another, from crudity to perfect concoction ; which 

 is the ultimity of that action or process ; and while the 

 body to be converted and altered is too strong for the 

 efficient that should convert or alter it, (whereby it 

 resisteth and holdeth fast in some degree the first form 

 or consistence,) it is (all that while) crude and incon- 

 coct ; and the process is to be called crudity and in- 

 concoction. It is true that concoction is in great part 

 the work of heat ; but not the work of heat alone : for 

 all things that further the conversion or alteration (as 

 rest, mixture of a body already concocted, &c.) are 

 also means to concoction. And there are of concoc 

 tion two periods ; the one assimilation, or absolute con 

 version and subaction ; the other maturation : where 

 of the former is most conspicuous in the bodies of 

 livino 1 creatures ; in which there is an absolute con- 



t~&amp;gt; * 



version and assimilation of the nourishment into the 

 body ; and likewise in the bodies of plants ; and again 

 in metals, where there is a full transmutation. The 

 other (which is maturation) is seen in liquors and 

 fruits ; wherein there is not desired, nor pretended, 

 an utter conversion, but only an alteration to that 

 form which is most sought for man s use ; as in clari 

 fying of drinks, ripening of fruits, &c. But note that 

 there be two kinds of absolute conversions ; the one is, 

 when a body is converted into another body, which 

 was before ; as when nourishments turned into flesh : 

 that is it which we call assimilation. The other is, 

 when the conversion is into a body merely new, and 

 which was not before ; as if silver should be turned 



