148 PHENOMENA OF THE UNIVERSE. 



CAUTION. 



1 consider that compounded liquors are not proper to 

 the history of the expansion and union of matter through 

 the medium of fire, because they disturb and confuse the 

 ratios of simple expansion and coition by their separations 

 and mixtures . I leave them, therefore, for the proper his 

 tory of the separation and mixture of matter. 



HISTORY. 



Spirit of wine put in an experiment with that elastic 

 cap (which I described when speaking of water) obtains 

 this sort of expansion. I find that a weight of six penny 

 weights consumed and dissolved into vapour filled and 

 fully inflated a great bladder which could contain eight 

 pints ; which bladder was greater by sixteen times than 

 that which I used in the case of water, which received 

 only half a pint. But in the experiment of the water, 

 there was a consumption of the weight of only two penny 

 weights, which is only the third part of six pennyweights. 

 The ratios being thus calculated, the expansion of the 

 vapour of spirit of wine bears a fivefold ratio and more to 

 the expansion of the vapour of water. And that very great 

 expansion did not keep the body, on the removal of the 

 vessel from the fire, from hastening to recover itself, the 

 bladder forthwith becoming red and remarkably contracted. 

 And from this experiment I began to estimate the expan 

 sion of the body of flame on probable though not indis 

 putable conjecture. For since the vapour of spirit of wine 

 is so inflammable, and approaches so near the nature of 

 fire, I considered that the ratios of spirit of wine compared 

 with fire agreed with the ratios of the vapour of water 

 compared with air. For we may suppose that the ratios of 

 perfect and fixed bodies (as of air and fire) are in harmony 

 with those of the elements or imperfect and moving bodies 

 (as of vapours). And it will follow from this that fire 

 exceeds air by five degrees in the rarity or expansion of 

 matter. For such is the excess of their respective vapours 

 as was before said. For the fire itself may bear the ratio 

 of one and a half to the proper vapour, not the impure 

 but the highly prepared vapour; as I have laid it down 

 also that air can have the same ratio to the vapour of water 

 highly prepared. And these experiments do not disagree 

 materially with what we may frequently observe. For if 

 you blow out a lighted wax candle, and mark the dimen- 



