CENTURY VII. 353 



Experiment solitary touching ripening of drink 

 before the time. 



679. It is reported by one of the ancients, that 

 new wine put into vessels well stopped, and the 

 vessels let down into the sea, will accelerate very 

 much the making of them ripe and potable. The 

 same would be tried in wort. 



Experiment solitary touching pilosity and plumage. 



680. Beasts are more hairy than men, and savage 

 men more than civil, and the plumage of birds ex- 

 ceedeth the pilosity of beasts. The cause of the 

 smoothness in men is not any abundance of heat and 

 moisture, though that indeed causeth pilosity ; but 

 there is requisite to pilosity, not so much heat and 

 moisture, as excrementitious heat and moisture ; for 

 whatsoever assimilateth, goeth not into the hair, and 

 excrementitious moisture aboundeth most in beasts, 

 and men that are more savage. Much the same 

 reason is there of the plumage of birds, for birds as 

 similate less, and excern more than beasts for their 

 excrements are ever liquid, and their flesh generally 

 more dry : besides, they have not instruments for 

 urine ; and so all the excrementitious moisture goeth 

 into the feathers : and therefore it is no marvel, 

 though birds be commonly better meat than beasts 

 because their flesh doth assimilate more finely, and 

 secerneth more subtilly. Again, the head of man 

 hath hair upon the first birth, which no other part of 

 the body hath. The cause may be want of perspi- 



