CENTURY IX. 467 



contrariwise liquors, even those that are of the juice 

 of fruit, from more sweet to more sour : as wort, 

 musted,new verjuice, &c. The cause is, the congre 

 gation of the spirits together : for in both kinds the 

 spirit is attenuated by time ; but in the first kind it 

 is more diffused, and more mastered by the grosser 

 parts, which the spirits do but digest : but in drinks 

 the spirits do reign, and finding less opposition of 

 the parts, become themselves more strong ; which 

 causeth also more strength in the liquor ; such as if 

 the spirits be of the hotter sort, the liquor becometh 

 apt to burn : but in time, it causeth likewise, when 

 the higher spirits are evaporated, more sourness. 



Experiment solitary touching blows and bruises. 



862. It hath been observed by the ancients, that 

 plates of metal, and especially of brass, applied pre 

 sently to a blow, will keep it down from swelling. 

 The cause is repercussion, without humectation or 

 entrance of any body : for the plate hath only a vir 

 tual cold, which doth not search into the hurt ; 

 whereas all plaisters and ointments do enter. Surely, 

 the cause that blows and bruises induce swellings is, 

 for that the spirits resorting to succour the part that 

 laboureth, draw also the humours with them : for 

 we see, that it is not the repulse and the return 

 of the humour in the part strucken that causeth it ; 

 for that gouts and tooth-aches cause swelling, where 

 there is no percussion at all. 





