220 NOVUM ORGANUM 



The accumulation of matter, however, and its relative 

 quantity, are rendered sensible by weight; for weight is 

 proportionate to the quantity of matter, as regards the parts 

 of a tangible substance, but spirit and its quantity of mat 

 ter are not to be computed by weight, which spirit rather 

 diminishes than augments. 



We have made a tolerably accurate table of weight, in 

 which we have selected the weights and size of all the 

 metals, the principal minerals, stones, liquids, oils, and 

 many other natural and artificial bodies: a very useful pro 

 ceeding both as regards theory and practice, and which is 

 capable of revealing many unexpected results. Nor is this 

 of little consequence, that it serves to demonstrate that the 

 whole range of the variety of tangible bodies with which 

 we are acquainted (we mean tolerably close, and not 

 spongy, hollow bodies, which are for a considerable part 

 filled with air), does not exceed the ratio of one to twenty v 

 one. So limited is nature, or at least that part of it to 

 which we arc most habituated. 



We have also thought it deserving our industry, to try 

 if we could arrive at the ratio of intangible or pneumatic 

 bodies to tangible bodies, which we attempted by the fol 

 lowing contrivance. We took a vial capable of containing 

 about an ounce, using a small vessel in order to effect the 

 subsequent evaporation with less heat. We filled this vial, 

 almost to the neck, with spirits of wine, selecting it as the 

 tangible body which, by our table, was the rarest, and con 

 tained a less quantity of matter in a given space than all 

 other tangible bodies which arc compact and not hollow. 

 Then we noted exactly the weight of the liquid and vial. 

 We next took a bladder, containing about two pints, and 

 squeezed all the air out of it, as completely as possible, and 



