Chap, i.] Mr. Boyle's Experiments. 3 



frefh depofit of earth. M. Mar^raff repeated the ex- 

 periment with ftill greater caution. By means of two 

 glafs globes, which communicated with each other, he 

 preferved the water while in the (late of vapour from 

 all contact with the air; and on repeated diflillation, a 

 quantity of earth of the calcareous * kind was depo- 

 fited at the conclufion of each procefs. 



The extreme rarity and minutenefs of the particles 

 into which different fubftances may 'be refolved, im- 

 parts a ftill greater degree of probability to this hypo* 

 theft's ; and in general, the more any body can be di- 

 vided, the fimpler it appears in its component parts. 



We mud however be cautious of admitting opinions, 

 which are not fanctioned by the direct teft of experi- 

 ment; and however plaufible the opinion, the accurate 

 obfervations of modern philofophy have fuggefled 

 fome objections to the homogeneity of matter, which 

 without further difcoveries it will not be eafy to fi- 

 lence. 



Whatever phenomena may appear to indicate a 

 tranfmutation of bodies, or a change of one fubflance 

 into another, we have the utrnoft reafon, by the la teft 

 and beft experiments, to believe them merely the ef- 

 fect of different combinations-. Thus the converfion 

 of water and air into a folid fubflance, fuch as the body 

 of a plant, is merely an apparent converfion, for that 

 folid fubflance may, by an artificial procefs, be refolved 

 again into water and air, without any real change in 

 the principles or elementary particles of which thofe 

 fluids are compofed: and the formation of ftones, and 

 the phenomena of petrifactions, are accounted for upon 

 much eafier principles than that of 'tranfmutation* ,On 

 the other hand, the utmoit efforts of ohemiflry have 



* Earth of lime, 



B 2 never 



