446 



BACON 



in their pores. They readily, therefore, imbibe water or other 

 liquids, and get rid of the air. Sugar, or a sponge, dipped in 

 water or wine, and though part of it be out of the water or 

 wine, and at some height above it, will yet gradually absorb 

 them. 



Hence an excellent rule is derived from the opening and disso- 

 lution of bodies; for (not to mention corrosive and strong 

 waters, which force their way) if a body can be found which is 

 more adapted, suited, and friendly to a given solid, than that 

 with which it is by some necessity united, the given solid im- 

 mediately opens and dissolves itself to receive the former, and 

 excludes or removes the latter. Nor is the effect or power of 

 this motion confined to contact, for the electric energy (of which 

 Gilbert and others after him have told so many fables) is only 

 the energy excited in a body by gentle friction, and which does 

 not endure the air, but prefers some tangible substance if there 

 be any at hand. 



Let the seventh be that which we term the motion of greater 

 congregation, by which bodies are borne towards masses of a 

 similar nature, for instance, heavy bodies towards the earth, 

 light to the sphere of heaven. The schools termed this natural 

 motion, by a superficial consideration of it, because produced by 

 no external visible agent, which made them consider it innate in 

 the substances ; or perhaps because it does not cease, which is 

 little to be wondered at, since heaven and earth are always 

 present, whilst the causes and sources of many other motions 

 are sometimes absent and sometimes present. They therefore 

 called this perpetual and proper, because it is never interrupted, 

 but instantly takes place when the others are interrupted, and 

 they called the others adscititious. The former, liowever, is in 

 reality weak and slow, since it yields, and is inferior to the 

 others as long as they act, unless the mass of the body be great ; 

 and although this motion have so filled men's minds, as almost 

 to have obscured all others, yet they know but little about it, 

 and commit many errors in its estimate. 



Let the eighth be that which we term the motion of lesser 

 congregation, by which the homogeneous parts in any body 

 separate themselves from the heterogeneous and unite together, 

 and whole bodies of a similar substance coalesce and tend 

 towards each other, and are sometimes congregated, attracted, 

 and meet, from some distance ; thus in milk the cream rises after 

 a certain time, and in wine the dregs and tartar sink; which 

 effects are not to be attributed to gravity and levity only, so as 

 to account for the rising of some parts and the sinking of oth- 

 ers, but much more to the desire of the homogeneous bodies 

 to meet and unite. This motion differs from that of need in 

 two points : ist, because the latter is the stimulus of a malig- 



