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thrown into water to collect the muddy particles, and syrups 

 are refined by the white of an egg, which glues the grosser 

 particles together so as to facilitate their removal. Telesius, 

 indeed, rashly and ignorantly enough attributes the formation 

 of animals to this cause, by means of the channels and folds of 

 the womb. He ought to have observed a similar formation of 

 the young in eggs which have no wrinkles or inequalities. One 

 may observe a real result of this direction of motion in casting 

 and modelling. 



VI. The effects produced by harmony and aversion (which is 

 the sixth method) are frequently buried in obscurity ; for these 

 occult and specific properties (as they are termed), the sympa- 

 thies and antipathies, are for the most part but a corruption of 

 philosophy. Nor can we form any great expectation of the 

 discovery of the harmony which exists between natural objects, 

 before that of their forms and simple conformations, for it is 

 nothing more than the symmetry between these forms and 

 conformations. 



The greater and more universal species of harmony are not, 

 however, so wholly obscure, and with them, therefore, we must 

 commence. The first and principal distinction between them is 

 this ; that some bodies differ considerably in the abundance 

 and rarity of their substance, but correspond in their conforma- 

 tion; others, on the contrary, correspond in the former and 

 differ in the latter. Thus the chemists have well observed, that 

 in their trial of first principles sulphur and mercury, as it were, 

 pervade the universe ; their reasoning about salt, however, is 

 absurd, and merely introduced to compromise earthy dry fixed 

 bodies. In the other two, indeed, one of the most universal 

 species of natural harmony manifests itself. Thus there is a 

 correspondence between sulphur, oil, greasy exhalations, flame, 

 and, perhaps, the substance of the stars. On the other hand, 

 there is a like correspondence between mercury, water, aqueous 

 vapor, air, and perhaps pure inter-sidereal ether. Yet do these 

 two quaternions, or great natural tribes (each within its own 

 limits), differ immensely in quantity and density of substance, 

 whilst they generally agree in conformation, as is manifest in 

 many instances. On the other hand, the metals agree in such 

 quantity and density (especially when compared with vegeta- 

 bles, etc.), but differ in many respects in conformation. Ani- 

 mals and vegetables, in like manner, vary in their almost in- 

 finite modes of conformation, but range within very limited 

 degrees of quantity and density of substance. 



The next most general correspondence is that between indi- 

 vidual bodies and those which supply them by way of menstru- 

 um or support. Inquiry, therefore, must be made as to the 

 climate, soil, and depth at which each metal is generated, and 



