46 'A TrMtft of B O D I E S. Chap. 8. 



our eyes judge it diffufed every \vhere, yet is not truly 

 in every point or atomc of aire : buc to make us fl it every 

 nvhere, it ft.fficeth that it be in every part of the aire which is as 

 big as the black or fight of our eye ; fo that we cannot fee our 

 eye i;i :i;y pofition where it recciveth not imprefTions of light. 

 In the fame manner as perfumes ; which though they be ib 

 m'o-fic bodies that they may be fenfibly wafted by the wind ; nc- 

 verthclefTe, they do fo fill the aire, that we can put our noic in 

 no part of the rocm, where a perfume is burned, but we fhall 

 fmell it. And the like is ofmifts j as alfo of the fprouted water 

 to make a perfume, which we mentioned above. 



But bccauie pure difcourfcs, in fuch fmall thrids as thefe, do 

 but weakly bind fuch readers ns are not accuftomcd unto them; 

 and that I would (if itfcc rcfliblej render this Treatife iiKclligi- 

 ble to every rationall man, hovy ever little vcrfed in {cholaftick 

 learning (among whom I expe'&it will hayc a fairer paflage, 

 then among thole that are already deeply imbued with other 

 principles :) let us try if we can herein inform our fclves by our 

 fcnfe, and bring our eyes for witncffe of what we fay. He 

 then that is defirous to fatisfie himfelf in this particular, may 

 put hitnfelf in a dark room, through which' the funne fcnderh 

 hisl5eams by a cranie or little hole in the wall 5 and he will 

 difcovcr a multitude of little atomes flying about in that little 

 ftrcam oflight ; which his eye cannot difcerne when he is en- 

 vironed on all (ides with a full light. Then let him examine 

 whether or no there be light in the midft of thofc little bodies : 

 and his owne rcafon will eafily tell him, that if thofc bodies 

 were as perspicuous as the aire, they would not reflect upon our 

 eyes the beamcs by which we fee them. And therefore he will 

 boldly conclude, that at the Jcaft fuch parts of them as reflec-1 

 light unto us, do not admit it, nor let it fink into them. Then 

 let him confider the multitude of them ; and the little diftance 

 betwixt one another ; and how ncverthelefic they hinder not 

 our fight; but we have it free to difcover all obje&s beyond 

 them, in what pofition focver we place our eye : and when he 

 thus pcrcciveth that thefe opacous bodies, which ire every 

 where, do not hinder the eye from judging light to have an 

 equall plenary diffufion through the whole place that it irra- 

 drateth; he can have no difficulty to allow aire, ( that isdia- 



phanous> 



