Chap. if. esfTrea'tfeofEODIES. 16% 



the liquidity within, being fo little as it afFordcth the parts nei- 

 ther length nor breadth : and therefore, fire incetcth with little 

 there that it can dilate. But what it cannot dilate, it cannot fe- 

 parate- nor carry away any thing of it, but what is accidentally 

 adherent unto the outfides of it. And fo it feemeth oncly to 

 pafle throHgh the pores, and to cleanfc the little thrids of it: but 

 bringeth no detriment at all to the fnbftance of it. In this I 

 fpeak onely of an ordinary fire : for I doubt not but li;ch a one 

 it might be, as would perfectly calcine ic. 



The next body we fpoke of is gold. This aboundeth fb much 5. 

 in liquidity, that itfticketh to the fire, if duely applyed : but its vfi"^ n 'c' 

 humidity is fo well united to its earthy parts., and is fo perfe6tly eth gold but 

 incorporated with them; as it cannot carry away one, without 

 likewiie carrying away both : but borh, are too heavy a weight 

 for the little agile parts of fire to remove. Thus, it is able to 

 make gold fwell; as we fee in melting it : in which, the gold re- 

 ceiveth the fire into its bowels and retaineth it a longtime with 



Gf 



it : but at its departure, it permitteth the fire to carry nothing 

 away upon its wings : as is apparant, by the golds no whit de- 

 cay of weight, after never fo long fufion. And therefore, to have 

 fire make any feparation in gold, requireth the alftftance of Come 

 other moift body, that on the one fide may flick clofely to the 

 gold, when the fire driveth it into it, and on the other fide may 

 be capable of dilatation, by the action of the fire upon it. As in 

 fbrne fort we fee in ftrong waters made of falts, which are a pro- 

 per fubjefl for the fire to dilate, w ho, by the affiftance of fire, 

 mingling themfclves clofely with little parts of the gold, do pull 

 them away from their whole fubftance, and do force them to 

 bear them company in their journey upwards, in which,multi- 

 tudes of little parts of fire, do concurre to preiTe them on and 

 harten them: and fb,the weight of sold being at length overcome 



D ' O O 



by thefe two powerfull Agents(whereofone fupplyeth, what the 

 other wanteth ) the whole fubftance of the rnctall. is in little a- 

 tomes diflfufed through the whole body of the \vater. But this is 

 not truly a diflblution or a feparation of the fub^antlall parts of 

 gold. one from anotherrit is onely acorrofion,vvhic!i bringeili it 

 iito a fubtile pouder,(when the water & (alts arefcparateafiorn 

 it)much like what filing(though far finaller) or grinding ofleaf 

 gold upon a porphyre ftone, may reduce it into: for neither the 



^ 5 tiarrs 



