TreAttfeof BODIES. Chap, i p. 



how the emitted fpiiits of any body will move to their own 

 fourcc.and fettle again in it,if they be within a convenientcom- 

 paflc; ) and accordingly do bring back the extended parts to 

 their former fituation;or rather,that both thefe caufes do in their 

 kinds concurre to drive the tree into its naturall figure. 

 5. But as we fee when a flick is broken, it is very hard to re- 



why feme bo- place all the fplinterSjCvery one in its proper fituationjfo itmuft 

 nttiymptrtro of ncccflity fall out in this bending, that certain infenfible parts 

 their nacuraii both jnward and outward are thereby dilplaccd, and can hardly 

 entirely. " be perfectly rejoynted. Whence it followeth that as you fee the 

 fplintcrs of a half broken flick, meeting with one another do 

 hold the ftick fomewhat crooked ; fo thelc invifible parts do the 

 like in fi.ch bodies as after bending fland a little that way. But 

 becaufc they are very little ones,the tree or the branch that hath 

 been never fo much bended, may (fo nothing be broken in it) be 

 fet flraight again by pains, without any notable detriment of its 

 fl length. And thus you fee the reafon of fomc bodies returning 

 in part to their naturall figure, after the force leaveth them that 

 did bend them. 



Out of which you may proceed to tliofe bodies that reflore 

 themfelves entirclyrwhereof fleel is the moft eminent. And of it, 

 we know that there is a fiery fpirit in it,which may be extract- 

 ed out of it, not onely by the long operations of calcining, dige- 

 fling and diflilling it;btit even by grofle heating it,and then ex- 

 tinguifhing it in wine and other convenient liquors? asPhyfici- 

 ans ufe to do. Which is alfo confirmed by the burning of ftcel- 

 duft in the flame of a candle, before it hath been thus wrought 

 upon, which afterwards it will not do : whereby we are taught 

 that originally there are ftore of fpirits in flcel.till they are fuck- 

 ed out. Being then aflured, that in fleel there is fuch abundance 

 of fpirics ; and knowing that it is the nature of fpirits to give a 

 cjuick motionjand feeing that duller fpirits in trees do make this 

 motion of Reftitutlon ; we need feek no further, what it is that 

 doth it in fleel, or in any other things that have the like nature: 

 w ch through the multitude of fpirits thatabound in them(efpeci- 

 ally fleel) do return back with fo flrong a jerk,that their whole 

 body wil treble a great while after,by the force of its own motio 

 ir tbe ^ what is faid.thc nature ofthofe bodies which do fhrink and 

 of ' flretchj may eafily be undcrftood ; for they are generally com- 



pofed 1 



