Chap. Tp, A Treatifc of B O D I ES. 213 



nofed of ftrinoy parts, unto which, if humidity happen toar- r ' loft 



i it 1-1 J n * r I i whicli do for ink 



rive>they grow thereby thicker and ihorter.As we lee that drops andftrctch. 

 of water getting into a new rope of a well, or in:o a new cable, 

 will fwell kmuch thicker, and by confequence make it fliorter. 

 Galileus noteth fuch wetting tobeof fo great efticacy,thatic will 

 fhrink a new cable, and fliorten it notably; notwithfhnding the 

 violence of a tempeft, and the weight and jerks of a loden ihip, 

 do ftrain it what is poflible for them to ftretch it. Of this na- 

 ture leather feemeth to be , and parchment, and divers other 

 things, which if they be proportionably moyfrened , ( and no 

 exteriour force be applyed to extend them,) will flirink up; but 

 if they be overwetted, they will become flaccide. Again, if they 

 be fuddenly dried, they will flirivell up;but if they be fairly dri- 

 ed after moderate wetting, they will extend themfcivcs again to 

 their firft length. 



The way having been opened by what We have difcourfed be- _ 

 fore we came to the motion of Reftitution 3 towards the difc-ove- How great and 

 ry of the mancr how heavy bodies may be forced upwards con- 

 trary to their naturall motion, by very (mall means in outward from 

 appearance; let MS now examine (upon the fame grounds J if like 

 motions to this of water, may not be done in fbme other bodies 

 in a fubtiler manner. In which, more or lefle ncedeth not trou- 

 ble us; fince we know, that neither quantity nor the operations 

 of it do confift in an indiviiible,or are limited to determined pe- 

 riods they may not pafle. It is enough for us to find a ground 

 for the poffibility of the operation: and then the perfefting of ic 

 and the reducing of ic to fuch a height as at the firft might fee n 

 impoffible and incredible , we may leave to the economy of 

 wife nature. He that learneth to readc, write, or to play on the 

 Jute, is in the beginning ready to lofc heart at every (tcp; when 

 he confidereth with what labour , difficulty* and flownefle he 

 joyneth the letters, fpclleth fyllables, formeth characters, fit- 

 teth and breaketh his fingers ( as though they were upon the 

 rack) to flop the right frets, and to touch the right firings. And 

 yet you fee how ftrangc a dexterity is gained in all thefe by in- 

 duftry and praftife; and a rcadinefle beyond what we could 

 imagine poflible, if we faw not daily the effefts. 



If then we can but arrive to decipher the firft characters of 

 the hidden alphabet we are now taking in hand,& can but fpel- 



O 3 lingly 



