Chap. 2 j. 4 Treatifeof BODIES. 



and in reeds, and in canes> and in the ftalks of many herbs : 

 which whileft they are tender and in their firft growcth, are full 

 of juice, and become afterwards hollow and dry. 



But beeaule this difcourfe, may pcradrcnture feem too much 

 in common : it will not be amiflc to apply it to fome partial- T {, e fo r * roer d 

 Jars that fcem very ftrange. And firft, let us examine how the ri "e is con- 

 rocking of concrete juices ( which feemeth to be fuch an admi- 

 rable myftery of nature ) is performed. Allom falleth down in 

 lumps, faltpcter iri long icicles, and common fait in iquares ; 

 and this, not once, or fbmetimes now and then ; butalwayes 

 conftamly in the fame order. 



The reafon ofthefe cfFecls will eafily be deduced out of what 

 we have faid, for if all three be diflblved in the fame water, 

 allom being the grofleft falleth firft and fafteft : and being of 

 an unSious nature, the firft part which falleth doth not harden 

 till the fecond cometh to it ; whereby this fecond fticketh to the 

 firft and crufheth it down,and this is ferved in the fame manner 

 by the third ; and fb goeth on, one part fqueezing another, till 

 what is undcrmoft grow hard enoogh to refirt the weight of 

 new falling, parts ; or rather till no more do fall, but the liquor 

 they were diflblved in, is delivered of them all, and then they 

 harden in that figure they were cotnprefled into. 



As for fait, which defcendeth in the feeond place : that fvvim- 

 meth firft upon the water ; and there> getteth its figure, which 

 muft be equally long and broad, becaufe the water is indiffe- 

 rent to thofe two pofitions ; but its thickneflfe is not equall to 

 its other two dimenfions, by reafon that before it can attain to 

 that thicknefle, it groweth too heavie to fwiinme any longer ; 

 and after it is encreafed to a certain bulk, the weight of it car- 

 rieth it down to the bottome of the water, and confecucnt- 

 ly, it can encreafe no more : for it encreafeth by the joyn- 

 ing of little parts unto it as it fwimmeth on the toppe of the 

 water. 



The faltpeter falleth laft : which being more difficult to be 

 figured then the other two, becau/c it is more dry then either of 

 them (as confitting chiefly of earthy and of fiery parts,) is not 

 equally encreafed, neither in all three, nor in two dimenfions/ 

 but hath its length exceeding both its breadth and thidinefle : 



and.. 



