* OF THE ORIGIN OF CHEMISTRY. 



fubftanccs below a certain fkc are to be exa 

 mined, they are either feen confufedly, or va* 

 nifli from the fight; and things that arc in them- 

 felvcs fuflicienlly obvious are often reprcfented 

 very obfcurely. The great number and variety 

 of characters likcwilc of the productions of na- 

 ture is fo great, tlr.it I will venture to fay, not 

 only the fagacity of Newton, employed during 

 the age of Methufalem, had failed in afccrtain- 

 ing but flightly the qualities of a fingle object; 

 but that the united indufhy of many, employ- 

 ed during a long fcrics of age-j, had not been 

 more fucccfsful. 



Nature may be compared not improperly to 

 an iininenfe book, written in an unknown lan- 

 guage. In order to underilund the text of 

 which, it is ncccflary that the letters ihouhl 

 lie known, ib that by attentively obferv ing the 

 refcmblance and difparity of bodies, their dif- 

 tinguifliing characters, and natural qualities, 

 may be difeove;ed. This conftitutes Xutunil 

 Hijiory. Then the fyllables are to be form- 

 ed : And this allegorical language points out 

 general properties to be determined by proper 



experiments. And, as in focicty, the genius 



ai'id fecret difpofition of the mind and aUcctions 

 arc rendered more cbnfpicuous in ftuiationi of 

 diiliculty and diflrefa; Ib, in the fume manner, 

 the fecrets of nature arc more unfolded by the 

 nioleftations of art than when they are fuftered to 

 remain undiflurbed. Fromliencc Pbrfcsunfe. 



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