Chap, 3, concerning Wa T E R^ C^^- i i 9 



the Plant upright^ andjave it from the Extre- 

 mities either of Heat or Cold : And others 

 will have it to be the Principle and Ingredi- 

 ent of all Natural Things, and run into 

 innumerable Arguments to that Purpofe. 

 Thefe I fliall pafs over 5 and from the corred 

 Experiments of DxWoodvoard^ in the Trads of 

 the Royal Society (c), fliall lay down the true 

 Nature of Water 5 and fince his Arguments 

 are almoft beyond Difpute^and his Works fuch 

 as would otherwife lie buried among the Vo- 

 luminous Works of that Society, I fliall here 

 Jay them before my Reader. 



Anno 1691, (fays this Ingenious Author) \Themamer 

 chofe feveral Glafs Vials ^ that were all, ^^^{H^^'f^^ 

 near as poflible, of the fame Shape and Big-^perimenp!^ 

 nefs. After I had put what Water I thought 

 fit into every one of them, and taken an Ac- 

 count of the Weight of it, I ftrain'd and tied 

 over the Orifice of each Vial a piece oi Parch-' 

 ment^ having an Hole in the middle of it, 

 lage enough to admit the Stem of the Plant I 

 defigned to fet in the Vial, without confining 

 ox Jiraightning it fo as to impede its Growth. 

 My Intention in this^ was to prevent the en- 

 clofed Water from evaporating or afcending 

 any other Way than only through the Plant 

 to be fet therein. Then I made choice of fe- 

 veral Sprigs of Mint^ and other Plants^ that 

 were, ^s near as I could poflibly judge, alike 



(c) Philofoph.Tranf. for June 1699* N^ 2$^. 



I 4 fr^A 



