626 DE AUGMENTIS SC1ENTIARUM 



multum ex metallo puro in fumos vertant et asportent ; ut et 

 jactura fiat, et nmssa qua3 remanet magis sit obstinata et dura. 

 Dcbent igitur homines ludibrium illud mulieris ^Esopi cogitare; 

 quae sperarat ex duplicata mensura hordei gallinam suam duo 

 ova quotidie parituram. At ilia impinguata nullum peperit. 

 Prorsus non tutum fuerit alicui Experimento JSTaturali con- 

 fidere, nisi facta fuerit probatio et in minore et in majore 

 Quanto. Atque de Variatione Experimenti hactenus. 



Productio Experimenti duplex ; Repetitio, et Extensio ; 

 nimirum, cum aut experimentum iteratur, aut ad subtilius quid- 

 dam urgetur. Repetitions exemplum tale sit. Spiritus Vini 

 fit ex vino per distillationem unicam ; estquB vino ipso multo 

 acrior et fortior : num etiam spiritus vini ipse destillatus, sive 

 sublimatus, seipsum fortitudine aeque superabit ? At Repetitio 

 quoque non absque fallacia est. Etenim turn secunda exaltatio 

 prioris excessum non aequat, turn etiam sagpenumero per Itera- 

 tionem Experimenti, post statum sive acmen quandam opera- 

 tionis, tantum abest ut progrediatur natura, ut potius relabatur. 

 Judicium igitur in hac re adhibendum. Item Argentum Vivum, 

 in linteo aut alias in medio plumbi liquefacti, cum refrigescere 

 cceperit, insertum, stupefit, nee amplius fluit: num et idem 

 argentum vivum, si sxpius immissum fuerit, ita figetur ut fiat 

 malleabile ? Extensionis exemplum tale sit : Aqua in summo 

 posita, et pensilis facta, et per rostrum vitri oblongum in vinum 

 dilutum immersa, separabit aquam a vino ; vino in summum se 

 paulatim recipiente, aqua in imo subsidente ] : num etiam, quem- 

 admodum vinum et aqua (corpora scilicet diversa) hoc ingenio 

 separantur, possint' quoque partes vini (corporis nimirum in- 

 tegri) subtiliores a crassioribus separari ; ut fiat tanquam destil- 

 latio per pondus, et in summo reperiatur aliquid spiritui vini 

 proximum, sed forte delicatius? Item Magnes ferrum integrum 

 trahit: num etiam frustum magnetis, in dissolutione ferri im- 



1 This experiment is more minutely described in the ^Sylva Sylvarum,\. 14. The 

 water in the inverted glass or phial is maintained by the pressure of the atmosphere at 

 a higher level than that of the wine and water into which the neck of the vessel con- 

 taining it is inserted, but as the density of the water is greater than that of the diluted 

 wine, it is in a position of unstable equilibrium. But for friction &c. the equilibrium 

 could not practically exist at all ; and after a little while it ceases to do so, the water 

 gradually subsiding to the bottom and forcing the wine and water or some part of it 

 into the vessel, which originally contained only water. The water for a considerable 

 time passes without mixing through the wine and water ; but of course there is no 

 separation between the wine and the portion of water with which it was originally 

 mixed, and the experiment succeeds just as well with pure as with diluted wine. 



