Chap. II.] Chemical Philosophy, 93 



was about that time that the learned societies in 

 Europe began to be formed, and the reign of Al- 

 chemy to decline. In the imjuiries then instituted 

 in chemical philosophy, the celei^rated Mr. Boyle 

 led the way. His speculations and experiments 

 on light, heat, air, water, and other subjects allied 

 to those, were in several respects useful, and pre- 

 pared the way for subsequent improvements. To 

 his learned labours succeeded those of Dr. jMayow, 

 who not only prosecuted the inquiries commenced 

 by Boyle, but had also the honour of devising 

 others, equally new and important. He went far 

 in discovering some of the properties of that por- 

 tion of the atmosphere which has been since called 

 vital air and oxygen^ and ascertained the necessity 

 of its presence for the purposes of combustion and 

 respiration*. The discoveries and the works of 

 this experimental philosopher, however, notwith- 

 standing their curious and valuable nature, had 

 fallen into oblivion, and a century after their 

 publication were scarcely at all known among the 

 learned of Europe. 



In the list of luminaries in chemical science, the 

 immortal Newton next appears. Though his mind 

 was chiefly occunied in exploring other regions of 

 philosophy, he was by no means regardless of this; 

 and about the beginning of the eighteenth cen- 

 tury he first suggested the idea of arranging the 

 phenomena of chemistry under the head of a pe- 

 culiar species of attraction. The chemists who 

 lived before this great philosopher supposed that 

 all solvents, or substances capable of dissol nng 



* Tractatu3 Quinque Mcdko-Phpid, p. 12 and 10(5. 



