30 Mayow 



the liquid closely combined with the sulphureous 

 particles are beaten and rubbed by the nitro- 

 aerial particles and at last liquefied in the manner 

 aforesaid. It corroborates this view that wines or 

 strong ale long exposed to the solar rays or kept in 

 a warm place turn in the course of time into vinegar. 

 In fact the nitro-aerial particles communicated to 

 these liquids by the solar rays or by fire (for I 

 intend to show in another place that every kind of 

 heat is due to nitro-aerial particles put in motion) 

 effervesce with the saline-sulphureous particles of 

 these liquids, with the result that the saline particles 

 are sharpened by the action of the nitro-aerial 

 particles and converted into acid salts. And what- 

 ever in fine aids the fermentation of liquids and 

 throws their particles into violent commotion, as, 

 for example, very warm weather and thunder, accel- 

 erates the souring of the liquids. To this I add that 

 if common sulphur is dissolved in water in which 

 quicklime has been slaked, or in lye, this solution 

 which was imbued at first with fixed salt will in 

 course of time become acid, so that the sulphur 

 will not any longer remain dissolved in it. 



It is also to be noted that saline and sulphureous 

 particles exist in a fluid state in liquids — the conse- 

 quence being that the saline particles in liquids 

 cannot be so rubbed and comminuted by the action 

 of nitro-aerial particles as in the case of solids. And 

 this seems to be the reason why the acid salt of 

 soured liquids is less sharp and corrosive than the 

 spirit of sulphur and other eminently corrosive liquids 

 of the same kind. 



In the light of what has been said it will not 

 be difficult to understand how the acid spirit of nitre 

 is generated in the earth. For it was pointed out 



