268 Of the Pr i n c i p l e s 



cinganufeful truth, regarding the very myfteryofthe 

 art, without engaging now in tedioufly enumerating 

 what experienced men have boalted of common wa- 

 ter, or rather, of v/hat only appears to be fuch ; for 

 inftance, Becher, of a water drawn off from frefh 

 clay ; Caffius, of the phlegm of aqua- for tis ; o- 

 thers, of that from vitriol, rain, dew, and the 

 moifture of the air ; or without mentioning the 

 power of the air, in regard to its effects on the ani- 

 mal and vegetable kingdoms. 



This truth may be fupported, that genuine 

 folutions depend not fo much on ftrong corro- 

 fions, as on gentle macerations \ that is, fuch 

 folutions, as ihall yield us any new extraordinary 

 productions ; as it cannot be denied but that corrofive 

 waters may yield fomething worth the trouble, tho* 

 nothing extraordinary. Now, the lefs corrofive the 

 means of folution are, the lefs of a faline nature they 

 muft hold ; and the freer they are of that, the lefs 

 violence they exert on, and the more they are adapt- 

 ed, foftly and naturally, to macerate the fubject ; 

 and to this we mould bend our chief regards. 



Thus, between folution in general, and mace- 

 ration, there is a wide difference •, in regard, that 

 the latter is always a folution, but the former not 

 always a maceration. In a folution by corrofive 

 waters, the folvent and folvend become indeed one 

 body, but not fo clofely united, as in maceration ; 

 For, by maceration, the folvent is fo intimately 

 combined with the folvend, as not only to become 

 together an indifcernible body, but alfo to acquire 

 a new form and nature. Yet the moifture of the 

 air (tho* the offspring of other waters) has fome- 

 thing peculiar, and mould indeed feem, as it is fa- 

 line, to have the effects of faline folvents : but pro- 

 perly 



