34 Sropetfection of t&e €tymift'* 



as for thofe Spagy rifts that admit, as 

 inoft of them are granted to do, that 

 all kinds of metals may be turned into 

 Gold by a very fmall proportion of 

 what they call the Philofophers 

 Elixir J one may I think (hew them 

 from their own conceftions, that di- 

 vers Qualities may be changed even 

 in fuch conftant bodies as Metals , 

 without the addition of any confider- 

 able proportion of the firaple Ingre- 

 dients, to which they are wont to af« 

 cribe thofe Qualities * provided the 

 Agent, (as an efficient rather than as a 

 material Caufe,) be able to make a 

 great change in the Mechanical af- 

 fections of the parts whereof the 

 metal it a&s on is made up. Thus if 

 we fuppofea pound of Silver,a pound 

 of Lead, and a pound of Iron to be 

 tranfmuted into Gold^each by a grain 

 of the powder of proje&ion^ this 

 tinging powder, as a material Caufe 

 is inconfiderable, by reafon of the 

 fmalinels of its bulk, and as an efficU 

 ent caufe it works differing and even 

 contrary effe&s, according to the dif- 



pofition^ 



