: Note, That all thefe mere compared with another Apple of the fame kinde that lay of 
4 it elf ; and in comparifonof that; were more fweer, and more yellow, and fo 
- appeared to bé more ripe. ' 3 
||. Takean Apple, or Pear; or other like Fruit, and roul it upon’a Table 
“hard: We fee incommon experience; that the rouling doth foften and 
| fweeten the Fruit prefently, whichis nothing but the {mooth diftribution 
| of the Spirits into the parts; for the unequal diftribution of the Spirits 
‘| maketh the harrifhnefs : But this hard rouling is between Concodtion, 
| and a fimple Maturation ; therefore, if you fhould roul them but gently 
| perhaps twice a day,, and continue it fomefeven days, .it is like they would 
Maturemore finely, and like untothe Natural Maturation. 
Take an Apple, and cut out a piece of the top and cover it,.to fee | 
whether that Solution of Continuity will not haften a Maturation. We fee that 
wherea Wa}, or a Fly, ora Worm; hath bitten in a Grepeor any Fruit; it will 
fweeten hattily. hobo TE th | fis 
1 Take'an Apple, &c. and prick it with a Pin full of Holes, not deep, 
and fmear it alittle with Sack, or Cinnamon Water, or Spirit of Wine, 
every day for ten days, tofee ifthe Wirral Hear of the Wine, or Strong- 
Waters, will not Mature it. | 
In thee Tryals alfo as was ufed in the firft, fet another of the [ame Fruits by, to compare 
them; and try them by their Lellownef,, and by their Sweemef. | 
325. 
326. 
Experiment 
Solitary, -~ 
touching the 
Making of 
Gold; : 
| rHe World hath been mich abufed by. thé opinion of Making of Gold. : 
4 T The Work itfelf, I judge to be poflible; ,butthe Means (hitherto pro- | 
pounded) to effect it, are in the Pradice, full of Error arid Impofture ; 
and inthe Theory, full of unfound Imaginations. For to fay, that Nature 
hath aninrention to makeall Metals Gold ; and that, if fhe were delivered 
from Impediments, {he would psrform’ her own:work ; and that, if the 
| Crndities, Impurities, and Leprofies.of: Metals weiie: cured, . they wauld | 
| become Gold; and chat a little quantity of the Medicine in the Work of } 
| Projection, will turn a Sea of the bafir Metal inte Gold by multiplying. 
| All thefe: are’but dreams, and foare many other Grounds of Alchymy. 
_ | And to help the matter, ‘the eAlchymiffs call in likewife many vanities, | 
jout of ~Afrology, Natural Magick, Superftitious Interpretations of Scri 
ptures, Auricular Traditions, Feigned: Teftimonies of Ancient Authors, 
tard the likes Itistrue, onthe other fide they have brought to light not a 
| few profitable Experiments, and thereby made the World fome amends : 
| But we, when we fhall come to handle the Verfion and Tranfimuration of 
| Bodies , and the Experiments concerning J&tals. arid Adinerals ; will lay 
open the true Ways and Paflages of Nature, which may lead to this great 
jefic&. And we commend the wit.of the Chinefes, who defpairof making } 
of Gold, butare madupon the making of Silvers: Forcertainit is, That 
_ | at-is more difficult to make Gold, (whichis the moft ponderous: and ma- 
teriate amongft Metals ) of: dther: Metals, Iefs ponderous and. lefs: mate- 
- |riate, than (Vie versa) to make Silver of Lead, or Quick-filver ; both 
_ |} whichare more ponderous than Silver: So thatthey need rathera further | 
degree of Fixation; than any Coudenfation. In the mean time, by occafion of 
handling the —4xioms touching ~Miruration) we wilkdired .a tryal touching 
~ | the Aauring of Aetals, and thereby turning fomeof them: into:Gold 5; for 
_4we conceive indeed, That a perfe& good Concottion, or Difgeftion, or Ade- 
"| turation offome Metals will produce Gold. And here we callto minde, 
that we knew a Dutchman that had wrought him({clf into the belief of a: 
: ~ great 
i . 
fr Re er A A RR I I A A 
