————— 
The Hifloryof Lifeand Death. | 
. Deficcation, Probibiting of Deficcation, and In-teneration of that which | 
mage: | 
is deficcated and dried, 
. re, The Fiftory. . 
Ire and ftrong Heats dry {ome things, and melt others. 7 rhe fe= 
Fk Limus ut hic durefcit, eo hac ut Cera lique[cit,Uno codemque Igne ? beslid Atti. 
How this Clay is hardned, and how this wax is melted, with one and the fame thing, | cle. 
Fire ? It drieth Earth, Stones, wood, Cloth, and Skis, and whatfocyer is not Mqmefiable ; L 
and it melteth Metalls, wax, Gums, Butter, Tallow, and the like. 
Notwithftanding, even in thofe thingswhichthe firemelteth, if it be very vehement 2. 
and continueth, it dothat aft dry them. For metal ina {trong fire, ( Gold onely .ex- 
cepted) the volatzdle part being gone forth, will becomelefs ponderous and mere brit- 
tle tate thofe osly and fat fubftances in the like fire will burn up, and be dried and 
parched. | 
“ir, Specially open air, doth manifeftly dry, but not melt ; as Highways, and,the 3. 
upper part of the Earth,moiftned with fhowers, are dried; linnenclot bes walhed, ifthey 
be hang’d out in the azr, are likewife dried ; herbs, and leaves, and flowers, laid forth in 
the fhade, are dried. But much more fuddenly doth the az this, if it be either en- 
lightned with the Sun-beams, ({o that they caufe no putrefaction) or if the ar be ftir- 
red,as when the wezdbloweth,or in rooms open onall fides. 
4ge mott of all, but yet floweft of all, drieth ; as in all bodies which(if they be not 4. 
prevented by putrefaction ) are drie with dye. But age is nothing of it felf, being 
onely the meafure of t2me ; that which caufeth the effet 1s the zative Sprit of bodies, 
which fucketh up the moifture of the body, and then, together with it, ; flieth forth ; 
and the ar ambient, whichmultipliethitfelf upon the zazive jpercts and juices of the bo- 
dy, and preyeth uponthem. 
Cold of all things moft properly dreeth: for drying isnot caufed but by Contraétion ; 5. 
now contrattion is the proper work of cold. But becaufe we dex have heat ina high 
deorce, namely, that of Fre, but cold in a very low degree, no other than that of 
VViater, or perhaps of Jee, or of Suow, or of DNyere ; therefore the dryzng caufed by 
cold is but weak, and cafily refolved. Notwithftanding we fee the furface of the earth 
to be more arsed by Froft,or by Aarch-winds, than by the sua, {eeing the fame wind both |}. 
licketh up the mosffure and aflecteth with co/dne/s. 
~<a aA Hh AI EE EAI A GASES ASE EAR A 
Smoak is a drier;as in Bacon and Neats tongues which are hanged up in the chimneys:and re 
Perfumes of Olibanum, or Lignum Alves, and the like, dry the Braiz,and cure Catarrhs. , 
Salt, after fomereafonable continuance, drzeth; not onely on the out-fide, butinthe J 
infide alfo; asin Fle/h and Fifh falted, which if they have continued any long time have 
a manifeft hardnefs within. 
Het Gums applied to the skin dry and wrinkle it; andfome affréngent waters alfodo | 8. 
thefame, 
Spirst of ftrong waters imitateth the fire in drying : for it will both potch anEgg put 9 
into it, and toaft Bread. 
Powders dry like Sponges by drinking up the moifture, as it is in Sand thrown upon 10. 
Lines new written ; alfo fm#oothne/s and politenc{s of bodies, ( which fuffer not the va- 
pour of moifture to go in by the pores) dry by accident, becaufe it expofeth it to the 
| ar 5 as it is feen in precious Stones, Looking glafjes,and Blades of Swords,upon which if you 
breath, you fhall fee at firft a little mift, but foon after it vanifheth like a cloud. And thus 
much tor Deficeation or Drying. 
They ufe at this day in the €ast parts of Germany Garners in Vaults under gronnd, | __t1- 
wherein they keep VV reat and other grazns, laying a good quantity of {traw bothunder 
the gracns and about them, to fave them from the dampnefs of the Vani ; by which 
device they keep their grains 20 or 30 years. And this doth not onely preferve them 
from fuftinefs, but (that which pertains more to theprefentéaqusfitton) preferves them 
alfoin that greennefsthatthcy arc fit and ferviceable to make bread. The fame is reported 
to have been in ufein Cappadocia and Thracza,and {ome parts of Spain, 
The placing of Garners on the tops of houfes, with windows towards the Eaft 12. 
jand North, is very commodious. Some alfo make two Sollars, an upper and a lower ; 
and the upper Sollar hath an hole it, through which the grain continually defcen- 
_-jdeth, like faad in an hour-glafs , and after a few dayes they throw it up again 
| with fkhovels, that fo it may be in continual motion, Now it is to be noted 
.: C2), that 
a ee et ee 
