3\[atnraU Hifiory: 



mu&beyfor that the Aire is, of itfelf, Thin and Thirfty, And as foon as 

 ever it getteth any Moifture from the water, it im-bibeth, and diflipateth 

 it, in the whole body of the Air ; And fuffereth it not to remain in Vapour ; 

 Whereby it might breed Rain. 



|T hath been touched in the Title of Perlocations, (Namely y fuch as are In- 

 wards,) that the whites of Eggs, and Milk , do cla rifle And it is certain 

 that in oSgypt, they prepare and clarifie the water of Nile , by putting it 

 into great Jars of Stone,and Stirring it about with a few Stamped Almonds^ 

 Wherewith they alfo befmear the Mouth of the ffeffel; And io draw it 

 off, after it hath refted fome-time.lt were good to try this Clarifying with 

 Almonds, in New Beer, or Mufl, to haft en and perfed the Clarifying, 



THere be fcarce to be found any Vegetables, that have Branches , and no 

 Leaves, except you allow Coral for one. But there is alfo in the Defarts 

 oiS.Macario in j£gypt, a Plant which is Long,Leaf-lefs,Brown of Colour, 

 and Branched like Coral , fave that it clofeth at the Top. This being fet in 

 water within Houfe, fpreadeth, and difplayeth ftra^gely ; And the People 

 thereabout have a Superftitious Belief,that in the Labour of Women, it hel- 

 peth to the eafie Deliverance. 



'J'He Chryjlaliine Venice Glaft, is reported to be a Mixture, in equal Porti- 

 ons,of Stones, brought from Pavia,by the River Ticinum^nd the afhes of a 

 weed called by the Arabs Kail, which is gathered in a Defart between Alex- 

 andria, and Rofetta^ And is by the Egyptians ufed firft for Fuel j And then 

 they crufh the Afhes into lumps, like a Stone; And fo fell them to the Ve- 

 netians for their Glafi -works. 



JT is ftrange,and well to be notcd,how long Carkafjes have continued Un- 

 corrupt,and in their former Dime*fions j As appeareth in the Mummies of 

 r^of p^e- °^iyP^ Having lafted, as is conceived (fome of them,) three thoufand 

 fakion, ani years. It is true,they finde Means to draw forth the Brains, and to take 

 belong con- forth the Entrails, which are the Parts apt eft to corrupt. But that is no- 



boTw 08 ° f thing t0 ^ e Wonc ' cr : For wc wri at a Soft ancl Corruptible Subfance 

 1 ' the Flejh,oi all the other Parts of the Body,is. But it fhould feem , that ac- 



cording to our Observation, and Axiome, in our hundredth Experiments , Pu- 

 trefaction , which wee conceive to bee fo Natural a Period of Bodies, is but 

 an Accident ; And that Matter maketh not that Hafte to Corruption , that 

 is conceived. And therefore Bodies in Shining Amber , in gmck-ftlver , In 

 Balmes, (whereof we now fpeak,) In Wax, In Honey, In Gummes , And ( it 

 may b€)'ix\Confervatoriesol Snow,fkc. ait preferved very long. It need not 

 go for Repetition a if we refume again that which wee faid in the afore- 

 faid Experiments, concerning Annihilation ; Namely., that if you provide* 

 againft three Caufes of PutrefaBion , Bodies will not corrupt : The firft is, 

 t hat the Aire be Excluded For that undermineth the Body, and confpireth 



1 with the Spirit of the Body to diflblve ir. The Second is,that the Body Adja- 



cent and Ambient fce not Corn-material,but meerly Heterogcneal towards 

 the Body that is to be preferved : For if nothing can be received by the 

 one,nothing can iflue from the other-, Such are ^uick-fiher,and white Am- 

 ber,to Herbs,and Flies,and fuch Bodies. The Third is,that the Body to be pre- 

 ferved, be not of that,C7ro/f,that it may corrupt within it felf, although no 

 | Part ofitiffue into the Wy^j^»t; And therefore it muft be rather Thin, \ 



] I and I 



Experiment 

 Solitary tou- 

 ching clari- 

 fication. 

 -]6S 



Experiment 

 Solitary tou- 

 ching Tlants 

 without leaves 

 1*9 



Experiment 

 Solitary toU' 

 chingthe Ma- 

 terials o(Glafs. 



7 7 o 



Experiment 

 Solitary tou- 



