Century VIII. 



and Small, than of Bulk. There is a fourth Remedy alfo, which is ; That if 

 the Body to be preferved be of Bulk,as a Corps is , then the Body that inclo- 

 feth it,muft have aVertue to draw forth,anddry the Moifiuroofc the Inward 

 Body, For elfe the Putrefaction will play within^though Nothing iflue forth. 

 I remember Livy doth relate, that there were found,at a time,two Coffins 

 of Leaden a Tombe ; Whereof the one contained the Body of King Numa; 

 It being fome four hundred years after his Death : And the other, his 

 Bocks of Sacred Rites and Ceremonies; and the Difcipline of the Pontifs ; And 

 that in the Coffin that had the £0^ , there was Nothing (at all) to be feen, 

 but a little light Cinders about the Sides $ But in the Coffin that had the 

 Books, they were found as frefh,if they had been but newly Written;being 

 written in Parchment, and covered oyer with Watch-candles of Wax three or 

 four-fold . By this it feemeth , that the Romans in Noma's time, were not 

 fo good Emkalmers, as the Egyptians were $ Which was the caule that the 

 Body was utterly confumed. But I find in Plutarch, and Othees, that when 

 Augufim Ctefar vifited the Sepulchre of Alexander the <Jreat,'m Alexndria, hee 

 found the body to keep his Dimenfion ; But withall,that,notwithftanding all 

 the Embalmings (which, no doubt,was of the beft,) the Body was fo Tender, 

 as C<efar touching but the Nofe of it, defaced it. W hich maketh me find it 

 very ftrange, that the Egyptian Mummies fhould be reported to be as hard 

 as it one-pitch ; For I finde no difference but one ; Which indeed, may be 

 very Material^Namely,that the Ancient Egyptian Mummies^wcre fhrow- 

 ded in a Number of Fold of Linnen,befmeared with Gums, in manner of 

 Sear-cloth 5 Which it doth not appear was pra&ifed upon the Body of Alex- 

 ander. 



NEere theCaftleofCdf/V, and by the wels Ajfan in the Land otldu- 

 mea , a great Part of the way , you would think the Sea were neare 

 hand though it a good diftance off : And it is Nothing , but the Shining 

 of the Nitre, upon Sea-Sands-, Such abundance of Nitre the Shores there 

 do put forth. 



THe DeadSea, which vomiteth up Bitumen is of that Crajs'itude , as Li- 

 ving Bodies bound hand and Foot,caft into it,have been born up,and 

 not funk. W hich fhevveth 9 that all finking into Water , is butan Ci/<?r- 

 wightoi the Body,put into the Water,in refpeel: of the Water $ So that 

 you may make Water fo ftrong,and heavy, of guick-filver , (perhaps) or 

 the like, as may bear up Iron : Of which I fee no Ufe,but Impofture. Wee 

 fee alfo,thatall Metals except Gold, for the fame reafen fwim upon ^uick- 

 filver. 



JT is reported, that at the Foot of a Hill near the Mare Mortuum, there is a 

 black Stone (whereof Pilgrims make Fires,)which burneth like a Coal, and 

 diminifheth not ; But only waxeth Brighter and Whiter. That it fhould 

 do fo, is not ft range-,For we fee Iron Red Hot burneth, and confumeth not. 

 But the Strangenefs is , that it ftiould continue any time fo : Vox Iron, as 

 foon as it is out of the Fire, deadeth ft raight wayes. Certainly, it were a 

 Thing of great Ufe, and Profit, if you could finde out Fuel, that would 

 burn Hot, and yet laft long : neither am I altogether Incredulous,but there 

 may be fuch Candles, as , they fay, are made of Salamanders Wool/ ; Being a 

 kind of Mmeral,which whitencth alfo in the Burning, and confumeth not. 

 The Queftion is this; Flame muft be made of fomwhat ; And commonly it 



is 



Solitary tou- 

 ching the A- 



bundance of 

 Nitre in cer- 

 tain Sea- 

 jhores. 



772 



Experiment 

 Solkary tou- 

 ching Bodies 

 that are born 

 up by Water. 



773 



Experiment 

 Solitary tou- 

 ching Fuel 

 that confumeth 

 littlest nothing 



774 



