The Riflory of Life and Death. 



The Integration, or making Tender , of that which is Dried, (which is the chiefe 

 Matter) affords but a fmall Number of Experiments. And therefore fome few Sxperi- 

 r,which are found in Living Creatures, and alfo in Man, (ball be joyncd together. 

 Bands of /f//W,wherewith they life to bind Trees,laid in water,grow more flexible: 

 Likewilc,rhxy p Ut Boughes of Birch, (the ends of them) in earthen pots filled with wa- 

 ter to keep them from withering ; And Bowles cleft with Drineffe > fteep in water, 

 : dole again. 



Boots, grown hard and obftinate with age, by greafing them before the fire with 

 Tallow, wax loft ; or being only held before the Fire, get fome foftneffe : Bladders and 

 Parchments hardned alfo, become tender,with warm water, mixed with Tallow, or any 

 Fat Thing; but much the better, if they be a little C/j^/tW. 



. Trees grown very old, that have flood long without any Culture , by Digging and 

 Opening the Earth , about the Roots of them, feem to grow young again, and put forth 

 young Blanches. 



Old Drought Oxen y worn out with labour, being taken from the yoke , and put into 

 frefh pa'iure , will get young and tender flefh againe ; infomuch, that they will eat as 

 frefh and tender , as a Steere. 



A ftri& Emaciating Diet, of Gmiacum,Bisket, and the lite; (wherewith they ufe to 

 cure the French Pox, old Catarrhs , and fome kind of Droppes,) doth firft bring men 

 O great Poverty and Leannefle,by wafting the Juyces and Humours of the Body;which 

 after they begin to be repaired again, feem manifeuTy more vigorous and young; Nay, 

 ard I am of opinion, that Emaciating Difeafes, afterwards well cured , have advanced 

 many in the way of Long Life, 



Observations. 



]V/f En fee cleerly, Ukj Owles in the N'ghr, of their own Notions : But m Experience, 

 W*ds m the Day-light, they wink^, *nd are but half- fight ed. They fpeakjnuch of the 

 Elementary Quality of Siccicy,or Drienefie * and of things Deficcating;Wo/f/;/Natu- 

 ral Periods of^odks,inwhic h they are c or rupted,and con fumed : But mean-while, ei- 

 ther inthe Beginnings , or Middle Paflages ■, or Laft A£ts of Deficcation , andCon- 

 fumplion, they obferve no thing that is of Moment. 



De£iccation,0>- Cowfumption^n the Trocefi thereof, is finished by three Actions j and 

 all thefe (as was faid before) have their original from the Native Spirit of bodies. 



The firft A&ion is, the Attenuation of the Moifture mo Spirit : The fecond is, the 

 Ifluing forth,or Flight of the Spirit ;7 "he third,is the Contraction^/" the Groffer parts of 

 the body, immedisuly after the Spirit i fitted forth- And this I aft, is that Deficcation, and 

 Induration,w/jz<:« we chiefly handle \ The former two confume onelj. 



Touching Attenuation,^ matter is manifeft.For the ^'\xii,which is enclofed in eve- 

 ry Tangible Body, forgets not his Nature\but whatfoever it meets withal in the bodyifn 

 which it is inclsfedjthat it can dtfgefi,and mafter,and turn into it felf; That it plainly 

 alters and fubdues,and multiplies it f elf upon it, and begets new Spirit. ey4W this eviSt- 

 ed by one proof in ftead of many ;F or that thofe things, which are thorowlyDried^are Leffe- 

 ! nzdintheir \Ne\°h-.,and become hollow,poreits, and re-founding from within. Now it is 

 j moft certain,that the inward Spirit of any thing,confers nothing to the weight;£#f rather 

 lightens it ; And therefore it mttft needs be y that the fame Spirit hath turned into it, the 

 I Moifture and juice of the Body, ■which weighed before ; By which means the weight is 

 ! leffened. And this is the fir ft A6tion;the Attenuation of the Moifture, and converting 

 it into Spirit. 



T he fecond hQc\on-,which is the ifluing forth, w Flight of the Spirit,^ as manifefi alfo. 

 For that ifluing tonh,when it is in throngs,is apparent evento the fenfe ■ In Vapours, to 

 the fight\m Odours, to thz fmelling : But if it ifiueth forth flowly (as when a thing is 

 decayed by Age,) then it is not apparent to the fenfe^but the matter is the fame. Againft 

 where the compofure of the body, is either fo firatt,or fotenacious;that the Spirit can find 

 no pressor pafiages,by which to depart',! hen, in the firiving to get out , it drives before, 

 it th e groffer parts of the body ; and protrudes them beyond the fuperficies or [nrfaceof 

 the bsdy : as it is inthe of Metals ; and Mould of all Fat things. And this is the 

 fecond K0i\oi\the Ifluing forth,or Flight of the Spirit. 



The third Action is fomewhat more obfeure, but full as certain : That is,The Con- 

 traction of the Groffer parts, after iheSpiritifiued forth. K»d this appears firft, in that 

 bodies after the Spirit ifiuedforthydo manifejrly jhrinkj and fill a leffe room ; as it is in 



the 



