Mr. Lifter to Mr. Wray- j j 



I^could wilh that you would give us your Thoughts 

 too of both the Ancient and Modern Hiftorians, and 

 add this to your Preface. I remember my Lord 

 Baconrafbly cenfuresall, and rejefts the whole Defign 

 as fupervacaneous $ but yet methinks, not without 

 fome Contradi&ion to his own Principles y for if a par- 

 ticular Nature or Phenomenon may be in fome parti- 

 cular Body more bare and obvious, without doubt the 

 greater Number we have of particular Hiftories, the 

 plentifuller and clearerLight we may expe£l from thetiu 

 For my part, I think it abfolutely neceflary, that an 

 exaft and minute diftin£tion of things precede our 

 Learning by particular Experiments, what different 

 Parts each Body or Thing may confift of j likewife 

 concerning the beft and molt convenient ways of fe- 

 paration of thofe Parts, and their Virtues and Force 

 upon human Bodies, as to the Ufes of Life ; all thefe, 

 befides the different Textures, are things fubfequent 

 to Natural Hiftory, unlefs you make the laft Affiltant, 

 as indeed all the reft are, were they truly known $ 

 but I. atn too bold to venture thus much, before my 

 Mafter, and I hope you will now foon let the World 

 know they have too long neglected what you can 

 teach them to prize. Another time we will, if you 

 pleafe, talk of the Advantage England has in being an 

 Ifland, to fet a Copy of this Nature to the reft of the 

 World, and to fet forth exaftly what (he has of her 

 own. I am but a learner, and a very young one in 

 Minerals, but I am pretty confident that it is yellow 

 Amber they find not unplentifuliy after great Storms 

 onLindfey Coaft. I have near lib. 1 . by me that I bought 

 of the poor Fiftiermen's Wifes at Thedle Thorpe y fome 

 Pieces of it are tranfparent and of a dark yellow 3 ou- 

 tliers alike tranfparent, but of a brighter yellow 5 o~ 

 thers again are of a pale yellow and troubled, as though 

 they were fattifh: likewife of the Jet, i, $. the great 

 Pieces and Grove, i. e. the fmail Duft, I have of both 

 by me, and I doe think them not Channel becaufe 



they 



