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Dr. Robinfbirt Anfwer to Mr. Ray. 



S IR-> London^ May 9. — 8f . 



AS for the Tranfmutafion of fecondary Principles^ 

 or Element one into another, I was tempted 

 to believe it pra£ticable, upon difcoiirfing feverat 

 times with Mr. Boyle upon that Subje&, and upon 

 reading his new Appendixes to the Sceptical Chymift, 

 and to the Aery and Icy NoSliluca 3 where he affirms, 

 that Oils and Water may be wholly chang'd into 

 Earth, tho' never fo well purify'd before j and that 

 Salt and Sulphur are tranfmutable into infipid Water,- 

 which alfo Tacbenius demonftrates, and Salt into' 

 Earth ; and this not by the Addition of any new Partsa 

 but by mere Tranfpofition, Divifion, or fome new 

 Modification of the conftituent Parts 5 which ma- 

 lung a different Impreffion upon our SenfeSj may pro- 

 duce new Qualities or Accidents > but you, being I 

 much greater Mafter of the Epicurean Philofphy than 

 my felf^ are the beft Judge of this. I always fancy 'd 

 that there were no fix'd or immutable Principles (I 

 mean Elements) in Nature, as fhe Hands at prefect, 

 but what may be fubjeft to Changes upon new Mo- 

 tions, or Modifications, unlefs We fuppofe pure Atomes 

 without Concretions, and them too under the fame 

 conftant Laws of Motion. I grant, that Salt, Wa- 

 ter, or any other purify'd Element, may contain ma- 

 ny Corpufcles of the fame Kind > yet thefe fame 

 Particles, by various Tranfpofitions, Divifions, Mo- 

 tions, or any other new Modifications, may put 

 on different Faces and Shapes, and raife in us various 

 Perceptions of different Qualities and Accidents. If 

 this Philofophy be true, then fix'd Salts themfelves 

 may differ from each other in fenfible Qualities, ot 



Accidents, 



