( 5iM ) 
Sales ioto Fixnnd r^^/^^i/,' fdrafmucb as, in his opinion, that 
Divifion is uokoown to Nature, there beiog not to be formal^ 
ly found iivany Body before Calcination any Fixt Salt, fuch as 
the Alcalifate Sale of Tartar and other Fixt Salts are, produced 
by Calcinationt He therefore informs us, That Salts that arc 
Volatile before Incinerationj arebytheaftion of the Fire, as 
♦ the Efficient, fo colliquated among themfelvcs and with the 
Earthy particlesj as to be fixed thereby* For the dearing of 
\vhich> he prefuppofech with lome others, that there are Two 
kindsof Salts, >n y4Wi and an Acid^ as the gcnuin Inftru- 
ments of Nature, by which the fcveral Kinds and Seeds of 
things are^ put forth, and which every where are employed in 
the Gerrnination of Plants, and thcfirfl Conceptions of Ani- 
0ials5 and in all the beginnings of Fermentations. Thefc two 
Silts he affirms to he both Volatile, and therefore cafijy refo- 
luble by the fupcrvcningSalt of the Air : fioce it appears, that 
all Vegetables, cfpecially Aromaticks, if they be any coofi- 
derabletime expofed to the Air, looft their Salts 5 and that 
Wood in particular, by the adlion of the Air, conluming the 
Volatil Salt,doth in time quite moulder away . Whilft therefore 
thcfe Salts are loofen'd and fct at liberty by the fire, (for clfe 
they would not aft,) they begin to operate on one another; 
the Volatil -4^1^/, whilft it works upon the volatil Alcali^ fixeth 
ir, and they are colliquated together. Vl^hich operation of 
Nature being well obfcrved, it will be manifcft, that that re* 
eei ved Axiome, thipigs Volatil are fixed by thofe that are Fixt^ 
and th^ngi fixt rendred volatil by thofi that are Volatik isfalfc. 
Now, that Volatil Salts arc confumcd by the Air,and colliqua- 
ted by Fire, is lb notorious, that Common people arc wont to 
finkin water fuch Timber as they would prcfcrvc from putre- 
fafticn; thereby to keep it from Air,and to harden it to a great 
degree for ftrong fupports of buildings. Hence alfo they, 
flightlyburntheeods of Timber to be fet in the ground, that 
fo by the Fufion made by Fire the Volatil Salts, which by 
the acceiSon of the moifture of the Earth would cafily be con- 
fumed to the corruption of the Timber, may catch and fix 
one an other. For which rcafon alfo, namely the fufion of 
the fame volatil Salts, Ship- Wrights arc wont to burn thelow- 
croioft 
