( 6 1^0 ) 
log ar retamiog that ftate according eo theCatholick Lawsof 
NaturejCaooot be denied to be io a natHral ftate ^ fo upon tht 
fame ground 'twill be hard to dtoy, but that thofg Bodies, 
which are (aid to be in z violent ftatejOaay alio be iq a naturd 
ooe, fiocethc violence they are prefum'd to fuffer from out- 
ward Agents, is like wife cxercifed no other wife than accord- 
ing to the eftabliCb't Laws of Univerfaii Nature. This the Au- 
thor exemplifies^and particularly applies to the ftate of the Air. 
As to his Difcourfe of a.y^^^/V^i/ H;/^r^^^^ and the Ufes of 
fuch loftrumedtSjhe pitches upon a fiae kpunge^^s that which is 
eafily portablejaod not calie to be divided or diffipated, and 
which by its readincfs to Ibakin watergto him fecm'd likely to 
imbibe the aqueous particles difpers'd in the Air 5 which alfo^ 
by its poroufnefs throughout hath much more fuperficies in re- 
ference to its bulkjthan any body not otherwiic kls fit for the 
intended ufe that came into his thoughts.lt feems. our Author 
tryed divers other Bodies.as feveral Salts, Lute-ftrings, Cups 
luro'd outof light wood, white Sheeps-leather 5 but found 
none fo convenient for hispurpofe^asaSpunge, which how he 
turn'd into a Hjgrofcope^h largely explained in this Difcourfe : 
To which are annexed the: various Utilities of Hygrofcopes ^ 
as i.To know the differing Variations of weather ia the fame 
month,day and hour^a.To know how much one year and fea- 
fonis dryer or moifter than another. 5.T0 difcover and com- 
pare the changes of theTemperature of theAir^made by Winds, 
ftrong or weak ; frofty/nowyjand other weather. 4,To com- 
pare the temperature of differing Houfes,aod difFeriog Rooms 
in the fame Houfe.5.To obferve in a chamber theEfftfts of the 
prefence or abfeoce of a Fire in a chimney or ftove.d.To keep a 
chamber at the fame degree^or at the affigo'd degree ofdrinelk 
To this is fub joined ^iNemExperiment and other mjiancer of the 
Efficac/ of the Air s Mofjiur e^notooly upon Mm^s H^^k^^ 
upon fubjefts far lefs teoderjaod lefs curtoufly contrivcdjthan 
Humaoe bodies^as Wood^StringsofMufical Inftruments, Me-- , 
tallin pipeSjVirriolat Marcafites^and Ropes 5 of which laft the 
Author makes ufe for an Experiment to IheWj not only in ge- 
neralsthat the Moifture of the Air m^y have a confiderabk Ef- 
ficacy ^but to affift us to make fom^ eftimate in k^otpn meafnres 
of the mechanical force of the Aerial moifture. 
If. 
