( ti^4 ) 
By the Tafte wedifiinguifh the Acrid and the Acid Salts^ which. 
mix in diftillauorij and they are not well . diftingLiifhed ly the 
Chymifts. 
By the Tafte we difcern when the Fire makes new products and 
mixtures, not naturally found in Plants ^ for in Corn, Beans, 
Peas, Bread, Fire produces a Volatile ^Salr not obfervable in them 
-before : And a Volatile Salt is drawn from the lees of Wme by 
the Fire-, and Le\^en yields alfo a Volatile Salt y whereas before 
in Corn only an Oyl and Acid were obferved ^ and 'tis probable 
that the Tartar is Volatilised, both-by the f erme;itation and the 
Fi'^e. ■ ;^ ^ 
Coffeeis aBe:tnbyit^/Tafte an4,C^ and acquires a Volatile 
SAi by roaftlngs 'but' li'^Emr/ ptily n-entions its Oyl and fixed 
Salt upon Diftin tion, but rl'e ir^dd' Salt is the effefl of Fire, and 
its virtue depends on the Volatile. . . 
No more Cliymiitry is neceffiiry for the difcovery of the Phyfi- 
cal Vernies gf Plants.^ than to make Decoftions of them in fair 
V7 ' ' ^ ai d to obferve the Taftes and other fenfible qualities of 
thof. DeG6£f ions, and frcm them to rake the natural hints for the 
tiyal of their Virtues on Animal Bodies. I will confine my felf to 
the Ciaisoi Sweei Taites^, and give an account of feveral Decofli- 
ons made in all the ipecies of fweet Plants, and add fome Taftes 
I had not formerly defciibed fiilly, and fuch reafons as induced me 
to place them in the Clafs of Sweet Plants. 
I hope thefe cbjeftions againft Decoftions, that the Volatile parts 
e5(p*re, 'and the mucilage diflblving in the Water obfcures the 
' Tafte ; I therefgre do confefs, that Plants are beft tafted in their 
natural ftate to difcover all their Vertues, but thefe Decoftions do 
help to confirm our Taftes, and difcover the great variety of Me-- 
dicines which may be made from Sweet Taftes. Note, that, all 
I)eco£fions muft be tafted cold. 
J Defcription of the TaJles midot1?er fenjthle qualities, in 
the DecoSf ions, of^lants of the Sweet clafs, 
I. nPHe Grafs Sweets, under which are contained ill forts of 
1 Grafles- and Ruflies, Reeds and Com ^ I refer Nymphea 
Alba to the Rufhes, both for its figure and tafte, which is crude 
and ftyptic, with a hitteriftinefs in the Seed ^ but the flowers ^re 
)ike Lillies of a fweet fmell, and mucilaginous^ fweet. ftyptic in 
Tafte- 
I 
