The Preface, iii 
About twenty years Jince , I made fever al 
hamafiatkal Experiments on CDogs, and fix 
Tears afterwards repeated the fame on Horfes 
and other Animals , in order to find oat the 
real force of the blood in the Arteries, fome 
of which are mentioned in the third chapter 
of this book : At which times I wiped I could 
have made the like Experiments, to difcover 
the force of the Sap in Vegetables ; but de- 
fp aired of ever effecting it, till about feven 
years Jince, by mere accident I hit upon it, 
while I was endeavouring by fever al ways 
to flop the bleeding of an old ftem of a Vine , 
which was cut too near the bleeding feafon, 
which I feared might kill it : Having , af- 
ter other means proved ineffectual, tied a 
piece of bladder over the tranfverfe cut of 
the Stem, I found the force of the Sap did 
greatly extend the bladder 5 whence I con- 
cluded, that if a long glafs tube were fixed 
there in the fame manner, as I had before 
done to the Arteries of fever al living Ani- 
mals, Ifhould thereby obtain the real afcend- 
ing force of the Sap in that Stem, which 
fucceeded according to my expectation, and 
hence it is, that I have been infenjibly led 
on, to make farther and farther refear ches, 
by variety of Experiments , 
As 
