W A T 
However, Bans Valentine, Paracelfus, Van Helmont, 
Bentivoglio, and others have maintained, on his prin- 
ciples, that Water is the elemental matter or ftamen 
of ail things, and that it fuffices for the production 
of all things ; which Helmont endeavours to prove 
from the following experiment. 
He burnt a quantity, of earth in a potter’s veffel, till 
filch time as all the oil it contained was quite con- 
fumed-, then mixing it with Water, he drew out all 
the fait. The earth thus prepared, he put into an 
earthen pot, fuch as is ufed by gardeners, and took 
care that nothing but rain Water could enter into the 
fame ; and yet a Willow being planted in this earth, 
grew up to a confiderable height ; whence he con- 
cluded, that Water was the only nutriment of the ve- 
getable kind, as vegetables are of the animal. 
The fame thing Mr. Boyle likewife argued from a 
fimilar experiment, and the whole is countenanced by 
Sir Ifaac Newton, who obferves, that Water Banding 
a few days in the open air, yields a tinfture, which, 
like that 'of irialt, by Banding longer, yields a fedi- 
ment and a fpirit -, but before putrefa&ion, is fit nou- 
rifhment for animals and vegetables. 
But Dr. Woodward endeavours to ffiew, that they 
were both miBaken ; proving, that Water contains in 
it divers extraneous corpufcles, and that fome of thefe 
are the proper matter of nutrition ; Water being 
found to afford fo much the lefs nouriBiment, the 
more it is purified. Thus Mint planted in Water pu- 
rified by difiillation, will not grow fo faB, as if put in 
Water not diBilled ; and if the Water be diBilled 
three or four times over, the plant will fcarce grow 
at all, or receive any nouriBiment from it. 
So that Water as fuch, is not the proper nutriment 
of vegetables, but only the vehicle thereof ; which 
contains the nutritious particles, and carries them along 
with it through all the parts of the plants fo that a 
Water plant, e. g. a Water Crefs, being put in a 
glafs veffel full of "Water, will be found to contain 
the more fait and oil. 
In effedt. Water nourifhes the lefs, the more it is 
purged of its faponaceous falts, in its pure Bate it may 
fuffice to extend or fwell the parts, but affords no new 
vegetable matter. 
Of the fluidity of V/ater . 
Water, fays Dr. Boerhaave, is fiuid, but the fluidity 
is not natural thereto ; for naturally, it is of the crys- 
talline kind ; and accordingly, wherever a certain 
degree of fire is wanting, there we fee Water be- 
come ice. That this ice is the proper effect of the 
want of heat, and not of any additional fpicula intro- 
duced into the Water, as Mariotte and others con- 
tend, is evident enough, were it only hence, that on 
this fuppofition, it could not penetrate the fubBance 
of all bodies, as we find it does, and even that of 
metals. 
This Water in its Bate of folution, never remains at 
reff ; its parts are in perpetual motion, as was firB 
difeovered by the French with the help of micro- 
fcopes-, and is farther confirmed by this, that if a 
little Saffron be fufpended in the middle of a veffel 
full of Water, the Saffron colour will in a little time, 
form as it were, a kind of atmofphere around, and at 
length be diffufed through the whole Water. Now 
this could no way be effe&ed without a motion of the 
watery particles among each other. Add, that if 
you caff a quantity of the drieff fait, in the coldeff 
weather into Water, it will foon be diffolved ; which 
argues the continual motion of the particles of that 
element. 
He adds, that he had more than once filled a large 
wide veffel with Water, and narrowly watched with a 
good microfcope, but could never perceive it without 
fome fort of undulatory motion. 
Water fcarce ever continues two moments exactly of 
the fame weight but is always varying more or lefs, 
by reafon of the air and fire contained in it. Thus 
if you lay a piece of pure limpid ice in a nice balance. 
W A T 
you will find it continue in equilibria. The expan- 
sion of Water, in boiling, fhews what effect the dif- 
ferent degree that fire has on the gravity of Water. 
This uncertainty makes it difficult to fix the fpecific 
gravity of V/ater, in order to fettle its degree of pu- 
rity ; but this we may fay in the general, that the 
pureff W ater we can procure is, that which weighs 
880 times as much as air. 
However, neither have we any tolerable Bandard for 
air; for Vfater being fo much heavier than afr, the 
more Water is contained in air, the heavier of courfe 
muff it be ; as in effect, the principal part of the 
weight of the atmofphere, feems to arife from the 
Water. 
Of all Waters, the pureff is that which falls in rain 
in a cold feafon, and a Bill day--, and this we mult - 
be content to take for elementary "Water. The rain 
Water in hammer, or when the atmofphere is in com- 
motion it is certain, muff contain infinite kinds of 
heterogeneous matter. Thus if you gather the Wa- 
ter that falls after a thunder clap in afultry fummer’s 
day, and let it Band and fettle, you will find a real 
fait ilicking at the bottom -, but in winter, efpecially 
when it freezes, the exhalations are but few, fo that 
the rain falls without much adulteration ; and hence, 
what is thus gathered in the morning, is found of 
good ufe for taking aways fpots in the face ; and that 
gathered from fnow, againff inflammations in the 
eye. Yet this rain Water, with all its purity, may be 
filtred arid diBilled a thoufand times, and it will Bill 
leave fome feces behind it ; fo that to procure the 
pureff Water poffible, a man muft look for it in a 
fpacious plain in the winter time, when the earth is 
covered with fnow, and its pores locked up v/ith froff. 
The next in point of purity is fpring Water. This, 
according to Dr. Halley, is collected from the air it- 
felf -, which, being faturated with Water, and coming 
to be condenfed by the evening’s cold, is driven 
againff the cold tops of mountains, where, being far- 
ther condenfed and collected, it gleets down or diffils, 
as much as in an alembic. 
Spring Water becomes the better by running; for 
during all its courfe, it is depofiting what heteroge- 
neous matters it contained ; but while the river drives 
on its Waters in an uninterrupted Bream, all its falts, 
with all the vegetable and animal matters drained into 
it, either from exhalations, or from the ground it 
wadies gradually, either fink to the bottom, or are 
driven to the ffiore. 
But what Water defeends from fprings on the tops of 
mountains, is generally pretty free from heterogene- 
ous bodies. 
Of the folutive power of Water, 
YVater confidered a§ a menffruum, dilfolves, 
1 . All falts ; as fugar, borax, &c. which air only 
dififolves by virtue of the Water it contains ; which 
fire only liquifies, and earth leaves untouched, fo that 
Yfater alone is the proper menffruum of falts. 
The particles of falts, as has been obferved, can in- 
finuate themfelves into the interffices between the par- 
ticles of Water ; but when thole interffices are filled 
with any fait, the fams Water will not any longer 
diffolve the fame fait ; but a fait of another kind it 
will, by reafon its particles being of a different form, 
will enter and occupy the vacancies left by the for- 
mer. And thus again, it will diffolve a third or 
fourth fait, &c. So when Water has imbibed its fill 
of common fait, it will Bill diffolve nitre ; and when 
faturated with heat, will diffolve fal armoniac ; and 
fo on. 
2. It dilfolves all faline bodies ; it being the conffi- 
tuent quality of a faline body, to be uninflammable 
and diffoluble in Water. Hence Water may diffolve 
all bodies, even the heavieff and moff compact, as 
metals, inafmueh as thefe are capable of being reduced 
into a faline form ; for thefe may be fo intimately dif- 
folved by Water, as to be fuftained therein. 
3. It diffolves all faponaceous bodies, l e, all alka- 
5 4 Q. lino us 
