(aturall Hislorj: 
8 p 
90 
Experiment 
Solitary tou- 
chinj’thef'irr- 
fitnsf Water in¬ 
to Aire, 
pi 
I in Prater, for two or three dayes . Bur they roiiftbee fucli Bodies, into 
j which the water will not enter ; As Stone , and Metall. For if they be Bo- \ 
dies into which the,i water will enter, then long Seething, will rather 
I Soften than indurate them. As hath beenc tried in E:ges, &c. There*; 
j fore. Softer Bodies mud be put into Bottles • And the Bottles hung into 
! Water feething, with the motithes open, aboue the water ; that no ^4- 
ter may get in • For by thisMeanes, the vertuall Heat of the water will 
enter; Andfuch a Heat, as will not make the Bodyaduft, or fragile 5 
ButtheSubftanceof the Water will be fhutout. This Experiment wee 
made • And it fortedthus. It was tried with aPeece of Free-ft one, and 
with i' erf ter, put into the water at large. The Free-jlone wee found recei- 
ued in font c Water ■ For it was fofter, and eafier to ferape, than a peece 
of the fame Stone kept dry. But the Pewter into which no Water could 
enter, became more white, and liker to Siluer, and lefle flexible* by 
much. There were alio put into an Earthen Bottle, placed as before, 
a good Pellet of Clay, a Peece of Chee/e, a Peece of Cbalke, and a Peece 
of Frec-ftone. The Clay came forth almoft of the Hardneflc of Stones 
The Cheeje likewile very hard, and not well to bee cut: The Cbalke and 
the Free-jlone much harder than they were. The colour of the Clay in¬ 
clined not a whit to .the Colour of Brieke, but rather to White, as in or¬ 
dinary Drying by the Sunne. Note, that all the former Trialls were 
madebyaBoylingvpon a good hot Fire, renewing the water as it confir¬ 
med, with other hot water ; But the Boy ling was butfortweluehoures 
onely • And it is like that the Experiment would hanebeene more ef- 
fe£tuall,ifthe Boyling hadbeenefor two or three dayes, as we prelcribed 
before. 
As touching Afimilation , (for there is a degree of Ajfmilation euen in 
Inanimate Bodies) wee fee examples ofit in fome Stones in Clay-grounds, 
lying neere to the top of the Earth, where Pebble is ; In which you may 
manifeflly fee diners Pebbles gathered together, anda Cruft of Cement 
or Stone betweene them, as hard a s the Pebbles themfelues: And it were 
good to make 3 Triallof purpole, by taking Clay, and putting in it di- 
uers Pebble-jlones , thicke fet, to fee whether in continuance of time, it 
will not be harder than other Clay of the lame lumpe, in which no Pebbles 
are fet. WefeealfoinRuinesof old Walls, efpecially towards theBot- 
tome, the Morter will become as hard as the Brieke • wee fee alfo, that 
the Wood on the lides of F'eJJels® f Wine , gathereth a Cruft of Tartar , har¬ 
der than the wood it felfe; And Scales likewife grow to the Teeth, harder 
than the Teeth themfelues. 
Moft of all, Induration by Ajfmslation appeareth in the Bodies of Trees 
and Lining Creatures: For no Nourifhment that the Tree recciueth,orthat 
the Lining Creature xecemtzth, is fo hard as Wood, B one ,ot Horne, &c* but 
is Indurated after by Ajjimilation. 
T He eye of the vnderftanding, is like the eye of the Senfc: For as you 
may fee great Obie&sthorow fmall Crannies, orLeuells; So you 
mavj 
