z 
l 
4 
5 
3\(aturall HiHory: j 
Paffage of Water thorow twenty {mail Vdieis • And thorow fuck a j 
difiance, asbetweene the Low water, and High warerMarke. Second* 
ly, there is a great difference betweene Earth and Sand. For all Earth 
hath in it a kinde of Nitrons Salt, from which Sand is more free : And 
befides Earth doth not ftraine the Water fo finely, as Sand doth. But 
there is a Third Point, that I fufpe&as much, or more, than the other 
Two : And that is, that in the Experiment of Tranfmtfion of the Sea¬ 
water into the Pits, the Water rifeth ; But in the Experiment of Tranf 
million of the Water thorow the Velfels, it falleth : Now certaine it 
is, that the Salter Part of Water, ( once Salted thotow-out) goeth to 
theBottome. And therefore nomaruell, if the Draining of Water by 
defeent, doth not make it frefh : Befides, I doe fomewhat doubt, that 
the very Dafhing of the Water , that commeth from the Sea, is more 
proper to ftrike off the Salt Part, than where the Water flideth of her owne 
Motion. 
It feemeth Percolation or Tranfmifion , (which is commonly called 
Straining, ) is a good kinde of Separation Not onelv of Thicke from 
Thin, and Groffe from Fine ; But of more Tub tile Natures j And va-l 
rieth according to the Body thorow which the Tranfmfimi is made. As | 
ifthorowawoolenBagge, the Liquor leaueth the Fatnefle ; If thorow 
Sand, the Saltneffe; &c. They fpeakeofSeuering Wine from Water, 
paffing it thorow Iuy wood, or thorow other the like porous Body ; But 
A 'on Con ft at. 
The Gumme of Trees (which wee fee to bee commonly {Fining and 
cleare) is but a fine Paffage or Straining of the Juice of the Tree, thorow | 
the Wood and Barke. And in like manner, Corntlb Diamond , and Rocke j 
Rubies, (which are yet more refplendent than Gumme s) are the fine Exu-! 
dations of Stones. I 
Arijhtle gincththe Caufe, vainely, why the Feathers of Birds are of 
more liuely Colours, than the Haires of Eeajis ; for no Beajl. hath any fine 
Azure, or Carnation, or Greene Haire. Hee faith, it is, becaufe Birds are I 
more in the Beames of the Sunne, than Beajl s 5 But that is manifeftlyl 
vntrue;For Cattle are more in the S un than Birds,that line commonly in the 
Woods, or in fomeCouert. The true Caufe is, tharthe Excrementious 
Moifture of lining Creatures, which maketh as welithe Feathers in Birds , 
as the Haire in Beajls , paffeth in Birds thorow a finer and more delicate 
Strainer, than it dsthm Beajl s : For Feathers paffr thorow Qniis ; And 
Haire thorow Skin. 
The Clarifying of Liquors by Adhefion is an Inward Percolation $ And 
iseffe&ed, whenfome CleauingBody is Mixed and Agitate ! with the 
Liquors ; whereby the groffer Part of the Liquor ffickes to that Clea¬ 
ning Body 5 Andfo the Finer Parts are freed from the Groffer. So the 
Apothecaries clarifie their Sirrups bv whites of Egges, beaten with the 1 
luices which they would clarifie ; which Whites of Egges, gather all 
theDregges and groffer Parts of the Iuice to them 5 And after thei'/r-j 
rup being fet on the Fire, the Whites of Egges themfelues harden, and | 
are! 
