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issue from the other; such are quicksilver and white amber, to herbs, and flies, and such bodies. The third is, that the body to be preserved be not of that gross that it may corrupt within itself, although no part of it issue into the body adjacent: and therefore it must be rather thin and small, than of bulk. There is a fourth remedy also, which is, that if the body to be preserved be of bulk, as a corpse is, then the body that encloseth it must have a virtue to draw forth, and dry the moisture of the inward body; for else the putrefaction will play within, though nothing issue forth. I remember Livy doth relate, that there were found at a time two coffins of lead in a tomb; whereof the one contained the body of king Numa, it being some four hundred years after his death: and the other, his books of sacred rites and ceremonies, and the discipline of the pontiffs; and that in the coffin that had the body, there was nothing at all to be

seen, but a little light cinders about the sides; but in the coffin that had the books, they were found as fresh as if they had been but newly written, being written on parchment, and covered over with watchcandles of wax three or four fold. By this it seemeth that the Romans in Numa's time were not so good embalmers as the Egyptians were; which was the cause that the body was utterly consumed. But I find in Plutarch, and others, that when Augustus Cæsar visited the sepulchre of Alexander the Great in Alexandria, he found the body to keep its dimension; but withal, that notwithstanding all the embalming, which no doubt was of the best, the body was so tender, as Cæsar, touching but the nose of it, defaced it. Which maketh me find it very strange, that the Egyptian mummies should be reported to be as hard as stone-pitch; for I find no difference but one, which indeed may be very material; namely, that the ancient Egyptian mummies were shrowded in a number of folds of linen, besmeared with gums, in manner of sear-cloth, which it doth not appear was practised upon the body of Alexander.

Experiment solitary touching the abundance of

nitre in certain sea-shores. 772. Near the castle of Caty, and by the wells of Assan, in the land of Idumæa, a great part of the way you would think the sea were near at hand, though it be a good distance off: and it is nothing but the shining of the nitre upon the sea sands, such abundance of nitre the shores there do put forth. Experiment solitary touching bodies that are borne

up by water. 773. The Dead Sea, which vomiteth

up

bitumen, is of that crassitude, as living bodies bound hand and foot cast into it have been borne up, and not sunk; which sheweth, that all sinking into water is but an over-weight of the body put into the water in respect of the water ; so that you may make water so strong and heavy, of quicksilver, perhaps, or the like, as may bear up iron ; of which I see no use, but imposture. We see also, that all metals, except gold, for the same reason, swim upon quicksilver. Experiment solitary touching fuel that consumeth

little or nothing 774. It is reported, that at the foot of a hill near the mare mortuum there is a black stone, whereof pilgrims make fires, which burneth like a coal, and diminisheth not, but only waxeth brighter and whiter. That it should do so is not strange : for we see iron red-hot burneth, and consumeth not; but the strangeness is, that it should continue any time so: for iron, as soon as it is out of the fire, deadeth straightways. Certainly it were a thing of great use and profit, if you could find out fuel that would burn hot, and yet last long: neither am I altogether incredulous, but there may be such candles as they say are made of salamander's wool; being a kind of mineral, which

a whiteneth also in the burning, and consumeth not. The question is this ; flame must be made of somewhat, and commonly it is made of some tangible

body which hath weight: but it is not impossible
perhaps that it should be made of spirit, or vapour, in
a body, which spirit or vapour hath no weight, such
as is the matter of ignis fatuus. But then you will
say, that that vapour also can last but a short time :
to that it may be answered, that by the help of oil,
and wax, and other candle-stuff, the flame may con-
tinue, and the wick not burn.
Experiment solitary economical touching cheap fuel.

775. SEA-COAL lasts longer than charcoal; and
charcoal of roots, being coaled into great pieces, lasts
longer than ordinary charcoal. Turf and peat, and
cow-sheards, are cheap fuels, and last long. Small-
coal, or brier-coal, poured upon charcoal, make them
last longer. Sedge is a cheap fuel to brew or bake
with : the rather because it is good for nothing else.
Trial would be made of some mixture of sea-coal
with earth or chalk; for if that mixture be, as the
sea-coal men use it, privily, to make the bulk of the
coal greater, it is deceit; but if it be used purposely,
and be made known, it is saving.
Experiment solitary touching the gathering of wind

for freshness. 776. It is at this day in use in Gaza, to couch potsherds or vessels of earth in their walls, to gather the wind from the top, and to pass it down in spouts into rooms. It is a device for freshness in great heats: and it is said, there are some rooms in Italy and Spain for freshness, and gathering the winds and air in the heats of summer; but they be but pennings of the winds, and enlarging them again, and making them reverberate, and

go

round in circles, rather than this device of spouts in the wall.

Experiment solitary touching the trials of airs.

777. There would be used much diligence in the choice of some bodies and places, as it were, for the tasting of air; to discover the wholesomeness or unwholesomeness, as well of seasons, as of the seats of

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dwellings. It is certain, that there be some houses wherein confitures and pies will gather mould more than in others. And I am persuaded, that a piece of raw flesh or fish will sooner corrupt in some airs than in others. They be noble experiments that can make this discovery ; for they serve for a natural divination of seasons, better than the astronomers can by their figures: and again, they teach men where to choose their dwelling for their better health. Experiment solitary touching increasing of milk

in milch beasts.) 778. THERE is a kind of stone about Bethlehem, which they grind to powder, and put into water, whereof cattle drink, which maketh them give more milk. Surely there should be some better trials made of mixtures of water in ponds for cattle, to make them more milch, or to fatten them, or to keep them from murrain. It may be chalk and nitre are of the best. Experiments solitary touching sand of the

nature of glass. 779. It is reported, that in the valley near the mountain Carmel in Judea there is a sand, which of all other hath most affinity with glass : insomuch as other minerals laid in it turn to a glassy substance without the fire; and again, glass put into it turneth into the mother sand. The thing is very strange, if it be true: and it is likeliest to be caused by some natural furnace or heat in the earth : and yet they do not speak of any eruption of flames. It were good to try in glass-works, whether the crude materials of glass, mingled with glass already made, and remolten, do not facilitate the making of glass with less heat. Experiment solitary touching the growth of coral.

780. In the sea, upon the south-west of Sicily, much coral is found. It is a submarine plant. It hath no leaves : it brancheth only when it is under water; it is soft, and green of colour; but being brought into the air, it becometh hard and shining

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red, as we see. It is said also to have a white berry; but we find it not brought over with the coral. Belike it is cast away as nothing worth : inquire better of it, for the discovery of the nature of the plant. Experiment solitary touching the gathering

of manna. - 781. The manna of Calabria is the best, and in most plenty. They gather it from the leaf of the mulberry-tree; but not of such mulberry-trees as grow in the valleys. And manna falleth upon the leaves by night, as other dews do. ' It should seem, that beföre those dews come upon trees in the valleys, they dissipate and cannot hold out. It should seem also, the mulberry-leaf itself hath some coagulating virtue, which inspissateth the dew, for that it is not found upon other trees: and we see by the silkworm, which feedeth upon that leaf, what a dainty smooth juice it hath; and the leaves also, especially of the black mulberry, are somewhat bristly, which may help to preserve the dew. Certainly it were not amiss to observe a little better the dews that fall upon trees, or herbs growing on mountains, for it may be many dews fall, that spend before they come to the valleys. And I suppose, that he that would gather the best Maydew for medicine, should gather it from the hills. Experiment solitary touching the correcting of wine.

782. It is said they have a manner to prepare their Greek wines, to keep them from fuming and inebriating, by adding somesulphuror allum: whereof the one is unctuous, and the other is astringent. And certain it is, that those two natures do best repress fumes. This experiment should be transferred unto other wine and strong beer, by putting in some like substances while they work; which may make them both to fume less, and to inflame less. Experiment solitary touching the materials of

wildfire. 783. Ir is conceived by some, not improbably, that the reason why wildfires, whereof the principal

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