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SECT. XI, and XII. Several Experiments to confirm this.

THUS we fee (to give an Inftance of what we have afferted) that the Spirit of Common Salt and Mercury, neither of which are poisonous alone, being fublimated by Fire, are united in the Air, and then become fuch a deadly Poifon (to which they ufually give the name of Sublimate) that if it do not exceed Arfenic or Ratsbane itself, it may be counted at leaft as fatal. We shall not here enquire, whether what has been obferved by Diemerbroek, de Pefte, Lib. II. Cap. 3. might be supposed to have happen'd after fuch a manner; namely, that the Fumes of Soap with which Linnen was wafhed, might have brought the Plague into the Houses of Nimeguen, and have render'd the Air of that Town contagious; tho' it is well known, that the Ingredients of which that Matter is compofed, have nothing peftilential in them. This is hardly to be doubted, that when the Subterraneous Fires in the times of Earthquakes, have filled the Air with many Exhalations, thofe Exhalations themfelves, or their Union and Co-operation upon other Particles of the Air, have often produced contagious and other Epidemical Diftempers.

Thus we also fee that great and pernicious Poifons floating in the Air, being joined to other Matters, do thereby lofe their pernicious Qualities. And the Chymifts know very well, that how often foever the aforementioned Sublimate is exhaled or raised up into the Air, it will still remain a deadly Poifon : But if one take an equal Weight of Salt of Tartar, and mix it therewith, and then evaporate both together, theirParts will unite themfelves in the Air, and lofing their poisonous faculty, will produce a Medicine call'd Mercurius Dulcis, which is very

good in many Cafes. Some afcribe it to the fame Cause, that the Plague ceases at Grand Cairo as foon as the River Nile begins to fwell; fo that whereas the very Day before there might die 500 Persons, the very next Day there would not perhaps die one, according to the Relation in Sandy's Travels, Lib. II. The above-mention'd Mr. Boyle confirms the fame by many Instances.

That Gentleman has likewife taught us experimentally, that fluid Bodies may be changed into folid ones in the Air; for example, mix the Spirit of corrupted or fermented Urin with Brandy, which has not been entirely feparated from its Water; and fetting it over the Flame of a Lamp, or fome other more gentle Heat, the Fumes afcending from thence will be turn'd into a folid Body in the Air, appearing at the Top of the Glafs like a fine white Sublimate, notwithstanding that before the Distillation, each of them was a liquid Matter.

It is not our Defign in this place to enquire fo ftrictly, whether the abovementioned Phænomena at Nimeguen and Cairo, were rather to be afcrib'd to a Precipitation or Coagulation, which fome of the afcending Particles might produce in the Air; but that fomething of the like nature may happen in the Air, whether by Conjunction orSeparation, feems to be maintainable in fome manner, from the Obfervation of the Profeffor Schagt, at the time of the Sickness at Leyden, of which mention has been made before in Contemplation VII. and that which has been related to me by a curious and obferving Gentleman, feems to confirm the faid Opinion, which he says was commonly known to all the Inhabitants of London at that time, namely, that in the dreadful Peftilence of the Year 1665, those Coffee houses that were continually filled with the Smoak of Tobacco, were almoft the only places that efcaped the Infection. I fhall

I fhall not pretend to determine, whether what we have juft now mention'd must be understood to happen after the fame manner, as when a good quantity of Sublimate is diffolved in Water, and when into the fame Liquor, which is very poifonous, Salt of Tartar likewife diffolved in Water is poured, fo long, till a reddifh Powder is produced and finks down to the Bottom, or, according to the Chymical Term, is precipitated; after which it will appear, that by the Operation of these two Matters upon each other, all the Poifon of the Sublimate will be done away: Or, whether it may be supposed to happen in Conformity to that other Experiment, and the Confequences thereof, in making of Mercurius Dulcis, as has been obferved above. Our main Design in all this, has been only to fhew, that upon confidering the whole Matter, we ought to fuppofe this Globe of Earth, with its ambient Air, not only to be a Mathematical Machine (which may be proved by other Experiments, but even a great Chymical Laboratory, in which the Air reprefents a Recipient, in which thousands of Kinds and Differences of exhaling Particles are collected, either by Subterraneous Fires, by the Heat of the Sun, or by fome other Causes; or otherwife, as a Menftruum and Diffolvent, which being poured out upon innumerable Matters, extracts and unites to it felf various Particles from each of them: And those Paticles being mingled with the Air, may variously operate upon each other, according to their different Natures and Properties.

SECTI

SECT. XII. Convictions from the foregoing Obfervations.

BEFORE We proceed any further, in cafe any body, be he who he will, that has formed a juft Notion of this Constitution of the Air from what has been faid already, and knows what an infinite Number, not only of the fame, but even of different Kinds of Particles, do occur in the Air; after how many various manners they unite with each other; how from their Conjunction, from their Divifion or Separation, and otherwise, fo many pernicious and fatal, as well as wholfome and ufeful Effects may refult; I say, if befides all this, he is affured, that without Air neither Animals will live, nor Plants grow; Can he fit down easie under a Perfwafion, that all things do thus come to pass either by Chance, or by Mechanical Caufes, entirely ignorant of what they are doing, and without any Wisdom or Defign? And that without an infinite over-ruling Power and Providence, this real Chaos, or confufed Mass, fubject to fuch an unfpeakable number of Alterations, by the multitude and difagreeing Properties of its Parts, could have been adapted for fo long a Time, and ftill continue fo to preferve alive fo many thousand Animals and Plants, and to furnish all that is particularly neceffary to every one of them, with fo vaft a variety? And can he imagine, that it is to be ascribed to anything but a Divine Direction, furpaffing all Understanding, that these things do not fall into the utmost Confufion? Yea, can he poffibly, with all his Wifdom, form any just Idea thereof? how from fuch a confufed Mixture of all kinds of things as the Air is, and among which many indeed are ferviceable and ufeful, but likewife many others, both prejudicial and even con

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tagious and Fatal; I fay, that each requifite Particle can discharge its Function in its Place, and all the bad ones be prevented from doing harm, were it not that the Supreme Will of our adorable Ruler did herein exert its Wisdom and Power.

SECT. XIV. The Invifibility and Infipidity of the Air very useful.

THE aforefaid Wifdom and Goodnefs of GOD has often occurr'd to me with great aftonifhment, when I confidered, that he has been pleased to fubject to our Sense of Seeing, Fire, Water, Earth, Sun, Moon, Stars, and almost all other Creatures, excepting only the Air, which though we can feel well enough in Winds, and other Cafes, yet he has thought fit to render invifible to us. And yet, how does almost every Man tremble, when he fees the Vapours and other active Particles therein, gathered together in dark Clouds, and - and threatning us with Thunder and Lightning, with Storms and Tempests?

Again, If any one fhould be obliged to drink the Waters of Fens and Marshes, of Ditches and Kennels, mixt with Dirt and Naftiness, tho' perhaps not otherwife pernicious, how loathfome would it appear to him? Or if he fhould meet in it any of the Spawn of Serpents or Toads, tho' there were not enough thereof to poifon him, yet with how much Fear and Terror would he take the Cup into his Hands? And what pains would he take to feparate what was pure and wholfome from this dreadful Compofition? Now, if in the same manner, all the Filthinefs that is to be found in the Air, all the exhaling Particles, from foul and nafty Places, all the Vapours from stinking Puddles, or from rotten Carrion, or dead Carkaffes, all the afcending Steams from poisonous Minerals, and

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