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Of Air.

are more or lefs fheathed, or sheathed in different Sorts of Matter, I cannot determine. But I take what we call Spirits to be volatile Salts, fheathed.

Air has Gravity, Fluidity and Elasticity; Gravity in a lefs, and Fluidity in a greater Degree, than Water. How the Corpufcles of Air perform their elaftick Operation, whether each of them is formed like two Sides of a Triangle, and the Preffure of the Atmosphere keeps them bent at a different degree, at each different Depth of the Atmosphere; or a greater Preffure compreffes them to more acute Angles, and a lefs fuffers them to open to more oblique ones, and to form thicker or thinner Air; whether the Corpuscles of Fire are fo framed, as only to enter between their outsides, and expand them by their own Space, and make the whole lighter by the Difference of Gravity; or whether they also enter between the Legs of each Corpufcle, and extend them in Proportion to the Force they are driven in with, and make them contain a greater Space, and fo weigh lighter than both afunder, by varying each other's Specific Gravities, as 'tis called, or whether the Corpufcles of Fire can extend little Maffes of Air like Bubbles of other Fluids, I can

not

hot determine. And whether, when a Body moved in Air, receives a new force by the Air, as a Fluid preffed after it, or by the Sort of Vacuum it makes, thofe Corpuscles of Air extend their Legs, and set it forward by their elastick Force; and whether these Jets be not the Caufe of the swift Motion of Corpuscles of Fire in it, deferves well to by confidered. The Corpufcles of Air, when they are not impelled by fome other Agent, separate from all other Fluids, and collect into their Place, according to their Degree of Gravity; and will not in a Body afcend through any other Fluid, unless formed into Steam by Corpufcles of Fire and other Fluids, nor even then thro' any denfe folid.

"Tis hard to know whether the Cor- Of Fire. puscles of Fire have any Gravity, or whether they adhere to one another, fo as to form either a Fluid or folid Body. If they have Gravity, or are attracted towards the Center of the Sun, 'tis hard to conceive how any of them, with how great Force foever they are thrown, could come from thence hither. Whether they be of different Size to require different Forces to move them, and larger than those which form Light, I am not certain: But the Fermentation in fome Sorts.

B 4

of Wood, whilft it is, as we call it rotting, and fome Bodies in the fame Condition, emit Light in the Dark, and when that Wood is fufficiently fermented or rotten, a little Fire will confume it, and it will emit little Light or Flame, and the Fire will appear redish, which induces me to believe that Light confifts of Corpuf cles fmaller then Fire, or that there are Corpufcles of Fire of different Magnitudes, or of different Gravities; however they are fo fmall and fo fharp, that they by the Preffure of the Air pervade, and in fufficient Quantity, divide the Corpufcles of almoft all Bodies, except fome few whofe Pores are fo close that they cannot enter in fufficient Quantity; and fome others, which are fo open and their Corpuscles fo hooked or twisted that they cannot divide them, pervade between and keep at a Distance the Corpufcles of all Fluids, and in Quantity expand them to a great Dimension; and fo light, that, adhering to the Corpufcles of other Bodies, make those which would have funk alone, fwim in Water, Air, &c. and to make Corpufcles of Water, Oil, &c. which would have funk, to swim in Air, so that the Air would prefs them, if alone, to its Surface. But 'tis likely they are so very

fmall,

fmall, that as fcon as they are freed and loofe, by the Impulfe they receive at Separation, which, as it happens, is in all Directions, the Air preffes thofe which fly fideways, or downward, again to the fuel fucceffively, and those which go upward entangle with the Matter they bear off with Air, with Particles of Moisture or other Matter, and are detained in the Air, Water, &c. and defcend with them to the Earth, fo that a vaft Quantity of them lie entangled in all forts of Matter, and may be freed and fet to work by friction, fermentation, &c. And fuppofing a Creature alive and healthy, fuppofes that there is a fufficient Quantity of thefe Corpufcles in its Body to keep the Juices thin, fluid, and as we call it warm, fufficient to commence a new fermentation; and the Absence of thefe Corpufcles is Death.

Whether, what we call Cold, be only Of Cold. the Abfence of the Corpufcles of Fire, whereby the Surfaces of the Corpufcles of Fluids are fuffered to come nearer together, and become lefs fluid or more folid, or whether it be Corpufcles of Matter which can pervade the Pores or Intervals of Solids and Fluids, and entangle thofe of Fire, and hinder their Operation, or are fo

shaped,

Of the Sa

liva.

fhaped, that when intermixed among the Corpufcles of Fluids, they fill the Intervals clofer, or by Roughness, or &c. make them adhere together; or whether when they pervade a Veffel full of hot Steam, they affix to the firft Corpufcles of Fire, and make them, and fo they make one another fubfide; or whether the Corpufcles of Fire in an Inftant pervade the Veffel, and fly to the outfide, where there is a Vacuum for them, by Abfence of their Species, and fo defert the Corpufcles of Water, &c. which they bore up, to fubfide, I cannot tell. But if there be fuch Corpufcles, 'tis likely they have more Gravity than thofe of Fire, and perhaps more than those of Air, and must be very small, and so shaped to pervade, where Air nor any other Corpufcles except those of fire, can. But whatever their figures be, they seem either to be blunt, or incapable of being mov'd brifkly, or strongly enough to divide the Corpufcles of other Bodies.

Whether the Saliva or Spittle be only a thin fluid, to make the Meat break and pass down more eafily, foftened with fome flimy Mixtures, to keep the Parts of the Mouth and Throat fupple and prevent friction, or whether it have any Corpuf

cles

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