Micrographia Part 9

16 A figuration somewhat like this, though indeed in some particulars much more curious, I have several times observ'd in _regulus martis stellatus_, but with this difference, that all the stems and branchings are bended in a most excellent and regular order, whereas in _Ice_ the stems and branchings are streight, but in all other particulars it agrees with this, and seems indeed nothing but one of these stars, or branched Figures frozen on _Urine_, distorted, or wreathed a little, with a certain proportion: _Lead_ also that has _a.r.s.enick_ and some other things mixt with it, I have found to have its surface, when suffer'd to cool, figured somewhat like the branchings of _Urine_, but much smaller.

17 But there is a _Vegetable_ which does exceedingly imitate these branches, and that is, _Fearn_, where the main stem may be observ'd to shoot out branches, and the stems of each of these _lateral_ branches, to send forth _collateral_, and those _subcollateral_ and those _laterosubcollateral,_ &c. and all those much after the same order with the branchings, divisions, and subdivisions in the branchings of these Figures in frozen _Urine_; so that if the Figures of both be well consider'd, one would ghess that there were not much greater need of a _seminal principle_ for the production of _Fearn_, then for the production of the branches of _Urine_, or the _Stella martis_, there seeming to be as much form and beauty in the one as in the other.

And indeed, this Plant of _Fearn_, if all particulars be well consider'd, will seem of as simple, and uncompounded a form as any _Vegetable_, next to _Mould_ or _Mushromes_, and would next after the invention of the forms of those, deserve to be enquir'd into; for notwithstanding several have affirm'd it to have seed, and to be propagated thereby; yet, though I have made very diligent enquiry after that particular, I cannot find that there is any part of it that can be imagin'd to be more seminal then another: But this onely here by the by:

For the freezing Figures in _Urine_, I found it requisite,

First, that the Superficies be not disturbed with any wind, or other commotion of the air, or the like.

Secondly, that it be not too long exposed, so as that the whole bulk be frozen, for oftentimes, in such cases, by reason of the swelling the of _Ice_, or from some other cause, the curious branched Figures disappear.

Thirdly, an artificial freezing with _Snow_ and _Salt_, apply'd to the outside of the containing Vessel, succeeds not well, unless there be a very little quant.i.ty in the Vessel.

Fourthly, If you take any cleer and smooth Gla.s.s, and wetting all the inside of it with _Urine_, you expose it to a very sharp freezing, you will find it cover'd with a very regular and curious Figure.

II.

_Observables in figur'd _Snow_._

Exposing a piece of black Cloth, or a black Hatt to the falling _Snow_, I have often with great pleasure, observ'd such an infinite variety of curiously figur'd _Snow_, that it would be as impossible to draw the Figure and shape of every one of them, as to imitate exactly the curious and Geometrical _Mechanisme_ of Nature in any one. Some coorse draughts, such as the coldness of the weather, and the ill provisions, I had by me for such a purpose, would permit me to make, I have here added in the Second _Figure_ of the Eighth _Scheme_.[12]

In all which I observ'd, that if they were of any regular Figures, they were always branched out with six princ.i.p.al branches, all of equal length, shape and make, from the center, being each of them inclin'd to either of the next branches on either side of it, by an angle of sixty degrees.

Now, as all these stems were for the most part in one flake exactly of the same make, so were they in differing Figures of very differing ones; so that in a very little time I have observ'd above an hundred several cizes and shapes of these starry flakes.

The branches also out of each stem of any one of these flakes, were exactly alike in the same flake; so that of whatever Figure one of the branches were, the other five were sure to be of the same, very exactly, that is, if the branchings of the one were small _Perallelipipeds_ or Plates, the branchings of the other five were of the same; and generally, the branchings were very conformable to the rules and method observ'd before, in the Figures on _Urine_, that is, the branchings from each side of the stems were parallel to the next stem on that side, and if the stems were plated, the branches also were the same; if the stems were very long, the branches also were so, &c.

Observing some of these figur'd flakes with a _Microscope_, I found them not to appear so curious and exactly figur'd as one would have imagin'd, but like Artificial Figures, the bigger they were magnify'd, the more irregularites appear'd in them; but this irregularity seem'd ascribable to the thawing and breaking of the flake by the fall, and not at all to the defect of the _plastick_ virtue of Nature, whose curiosity in the formation of most of these kind of regular Figures, such as those of _Salt_, _Minerals_, &c. appears by the help of the _Microscope_, to be very many degrees smaller then the most acute eye is able to perceive without it. And though one of these six-branched Stars appear'd here below much of the shape described in the Third _Figure_ of the Eighth _Scheme_; yet I am very apt to think, that could we have a sight of one of them through a _Microscope_ as they are generated in the Clouds before their Figures are vitiated by external accidents, they would exhibit abundance of curiosity and neatness there also, though never so much magnify'd: For since I have observ'd the Figures of _Salts_ and _Minerals_ to be some of them so exceeding small, that I have scarcely been able to perceive them with the _Microscope_, and yet have they been regular, and since (as far as I have yet examin'd it) there seems to be but one and the same cause that produces both these effects, I think it not irrational to suppose that these pretty figur'd Stars of _Snow_, when at first generated might be also very regular and exact.

III.

_Several kinds of Figures in _Water_ frozen._

Putting fair Water into a large capacious Vessel of _Gla.s.s_, and exposing it to the cold, I observ'd after a little time, several broad, flat, and thin _laminae_, or plates of _Ice_, crossing the bulk of the water and one another very irregularly, onely most of them seem'd to turn one of their edges towards that side of the Gla.s.s which was next it, and seem'd to grow, as 'twere from the inside of the Vessel inwards towards the middle, almost like so many blades of _Fern_. Having taken several of these plates out of water on the blade of a Knife, I observ'd them figur'd much after the manner of _Herring bones_, or _Fern blades_, that is, there was one bigger stem in the middle like the back-bone, and out of it, on either side, were a mult.i.tude of small _stiriae_, or _icicles_, like the smaller bones, or the smaller branches in _Fern_, each of these branches on the one side, were parallel to all the rest on the same side, and all of them seem'd to make an angle with the stem, towards the top, of sixty degrees, and towards the bottom or root of this stem, of 120. See the fourth _Figure_ of the 8.

_Plate_.

I observ'd likewise several very pretty Varieties of Figures in Water, frozen on the top of a broad flat Marble-stone, expos'd to the cold with a little Water on it, some like feathers, some of other shapes, many of them were very much of the shape exprest in the fifth Figure of the 8. _Scheme_, which is extremely differing from any of the other Figures.

I observ'd likewise, that the shootings of _Ice_ on the top of Water, beginning to freez, were in streight _prismatical_ bodies much like those of _roch-peter_, that they crost each other usually without any kind of order or rule, that they were always a little higher then the surface of the Water that lay between them; that by degrees those _interjacent_ s.p.a.ces would be fill'd with _Ice_ also, which usually would be as high as the surface of the rest.

In flakes of _Ice_ that had been frozen on the top of Water to any considerable thickness, I observ'd that both the upper and the under sides of it were curiously quill'd, furrow'd, or grain'd, as it were, which when the Sun shone on the Plate, was exceeding easily to be perceiv'd to be much after the shape of the lines in the 6. _Figure_ of the 8. _Scheme_, that is, they consisted of several streight ends of parallel Plates, which were of divers lengths and angles to one another without any certain order.

The cause of all which regular Figures (and of hundreds of others, namely of _Salts_, _Minerals_, _Metals,_ &c. which I could have here inserted, would it not have been too long) seems to be deducible from the same Principles, which I have (in the 13. _Observation_) hinted only, having not yet had time to compleat a _Theory_ of them. But indeed (which I there also hinted) I judge it the second step by which the _Pyramid_ of natural knowledge (which is the knowledge of the form of bodies) is to be ascended: And whosoever will climb it, must be well furnish'd with that which the n.o.ble _Verulam_ calls _Scalam Intellectus_; he must have scaling Ladders, otherwise the steps are so large and high, there will be no getting up them, and consequently little hopes of attaining any higher station, such as to the knowledge of the most simple principle of Vegetation manifested in Mould and Mushromes, which, as I elsewhere endeavoured to shew, seems to be the third step; for it seems to me, that the Intellect of man is like his body, dest.i.tute of wings, and cannot move from a lower to a higher and more sublime station of knowledg, otherwise then step by step, nay even there where the way is prepar'd and already made pa.s.sible; as in the _Elements of Geometry_, or the like, where it is fain to climb a whole _series_ of Propositions by degrees, before it attains the knowledge of one _Probleme_. But if the ascent be high, difficult and above its reach, it must have recourse to a _novum organum_, some new engine and contrivance, some new kind of _Algebra_, or _a.n.a.lytick Art_ before it can surmount it.

Observ. XV. _Of _Kettering-stone_, and of the pores of _Inanimate_ bodies._

[13]This Stone which is brought from _Kettering_ in _Northampton-s.h.i.+re_, and digg'd out of a Quarry, as I am inform'd, has a grain altogether admirable, nor have I ever seen or heard of any other stone that has the like. It is made up of an innumerable company of small bodies, not all of the same cize or shape, but for the most part, not much differing from a Globular form, nor exceed they one another in Diameter above three or four times; they appear to the eye, like the Cobb or Ovary of a _Herring_, or some smaller fishes, but for the most part, the particles seem somewhat less, and not so uniform; but their variation from a perfect globular ball, seems to be only by the pressure of the _contiguous_ bals which have a little deprest and protruded those toucht sides inward, and forc'd the other sides as much outwards beyond the limits of a Globe; just as it would happen, if a heap of exactly round b.a.l.l.s of soft Clay were heaped upon one another; or, as I have often seen a heap of small Globules of _Quicksilver_, reduc'd to that form by rubbing it much in a glaz'd Vessel, with some slimy or sluggish liquor, such as Spittle, when though the top of the upper Globules be very neer spherical, yet those that are prest upon by others, exactly imitate the forms of these lately mention'd grains.

Where these grains touch each other, they are so firmly united or settled together, that they seldom part without breaking a hole in one or th'other of them, such as a, a, a, b, c, c, &c. Some of which fractions, as a, a, a, a, where the touch has been but light, break no more then the outward crust, or first sh.e.l.l of the stone, which is of a white colour, a little dash'd with a brownish Yellow, and is very thin, like the sh.e.l.l of an Egg: and I have seen some of those grains perfectly resemble some kind of Eggs, both in colour and shape: But where the union of the _contiguous granules_ has been more firm, there the divulsion has made a greater Chasm, as at b, b, b, in so much that I have observ'd some of them quite broken in two, as at c, c, c, which has discovered to me a further resemblance they have to Eggs, they having an appearance of a white and yelk, by two differing substances that envelope and encompa.s.s each other.

That which we may call the white was pretty whitish neer the yelk, but more duskie towards the sh.e.l.l; some of them I could plainly perceive to be shot or radiated like a _Pyrites_ or _fire-stone_; the yelk in some I saw hollow, in others fill'd with a duskie brown and porous substance like a kind of pith.

The small pores, or _interst.i.tia_ eeee betwixt the Globules, I plainly saw, and found by other trials to be every way pervious to air and water, for I could blow through a piece of this stone of a considerable thickness, as easily as I have blown through a Cane, which minded me of the pores which _Des Cartes_ allow his _materia subtilis_ between the _aethereal_ globules.

The object, through the _Microscope_, appears like a _Congeries_ or heap of Pibbles, such as I have often seen cast up on the sh.o.r.e, by the working of the Sea after a great storm, or like (in shape, though not colour) a company of small Globules of Quicksilver, look'd on with a _Microscope_, when reduc'd into that form by the way lately mentioned. And perhaps, this last may give some hint at the manner of the formation of the former: For supposing some _Lapidescent_ substance to be generated, or some way brought (either by some commixture of bodies in the Sea it self, or protruded in, perhaps, out of some _subterraneous_ caverns) to the bottom of the Sea, and there remaining in the form of a liquor like Quicksilver, _heterogeneous_ to the ambient _Saline_ fluid, it may by the working and tumblings of the Sea to and fro be jumbled and comminuted into such Globules as may afterwards be hardned into Flints, the lying of which one upon another, when in the Sea, being not very hard, by reason of the weight of the incompa.s.sing fluid, may cause the undermost to be a little, though not much, varied from a globular Figure. But this only by the by.

After what manner this _Kettering-stone_ should be generated I cannot learn, having never been there to view the place, and observe the circ.u.mstances; but it seems to me from the structure of it to be generated from some substance once more fluid, and afterwards by degrees growing harder, almost after the same manner as I supposed the generation of Flints to be made.

But whatever were the cause of its curious texture, we may learn this information from it; that even in those things which we account vile, rude, and coorse, Nature has not been wanting to shew abundance of curiosity and excellent Mechanisme.

We may here find a Stone by help of a _Microscope_, to be made up of abundance of small b.a.l.l.s, which do but just touch each other, and yet there being so many contacts, they make a firm hard ma.s.s, or a Stone much harder then Free-stone.

Next, though we can by a _Microscope_ discern so curious a shape in the particles, yet to the naked eye there scarce appears any such thing; which may afford us a good argument to think, that even in those bodies also, whose _texture_ we are not able to discern, though help'd with _Microscopes_, there may be yet _latent_ so curious a _Schematisme_, that it may abundantly satisfie the curious searcher, who shall be so happy as to find some way to discover it.

Next, we here find a Stone, though to the naked eye a very close one, yet every way perforated with innumerable pores, which are nothing else but the _interst.i.tia_, between those mult.i.tudes of minute globular particles, that compose the bulk it self, and these pores are not only discover'd by the _Microscope_, but by this contrivance.

I took a pretty large piece of this stone, and covering it all over with cement, save only at two opposite parts, I found my self able, by blowing in at one end that was left open, to blow my spittle, with which I had wet the other end, into abundance of bubbles, which argued these pores to be open and pervious through the whole stone, which affords us a very pretty instance of the porousness of some seemingly close bodies, of which kind I shall anon have occasion to subjoyn many more, tending to prove the same thing.

I must not here omit to take notice, that in this body there is not a _vegetative_ faculty that should so contrive this structure for any peculiar use of _vegetation_ or growth, whereas in the other instances of vegetable porous bodies, there is an _anima_ or _forma informans_, that does contrive all the Structures and _Mechanismes_ of the const.i.tuting body, to make them subservient and usefull to the great Work or Function they are to perform. And so I ghess the pores in Wood, and other vegetables, in bones, and other Animal substances, to be as so many channels, provided by the Great and Alwise Creator, for the conveyance of appropriated juyces to particular parts. And therefore, that this may tend, or be pervious all towards one part, and may have impediments, as valves or the like, to any other; but in this body we have very little reason so suspect there should be any such design, for it is equally pervious every way, not onely forward, but backwards, and side-ways, and seems indeed much rather to be _h.o.m.ogeneous_ or similar to those pores, which we may with great probability believe to be the channels of _pellucid_ bodies, not directed, or more open any one way, then any other, being equally pervious every way. And, according as these pores are more or greater in respect of the _interst.i.tial_ bodies, the more transparent are the so const.i.tuted concretes; and the smaller those pores are, the weaker is the _Impulse_ of light communicated through them, though the more quick be the progress.

Upon this Occasion, I hope it will not be altogether unseasonable, if I propound my conjectures and _Hypothesis_ about the _medium_ and conveyance of light.

I suppose then, that the greatest part of the _Interst.i.tia_ of the world, that lies between the bodies of the Sun and Starrs, and the Planets, and the Earth, to be an exceeding fluid body, very apt and ready to be mov'd, and to communicate the motion of any one part to any other part, though never so far distant: Nor do I much concern my self, to determine what the Figure of the particles of this exceedingly subtile fluid _medium_ must be, nor whether it have any interst.i.tiated pores or vacuities, it being sufficient to solve all the _Phaenomena_ to suppose it an exceedingly fluid, or the most fluid body in the world, and as yet impossible to determine the other difficulties.

That being so exceeding fluid a body, it easily gives pa.s.sage to all other bodies to move to and fro in it.

That it neither receives from any of its parts, or from other bodies; nor communicates to any of its parts, or to any other body, any impulse, or motion in a direct line, that is not of a determinate quickness. And that when the motion is of such determinate swiftness, it both receives, and communicates, or propagates an impulse or motion to any imaginable distance in streight lines, with an unimaginable celerity and vigour.

That all kind of solid bodies consist of pretty ma.s.sie particles in respect of the particles of this fluid _medium_, which in many places do so touch each other, that none of this fluid _medium_ interposes much after the same mannner (to use a gross similitude) as a heap of great stones compose one great _congeries_ or ma.s.s in the midst of the water.

That all fluid bodies which we may call _tangible_, are nothing but some more subtile parts of those particles, that serve to const.i.tute all _tangible_ bodies.

That the water, and such other fluid bodies, are nothing but a _congeries_ of particles agitated or made fluid by it in the same manner as the particles of _Salt_ are agitated or made fluid by a parcel of water, in which they are dissolv'd, and subsiding to the bottom of it, const.i.tute a fluid body, much more ma.s.sie and dense, and less fluid then the pure water it self.

That the air on the other side is a certain company of particles of quite another kind, that is, such as are very much smaller, and more easiely moveable by the motion of this fluid _medium_; much like those very subtile parts of _Cochenel_, other very deep tinging bodies, where by a very small parcel of matter is able to tinge and diffuse it self over a very great quant.i.ty of the fluid dissolvent; or somewhat after that manner, as smoak, and such like minute bodies, or steams, are observ'd to tinge a very great quant.i.ty of air; onely this last similitude is deficient in one propriety, and that is a perpetuity or continuance in that state of commixture with the air, but the former does more neerly approach to the nature and manner of the air's being dissolv'd by this fluid or _aether_. And this Similitude will further hold in these proprieties; that as those tinctures may be increased by certain bodies, so may they be precipitated by others, as I shall afterwards shew it to be very probable, that the like accidents happen even to the Air it self.

Further, as these solutions and tinctures do alter the nature of these fluid bodies, as to their aptness to propagate a motion or impulse through them, even so does the particles of the Air, Water, and other fluid bodies, and of Gla.s.s, Crystal, &c. which are commixt with this bulk of the _aether_ alter the motion of the propagated pulse of light; that is, where these more bulkie particles are more plentifull, and consequently a lesser quant.i.ty of the _aether_ between them to be mov'd, there the motion must necessarily be the swifter, though not so robust, which will produce those effects, which I have (I hope) with some probability, ascribed to it in the digression about Colours, at the end of the _Observations_ on _Muscovy-gla.s.s._

Now, that other Stones, and those which have the closest and hardest textures, and seem (as far as we are able to discover with our eyes, though help'd with the best _Microscopes_) freest from pores, are yet notwithstanding replenish'd with them, an Instance or two will, I suppose, make more probable.

A very solid and unflaw'd piece of cleer white _Marble_, if it be well polish'd and glaz'd, has so curiously smooth a surface, that the best and most polish'd surface of any wrought-gla.s.s, seems not to the naked eye, nor through a _Microscope_, to be more smooth, and less porous. And yet, that this hard close body is replenish'd with abundance of pores, I think these following Experiments will sufficiently prove.

The first is, That if you take such a piece, and for a pretty while boyl it in Turpentine and Oyl of Turpentine, you shall find that the stone will be all imbu'd with it; and whereas before it look'd more white, but more opacous, now it will look more greasie, but be much more transparent, and if you let it lie but a little while, and then break off a part of it, you shall find the unctuous body to have penetrated it to such a determinate depth every way within the surface. This may be yet easier try'd with a piece of the same _Marble_, a little warm'd in the fire, and then a little Pitch or Tarr melted on the top of it; for these black bodies, by their insinuating themselves into the invisible pores of the stone, ting it with so black a hue, that there can be no further doubt of the truth of this a.s.sertion, that it abounds with small imperceptible pores.

Now, that other bodies will also sink into the pores of _Marble_, besides unctuous, I have try'd, and found, that a very Blue tincture made in _spirit of Urine_ would very readily and easily sink into it, as would also several tinctures drawn with _spirit of Wine_.