Body of the Oyle in a coole place to thicken into the Consistence and
Appearance of white Butter, which with the least heat resum'd its
Former Liquidness. In the Oyl of Olive drawn over in a Retort, I have
likewise more then once seen a spontaneous Coagulation in the
Receiver: And I have of it by me thus Congeal'd; which is of such a
strangely Penetrating scent, as if 'twould Perforate the Noses that
approach it. The like pungent Odour I also observ'd in the Distill'd
Liquor of common sope, which forc'd over from _Minium_, lately
afforded an oyle of a most admirable Penetrancy; And he must be a
great stranger, both to the Writings and preparations of Chymists,
that sees not in the Oyles they distill from Vegetables and Animals, a
considerable and obvious Difference. Nay I shall venture to add,
_Eleutherius_, (what perhaps you will think of kin to a Paradox) that
divers times out of the same Animal or Vegetable, there may be
extracted Oyles of Natures obviously differing. To which purpose I
shall not insist on the swimming and sinking Oyles, which I have
sometimes observ'd to float on, and subside under the spirit of
_Guajacum_, and that of divers other Vegetables Distill'd with a
strong and lasting Fire; Nor shall I insist on the observation
elsewhere mention'd, of the divers and unminglable oyles afforded us
by Humane Blood long fermented and Digested with spirit of Wine,
because these kind of oyles may seem chiefly to differ in Consistence
and Weight, being all of them high colour'd and adust. But the
Experiment which I devis'd to make out this Difference of the oyles of
the same Vegetable, _ad Oculum_, (as they speak) was this that
followes. I took a pound of Annisseeds, and having grosly beaten them,
caused them to be put into a very large glass Retort almost filled
with fair Water; and placing this Retort in a sand Furnace, I caus'd a
very Gentle heat to be administer'd during the first day, and a great
part of the second, till the Water was for the most part drawn off,
and had brought over with it at least most of the Volatile and
Aromatick Oyle of the seeds. And then encreasing the Fire, and
changing the Receiver, I obtain'd besides an Empyreumatical Spirit, a
quantity of adust oyle; whereof a little floated upon the Spirit, and
the rest was more heavy, and not easily separable from it. And whereas
these oyles were very dark, and smell'd (as Chymists speak) so
strongly of the Fire, that their Odour did not betray from what
Vegetables they had been forc'd; the other _Aromatick_ Oyle was
enrich'd with the genuine smell and tast of the Concrete; and
spontaneously coagulating it self into white butter did manifest self
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