Body. So that we may justly suspect, that even in Mineral Tinctures it
will not alwaies follow, that because a red substance is drawn from
the Concrete by spirit of Wine, that Substance is its true and
Elementary Sulphur. And though some of these Extracts may perhaps be
inflamable; Yet besides that others are not, and besides that their
being reduc'd to such Minuteness of Parts may much facilitate their
taking Fire; besides this, I say, We see that common Sulphur, common
Oyle, Gumm Lac, and many Unctuous and Resinous Bodies, will flame well
enough, though they be of very compounded natures: Nay Travellers of
Unsuspected Credit assure Us, as a known thing, that in some Northern
Countries where Firr trees and Pines abound, the poorer sort of
Inhabitants use Long splinters of those Resinous Woods to burne
instead of Candles. And as for the rednesse wont to be met with in
such solutions, I could easily shew, that 'tis not necessary it should
proceed from the Sulphur of the Concrete, Dissolv'd by the Spirit of
Wine; if I had leasure to manifest how much Chymists are wont to
delude themselves and others by the Ignorance of those other causes
upon whose account spirit of Wine and other _Menstruums_ may acquire
a red or some other high colour. But to returne to our Chymical Oyles,
supposing that they were exactly pure; Yet I hope they would be, as
the best spirit of Wine is, but the more inflamable and deflagrable.
And therefore since an Oyle can be by the Fire alone immediately
turn'd into flame, which is something of a very differing Nature from
it: I shall Demand how this Oyle can be a Primogeneal and
Incorruptible Body, as most Chymists would have their Principles;
Since it is further resoluble into flame, which whether or no it be a
portion of the Element of Fire, as an _Aristotelian_ would conclude,
is certainly something of a very differing Nature from a Chymical
Oyle, since it burnes, and shines, and mounts swiftly upwards; none of
which a Chymical Oyle does, whilst it continues such. And if it should
be Objected, that the Dissipated Parts of this flaming Oyle may be
caught and collected again into Oyl or Sulphur; I shall demand, what
Chymist appears to have ever done it; and without Examining whether it
may not hence be as well said that sulphur is but compacted Fire, as
that Fire is but diffus'd Sulphur, I shall leave you to consider
whether it may not hence be argu'd, that neither Fire nor Sulphur are
primitive and indestructible Bodies; and I shall further observe that,
at least it will hence appear that a portion of matter may without
being Compounded with new Ingredients, by having the Texture and
Motion of its small parts chang'd, be easily, by the means of the
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