other side, it is evident that Volatility belongs in common to all the
three Principles, and to Water too. For 'tis manifest, that Chymical
Oyles are Volatile; That also divers Salts Emerging, upon the Analysis
of many Concretes, are very Volatile, is plain from the figitiveness
[Errata: fugitivenesse] of Salt, of Harts-horne, flesh, &c. ascending
in the Distillation of those bodies. How easily water may be made to
ascend in Vapours, there is scarce any body that has not observ'd. And
as for what they call the Mercuriall Principle of bodies, that is so
apt to be rais'd in the form of Steam, that _Paracelsus_ and others
define it by that aptness to fly up; so that (to draw that inference
by the way) it seems not that Chymists have been accurate in their
Doctrine of qualities, and their respective Principles, since they
both derive several qualities from the same Principle, and must
ascribe the same quality to almost all their Principles and other
bodies besides. And thus much for the first thing taken for granted,
without sufficient proof, by your _Sennertus_: And to add that upon
the Bye (continues _Carneades_) we may hence learn what to judge of
the way of Argumentation, which that fierce Champion of the
_Aristotelians_ against the Chymists, _Anthonius Guntherus
Billichius_[24] employes, where he pretends to prove against
_Beguinus_, that not only the four Elements do immediately concur to
Constitute every mixt body, and are both present in it, and obtainable
from it upon its Dissolution; but that in the _Tria Prima_ themselves,
whereinto Chymists are wont to resolve mixt Bodies, each of them
clearly discovers it self to consist of four Elements. The
Ratiocination it self (pursues _Carneades_) being somewhat unusual, I
did the other Day Transcribe it, and (sayes He, pulling a Paper out of
his Pocket) it is this. _Ordiamur, cum Beguino, a ligno viridi, quod
si concremetur, videbis in sudore Aquam, in fumo Aerem, in flamma &
Prunis Ignem, Terram in cineribus: Quod si Beguino placuerit ex eo
colligere humidum aquosum, cohibere humidum oleaginosum, extrahere ex
cineribus salem; Ego ipsi in unoquoque horum seorsim quatuor Elementa
ad oculum demonstrabo, eodem artificio quo in ligno viridi ea
demonstravi. Humorem aquosum admovebo Igni. Ipse Aquam Ebullire
videbit, in Vapore Aerem conspiciet, Ignem sentiet in aestu, plus minus
Terrae in sedimento apparebit. Humor porro Oleaginosus aquam humiditate
& fluiditate per se, accensus vero Ignem flamma prodit, fumo Aerem,
fuligine, nidore & amurca terram. Salem denique ipse Beguinus siccum
vocat & Terrestrem, qui tamen nec fusus Aquam, nec caustica vi ignem
celare potest; ignis vero Violentia in halitus versus nec ab Aere se
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