alleadge, and thereby exempt my self from the need of taking any
farther notice of the propos'd Objection. But not to lose the Rise it
may afford me of Illustrating the matter under Consideration, I am
content briefly to consider it, as far forth as my present
Disquisition may be concern'd in it.
Not to repeat then what has been already answer'd, I say farther, that
though I am so civil an Adversary, that I will allow the Chymists,
after the Fire has done all its work, the use of fair Water to make
their Extractions with, in such cases wherein the Water does not
cooperate with the Fire to make the _Analysis_; yet since I Grant
this but upon Supposition that the Water does only wash off the Saline
Particles, which the Fire Alone has Before Extricated in the Analyz'd
Body, it will not be Reasonable, that this Concession should Extend to
other Liquors that may Add to what they Dissolve, nor so much as to
other Cases than those Newly Mentioned: Which Limitation I Desire You
would be Pleas'd to Bear in Mind till I shall Anon have Occasion to
make Use of it. And This being thus Premis'd, I shall Proceed to
Observe,
First, That Many of the Instances I Propos'd in the Preceding
Discourse are Such, that the Objection we are Considering will not at
all Reach Them. For Fire can no more with the Assistance of Water than
without it Separate any of the Three Principles, either from Gold,
Silver, Mercury, or some Others of the Concretes named Above.
Hence We may Inferre, That Fire is not an Universal Analyzer of all
Mixt Bodies, since of Metals and Minerals, wherein Chymists have most
Exercis'd Themselves, there Appear scarce Any which they are able to
Analyze by Fire, Nay, from which they can Unquestionably Separate so
much as any One of their Hypostatical Principles; Which may well
Appear no small Disparagement as well to their _Hypothesis_ as to
their Pretensions.
It will also remain True, notwithstanding the Objection, That there
may be Other Wayes than the wonted _Analysis_ by Fire, to Separate
from a Compound Body Substances as Homogeneneous [Transcriber's Note:
Homogeneous] as those that Chymists Scruple not to Reckon among their
_Tria Prima_ (as some of them, for Brevity Sake, call their Three
Principles.)
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