Of statics Experiments

Chap. IV.

How otherwise pott may part water from wine.

I Can do this another way, not by levity and gravity,as 1 said, but by thinness andthickness; for water is the thinnest of all liquors, because it is simple, but winebeing coloured , and colour comes from the mixture of the Elements, it is morecorpulent: Wherefore to part wine from water, we must provide a matter that isfull of holes, and make a vessel thereof, into which the wine poured with the water,may drean forth ; for the water will drean forth through the pores of the matter,that is opened by a mingled and corpulent body. And though many kinds of woodbe fit, yet Ivy is the best , because it is full of pores and chinks r wherefore if youmake a vessel of Ivy wood that is green, and pour into it wine mingled with water,the water will in a short time drean out; Yet I fee that all the Ancients and mo-dern Writers thought the contrary, yet both reason and experience are againstthem. For Gato faith, If you would know whether there be water par to your wine,make a vessel of Ivy, put your wine you think is mixed with water, into it: if therebe any water, the wine will run forth, and the water stay behind, for an Ivy ves-sel will hold no wine. And Pliny from him: The Ivy is laid to be wonderful forproof of wine. If a vessel be made of Ivy-wood, the wine will run forth, and thewater will stay behind, if any were mingled with it: Whereupon both of them areto be noted for a twofold error, because they say it comes from the wonderful facul-ty of the Ivy, whereas every porous wood can do the fame: Again, he faith that thewine will run forth, and the water stay behind, whereas it is the contrary. But‘Democrittu thought what was truest and more probable, who used not an Ivy vessel,but one full of boles; faith he,they pout it into a new earthen pot not yet leafonel,and hang it up for two days, the pot, faith he, wiil leak , if any water be mingledwith it. Democrittu used another Art for the lame purpose. Some stop the mouthof the vessel with a new Spunge dipt in Oyl, and incline it, and let it run forth ; ifthere be water in it, onely the water will run forth, which experiment alio he usethin Oyl: For the Spurge is full of holes, and open enough , and being dipt in Oyl,that hinders that the liquor cannot run forth so easily. Africama adds another rea-son : Put liauid A lorn into a vessel of wine, then stop the mouth with a Spunge diptin Oyl, and incline it, and let it run forth. for nothing but the water will run out:For the Alom binds the liquors, that they drean forth very slowly.

Chap, V.

Another way to part a light body mingled with a heavy.

J Have another Art to separate a light body from a heavy, or wine from water, or byanother way. M.ke a lirnen tongue, or of bombast , and dip it into the vessel,where wine is mingled with water, and let the tongue swim above without the li-quor , and ascend above it, and so hang pendulous out of the vessel, for the lighterliquor will ascend by the tongue, and drop on the outside; hut when the lighterascends, it attracts the heavy also: wherefore, when you fee the colour change, takethe vessel away , for the water runs forth. It is evident that the wine being lighter,will always ascend to the top of the vessel, and run forth by the tongue ; though allVintners fay the contrary, that the water will run forth by the tongue,and that thewine will stay within.

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Chap,