Of Statics Experiments .

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Chap. VII.

Other ways how to fart -wine from water .

T Here ire other ways to do it, as by distilling. For in distilling the lightest willascend first, then the heaviest, when the fire is not too strong; :nd that is burreason: wherefore that the liquor may ascend, it must first be attenuated into thinvapours, and become lighter: therefore wine being thinner than water, if it be putin a still in Balneo,the lightest vapour of wine will ascend by degrees, and fall intothe receiver: You shall obierve the Aqua vita that distills into theveffel, and by thequantity of that, you may judge of the proportion of water mingled with the wine.Also note, that when the lightest part of the wine is ascended , the heavy feces re-main, as water, or as part ot the wine. Oft times incur distillations, when Aquavita was distilled in Balnco,by chance the vessel brake that contained the Aquavit*.,and mineied with the water in the kettle: I put the mingled liquor into a Glass ves-sel, and putting a soft fire to it, fust came forth the pure tAqua vita , simple with-out any water, the water stayedin the bottom, and kept not so much as the smell ofthe Aqua vita. By the veins running in the cup, I knew the water ascended. 1 willnot omit (though it be for another reason) for pleasure and ingenuity to fbew

Tl:e warner to part water from wine^

that by this means we may know how much water is mingled in the vessel. Takethe quantity of the wine, and put it into a Glass Vial, and put the Vial into verycold water, that all that is in the Vial may freeze, as I fbew'd: If t he wine be sincereand pure, it will be the harder to freeze, and longer ; if it have much water, it willfreeze the sooner : When the wine is frozen,break the Vial upon a dish, the ice mustmelt by degrees; first the wine, because that is hotter: than the water will remainfrozen - Part the wine from it, for it will be longer thawing: by proportion of this,you may know what part of water was put into the vessel.

Chap, VIII.

How the levity in the water and the air , is different^and what cunning may

be wrought thereby.

N Ow I will.speak of heavy and light, otherwise than I spike before; namely, howit is in the air, and how in the water, and what speculation or profit may risefrom thence. And first bow we may know whether a Metal be pure, ot mingledwith other Metals, as Gold and Silver, as in Gilded cups, or else in moneys: whereSilver or Gold is mingled with Brass, and what is their several weights : which spe-culation is useful notoncly for Bankers, but also for Chymists, when they desireto try Metals in fixing of Silver, or.ocher operations , which I will attempt to de-clare plainly. But first I will sec whether the Antients speak any thing hereof. Vt-truvim faith Archimedes did write of this : For when Hiero purposed to offer a Gold-en Crown to the Gods in the Temple, be put it to the Goldsmith by weight; hemade the work curiously, and maintain’d it for good to the King, and by weight icseemed to be just: bur. afterwards it was said, that he hadstoln part of the Gold, andmade up the Crown with Silver to the full weight. Hiero enraged at this this, badArchimedes to consider of it : He then by chance coming into a Bath , when he haddescended into ic , he observed that as much of his body as went into the Bath, somuch water ran over the Bath: when he considered the reason of ir, he leaped forthfor joy, running home and crying Eureka-, Eureka , that is, I have found it, I havefound it. Then they fay he made to lumps of equal weight with the Crown,one of Gold, the other of Silver, then he filled a large vessel tothe very brims withwater , and he put in the lump of Silver ; the bigness of that thrust into the water,made the water run over: wherefore taking out the lump, what flowed over he put

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