The Qhaos.

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c^rth, thither. For waters that drean forth sweet, ;re sweet though th^y lye evenwith the sea, and in plain places; as t/lpttla-, where the waters drean not from thehills, they arc; fait,.' So on the shores of Africa. But Aristotle brings an experimentfrom avestclof wix; for if one make a Ball of wax that is hollow, and shall cfip itinto the sea, it being of a sufficient thickness to contain , he (hall finde it full of freshwater, because the corpulent saltness cannot get in through the pores of the wax.And Pliny, by letting down little nets into the !ca, and hollow balls of wax, or emp-ty, vessels stopt, faith, they will draw in fresh water; for sea-water stran’d throughclay will grow fresh. But I have found this to be false. For I have made pots ofclay, as fine and well as I could, and let them down into salt-water, and aster semedays I found salt-water in them. Also, if it were true, it is of no use , when as tosweeten one pound of water, a thousand Balls ot wax a day were not sufficient. Butfor this many vessels might be invented of porous wood and hones. A vessel of Ivy,that parts,as I said, wine from water, will not part salt from water if it drean throughit. But stones are brought from Portingal, made into vessels, into which sea waterput will drean forth sweet, if not the first, yet the second time , they use it to breakthe stone; also, for that many putnex and porous stones may be tried. Leo BaptstaAlbertm faith, That an earthen pot wellstopr, and put into the sea, will fill withpotable water. But I have tried all earthen vessels, and I always found salt-water.Aristotle in his Problems, faith, It may be done

Another way,

If salt-water cannot be drank cold, yet hot, and cool again, it is better to drink. Itis because a thing useth to change from contrary to contrary, and salt-water is con-trary to fresh, and when it is boil’d , the salt part is boii’d off, and when it is coldstays at the bottom. This I tried and found it false, and more fait, for by heat thethin vapors of the water that arc sweet exhale , and the salt stay bchinde; and inlesser water, the same quantity os salt makes it falter, as I said in my distillation?. Iwonder such a wife man would relate such salsidcs. Plorenth.m borrowing it fromhim, faith, If water be not good nor potable, but ill, let it be boiled, till a tenth partof it be consumed, then purge it, and it will be good, For sea-water so fcoii’d, willgrow sweet. Let me fee whether it can be made so

Another way-,

and that in great quantity. There is a thing that being cast into large vessels filledwith sea-water,by fastning the salt will make it fail to the bottom, or by curdling it,and so it frees the water from it. Wherefore we must think on things that have astiptick quality, the Antiencs tried this, the Moderns have effected it. liny . Ni-trons of bitter waters; if you put Bariey-flowcr dried to them, they are tempered,that you may drink of them in two hours: therefore is Bariev-flower put into winesacks, and clswhere. Those that go to the Red-sea through the Ddarts, make nitrous,and salt, and bitter waters fit to drink in two hours,by putting in of Birley-meal, andthey eat Barley-meal. The like.force hath the Chalk of the Rhodes, and our Clay.Also, Cooks with Catlings, and Meal cf Wheat, will take fait out of very salt meat.

I tried this oft but found it false, yet some of the saltness was taken away. Pliny.If you must drink ill waters, strew in powder of Penniroyal. Leo Baptist a Alberto*)when they take up the water of Nilus muddy, if they do but rub the edge of thevessel with an Almond, it presently grows clear: 1 tried this to, and found it false:when common salt is cast into Aquafortis, that parts Gold from Silver, the Silver willpresently descend. We see also, that in the making of that they call read Alac, cast-ing but A lorn into Lye, the fait and colour will presently precipitate to the bottom,and nothing will remain hut clear water. We fee that milk will curdle with manyHerbs, which we speak of elsewhere, r We shall use therefore for this purpose, coa-gulates and astringent?. Cooks fay, That a Spunge put into S pot of salt-water, willdraw the salt to it; but pressed forth again, and cast in once more will take it., 11 our.So woe d wrapt about with fillets of linnen, and put into the pot, will draw the saltto it. Others binds in a clout Wheat-meal, and put it into the pot, and draw forth

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