A Philosophical Discourse

without any other specific Rudiment: But stis strange, what, as I re-member, Dr. Morison affirms of the Eryswnm or Irio, so seldom s eento grow spontaneously in England before the late prodigious Confines'tion of this City, when there appear’d more of it amongst the RuM§,than was known to grow in all Europe besides; it being a curious Ex°"tic, to be found most about Maples in the time of Fabius Colonsand but rarely elsewhere.

J Tis Salt, which resuscitates the dead and mortify’d Earth , 'vhej 1languishing, and spent by Indulgence to her verdant Offspring; hergot seems to be quite exhausted, as appears by the Rains and Shoiv er ®which gently melt into her Bosom what we apply to it, and for wh> cCause all our Compofis are so studiously made os Substances which 1110ingender or attract it. . f «

J Tis Salt, which fertilizes and renders Egypt so luxuriously fruiq uafter the Inundations of Mile ; and the nitrous Grounds ofand other Places, which cause so Itupendi-ous a Growth of Plants aflTrees;

'’Tis the want of Salt, which emasculates the Virtue of Seeds t0 ^long macerated in hungry Water, and renders floatedIVood such un .P 1 ?sitable Fuel, and to turn into such insipid AJhes ; and whatsoever itsome Plants, may appear to affect, as to the external Differences ofpetite, some of them seeming to draw in more Air, some Earth, ^others IVat er in extraordinary measure, according to the severaltextures of their Parts, or by whatever Magnetisms and Attractiv e °’is still to come at their Salts, which doubtless create that Inclinab 0 ’compose the various Saps and Juices which they present us. ’what if I should say, that all the several Parts of Vegetables were es |dow’d with their peculiar and distinct Salts, through different '

Complications, and Percolations ? Or, that lo many Earths, so 111 jkinds of Salts digested and transported by their different Vehicles ^Strainers; and those also, though unlike in Quality, yet perfectly c ° jgruous to what they produce and nourish ? But what this Vehirf 6 ^Menstruum is, I contend not; his evident, that Salts unite best %v ‘ taWater, V?rnal and Autumnal Showers and Dews, as uhe most ap 1 .^convey their Insinuations. You know who have dignify’d Salt y ^the Prerogative of being nam’d Element Earth, the Vigor and Cty . jall things; yea, the first and last of Elementated Bodies: What st 1 * ^fay, Quid PDA in urn ! the Original of all Fecundity ; nor can I fry 1since there was nor Sacrifice, nor ‘Discourse acceptable witho ut ^

And verily, upon serious Contemplation of the Premises,and the liperience I have had of their Effects in this Work of Vegetation, as fr s ^am able to penetrate into Causes by them, I am not dilpleas’d at the to vnificent Epithets which are given it. In the mean time, I knob's „ !Cbe, who are so averse to this Doctrine, as to prefer Water alone f,,it; nor contend I with them, so they allow the near Affinity and B 11 ^jsship which is between them, as I have dedue’d it at the fentry 0 ^

Discourse, where I describe my Autoptical Observations of theEarths: All that I pretend from hence, being only to excite us to ^diligent Enquiry, what may more likely be the Cause of Vege a ^and whether Salt have not a Dominion almost Monarchical rslgreat Work of Nature, being so absolute an Ingredient in all our ^

and Composts, which I am next going to 1'peak os. I cannotmean time but wonder, how a thing lo eminently sacred, and d