[21] Parkinson, Thea.  Bot.  Trib. 4 cap. 12.

EXPERIMENT XXXVII.

It may seem somewhat strange, that if you take the Crimson Solution of Cochineel, or the Juice of Black Cherries, and of some other Vegetables that afford the like Colour, (which because many take but for a deep Red, we do with them sometimes call it so) and let some of it fall upon a piece of Paper, a drop or two of an Acid Spirit, such as Spirit of Salt, or Aqua-fortis, will immediately turn it into a fair Red.  Whereas if you make an Infusion of Brazil in fair Water, and drop a little Spirit of Salt or Aqua-fortis into it, that will destroy its Redness, and leave the Liquor of a Yellow, (sometimes Pale) I might perhaps plausibly enough say on this occasion, that if we consider the case a little more attentively, we may take notice, that the action of the Acid Spirit seems in both cases, but to weaken the Colour of the Liquor on which it falls.  And so though it destroy Redness in the Tincture of Brazil, as well as produce Red in the Tincture of Chochineel, its Operations may be Uniform enough, since as Crimson seems to be little else than a very deep Red, with (perhaps) an Eye of Blew, so some kinds of Red seem (as I have lately noted) to be little else than heightned Yellow.  And consequently in such Bodies, the Yellow seems to be but a diluted Red.  And accordingly Alcalizate Solutions and Urinous Spirits, which seem dispos’d to Deepen the Colours of the Juices and Liquors of most Vegetables, will not only restore the Solution of Cochineel and the Infusion of Brazil to the Crimson, whence the Spirit of Salt had chang’d them into a truer Red; but will also (as I lately told you) not only heighthen the Yellow Juice of Madder into Red, but advance the Red Infusion of Brazil to a Crimson.  But I know not whether it will not be much safer to derive these Changes from vary’d Textures, than certain kinds of Bodies; and you will perhaps think it worth while, that I should add on this occasion, That it may deserve some Speculation, why, notwithstanding what we have been observing, though Blew and Purple seem to be deeper Colours than Red, and therefore the Juices of Plants of either of the two former Colours may (congruously enough to what has been just now noted) be turn’d Red by Spirit of Salt or Aqua-fortis, yet Blew Syrrup of Violets and some Purples should both by Oyl of Tartar and Spirit of Urine be chang’d into Green, which seems to be not a deeper but a more diluted Colour than Blew, if not also than Purple.

EXPERIMENT XXXVIII.