than the Lumps that yielded them; yet ev’n of Red Benzoin, that sublim’d Substance, which Chymists call its Flowers, is wont to be White or Whitish.  And to omit other Instances, ev’n one and the same Black Mineral, Antimony, may be made to afford Flowers, some of them Red, and some Grey, and, which is more strange, some of them purely White.  And ’tis the Prescription of some Glass-men by exquisitely mingling a convenient proportion of Brimstone, Sal-Armoniack, and Quicksilver, and Subliming them, together, to make a Sublimate of an excellent Blew; and though having caus’d the Experiment to be made, we found the produc’d Sublimate to be far from being of a lovely Colour, (as was promis’d) that there and there, it seem’d Blewish, and at least was of a Colour differing enough from either of the Ingredients, which is sufficient for our present purpose.  But a much finer Colour is promis’d by some of the Empiricks, that pretend to Secrets, who tell us, that Orpiment, being Sublim’d, will afford among the Parts of it that fly Upward, some little Masses, which, though the Mineral it self be of a good Yellow, will be Red enough to emulate Rubies, both in Colour and Translucency.  And this Experiment may, for ought I know, sometimes succeed; for I remember, that having in a small Bolt-head purposely sublim’d some powder’d Orpiment, we could in the Lower part of the Sublimate discern here and there some Reddish Lines, though much of the Upper part of the Sublimate consisted of a matter, which was not alone purely Yellow, but transparent almost like a Powder.  And we have also this way obtain’d a Sublimate, the Lower part whereof though it consisted not of Rubies, yet the small pieces of it, which were Numerous enough, were of a pleasant Reddish Colour, and Glitter’d very prettily.  But to insist on such kind of Trials and Observations (where the ascending Fumes of Bodies differ in Colour from the Bodies themselves) though it might indeed Inrich the History of Colours, would Robb me of too much of the little time I have to dispatch what I have further to tell you concerning them.

EXPERIMENT XXXIX

Take the dry’d Buds (or Blossoms) of the Pomegranate Tree, (which are commonly call’d in the Shops Balaustiums) pull off the Reddish Leaves, and by a gentle Ebullition of them in fair Water, or by a competent Infusion of them in like Water well heated, extract a faint Reddish Tincture, which if the Liquor be turbid, you may Clarifie it by Filtrating it Into this, if you pour a little good Spirit of Urine, or some other Spirit abounding in the like sort of Volatile Salts, the Mixture will presently turn of a dark Greenish Colour, but if instead of the fore-mention’d Liquor, you drop into the simple Infusion a little rectify’d Spirit of Sea-Salt, the Pale and almost Colourless Liquor will immediately not only grow more Transparent, but acquire a high Redness, like that of Rich Claret Wine, which so suddenly acquir’d Colour, may as quickly be Destroy’d and turn’d into a dirty Blewish Green, by the affusion of a competent quantity of the above-mention’d Spirit of Urine.