Acid Menstruum, which is the reason, why there remains no Sediment in the Bottom, because the infused Oyl takes it up, and resolves it into hidden or invisible Parts, as Water does Salt or Sugar.  But when I have told you all this, I am far from thinking I have told all that such an Inquisitive Person as your self would know, for I presume you would desire as well as I to learn (at least) why the Particles of the Mercury, of the Tartar, and of the Acid Salts convening together, should make rather an Orange Colour than a Red, or a Blew, or a Green, for ’tis not enough to say what I related a little before, that divers Mercurial Solutions, though otherwise made, would yield a Yellow precipitate, because the Question will recurr concerning them; and to give it a satisfactory answer, is, I freely acknowledge, more than I dare as yet pretend to.

But to confirm my conjecture about the Chymical reason of our Experiment, I may add, that as I have (viz. pag. 34th. of this Treatise) elsewhere (on another occasion) told you, with Saline Liquors of another kind and nature than Salt of Tartar, (namely, with Spirit of Urine, and Liquors of kin to that) I can make the Mercury precipitate out of the first simple Solution quite of another Colour than that hitherto mention’d; Nay, if instead of altering the Precipitating liquor, I alter’d the Texture of the Sublimate in such a way as my Notions about Salt requir’d, I could produce the same Phaenomenon.  For having purposely Sublim’d together Equal parts (or thereabout) of Sal-Armoniack and Sublimate, first diligently Mix’d, the ascending Flowers being diffolv’d in fair Water, and Filtred, gave a Solution Limpid and Colourless, like that of the other Sublimates, and yet an Akaly drop’d into this Liquor did not turn it Yellow but White.  And upon the same Grounds we may with Quick-silver, without the help of common Sublimate, prepare another sort of Flowers dissoluble in Water without Discolouring it, with which I could likewise do what I newly mention’d; to which I shall add, (what possibly you’l somewhat wonder at) That so much does the Colour depend upon the Texture resulting from the Convention of the several sorts of Corpuscles, that though in out Experiment, Oyl of Vitriol destroys the Yellow Colour, yet with Quick-silver and fair Water, by the help of Oyl of Vitriol alone, we may easily make a kind of Precipitate of a fair and permanent Yellow, as you will e’re long (in the forty second Expement of this third Part) be taught.  And I may further add, that I chose Oyl of Vitriol, not so much for any other or peculiar Quality, as for its being, when ’tis well rectify’d, (which ’tis somewhat hazardous to bring it to be) not only devoid of Colour and in Smells, but extremely Strong and Incisive; For though common and undephlegmated Aqua-fortis will not perform the same thing well, yet that which is made exceeding Strong by being carefully Dephlegm’d,