The Third Part.

into them; and consequently, that such Woods and other Mixts as abound with such a Vinager, may be said to consist of one Element or Principle, more then the Chymists as yet are Aware of; Wherefore bethinking my self, how the separation of these two Spirits might be made, I Quickly found, that there were several wayes of Compassing it. But that of them which I shall at present mention, was this, Having Destill’d a Quantity of Box-Wood per se, and slowly rectify’d the sowrish Spirit, the better to free it both from Oyle and Phlegme, I cast into this Rectify’d Liquor a convenient Quantity of Powder’d Coral, expecting that the Acid part of the Liquor would Corrode the Coral, and being associated with it would be so retain’d by it, that the other part of the Liquor, which was not of an acid Nature, nor fit to fasten upon the Corals, would be permitted to ascend alone. Nor was I deceiv’d in my Expectation; For having gently abstracted the Liquor from the Coralls, there came over a Spirit of a Strong smell, and of a tast very piercing, but without any sourness; and which was in diverse qualities manifestly different, not only from a Spirit of Vinager, but from some Spirit of the same Wood, that I purposely kept by me without depriving it of its acid Ingredient. And to satisfy you, that these two Substances were of a very differing Nature, I might informe you of several Tryals that I made, but must not name some of them, because I cannot do so without making some unseasonable discoveries. Yet this I shall tell you at present, that the sowre Spirit of Box, not only would, as I just now related, dissolve Corals, which the other would not fasten on, but being pour’d upon Salt of Tartar would immediately boile and hiss, whereas the other would lye quietly upon it. The acid Spirit pour’d upon Minium made a Sugar of Lead, which I did not find the other to do; some drops of this penetrant spirit being mingl’d with some drops of the blew Syrup of Violets seem’d rather to dilute then otherwise alter the colour; whereas the Acid Spirit turn’d the syrup of a reddish colour, and would probably have made it of as pure a red as Acid Salts are wont to do, had not its operation been hindered by the mixture of the other Spirit. A few drops of the compound Spirit being