Physiologia Epicuro-Gassendo-Charltoniana: or a fabrick of science natural, upon the hypothesis of atoms / Founded by Epicvrvs, repaired [by] Petrvs Gassendvs, augmented [by] Walter Charleton ... The first part.

  • Charleton, Walter, 1620-1707.
Date:
1654
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Physiologia Epicuro-Gassendo-Charltoniana: or a fabrick of science natural, upon the hypothesis of atoms / Founded by Epicvrvs, repaired [by] Petrvs Gassendvs, augmented [by] Walter Charleton ... The first part. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    90/524 (page 50)
    Tube detraded from the Aggregate of minute Inanities diifem inate in the aer, is fo fmall as not to be commenfurated by fenfe .• and at the celTation of the ^Equilibrium, or fucceding fuperiority of the encreafed weight of the Quickfilver, the parts of the Aer being c ompelled thereby to a farther recroceffion ajid fubingrelfion ^ the fpace detraded from the Aggre¬ gate of diffcminate Vacuities in the aer, becomes larger, and confe- quently fcnfible, above the Quickfilver in the upper region of the Tube. Art 5. T*his may be moft adasquatelyllluftratcd, by the fimilc of a ftrong man, A tonvenienc (landing On a plane pcdeftal, ina very high wind. For, as He byafmall affiacion or guft of wind, is in fome degree urged or preft upon, though forcing tS not fo much as tocaufehim to give back-, becaufe the force of his rdi- fame. ftencc is yet fupcrior to that of the Wind alfaulting and impelling him 5 nor, when the force of the Wind grows upon him even to an ^Equilibrium, is He driven from his ftation, becaufe his refiftence is yetequalto theim- pulfe of the wind^ but when the force of the Wind advances to that height, as to tranfeend the ^Equilibrium , then muft the man be compelled above the rate of his refiftence, and fobe abduced from the place of his ftation: fo likcwife, while there is only a fmall quantity of Quickfilver contained in the Tube, though, by the intervention or mediation of the C^ickfilver reftagnant in the fubjacent veflel, it prefs upon the parts of the incumbent aer, in fome degree yet is not the aer thereby urged fo, as to be compel¬ led to retrocede, and permit the reftagnant Quickfilver to afeend higher in thevelfel-, and therefore the Quickfilver impendent in the Tube cannot defeend, becaufe the reftagnant wants room to afeend. But, when the quantity, and fo the Gravity of the Quickfilver contained in the Tube is fo augmented, as to exceed the Refiftence of the aer; then is the aer com¬ pelled or driven back, by the reftagnant Quickfilver rifing upwards, to a fenfiblefubingrcffion of its atomical particles, and the Quickfilver in the Tube inftantly defluxeth into the place refigned by the reftagnant, until it arrivcih at that point of altitude , or ftandard, where the refiftence of the . . , aer becomes again equal to the force comprelTmg it, and there fubfifteth, The ^Remain- various rcciprocations up and down in the Tube. dcr of the Now concerning the remaining, and, indeed, the moft knotty part of of' the Difficulty, the Mq^ilihrium of thefe two off opt e Forces, is tbefe two oppo- confam to the certain fr^cife altitude ofij digits ? of this admirable Mag- %Hurfa\id'' nale no other caufefeems worthily affignable, but this-, thatfuchis thend^ the Aer, is con- fure of acr^w rcffeil hoth of the atomical f articles of which it is comfofed^ ijfealtituL^of' and of the di'pminate vacuities varioufj interfperfed among them, as that it digits:^re- dothrcff comfrefsionat juch a determinaterate^or definitefrofonion^ as ex. moved. aBlj rcffonds to the altitude of 2^ digits. Should it be demanded of us, rer Why Hc, who ftands on a plane, doth refift the impulfe of a mighty wind jpkacn/tcTmi' to fuch a determinate rate or height, but not farther • vve conceive our An- nared in the f^et would be fatisfadlory to the ingenious, if we rctumcd Only, that fuch SNatare^,S is thc exad proportion of Ifis ftrcngth, rcfulting from the individual tern* fimpie Appa- peramcnt of ifis body. ririonf.-which * eluding our Cognition,fre¬ quently fall Under no o- thcr coniprc- henfion, but that of ratio¬ nal ConjeHurc. Wezve LMenp.e. Ulioles • whofe weak and narrow Cpticks arcac- commodated only to the infpe<5lion of the exterior and low parts of Nature^ not perfpicacious enough to penetrate and transfix hcv interior and ahfiruje Excellencies: nor can we fpeculatc her glorious beauties in thedire^and incidenl^