An Accompt of Two Books

AN ACCOMPT OF TWO BOOKS I. PRODROMO overo Saggio di alcune Inventioni nuove premesso all ARTE MAESTRA di P. Francisco Lana della Compagnia di Jesu, in Brescia, 1670, in 4°. This Introduction is premised to a Work, designed by the Author to shew the Valuableness of the Principles and Knowledge of Natural Philosophy, by some of the more considerable Inventions and Experiments hitherto found in Authors, and other new ones of this Writer himself; who having in his Preface with much freedom represented and animadverted upon the Errors committed by those, that have and do treat of Natural Philosophy lofophy, and insisted much upon the Lord Bacon (though not named) his method and way of Philosophising, giveth us in this Prodromus an Essay of some (by him esteemed useful) Discoveries and Practices, for which we are obliged to Philosophy. Of the many particulars, he reckons up and discourses of in this Fore-runner, we shall only recite one, and recommend it to the trial of the Curious; which is a Way to make any Flowers or Fruits grow without Seed; and which our Author describeth, as follows. I took (faith he) a quantity of Orange-flowers, and put them into half a pound of Oyl of sweet Almonds, together with a little Rock-allom, and so inclosed all in a glass flask; which being well stopp'd, I expos'd to the Sun for a Month, adding still more flowers, when I found the first were putrified, yet without taking these out. A Month being pass'd, I pow'r'd out the Oyl, impregnated with the vertue of those flowers and very odoriferous, into several Glass-Vials, and carefully set them aside, leaving them untouch'd till the next Spring; at which time looking upon these Vials, I observed within them certain Flowers swimming in the Oyl, which to me appear'd not at all different from true and fresh Leaves and Flowers of the Orange-Tree. But the wonder encreased some Months after, when the hot season being advanced, the Flowers were turned into Fruit about the same time that such fruit was ripen'd upon the Tree; there being seen at the bottom of the Vials some small Oranges with their proper colour, together with those small specks, which that fruit useth to have; so that they were in nothing distinguishable from true Oranges, their smallness excepted. There are many (so he goes on) in the Colledge of Rome whom I might alledge as Witnesses of this curious Metamorphosis, but one shall serve for all, and that is his Excellency lency Signior Innocentio Conti, now Lieutenant-General of the Army of the Church, whose high Extraction, rare Valour, and sublime Wit and Knowledge, have been alwayes admired by me. He was pleas'd to accept of one of these Vials from my hands, in which every year hitherto, in the season of the Blossoming of Oranges, such Flowers are seen, which at the time of the ripeness of the Fruit are also transformed into Fruit. II. Joh. Henr. Meibomii de CEREVISII S, potibusque & ebriaminibus extra Vinum aliis Commentarius, annexo libello Turnebi de Vino. Helmestadii 1668. in 4°. The Publisher of this Commentary, (but lately come to our knowledge) who is the Son of its Author, renders in the Preface a reason, why after so many Books, formerly publish'd on the same subject, by Gazius, Grata-rolus, Haggeius, Schookius, &c. he would yet publish this also: In the doing of which he alledgedeth, that these Authors having only a Medical aim, did merely examine the nature and quality of those sorts of Bier, which are now in use; but that this Writer searcheth and relateth from remotest Antiquity all kinds of drinks, used by all sorts of Nations, and compareth them with the Modern drinks; discoursing of their Use only by the by. This done he discourseth out of Authors, how and by whom, after the first use of Water and Milk, were introduced the drinks made out of Vegetables; as the Vine, Barley, Wheat, Maiz, Millet, Oats, Rice, Apples, Pears, Pomegranates; and the various Juice tapped out of Trees, as the Palm, Birch, Sycamore, Maple, and many more more. To which he adds those drinks, that are prepared out of Roots, Berries, Sugar, and Sugar-Canes, and the like. Then he proceeds to that luscious drink, which is made out of that Animal substance Honey, called Meath, and found mention'd in some of the most ancient Writers, amongst whom he citeth Orpheus; Ἐν τε ἀν δὴ μὲν ἰδοῖς ὑπὸ δευτὸν ὑψιμόρμων Ἔργοι μελισσῶν μελισσῶν ἐρβόμεων Δῆκον Postquam igitur cernes ipsum sub quercubus altis Depositum, Succo ex Apibus mox vincula membris Injice Which relateth to the Fable, in which the Night is represented to have counselled Jupiter, designing to dethrone and castrate his father Saturn, that he should by making him drunk with Meath, cast him into a deep sleep, and so do with him what he pleased. To these he subjoyneth many intoxicating Drinks, made with narcotick and other hearbs; as also the various stu- pifying Fumes, among which Tobacco is now so famous and common; to which he applieth what Virgil sings of Caco; Faucibus ingentem fumum, mirabile dictu, Evomit, involuitque domum caligine cæcâ, Prospectum eripiens oculis, glomeratique sub annos: Fumiferam noctem, commissis igne tenebris. He concludeth all with the modern various wayes of Brewing Bier; of which see the Discourse itself; The annexed Tract of Turnebus is both elegant, and considerable for the Observations therein alledged, to shew the noxious effects of Wine in those people, that drink much of that liquor; preferring good Water, Milk, Bier, and especially good Cider, far above it; and taking notice, that Wine-drinkers have generally more deform'd, lower and drier bodies, as also shaking limbs, and a more hasty decay of sight, than others. Errata. In Numb. 68. p. 2081. l. 10. r. Chylous Urine. In the Index annexed to Numb. 68. add at the very end of the particulars, listed under the Letter M, after the word Restitution, these two numbers, 67. 2058. In this Numb. 69. p. 2090. l. 15. r. or his Angels. p. 2092. l. 8. r. Experience. Doctor. p. 2093. l. 4. other as A. London, Printed for John Martin, Printer to the Royal-Society. 1671.