An Accompt of Three Books

An Accompt of Three Books. I. De ANGLORUM GENTIS ORIGINE DISCEPTATIO, Auth. Rob. Sheringhamo Cantabrigiensi, Colleg. Gonvillii & Caii Socio. Cantabrigiae, 1670. in 8°. The Learned Author of this Discourse doth therein inquire into the Origine both of the Antient Britains, and of the Angli or Englis; having first described the Scituation, Latitude, Form, Fertility, and Temper of the Inhabitants of this Island. In his Inquiry he finds nothing that may be more certain in so great obscurity, than that the Old Britains were descended from the Trojans, by Brutus, the Offspring of Aeneas; and that the Angli are the Race of the Gothick Nation (which he maketh the Offspring not of Japhet, but of Sem:) Further, that the Geta or Goths did pass through Scythia into Scandia and Sarmatia, and from Scandia into the Isles of the Baltick Sea and Germany; but that under that great Captain Filemer they made an Excursion again into Asia, and having there ejected out of their Seats the Magogean Scythians and the Cimmerians, settled themselves and their Empire in Asia; whence the Saxons, Getes and Angles, (the Fore-Fathers of the English) were brought back again into Germany, to the Antient Seat of the Getes, under the Conduct of that Famous Woden (the Progenitor of the chief Kings of Europe) about the year 2910. All which, and much more our Author renders very probable, and in doing so, gives proof of much Learning and Industry. II. A Vindication of HYDROLOGIA CHYMICA, by William Sympson M.D. London, for R. Chiswell in Little Britain, 1670. This Author, esteeming, that his Antagonist, Dr. Wittie, hath fallen short in strength of Argument against his first Book, written upon the Scarborough-Spaw, and made supplies by groundless accusations, maketh it his business in this Reply, to Answer the most material Objections urged against him, endeavouring to confirm what he had said before, and adding new Observations. And for a further Discovery of the nature of the other Medicinal Waters at Knaresborough, he gives a particular Discourse both of the Sweet-Spaw, and Sulphur-Well, found there; where he propounds some Experiments, which, in the Authors opinion, not only demonstrate the Nature and Essence of their constitutive Ingredients, but by which also any Simple Spring-Water may be changed into an Artificial Mineral Water, Water, of the same tase and operation with the Natural. And as to the Experiments, which concern the Sulphur-Water, and consequently all other the like Sulphur-Springs, he affirms them to be such, as no Au- thor, that he knows, hath taken notice of, believing also, that they may yield no very small light for the further advancement of Sulphu- rous and other Mineral Waters. And forasmuch as the Essence of the Scarbrough-Spaw consists, in his opinion, mostwhat of an Aluminous Salt, he thence, taketh occasion to give an Accompt of the Alome-Works at Whitby; describing also the Difference betwixt the Natural and Factitious Alome. To all which he annexeth; First, A return to some Queries, for- merly propounded in N°. 52, of these Tracts by D. Dan. Foot, con- cerning Mineral Waters. [Where the Reader is desired to take notice of the great mistake of Dr. Symson, in calling these Papers the Ph. Transactions of the R. Society; which is a great injury to that Illustrious Body, these Tracts being only the Communications of a single Per- son, who hath also heretofore expressly signified so much to the World N°. xi. of these Books; and still signifieth the like at the end of eve- ry year, in the several Dedications of the same.] Secondly, Some Re- flexions upon the most material Passages and Experiments, in a late Treatise, printed in London, and Entitul'd, Scarbrough Spaw, Spagyri- cally anatomized by Dr. G. Tonstal: in which Reflexions, a way is pro- pounded for preventing all Inconveniencies, which may happen to those that drink the said Spaw. Thirdly, An Examination of the Ger- man Spaw-Water, as he found some of it seal'd up in Bottles in Holland. Fourthly, Some Observations on a Dissected Woman, who dyed of the Jaundice. Through the whole Book are to be met with, divers Observations, Experiments, and Hints, which may give occasion to the Reader to improve the several Subjects, which they relate to. Among other par- ticulars, he insinuates, that he knows, by a Dissolvent, not rare a- mong Chymists, with the addition of a Man's breath, to calcine a Metal, via humidæ, without which (or something equivalent thereto) the humid Calcination of that Metal cannot be perform'd; item, How to melt another Metal (prepared after a certain manner) with the help of one single Lamp, un-assisted by any blast; item, That some Menstruum's may dissolve or break in pieces the close riveted parts of compact Bodies, when yet they leave other Bodies of a softer and slighter texture untouch't: which, he adds, giveth light to the possibi- lity of finding out by Art such Menstruum's, as may dissolve and commute the hard Stone in the Bladder, without touching the soft membrane of it, and other entrals: Item, That not only Niter is a- fresh to be got out of the same Earth, it was formerly extracted from; but the like is observ'd in the Minerals of Vitriol and Alome; and, which is more, that the Generation of Metals is not terminated with one production, the Tinners in Cornwall having found after 30 years, Tin generated anew, where it hath been formerly digg'd up and fill'd with Earth. Item, That taking a pint of simple Spring-water, in which he dissolv'd betwixt one and two drachms of Sal marine in Frigido (since about that quantity of Common Salt the Sulphur-water in the North contains,) he added to this Solution of Salt in water, about two or three ounces of Calx Vive and the Marcasites of Vitriol (found near the Sulphur-Well) grossly pulverized; which presently became considerably hot: whereupon pouring off some of the Water, he poured into the same, filtr'd, a little Solution of the simple Alome-Salt; and it immediately caused a precipitation of a Sulphur, and sent forth the very smell, and had also the exact tatt of the Sulphur-Well. Again; That, seeing all Bodies are but Concretions and Hardnings of their primitive Juyces, under various disguises, generally perform'd by the operation of the Air, therefore the Preparation of a Dissolvent by Art, (which may work wonders in this kind) is no more, to him, than to make such an one, as may soften these Concretions, made by the Air, and by taking away their hardness, reduce them into their first Juicy Liquors. Where he observeth, that if it were not for the perpetual Circulation of the Juyces in the Body, constantly transpiring through the pores thereof, we should either become petrified, or be incircled with a Bark. III. A Discourse in Vindication of Des-Cartes's Systeme, by M. Des-Fourneillis: to which is annexed the SYSTE ME GENERAL of the same CARTESIAN Philosophy, by Francis Bayle, M.D. at Tolose. Printed at London for Moses Pit, in Little-Britain. Both these Tracts were lately English't out of French: Of the latter of which, whilst it was yet un-translated, some Accompt was given in Numb. 54: the former shews only, that the Systeme of M. Des-Cartes seems to have been taken out of the first Chapter of Genesis; and particularly, that his Opinion concerning Brutes contains nothing dangerous. Errata. Pag.2012.l.36.r.was not yet, p. 2016.l.18.r.rested himself, p. 2023.l.19.r.bring put. LONDON. Printed by T. R. for John Martyn Printer to the Royal Society, 1670.