Next, That there is such an _unequal pressure_, I shall prove from this,
_That there is a much greater incongruity of Air to Glass, and some other
Bodies, then there is of Water to the same_.
By _Congruity, I mean a property of a fluid Body, whereby any part of it is
readily united with any other part, either of itself, or of any other
Similar, fluid, or solid body: And by Incongruity a property of a fluid, by
which it is hindred from uniting with any dissimilar, fluid, or solid
Body._
This last property, any one that hath been observingly conversant about
fluid Bodies, cannot be ignorant of. For (not now to mention several
_Chymical Spirits_ and _Oyls_, which will _very hardly_, if at _all_, be
brought to _mix_ with one another; insomuch that there may be found some 8
or 9, or more, several distinct Liquors, which _swimming_ one upon another,
will not presently _mix_) we need seek no further for Examples of this kind
in _fluids_, then to observe the _drops of rain_ falling through the _air_
and the _bubbles of air_ which are by any means conveyed under the surface
of the _water_; or a drop of common _Sallet Oyl_ swimming upon water. In
all which, and many more examples of this kind that might be enumerated,
the _incongruity_ of two _fluids_ is easily discernable. And as for the
_Congruity_ or _Incongruity_ of Liquids, with several kinds of _firm_
Bodies, they have long since been taken notice of, and called by the Names
of _Driness_ and _Moisture_ (though these two names are not comprehensive
enough, being commonly used to signifie only the adhering or not adhering
of _water_ to some other _solid Bodies_) of this kind we may observe that
_water_ will more readily _wet some woods_ then _others_; and that _water_,
let fall upon a _Feather_, the whiter side of a _Colwort_, and some other
leaves, or upon almost any _dusty_, _unctuous_, or _resinous_ superficies,
will not _at all adhere_ to them, but easily _tumble off_ from them, like a
solid _Bowl_; whereas, if dropt upon _Linnen_, _Paper_, _Clay_, _green
Wood_, &c.
Pages:
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83