Your constant Friend,
and faithful Servant.
[XIV.]
MADAM,
Since in my last, I made mention of the Congealing of Water into Ice and Snow, I cannot choose, but by the way tell you, that I did lately meet with an Author, who is of opinion, That Snow is nothing else but Ice broken or ground into small pieces. To which, I answer: That this opinion may serve very well for a Fancy, but not for a Rational Truth, or at least for a Probable Reason; For why may not the cold motions make snow without beating or grinding, as well as they make Ice? Surely Nature is wiser then to trouble her self with unnecessary labour, and to make an easie work difficult, as Art her Creature doth, or as some dull humane capacities conceive; for it is more easie for Nature to make Snow by some sorts of cold contractions, as she makes Ice by other sorts of cold contractions, then to force Air and Wind to beat, grinde, or pound Ice into Snow, which would cause a confusion and disturbance through the Irregularity of several parts, being jumbled in a confused manner together. The truth is, it would rather cause a War in Nature, then a natural production, alteration, or transformation: Neither can I conceive, in what region this turbulent and laborious work should be acted; certainly not in the caverns of the Earth, for snow descends from the upper Region. But, perchance, this Author believes, that Nature imploys Wind as a Hand, and the Cold air as a Spoon, to beat Ice like the white of an Egg into a froth of Snow. But the great quantity of Snow, in many places, doth prove, that Snow is not made of the fragments of Ice, but that some sorts of cold contractions on a watery body, make the figure of snow in the substance of water, as other sorts of cold contractions make the figure of ice; which motions and figures I have treated of in my Book of Philosophy, according to that Judgment and Reason which Nature has bestowed upon me. The Author of this Fancy, gives the same reason for Snow being white: For Ice, says he, is a transparent body, and all transparent bodies, when beaten into powder, appear white; and since Snow is nothing else but Ice powder'd small, it must of necessity shew white. Truly, Madam, I am not so experienced, as to know that all transparent bodies, being beaten small, shew white; but grant it be so, yet that doth not prove, that the whiteness of snow proceeds from the broken parts of Ice, unless it be proved that the whiteness of all bodies proceeds from the powdering of transparent bodies, which I am sure he cannot do; for Silver, and millions of other things are white, which were never produced from the powder of transparent bodies: Neither do I know any reason against it, but that which makes a Lilly white, may also be the cause of the whiteness of Snow, that is, such a figure as makes a white colour; for different figures, in my opinion, are the cause of different colours, as you will find in my Book of Philosophy, where I say, that Nature by contraction of lines draws such or such a Figure, which is such or such a Colour; as such a Figure is red, and such a Figure is green, and so of all the rest: But the Palest colours, and so white, are the loosest and slackest figures; Indeed, white, which is the nearest colour to light, is the smoothest, evenest and straightest figure, and composed of the smallest lines: As for example; suppose the figure of 8. were the colour of Red, and the figure of 1. the colour of White; or suppose the figure of Red to be a z. and the figure of an r. to be the figure of Green, and a straight l. the figure of White; And mixt figures make mixt colours: The like examples may be brought of other Figures, as of a Harpsichord and its strings, a Lute and its strings, a Harp and its strings, &c. By which your Reason shall judg, whether it be not easier for Nature, to make Snow and its whiteness by the way of contraction, then by the way of dissolution: As for example; Nature in making Snow, contracts or congeals the exterior figure of Water into the figure of a Harp, which is a Triangular figure with the figure of straight strings within it; for the exterior figure of the Harp represents the exterior figure of Snow, and the figure of the strings extended in straight lines represent the figure of its whiteness. And thus it is easier to make Snow and its whiteness at one act, then first to contract or congeal water into Ice, and then to cause wind and cold air to beat and break that Ice into powder, and lastly to contract or congeal that powder into flakes of Snow. Which would be a very troublesom work for Nature, viz. to produce one effect by so many violent actions and several labours, when the making of two figures by one action will serve the turn. But Nature is wiser then any of her Creatures can conceive; for she knows how to make, and how to dissolve, form; and transform, with facility and ease, without any difficulty; for her actions are all easie and free, yet so subtil, curious and various, as not any part or creature of Nature can exactly or throughly trace her ways, or know her wisdom. And thus leaving her, I rest,
Madam,
Your faithful Friend
and Servant.