Experiments and Considerations Touching Colours (1664)

by Robert Boyle

THE
PREFACE.

Aving in convenient places of the following Treatiſe, mention'd the Motives, that induc'd me to write it, and the Scope I propos'd to my ſelf in it; I think it ſuperfluous to entertain the Reader now, with what he will meet with hereafter. And I ſhould judge it needleſs, to trouble others, or my ſelf, with any thing of Preface: were it not that I can ſcarce doubt, but this Book will fall into the hands of ſome Readers, who being unacquainted with the difficulty of attempts of this nature, will think itn ſtrange that I ſhould publiſh any thing about Colours, without a particular Theory of them. But I dare expect that Intelligent and Equitable Readers will conſider on my behalf: That the profeſſed Deſign of this Treatiſe is to deliver things rather Hiſtorical than Dogmatical, and conſequently if I have added divers new ſpeculative Conſiderations and hints, which perhaps may afford no deſpicable Aſſiſtance, towards the framing of a ſolid and comprehenſive Hypotheſis, I have done at least as much as I promis'd, or as the nature of my undertaking exacted. But another thing there is, which if it ſhould be objected, I fear I ſhould not be able ſo eaſily to anſwer it, and that is; That in the following treatiſe (eſpecially in the Third part of it) the Experiments might have been better Marſhall'd, and ſome of them deliver'd in fewer words. For I muſt confeſs that this Eſſay was written to a private Friend, and that too, by ſnatches, at ſeveral times, and places, and (after my manner) in looſe ſheets, of which I oftentimes had not all by me that I had already written, when I was writing more, ſo that it needs be no wonder if all the Experiments be not rang'd to the beſt Advantage, and if ſome connections and conſecutions of them might eaſily have been mended. Eſpecially ſince having careleſſly laid by the looſe Papers, for ſeveral years after they were written, when I came to put them together to diſpatch them to the Preſs, I found ſome of thoſe I reckon'd upon, to be very unſeaſonably wanting. And to make any great change in the order of the reſt, was more than the Printers importunity, and that, of my own avocations (and perhaps alſo conſiderabler ſolicitations) would permit. But though ſome few preambles of the particular Experiments might have (perchance) been ſpar'd, or ſhorten'd, if I had had all my Papers under my View at once; Yet in the moſt of thoſe Introductory paſſages, the Reader will (I hope) find hints, or Advertiſements, as well as Tranſitions. If I ſometimes ſeem to inſiſt long upon the circumſtances of a Tryall, I hope I ſhall be eaſily excuſed by thoſe that both know, how nice divers experiments of Colours are, and conſider that I was not barely to relate them, but ſo as to teach a young Gentleman to make them. And if I was not ſollicitous, to make a nicer diviſion of the whole Treatiſe, than into three parts, whereof the One contains ſome Conſiderations about Colours in general. The Other exhibits a ſpecimen of an Account of particular Colours, Exemplifi'd in Whiteneſs and Blackneſs. And the Third promiſcuous Experiments about the remaining Colours (eſpecially Red) in order to a Theory of them. If, I ſay, I contented my ſelf with this eaſie Diviſion of my Diſcourſe, it was perhaps becauſe I did not think it ſo neceſſary to be Curious about the Method or Contrivance of a Treatiſe, wherein I do not pretend to preſent my Reader with a compleat Fabrick, or ſo much as Modell; but only to bring in Materials proper for the Building; And if I did not well know how Ingenious the Curioſity and Civility of Friends makes them, to perſwade Men by ſpecious allegations, to gratifie their deſires; I ſhould have been made to believe by perſons very well qualify'd to judge of matters of this nature, that the following Experiments will not need the addition of accurate Method and ſpeculative Notions to procure Acceptance for the Treatiſe that contains them: For it hath been repreſented, That in moſt of them, as the Novelty will make them ſurprizing, and the Quickneſs of performance, keep them from being tedious; ſo the ſenſible changes, that are effected by them, are ſo manifest, ſo great, and ſo ſudden, that ſcarce any will be diſpleaſed to ſee them, and thoſe that are any thing Curious will ſcarce be able to ſee them, without finding themſelves excited, to make Reflexions upon Them. But though with me, who love to meaſure Phyſical things by their uſe, not their ſtrangeneſs, or prettineſs, the partiality of others prevails not to make me over value theſe, or look upon them in themſelves as other than Trifles: Yet I confeſs, that ever ſince I did divers years ago ſhew ſome of them to a Learned Company of Virtuoſi: ſo many perſons of differing Conditions, and ev'n Sexes, have been Curious to ſee them, and pleas'd not to Diſlike them, that I cannot Deſpair, but that by complying with thoſe that urge the Publication of them, I may both gratifie and excite the Curious, and lay perhaps a Foundation whereon either others or my ſelf may in time ſuperſtruct a ſubſtantial theory of Colours. And if Ariſtotle, after his Maſter Plato, have rightly obſerv'd Admiration to be the Parent of Philoſophy, the wonder, ſome of theſe Trifles have been wont to produce in all ſorts of Beholders, and the acceſs they have ſometimes gain'd ev'n to the Cloſets of Ladies, ſeem to promiſe, that ſince the ſubject is ſo pleaſing, that the Speculation appears as Delightful! as Difficult, ſuch eaſie and recreative Experiments, which require but little time, or charge, or trouble in the making, and when made are ſenſible and ſurprizing enough, may contribute more than others, (far more important but as much more difficult) to recommend thoſe parts of Learning (Chymistry and Corpuſcular Philoſophy) by which they have been produc'd, and to which they give Teſtimony ev'n to ſuch kind of perſons, as value a pretty Trick more than a true Notion, and would ſcarce admit Philoſophy, if it approach'd them in another Dreſs: without the ſtrangeneſs or endearments of pleaſantneſs to recommend it. I know that I do but ill conſult my own Advantage in the conſenting to the Publication of the following Treatiſe: For thoſe things, which, whilſt men knew not how they were perform'd, appear'd ſo ſtrange, will, when the way of making them, and the Grounds on which I devis'd them, ſhall be Publick, quickly loſe all that their being Rarityes, and their being thought Myſteries, contributed to recommend them. But 'tis fitter for Mountebancks than Naturalis to deſire to have their diſcoverys rather admir'd than underſtood, and for my part I had much rather deſerve the thanks of the Ingenious, than enjoy the Applauſe of the Ignorant. And if I can ſo farr contribute to the diſcovery of the nature of Colours, as to help the Curious to it, I ſhall have reach'd my End, and ſav'd my ſelf ſome Labour which elſe I may chance be tempted to undergo in proſecuting that ſubect, and Adding to this Treatiſe, which I therefore call a History, becauſe it chiefly contains matters of fact, and which Hiſtory the Title declares me to look upon but as Begun: Becauſe though that above a hundred, not to ſay a hundred and fifty Experiments, (ſome looſe, and others interwoven amongſt the diſcourſes themſelves) may ſuffice to give a Beginning to a Hiſtory not hitherto, that I know, begun, by any; yet the ſubject is ſo fruitfull, and ſo worthy, that thoſe that are Curious of theſe Matters will be farr more wanting to themſelves than I can ſuſpect, if what I now publiſh prove any more than a Beginning. For, as I hope my Endeavours may afford them ſome aſſistance towards this work, ſo thoſe Endeavours are much too Vnfiniſh'd to give them any diſcouragement, as if there were little left for others to do towards the Hiſtory of Colours.

For (firſt) I have been willing to leave unmention'd the moſt part of thoſe Phænomena of Colours, that Nature preſents us of her own accord, (that is, without being guided or over-ruld by man) ſuch as the different Colours that ſeveral ſorts of Fruites paſs through before they are perfectly ripe, and thoſe that appear upon the fading of flowers and leaves, and the putrifaction (and its ſeveral degrees) of fruits, &c. together with a thouſand other obvious Instances of the changes of colours. Nor have I much medled with thoſe familiar Phænomena wherein man is not an Idle ſpectator; ſuch as the Greenneſs produc'd by ſalt in Beef much powder'd, and the Redneſs produc'd in the ſhells of Lobſters upon the boyling of thoſe fiſhes; For I was willing to leave the gathering of Obſervations to thoſe that have not the Opportunity to make Experiments. And for the ſame Reaſons, among others, I did purpoſly omit the Lucriferous practiſe of Trades-men about colours; as the ways of making Pigments, of Bleanching wax, of dying Scarlet, &c. though to divers of them I be not a stranger, and of ſome I have myſelf made Tryall.

Next; I did purpoſely paſs by divers Experiments of other Writers that I had made Tryall of (and that not without regiſtring ſome of their Events) unleſs I could ſome way or other improve them, becauſe I wanted leaſure to inſert them, and had thoughts of proſecuting the work once begun of laying together thoſe I had examin'd by themſelves in caſe of my not being prevented by others diligence. So that there remains not a little, among the things that are already publiſhed, to imploy thoſe that have a mind to exerciſe themſelves in repeating and examining them. And I will not undertake, that none of the things deliver'd, ev'n in this Treatiſe, though never ſo faithfully ſet down, may not prove to be thus farr of this Sort, as to afford the Curious ſomewhat to add about them. For I remember that I have ſomewhere in the Book it ſelf acknowledged, that having written it by ſnatches, partly in the Counntrey, and partly at unſeaſonable times of the year, when the want of fit Inſtruments, and of a competent variety of flowers, ſalts, Pigments, and other materials made me leave ſome of the following Experiments, (eſpecialy thoſe about Emphatical Colours) far more unfiniſh'd than they ſhould have been, if it had been as eaſie for me to ſupply what was wanting to compleat them, as to diſcern. Thirdly to avoyd diſcouraging the young Gentleman I call Pyrophilus, whom the leſs Familiar, and more Laborious operations of Chymistry would probably have frighted, I purpoſely declin'd in what I writ to him, the ſetting down any Number of ſuch Chymicall Experiments, as, by being very elaborate or tedious, would either require much skill, or exerciſe his patience. And yet that this ſort of Experiments is exceedingly Numerous, and might more than a little inrich the Hiſtory of Colours, thoſe that are vers'd in Chymical proceſſes, will, I preſume, eaſily allow me.

And (Laſtly) for as much as I have occaſion more than once in my ſeveral Writings to treat either porpoſely or incidentally of matters relating to Colours; I did not, perhaps, conceive my ſelf oblig'd, to deliver in one Treatiſe all that I would ſay concerning that ſubject.

But to conclude, by ſumming up what I would ſay concerning what I have and what I have not done, in the following Papers; I ſhall not (on the one ſide) deny, that conſidering that I pretended not to write an accurate Treatiſe of Colours, but an Occaſional Eſſay to acquaint a private friend with what then occurrd to me of the things I had thought or try'd concerning them; I might preſume I did enough for once, if I did clearly and faithfully ſet down, though not all the Experiments I could, yet at leaſt ſuch a variety of them, that an attentive Reader that ſhall conſider the Grounds on which they have been made, and the hints that are purpoſely (though diſperſedly) couched in them, may eaſily compound them, and otherwiſe vary them, ſo as very much to increaſe their Number. And yet (on the other ſide) I am ſo ſenſible both of how much I have, either out of neceſſity or choice, left undone, and of the fruitfullneſs of the ſubject I have begun to handle; that though I had performed far more then 'tis like many Readers will judge I have, I ſhould yet be very free to let them apply to my Attempts that of Seneca, where having ſpoken of the Study of Natures Myſteries, and Particularly of the Cauſe of Earth-Quakes, he ſubjoins.[a]¹] Nulla res conſummata eſt dum incipit. Nec in hac tantum re omnium maxima ac involutiſſimá, in quâ etiam cum multum actum erit, omnis ætas, quod agat inveniet; ſed in omni alio Negotio, longè ſemper à perfecto fuere Principia.

The Publiſher to the
READER.

Friendly Reader,