as it was before, yet not only it will, being ſet on fire in the Free Air, ſend forth a Copious ſmoak, but having purpoſely upon ſome of it that was Flaming, clapt a Large Glaſs, almoſt in the form of a Hive, (but more Slender only) with a Hole at the top, (which I caus'd to be made to trye Experiments of Fire and Flame in) it continued ſo long burning that it Lin'd all the Inſide of the Glaſs with a Soot as Black as Ink, and ſo Copious, that the Cloſeneſs of the Veſſel conſider'd, almoſt all that part of the White Camphire that did take Fire, ſeem'd to have been chang'd into that deep Black Subſtance.
EXPERIMENT VI
And this alſo brings into my mind another Experiment that I made about the production of Blackneſs, whereof, for Reaſons too long to be here deduced, I expected and found a good Succeſs, an it was this: I took Rectifi'd Oyl of Vitriol (that I might have the Liquor Clean as well as Strong) and by degrees mixt with it a convenient proportion of the Eſſential Oyl, as Chymiſts call it, of Wormwood, drawn over with ſtore of Water in a Limbec, and warily Diſtilling the mixture in a Retort, there remain'd
a ſcarce credible quantity of dry Matter
, Black as a Coal. And becauſe the Oyl of Wormwood, though a Chymical Oyl drawn by a Virtuoſo, ſeem'd to have ſomewhat in it of the Colour of the Plant, I Subſtituted in its Room, the Pure and Subtile Eſſential Oyl of Winter-Savory, and mixing little by little this Liquor, with (if I mis-remember not) an Equal weight of the formerly mention'd Rectifi'd Oyl of Vitriol, and Diſtilling them as before in a Retort, beſides what there paſs'd over into the Receiver, even theſe two clear Liquors left me a Conſiderable Proportion, (though not ſo great as the two former) of a Subſtance Black as Pitch, which I yet Keep by me as a Rarity.
EXPERIMENT VII.
A way of Whiting Wax Cheaply and in Great Quantity may be a thing of good Oeconomical Uſe, and we have elſewhere ſet down the Practice of Trades-men that Blanch it; But here Treating of Whiteneſs only in Order to the Philoſophy of Colours, I ſhall not Examine which of the Slow wayes may be beſt Employ'd, to free Wax from the Yellow Melleous parts, but ſhall rather ſet down a Quick
way of making it White, though but in very Small Quantities. Take then a little Yellow Wax, ſcraped or thinly ſliced, and putting it into a
Bolts-head or ſome other Convenient Glaſs, pour to it a pretty deal of Spirit of Wine, and placing the Veſſel in Warm Sand, Encreaſe the Heat by degrees, till the Spirit of Wine begin to Simper or to Boyl a little; and continuing that degree of Fire, if you have put Liquor enough, you will quickly have the Wax diſſolv'd, then taking it off the fire, you may either ſuffer it to Cool as haſtily as with Safety to the Glaſs you can, or Pour it whilſt 'tis yet Hot into a Filtre of Paper, and either in the Glaſs where it Cools, or in the Filtre, you will ſoon find the Wax and Menſtruum together reduc'd into a White Subſtance, almoſt like Butter, which by letting the Spirit Exhale will ſhrink into a much Leſſer Bulk, but ſtill retaining its Whiteneſs. And that which is pretty in the working of this Magiſtery of Wax, is, that the Yellowneſs vaniſhes, neither appearing in the Spirit of Wine that paſſes Limpid through the Filtre, nor in the Butter of Wax, if I may ſo call it, that, as I ſaid, is White.