that we have taken notice of ſo many Changes made by the Intervention of Salts in the Colours of Mix'd Bodies, that it has leſſen'd our Wonder, That though many Chymiſts are wont to aſcribe the Colours of Such Bodies to their Sulphureous, and the reſt to their Mercurial Principle; yet Paracelſus himſelf directs us in the Indagation of Colours, to have an Eye principally upon Salts, as we find in that paſſage of his, wherein he takes upon him to Oblige his Readers much by Inſtructing them, of what things they are to expect the Knowledge from each of the three diſtinct Principles of Bodies. Alias (ſays he) Colorum ſimilis ratio eſt: De quibus brevem inſtitutionem hanc attendite, quod ſcilicet colores omnes ex Sale prodeant. Sal enim dat colorem, dat Balſamum.[a]19] And a little beneath. Iam natura Ipſa colores protrathit ex ſale, cuique ſpeciei dans illum, qui ipſi competit, &c. After which he concludes; Itaque qui rerum omnium corpora cognoſcere vult, huic opus eſt, ut ante omnia cognoſcat Sulphur, Ab hoc, qui deſiderat noviſſe Colores is ſcientiam iſtorum petat à Sale, Qui ſcire vult Virtutes, is ſcrutetur arcana Mercurii. Sic nimirum fundamentum hauſerit Myſteriorum, in quolibet creſcenti indagandorum,
prout natura cuilibet ſpeciei ea ingeſſit. But though Paracelſus aſcribes to each of his belov'd Hypoſtatical Principles, much more than I fear will be found to belong to it; yet if we pleaſe to conſider Colours, not as Philoſophers, but as Dyers, the concurrence of Salts to the ſtriking and change of Colours, and their Efficacy, will, I ſuppoſe, appear ſo conſiderable, that we ſhall not need to quarrel much with Paracelſus, for aſcribing in this place (for I dare not affirm that he uſes to be ſtill of one Mind) the Colours of Bodies to their Salts, if by Salts he here underſtood, not only Elementary Salts, but ſuch alſo as are commonly taken for Salts, as Allom, Cryſtals of Tartar, Vitriol, &c. becauſe the Saline principle does chiefly abound in them, though indeed they be, as we elſewhere declare, mix'd Bodies, and have moſt of them, beſides what is Saline, both Sulphureous, Aqueous, and Groſs or Earthy parts.
But though (Pyrophilus) I have obſerv'd a Red and Green to be produc'd, the former, by Acid Salts, the later by Salts not Acid, in the expreſs Juices of ſo many differing Vegetable Subſtances, that the Obſervation, if perſued, may prove (as I ſaid) of good Uſe: yet to ſhow you how much e'vn theſe Effects depend upon the
particular Texture of Bodies, I muſt ſubjoyn ſome caſes wherein I (who am ſomewhat backwards to admit Obſervations for Univerſal) had the Curioſity to diſcover, that the Experiments would not Uniformly ſucceed, and of theſe Exceptions, the chief that I now remember, are reducible to the following three.
EXPERIMENT XXVI.
And, (firſt) I thought fit to try the Operation of Acid Salts upon Vegetable Subſtances, that are already and by their own Nature Red. And accordingly I made Trial upon Syrrup of Clove-july-flowers, the clear expreſs'd Juice of the ſucculent Berries of Spina Cervina, or Buckthorn (which I had long kept by me for the ſake of its deep Colour) upon Red Roſes, Infuſion of Brazil, and divers other Vegetable Subſtances, on ſome of which cruſh'd (as is often mention'd) upon White Paper, (which is alſo to be underſtood in moſt of theſe Experiments, if no Circumſtance of them argue otherwiſe) Spirit of Salt either made no conſiderable Change, or alter'd the Colour but from a Darker to a Lighter Red. How it will ſucceed in many other Vegetable Juices,
and Infuſions of the ſame Colour, I have at preſent ſo few at hand, that I muſt leave you to find it out your ſelf. But as for the Operation of the other ſorts of Salts upon theſe Red Subſtances, I found it not very Uniform, ſome Red, or Reddiſh Infuſions, as of Roſes, being turn'd thereby into a dirty Colour, but yet inclining to Green. Nor was the Syrrup of Clove-july-flowers turn'd by the ſolution of Pot-aſhes to a much better, though ſomewhat a Greener, Colour. Another ſort of Red Infuſions was by an Alcaly not turn'd into a Green, but advanc'd into a Crimſon, as I ſhall have occaſion to note ere long. But there were other ſorts, as particularly the lovely Colour'd juice of Buckthorn Berries, that readily paſs'd into a lovely Green.
EXPERIMENT XXVII.
Among other Vegetables, which we thought likely to afford Exceptions to the General Obſervation about the differing Changes of Colours produc'd by Acid and Sulphureous Salts, we thought fit to make Trial upon the Flowers of Jaſmin, they being both White as to Colour, and eſteem'd to be of a more Oyly nature than other Flowers. Whereupon having taken
the White parts only of the Flowers, and rubb'd them ſomewhat hard with my Finger upon a piece of clean Paper, it appear'd very little Diſcolour'd. Nor had Spirit of Salt, wherewith I moiſten'd one part of it, any conſiderable Operation upon it. But Spirit of Urine, and ſomewhat more effectually a ſtrong Alcalizate Solution, did immediately turn the almoſt Colourleſs Paper moiſten'd by the Juice of the Jaſmin, not as thoſe Liquors are wont to do, when put upon the Juices of other Flowers, of a good Green, but of a Deep, though ſomewhat Greeniſh Yellow, which Experiment I did afterwards at ſeveral times repeat with the like ſucceſs. But it ſeems not that a great degree of Unctuouſneſs is neceſſary to the Production of the like Effects, for when we try'd the Experiment with the Leaves of thoſe purely White Flowers that appear about the end of Winter, and are commonly call'd Snow drops, the event, was not much unlike that, which, we have been newly mentioning.