Experiments and Considerations Touching Colours (1664)Boyle, Robert
History
Experiments and Considerations Touching Colours (1664)
Boyle, Robert
Color -- Early works to 1800; Colors -- Early works to 1800
[36] _The Stone it self being to be shown to the Royal Society, when the
Observations were deliver'd, I was willing (being in haste) to omit the
Description of it, which is in short, That it was a Flat or Table
Diamond, of about a third part of an Inch in length, and somewhat less in
breadth, that it was a Dull Stone, and of a very bad Water, having in the
Day time very little of the Vividness of ev'n ordinary Diamonds, and
being Blemished with a whitish Cloud about the middle of it, which
covered near a third part of the Stone._
[37] _Hast made me forget to take notice that I went abroad the same
Morning, the Sun shining forth clear enough, to look upon the Diamond
though a_ Microscope, _that I might try whether by that Magnifying Glass
any thing of peculiar could be discern'd in the Texture of the Stone, and
especially of the whitish Cloud that possest a good part of it. But for
all my attention I could not discover any peculiarity worth mentioning._
Secondly, The Candles being removed, I could not in a Dark place discern
the Stone to have any Light, when I looked on it, without having Rubb'd or
otherwise prepar'd it.
Thirdly, By two white Pibbles though hard Rubb'd one against another, nor
by the long and vehement Affriction of Rock Crystal against a piece of Red
cloath, nor yet by Rubbing two Diamonds set in Ring, as I had Rubb'd this
Stone, I could produce any sensible degree of Light.
Fourthly, I found this Diamond hard enough, not only to enable me to write
readily with it upon Glass, but to Grave on Rock Crystal it self.
Fifthly, I found this to have like other Diamonds, an Electrical
faculty.[38]
[38] V. _For it drew light Bodies like Amber, Jet, and other Concretes
that are noted to do so; But its attractive power seem'd inferiour to
theirs._
Sixthly, Being rubb'd upon my Cloaths, as is usual for the exciting of
Amber, Wax, and other Electrical Bodies, it did in the Dark manifestly
shine like Rotten Wood, or the Scales of Whitings, or other putrified Fish.
Seventhly, But this Conspicuousness was Fainter than that of the Scales,
and Slabber (if I may so call it) of Whitings, and much Fainter than the
Light of a Glow-worm, by which I have been sometimes able to Read a short
Word, whereas after an ordinary Affriction of this Diamond I was not able
to discern distinctly by the Light of it any of the nearest Bodies: And
this Glimmering also did very manifestly and considerably Decay presently
upon the ceasing of the Affriction, though the Stone continued Visible some
while after.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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