_Metals_ may be occasioned, by Fire, to slack their Retentive Motions, by which they become fluid; and as soon as they are quit of their Enemy, _Fire_, the Figurative Motions of Metal return to their proper Order: and this is the reason that occasions Metal to melt, which is, to flow: but yet, the Flowing Motion is but like the Exterior, and not the Innate actions of: for, the Melting actions do not alter the Innate actions; that is, they do not alter from the Nature of being Metal: but, if the Exterior Nature be occasioned, by the Excess of those Exterior actions, to alter their Retentive actions, then Metal turns to that we name _Dross_; and as much as Metal loses of its weight, so much of the Metal dissolves; that is, so much of those Innate motions are quite altered: but, Gold hath such an Innate Retentiveness, that though Fire may cause an extream alteration of the Exterior actions; yet, it cannot alter the Interior motions. The like is of Quick-silver. And yet Gold is not a God, to be Unalterable, though man knows not the way, and Fire has not the power to alter the Innate Nature of Gold. CHAP. III. Of Burning, Melting, Boyling, and Evaporating. _Burning, Melting, Boyling_, and _Evaporating_, are, for the most part, occasioned by Fire, or somewhat that is, in effect, Hot: I say, _occasioned_, by reason they are not the actions of Fire, but the actions of those Bodies that melts, boyls, evaporates, or burns; which being near, or joyned to Fire, are occasioned so to do: as for example, Put several sorts of Creatures, or Things, into a Fire, and they shall not burn alike: for, Leather and Metal do not burn alike; for Metal flows, and Leather shrinks up, and Water evaporates, and Wood converts it self, as it were, into Fire; which other things do not; which proves, That all Parts act their own actions. For, though some Corporeal motions may occasion other Corporeal motions to act after such or such a manner; yet, one Part cannot have another Part's motion, because Matter can neither give nor take motion. CHAP. IV. Of STONE. All Minerals seem to be some kinds of Dense and Retentive motions: but yet, those kinds of Dense and Retentive motions, seem to be of several sorts; which is the cause of several sorts of Minerals, and of several sorts of Stones and Metals. Also, every several sort, hath several sorts of Properties: but, in my opinion, some sorts are caused by Hot Contractions and Retentions; others, by Cold Contractions and Retentions; as also, by Hot or Cold Densations: and the reason why I believe so, is, That I observe that many Artificial Stones are produced by Heat: but Ice, which is but in the first Degree of a Cold Density, seems somewhat like transparent Stones; so that several sorts of Stones, are produced by several sorts of Cold and Hot Contractions and Densations. CHAP. V. Of the LOADSTONE.