Micrographia: Some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies Made by Magnifying Glasses with Observations and Inquiries ThereuponHooke, Robert
History
Micrographia: Some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies Made by Magnifying Glasses with Observations and Inquiries Thereupon
Hooke, Robert
Magnifying glasses -- Early works to 1800; Microscopy -- Early works to 1800; Natural history -- Pre-Linnean works
Fifthly, to make Compositions and Coagulations of several Salts together
into the same mass, to observe of what Figure the product of them would be;
and in all, to note as many circumstances as I should judge conducive to my
Enquiry.
Sixthly, to enquire the closeness or rarity of the texture of these bodies,
by examining their gravity, and their refraction, &c.
Seventhly, to enquire particularly what operations the fire has upon
several kinds of Salts, what changes it causes in their Figures, Textures,
or Energies.
Eighthly, to examine their manner of dissolution, or acting upon those
bodies dissoluble in them; The texture of those bodies before and after the
process. And this for the History.
Next for the Solution, To have examin’d by what, and how many means, such
and such Figures, actions and effects could be produc’d possibly.
And lastly, from all circumstances well weigh’d, I should have endeavoured
to have shewn which of them was most likely, and (if the informations by
these Enquiries would have born it) to have demonstrated which of them it
must be, and was.
But to proceed, As I believe it next to the Globular the most simple; so do
I, in the second place, judge it not less pleasant; for that which makes an
Enquiry pleasant, are, first a noble _Inventum_ that promises to crown the
successfull endeavour; and such must certainly the knowledge of the
efficient and concurrent causes of all these curious Geometrical Figures
be, which has made the Philosophers hitherto to conclude nature in these
things to play the Geometrician, according to that saying of _Plato_,
Ὁ Θεὸς γεομετρεῖ. Or next, a great variety of matter in the
Enquiry; and here we meet with nothing less than the _Mathematicks_ of
nature, having every day a new Figure to contemplate, or a variation of the
same in another body,
Which do afford us a third thing, which will yet more sweeten the Enquiry,
and that is, a multitude of information; we are not so much to grope in the
dark, as in most other Enquiries, where the _Inventum_ is great; for having
such a multitude of instances to compare, and such easie ways of
generating, or compounding and of destroying the form, as in the _Solution_
and _Crystallization_ of Salts, we cannot but learn plentifull information
to proceed by. And this will further appear from the universality of the
Principle which Nature has made use of almost in all inanimate bodies. And
therefore, as the contemplation of them all conduces to the knowledg of any
one; so from a Scientifical knowledge of any one does follow the fame of
all, and every one.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account