The Sceptical Chymist: or Chymico-Physical Doubts & Paradoxes, Touching the Spagyrist's Principles Commonly call'd Hypostatical; As they are wont to be Propos'd and Defended by the Generality of Alchymists. Whereunto is præmis'd Part of another Discourse relating to the same Subject.Boyle, Robert
Philosophy
The Sceptical Chymist: or Chymico-Physical Doubts & Paradoxes, Touching the Spagyrist's Principles Commonly call'd Hypostatical; As they are wont to be Propos'd and Defended by the Generality of Alchymists. Whereunto is præmis'd Part of another Discourse relating to the same Subject.
Boyle, Robert
Chemistry -- Early works to 1800
And if it be objected, that unless the _Hypothesis_ I oppose be
admitted, in such Cases as I have proposed there would not be an Union
but a Destruction of mingled Bodies, which seems all one as to say,
that of such Bodies there is no mistion at all; I answer, that
_though_ the Substances that are mingl'd remain, only their Accidents
are Destroy'd, and _though_ we may with tollerable Congruity call them
_Miscibilia_, because they are Distinct Bodies before they are put
together, however afterwards they are so Confounded that I should
rather call them Concretions, or Resulting Bodies, than mixt ones; and
_though_, perhaps, some other and better Account may be propos'd, upon
which the name of mistion may remain; yet if what I have said be
thought Reason, I shall not wrangle about Words, though I think it
fitter to alter a Terme of Art, then reject a new Truth, because it
suits not with it. If it be also Objected that this Notion of mine,
concerning mixtion, though it may be allow'd, when Bodies already
Compounded are put to be mingl'd, yet it is not applicable to those
mixtions that are immediately made of the Elements, or Principles
themselves; I Answer in the first place, that I here Consider the
Nature of mixtion somewhat more Generally, then the Chymists, who yet
cannot deny that there are oftentimes Mixtures, and those very durable
ones, made of Bodies that are not Elementary. And in the next place,
that though it may be probably pretended that in those Mixtures that
are made immediately of the Bodies that are call'd Principles or
Elements, the mingl'd Ingredients may better retain their own Nature
in the Compounded Mass, and be more easily separated from thence; yet,
besides that it may be doubted, whether there be any such Primary
Bodies, I see not why the reason I alleadg'd, of the destructibility
of the Ingredients of Bodies in General, may not sometimes be
Applicable to Salt Sulphur or Mercury; 'till it be shewn upon what
account we are to believe them Priviledged. And however, (if you
please but to recall to mind, to what purpose I told you at First, I
meant to speak of Mistion at this Time) you will perhaps allow that
what I have hitherto Discoursed about it may not only give some Light
to the Nature of it in general (especially when I shall have an
Opportunity to Declare to you my thoughts on that subject more fully)
but may on some Occasions also be Serviceable to me in the Insuing
Part of this Discourse.
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