may make them put forth this potentiall ſaltneſſe into act: and according to this diverſity of places that this water or vapours, being impregnated with thoſe ſeeds of ſalt, goe through, ariſeth the diverſity of ſalts, as Alum, ſea-ſalt, Nitre, &c. Then upon this account the earth through which the cold, acid, ſaltiſh water aboveſaid run through did ſpeciſicate that potentionall ſalt which was both in the water, and vapours, into a nitrous ſalt, (by which means was that kind of ſalt in that place) but whether this primum ens ſalium be ſo unſpeciſicated, or quid Hermaphroditicum as he aſſerts, or no, it matters not much to my purpoſe; it ſufficeth if that carth through which that acid nitrous water runs, attracts and multiplies an acid nitrous ſalt, with which the water being impregnated, and running through a ſulphurous mine cauſeth an ebullition. All this being premiſed, I ſhall now endeavour to illuſtrate how nature may in this be imitated, as that an artificiall hot bath may be made by ſuch like principles, as the naturall hot bath conſiſts oſ, being artificially prepared.
Now theſe principles are the ſulphur mine, and the acid nitrous ſalt; the former requires no ſurther preparation (as ſaith Mounſeur de Kochas,) if it be pure: the latter is to be prepared two manner of wayes: for either it is to be extracted, as ſaith the foreſaid author out of the waters of the bath by evapoporating them away, or by condenſing the nitrous aire (for indeed as many judicious philoſophers are of opinion, the aire is wholly nitrous as it appears by the condenſation of it in cold places into Nitre) which his virgins earth did doe, into a ſalt, which was acid, and almoſt fluxil. Now when I ſay that the nitrous ſalt is to be thus prepared, I doe not ſay that this is the full preparation thereof, for indeed it is yet further to be prepared, and that is by giving it a greater acidity. I queſtion much whether or no the ſalt being prepared after the aforeſaid wayes doe retain that acidity which is required for that ebullition I ſpake of, and which the nitrous acid water had before it came to the Mine of Sulphur. For indeed the aforeſaid author when he affirmed that he could at any time make an artificiall hot bath, did not ſay he used the ſalt prepared onely after
