<P_133>

<heading>

EXPERIMENT IN CONSORT , TOUCHING WHITENESS & BLACKNESS .
(BOYLECOL-E3-P1,133.3)

EXPERIMENT I . (BOYLECOL-E3-P1,133.4)

</heading>

Having promis'd in the 114 , and 115. Pages of the foregoing Discourse
of Whiteness and Blackness , to shew , that those two Colonrs {COM:sic}
may by a change of Texture in bodies , each of them apart Diaphanous
and Colourless , be at pleasure and in a trice as well Generated as
Detroy'd , We shall begin with Experiments that may acquit us of that
promise . (BOYLECOL-E3-P1,133.6)

Take then what Quantity you please of Fair Water ,
(BOYLECOL-E3-P1,133.7)

and having Heated it , put into it as much good Common Sublimate , as
it is able to Dissolve , (BOYLECOL-E3-P1,133.8)

and <paren> to be sure of having <P_134> it well glutted : </paren>
continue putting in the sublimate , till some of it lye Untouch'd in
the bottom of the Liquor , (BOYLECOL-E3-P1,134.9)

Filter this Solution through Cap-paper , to have it cleer and limpid ,
(BOYLECOL-E3-P1,134.10)

and into a spoonfull or two thereof , <paren> put into a clean glass
vessel , </paren> shake about four or five drops <paren> according as
you took more or less of this Solution </paren> of good limpid Spirits
of Urine , (BOYLECOL-E3-P1,134.11)

and immediately the whole mixture will appear White like Milk , to
which mixture if you presently add a convenient proportion of Rectifi'd
<font> Aqua Fortis </font> <paren> for the number of drops is hard to
determine , because of the Differing Strength of the liquor , but
easily found by tryal </paren> the Whiteness will presently disappear ,
and the whole mixture become Transparent , which you may , if you
please , again reduce to a good degree of Whiteness <paren> though
inferiour to the first </paren> onely by a more copious affusion of
fresh Spirit of Urine . (BOYLECOL-E3-P1,134.12)

<font> N. </font> First , That it is not so necessary to employ either
<font> Aqua Fortis </font> or Spirit of Urine about this Experiment ,
but that we have made it with other liquors instead of these ; of which
perhaps more elsewhere . (BOYLECOL-E3-P1,134.13)

Secondly , That this Experiment , though not made with the same <font>
Menstruums </font> , nor producing the same Colour , is yet much of Kin
to that other to be <P_135> mentioned in this Tract among our other
Experiments of Colours , about turning a Solution of Praecipitate into
an Orange-colour , (BOYLECOL-E3-P1,135.14)

and the Chymical Reason being much alike in both , the annexing it to
one of them may suffice for both . (BOYLECOL-E3-P1,135.15)

<heading>

EXPERIMENT II . (BOYLECOL-E3-P1,135.17)

</heading>

Make a strong Infusion of broken Galls in Fair Water ,
(BOYLECOL-E3-P1,135.19)

and having Filtred it into a clean Vial , add more of the same liquor
to it , till you have made it somewhat Transparent , and sufficiently
diluted the Colour , for the credit of the Experiment , lest otherwise
the Darkness of the liquor might make it be objected , that $'t $was
{TEXT:'twas} already almost Ink ; (BOYLECOL-E3-P1,135.20)

Into this Infusion shake a convenient quantity of a Cleer , but very
strong Solution of Vitriol , (BOYLECOL-E3-P1,135.21)

and you shall immediately see the mixture turn Black almost like Ink ,
(BOYLECOL-E3-P1,135.22)

and such a way of producing Blackness is vulgar enough ;
(BOYLECOL-E3-P1,135.23)

but if presently after you doe upon this mixture drop a small quantity
of good oyl of Vitriol , and , by shaking the Vial disperse it nimbly
through the two other liquors , you shall <paren> if you perform your
part well , and have employ'd oyl of Vitriol Cleer and Strong enough
</paren> see the Darkness of the liquor presently begin <P_136> to be
diffused , and grow pretty Cleer and Transparent , losing its Inky
Blackness , which you may again restore to it by the affusion of a
small quantity of a very strong Solution of Salt of Tartar .
(BOYLECOL-E3-P1,136.24)

And though neither of these Atramentous liquors will seem other than
very Pale Ink , if you write with a clean Pen dipt in them , yet that
is common to them with some sorts of Ink that prove very good when Dry
, as I have also found , that when I made these carefully , what I
wrote with either of them , especially with the Former , would when
throughly Dry grow Black enough not to appear bad Ink .
(BOYLECOL-E3-P1,136.25)

This Experiment of taking away and restoring Blackness from and to the
liquors , we have likewise tryed in Common Ink ;
(BOYLECOL-E3-P1,136.26)

but there it succeeds not so well , and but very slowly , by reason
that the Gum wont to be employed in the making it , does by its
Tenacity oppose the operations of the above mention'd Saline liquors .
(BOYLECOL-E3-P1,136.27)

But to consider Gum no more ; what some kind of Precipitation may have
to do in the producing and destroying of Inks without it , I have
elsewhere given you some occasion and assistance to enquire ;
(BOYLECOL-E3-P1,136.28)

But I must not now stay to do so my self , (BOYLECOL-E3-P1,136.29)

only I shall take notice to you , that though it be taken for granted
that bodies will not be Praecipitaced by Alcalizat Salts , <P_137> that
have not first been dissolved in some Acid <font> Menstruums </font> ,
yet I have found upon tryals , which my conjectures lead me to make on
purpose , That divers Vegetables barely infus'd , or , but slightly
decocted in common water , would , upon the affusion of a Strong and
Cleer <font> Lixivium </font> of Potashes , and much more of some other
Praecipitating liquors that I sometimes employ , afford good store of a
Crudled matter , such as I have had in the Praecipitations of Vegetable
substances , by the intervention of Acid things , and that this matter
was easily separable from the rest of the liquor , being left behind by
it in the Filtre ; (BOYLECOL-E3-P1,137.30)

and in making the first Ink mention'd in this Experiment , I found that
I could by Filtration separate pretty store of a very Black pulverable
substance , that remain'd in the Filtre , (BOYLECOL-E3-P1,137.31)

and when the Ink was made Cleer again by the Oyl of Vitriol , the
affusion of dissolv'd <font> Sal Tartari </font> seem'd but to
Praecipitate , and thereby to Unite and render Conspicuous the
particles of the Black mixture that had before been dispers'd into very
Minute and singly Invisible particles by the Incisive and resolving
power of the highly Corrosive Oyl of Vitriol . (BOYLECOL-E3-P1,137.32)

<P_138>

<heading>

EXPERIMENT III . (BOYLECOL-E3-P1,138.35)

</heading>

If pieces of White Harts-horn be with a competent degree of fire
distill'd in a Glass-retort , they will , after the avolation of the
Flegm , Spirit , Volatile Salt , and the looser and lighter parts of
the Oleagenous substance , remain behind of a Cole-black colour .
(BOYLECOL-E3-P1,138.37)

And even Ivory it self being skilfully Burnt <paren> how I am wont to
do it , I have elsewhere set down </paren> affords Painters one of the
best and deepest Blacks they have , (BOYLECOL-E3-P1,138.38)

and yet in the Instance of distill'd Harts-horn , the operation being
made in Glass-vessels carefully clos'd , it appears there is no
Extraneous Black substance that Insinuates it self into White
Harts-horn , and thereby makes it turn Black ; but that the Whiteness
is destroy'd , and the Blackness generated , only by a Change of
Texture , made in the burnt Body , by the Recess of some parts and the
Transposition of others . (BOYLECOL-E3-P1,138.39)

And though I remember not that in many Distillations of Harts-horn I
ever found the <font> Cap. Mort. </font> to pass from Black to a true
Whiteness , whilst it continu'd in Clos'd vessels , yet having taken
out the Cole-black fragments , and Calcin'd them in Open vessels , I
could in few hours quite destroy that Blackness , & without <P_139>
sensibly changing their Bulk or Figure , reduce them to great Whiteness
. (BOYLECOL-E3-P1,139.40)

So much do these two Colours depend upon the Disposition of the little
parts , that the Bodies wherein they are to be met with do consist of .
(BOYLECOL-E3-P1,139.41)

And we find , that if Whitewine Tartar , or even the white Crystalls of
such Tartar be burnt without being truly Calcin'd , the <font> Cap.
Mortuum </font> <paren> as the Chymists call the more Fixt part
</paren> will be Black . (BOYLECOL-E3-P1,139.42)

But if you further continue the Calcination till you have perfectly
Incinerated the Tartar , & kept it long enough in a Strong fire , the
remaining <font> Calx </font> will be White . (BOYLECOL-E3-P1,139.43)

And so we see that not only other Vegetable substances , but even White
woods , as the Hazel , will yield a Black Charcoal , and afterwards
Whitish ashes ; (BOYLECOL-E3-P1,139.44)

And so Animal substances naturally White , as Bones and Eggshels , will
grow Black upon the being Burnt , and White again when they are
perfectly Calcin'd . (BOYLECOL-E3-P1,139.45)