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it into a falt: it is no more than Icad di,'ided and opened
by the acid oC vinc~ar; a m~tter whieh is la lead \Vhat
verdeóris is to copper. And therel,"e i( )'ou J,fire to
combine eerufe lI'itit the 9'''ilHily 01 .eid ncedrary to con·
I'en it intO a Irlte neutral f.h, ylll, "HlIl treat it in Ih~
fame manoer as lI'e did verdeg' is i" order la procure e,)' ·
/lals of copper; that is, )'011 mul! d,fI'olve it in d;lIdled
vinee~r, as the procefs diretls.
The (alt of lead is not rer)' \\'hitc when i¡ firfi nlOOlS ;
and for this rcafon it is JilfolveJ ,"~in indilhlled vinegar,
and er)'fi:dli(ed a (econd time. If f,lt o( kad be r"peat·
edIl' dilfolt'ed in diflilled vineear, "nd the liqnor enpo·
rated, it lI'ill srew thiek ; but Ilill cannot be der,ccateo
",ithout great diflieulty. If Ihe fame operation be oftener
rereated, this qoality will be thereby more and more in.
erea[ed; til: at bfl it IVill remain on the fire like an oil
or melted IV.X: il coagulms as it cools, and then looks,
at firfl r,~ht, like a metalJic ma(s, (omewhat re(embling
lilver. This mattcr runs with avery gentle heat, almo/!
as e,r,1y 2S wax .
The (alt o[ lead hath a r.,ccbarir.e tafle, which hath
procured it the nall,e al(o of fugar o( lead. for this rea·
fon, whenwine begios to IUrn (our, the fure \Vay tOcure
K of thlt difagrccable tafle, is to (ubflitute a (weer one
",hieh is not di(agreeable tO the taHe, by mixing there·
",ilh ceru(e, litharge, or fome (uch preparation of lead ;
for tbe .eid of the wine dilfolves the lead, and thereIVith
forms a fugar of lead, whieh remaios mixed with the
wine, and hath aulle which,. joined with that of the
",ioe, is not unplea(ant. But, as lead is one oC the 01011
dangerous poi(ons we know, this method ought never tO
be pratli(ed; and wOOever ufei fueh a p~rnicious drug
de(erves tO be mo(l: (everely punilhed. Yet (ome thing
ver)' like this happens every day, and mull needs have
'fery bad confequences; while there is nobodr to blame,
aod tho(e to WhGffi !he thiog may prove fatal can have no
millru/l ofit.
Salt of lead maybe decompounded by difiillation with–
out additament. In order to perform this, you mufl put
the (alt of lead into a gla(s or 1I0ne retort, leaviog afull
third thereof empty, and dillil iD a reverberating furnace
...ith degrees of 6re. A (pirit' rifes, whieh 611s the re·
ceiver with c1ouds. When nothing more \Vill come over
with a 6re that makes tbe retort red·hot, let the vtlfels
cool, and then unlute tbem. You will fiad in the re·
eeiver an auflere liquor, whicb is inflammable; or,. at
lun, an inAammable (pint may be obtained from it, if
.bout one half thereof be drawn off by diflillation in a
gla(s alembic, The retort in which the falt of lead was
decompounded COIltains, al the end of Ihe operatioA, a
blackilh mauer,: this is lead, which will refume ilS' me·
laJlie form on being melted in a erucible j becaufe the
¡cid by which .it was diOolved, aod from which it hath
been (eparated, being nf a very oily nature, hath lef! in
it a fuffieient quantity of phlogifion.
What is mofl remarkable iD this deeompofition oHalt
of leasi, is the inrlammable (pirit which it yields, though
!he ,inegar which entered into the compofidon of lhe fall
{temed tO eOotaUl Done al all •.
s T R Y.
O/ tbe Putritl FmnentatÍoll o/ Vegetcble SIIÚ'
flancc!.
'!h, Pllln¡',fliM .[ V'I:'lah/n.
F'LL a lt~gn,e~J "ilh green p!ant!, antl tread them
d,)wn a lill le; or, ir the vegetahles be d, y.nd har!lli,D.
f1.lnces, dIVide th~m ioto m.nUle pam, a"d Ileep thcma
lillle in ",Ier tOmoitlcn thtm: ¡hen leave them, CJr th~
grecn pldntS, in the vefiel, uncolcreJ and expofcJ 10 t1w
open .\Ir. By de~recs a he., "ill aflfe in the ccnter Qf
the velret, which Ivill continlle in"eafing dlil}, at tal!
grow very lIrong, and be contmunicated lO !he whole
ma(~. A~ long as th: heal is moderate, tite wiJl
relalO tltetr nalural ImeJl ano tafle. As the heat in.
crea/es, both thefe will gradually aIter, and at Idll be.
come v'"'y Jifagrccable, much Itke tho(e of putrid aoim~t
fubfl~oecs. .The pl.nts will tl:en ~e teno~r as if they
had been bo,~cd! or even be reduc~J 10! kind of pap,
more or Icfs !t~Uld accordlOg tOthe quantttl' uf OloiHurc
thev cootained before.
Á,Imofl all vcgmble matters are fu(ceplible of putre'
fatlion; but (ome of thcm rOt (ooner, and others more
nowly. As p"mfatlion is only afp:cies 01' fermentatioe,
the effetl whereof is to chanee entirely the flate of the
acid, by cO!lluining it IVith a portioo of the earth and oil
of the mixt, whieh are (o attenuated th~t from this union
there relults a new faline fubnance in which no acid is
di(ceroible ; which on the contrary hath the prope¡ries Qf
an alkali, but reodered volalile; it is plain, that, the
nearer the acid of a plant (et to pUlrefy is to this lIate,
the foone. will the putrefatlioo of that plant be como
plmd. Accordingly all plants that contain a volJtile
alkali ready formed, or from \Vhich it can be obtained
by dillillation, are !he ola(\- difpo(ed to putref.aion.
Tho(e plants, in which the acid is very manifel! and
fenfible, are Ms apt tO putrefy; becau(e all their acid
mull undergo the chaDge ahove fpeci6ed. Bnt vegmble
mattm, who(e acid is entangled and clo~ged by (evcra!
of their other principIes, mufl be lIill longer e1aborated
before they can be reduced tO the eooditioD into whicn
compl~te pUtrefaaion brings all vegmbles. Tbe eanhy
and oily pans. in which !he ¡cids of.~hefe fubaances are
Iheathed, mofl be attenuared and divided by a previous
fermentation, which, of thofe parts fubtilifed and uoitcd
with Ihe acid, forms an ardent (pirit, wherein the .cid ¡,
more perceptible thao iD tbe alOloll infipid or faceharine
juim OUt of which it is produced The acid contained
in the ardent fpirit mufl be fiiU fUrtber difengaged, before
it can enter into the combination of a volatile alk;¡Ji :
con(equent\y the ardenl (piri! mufl uodergo a fOrt of de–
compofit ion; its aeid mnll be rendered more feofible,
and be brought tOthe fame conditioo as the acid of plant,
in which it manifefls all its propenies.
Heoce il appem that the fpirituous aod awolIs rer.
mentations are only preparatives which nature makes u(e
of for bringing ccrwn vegetable IDattm to putrdatlion.
Tbe(e fermeDlatioos tbel'efor.e mull be coDfidmd as ad-
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