Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/655

 ELE [285)] ELE

may be lading, the Changes cf corporeal Things are to be Demonftrations may be undcrftood by fuch as only re- placed only in the various Separations, and new Affociations member the Characters, without any Language or Words and Motions of thofe permanent Particles: Compound at all. See Character. °

Bodies being apt to break not in the midft of folid Par- Since Herigon, the Elements of the feveral Parts of tides, but where thofe Particles are laid together, and Mathematicks have been laid down by others, particularly only touch in a few Points. It feems to me, likewife, that the Jefuite Schottus, in his Curfus Mathematicns, in nj 71 - thefe Particles have not only a Vis Inertia, with the paf- Sir Jonas Moor, in his New Syfiem of Mathematicus in five Laws of Motion refulting therefrom, but are alfo 1681 ; De Cbales, in i«74 5 Ozanam, in his Cours de moved by certain active Principles ; fuch as is Gravity, Mathematique, in 1699. And above all, Chrifi. Wolfim and that which caufes Fermentation and the Cohefion of in his Elementa Mathefios Univerfe, in two Vols. Quarto' Bodies. See Gravity, Fermentation, and Cohesion. The fitft publifhed in 1713, and the fecond in 1715 - a

Elements, in Chymiftry, are the Principles, or com- Work never enouoh to be commended.

ponent Parts of Natural Bodies, into which they are The Elements of Euclid, are the firft and belt S ftem

refolyible by Fire, (Sc. of Geometry. We have Abundance of Editions, and

The Effect of Chymiftry is to analyze or refolve Bodies Comments on the XV Books of Euclid's Elements.

into their Elements. See Chymistry. Orontius Finals, firft publifhed the firft VI Books in

The Chymical Elements are divided into ASive and 1550; with Notes to explain Euclid's Senfe. The like

paJTive. See Principle. did 'Peletarim in 1557. Nic. Tartagha, made a Com-

The Chymifts are fomewhat divided as to their Ele- ment on all the XV Books about the fame Time, with

ments : The Generality of them to the Vulgar 'Peripatetic the Addition of fome Things of his own : And the like

Elements ; Water, which they call Phlegm ; and Earth, did Fran. Huffates Candalla, a noble Frenchman, in the

which they call Caput mortuum; add three more, viz. Tear 1578, with considerable Additions, as to the Com-

Salt, Sulphur, and Mercury. Salt, they hold, the Prin- parifon, and Infcriptions of folid Bodies ;' which Work was

ciplc ot Tafte ; and Sulphur, of Smell and Inflammation : afterwards re-publifli'd with a prolix Comment by Clavius

As to Mercury, which they alfo call Spirit, fome hold it whofe Edition has fince been varioufly printed, at various

the Principle of Colours, but others deny it ; and, in Ef- Places and Times.

feet, they agree in nothing, but that 'tis the^moft fubtle De Cloales, Herigon, and Commandimis, have likewife and fpirituous Part. See Salt, Sulphur, (Sc. done well upon Euclid ; fo has Dr. Sarr'ow, who is re-

Trie Elements of Foffils are, 1. Mercury, as the Bafe ; markable for the Concifenefs and StriSncfs of his Demon- 2. Sulphur, as the Coagulator, or Binder. 5. Salt. 4. ftrations. But as the whole XV Books do not feem, Earth. The Elements of Metals, are Sulphur and Mer- neceffary, efpecially for young Mathematicians, fome Au- cury alone ; Mercury as the Bafe, or Matter, and Sulphur thors have chofe only the firft Six, with the Eleventh and as the Binder, or Cement. The Elements of Foflil Salts, Twelfth at moft : It would be endlefs to relate the feveral are an infipid acid Spirit and Earth. The Elements of Editions hereof: The two beft are the French one of Earths, are an Oil, a little acid Salt, and a Calx. The Dechales, and the Latin one of And. Tacqttet : The Elements of Sulphurs are an acid Spirit, an Oil, and an beft Edition of the former of which is that of Paris in Earthy or Metallic Matter. Soerhaave. 1709, by Ozanam ; and of the latter, that of Cambridge

But, after all, it muft be added, that there is no affigning in 1703, by Mr. Whifion. any precife Number of Chymical Elements ; fome Bo- Herlinus, and Dafypodius, have thrown all Euclid's dies yielding more, and others lefs. And even thefe very Demonftrations into Sjllogifms; to fhew how by a. on- Etements themfelves are reducible, by a further Proccfs, into catenation of Syllogifms, a compleat Demontiration ari'es. other Elements. Pet. Ramus difliked Euclid's Order, as appears from his

Thus, by repeated Diftillations of Wine, we fucceffively Difeourfe on the XV 'Books of Euclid ; and therefore he get a Spirit ot Wine, a vapid Water, a fubacid Water, a compiled 23 new Books of Elements, in the Order of the more acid Water, Oil, bitter yellow Spirit, and a Caput Schools, but unhappily : Tho' his Example was afterwards mortuum, which is refoluble into Earth, Oil, (Sc. Now, followed by others, particularly the Jefuite Gcfwn Par- ate thefe fo many feveral Elements? Add, that what dies, in i«8o ; Arnaud, in 166-1 ; tmA Fa. Zamy, in 1585 = they account an Element, now that it is feparatcd, is very Polymer, a French Phyfician, in 1704, digelted Euclid diftlrent from what it was when it exifted in the mix'd ; into a new Method : The like did Angelas de Msrchettis as appears hence, that upon remixing all the Elements a of Pifa, in 1709, in his Euclides Reformatus. Body is refolvtd into, the Mixture will bear no Refcm- Element of an Area, called alfo its 'Differential. blance to the firft Body. is the Rectangle, P M R Q. {Tab. inalyfis Fig. 11.) of

In Effect, the Elements feem rather to be produced by the Semi-ordinate PM, into the Differential of theAfci's, the Fire, than feparated by it. Befide, that they ate con- pp. See Differential.

vertible, or at leaft refolvible, into one another. ELEMI, orELEMSf, in Pharmacy, a pellucid Refin, of

Thus, Spirit ot Wine is found to yield an acid, an Oil, and a whitifh Colour, intcrmix'd with yellowi/h Particles, which

a Water : And Salts yield either an Acid, or an Akali, give it much of the Colour and Confiftence of Wax ; of

with Phlegm. a pretty brilk, bitter, tho' not difagreeable, Taft : and a,

What makes the Notion of the Chymical Elements ftill Smell like that of Fennel. more precarious, is, that a Pot-Herb, and a poifonous 'Tis ufually called Gum Elemi, tho' very improperly, Herb, (hall fometimes yield Elements perfectly alike ; more inafmuch as it takes Fire readily enough, and diflolves in fo, that the fame Plant anaiyfed at two different Times, oleaginous Liquors, which are the Charterers of a Refin. Monf. Homberg, has confider'd the Difficulties charged on It flows from Incifions made in the Trunk, and far^e Elements, with great Attention. Branches of a Kind of wild Olive Tree, growing in

The Refult of numerous Experiments made to afcertain Ethiopia, and Arabia fcelix. It is alfo found in the the Matter is : That the four Principles, Salt, Oil, Water, Pontile, a Province of the Kingdom of Naples. and Earth, are always found in all Plants, in what Man- Pomet, in his Hiftory, and Zeinery, in his Treatife of ncr foever anaiyfed : That thefe Principles are more or Drugs, defcribe Elemi as a white Refin, bordering on lefs Volatile, or fix'd according to the different Manners of green, odoriferous, and brought from Ethiopia, in Cakes Analyfing: That this Difference arifes, not only from the of two or three Pounds a-piece, wrapp'd up in the Leaves different Force of Fire, but alfo from the Fermentation of of the Indian Cane.

the mixt, preceding the Analyfis : That a vehement Fire, It is excellent in Difeafes of the Head ; and proper to rendering different Elements equally volatile, confounds digeft, refolve and fuppurate. It is held a Kind ot Na- them in the Analyfis : That the Fire evaporates, and ab- tural Balfam ; and foveraign in the Cure of all Kinds folutely lofes feveral Parts : And that to have the Ele- of Wounds.

p. ears as pure as may be, only Fermentation and a gentle The true Gum Elemy is that above defcribed ; but lire muft be ufed. there are feveral fpurious ones, fome natural, and others

Elements, are alfo ufed figuratively, for the Principles factitious, frequently fold for the fame. and Foundations of Arts and Sciences. The factitious, or counterfeit, is made of Rofin wa/h'tl

Thus we fay, Letters are the Elements of Speech : in Oil of Afpic ; tho' the ill Smell, and white Colour, He does not know the firft Elements of Grammar. might eafily difcover the Deceit. The natural Gums,

The Elements of Mathematicks have been deliver'd by obtruded for Elemy, are, feveral Authors in their Courfes, Syftems, (Sc. The firft 1. A Guni brought from the American Wands, in Work of this Kind, is that of Peter Herigon, in Latin and Barrels of divers Weight, covcr'd up with the Leaves of French, publifhed in 1554, in ten Tomes ; wherein are a Plant unknown in Europe.

contain'd the Elements of Euclid, Eucltds Data, Apollo- The 2d might be taken for Rofin, but for its Smell, mus PeergeuSj &c. with the Elements of Arithmetic, Al- which is fomewhat fweetcr, and more aromatic, gebra, Trigonometry, Architecture, Geography, Navigation, The 3d is of an Afh Colour, bordering on brown, Opticks, Sphericks, Aftronomy, Mufic, Perfpective, (Sc. brought over in large Pieces, very dry and friable. The Work is remarkable for this, that throughout, a Kind Pomet does not take any of tiem for Natural ; but of real and imivcrfal Characters are ufed ; fo that the rather fuppofes them to be originally Elemy, only impure

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