Experiments and Considerations Touching Colours (1664)

Experiments and Considerations Touching Colours (1664)

Aving in convenient places of the following Treatie, mention'd the Motives, that induc'd me to write it, and the Scope I propos'd to my elf in it; I think it uperfluous to entertain the Reader now, with what he will meet with hereafter. And I hould judge it needles, to trouble others, or my elf, with any thing of Preface: were it not that I can carce doubt, but this Book will fall into the hands of ome Readers, who being unacquainted with the difficulty of attempts of this nature, will think itn trange that I hould publih any thing about Colours, without a particular Theory of them. But I dare expect that Intelligent and Equitable Readers will conider on my behalf: That the profeed Deign of this Treatie is to deliver things rather Hitorical than Dogmatical, and conequently if I have added divers new peculative Coniderations and hints, which perhaps may afford no depicable Aitance, towards the framing of a olid and comprehenive Hypotheis, I have done at least as much as I promis'd, or as the nature of my undertaking exacted. But another thing there is, which if it hould be objected, I fear I hould not be able o eaily to anwer it, and that is; That in the following treatie (epecially in the Third part of it) the Experiments might have been better Marhall'd, and ome of them deliver'd in fewer words. For I mut confes that this Eay was written to a private Friend, and that too, by natches, at everal times, and places, and (after my manner) in looe heets, of which I oftentimes had not all by me that I had already written, when I was writing more, o that it needs be no wonder if all the Experiments be not rang'd to the bet Advantage, and if ome connections and conecutions of them might eaily have been mended. Epecially ince having carelely laid by the looe Papers, for everal years after they were written, when I came to put them together to dipatch them to the Pres, I found ome of thoe I reckon'd upon, to be very uneaonably wanting. And to make any great change in the order of the ret, was more than the Printers importunity, and that, of my own avocations (and perhaps alo coniderabler olicitations) would permit. But though ome few preambles of the particular Experiments might have (perchance) been par'd, or horten'd, if I had had all my Papers under my View at once; Yet in the mot of thoe Introductory paages, the Reader will (I hope) find hints, or Advertiements, as well as Tranitions. If I ometimes eem to init long upon the circumtances of a Tryall, I hope I hall be eaily excued by thoe that both know, how nice divers experiments of Colours are, and conider that I was not barely to relate them, but o as to teach a young Gentleman to make them. And if I was not ollicitous, to make a nicer diviion of the whole Treatie, than into three parts, whereof the One contains ome Coniderations about Colours in general. The Other exhibits a pecimen of an Account of particular Colours, Exemplifi'd in Whitenes and Blacknes. And the Third promicuous Experiments about the remaining Colours (epecially Red) in order to a Theory of them. If, I ay, I contented my elf with this eaie Diviion of my Dicoure, it was perhaps becaue I did not think it o neceary to be Curious about the Method or Contrivance of a Treatie, wherein I do not pretend to preent my Reader with a compleat Fabrick, or o much as Modell; but only to bring in Materials proper for the Building; And if I did not well know how Ingenious the Curioity and Civility of Friends makes them, to perwade Men by pecious allegations, to gratifie their deires; I hould have been made to believe by perons very well qualify'd to judge of matters of this nature, that the following Experiments will not need the addition of accurate Method and peculative Notions to procure Acceptance for the Treatie that contains them: For it hath been repreented, That in mot of them, as the Novelty will make them urprizing, and the Quicknes of performance, keep them from being tedious; o the enible changes, that are effected by them, are o manifest, o great, and o udden, that carce any will be dipleaed to ee them, and thoe that are any thing Curious will carce be able to ee them, without finding themelves excited, to make Reflexions upon Them. But though with me, who love to meaure Phyical things by their ue, not their trangenes, or prettines, the partiality of others prevails not to make me over value thee, or look upon them in themelves as other than Trifles: Yet I confes, that ever ince I did divers years ago hew ome of them to a Learned Company of Virtuoi: o many perons of differing Conditions, and ev'n Sexes, have been Curious to ee them, and pleas'd not to Dilike them, that I cannot Depair, but that by complying with thoe that urge the Publication of them, I may both gratifie and excite the Curious, and lay perhaps a Foundation whereon either others or my elf may in time upertruct a ubtantial theory of Colours. And if Aritotle, after his Mater Plato, have rightly oberv'd Admiration to be the Parent of Philoophy, the wonder, ome of thee Trifles have been wont to produce in all orts of Beholders, and the acces they have ometimes gain'd ev'n to the Cloets of Ladies, eem to promie, that ince the ubject is o pleaing, that the Speculation appears as Delightful! as Difficult, uch eaie and recreative Experiments, which require but little time, or charge, or trouble in the making, and when made are enible and urprizing enough, may contribute more than others, (far more important but as much more difficult) to recommend thoe parts of Learning (Chymistry and Corpucular Philoophy) by which they have been produc'd, and to which they give Tetimony ev'n to uch kind of perons, as value a pretty Trick more than a true Notion, and would carce admit Philoophy, if it approach'd them in another Dres: without the trangenes or endearments of pleaantnes to recommend it. I know that I do but ill conult my own Advantage in the conenting to the Publication of the following Treatie: For thoe things, which, whilt men knew not how they were perform'd, appear'd o trange, will, when the way of making them, and the Grounds on which I devis'd them, hall be Publick, quickly loe all that their being Rarityes, and their being thought Myteries, contributed to recommend them. But 'tis fitter for Mountebancks than Naturalis to deire to have their dicoverys rather admir'd than undertood, and for my part I had much rather deerve the thanks of the Ingenious, than enjoy the Applaue of the Ignorant. And if I can o farr contribute to the dicovery of the nature of Colours, as to help the Curious to it, I hall have reach'd my End, and av'd my elf ome Labour which ele I may chance be tempted to undergo in proecuting that ubect, and Adding to this Treatie, which I therefore call a History, becaue it chiefly contains matters of fact, and which Hitory the Title declares me to look upon but as Begun: Becaue though that above a hundred, not to ay a hundred and fifty Experiments, (ome looe, and others interwoven amongt the dicoures themelves) may uffice to give a Beginning to a Hitory not hitherto, that I know, begun, by any; yet the ubject is o fruitfull, and o worthy, that thoe that are Curious of thee Matters will be farr more wanting to themelves than I can upect, if what I now publih prove any more than a Beginning. For, as I hope my Endeavours may afford them ome aistance towards this work, o thoe Endeavours are much too Vnfinih'd to give them any dicouragement, as if there were little left for others to do towards the Hitory of Colours. For (firt) I have been willing to leave unmention'd the mot part of thoe Phnomena of Colours, that Nature preents us of her own accord, (that is, without being guided or over-ruld by man) uch as the different Colours that everal orts of Fruites pas through before they are perfectly ripe, and thoe that appear upon the fading of flowers and leaves, and the putrifaction (and its everal degrees) of fruits, &c. together with a thouand other obvious Instances of the changes of colours. Nor have I much medled with thoe familiar Phnomena wherein man is not an Idle pectator; uch as the Greennes produc'd by alt in Beef much powder'd, and the Rednes produc'd in the hells of Lobters upon the boyling of thoe fihes; For I was willing to leave the gathering of Obervations to thoe that have not the Opportunity to make Experiments. And for the ame Reaons, among others, I did purpoly omit the Lucriferous practie of Trades-men about colours; as the ways of making Pigments, of Bleanching wax, of dying Scarlet, &c. though to divers of them I be not a stranger, and of ome I have myelf made Tryall. Next; I did purpoely pas by divers Experiments of other Writers that I had made Tryall of (and that not without regitring ome of their Events) unles I could ome way or other improve them, becaue I wanted leaure to inert them, and had thoughts of proecuting the work once begun of laying together thoe I had examin'd by themelves in cae of my not being prevented by others diligence. So that there remains not a little, among the things that are already publihed, to imploy thoe that have a mind to exercie themelves in repeating and examining them. And I will not undertake, that none of the things deliver'd, ev'n in this Treatie, though never o faithfully et down, may not prove to be thus farr of this Sort, as to afford the Curious omewhat to add about them. For I remember that I have omewhere in the Book it elf acknowledged, that having written it by natches, partly in the Counntrey, and partly at uneaonable times of the year, when the want of fit Intruments, and of a competent variety of flowers, alts, Pigments, and other materials made me leave ome of the following Experiments, (epecialy thoe about Emphatical Colours) far more unfinih'd than they hould have been, if it had been as eaie for me to upply what was wanting to compleat them, as to dicern. Thirdly to avoyd dicouraging the young Gentleman I call Pyrophilus, whom the les Familiar, and more Laborious operations of Chymistry would probably have frighted, I purpoely declin'd in what I writ to him, the etting down any Number of uch Chymicall Experiments, as, by being very elaborate or tedious, would either require much skill, or exercie his patience. And yet that this ort of Experiments is exceedingly Numerous, and might more than a little inrich the Hitory of Colours, thoe that are vers'd in Chymical procees, will, I preume, eaily allow me. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 14504
Author: Boyle, Robert
Release Date: Dec 28, 2004
Format: eBook
Language: English