A small stone of the kind,
call’d by some Authours, Oculus Mundi,
being dry and cloudy, weigh’d
5-209/256 Grains.
The same put under water for
a night, and somewhat more, became
transparent, and the superficies
being wiped dry, weighed 6-3/256
Grains.
The difference between these two weights, 0-50/256 of a Grain.
The same Stone kept out of
water one Day and becoming cloudy again
weighed, 5-225/256 Graines.
Which was more then the first weight, 0-16/256 of a Grain.
The same being kept two Days longer weighed, 5-202/256 Graines.
Which was less then at first, 0-7/256 a Grain.
Being kept dry something longer it did not grow sensibly lighter.
Being put under water for a night and becoming again transparent and wiped dry, the weight was, 6-3/256 Grains, the same with the first after putting in water, and more then the last weight after keeping of it dry, 0-57/256 of a Grain.
Another Stone of the same kind being variegated with milky white and gray like some sorts of Agates, while it lay under water, was alwaies invironed with little Bubbles, such as appear in water a little before boyling, next the sides of the Vessel.
There were also some the like
Bubbles on the Surface of the water just
over it, as if either some
exhalations came out of it, or that it did
excite some fermentation in
the parts of the water contiguous to it.
There was little sensible difference in the transparency of this Stone, before the putting under water, and after: To be sure the milky-white parts continued as before, but more difference in weight then in the former. For whereas before the putting into the water the weight was 18-97/128 Graines. After it had lyen in about four and twenty hours the weight was 20-27/128 Graines, so the difference was, 1-58/128 Graines.
The same Stone was infused in the water scalding hot, and so continued for a while after it was cold, but got no more weight then upon infusing in the cold, neither was there any sensible Difference in the weight both times.
In which Experiment, there are three Observables that seem very manifestly to prove the porousness of these seemingly close bodies: the first is their acquiring a transparency, and losing their whiteness after steeping in water, which will seem the more strongly to argue it, if what I have already said about the making transparent, or clarifying of some bodies, as the white powder of beaten Glass, and the froth of some glutinous transparent liquor be well consider’d; for thereby it will seem rational to think that this transparency arises from the insinuation of the water (which has much