ttle Glass Retort luted, and put Fire to it by
degrees. There first came over a clear Oil, the white Clouds succeeded,
and at length the reddish Butter. Having unluted the Recipient, and put
all in a little Cucurbit in a Sand-Heat, the white Clouds yielded an
Oil of an Amber Colour; and having augmented the Fire, there came over a
little red Oil, but no Spirit.

The Amber-coloured Oil is nothing else but the white volatile Oil,
coloured a little by the Violence of the Fire: As for the red Oil, it
seems to be the Remainder of the red Butter, fit to be exalted. These
two Oils will not mix together; for the red, more fixed than the other,
always gets to the bottom. Mr. Boyle[54] said he extracted from Human
Blood, two Oils very like those above mentioned; and this Conformity of
Substances, very much convinces me of the great Analogy I always
supposed to be between Chocolate and Human Blood.

As for the Spirit, it has nothing very disagreeable either in Taste or
Smell, it does not sensibly ferment with Alkalies, nor alters the Colour
of blue Paper; after some time, it grows a little acid, and tastes a
little tartish.

Having calcined the _Caput Mortuum_, which is of a violet Colour and
filtred and evaporated the _Lixivium_, as is usual; I got nothing from
it but a kind of Cynder, a little saltish, and in so small a quantity,
that I did not give myself the trouble to reiterate the Calcination,
Dissolution, Filtration, and Evaporation; for I should hardly have got
five or six Grains of fixed purified Salt.

I curiously observed, that neither in the Heads, nor in the Receivers,
there did appear any signs of a volatile Salt: However, _M. Lemery_
assures us[55], that it contains a good deal; but it is plain he took
his Opinion upon trust, for had he made the Experiment, he is too
ingenious to be mistaken.

One may then conclude from these two Observations, That Chocolate is a
mix'd Body, that has the least Quantity of Salt enters its Composition.

SECT. IV.

Chocolate is very proper to preserve Health, and to prolong the Life of
Old Men.

Before Chocolate was known in _Europe_, good old Wine was called the
Milk of old Men; but this Title is now apply'd with greater reason to
Chocolate, since its Use has become so common, that it has been
perceived that Chocolate is, with respect to them, what Milk is to
Infants. In reality, if one examines the Nature of Chocolate, a little
with respect to the Constitution of aged P