he
Generation of _Minerals, Vegetables, Animals_; of Spontaneous Generation;
of _Zeophyts, Insects_ of all sorts, and particularly of the Worms bred in
Men; together with the causes why Nature would produce such swarms of
infinite sorts of Insects. Secondly, of the variety and differences of
_Vegetables_; of the requisits to know the _virtues_ of _Plants_, and of
the several waies of _Engrafting_. Thirdly, of the _Art of Distilling_,
whereby Nature is imitated, as doing all her under-ground works, in the
Opinion of this Author, by _Distillation_. Fourthly, of the _Laboratories
of various Arts_, in which, according to Natures pattern, used in her
Subterraneous Operations, strange things may be performed: where treating
of _Chymical Secrets_, the truth of the Preparation of _Aurum potabile_ is
discussed, and the _Magisteries_ of Gold, Silver, Iron, Tin, Copper and
Lead, examined: to which is subjoyned an _Appendix_, furnishing such Rules,
whereby Students in _Chymistry_ may be directed in their work, and true
Operations distinguished from fals ones. Fiftly, Of _Metallostaticks_,
where by the mixture of Mettals and Minerals may be certainly known;
together with a way of weighing the Proportions of _moist_ and _dry_,
existent in every Compound, as well Vegetable and Animal, as Mineral.
Sixthly, of _Glass-making_, where is treated of the Nature of _Glass_; of
the Artificial Production of all sorts of Precious Stones, partly from the
Authors own Experiments, partly from the Communication of his Friends, and
the Collection of the best Writers upon that subject. Seventhly, of
_Fire-works_, where the Invention and Preparation of Gunpowder is largely
discoursed of, and the waies of making _Squibs, Fires burning in Water_,
{114} and many others, used in Publick Festivities, are described.
Eighthly, of some _Mechanical Arts_, as that of _Gold-smiths, Black smiths,
Copper smiths, Wyre-drawers_, in the last whereof he resolves this
_Problem_; a certain weight of Mettal, and the bigness of the hole, through
which the Wyre is to be drawn, being given, to find into what length so
much Mettal can be spun out.

Thus you have a view of this whole _Volume_; to which it may perhaps not be
amiss to adde, for a Conclusion, some of those Particulars which are
esteemed by the Authour to out-shine the rest, and are here and there
inter-woven as such. For example, in the _First Part_.

The use of _Pindules_, for knowing by their means the _state_