These last Words of Carneades being soon after follow’d by a noise which seem’d to come from the place where the rest of the Company was, he took it for a warning, that it was time for him to conclude or break off his Discourse; and told his Friend; By this time I hope you see, Eleutherius, that if Helmonts Experiments be true, it is no absurdity to question whether that Doctrine be one, that doth not assert Any Elements in the sence before explain’d. But because that, as divers of my Arguments suppose the marvellous power of the Alkahest in the Analyzing of Bodies, so the Effects ascrib’d to that power are so unparallell’d and stupendious, that though I am not sure but that there may be such an Agent, yet little less than αυτοψια seems requisite to make a man sure there is. And consequently I leave it to you to judge, how farre those of my Arguments that are built upon Alkahestical Operations are weakned by that Liquors being Matchless; and shall therefore desire you not to think that I propose this Paradox that rejects all Elements, as an Opinion equally probable with the former part of my discourse. For by that, I hope, you are satisfied, that the Arguments wont to be brought by Chymists, to prove That all Bodies consist of either Three Principles, or Five, are far from being so strong as those that I have employ’d to prove, that there is not any certain and Determinate number of such Principles or Elements to be met with Universally in all mixt Bodies. And I suppose I need not tell you, that these Anti-Chymical Paradoxes might have been manag’d more to their Advantage; but that having not confin’d my Curiosity to Chymical Experiments, I who am but a young Man, and younger Chymist, can yet be but slenderly furnished with them, in reference to so great and difficult a Task as you impos’d upon me; Besides that, to tell you the Truth, I durst not employ some even of the best Experiments I am acquainted with, because I must not yet disclose them; but however, I think I may presume that what I have hitherto Discoursed will induce you to think, that Chymists have been much more happy in finding Experiments than the Causes of them; or in assigning the Principles by which they may best be explain’d. And indeed, when in the writings of Paracelsus I meet with such Phantastick and Un-intelligible Discourses as that Writer often puzzels and tyres his Reader with, father’d upon such excellent Experiments, as though he seldom clearly teaches, I often find he knew; me thinks the Chymists, in their searches after truth, are not unlike the Navigators of Solomons Tarshish Fleet, who brought home from their long and tedious Voyages, not only Gold, and Silver, and Ivory, but Apes and Peacocks too; For so the Writings of several (for I say not, all) of your Hermetick Philosophers present us, together with divers Substantial and noble Experiments, Theories, which either like Peacocks feathers make a great shew, but are neither solid nor useful; or else like Apes, if they have some appearance of being rational, are blemish’d with some absurdity or other, that when they are Attentively consider’d, makes them appear Ridiculous.

Carneades having thus finish’d his Discourse against the received Doctrines of the Elements; Eleutherius judging he should not have time to say much to him before their separation, made some haste to tell him; I confess, Carneades, that you have said more in favour of your Paradoxes then I expected. For though divers of the Experiments you have mention’d are no secrets, and were not unknown to me, yet besides that you have added many of your own unto them, you have laid them together in such a way, and apply’d them to such purposes, and made such Deductions From them, as I have not Hitherto met with.

But though I be therefore inclin’d to think, that Philoponus, had he heard you, would scarce have been able in all points to defend the Chymical Hypothesis against the arguments wherewith you have oppos’d it; yet me thinks that however your Objections seem to evince a great part of what they pretend to, yet they evince it not all; and the numerous tryals of those you call the vulgar Chymists, may be allow’d to prove something too.

Wherefore, if it be granted you that you have made it probable,

First, that the differing substances into which mixt Bodies are wont to be resolved by the Fire are not of a pure and an Elementary nature, especially for this Reason, that they yet retain so much of the nature of the Concrete that afforded them, as to appear to be yet somewhat compounded, and oftentimes to differ in one Concrete from Principles of the same denomination in another:

Next, that as to the number of these differing substances, neither is it precisely three, because in most Vegetable and Animal bodies Earth and Phlegme are also to be found among their Ingredients; nor is there any one determinate number into which the Fire (as it is wont to be employ’d) does precisely and universally resolve all compound Bodies whatsoever, as well Minerals as others that are reputed perfectly mixt.

Lastly, that th............