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Transcriber's Notes:

   This e-book was prepared from a facsimile of the 1661 first
   edition and contains spelling, capitalization, and punctuation
   inconsistencies typical of the era. These have been preserved
   as they appear in the original.

   Printer errors have also been preserved. Those mentioned in
   the Errata at the end of the book are noted with [Errata:
   corrected text]. Other obvious printer errors are noted with
   [Transcriber's Note: corrected text] where the meaning might
   be unclear without the correction. See also the printer's note
   preceding the Errata, which contains material omitted from the
   text (the place where it should be inserted is marked in the
   text with a Transcriber's Note).

   There are a number of sidenotes in this book, most of which
   function as footnotes (e.g., citations to other works) and some
   of which function as true sidenotes. For the sake of clarity,
   sidenotes functioning as footnotes have been converted to
   numbered footnotes, with number markers at appropriate places
   in the text.

   A character with a macron is represented by an equal sign.
   E.g., [=a] indicates "a" with macron.

   A table of contents has been provided for the reader's
   convenience.





THE

SCEPTICAL CHYMIST:

OR

CHYMICO-PHYSICAL

Doubts & Paradoxes,

Touching the

SPAGYRIST'S PRINCIPLES

Commonly call'd

HYPOSTATICAL,

As they are wont to be Propos'd and Defended by the Generality of

ALCHYMISTS.

Whereunto is praemis'd Part of another Discourse relating to the same
Subject.


BY

The Honourable _ROBERT BOYLE_, Esq;


_LONDON,_

Printed by _J. Cadwell_ for _J. Crooke_, and are to be Sold at the
_Ship_ in St. _Paul's_ Church-Yard.

_MDCLXI._




CONTENTS


A Praeface Introductory
Physiological Considerations
The First Part
The Second Part
The Third Part
The Fourth Part
The Fifth Part
The Sixth Part
The Conclusion
Printer's Note
Errata




A

PRAEFACE

INTRODUCTORY

_To the following Treatise._


_To give the Reader an account, Why the following Treatise is suffer'd
to pass abroad so maim'd and imperfect, I must inform him that 'tis
now long since, that to gratify an ingenious Gentleman, I set down
some of the Reasons that kept me from fully acquiescing either in the
Peripatetical, or in the Chymical Doctrine, of the Material Principles
of mixt Bodies. This Discourse some years after falling into the hands
of some Learned men, had the good luck to be so favourably receiv'd,
and advantageously spoken of by them, that having had more then
ordinary Invitations given me to make it publick, I thought fit to
review it, that I might retrench some things that seem'd not so fit to
be shewn to every Reader, And substitute some of those other things
that occurr'd to me of the trials and observations I had since made.
What became of my papers, I elsewhere mention in a Preface where I
complain of it: But since I writ That, I found many sheets that
belong'd to the subjects I am now about to discourse of. Wherefore
seeing that I had then in my hands as much of the first Dialogue as
was requisite to state the Case, and serve for an Introduction as well
to the conference betwixt_ Carneades _and_ Eleutherius, _as to some
other Dialogues, which for certain reasons are not now herewith
publish'd, I resolv'd to supply, as well as I could, the Contents of a
Paper belonging to the second of the following Discourses, which I
could not possibly retrive, though it were the chief of them all. And
having once more try'd the Opinion of Friends, but not of the same,
about this imperfect work, I found it such, that I was content in
complyance with their Desires; that not only it should be publish'd,
but that it should be publish'd as soon as conveniently might be. I
had indeed all along the Dialogues spoken of my self, as of a third
Person; For, they containing Discourses which were among the first
Treatises that I ventur'd long ago to write of matters Philosophical,
I had reason to desire, with the Painter, to_ latere pone tabulam,
_and hear what men would say of them, before I own'd my self to be
their Author. But besides that now I find, 'tis not unknown to many
who it is that writ them, I am made to believe that 'tis not
inexpedient, they should be known