Experiments and Considerations Touching Colours | Page 5

Flame, as he is ready to publish his Experimental Accounts of Cold, I esteem, the World will be obliged to Him for having shewed them both the Right and Left Hand of Nature, and the Operations thereof.
The considering Reader will by this very Treatise see abundant cause to sollicit the Author for more; sure I am, that of whatever of the Productions of his Ingeny comes into Forein parts (where I am happy in the acquaintance of many intelligent friends) is highly valued; And to my knowledge, there are those among the French, that have lately begun to learn English, on purpose to enable themselves to read his Books, being impatient of their Traduction into Latin. If I durst say all, I know of the Elogies received by me from abroad concerning Him, I should perhaps make this Preamble too prolix, and certainly offend the modesty of our Author.
Wherefore I shall leave this, and conclude with desiring the Reader, that if he meet with other faults besides those, that the Errata take notice of (as I believe he may) he will please to consider both the weakness of the Authors eyes, for not reviewing, and the manifold Avocations of the Publisher for not doing his part; who taketh his leave with inviting those, that have also considered this Nice subject experimentally, to follow the Example of our Noble Author, and impart such and the like performances to the now very inquisitive world. _Farewell._
_H. O._
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THE CONTENTS.
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CHAP. I.
_The Author shews the Reason, first of his Writing on this Subject_ (1.) _Next of his present manner of Handling it, and why he partly declines a Methodical way_ (2.) and why he has partly made use of it in the History of Whiteness and Blackness. (3.)
Chap. 2. _Some general Considerations are premis'd, first of the Insignificancy of the Observasion of Colours in many Bodies_ (4, 5.) and the Importance of it in others (5.) as particularly in the Tempering of Steel (6, 7, 8.) The reason why other particular Instances are in that place omitted (9) _A necessary distinction about Colour premis'd_ (10, 11.) That Colour is not Inherent in the Object (11.) _prov'd first by the Phantasms of Colours to_ Dreaming _men, and_ Lunaticks; Secondly by the sensation or apparition of Light upon a Blow given the Eye or the Distemper of the Brain from internal Vapours (12.) _The Author recites a particular Instance in himself; another that hapn'd to an Excellent Person related to him_ (13.) and a third told him by an Ingenious Physician (14, 15.) _Thirdly, from the change of Colours made by the Sensory Disaffected_ (15, 16.) _Some Instances of this are related by the Author, observ'd in himself_ (16, 17.) others told him by a Lady of known Veracity (18.) And others told him by a very Eminent Man (19.) But the strange Instances afforded by such as are Bit by the Tarantula _are omitted, as more properly deliver'd in another place_. (20.)
Chap. 3. _That the Colour of Bodies depends chiefly on the disposition of the Superficial parts, and partly upon the Variety of the Texture of the Object_ (21.) _The former of these are confirm'd by several Persons_ (22.) _and two Instances, the first of the Steel mention'd before, the second of melted Lead_ (23, 24.) of which last several Observables are noted (25.) A third Instance is added of the Porousness of the appearing smooth Surface of Cork (26, 27.) _And that the same kind of Porousness may be also in the other Colour'd Bodies; And of what kind of Figures, the Superficial reflecting Particles of them may be_ (28.) _and of what Bulks, and closeness of Position_ (29.) _How much these may conduce to the Generation of Colour instanc'd in the Whiteness of Froth, and in the mixtures of Dry colour'd Powders_ (30.) _A further explication of the Variety that may be in the Superficial parts of Colour'd Bodies, that may cause that Effect, by an example drawn from the Surface of the Earth_ (31.) An Apology for that gross Comparison (32.) _That the appearances of the Superficial asperities may be Varied from the position of the Eye, and several Instances given of such appearances_ (33, 34, 35.) _That the appearance of the Superficial particles may be Varied also by their Motion, confirm'd by an Instance of the smoaking Liquor_ (35.) _especially if the Superficial parts be of such a Nature as to appear divers in several Postures, explain'd by the variety of Colours exhibited by the shaken Leaves of some Plants_ (36.) and by changeable Taffities (37, 38, 39.) _The Authors wish that the Variety of Colours in Mother of Pearl were examin'd with a_ Microscope (40.) _And his Conjectures, that possibly good_ Microscopes _might discover