第71章

From whatso side a space is made a void, Whether from crosswise or above, forthwith The neighbour particles are borne along Into the vacuum; for of verity, They're set a-going by poundings from elsewhere, Nor by themselves of own accord can they Rise upwards into the air.Again, all things Must in their framework hold some air, because They are of framework porous, and the air Encompasses and borders on all things.

Thus, then, this air in iron so deeply stored Is tossed evermore in vexed motion, And therefore drubs upon the ring sans doubt And shakes it up inside..........

In sooth, that ring is thither borne along To where 'thas once plunged headlong- thither, lo, Unto the void whereto it took its start.

It happens, too, at times that nature of iron Shrinks from this stone away, accustomed By turns to flee and follow.Yea, I've seen Those Samothracian iron rings leap up, And iron filings in the brazen bowls Seethe furiously, when underneath was set The magnet stone.So strongly iron seems To crave to flee that rock.Such discord great Is gendered by the interposed brass, Because, forsooth, when first the tide of brass Hath seized upon and held possession of The iron's open passage-ways, thereafter Cometh the tide of the stone, and in that iron Findeth all spaces full, nor now hath holes To swim through, as before.'Tis thus constrained With its own current 'gainst the iron's fabric To dash and beat; by means whereof it spues Forth from itself- and through the brass stirs up-The things which otherwise without the brass It sucks into itself.In these affairs Marvel thou not that from this stone the tide Prevails not likewise other things to move With its own blows: for some stand firm by weight, As gold; and some cannot be moved forever, Because so porous in their framework they That there the tide streams through without a break, Of which sort stuff of wood is seen to be.

Therefore, when iron (which lies between the two)Hath taken in some atoms of the brass, Then do the streams of that Magnesian rock Move iron by their smitings.

Yet these things Are not so alien from others, that IOf this same sort am ill prepared to name Ensamples still of things exclusively To one another adapt.Thou seest, first, How lime alone cementeth stones: how wood Only by glue-of-bull with wood is joined-So firmly too that oftener the boards Crack open along the weakness of the grain Ere ever those taurine bonds will lax their hold.

The vine-born juices with the water-springs Are bold to mix, though not the heavy pitch With the light oil-of-olive.And purple dye Of shell-fish so uniteth with the wool's Body alone that it cannot be ta'en Away forever- nay, though thou gavest toil To restore the same with the Neptunian flood, Nay, though all ocean willed to wash it out With all its waves.Again, gold unto gold Doth not one substance bind, and only one?

And is not brass by tin joined unto brass?

And other ensamples how many might one find!