Archimedes Texts

270
Air would assist us to finde the cause of
the ascension we have been speaking of:
But though we imploy'd red Wine in-
stead of Water, yet we could fearce cer-
tainly perceive thorow so much Glass, as
was interpos'd betwixt our Eyes and the
Liquor, what happen'd in a Pipe so flen-
der, that the redness of the Wine was
scarce sensible in it. But as far as we could
discern, there happen'd no great altera-
tion to the Liquor: which seem'd the less
strange, because the Spring of that Air
that might depress the Water in the Pipe,
was equally debilitated with that which
remain'd to press upon the surface of the
Water in the little Glass. Wherefore, in
favor of his Ingenious Conjecture who
ascrib'd the Phaenomenon, under conside-
ration to the greater pressure made upon
the Water by the Air without the Pipe,
then by that within it, (where so much of
the Water (consisting perhaps of Corpu-
scles more pliant to the internal surfaces of
the Air) was contiguous to the sides) it
was shown, that in case the little Glass
Vessel that held the Water, of which a
part ascended into the flender Pipe, were
so clos'd, that a Man might with his mouth
suck the Air out of it, the Water would