| Boyle, Robert New experiments physico-mechanicall, touching the spring of the air and its effects 1660 |
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be quickly dispatcht, and therefore may
be try'd in our Engine, though it leak a
little; because the Air may be faster drawn
out, by nimbly plying the Pump, then
it can get in at undiscern'd leaks; I say at
undiscern'd leaks, because such as are big
enough to be discover'd can scarce be un
easie to be stopt.
The other sort of Ex
periments consists of those that require
not onely that the internal Air be drawn
out of the Receiver, but that it be like
wise for a long time kept out of it.
Such
are the preservation of Animal and o
ther Bodies therein, the germination and
growth of Vegetables, and other tryals
of several sorts, which it is apparent can
not be well made unless the external Air
can, for a competent while, be excluded:
Since even at a very small leak there may
enough get in, to make the Vacuum soon
loose that name; by which I here declare
once for all, that I understand not a space
wherein there is no body at all, but such
as is either altogether, or almost totally
void of Air.
Now this distinction of Experiments
I thought fit to premise to the ensuing
Narratives, because upon tryal, we found
it so exceeding (and scarce imaginable) dif-
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