SPOTICO, an ifland in the Grecian Archipe lago; 6 mile WSW. of Paros. purfues the recreations of the field.-Manilius Speaks of the conftellation which makes a good sportsman. Addison. * SPORTULE. 7. 5. [sportule, Fr. sportula, Lat.] An alms; a dole.-The bishops, who confecrated the ground, had a spill or sportule from the credulous laity. Ayliffe. * (1.) SPOT. n.s. [spette, Danish; spotte, Flemish. 1. A blot; a mark made by difcoloration. This three years day, thefe eyes, tho' clear To outward view of blemith, or of spot, Bereft of fight, their feeing have fo got. Milton. -If he any way degenerate from his line, the leaft Spot is visible on ermine. Dryden. 2. A taint; a difgrace; a reproach; a fault.— Yet Chloe fure was form'd without a pot. Pope. 3. I know not well the meaning of spot in this place, unless it be a fcandalous woman, a difgrace to her fex. Follow his chariot, like the greatest spot 4. A fmall extent of place. That pot to which I point is paradife. Milt. -He will have his thoughts raised to other contemplations than those who looked not beyond this put of earth. Locke.-About one of these breathing paffages is a fpot of myrtles. Addifon.Abdallah covered every part of it with plantations or pots of flowers. Guard.-He that could make two ears of corn grow upon a pot of ground where only one grew before, would deferve better of mankind than the whole race of politicians. Savift. 5. Any particular place. Not like a coarfe and ufelefs dunghiil weed, Fix'd to one spot, and rot juft as I grow. Otway. On this very pot of earth I fell. Dryden. Here Adrian fell: upon that fatal spot Our brother died. Granville. -The Dutch landfcapes are, I think, always a reprefentation of an individual spot. Reynolds. 6. Upon the SPOT. Immediately; without changing place. [Sur le champ.]—The lion did not chop him up immediately upon the spot. L'Eftrange. It was determined upon the spot. Savift. - (2.) SPOTS, in aftronomy, certain places of the fun's or moon's disk, observed to be either more bright or dark than the reft; and accordingiy called facula et macula. See ASTRONOMY, Index. To SPOT. v. .a [from the noun.] 1. To mark with difcolorations; to maculate.— They are polluted off'rings, more abhorr'd Than Spotted livers in the facrifice. Have you not feen a handkerchief, Spotted with strawberrics? Shak. Shak. From Spotted skins the leopard does refrain: No weaker lion's by a stronger flain. Tate's Juv. 2. To patch by way of ornament.-Next morning the whole puppet show was filled with faces Spotted after the whiggish manner. Addifon. 3. To corrupt; to difgrace; to taint. My virgin life, no fpotted thoughts fhall ftain. Sidney. -The people of Armenia have retained the chrif tian faith from the time of the apofties; but at this day it is spotted with many abfurdities. Abbot. * SPOTLESS. adj. [from Spot.] 1. Free from fpots. 2. Free from reproach or impurity; immaculate; pure; untainted. Spotless thall mine innocence arife. Shak. I dare my life lay down, that the queen is Spotless In th' eyes of Heaven. Shak. Wint. Tale. A fpotless virgin, and a faultl-fs wife. Waller. -We fometimes with that it had been our lot to live and converfe with Chrift, to hear his divine difcourfes, and to obferve his spotless behaviour. Atterbury. Eternal funshine of the spotless mind. Pope. (1) SPOTSWOOD, John, Abp. of St Andrew's in Scotland, was defcended from the lairds of Spotfwood in the Merfe; and was born in 1565. He was educated in the univerfity of Glafgow, and fucceeded his father in the parfonage of Calder when but 18 years of age. In 1601 he attended Lodowick duke of Lennox, as chaplain, in an embassy to the court of France for confirming the ancient amity between the two nations, and returned in his retinue through England. When he entered into the archbishoprick of Glasgow, there was not 1ool. Sterling of yearly revenue left; but by economy he greatly improved it. In 1616, he was made Abp. primate and metropolitan of Scotland. He prefided in feveral affemblies for restoring the ancient difcipline, and bringing the church of Scotland to uniformity with that of England. He continued in high esteem with K. James I. and Charies I. who was crowned by him in 1633, at Holyroodhoufe. In 1635, upon the death of the earl of Kinnoul, chancellor of Scotland, he was advanced to that poft; but had fcarcely held it four years, when the confufions beginning in Scotland, he was obliged to retire into England; and died at London in 1639, and was interred in Westminster-abbey. He wrote a Hiflory of the Church of Scotland from 203 to the reign of K. James VI. in folio. (2.) SPOTSWOOD, in Geography, a poft town of New Jersey, in Middlefex county, near the W. bank of South River, 26 miles S. W. of New York, and 69 N. E. of Philadelphia. SPOTSYLVANIA, a county of Virginia, bound, ed on the N. by Stafford, E. by Caroline, S. W. by Louifa, W. by Orange,' and NW. by Culpepper counties. It is 33 miles long and 25 broad; and contained 5.319 citizens, and 5.933 flaves, in 1795. It has a county court the rit Tuesday of every month; is agreeably diverfified with hills and valleys; and is well watered by the Rappahannock and Mattapony. (1.) SPOTT, a parish of Scotland, in Haddington fhire, near Dunbar; 10 miles long and 5 broad; comprehending a fertile tract of lowland country, befides a part of the hilly district of LAMMERMUIR. The former is inclofed, improved and well cultivated; the latter feeds large flocks of fheep. The manfion-houfe of Spott, the refidence of Robert Hay, Efq. is built on a rock, in a fine romantic fituation, and furrounded with pleasure grounds. The population, in 1791, was 619; the decrease 108, fince 1755. On the bor dera ders of this, parish is the field, where the battle of walls to gather the wind from the top, and to pafs Dunbar was fought; wherein Cromwell de- it down in fpouts into rooms. Bacon.-Let the wafeated the Scots in confequence of their own ter be fed by fome higher than the pool, and deinfatuation, on the 3d Sept. 1650. See ENG., livered into it by fair Spouts. Bacon.-In this single LAND, 50. cathedral the very fpouts are loaded with ornaments. Addifon. (2.) SPOTT, a village in the above parish, 5 miles from Dunbar; containing about 180 inhabitants. SPOTTED ISLAND, an island of the Atlantic Ocean, on the E. coast of Labrador. Lon. 55. 20. W. Lat. 53. 30. N. * SPOTTER. n.f.[from spot.] One that spots; one that maculates. * SPOTTY. adj. [from Spot.] Full of fpots; maculated. In Valombrofi to defery new lands, Rivers or mountains on her spotty globe. Milt. (1.) * SPOUSAL. adj. [rom poufe.] Nuptial; matrimonia!; conjugal; connubia; bridal.— There fhall we confummate our spousal rites. Than spousal rites prejudice the marriage bed. Spousal embraces vitiated with gold. Milt. Thy spousal ornament neglected lies. Pope. (2.) * SPOUSAL. n. s. [espousailles, Fr. spousalia, Lat.] Marriage nuptials. As man and wife, being two, are one in love, So be there 'twixt your kingdoms fuch a spousal, Shak. The am'rous bird of night Milton, Dryd, Sung spousal. The spousals of Hippolita the queen. Etherial mufick did her death prepare, Like joyful founds of spousals in the air. Dryd, * SPOUSE. n. f. [fponfa, fponfus, Lat. efpou e, F. One joined in marriage; a husband or wife.-Befide fo qualified as may befeem The poufe of any noble gentleman. At once farewell, O faithful spouse! they laid. Dryden. Shak. SPOUSED. adj. [from the noun.] Wedded; efpouted; joined together as in matrimony.She pour'd about him twines Her marriageable arms. Milton. SPOUSELESS. adj. [from spouse.] Wanting a bufband or wife. To tempt the fpoufelefs queen with am'rous wiles, Refort the nobles from the neigh'bring ifles. Pope. (1.) * SPOUT. n.. [from puyt, Dutch.] 1. A pipe, or mouth of a pipe or vellel out of which any thing is poured. She gaiping to begin some speech, her eyes Became two Spouts. Shak. Winter's Tale, -In whales that breathe, left the water fhould get into the lungs, an ejection thereof is contrived by a fiftula or spout at the head. Brown.I'll make this fnout Orthis torun out, As it were from the spout. Ben Jonfon. As waters did in forms, now pitch runs out, As lead, when a fir'd church becomes one fpout. Donne. -In Gaza they couch veffels of earth in their From filver Spouts the grateful liquors glide. Pope. 2. Water falling in a body; a cataract, fuch as is feen in the hot climates when clouds fometimes discharge all their water at once. The dreadful spout, Which fhipmen do the hurricano call. Shak. The force of thefe motions preffing more in fome places than in others, there would fali not fhowers, but great spouts. Burnet. (2.) SPOUT, or WATER-SPOUT. See WATER SPOUT. (3.) SPOUT FISH. See SOLEN. (1.)* TO SPOUT. v. a. [from the noun.] To pour with violence, or in a collected body as from a fpout. We will bear home that lufty blood again, Which here we came to spout against your town. Shak. I intend two fountains, the one that sprinkleth or spouteth water, the other a fair receipt of water. Bacon.She fwims in blood, and blood does spouting throw To heav'n, that Heav'n men's cruelties might Creech. (2.) * To SPOUT. v. n. To iffue as from a spout. -They laid them down hard by certain waters, which spouted out of the fide of the hills. Sidney. No hands cou'd force it thence, fo fix'd it flood, Till out it ruth'd, expell'd by streams of spouting It spouts up out of deep wells. Woodward.— A good sprag memory. Shak. Merry Wives. * SPRAIN. n. s. [from the verb.] Extenfion of the ligaments without diflocation of the joint.I was in pain, and thought it was with some sprain at tennis. Temple. To SPRAIN. v. a. [Corrupted from Arain.] To ftretch the ligaments of a joint without diflocation of the bone.- The fudden turn may ftretch the swelling vein, Thy cracking joint unhinge, or ancle sprain. Gas. SPRAINTS. n. s. The dung of an otter. DiЯ. *SPRANG. The preterite of spring.-Mankind sprang from one common original. Tillotson. SPRANGENBERG, a town of Germany, in Heffe-Caffel: 6 miles S. of Lichtenau, and 17 SE. of Caffel. SPRANGHER, Bartholomew, a celebrated painter, born at Antwerp, in 1546. He went to Rome Rome, where Cardinal Farnele patronifed him, and introduced him to Pope Pius V. for whom he painted many pictures. On his return, he became chief painter to Maximilian II. whofe fucceffor Rodolphus was so pleased with him, that he gave him a gold chain and medal, ennobled him and his family, lodged him in his palace, and gave him a penfion. He made the tour of the Netherlands, returned to Prague, and died in 1623. -Who were there then in the world, to obferve Swift. (1.) * SPRAY. n. 3. Of the fame race with sprit and sprout.] 1. The extremity of a branch.— Each bird that fits on spray. Hubberd. Thus droops this lofty pine, and hangs his 2. sprays: Thus Eleanor's pride dieši Shak The wind that whities through the sprays, Maintains the confort of the fong. Dryden. The foam of the fea, commonly written spry.. Winds raise fome of the falt with the spraye Arbuthnot. (2.) SPRAY, (1, f. 2.) the fprinkling of the fea, which is driven from the top of a wave in ftormy weather. It differs from spoon-drift, as being only.blown occafionally from the broken furface of a high wave; whereas the latter continues to fly horizontally along the fea, without intermiffion, during the excefs of a tempeft or hurricane. (1.) SPRAT, Dr Thomas, bishop of Rochefter, was born in 1636. He had his education at Ox. ford, and became F.R.S. chaplain to George duke of Buckingham, and chaplain in ordinary to king Charles II. In 1667, he published the Hiflory of the Royal Society, and a Life of Mr Cowley; whô, by his last will, left to his care his printed works and MSS, which were accordingly published by him. In 1668 he was appointed prebendary of Weftminster; in 1680, canon of Windfor; in 1683, dean of Weftminfter; and in 1684, bishop of Rochefter. He was clerk of the clofet to king James II.; in 1685, was made dean of the chapel roya: ; and in 1686, was appointed one of the commiffioners for ecclefiaftical affairs. In 1692, Lis lordship, with feveral other perfons, was charged with treafon by two men, who drew up an affociation, in which the fubfcribers declared their refolution to restore king James; to seize the princefs of Orange; and to be ready with 30,000 men to meet king James when he should land. To this they put the names of Sancroft, Sprat, Marlborough, Salisbury, and others. The bishop was arrefted, and kept at a meffenger's, under a ftrict guard, for eleven days. His house was searched, and his paper's feized, among which nothing was found of a treasonable appearance, except one memorandum, in the following words: Thoroughpaced do&rine. This, he faid, was only a memorandum of an abfurd expreffion of Daniel Burgefs, a preacher. His innocence being proved, he was fet at liberty, when he published an account of his examination and deliverance; which he commemorated through life by an annual thanksgiving. He The Theets and bedding of the man of men, died May 20. 1713, aged 79. His works, befides Spread and made foft. Chapman. the above, and a few poems, are, The Answer to -Make the trees more tail, more spread. Bacon, Sorbiere; The Hiftory of the Rye-bouse Plot; and a-Silver spread into plates. Jer. x.volume of Sermons. Dr Johnion fays, that each work" has its diflinct and characteristical excellence." (2.) SPRAT. n.'s. [sprot, Dutch; sarda, Lat.] A fmall fea-fifh.- To crammed maws a sprat new ftomach brings. Sidney. Sprats and fpurlings for their house. Tuff. —Of round fish there are brit, sprat, barn, smelts. Care. (3.) SPRAT, in ichthyology. See CLUPEA, N° 8. To SPRAWL. v. n. [sprade, Danish; spartelen, Dutch. 1. To ftruggle as in the convulfions of death. *SPREAD. n. s. [from the verb.] 1. Extent; compass.-I have got a fine spread of im proveable lands. Addison. 2. Expantion of parts. —No flower hath that spread of the wood bind. Bacon. (1.) To SPREAD. ལ་ a. spredan, Saxon; spreyden, Dutch.] 1. To extend; to expand; to make to cover or fill a larger space than before.-He bought a field where he had spread his tent. Gen. xxxiii.-Rizpah spread fackcloth for her upon the rock, 2 Sam. xxi. Faire attendants then, Sball funeral eloquence her colours spread, And scatter rofes on the wealthy dead? Young. 2. To cover by extenfion.- An unufual palenefs spreads her face. Granv. 3. To cover over.-The goldfmith spreadeth it over with gold. Ifa. xl. 19. 4. To ftretch; to extend.— Spread o'er the filver waves. Shak. He arofe from kneeling, with his hands spread up to heaven. I Kings, viii. 54. The fately trees faft spread their branches. Milton. Faft by his fide Pifiitratus lay spread. Pope. 4. To publih; to divulge; to diffen.inate.-They Spread abroad his fame in all that country. Matth. ix. 31. 6. To emit as effluvia or emanations; to diffufe. They spread their bane. Milt. Hang the child, that he may see it sprawl. Shak. Some lie sprawling on the ground. Hudib. 2. To tumble or creep with much agitation and contortion of the limbs.-The birds were not (2.) *To SPREAD. v. n. To extend or expand fledged; but upon sprawling and struggling to itfelf-Can any understand the spreadings of the get clear of the flame, down they tumbled." L'Efr." "clouds? Job. xxxvi. 29.—A general apprehenfion of of their spreading and ambitious defigns. Bacon.Plants if they spread much, are feldom tall. Bacon. Great Pan, who wont to chafe the fair, And lov'd the spreading oak, was there. Cato. -The valley opened at the farther end, spreading forth into an immenfe ocean. Addison. SPREADER. n. s. [from spread.] 1. One that fpreads. By conforming ourselves we should be spreaders of a worfe infection. Hooker. 2. Publither; divulger; diffeminator.-I defire I may not be accufed for a spreader of falfe news. Swift. SPREE, or a river of Germany, which rifes in SPREHE, the mountains of Bohemia, and running through Lufatia, into the marquifate of Brandenburg, paffes by Berlin, and falls into the Havel, oppofite Spandau. (1.) SPREMBERG, a town of Germany, in Upper Saxony, in Meiffen, on the Spree: 20 miles E. of Stolpen. (2, 3.) SPREMBERG, a town of Lufatia, and capital of a district so named, on the Spree: 42 miles NNE. of Dresden. (1.) SPREMONT, a town of the French empire, in the department of the Ourte, formerly belonging to the late duchy of Limburg, tho' infulated in the ci-devant bishopric of Liege; (See N° 2.) 5 miles NW. of Spa, and 13 SE. of Liege. (2.) SPREMONT, BAN OF, a fmall ci-devant territory of Germany, infulated in the bishopric of Liege, but belonging to the duchy of Limburg, of which the above town was the capital: now included in the French empire, and department of the Ourte. *SPRENT. part. [from Sprene, to fprinkle, sprengan, sprenan, Saxon; sprengen, Dutch.] Sprinkled. Obfolete. O lips, that kifs'd that hand, with my tears sprent. Sidney. SPRETZA, a river of Bosnia. (1.) *SPRIG. n. s. [ybrig, Welsh, fo Davies: but it is probably of the fame race with spring.] A fmall branch; a fpray.-The friends of the family are defirous to have fome sprig to keep. Bacon.Our chilling climate hardly bears A sprig of bays in fifty years. Savift. (2.) SPRIG, in botany. See BOTANY, Index, BRANCH, 2. CION, GRAFTING, and PLANT, Í 29. * (3.) SPRIG CRYSTAL. n. s. In perpendicular fiffures, crystal is found in form of an hexangu ar column, adhering at one end to the ftone, and near the other leffening gradually, till it terminates in a point: this is called by lapidaries sprig or rock cryftal. Woodward. (4.) SPRIG CRYSTAL, or ROCK CRYSTAL, in the old mineralogy, is a fpecies of Quartz. See MINERALOGY, Part II; Chap. IV; Ord. I; Gen. II; Sp. 1; and QUARTZ, N° 1. § 2. *SPRIGGY. adj. [trom sprig.] Full of fmall branches. *SPRIGHT. n. f. [Contraction of spirit; spiritus, Latin; it was anciently written sprete or spryte; and spirit, as now written, was long con. fidered in verfe as a monofyllable: this word fhould therefore fpelled sprite, and its derivatives spritely, spriteful; but cuftom has determined o therwise.] 1. Spirit; fhade; fou!; incorporeal agent. To bear the message of her spright. Spenser's Forth he called out of deep darkness dread, Legions of sprights. Fairy Queen. Gaping graves received the guilty spright. Dryden. Pope. A watchful sprite, and Ariel is my name. 2. Walking spirit; apparition.-The ideas of goblins and sprights have no more to do with darkness than light. Locke. 3. Power which gives cheerfulness or courage. O chastity! the chief of heav'nly lights, Hold thou my heart, establish thou my sprights. Sidney. 4. An arrow. Not in ufe.-We had in ufe for 'fea fight fhort arrows called sprights, without any other heads fave wood sharpened; which were difcharged out of mufkets, and would pierce through the fides of fhips where bullets would not. ·Bacon. * To SPRIGHT. v. a. To haunt as a spright. A ludicrous ufe. I am sprighted with a fool. Shek. *SPRIGHTFUL. adj. [spright and full.] Lively; brifk; gay; vigorous. -Spoke like a sprightful noble gentleman, Shak. Cosuley Steeds sprightful as the light. My heavy heart will leave its doleful beating, At fighs of thee, and bound with sprightful joys. Otway. *SPRIGHTFULLY. ndv. [from sprightful.] Brifkiy; vigorously. Shak Norfolk, sprightfully and bold, Stays but the fummons. SPRIGHTLESS. adj. [from spright.] Dull; enervated; fluggish.- Are you grown Benumb'd with fear, or virtue's sprightless cold? *SPRIGHTLINESS. n.. [froms prightly | Livelinefs; brifknefs; vigour; gaiety; vivacity.--In dreams, obferve with what a sprightliness and alacrity does the exert herself. Addison. SPRIGHTLY. adj. (from spright.] Gay; brisk; lively; vigorous; airy; vivacious.~~ Produce the wine that makes us bold, And sprightly wit and love infpires. Dryden. When now the sprightly trumpet, from afar, Had giv'n the tignal of approaching war. Dryd. Each morn they wak'd me with a sprightly lay. Prior The sprightly Sylvia trips along the green. Pope. (1.) * SPRING. ». f. [from the verb.] 1. The feafon in which plants rife and vegetate; the vernal feafon.— Shak. Sun and fhowers There had made a lafting Spring. -The Spring vifiteth not thefe quarters fo timely as the eaftern parts. Carew. Thomson. Come, gentle Spring, ethereal miidness. 2. An elaftick body; a body which, when diftorted, has the power of restoring itself to its fermer ftate. This may be performed by the ftrength of fome fuch spring as is ufed in watches: this spring may be applied to one wheel, which fhall give an equal equal motion to both the wings. Wilkins.-The the day the fun enters the first degree of Ariesg spring must be made of steel, well tempered; and which is about the roth day of March, and endthe wider the two ends of the spring ftand afun- ing when the fun leaves Gemini; or, more strict der, the milder it throws the chape of the vice o- ly and generally, the fpring begins on the day pen. Moxon. The configuration of the minute when the distance of the sun's meridian altitude particles of the spring of a clock. Locke. 3. Eiaf from the zenith, being on the increase, is at a me tick force.dium between the greatest and leaft. The end of the spring coincides with the beginning of fum mer. See SUMMER. Heav'ns, what a spring was in his arm! Dryd. -If two equal bodies meet directly in vacuo, they will by the laws of motion ftop where they meet, unless they be elastick, and receive new motion from their spring. Newton.-The foul recovers that spring which is weakened, when the operates more in concert with the body. Addison. In a dult perfons, when the fibres cannot any more yield, they muft break, or lose their spring. Arbuthnot. 4. Any active power; any caufe by which motion or action is produced or propagated. Nature letting down the springs of life. Dryd. -Man has the fame affections and paffions, and the fame springs that give them motion. Rymer. Our author fhuns by vulgar springs to move. Pope. 5. A leap; a bound; a jump; a violent effort; a fudden ftruggle.The pris'ner with a spring from prifon broke. Dryden. With what a spring his furious foul broke loofe! Addifon's Cato. 6. A leak; a start of plank. He that will Govern, and carry her to her ends, muft know Where her springs are, her leaks, and how to stop 'em. Ben Jonfon. 1. A fountain; an iffue of water from the earth. Now top thy springs. -Springs on the tops of hills pafs through a great deal of pure earth. Bacon. Shak. Seeing the ftream, thinks where the spring doth rife. Davies. He adds the running springs. Dryden. Nile hears him knocking at his fevenfold gates. And fecks his hidden spring. Dryden. -He bathed himself in cold spring water in the midst of winter. Locke.-The water that falls down from the clouds, finking into beds of rock or clay, breaks out in springs. Locke. 8. A fource; that by which any thing is fupplied. To that great spring, which doth great kingdoms move, The facred spring, whence right and honour ftreams. Davies. That from which I was, must be before, Whom, as my spring of being, I adore. Dryd. -Rolling down through fo many barbarous ages, from the spring of Virgil. Dryden.-He has a feeret spring of fpiritual joy. Bentley. 9. Rife; beginning. About the spring of the day Samuel called Saul to the top of the houfe. 1 Sam. ix. 26. 10. Caufe; original. The quicker or flower termination of this distemper, arifes from these three springs. Blackmore.-The first springs of great e vents, like thofe of great rivers, are often mean and little. Swift. I (2.) SPRING, [Ver, in cofmography, (§ 1. def. *.) denotes one of the feafons of the year; commencing, in the northern parts of the world, on VOL. XXI. PART I. (3.) SPRING, in mechanics, (1, def. 2.) denotes a thin piece of tempered steel, or other elaftic fubftance, which being wound up, ferves to put machines in motion by its elafticity, or endeavours to unbend itself; fuch is the spring of a watch, clock, or the like. (4.) SPRING, ELATER, in phyfics, (§ 1. def. 3.) denotes a natural faculty, or endeavour, of certain bodies to return to their firft ftate, after having been violently put out of the fame by compreffing, or bending them, or the like. This faculty is ufually called by philofophers elastic force, or elafticity. (5.) SPRING, in natural history. (§ 1, def. 7.) See FOUNTAIN. (6.) SPRINGS, BURNING. See BURNING SPRINGS. (7.) SPRINGS, INGREDIENTS FOUND IN. See MINERAL WATERS, and WATER. (8.) SPRINGS, ORIGIN OF. Many have been the conjectures of philofophers concerning the origin of fountains, and great pains have been taken, by the members of the Royal Society and thofe of the Academy of Sciences at Paris, to ascertain the true caufe of it. It was Ariftotle's opinion, and held by mott of the ancient philofophers after him, that the air contained in the caverns of the earth, being condenfed by cold near its furface, was thereby changed into water; and that it made its way through, where it could find a paffage, But we have no experience of any fuch natural trans mutazion of air into water; unless the recent dif coveries, that water in fact is compounded of nothing else but tavo kinds of air, (viz. OxYGEN, and HYDROGEN; ice CHEMISTRY, Index.) be held as a confirmation of Ariftotle's doctrine on this fubject. But it is not to be supposed, that Aristotle had the most distant idea of this fact. Thofe whơ imagine, that fountains owe their origin to waters brought from the fea by fubterraneous dut, give a tolerable account how they lose their faith is by percolation as they pafs through the earth: but they could not explain by what power the water, rifes above the level of the fea to near the tops of mountains, where fprings generally abound; it being contrary to the laws of hydrostatics, that fluid should rife in a tube above the level of its fource. It was a generally received opinion, and much efpoufed by Mariotte, that the rife of fprings is owing to the rains and melted fnov. The rain water (he fays) which falls upon the hills and mountains, penetrating the furface, meets with clay or rocks contiguous to each other; along which it runs, without being able to penetrate them, till, being got to the bottom of the moun tain or to a confiderable diftance from the top, it breaks out of the ground, and forms fprings. Tơ examine this opinion, Mr Perrault, De la Hireg Rr and |