20: Twitching Instances

20. Twitching instances or Lancing instances or the instances of Democritus

⁴³ These twitch the understanding and lance or pierce nature.

This is also why we call them occasionally the instances of Democritus.[143]

These warn the understanding of the admirable and exquisite subtilty of nature, so that it becomes roused and awakened to attention, observation, and proper inquiry.

For example:

• a little drop of ink being drawn out into so many letters.
• silver merely gilt on its surface should be stretched to such a length of gilt wire
• a little worm on the skin has both a spirit and a varied conformation of its parts
• a little saffron imbues a whole tub of water with its color
• a little musk or aroma imbues a much greater extent of air with its perfume
• a cloud of smoke is raised by a little incense
• accurate differences of sounds as articulate words are conveyed in all directions through the air, and even penetrate the pores of wood and water (though they become much weakened). They should be, moreover, reflected, and that with such distinctness and velocity
• light and color passes through solid bodies, such as glass and water, with speed and distance and with so many exquisite variety of images, and should be refracted and reflected
• the magnet attracts through every description of body, even the most compact

In all these cases, the action of one should not impede that of another in a common[230] medium, such as air.

that there should be borne through the air, at the same time, so many images of visible objects, so many impulses of articulation, so many different perfumes, as of the violet, rose, etc., besides cold and heat, and magnetic attractions.

All of them, I say, at once, without any impediment from each other, as if each had its paths and peculiar passage set apart for it, without infringing against or meeting each other.

To these lancing instances, however, we are wont, not without some advantage, to add those which we call the limits of such instances.

Thus, in the cases we have pointed out, one action does not disturb or impede another of a different nature.

Yet those of a similar nature subdue and extinguish each other.

Examples are:

• the light of the sun does that of the candle
• the sound of a cannon that of the voice
• a strong perfume a more delicate one
• a powerful heat a more gentle one
• a plate of iron between the magnet and other iron the effect of the magnet.

But the proper place for mentioning these will be also among the supports of induction.