Page:Discourse Concerning the Natation of Bodies.djvu/50

THEOREME VII.

The heaviest Bodies may swimme.

All Matters, how heavy soever, even to Gold it self, the heaviest of all Bodies, known by us, may float upon the Water.

Because its Gravity being considered to be almost twenty times greater than that of the water, and, moreover, the greatest Altitude that the Rampart of water can be extended to, without breaking the Contiguity of the Air, adherent to the Surface of the Solid, that is put upon the water being predetermined, if we should make a Plate of Gold so thin, that it exceeds not the nineteenth part of the Altitude of the said Rampart, this put lightly upon the water shall rest, without going to the bottom: and if Ebony shall chance to be in sesquiseptimall proportion more grave than the water, the greatest thickness that can be allowed to a Board of Ebony, so that it may be able to stay above water without sinking, would be seaven times more than the height of the Rampart Tinn, v. gr. eight times more grave than water, shall swimm as oft as the thickness of its Plate, exceeds not the 7th part of the Altitude of the Rampart.

He elsewhere cites this as a Proposition, therefore I make it of that number.And here I will not omit to note, as a second Corrollary dependent upon the things demonstrated, that,

THEOREME VIII.

Natation and Submersion, collected from the thickness, excluding the length and breadth of Plates.

The Expansion of Figure not only is not the Cause of the Natation of those grave Bodies, which otherwise do submerge, but also the determining what be those Boards of Ebony, or Plates of Iron or Gold that will swimme, depends not on it, rather that same determination is to be collected from the only thickness of those Figures of Ebony or Gold, wholly excluding the consideration of length and breadth, as having no way any share in this Effect.

It hath already been manifested, that the only cause of the Natation of the said Plates, is the reduction of them to be less grave than the water, by means of the connexion of that Air, which descendeth together with them, and possesseth place in the water; which place so occupyed, if before the circumfused water diffuseth it self to fill it, it be capable of as much water, as shall weigh equall with the Plate, the Plate shall remain suspended, and sinke no farther.

Now