Robert Boyle

“ And indeed, I am not sorry to have this Opportunity of giving an example how to manage even Disputes with Civility ; whence perhaps some Readers will be assisted to discern a Difference betwixt Bluntness of speech and Strength of reason, and find that a man may be a Champion for Truth, without being an Enemy to Civility ”

“ And for ought I can hitherto discern, there are a thousand Phaenomena in Nature, besides Multitude of Accidents relating to the humane Body ,which will scarcely be clearly & satisfactorily made out by them that confine themselves to deduce things from Salt, Sulphur and Mercury, and the other Notions peculiar to the Chymists, without taking much more Notice than they are wont to do, of the Motions and Figures, of the small Parts of Matter, and the other more Catholick and Fruitful affections of Bodies. ”

“ Wherefore it will not perhaps be now unseasonable to let our Carneades warne Men, not to subscribe to the grand Doctrine of the Chymists touching their three Hypostatical Principles, till they have a little examin'd it, and consider'd, how they can clear it from his Objections, divers of which 'tis like they may never have thought on ”

“ For, it cannot be true, that all Bodies whatsoever that are reckon'd among the Perfectly mixt Ones, are Compounded of such a Determinate Number of such or such Ingredients, in case any one such Body can be produc'd, that is not so compounded ; and he hopes too, that Accurateness will be the less expected from him ; because his undertaking obliges him to maintain such Opinions in Chymistry, and that chiefly by Chymical Arguments, as are Contrary to the very Principles of the Chymists ”

“ For I observe, that of late Chymistry begins, as indeed it deserves, to be cultivated by Learned Men who before despis'd it ; and to be pretended to by many who never cultivated it, that they may be thought not to ignore it : Whence it is come to passe, that divers Chymical Notions about Matters Philosophical are taken for granted and employ'd, and so adopted by very eminent writers both Naturalists and Physitians. ”

“ For I am troubled, I must complain, that even Eminent writers, both Physitians and Philosophers, whom I can easily name, if it be requir'd , have of late suffer'd themselves to be so far impos'd upon, as to Publish and Build upon Chymical Experiments, which questionless they never try'd ”

“ And to Find these Associated Experiments so Deliver'd as that an Ordinary Reader, if he be but Acquainted with the usuall Chymical Termes, may easily enough Understand Them ; and even a wary One may safely rely on Them. These Things I add, because a Person any Thing vers'd in the writings of Chymists cannot but Discern by their obscure, ambiguous, and almost AEnigmatical way of expressing what they pretend to Teach, that they have no Mind to be understood at all, but by the Sons of Art ( as they call them ) nor to be Understood even by these Without Difficulty and Hazardous Tryalls. ”