Chapter XII: Madam,

My discourse of Water in my last Letter has given you occasion to enquire after the reason, _Why the weight of a great body of water doth not press so hard and heavily as to bruise or crush a body, when it is sunk down to the bottom?_ As for example: If a man should be drowned, and afterwards cast out from the bottom of a great Sea, or River, upon the shore; he would onely be found smother'd or choak'd to death, and not press'd, crush'd, or bruised, by the weight of water. I answer; The reasons are plain: for, first, the nature of a mans respiration requires such a temperature of breath to suck in, as is neither too thick, nor too thin for his lungs, and the rest of his interior parts, as also for the organs and passages of his exterior senses, but fit, proper, and proportionable to those mentioned parts of his body: As for example; in a too thin and rarified air, man will be as apt to die for want of breath, as in a too gross and thick air he is apt to die with a superfluity of the substance he imbreaths; for thick smoak, or thick vapour, as also too gross air, will soon smother a man to death; and as for choaking, if a man takes more into his throat then he can swallow, he will die; and if his stomack be filled with more food then it is able to digest, if it cannot discharge it self, he will die with the excess of food; and if there be no food, or too little put into it, he will also die for want of food. So the eye, if it receives too many, or too gross, or too bright objects, it will be dazled or blinded, and some objects through their purity are not to be seen at all: The same for Hearing, and the rest of the exterior senses: And this is the reason, why man, or some animal Creatures are smother'd and choak'd with water; because water is thicker then the grossest air or vapour; for if smoak, which is rarer then water, will smother and choak a man, well may water, being so much thicker. But yet this smothering or choaking doth not prove, that water hath an interior or innate density (as your _Authors_ opinion is) no more then smoak, or thick and gross air hath; but the density of water is caused more through the wet and moist exterior parts, joyning and uniting closely together; and the interior nature of smoak being more moist or glutinous then thin air, and so more apt to unite its exterior parts, it makes it to come in effect nearer to water; for though water and smoak are both of rare natures, yet not so rare as clear and pure air; neither is water or smoak so porous as pure air, by reason the exterior parts of water and smoak are more moist or glutinous then pure air. But the thickness of water and smoak is the onely cause of the smothering of men, or some animals, as by stopping their breath, for a man can no more live without air, then he can without food; and a well tempered or middle degree of air is the most proper for animal Respiration; for if the air be too thick, it may soon smother or choak him; and if too thin, it is not sufficient to give him breath: And this is the reason that a man being drown'd, is not onely smother'd, but choak'd by water; because there enters more through the exterior passages into his body then can be digested; for water is apt to flow more forcibly and with greater strength then air; not that it is more dilating then air, but by reason it is thicker, and so stronger, or of more force; for the denser a body is, the stronger it is; and a heavy body, when moved, is more forcible then a light body. But I pray by this expression mistake not the nature of water; for the interior nature of water hath not that gravity, which heavy or dense bodies have, its nature being rare and light, as air, or fire; but the weight of water, as I said before, proceeds onely from the closeness and compactness of its exterior parts, not through a contraction in its interior nature; and there is no argument, which proves better, that water in its interior nature is dilating, then that its weight is not apt to press to a point; for though water is apt to descend, through the union of its parts, yet it cannot press hard, by reason of its dilating nature, which hinders that heavy pressing quality; for a dilating body cannot have a contracted weight, I mean, so as to press to a Center, which is to a point; and this is the reason, that when a grave or heavy body sinks down to the bottom of water, it is not opprest, hurt, crusht, or bruised by the weight of water; for, as I said, the nature of water being dilating, it can no more press hard to a center, then vapour, air, or fire: The truth is, water would be as apt to ascend as descend, if it were not for the wet, glutinous and sticking, cleaving quality of its exterior parts; but as the quantity and quality of the exterior parts makes water apt to sink, or descend, so the dilating nature makes it apt to flow, if no hinderance stop its course; also the quantity and quality of its exterior parts is the cause, that some heavy bodies do swim without sinking: as for example; a great heavy Ship will not readily sink, unless its weight be so contracted as to break asunder the united parts of water; for the wet quality of water causing its exterior parts to joyn close, gives it such an united strength, as to be able to bear a heavy burden, if the weight be dilated, or level, and not piercing or penetrating; for those bodies that are most compact, will sink sooner, although of less weight then those that are more dilated although of greater weight: Also the exterior and outward shape or form makes some bodies more apt to sink then others; Indeed, the outward form and shape of Creatures is one of the chief causes of either sinking or swimming. But to conclude, water in its interior nature is of a mean or middle degree, as neither too rare, nor too grave a body; and for its exterior quality, it is in as high a degree for wetness, as fire is for heat; and being apt both to divide, and to unite, it can bear a burden, and devour a burden, so that some bodies may swim, and others sink; and the cause, that a sunk body is not opprest, crush'd, or squeesed, is the dilating nature and quality of water, which hinders its parts from pressing or crowding towards a point or center; for although water is heavy, and apt to descend, yet its weight is not caused by a contraction of its substance, but by a union of its parts. Thus, _Madam_, I have obeyed your commands, in giving you my reasons to your propounded question, which if you approve, I have my aim; if not, I submit to your better judgment: for you know I am in all respects,

Madam,

_Your Faithful Friend_

_to serve you._