Experiments and Considerations Touching Colours (1664) by Robert Boyle
page 55 of 285 (19%)
page 55 of 285 (19%)
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That to discern the Colour of the Ribbon, he places it betwixt the Thumb and the Fore-finger, but his most exquisite perception was in his Thumb, and much better in the right Thumb than in the left. That after the Blind man had four or five times told the Doctor the several Colours, (though Blinded with a Napkin for fear he might have some Sight) the Doctor found he was twice mistaken, for he call'd the White Black, and the Red Blew, but still, he, before his Errour, would lay them by in Pairs, saying, that though he could easily distinguish them from all others, yet those two Pairs were not easily distinguish'd amongst themselves, whereupon the Doctor desir'd to be told by him what kind of Discrimination he had of Colours by his Touch, to which he gave a reply, for whose sake chiefly I insert all this Narrative in this place, namely, That all the difference was more or less Asperity, for says he, (I give you the Doctor's own words) Black feels as if you were feeling Needles points, or some harsh Sand, and Red feels very Smooth. That the Doctor having desir'd him to tell in Order the difference of Colours to his Touch, he did as follows; Black and White are the most asperous or unequal of all Colours, and so like, that 'tis very hard to distinguish them, but Black is the most Rough of the two, Green is next in Asperity, Gray next to Green in Asperity, Yellow is the fifth in degree of Asperity, Red and Blew are so like, that they are as hard to distinguish as Black and White, but Red is somewhat more Asperous than Blew, so that Red has the sixth place, and Blew the seventh in Asperity. 12. To these Informations the Obliging Doctor was pleas'd to add the |
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