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If you proceed further to try the impossibility of changing any uncompounded colour (which 1 have asserted in the third and thirteenth Propositions) 'tis requisite that the Room be made very dark, least any scattering light, mixing with the colour, disturb and allay it, and render it compound, contrary to the design of the Experiment. 'Tis also requisite, that there be a perfecter separation of the Colours, than, after the manner above described, can be made by the Refraction of one single Prifme, and how to make such further separations, will scarce be difficult to them, that consider the discovered laws of Refractions. But if tryal shall be made with colours not thoroughly separated, there must be allowed changes proportionable to the mixture. Thus if compound Yellow light fall upon Blew Bise, the Bise will not appear perfectly yellow, but rather green, because there are in the yellow mixture many rays indued with green, and Green being less remote from the usual blew colour of Bise than yellow, is the more copiously reflected by it.
In like manner, if any one of the Prismatick colours, suppose Red, be intercepted, on design to try the asserted impossibility of reproducing that Colour out of the others which are pretermitted; 'tis necessary, either that the colours be very well parted before the red be intercepted, or that together with the red the neighbouring colours, into which any red is secretly dispersed, (that is, the yellow, and perhaps green too) be intercepted; or else, that allowance be made for the emerging of so much red out of the yellow green, as may possibly have been diffused, and scatteringly blended in those colours. And if these things be observed, the new Production of Red, or any intercepted colour will be found impossible.
This, I conceive, is enough for an Introduction to Experiments of this kind; which if any of the R. Society shall be so curious as to prosecute, I should be very glad to be informed with what success: That, if any thing seem to be defective, or to thwart this relation, I may have an opportunity of giving further direction about it, or of acknowledging my errors, if I have committed any.
So far this Learned and very ingenious Letter; which having been by that Illustrious Company, before whom it was read, with much applause committed to the consideration of some of their Fellows, well versed in this argument, the Reader may possibly in an other Tract be informed of some report given in upon this Discourse.
