THE INVENTOR OF THE LIGHTNING-BOD. 357 



upon natural sciences. After a year had passed, Divis was 

 obliged to change his subject and lecture on theology. He dis- 

 tinguished himself also in this new field, and accordingly, on the 

 5th of August, 1733, the University of Salzburg conferred upon 

 him the degree of Doctor of Divinity. 



He had been longing for an opportunity to devote himself to 

 scientific research. His wishes seemed to be fulfilled when he 

 was ordained parson of the parish of Prendice (Pren'dyitsch), a 

 small village in southern Moravia, near the city of Znojmo 

 (Znaim on English maps). Here all his leisure was given to 

 physical experiments ; with especial care he studied the properties 

 of water and fire (oxidation). In 1741 he became prior of the 

 Lukan Convent, and consequently had to discontinue his scientific 

 labors for a few years, as the duties of the new office required all 

 his time. Besides, the Austro-Prussian War had just broken out,* 

 and a double care devolved upon the shoulders of the new prior. 

 Throughout the war Divis faithfully performed his duties, but 

 as soon as peace was restored to Moravia he resigned his dignity 

 and returned to Prendice to resume his favorite work. His 

 parish was a small one, and thus Divis was enabled to spare time 

 enough for scientific inquiries. He now entered upon an exami- 

 nation of electricity. Pursuing the safe empiric method, Divis 

 based all his conclusions and estimates upon careful experiments. 

 His observations of thunderstorms led him soon to a discovery 

 that lightning was but an electrical spark — that in his labora- 

 tory he could imitate thunder and lightning on a small scale — 

 and he resolved to try if it were possible to make thunderbolts 

 harmless. How thorough his studies were, may be gathered from 

 the fact that he worked out a complete theory of atmospheric 

 electricity, a treatise on which was published from his papers 

 after his death. 



Another important discovery followed soon after. Divis 

 found out that metallic points would both attract and discharge 

 electricity more speedily than anything else, and proceeded to 

 make a practical application of the newly discovered truth. 

 About the same time Franklin, on this side of the Atlantic, was 

 receiving his first lessons in electricity from Dr. Spence. 



The fame of the electrical experiments of Divis soon reached 

 the imperial court of Vienna, and the Emperor Francis Stephen, 

 who was somewhat of an amateur naturalist himself, invited 

 Divis to Vienna, to repeat his experiments in the halls of the 



* Charles VI, King of Bohemia and Hungary and Emperor of Germany, died in 1740, 

 leaving his dominions to his daughter Maria Theresa. Frederick the Prussian thought this a 

 good opportunity to rob the queen of some of her territories, and he immediately, without 

 any right, and without even a declaration of war, invaded Silesia. 



