The Seventeenth Century 145 



but that takes the Air much sooner than this Stone, because it con- 

 tains abundantly more salt; its light does not endure so long as that 

 of the Phosphorus which I described before " (p. 732) . 



Lemery's gieat interest lies not in original experiments but in his 

 attempts to explain the origin of the light of various luminescent 

 bodies. His style was conversational; moreover he anticipated objec- 

 tions to his ideas, and always had a ready answer. Some of these 

 explanations follow (p. 695) : 



From considering all the kinds of Phosphorus both Natural and Arti- 

 ficial, and the Experiments that have been made upon them, I cannot 

 but conclude that the general cause of the light they give does proceed 

 from a very great agitation of insensible parts; and whereas it is very 

 probable that fire is only a very violent motion of little bodies round 

 their center, the parts of our Phosphorus may be said to have received 

 the same determination by the fermentations it hath undergone; for 

 Wood never shines in the dark until it becomes rotten, that is to say, 

 until it has undergone a sufficient fermentation to make its most subtile 

 parts move nimbly round their center. The Bolonian Stone is not lumi- 

 nous until it has been calcined a certain time, in order to excite a 

 motion of its parts. A Cat is not luminous throughout the whole body, 

 but if you rub its back roughly against the hair, in the night, it will 

 shine, because this irritates the Animal, and determines the Spirits to 

 move much more strongly than otherwise they would do. We may also 

 say, That the Eyes of a Cat are a kind of Phosphorus. 



The Viper being irritated darts forth its Tongue with so much quick- 

 ness, that it appears all on fire. Many little creatures, such as some kinds 

 of Caterpillars, and Woodlice do shine in the night, because they have 

 a matter so exceeding subtile towards their Tail, that it produces a sort 

 of fire; and it is for the same reason of the motion of parts that Urine 

 does become luminous. 



That which gave occasion to the working upon Urine for the making 

 of the Phosphorus was. That in some little holes of the earth wherein 

 there had been standing puddles of Urine, a light had been observed to 

 be seen at nights. 



This statement appears to have been neglected by writers on the 

 discovery of phosphorus, but Lemery referred to the light of stand- 

 ing urine several times. 



Lemery's explanation of luminous meat is very interesting. He 

 wrote (p. 698) : 



Sometimes there have been found in the Shambles pieces of Veal, 

 Mutton, Beef, which do shine in the dark, though they have been but 

 newly killed, and yet other pieces of the same kind killed at the same 

 time, shall not shine at all. Nay, this very year was seen at Orleans, in a 

 very temperate season, a great quantity of meat of this sort, some of it 



