The Eighteenth Century 161 



jablonski's lexicon 



A rather complete compendium was the Allgemeines Lexicon der 

 Kunste unci Wissenschaften, published in 1721 by Johann Theodore 

 Jablonski (1654-1731). This work ^^ is full of science and devotes 

 considerable space to luminescence, not as a general subject but 

 under special headings such as Johannis-wiirmlein (the glowworm) , 

 where the claims for preparation of a " liquor lucidus " are de- 

 scribed and rejected. Ignis fatuus is called " Irrlicht " or " Irrwisch," 

 an apparent light or flame seen near the earth in damp places, akin 

 to the ignis lambens which appears when the fur of animals is 

 rubbed. It is explained as " entziinden von schwefligen Ausdamp- 

 funsfen." Under " Licht," all the known luminescences are cited 

 and under " Phosphorus," there is a short paragiaph defining the 

 word as light from other than the usual sources (i. e. fire, sun, etc.) , 

 with a division into the natural and artificial variety.^* 



EPHRAIM chamber's CYCLOPEDIA 



The first popular cyclopedia that divided knowledge into rather 

 broad subjects in a modern manner was the two volume work of 

 Ephraim Chambers, ^^ F. R. S. (died 1740) , which first appeared 

 in 1728 (2nd ed., 1738) , entitled. Cyclopedia or An Universal Dic- 

 tionary of Arts and Sciences. Its popularity is attested by the fact 

 that it passed through five editions between 1728 and 1743 and 

 stimulated production of the gi^eat French Encyclopedic. 



^'Second edition, 1748, by J. H. Hartung. A third edition appeared in 1767. 



^* In Germany also the Gazophylaciiim medico- physicum or Treasury of medical ana 

 natural things, was published at Leipzig in 1709 by Johan Jacob Woyt, a cyclopedia 

 in which German explanations of Latin words are given. There are nearly two pages 

 devoted to phosphorus or noctiluca, which is defined as a body lighting in the dark 

 either natural, like shining worms, rotten wood and other things, or artificial, when 

 made from the Bononian stone, chalk, blood, or urine. Then follows a description 

 of the discovery of phosphorus by Brandt in 1669 and the method of preparation. The 

 Handlungs Lexikon (1712) of Johann Hiibner (1668-1731) contains nothing of im- 

 portance on luminescence, but Felix Maurer in Observationes curioso-physicae (1713) 

 devoted about fifty pages to perpetual fires and lights in chapter VIII, entitled 

 " Unauslosciiliche Liechter zu machen— wie auch von denen Kunst-Feuer." The dis- 

 cussion included fireflies and other luminous animals as Avell as phosphors and phos- 

 phorus. The book is a collection of wonders, not alphabetically arranged. 



^^ Not to be confused with Chambers' Encyclopedia of 1860-1868, published by Wil- 

 liam (1800-1883) and Robert Chambers (1802-1891) and based on the tenth edition 

 of Broeckhaus' Konversationslexikon. Another cyclopedia, less well known, was that 

 of Chevalier Dennis de Coetlogen, Knight of St. Lazare, M. D., and member of the 

 Royal Academy of Angiers. It was titled, An universal history of arts and sciences, in 

 two volumes, published in London in 1745. The excellent nine-page article on " Phos- 

 phorus," which includes all types of luminescence, is an appendix to the subject, 

 " Opticks." The author has been unable to inspect the ten-volume Nuovo dizionario 

 scientifico e curioso sacroprofano of Gianfrancesco Privati (1689-1764) , published in 

 Venice from 1746 to 1751. 



