Shining Fish, Flesh, and Wood 467 



the constellation Aries, which the sun traverses during April, " kin- 

 dled those torches by diffusing its starlight into the lambs." Rather 

 he considered that shining things were of three types: 



1) Those which on account of the polish and clean disposition of 

 their parts contain this light which unites with the light striking it from 

 without and gleams [for example precious stones]. 



2) Those living creatures, swollen with closely compressed spirits, who, 

 once they become hot for some reason, start glowing all over their bodies 

 or in certain parts [for example the flames of animals ^ and of men— 

 Ascanius in Virgil and the father of Theodoric the Goth]. 



3) Those which obtain their light from putrefaction, e. g. wood, fish 

 [and] the above named little insects [glow-worms] that shine for the 

 reason that they are generated from dung, manure and similar decaying 

 matter . . . , though I am convinced that some of them shine for the 

 reason that they easily conceive light on account of the peculiar disposi- 

 tion of their membranous parts and afterwards emit the light they have 

 conceived. 



It has been confirmed by many arguments that the shining lamb meat 

 owed its light to the putrefaction that had set in. 



For such is the principle of nature that the elements are contained in 

 tight bonds and amiable concord. But when the structure of the mixture 

 is dissolved, the elements are separated and fire, the noblest of them, 

 having broken its fetters and torn down the prison walls which detained 

 it, tries at once to free itself and hasten away. Breaking forth violently 

 to the periphery of the body and taking with it its innate humor, it 

 makes the putrefying bodies appear humid and warm from the outside 

 and even catch fire and become inflamed, as we know best from hay and 

 the stool of pigeons.^ Since lambs have an inner mixture of rich light, 

 by which they are foremost in jumping, playing, butting each other 

 with their horns and blows, it is no wonder that they are liable to putre- 

 faction and corruption, wherefore they are often assailed by an ugly 

 itch and easily rub it on to others. 



As additional reasons why lambs' meat might shine, Puerarius re- 

 marked that it is rather white, more closely related to light. In 

 addition, trustworthy people reported that the lambs had eaten 

 herbs which contain fire, like thyme and rosemary.^ At Nimes in 

 1628 when shining lamb meat was also observed, a terrible pestilence 

 followed. 



'' Bartholin had searched the old annals and had seen it " mentioned in Julius 

 Obsequens, among the prodigia that under the consulate of C. Valerius and M. 

 Herenius a flock of wethers had been out on the pasture in Lucania and at night in 

 the stables was surrounded by a flame that did not burn anything." This observation 

 is no doubt another example of electrical discharges from the wool. 



*A reference to Galen, who saw luminous pigeon dung. 



* Evidently a reference to the essential oils of these plants. 



