Greek Vire of the Middle Ages. 39 
Whatever this formidable fire was, it seems to have caused 
more alarm than injury, as we cannot discover in the narration, 
that any mischief of moment was produced by it. This is pretty 
much the case with rockets at the present day. 
I may yet remark on Joinville’s history of this siege, that, 
while it confirms the opinion before held out of the differences 
in kind among the Greek fires, and of the real nature of this 
particular one, it also corroborates that which has already 
considered the Arabians as acquainted, even at that distant 
time, with the explosive compounds that derive their properties 
from nitre. 
If it was a rocket or a squib, that admits of no doubt; if it 
was any kind of carcass, or fire-ball, the same is true; as no 
resinous compound, without nitre, could have burnt enclosed in 
a case, as this appears most evidently to have been; and as 
indeed no such compound at liberty could have resisted water. 
Nitre is absolutely necessary for every kind of carcass, and 
that in considerable proportion: and it is only indeed by com- 
pounding the charge of carcasses on the same general principles 
as gunpowder, that they can be made effectual. 
As no further light can be thrown on this subject from the 
ancient authors, it is unnecessary to prolong this inquiry. The 
subject seems to be cleared, at least, of much of its mystery ; 
and that this mystery has in a great measure arisen from mis- 
takes and exaggerations, must be very apparent. We may 
remain at our ease on this head, and be satisfied that we have 
lost nothing by our imaginary loss of the Greek fire. We may 
still safely boast, that in whatever arts either the Greeks or 
Arabs may have excelled us, in that of destroying each other 
we could have taught them much, and could have learnt nothing 
from them. Divested of the mist which wonder and ignorance 
have drawn round it, the boasted Greek fire seems to have been 
a contemptible weapon enough. Had the rhyming monk or 
St. Louis been at the sieges of Copenhagen or Algiers, it would 
be difficult to conjecture where they would have found words to 
express what must have been, to their fires, like the thunders 
and lightnings of heaven to those of the theatre. 
