374 jMjyozc anticipated by Hooke. 



" Therefore, in the eleventh place, it is obfervable, that, 

 as in other folutions, if a copious and quick fupply of frefti 

 menftruurn, though but weak, be poured on or applied to 

 the difibluble body, it quickly confumes it : fo this men- 

 ftruurn of the air, if by bellows, or any other fuch contri- 

 vance, it be copioufly applied to the mining body, is found 

 to diflblve it as foon and as violently as the more ilrong 

 menftruurn of melted nitre. 



" Therefore, twelfthly, it feems reafonable to think that 

 there is no fuch thing as an element of fire that fhould at- 

 tract or draw up the flame, or towards which the flame 

 mould endeavour to afcend out of a defire or appetite of 

 uniting with that as its homogeneal primitive and generat- 

 ing element ; but that that fhining tranfient body which we 

 call flame, is nothing elfe but a mixture of air and volatile 

 fulphureous parts of difibluble or eombuftible bodies, which 

 are acting upon each other whilft they afcend, that is, flame 

 feems to be a mixture of air and the eombuftible volatile parts 

 of any bodv, which parts the encompaffing air does diflblve 

 or work upon, which action, as it docs intend the heat of 

 the aerial parts of the diflblvcnt, fo does it thereby further 

 rarifie thofe parts that are acting, or that are very near them, 

 whereby they growing much lighter than the heavie parts of 

 that menftruurn that are more remote, are thereby pro- 

 truded and driven upward; and this may be eafily obferved 

 alio in diflblutions made by any other menftruurn, efpeci- 

 ally fuch as either create heat or bubbles. Now, this action 

 of the menftruurn or air on the difibluble parts, is made with 

 fuch violence, or is fuch, that it imparts fuch a motion or 

 pulfe to the diaphanous parts of the air, as I have clfewhere 

 fhewn is requifite to produce light. 



" This hypothefis I have endeavoured to raife from an in- 

 finitv of obfervations and experiments, the procefs of which 

 would be much too long to be here infertccl, and will per- 

 haps another time afford matter copious enough for a much 

 larger difcourfc, the air being a fubjecl which (though all 



the 



