370 LETTERS ON NATURAL MAGIC. 



of St. Clements, had been in the habit for several years of 

 going down stairs every night after she was half-undressed 

 to smoke a pipe. She did this on the evening of the 9th 

 of April, 1744. Her daughter, who lay in the same bed 

 with her, had fallen asleep, and did not miss her mother 

 till she awaked early in the morning. Upon dressing 

 herself, and going down stairs, she found her mother's 

 body lying on the right side with her head against the 

 grate, and extended over the hearth with her legs on the 

 deal floor, and appearing like a block of wood burning 

 with a glowing fire without flame. Upon quenching the 

 fire with two bowls of water, the neighbours, whom the 

 cries of the daughter had brought in, were almost stifled 

 with the smell. The trunk of the unfortunate woman 

 was almost burned to ashes, and appeared like a heap of 

 charcoal covered with white ashes. The head, arms, legs, 

 and thighs, were also much burned. There was no fire 

 whatever in the grate, and the candle was burned out in 

 the socket of the candlestick, which stood by her. The 

 clothes of a child on one side of her, and a paper screen 

 on the other, were untouched; and the deal floor was 

 neither singed nor discoloured. It was said that the woman 

 had drunk plentifully of gin overnight in welcoming a 

 daughter who had recently returned from Gibraltar. 



Among the phenomena of the natural world which are 

 related to those of spontaneous combustion, are what have 

 been called the natural fire temples of the Guebres, and 

 the igneous phenomena which are seen in their vicinity. 

 The ancient sect of the Guebres or Parsees, distinguished 

 from all other sects as the worshippers of fire, had their 

 origin in Persia; but, being scattered by persecution, 

 they sought an asylum on the shores of India. Those 

 who refused to expatriate themselves continued to inhabit 

 the shores of the Caspian Sea, and the cities of Ispahan, 

 Yezd, and Kerman. Their great fire temple called Attush 



