NOVUM ORGANUM 129 



the apron was imbued, and which, after having been stuck 

 together and incrusted rather strongly, were broken by the 

 friction. It is well known that all sugar, whether candied 

 or plain, if it be hard, will sparkle when broken or scraped 

 in the dark. In like manner sea and salt water is sometimes 

 found to shine at night when struck violently by the oar. 

 The foam of the sea when agitated by tempests also sparkles 

 at night, and the Spaniards call this appearance the sea s 

 lungs. It has not been sufficiently ascertained what degree 

 of heat attends the flame which the ancient sailors called 

 Castor and Pollux, and the moderns call St. Ermus fire. 



Every ignited body that is red-hot is always warm, al 

 though .without flame, nor is any negative instance sub 

 joined to this affirmative. Eotten wood, however, ap 

 proaches nearly to it, for it shines at night, and yet is not 

 found to be warm; and the putrefying scales of fish which 

 shine in the same manner are not warm to the touch, nor 

 the body of the glowworm, or of the fly called Lucciola. 20 



The situation and nature of the soil of natural warm 

 baths has not been sufficiently investigated, and therefore 

 a negative instance is not subjoined. 



To the instances of warm liquids we may subjoin the 

 negative one of the peculiar nature of liquids in general; 

 for no tangible liquid is known that is at once warm in its 

 nature and constantly continues warm; but their heat is 

 only superinduced as an adventitious nature for a limited 

 time, so that those which are extremely warm in their power 

 and effect, as spirits of wine, chemical aromatic oils, the 

 oils of vitriol and sulphur, and the like, and which speedily 

 burn, are yet cold at first to the touch, and the water of 

 natural baths, poured into any vessel and separated from 



80 The Italian fire- fly. 



