156 NOVUM OHGANUM. 



rated. And we in fact see that flame, especially at the mo 

 ment of its generation, is mild and gentle, and requires a 

 hollow space where it can play and try its force. The great 

 violence of the effect, therefore, cannot be attributed to this 

 cause: but the truth is, that the generation of these ex 

 ploding flames and fiery blasts arises from the conflict of 

 two bodies of a decidedly opposite nature ; the one very in 

 flammable, as is the sulphur, the other having an antipathy 

 to flame, namely, the crude spirit of the nitre : so that an 

 extraordinary conflict takes place, whilst the sulphur is be 

 coming inflamed, as far as it can (for the third body, the 

 willow charcoal merely incorporates and conveniently unites 

 the two others), and the spirit of nitre is escaping, as far 

 also as it can, and at the same time expanding itself (for 

 air, and all crude substances, and water are expanded by 

 heat), fanning thus, in every direction, the flame of the sul 

 phur by its escape and violence, just as if by invisible 

 bellows. 



Two kinds of instances of the cross might here be used : 

 the one of very inflammable substances, such as sulphur 

 and camphire, naphtha, and the like, and their compounds, 

 which take fire more readily and easily than gunpowder, if 

 left to themselves (and this shows that the effort to catch fire 

 does not of itself produce such a prodigious effect); the other 

 of substances which avoid and repel flame, such as all salts. 

 For we see that when they are cast into the fire the aqueous 

 spirit escapes with a crackling noise before flame is pro 

 duced, which also happens, in a less degree, in stiff leaves ; 

 from the escape of the aqueous part, before the oily part 

 has caught fire. This is more particularly observed in 

 quicksilver, which is not improperly called mineral water ; 

 and which, without any inflammation, nearly equals the 

 force of gunpowder, by simple explosion and expansion, 

 and is said, when mixed with gunpowder, to increase its 

 force. 



Again, let the required nature be the transitory nature of 

 flame, and its momentaneous extinction. For to us the 

 nature of flame does not appear to be fixed or settled, but 

 to be generated from moment to moment, and to be every 

 instant extinguished ; it being clear that those flames which 

 continue and last, do not owe their continuance to the same 

 mass of flame, but to a continued succession of new flame 

 regularly generated, and that the same identical flame does 

 not continue. This is easily shown by removing the food 

 or source of the flame, when it at once goes out. We have 

 the two following cross-ways with regard to this nature. 



