462 KOVUM ORGANU& [BOOK H, 



wont to Lappen, is not yet sufficiently investigated to enable us 

 to suljoin a negative instance to the affirmative. 



AU liamc is constantly more or less warm, and this instance is 

 not altogether negative ; yet it is said that the ignis fatuus (as 

 it is called), and which sometimes is driven against walls, has 

 but little heat; perhaps it resembles that of spirits of wine, 

 which is mild and gentle. That flame, however, appears yet 

 milder, which in some well authenticated and serious histories is 

 said to have appeared round the head and hair of boys and vir 

 gins, and instead of burning their hair, merely to have played 

 about it. And it is most certain that a sort of flash, without any 

 evident heat, has sometimes been seen about a horse when 

 sweating at night, or in damp weather. It is also a well known 

 fact,* and it was almost considered as a miracle, that a few years 

 since a girl s apron sparkled when a little shaken or rubbed, 

 which was, perhaps, occasioned by the alum or salts with whicli 

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

 together and incrusted rather strongly, were broken by the fric 

 tion. It is well known that all sugar, whether candied or plair., 

 if it be hard, will sparkle when broken or scraped in the darL. 

 In like manner sea and saltwater is sometimes found to shine at 

 night when struck violently by the oar. The foam of the se.i 

 when agitated by tempests also sparkles at night, and the Spa 

 niards call this appearance the sea s lungs. It has not been 

 sufficiently ascertained what degree of heat attends the flamo 

 which the ancient sailors called Castor and Pollux, and tho 

 moderns call St. Ermus fire. 



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

 without ilamc, nor is any negative instance subjoined to thu; 

 affirmative, llotten wood, however, approaches 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 ily 

 called Lucciola.&quot; 



The situation and nature of the soil of natural warm baths has 

 not been sufficiently investigated, and therefore a negative in 

 stance 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 



* Was it a silk apron which exhibited electric sparks ? Silk waa tbeip 



u The Italian fire -fly. 



