88 PHYSICAL SCIENCE BK. n 



different ways, that is, it either breathes on its 

 object, so to speak, inflicting slight injury, or burns 

 it right up, or sets it on fire. All those are methods 

 of what I have called scorching, differing, however, 

 in character and degree. Whatever is, for example, 

 3 burnt up is necessarily scorched as well. But [the 

 converse is not equally true], everything that is 

 scorched is not necessarily burnt up. And so with 

 what is set on fire ; it is not necessarily consumed, 

 the fire may merely have scorched it in passing. 

 Everybody knows that things may be scorched 

 without breaking out into fire, but that nothing can 

 break out into fire without being scorched. I have 

 only one further remark on the point : an object 

 may be consumed without being set on fire ; it may 

 also be set on fire without being consumed. 



XLI 



1 I PASS on now to the kind of lightning that stains 

 objects struck by it. The staining is either dis 

 colouring or colouring, between which I draw a 

 distinction. When the colour is spoiled, without 

 being changed, there is discolouring. On the con 

 trary, there is colouring when the aspect of an object 

 becomes different in kind from what it was, for 

 example, when it turns dark blue or black or pale. So 

 far the Etruscans and the philosophers are in agree 

 ment. But disagreement begins when the former 

 go on to assert that lightning is sent by Jupiter, to 



2 whom they assign three species of bolt. The first, 

 according to their statement, gives a peaceful 

 warning, being sent by Jove s own counsel. The 

 second is, it is true, sent also by him, but by advice 



