378 THE INTELLECTUAL RISE IN ELECTRICITY. 



When cold polar atoms and dry equatorial atoms meet 

 they conglomerate, sink to earth and form stone, which 

 retains the original north and south flowing tendency of 

 the atoms, and hence is magnetic. Then follows an at- 

 tempt to account for the magnetic phenomena on this 

 theory, palpably modeled on the similar effort of Descartes. 



His electric hypothesis is that the electric, being heated 

 by rubbing, breathes out steams which, as they come into 

 the cold air, are condensed and spring back "in such 

 manner as you may observe the little tender horns of snails 

 use to shrink back if anything touched them, till they 

 settled in little lumps upon their heads." These steams, 

 meeting a light body, pierce into it and settle in it, and if 

 it be of "competent bignesse for them to wield," they 

 bring it back with them. It will be observed that Digby's 

 steams behave exactly like Descartes' ribbons. Both 

 make the emanations fly out when the electric is warmed. 

 Descartes brings them back by the cooling of the electric; 

 Digby, by the cooling of the air. 



A revival of scientific learning was taking place in 

 France, and Digby had the advantage of being there. 

 The ridotti of the Italians were being copied. Societies 

 for the discussion of scientific subjects were gathering at 

 the houses of Mersenne, Thevenot and De Monmor. 

 There Digby met Descartes, and besides, such men as 

 Gassendus, Paschal, father and son, Hobbes, Roberval and 

 others of less eminence. 1 From that membership came 

 the historic gathering of mathematicians in the Library of 

 Colbert, in June, 1666, and the founding of the Academic 

 Royale des Sciences. 



Thus, Digby had no lack of sources of information, and, 

 if the generality of his countrymen could have been induced 

 to believe him, he would have come down to us, perhaps, 

 as a great rejuvenator of English science. But, unfor- 

 tunately for him, this was not to be. Evelyn, who knew 

 him, speaks of him in his diary as an "arrant inotinte- 



1 Fontenelle: Eloges Historiques des Acad., Vol. ii. 





