129 



was smeared with a gross, stinking moisture, and tl/e 

 walls and furniture covered with a moist soot, which had 

 stained all the linen in the chest. 



Perhaps a larger account of so remarkable an inci- 

 dent will not be unacceptable to the curious reader. 



The countess of Cornelia Bandi, in the sixty-second 

 year of her age, was all day, as well as usual. When 

 she was in bed, she passed two or three hours in talking 

 with her maid ; then she fell asleep. The maid going 

 into her chamber in the morning, saw two feet distant 

 from the bed, a heap of ashes, and two legs with the 

 stockings on. Between them was part of the head; 

 but the brains, half the skull, and the whole chin, were 

 burnt to ashes. The ashes when taken up, left in the 

 hand a greasy, and stinking moisture. The bed received 

 no damage ; the clothes were raised on one side, as by 

 a person rising from it. 



Doubtless the fire was kindled within her, by the 

 juices, and fermentations in the stomach, acting on the 

 many combustible matters, which abound in living 

 bodies, for the uses of life. These in sleep, by a full 

 respiration, are put into a stronger motion, and conse- 

 quently are more apt to take fire. 



Borelli observes, that such accidents often happened 

 to great drinkers of wine and brandy. Such flames 

 would frequently rise in us, if the natural moisture did 

 not prevent. 



Undoubtedly she was burnt standing ; hence her skull 

 was fallen between Ler legs, and the back part of her 

 head was damaged more than the fore part, partly be- 

 cause of her hair, partly because in the face, there were 

 many places, out of which the flames might pass. 



An instance of the same kind, occurred at Christ 

 Church, in Hampshire, on June 26, 1613. One John 

 Hitchell, a carpenter of that parish, having ended his 

 day's work, came home, and went to rest, with his wife. , 

 Her mother being frightened in her sleep, called to tU*rn 

 for help. None answering, she started up and waked her 

 daughter, who found her husband dead by her side. She 

 dragged him out of the bed into the street ; but the heat 

 G 4 



