174 



that they have all the advantages of it, while the light IB 

 this part is not offensive to the eyes, as it natitfalh 

 would have been, If carried about the head. The crea- 

 ture can upon occasion cover this Jiht,.so as not to be 

 known, or pursued by its enemies. It is an iiu-ect of the 

 beetle kind, of a brown and dusky colour. It has shell 

 wings as the other beetles have. Its head is covered 

 with a sort of buoad brimmed hat, under which.. are the 

 eyes, which are black and large. 



Falling stars, so called, seem to be vapours of an 

 unctuous kind, kindled in the lower regions of the air : 

 unless this al>o (as many other phenomena of the sort) 

 be owing to what is vulgarly termed electricity. 



10. From a thousand experiments it appears, that 

 there is a fluid far more subtle than air, which is every 

 where diffused through all space, which surrounds the 

 earth, and pervades every part of it. And such is the 

 extreme fineness, velocity, and expansiveness of this 

 active principle, that all oilier matter seems to be only 

 the body, and this the soul of the universe. 



It is highly probable that this is the general inst rumen 

 of all the motion in the universe : from this pure Jlr 

 (which is properly so called) the vulgar culinary fire 

 kindled. For in truth, there, is but one kind of fire i 

 nature, which exists in till places, and in all bodie 

 And this is subtle and active enough, not only to be uj 

 der the great cause, the secondary cause of motion, b.i 

 to produce and sustain life throughout all nature, 

 well in animals as in vegetables. 



This great machine of the world, requires some sue 

 constant, active, and powerful principle, constituted by 

 its Creator, to keep-the heavenly bodies in their severa 

 courses, and at the same time give support, life, am*, in 

 crease, to the various inhabitants of the earth Now a 

 the heat of every animal is the engine which circuJaie 

 the blood through the whole body, so the sun, as tK 

 heart of the work!, circulates his fire through the wholt 

 universe. And this element is not capable of any essen 



