VOL. XXII.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 50/ 



of the ancient fathers that were never printed ; and he told me he had found 

 out some of St. Athanasius, St. Basilius, St. Gregorius Nazianzenus, St. John 

 Chrysostomus, and other Greek fathers, with a great many of the writers of the 

 middle age. He will publish his Itinerarium Italicum, and in another volume 

 give in the form of a spicilegium, all these pieces he has copied. But what is 

 more to the purpose, he designs to print a catalogue of the MSS. of all the libra 

 ries that are in Italy: a considerable collection of inscriptions which never were 

 printed, or which have been miserably debased in Gruterus, Keinesius, Spon ; 

 and lastly give an account of some old coins, ancient weights and measures, 

 and several other curiosities relating to sacred and profane antiquity.* 



I was much surprised on coming to Naples, to find a great many persons 

 applying themselves to the corpuscular philosophy and mathematics. They 

 owned they were obliged for it to Tho. Cornelius Consentinus, who began first 

 to introduce them, and to Leonardo di Capoa, who followed his steps. This 

 great man died three years ago. I was acquainted there with Signior Joseph 

 Valeta, a gentleman who has a very good library, and has learned a little English 

 on purpose to understand English books, for which he has a very great value. 

 He lent me a manuscript of his that he will speedily publish. His design is to 

 commend and encourage the experimental philosophy. 



I made the following observations on the bronchocele, a distemper very 

 frequent all over Lombardy and Savoy. By the disposition of this tumor, I am 

 satisfied it has principally its seat in the glandulas thyroideee, and sometimes 

 too, but very seldom, in the parotis conglobata. I could plainly see the paro- 

 tides conglomeratfE were nowise concerned. This I have observed in several 

 bronchoceles of a very great size. I conceive these tumors (which are generally 

 attributed to the water the people drink, that is melted snow) to proceed from 

 the viscidity of the lympha, which by degrees extends the membranous coats of 

 the glands ; and being there congealed, hardens them to that (Jpgree, that an 

 inveterate bronchocele is almost like a stone. But why these swellings are to be 

 seen no where else but in these glands of the neck, it is difficult to give a good 

 reason. It may be, the natural conformation of the glandulae thyroidese (which 

 being harder and of a more solid substance than other glands, give sooner a 

 stop to the viscid lympha) is the occasion of this tumor always beginning and 

 settling there. 



Sal Montis Vesuvii is found in pretty large lumps, after Mount Vesuvius has 

 thrown out vast quantities of ashes. The great rains that fall upon these ashes 

 make a sort of leys, which, left in the hollow places, are evaporated by the 



* This he (Montfaucon) did in his great and learned work entitled Antiquite expliquee. 



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