i8o Literary and Philosophical Society. 



when a new member of the medical world came into the 

 field with a new medical idea or process. Strange it is 

 how scientific men, seekers of truth by profession, object to 

 any truth found out by others. They either steal it or try 

 to depreciate it — dogs and bones. Great scientific know- 

 ledge is not always accompanied by high character, but it 

 is very frequently accompanied by great greediness. There 

 was once a delusion that intellect, nobleness, and love of 

 truth went together — a wish — certainly not a wide obser- 

 vation. However, Dr. Ferriar is blamed for nothing more 

 than jealousy. 



Electricity among the Ancients. 



We must not forget Dr. Falconer's * Observations on 

 the Knowledge of the Ancients respecting Electricity,' 

 see vol. iii. p. 278. There we have an account of amber, 

 whether from Liguria or the north, and of Lapis Lyncurius 

 ' which attracts straws and leaves, copper and iron,' and of 

 electric fishes, subjects now better known to the ordinary 

 reader ; we have however less known speculations sug* 

 gested to Dr. Falconer by ' an ingenious and learned gentle- 

 man,' on the knowledge of the Etruscans, familiar also to 

 Numa Pompilius, who is said to have drawn fire down from 

 heaven. This statement is corroborated by the manner 

 of his successor's death. TuUus Hostilius was killed, the 

 ingenious gentleman supposes, by mismanaging the process 

 of bringing down the lightning. This is a fair explanation 

 of the matter, and in the words of Livy, ' tradunt ira Jovis 

 sollicitati prava religione, fulmine ictum cum domo con- 

 flagrasse.' ^ Livy says of him ' that after examining the 

 commentaries of Numa and finding there a description of 



^ B. i. ch. xxxi. 



