22 Mr. G. F. Rodwell on the Theory of Phlogiston. 



Becher sometimes designates the three earths as " gradus sulphu- 

 ris "*, — the first " fixed sulphur," the second ci volatile sulphur/' 

 the third " combustible sulphur ; " this last he speaks of indis- 

 criminately as " sulphur adustibile," (e sulphur ardens" or " sulphur 

 <j>\oyi<TTbv," the last word being simply the Greek representative 

 of ardensf. The latter word is most used; indeed I do not think 

 the word (fyKoytorov occurs once in the Physica Subterranea, and 

 certainly not half a dozen times in the Supplementum Primum 

 and Supplementum Secundum. Becher regarded the combus- 

 tible principle as an innate heat. " Sulphur est metallorum 

 calidum innatum," he writes in the Supplementum Secundum ; 

 and, again, argentum vivum is pervaded " spiritu quodam sul- 

 phureo, archseo minerali, igne interno, seu, ut Basilius loquitur, 

 primo mobili metallorum." When argentum vivum is fixed by 

 an acid, or otherwise, it loses this innate heat, and its particles 

 become motionless. 



Becher built up various substances from his elements in a 

 somewhat arbitrary fashion ; in tracing a few of these it will be 

 convenient to designate the elements by letters. 



Let water be represented by W. 



The verifiable earth, or principle of solidity, by S. 



The inflammable earth, or principle of combustibility, by C. 



The mercurial earth, or principle of volatility, by V. 



Then the following expressions will represent the composition 

 of a few well-known substances according to Becher : — 



W+S= the "universal acid." 



W + C= oils. 



(W+S) + C = bitumen. 



{(W+S) + C} + (W+S)= sulphur. 



(W + S) + C= saltpetre. 



(S + C+V) + (S + V) = arsenic. 



(S + C + V) + V= argentum vivum. 



{(S + C + V) + V} + {[(W+S) + C] + (W + S)}= cinnabar. 



The meaning of the above will be readily intelligible : thus 

 water plus the inflammable earth in various proportions consti- 

 tute different kinds of oils; bitumen plus the "universal acid" 

 constitute sulphur, and so on. It is, however, to be borne in 

 mind that Becher has nowhere represented the composition of 

 bodies by the above means (which is employed for the sake of 



* Supplementum Secundum. 



t &koyLo-Tos is an adjective derived from (p\oy!.£a>, to inflame, which is 

 related to <fi\eya>, to burn, and to <pX6£, flame. The word (fiXoytaros is 

 rarely used by ancient writers, and hence is not often met with in our lexi- 

 cons. In the very extensive Lexicon Grceco-Latinum of Robert Constan- 

 tinus, published in 1592, the word is given with only two meanings^thus : — 

 <p\oyt(TT6s — ardens, splendidus. 



