Mr. R ay to Dr. Robiafon. 187 



call the burning Fountain^ [La Fontaine que brule\ 

 near Grenoble in Dauphine^ which our Curioflty led us 

 to make an excurfive Journey from Grenoble^ on pur- 

 pofe to fee. This Place is about 3 Leagues diftant 

 from the City up the River. When we came there, 

 we were much deceived in ©ur Expectation y for in- 

 stead of a burning Fountain, which we dreamt of 

 from the Name and Relations of others, we found 

 nothing of Water, but only an a£tual Flame of Fire 

 ifluing out of a V.ent^ or Hole, in the Side of a 

 Bank, plainly yifible to the Eye, to which if you ap- 

 plied dry Straw, or any other combuftible Matter, it 

 took fire prefently. I took it to be nothing elfe buC 

 a little Spiraculum of a Mine of Coals, or fome fuch- 

 like Subftance, fired > and my Reafon was, becaufc 

 the Bank, out of which the Flame ifllied, looked 

 much like Slate and Cinder of Coals. One thing I 

 cannot but admire, that is the long Continuance of 

 this Burning. I find Mention of it in Slugujline de 

 Civ it at? Deiy Lib. j. Cap. 7. De fonteillo ubi faces 

 extinguuntur ardentes & aecenduntw extinfftf non in* 

 veni in Epiro qui vidifje fe dicer ent, fed qui in Gallia 

 fimilem noffent^ non longe a Gratianopoli civitate. By 

 which Relation of the good Father, we fee how he 

 was abufed and impofed upon by Relators that were 

 Eye-witnefles. I my felf alfo was abufed in like 

 Manner, and therefore do verily believe there was 

 then no more Fountain there than is now 3 that is a 

 Fountain of Fire, which from the Constancy and 

 Perpetuity of its ifluing out, it may be called. Hence 

 we may learn what Credit is to be given to the vei> 

 bal Relations of the Generality of Travellers, 



Black Notley, May %%. -~?8j. 



Bb| Br, 



