Mr. Ray to Br. Robinfbn. i H9 



^eat of Summer, viz. about the latter End of July. 

 )But that the Water hath no Intereft in the kindling any 

 thing applied thereto/ I am confident for we faw 

 an a6tUal Flame llreaming thence, which piuft needs 

 kindle Straw, or any other combullible Matter it 

 meets with. And here, by the way, I taniidt bun 

 Jrefle6t upon a Paflage I meet with in Doctor Pkfs 

 Letter concerning Sepulchral Lamps, in the Philc- 

 foph. Tranfa£t. of December laft. Jt is this > Such sf 

 the Flame over the Well and Earth about it in one Mr. 

 HawkleyV Ground in Lancafhire, thai (like the Fire 

 of Plato) only jhines^ and does not burn. Herein is 

 contained a double Miftake : For, as I was informed 

 by Perfons^of the greateft Credit and undoubted Fi- 

 delity, Where the inflammable Steam or Vapour af- 

 cended, was no Well at all, hut only Water in a 

 Ditch, which dried up in Summer-time, and which 

 the Experimenter, who told me [no other indeed bun 

 Dr. Wilkins^ Bifhop of Chefier] caufed to be laded 

 all out , and that when the Ditch was quite empty, 

 the inflammable Steam afcended in like manner as be- 

 fore. Next the Words feem to import, that there 

 is a conftant Flame over the Well and Ground about * 

 Whereas there is no fbch thing, but only a Steam 

 conftantly afcending, which catches Fire by the Ap- 

 plication of a lighted Candle^ or any other Flame. 

 Belides, I never before heard, and can hardly.be in- 

 duced to believe, that that Flame only fhines, and 

 does not burn, none of my Relators mentioning any 

 fuch thing, which had been the ftrangeft Miracle of 

 all. • 



: Your former Conjecture, that there may be a dif- 

 ferent Place, I cannot allow,, becaule thofe who write 

 of it fay it is near Grenoble , as this Was $ and we en- 

 quiring upon tjfie Place, heard of no other but this. 

 And that this is that which is ufually vifited by Tra- 

 vellers, one may know by the Hackney-men, who 

 Ire very well acquainted with it: And Golnitz his 



* 5 , , . Itinerary 



