142 
pliijty's kattjral history 
[Book II. 
of tlie earth ^ ? What must be the nature of that thing, 
which, in all parts of the world, supplies this most greedy 
voracity without destroying itself? To these fires must be 
added those innumerable stars and the great sun itself. There 
are also the fires made by men^, those which are innate in 
certain kinds of stones, those produced by the friction of 
wood^, and those in the clouds, which give rise to lightning. 
It really exceeds all other wonders, that one single day 
should pass in which everything is not consumed, especially 
when we reflect, that concave mirrors placed opposite to the 
sun's rays produce flame more readily than any other kind of 
fire ; and that numerous small but natural fires abound every- 
where. In Nymphseum there issues from a rock a fire which 
is kindled by rain ; it also issues from the waters of the Scan- 
tia^. This indeed is a feeble flame, since it passes ofl", re- 
maining only a short time on any body to which it is applied : 
an ash tree, which overshadows this fiery spring, remains 
always green^. In the territory of Mutina fire issues from 
the ground on the days that are consecrated to Vulcan^. 
It is stated by some authors, that if a burning body falls 
on the fields below Arieia^, the ground is set on fire ; and 
that the stones in the territorv of the Sabines and of the 
Sidicini^, if they be oiled, burn with flame. In Egnatia^, a 
^ " Tot rogis terrae ?" in reference to the remark ia a former chapter, 
natura terras cremat." 
2 " Humani ignes," according to Hardouin, " Hinostri ignes, quos vitse 
iisns requirit, ut Tnllius ait de Nat. Deor. ii 67 Lemaire, i. 457. 
s This is the mode which many savage, tribes employ for exciting flame. 
^ It is not known whether the Scantia was a river or a lake, or where 
it was situated ; see Alexandre in Lemaire, i, 457. 
^ This may have been owing to the emission of an inflammable gas 
which burns at a comparatively low temperature, as was observed on a 
former occasion. 
^ These are said by Columella, xi. 3, to occur in August ; the state- 
ment as to the fire occurring on these particular days we may presume 
is erroneous. 
7 Aricia was a town in Campania, near the modern Lake of Nemi : 
this place, as well as the other places mentioned by our author, were 
probably of volcanic origin. 
s Sidicinum was a town in Campania, also caUed Teanum ; probably 
the modern Teano. 
^ Egnatia was a town in Calabria, on the coast of the Adriatic : the 
circumstance mentioned by our author is ridiculed by Horace, m his well- 
