[ 47 8 ] 
oftener into Conta&; and, confequcntly, the oftener 
the phofphoreal and the aereal meet, the more fre- 
quent and greater muftthe Nifus’s be to create Hear. 
Hippocrates (. Aph . I. 14.) mentions the 
s/uMpvlov, Calidum innatum. Galen takes it for the 
Soul, and more modern Writers have fuppofed ir to 
be the very Spirit , the Archeus , and others the Vital 
Heat ; but have all treated of it as a certain Degree 
of Fire exifting in Animals; not having any Notion, 
that the Element of Fire might be abforbed, or lie 
latent, in fluid Bodies, ready to become a&ive as foon 
as it meets with Air, or even to kindle, if it meets 
with fulphureous Particles under proper Circum- 
ftances. This 1 fanfy the Antients, in the very ear- 
lieft Ages of the World, had fome Notions of; when 
they thought proper to communicate to the Vulgar 
fome Shadows only of more profound and real 
Knowledge under Types and Fables, as handed down 
to us in the Fi&ions of the Poets : Of this kind, and 
quite to our Purpofc, I take the Fi&ion of Prome- 
theus dealing Fire from Heaven to animate his Men 
with, to be one. And, I think, upon this Princi- 
ple of Phofphorus exifting in Animals, one may 
eafily explain the Caufe of thofe melancholy Acci- 
dents which have happened to fome of the human 
Species, as that of the Lady at Cefena in Italy, {a) the 
Carpenter in Hampjhirefb) and the Woman lately at 
lpfwich{c)\ who, it is moft probable, were all feton 
Fire by Lightening: It may be faid. Many areftruck 
by Lightening, but not fet on Fire ; but it is to be 
remarked, that the Lady at Cefena had charged all 
her Pores and abforbent Veflels with a great Quan- 
tity 
(o) See this Tranf- p, 447. ( b ) lb. p. 461, (c) lb. p. 463, 
