I 
L 342 ] 
handled or touched, as appeared by its attracting little 
light balls fufpended by threads. It cannot therefore 
be fuppofed that filk or worded dockings can be put 
upon the leg, without being excited to a fenfible 
degree of eleCtricity. And thence it is, that when 
taken off they are fometimes perceived to fnap, 
though worn fingle. But whatever eleCtricity the 
fingle docking acquires by friction or otherwife, it 
immediately lofes upon being feparated from the leg*, 
if any eleCtric virtue remains, it is no more than what 
belongs to it as an eleCtric fubdance ceafing to be ex- 
cited j and it is in fo fmall a degree, as in the prefent 
cate not to merit attention. In general, when I fpeak 
of the eleCtricity in quedion, I mean fuch a power 
of eleCtricity as is obvious, and perceptible to the 
fienfes ; fo that the docking, after being taken off, 
fhould appear more or lei's inflated ; throw out an 
electrical wind to be felt by the bare leg ; attraCt or 
repel another docking vifibly ; and, upon the touch, 
fnap, and emit, or receive eleCtrical fire. 
After making the experiment above-mentioned 
with fingle dockings, I proceeded to try the effeCt of 
two dockings upon one leg. This I did with two 
of thread, cotton, worded, and filk fuccedively; but 
this produced no eleCtrical appearance more than be- 
fore. I then combined them one with another, and, 
running through all the different changes, I found 
that none of thofe I then made ufe of exhibited vi- 
fible proofs of eleCtricity, but the filk and worded 
together j and there, indeed, the eleCtric power ap- 
peared remarkably flrong. It feemed to be a matter 
of indifference whether the^filk or the worded was 
uppermod, the combination of the two was what I 
J " judged 
