[ 622 1 
ftroy them in that manner, muPc know, that he m'ght 
have thrown combuftibie matter, fufficient to burn 
the galleys, from his projedtile machines : For we 
cannot imagine that he was ignorant of every kind of 
thefe, and not even of the wildfire of the Greeks. 
But, however, to account for his burning the fleet, by 
a fpeculum, was the diflicult point. 
When philofophers began to increafe their catop- 
trical experiments, which they did very early, they 
found the focus, of every fpeculum that was concave, 
fo fhort, that they were eafily inclin’d to conclude, 
that Archimedes could not fet fire to the fleet by a 
fpeculum ; and hence the fadl became intirely dif- 
credited, till the famous Kircher, and his pupil Schot- 
tus, whofe characters and works the learned world 
are well enough acquainted with, refolv’d to confider 
not only the ftory of Archimedes, but alfo that of 
Prod us, who is faid to have deftroy’d a fleet at Con- 
dantinople in the fame manner. 
Kircher, however, notwithstanding the incredulity 
that appear’d every-where among the learned of his 
time, concerning thofe fadts, was not deterr’d from 
giving great attention to the matter himfelf; which 
led him to make innumerable experiments, in order 
to fee whether it was poflible to be done or not, be- 
fore he would give any opinion about it; and at 
length, when he had commended the parabolical fpe- 
culum, which he, and others, were inclin’d to think 
the mofl: likely to fucceed in fucli an enterprize ; he 
was inclin'd to think, Archimedes made ule of fuch 
a fpeculum. 
But, foon after, he was difcontented with this 
notion, and began to make new eflavs ; and, being 
happy 
