COM 
rmfts.lTave revy ably and fuccefsfully maintained this laft 
tloftrine. Something, however, like party, has arifen in 
the difcuflion of this great queftion. It is perhaps the lot 
of humanity that apathy Ihould attend abfolute imparti¬ 
ality, or the abfence of prejudice. It is probable that the 
bigotry of the maintainers of what is now called the an¬ 
cient chemiftry, and the impetuolity of the cultivators of 
the new, may have occafioned a more complete difcuflion 
of the 1'ubjeCl, than philoibphers, whofe paffions were let's 
animated, might have taken the trouble to have made. 
The modern maintainers of phlogitlon, or the principle 
of inflammability, do not teach exadlly the fume-doftrine 
as Stahl. This chemift fuppofed combuftion to confift in 
the efcape of fire from bodies. Various fafts have com¬ 
pelled modern chemifts to modify this pofition. The 
molt generally received ftatement is, that a fubftance call- 
ed phlogifton, and very Ttrongly attractive of Vital air, 
relides in all combuftible bodies; that a. certain degree of 
heat weakens the adherence between phlogilton and the 
combuftible fubftance, and confequentiy diftpofes it to a 
more fpeedy union with the vital air of the atmofphere; 
that the capacity of vital air for heat is diminilhed by this 
union, and confequentiy an increafe of temperature fol¬ 
lows, which ferves to accelerate the dilengagement of 
more of the phlogifton ; and in this way heat continues 
to be extricated, until the body has become clephlogiiti- 
cated, or incombuftible. The modern or anti-phlogiltic 
theory is exaftly the fame, excepting that inllead of fup- 
poiing combuftible bodies to contain a principle of in¬ 
flammability which attraftsthe vital air of the atmofphere, 
it infers that the body itfelf, now termed caloric, attrafts 
and combines with that air; and, as no difficulty enfues 
from this ftatement, .it is clear that the phlogifton is re¬ 
dundant and unnecefi’ary in accounting for the effects. 
See the article Chemistry, p. 153, 179, 181, 195, See. 
of this volume. 
COM'CHE, a town of Perfia, where the caravans reft in 
the road from Ifpahan to Ormus. 
To COME. v. n. pret. came, particip. come, [coman, 
Sax. komcsi, Dut. hommen : German.] To remove from a 
diftant to a nearer place ; to arrive : oppofed to go : 
And troubled blood through bis pale face was feen 
To come and go, with tidings from the heart. Spenfer. 
To draw near; to advance towards: 
By the pricking of my thumbs. 
Something wicked this way comes, Shahefpeare. 
To move in any manner towards another; implying the 
idea of being received by another, or of tending towards 
another. The word always refpecls the place to which 
the motion tends, not that place which it leaves ; yet 
this meaning is fometimes almoft evanefeent and imper¬ 
ceptible.—As foon as the commandant came abroad, the 
children of Ifrael brought in abundance the firft fruits. 
2 Chronicles. —Know ledge is a thing of their own invention, 
or which they come to by fair realoning. Burnet. —It is im- 
pofiible to cotne near your lordihip, at any time, with¬ 
out receiving fome favour. Congreve.— God has made 
the intellectual world harmonious and beautiful without 
us ; but it will never come into our heads all at once. 
Locke, —To proceed; to iflue.—Behold, my Ton, which catne 
forth of my bowels, leeketh my life. 2 Samuel, xvi. 11.— 
To advance frem one ftage or condition to another.—Se¬ 
ditious tumults, and ieditious fames, differ no more but 
as brother and Titter; if it come to that, that the beft ac¬ 
tions of a ftr.te are taken in an ill fenle and traduced. 
Bacon.- —Iiis ioldiers had Ikirmifhes with the Numidians, 
To that once the Ikirmilh was like to come to a juft battle. 
K?iolles. —The force whereby bodies cohere is very much 
greater when they come to immediate contaft, than when 
they are at ever lo final) a finite diilance. Cheyne. —To be 
brought to fome condition either for better or worfe, im¬ 
plying fome degree of cafuality s with to. —One faid to 
Ariftippiis, ’tis a ftrange thing why men ihouid rather give 
4 
COM 347 
to the poor than to philofophers. He anfwered, becaufia 
they think themlelyes may iooner come to be poor than to 
be phiiolophers. Eaeqn — His fons come to honour, and he 
knoweth it not. 'Job .— To attain any condition or cha¬ 
racter.—The teftimony of confidence, t hus informed, comes 
to be (0 authentic, and io much to be relied upon. South. 
A ferpent, ere he comes to be a dragon, 
Does eat a bat. Ben Jonfon. 
To become. — How came the publican juftified, but by a 
Ihort and humble prayer? Duppa. 
So came I. a widow ; 
And never ih li have length of life enough 
To rain upon remembrance with mine eyes. Shahefpeare. 
To arrive at fome aft or habit, or difpofition.—They 
would quickl)' come to have a natural abhorrence for that 
which they found made them flighted. Locke. —To change 
from one (late into another deifi ed ; as the butter comes, 
when the parts begin to feparate in the churn.—It is re¬ 
ported, that if you lay good ftore of kernels of grapes- 
about the root of a vine, it will make the vine come ear¬ 
lier, and profper better. Bacon. —In the coming or fprout- 
ing of malt, as it muft not come too little, fo it limit not 
come too much. Mortimer. 
Then butter does refufe to come, 
And love proves crois and humouiTome. Hudibras. 
To become prefent, and no longer future: 
A time will come, when my maturer mufe 
In Cse far’s wars a nobler theme ihall chufe. Dryden, 
To become prefent and no longer abfent: 
That’s my joy 
Not to have feen before ; for nature now 
Comes all at once, confounding my delight. Drydeny 
Come then, my friend, my genius, come along, 
Thou matter of the poet and the fong.!, Pope. 
To happen J , to fall out.—The duke of Cornwall, and Regan 
his dpchefs, will be here with him this night. How comes. 
that ? Shahefpeare. —To befal, as an event. — Let me alone 
that I may ipeak, and let come on me what will. Job, xiii. 
13.—To follow as a confequence—Thofe that are kin to 
the king, never prick their fingpr but they fay, there is 
fome of the king’s blood fpilt. How comes that? fays he, 
that takes upon him not to conceive : the anfwer is, I any 
the king’s poor couiin, fir. Shahefpeare. —To ceafe very 
lately from fome aft or ftate; to have juft done or buf¬ 
fered any thing.—David 'laid unto Uriah, ca.meft thou not 
from thy journey? 2 Samuel, xi. 10. 
Jo Come about. To come to pafs ; to fall out; to come 
into being. Probably .from the French <venir about. — 
That cherubim, which now appears as a God to a human 
foul, knows very well that the period will come about in 
eternity,, when the human foul Ihall be as perfeft as he 
himfelf now is. Addifon. 
And let me fpeak to th’ yet unknowing world. 
How thefe things came about. Shakefpeare. 
To change ; to come round.—The wind came about, and 
fettled in the Weft for many days. Bacon. 
On better thoughts, and my urg’d reafons, 
They are come about, and won to the true fide.. Ben Jonfon. 
Jo Come again. To return.—There came water there¬ 
out ; and when he had drunk, his Ipirit came again, and. 
he revived. Judges, xv. 19. 
Jo Come after. To follow. — If any man will come after 
me, let him deny himfelf, and take up his crofs and, follow 
me. Matthew, xvi. 24- 
Jo Come at. To reach; to get within the reach of; 
to obtain ; to gain.—Neither fword nor feepter can corns 
at confidence ; but it is above and beyond the reach of 
both. Suckling.— Nothing makes a woman more efteemed 
bjF 
