78. Much more to the fame Effect, is contain'd in his Siris, to ftrengthen and confirm the doctrine of an univerfal Æther or Fire: But it is prefum'd, what I have tranfcrib'd is amply fufficient for a Specimen. Thofe, therefore, who are converfant with that Theory on Air, Æther, and Fire, may eafily turn over fuch of the Sections which may be thought fuperfluous; while others, perhaps, who never faw it, will not be offended at their number.

79. Had it been the Bishop's Lot, instead of Profeffor Mufchenbroek's, to have discover'd the famous Experiment with the Phial, fince

pass. For how foon after that, are we sensible of a pain in the Cheft? which increases, in proportion to the number of Times the Air has been breathed.

Does it not from hence appear that the Air when in the Lungs, is divested of the falutary Particles, and the heterogeneous noxious Particles excluded at the next Expiration, and again replenish'd at the fucceeding Infpiration? These are alternately performed with the greatest facility, fo long as we breathe in open Air. But the Cafe is quite otherwife when we attempt the above Experiment; for as foon as we have breathed the fame Air a few times over, the Pain begins. The pent up Air hav ing parted with more and more of its Fire after every Infpiration, the Velocity of the Blood being thereby more retarded for want of a fresh Supply, the Pain increases, and as every one well knows, would in a little time, if the Experiment were con tinued, prove fatal.

call'd

call'd the Leyden Experiment? Had he been throughly acquainted with the fubfequent Improvements which have been made in Electricity, and concealed the Discovery of them till he published his Siris, inftead of the form in which it now appears, he might have concluded it after the following, or a fimilar Manner.

80. I am throughly convinced that had I published this Account of Æther or Fire, unfupported with Experiments, it would have been rejected as romantic; but I can with the greateft Pleasure and Satisfaction, inform my Readers, that I have happily discover'd the very ætherial Medium which I have here been treating of, and by means of a fimple Machine and very little Labour, am enabled to produce it; not from the Air encompaffing the Machine, as might be fuppofed, but from the Earth, Waters, Minerals, Animals, Vegetables, &c. And what will feem much more strange, I can not only demonftrate it to be Fire; but can collect the fame Fire from the Thunder-clouds in great abundance; and retain it even in fuch plenty, as, when let loose, to produce loud claps of Thunder*; and what will undeniably prove it to be that very identical Fire which I collect at my Machine, I can make the very fame Experiments with it; fo that I am throughly convinced, that this wonderful Agent must be Univerfal, and that all Nature is re

* See Romas's Kite, Sect. 313. 314. Part I. plete

plete with it. And, notwithstanding the extreme Elasticity and Subtilty with which it is endued, I can collect and retain it, in almoft what quantity I please, whereby all its most effential and accidental Properties may be easily difcover'd by proper Experiments.

81. Had the fubftance alfo of what is contained in the foregoing Sheets been introduc'd, with all the additions and graces with which fo accomplished a Writer was capable of adorning the Subject, what a different Effect would it have had on the Minds of Men, who were all, till then, ignorant of the Existence of any fuch active mechanical Agent in Nature? What a general Reception would his Book have met with? Who, after that, would have doubted whether the electrical Fluid juft then discover'd, (which was endued with the fame Qualities that he had afcribed to his ætherial Fluid,) was the fame Fluid or not, particularly, fince it evidently appears to be actual Fire, infomuch as not only to kindle up combuftibles into a real Flame, but to fufe Metals in an Inftant*?

82. In a Word, this is the univerfal Subtile Æther fo much like Air, which according to Sir Ifaac Newton, is expanded throughout all the Heav'ns, and the fame which he affirms to lie hid in the pores of all grofs Bodies t; and this Æther is also the pure elementary Fire of

* As in Dr. Franklin's Experiments. + Optics, Quære 18th. Princip. Lib. 3. p. 393. the

the Ancients, which I have difcover'd to be permanent.

83. So true it is, that an Object, first foretold and explain'd, and then view'd at once in its full extent, will ftrike the Mind, and ap→ pear convincing, when the fame thing separately feen will not; efpecially, if when we view it thus disjoined, and in fo many broken points, we expect nothing very extraordinary, beyond what we fee at each particular time, which has been the cafe with refpect to the present Subject.

CHAP. IV. PART II.

SECTION 84.

Fire not a Quality, but a created Entity, of a pofitive Nature and permanent Existence. Heat how produced. Vilett's Mirror, its Conftruction, and furprizing Effects.

O expect an Author to defcant with Perfpicuity and Correctnefs on the various Phænomena of the Creation, whilft he remains ignorant of the true Nature of Fire, that allowed Caufe of all Motion, seems to be as unreasonable as the rigorous demand of the Egyptian Tafkmafters, who required

E e

quired Brick to be made without allowing the neceffary article of Straw.

85. What I would intimate by this Allufion is, that before the Discoveries which Electricity has made, it was morally impoffible we fhould argue with any manner of clearness on Fire; fince there did by no means appear fufficient Evidence to convince us that Fire had any real Existence amongst created things, otherwise than as fomething factitious, that might be generated and deftroyed at pleasure; generated by the attrition of any two hard Bodies against each other, and deftroyed by Water. Little did we think of an actual Fire that fubfifted in thofe Bodies; and that we could not rub any two Bodies together, but we muft rub at the fame time the invisible Fire in the pores against each other, at the furfaces of those two Bodies; and that the mutual attrition of the parts of the Fire was the true cause of the Heat: We could hardly perfuade ourselves but that the Heat, which was by fuch means generated, was Fire itself, and accordingly we called it by the fame Name, and continue to do fo to this Day.

86. In a Word, this is now grown fo habitual, that nothing appears much harder than ⚫ to diffociate the two Ideas of Fire and Burning; whereas, if we do but confider Experiments attentively, as I obferved before, we cannot be much more certain of any one thing from thence, than, that Heat is no innate Qua