Fourthly, Why a Number of Men, who are joined together by holding any metallic Body betwixt them, if one of them touch a Piece of Iron electrify’d, the whole Company shall feel a violent Concussion, in proportion to the Largeness of the Body electrify’d.
First, I will endeavour to shew, Why an electrify’d Body will kindle an Alcohol, or rectify’d Spirit of Wine, and many other compounded Liquors, into a Flame.
After having attempted to prove to you, that the Cause of Electricity arises from the universal Fire scatter’d through all Nature, by its being rubb’d together in its Passage betwixt a glass Ball and a Piece of Leather, &c. I hope I shall make it appear, that it passes from thence, to the Body electrify’d, in a converging and diverging State; just as a Lens converges and diverges the Rays of Light which pass through it: And that all Bodies electrify’d are shut up in a Capsula or Covering of this electric Matter, or lambent Flame, which not only passes over it about half an Inch thick, but pervades also every Part and Particle of Matter which constitutes that Body; which it may as easily do, if it consisted of many Tons Weight, as soon, and from the same Necessity, as it would do to one of an Inch Diameter: And that the electrify’d Body is intirely seal’d up at each Extremity.
To shew this Fire in a converging State, you may observe, when a Gun-barrel, or any long Bar of Iron, is to be electrify’d, and it is in a State of Suspension on silk Cords, which are non-electricable, you may perceive the Fire issue from a Piece of iron Wire coming from the glass Ball, in a lambent Flame, which draws to a Point, and then diverges, and drives itself on, till the Gun-barrel, or Bar, is electrify’d.
Its being a Gun-barrel can be no other Reason for its Preference in that Shape than in another; but I believe the Occasion of its being used here is, because the greatest Effect which has been shewn from Electricity, was sent from abroad; and that was caused by suspending a great Gun in a non-electricable silk Cord. The Gun seems to have been made use of here as being the greatest Quantity of Iron, and in the best Shape, they could get it for Suspension. And were a Person so suspended, if he held in his Hand a naked Sword, you might see such a lambent Flame passing from it, in a converging and diverging State, as before describ’d.
I would further prove this converging Fire, from a late Experiment I have heard of, which is as follows: If you suspend an iron Ball by a large Piece of Wire, which descends from a Bar of Iron electrify’d, and then hold under it, in a Saucer, some small round Bubbles of Glass, near enough to be in Contact with the electrical Vortex, the glass Balls will follow each other round in the Saucer; and each of these Balls, if the Experiment be made in the dark, will appear to have a Spot of blue Flame at each End of them.
Now, as, by the Contrivance of Man, here is more of this Fire crouded together, than was intended by the Author of all Uniformity, seeing, by its natural Cohesion, and the infinite Celerity it is spirally driven on with, it is no Wonder, in this confined State, if that, which, as Water unconfin’d, would be gentle and beneficent, should, with all the Power that belongs to it, break out at the first Door which is opened for its Passage from this tortur’d State.
It is no Wonder, therefore, that all undisorder’d Nature should be equally electrify’d: For how is it possible to have it otherwise? since, if a Person stands on the Ground, and touches but the Capsula before he touches the Body, the electric Fire starts through him into the Ground, as swift as Lightning, and thence into the universal lambent Flame, from whence it was taken.
Lightning from hence may in some measure be accounted for; though I cannot so exactly tell what collects it together, as I can in this factitious Lightning here treated of, yet I can suppose, that the Cause of Lightning is produc’d from a great Quantity of this Fire before spoken of; which being driven together, and included in a limited State, or Covering of some Kind, when discharged from this Covering, it goes off in an Explosion, which is Thunder. The Lightning I need not describe, being intirely the same with Electricity; for it will kill without a Wound, and pass through every thing, as this seems to do.
I am to shew, first, the Cause of its kindling a Flame in certain compounded Liquors; which, if what I have supposed be true, that it is by the means spoken of that this Fire is collected and driven on, as I have said, it is plain to be seen, that at the Finger’s End of a Person electrify’d, or at the End of a Sword, held as before described, being in a dark Room, a Flame issues from them: It is no Wonder then, that an inflammable Spirit, as is shewn, should take Fire from it.