Hough Sir Robert Morray and Monſieur Zulichem be Perſons that have deſerv'd ſo well of the Commonwealth of Learning, that I ſhould think my ſelf unworthy to be look'd upon as a Member of it, if I declin'd to Obey them, or to Serve them; yet I ſhould not without Reluctancy ſend you the Notes, you deſire for him, if I did not hope that you will tranſmit together with them, ſome Account why they are not leſs unworthy of his peruſal; which, that you may do; I muſt inform you, how
the writing of them was Occaſion'd, which in ſhort was thus. As I was juſt going out of Town, hearing that an Ingenious Gentleman of my Acquaintance, lately return'd from Italy, had a Diamond, that being rubb'd, would ſhine in the Dark, and that he was not far off, I ſnatch'd time from my Occaſions to make him a Viſit, but finding him ready to go abroad, and having in vain try'd to make the Stone yield any Light in the Day time, I borrow'd it of him for that Night, upon condition to reſtore it him within a Day or two at furtheſt, at Greſham College, where we appointed to attend the meeting of the Society, that was then to be at that place. And hereupon I haſted that Evening out of Town, and finding after Supper that the Stone which in the Day time would afford no diſcernable Light, was really Conſpicuous in the Dark, I was ſo taken with the Novelty, and ſo deſirous to make ſome uſe of an opportunity that was like to laſt ſo little a while, that though at that time I had no body to aſſiſt me but a Foot-Boy, yet ſitting up late, I made a ſhift that Night to try a pretty number of ſuch of the things that then came into my thoughts, as were not in that place and time unpracticable. And the next Day being otherwiſe imploy'd,
I was fain to make uſe of a drowſie part of the Night to ſet down haſtily in Writing what I had obſerv'd, and without having the time in the Morning, to ſtay the tranſcribing of it, I order'd the Obſervations to be brought after me to Greſham College, where you may remember, that they were together with the Stone it ſelf ſhown to the Royal Society, by which they had the good Fortune not to be diſlik'd, though ſeveral things were through haſt omitted, ſome of which you will find in the Margin of the incloſed Paper. The ſubſtance of this ſhort Narrative I hope you will let Monſieur Zulichem know, that he may be kept from expecting any thing of finiſh'd in the Obſervations, and be diſpos'd to excuſe the want of it. But ſuch as they are, I hope they will prove (without a Clinch) Luciferous Experiments, by ſetting the Speculations of the Curious on work, in a diligent Inquiry after the Nature of Light, towards the diſcovery of which, perhaps they have not yet met with ſo conſiderable an Experiment, ſince here we ſee Light produc'd in a dead and opacous Body, and that not as in rotten Wood, or in Fiſhes, or as in the Bolonian Stone, by a Natural Corruption, or by a
Violent Deſtruction of the Texture of the Body, but by ſo ſlight a Mechanical operation upon its Texture, as we ſeem to know what it is, and as is immediately perform'd, and that ſeveral wayes without at all prejudicing the Body, or making any ſenſible alterations in its Manifeſt Qualities. And I am the more willing to expoſe my haſty Tryals to Monſieur Zulichem, and to You, becauſe, he being upon the Conſideration of Dioptricks, ſo odd a Phœnomemon relateing to the Subject, as probably he treats of, Light will, I hope, excite a perſon to conſider it, that is wont to conſider things he treats of very well. And for you Sir, I hope you will both recrute and perfect the Obſervations you receive, For you know that I cannot add to them, having a good while ſince reſtor'd to Mr. Clayton the Stone, which though it be now in the hands of a Prince that ſo highly deſerves, by underſtanding them, the greateſt Curioſities; yet he vouchſafes you that acceſs to him as keeps me from doubting, you may eaſily obtain leave to make further Tryals with it, of ſuch a Monarch as ours, that is not more inquiſitive himſelf, than a favourer of them that are ſo. I doubt not but theſe Notes will put you in mind of the Motion you made to the Society, to impoſe upon
me the Task of bringing in, what I had on other occaſions obſerv'd concerning ſhining Bodies. But though I deny not, that I ſometimes made obſervations about the Bolonian Stone, and try'd ſome Experiments about ſome other ſhining Bodies; Yet the ſame Reaſons that reduc'd me then to be unwilling to receive ev'n their commands, muſt now be my Apology for not anſwering your Expectations, Namely the abſtruſe nature of Light, and my being already over-burden'd, and but too much kept imploy'd by the Urgency of the Preſs, as well as by more concerning and diſtracting Occaſions. But yet I will tell you ſome part of what I have met with in reference to the Stone, of which I ſend you an account. Becauſe I find on the one ſide, that a great many think it no Rarity upon a miſtaken perſwaſion, that not only there are ſtore of Carbuncles, of which this is one; but that all Diamonds and other Gliſtering Jewels ſhine in the Dark. Whereas on the other ſide there are very Learn'd Men, who (plauſibly enough) deny that there are any Carbuncles or ſhining Stones at all.
And certainly, thoſe Judicious men have much more to ſay for themſelves, than the others commonly Plead, and therefore did deſervedly look upon Mr. Clayton's Diamond
as a great Rarity. For not only Boetius de Boot, who is judg'd the beſt Author on this Subject, aſcribes no ſuch Virtue to Diamonds, but begins what he delivers of Carbuncles, with this paſſage.[a]26] Magna fama est Carbunculi. Is vulgo putatur in tenebris Carbonis inſtar lucere; fortaſſis quia Pyropus ſeu Anthrax appellatus a veteribus fuit. Verum hactenus nemo nunquam verè aſſerere auſus fuit, ſe gemmam noctu lucentem vidiſſe. Garcias ab Horto proregis Indiæ Medicus, refert ſe allocutum fuiſſe, qui ſe vidiſſe affirmarent. Sed iis fidem non habuit. And a later Author, the Diligent and Judicious Johannes de Laet in his Chapter of Carbuncles and of Rubies, has this paſſage. Quia autem Carbunculi, Pyropi & Anthraces a veteribus nominantur, vulgo creditum fuit, Carbonis instar in tenebris lucere, quod tamen nullâ gemmâ hastenus deprehenſum, licet à quibuſdam temerè jactetur. And the recenteſt Writer I have met with on this Subject, Olaus Wormius, in his Account of his well furniſh'd Musæum, do's, where he treats of Rubies, concurr with the former Writers by theſe Words.[a]27] Sunt qui Rubinum veterum Carbunculum eſſe existimant, ſed deeſt una illa nota, quod
in tenebris inſtar Anthracis non luceat: Aſt talem Carbunculum in rerum naturâ non inveniri major pars Authoram exiſtimant. Licet unum aut alterum in India apud Magnates quoſdam reperiri ſcribant, cum tamen ex aliorum relatione id habeant ſaltem, ſed ipſi non viderint. In confirmation of which I ſhall only add, that hearing of a Rubie, ſo very Vivid, that the Jewellers themſelves have ſeveral times begg'd leave of the fair Lady to whom it belong'd, that they might try their choiceſt Rubies by comparing them with That, I had the Opportunity by the Favour of this Lady and her Huſband, (both which I have the Honour to be acquainted with) to make a Trial of this famous Rubie in the Night, and in a Room well Darkn'd, but not only could not diſcern any thing of Light, by looking on the Stone before any thing had been done to it, but could not by all my Rubbing bring it to afford the leaſt Glimmering of Light.
But, Sir, though I be very backward to admit ſtrange things for truths, yet I am not very forward to reject them as impoſſibilities, and therefore I would not diſcourage any from making further Inquiry, whether or no there be Really in Rerum natura, any ſuch thing as a true Carbuncle or Stone that without Rubbing will ſhine
in the Dark. For if ſuch a thing can be found, it may afford no ſmall Aſſiſtance to the Curious in the Inveſtigation of Light, beſides the Nobleneſs and Rarity of the thing it ſelfe. And though Vartomannus was not an Eye witneſs of what he relates, that the King of Pegu, one of the Chief Kings of the East-Indies, had a true Carbuncle of that Bigneſs and Splendour, that it ſhin'd very Gloriouſly in the Dark, and though Garcias ab Horto, the Indian Vice-Roys Phyſician, ſpeaks of another Carbuncle, only upon the Report of one, that he Diſcours'd with, who affirmed himſelf to have ſeen it; yet as we are not ſure that theſe Men that gave themſelves out to be Eye-witneſſes ſpeak true, yet they may have done ſo for ought we know to the contrary. And I could preſent you with a much conſiderabler Teſtimony to the ſame purpoſe, if I had the permiſſion of a Perſon concern'd, without whoſe leave I muſt not do it. I might tell you that Marcus Paulus Venetus[a]28] (whoſe ſuppos'd Fables, divers of our later Travellours and Navigatours have ſince found to be truths) ſpeaking of the King of Zeilan that then was, tells us, that he was ſaid to have the beſt Rubie in the World, a Palm long and as