Presented by Mr. Rowell PHILOSOPHICAL ESSAYS In THREE PARTS. CONTAINING I. An Enquiry into the Nature and Properties of II. A Differtation on the Nature of Fire in general, III. A Mifcellaneous difcourfe, wherein the fore- To which is fubjoin'd, by way of Appendix, a clear And, to render the whole more intelligible, a Glof By R. LOVETT, LAY-CLERK, 5 FEB 85 A Fool may find what a wife Man bath overlooked. WORCESTER:. Printed for the AUTHOR, by R. LEWIS, Bookfeller ERRAT A. At the end of the Preface instead of the Catchword Chap. it fhould be Subfcribers Page 65, line 3. for 138 read 136 [Chap. P. 45, 1. 26. for, at the beginning, read, in the 11th P. 112, l. 9. for paricularly r. particularly p. 220, 1. 29. for Crufibles r. Crucibles for 366 r. 388 p.. p. 438, l. 16. for conclufon r. conclufion P. 503, 1. 5. after 104° 31' 26 r. as appears by the preceding Table P. 507, 1. 17. r. Longitude from London 74° p. 512, 1. 8. after magnetic Meridian in degrees r. find the fide Cm and PREFACE. I F Men of Genius and polite Literature have confeffed their particular embarraffments for want of proper Apologies, whenever they bave addressed the public, the World may judge with what anxiety the Author of the following Sheets must be affected; who, though fully fenfible of the want of a learned Education, yet ventures to publifh (with the greatest diffidence · indeed and humility) his Sentiments on fo delicate and myfterious Subjects as Electricity and Fire. It was, if I miftake not, in the Year 1739, that I was equally fuprifed and delighted at the performance of many curious Experiments exhibited by the ingenious Dr. Defaguliers, when, none in the whole Course of his Lectures made fo deep an Impreffion as thofe relating to Electricity, altho' they were effected only with a glass Tube. Thofe pleafing Ideas were much improved, when the electrical Machine was introduced, by which means the force of the Fluid was render'd still more confpicuous, and every obferver faw and concluded that it was real Fire. Since that Time Electricity hath been the principal Object both of my Study and Practice; and tho' in many respects unqualified for an Author, yet have I from a pure ь regard |