but in the Intervals. Whether any of the Fumes of the Phosphorus, which remained in the Room, might contribute hereto, I cannot tell, tho' it is not very likely.

Tho' I never made many Tryals with Phofphorus, yet as I am not infenfible, that fome folid Kinds of it will be inflamed by the mere Action of the Air upon it, when it is taken out of the Water in which it is usually kept; I was therefore minded to try whether the Air would have that Effect upon mine, and accordingly took it out of the Water with a Forceps, and laid it down on a Shelf, fo as nothing touched it but the Inftrument which held it, but I could not perceive the leaft Glimmering of Light, tho' the Place was fufficiently dark, after it had lain there for the Space of half an Hour, which I thought long enough to fatisfy me, that it was not kindled by the Action of the Air upon it in the above-mentioned Experi

ment.

I forgot to mention, that during this Tryal, I found the Effluvia troublesome to my Eyes to a great Degree, occafioning a very fenfible fmarting Pain, which did not go off for fome Time; tho' I never defignedly brought the Tube near my Face. This was the first Time of ufing this Tube.

Iam, &c.

II. Extract of a Letter from Paris, concerning an Experiment on Electricity.

D

R. Van Mufchenbroek (b), Profeffor of experimental Phyfics at Leyden, has written a Letter to Mr. de Reaumur, of the Paris Academy of Sciences, containing an Account of a fingular Experiment on Electricity.

Having suspended an Iron Cannon horizontally upon Silken Cords, with one End near the Electrical Globe, he fastened to the other End a Latten Wire, which defcended into a Bottle half full of Water; then holding up the Bottle with his Right Hand, while the Cannon was electrifing, he put forth a Finger of his Left Hand towards the Piece, in order, as ufual, to draw off a Spark; but was ftruck with such a violent Blow, that he thought his Life at an End. He adds, that esteeming himself very happy in escaping, he had no Mind to repeat the Experiment, and that the Commotion he felt was like a Clap of Thunder.

The fame Experiment was repeated by Meffieurs Nollet and de Monniers, who both found the Commotion terrible.

III. Extract

(b) His Effay on Phyfics is much esteemed. It is a Quarto in two Volumes, printed at Leyden in the Year

III. Extract of another Letter from London, on the fame Subject.

MR

R. Hawkfbee, of the Royal Society, repeated Mr. Mufchenbroek's Experiment of the Electrifed Gun. The Shock, or Commotion, felt in the Body of the Person who holds the Bottle with Water in one Hand, and approaches the Electrifed Gun with a Finger of his other Hand, is hardly to be described; it feemed fomewhat to resemble the Concuffion received by standing too near a large Piece of Ordnance when discharging; but was attended only with a Spark of Light and a smart Snap.

One Circumftance very furprizing, is, that the Experiment did not fucceed, when the Perfon stood on a Cake of Wax,

To be continued.

ARTICLE

ARTICLE XIV.

The ESSAY on Ecclefiaftical History continued (a)..

T

Of BASILIDES.

HIS Herefiarch, as (b) Epiphanius calls him, appeared under the Reign of (c) Adrian, and a fhort Time (d) after Saturnilus. They were both Disciples of Menander (e). We have feen (f) what Progreffes Saturnilus had made under his worthy Mafter; but he was much outdone by Bafilides, at least if we give credit to what the Fathers fay of him (g); for it is remarkable, that every Heretic they speak of is the worst of all; fo that they are by turns, each of them, more abominable than both their Predeceffors and Succeffors. Baflides was born at Alexandria, and there erected a School (b), as Philofophers ufually did

at

(a) See Vol. II. Part 2. p. 79. Vol. III. Part 1. p. 167. (b. Hær. xxiii. c. 7. (c) Vid, Clement. A. ftrom. vii. p. 764. Edit. Sylburg. Colon. 1688. Juftin. M. Dialog. cum Tryph. P. 253. (d) Tertul. Præfcript. c. 46. Theodorit. Hæret. Fabul. lib. i. c. 2. p. 193. Vid. & Clem. A. ub. fup. Grabii Spicil. Patr. Tom. ii. p. 36. Pearfon. Vindi. Epift. Ignat. p. ii. c. 7. (e) Tertul. ub. fup. (ƒ) Vol. iii. P. 1. p. 187. (g) Philaftr. c. 32. p. 9. (b) Clem. A, ub. fup.

at that Time. He is called by (i) Jerom Head of the Gnostics, tho' Eufebe (k) honours Carpocrates with the fame Title, and Epiphanius (1) confers it upon Simon the Magician; but there is no Inconsistency in thefe Affertions, because it is the fpecial Privilege of every Herefiarch to be the Founder of all Heretic Sects whatfoever, even of those that were formed many Years before his Birth.

Bafilides was brought up in the Chriftian Religion: He pretended that one Glaucias, St. Peter's Interpreter, had been his Master, and moreover that he followed exactly the Doctrine of St. Matthias. Clement (m) of Alexandria fpeaks of a Work, that went under the Name of that Apoftle, and was called St. Matthias's Traditions; but he does not say that it contained any Heterodoxy. From thence I conclude, that Bafilides was not fo deteftable as he has been reprefented by his Enemies; had he been the AntiChriftian Heretic they fpeak of, he could not have infifted upon a Conformity between his own Doctrine and that of an Apostle, and claimed the Authority of the latter to fupport the former; or if he had had that Affurance,

(i) Lib. de Scriptor. Ecclef.

c. 7.

p. 490.

(k) Hift. Eccl. lib. iv. (/) Hær. xxi. c. 4. Vid. & Theodor. in 1 Tim. vi. (m) Ibid.