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F 593 ) F it
This fentiment faJls in ",ith thlt of J30erhaave
2nd Ihe ceJcbrated lIl. Mu{[eh,r.brock. But OOt.
wilbllanding whal Ihofe able philofophers have ad·
vaneeJ. il is evident thal fire, heal, flame, &e. are
only Ihe dtfFmnt modifiealions cf Ihe partides of
Jight, and Ihal Ihe panides of liglll themfch'es de.
pend tnlirdy 00 vdoeilY for Iheir l~eiGe qualily ;
fioee, by maoy experimeots, we knoll', Ihat the par·
tides of bodies become lucid, or partides of JIght,
by ooly produeing io Ihema requifile degree of relo·
eil)': Ihus Ihe partides in a rod 0f iron, bciog hamo
mered very nimbly, !hine aod bteome red·hot : Ihus
alfo the violent aroke of Ihe Oint againll Ihe {led, in
Ilriking 6re, puts Ihe partides of Ihe !leel, whieh it
takes off, ioto fueh a motioo as eaufes Ihem 10 melt,
and beeome red·hol, whieh makes the fporks of fire
produeed by eaeh r.roke: as, Iherefore, fire confi!ls in
the gre~t .e1oeilYof Ihe partides, fo it may be eom·
munieated fromooe body in whieh it is, tOaoother in
whieh il is not, afler Ihe fame manner that one body
in mOlion IViII cOOlmuniea!e motioo 10 anúlher that has
gOt none.
Fire dilfers fromheat only in this, that heu is a
mOlion in the partides of a body, wilh a le/fer degree
of veloeilY ; and fire, a mOlion \Vilh a grealer degree
of veloeilY, viz. fueh as is fu¡¡¡eienl tO m~ke the par·
tides !hine ; IhoJgh IVe oflen eaJl fueh a !lale as IVill
burn, ¡n, though it does not atlually Ibine ; and we
{eJdomcall thofe lucid bodies Gres, whieh only Ibine,
2nd do not burn. Thefe are a fon of phofphori,
whieh, though they have no heat, yel feem to oIVe
their lucidity 10 Ihe motion of Iheir pans.
There feems tObe no olher differenee belween 6re
and flame, thao this ; Ihat fire eonfins io a gloIVingde·
gree of veloeity in the pans of a body, Ivhileyel fub·
fining together io thr mafs; but flame is the fame de·
gree of veloeity int!te partidesdiflipated and flying off
io vapours : or, to ufe Sir Ifaae Newton's expreffion,
flame is oothing elfe bUl a red·hot vapour. See
FLAME.
FIRE,ioehemillry. SeeCHEMISTRV, p.67.aod 110.
Vol. U.
E/eflriea/ FIRE. See EL EC TRI CITV.
WaWng FIRE, in meteorology. See WILL·WITH·A
WHI SP.
FIlE, iDtheology. See.HELL.
We read of Ihe faered fi re in the 6ra temple of Je.
rufalem, eoneeroiog whieh the jeIVs have a traditioo
Ihat il eame downfromheaven: it IVas kept with the
utmon care, and il IVas forbidden tocarry any !lrange
'fireinlo the temple. This Gre is one of the fivethings
which the JeIVs eoofefs were wantiog io the Ceeood
temple.
The Pagans had Iheir faered fires, IVhich the)' kept
io their temples \Vilh Ihe moa rclir,iouscare, and whieh
were never 10 be eXlinguilbed. Numa was Ihe (¡ rn
Vlho boill a temple 10 Fire as a godd~fs, al Rome, aod
inllitutcd an order or prielle/fts for Ihe prcfervalion of
it. See VESTALS.
Fire IVas Ihe fupr, me r,od of Ihe Chald:rans; the
magi IVere IVorOlippcrs oC fire; and Ihe Greeks and
Armenians lIill ktcp up a ccrelUony ealkd the Uoly
VOL . I!. No. SI.
Fire, upona perfu afioo Ihal ",my E.!b .ó.y ami,,~.
lous 6re d~fcen¿s fromhearco ir,Io y fepulclue,
and kindlcl all Ihe bmps aoJ cln~les Ihm.
r1& E· LOC ~. See Ges, M~S<\.l' E r, De.
FI RE POTS, inthe art, 1:' laIJ earthero PO!S, io.
towhich is pu. aehargeJ grenaJe, and over Ihat po".
d:r enough lill Ihe g"o,¿e is eorered ; then!l,e pOI is
eorered with a pieee of pardlment, aod 111'0 piece; of
Jlmch acrors, lightcJ : Ihis pOt being throlVo by
a handle of match" where it is ci~r.;;ned, it breaksaod
fires U1C powder, and buros all Ih:a is near il, aod
like\Vife fi res lhe pJwder in Ihe grenaJe, which ought
to hare 00 fufe, to t!le eroa ils opem ions may be the
quicker.
FIR E·II·ORK5. SeePYROTE CH NIA ,
FI RE SHI P, io the nal'y, a,'eíl'd .chargcd with artiSeial
fi re'IVorks, II'hiehhaving Ihe wiod of ao enem)"s Ibip,
gr. pp!es ha , ar.d fets her 0 0 fire.
FIRE' orrl CE, ao offi.e of iofuraoee [rom Creo See'
ASSUU KCE .
WiId· FI RE , a kiod of artificial or faéli.ious fire, whien
buros eren under water, and that \Vith grealer violenee
than out of it. It is eompofed of fulphur, oaphlha,
pitch, gum, and bitumen; and is only eXlingu;Olable
by vinegar mi xed with faod and urine, or by coveriog
il wilh raw hides. Its mOlioo or tendency is faid to
beeontrar)' to that of oatural fi re, aod it always fol.
lows the diretlioo in whieh it is lhrown, whether it be
dowowards, fideways, or olher\Vife.
FIRING·noH, io farriery, an inarumeot oot unlike the
bJ.ade oEa knife ; which being made red.hot, is ap.
plied 10 ahorCe's hams, or olher places naoding in nee.!
of it, as in preteroalural fwellings, farey, koots, &c.
in order todilcufs Ihem.
FIRKIN, an EngliOl meafure of capacity, for thiogs li.
quid, being Ihe fourth pan of the barrel: it eootaios
8 gallons of ale, foap, or herrings; and 9galloos of
beer. See MEASURE aod BARREL.
FIRLOT, a dry meafore ufed iD Seotlaod. The oat.
firl ot eontains 2l¡ pio:! of Ihat eoootry; the IVheat·
firlot contaiosabout 22 11 eubieal inehes; and the bar.
ley.firlOl, 31 flaodard pints. Hence it appem that
the Seoteh wheat·firlol exceeds the Englilb bu!hel by
33 cubieal ioches.
FIRMAMENT, in thePtolemaie anronomy, the eighlh
heaven or fphere, IVith refpeéllO Ihe feven fpheres of
the planets whieh it furround!. It is fuppofed 10 hare
twO mOlions; a diurnal motion, given 10 it by the pri.
mum mobile, fromea!l 10 well, about Ihe poles oE Ihe ee.
Jiplic; and aoolher oppofile mOlioo from wel! to ean;
whieh la!l it finilbcs,aecording10 Tyeho,in 2 S412 yms,
aceordlOg toPtolemy in 36000, and according 10 Co.
pernieus in 25800, io whieh time Ihe fixed I!ars re.
turn10 thefamepoiols in whieh Ihey were al the be.
ginning. This period is eommonlyedllcu thePlatooic
year, or the greal year.
FI RMAMEN T is alfo ufed in dil'ers plaees off~riplure, to
denole Ihe middle (l'gion of Ihe airo
FIRMAN is a pafl¡,ort or perOlit grantcd hy Ihe grcat
Ologul 10 fordgoH{[,ls, to trade ..ilhin Ihe Icrr;tori~s
of hi, jUlifdillion.
FlR~J NESS, cenotes IheeonfIncnec of a bOlil', or li'a:
t 6 K . {bte