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and combines with them precisely us other bodies do. Ikil it isdistinguished from all” other “substances, by possessing threepeculiar properties of which they are destitute: The 1st is thepower which it lias of exciting in us the sensation of vision, bymoving from tlu: object seen and entering the eve. The plueno-inena of colours,” (See Orxics,) “and the prismatic spectrum,indicate the existence of seven different species of light; but towhat the difference of these species is owing, has not been ascer-tained. We are altogether ignorant of the component parts ofevery one of these species. The second peculiar property of lightis the prodigious velocity with which it moves, whenever it is se-parated from any body with which it was formerly combined.”“This velocity it acquires in a moment, and in all cases, whatevertlie body lie from which it separates. The third and not the leastSingular of its peculiar properties, is, that its particles are nevertound cohering together so as to form masses of any sensible mag-nitude,. This difference between light and other bodies can onlyW accounted for, by supposing that its particles repel each oilier.J-Ills seems to constitute the grand distinction between light and”°tlier “ bodies. Its particles repel each other, while tiie particlesof other bodies attract each other; and accordingly are found co-hering together, in masses of more or less magnitude.” Svst, ofthem. v'ol. 1. p. 252, 253.

Light, Sources of. Dr. Thomson, in his Syst. of C’liem.' ol. 1. p. 253,) enumerates lour different sources from which lightls emitted in a visible form: viz. 1. 'The Sun and Stars. SeeAstronomy. 2. Combustion. 3. Heat; and, 4. Percus-* 1 o n.. See these articles; and Electricity, Flint, Stf.f.l,Lami>, Src. and for several other properties of light, see Optics.**> Sweden a very curious phamomencii lias been observed on cer-tain flowers by M. llaggern, lecturer in natural history. OneEvening he perceived a faint flash of light repeatedly dart from amarigold. Surprised at such an uncommon appearance, lie re-solved to examine it with attention ; and, to be assured it was nodeception, he placed a man near him, with orders to make a sig-.‘ a l at the moment when he observed the light. They both saw’-.constantly at the same moment. The light was most brilliant011 marigolds of an orange or flame colour; hut scarcely visiblelmle ones. The flash was frequently seen on the same flower. w °or three times in quick succession; hut more commonly at in-mwils of several minutes: and when several flowers in the samef. Ace emitted their light together, it could he observed at a con-merable distance. This phainomenon was remarked in July and’’gust at sun-set, and for half an hour, when the atmosphere wasear ; but a ftcr a rainy day, or when the air was loaded with va-jj u . rs , nothing of it was seen. The following flowers emittedleti S ’ more or less vivid, in this order: 1. The marigold, ga-

Hlula officinalis. 2. Monk’s hood, tropaiolum majus. 3. Thetiif 1 '® 6 ldium bulbifcrum. 4. The Indian pink, tagetes pa-9*-creeta. To discover

ver whether some little insects or plios-

vij\, v*t uiv, uurMi) ciuii ouici wiicuiiijuu

is vv 6 ? eems to he something of electricity in thispluvnomenon. Itpoll'. ' known, that when the pistil of a flower is impregnated, theb e en hursts away by its elasticity, with which electricity mayf| le ' 0lT| him'd. M. Haggern, after having observed the flash fromt an t° f ran Sc lily, the anther* of which are a considerable space dis-tal r ? m t *’ e P et *ds, found that the light proceeded from the pe-

bvti whence lie concludes, that this electric lighti tlie p ■■ ■ -

ever 1

Wliat-

e Pollen,, winch , in flying oiTis scattered on the petals.

Lr e t’ le cause, tlie effect is highly curious,gted GI1T< > hi painting, are those parts of a piece which are illumin-posej'J 1 h’atdie open to tlie luminary, by which the piece is sup-efl in h • i e .“hghtened; and which, for this reason, are paint-tlow n ,Kht viv.id colours. In this sense, light is opposed to sha-

hie r-.ii , huctrine of lights and shadows makes that part of paint-?l>iaro obsema

light hr} 1 ’, U ! manege, a term used in various senses : thus ahorse tlv^’ ’ sa s " dt runner : hut the same term is also given to aWe here* 1 w .’ : " lna de, though lie is neither swift nor active ; forre S a rd t t , 01iS! -her only the shape and make of the horse, withoutnimbi,- M . s ( l” a hties. We call a coach-horse light, w lien he stirs

^i<5n-m, read ? thew,li P-

v ol ... a lar ge, open, llat-bottomed vessel, generally ma-,u —- no. 124 .

naged with oars, and employed to carry goods to or from a shipwhen she is to lie laden or delivered.

LIGIITFOOT, John, I). D. a very learned English divine,born in March 1602, at Stoke upon Trent in Staffordshire , amieducated at Cambridge, where lie was thought the best orator oftlie under-graduates in tlie university, lie became chaplain taSir Howland Cotton ; who being a perfect master of tlie Hebrew language, engaged Lighlfoot in that study; to which he appliedhimself with extraordinary vigour, and quickly made great pro-gress in that language. In 1628, lie married the daughter of Wil-liam Crompton, of Stonepark, Esq. and in 1629, gave the publica notable specimen of his advancement in those studies, by hisErubliim, or Miscellanies Christian and Judaical, in 1629. Hewas then only 27 years of age ; and appears to have been wellacquainted with llieLatin and theGreek fathers, as well as witli theclassics. These first-fruits of his studies were dedicated to Sirllowland Cotton ; who, in 1(531, presented him to the rectory ofAshley in Staffordshire , which he resigned to his brother in 1642,and removed to London, where lie was chosen minister of St. Bar-tholomew , behind tlie Exchange. During ilie civil war lie com-plied with the ruling party, and became member of tlie assemblyof divines, at Westminster, in which he was a frequent speaker.In 1633, lie was appointed master of Cathenne-hall, Cambridge,,and in 1655 lie served the office of vice-chancellor, having|j taken the degree of D. D. in 1652, with great applause. He ex-ecuted tlie cilice of vice-chancellor with exemplary diligence, andat the commencement, supplied the place of professor of divinity,then undisposed of. At the same time lie was engaged with qtliersin perfecting tlie Polyglott Bible , then in the press.. At tlie Re-storation lie offered to resign the mastership of Catherine-hall; butas lie had acted from no spirit of opposition to the king and go-vernment, a confirmation was granted him from the crown, bothof the place and ofliis living, lie died Dec. 6, 1675. Ilis works ■which are a treasure of biblical learning, were collected ami pub-lished first in 1684, in two volumes folio. The second edition wasprinted at Amsterdam, 1686, in 2 vols. folio, containing all hisLatin writings, with a Latin translation of (hose which tie wrote inEnglish . At tlie end of both these editions there is a list'of suchpieces as lie left unfinished. It is tlie chief of these, in Latin ,which make lip the third volume, added to the two former, in athird edition of his works, by John Leusden, at Utrecht , in 1699,fol. They were communicated by Mr. Strype, who, in 1700,published another collection of these papers, under the title of“ Some genuine Remains of the late pious and learned Dr. JohnLighlfoot.”

LIGIITFOOTIA, in botany, a genus of the polygamia dice-cia class and order. Calyx four-leaved; corolla none: femaleand hermaphrodite,, stigma sessile; berry umbilicated, one-celled,with from three to six seeds. It has three species, all shrubs.

LIGHTHOUSE, a high building, at the top of which lightsare hung to guide ships at sea.

LIGHTNING, a bright and vivid flash of fire, suddenly ap-pearing in the atmosphere, and commonly disappearing in an in-stant, sometimes attended with clouds and thunder, and sometimesnot. Lightning was looked upon as sacred both by- tlie Greeksand Romans, and was supposed to be sent to execute vengeance-on tlie earth. Hence persons killed with lightning, being thought'hateful to tlie gods, were buried by themselves, lest tlie ashes ofother men should be polluted by them. Some say they were suf-fered to rot where they fell, because it was unlawlul for any man toapproach tlie place. For this reason the ground was hedged in,lest any person should he polluted by it. All places struck withlightning were fenced round, from an opinion that Jupiter hadeither taken offence at them, and fixed upon them the marks ofIds displeasure, or that he had thus pitched upon them as sacred-to himself. The ground thus fenced about was called by tlie Ro-mans bidental. Lightning was much observed iu augury', and was •a good or bad omen, according to the circumstances attending it.The phenomena of lightning are always surprising, and sometimesvery terrible ; neither is there any kind of natural appearance inwhich there is more diversity, not two flashes-being ever observedexactly similar. In a serene sky, the lightning, in this country- atleast, almost always hath a kind’ of indistinct appearance, withoutany determinate form, like the sudden illumination of the atmos-phere occasioned by firing a quantity of loose gunpowder: but4 B when.