An Essay to Shew the Cause of Electricity

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When I first enter’d on this Subject of Electricity, I intended only to put some Thoughts in Writing concerning it, that I might the more easily convey them to the Understandings of such as I hoped would be more likely than I should be to go farther with it. And as nobody, either here or abroad, had published any thing touching the Cause from which it was produc’d, I chose to shew the Beginning I had made to some Friends, whose Opinion concerning Natural Knowlege I had a great Reliance on. I told them, I thought my Difficulty would be to convey what I had to propound on this new Subject to them with the necessary Clearness, as my Intention was to observe the utmost Brevity in it.

After I had read it to them, they assured me that what I had written was perfectly intelligible; and that it gave them many new Ideas respecting this Phænomenon; and were very earnest with me to print it, for the sake of the Publick.

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Those who try these Experiments, find, that in moist Weather this Power is less attainable than in a more clear Day; and therefore some may be liable to attribute that to the Apparatus, which may be better accounted for by the watry Particles in the Air; which may be liable to hinder the lambent Flame, by me supposed to be universally scatter’d, from uniting, by the Friction before-mention’d.

As I have mention’d Friction, I cannot help observing how unphilosophical and unmeaning it is, for any one to advance, that Fire is caused by Friction; when I think he may as well say, that Water is caused by Pumping.

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