whole and unhurt: The Sword is melted, the Scabbard remain∣ing whole: The Wood about Piles inviolate, all the Iron is run down: The Hogshead being broken, the Wine stands; but its rigor lasts not above three days. There are these sorts of Thunder, the terebrating, the discutient, and burning; The terebrating is subtil and flammeous; it pier∣ces thorough the most narrow place, because of the sincere and pure tenuity of the flame. The dissipating is conglobated, and has the violence of a compact and stormy Spirit mixt with it: Therefore this Thunder passes and repasses frequently at the hole where it enters; the force of this being dispersed abroad doth break, not perforate. The Third sort which burns is very terrene, and has more fire than flame, and so leaves great signs of fire where it strikes. No Thun∣der indeed comes without Fire; but we call that fiery which im∣prints manifest signs of burning. That which burns or scorches, burns three ways. It burns, scorches, or blasts. &c.
So
Se∣neca, whose Opinion, thô it be not unknown to the more skilful; yet because there are some who do not so well understand his succinct way of writing, I shall periphra∣stically illustrate the Author's Sense, about the kinds and differences of Thunder. There are therefore three kinds of Thunder (for it is found to do hurt three manner of ways) The First is, that which terebrates, and makes as it were a hole in a body. The Second is that which discusses,
i. e. dissipates and severs the Body into divers parts. And the Third, which on∣ly burns. As for the First, whose property we said it was to tere∣brate, it is subtil, and collected into it self, and not at all expanse. The Second, which dissipates, has compact and conglobated Spirits, it does its violence unequally, and like a storm tears and breaks all. The Third, whose property it is to burn, has a terrene substance, and is liker to fiery matter than to flame, and therefore leaves evi∣dent signs of burning. For thô other Thunders burn; yet we call this burning, because it shews more signs of Fire and burning than the rest. This is twofold, one chief∣ly burns, the other makes the Bo∣dy black. That which burns is threefold, some burns slightly, and only blasts,
i. e. as if a breath touched a body, and does little harm. The Second burns and con∣sumes. The Third kindles, and sets on fire. It is common for all Thunder to burn, and to disco∣lour, either changing the natural colour a little, or wholly changing the colour, into blew, pale, black, or some other colour.