that not onely 'twas a great deal too hot to be safely touched, but probably would, according to my design, have kindled Gunpowder, if that which I was fain to make use of had been of the best sort: For, to the wonder of the by-standers, the iron kindled the Sulphur of many of the grains of the corns of powder, and made them turn blue, though I do not well remember, that it made any of them go off.
EXPER. VIII.
Besides the effects of manifest and violent Percussions, such as those we have been taking notice of to be made with a hammer, there are among Phænomena obvious enough, some that shew the Producibleness of Heat even in cold iron, by causing an intestine commotion of its parts: For we find, that, if a piece of iron of a convenient shape and bulk be nimbly filed with a large rough File,a
