The _Persians_ and _Vestalls_ fire at _Rome_ reverenced as well by the one, as by the other, as very holy, was very carefully entertained. Touching the _Persian_, _Strabo_ in his 15. Book writeth that the _Magi_ had a custome to conserve it under ashes, before which they went every day to make their prayers and devotions, which is not without some mystery. The ashes denoting the sensible world and the body of man which it represents: being nothing else but ashes: and the fire therein inclosed and covered, the sparkle of life, wherewith it is animated and vivified. These ashes furthermore, must be of some gummy trees, to make it of longer durance: namely, of _Juniper_, wherein I heretofore have kept living coals, more than a year, heaping up bed upon bed within the ashes, being all lock’t fast within a little barrell that no air may enter; and this is that which is meant in the 120. _Psalm._ 4. _ver._ with _Juniper_ coals, according to the Hebrew, in place of uncomfortable. With these burning coals the _Persians_ came to light the luminaries of their Temples when they came to be extinguished. But the Vestals in case their fire should extinguish, as it sometimes happened, it was not lawfull for them to light it again, but must draw it from the Sun beams: And did not only attend that it should quench of it selfe, or by some casuall accident, but they renewed it yearly, the first day of _March_ from that of heaven, as _Ovidius_ observes _tertio Fastorum_. _Adde that new fire was made in the secret house and the renewed fire took force._