of either, was the task of Leibnitz.-The life of Spinoza was written by Colerus, pastor of the Lutheran church at the Hague (1706), Boulainvilliers (Brussels, 1731), and Saisset (Paris, 1842). Among the more important works on his philosophy are: Jacobi, Ueber die Lehre des Spinoza (Berlin, 1785); Herder, Gott, einige Gespräche (Gotha, 1787); Sigwart, Der Spinozismus historisch und philosophisch erläutert (Tübingen, 1839); and Kuno Fischer, Geschichte der neuern Philosophie, vol. i. (Mannheim, 1854). His works were edited in the original Latin by Paulus (2 vols., Jena, 18023) and Gfrörer (Stuttgart, 1831). A translation into German was published by Auerbach (1841), and into French by Saisset (1843). G. H. Lewes is stated to be preparing a translation of them into English, with annotations.

SPIRAL VESSELS. See AIR VESSELS. SPIRE, or SPIRES (Ger. Speier, or Speyer; anc. Civitas Nemetum, or Noviomagus), a town of Bavaria, capital of the Palatinate, situated on the left bank of the Rhine, at its junction with the Speierbach, 16 m. N. E. from Landau; pop. about 10,000. It is surrounded by walls and entered by 5 gates, but a large extent of the ground enclosed is either vacant or occupied with gardens. The cathedral is a very extensive edifice, in the Romanesque style, and the E. end is part of the original building founded

by the emperor Conrad II. in 1027. Many German emperors are interred betwee nave and choir, and many monuments been erected to their memory. The in is decorated with frescoes by modern (-artists, and some of the works are of grest At the N. E. of the cathedral there is seum of antiquities, which contains ma mains found in the neighborhood. Ver is now left of the old imperial palace, wi 1529 the diet was held at which the Re princes made the protest from which wi rived the name of Protestants. Ther manufactories of candles and tobacco, and trade is carried on.-Spire was anciently. man military station, and is believed to contained a Christian community in the part of the 2d century; about 300 it be the see of a bishop. It was one of the dences of the emperors of Germany, and a of the diet from the time of Charlemagne, population was then about 3 times what at present, and it had an extensive trade. began to decline in the 17th century, and Le XIV., having obtained possession of it in 1 laid the greater part of it in ruins. It was a waste a second time by the French in 17 who held it till 1814; after the peace it F made over to Bavaria.

SPIRIT OF SALT. See HYDROCHLORICA