But on the other hand, the fame opportunity has encourag:d the propagators of heresie and schism, rebellion, and all other vices, to scatter cheir malignant doctrines about the universe; to low the dangerous seeds of animofuy and sedition, to raise new fects, and open new divisions, even to the thaking the very columns of religion and humanity: An evil, that, in our opinions, has very much over-balanc a the good of the invention. Now let us consider the consequences which have attended the use of gun powder, and we {hall find that, instead of increasing, it has leff-n's the effufion of blood, and mighty heaps of former flaughter. We hear nothing in our times of the hundred thousands that fo often fell in ancient battles ; we have now a cleaner art of war, and move with more dispatch, and far less havook ; by which it plainly appears, that this invention has prevented the spilling great quantities of human blood, and is consequently, preferable to the former, whose dangerous effects have often provid it fatal both to our religion and government. Q. Gentlemen, I was lately seiz'd with a very viobort paffion of love, for a young Gentlewoman, that has no great floare of beauty, or good nature, and not one farthing to ber portion. And I am sensible, if I cherish this love, and marry ber, I Mall ruin my felf. So that as often as I think of her (which is almost continually) I objedt to my self her deficiencies of beauty, good humour and portion, in hopes to leffen, if possible , she extremnity of my paffion. But I have found this, and all other means in effecial; wherefore I beg the favour of you to instruct me what I shall do in this miferable condition ; and to tell me, if possible, fome way, or other, to remove the violence of that love, tbat even against my will threatens my ruin ? A. A miserable cafe indeed, since thosé dreadful characters of ill-gatur’d, ugly and poor, are of no force to fuppress your fames. Out of our commiseration, therefore, we have confider'd your case, shall explode the old antidotes of banging, drowning, c. And if these prescriptions shall not be effectual in fa ving N 2 ving you from this impending doom of deformity scolding and beggary, we shall, lastly, recommend you to the sovereign remedy of Gordonius, viz. whipping and fafting, in allusion to the old versicle, Sine. Cerere, don Libero, friget Veous. Away the fond goddess of Cyprus will fly. Q. One of the honeftest lawyers that ever you shone upon has got a prodigious flammering in his speech, prostrates himself as an humble supplicant to your shrine, to be relieved in the premisses ; for what is a lawyer without tongue ? And your petitioner will ever pray, &c. 4. Apollo, taking your petition into consideration, thinks your reason somewhat shallow, or you would never have applied your self to a business you are fo very ill qualified for the practice of ; but considering the nature of your profession, we can only advise you to make some monied client fee you heartily, and if that fails to set your tongue at liber there is no oo ther remedy ; you must e'en continue, as you are, an bonest LAWYER, and be dumb for ever. Some persons, at the accidental death of a child, er near relation, are so surpris’d, as not to recover common seafon again, and others the contrary: Whence does it arise? A. In an extremity of grief, (in weaker constitutions) the spirits inhabiting the brain, being overthrown and troubled, put on fearful imaginations ; whence the whole man is enervated: and the præcor. dia being contracted, or bound together, by reason of the nerves carrying the same affectation from the brain, reftrain the blood from its due excursions ; which being heap'd up in the same place, that great oppression of the heart is caused, and consequently, che regular difpenfation of the spirits may be hindred. But in the stronger and wiser fort of men this pafsion is moderated ; they being endued with a richer texture of blood and greater portion of fpirits. Q. It is proper only for men of your fagacity to answer questions of judgment. I am too well convicced of yours in deng myself the satisfaction of asking, Whether isá café of of a friet friendship between two perfons of a different fex, it would not be a cruelty inhuman, and a certain mark of unkindness ; nay, an essential breach of that friendship. should be, withouz any just call or obligation, put himself upon making a campaign, sho' he knew at the same time it would break the heart of Amaret ? A. 'Tis ten to one, Madam, but your value for the person of this Gentleman holds a false light to your reason, and represents the noble call of honour, which urges him to the war, as a breach of the friendship contracted betwixt you ; when in our 0« pinion, you ought rather to believe it an emulative zeal, which pushes him forward to imitate the brave examples of his countrymen ; that having purchas'd laurels by his valour, he may lay 'em at your feet, and deliver up himself your Mars, into the arms of you, bis Venus. Q. A Gentlewoman having bad for fome considerable time a frange weakness fallen into her arms, infomach that she is quite disabled of helping her self any ways with them. Gentlemen, pray your judgment, what be the cause of this ditemper? A. From the account you give us, we can suppose this disorder to be no otherwise than paralytick. If it had been attended with pain, we might have fufpected a rheumatick cause ; but from such a superfi, cial description no juft derivation can be discover'd. Q. I desire to know of Apollo, why milk is white, and not red, since it's made of blood, as the old women fay? A. That affertion of your old women is not al. lowable by our modern Anatomists, who, with a great deal of reason, maintain that chyle is the matter out of which milk is made, and which indeed very much resembles it. ė We are over a glass of wine debating on a perpetual motion, and not able to decide the question apply to your better judgments, and desire to know, whether there be any such invention in the world as a perpetual motion 3 And whether Archimedes's sphere was really moved by one ? So, Gentlemen, to all your healths, A. B. C, D. A. We 1 N 3 A. We lately anfuer'd, that there could be no real perpetual motion, on account of the defect of mata ter. But it ia be ask?d, if any such motion could be made in respect to art, suppoling matter durable? We afwesi, There can be no perpetual motion effected by the now known principles of mechanism. All fprings, balances, Lomas lofe of their force by continuation ; and the attempt by the loaditone is oppolite to reason. Nor de we believe Archimedes's sphere was mev'd by ane ; for tho we are, apt to believe that he had dió cover'd fome: principles now loft, by which he could remove vast weights in a short fpace of time, whereas all principles now known require time in proportion: to the weight they move : But those inventions bea. ing chiefly for warlike engines, might probably be loft, as not being of use after the invention of gunpowder ; but had be invented a perpetual motion, we believe it had not been loft ; cha' we canned affirm, that principles capable of fuch effects may not be discover'd, and therefore would not discourage the inquisition of the ingenious So Gentlemen, we pledge you, and the next toast is your healths., Q. I desire you will in your neck be pleas'd to resolve me in the following question : From whence the custom of B4r wearing the wedding-ring upon our thumbs fance mhen we are married it is put upon our fourth finger? A. We take is to be nothing else but a corruption of that cuftom of weariog the ring on the fourth finger. Q. What is the thing called Sperma Cati? A. Authors have made a great ftir about it; fome taking it to be a kind of bitumen made of a supku. rous earth and falt; others, that it is the real sperm or feed of the whale: the moderns will allow that it proceeds from some part of the whale, but not from che gential parts; fome of them having known it to be taken out of the head; and Hoffman in his co02ment upon Schroder tells us, that it is either the fall fubftance of the brain it felf; or an oily liquor fased about it. Q. Having Q. Having beard for a truth that a person disguised in drink, coming home in a dark night, rode over part of a rapid river by the help of a narrow foot-plank, plac'd to fupply that part of the bridge which was mending, and bec ing the next day carried to the place where he escaped fuck eminent danger, died on the spos. As these fasts are stared, what do you assign to be the cause of his death, and how did or could it operate ? A. The cause hercof may be ascribed to the great impression his reflection on this mighty danger wrought upon his fpirits, which were hereby confused and inhibited from performing their wonted functions : and through such a failure of the animal faculty, the motion of the præcordia ccafes, whence the blood stagnating within the ventricles of the heart, this mortal syncope may ensue. Q. What do you think of the officers and soldiers kill'd in battle , fighting only for the sake of pay, and not for any love of their country ? A. Whether at home or abroad, it is sure a very great deficiency not to be inflam'd with a becoming zeal for the welfare of our country. For this is a aet below the generous principle, not only of Chritianity, but of heathenism too. But a soldier may make the prospect of a lively hood the only object of his tboughts, and yet be willing that that livelybood be a lawful one. And therefore, tho' he proposes not to himself the publick good, as an incentive to noble enterprizes, he may yet consider his engagement in his country's service, as an innocent emplayment. Whence, tho' he be very much to blamc, (for who can excuse so ungenerous, to say no worse of it, a procedure ) he is yet free from that other kind of guilt, which the quesit feems to fancy him chargeable with Q. Who was the firf inventor of the art of painting : Ā. The most essential parts of tbis art are proportion, and expression of action and paflion; which, as we read in Exodus xxxi. God beltow'd as a peculiar gift on Bezaleel and Aholiab, whom he filled with his spiz a NA |