Q. I desire to know which of the Elements is most powerful: Q. To my great concern about a month force, I had the curiosity to fee Tyburn, and coming in sight of it, my nose gulb'd out with blood, and I had no sooner turn'd ту back but it stopt. Your opinion whether the fight of this tree denotes any ill end? A. Sir, we are sorry, that without breach of promise, we cannot decline an answer to your question, becausc, according to the opinion of the learned, it appears an evil omen. For, first, bleeding at the nose is thought sometimes to be caus'd by fympathy; thus effluviums of fome person lately hang'd might remain undulating in the air thereabouts, which meeting with others issuing from your body, their congenuity might occasion a speedy congratulation, and allure the blood, of whose principle they were, to follow. Again, it is well known that blood pour'd into the earth will make hempfeed grow in a very plentiful manner; which tends much to the same purpose. The ancients alfo were of opinion, that dreaming of blood prognosticated fuffocation; if fo, actual bleeding must needs be more portentous than a mere dream. Thus the omen, like Hudibras's pendulum, seems to incline to hanging every way : but we believe it to be in the pows er of every man to resist his evil genius. Q. Apollo's fons, pray tell the cause, Å. The Ocean tumify'd appears, Buna } But why such wonders nature shews Q. re fons of Phoebus, tell a fwain the cause, Ai That love don't satisfie, the reason's plain, To peep at the stars when Apollo's in view, Pray give me the reason, if this be not true: For if from the premises this doth not follow, I humbly beg pardon of British Apollo ? A. Our star-gaziog querist has plunder'd his braio's, With his catchpole to fall on Apollo so foul; But his studies are barren, invalid his pains ; And his premises serve but to prove him an owl; For when Phæbus our hemisphere gilds with his light, Those creatures are wont to retire out of light. Q. Sages of the nation, who've gain'd reputation, Amongst the bell-dames of this city; Inform if you can, why a flashy young man, Should think himself wondrous witty A. Your answer is made, ; So no more need be faid, Tis because be is flashy and vain; Whilft they who are wise, Affectation despise, Q. re Q. Ye who inspir'd are by great Apollo, A. When lewd, unseemly scenes, the mind surprize, Q. To great Apollo's fons I must appeal, flow The essence this of love, whilst all the rest, Thus sung the fam'd prophetick bards of old, A. In vain, young bard, presumptuous men aspire E ARG } } L And since, by pow'r divine, they shine sa bright, you feel the God in ev'ry vein. Horns to bulls for their defence. Wbat provision was assign'd, Q. What is the meaning of that petition, lead us not into temptation : for how can God, who is the author of all good, be a leader into temptation, or, which is all one, A perfuader to ill? A. The two ensuing considerations will so clear the seeming difficulty, as that no contrariety will appear between this petition and that precept in St. James; let no man say, when he is tempied, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted, neither tempteth he any man. 1. God is said in Scripture to do that, which is the result of his permission, as when David in 2 Sam. xvi. 10. says of Shimei, who had curfed the Lord's anointed, the Lord hath said unto him, curse David. In the petition oben we desire of God, that he would not suffer us to be led into temptation or fin. 2. Temptation may import those dangerous cir cum cumstances which may lead us into fin ; agreeable to i Tim. vi. 9. They which will be rich, fall into temptation and a snare. In the petition therefore we also beg of God, that he would not place us, either generally in such a state of life, or particularly in such casual circumstances, as will be the occasion of our falling; whom but our felves can we impeach, since at the fame time he gives us ability to stand upright? Q. Why did our Saviour Chrift, after effefing the cure, commonly charge the patient to tell no man? A. Because, as on another occasion he said him. felf, he fought not his own glory; and might probably design withal to set us a pattern of humility. Because he would not indulge the multitude in that their darling notion concerning the Mefiah, that he was to erect a temporal kingdom. And accordingly we read, that after the miracle of the loaves they would have taken him by force, to make him a king. And, lastly, because he would not provoke the malice of the Scribes and Pharisees, who were offended at bis miracles. Q. What is an idea ? do all our ideas of fenfible obje&ts. (or only some of them) exactly represent those objects they stand for? if but fome of them, which are thoje? 4. To your first, an idea is the immediate object of thought. To the second, fome ideas exactly represent their objects; of some we are uncertain whether they do or not, of some we know, that they do not ; fome by daily advances in learning are continually reform'd to a nearer resemblance ; and of : fome we are affur’d, that they will vever present us with the exact images of the things themselves. But of those ideas which do, and of those which do not, exactly represent their objects, there is so numerous a variety, that the resolution of your last question cannot be expected. But, however, we will illustrate their difference with a single instance. In the simple idea of colour; the vulgar and the learned agree, and the idea exactly corresponds with the object. But when |