A. We deny not, but that the instances you brought, might have been produc'd' with no other intention than to fhew how capable the paffage was of fuch an acceptation; but yet we had reafon to fuppofe from that air of triumph, wherewith they were accompanied, that nothing less than demonstration were intended by them. To fay that our Lord takes no notice how the Jews had turn'd the question through mifconception, tho' he returns an answer accurately adapted to the very intention of the objection made; this is fure, at leaft, to put a conftruction upon the words, not fo natural and eafy as the fenfe we expound them in. For it is obfervable that as the Jews turn'd the question from Chrift's day to his perfon, fo our Saviour returns an anfwer correfpondent to fuch a turn, and mentions his perfon too. And fince fo majestick an expreffion, as I am, has (tho' it could be otherwife expounded) fo God-like an appearance, we are apt to think that the humble Jefus (were he but a man) would not feem to affume a title no ways competent to mere humanity. Though the three tranflators, which you mention, expound the paffage in the imperfect tenfe, yet other good tranflators agree with us. And we cannot think our felves oblig'd to own the infallibility of your triumvirate. We were fo far from advifing him, who fpake as never man fpake, that the very inference we drew fupposes that he did not want advice; for otherwise, how could we infer from an expreffion that feem'd to us not fo proper as another would have been, had he intended it in your fenfe, that therefore he intended it in another acceptation? Where any one does not speak accurately proper, we can never refute any conftruction put upon his words from the not fo exact propriety of the expreffion, if recommended under that conftruction. Q. Gentlemen, how can the Sacrament of our Lord be called a fupper, feeing in the Church of England it is taken at noon? A. It is ufual for things to retain the names first impos'd upon them, even when the reafon of thofe names ceafes. But yet a fupper may no more than figuratively denote a repast or entertainment: and for this we have the authority of our bleffed Lord, in Rev. iii. 20. Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and fup with him, and he with me. Words exhibitive of a double figure. Q. Gentlemen, pray your opinion, whether incubuffes and Succuba's are capable of generation? and whether mcubuffes couple with witches, and forcerers with fuccuba's? A. There being in nature no other incubuffes or incuba's but what are the product of a certain diftemper which feizes fome people in the night when afleep; and lying upon their backs, in which they can hardly breathe, feeling, as it were, a grievous weight upon their breasts, which they fometimes fancy to be a man or woman; we may be very pofitive that thofe imaginary beings, far from being capable of generation, are indeed capable of nothing elfe but deftruction. As to the fuccubuffes or fuccuba's, the cafe is very different; for as by them we are only to understand thofe that are liable to that distemper, we may be no less pofitive that fome are very ca pable of generation; people of all ages, young as well as old, being fometimes troubled with it. Q. Gentlemen, frogs having no mouths, till they are grown very large, pray how long do they live after they have a mouth, and how do they fubfift? 4. Tho' the mouth of frogs remains imperceptible till they come to be of a certain bigness; yet there is no doubt, but that they have one from their fmaileft beginings: neither can they be without it, fince they take their nourishment that way when minutest, as well as when largeft; but as they want but very little food at firft, and that it is only a thin liquor contained in the fame membrane or skin in which their whole bodies were wrapt up, their mouth is proportioned to their exigencies. Q. A pol Q. Apollo, pray do me the favour to answer this queftion, viz. Two men going shares in a veffel of wine which held eight gallons, they had a three-gallon pot and a fivegallon-pot; they were to divide by these, and no other, both being careful left they lost one drop. Pray how did they divide the wine? 4. To play the fschool-boy for once; Let them fill the five-gallon-pot, and out of that the three-gallonpot, upon which there will remain two gallons in the former. Let them next empty the three-gallon-pot into the veffel again, and in exchange pour into the faid three-gallon-pot the two gallons that are in the five-gallon-pot; then let them firft fill the latter, and from thence fill the three-gallon-pot, which wanting but one gallon of being full before, there remain four gal'ons (the dividend of one) in the five gallon-pot. Q. Gentlemen, a fire happening in the night about fix years fince in a Gentleman's house in the country, one of his fons of four years of age, that was fast asleep, was fo afrighted by being awaked in the hurry and nofe made, that he has not been fince able to speak plain: now the Gentleman defires you will pleafe to give your opinion conerning the loss of it? 4. The fenfitive foul being furpriz'd with the nearnefs of the approaching evil, and conceiving her felf, as it were, taken by the enemy, caufes a fudden retraction of the animal fpirits, which, being acted into confufion, are inhibited from performing the offices of their functions; whence a refolution of the nerves may enfue, and this faltring of the tongue be immediately caused. Q. Pray what is the reason that a horse, which feems to be a creature of a strong conftitution, should be fo fhortliv'd? A. The shortness of life is owing to the manifold diftempers they are fubject to; which are chiefly occafioned by their hard labour and frequent abufes, giving them violent heats and cold, and causing a dif crecy in their blood. Q. Gentlemen, I have found out (to my thinking) an infallible way to discover longitude, but being not skilful enough my felf to make fome neceffary calculations in aftronomy for the practice; and which may easily be done by any who are that way inclined; I propofe to you, whether you dare trust your abilities for the performance of it; and if you dare, you shall go halves in the profits that may be made by it, if it (as I doubt not) fucceeds. A. If the longitude of your invention may be. rightly guess'd at by the latitude of your judgment, 'tis ten to one but your pretenfions to the discovery will fall as fhort as your aftronomical abilities to bring it to perfection; for had you been mafter of the fmalleft fpark of modefty or reafon, you'd never have asked Apollo to go halves in the mean advantages arifing from the knowledge of a fecret himself alone is mafter of, and will never condefcend to communicate to the pretended wisdom of such a dull impoftor. Q. I am a handfome Lady, I have two Gentlemen make their addreffes to me, the one a clergyman, the other a counsellor; their eftates are much at one, having but little to trust to but their gowns: I defire to know of Apollo, which I must chufe, for I am in a strait to know, whether I should follow the Law or the Gospel? A. Madam, fince they have both little befides the gowns to truft to, you may e'en shake them in a bag, and take your chance; for gowns without brains are but a flight dependance; of which if either has a competency, it will alter the cafe, and turn the fcale that way. Q. Apollo, arm'd in the defence Of one you've charg'd with want of fenfe; And am refolv'd my all to venture Suck Such ufage more befits a Jew; rope. Should you (for this is, what you tell us) No odds appear in such a stake. Fantaftick gueffes we decline, Nor fuch uncertainties opine, We receiv'd the following challenge from the Gentle man who fent us the queftion relating to love's blindnefs. Q. Gentlemen, your answer has extracted a fecond part; and fince we are fo fairly engaged, e'en let's go thro with it, do it as it should be, and spare no fatyr, depend on't, returns shall be endeavour'd by yours, &c. $ 4 Sirs |