A Singular Refolution. catacombs, which he had obferved in his thirty years travels into feveral parts of the world. The plates were all engraved, and the work just going to the prefs when he died. It is not known what is become of this work. Befide the theological part of his writings, he has left a great deal in various treatifes, which are only known by the initials of his name J. G. A moft curious one is tranflated into English, entitled The Widow of Sarepta; and a tract about good and evil angels. His Melampronoea, or a difcourfe of the polity of the kingdom of darkness, is the most fingular of all his works; 12mo. 1681. SCOTCH PHYSICIAN AND ASTRO LOGER. MARK Duncan, an eminent Scots physician, and early aftrological writer, travelled into France when very young, and married there; but upon being fent for by James I. to be made his phyfician in ordinary, he returned, though much against the inclination of his wife, who would not accompany him, and died foon after at Sau mur. Befides being a skilful practitioner of phyfic, he was a great natural philofopher, mathematician, and divine. One of his fons was the famous Cerifantes, of whom we fhall give an account hereafter, Biography is filent as to his fiderial practice. But Bayle mentions the following titles of his works: A Briefe Treatife of mathematical Phyucke, or, eafy Introduction to Phyficke by Judicial Astrology, 4to. 1598. A new and mechanical Explanation of Animal Actions, printed at Paris, in 1678. Natural Chymiftry, or, a Chemical and Mechanical Solution of the functions of Nutrition, in three parts; the firft printed at Paris in 1681, and the other two in 1617. The Hiftory of an Animal, or the Phenomena of the Body explained by the principles of Mechan 193 HENRY WELBY was a native of Lincolnfhire, where he had an estate of above a thousand pounds a year; he poffeffed in an eminent degree the qualifications of a gentleman. Having been a competent time at the univerfity and the inns of court, he completed his education by making the tour of Europe. He was happy in the love and esteem of his friends, and indeed of all that knew him, as his heart was warm, and the virtues of it were confpicuous from his many acts of humanity, benevolence, and charity. When he was about forty years of age, his brother, an abandoned profligate, made an attempt upon his life with a piftol; which not going off, he wrested it from his hands, and found it charged with a double bullet. Hence he formed a refolution of retiring from the world; and taking a houfe in Grub-street, he referved three rooms for himself; the first for his diet, the fecond for his lodging, and the third for his ftudy. In thefe he kept himself fo clofely retired, that for forty four years he was never seen by any human creature, except an old maid that attended him, who had only been permitted to fee him in fome cafes of great neceffity. His diet was constantly bread, water-grucl, milk and vegetables, and, when he indulged himself moft, the yolk of an egg. His time, was regularly spent in reading, meditation, and prayer. No Carthufian Monk was ever more conftant and rigid in his abitinence. His plain garb, his long and filver beard, his mortified and venerable afpcct, befpɔke him an ancient inhabitant of the defert, rather than a gentleman of fortune in a populous city. He expended a great part of his income in acts of charity, and was very inquifitive after proper ob jects. ARTEMIDORUS, famous for his Treatife upon Dreams, was born at Ephefus, but took upon him the furname of Daldianus in this book, by way of refpect to the country of his mother: he filed himself the Ephefian in his other performances. He lived under the emperor Antoninus Pius, as he himfelf informs us, when he tells us that he knew a wrestler, who having dreamed he had loft his fight, carried the prize in the games celebrated by command of that emperor. He not only bought up all that had been wrote concerning the explication of dreams, which amounted to many volumes, but he likewife fpent many years in traveling, in order to contract an acquaintance with fortune-tellers; he also carried on an extenfive correfpondence with all the people of this fort in the cities and affemblies of Greece, Italy, and the most populous iflands, collecting at the fame time all the old dreams, and the events which are faid to have followed them. He defpifed the reproaches of thofe grave fupercilious perfons, who treat the fore-tellers of events as cheats, impoftors, and jugglers; and frequented much the company of thofe diviners for feveral years. He was the more affiduous in his ftudy and fearch after the interpretation of dreams, being moved thereto, as he fancied, by the advice, or, in fome meafure, by the command of Apollo. The work which he wrote on Dreams confifted of five books; the first three were dedicated to one Caffius Maximus, NEAPOLITAN ASTROLOGER. ANDREW Argol, a celebrated mathematician, was born at Tagliacozzoin the kingdom of Naples about the year 1596. Some difagreeable differences in his family obliged him to retire to Venice, where he became fo confpicuous for his mathematical fkill, and for the certainty of his predictions in his Ephemerides, which he began there in 1620, that the fenate conflituted him profeffor of the mathematics in the univerfity of Padua, and in 1616 he was enobled by the Order of Knighthood, the greatest mark of distinction in that renowned republic for the learned. His aftrological labours procured him the admiration as well as the envy of his contemporaries; and although it has been fince difcovered that his method in fome directions is wrong, yet pofterity must allow him great praife for many important and valuable difcoveries. In fact it is the ufual way of imitators and commentators to pick out the errors and publifh them to the world, while the more valuable parts they adopt for themfelves without acknowledging the debt. His merits are very impartially discussed in Partridge's Defectio Geniturum, a work of the most profound fydereal labour, and not to be too much commended or too often read by thofe who would wish to become real and accomplifhed artists. Argol died in 1657. His Ephemerides have been continued to 1700, and reprinted in 4 Vols, Quarto. Life of an Humourist. AN ITALIAN ASTROLOGER. JOHN Francis Damafcene, Abbe D'Auteroche, was a native of Tivoli. He came to Lyons in France, in 1647, where he became acquainted with a fon of the famous Dariot, the French Aftrologer, who lent him his father's MSS. From thefe papers he compiled his work intitled Aftrologia Geoman tica, one of the most abftrufe pieces of fyderial science. Our countryman Salmon, has made fome advantage of this learned Italian's labour, in his Soul of Aftrology. Damafcene was the firft that ever attempted to calculate the nativity of Jefus Chrift, which Butler has published in English in 8vo. In 1668, he was admitted a doctor of phyfic at Montpelier, and a member of the College of Phyficians at Lyons, in 1679. Mr. Valiant, the king's antiquary, paffing through Lyons to Italy, in queft of medals and other antiquities, he accompanied him. He afterwards, in the years 1675 and 1676, made a voyage to Dalmatia, Greece, and the Levant, in company with Sir George Wheeler, an English gentleman; of all which places he has given an account: whether his conftitution was naturally weak, or he had hurt himself in this tour, does not appear, but he never after enjoyed his health. He died at Vevay, a town on the Lake Leman, in 1686, on his return home. By the titles of his works we may fuppofe him to have been very whimfical. However, to give him his due, he was a perfon of learning, and of an exemplary life. He wrote commentaries in Latin, on the Canticles and the Revelation: In the latter performance, he feems to be tinctured with the fpirit of the Rofy, crucians: For, upon chapter 14, v. 18. he makes Archbishop Cranmer the angel to have power over the fire; and chapter 16. v. 5. he makes the Lord Treasurer, Cecil, the angel of the waters, justifying the pouring forth of the third vial, VOL. I. 195 One of his moft fingular pieces is, a treatife of about fix fheets, printed at Orleans, wherein he diflinguished the different temperaments of mankind by their different manner of laughing. The hi, hi, hi, according to this droll effay, notifies melancholican people; the be, he, he, phlegmatic perfons; the ho, ho, bo, thofe of a fanguine difpofition. AN ARTIST AND HUMOURIST. JOHN BUSHNELL was an admired ftatuary in his time. He was a fcholar of Burman, who having debauched his fervant-maid, obliged Bufhnell to' marry her, who immediately left England in difguft, ftaid two years in France, and from thence went to Italy. He lived fome time at Rome and at Venice; in the last city he made a magnificent monument for a Procuratore di fan Marco, reprefenting the ficge of Candia, and a naval engagement between the Venetians and Turks. He came home through Germany, by the way of Hamburg, Some of his firft works, after his return, were the ftatues of Charles I. and Charles II. at the Royal Exchange, and Sir Thomas Grefham there above itairs. His belt were the kings at Temple-Bar; he carved feveral marble monuments, particularly one for Lord Afhburnham, in Suflex; one for Dr. Grew's wife, in Chrift-church, London; one for Lord Thomond, in Northampton fhire; Cowley's, and Sir Palmer Fairborn's, in Weftminiter-Abbey, and cut a head of Mr. Talman. He had agreed to complete the fet of kings at the Royal Exchange, but hearing that another perfon, (we fuppofe Cibber) had made intereft to carve fome of them, Bufhnell would not proceed, though he had begun fix or feven. Some of his profeffion afferting that, though he was fkilful in drapery, he could not execute a naked figure, he engaged in an Alexander the Great, which ferved to prove B b that that his rivals were in the right, at leaft in what he could not do. His next whim was to demonftrate the poffibility of the Trojan horfe, which he had heard treated as a fable that could not have been put in exccution. He undertook fuch a wooden receptacle, and had the dimenfions made in timber, intending to cover it with ftucco. The head was capable of containing twelve men fitting round a table: the eyes ferved for windows. Before it was half completed, a ftorm of wind overfet and demolished it; and though two vintners, who had contracted with him to use his horfe as a drinking-booth, offered to be at the expence of erecting it again, he was too much difappointed to recommence it, one had 100l. a year, and the other 6ol. APPARITIONS, DREAMS, &c. A SIMILARITY of ftudies and purfuits, is known to improve a flight acquaintance into the ftrictest friend. fhip; an inftance of which is thus related by Baronius. Mercatus the elder, and Marfilius Ficinus were friends; the more fo, as both profeffed a veneration for the doctrines of Plato, a proof of which is extant, in a learned epiltle of Marfilius to Michael Mercatus, on the immortality of the foul. Difcourfing one day, on this fubject, as was their cuftom, the difputation was protracted to a late hour, and after having exhaufted all the arguments that learning and inge nuity could fuggeft, they concluded with a folemn engagement, that, if the foul was immortal, and departed fpirits allowed to revifit earth, he who died firft fhould make known to the furvivor the particulars of an after-state. Some time after this agreement, as Michael Mercatus was one morning early employed at ftudy, he heard the noife of a horfe at full gallop coming to his door, and immediately after the yoice of his friend Marfilius pronouncing thefe words; "O Michael, Michael! thofe things are true, they are true!" Amazed at fuch an addrefs, Michael rofe, and opening the cafement, recognized the person of his friend, whom he called by his name, and in a moment loft fight of him. So extraordinary an occurrence made him folicitous to learn tidings of his friend, whom he fuppofed to be at that time living in Florence; upon enquiry made, he was informed that Marfilius was no more, the time of A ftrange his deceafe coinciding precifely with that in which he had been vifited by the apparition of him. MR. WILKINSON'S APPARITION TO HIS DAUGHTER. ONE Mr. Wilkinson, who former ly lived in Smithfield, told his daughter, taking her leave of him, and expreffing her fears that fhe fhould never fee him more, that fhould he die, if ever God did pernit the dead to fee the living, he would fee her again. After he had been dead about half a year, on a night when in bed, but awake, fhe heard mufic, and the chamber feemed greatly illuminated, at which time fhe faw her father, who faid, Mal, did not I tell thee I would fee thee again! and difcourfed with her upon fome weighty affairs, and then disappeared. STRANGE CIRCUMSTANCE, RELATED BY CAPTAIN BARNABY. CAPTAIN Barnaby, Capt. Briftow, and Capt. Brewer, failed toge ther for the island of Lufara, and came to anchor there, and all went on fhore in order to fhoot curliews (a large bird) on mount Stromboli, alfo Mr. Bell, a merchant of Wentworth. While there, we faw, fay they, two men running with great fwiftnefs; and Captain Barnaby cried out "Lord blefs me! the foremoft man is Mr. Bootey, my near neighbour in London!" he had on grey cloaths, with cloth buttons of the fame, and the other was in black; they both ran ftraight into the burning mountain, and at that inftant there was fuch an hideous noife as made us all to fhudder. And when we came on board we wrote it down in our journal, both the day and the hour, which was May the 6th, but no date of the year mentioned. We fet fail again, and came to Gravefend the October following. Captain Barnaby went on fhore, was met by his friend, who welcomed him home. After fome short discourse, Mr. Barnaby's wife faid, "I can tell yɔu fome news, old Bootey is dead.". "That we all know, fays he, for we faw him run into Hell," meaning the burning mountain, which fo much resembles that horrid place. This fay ing coming to Mrs. Bootey's ears, the entered an action against Captain Barnaby, of 1000l. damages, for fcandal, and it was tried in the court of King's Bench. The three Captains, Mr. Bell and all the feamen were there, and gave oath they all faw him run, ‘or was driven into the burning-mountain, mentioning his coat and buttons, which was produced in court; alfo the time of his death, which, by those that were with him at that time, anfwered exactly to every thing as entered in their journal. When all were heard on both fides, the Lord Chief Juftice fummed up the evidence, faying, that two or three perfons might be mistaken, but we cannot fuppofe that above thirty were:" fo the verdict was given for the defendant. This circunftance was in the reign of Charles the fecond. A Singular ftory of the fame kind is related in Sandy's Travels, Book 4, page 248. Sir Thomas Grefham and fome eminent merchants of London, being homeward bound from Palermo, in Sicily, where at that time lived one Antonio, furnamed the rich, from his vast wealth, who had two kingdoms in Spain mortgaged to him by his catholic Majefty. The wind being against them, the fhip in which Mr. Gresham failed, came to an anchor a little to the leeward of Stromboli, one of the Lipari iflands in the Tyrhenian fea, on the north of Sicily, where there is a volcanic mountain, which at that time was in a conftant eruptive ftate. One day about noon when the mountain began to be a little calmer, Mr. Gresham and fome other gentlemen, accompanied with eight failors, Bb z afcended |