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The Prize Querift.

added to the Gold is, because, unless it exceeds the Gold by two and a half or three times as much, the Aqua-fortis will not have the proper effect, so as to deftroy all metals but the Gold*; and therefore this method of mixing Silver with the Gold, and then feparating it by Aqua-fortis, is called in Latin Quartatio.

Your Gold and Silver being thus carefully weighed, wrap the Gold up in the Silver (for which purpose its being Matted was intended) and lay it in a ittle hole dug in a piece of charcoal, which may be held in the hand, or placed in a fmall crucible; and with a lamp and blow pipe, (fuch as the jewellers ufe) give it a strong heat, fo that when it is in effufion it may appear of a clear whitifh brightness. Then let it reft till it is folid, and with small nippers turn it, after which repeat the melting on the coal, as before: and this must be done twice, if the Gold and Silver were both flatted, but if not three times, keeping it each time in a fluid ftate for a quarter of a minute. If the Gold appears to be bad, add a few grains of borax, and it will melt fooner. After the affay is thus melted into one piece, flat it between the rollers, or beat it out thin with a hammer, till it is almoft as thin as common writing pa per: then neal it, to burn but any

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grease or dirt it may have contracted, and which would hinder the Aqua-fortis from penetrating. Then put the affay piece rolled up (which now looks like all Silver) into a small separatory cucurbitet, and pour thereon weak‡ Aqua-fortis, above one inch high, after letting it ftand to heat gradually, make it boil, and then what liquor will diffolve no more (which is known by the little sparkles not rifing to the top) pour it off into an earthen pan, and add to the affay, pure ftrong Aqua-fortis, and repeat the fame ebullition: then pour it off, and add boiling water, to wash the affay piece (which now appears a foft thin black fubftance, of the fame thape it went into the glass, if a rich affay and good gold: but if otherwise, it will be small duft) from any acid falts the Aqua-fortis leaves behind: repeat the pouring on boiling water, till the water appears clear in the glass, taking care that no particles of the Gold are poured off with the Aqua-fortis, or the water.

Now pour the affay into a fmall white clear crucible, and neal it red hot, carefully keeping the duft from it: and now your affay piece appears of its true majeftic yellow colour, and any affayer can tell by its appearance, if what remains be pure Gold.

(To be continued.)

QUERIS T.

O form an intereft in the minds of our ingenious young readers, we invite them to try their skill in refolving luch curious queftions as may arife from time to time, or be communicated to us from public correfpondence,

*All metals, before their true value can be ob tained, must be reduced, as Gold by Silver, Silver by Lead, and Silver, Copper, aud Tin ores by pro per fluxes. It is erroneous, therefore, to ufe the common method of rubbing Gold on a flint, and pouring on Aqua-fortis; for if the piece be, only half Gold, it will defend the other parts from be ing cat away by the Aqua-fortis.

which we thus candidly invite, hoping that they will abide by the following fhort rules, drawn up for the particular afcertaining of the proper conduct to be observed in thefe enquiries, viz.

1. The most natural method in an

+ The Cucurbite muft be of thin transparent glafs, about four or five inches long, and about 3-4ths of an inch over at the top, and may be made globular or flat at the bottom. The thinner they are, the better they stand the fire.

Weak Aqua-fortis is made of one third of ftrong Aqua-fortis, and two thirds of water.

fwering

The Rewards and the Questions.

24 fwering the questions, fhould be particularly attended to in their compofition.

11. No queftion fhall be admitted that is drawn up in a doubtful form, or that will admit of being anfwered two ways, which would neceffarily lead away from the expected answer.

111. Nothing that is very paradoxical, much less naturally impoffible, and void of demonftration, fhall be advanced for an arithmetical queftion; all the anfwers to which must be fent with the operation that gives the folution.

IV. Ambiguous or doubtful words must be carefully avoided, and only fuch ufed as are plain, eafy, and clearly to be understood: for the Public are to be informed as well as amufed; therefore enigmatical descriptions, only calculated to puzzle, will find no admiffion with

us.

v. The terms of art ufed in our QUERIES are to be plain and explicit, fo that none may be mistaken or deceived by them; for we cannot conceive the benefit of puzzling mankind with what is more abftrufe than ingenious or ufeful.

VI. The infinite variety which may be formed of Mathematical Propoftions, without leading to a fingle object of utility, make us decline the infertion of any thing under this head, that does not in fome way or other tend to the discovery of useful truths, and the advancement of art and fcience; we intend to unite inftruction with pleasure.

Such were the rules the famous. Athenian Society formed for the carrying on their ORACLE, a ufeful paper that lafted feveral years, and was afterwards digested and bound up in four volumes octavo.

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PRIZE MACHINES.

Arcanum Arithmeticum, to tell co cealed Numbers

A Machine to Tell hidden Thoughts
An infallible Sportsman
The Magician, or Fortune Teller
The Magic Snuff or Tobacco Box
Magic Perspective, reads conceale
Letters in a Box
Magnetic Lottery
Amufement with filent Dice
A Riddle-Box

An Inftrument to fee through a Boar
A Truth Teller, with 6 changes
An Enchanted Table, with Rings
The Witty Shepherdefs
Magic Box with fix Animals
A Conundrum Box, fix changes
Card Amusement, in a cafe
Satirical Quod Libet

Two docile Fifh, will fwim and be caugh
Diyerfion with four Fifh and Net
The Syren or Sea woman
A changeable Picture,or treble paintin
A Magic Painter, with 8 changes
A Magic Book, with 10 changes
A neat univerfal Sun-Dial
A Ship-House and Tower, with
Hieroglyphic Table

A Magic Lantern compleat

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If a pair of fcales can be made to feem perfectly just upon falfe principles how are we to know, without trying them with equal weights, how far they are deficient of the exact medium of The rewards we mean to difperfe for truth? the encouragement of youthful genius, 3. will be felected from the following Ar-The greatest of any two numbers ticles; one of which, at least, will be being unknown, query to find the dif awarded every month to the Perfon who ference?

QUERY III..

QUERY IV.

may answer the greatest number of the bones of a horfe it is faid, can

Queries. The Propofers, alfo, of new and ingenious Questions, will be rewarded in a fimilar manner.

never be fet, query does this refult from the abfence of the medullary fubftance?

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JOHN DEE was a man of extenfive learning, particularly in the mathematics, in which he had few equals ; but he was vain, credulous, and enthufiaftic: he was deep in aftrology, and ftrongly tinctured with the fuperftition of the Roficrufians, whofe dreams he liftened to with eagerness, and became as great a dreamer himself as any of the fraternity. He appears to have been, by turns, a dupe and a cheat; but acquired prodigious reputation, and was courted by the greatest princes in Europe, who thought that, in poffeffing him, they fhould literally poffefs a treafure. He was offered large penfions by the emperor Charles V. Ferdinand, Maximilian, Rodolph, and the Czar of Mufcovy. He travelled over great part of Europe, and feems to have been revered by most perfons of rank and eminence, as a being of fuperior order. He pretended that a black ftone or fpeculum, which he made great ufe of, was brought him by angels, and that he was particularly intimate with Raphael and Gabriel.

EDWARD KELLY, the affociate of his ftudies and travels, who was efteemed an adept in chemistry, was appointed his feer or fpeculator. He is faid to have written down what came from the mouths of the angels or dæmons that appeared in the fpeculum. His reputation, as a Roficrufian, was equal at leaft, to that of Doctor Dee; but he was fo unfortunate as to lofe both his ears at Lancaster. It was confident ly reported that he raised a dead body in that country. He was imprisoned for a cheat in Germany; a country which hath produced more dupes to alchemy VOL. I.

than all the other nations in Europe.
He pretended that he was enjoined by
fome of his friends, the angels, to have
a community of wives; and he fo ftrict-
ly adhered to this injunction, that he
feems to have made it a part of his reli-
gion. Kelly died miferably, from the
effects of a fall, in escaping from his
confinement in Germany; and Dee, very
poor, at Mortlake, in Surry; the former
in October 1595; the latter in 1608, in
the Sift year of his age. The black
ftone, into which Dee used to call his
fpirits, was in the collection of the Earls
of Peterborough, whence it came to
Lady Elizabeth Germaine. It was next
and is now Mr. Walpole's. It appears,'
the property of the late Duke of Argyle,
polished piece of canal coal.
upon examination, to be nothing but a
But this
is what he means, when he says,

Kelly did all his feats upon
The Devil's looking glass, a ftone.

HUDIBRAS, Part II, Canto 3d.

PASSAGES IN THE LIFE OF AN EXTRAORDINARY MAGIC GENIUS.

Recorded in a Letter from a young Man of credibility to the Editor of a Morning Paper.

SIR,

WHILE I was at the Grammar School, in a final country village, fituated about four miles to the fouthward of the river Forth near Edinburgh in Scotland, there was a youth, born of noble parents in that neighbourhood, who was as vicious as crafty. He fet all the other boys, a ftaring at the odd tricks which he in that early time of his life performed, to their great furprize, while his cruel propenfities rendered him the juft object of their hatred.

The extraordinary nature of those feats induced his fchoolfellows to imagine him to be a young vizard. And D

before

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before he arrived at the age of fifteen, the whole country was thrown into confufion by his deceptious malevolence. Sometimes he used to fall down and lay motionless; at other times, refembling epileptic fits, only at thofe times his body appeared to be ío ftiff that no human force could bend him, till he revived, though it were in the church; if any one did but touch, though ever fo gently, either of his great toes, on the outfide of his ftocking, he would ftart up, and immediately fall back again.

From the time this youth became fubject to this seeming diforder, till his departure from his father's house, (as will be hereafter mentioned) the family was often terrified with dreadful apparitions. Sometimes calves or dogs, without heads, appeared to their deluded fancies, to walk through the house; and thunder-ftorms were frequent at that time. During one of these unufual tempefts, the boy foretold that part of his father's houfe would fuddenly be thrown down, and the event foon justified the prediction.

This nobleman's houfe was feated on an eminence; and the apartment in which the younger part of the family ufed to amuse themselves after dinner, was at a great distance from a parlour in which his lordship's company were entertained; yet this young gentleman used often to inform his playmates of the fubftance of the converfation held in the parlour, where they were converfing; at other times foretold how they fhould be alarmed in a fhort space, by his arts, which always happened as he prognofticated.

'The perplexity into which the old gentleman was brought by his fon's mifchievous practices, is not to be described; and in hopes of obtaining fome advice, which might alleviate his uneafinefs, he refolved to fend for a parfon, noted for wisdom, who lived on the other fide of the Forth, carefully concealing his intentions even from the fervant till the very moment he fet out for the journey, which was early in the morning. He alfo obferved his fervant's

motions from a window, till he was out of fight. In the evening of the fame day, his amazing fon defcribed the reception of the meffenger at the priest's, and boafted that one of his invifible acquaintance had fpilt a bottle of fine oil, which the parfon's wife had brought out of the cellar. At the fame time he affirmed that the veffel in which the parfon was to cross the water would be. terribly tofled; all which proved true.

Many perfons were taken into cuftody, as fuppofed accomplices, in these wicked practices; and men of the greateft abilities were confulted on this occafion; yet no detection could be made by what means this lad attained this art, which so alarmed the whole neighbourhood.

At laft the unhappy father was advifed by fome of his relations refiding in London, to fend his enchanted fon to the Eaft Indies. This advice was complied with, and accordingly he was fent in one of the company's fhips to Afia, where by the intereft of his relations, he foon became captain of one of their guarda-coftas.

However, his death was as remarkable as the actions of his life; for the veffel which he commanded, in fine weather, fuddenly funk, and the whole company perifhed with him. There were four fhips in company with our enchanted captain at the time he funk, whofe officers all agree in this account of his exit.

** We must beg our readers to con

fider this as a feint fpecimen only of the LIVES of Eminent CONJURORS, ASTROLOGERS, &c. which we mean to give for, in order to fhew that we do not want materials to execute every department of our plan, we have inferted in this number a portion of nearly every article promifed in our Propofals. From which the Public will be the better enabled to estimate the immenfe value what may be expected to follow every fucceeding month.

APPA

APPARITIONS, DREAMS, &c.

DEATH IN THE POT.

From a modern Work lately published, entitled, Vifits from the World of Spirits.

ON the first fabbath day, in the year 1749, Mr. Thomas Lilly, the fon of a farmer in the parish of Kelfo, in Roxburghfhire, a promifing young man intended for the Church of Scotland, and who then had studied a confiderable time at school; happening to be at home keeping the houfe, with only a fhepherd's boy, all the rest of the family, (excepting a maid fervant) being at fermon; the young ftudent and the boy being 'feated by the fire whilft the girl was gone to the well for fome water, a venerable old gentleman, clad in an antique garb, presented himself, and after fome little ceremony, defired the student to open the bible which lay upon the table before him, and turn over to a certain chapter and verse in the fecond book of Kings. The student did so, and read,—"THERE IS DEATH IN THE POT!"

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On this the old man, with much parent agitation, pointed to the great family-pot boiling on the fire, declaring, that the maid had caft a great quantity of arfnic into it, with intent to poifon the whole family, to the end the might rob the house of the hundred guineas which the knew her matter had lately taken for fheep and grain, which he had fold. Juft as he was fo faying, the maid came to the door, announcing her approach by the noise of the nails in her fhoeheels. The old gentleman faid to the ftudent, Remember my warning, and fave the lives of the family!'-and that inftant disappeared.

The maid entered with a smiling countenance, emptied her pail, and returned to the well for a fresh fupply. Mean time young Lilly put fome oatmeal into a wooden dish, skimmed the pot of the fat, and mixed it for what is

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called brofe or croudy; and when the maid returned, he, with the boy, appeared bufily employed in eating the inixture. Come, Peggy, faid the student, here is enough left for you; are not you fond of croudy? She fmiled, took up the dish, and reaching a hornfpoon, withdrew to the back room. The fhepherd's dog followed her, unfeen by the boy; and the poor animal, on the croudy being put down by the maid, fell a victim to his voracious appetite; for before the return of the family from church, it was enormously fwelled, and expired in great agony.

The ftudent enjoined the boy to remain quite paffive for the prefent; meantime he attempted to fhew his ingenuity in refolving the caufe of the canine catastrophe into infanity, in order to keep the 'girl in countenance, till a fit opportunity of difcovering the plot fhould prefent itself.

Soon after his father, mother, brothers, and fifters, with the other fervants, returned from church, all hungering after the word, and eager to fit round the ruftic board.

The table was inftantly replenished with wooden bowls and trenchers, and a heap of barley bannocks graced the top. The kail or broth, infused with leeks or winter cabbages, was poured forth in plenty: and Peggy, with a prodigal hand, filled all the difhes with the homely dainties of Tiviotdale. The mafter began grace, and all hats and bonnets were inftantly off. "O Lord," prayed the farmer, "we have been hearing thy word, from the mouth of thy aged fervant, Mr. Ramfay; we have been alarmed by the awful famine in Samaria, and of Death being in the Pot!" Here the young scholar interrupted his father, by exclaiming, Yes, Sir, there is Death in the Pot now here, as well as there was once in Ifrael!Touch not! tafte not! See the dog dead by the poisoned Pot!

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