honour to them- He has feveral Reflections on that fuppos'd Incantation or Spell, call'd in French Nouer l'aiguillette, i.e. the being render'd impotent; and gives a Quotation from the Abbe Guibert of Nogent, who relates, that his Father and Mother had been bewitch'd by an Incantation of this kind, for feven Years; and that at the end of this Term, an old Woman dif folv'd the Charm, and by that means they were enabled to fulfill their conjugal Devcirs,

In the third Chapter of this fecond Book, wa haye a Plan or Scheme from the famous Bayle, for forming or drawing up a Treatife of Sorcery. In the remaining part of this Chapter, the nature and different kinds of Chance or Ha zard are explain'd, &c. and among other particulars he has thefe Reflections upon Lotteries. I wonder, fays he, that feveral Perfons of good Senfe fhould condemn Lotteries in general, merely because of the Chance or Hazard that is in them; as tho' the Adventurers had recourse to Destiny, or confulted the Will of the Almighty. In cafe any Perfons have recourse to Chance in this view, they certainly commit a Sin, because of their erroneous Confciences: these must therefore be inftructed, and convinc'd of their Error, but then no confequence can be drawn from this against Lotteries. It would, indeed, be no difficult matter to fhow many Inconveniencies to which Lotteries give rife; and particularly to prove, that they inflame the thirst which Mankind have for Riches, by inspiring them with a defire of procuring Wealth without Labour. But then we are not to affert that a Lottery is evil in itself; and for that purpose refer to the reafon of Chance or Hazard, which is abfolutely a very bad one,

The

The Author is of opinion, that there are more Incidents of an extraordinary nature than is ufually fuppos'd, and gives us the following as genuine. A Man, fays he, thus made a Spell for the killing of Beasts, as he himself confesses, when he is in Liquor. The Fumes of the Wine being evaporated, he declares, that in cafe the Spell is diffolved, he muft certainly die. The Perfon who diffolves the Spell, declares the fame thing at fix leagues diftance; and the profecution carried on in Paris and in Pacy, leave no room to doubt but that at the very Hour the Spell was diffolv'd, the Wretch that had made it, who was of a very vigorous Constitution, was feiz'd with dreadful Convulfions, and died in them. Our reverend Author relates another Story, which he alfo declares to be genuine ; of a young Gentleman who was bewitch'd by a Shepherd as he was riding along, infomuch that his Horfe would not go forward, tho' he whipt and fpurr'd him for a long time together: that after this the Youth was delirious; fo that going up one day into his Room at his Father's House, he imagin'd he faw the Shepherd, and his two black Dogs in it; when he run down again in the greatest terror, and feveral People returning to the Room with him, he ftill infifted that he faw the Shepherd, tho' no body else perceiv'd any thing: that fome Hours after, the Fit being again upon him, he fell down, crying aloud, that the Shepherd was upon him, and almoft crush'd him to death; upon which he pull'd out a fharp-pointed Knife, in prefence of feveral Spectators, and giving five thrufts with it, it was found that the genuine Shepherd had receiv'd five Wounds in his Face. (Admirable !) The reft of the Story is equally edifying, and

con

concludes with the Recovery of the Youth, by the virtue of Maffes and Exorcifms, and the penitent Death of the Wizard.

But another Story which our Author after wards found to be a mere Impofture, is the following. One Catherine Dupré, born near Roan, pretended to have loft her Speech in 1691, by a profligate Wretch, who gave her a Nofe-gays two Hours after which, her Tongue was fuddenly fhorten'd, infomuch that it could not reach to her Teeth: a Tumour, twice the bigness of the Fift clench'd, arose upon her Breaft; her Body grew black, and her Mind was loft in Distraction. After feveral Attempts to cure her, fhe was carried to the Tomb of King James II. of England (mighty famous for Miracles) in 1702. At her return from it the first time, fhe was very reftlefs, and could not make her Confeffion. She return'd in a Week's time, and after she had fpent three quarters of an Hour before the Chapel in which the King's Body is depofited, the found herself all over of a Sweat and fainted away; upon which a little Boy, who was order'd to accompany her, was afraid, took to his heels, and left her alone: but fome Perfons, who were still in the Church, went up to her, carried her to the Door in order to give her Air, when on a fudden fhe declar'd fhe had been dumb almost twelve Years, and that God had that moment reftor'd her to her Speech, by the Interceffion of King James. Her Tongue grew to its wonted length; the Tumour funk quite away, and the continued to speak very diftinctly, but in a low, hoarse Voice, and with some pain. This Creature was afterwards found to be an errant Cheat and a Thief b

We

We pafs now to the THIRD Book, which treats of fuch Prefervatives as are look'd upon to be natural or miraculous, and is divided into five Chapters; and thefe treat of Errors or Doubts relating to Talifmans: The reafon why the Ancients employ'd them, and their Original. That natural Philofophers are as fuperftitious as the Vulgar, with the Enumeration of fome Prefervatives, &c. How difficult a matter it has been in all Ages to undeceive the World with refpect to Rings, Amulets, and other fingular Secrets which have been used in the healing of Maladies. Of fuperftitious Prefervatives of Cities, excus'd by the Literati, and juftly condemn'd by the Church and concludes with the account of feveral fuperftitious Ufages, which were publickly authoriz'd for the driving away Grubs or Locufts; for obtaining Rain; St. Peter's red Keys, and thofe of St. Hubert, a Prefervative against Madness.

This fhort account fhows, that the Reader is to expect a great number of curious Particulars, with a few of which we fhall now present him.

Thefe Talismans are little Figures engrav'd on Metal, under a certain Conftellation; and 'tis no wonder, fays our Author, that the Sabeans, the Chaldeans, and Egyptians gave credit to them, and were perfuaded that a Plant, or a Piece of Metal devoutly prepar'd under a cer tain Conftellation, could preferve from several Misfortunes, and procure them very confiderable Advantages. The cause of this was owing to their fuperftitious Phyficks, which admitted Intelligences in all things. According to them, the moft powerful among these animated the celestial Bodies, and all the other Genii depended on thefe. Hence arofe the Worship that was paid

to

to the Stars; hence the firm Perfuafion that all things were owing to their Influence; and that their Protection was to be implor'd in Adversity, in order to be freed from it.

He then takes notice of a fuperftitious and whimsical Practice of the Inhabitants of Cleone, ridicul❜d by Seneca. Thefe People, whenever a Cloud appear'd that was going to defcend in Hail, used to facrifice Lambs; or making an Incifion in the Finger, Blood was drawn from it, when the Vapour of it was faid to rife as high as the Cloud, and either drove it at a distance, or quite difpers'd it. To this Fiction he fubjoins another, concerning the virtue of Coral in removing panic Fears, and for driving away Hail and Thunder; which how improbable foever it may appear, yet that celebrated Philofopher Fortunio Liceti, pretended to account for it phyfically, by declaring that Coral exhales a hot Vapour, which rifing in the Air, difperfes whatever may cause the Hail or the Thunder.

The Emperor Conftantine allow'd by law of fuch Practices as were employ'd for the recovery of Health; for driving away Rain or Hail, which might spoil the Fruits of the Earth; because these were of advantage, and hurtful to no Perfon: however, this Law was afterwards repeal'd by the Emperor Leo. Conftantius made a Law, which was executed fo expreffly and literally, that Valentinian put an old Woman to death, who cur'd intermitting Fevers by the Power of certain Verses: and caused a young Man to be beheaded, who being in the Bath, put his Hand upon a Marble, and repeated feven Letters of the Alphabet, in order to cure the Stomach-ach.

We find by Pliny, that Amulets were very much cried up in India in his time. These were

made