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$0 far as a man is fpiritual, fo far he is an Augur. Every thing he fees, does, fpeaks, is applied to knowledge: for he knows from experience and found philofophy, that every thing vifible has a invifible part or corelative; that is, is governed by fome principle: and he further knows, that this principle will manifeft itself in a more extenfive manner at a future time. Hence the apoftolic caution, that " for every idle word a man fhall fpeak, he muft give an account;" becaufe this word is not without its caufe and its confequence it is a link in the chain of life, of his life too, who speaks it it is a feed fown; and the foil, which receives the feed muft fuftain the tree. "Every man fhall bear his own burden. Be not deceived: God is not mccked; for whatsoever a man foweth, that fhali he alfo reap."-Gal. vi. 5, 7. So alfo Solomon-"For God" (and if his philofophical character, the order of existence and fubfifience, be confidered, the pofition is a truifm)" fhall bring every work into judgment" (or regulation)" with every itcret thing, whether good or evil."-Eccies. laft

verfe.

N. B. I have condefcended to a philofophical idea, to meet the wifdom of the day; but fcripture very properly concludes, that if the ordering principle of being had no more than phyfical life, it is not very likely that the animalcula ORDERED Would have a higher clafs, and therefore is fuperfitious enough to fpeak of God as the ORDERER as the Fountain even of moral life, and therefore, in all probability, poffeffing as Firge a portion of it, and as much intellect, as he beftowed upon Mr. Gibbon.

But, to exemplify what I mean by looking through a circunftance to the principles, which lie concealed under it; this being the pure and genuine fenfe of Augury. VOL. I.

It is an old faying, or remark, that for a wolf to cross your path without attacking you, is a good omen; but for a hare to crofs and go away is bad. An author justly obferves, that the reafon of thefe feems to be this-it is happy to efcape a foe, but unfortunate to let a benefit efcape: and these are prototypes, firft received figurations or earliest manifeftations *, of this or that principle having root in your life, and gradually proceeding to repullulation, efflorefence, and fruit.

But circumances, either of the object or perfon, or of circumjacent things, will materially affect the omen. To inftance--if the perfon have more hares than he want, it may be a wife rejection of fuperfluities, or a merely indifferent diurnal occurrence. If he be on the other hand, an unqualified pea-. fant, very fond of hares, his pregnant and beloved wife longing for one, his fick child demanding a delicacy, living under a tenacious landlord, watched by a brutal game-keeper, and the hare have been feeding for nights on his uncovered cabbages and fcanty turnips, and he be witholden from killing it, having paffed within his reach, fimply by the fear of a gaol- the omen thus complicated fpeaks, as truly as a ther mometer fhews the degree of heatthat the Englif. peafant is the difpirited flave of a wretched, puny, tyrant; the coward of rapacious wealth-the filent victim of unjuft legiflation contrary in equity to that which declared. to poor multitudes, "that they were of more value than many fparrows,” and boldly challenging to proof that, which went forth in a fiery law," and faid to Mofes, "if the oppreffed cry ever fo little unto me, I will. hear."

* A perfon habituated to mind, will probably have perceived the principle in a

much earlier and finer form. U

THIS is a branch of Chemistry, which has for its principal objects the tranfmutation of metals into gold; the panacea, or univerfal remedy; an alkalift, or univerfal diffolving menftruum, an univerfal ferment, and falt, and other changes equally important and difficult. Kircher, who was an adept in all the artifices of the Spagyrifts, has feverely expofed the practices and juggling arts of alchemical impofture, but we think he has gone too far in his ridicule, for the alchemifts are certainly, with all their errors, the fathers of useful chemistry, for most of the principal inventions have been brought about by their aid and attempts to refolve metals and discover the Philofopher's Stone. Notwithftanding we have had very respectable witneffes to Mr. Price's experiment, we till may entertain a doubt, whether he ever went through the process himfelf in forming the first matter. Father Kircher above mentioned, who was deep in the mystery of the hermetical fcience, took much pains to afcertain the certainty thereof. An alchemift, he fays, puts into a crucible the matter which is to be converted into gold, this he fets on the fire, blows it, ftirs it with rods; and, after divers operations gold is found at the bottom of the crucible, instead of the matter firft put in: this there are a thousand ways of effecting, without any tranfmutation. Some

times it is done by dexterously dropping in a piece of gold concealed between the fingers, fometimes by casting in a little of the duft of gold or filver difguifed under the appearance of fome elixir, or other indifferent matter; fometimes a crucible has been introduced which had a double bottom, and gold put between the two; fometimes the rod ufed to ftir it has been hollow, and filled with the duft of the metal defired; at other times, gold that has been mixed with the charcoal, the afhes of the furnace, and the like. Mr. Harris very properly diftinguishes Alchemy from Chemistry, when he denominates the former to be ars fine arte, and the Italians have a proverb, non ti fidiare al Alchimifta povero o medico amalato. The ruin which has often attended this delufion has occafioned feveral States to make fevere laws against pretences to Alchemy. The Romans, much too ig norant, banished all fuch as profeffed it, as Vigerius reports, and the facred canons likewife directed the thunder of their cenfure againfl it. Cæfar, Dioclefian, and Juftinian, directed all books which treated of this subject to be burnt. Rymer furnishes us with a licence for practising Alchemy, with all kinds of metals and minerals, granted to one Richard Carter, in 1476; vide Rymer's Fœdera, vol. xii. Succeffive times have, however, enacted

TAKE small iron bars of the fineft fort, powdered willow or beech-coals, the fhavings of horn, and the foot of a baker's chimney; ftratify thefe in an earthen pan, made for that purpose, with a cover to it. First make a laver of the mixture, about an inch thick k; then a laver of iron bars, and then again the mixture, and fo proceed till the pan is full. Note, the top muft be of the mixture; then put the cover upon it, lute it, and put it in a windfurnace for twenty-four hours, and give it a reverberatory fire.

A POWDER FOR POLISHING SOFT

STONES.

TAKE iron scales, mix them with vinegar and falt, and let them ftand thus infufed, for three or four days, the longe, the better; then grind the mixture very fine, dry it, and put it in an earthen pot well luted; give it a good fire and it will be fit for ufe.

TO MAKE BLUE LETTERS ON SWORDBLADES.

TAKE the blade, hold it over a eharcoal fire till it is blue, then with oil colours write what letters you will upon the blade, and let them dry; when dry, take good trong vinegar,

make it warm, and pour it all over the blade, this will take off the blue colour; then wet your oil-colour with fresh water, and it will come off eafily, and the letters drawn therewith remain blue.

TO MAKE GLASS MELT EASILY.

PUT into the melting pot a little of arfenick that has been fixed with nitre, this will make the glass mellow and eafy to flux.

AN ARTIFICIAL WATER FOR WRITING LETTERS OF SECRECY.

TAKE vitriol, finely powdered, put a little thereof into a new ink-horn, pour clean water on it, and after it has flood a little, write therewith, either on vellum or paper, and the writing cannot be feen any other way, than by drawing the letter through a water, which is thus prepared: take a pint of water, put into it one ounce of powdered galls, temper it together, and ftrain it through a cloth; put the wa ter into a dish that is wide enough, and draw your writing through it, and you will read it as you do cther writings: and to make the lecret contents lefs liable to avoid fufpicion, you may write on the contrary fide of the paper, or parchment, with black ink any matter of leis confequence.

MEMENTO

157

NEITHER cerufe, nor litharge, nor minium hive any tafle, but any of thefe fubftances being boiled in diftilled vinegar, which has an acid taite, will be diffolved in it; and the folution being cryitalized, will give one of the freetelt fubitances in nature, called Saccharum Saturni, or Sugar of Lead. It is this property which lead has of acquiring a fweet tafte by iolu tion in an acid, that has rendered it fo ferviceable to thoie wie merchants, who, relpecting their own profit more than the lives of their customers, have not fcrupled to attempt recovering wines which had turned four, by putting into them large quantities of cerufe or litharge. I believe this adulteration is punithed with death in fome parts of Germany; and it is to be wifhed that it met with that punishment every where. In 1750, the fariners general in France being aftenished at the great quantities du vin gate which were brought into Paris, in order to be made into vinegar, redoubled their relearches to find out the caufe of the great increase in that article: for near 30,000 hogheads had been annually brought in for a few years preceding the year 1755, whereas the quantity annually loit in 40 years before, did not exceed 1,200 hogfheads. They difcovered, that feveral wine merchants, affuming the name of vi

negar merchants, bought these four wines, which were still rendered more four by the custom of pouring into each hogfhead fix pints of vinegar before it was fold, and afterwards by means of litharge, rendered them palatable, and fold them as genuine wines. Our English vintners, there is reafon to fear, are not lefs fcrupulous in the use of this poifon than the French wine merchants; for it not only corrects the acidity of four wines, but it gives a richness to meagre ones, and by this property the temptation to ule it is much encreased.

The reader may foon furnish himfelf with the means of detecting lead when diffolved in wine. Let him boil together in a pint of water, an ounce of quick-lime, and half an ounce of flour of brimftone, and when the liquor, which will be of a yellow colour, is cold, let him pour it into a bottle, and corking it up, referve it for use. A few drops of this liquor being let fall into a glass of wine or cyder containing lead, will change the whole into a colour more or less brown, according to the quantity of lead which it contains; if the wine be wholly free from lead, it will be rendered turbid by the liquor, but the colour will be rather a dirty white, than a blackish brown.

IT may with great veracity be faid, that Fortune-telling was never carried on upon fuch eafy terins before, and to which we may add (we hope with modefty) in a more profitable manner to the curious inquirers after future happiness.

N° IV.

The foul of man being a fpark of immortality, infufed by its Almighty Maker, ftill retains a relict of its ori ginal, and covets after knowledge above all other things; not confining its fpeculation to the earth, but afpires towards heaven; and leaving the prefent,

wanders