pence were not coyn'd round before the Year 1108. Denarius fignifies a Penny, Obolus an Half-penny, or half of any thing; and Ferlingus a Farthing. And it is to be obferv'd, that when we meet in old Donations, with fuch Words as Librata terra, Marcata, Solidata, or Denariata, we are to understand as much Land as will yield the Rent of a Pound, a Mark, a Shilling, or a Penny by the Year. A Crown was not coyn'd in England before Edward VI's Time, it being the first Silver Coyn of the Value of 5 s. yet the Name is very antient, but then it was always of Gold. Half-crowns were of the fame Dates with the Crowns. Shillings, there was never any Piece of Silver of that Name coyn'd in England till the Year 1504; and in the Year 1561, Queen Elizabeth calling in all the bafe Money, the fet the Coyn upon that Foot it now ftands: but King Wil liam III. remedied the greatest Abufe of Money that was ever known in England, and that at a Time of the greatest Danger and Expence, and with very little Grievance of the People too. Thus much for Money, which if a Man fets his Heart on, and propofes it to himself, as the Business of his Life, to be rich, his Thoughts can feldom or never be fix'd on Heaven.

Q. Which are the best Books in English, and what the beft Method to learn the Mathematicks; I mean, to attain fo much of the Elements as may be fufficient to carry me into Aftronomy; What are the best Books in English to make one acquainted with the chief Springs of Action in buman Nature? Or the next best of the Nature of the Paffions?

A. The Gentleman who fent us thefe Queries from Button's Coffee-Houfe, in Covent Garden, we understand is inclin'd to learn Aftronomy, but whether after the Ptolomean or Copernican System, he does not fpecify: but that does not much matter, fince the Hypothefis of the one calculates the celeftial Motions with as much Exactitude as the other. For the Attainment of this most noble Science, which Kings and Emperors have studied,

་

Atudied, witness, Julius Cæfar, Octavius Auguftus, Theodofius, Adrian, Frederick II. Charles V. Maximilian, Alphonfus King of Arragon, and Philip King of Spain, 'tis requifite to learn vulgar Arithmetick as far as the Rule of Three, with the Extraction of the Square and Cube Roots, and to have fome Infight in Legarithms; next making your felf perfect in problematical Geometry only, you may then proceed to the Aftronomical Art, and without a Multiplicity of Books, for of making many (as the wifeft of Men fays, Ecclef. 12. 12.) there is no End, you may become a perfect Mafter thereof by only making ufe of Wing's and Leybourn's Treatife intituled URANIA PRACTICA, which for learning practical Aftronomy in all its Parts, is the best Book, either old, middle, or modern, now extant in the English Tongue. For there you may know how to find for ever the vulgar Notes us'd for every Year, both in the Julian and Gregorian Accompts; how to calculate the Places, Afpects, and Eclipfes of the Luminaries, for any time paft or to come; and how to find the Altitude, Azimuth, Amplitude, Rifing, Culminating, Setting, and Declination of the Sun and fixed Stars, in feveral Latitudes. As for the fecond Query, which requires to know which are the best English Books, for acquainting one with the chief Springs of Action in human Nature, we recommend the Gentleman to the Perufal of the curious Works fet forth by the Virtuofo's of the Royal Society, for the Improvement of experimental Knowledge and natural Philofophy. And as for his demanding to know the next best English Books concerning the Nature of the Paffions, we think the Gene tleman cannot fee them better defcrib'd than in our Dramatick Poets, we mean the Tragick Writers, as in the Qedipus of Dryden and Lee, Lee's Theodofius or Force of Love, Southerne's Oroonoko, Addifon's Cato, and Rowe's Royal Convert there you fhall fee the angry Man's Voice, Colour and Countenance fo changing, as if Fury, Reafon, had fet a new Garrifon in the Citadel of his

Soul;

Soul; Defpair confpiring Suicide or Self-murder ; Dif content ftinging another to the Heart; Grief cafting the Soul into the Shade of Unhappiness; Fear terrifying Tome with a frighted Mind; Jealoufy, that Spanish Curfe, perplexing others; Hatred everlasting arifing betwixt Rivals; Revenge infulting over Enemies; Joy triumphing in a State of Profperity; Sorrow finking under Misfortunes; whilft Envy is grounding her self upon the Happiness of others; Rage upon Injury, and Love, either real or difhonourable, upon the attracting Powers of Beauty.

Q. In what Pofture ought we to receive the Eucharist; And why is Water us'd in Baptifm?

A. The Eucharift, or Sacrament of the Lord's-Supper, is receiv'd by the Members of the Church of England, (as it ought to be) kneeling, In all the first Ages of Christianity, many Liturgies were compos'd fuitable to the Places and Times for which they were defign'd; but yet all different from the Roman Manner of receiving it; and the reverend Composers of our CommonPrayer-Book have us'd the fame Freedom, extracting the Power, and rejecting the fufpicious Parts out of all the former, and fo have compleated this Model, with fo exact a Judgment, and happy Succefs, that it is hard to determine whether they more endeavour'd the Advancement of Devotion, or the Imitation of pure Antiquity; for we fafely affirm, that it is more primitive in all its Parts, and more apt to affift us in worthy receiving, than any Liturgy now us'd in the Chriftian World. The Stile is plain and moving, the Phrafe is that of the most genuine Fathers, and the whole Compofition very pious, and proper to represent and give Luftre to the Day.

The other Sacrament call'd Baptifm, and in which we ufe the Sign of the Crofs, comes from the Greek Verb Cam or Carn, fignifying to dip or plunge any thing into the Water, or other Liquid, and anfwers to the Hebrew Word Tabal, which fignifies the fame.

Befides,

Befides, Water (which comes up to your last Question) hath so naturally a Property of cleansing, that it hath been made a Symbol of Purification by all Nations, and us'd with that Signification in the Rites of all Religions; for the Gentiles wath'd before their Sacrifices for the Expiation of their Offences.

Q. Hiero King of the Syracufans in Sicily had caus'd to be made a Crown of Gold of a wonderful Weight, to be offer'd for his good Success in Wars; but in making thereof the Goldsmith fraudulently took out a certain Portion of Gold, and put in Silver for it, fo that there was nothing abated of the full Weight, altho' there was much of the Value diminish'd. Now the Question is, how the Cheat could be found out, in telling how much Silver was mixt with the Gold, without breaking the Crown?

A. When it came to be divulged that the Goldsmith had defrauded the King, and he being defirous to know the Truth thereof without breaking e

the

he

re

propos'd the Matter to Archimedes, the moft famous Mathematician, who altho' he could not prefently detect the Cheat, yet had fo good Hope as to devife a Way for finding it out; and fo as he chanced to enter into a bathing Tub full of Water, to wash himself, he obferv'd, that as his Body enter'd into it, the Water ran over the Tub, whereby his ready Wit of fuch finall Effects conjecturing greater Works, conceiv'd prefently a Reafon of Solution to the King's Queftion, and therefore re joycing exceedingly more than if he had gotten the Crown it felf, forgot that he was naked, and fo ran home, crying as he went, ugna, uguun, i. e. I kave found, I bave found. Thereupon having caus'd two maffy Pieces, one of Gold, another of Silver, to be prepar'd of the fame Weight that the fiid Crown was of, and confidering that Gold is naturally heavier than ~Silver, therefore Gold of like Weight with Silver mult needs оссиру lefs Room, by reafon it is more compact and found in Subftance, he was affur'd that putting the Mafs of Gold into a Veffel brim full of Water, there

F

would

would not fo much Water run out, as when he should put in the Silver Mafs of the like Weight. Wherefore he try'd both, and noted not only the Quantities of the Water at each time, but alfo the Difference or Excels of the one above the other, whereby he learn'd what Proportion in Quantity is between Gold and Silver of equal Weight. And then putting the Crown it felf into the Veffels of Water brimful (as before) mark'd how much Water did run out then, and comparing it with the Water that ran out when the Gold was put in, noted how much it did exceed that: and likewife comparing it with the Water that ran out of the Silver, marking how much it was lefs than that, he by thofe Proportions Arithmetically found out, the juft Quantity of Gold that was taken out of the Crown, and how much Silver was put in ftead of it.

Q It is reported for a credible Truth, that Oliver Cromwell the fame Morning that he had defeated the King's Army at Worcelter Fight, had Conference perfonally with the Devil, with whom he made a Contract, that to have bis Will then, and in all Things elfe after for Years from that time (being the 3d of September 1651) he should at the Expiration of the faid Years, have him at bis Command both his Soul and Body. Now if you please, Gentlemen, to reckon from the 3d of September 1651, till the 3d of September 1658, you shall find it to a Day just 7 Years and no more, at the End of which he died; but with fuch Extremity of tempestuous Weather, that was by all Men judged prodigious; neither was bis End more miferable for ke died mad and despairing) he hath left his Name infamous. But the Question we propound from this Relation is, whether People can make Leagues, Compacts, or Covenants with the Devil?

A. The Devil cannot by his own Power or Will, either appear visibly in what Shape he pleafes, neither Can he when he will, nor as he will, perform fuch frange Tricks as People report of him, becaufe he is under Refraint, and can act nothing but as the Will

of