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Perhaps this is the first step to a Cure that I have made fincerely and without referve: for when I pray against it, God knows it is (as St. Auftin confefs'd of himfelf) fo fuperficially and with fo much tenderness, as if I were afraid or unwilling to be heard; but yet I could not fatisfy my self without doing it: tho' I doubt Love afted with me on this occafion as Mr. Baxter, in his World of Spirits, fays the Devil does with wicked Men; it fuffer'd me to pray twice a day against it, so I cherish'd it at all other times. What if I should run away into fome remote part of the Kingdom? yes, methought, this would do, had 1 the courage to put it in practice: yet Love fearing this Refolution, always finds out fome Sham, fome delufory Reasons to perfuade my stay. Ohow I wish fometimes, that fome kind Perfon would drag me from this accurfed Place! But even this very Wish, I fear, does not come from the bottom of my Heart; for I fhould be unwilling and loth to go: And how can I hope to do any good, when I am thus unfaithful to my felf, and partial to my Inclinations?

What shall I do, Gentlemen? I love to excess, and would enjoy even that fair angry Creature 1 mention'd; but then I must be also wedded to Shame and Poverty. My Conftitution almost forces me to marry, and yet my Circumstances forbid, and yet if I do not marry this Woman or fome other, I shall be perpetually in danger: for my Kindness to the Fair Sex is-fo interwoven with my Conftitution, as I can hardly converfe with any of them without fuch Thoughts as are infinitely perplexing to one, who would fain bring not only his Actions, but his Thoughts, under the Rules of Virtue and Religion. And how can he be a fit Candidate for the Miniftry, who is thus overrun by his diforder'd Paffions? Since my last, the young Lady here at home very induftriously flies me; whether it be a piece of female Cunning to draw me on, I cannot tell, and do not much care: for now I am for keeping Lucinda, and cannot hear of parting with her. But this very day, after a whole night's Confideration, I thought I had quite conquer'd my Paffion, both for one and the other, and went to Town this afternoon fully refolv'd to propofe a mutual Release; but as I was going, all on the fudden my Mind alter'd, and I must love her whatever come on it: but how long I shall continue in this, I cannot tell.

POSTSCRIPT..

I have expos'd my Weakness to your Confideration with fo great plainness, that 1 hould almost die with fhame should I be difcover'd.

I fhall go no further at prefent, but must leave off like a Lover, that is, always with fomething else to say (tho this is a Head that fince my Captivity I have blotted many Quires of Paper about) and fum up the Evidence with that incomparable Defcription of an irrefolute Lover, by our English Rapin, Mr. Rymer, in bis English Monarch,

26.

I chufe, repent; refuse, and chufe again:
This Pulfe beats Love, the next a cold Difdain:

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I contradict before I fully fpeak,

And e'er half bent, my Refolutions break.
Each fair Design I ruin in the bud;

Then, only what I had condemn'd, think good;
No fooner in my Breaft a Thought can rife,
But others fpring, and catch it as it flies.
So hot's my Head, whatever enters there,
But whizzes, and ftrait vanishes to Air.
If ought more tough to an Opinion grows,
Away that Bubble, the firft Whisper blows.
My Soul is perfect Difcord; Chance, not Skill,
My Choice, and but the Shadow of a Will:
Dreams are more real: To this Point I fail,
But veer again with the next breathing Gale:
Whilft a new Calenture my Senfe does mock;
For every Courfe I fleer prefents a Rock.

If this poor Gentleman is worth faving, refufe him not your timely Affifiance; perhaps afterwards he may think of fomething that may make amends for all this Trouble. Do not think me dishonest, beçaufe I have faid I would be virtuous were it not for Love: 'tis fillily exprefs'd, I confefs it; but I mean no more than being free from idle and extravagant Thoughts and Defires: for as to any thing elfe, Iabhor even thefe Thoughts of it.

Anfw We have thought fit to publish this whole Tran fcript, fince we are certain that Subjects are not fo much regarded by the Ingenious, as the Matter whereof the Sub. jects are compos'd. Tho' we fee little reafon for fuch an Apology; fince, as the Dictator has well oblerv'd, we are oblig'd to affift and relieve the Af flicted, as well as fatisfy the Curious. If we might be allow'd to make Remarks, as well as affill with Our Advice, we would tell the World (and perhaps the Fair Cruel One may hear

and think amongst the reft)
that the whole does not only
carry along with it a Demon-
ftration of Sincerity, but also
a great fhare of Judgment,
Wit, and Sweetness of Tem-
per, an uncommon Accomplish-
ment in this Age; and 'twould
be a fevere Treatment (and a
Difcouragement to fuch Ver-
tues for the future) neither to
remedy the Subject of their
Unhappinefs by Act, nor feek
to divert it by Counfel.
readily confefs, that if our
Querit's Judgment was
byafs'd and prejudic'd by Paf-
fion, he needed not confult any
other Oracle but his own Rea-
fon; but till that has finish'd
its Labours, either by attain-
ing its end, or by a Con-
quest of its own Disorders, we
offer,

We

not

we are

That we are oblig'd to Opinion for above three quarters of our Unhappiness : unhappy, poor, c. because we think fo; when upon a ftrict Inquifition into the nature of things, we find all but

If that who fecures himself of the Providence of God by an induftrious honeft Endeavour after it. But we have only brought thefe Arguments for the use of the Querift, and every body elfe, who are or may be reduc'd to mean Circumftances in the World, to undeceive 'em as to their imaginary Misfortunes.

a Chimera and a Dream. we ask'd our felves this Quef tion, What is the End of every thing we propose to our felves? we should anfwer, Happiness. Now the Question recurs, How Shall we know when we are happy? To which we answer, By acting agreeably to the Dictates of right Reafon, not of Opinion. Twill not be amifs to obferve what the Ingenious Mr. Boyle has laid down for diftinguishing the Degrees of Cold; to wit, not according to the common way, because we are more or lefs cold: fince the Conftitution of our Bodies, the Seafon, &c. may make Cold more or lefs fenfible to us at one time than at another, when as it is not really fo in its own nature. Therefore he was for prefcribing a certain Method, which depended not upon the Senfes, but upon mechanical Demonftrations. The Cafe is parallel: I am not poor, nor defpicable, because I appear little in the eyes of others; but I am poor, when I think my felf fo, or more properly to keep up the Parallel, when I want the poffeffion of Virtue, and other fuch Qualifications; which, if abfent, would render me void of the effential part of my Happiness, to wit, an Agreeableness to the Dignity of Human Nature. 'I would be too long to expatiate upon particulars; only this we fhall add, That no body can be poor or unhappy as to this World (which is chiefly fuppos'd in this Cafe) who has what is neceffary for a daily Subfiftence; and no body can be depriv'd of

But fince this Cafe may be of general ufe to the Publick, we fhall further confider it as a Parallel with Mr. Boyle's Obfervation ; to wit, that our Senfes are not the proper Judge of Cold.

We are not fit Arbitrators of the nature of our own Paffions, and particularly this of Love. We are of· opinion, tho' we could wish our felves mistaken, that never any Perfon had fuch an eftimate of his Love, and the Effects of it, as he afterwards found; but we fpeak not this to difcourage any one's Pretenfions that way, believing that where there is Virtue, an Agreeableness of Temper, and Competency of Subfiftence, 'tis the greatest worldly Happiness that Human Nature is capable of. The Misfortunes of it are owing to our felves; fuch, as expecting Impoffibilities, acting inconfiderately, not difcovering to each other beforehand the worst that must be known afterwards; with a thousand more Inconveniencies, which are more eafy in their Expectation and Preparatives against 'em, than in a fudden. unlook'd for Shock or Surprizal.----As for any further Advice that our Querift may exL 4

pect

pect from us, we refer him to thofe Papers he has already mention'd; believing that he will find himself already fully aníwer'd there.

Queft. Why are Ofiers smooth one year, and rough another fucceffively?

Anjw. 'Tis a miftake; they are only smooth the first year, and every fuccceding year grow rougher, by reason that the Spring affords new Juice for a new Formation.

Queft. Whence have we our Opium? Whether is it hot or cold? If hot, why Narcotick (or stupifying) If cold, why Sudorifick (or procuring Sweat?) Let it be what it will, how comes it to have that deference for those animal Spirits that are requir'd for the Motion of the Heart and for Refpiration, as very often to spare'em, whilst it feizes the others that communicate with the Organs of the external Senfe<?

Anfw. Opium is but the Tear that diftils from Poppies, which at certain times in the Year have incifions made in 'em for 'that end. We have it from Greece, Cabaia in the Eaft Indies, and Grand Cairo in Egypt. No one has ever ask'd, whether Opium be hot or cold, for fome Ages; the Opinion of the Antients about its being cold having been for a long time exploded, fince upon experiment it's found to be inflammable, bitter and fulphureous, and of all Narcoticks it has the finest Sulphur; that of Henbane, Hemlock and Mandrake, being more impure and grofs, and confequently more injurious, even fometimes to Fatality it felf. Opium is primarily

Hypnotick, whereas other Angdyne Sulphurs are but fo by accident, as that of Metals, Minerals, and that which lodges in Native Cinnabar. The reason why Treacle and Mithridate provoke Sweat, is from the Opium that is in 'em; for if thofe Eleétuaries are prepar’d_without it, they have not that effect, as we find by the Experiments of the Learned Wallaus, p. 61. Add to this, that Narcoticks have in 'em a volatile Salt, as Opium and Saffron, from whence arifes the proper reafon of their Refolution in the Stomach, when given in Emulfions, Spirit of Wine, Brandy, &c. The Salt is left behind, whilft the fulphureous Effluvia are convey'd to, and circulate with the Blood: If apply'd outwardly, and worn for 24 hours together, it only works by demulcing and mollifying, not by ftupifying; taken inwardly, it particularly affects the nervous Parts, and acts both by demulcing, digefting, mollifying, c. as alfo by ftupifying or fixing the animal Spirits, by ftopping up their fmall Paffages into the Brain, as alfo their Influx into the Nerves, whereby the Archeus of Nature becomes lax, inactive and drowsy. The reafon why it affects not those Spirits which ferve for Refpiration, Pulfation, and the Motion of the Heart, whilst the other are ftagnated, is because the Dofe ufually prefcrib'd is hut barely enough to affect the firft fmall Paffages it meets with, and fo ftupifies the Senfes;

whereas a large Dofe

would

would reach to the Cerebellum, where the Par Octavum has its rife; the dependant Channels of which being obftructed, there enfues a univerfal Narcofis, or Stupefaction, and by confequence Death.

Queft. What's the original Caufe of the Gout?

Anf The Gout is the Product of Excefs and Irregularities, especially in drinking fome French Wines, and other fort of Liquors that are faline and a cid; which appears by their fettling in Casks. This Salfitude and Sharpness causes a

Pungency and Pains in making its way to the Pores, where Nature would eject it; and it has been often known to break out in the fingers ends, in a dry calceous or limy Subftance. 'Tis hereditary fometimes, and fomething like it is caus'd by exceffive Heats and Colds. I knew a great Lady, who in thirty years fcarce ever us'd her Hands, by reason of the Gout; but being reduc'd by Misfortunes to a mean Condition,

an abftemious forc'd Diet perfectly freed her from the Companion of her Exceffes.

A Scheme of Inquiries propos'd to all Ingenious Gentlemen, and other Inquifitive Perfons, containing Inftructions in order to form a Body of the Natural, Artificial, and Civil Hiftory of England and Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, with the Foreign Plantations thereunto belonging.

I. In the Regions of the Air.

WHAT Appearances or

Lights, Globes or Balls of Fire, Beams or Pyramids of Flame, Lights hovering on the Earth, or Flakes rifing out, have you at any time feen? Where they moft appear? What the Nature of that Soil, and that of the adjacent Places? Whether any known Minerals there? Of what kind, or how far diftant they are dug?

What ftrange or unaccountable Noifes ? Whether conftant, or only at fome certain feafon ? What Quarter the Winds then are in, or how the

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What Tempests, Storms, Thunder, Lightning have been in any parts, and what Mifchief or Damage have they done? What Colours are moit ufual in your Lightnings? you have any certain Obferva

If

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