Daphne. Without the leaft Reluctance, all below, By Silver Streams through blissful Shades they ròve, There all the fmiling Year is cloth'd with Green, There the wing'd Choir in Loud and Artful Strains And there when Death fhall stop his noble Race, -Face. But now farewel, my latest Sands are run, Not Death's grim Looks affright me, tho' fo near; She's gone, Philomela, fhe's gone; ny dear Companion's gone, And left me in this defert World alone; Unforc'd her beauteous Soul has took its Flight, More blind than Dove or Chance, relentless Death, Fate -cut my Thread, I not the Lofs furvive. Alas! why rifes the unwelcome Sun ? There's nothing worth our Sight, fince Daphne's gone. Whom Grief has wrapt in fo condens'd a Shade, VOL IH. N 2 } منة Yet Yet could the Gentle Fair but fee me mourn, For ah ! depriv'd, my dearer Life, of thee, No more the Nobleft Height of Friendship prove. Mourn all ye Groves and Streams, Mourn every thing,' Tune, Shepherds, tune your Pipes to mournful Strains ; For Daphne's dead, for the lov'd Nymph is gone. Q. Tour answer is humbly defired to the following Questions, Ifhall relate the most material Circumftances of the Cafe which are as follows. My Wife was Prudent, Wife, and Virtuous, her Mind and Perfon agreeable: But he had a Friend and Companion of an intire Virtue, perfectly well accomplished, with all the good Qualifications of her Sex; Pious, Wife, Prudent, Pleasant, and very Witty; unknown to her, and in Oppofition to my own Reafon, The obtained my particular Efteem, with a great fhare of the Affection which was due to my Wife; Yet this Incomparable Woman no fooner understood my Esteem and Inclination for her, but the retired from my Wife, went into a far Country to avoid what might prove hurtful to mine, and her own Reputation. This honourable, as well as Innocent Retreat, almost broke my Heart, and made me the uneasiest Man alive, till I had an Opportu- from per bid me to marry her, and bid me marry another Women. Q. 1. Whether or no I am ob liged to perform my Vows in Favour of her, who is the best Woman alive: Or to obey the Dictates of my Friends, Chil dren, and Neceffities of my Family, and other Affairs, and marry another Woman? Q. 2. What Power I had to make fuch a Promife whilst my other Wife was living? But feeing I have vowed, sworn, and promifed without Constraint, and now in Condition to perform; am 1 in Conscience obliged or not, to marry this Gentlewoman? Or may I, falva Confcientia, marry another? I love her ftill extreamly, and fhe is still as indifferent, and continues virtuous and lovely. A. 1. Poor Man: Your Cafe is deplorable, being even overcome with the mighty Grief and Affliction for the Lofs of a Wife: Nay, and fuch a good Wife too, whofe good Graces were fo prevalent o'er you, that you had fcarce the Power fo much as once to think upon another whilft fhe lived; but it feems the being gone the Way of all Flefh, you find it expedient to noofe again, knowing your felf of fuch a conftant Temper that nothing can divert your Love where once fix'd. Well then, we'll give our Confent; but advise you, if you intend ftill to have the Pleasure of admiring your incomparable Lady, not to marry her; for being once your own, fhe'll foon lofe all her Merit, and become the fame dull infipid thing as your former Wife. As for your Doubt, whether you are obliged to it in Confcience, we believe fcarcely without her Confent, and if she's that wife Thing you report her to be, fhe'll not eafily venture on a Man who cou'd violate his Duty to his first Wife, tho' he had fo many Obligations to preferve him in it. Befides, in this Matter you must confult your own Affairs, and neither ruin her, your self, nor Children. A. 2. Such Promises are foo.. lifh (if not unlawful) because a Perfon is not certain he shall ever be in a Capacity to perform them; and it is almost impoffible he fhou'd not wish the Death of thofe Perfons who hinder him from it; yet being once made, we believe 'em obligatory, and can only become void by a mutual Confent, if interchangeably made; but if only on one Side, the other Party's refufing leaves them at Liberty. Tho' if you still love this Woman, and your Circumftances forbid the Match, you'll do both your felf, and any other Woman, an Injustice to marry her; and therefore ought to remain as you are till either your Affairs will agree with your Love, or your Love fubmit to your Affairs. Q. What is the Nature and Uses of Copper, Brafs, and Iron, and where found? A. Copper is found in the North-Eaft Parts about the Sound; where being plentiful, 'tis ufed as we use Lead, for Pipes and Coverings of Houfes: But in remoter Parts for Veffels, great Boilers, Furnaces, N 3 Kettles, Kettles, Boxes, and Cups, &c. Iron is one of the most ufeful and neceffary Metals we have, because all Tools for Work, conducing to the Life and Happiness of Men, are made of it; its Hardness makes it fit to receive and retain an Edge and Point. The Neceffity of it further appears in thofe Inventions Men have contrived to fupply its Defect, the ufing of fharp Flints, Fish Bones, &c. Amongst the Americans and Africans, to this Day, Exchange is made of Gold for it almoft of equal Weight; and to fhew the great Efteem and Value they put upon it, they wear it for an Ornament, as we do Gold, about the Neck and Arms: Amongst the Oar of Iron is found the admirable Magnet, which is fo congenial to this Metal, that it draws it to its felf, and directs it to the North, a Mystery in Nature not only of great Ufe in Navigation, but of that Subtilty and Sublimity, as well deferves our Confideration; and except the Light of the Heavens, and alimentary Surface of the Earth, we receive more Advantages from Iron than any other Body whatever. Iron, when first melted, runs into Molds, and makes Veffels, Guns, &c. But afterwards, being hard ned, becomes more tough, elaftick, and fpringy; if highly concocted in Fire without melting, (as alfo by Hammering) it becomes Steel. When firft beaten into thin Plates and washed over with Tin, it is called Lat-tin. With Brimstone it will melt and calcine for Medicine, and give the Tincture of Glafs Black. Q. How is the Compofition of Metals made, and what is that which is called Middle-Mineral ? A. The Compofition of them, is the mixing of divers Simples either with pure Metal, (as Lead and Tin for Pewter) or with fome Mineral, (as Copper with Lapis Calaminaris for Brass) Brafs) Iron, Antimony, and other Metals (except Lead) for Bell-Metal. And many other Mixtures for various Ufes may be made, as Occafions require, or the Artist pleases. So in Spilter Alcbimy, Metalline Glaffes or Speculums, Printing-Letters, and the like; whatever is made by these Mixtures is ftiff, hard, brittle and apt to vibrate (or ring, tho' what is compofed by the Founders may again be analyfed and refolved by the Refiner. Middle-Mineral is neither wholly Stone or Metal, but partakes fomething of both, as being generally fufile but not ductile; fuch are Salt, Sulphur, Quickfilver, and its Arfenick, Foffile, Allom, Antimony, Marcafite (or Mundick,) and its Vitriol abstracted from it, Tin-Glafs, Calamy, (or Lapis Calaminaris) &c. All which are an imperfe& Sort of Me. tal or Mineral. Q. What is the Reafon of the Macula in the Body of the Sun, and why are they not Jeen as frequently now as formerly, in the Time of Galileus, Hevelius, and Scheinerus. For Dr. Twifden tells us, he took several Obfervations, but cou'd never difcover any but once; and I have been very diligent my felf in making Obfervations for the fame ReaJon, but with the fame or worse Success, for I cou'd never find any. A. The Body of the Sun feems to be either one Great Vulcan, whence, as Dionyfius expreffes it, "Had opsy xτας αειφωνές εκκέχυται πυρ; Or elle to confift of innunierable leffer Vulcans, ebbing and flowing, fometimes perhaps breaking one into another, at others overflowing and running out in Streams of Liquid Fire, as Ætna frequently does in its Eruptions: Nor is't any wonder that the Matter fhould not be confumed in the Tract of fo many Tears, fince he who first lighted up that great Lamp, was no doubt, able to fupply it with Food fufficient for the Time he had defign'd it should burn. There having been, it's not improbable, fome Mountains even on our Globe, which may have burnt ever fince the World began, at least we have Accounts of 'em for Thousands of Years, and yet fad Experience tells their Neighbours, that their Matter is far enough from being yet confum'd. Now where there's fo much Fire, what wonder there fhou'd be fome Smoke, or at the least that the fides of fome deep Caverns (perhaps the Cups of the Vulcans) Thou'd appear Dark and Black at fuch a Distance, either of which may be the Occafion of thofe Spots which we difcover in that glorious Body; which being thus accidental, they must confequently increase, or decrease, or quite difappear, according to the Alteration, different Difpofition, or Consumption of the Matter that caus'd them. Hence it may be easily accounted for; why they are feen fometimes. and not at others; nay it's very likely in one Place, and not in another, according to the different Pofition of the Smoke or Flames, or the Parts of the Body of that N4 Lumi |