which, fee the Tranfactions of the Royal Society) the Covers whereof are prefs'd down by the Ponderofity of the Water, which preffes fo hard upon the Eye-lid, whofe Springs are but Imall and weak, that 'tis impof fible for it to raise it self against it. As for the Perfon's not being able to fhut his Eyes under Water, we might fay, 'twas the Water got in between the Lids, which hinder'd the Under-Lid from rifing, and joining the Upper; without which 'tis impoffible to fhut the Eye. And here would be a very fair Account of the Bufinefs. But the Mif chief is, that all this while there is not one Word of the Matter of Fact true; and fo there's an End of a fine Hypothefis :For, let any one make the Experiment, as he may eafily do in a Bafon of Water, (much more effectually than Sir Nicholas's learning to fwim on the Table-Board) and he'll find that he may either put his Eyes shut under Water, and open 'em there; or fhut them afterwards, when he puts them under, open; nay, open and fhut 'em as often as he pleases. Q. Why the River Save at Belgrade runs flower at Mid-day and Mid-night, than at other Times, the Caufe being neither Reflux nor Stop of Current by Wind, or otherwife? And why the faid River and the Danube run together, as by Experience they are found to do, and yet their Waters not mix, the Da nube running uppermoft, and the Save under, feeing 'tis not in the leaft unctious? YOL. III. A. Thefe would feem two very great Wonders, if the Querift had not been fo kind to quote his Author: He tells us, he had 'em out of Sir H. B's Voyage into the Levant; which being well confider'd, we believe there is very few Readers will expect any further Anfwer.- Only, as to the latter of the two, this may be obferv'd out of Dr. Burnet's Letters, that the Story of the River paffing through the Lake Lemain, in the fame nanner these two are faid to run, without mixing, is a perfect Fable.By which, if there were any need, we might give a good Guefs at the Truth of the other, without going so far to difprove it. Q. What's the Reafen that the greatest Wits are generally S.ts? A. Because there's no great Wit, as the Proverb has it, without a Mixture of Madness; that is, -thofe People who in this Age have refolv'd to be call'd Wits, are fuch as have vaft Fancies, which perhaps even without their fo much indulging and giving them the Reins, would be too strong for their Reafon; but that being done, whereas they ought rather to take the Counsel of Phebus to his young HotBrains. Parce puer Stimulis, & fer tius utere loris. They grow entirely Masters,run away with the poor Wits, as thofe Fiery-mouth'd Fades did with Phaeton, and throw them headlong into the greatest Extravagances and when C 2 they they have spent their Spirits Q. If any thing Temporal may A. Yes, what we give away for the Relief of the Brave and my Garden full of Kittens, and when she was a dying, the Kit- tens cry'd within her. I demand A. We have had this Quef- a diverting Point, I fhall fur- Fact we eafily believe, the fame Accident having fometimes hap- that there is Air in the Body, this you'll fay, is, not to talk would it be very civil to do fo, Q. Why Should a Blockhead Bays his laft Play, as Bays him- Things there from Taffo's Poem Blockhead to make a Parfon of, has railed at them all with or But let the Wit be whose 'twill, Q. How long do you intend A. As long as fuch Questi- Q. Thomas 1 Q. Thomas Knowles, a Widower has a Son named John Knowles a Bachelor. Anne Brown, a Widow, has a Daughter named Sarah Brown, a Spinfter. Thomas Knowles the Father? And has by her intermarries with one Son named Sarah Brown the Daughter ; one John Knowles the Son in-7 And bas by her Anne Brown the Mother; • one Son named. Richard. Peter. Or, for the better understanding the Quefton, take the following Scheme. Father. Tho. Knowles. Son. Knowles. Mother Anne Brown. Peter Knowles. Q. What is the Degree of Kindred between these two, viz. Peter and Richard; and what is the Denomination of that Degree? C 3 Daughter. Sarab Brown. Tho. Knowles. A. We A. We meet not with any fuch Inftances in Tables of Affinity, nor have we a Denomination particularly for fuch a Relation: It comes near to that of Coufins of the firit Blood, the Relation of a Father and a Son being nearest to that of two Brothers, as alfo a Mother and a Daughter, as two Sifters, confequently their Iffue nearest to the Relation of Brothers and Sifters Children This is an odd Sort of an inverted Affinity, for the Son is hereby made Father to his own Father and his Mother-in-Law, and the Daughter is made a Mother to her own Mother and Father-in-Law. If the Question had been continued, Whether the Mother or Daughter ought to take Place? We had anfwer'd, The Law of GOD and Nature must certainly fubje&t the Child to its Parent, notwithstanding any fuperin duc'd Civil Law, or Law of Marriage, which in this Cafe is yet more obliging than any we have met with for the Woman always lofes her Name, and is more properly married into the Man, than the Man into her, (Woman being made for Man) fo that perhaps not improperly, according to this laft Law, we may conclude, that both Mother and Daughter having loft their Names, and naturaliz'd into New Stocks, they muft, according to the Civil Law, reckon their Prehemi nence from the Stock into which they are ingrafted; but the Daughter having married the Father, who is to be preferr'd to the Son, fhe upon the a forefaid Reasons must take place of her Mother, or her Hus band lofe his Place But we mention not this to encourage Undutifulness, which the Law of GOD will not dif penfe with, altho' even in fuch an Invafion it will dispense with the aforefaid unnatural Order in Civil Preheminences, which, without a due Difcretion, may be an unhappy Novel of Temptation. Q. Where the Romish Infalli hility refides during the Vacancy of the Papal Chair? [This was propos'd and answer'd before the left Choice was finish'd.] A. Not in the Popefor the laft is in Purgatory, and his Succeffor not yet in Being. Not in a General Council, for there is now no fuch thing;not in Pope and General Council together, because there's neither of 'em in Nature afunder: Not in the Univerfal particular of the Roman-catholick Church, for the eldest Son of it, the most Christian King, is as good as turn'd Turk, and worie than all that, is fo ungracious, to call his Mother Whore. Not in the Cardinals, for then poor Infallibility would be torn all to Pieces- -there would be French Infallibility against Spanish Infallibility, and the Zealots Infallibility at Daggers drawing with both.-Things being in this Posture, we think it very dangerous to interpofe in fuch a Battle - Royal of Creeds, left they should all agree and fall upon us for Meddlers; however thus much we'll venture to fay, tho' they fhould threaten us with the. H. Inquifition it felf, that whenever the poor Spitch-Cockt Fathers agree where to place this rambling Infallibility, it must be either K. Lewis's Gold or K. William's Sword will have the cafting Voice. Q. I find reported in a Hifto1y, that Eneas liv'd in the Days of Abdon Judge of Ifrael, in the Tear of the World, 2790, and that Dido was Grandaugh ter to Ethbaal K. of Sidon and Tyre, whofe Daughter Jezabel was married to K. Ahab; fo that by this Eneas must have lived long before Dido, and all the Hiftorians and Poets fabu. lous, in what they relate of their Acquaintance and Amours; whether of the Two is more probable? Howe mány Years before. Q. Why the Jews made their Idols in the Shape of a Calf, rather than any other Bealt A. No doubt they learnt in Egypt, where the Worship of an Ox or Calf was notoriously practifed. Q. Whether Aaron receiv'd the Ear-rings and Bracelets of the Children of Ifrael, and made the Calf of them, of real Gold? And if fo, by what Means did Mofes burn it, and reduce it to Athes? A. 'Tis not faid in any Tranflation that we ever yet faw, that the Calf was reduc'd to Alhes: It was indeed burnt, or thrown into the Fire, and melted out of that Form and Shape whereunto Aaron had reduced it; and then, 4. The beft Chronologers and Historians on this Queftion inform us That Ethobaal, or Ithobaal, or Futhobaal (for by all thofe Names he is call'd) had a Grandion, whofe as our Tranflation has it, fiamp'd Name was Metimus, who had to Powder; that is, ground or two Sons, Pygmalion and Bar- filed it as fmall as poffible, and ca, and two Daughters, Eliza fo ftrewed it upon the Water; or Dide, and Anna. That Pyg- when as the Jews fay, by the malion having murder'd Sichaus, drinking thereof, the Bellies of Did's Husband, for the Sake thofe who had been guilty of of his Treasure, as Juftin and Idolatry immediately well'd, others tell us, Dido in the and their Faces were difcolour'd, feventh Year of his Reign fail- much as in the Cafe of the ed into Africk, and built Car- Waters of Jealousy, and therethage, which happened by Com. by were discovered to the Leputation an Hundred Forty vites. The Hebrew makes it Et ויטחן עד אשרד .Two Years after the building plain Contrivit eum mi of Solomon's Temple, which moluit ufque quo comminuit. was about fome Two Hundred The Septuagint much to the Eighty Nine Years after the fame Purpole, Κατέλεσεν αυτὸν Destruction of Trey, when AETTO, λεπτὸν, Eneas was in a bad Condition nutim, -Ground it very fmall: to make a Lover of, for he muft The Syriack Version, have been rotten in his Grave mavit eum Lima, quoad commi C 4 Li. nuttus |