SOLUTION TO QUERY II.

BY BEN. ROW.

Take three bits of lead and hang to the ends of three horse-hairs, and to the end of one of the hairs make a double loop which may hang on each fide of the fulerum of the ballance; and to the two ends of the beam tie the other two hairs, into the loops where the fcales fhould hang; draw a line horizontally against the wainscot, and hold up the beam above the line, and the three hairs will hang exactly perpendicular and parallel to each other; then with your pen make a dot exactly behind each hair, or ftick a pin as it were through each in the horizontal line: then if your three dots are equidiftant from each other (tried by a pair of compaffes) your beam is juft, otherwise not.

N. B. One of the arms lengthened

half as much more--One pound will weigh ten. Lengthened one quarter, one pound will weigh five. quarter, one pound will weigh twọ and a half.

III. ANSWERED,

Half a

BY MR. W. HARDY, NEWARK.

The difference between the fum and difference of any two numbers, will always be double the leaft number,

Scacco Talagliacozza, in his treatise Di Mefchalzia, makes the breaking of a bone in a horfe's leg the fubject of a whole chapter, and delivers the methods of cure which is alfo defcribed by Signor Carlo Ruini, in the fixteenth chapter of the fixth book: and 'tis evident they were both of opinion, that the broken bones of a horfe might be re-united and confolidated. I have in

ferted this paragraph nearly verbatim from the fecond volume of the Dictionarium Rufticum, as tending to elucidate the fubject. It cannot therefore, if it really was impoffible (which it is clearly proved not to be) arife from the ablence of the medullary fubitance, fince the fluidity of it is the common objection it is therefore moit probable that the difficulty of the cure makes to few people try, that it is generally reckoned impoffible.

;

What reafon can be affigned for the fear the lion is faid to betray at the fight of a cock?

INTRODUCTION.

Qai manu mnium hominum figna p fuit, ut cognofcerent opera ejus finguli.

Job. xxxvii. 7. HOMER, the greatest poet and divine of the Greeks, according to Blackwell, wrote a complete treatife upon the lines of the hand, but unfortunately this curiofity, like many others, has not reached our hands, having been deftroyed by the injuries of time. A modern theorist has lately advanced the doctrine of phyfiognomy, and fhewn it's indicative direction of the paffionate affections of the mind with clearness and precifion. But the ancient fcience of manual divination, according to true aftral influence, has long flumbered amongst the lumber of neglected volumes, elteemed by many inore curious than useful.

a

Early in the fixteenth century, learned French jefuit published a Latin treatife on this fubject, but it was too much tinctured with the fuperftitions of his communion to prevail beyond the pale of a Romifh faith. The feventeenth century, which may with propriety be deemed the age of wonders, faw fome geniuses rife which have not been fince equalled in learning and induftry. Dr. Rothman compofed a compleat piece upon this art in Latin, which has fince been tranflated by George Wharton, and is ufually found at the end of his works. About the fame time the learned Dr. Saunders produced his

efteemed work upon Chiromancy and Palmistry, the latter of which fubjects he abridged and published in a small octavo volume, a work which is now very scarce.

Partridge, the famous almanack maker and aftrologer, at the beginning of the prefent century prefented the world with a judicious abridgment of what every preceding writer had obferved upon this head. His book, which is very rare, and feldom found upon fale, will form the bafis of what we fhall hereafter detail upon this fcience, and of which, this must be confidered but as the prelude. Some MS. papers that were left by the late Mr. W. Salmon, and which are now before us, will enable us to make fome new and judicious obfervations upon Palmistry, which even the feverest critic muft allow to be founded in reason.

Though this fcience has been much and long abused by a set of dusky impoftors called Gipfies, who have made it a pretext to pick the pockets of the unwary, we can aver there are many found arguments adduced in the works of the foreign learned world in fupport of the more than fhadow of truth of this fcience. The Greeks, who borrowed all their knowledge from the Egyptians, and the Romans who received their's at their hands, have left various writings, in which it is very plain that Palmistry was in high repute among their priests and augurs.

100

To know by figns to judge the turns of fate,
Is greater than to fill the feats or fate;
The ruling ftars above by fecret laws,
Determine fortune in her fe cod caufe;
These are a book wherein we all may read,
And all thould know who with here to fucceed;
What corre pondent figns in man difplay,
His future actions-pint his devious way,
E'en in his hand a leffon he may learn,
The prefent, paft and future to difcern,
Correct his fteps, improve the hours of life,
And, thunning error, live devoid of ftrife.

M. Manlius in his Preface to Aug Cæfar.

CHAPTER 1.

PALMISTRY, or, as fome call it, Chiromancy, (the first being derived from the Latin, and the last from the Greek) is the art of knowing the difpofition, inclination, temper, good and bad fortune, &c. of any perfon by the lines or fignatures of the hands.

To render this art more plain and intelligible, the reader muft neceffarily know, that as there are feven planets, or wandering ftars, which have great influence over all fublunary bodies in general, fo likewife they have their material and fignificant pofition in the hands of every perfon. These planets are characterized, or marked thus, viz.

1 The table line, or line of fortune.
2 The middle natural line.

3 The line of life, or of the heart..
4 The line of the liver or ftomach.
5 The fifter-line of the line of life.
6 The percuffion of the hand.

7 The wrift. Of thefe lines four only are principal.

It is abfolutely neceffary to know and diftinguifh thefe lines from each other, and before we come to an explanation thereof, we fhall give a defcription of

the hand.

Anatomifts divide the hand into three parts, viz. the wrift, the body of the hand, and the fingers: but in palmistry, the first of these three parts is called the palm, or plain of Mars; the fecond is called the hollow of the hand, which extends from the extremity of the other fide of the thumb towards the little finger, which in palmistry is called the mount of the hand, or of the moon; the third is the five fingers, noted by their names thus: viz. Pollex, Index, Medius, Annularis, Auricularis. The Pollex or thumb, being the firft, greateft, and ftrongeft, is dedicated to Venus, and marked thus, ; the next is called Index or fore-finger, because we generally make use of it when we point at any thing, and this finger is attributed to Jupiter, with this character, 24; the Medius, or middle-finger, is fo called, because it is placed in the middle of the reft, and is dedicated to Saturn, and has this mark ; the Annularis, or ring-finger, is fo called, becaufe a ring is generally worn upon it, and is dedicated to the Sun, with this mark O; the Auricularis, which we call the little-finger, had this name given to it by the Romans, because it is generally used in picking the ears, and is attributed to Mercury, with this characteristic ☀.

Now every one of these fingers have certain rifings at their roots and bafes, which in palmiftry are called Mounts, and attributed to the planets; to which is added that vifible flesh which is, and belongs to the percullion of the hand.

The