Page images
PDF
EPUB

LIVES OF EMINENT MAGICIANS, &c.

A GREEK ASTRONOMER.

CLAUDIUS PTOLEMY, a celebrated mathematician of Pelufium, near the city of Alexandria, flourished under the emperors Adrian and Marcus Aurelius, towards the year A. C. 138. According to his theory in his fyftem of the world, he places the earth in the centre of the univerfe. He wrote a treatife on geography, which is a very neceflary work to understand the extent of the ancient world. The firft charts that Ger. Mercator drew were for this book. He wrote a prodigious deal upon Aftronomy and Chronology; the principal of which is his Alanagefe, or Compofitio Megna, wherein is found a catalogue of 022 ftars, and of which the latitude and longitude are determined. In this work he demonfirates the motion of the fixed ftars. His Harmoricorum, or Syftem of the World, has been adopted by the learned, as the true theory of mundane motion for many ages, and was only abandoned to introduce the more rational and more accountable scheme of Copernicus. He is celebrated in the fcience of Aftral infpection, for his book intitled the Quadripartite, a work confifting of canons or rules for understanding the true fiderial influx of the ftars. This work has been tranflated into English, but we cannot fay in a manner to do honour either to the original and learned author, or his tranflator. The moft correct and complete edition of Ptolemy's works in Latin, is that of Bafil, in folio, in 1551. Little progrefs was made in aftronomy from the time of Hipparchus to Ptolemy's, and though the principles on which his fyftem was founded, has been found VOL. I:

to be erroneous, his works will always be valuable, on account of the number of ancient obfervations they contain.

A TRANSLATOR.

PHILEMON Holland, commonly called "The Tranflator General of the Age," was educated in the univerfity of Cambridge. He was, for many years, a fchool-mafter at Coventry, where he practifed phyfic and aftrology. He tranflated Livy, Pliny's Natural History, Plutarch's Morals, Suetonius, Ammianus Marcellinus, Xenophon's Cyropædia, and Camden's Britannia, into English, and the geographical part of Speed's Theatre of Great Britain, into Latin. The Britannia, to which he made many ufeful additions, was the most valuable of his/ works. It is furprifing that a man of two profeffions could find time tranflate fo much; but it appears from the date of the Cyropedia, that he continued to tranflate till he was eighty years of age. Ob. 1636, Et. 85.

to

He made the following epigram upon writing a large folio with a fingle pen.

With one fole pen I writ this book,
Made of a grey goofe quill,
A pen it was when it I took,

And a pen I leave it ftill,

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

Philemond Holland was the most voluminous tranflator that ever exifted. It is true, he understood no language but English and French, and his flyle is exceffively poor, as well as his performance unfaithful; but it is inconceivable of what fervice his performances were to the English language, They gave his readers the fenfe and fentiments of the ancients; and though I am far from thinking Shakespeare was deftitute of a competent knowledge of the learned languages, yet it is impoffible he could have acquired the amazing knowledge he discovers of the history and manners of antiquity, withut the medium of translations.

MARQUIS OF WORCESTER,

EDWARD Somerfet, Marquis of Worcester, was a zealous catholic, and a man of courage and enterprise; was much in the favour of Charles, who difpatched him into Ireland to treat with the rebels of that kingdom, and engage them in his fervice, in oppofition to the parliament. The powers which were granted him were of fo extraordinary a nature, as to ftrike many of the royalists with aftonishment. Nothing but the desperate fituation of the king's affairs could juftify such a strange ftep. In 1663, he published a small book, intitled, "A Century of the "Names and Scantlings of fuch In"ventions as I can at prefent call to "mind to have tried and perfected, "which (my former notes being loft) "I have, at the instance of a powerful "friend, endeavoured now, in the year "1655, to fet thefe down in fuch a way as may fufficiently inftruct me "to put any of them in practice," At the conclufion he fays, " meaning to "leave pofterity a book, wherein, un"der each of thefe heads, the means

to put in execution, and visible trial, "all and every of thefe inventions, "with the fhape and form of all thefe "things by brafs plates." A practieal mathematician, who has quickness

to feize a hint, and fagacity to apply it might avail himself greatly of these fcantlings, though little more than a bare catalogue. Capt. Savery took from the Marquis, very probably, his hint of the steam engine; that of stopping a carriage inftantly by letting off the horses, may boast the same origin. As a mechanical genius, he was the greatest perhaps in the world. In a future number we mean to give his Scantlings,

A FRENCH MAGICIAN.

In

GRANDIER Urban, curate and canon of Loudun, was burnt for a magician. He was a good preacher, which was the reafon, fome people thought, that the monks of Loudun had a pique against him, which after, wards improved into a strong averfion upon his preffing the obligation that people were under to confess to the parfon of the parish at Easter. 1629, this Grandier was charged with keeping a fcandalous correfpondence with fome women; on this fcore he was deprived by the official of Poitiers, and put under penance, but appealing from this fentence, he was, by arreft of the parliament of Paris, remitted to the prefidial of Poitiers, where he was acquitted. Three years after the Urfuline nuns of Loudun were fuppofed to be poffeffed. Upon this, Grandier's enemies laid the poffeffion at his door, and informed against him for a wizzard. Now this conduct feems mighty odd to Monfieur Bayle; for, fays he, if they believed him capable of fending the Devil into human bodies, they ought to have been afraid to provoke him, for fear, left, inftead of one devil, he should have fent them twenty; but, under fayour, this fuppofition of Monfieur Bayle feems to infer, that the power of ill men is as great as their malice, and that the range of the devils is unli mitted and without controul, which are both mistakes,

Το

Sir George Wharton.

To return, the capuchins of Loudun went on with their information; and to make it pafs the better, they endeavoured to fortify themselves with the authority of Cardinal Richlieu; to this purpose they wrote to Father Jofeph, one of their fraternity, who had an intereft with his Eminence, giving him to understand that Grandier was the author of a libel entitled La Cordonniere de Loudon, which was very reflecting on the birth and perfon of the Cardinal: this great minifter, amongst abundance of good qualities, had, as Bayle reports, the infirmity of profecuting thofe that wrote libels against him with too much rigour; and thus being perfuaded that Grandier wrote the pamphlet above-mentioned, he got him brought to his trial in Auguft, 1634, and upon the depofition of the nuns, who named what devils they were poffeffed by, he was condemned by the court to make une amende honourable, and to be burnt at the stake, with magical characters about him, together with a manufcript written by him against the celibacy of priests. Grandier fuffered with great refolution, and with the behaviour of a chriftian. The poffeffion or pretended poffeffion of the nuns of Loudun continued a year after the death of Grandier. Menagius is clearly of opinion, that Grandier had hard measure, and that the poffeffion of these nuns was nothing but impofture and pretence; which is likewife confirmed by a book printed in Holland in 1693, called Hiftoire des Diables de Loudun.

A SOLDIER AND ASTROLOGER.

SIR George Wharton, a foldier and a poet, famous for his loyalty to Charles I. in whofe caufe he fuffered much and was long imprisoned; was born in Weltmoreland He spent the greateft part of his patrimony in the fervice of Charles I. for whom he raised a fine troop of horse, which he commanded in person, When he could no longer keep the field, he retired to his ftudies, which he pursued with uncommon application,

163

particularly that of aftrology; his progrefs in this art was fuitable to his paffion for it. He was author of almanacs, mercuries, and feveral astrological pieces: we are indebted to him for a chronological account of all the remarkable occurrences in the civil war, fince printed under the title of the Hiftorian's Guide, and much improved of late by Mr. Salmon in the Chronological Hiftorian. He had a knack of verfifying, which he used much in his aftrological works; thefe were well fuited to the enthusiasm of the times. Upon the Restoration he was appointed paymafter of the ordnance, and created a baronet, which fet him above the profeffion of an author. Died Auguft, 1681. His works were published by Gadbury, 8vo. 1683.

[blocks in formation]

HEVELIUS, or Hevelke, was a fenator of the eity of Dantzick, and for fome time held the honorable office of Echevin or confervator of the public edifices, &c. He was born in that city in 1611, and died in 1687. He purfued the ftudy of aftronomy with the greateit fuccefs. He was the first that obferved a kind of libration in the motion of the moon. He difcovered alfo feveral fixed stars, which he named "the firmament of Sobiefky" in honour of John Sobiefky, King of Poland. His name was celebrated throughout Europe. In the lift of his friends he numbered Gaffendus, Bouilland, Merfenne, Wallis, and Hook; but his friendship with the latter was broke of by a controverfy, in which his antagonist conducted himself with little moderation and po

tenefs. He was particularly honoured with the patronage of Lewis XIV. and of the great Colbert. The munificent monarch fent him a confiderable prefent, and, in the fequel, granted him a penfion.

Medals were truck to his honour, and two kings of Poland ho noured his obfervatory with their prefence. X2

APPA

164

Conflict between two Devils.

APPARITIONS, DREAMS, &c.

BLACK AND WHITE DEVILS.

THE following interefting particulars of a fingular apparition is related by Mr. Lackington, in his Life, lately published. In the workhoufe belong ing to the parish of St. James's, at Taunton in Somerfetfhire, there lived a young woman, who was naturally an ideot; this poor creature had fomehow a great averfion to fleeping in a bed, and at the ufual hour of reft, would often flip away to a field in the neigh bourhood, called the Priory, where she flept in the cow fheds.

In order to break her of this bad cuftom, two men agreed to endeavour if they could to frighten her out of it. Accordingly one night, when they knew that he was there, they took a white fheet with them, and coming to the place, one of the men concealed himself, to fee the event, while the other wrapped himfelf up in the fheet, and walked backwards and forwards clofe before the cow-fhed in which the was laid. It was fome time before Molly paid any attention to the apparition, but at last she got up, and looking out, exclaimed, "Ah! Ah!" said fhe, "A white devil!" And by her manner of expreffing herfelf, the thought, it was very ftrange to fee a white devil.

And foon after fhe exclaimed again in furprife," A black devil too”With that the man who had the fheet on, looking over his fhoulder, faw fairly the image of a perfon all over black, behind him, the fight of which made him take to his heels. Molly then clapped her hands as faft as fhe could, crying out at the fame time," Run, run, black devil, and catch white devil!" and was highly diverted. But this proved a serious adventure to the white devil, as he expired within a few minutes after he had reached his own houfe; and from that time poor Molly was left to fleep unmolested in peace.

AUTHENTIC AND REMARKABLE ACCOUNT OF A HOUSE THAT WAS HAUNTED AT BOW.

A CERTAIN gentleman about thirty years ago or more, being to travel from London to Effex, and to pafs through Bow; at the requeft of a friend he called at a houfe there, which began then to be a little difquieted. But not any thing much remarkable yet, unlefs about a young girl who was pluckt by the thigh by a cold hand in her bed, who died within a few days after.

Some weeks after this, his occafions calling him back, he paffed by the fame houfe again, but had no defign to give them a new vifit, he having done that not long before. But it happening that the woman of the houfe ftood at the door, he thought himfelf engaged to ride to her, and afk how she did. To whom the answered, with a forrowful countenance, that though fhe was in tolerable health, yet things went very ill with them, their houfe being extremely haunted, efpecially above stairs, fo that they were forced to keep in the low rooms, there was fuch a flinging of things up and down, of ftones and bricks through the windows, and putting all in diforder. But he could fcarce forbear laughing at her, giving fo little credit to fuch ftories himself, and thought it was the tricks only of fome unhappy wags to make sport to themfelves, and trouble their neighbours.

a

Well, faid fhe, if you will but flay while you may chance to fee fome. thing with you: own eyes. And, indeed, he had not ftayed any confiderable time with her in the ftreet, but a window of an upper room opened of itfelf, (for they of the family took it for granted, nobody was above flairs), and out comes a piece of an old wheel through it. Whereupon it prefently Clapt to again. A little while after, it

fuddenly

Freaks of Apparitions.

faddenly flew open again, and out came a brick bat, which inflamed the gentleman with a more eager defire to fee what the matter was, and to difcover the knavery And therefore, he boldly refolved, if any one would go up with him, he would enter the chamber. But none prefent durft accompany him. Yet, the keen defire of difcovering the cheat, made him adventure by himfelf alone into that room. Into which, when he was come, he faw the bed. ding, chairs, and tools, and candlefticks, and bed staves, and all the furnitune rudely fcattered on the Aoor, but upon fearch, found no mortal in the

room.

Well! he stays there a while to try conclufions; anon a bed-itaff begins to move, and turn itfeif round a good while together upon its toe, and at laft fairly to lay itfelf down again. The curious fpectator, when he had obferved it to lye fill awhile, fteps out to it views whether any final ftring or hair were tied to it, or whether there were any hole or button to fallen any fuch ftring to, or hole or itring in the cieling above; but after fearch, he found not the lealt fufpicion of any fuch

thing.

He retires to the window again, and obferves a little longer what may fall

out.

Anon, another bed-flair rifes off from the ground, of its own accord, higher into the air, and feems to make towards him. He now begins to think there was fomething more than ordinary in the bufinefs, and prefently makes to the door with all speed, and for better caution, fhuts it after him. Which was prefently opened again, and fuch a clatter of chairs and ftools, and candlefticks, and bed-ftaves, fent after him down ftairs, as if they intended to have maimed him; but their motion was fo moderated, that he received no harm: but by this, he was abundantly aflured that it was not mere womanifh fear or fuperitition that to affrighted the miftrefs of the house. And while in a low room he was talking with the family about these things, he faw a tobacco

165

pipe rife from a fide-table, nobody being nigh, and fly to the other fide of the room, and break itself against the wall, for his further confirmation, that it was neither the tricks of wags, nor the fancy of a woman, but the mad frolics of witches and dæmons. Which they of the houfe being fully perfuaded of, roafted a bed-staff, upon which an old woman, a fufpected witch, came to the houfe, and was apprehended, but efcaped the law. But the houfe was after fo ill haunted in all the rooms, upper and lower, that it ftood empty for a long time.

APPARITION AT BIRMINGHAM.

FROM A CORRESPONDENT.

AN officer in the 104th regiment had, in 1783, a houfe at Birmingham from Mr. A-n, on condition of

living in it. The report was, that months while he was there, ftrange fpe&tres frequented it. For several oifes were often heard. A great difturbance over head at laft alarmed him, where he and his fervant immediately went. There they found the appearance of a lady-they bolted the door, and endeavoured to fecure her, but without effect, for the immediately vanifhed. This the officer made amidavit to before a Justice, and fpoke of it as a thing he had never before repeated. If required, the names of the parties will be given.

APPARITION to CAPTAIN HENRY BELL.

CAPTAIN Henry Bell, in his narrative prefixed to Luther's Table Talk, printed in England in 1652, after having mentioned the mystery and providence of the difcovery of it under ground in Germany, where it had lain hid fifty-two years, relates the following altonishing admonition relating to the tranflation of it into English.

Captain Van Spar, a German gentleman, having, as before obferved, re

covered

« PreviousContinue »