I AM sensible, that the more Iudicious, and Learned may, with a great deal of Reason, condemn me, as guilty of an unpardonable Rashness, in at­tempting a Province, so extreamly above my Abilities, as the writing the History of a Society, whose Learning and Wit have justly made so considerable a fi­gure in the World; yet I must, with Vani­ty enough, own, that the Nobleness of the Undertaking has born me up so far above any Apprehensions, that (like a Souldier, who resolves on some brave Action) I cast off all thoughts of those obstacles, which might frigh­ten a cooler Considerer. And since 'tis confess'd, that to aim at Noble Ends is enough to merit Applause, I had rather undergo the Severity of the Criticks (who, I have reason to think, will not be so favourable, as to forgive the Faults of the Performance for the Greatness of the Design) than lose the Glory of having first offer'd at it. I will agree with them, that it is to be wish'd, that the Great SPRAT would oblige the Age with a Second-Best Hi­story of the Second-Best Institution, for the pro­motion of Learning, and removing that Epi­demic Ignorance; which exercises so incredi­ble a Tyranny over the more numerous part of Mankind: From such a Pen the World might expect Satisfaction, and the Athenian Society Iustice; the Charms of his Stile would engage all to read, and his Wit and variety of Learning give them proportiona­ble Idea's of those Excellencies, he would commend to them: And indeed, none but He (whose Thoughts are so true and fine, and whose Language so fully, and clearly ex­presses his Conceptions) or a whole SOCIETY learned as themselves, can be thought capa­ble of acquitting so illustrious a Cask with that Strength, and Perfection it deserves.

This Consideration would not a little dis­courage me, if I had not This to obviate the Difficulties it brings; That great part of this Book shall be drawn from the incom­parable Works of this SOCIETY, who are, indeed, their own Historians, and most worthy to be so; for, their whole design is not only to improve KNOWLEDGE in DIVINITY, and PHILOSOPHY in all their parts, as well as Philology in all its Lati­tude, but also to commend this Improvement to the Publick, in the best method, that can be found out for Instruction; which is or ought to be the End of every Writer, unless he aim rather at Amusement, than Informa­tion.

If the World would be so favourable, as to admit of what I have said for an Excuse, I hope the Gentlemen that compose this SO­CIETY, will pardon my Boldness in presu­ming to give an account of their Underta­king, who am not at all concerned in it, and have not the Happiness of being ac­quainted with one Member of it, since what I shall here advance proceeds from an esteem of their Design, and the great Value I set upon their Performances, which are sufficient to convince those (among which number I my self was at first) who were startled with the seeming Impossibility of the Project, that notwithstanding it was so difficult, yet they have fully come up to what they first pre­tended to.

The Design as well as Performance, seems so extraordinary, that when I ref [...]ect on it, I often admire, that the general, nay, univer­sal Advantage it brings, should never have inspir'd any one to have thought of it before now; till I consider, that the Good of Man­kind was not the aim of the Grecian Philoso­phers, so much as their own Personal Glory, and Pride, which they built on their own Knowing more than the rest of the World, who had not the Leisure and Abilities to spend their whole Life in Disquisitions, or Di­sputable Notions; and to maintain this, 'twas necessary for them not to communicate Lear­ning to any but their immediate Hearers, who by word of Mouth were to deliver it to their Successors in the Schools. This made all their Doctrins confin'd to their Gym­nasia, their Porches, and Gardens.

Some of them were so fearful of having their Sentiments known, that they wrap'd all their Notions up in Mysteries, as hard to be understood by any, but their own Scho­lars, as those Chymical Tracts, we have now, which treat of the great Hermetick Work: This was the cause of the different Represen­tations of the Philosophy of Pythagoras in par­ticular; and I think 'tis not doubted by the Learned, but that most (if not all) of those Absurdities, which are attributed to him, [Page 2] proceed only from the uncertain Guesses of his Opposers, and Enemies, who were never admitted into his School, or had a true knowledge of his Opinions; though perhaps the Pythagoreans themselves did much contri­bute (notwithstanding their great veneration for his Memory) by their Ignorance, to the Ignominy of their Master, for they learned chiefly by Tradition, to which we may rea­sonably suppose, that every Successor, in their School, (who was an Arbitrary Dispenser of these Mysteries) added, at least by way of Comment, which, in a Generation or two, incorporated with it, and all past for his.

If we pass from Greece to Rome, though Politeness and Learning diffus'd themselves into a larger compass there, yet their principal Studies were Oratory, and the Art of War, on which all the Preferments of that Com­mon-wealth turn'd; for, as for Philosophy, it was built upon the Greek bottom, and Ci­cero was the first that brought the Roman Language acquainted with it: Both before and after him, they that were that way en­clin'd went to Athens, then the only Uni­versity (if I may call it so) of Europe, or had Masters from Greece, as Plutarch, and his Nephew Sextus, and Apollonius, may witness, who were all three Tutors to Emperors, and all three Grecians, besides many others which I omit. The Vanity, and great Value these Philosophers, that were sent for to instruct the Romans, set upon themselves, satisfies me, that I have no great cause to wonder, that in Rome this Project was never thought of, since the Learned, whose Province this must have been, would have lost that Esteem they then possess'd, by making what they knew com­mon to as many as were capable and willing to understand them; whereas their singulari­ty in Knowledge gave them Privilege to the highest Insolence: For, when the above­mentioned Apollonius was sent for by the Em­peror Antoninus Pius, from Chalcedon to Rome, to read Philosophy to his adopted Son Mar­cus Aurelius Antoninus (sirnam'd The Philoso­pher) after his arrival at that City, never went to wait on the Emperor, and being sent for by him, return'd this Answer; that It was not fit, the Master should attend the Scho­lar, but the Scholar the Master: This Pride of his was so temperately born by that gene­rous Prince, (in that more a Philosopher than Apollonius) that he only smil'd, and said to his Servants, Does he then think it farther from his Lodging to my Palace, than from Chalcedon to Rome?

From hence is evident what Honour was paid them (by the highest Powers on Earth) for the Opinion of their Knowledge, and also what Satisfaction, and Pride they took in it: So that it is not strange, that they should perswade it as necessary to their Followers, and by consequence deprive them of all Thoughts of making Learning more com­mon. But, that a Project of this nature would have been very grateful to the Ro­mans, I think, is manifest by the general In­clination of their Youth to Learning, of whom such vast numbers flock'd to hear Carneades during his stay in that City, (when he was sent Ambassador from the Athenians) that Marcus Cato made a Speech against him in the Senate, (to whom his Embassy was already in some suspicion) and told them, That considering the whole Youth of Rome were such Admirers of him, it were an easie matter for him to perswade them to any thing. This discovers so great a desire of Knowledge in them, that, I am confident, whoever should have set such a Design on foot there, would have been exalted among their Gods, and had divine and immortal Ho­nour paid to his Memory.

It is less to be wonder'd, that the Church­men, who at first took up the Platonick Prin­ciples, to engage in the Controversial War, with the Heathens, did not promote any thing like the Subject of my present Dis­course, since they were too much employ'd in Disputes, on the old Foundation, to think of any new Progress in Learning; and after they had with success managed this Philoso­phy of Plato, to the Downfal of Idolatry, their Tribe began to employ it against one­another, till their Contests, as well as Lear­ning, found a Period in that Inundation of Barbarity, which swallowed both them, and the Roman Empire up together. After an Age of universal Ignorance, the Clergy again put themselves upon Learning, at least assu­med the Name of it; but it is not to be wondered, that they, who, out of the ill­understood Work of Aristotle, composed an absurd Body of Philosophy, kept up the un­reasonable Humour of confining the Sciences within such narrow Bounds, that many an Age scarce produc'd one Layman, that knew any thing of Letters, because as it had gain'd the Philosophers Veneration, so it would add to that which the bigotted World already paid to their Character, for by this means the Clergy became undeniable Oracles in both divine, and prophane Knowledge.

The School-mens Heads were too much ta­ken up with Subtilties, and Notions, deduc'd from these Principles (they too being all of the Clergy) to devise any means of ma­king the rest of men wiser than before.

But that which gave me the greatest cause of wonder, was, that since the benefit of Printing, Books, and consequently Learning, grew more general, and with that an univer­sal Inclination of most men to spread it still farther, that nothing of this nature should by none of the Great men, and Virtuoso's of our own, or foreign Nations be found out, before about a year since.

I am not ignorant that there is a Book called Sphinx Theologico-Philosophica, that bears some resemblance to the Athenian Mer­cury, but then it differs so much when you come to peruse it, that if it had not been to obviate some mens unreasonable Fancies, I would not have nam'd it; for, there the Au­thor [Page 3] proposes his Difficulties, and solves them himself, but with an endless number of vul­gar Errors, grounding all his Answers on ill Authorities, School▪ Divinity, and those antiqua­ted Systems of Philosophy, which were com­pos'd (as I said before) out of the misunderstood Writings of Aristotle, who, if we may credit his Letter to Alexander the Great, never inten­ded, any one should reap much Knowledge from them, except his own select Scholars; for, that great King being fired, with generous Ambition of excelling all Mankind in Know­ledge, as well as Power, when he was in­form'd that Aristotle had pub­lish'd his So called be­cause few only, and those Select, were admitted to hear that Philosophy: From [...], Au­scultatio, Hearing. Many learned Authors agree, that these Books were his Phy­sicks and Metaphysicks. Acroamatick Books, sent him a I am not ignorant that some conclude that these Let­ters are spurious, yet others are of a contrary opinion, and prove at large the several Absurdities in those Acroamatick Books, which so great a man as Aristotle could not be suppo­sed to be guilty of. Letter of Reprimand, in which were these words:

To this Letter of Alexander, Aristotle re­turns this Answer.

From hence we may suppose what Exact­ness and Reason there was in Systems, com­posed after this Model; and I assure the Reader, the Author of the fore-nam'd Book falls yet lower, and dwindles into Old-wives Tales, and common Sayings. In short, if any man of Sence shall happen to see that Book, they will find, that it bears no likeness to the Athenian Mercury; but the form of Questi­on and Answer, the Authors of which Method, the Gentlemen of this Society, are far from pretending to be, and it was made choice of, as the only way of satisfying every ones Cu­riosity, and Doubts, when each propos'd his own. I never yet (upon enquiry) could un­derstand that any thing like this was ever ad­vanc'd either before this time, or in any other Nation.

England has the Glory of giving Rise to two of the noblest Designs, that the Wit of Man is capable of inventing, and they are, the Royal Society, for the experimental im­provement of Natural Knowledge, and the Athenian Society for communicating not only that, but all other Sciences to all men, as well as to both Sexes; and the last will, I question not, be imitated, as well as the first, by other Nations.

This leads me into a consideration of the Advantages, this Undertaking has afforded the World; which are so many, and so evident, that I may seem to the Judicious to lose time in endeavouring to demonstrate, what every man of Sence must acknowledge: Yet, to silence the Enemies of Reason as well as of the Athenian Society, I shall instance in some few particulars, as first, the promotion of Printing; for, as that Art contributed ex­treamly to the spreading and progress of Learning, so has this Project made grateful Returns already, to the encouragement at least of the Masters of that Art, witness the Controversie with the Anabaptists, the Qua­kers, and with Mr. Iones, on the Subject of Usury, which though it be stretched into too great a Latitude, by the Practices of some, yet is with no Reason in the World absolutely condemn'd by him; as this Learned Society have already made evident to any discerning Judgment: Nor has the little Endeavours at an Answer, by some nameless Scribler, mov'd me at all to think otherwise, he having not answered any Proof the Society brought (nor indeed do I believe he understood great part of them) but with a canting, inconsistent, Ramble, hastens to the end of his mighty Vin­dication. I shall say no more of this Con­troversie now, because it is not yet finished; and the other I shall have occasion of speaking of in the Second Part of this Discourse.

But the Booksellers and Printers are not the only Gainers in this Affair, that Branch of the Royal Revenue, the Post (I mean both the General and Penny-Post) being not in­considerably improved by it, they having in the first year received some Thousands of Letters: So that it seems to me the Interest of the Government to espouse the Quarrel of this Society, so far as to suppress any Interlo­per, the Result of whose unjust Endeavours must be the Ruin of such an encreasing Ad­vantage to Their Majesties Interest. But I shall say more of this in my last Part; and here shall leave the Benefit, that arises from the Athenian Mercury, to the Purses of [Page 4] both the Publick, and Private, to consider a little of that which the Mind, the nobler part of Mankind, will reap from it, that be­ing its chief aim, and design, the others but accidental.

What an improvement this will be to Learning, I presume, none, that will give themselves leisure to reflect, can be insensible of; for a diffusing Knowledge, among all that Heaven has made capable, must certain­ly be the occasion of more Discoveries, in Truth, and Nature, because the number of the Learned will be encreased; of the Lear­ned, I say; for, I cannot see any reason why Languages should be thought so necessary an Ingredient for the composing a Scholar, if it were not for the opening the Secrets that are locked up in them; which Prison this Noble Societies Undertaking will in time free 'em from; for, indeed 'tis very hard, that those whose Pockets could not arrive to better Edu­cation, and yet are blest with abler Brains than many who spend their time in Books, should be hindered from thoseadvantages they could so well make use of. The French have remov'd in some measure this Obstacle, and made all Authors familiar to every one, that can but read and understand their own Mo­ther-tongue, by translating all Books of any value into their own Language. 'Tis true, we have imitated them a little in that way, but under a different Capacity; for here there are a sort of little Ignorant Foreigners, who understand neither our Tongue, nor that from whence they translate, employed by the Booksellers on this difficult Task, because they murder a noble Author cheaper, than a Man of Parts willdo him Justice, and like a Spa­niard will live upon a Clove of Garlick, and work hard for what will but suffice to buy 'em a great Coat to keep 'em from the Cold: This is the cause, we have few good Tran­slations. Whereas the French are more ac­curate, because they who give themselves to Undertakings of that kind among them, are such whose Business is Learning, and who are otherways provided for, than to depend on the Generosity of a Bookseller for their Bread. And whilst a business of that consequence is carried on by such Hands, we have no reason to expect any greater Performances.

But had we the good Fortune to have all the Arts and Sciences, and all the fine thoughts of all those great men that have writ, they would be so voluminous that many a man of Sence would labour under, as great a difficul­ty, as before, both for time to peruse and Money to purchase them: But this difficulty is quite removed, by the Athenian Socie­ty, for One hour in a week is all the time, that is required to peruse them, and Two pence weekly sufficient to purchase those Pa­pers, in which, every one may find the Mar­row of what great Authors have writ on any curious Subject, with the improvement of many ingenious, and learned men upon it. Nor is the Reader confined to that silly Ma­gisterial Argument of some of the old Pytha­goreans, an ipse dixit, but is only desired to yield to the force of Reason it self, and what Authorities are brought, will easily be seen to be supernumerary Proofs, unless about Mat­ter of Fact, and the verity of any Passage in History, as that of Iosephus about our Saviour Iesus Christ, which can be decided by no­thing but the Testimony of all Ages up to the time when such Book was writ; which is a much more natural, and rational way to come to the Truth, than by the conjectural Arguments of some opinionated men of this present Age, who would needs preferr a meer Ghess to a Cloud of Witnesses, a me­thod quite contrary to all the Justice and Proceedings in the World.

If the Reader will consider what I have said, I am confident he can't but in Justice acquit me of Flattery, when I shall say, that all the Endeavours of the great men of all Na­tions, and Ages, from the beginning of Lear­ning to this time, have not contributed to the encrease of Knowledge, so much as this Insti­tution of the Athenian Society. What the Ancients did, I have already, in a few words discussed, and tho' I will not deny, that the Advance that has been made, since the Re­stauration of Learning, is very extraordinary, yet it must be granted that it falls short of this. 'Tis true, it was great to cast off Au­thorities, and to have Recourse alone to Rea­son, and Experiment, the only sure Foundati­on of all Learning, without which we spend our Years in painful Study, to fill our Heads with false, and empty Notions, foreign enough from Truth, which is the aim of all Study; for, without a pretty good assurance of that, the Mind can never be satisfied. But though the Treasure of Knowledge en­creased so vastly, yet the Possessors of this Treasure did not grow much more nume­rous than of old; so that the Benefit of it rea­ched only to such, as could go to the expence of Studying at the chargeable places called Universities, (few else being the better for this new Revolution in the Empire of Wisdom) most of the rest of Mankind were an igno­rant Generation, that bore the Form, the Shape, the Image of Men, and had the use of their Tongue to make known their Thoughts, but it was only to discover, how very little difference there was betwixt them and their Brothers the Brutes. The Learned dealt with Mankind, till now, as some bigot­ted Clergy-men do, in giving the greatest part to Ignorance here, as they do to the Devil hereafter. I confess those few, and imperfect Translations we have, did a little refine the Conversation of a great many, who had not the good Fortune to be skill'd in Lan­guages, but those Books are (as I have hin­ted before) too large, too difficult, and too dear for several, that are as willing, and as fit to learn, though they have not so good a Purse to spare, either their Money, or their Time on them, from their necessary Occasions of get­ting their Livelihood. But the Society have opened an easier way, and set Learning in so [Page 5] fair a light, that won, with its Beauty, every one must with eagerness embrace it, in a form so agreeable to all Capacities; and those, who are so near a Kin to their Bodies, as not to care for the Embellishments of the Mind, will have a clearer Mark set upon them, of sordid Ignorance.

If these, and many more are the Advan­tages, that will accrew to the Public from this Undertaking, I believe the Learned will receive no less, I mean those who are not so full of themselves, that they cannot with Patience peruse the Works of any one else; for, all the knotty points of Philoso­phy, Divinity, Mathematics, &c. which have employ'd the curious part of the World thus long, are form'd into Quaeries by the Inquisitive, and answered with an abundance of Reason, by the Society, who are not only men of Parts; but also blest with a Temper that is Industrious to the highest degree, and by consequence must give a general Satisfaction in their Performances, to the best of Judges in every Science.

But here methinks I see some plodding, grave, Gentleman, that has been at the Ex­pence of many a laborious Year, to gain the Mastery of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, with a supercilious frown, condemning this Socie­ty, not for falling short of their first Pre­tence, but because they keep up too close to it. For, says he, What Honour will be due to Learned men, that have spent so many years in the study of Languages, and the Criticisms of them, if the Kernel of that Nut, they are so long a cracking, be given to every illiterate Fellow, that understands not what's Latin for the Book he reads. This desire of Honour, and Veneration, and to be esteemed something more than Men, has been the cause of the small Pro­gress of Learning in former Ages, as I have already shewn, and therefore ought to be cast away with the other Fopperies of those times, which obstructed the Growth of Knowledge; and the Gentlemen of this Kid­ney may satisfie themselves, that the number of Illiterate Fellows will be much less, and yet the Skill in the Languages be in as much esteem, as it deserves, as long, as the study of ancient Authors, especially the Poets (which can never be delivered in any other Language with that Force, and Beauty they have in their own) shall be valued by the Ingenious; Criticisms will still be pleasing, though a thousand times repeated, and to be a Critic, 'twill be necessary to understand the original of those Books, that teach them to be so: Etymologies of Words, and Terms of Art will require some Skill in Languages, &c. Nay, this Athenian Project will rather contribute to that; for, the nature of many men (espe­cially those that are very curious) is, to de­sire to see the Author itself, from whence such admirable things are drawn, which will ob­lige them to study Languages, to be able to understand them. So that that sort of Lear­ning is in no fear of being lost, since now, it may be, some Hundreds may be excited to it, which otherwise had never thought on it.

But I cannot imagine, why a man may not be Master of as much Sence, though he understand never a word of Latin, as if he were perfect in the darkest places of Persius; nor if his Sence can be thus improv'd, can he come under the Contempt of Illiterate? But to satisfie these Sparks, that are for the keep­ing the World in Ignorance, let them not be so uneasie, for, I dare engage, there will still be Fools, and Blockheads enough for them, that will not make use of this Advan­tage.

Some of the Roman Pedants found the same fault with Cicero's Design in translating the Philosophy of the Grecians into Latin, for fear it should make Learning, or at least its Professors, too cheap. But, as that did not deterr him from prosecuting his Underta­king, so this cannot be supposed to weigh at all with the present Athenian Society, who have undertaken a Province of more general Good, and carried it on with no less Force, and Wit.

Here I must not forget that Great, and Universal Good this Design affords to any Troubles of Mind, in removing (to use th [...] words of the first Mercury) those Difficulties, and Dissatisfactions, that shame, or fear of appea­ring ridiculous by asking Questions, may cause several persons to labour under, who now have opportunities of being resolved in any Que­stion without knowing their Informer; and (I may add, without being known themselves. And that these People might be wholly satis­fied, the same Mercury says farther, thus— And if at any time, the Answer is not so satisfa­ctory as they could wish, let them, as directed by the Advertisement, mention in what particu­lar, and they shall have a fuller satisfaction in the next Paper.

To enlarge upon this would be superfluous, since every man, that is affected with any such Trouble will find, how much Ease, Advice will afford him, especially when he can have it without discovering himself to be grieved. It must stop many a desperate Hand, which unnaturally else might attempt upon the Breast, foolishly imagining, that an end of this Life would put a Period to their Sor­rows, when it only adds an infinite Encrease to them. Methinks there is something di­vinely mysterious in this, that I can consult so many able Heads, on my private Distra­ctions, and yet that they should still remain a Secret. Nay, they who propose these Que­stions are not the only that receive the Be­nefit of the Answer, since that may serve for many at the same time, under the same Exi­gencies, and even Posterity that has not yet a Being, will be indebted to it when in the like Cases, which will happen again. With good reason therefore has the Designer of the Emblem of that Society placed an Angel dire­cting such unfortunate Desperado's to apply [Page 6] themselves to them; for if any thing under a Divinity can avert their Misery, it must be the force of their Reasons.

Having thus given a rough Draught of some of those Benefits which this Underta­king has, and will produce to Mankind, 'tis fit that the World know its Benefactor; and indeed Justice requires, that he who first de­sign'd, and propos'd it, should have that Repu­tation, that is due to him, and have his Name known to Posterity, who will not have a lit­tle share in the Obligation. He therefore who form'd the first Idea of this great, this noble Project, was Mr. Dunton the Book­seller, for whom all the Mercuries are printed; the Tenth of March, 1690/1, he first brought the Embrio into form, and, as I am informed, there were two occasions which gave Life to it, the first upon reading that of the Acts 17. 21. For all the Athenians and Strangers that dwelt there gave themselves to nothing else, but to tell, or hear some New: or rather new things.]—This has relation to the foregoing Ver­ses, as I shall observe when I come to speak of the Reasons why they call themselves Athe­nians. His frequent reflection on this Text concurring, in time, with some great Injury he had received, gave Birth to this happy thought. For, being sollicitous how he should be in­structed in that Evangelical Lesson of forgi­ving Injuries, as it were by some Divine In­stinct this Method came into his Head, by which both himself and others might be sa­tisfied in that, and any other Doubt, without being troublesome to those, who would per­haps be not very well pleased with resolving Quaeries, and Doubts, unless they saw some Advantage, beside the Good of the Quae­rist.

The Thought seems to be accidental (as we are apt to think all things for which we can give no positive Reason) like the Birth of a great many other great things; for, all the greatest Events have had Rise from some Accident, without a premeditated Design. Were I a Pythagorean, I should imagine that it was a reminiscence of something like what had happened some Thousands of years ago in some far Country or other, which he had observed in the transmigration of his Soul through all parts of the World; and that, as some things, or words we observe, when we see, or hear any remarkable thing, will bring the whole to ones Memory, so these concur­ring Circumstances had the same effect upon him; but since we cannot find, that there ever has been any such Design set a foot in any Nation, or Age, I must quit my Pythago­ric Fancy, to come to a nearer Ghess.

I have observed in History, that there are certain Accidit in pun [...] quod non speraturin anno. Critical Minutes, in time when strange, and unfore­seen things come to pass, and that a Dream, a random Word, an unforeseen Action has begot mighty, and surprizing Revolutions, as well as great, and noble Arts. Thus Martianus, who was af­terward Emperour of Constantinople, travelling near Philipolis, finding a man dead out of a Piety of those days, alighted from his Horse to bury him, which whilst he was doing, some of that City coming by, took him for the Murderer, and being brought to the Scaf­fold, by this strange Accident, was delivered by the Confession of him, that was really guilty; and this gave Rise to his low Condi­tion. A more public Turn was that Philippi­cus, who telling his Friend Tiberius (who by his means had gain'd the Empire of Constan­tinople) that he dreamed an Eagle alighted at his Head, was banished immediately into a barren Island, and from thence to the City Chersona, where living in great Content, with­out any sollicitous Thoughts about his Ba­nishment, (so far he was from thinking of Empire) but Iustinian's coming against him to take his Life, made him assume a sudden Resolution of taking the Name of Emperour; and the successful Event shewed it was more than an Accident, that put that Thought in­to his Head. To mention all the Revoluti­ons in History, which were begun by such Accidents, would swell to a Volume, though very little to my purpose. What was the original of the Noble Order of the Garter, but, the accidental falling of the Countess of Salisburys Garter, from her Legg, in the King's presence? There is nothing so di­vine as Music, (for, as Cowly says,

yet this was first thought on by the acciden­tal Observation of the different Sounds a Hammer made upon, an Anvil. Gu [...] [...]ow­der, so wonderful in its effect, and power, and now of so universal use in Martial Af­fairs, was found out by an Accident, which is so well known, that I need not mention it. The Art of Memory owes its Birth to a fatal Accident; and it was necessary that the Banquetting-house of Scopa should fall down, and kill all the Guests, that Simonides from thence might observe the Order, and Method of the Art of Memory. So it was necessary that Mr. Dunton should have received an Injury, that the World might be obliged with a Design of as great a value. All the study of that great Master in the Mathematics Ar­chimedes, could not resolve that Curiosity which Hiero King of Syracusa proposed to him: Nor could he imagine how to find how much Gold, the Goldsmith had stole, without destroying the Work, to know by ocular demonstration, till going by chance into a full Bath, the Water ran over the brim as his Body entered, this Accident brought the Solution into his Head, full of which, he ran from thence, naked as he was, to put his Thought into execution, crying out aloud all the way that he went, [...] I have it, I have it.

[Page 7]To omit the Mariner's Compass, and a great many other noble Inventions, the disco­very of the new World it self was at first but a random Thought of Columbus, from the observation of the setting Sun, with a quid si. Mr. Dunton has done more than Columbus, for he has not only found out a way to discover new Worlds, (for the Industry, and past-Per­formances of the Athenian Society pro­mise not a few new Discoveries in Nature) but also how to People the thinly inhabited Kingdoms of Philosophy, with a more nu­merous Generation. I have heard some of the Wou'd-be-Wits object against this Design, meerly because invented by a Bookseller; but that is so foolish a Flaw to find in it, that it discovered their Ignorance, as well, as Par­tiality; for first, several noble Inventions have had more unlikely Authors; to instance on­ly in that of Printing, designed by a Soldier, (though a certain Writer has dubb'd him a Knight from a Trooper, ( Eques being an equivocal word) than one that deals in Wit and Learning, and may well be suppo­sed to converse with many of those Authors he sells. And next, the Learned know, that Scaliger was a Bookseller, and Stepha­nus a Printer.

Having thus let the World know to whom it is obliged for this Advantageous Project, 'tis but Justice that it give him that Encou­ragement, the usefulness of his Design de­serves, and not buoy up the Ungenerous, and Unjust Attempts of any Interlopers, who wanting Wit to invent any thing of equal worth, meanly Usurp upon the Right of ano­ther, and aim to live upon that Crop which was manured by his Industry, and Charge. Every considering man, must needs think, that it cost him not a little to establish it, and bring it to the knowledge of the World, and therefore he ought, in Reason, to reap the Profit of it. If the little Inventor of any small Mechanic Instrument, for the public use, have so far a Propriety in it, as to de­serve that Royal Security, a Patent, that none shall enjoy the Advantage of his Industry for above Fourteen years, till his Labour be in some measure rewarded: With much higher reason ought the Inventor, or Design­er of this Noble Institution, which contributes, as I have made appear, to all manner of Knowledge, and the general Benefit of all Mankind, since none are so Great, or so In­ferior, but may make use of his Discovery. 'Twould be ingrateful therefore, as well as unjust, in every one, not to defend him in the possession of that, which in Equity is his Due, by discountenancing those who would invade his proper Right. But I shall say more of the Interlopers in the last part of this Discourse.

Having passed through the Novelty, and Usefulness of the Design of the Athenian Pro­ject, and given an account who invented it, and by what Accident it was first thought of, not omitting the Charge the Undertaker has been at to bring it to that establishment it is now in: I hope it will not be esteemed a Digression, if I add a word or two in con­sideration, of the Difficulties, which might justly have frightned the Authors from com­plying with the Importunity of the Booksel­ler in the performance; for, 'tis evident from their Works, that they foresaw 'em.

They must be men of more than ordinary Resolution, as well as Learning, as their Per­formances shew, else the great Pains that is required to go through this Undertaking, would have hindered them from entering into this Society, which, as themselves well observe, seems calculated for Objections; for, it is no easie matter to give a good Answer to the curious Enquiries into Nature, experi­mental Knowledge, and nice Reason being the only Guides; as well as the only Satisfa­ction in those Affairs. Divinity brings far greater Difficulties with it, since in Contro­versial Points (and there is no point of Theo­logy, but what has been controverted) va­riety of Opinions are endless, and Disputes may be drawn out into Volumes; yet this could not dash their Resolutions of contribu­ting to the Publick Satisfaction, what Reason, and the highest Probabilities afforded, and a reasonable man can desire no more, since they have often assured the World, that they pre­tend not to an Infallibility, and shall be wil­ling to acknowledg their Errors and, pub­lish any Sentiment, that any of the Ingeni­ous, shall send to them upon any Subject, both in Natural Experiments, and Reasons in opposition to their own. Nothing can be more candid and ingenuous, than their Let­ter to Mr. Travesty, part of which I must transcribe, to shew the Reader that I speak not at random; 'tis thus—

For a farther Proof of this, let them that think this not enough, consult the Preface to the Second Volume. This Promise they have comply'd with as often as any Objector has thought fit to give them his Reasons for what he said.

But the Pains, and Industry that were re­quired to return good Answer to every Per­sons Quaery, was not the only Difficulties, since when they had done that to the best Standard, and beyond the Exceptions of the Learned, they could not expect (as indeed [Page 8] they exprest in their second Mercury) to please every Body, that being an impossible Task: And, 'tis plain from their Introducti­on to their first Mercury, that they did not think they should appear in Print, and that in so nice a Design without Opposers. For, as the incomparable Cowly says, in his Pinda­ric, on the Royal Society,

This as they foresaw, so they have met with in abundance, both from their private Quae [...]ists, and public Enemies; though in­deed most of the Efforts that have appeared in Print, have shewn more Gall, than Brains, and taken a great deal of pains to convince the World how little they were guilty of Wit. For this Reason they may almost forgive their avowed Opposers, because they punish themselves in the very act of Injury against them, by the loss of their Reputation both as to Sence, and Morals, though that they perhaps value not very much. But there are a sort of very civil, dear, caressing Animals, that with the air of a Friend are more trouble­some than the most able Adversary. I am afraid (says one) I shall be a Poet, direct me how to avoid that Fate of the common Proverb, Poets are poor by Destiny. Nay, some of the Quaerists are so full of their own dear selves, that they are restless, till they see their impertinent Niceties satisfied in Print, and think the World is obliged to give way to be entertained with their Follies. As for example; one witty Gentleman, who had a mind to make Love in Mood and Form, desires to know in the next Mercury, for (adds he most surprizing, and wittily) Lovers are impa­tient, how he may attain to an effectual form of Courtship.—Another something angry with the haughty port of Indignation, tells them,— He (even he) wants to know why those Questions he sent about six weeks since, are not yet answered. He adds very gravely, I think my Questions deserve a Thought as well as any Bodies else. There is nothing certainly more uneasie to a man of Sence, than to be pestered with a Fool; nor for a man of Piety, than to be obliged to hear Blasphemy, Atheism, and other Prophaneness, but this Society being composed both of men of Sence and Piety, (though I am sensible some of the Town Wits, and Beaux, will think the last but a canting Commendation) have had abundant cause to exercise their Patience. Horace had never half the Fatigue with the Poetaster, as they must have had, with both Male, and Female Impertinencies. One would know, whether any two men have the same number of Hairs; another is troubled with a squeamish Conscience, and would know if it be lawful to eat black Puddings; a third, a great Enquirer into Mysteries, and I believe very studious of Cornelius Agrippa's occult Philosophy, would know what the King of France, is doing at that time. 'Twere endless to run through the Follies they have been troubled with; and I shall not meddle with the other, that fall under Prophaness and Atheism, abundance of which they, in their Prefaces to the first, and second Vo­lumes, have let the World know they have received, which but to repeat in the Quaerist's words, would be like selling of Poyson in the streets to every one that passes them.

Though I have not run through half the Difficulties which presented themselves to the Noble Authors of the Athenian Mercury, upon a consideration of the mighty Task they were going to undertake, yet no private Inconve­nience could deterr them from the Public Good.

Having done the first Projector of this De­sign, some Justice already, I think my self obliged not to forget that Great young man, who first, like Valerius Flaccus in his Argonauts. Iason, dared so boldly to venture out into the Billows of the Critics, and lead the way to the rest of the Hero's that were to go in search of the Golden Fleece of Wisdom, and Learning. I am sorry I must not let the World know his Name (for it was begun by one) who had so great, and generous a Zeal for the general Be­nefit, that he would not let those Difficulties I have mentioned, or any other Considerati­on outweigh it: No, he only kept the Noble­ness of the End in his view, fixing his Eye on the farther brink, that he might not see the breadth of the Stream he was going to leap, or to express the noble Thought in the best of our English Poets own words, Mr. Dryden I mean, in the Conquest of Granada.

That which follows is also applicable to the same Great young man.

'Tis no small difficulty to determine which was the greatest Wonder, the Boldness of the Undertaking, or the Ability he has shewn in such unripe years in the Performance. Hercules his destroying the Serpents in the Cradle, has found Work for the Poets a great many Ages. But he has done more than all the Herculean Labours, at an Age when the rest of Mankind are but ripening; for, the mighty Sence he writes, will not let me doubt, but that he foresaw what infinite Hydra's he was to engage with: But he has [Page 9] persued it to a Miracle, shewing the Scho­lar without the Pedant, the Philosopher without the stiff, and obscure Expressions, and superfluous Repetitions of the School, but every thing he writ in the first Mer­cury, had a pleasing genteel Air, and neat Turn through every line, and discover'd pro­found Reason could be lodg'd in a youth­ful Head, and that it met there with a Soft­ness, that did not obscure its great, and se­vere Ideas. This his Boldness, Learning, and Ingenuity, ought to endear him to eve­ry man, that pretends to value Excellence. And though I confess my self the most un­worthy of his Conversation, yet I must as­sume the Vanity to boast, that no man can value his Acquaintance, and Friendship more, though I have not yet the Honour to know him, having never had but once, and then only, a transient sight of him.

I am sure, nothing but his Modesty, or the Envy of some impotent Aspirers to the Names of Authors, will say, that what I have here advanc'd about him, has any re­lish of Flattery; since I have the Judg­ment of more than one of the greatest Scholars of the Age, to justifie my Senti­ments; but I will not forestal what I be­lieve they themselves may some time, or other communicate to the World.

I shall conclude this First part of my Hi­story with the Reasons, why they assumed the Title of Athenian, for even that has faln under the merciless Phangs of the Wou'd­be-Critics. If they had taken the Name of Lacedemonian, indeed it would have looked something odd, and as if it were done in spite of Learning, to borrow a Title from that place, which scarce ever afforded a Philosopher, or any Man of Learning; but the Athenians were the most curious, and inquisitive People of Antiquity, as that Verse I have before quoted out of the Acts, demonstrates, which I shall add here to the two foregoing Verses of the same Chapter, v. 19. And they took him, ( viz. St. Paul) and brought him into Mars street, saying, May we not know what this NEW Doctrine, where­of thou speakest, is. Ver. 20, For thou bringest certain STRANGE things to our Ears; we would know, therefore, what these things mean. Ver. 21, For all the Athenians and Strangers that dwelt there, gave themselves to nothing else, but either to tell or to hear News, [or rather new things.] This, as it gave oc­casion to the first rise of the Design, so it is enough to justifie the Title that was chose for it, because the Business, and end of it is to answer the Niceties, and curious En­quiries into Arts and Sciences.

All that know any thing of History, or have read any of the old Authors, must be sensible, that Athens was in that venera­tion with Antiquity, that it was the only place of Study in those days, and from thence was all Europe civiliz'd, and taught Arts, and Sciences. Cicero, in the Introduction to his Offices, which he writes to his Son, at that time hearing Philosophy there, that he had the advantage of not only having Cratippus for his Master, but even in Athens itself, as if the place added to the facility of his Learning, and he adds the reason of it, because the Examples of so many wise men, that had flourished in that City, could not but stir him up to Emulation; for, there Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and all the great Philosophers, learned, and taught; there were the Schools of every Sect, and scarce any (I might say none) that were received into the number of the Wise, and Learned, that were not beholden for their Education to Athens: Thither Anacharsis came from Scythia, and was so taken with the Laws, as well as Wisdom of the Athenians, that endeavouring to introduce both into his own Country, he was killed by his Brother, and King: There Demosthenes liv'd, and flourish'd in Oratory, and Sophooles, and Euripides in Tragedy: There lived Eupolis, Curatinus, Ari­stophanes, (though the last was born in Rhodes, yet he lived there, and excelled in their Dialect) and Menander, all Comic Poets. Demosthenes was so great an Orator, that he excelled not only all the Grecians, but put in for the Palm of Fame with Tully him­self, and if he carry it not from him, yet holds the Balance in equilibrio. The Va­lue the Government of Athens put upon the Learned in all Sciences, afforded Encourage­ment to the Ingenious, to improve them. Both Comedy and Tragedy owe their Birth to Athens; and indeed, the Dramatic was more in esteem there than Epic Poetry, being the more immediately useful for Man's Life, Comedy correcting the Vices of it, and Tragedy (by Examples more powerful than Precepts) stirring the Minds of Youth up to Heroic Actions, and keeping Virtue in esteem, by shewing its Reward, and the Punishment of Vice: Though 'tis said of Sophocles, and Euripides, that one represen­ted the Accidents of Human Life, without regard to that Poetic Justice, as they too often happen; the other, as they ought to have been. The Esteem these Dramatic Poets were in, may appear by two Instan­ces, one of Eupolis, the other of Euripides: Eupolis having writ Seventeen Comedies af­ter the old Method, with a great deal of Liberty exposing the Vices of the People, was slain in a Sea-fight betwixt the Atheni­ans, and Lacedemonians. Athens resen [...]ed his Loss so much, that it made a Law, That no Poet should after that venture himself in the War, such necessary Members of the Common­wealth, that wise State thought them. When the Death of The worst of Euripides was, that he hated Wo­menkind, so that he was common­ly called [...]. Euripides was known at Athens, (who some say was killed by the Dogs of Achelaus) there were several Embassy's dispatched to Mace­don, to obtain leave to convey his Body to his, and their own Country, but Achelaus, would not part with the Treasure of his Bones, notwithstan­ding [Page 10] their repeated Importunities. Nay, I may call the great Homer an Athenian, since Athens was not the least of those Cities, that contended for his Birth, which are enumera­ted in a Greek Distic to this Sense:

Next to Poets, we must remember Pain­ters, and Statuaries, which flourished in Athens; of the latter Phidias was the most ex­cellent, but consult Pliny's Natural History, 36th Book, and there you will find a full account of both. The World was not more obliged to Athens, for Philosophy, Oratory, and Poetry (to omit Statuary, and Painting, just mentioned) than for History, as Thucy­dides, and Zenophon may evince (to omit Herodotus, who only retired into the Athenian Territories, from domestic Tyranny, where the Muses always sound a secure Retreat; and tho' he was not born an Athenian, would dye one.) Thucydides was the best of the Greek Historians, being so impartial a Writer, that in the Peloponesian War, which he was going to write, he paid for Intelli­gence of the Transactions on both sides, that so he might perfectly find out the Truth, justly suspecting, that as both Parties would palliate their own Losses, so if he knew the Affairs of each only from themselves, he should never arrive at the Truth. And it is to be wish'd, that none but a man of For such was Thu­cydides, deriving him­self from Meltiades, and Cimon, two of the A­thenian Commanders, and they from Aeacus, and so from Iove. Quality, and Estate, would meddle with compiling of Histo­ries, who are or ought to be above the Partiality, and the weakness of being byass'd by Affection, or Interest, it being more below the Honour of a great man, to falsifie the Truth to Posterity, than to be guilty of a Lye in Conversation.

Xenophon too was an Athenian; he took up the History of the Peloponesian War, where Thucydides left off, and was the first Philoso­pher that writ an History: And, 'tis the Opi­nion of Cicero, in his Book De Oratore, that Xenophon, in his [...], consulted not so much the Truth of the Story, as his Design of forming an Example of a Perfect Prince, and Commander, for he was a Soldier, as well as Philosopher, and Historian. 'Twould be endless to mention but the Names of all those that have flourished in every Science, and Art in this famous City. From what I have here produc'd, will sufficiently appear, that since all the Arts, and Learning of the old World owed their Beginning (nay, and per­haps Perfection too, though afterward lost in the Inundation of Barbarity which from the North over-run all Europe) to Athens, with just Reason did this Learned Society make choice of that Appellation, whose Aim it is to advance all Knowledge, and diffuse a ge­neral Learning through the many, and by that civilize more now, in a few years, than Athens it self did of old during the Ages it flourished.

THE SECOND PART OF THE HISTORY OF THE Athenian Society.

IN the First part of this History I have gi­ven you an account of the Novelty, Ad­vantage, Inventor, and occasion of this Noble Undertaking. I have touched upon the Difficulties that attend it; the Noble Daring of the first Author; and, lastly, I have advanc'd some Reasons, why this Society assumed the Title of Athenian. In That, I brought you to its beginning; in This, I shall (with all the Brevity the Copiousness of the Subject will allow) proceed to its Infancy and Growth, and from thence pass to the Manly Perfor­mances of the Society, when established.

Though the whole design of this Institu­tion may be gathered from what has been said in the First Part, yet I think it necessary [Page 11] to premise an entire Prospect of it here, since that will not a little contribute to the satisfa­ction of the Reader, by avoiding Obscurity and Confusion, setting things in as clear a Light as possible, and in that form, which the decency of Order requires.

‘That, which they first proposed to them­selves, was not only to answer all manner of nice, and curious Questions, in Divinity, Physick, Law, Philosophy, History, Poetry, Ma­thematics, Trade, and all other Questions proposed by either Sex, or in any Lan­guage; but also to give an account of the most considerable Books, printed in England, or transmitted to them, from fo­reign parts; and to accomplish this effe­ctually, the Undertaker, resolving to spare no Charges to gratifie the Ingenious, setled a Correspondence beyond Sea: And tho' all this were enough to expect from the extraordinary Parts, and Industry of any Society of no greater extent, yet they re­solving to spare no Labour, proceeded far­ther by inserting the Conferences, and Transactions of several English Virtuoso's, and whatever the Genius of our Nation would relish in the Acta Eruditorum Lipsiae, the Paris Iournal des Scavans, the Giornali de Litterali, printed at Rome, the Universal Historical Bibliotheque, and other learned and ingenious Essays of other Nations.’ That so, as our Merchants supplied us with the Manufactures, and Commodities of all Coun­tries, we should not want that Production, so much more valuable in its self, and in the esteem of every wise man, their Wit and Learning, whatever the curious and brisk Genius of the French, the Floridness of the Italian, and the Industry of the German, the Gravity of the Spaniard, should from time to time gratifie their several Countries with, this Great SOCIETY have generously, and suc­cessfully imported into England, and, by that means, made all Nations contribute to the Power and Glory of our Empire of Wit, as the conquered World did of old, to the Gran­deur, and Wealth of Rome; this a far more noble Tribute, and a far more exalted Glory, every man in Justice therefore ought to ho­nour them with the august Name of Pa­triots, above most that stand blustering Candidates for it.

‘Yet farther, to make their Endeavours the more satisfactory to all men, this Society have all along invited every one, that has any Experiment, or curious Instance, which they know to be Truth, and Matter of Fact, circumstantiated, with time, and place, to send them to them. These Experiments, and Instances they not only promis'd to in­sert in their Mercuries, but also endeavour to find out a Demonstration for those, which the Senders could not. So great is their ad­mirable Zeal for the Good of the Public, and the Satisfaction of all curious Enquirers in­to natural Speculations.’

All these great Parts of this Mighty Design, could not possibly be brought into the week­ly Mercuries, which had not room to contain the hundredth part of the Answers to those Quaeries, which they soon receiv'd; there­fore for the speedier satisfaction of Quaerists, and the publication of all these Curiosities I have spoke of, they judged it absolutely ne­cessary, at the compleating every eighteen Numbers, to print twelve more of Answers to Quaeries, by that means, if possible, to obviate the Impatience of some of those, who sent their Doubts, and Curiosities, to be resolv'd: These made up one Volume, to which as a Supplement, that is to perfect their Design, is added, (I mean to the four first) the Abstracts of all Books of value, both do­mestic, and foreign, with curious, and di­verting Dissertations upon several nice Sub­jects. The fifth Supplement, to comply fur­ther with their Quaerists Importunities for speedier Answers, is composed of the Reso­lution of Doubts, as the single Mercuries are. What shall be the Subject of their future Supplements, I shall have occasion to speak of in the third, and last part of this Hi­story.

Though what I have mentioned already may seem the Labour of Ages, yet they still went farther, and we find very early, their Resolution of gratifying the World with a new System of Philosophy, a thing as much desir'd, as wanted, that of Aristotle be­ing so false, and that of Descartes so imper­fect. I shall say no more of this Work here, because I shall have occasion to speak of it again in the third part.

But, that the World might be fully ac­quainted with this whole Design, they have frequently published it, both in the Mercury, Volumes, and Supplements, and any one that desires, may read it summ'd up all together in their Fifth Supplement: So that none can plead Ignorance, that shall intrench upon their Design, and Method, and none can be dissatisfied, that they have not a full account of so many Advantages they may reap from the several Endeavours of this SOCIETY. Here it will not be improper for me to give some account of the Method they pro­pos'd to themselves for the prosecution of their Design, for that is indeed a necessary part of it: That Order which Justice requi­red they made choice of; that is, that those Quaeries that came first should be first an­swered, unless a greater Good interposed, as the answering any Popular Quaery, that might be of service to the Government; for, the Pub­lic Good, is granted by all men, I think, to be preferred to the Private: Or some curious Accident, or remarkable Providence, that's Mat­ter of Fact, and wants a demonstration. Here too the general Advantage comes in, and then 'tis but fit that Particulars of less consequence should expect a little, and give way. Next, some extraordinary Scruple of Conscience, which wants a speedy Answer: And for the satisfacti­on of such, I think, no reasonable man, but would willingly admit his less-weighty Quae­ry should be superseded a while, since he [Page 12] is sure after that to come in, in his turn.

Farther, that the Quaerists should not be disappointed in their expectations of An­swers, by their faults, they have laid down these excellent Rules.

• I. To look over the Indexes of their Volumes, to see if their Quaeries are not already answered to their satisfaction.
• II. That none send obscene Questions, as not fit to be answered by any that pretend not to as great Debauchery as the Senders of them.
• III. No Riddles, or Equivocations, &c. be­cause ( as they very well observe in the Pre­face to the Fourth Volume, whence I have taken this) they are of no use to the Public.
• IV. Nothing, the Answer of which may be a Scandal to the Government, or an Abuse to par­ticular persons.
• V. Nothing, that may be destructive to the Principles of Virtue, and sound Knowledge.
• VI. That no Quaerist send above one, or two Questions, at the most, at one time, for then they will be the sooner at liberty to send again, and perhaps something more curious, than what they sent at first.

If every one would but observe these ne­cessary Rules, they would not meet with those Disappointments, they complain of; but if they will observe no Method, or Rea­son, but their own Fancy, and Whim, 'tis juster to punish their Vanity with Neglect, and Contempt, than for the sake of such un­accountable Gentlemen, to break all Order, which is the Life of all Performances. Let them act but regularly, and the Society desires they may be as Nice, and Curious as they please.

Nor can I omit a Method proposed to the Society by some ingenious Well-wisher to their Designs, for a farther satisfaction of the Quaerists, this being the proper place to in­sert it. This Gentleman having considered the Fatigue of the SOCIETY, in recei­ving so many Letters on one Question, sent them a Project for their Ease, which they have publish'd in the Preface to their Fourth Volume, and there approv'd of it; 'tis thus.—— That every Quaerist set two Letters to eve­ry Question he sends, and some number, consisting of three Figures, thus——A. B. 231, or A. C. 312, B. H. 132, H. I. 721, R. N. 472, &c. for it is not likely that any two should light upon the same Letters, and Numbers too; so that if they are publicly acknowledged in the Mercuries to be received, by inserting the Letters, and Numbers, with those marks at the end of each, the Quaerists would soon be satisfied, viz. those marked thus (*) will never be answered, as coming under some of the above-mentioned Exceptions: Those marked thus (+) have been answered al­ready, Vol. n. Those marked thus (†) will be answered in their order.

Having thus given the Reader a View of the Design of the Athenian Society, and the Method they propos'd to themselves, and others, I shall now proceed in that form I have set down in the beginning of this Se­cond Part.

A Paper entituled the Athenian Gazette resolving, weekly, all the most nice, and curious Questions, proposed by the Ingenious, dated Tues­day March the 17th, 1690, was the first Essay of this Noble Undertaking, that the World was gratified with: Which, tho' it were the Performance of one only, as I have said, yet gave the critical part of the Town as great a satisfaction in what it contain'd, as it did admiration at the strangeness and seeming-impossibility of the Attempt. This satisfaction was so general, that in the third Number, I find Quaeries came in so fast, that publick notice was given to send in no more, till those were dispatched, that were sent already: An evident Argument, that the number of those that sent had some Belief, that the Society were able to comply with their desires, else it had been foolish to have been at the Expence of writing, and sending. In the second number the Title is altered, from Gazette, to Meroury, the rea­son of which they give in their Twelfth, in Answer to this Question.— What is the Reason of your changing the Name of your Athenian Gazette, into that of the Athe­nian Mercury? Gaza (says the Author) signifies a Treasury, and therefore we reserve it for the general Title of our Volumes, designing to entitle them, the Athenian Gazette, or Ca­suistical Mercury: And Mercurius signifying a Messenger, is the more proper Title for the single Papers, which run about, to Coffee­houses, and elsewhere, to seek out Atheni­ans.

But as this Undertaking was too great for any one man to go through with (yet if any one man could, the first Author did enough to convince us of his Ability to do it) it was thought fit, both for Ease, Di­spatch, and the fuller Satisfaction of all men, to receive in several Members to the com­posing a just number, for compleating the Undertaking, by having men qualified with all sorts of Learning, that so all sorts of Que­stions might receive just Answers. I presume it will not be ingrateful to any Reader, if I here give him an account of the Qualificati­ons of the several Members (though there is scarce one of them, but what might be call'd a Master in every Science) which make up this Learned Society. I shall therefore set them down in that order the nature of their Stu­dies, in my Opinion, requires, without any regard to the particular Merit of their Per­sons, to which I must (with a great deal of regret) confess my self a Stranger, though I [Page 13] have had an imperfect account of some of them, from those that did pretend to be ac­quainted with them.

• A Divine.
• A Philosopher.
• A Physician:
• A Poet.
• A Mathematician.
• A Lawyer.
• A Civilian.
• A Chyrurgion.
• An Italian.
• A Spaniard.
• A French-man.
• A Dutch-man.

The last four are rather Servants, than Members of the Society, like the Interpreters of Princes, to give a faithful account of such Quaeries that may be sent in their several Languages, that the Society may come up to the just Thoughts of the Quaerists, and also to give a perfect Translation of those several pieces of Wit, and Learning, which, I have said, were brought from beyond Sea, to be delivered to us in our Mother-tongue: From these the Society can be fully satisfied in the Idioms, and nicest parts of each Language, which few but the Natives (and of them on­ly the Learned) understand. So careful they are of giving their own Country the genuine Sence, as well as Marrow of all the stranger­Authors they make free of our Tongue.

The other eight afford so ample and so just a Theme of Praise, that nothing but my Ig­norance of them, can hinder me from gi­ving the World a more particular knowledg of them: And this confines me much against my Will to the Divine, the Physician, and Mathematician, tho' I shall have occasion, in the pursuit of this Discourse, to touch upon the Performances of most, ifnot all of the rest.

As Divinity is the most sublime, and sacred of Studies, so I think my self obliged to begin with the Divine, and I am satisfied that the rest of this Learned Society, will subscribe to this just Preference, I give him, if not for the veneration of his Character, yet for his own proper Merits; so great is the Reverence of his Person, the Profoundness of his Know­ledg, not only in the Holy Scriptures, Coun­cils, Fathers, and the rest, that compose that mighty Science of Theology, but also in every other Art, that comes within the num­ber of the Liberal, the most barren Subject growing fertile, and divertive, to admiration, by the Genial warmth of his WIT. How great, and apparent are his Zeal and Abilities in the direction of Souls: How extraordinary, and how general is the satisfaction he gives the Doubtful, and Troubled in Mind! how strong! how invincible is the Reason, with which he confirms the wavering, and confutes the He­resies, and Atheists of this Profligate Age! Then, what can farther contribute to the Progress, of Piety, and Learning, than the Manly sweetness of his Style, for whate'er he writes is soft without Affectation, and Satie­ty, and learned without Pedantry. Yet if all these Vertues were wanting, the affability, and agreeableness of his Temper, and Con­versation, the tender Compassion he has for the Sufferings, of his fellow-Creatures (above the consideration of which all his stupendious Learning, and Parts, are not able to tran­sport him) both in spiritual, and temporal Exigencies, were enough to draw as great a Veneration from all, as is lawful to pay to Man. Finally, since Actions are more valuable, than Words, his Deeds give a nobler, and truer Character of him, than I can presume, with the inability, and weak­ness of my Pen, to draw. All that I shall therefore add, is, that if it were possible that any such thing could be, as an UNIVER­SAL PRIEST, certainly his Duty would be to take care of the spiritual Good of all Man­kind; and then, I am very certain, that None would be more worthy, and more justly quali­fied, than HE, who has beforehand shewn, in all his Writings and Actions, so universal a Concern, and Zeal for all, that bear the glorious Image, of his MAKER. So truly apo­stolical are his Inclinations, that all Pains, all Labor, all Watchings, and Prayers, tho for the most inconsiderable of men, are far more delightful to him than Glory, and Honours to the Ambitious, Wealth to the Miser, or Plea­sure to the Voluptuous, nay, than the Em­braces of his Mistriss to the faithful, and long-sighing Lover: But all these fleeting Joys, which so dazzle, and invite the World, are too little, too inconsiderable to give a just Idea of that of His, which makes a near approach to those, it has not entered into the Heart of Man to imagine. It were to be wisht, that a great many of the Clergy would have him in view, as a sure direction of their Be­haviour, since an imitation of his practical Virtues, would soon remove the Odium, too great a number of them lye under, and con­fute the prophane Enemies of that SACRED BODY, by the most prevalent of Argu­ments, EXAMPLE.

All these Excellencies were very well known to Mr. Dunton, so that he could not imagine any one more fit to propose this Design first to, than him, who being not a little sensible of the Benefit, the generality would reap by it, gave him all the Encou­ragement in the World, that is, a promise of his Assistance, when he had once set it on foot; for, 'twas fit first to see, whether the Town would relish the Blessing with that Justice, and Applause it deserv'd.

Tho' this Discourse be not designed as a Panegyric, but History, yet I cannot prevail with my self to think this short account of some of the Members of this SOCIETY any deviation, or digression; or if it were, yet I cannot (and I am sure all, that love Learning, and Ingenuity will easily forgive, if not com­mend it) pass over the Physician, tho', I con­fess, it would be more prudent, and pardona­ble, to say nothing than not enough of an illustrious Subject, but as, Who was ever in Love, and Wise? is received as a just Excuse, for the Failings of a Lover, so I hope, the more moderate, will grant me, that it is [Page 14] equally hard to admire, and be silent, when the Object of ones admiration presents it self.

It was said of a certain Great man, that if all the Libraries in the World were lost, and not one Book remaining, that the gene­ral Knowledg He was Master of, was capable of teaching Mankind, all the Arts, and Scien­ces in perfection, the same I can with Truth, and Justice say of the Physician, who carries the whole Circle of the Sciences in his Head; but that which is most admirable, and rare in one of his Profession, KNOWLEDGE, and WIT, make him not prophane; Piety, and Re­ligion illustrate all his actions. Never was any Question propos'd by ingenious Malice, or Curiosity, however new, and surprizing, but with all the readiness, and facility in the World, he gave not only fair, and amusing Ideas of it, but full, and most evident Demonstrations. It is no satisfaction at all to me to meet with Wit, and Learning, in a man of a lit­tle low Soul, and ill Principle, because I can­not understand how he, that has a just noti­on of things, should not make a better choice, for the regulation of his Mind; so I am won­derfully ravished, with Delight, when I find the contrary, as here in this Great, this Lear­ned, this Good, and this Ingenious Man; for, he is so generous ( a very uncommon Virtue) that he could never be prevailed with, to admit of any other Consideration, for his Trouble, in this Affair, than the Good of the Public, thinking it so much below him to mingle Interest with so noble a Design, that I am confident it would be the only certain way to make him forsake it, to press any Reward, besides what it contains in itself, for, Virtue is its own Reward, in his Opinion: Yet he is far from condemning those, whose Circumstances (too often the Fate of the Ingenious) will not allow them to imitate him in this Generosity, since 'tis confessed very lawful for any man, to live by his PEN, as well as any other way. Besides, many great Divines, who, we may justly suppose, have the Good of many in their Eyes, do yet set no small, or inconsidera­ble value on their Copies; tho' it must be granted, that he excells them as much in this, as a free Agent does a mercinary one. I can say no more of him, than that he is a worthy Companion of so great a man, as the Divine, I have spoke of just before him.

All that I have to inform the World of the Mathematician, is, that he is the Person that first put the design in execution, whom I mention'd in the First Part; and I shall only add here, that his Learning is as univer­sal, as his Sence of things is fine, and curi­ous. So that this Society seems to be com­posed by something more than human Judg­ment, in selecting able men, since each of them is sufficient to perform this mighty task alone.

By what has been said of these three Mem­bers, we may reasonably suppose, that the rest are not ill match'd. And, as in the search of the Secrets of Nature we illustrate the more obscure, by the more evident, so here we may, by those I have been able to get some account of, ghess at the Excellence of the rest, the greatest part of which will not accept of any pecuniary Gratuity at all.

This Society being composed of such pious, and generous, as well as learned men, I wonder what they could propose to them­selves, who endeavour'd to tempt, and per­swade them to forsake the first Undertaker, on a poor mercenary Consideration. Could they imagine, that such men would be guilty of so much Baseness, as to forget that Obligation they had enter'd into (for, I am inform'd, they obliged themselves never to engage in the like Design for any one else) never to desert Mr. Dunton? Could they have so weak an Opinion of that Worth they courted, as to press an Action upon it, which must necessarily fully all its Glories, and make it of no value? But these men had nothing in their Thoughts, but the supplanting their Neighbor, in his right, they would else have foreseen the Answer, they without doubt receiv'd, That if it were an Immorality, nay, Injustice for another, though never concern'd with Mr. Dunton, to inter­fere with his design, because it was entirely his own Project; how much more ungenerous would it be for them, who have enter'd into a Friend­ship with him to betray that Trust he had re­posed in them, when he might (had it not been for the Esteem, and Value he had for their Iustice, and Parts) have engaged those that per­haps would have proved more generous.

The vast Offers that have been made them, with no Success, shews, that Mr. Dun­ton knew his men very well, he would ne­ver else have had the Courage, through all Difficulties, and Oppositions, to have persu'd the Design, till in spight of all Obstacles he established it; which if he had never done, there had been no Motive for Interloping, few being willing to quit the Paths of Just, and Right, where no Advantage invites. Nor is it to be wonder'd in our Age, that, when he had rais'd his Project to a Staple Commodi­ty, others have endeavour'd to rob him of his Profit, when they were at no Charge to bring it to perfection, who would not per­haps have regarded it, if it had been first proposed to them. Thus, I am confident, few Booksellers in Town would have given Ten pound for the Copy of The whole Duty of Man, before it had been printed at all, yet now there is none, but would give an Hundred pound for it: They whose Time­rousness hinder them from venturing upon any thing themselves, are alwaies very eager to pursue, what another with success has un­dertaken. But these interloping Gentlemen were extreamly deceiv'd, when they made their Applications here, where they alwaies found men that knew the Obligation, and Value of their Word better than to forfeit it for that which they never osteem'd, that is a little mean Lucre, and trifling Interest.

[Page 15]Having thus given the World an hasty Sketch, of the Qualifications of the Members, I shall return to their Undertaking.

It would, I believe, be superfluous to dwell upon the Antiquity, and easie Method of teaching by Question, and Answer, since Ci­cero, in his Tusculan Questions, approves of it as the most useful, and ancient: And Plato practis'd it; nay, we find in the Tenth Chapter of the first Books of Kings, that the Queen of Sheba, went to prove Solomon, with hard Questions. I shall therefore say no more for the Proof of its Antiquity, since every one that considers it, must soon observe how much it will contribute to the improve­ment of Knowledge, when all the several Heads of the Nation, at least all those that love Enquiries, are busied to find out the most difficult, and least-understood things, for the Society to resolve, which could no other ways be effected, but by Quaeries and Answers.

The Design being form'd into these methods I have describ'd, and the Society now establish'd, it was [...]ecessary, that they should have a certain time, and place of meeting together, for their mutual Conversation, but chiefly, for consulting altogether, on every Answer before it was permitted to be published: Smith's Coffee-house, for the convenience of its situation, in the middle way of all their Abodes, was the first place agreed on for this, and Friday the day; but, finding that House too public, by the great number that flock'd thither, on purpose to hear, and see the Athenians, that being appointed for the reception of all the Quaeries, the Society thought fit, for the greater Privacy, to re­move to some other place, since their Mo­desty never aim'd at their own Personal Glo­ry in their Performances, as is evident by their concealment of their Names all along, with so much Regret to all those whose admiration of what they had writ, would not let them think it sufficient to converse on­ly with their Papers.

There is such a desire of being known, in most Writers, that they all have that beginning of the first Copy of Verses in Cow­ly in their Heads

that the Author of The whole Duty of Man, was almost the singular Example of Con­tempt of Nominal Fame, till this Learned So­ciety put in for his Rivals in that noble Self­denial; yet neither can, with all their Hu­mility, avoid that Reputation the World pays, even to themselves, since every one imitates the Athenians of old, erecting with­in their Minds Trophies to the unknown Worthies, as they did Altars, in their Tem­ples to the unknown Deity. And Mr. Swift, in his Ode to this Society (printed before the Fifth Supplement) concludes very well;

But, tho' the World continue ignorant of the Names of these Gentlemen, yet it is highly sensible of the Advantages it has al­ready, and is still likely to receive from their Performances, into which I shall now enquire.

There are no greater Enemies to Wis­dom, and Learning, than vulgar Errors, and Superstition (if they will admit of a di­stinction, and are not the same) as long as the first remain, Men go upon a wrong Principle, rejecting all that may seem to oppose that, which they have received, and settled within themselves, as TRUTH, by so reverend, and awful an Authority, as Immemorial Tradition, which they look upon, as the diligent Observations of their Ance­stors, a Name that has alwaies been of too great a Veneration with most Ages, and by that has proved the irresistable Patron of an abundance of Absurdities, especially in Phi­losophy: And there is nothing more evi­dent, than that no man can possibly arrive to any true, and sound Knowledge, till such false Guides are remov'd, which led him out of his way. I am confident, where­ever the other prevails, there is not much likelihood of any considerable Progress in Wisdom; for, 'tis the Mist, or rather Night of the Mind, in which the Judgment wan­ders after the deceitful glimmerings of an Ignis fatuus, or else fears, and shuns every Light of Truth as such, knowing no medium betwixt these two Extreams. These Ills are indeed inseparable Companions; for, vulgar Errors alwaies beget Superstition, and Super­stition cannot subsist without vulgar Errors. One is the Tree, the other the Fruit: Vul­gar Errors are the Springs which feed the Stream of Superstition, and till those are sti­fled, 'tis not to be expected, that will cease to flow.

This Learned SOCIETY seems to have been very sensible of this, by the great care they have taken, in confuting those erroneous Notions, which are commonly received, as often as they presented themselves in any of the numerous Quaeries that have been sent them: And they have very well observ'd, that there are a great many omitted by the ingenious Dr. Brown, which are, in my opinion, as necessary to be remov'd, as any he has observ'd. I shall mention a few particulars, viz. That a Coal is to be found under a Plantane Root, at one time of the year, more than another: That these later Ages are more ignorant than their Predecessors, and that we find out no such useful Arts as our Forefathers have done. This the Society have very con­cisely, and clearly removed, which tho' I cannot omit, yet the Brevity I am confined to obliges me to contract: The most invin­cible way [...] of Argument, is by Delemma, [Page 16] which they have taken in the decision of this point, viz. ‘The invention of Useful Arts is either infinite or finite; if the first, we must conclude (by Experience) that at length growing too numerous, some would be lost, and supplanted by others, which would not be, if the first were more useful:—If finite, they can be but once invented, and then our Ancestors have only the advantage of having lived before us; for the improve­ments that we see daily made on former Inventions, give us reason to believe, that if we had lived before them, we should have done no less. They prove farther, that none of those Inventions the World enjoys was found out by One, or at once. That the Myrmecides of Aelian, and Pliny, with his Ivory Chariot, with Horses, and all in so small a compass as to be covered by the Wings of a Fly, was outdone, in the Twentieth year of Queen Elizabeth, by Marc Scaliot, in his Chain of Gold drawn by a Flea, and his Lock and Key made of Steel, weighing but a Grain. And I must add, that the Ship of Myrmecides was out­done by a Gentleman of Lyons, who not only made one much less, but also gave a Motion to it. And for a further Proof, they referr us to the Transactions of the Royal Society.’

'Tis a vulgar and general Error, that to de­ceive the Deceiver is no Deceit; which is very well remov'd in the Twentieth Number, and Tenth Question of the Second Volume. 'Tis a no less common Opinion, That Men dream of things they never thought of; which in the Seventeenth Number, of the Second Volume, and in the third Quaery, they confute in this manner. ‘They deny it to be possible, un­less in a Divine Dream, where both the Thing, and the Notion, should be revealed together. They grant, that the Fancy has Power to joyn things together, when they are before in the Mind, or to create Mon­sters, and Chymeras out of real things, sleep­ing, as well as waking. For example I have the Notion of my self, a Horse, a Road, Thieves, Water, Air, Fire, a House, Day, Night, or whatever else you'l name, treasured up in my Memory: These my Fancy may shuffle together, and so represent such Acci­dents as I never thought of in the Day-time. But they deny that there is any Imaginary Transaction that passes in our Sleep, but we have all thought of the several parts, and things which go to the composing of it, though perhaps not in the same order as there.’ For the Reader's farther satisfacti­on, let him consult the place above quoted, and there he will find full, and ingenious Arguments for a farther proof of this.

To run through all that they have obser­ved in this nature, would make my Book swell beyond its designed bulk. I shall there­fore pass over those curious Confutations of that Error, so commonly receiv'd, That a dead Corps bleeds when touched by the Murderer; which they have treated of, both in the Second, and Sixth Volumes. I will not in­sist upon that Opinion, That Osiers are smooth one year, and rough the next; and so Vi­cissim, in the Second Number of the Second Volume, which they deny. I have not room to repeat all those witty, and ingenious Ar­guments they produce to obviate that com­mon Notion, That a man cannot be twice in Love, Vol. 2, Num. 6, and Quaery 3. for the ingenious discussion of which, as well as of many more, I must referr the Curious to their Works, only I cannot omit mentioning two, or three out of many which have a nearer relation to Superstition. 'Tis true, Dr. Brown has taken notice of most of these (tho' not all) but yet the Advantage to the Public is no less, than if they had been the original Remarks of the Society, since they communicate them to the many, who are most concerned in them, the Learned being generally now pretty free from those sordid Trifles.

Superstition is not only that supernu­merary Formality, and ceremonious Obser­vations in Religious Worship, but [...]lso that regard which too many have to pure Acci­dents, as the certain Heralds of Destiny: And this proceeds from our As Iuvenal has it,—— Et genus humanum damnat cal go [...]uturi. Fear, and Darkness of a future state, the Ignorant, or Superstitious being unsatisfied in all Conditions of human Life; in Prosperity they either fear a Change, or hope an Encrease, and this Fear, and Desire pushes them on to seek, by some means, to know the Fortune, that is to attend them hereafter; and not content with their present Happiness, wreck their Peace with foolish and unnecessary Cares for to morrow. And those in Adversi­ty, uneasie under their Sufferings, with a great deal of willingness permit themselves to be flattered by hope of better things, but impa­tient in bare Expectation without Certainty, they fly to Superstition for it, which gives them generally an ambiguous, and amusing Pro­mise, and tho' it be as variable as the Oracles of old, they will all, like Pyrrhus, and Croe­sus, interpret it to their own advantage, and indeed flatter themselves, that it so evidently complements their coming Success, it needs no Interpretation. That these vulgar Errors should carry away the Vulgar, is not so much to be wondered, because they build their cre­dulous Faith upon Hearsays; but that the In­genious, and Learned should be so far misled, who one would think regulate their Opinions according to the Rule of Reason, is very sur­prizing. Thus I cannot but wonder to find Tycho Brahe, running back to his House with no small consternation, and apprehension of an impending Evil, if the first thing in a Morning, he met an old Woman, or if an Hare cross'd the Path he was going, or any such trifling Accident that day confin'd him to his House, and perhaps it did him this Good, to pore upon his own new Systeme, with admiration, or in those of Ptolomy, and Copernicus with Contempt, and Anger.

[Page 17]Among that vast number of those super­stitious Follies, which England abounds with several have been sent them, to omit, Whe­ther Crickets, Batts, Owls, Ratts, Ravens, &c. are ominous; and how they come to know the fatal Events that, are to come? Because Dr. Brown has taken notice of them, I shall only instance in orle, which that great man has not mention'd, and that is in the fourth Quaery, the ninth Number of the second Vo­lume; Whether there is any Crisis of Time, wherein persons have extraordinary Accidents, as to Fortune, and Misfortune? Which general Error when [...]hey have at large confuted, they conclud [...] [...] well;— That he that acts without [...], and believes things for which he can give no account at all, deserves to be excluded the Society of Rational Crea­tures.

But of all these Superstitions, which the Epi­demic Desire of knowing our future Condition (in this life, not the next) has produc'd, there is none more pernicious, and of greater esteem, and authority, than judicial Astrology, which because permitted ( to the Standal of Christia­nity) gathers the face of Lawfulness, and C [...]r­tainty with those, that are not sensible of the Tricks, and Deceits that are made use of by those that practise this pretended Art, and such as know not that it is as much against the Law of GOD, as that of Reason.

I am of opinion, that this Society has in nothing more contributed to the substantial Service of the [...] Sex, than in undecei­ving them in that [...], since the Ladies are more generally carried away with the Belief in this pretended Knowledge, than men (not that I think my Sex free from the Contagion, or that it has reached all theirs) and have an implicite Faith in e'ery Astrologer, as the —Quicquid Dixerit Astrologus credunt à fortè relatum Ammonis. Iuven. Sat. 6. Romans had in the time of Iuvenal, thin­king all as sacted, and infallible, that he says, as the Scripture it self. Thus when they are sollicitous, on the weighty affair of Marri­age, or the Death of a Husband, or other Relation, or the Constancy of a Gallant, they immediately repair to Oraculous Pa­tridge, Gadbury, and the rest. What a ridi­culous bustle was here, not many years ago, about Le Croy, the French woman that pre­tended to this Insight into Futurity? And how many e'ery day subsist, like the King­dom of the Devil, by these LYES? But, the Society have beyond answer confuted all the vain Pretences of these Impostors, in the First Volume, and Sixth Number, shewing the Falsity of their Foundations, by Reason, and their own Rules, and have beside added some Reasons more familiar to those, that are not skill'd in their Principles, by the most obvious Inconsistences in Na­ture, which the meanest Capacities are capable of judging of, and in the Fourteenth Number, Question the Fifth, produce several undeniable Texts of Holy Scripture, to prove the unlawfulness of it. 'Tis with a great deal of Reluctance that I omit the particu­lars of their Arguments, because they are, in my Opinion, the strongest, and most cu­rious I ever read on this Subject; but Necessity obliges me to it, since it cannot be expected, that I should give an Abridg­ment of e'ery Question, that is well han­dled in all the Six Volumes, that are alrea­dy extant, because that would swell this History to as great a bigness as all they have writ, since they have been so short, and close to the point in every one, that it is impossible for me to be more concise, and preserve the Force, and Beauty of their Arguments.

Having thus shewn you how they have destroyed these Enemies, that most opposed the Growth of Knowledge, and Progress of Wisdom, 'tis time that I lead you now to a short view of some few of their farther Per­formances, in as many Sciences as I am able to bring in, within the narrow com­pass, that remains of this Second part; but considering the number of those admirable Solutions I find both in Divinity, and Philo­sophy, I am at a stand how to proceed, for the equality of their Worth, would engage me in e'ery one; so that I must only fol­low my own Fancy in the Choice, not the Merits of the Cause, which can be no Rule where there is no difference.

To begin therefore with Divinity, out of many of as great Excellence I take this, which I find the Subject of the Tenth Num­ber, of the Second Volume, and prosecuted in the Supplement to the Fifth.

The sum of the Quaery, and Proofs sent with it, is this:

Whether Sin might be ordained for

• 1. God's Honor, and
  by the [...] of his
  • Wisdom.
  • Power.
  • Iustice.
  • Holiness.
  • Mercy.
  • Love.
• 2. Man▪s Happiness, [...] it he had never dy'd, and▪ conse­quently never bee [...] [...]

[Page 18]The Quaerist having taken the Affirma­tive, the Society, with more Piety as well as Reason, take the Negative, the quite con­trary following from the other, to what the Quaerist would needs perswade: ‘As, first, —It destroys God's Wisdom, true Wisdom consisting in chusing right, and just means, to attain a good End; but Sin is a bad means, forbidden by himself to Man for the best of Ends; and the Perfection of the Creature consists in imitation of his Maker: So that the making God the Or­dainer, and Cause of Sin, is to make Him guilty, and Man innocent; which could ne'r conduce to the manifestation of his Wisdom, but the contrary. Again, it de­stroys his Iustice, for Justice, in respect of Punishment, alwaies supposes a Subject capable of Rewards, and Punishments, and farther supposes a Law, by which It must judge, and distribute them, none of which can be if Sin be absolutely ordained, and un­avoidable, and yet punished with eternal Tor­ments, since all agree that absolute Necessity excuses any thing.——Farther, Where is Mercy, if God save a very few only (as some would have it) and punish all the rest of Mankind, for what they could not avoid? Nay, what he has forc'd them to commit? Then—Where's his Holiness, and Hate of Sin, if he himself ordains, and causes it?’

As to to the second Branch of this Quaery ‘— Man's Happiness, &c. 'tis as false as the other, if taken all together: That he had never died without Sin, is granted; but it follows not, that if he had not died, he had not been glorified, since like Enoch he might have been translated to Glory.’

But to clear the first Branch of this Quaery a little farther; ‘First, if God ordained not Sin, how came it into the World? 'Tis answered,—By Permission, God being not obliged to hinder it, but indeed obliged not to hinder it, if he would have, as he design'd, Man a free Agent, Permission having no Influence on a free Agent, it an­swers all those ends of the Quaerist's Ordina­tion, viz,. the manifestation of his Wisdom, Power, Iustice, &c. in raising Man, after his Fall, when penitent, and punishing him when finally impenitent. Besides, this Po­sition of the necessity of Sin, takes away all Sin, and consequently makes the Sup­position it self of God's ordaining Sin ri­diculous, and impossible. Again,——If Sin were necessary, 'tis clear (from what has been said) there could be no eternal Punishment; but 'tis evident from the Word of Go [...] ▪ that there is eternal Punishment, there [...]ore &c.’

[...] the Tenth Mercury, of the Second Volume, to which the Quaerist, sending some Objections, not Answers, in the fifth Supple­ment, the same Member of this Society has delivered, and confuted them, with that evident, and convincing Demonstration, that nothing in Nature can be more fine. The whole Dispute is too long to be here inser­ted, and too good to be cramp'd into an im­perfect Abridgement, for the Soul of the Ar­gument spreads it self through every line, and is all in all, and all in every part; so that would do the Author of that incomparable piece, whom I honour, a great deal of In­justice, by giving so ill a Representation of his Performance: And I am sensible I shall scarce merit Pardon of him for what I have attempted in this kind above, therefore I must desire the Reader not to make a Judgment of the force of this Authors Argument, by what I have produced, since [...] only aimed to give such a View of them, as might invite those that should chance to see this rough Draught, to consult the Originial, where they will find them in their Life, and Perfection: And I am pretty confident, that what I have inserted, contains so much of its primitive Beauty, as to provoke an Ingenious C [...]oiosity to pursue the end I proposed. But fa [...]her to enflame his Desi [...]e, I shall give [...]ome of those profound; and invincible Reasons that Discourse I mentioned in the fifth Sup­plement contains.

Some men are of opinion, that there is no Science, worth studying, or at least satisfa­ctory, but the Mathematics, because they car­ry such a visible demonstration along with them, in all their parts, that the Mind rests satisfied in the Truth, and C [...]rtainty of the Operation it has employed itself about. I will agree with them, that there is no greater, or more [...] Inducements to read, or study, than Evidence, and high pro­bability of arriving at Truth, else we wander in the dark, and spend our time in the pur­suit of Shadows; and therefore I must re­commend this Dispute to the perusal of eve­ry one that loves to converse with Demonstra­tion in Argument, since there is nothing in the Mathematical Arts so self▪evident, as this (out of many)— If Necessity excuses external Punishments (for that is the aim of the Propo­nents A [...]guments) what did Christ dye for? what Iustice did he satisfie? what Benefits did he obtain? not the preserving us from eternal Death? for the Quaerist says, there's no such thing, Necessity takes it away. Not saving us from temporal Death, for that we all suffer. Not from other temporal Punishments; for he owns the Good have them rather more than others. Is he a Saviour, to save us from nothing? It can't be from our Sins, because they are necessitated; nor from the Devil, because God has For that is the ne­cessary co [...]sequence of the [...] precedent [...]; co [...]salt Num. 16, to [...]4. of the Supplement [...] the Fifth Volume, and this will be very clear. delivered us up to him, that he may compel us to Sin, nor to bring us to Heaven; since according to him all must go thither, nay, Judas, and all; nay, there's no other place for them to go to, and therefore they can't miss it. And how, I would fain know, does this manifest God's Wisdom, in the death of his SON, when at this rate it undeniably follows, [Page 19] that he died for nothing at all? Tho this be enough to shew, that what I have said is not without just cause, yet I cannot but add ano­ther from the same Discourse, it containing so much of Wit, as well as Solidity▪ and Reason.

— If I conclude (says the Quaerist) Mans ways to be not of himself, whereby I deny Free­will, I can then the more easily forgive, nay, love the worst of my Enemies. ‘——But (re­plies the incomparable Author) he might as well talk of a couple of Clocks, loving, and forgiving one another; they are all wound up, and must necessarily strike on without any Choice of their own; they can neither hate, nor [...] according to his Notion, but are determine [...] [...]or necessitated to do either.’—— Does not the Doctrin of Free-will (per­sists the Quaerist) set men together by the Ears? Nay, P [...]rsecution it self has a share in it, by per­swading us▪ that Mens ways are in them­selves, which makes it the more difficult to par­don them? This is so ridiculous an Argu­ment, especially for him to advance, that holds the necessity of all our Actions, that the Author with a great deal of Justice presses it close to him, in the most sensible part of men of his Principle, I mean his temporal Inte­rest.

— Why there's no help for't—(replies this Author) so the World will still believe, and many a poor Pickpocket must suffer for't, whose Hand Fate shuffled into his Neighbor's Purse, and Neck in the Noose, before he was aware of it; nay, so necessarily, so irresistably, that it is the highes [...] Folly in the World for him to seek to avoid it. [...]ever, would the Quaerist himself but live up to this noble Principle, he would undoubtedly have all the Shop lifts in Town his Customers, when at home, and all the Gentlemen of the Road his Attendants when abroad; for he could not in Conscience prosecute them, and have them hang'd for robbing him, which they could no more avoid, than he being rob'd. But, it seems, he's yet to learn, that there is Charity even in Justice, and that the Divine Being himself, as one of the Fathers says, is as merciful in building a Hell, as in framing a Heaven.

Here I cannot omit the Millenium, Volume the Fourth, Num. 6. tho I can say no more of it, but that it was done by the same Hand, and by consequence the Spirit, and Life, which abounds in this I have touched upon, will be found in that Question; and this I can assure the Reader, he will find no small Pleasure in the perusal of it, there is such a clearness of Thought, and Expression, as well as greatness of Learning, and Reason, for he proves it from many places of Scri­pture, as well as the Testimony of the most ancient of the Fathers, that is of the first, and second Century, as Papias, Iustin Mar­tyr, Polycarp, Clemens, and afterward Iraeneus, Lactantius, Tertullian, Methodius, and still lo­wer, St. Cyprian, Nepos, Apollinarius. Not that the words of all these Fathers are quoted in the Mercury, which would take up a whole Volume, as the Author observes, but he affirms them to be of the same Opinion as Iustin Martyr, and Methodius whose words he inserts.

I would also recommend those that are curious in Controversial Divinity, to peruse what another Member of this Society has performed against the Anabaptists proving In­fant Baptism, by the holy Scriptures, and primitive practice of the Church, beyond the weak, and ridiculous Efforts of his Adversa­ries to answer. For a confirmation of what I here avow, consult the fourteenth Mercury of the fourth Volume, the eighteenth of the same Volume, and the last twelve Numbers of the fifth Volume, where you▪l find con­firm'd what I have said, that this Society is composed of men of such general Learning, that each could finish the mighty Task alone; for this Controversie was carried on by the same who first began this Noble Design, and this I hope will prevent the Enemies of this Society from charging me with Flattery, when I shew such weighty Grounds for what I say.

Tho' this be an Age that delights not much in Accounts of this nature, relating to Religion, yet I must so far trespass upon the Wits, as to add a word, or two, on their practical Divinity, for there is not a greater Vein of Piety runs through all their Writings than in all their Actions▪ and their Endeavours to render other mens actions of the like Perfection: And this will appear from their Mercuries, which endeavoured with Reason, and Argument to second the Com­mands of the Government in the several ad­mirable Papers which treat of the present de­signed Reformation; as Numb. 2. of the 2d Volume; where not only the reasonableness of bringing such a Reformation about is clear'd, but also Methods proposed for the better ef­fecting it: Though I believe neither they, nor indeed the Government, did ever imagine to bring it to that Perfection, that it should affect all Degrees, Sects, and Principles, for that is a moral Impossibili [...]y, yet they had reason to think it would have that Awe upon most, that the Pious would not meet with such frequent, and open Objects of Debau­chery, and Prophaneness, and that is as much Comfort to a Good man, as to a man of Sence to have a Fool silenced by Authority, who else would be continually prating. I know several have objected, that putting the Laws in executing against Debauchery, would but encrease the number of Hypocrites, but I shall not fear to answer, that Hypocrisie itself is better than Scandal, that being but a pri­vate and particular Ill, this general, that by borrowing the Face, and outward form of Virtue (and by consequence) makes some At­tonement for its private Ills, by giving a (seeming at least) good Example; whereas Scandal, familiarises Uice to every one, and makes all appearances of Uirtue ridicu­lous.

[Page 20]What can be more conducive to the gene­ral practice of Virtue than an able Assistance to those Sinners, who have a desire to be converted, but are with-held by the Tyranny of an habitual Sin, which perhaps, as it is the greatest Obstacle to most of our pious Inten­tions, and the most difficult to overcome, so it bears down the good Resolutions of most men. Any one that has ever read St. Au­stin's Confessions, will easily perceive (if he be so happy to be free from personal Experi­ence) how a Habit cloggs the Soul, and pinions its Wings, that it may not fly toward its Di­vine Creator, by the help of long abdica­ted Virtue. Oh how often did it tugg, and pull back St. Austin, with a thousand world­ly Considerations! How did it lay open all its gilded Baits, and struggle for a long time with the powerful Grace which God sent to his assistance! But as there is no corporeal Disease (if we believe some learned men) for which Nature has not provided a Cure, so much less is there any spiritual Malady, for which God has not provided an abun­dant Remedy, which our spiritual Physicians (at least those that value their Duty, and know the Obligation of their Character) ap­ply to us as our several Distempers require. This the Athenian Society have done most admirably well in this difficult point of Habits. First, in discovering what a Ha­bit is; and next, that it may be overcome, and lastly, the best Methods to do it: For the first two I referr the Reader to the first Number of the third Volume, and shall here only hint upon some of the Heads of the last; as— An Habit alwaies has its con­trary, and may be broke by the use of those Me­thods which constitute its Contrary, or by remo­ving the Occasions by which it is encreased and continued. As for example; ‘A Fire is ex­tinguished by Water, or by not supplying it with Fuel; for Drunkenness, Whoring, or Un­cleanness, &c. the Cure is by practising the constitutive parts of Temperance, and Cha­stity; or else by flying Occasions, in these cases the Parthian Discipline is best, Over­come by flying; other Remedies are prèscri­bed in the same place, as communicating ones Failings to a Friend, especially a Di­vine, whose Advice, and Prayers may not a little assist: And here the prescriptions must be observed unfeignedly, and not used as some do those of Doctors, flinging them away, tho they pretend to have taken them, since in spiritual Sickness, without taking the Medicine, there can be no Cure. As great a Step as can be made in this Affair, is to get a true-informed Iudgment, the Act of knowing things as they really are in their own Nature, and the business is almost done to their Hands.’

This I have insisted the more upon, be­cause it is of general use, and therefore, I hope, those who have a desire to take to the Paths of Virtue from a Habit of Vice, will consult the Mercury I have quoted, which will not a little contribute to their Ease and Satis­faction.

Next to Divinity I shall place Philosophy, as approaching next in Dignity. Here their Performances have been no less extraordina­ry, as will appear from the beginning of their Undertaking, where the most difficult, and sublime things have met with a Resolu­tion. In the very first Mercury we find no less than the Eternity of the Soul decided, &c. in the second, the cause of the Sea spouts given, and the cause of saline quality of the Sea, &c. In the third, even the cause of the ebbing and flowing of the Sea.

This is a Question which has given a great deal of Fatigue to the Learned of all Ages, and some will have it, that Aristotle died with Grief, because he could not find it out, others, that he flung himself into the Sea, saying, Si non pos­sum capere re, tu cap [...]es me. If I cannot under­stand thee, thou shalt contain me. The Opinions of it were as nu­merous as the Philosophers that handled it; to omit the rest, Plato held, that the Flux and Reflux proceeded from certain Gulphs in the bottom of the Sea, which like Squirts suck'd in the Water first, and then spouted it out again. Apollinus Tyanaeus (who was extreamly well skilled in Spirits, if we believe Philostratus, in the Life of that Philo­sopher) will needs have it, that certain Spi­rits, at the bottom of the vast Deep, are con­tinually puffing, and blowing, which gives motion to the Waves, and causes the ebbing, and flowing. Others held, that there were some Fires under the Waves, which made it boil like a Pot, and that when that Fire went out, the Sea ebb'd. Some of equal Absurdity, think the Sea to be (or rather contain) a great Animal, and that as it turns, and moves from side to side, it causes the eb­bing and flowing. There have not been a few that have held the Moon to be the effi­cient cause of this Motion: Others (among which number, if I mistake not, Galilaeus is Chief) are of opinion, that the Sun, as it gives Motion to the other parts of the Dans cuncta m [...] ­veri. World, causes this Revolu­tion of the Waters, tho' they be but a part of that Globe we call the Earth, and therefore would not be suppo­sed to have a different, or at least a peculiar motion to themselves, from the same Cause, sup­posing that the System of Copernicus is true of the diurnal Motion of the Earth.

There is another Opinion built upon this Systeme, which is this; That the diurnal Re­volution of the Earth, upon its own Axis, is the only cause of the Flux, and Reflux of the Sea; for as other Waters, that are con­veyed in Pipes, will rise to as great a height as the place from whence they first descend; so these of the Sea, upon the descent (if we can term any part of that Motion so, which has an equal reference to, and distance from the Center) of the Earth flow down, as far [Page 21] as the Shore permits, but being there stop'd, rebound up again as much the other way; which is the ebb, and flowing. But this is no less absurd than any of the rest I have inser­ted; for, first, if this were the cause, there could be no such variety of Tides, as is well known, since the Earth turns upon its own Axis, in an equal space of time, as well as with an equal, even, and constant motion, without any rub: So that we are to seek in the most difficult part of this wonderful mo­tion still: For, How comes it to pass, that the Tide flows some fathoms more in some places than in others, and that constantly, and therefore not caus'd by any accidental Wind driving in upon that Shore? But there remains, as great a difficulty as to the cause of the seven times flowing of the Euri­pus in a day. Lastly, if there be such a de­scent in the motion of the Earth, as to make the Waters fall down to the brim, as I may call it, then by the same Rule, they would fall out when that part of the Globe came, to be perpendicular downward; for, if there be a descent, there must be a lowest part of that descent, and then what I have urg'd would infallibly follow. 'Twould be endless to run through all the Absurdities of this last, as well as those of the other opinions I have related, which might well follow, when they never considered all the Consequences of the Doctrin they advanc'd. The Society, in their third Mercury, decides the Question with more Reason, and Certainty, in this manner. ‘—What is the reason of the Suns motion, but the necessary Law of the Creation, or the first-establish'd Order of Na­ture? For; had the Sun been fixt in any one part of the Element, the opposite part of the Earth would have been burnt up, and all the rest frozen, and consequently the whole Globe of Earth rendered unca­pable of fructifying. And as the motion of the Sun was necessary in the Order of Na­ture, for all those Beings that depend upon it, so it was equally necessary that the Sea should have a particular Commission, or Or­der, from its Creator (the only efficient Cause) for a Flux, and Reflux, else it would have stagnated, and corrupted, and by consequence unfit for Procreation of Fishes, and Navigation.’ For the Objections which are or can be raised against this, consult the Mercury, and there you will find them answe­red to your full satisfaction.

But if you require some more immediate cause of this Motion of the Waves, Vol. 5, Numb. 6, Quest. 2, referrs you to an inge­nious Book, writ by a Member of the So­ciety, called, The Visions of Souls before they en­ter into the Body; and in the 23d Dialogue of that Book you will find your Curiosity answered in a most witty and surprizing manner, I must needs say, the whole Book is an extraordinary Piece of refined Notions, entertaining Wit, and great, and well-digested Learning, and indeed, too much above the Capacities of most of our English Readers, to sell well; for if it were but understood, I am confident; nothing that this Age has produ­ced would be more grateful to the Curious: And if it were translated into French, that Nation would value it, and be sensible, that the English had as noble, and speculative a Genius, as any of them; but the Humour of most men, and some that pretend a little to sence, is to give censure of a thing according to the Vogue, tho' they never saw it themselves, tho' perhaps (as I am sure in this case 'tis true) that proceeded from the Ignorant, (which being the more numerous, make up the Cry) or those at least who did not understand it.

But what can be more fine than their Di­scourse upon Individuation! A point con­fess'd by the great Mr. Boyl (as they observe) of the most nice, and difficult nature. I shall transcribe it, because there can be no Abre­viation so well done, but it must be an Injury to its Excellence.

The Question is this:— What is Indi­viduation, or wherein consists the Individua­bility of a thing?

‘———It may n't be improper (pursues the Author, for I omit the Preface of it, which is a kind of an Apology, because I think it needs none) to run through the different Orders of visible Beings, and search them all for a distincter Idea of it [ than the Schools afford.] To begin with those Spe­cies of Body, which are not properly orga­niz'd, and have neither Life, nor Sense, as Stones, Metals, &c. in these Individuation seems to consist in nothing but greater, or lesser: Take the less part of a Stone away, you may still call it the same Stone: Like an equal part with the Remains, that Indi­viduation ceases, and they are two new In­dividuals: Divide a Stone, &c. as long as you please, every part of it will be a Stone still, another individual Stone, as much as any in the Mountains, or Quarry 'twas first cut out of, even tho' reduc'd to the minutest Sand, or, if possible, a thousand times less. But when we take one step farther, and proceed a degree higher, to the Vegetable Kingdom, the Case is far otherwise, and in­deed Nature seems to be still more distinct, and as it were careful in its Individuation, the higher it rises, till at last it brings us to that great Transcendental Individual,—the only proper uncompounded Essence,—the One God blessed for ever. To return to Plants,—their Individuation consists in their singular form, contexture, and order of their Parts, whereby they are disposed for those uses to which Nature has de­signed them, and by which they receive and maintain their Beings. For example, a Tree, from whence tho' you take the Branches, it grows, receives Nourishment from the Earth, maintains itself, and is still a Tree; which the parts thereof are not, when separated from the rest; for we can't say e'ery part of a Tree is a Tree, as we can of a Stone, e'ery part of a Stone is still a [Page 22] Stone. But now,—if this Tree be cloven in two, or more pieces, or fell'd by the Roots, this Contexture, or orderly Respect of the Parts each to other, ceases; its Essence, as a Tree is destroy'd, its Individuation peri­shes, and 'tis no more a Tree, but a Stump, or a piece, or pieces of Timber. Let's pro­ceed a degree higher to meerly sensible Crea­tures, who are not so immediately depen­ding on Earth, the common Mother, as Plants, nor rooted to it, and as it were a part of it, as they are, but walk about, have, in respect of that, an Independent Existence, and are a sort of Worlds by themselves: And here the Individuation consists in such a particular Contexture of their Es­sential Parts, and their relation one toward another, as enables them to exert, the Operations of the sensible, or ani­mal Life. Thus cut off the Leggs, or any other parts of an Animal, 'tis the same Ani­mal still; but cut off its Head, or take away its Life, and 'tis no longer that individual Animal, but a meer Carcass, and will by degrees resolve into common matter again, or rather be transmigrated into some other form. To ascend now to the highest Rank of visible Beings, the Rational; the Individu­ation of Man appears to us, to consist in the Union of that thinking Substance, which we call the Rational Soul, with any conve­nient Portion of fitly-organiz'd Matter, we hope 'tis no Heresie to assert, that any Porti­on of Matter duly qualified, and united to the Soul by such a Union, as we expe­rience, tho' we cannot well explain, is im­mediately individuated by it, and together with that Soul, makes a Man: So that if it were possible for one Soul to be cloathed over and over, at different times, with all the Matter in the Universe, it would in all those distinct shapes be the same Individual Man. Nor can a man be supposed, in this case, to differ more from himself than he does when he's an Infant, and just past an Embrio from himself, when of Adult, or de­crepit Age, he having in that line changed his Portion of Matter over, and over; has been fat, and lean, sick, and well, lost by Bleeding, Excrement, Perspiration, &c. gained again by Aliment, and perhaps not one Particle, or but very few of the First Matter, which he took from his Parents, and brought with him into the World, now remaining.’

How noble, and how abstruse a Question is here handled with the greatest Brevity and Perspicuity in the World! How knotty a Point render'd easie to any tolerable Under­standing, without losing one jott of its maje­sty or profoundness!

Here I should add that admirable deserta­tion of the nature of Opium, Vol. 6, Num. 4, Quest. 4. done by the Physician, and that of [...]he fam'd Talismanical Science, Num. 7, Vol 5, and of Specific Remedy, and also the Qestions about several indifferent Matters; Hate of the Angels, Schism, Equivocal Generation monsters, Transfusion of Blood, Muscular Motion in Lunatics, Mutation, Circulation, and Abdi­cation. And the first Question of the 9th Mercury of the 5th Volume, about Navi­gation, all incomparably and concisely done by the same hand; but that I have al­ready transgressed my Bounds, and I should injure these excellent Performances by abre­viating them, that of Navigation not be­ing capable of being made one single word shorter than it is in the Mercury.

Tho' 'tis impossible for me to run through all those Questions in Philosophy, which this Learned, and Ingenious Society have handled with equal Excellence, yet I cannot but recom­mend the several Discourses relating to the Soul of Man; for, in their Volumes alrea­dy publish'd, they have discussed all that can any way relate to it. The Quaeries I shall here insert, which, I question not, will invite e'ery curious Enquirer to consult the An­swers, which are extraordinary.

• 1. Whether the Soul be eternal, or prae exi­stent from the Creation, or contemporary with its Embrio. See
  • Vol. 1. Numb. 1. Quaery 2.
  • V. 1, 1. N. 6, 12. Q. 1, 3. this is very well an­swered.
• 2. Transmigration of Souls.— V. 1. N. 7. Q. 6.
• 3. Is the Soul subject to Passion?— V. 1. N. 8. Q. 9.
• 4. What are the Souls of Brutes?— V. 1. N. 9. Q. 2.
• 5. Whether the Soul of Man knows all things to come, but is hinder'd by the dulness of bodily Organs?— V. 1. N. 26. Q. 10.
• 6. In what condition is the Soul of an Infant, as to its natural Faculties? and what sort of Thoughts of the things it sees, and hears, may it be supposed to have?— V. 1. N. 2. Q. 13.
• 7. Whether Souls separated by Death from the Body, retain their Inviduation, or are all turn'd into one common soul?— Ibid. Q. 12.
• 8. In what part of the Body is the Soul?— V. 2. N. 1. Q. 13. & N. 7. Q. 2. & N. 29. Q. 5.
• 9. What defect is there in the Souls of Persons born Naturals?— V. 2. N. 2. Q. 4.
• 10. What are we to think of the Definition of the Soul—that it is the
  Actus primus corporis organici, in potentia vitam habentis.
  first Act of an Organical Body ha­ving Life in Power?— V. 2. N. 2. Q. 7.
• 11. Whether Women have any Souls?— V. 2. N. 3. Q. 11. To which I join this; Is the Soul of Woman inferiour to the Soul of Man? If so, will that superiority continue eternally?— V. 5. N. 3. Q. 2.
• 12. Whether the immortal Soul was breathed into Adam with the Animal, or, before, or after?— V. 2. N. 5. Q. 17.
• 13. Upon a bare relation of any thing, an Idea of the thing related is at the same time represented to the Imagination, but when he speak of God or the Soul, we have none at all.—The reason of this?— V. 2. N. 7. Q. 9.
• [Page 23]14. Whether our Souls, going out of our Bo­dies, pass into any local circumscriptible place; or, whether they assume certain Vehicles, or sub­tile Bodies, retaining the same characterizing forms, which their terrestrial Bodies had?— V. 2. N. 7. Q. 3.
• 15. Whether the separated Souls have any knowledge of Affairs in this World, &c. Ibid. Q. 5.
• 16. Whether separated Souls know one ano­ther, since they have not the Organs of Seeing, Hearing, Speech. Ibid. Q. 6.
• 17. Where do Souls go immediately on their separation from the Body? Ibid. Q. 7. & 8. and V. 3. N. 25. Q. 7. and V. 4. N. 29. Q. 1. V. 2. N. 7. Q. 10.
• 18. Whether has a Man three Souls, or no, viz. the Supream, which they call the Mind; the Sensitive, which they call an Image; and Rational, which lies, and knitts the other two together?— V. 2. N. 7. Q. 9.
• 19. What have the Philosophers (guided only by natural Reason) conceiv'd by the future state of the Soul? Ibid. Q. 11.
• 20. How are we to understand the Union of the Soul, and Body, since the Soul is pure imma­terial Substance, and the Body a gross organiz'd Substance? Ibid. Q. 12. & Vol. 3. N. 15. Q. 11.
• 21. Whether the Soul of Man be a Traducti­on, or an immediate Infusion; if the former, what tolerable Exceptions may we have of the way and manner of a Bodies begetting a Spirit? If the latter, how comes it to be defil'd with origi­nal Sin? V. 2. N. 16. Q. 15. In relation to this, see also Num. 22. of the same Volume, where several Objections about this are very well answer'd.
• 22. Whether all Souls are equally happy in Heaven? V. 3. N. 8. Q. 5.
• 23. Whether the Soul of a Child that dies after 'tis quick in the Womb, be happy, or miserable eter­nally? Ibid. Q. 6.
• 24. Whether the Souls of studious and learned men, are more perfect in the World to come than the Souls of the Ignorant, and Illiterate, &c. V. 3. N. 25. Q. 8.
• 25. Where's the Soul of Man, when in a Swoon?— V. 3. N. 29. Q. 3.
• 26. Whether the Soul, after Death, be in an active or unactive state, during its subsistance without the Body?— V. 4. N. 28. Q. 5.
• 27. Whether the Soul can be absent from the Body for a limitted time, without Death, provi­ded the Body remain tenentable?— Ibid. Q. 6.
• 28. Is the cause of Death, or a separation of the Soul from the Body, in the Soul, or in the Body?—Ibid. Q. 7.
• 29. Whether the Soul does alwaies actually think, or no?— V. 6. N. 6. Q. 2.

There are other Questions relating to the Soul, which I have not set down in this place, the Brevity I am confin'd to not only denying me that, but also room to make any mention of what other Philosophical Questions they have answer'd. I must there­fore desire the Reader to supply this defect in me, by consulting their general Index, which will be publish'd suddenly in an alphabetical order, as they have given public notice; there they will not only find what I have omitted, but also all other Questions relating to the Mathematics, Physic, Law, Criticisms, Anatomy, and all the other Branches of their Promise of answering all manner of Questions in e'ery Science, and Art, if of any Use, or Advantage, general, or particular; for, I shall only here give a short Direction to two or three in each Science. For Mathematical Questions therefore consult Vol. 1. N. 5. Q. 5. & N. 15. Q. 3, of the same Volume, and Num. 4. Q. 7, of the Sixth Volume. For Physic see V. 1. N. 15. Q. 5. where is the ori­ginal cause of the Gout. See farther, V. 5. N. 7. Q. 2. & Q. 4, of the same Number. Anatomy in general is well improv'd, since Hypocrates learnt it of Democritus in the Su­burbs of Abdera, from the dissection of Brutes gathering the Anatomy of Man, as the same Hypocrates testifies in his Letter to Demagoras: And I am confident, that by the Answers this Society have given in this Art, (which is a part of the Delphic Precept of Know thy self, which thereforeis the reason, I suppose, E coelo descen­dit, [...] Juven. Iuvenal says it must be kept in Heaven) will make any im­partial Judge sensible of their Ability in that as well as the rest of the Sciences, for your own satisfacti­on, see Vol. 1. N. 23. Q. 6. & Vol. 2. N. 12. Q. 6, and several other places, where the most curious thing in this Art are discuss'd. For Law, see V. 1. N. 5. Q. 7. & V. 1. N. 18. Q. 12. and a great many other places. For Criticisms, V. 1. N. 21. Q. 7, & 9. and other places in the Sixth Volume.

I am sure the Wits will think it high time for me to dismiss these grave, and sublimer Subjects, and to come nearer their Province; for I am sensible that Theology, and Philosophy require too much of Thought, and too much strength of Iudgment, to be Entertainment agreeable to their airy Genius, which relishes nothing but a trifling Iest, a Quibble, or at most a pleasant Banter, as they call it. These Gentlemen are so wholy possessed with the Spirit of G [...]iety, that they think all things dull that are solid, tho' 'tis very hard, they will never give us leave to be serious, under the severe Penalty of their Displeasure at our Performances. But that they may have no cause to think I have quite forgot them, if they will be so complaisant to meet me half way, and give for once a step or two from their eternal Banter, to true Wat, I will now descend to gratifie these partial, and incompe­tent Judges of Wit, and Learning, and shew them, that the Athenian Society do some­times unbend from their severer Studies, to make a grateful mixture of the pleasant with profitable, that they might not give the least cause to any to think their Endeavours any way imperfect: But they make not a Busi­ness of a Delight, or think, that the Life of a [Page 24] man of Sence, and Reason, should be taken up with no higher Contemplation, than the con­tinual view of the lighter Performances of Wit. This I must inform these Gentlemen, that they'l seldom find any of these easier Es­says of this Society without a just mixture of Learning, for that is so much a Part of them, that it gives a lasting Beauty to their very Diversions. I shall instance in one par­ticular, which some (I am pretty sure with­out consideration) have been pleased to exer­cise their unintelligible. Talent of Banter upon, I mean the Answer to this Quaery; Whether Fleas have stings, or whether they suck or bite when they draw Blood from the Body? This Quaery, we may see by the Author, was sent by one of the fair Sex, and the Resolution is compos'd not only of true Wit, all the Similes being ex re nata, not dragg'd from all the cor­ners of the Universe, to be cramm'd in by Head, and Shoulders, as those of some men are, who have not gain'd a little Reputation by them, but also of a curious enquiry into the form, and parts of that little, and dome­stic Animal, which tho' so common, yet of so wonderful a composure. This I find the first Quaery of the 17th Number of the first Volume; which if any true Judge of Wit will consult, I question not but he will with a great deal of readiness subscribe to what I have said of it, and only blame me for the Modesty of my Expression. In the very next Mercury you will meet with a no less entertaining Discourse on this Quaery; Whe­ther Beauty be real, or imaginary? The Quaery is nice, but the Answer is incompa­rably fine. Farther, let the Reader peruse the third, the thirteenth, the fifteenth, and six­teenth Numbers of the second Volume: The Subject of the two last I cannot pass over in silence. (1.) Whether it be lawful for a young Lady to pray for a Husband? (2.) A Lady de­sires to know when she shall have a Husband. (3.) Is it better to live single, or marry? are the three Quaeries propos'd in the fifteenth Number, which are answered with that In­genuity, and Reason, (an Ingredient seldom found in the Gallymoferies our Scriblers gene­rally dress out for public view) that it cannot but bring the extreamest satisfaction to any one that pretends with any Justice to value himself as a man of Wit, and Sence. The first Question of the sixteenth Number I shall say no more of, but that the Reader may see, that as it is of the same nature with the first in the former Number, so it appears to confess the same Authors. See farther in this kind Num. 4. and the 13th of the third Vol. and Num. 3. & 13th of the fourth Volume; and several places I have omitted in each Vo­lume.

In the fifth, and sixth Volumes I find the Society endeavouring a farther diversion of the Witty, by several Essays in Poetry, in an­swer to Quaeries sent them in Rhime; this being indeed the necessary result of their first. Promises, of answering all manner of Questi­ons. In this, as well as in all their other Per­formances, the Society propose to them­selves the Service of Religion, and I hope the Wits will not wholy condemn them for pre­tending to Poetry, and Piety at once, since tho' Quarles has scandaliz'd Devotion with wretched Verse, yet Beaumont's Psyce, &c. that admira­ble Poem Spencer's Fary Queen, designed an Encomium on all the noble train of Virtues; the Steps to the Temple, and other Verses of Crashaw, who was commended by the in­comparable Cowly; nay, the Plagues of Egypt, the Paraphrase on Isaiah, and other Pinda­rics of Cowly himself shew, that Poetry is never so elevated, and fine, as when em­ployed on Subjects of that nature: Nay, Virtue is so far from not being the proper Subject of Poetry, that nothing else, indeed, is: For, if we believe the best of Poets, and Cri­tics, and examin the Rules laid down by them for both Dramatic, and Epic Poesie, we shall find, that the aim, and end of the first, is to reward Virtue, and punish Vice; and the business of the latter is, not only to draw its Characters truly virtuous, but to make them successful, as the Piety of Aeneas (and most, if not all of his Trojan Companions) in Virgil, of Godfrey of Bul­loign, Tancred, and For the Character of Rinaldo is Virtuous, not­withstanding his Amour with Armida, which was the effect of her Enchant­ments more than his In­clinations; his Repen­tance of this failing, his Prayer on Mount Olivet, before his attaquing the Enchanted Forest, and the rest of his Actions, ju­stifie my placing him in this Number. Ri­naldo, &c. in Tasso, of David, Ionathan, &c. in Cowly, may satisfie: So that I have reason to conclude, that the Poet, who pretends to write without this Aim, is ei­ther ignorant in his Art, or guilty of perverting its sacred Laws. All this being thus evident, the more equal Readers will, I question not, be very well pleas'd, when they see this Society in their Poeti­cal Mercuries, in lofty Numbers presenting a formal Challenge to Uice; and as two Opposites are best distinguish'd when set to­gether, so here a Uice in one Column, and its contrary Uirtue in another, must render the first as odious, as it really is, and en­haunce, if not the Beauty, yet the Esteem of the latter. To perform this with the more force, and majesty, the SOCIETY have, with a great deal of Reason, made choice of Spencer's Stanza: This new Project for the promotion of Religion is confin'd only to one Virtue, and one Vice at a time, that the other half of the Paper may be free to an­swer such Quaeries that are sent them in Verse, as shall any way merit to be taken no­tice of.

Before I dismiss this point, I think my self obliged to make some Remarks on the Poetry this Society have already gratified the World withal, because some, that with no little Ardour aspire to the name of Cri­tics, have been pleased to pass none of the most favourable Judgments upon it: I con­fess indeed these Sparks are not so kind, as to give us any Reason for their Procedure in this Affair, or to discover those Defects they [Page 25] have found out, supposing that their Arbitrary Sentence is sufficient to prove a Guilt; per­haps that may be of great value with those who blindly depend upon their Judgment, but we that are so arogant to believe an ipse dixit no proof, must take the liberty to que­stion their Decission as very partial.

I wish these mighty Critics had given us some Standard for the Excellence of Co­pies of Verses, or had rang'd them under some of the known Heads, nay tho' they had ran as far as the Division of In his Third Book De optimo statu Civitatis. Plato; for then I cou'd with the more ease have made an examination of them, and have obviated those Objections, they had made, but when Men speak at random, without giving any reason for what they say, it is sufficient to be as positive in our denial as they were in their affirmation, 'tis not, be­ing as convincing, as it is.

But to shew the World that I am not a­fraid to bring the Poetry of the Society to the Test, I shall, according to what Standard I shall think Iust (since they have given me none) examine it, with that impartiality which becomes not only an Historian, but a Critic. Every one that has ever essay'd any thing in Verse cannot but be sensible of the difficulty of bringing every part to that decorum which is necessary for the beauty, and per­fection of that way of writing, without which as Ut in vita, sic in ora­tione nihil est difficili­us, quam quid deceat videre: [...] appel­lant Graeci, nos deco­rum.—Hujus ig­noratione non modo in vita, sed saepissime in Poemate, & Oratione peccatur. Cicero observes, there are not a few faults break into Posie, as well as Prose. What this necessary decorum is may be gather'd partly from. —Brevis esse labor [...] Obscurus fio; sectantem levia nervi Deficiunt, Animi (que) professus gran­dia turget. serpit hum i tutus nimium, timidus­que procellae. Qui vari­are cupit rem prodigali­ter unam, Delphinum sil­vis appingit, fluctibus aprum. Horace in his Art of Poetry, to avoid Ob­scurity, Trifling, Bombast, meaness both of thought, and expression, and affected copiousness, which is a spining out a Thought into various, and synonimous Ex­pressions, and this last Claudian is very much gi­ven to, notwithstanding the Character Scaliger, gives him.

If we can't find the Society guilty of any of these faults I think (by so good an Authori­ty as Horace) we may conclude their Poetry ca­vill'd at without any just reason. But I shall con­fine my self to one Copy of Verses which was writ to the Author of the late Pastoral Poem, in the first Mercury of the fifth Vo­lume, for tho' the Poetry, they have as yet publish'd be not very voluminous, yet the examination of all wou'd take up more room than I can spare, and out of one or two Examples a Judgment may be made of the rest. In the foremention'd Poem I am sure there is nothing that falls under any of those Errors I have set down; there is a Poeti­cal genius shines all through them, the thought and expression admirably match'd like a Noble Soul in a beautiful Body, nay something nearer a kin to each other, and nearer of a Nature: but before I say more of them I'll transcribe 'em, which will not I am sure be ingrateful to the Reader.

What can be more fine, and sweet than these Verses? What more Poetīcal? What more correct? and if at any other time their Poetical answers come not up to these, there are several reasons for it. First, because several Queries are sent in Verse, which wou'd be more to the purpose in Prose, for there are subjects not so proper for Verse. 2dly, Because they design'd 'em otherwise, as for example Burlesque, as the first Query of the 11th. Number of the 5th. Volume, which in its kind is very witty, and pleasant; and the 6th. of the same Mercury. But then there are the Answer to the 4th. Query, and the Epithalamium, very fine; and Lastly, when [Page 26] the subject is not so Noble; as that of this, which merited no less, than the Society has said of it. I cannot omit an Epigram I find in the 5th. Number of the 7th. Volume, which is this,

I find scarce one in Martial comparable to this, except, Pauper Cinna vult videri, & est pauper. Martial too often playing upon words, which tho' more tolerable in Latin, than English, yet I cannot bring my Palate to relish. The Vertues of an Epigram, are, a dilucid Shortness, and an Acumen, which is the Soul, Life and Spirit of an Epigram, without which 'tis flat, and insipid, nor can I endure a long Introduction to that, which lies within the narrow compass of a word, or two, the Wit of these being not sufficient to recompence the tediousness of the other, nor cou'd I 'till I saw this ever with pati­ence admit of any thing of that kind in English.

Upon the whole I think that Character which Iulius Caesar Scaliger gives of Claudian, is justly the due of the Poetical Member of this Society, viz. In lib. 4. Poetices. Maximus poeta Claudianus, solo ar­gumento Ignobiliore oppress [...]s, addidit de ingenio quantum Deest materiae. F [...]lix in [...]o Calor, cultus non invisus, temperatum Iudicium, dictio can­dida, Numeri non af­fectati accute dicta multa, sine ambitione. Tho' I do not un­derstand with what Justice Scaliger urges, the Ignobleness of his Subjects or Argument when all he has writ, is upon the noblest, as Gods, Princes and Consuls. That he is a great Poet, only has sometimes the disadvan­tage of being oppress'd with an unpoetical Subject, but even then supplies with his Wit the defect of the Mat­ter, he is Master of a hap­py daring, and a good Iudgment, his Ornaments agreeable, his Language clear, and expressive, his Numbers smooth but not affected, his Thoughts fall naturally in, without force.

All I have to add in this point (because I have not room for a long Critical discourse on Poetry) is that they have not only at­tain'd all the Beauties of Verse, but have also had in their eye the very end, and aim of Poetry, which 1. Aut prodesse volunt, 2. Aut de­lectare Poetae. 3. Aut Simul & Idoneae, & jucunda dicere vitae. Horace di­vides into three parts, Pleasure, Profit, and both together: But he concludes the last to be the Omne tulit pun­ctum, qui miscuit utile dulci. best, which comprizes both the pleasant, and the profitable. Some one of these ends if not all, are observable in every Poeti­cal Mercury I have yet seen. In fine, I think; the opinion of one that was so much a Poet as to be Author of those Latin Verses in the 13th. Numb. of the 6th. Vol. is a suffi­cient defence of their Abilities in Poetry, since he, that cou'd write so well must be a competent judge.

I shall conclude this second Part of this History, with a defence of their Comple­sance for the Fair Sex in Answering their Queries, which has been extreamly resented by the Wits; and other Emulators of the Society, who have themselves in the 13th. Number of the 3d. Volume, obviated the main Objections of these Sparks, that hate the Fair Sex, because they are their slaves I believe, and 'tis pitty they are not so ge­nerous to set their Names to their Queries, that the Ladies might know their haters. In the Mercury I mention'd there is this Query sent them.— ‘Whether it does not weak­en the Credit of the Athenian Mercury, that the Authors of it descend to such a pitty­ful Employment, as to take notice of Fe­minine Impertinences?’ To which the Society answer,— That they are troubl'd with ten, perhaps an hundred Masculine Impertinen­cies for one Feminine. (They might have added this Query to the Number) Whereas on the other side they have Letters from the Ladies, without the boasted advantages of Learning, which are of so great concern, and carry so much weight, that they dare not, with­out considerable Time, and Thought, at­tempt their Answer. The Society proceeds farther in the same Mercury in this manner,— For meddling with Questions of Love, Courtship, and Marriage, we might say, we design'd thereby to mingle the Dulce, and the Utile. and a little farther,— But we scorn to excuse what needs it not, but rather ought to be Gloried in, since tho' some things of this nature, may be pure Matters of Ga­lantry, yet there are very many Questions, which not only have an influence, on the happi­ness of particular Men, and the peace of Fa­milies, but ev'n the good, and welfare of larger Societies, and the whole Common­wealth, which consists of Families, and single Persons.

Tho' this is sufficient to justifie their an­swering the Ladies Queries, to any mode­rate, and considering opposer, yet lest the rest shou'd imagine that I beg the Question, and that I take that for granted, which they de­ny. I shall wave the Word of this Society, that they have received several weighty Queries, &c. from them, and prove by undeniable Ex­amples both of the present, and the past Ages, that the Women have as Nice a sense of things, and as good Judgments too, as most Men. 'Tis true, that here in England, the Women are kept from all Learning, as the prophane Vulgar were of old, from the Misteries of the Ancient Religions; and therefore, are not generally so agreeable, in Conversation, to Men of Parts, and Sence, because, a new Dress, Dance, Play, &c. is all they can discourse of, tho' this is far from holding ev'n here in England through all, for there are a great many, who in spite of the Tyranny of Custom, will steal some Minutes from the Needle, to improve their Minds, and this Society, without doubt, will with their performances envite a great many more, to the same, when they shall see the [Page 27] Beauties of Philosophy, in so sweet, and easie a Dress, and then their Conversation would be far more agreeable to the wiser part of the World, than the impertinent Chatt, too ma­ny (not by their own faults) are now guilty of. This is evident to any man, that has ever been in France, and convers'd with the Wo­men of the better quality there, whose Ap­prehensions are more quick, and discourse upon any Subject, or in any Science, I will not except the most profound parts of Philo­sophy, more à propos, and ingenious, than the Men; their Wit, and Notions are indeed extreamly surprizing. I am confident, by the acquaintance I have had the honor to have with some of the Refin'd of that Sex here, that our English Women would not be inferior to them in any qualification of the Mind, if they were but bless'd with as happy an Education: Nay, I am apt to think, they would as far surpass the French Ladies in Knowledg, as in Beauty.

The entertaining Notions of Philosophy, are not the only Subjects of the Ladies Studies in France, Madam de Maintenon will prove, that the weighty movements of State-affairs are not above the direction of that Sex: And she that writ the Memoirs of the Court of Spain shews, that they are capable of making poli­tic Observations on the nicest Occurrences. Madam Dacier is an extraordinary Proof, that the most crabbed Studies are not look'd into by them, without the greatest success. Her Endeavours on Plautus, Terence, and Horace, shew, that Women are capable of being as nice, and critical Judges of Sence, and Lear­ning, as Men; nay, those Essays I have mention'd of this French Lady, excel all that has been done in that kind, particularly all the Pedantic Labors of those plodding Iesuites who have publish'd Notes upon the Classic Au­thors, for the use of the Dolphin. I am not ig­norant, that some will urge, that she was be­holden to her Husband, for those upon Ho­race; yet these Gentlemen cannot deny, that Plautus, and Terence were publish'd when she was yet Madam la Fevre.

I cannot but mention the Lady Donna Oliva Sabuco, reckoned amongst the greatest Scholars, she advancing in her Studies, &c. to the end Spain, and the whole World might receive some Advantage thereby, she began a new and most ingenious method of Physic; she wrote to the most august Philip II, to obtain the establishing of her Followers as the Pub­lic Physicians,—and in her Treatise cal­led The New Physic, she learnedly, Dialogue wise, censures the Physic of the Ancients; and most famous Authors have since laid claim to many things, boasting themselves the first Discoverers of them, whereof she had full knowledg, and long before did publish them in her learned Books.

For a farther Proof of this point, I shall, in a few words, touch upon some of the emi­nent Women of Antiquity: I will pass over the Politic Semiramis, the valiant, and no less politic Thamyris Queen of Scythia, who not only engaged Cyrus, but overcame him, by outwitting him, destroying him by his own Stratagem. Nor will I instance Sempronia, mention'd by Salust, in his Catiline's Conspira­cy, as learned, and witty. Nor will I particu­larize the fifteen eminent Women, that taught in the School of Pythagoras. All that will be necessary here, will be a short enumeration of the Names of some of most Ages,—as Magalostrate, a Mistriss worthy of Acman a Lyric Poet, that flourish'd in the 27th Olym­piade; the often celebrated Sappho, great in Lyric, Elegy, and all manner of Poetry in the 42d' Olympiade, with her Friend Erinna, and contemporary Demophila; Theano, the Wife of Pythagoras, both a Philosophress, and Poetess, in the 56th Olympiade; Cleobulina, about the 70th Olympiade; Corinna, Telestia Praxilla, betwixt the Battel of Marathon, and the Peace of Antalcidas; Aspasia, between that Peace, and the taking of Athens by Ly­sander; Cornificia, among the Romans, Sister to Cornificius the Poet, in the second year of the 184th Olympiade; Athenais, afterward Eudoxia, in the Reign of Theodosius the younger; and Pulcheria, Sister to the same Theodosius. Among the modern Italians, Angela, Daugh­ter to Anthony de Nugaroles; Modesta, Lucre­tia, Marinella, who writ a Poem on the No­bility of Womankind; Olympia Clara, Magdalena Acciaiolia, Valeria Miainia; Anna Maria Schur­man, a Flemming. To these I might add of our own Nation, in the time of Henry VIII, Sir Thomas Moor's Daughter, who translated se­veral of her Father's Latin Works, Mrs. Eli­zabeth Carew, Mrs. Ann Asoue, Mrs. Elizabeth Weston: Nor must I forget Queen Elizabeth her self, who was not only a politic but lear­ned Princess; and nearer our own times, Mrs. Katherina Philips, commended by the great Cowly; and of my own knowledg, Mrs. Behn, who was not only an excellent Poetess, but discoursed very refinedly on any Subject that came in her way. I could name another that surpasses all these, if I feared not to offend her Modesty, by publi­shing her name.

This is enough to satisfie the World, that the Society have advanced nothing but Truth in that Affirmation before quoted, and therefore, that their deference to the fair Sex merits not that Condemnation some of the moroser part of the Town are plea­sed to give them. Nor is it at all derogato­ry to the Reputation of a Philosopher, to meddle with Questions of Love, &c. since the contemplative, and refin'd Plato, and Socrates (to omit other Philosophers) have writ so many soft things on that Subject, that Maxi­mus Tyrius, no small Admirer of Plato, says, Me non ad­miratio tantum habet, sed etiam stupor, cum Pla­tonem, & So­cratem lego, Homerum, ci­vitatibus suis arcere, quod tam Levia, & lascivia scriberet, &c.—Et paulo post,—Cum & Plato, & Socrates Leviora longe ipsi scrip­sere, &c. That he is amaz'd, to find Plato, and Socrates banishing Homer out of their Cities, for containing light, and amorous things, when they themselves have writ far more light, and amorously.

[Page 28]Yet I find this not objected by any of the Opposers of these Philosophers, as a Crime, or Defect, they being only here condemn'd by Tyrius, because they forbid the reading of Homer, for what they thought fit to mingle in their own Works.

This short View of their Performances makes it evident, what Advantage the Public will reap from their Endeavours, and how much Knowledg will be in a little time improv'd: For, as they very modestly express it, a dif­fusing that Knowledg to many, which is al­ready familiar to the Learned, is an improve­ment of it. I will produce their own words, being a very moderate, and much too civil Answer, which they give to a very concei­ted, and impertinent Quaerist. The Quaery is this;— Why you pretend to such strange things, and yet in effect tell the World no more than what we all know already?

This Quaery, so worthy of Contempt, and Laughter, deserv'd no other Answer than Silence; but after they had wittily rally'd it, they give a serious Return with a great deal of Ingenuity, and Modesty even to a Fault, degrading both their Industry, and Abilities, in terming what they do as a Re­presentation of other mens Thoughts, and that all the improvement they make, is only the communicating them to those that knew 'em not before. But I wrong them in not transcribing their own words, which are these:— ‘'Tis true in some sence, Nil di­ctum, quod non dictum prius, the World is Learned, and we wish it were more so; the finest things that can be said, are little else than old Sence, with a new Turn; and if ye deny this, all the Orators in it must stand still, and neither Divines, nor Law­yers, get any more than our Athenian Mer­cury: Yet still what one man knows, ano­ther man does not, and a diffusing Know­ledg is a sort of improving of it, perhaps the best way.—And a little after, in the same Question,—`Besides, we are pretty confident, there are very many Questions here, some of moment, which were never before publicly decided, espe­cially in Morality, which is by far the most useful part of Knowledg: And 'twould be no shame for us, should we own, our chief aim in this design, were to convey under a pleasant Dress Notions of Virtue, and Honour into the Commonalty, and rather make them better than wiser; tho' indeed in one we do both, and cannot doubt in the mean while, but the curious, and ingenious Spirits will seldom take up our Paper, but they'll find something or other in't, that both may divert, and please them: For the less can­did Judges, they have done all they can against it already, but avail nothing; the Paper still lives, and is still like to do so in spight of all their ill nature, and finds that re­ception which we will say the Design there­of deserves.’

I have thought fit to conclude with this Quotation out of the Works of the Society, because it is a Recapitulation of all that I have said, both as to their Design and Per­formances, with a short modest Vindication of both, if not a prophetical Assurance of its surpassing all the Oppositions it has or may meet with.

The THIRD PART of the History of the Athenian Society.

HAving in the First Part run through the Rise and Advantages of this Socie­ty, in the Second their Performan­ces, that are already extant, with a much▪greater Brevity than the nobility, and copiousness of the Subject required: I shall here anticipate their future Endeavours, or at least give the World a Prospect of those beneficial Efforts it will soon be blest with, from the matchless Industry, and Learning of the Athe­nan Society, which when compared with what has been already seen, will justly raise all mens Expectation of those yet un­thought of Discoveries, the successful Pro­gress of their Labors, will in time produce, when such great Attempts have been aimed at, and effected in so little a time after their first Rise.

Their Care seems to have been to pro­vide Means for the improvement of their Knowledg (as I have observed in the First Part) who had not the Abilities of Purse, to arive to learned Education, and to purchase all those voluminous Books, which treat of those several Arts, and Sciences which are re­quired to the composing a Scholar: This tho' the Weekly Mercuries would in time effect, yet more speedily to occurr to the Impatience of some, who perhaps may be uneasie, in perusing so many things which tend to the satisfaction of others, to find amongst them what themselves desire, the So­ciety have taken care for the compiling a Book entituled, The young Student's Library; ‘containing the Substance, and Pith of all that's valuable in most of the best Books [Page 29] printed in England, and in the foreign Journals from the year 65, to this present time; to which will be added an Introdu­ction to the use of Books, in a new Essay up­on all sorts of Learning; written by the Athenian Society.’

The Proposals sufficiently shew, that this Work is to be a Translation from the Uni­versal Historical Bibliotheque, the Paris Iournal des scavan [...], the Acta Eruditorum Lypsiae, the Giornali de Litterali, and other foreign Iour­nals, to which the Society will add what is most considerable in the Extracts made by their own Countrymen, that so (to use their own words) by going backward, as well as forward, we may render our account of Books compleat. The Preface to the Proposals of printing this Book, shew abundantly the use­fulness of it, Extracts having received En­couragement from the Ingenious of all Na­tions, ever since they have been set on foot, being necessary not only for them, that can­not go to the price of the Books themselves, or have not time to peruse so many large Volumes, but also for all the Learned, who in a little time may here find the Desi [...]n of every Book, and some observation in the Performance, from whence they may frame a Judgment what Book to buy, and what not, if they are not fully satisfied with it in little; for, the chief Force, and Matter of most Books lies in a little compass, the ornamental parts of Language generally making up the bulk. But I shall give you a concise account of this Book from Mr. De la Crose's Works of the Learned, who having been formerly an Antagonist with the Society, on account of Extracts, may reasonably be supposed not to flatter any of their Performances, especially in that kind: His words are these in his Book for Ianuary, 1692.

‘It consists (says he of the young Student's Library) of Abstracts of Books in several Fa­culties, as Divinity, Critics, History, Geography, Philosophy, Law, Physic, &c. many of which are collected out of the Iournals des Sca­vans of Paris, and the Universal Bibliotheque, and, as I hear, accurately translated; but the most considerable, tho' not the biggest part, are two original pieces: The first is written by a Divine, a Member of the Athenian Society, who has spent several years in the study of the Hebrew Tongue, and shews a great deal of Learning, and Piety, in maintaining the Antiquity of the Point­Vowels against Lewis Capel, and his Fol­lowers: He pretends they are at least as ancient as Ezra.’

‘The second Original Piece is an Essay up­on all sorts of Learning, as Divinity, Physic, History, Poetry, Geometry, Architecture, Music, Civil Law, Canon Law, Optics, Dyalling.’ Thus far Mons. De la Crose: And I have nothing to add of the main Substance of the Book, but that there will be two English Abstracts added by the Society, and that they will, as the Proposals inform me, supervise the Trans­lations; but of these things you'l be far­ther informed in the Preface to it, which is now almost finished: And I'll only add this Remark; That the Abstract of the Works of the Learned wholy owes its Rise, and Pro­gress to this Society, all things of that nature having been entirely forgotten in England, tho' of such great use; as appears' at large in the Preface to the First Volume, and I suppose will be yet set in a clearer Light in that Monthly Account of Books, which, I perceive by their late Advertisement, is now to be printed only for their Bookseller Mr. Dunton, to begin this next May, and so con­tinue monthly.

I shall say no more of the main body of the Young Student's Library, (which will con­tain the Substance of above an hundred Vo­lumes, most in folio) but I cannot pass over the original Piece of the Hebrew Points, it being a thing of that vast consequence, that on it all the Christian Faith depends; for, if there were no points, the Certainty of Scripture is quite out of doors: It consists of thirteen sheets of Paper, and bears this Title;

‘The whole is divided into two parts, the first part considers the Opinions of Elias Levita, Ludovicus Capellus, Dr. Walton, and others, for the novelty of the Points; shew­ing the improbability of their Conceits, that the Masorites of Tiberias pointed the Text, from the silence of the Iews about it, their Testimonies against it, the unfitness of the Time, Place, and Persons of late assign'd for the invention of the Points, from the nature of the Masora, and of the Masoretic Notes upon the Verses, Words, Letters, Vowels, and Accents of the Old Testament; their Ob­servations on all the kinds of the Keri, -u, Ketib; the words written full, or defective; the Ittur Sopherim, the Tikkun Sopherim, and the rest of the parts of the Masora, and from other Considerations. The second part proves the Antiquity, Divine Original, and Authority of the present Punctuation, by the Testimony of Iews, and Christians, the universal Consent of all Nations that receive the Scriptures, their quiet possession of the Text, as 'tis now pointed by Prescription, from Age to Age. The Vowels (an essential part of Speech) oft exprest by the Punctua­tion only. The Obscurity of the Scripture without Points, which yet was commanded to be written very plainly. The Old Te­stament evidencing it self to be the Word of God, in, and by the Punctuation only, the Anomalies thereof manifesting its Anti­quity. The Promise of Christ, Mat. 5. 18. That nothing shall be lost out of the Law, and the Prophets, whereof the Points are so great a part. The manifest Absurdity of the con­trary Opinion; and other Considerations; [Page 30] Together with Answers to several Objecti­ons of Elias Levita, Ludovicus Capelius, Do­ctor Walton, and others against their Anti­quity; such are the Testimonies of some Iews about the Points. The unpointed Copy of the Law so kept in the Synagogue. The silence of the ancient Caballistical Wri­tings of the Mishna, and Talmuds about them. The LXX, and Chaldee Paraphrase reading otherways than our Punctuation directeth. The Samaritan Character (supposed to be the ancient Hebrew) never pointed. The Novelty of their Names: The superfluity of their Numbers: The possibility of preser­ving the Sound without the Shapes, and of reading the Bible without Points (as well as the Rabbinical Commentaries, the Talmuds, and other Oriental Languages, are read without them) by the help of the Matres lectionis, or letters Evi, a, h, v, i, by the scope of the place, &c. The Silence of Ierom, and the Fathers, about them. The Opinion of di­vers modern Divines, both Papists, and Pro­testant, against the Antiquity of the Shapes of the present Punctuation. The Keri, u, Ketib, being about the Letters, and never about the Points, and the like.’

This bare Transcription of the Contents of this Original Piece (a sight of some sheets of which my Bookseller, by his Interest, procu­red me) is sufficient to shew of what great use it will be not only to all Divines, but also to every one that is curious in Enquiry into the original Text of Sacred Writ, a Study as much above all others, as the Soul is above the Body. The consequence of this Treatise is, as I have remark'd no less than the Authority, and Certainty of Christian Faith: For, as Anto­nius Rodolphus Cevallerius, speaking of the Anti­quity of the Points, thus pleads for them, say­ing, That They who are of the contrary Opinion do not only make doubtful the Authority of the Scriptures, but wholy pluck it up by the roots; for, without the Vowels, and Notes of Di­stinction it has nothing firm, and certain. And this is sufficient to shew the necessity, and use­fulness of this Undertaking, and how seaso­nable a Treatise of this nature is, to obviate the Objections of the Atheists of this Age, that we may give a loose to our Fancies in Belief, since there is nothing of Certainty in the Bible it self: And if this Ground prevailed, it would easily reduce us all to that part of Hobbism, of veering with e'ery Wind that blows, and changing our Religion as often as Fortune should our Princes to different Perswasions. As for the Performance of this Divine, in this Piece, the Contents shew, that he has taken notice of all, that can be raised against the Opinion he defends, and the many years he has given himself to the Study of the He­brew, and Original Tongues, as well as all the Rabbinical Learning, leave no doubt, but that Performance is equal to the nobleness of the Subject: And according to my small Judg­ment in that way, if I may be allow'd to ghess at the rest by what I have seen, he has done it with a great deal of Strength of Iudgment, Force, and Evidence of Argument, and Pro­foundness of Skill. 'Twas the Saying of a great man, that he would easily tell the Progress any one would make in any Science, if he knew but the Value he had for it, for earnest Desire stirrs up indefatigable Industry, the Mind being never satisfied till▪ it has obtain'd that to which it was born, by the high esteem, and value it has conceived of it. And no man could have a greater Esteem for any Know­ledg, than this Divine had for this, as the chief, and obligatory Study of Men of his Character, who were to give the true, and genuine sence of Scripture to the Souls he directed under the pain of Woe, at the last Tri­bunal, which could never be satisfactorily done by depending entirely upon the Word of other men, without an ability of consulting the Key of those sacred Mysteries it self, I mean the original Text: And 'tis to be wonder'd as well as complain'd of, that so many of our Divines, through a Criminal Supinity, do too much neglect this necessary Study, which our Divi [...]e has employ'd Several years in, so much was his Care, and Zeal for the ho­no [...] [...]nd vindication of the Christian Religi­on, (by placing it on a firm Foundation) and the Good not only of those Souls under his charge, but also all others who will make any improvement of his Labors, which, by what has been said, may very well be concluded to be accurate, and elaborate, and consequent­ly abundantly satisfactory. And it were to be wished, that the same Great man would oblige the World with those other pieces of Rabbinical Learning, that he mentions in these sheets, having in these I now speak of answe­red what has never been attempted in English.

Nor has any Prospect of any present, or fu­ture advantage to his Interest, engag'd him in this laborious Work, he having generously given the Copy to the Undertaker, without the least Gratuity. And indeed his other Vertues, are as well sorted to his Character, as these I have spoke of, for he has learnt that divine Lesson our blessed Saviour Incul­cated to his Followers, saying, Learn of me, for I am meek, and humble of heart, how charming, and excellent soever this Lesson be, yet alas, 'tis followed by a very few, and Pride is never more visible, than in those, whose province 'tis to press this admirable Do­ctrine of Humility. Learning that shou'd teach them to know themselves better, gene­rally transporting them to an insufferable Con­tempt of the rest of Mankind, but here it has met with a happy Temper, an innate Mo­desty, and a sweet, agreeable Affability to all Men, a Charity, not stinted to Facti­ons, Parties, or Religions, but universal like that of the first Instituter of our Holy Religi­on, knowing very well that the perfection of a Christian life is a strict Imitation of our Master, and Founder. How admirably has our Blessed Lord drawn the corrupt Na­ture of too many of our Hot-headed Zea­lots, in that Parable of the Good Samaritan, e'ry one pass'd by the wounded stranger, the [Page 31] very Priests, gave him not one eye of re­gard, as not worthy a look of the chosen, till the Samaritan (a People rejected by the Iews as the most infamous, and wicked) came and bound up his Wounds, and took that care of him, which humanity requir'd. I know too many that profess a great deal of Religion, and glory in the name of piety, that will let a near Relation, if of an other perswasion, perish for want of, what his su­pernumerary Servants enjoy, this is still more odious in the Clergy who shou'd gain Proselytes more by affability, and meekness, necessary In­gredients to the Composition of their Cha­racter, and not by Fire, and Brimstone, cruel­ty beyond the barbarity ev'n of Cann [...]bals, for an accidental misfortune of Education; Mildness may win them to give ear to the Truth, but such an inhumanity (not to say unchristan hardness) makes all they can say come with the prejudice of being deli­vered by one, that is not of Christ, since he has given a clear contrary mark of his Dis­ciples. This short digression shews the Ex­cellence of those Vertues this Reverend Di­vine has made a part of himself, much more noble Qualifications than that extraordinary one of his Learning. I am sorry that my Ignorance of his Personal Conversation, shou'd concur with my inability to deprive the Reader of a farther, tho' imperfect, ac­count of this Divine.

Before I pass from the Young Student's Li­brary, I think, to make my account the per­fecter, it will not be impertinent if I insert here a view of that Emblem, that is promis'd to be prefixt to it, of the Athenian So­ciety, with an explanation of it, a sight of which I procur'd at the Engravers, and both the Society and Bookseller will, I hope pardon me for making it public before its time, since 'tis here mention'd out of honour to their Design.

The Copper-Plate is of a Folio size, and is thus divided, above the Society in an Oval is writ, The Athenian Society, this O­val is supported by two Angels, from whence falls down a Curtain of Lawn over the Faces of the 12 Members of the Society, who with Papers on the Table, and Pens in their Hands sit all equally in a direct Line, ev'ry one dress'd in the distinctive Habits of the several Sciences, under which the Queries they have undertaken to Answer, do fall,—as—the Divine, Physician, Mathematician, Phi­losopher, Lawyer, Poet, &c. at the other side of the Table, the several Querists present themselves with their Notes, for Resolutions of their Difficulties, in a corner, hard by sits a Monkey (expressing the Quality of the Interlopers by his Apish Nature) with the Claw of a Cat whom he holds fast in his Embraces, endeavouring to pull some Nuts out of a Fire, with this label coming out of his Mouth vivitur ex rapto, that is I live by Theft the Interlopers having endeavour'd to rob the first Undertaker of his subsisting by that Project which he first set a foot, and brought to perfection, and therefore merit that Cha­racter, of living on the Spoils of their Neighbours. At the four Corners are four Cities, Ath [...]ns, (where on a Pinacle is plac'd an Owl Sacred to Minerva,) Rome, Oxford, Cambridge, in the two first of which Learn­ing once flourish'd, in the two last does now. On the top of all the Emblem, is plac'd a Raven; for several reasons, first because the Raven was the first Projector of the De­sign, and that therefore is a proper place for him to discover the Approaches of the Cucko [...]'s▪ that come to invade his Nest, and secondly, because 'tis the Nature of those Birds to have always a Centinel aloft to view all the Avenues, and Approaches of its Enemies, tho' I never heard of an Owl ri­ding on a Ravens back ' [...]ill some Modern Au­thors who resolv'd to invert Nature, as well as destroy all Religion discover'd the Secret and Never- till-then known Sympathy betwixt those two Birds, so much that one wou'd carry the other a Pick-a pack, a Pick-a-pack, but I must pass from these Emulators, or ra­ther Copiers of George-yard Wit to pro­ceed in my account.

Below the Emblem is plac'd the Explana­tion, mark'd with several Letters▪ which re­fer to the same in the several parts of the Portraiture, to begin and observe the order I find them in, ( A) directs to the 12 Members of the Society, with these Verses.

• B.

  To several Lady Querists.

  D'ye see that Lady in the Mask

  We'll tell you what she▪ comes to Ask

  Tho' an unconscionable Task

  'Tis how her Lover fast to bind,

  False, as her self, false as the faithless Wind.
• C.

  To several Lady Querists.

  That other brings her Favourite flea

  With golden Fetters, Lock and Key

  If t has a Sting our Thoughts does crave,

  Or only a Tongue as other Females have?
• D.

  Refer­ring to the Astronomers and Astrol [...] ­gers.

  Thinking our Notions too jejune,

  Some take their Aim at Madam Moon;

  Some bring hard queries, which we crack,

  And throw the gazing World the Kernels back.
• [Page 32]
  E.

  Refer­ring to some Queries of that Nature sent by the Seameu.

  Here's Honest Tar, who wou'd his Crown afford

  Were he paid off, e're he returns abord

  To know what he must ask in vain,

  When we shall beat the French again?
• F.

  Refer­ring to the Mathematical Queries.

  Euclid, where ar't', tho' 'twas before despair'd

  Now may'st thou have thy Circle squar'd,

  But Art is long; and thou must stay,

  Nor Rome, was built nor Athens in a day.
• G.

  Refer­ring to the Par [...]on's Que­ries.

  We know, Sir, but too Well, your case

  Some powerful Faction right or wrong embrace

  Or starve, and die without a Place.
• H.

  In re­ference to the crowd of im­pertinent Querists.

  Avoid you rout of Noisy fools

  Once more,—you are not in our Rules

  Cou'd we but please the Learn'd few,

  Which send from far, we cou'd dispense with you.
• I.

  This Stanza has re­ference to those that go to hang or kill themselves, who in the Emblem are directed by an Angel to apply them­selves to the Society.

  Whither lost wretches, Whither wou'd you run?

  By guilt, or by unhappy Love, undone?

  What need you perish, or despair?

  If you'd have aid, an Angel shews you where.
• K.

  Refers to Mr. Smith the Coffee-man, who so far contributes to this Affair, as receiving all the Queries and conveighing them to the Society.

  This Query's quickly understood

  He only Asks d'ye think his Coffee good?

  Yet wou'd crowd in, tho' just by th' door,

  Or vow'd he'd take our Letters in no more.
• L.

  Referring to what I said before of the Monkeys making use of the Cats Foot to pull the Nuts out of the Fire.

  These dainty Nuts I must not loose

  Nor burn my Paws—b'your leave dear puss,

  If those that put them there enquire

  'Twas you not I that rob'd the fire

  How sweet is Interlopers Hire!
• M.

  Relating to Natural and Artificial Rarltles of England, &c. of which im­mediately.

  All England's Rarieties, are gather'd here,

  From unknown Earth, Fire, Water, Air;

  Thousands agree in such a glorious strife

  Or else a moments Work wou'd last a Life.
• N.

  This refers to the Raven on the top of all, an account of which I have given above.

  With Beak, and Talons, I infest

  Those Cuckoes that invade my Nest,

  And if Minerva yet supply

  My Ancient gift in Prophecy

  All Scab'd, and Old, they in some hollow Tree shall die.

I am ignorant who design'd this Emblem, as well as who compos'd the Verses I have here quoted, which tho'they come not up to those of this Society, yet naturally enough express what they are design'd for, perhaps much bet­ter than if they had been in loftier Numbers, Emblematists, seldom thinking it proper to re­gard the Ma [...]osty of Stile, and Thought, when their aim is only a bare narratory Explication. This any one that has convers'd with that kind of Writing will grant; and that Book of Em­blems, made upon the Emperors, confirms my Position. So that the Poet (as ev'ry Writer ought) considered here the nature of the thing he writ, and adapted his Thought, Numbers, and Language to the Subject.

Having thus given you an account of the young Students Library, I shall proceed to the other things of as great, if not greater conse­quence, as a new Systeme of experimental Philosophy, upon the four Elements, tho' this will be some while before it see the World, both because time will be taken for the imme­diate Experiments, and also because this new Project of the artificial, and natural Rarities of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ire­land, with the Foreign Plantations thereun­to belonging, will employ them on a more ge­neral, and entertaining Subject; so that they cannot have leisure, till they have, with the great assistance they are like to have from the Ingenious, rid their hands pretty well of it. The Reason they deferr'd the Natural History so long, was, because several ingeni­ous Gentlemen, well skill'd in those affairs (to use their own expression) generously offer'd them their assistance, upon which account that their undertaking might be the more serviceable to the Public (which they have always chiefly in their eye) they wait­ed those supplies from other hands, which they were promis'd; for there are several new Assistants, join'd themselves to this So­ciety, for the speedier, and better carrying on of this new Project, if I can call that New which depended upon the former, for the World is oblig'd to the first Atheniun Pro­ject, for this Undertaking, since the first rise of it, was from a Query sent (the Natural re­sult of the Societies design to answer all sorts of Questions) on that subject, so that it seems, indeed, to be but a New branch that is sprung from the first design, which may in the same manner, give birth, in time, to a great many other, admirable Improvements in all sorts of Knowledge.

This Project will not be a bare Collection of what the best Authors of our Nation have writ, of Rarieties Natural, Artificial and Civil, but also of what ever Observations the cu­rious [Page 33] Gentlemen of all England shall make, and communicate to this Society, as, besides their own diligent enquiries into all things that fall under those heads, first in the Regions of the Air—All sorts of strange, Appearances, and their several Forms, Qualities, and Circumstances, Noises, and their several Kinds, Tomp [...]sts, Thunder, and Lightning: Strange Winds, their diffe­rent Natures, and Qualities, with their se­veral dependances of weather, &c. Rains, Hail, Mists, Dews, Frosts, Heats extraordina­ry in any particular, as to form quantity, co­lour, or effects, Subterraneal-Steams, or Ex­halations that issue out of the Earth, as to their Quality, and Manner, and Effects, &c.

Next, as to fresh Waters, their several Springs, as to quality, medicinal or other, hot or cold, extraordinary in colour, or any peculiar property, as oily or petrifying, what Fish does each afford most, &c. as also Salt waters, their different nature, places of dif­ference, and degrees of saltness, their depths, &c. as to Currents, Edies, Concourses of Tides, Species of Fishes, &c. where and how.

Next, as to the Earths,—what sorts of Ochres, Chalks, Marles, Clays, &c. their Qua­lities and Use; Tru [...]s, Coal dugg, &c. re­markable figures of Hills, &c▪ Minerals, their quality, and where prepar'd, in like man­ner all sorts of Metals, &c.

Farther concerning Plants and Trees that are unusual and extraordinary, in Growth, Fruit, Leaves, or time of Blossoming—Gar­dening, and all the curious Observations that can be made as to the Insects, Diseases, Cures, proper to each Vegetable, or common to more, or all. Next, as to Husbandry, what unsual Grains, Grafts, &c. are sow'n in each Country, Improvements on all sorts of Land, and other Curiosities in Husban­dry; new Inventions as to Plowing, preser­vation of Corn, peculiar, ways of opening, and draining Marshes, Boggs, Fens, &c▪

Farther concerning Animals, Observati­ons, on Insects in their several Species, who has observ'd their Origin, Perfection, Cor­ruption, Diseases, and Cures, the like of all sorts of Birds, Reptiles, and Fishes, and Beasts; unusual qualities of each, as to Gene­rations and Bigness, &c. strange accidents be­falling Men, or Women, prodigious, or nu­merous Births? similitude of Persons extra­ordinary, any thing remarkable for excess or defect in all, and every of their Parts, and Circumstances, and all the singular Occur­rances that make either Man, or Woman, or Families more than commonly remark able.

Farther, as to what Arts, are either im­prov'd or invented, and where, extraordi­nary buildings of all sorts, Persons sk [...]lful, and in what chiefly, &c.

Lastly, concerning Antiquities, Seats of Kings, Priories, Abbies, &c. Castles, Forti­fications, Banks of Land, Barrows, Monu­ments of Stone, and any thing remarkable of any or every of them. Of Councils, Parliaments, and Terms held, and where. Old Episcopal Sees, Battles fought, Armour, old Money, Urns, Lamps, Lachymatories, Pavements, Bracelets, Rings, &c. found, and in whose possession, immemorial Cu­stoms, and all other Curiosities, which may be serviceable to the public, or to private Persons.

In the Third Number of the Seventh Volume you will find all these Queries here inserted, which are by the Society propos'd to all the Ingenious, Gentlemen of each Nation con­cern'd, whose Contributary help they de­sire, and will without doubt obtain of all such, who have the least desire to bestow any of their time for the Honour, and Glory of their Country. Nature has been extreamly fruitful of Wonders in these Kingdoms, that compose the British Monarchy, and 'tis pitty Gentlemen of Estates shou'd be carry'd away with a desire of seeing the Novelties of other Countries, before they have any tolerable insight into their own, where they were born▪ Certainly every Pa­triot will not think his time ill spent, which is imploy'd for the discovery, and knowledge of our selves, or at least our Country of which each is but part. This Generous de­sire, has inspir'd several Learned Gentlemen to offer their service already, as I have observ'd above, tho' I am ignorant of all of them, except ohe, of whom by accident I gain'd this account. He was the first that offer'd his Endeavours for the carrying on of this design, with which he was so extreamly pleas'd at the first notice, that was given of it to the World, and indeed England, I believe affords not a Gentleman better qualify'd for this Undertaking, being first, accomplish'd with variety of Learning, having great skill in Experimental Philosophy, and scarce his E­qual in Chymistry, a Science which is Mo­ther of strange and wonderful Discoveries, to all these acquir'd Excellences Nature has added a strong, and admirable Judgment, a nice, and curious Fancy, and an extreamly happy Memory, with a Temper that is agree­able, and generous, and fortune (or rather Heav'n, for when I see Merit bless'd with a Competency, I conclude it the effect of a wiser Dispo [...]r than partial Chance) has crown'd all (for so it is in spite of Philosophy) with a handsome Estate, all which concur­ring he seems to me, The Phenix Boyl reviv'd.

This, Reader, is all the account I am ca­pable, as yet of giving thee as to their present, and future performances, which as they have gain'd them no little Fame, and Rep [...]tation, so has that fame contracted Enimies, and ungenerous Opposers, (Vertue when expos'd to the Eyes of the World seldom being with­out Enemie [...]) whose aim has been (at least of the [...] part of them) to deprive the Publick of those many advantages, I have made it appear, it receives from this Un­dertaking, and the Performances of the pre­sent Members of the Athenian Society. [Page 34] by using what means they can to discourage the gain of the Bookseller, that so he may let fall so beneficial a Project; tho' they cou'd never yet Effect it. The first Oppo­sers they met with were the Anabaptists, who, I have shew'd were silenc'd by the Society; th en the demure Quaker put in for his share, tho' to as little purpose, and among the Opposers I must not forget, tho' one of the most inconsiderable, was the Vindicator of Mr. Iones, on the subject of Usury. But all these were upon particular Controversies, and made Enemies by their being disoblig'd be­cause the Society wou'd not Complement them so far, as to subscribe to their Opinions. But on the first of February I find, in the Ad­vertisement of the Athenian Mercury that some body else set up a Paper interfereing with their Design; but it seems that the Au­thor of that Paper became soon sensible of the Injustice of his undertaking, and therefore was not asham'd in a public manner to ac­knowledge his Error, for I find in the fifth Mercury of the sixth Volume, a Letter from him to the Gentlemen of the Athenian So­ciety, which I shall transcribe.

This Letter well observes the immorality of such an at­tempt, since 'tis evident that tho, the Law take not hold of it yet it is of equal guilt to the Robbing of a Man's House or shop of his Goods, with which he drives his Trade, for a Project of this nature is a Commo­dity in which Booksellers deal, and tho' it evades the Pe­nalty that is laid on those of that Trade, that shall print another Man's Copy, yet it has nothing to justify it self but Impunity, like several other Mischiefs, which the Law has not yet provided against, this will appear a little plainer, by a comparison. Our Laws have provided a greater punishment for those that counterfeit our English Coin, than for such, who do the same to any Foreign Money, yet certainly no man, that will pretend to thought, will thence conclude, that, therefore, the Cheat, is less in one, than the other, since the Injustice that is done to our Neighbour is the same, which certainly must consti­tute the guilt of the Crime. The Gentleman that sent this Letter was (I find) afterward in a very impertinent, and foolish Pamplet redicul'd for it, where the Authors (for one wou'd scarce imagine. a leash of Blockheads shou'd club for such a trif [...]e), says against what is advanc'd in this Letter, that London is as capable of maintaining two Papers of this nature, as two Windmills; supply them both with Queries it will I grant, but I am sure those that did attempt it found by experience it never paid for the Work it set 'em about, tho' they were careful of being at as little charge of Print as they cou'd Title, Margent, Advertisements, and Algebraical Cannons trans­crib'd verbatim from. Authors I cou'd produce, and not understood by one in ten thousand, and perhaps not by the Transcriber himself, leaving very little room for any matter of Ingenuity or Diversion, and ev'n that was taken up with solitary Queries, Prophaneness, and Blas­phemy. But I will not anticipate what I suppose the Athenian Society themselves will expose to the World in its proper Colours. Indeed their whole design seem'd to be to laugh, and ridicule Solidity, and Seriousness out of the World, that so they might make an opener, and more easie inlet to Atheism, and that this was their Aim is more than probable from that blasphemous expression of Serenading their Maker at the expence of Sternhold, and Hopkins, and affirming that there were many feign'd Relati­ons in Iob, and their turning God's Iudgment on Sodom into ridicule, and a Iest—all which, wou'd I confess almost prevail with a Man to believe that those reports were true, which were then given of them, viz. That some among them did not believe in JESUS CHRIST, and that the same Lacedemonian should say he wou'd un­dertake to shew as many absurdities number, for number, in the N. Testament as in Mahomet's Aicoran. But whether these were Calumnies or no, I am sure (if I may judge of their design by what they did publish) they seem'd bent to confound the Minds of the Vulgar, and encline them to Debauchery, and Atheism rather than to fix them in any thing solid, and vertuous: In short as the Athe­nians said of their design, That the World was already very Learned, yet they desired to make it more so. So those Interlopers might have said, of their performances, That the World was very wicked already, but their desire, and endeavours shou'd contribute to render it entirely so. What cou'd their dispute about the testimony of Iose­phus mean, but to bring the very being of Christ into [Page 35] doubt? or at least that the Primitive Christians promo­ted the Kingdom of Heaven by that same way the De­vil does his, viz. by Lyes. But what mighty Arguments did these Anti-Christians bring, for a Proof of their As­sertion? nothing but bare Conjecture, to perswade that at least it was not likely that Iosephus, a Jew, shou'd speak so favourably of Christ. Why not? 'tis true he says almost as much of Christ as we Christians (perhaps more than they do) believe, but what if I should say it is likely Iosephus did believe all that he writ? I am sure I have his words on my side (his words I say, for all these SPARKS have said cannot convince me of the contrary) but is it so strange a thing in our days, that a Man shou'd for, interest, act contrary to that his opi­nion is? there were no Preferments among the Christians but racks, tortures, &c. they cou'd set up no Statue's to the Honour of his Memory, which the Romans did. He was a Jewish Priest, and one that came over to Titus, un­able to bear the Extremeties of the Siege of Ierusalem. But suppose none of these Considerations [...] any weight may we not as well suppose Iosephus to have said those things of our Blessed Saviour, tho' he continu'd in a contrary opinion as to other things (how hard it was for the Converted Iews to quit their Mos [...]ical Instituti­ons is evident from the Scripture ev'n after they had receiv'd Christ as very God, and very Man, and the true Missias) as well, as many other moderate Men, who have justify'd those of an other perswasion in some Particu­lars. Thus, tho' it was the opinion of a great many fiery Zealots, that the Heathens ador'd the Devil, yet Dr. Stillingfleet, the present Bishop of Worcester, from their own Authors concludes with a great deal of rea­son (as you will grant if you peruse a Book, entitul'd, The History of the Oracles) that they directed their de­votion to the great God of Heaven, and Earth, as the ultimate end of their Worship, and who that has read Cicero, Seneca, &c. but must believe the same? yet I hope these Gentlemen will not conclude from thence that these Words were forg'd into the Doctor's Book, by some friends of the Heathens?

So the ATHENIAN SOCIETY, tho' they are no Papists, are such friends to truth, as to deny there was ever such a Person as Pope Ioan, and indeed Bellar­mine is not to be answered on that point.

Thus much for the Equity of such an undertaking, and the Persons concern'd in it as well as their prophane and trifling performances, for they not only left Divinity to the Athenians, (as they first profess'd) but Philosophy, and indeed ev'ry thing that was solid, or ingenious; now let us see what encouragement they met with. Just as much as the above quoted Letter prophesied, not e­nough to pay for Paper, much less for Print; and Copy: This I am positive in, because I made an enquiry of the MERCURY WOMEN about it; nor cou'd it be other ways expected, since the Athenians took the ready way to suppress it by giving their Readers all the little Mettal, that was to be gain'd out of their Oar, purg'd of its more bulky dross, with remarks on their Er­rors, and their own improvements on their Thoughts: For a farther satisfaction to the Reader, I shall insert their Promise (which they all along perform'd to a tittle) made to all their Querists; in the 14th. Number of the 6th. Volume, (tho' they often repeated it before, and after in other Mercuries.)

‘Finding that publishing our Mercuries four times a Week, wou'd quite clog our Undertaking, and render it useless, we shall for the future only publish them on Tuesdays, and Saturdays as formerly, and that we may render our undertaking perfect, we promise our Querists, that in case any Person shou'd interfere: with us in our design of answering Questions, they shall constantly find in our Saturdays Mercury, Answers to all his Questi­ons whatever, that so our Querists may not be put to double Charges ( by buying the same Questions twice an­swer'd) nor the Coffee-houses burthen'd with too ma­ny Papers. In another Advertisement they tell the World that it shall find in their Papers all the Antago­nist's best Thoughts remarks on his Errors, and their own Improvements upon all he advances.’

Performing these things with all the Justice, and Im­partiality in the World; and constantly without omitting any thing worth taking notice of, 'tis no wonder that so few were found void so much of Sense as to buy their trifles, (the more pardonable indeed for being so very short) when they might have a view of all that was valuable in them in the Athenian Mercury and that too with great Additions. So may they thrive, who interfere with an others design!

I must not here among the other Oppositions they have met with, forget the Endeavours of their Enemies to cast an Imputation of Fanaticism, on the Members of this SOCIETY. But it is so evident from what they have writ that they are of the Church of England, that blind Malice it self cannot deny it. I shall trespass so much on [...]he patience of the Reader for once to prove that the Sun shines at noon day, or that there is such a thing as Motion, or at least that this Religion of this Society is of the Church of England, as by Law establishd, tho' out of many I will choose but two places, the first'—Volume 3d. Number 28. and Quest. 4. The Query is this— What Community in your opinion comes nearest to the Doctrine of our Blessed Saviour, the Apostles, and Primitive Fathers?—The Answer is ‘—Undoubtedly it is our Opini­on, that the Communion we our selves are of, and hope to live, and die in, namely that of the Church of England is the best in the World, and nearest to the Doctrine, of our Saviour, his Apostles, and Primitive Fathers, and unless we thought so we shou'd be very ill Men to continue in it—’ I desire the Reader wou'd consult this place I have quoted, where he will find evident beyond evasion, the distinctive Me­dium betwixt Popery, and other Protestant opinions, particularly as to the Liturgy and Episcopacy, &c. at large set down, which were too long for me to transcribe here. Number 25. of the same Volume, Quest. 4. is a farther Confirmation of this. The Query is, I desire your Opinion, what Book you wou'd advise me to for my private Devotions, as being a single Person.—Pray, Reader mind well the Answer.— Answ. ‘What so many great, and good Men have been concern'd in the Composing of, viz. The LITURGY of the Church of ENGLAND—if the Labours of one Man, then Dr. Taylor's Composures, The Whole Duty of Man.’

This I am sure is enough to convince any reasonable Man of what Church the Members of this Society are. 'Twas no impollitic part (how dishonest soever it were) of their opposers to cast an Odium upon them in the Affairs of Religion, since too many are carry'd away with a VIOLENT PREIUDICE against any thing, that shall be offer'd, by one of an other perswasi­on, thinking to supply all their other defects, by a blind and unreasonable Zeal.

But as the Oppositions this Noble design met with were many, as appears from what I have said, so were the Encouragements too, from all parts of England, Some parts beyond Sea, and from great, and learned Men, as is evident from the Gentleman I lately mention'd, who has join'd himself to them on the account of the Natural Rarities, and that worthy Divine mention'd in the be­ginning of this last part, so skilful in Rabinical Learning nor is that less which the Approbation of the ingenious Gentlemen of Received Wit and Reputation, have given them in the Verses prefixt to this History; nor must I omit the Judgment of a very ingenious Gentleman, which he sent in a Letter to the ATHENIAN SOCIETY, (which being now in the Press, I got a sight of) It be­gins thus—

Having thus run through all the points I propos'd to my self upon my resolution of Writing of this History, with a much greater brevity, I confess, than what the well handling a Subject of this extent [...], I shall here [Page 36] conclude, with a short View of what I have done.

In the first part, I have represented the NOVELTY, oc­casion, and manner of its Invention; the Advantages it afforded the World, as the making that familiar to many which was before confin'd within too narrow a compass, and recommending the beauty of Knowledge to them, who were frightned from it by the Mercenary Schools; whereas its easie Charms in the Athenian Dress, will excite many to the study of Wisdom; they, at least, whose necessary Business will not permit a more tedious Disqui­sition, may gather good notions of things by a meer cur­sory reading of the weekly Mercuries, which will be no small improvement of Civility, and Conversation. Farther, I shew'd, that it was unreasonable, that they to whom Nature had given a noble Genius should be denied, when grown up, the improvement of it (without the tedious Discipline of the School) because their Parents had neg­lected, or their Circumstances hinder'd it when young; that they who naturally slight Learning, will do so still, since this Design is to improve, not alter Nature; that it were an Injustice, that they who value it should be de­prived of it, because confin'd to Languages: Nor is it reasonable that a Pedant should esteem himself above others, for one without the other. I shall only add here to these Considerations, that whereas this was begun in War ( tho' Peace is generally the Mother of new Arts, and Sciences) so it has several Advantages proper to the Temper, and Exigencies of such a hurrying, and martial time, when Arms, and Stratagems take up too much of our hours, to permit us to spend many in the Enquiries into Truth, and all sorts of Learning, by the perusal of voluminous Tracts.

Nor did I forget the Difficulties which presented them­selves to the Members of the Society, to hinder their en­gaging in this Affair; first, as to answering all Quaeries well, and to the satisfaction of those that pretend to follow Reason for their Rule, all Sciences being so very d [...]ipu­table; as also from the Envy, and Malice of others; and lastly, from the different Humors of the Quaerists. Nor could I pass over the due Praise of the First that set it on foot.

In the second part I endeavour'd, according to the best of my Knowledge, to represent the Progress, Methods, and Performances of the SOCIETY when establish'd, which if I should have run into the Vastness that the Subject requir'd, I must have swell'd my Book into a Volume as big as all they had writ; but designing this as the Quae­rist's Companion, or Pocket-book, I was forc'd not only to omit the abundance of difficult Texts of Scripture they have explained, and other matters of Divinity, but a no less uumber of Philosophical Questions, and only inserted References to those that are Medicinal, Chirurgical, and Mathematical, &c. thinking that sufficient to direct any one in all his Quaeries to the Society. Nor was it possible in so voluminous a Miscellany to give e'ery Member his due Performance, especially since I confess my Ignorance as to that particular; however, the Talents of each were so universal, that if Sickness or absence of a Member hap­pen'd, it was easily supply'd by the Abilities of the rest. I shall only add, that they jointly assist one another in all things that require Consultation; and, that they have ad­vanced several things that are wholy NEW, and explained those Difficulties in a little time, which one would judge the business of Ages. In this same part I have a little in­sisted upon an imperfect Defence of their Poetry, though any one that believes, that a Member of this Society was concerned in the search after Wit, will think my Labour ill spent in perswading the World of what it must grant, that they have not a little; but I directed my Discourse to those who were so abounding in themselves, that they deny'd it. I have also (as I think every man of Honor ought) undertaken their Defence for answering the La­dies Quaeries.

In the third part, I have in few words given a Prospect of what the World is suddenly to expect from the Lear­ned Pens of our Athenians, and likewise what it has rea­son to hope hereafter. Nor did I forget the Oppositions this Undertaking has met with, with a too-favourable account (when I could have done much more) of both the Principles of its Opposers, and the Injustice of their Endeavours: In all which, if I can merit Pardon from that Ingenious Society, and the more judicious part of the World, I shall think I have attained to no small piece of Happiness, and Success.

LAUS DEO.