regarding that fluid which supplies to all animals the breath of life, as his mortal enemy he thought some farther precaution necessary for his defence. In the year 1725, therefore, he went to bed, from which he has not since risen; and as his head in this situation is chiefly exposed, he has covered it with swathing wrappers, and caps that consist of near 100 yards of flannel, and he is often as long and as busily employed in adjusting the several strings by which these innumerable coverings are secured, as a sailor in righting his tackle after a storm; he has stoppers fitted to each nostril, he usually holds a piece of ivory in his mouth, and a piece of woollen cloth is laid over his face. His shirts are lined with swanskin, and the breasts and sides are quilted.

"When I beheld him, he opened his eyes, and stretched himself like a bat, that is just awaking from a sleep of six or seven months; but, as he awaked thirsty, and disordered, he reached his cup, which was constantly placed near him, with some cooling liquor, and having drank, he exhibited his right hand, decorated with many rings, which he surveyed with great appearance of satisfaction and complacency; and entered into a description of Babel, the Nile, and crocodiles, (a dreamer.) With respect to his religious opinion, he is a quietist, and though he is not useful, he is at least harmless. There appears to be some tincture of avarice in his disposition, and the dark corner into which he has retired from the most fashionable vanities of life, does not appear to wholly have excluded affectation and pride. There is no need to caution mankind against his peculiar extravagancies, and it might be thought that there was as little reason to recommend them as patterns for imitation. However, though I do not wish the ladies to adopt his head dress of 100 yards of flannel, yet I think they should not sacrifice the vigour of health, and the bloom of beauty, to a fly cap, or any fashionable mode of more Southern climates, till our air is become equally temperate by the return of the sun, and that they would no longer increase the infelicities of our long season of cold and darkness, by giving it power to rob us of that, without which the sweetness of spring, and the splendour of summer, would cease to be the means of happiness."

In his day, not a century past, the component parts of atmospheric air were not understood; the only way he could have tried his experiment effectually, would have been by tying over his head, and close round his neck, a large bladder, and then he need not have waited long for the result. In a room there would be, in spite of all that could be done, plenty of atmospheric air; but the bladder would soon have convinced him of the value of his whim. He ought to have known, that every grown person

consumes four cubic feet of air per minute, making it unfit for respiration.

Those who are not aware of this fact, may feel the ill effect by being in a crowded room. Even in winter, when a room is not crowded, a stove will deteriorate the air, if heated above 212 degrees; every particle that comes in contact, is rendered somewhat less fit for respiration; yet, the plates of an iron stove, are often heated from 500 to 700 degrees.

About all the knowledge known of atmospheric air, in the sixteenth century, is expressed in the following couplet, which it is said was believed in by Lord Bacon:

"But ayre condensed, is turned to raine,

And rarified, comes ayre againe." NORTON.

The writer of the narrative most certainly "need not caution mankind against his peculiar extravagances," particularly those who live in

"A climate where heaven's breath
Smells sweet and wooingly."

TOUCHING FOR THE EVIL

"Let's tell men freely of their fouler faults,

And laugh at their vain deeds, and vainer thoughts." DRYDEN.

upon

in

This is a very curious subject, and must be touched a very delicate manner. While I read in the holy Scriptures, of many instances where the Almighty has vouchsafed to give to very humble mortals, power to cure diseases, it might be considered profanity in me, to deny its having been given to one or more of England's kings; but I will take upon myself to deny, that it has anything to do with the legitimate succession of the crown; and that seems to have been the prevailing opinion. It lay dormant during the commonwealth.

This custom commenced, I believe, with Edward the Confessor, and was continued down to the eighteenth century, for Dr. Samuel Johnson was touched when a youth.

"It appears by the newspapers of the time, that on the 30th March, 1714, 200 persons were touched by Queen Anne, among the number was Samuel Johnson, afterwards the justly celebrated moral writer. He was sent by Sir John Floyer, then a physician at Litchfield; many years afterward, being asked if he remembered the queen, he said he had a confused, but some

how a kind of solemn recollection of a lady in diamonds, and a long black hood."

The honourable Daines Barrington, has preserved an anecdote, which he heard from an old man, who was witness in a cause, with respect to this supposed miraculous power of healing. He had by his evidence fixed the time of the fact, by Queen Anne's having been at Oxford, and touched him while a child for the evil. When he had finished his evidence, I had an opportunity of asking him, whether he was really cured? Upon which he answered, with a significant smile, that he believed himself to have never had any complaint that deserved to be considered as the evil; but that his parents were poor, and had no objection to the bit of gold.

The learned and honourable writer, very properly observes on this occasion, that this piece of gold, which was given to those who were touched, accounts for the great resort upon this occasion, and the supposed miraculous cures." Pegge's Curialia.

When the day arrived for the performance of this miracle, the king was seated upon a throne, or chair of state, and the patients were led to the throne of grace by a physician. The king then stroked their cheeks with both hands as they knelt, while the chaplain, standing by in full canonicals, repeated over that passage of Scripture: "He put his hand upon them, and healed them."

When they had all been touched, another chaplain, kneeling, having angels (pieces of gold coin, value 10s. each) strung with ribbons, delivered them one by one to his majesty, who put them upon their necks after he had touched them, while this chaplain repeated this passage: "That is the true light which came into the world."'

As the reading of a gospel commenced the service, an epistle concluded, with the prayer for the sick, somewhat altered from the liturgy, and the blessing; after which, the lord chamberlain, and comptroller of the household, brought a basin and ewer of water, and towel, for the king to wash his hands. Evelyn's Diary.

But reader,

I know that "I must historifie and not divine." after having read this, and reflected, that this was performed by a people who were daily persecuting their Catholic brethren, and other sects, that had not power to resist, for what they called their superstitions, should you not have been glad to have heard, that the room (agreeable to their own practice,) had been cleared by a lusty band of broomsticks. Alas! Evelyn says, "the popular delusion, was just as strong as it was during any period of the Catholic ages." A disastrous proof

of which he offers, is, that "on one occasion, when the crowd of people was so great at the court surgeon's to obtain tickets, that six or seven were pressed to death in the confusion."

On the 18th May, 1664, the following public advertisement was issued in the newspapers, for the healing of the people, by Charles II.:

"Notice. His sacred majesty having declared it to be his royal will and purpose, to continue the healing of the people for the evil, during the month of May, and then give over till Michaelmas next, I am commanded to give notice thereof, that the people may not come up to the town in the interim, and lose their labour." Hone.

On the 6th March, 1677, the king touched 133, and all had medals.

As a proof of this Protestant delusion being just as strong as Catholic, in the biography of Flamstead, the eminent mathematician, it appears he was sent, at 19 years of age, (1665,) over from Derbyshire to Ireland, to be touched for his consumption, by a man named Greatrex.

In George Fox's Journal, he states he worked a miracle, viz.: "1683, at Worminghurst, John Claypole, of London, visiting there, he cured him of the stone; he prayed for him, and laid his hands upon him, and the stone came away." These instances were not connected with royalty.

"Such is human nature, we no sooner destroy one strong hold of delusion but we establish another, and pursue it both covetuously and hypocritically, and with the same untiring virulence."

CREDULITY.

Besides, the arte maggick, sortilege, physyonomye, palmestrye, alcumye, necromancye, chiromancye, geomancye, and witchcrafte, was taught there also." Bale's English Votaries.

THE old Druidical or Saxon superstitious observances which amused the rural hearths of England, during the heptarchy, were for the most retained. The following is a list of their crazy fears, when,

"With softer beams, and milder light,
Steps on the moon, through silent night."

Our sturdy ancestors dare not look out at night,

"When darker shades around us thrown,
Gives to thoughts a deeper tone."

their thoughtless fears kept them from enjoying many glorious delights, when partial darkness covers the innumerable beauties of our earthly globe; we have more wisely reasoned ourselves out of many of these ridiculous phantoms; and, therefore, find this temporary loss made up to us by those glorious and numberless sparkling stars, which the Almighty, by his infinite omnipotence, has placed glittering in the magnificent canopy hanging over us; and when the moon,

Lifting her silver rim

Above a eloud, and with a gradual swim
Coming into blue light."

she gives a fainter day, and our minds have better subjects to contemplate, than upon bull-beggars, spirits, witches, urchins, elves, hags, fairies, satyrs, pans, faunes, calcars, syrens, kitwith-the-can-sticks, tritons, centaurs, dwarfs, giants, imps, conjurers, nymphs from the water, changelings, incubuses, Robingood-fellow, the man in the oak, the h-1 waine, frier-drake, the puckle, Tom-thumb, and numerous hob-goblins; besides, every cross lane contained, under the direction-post, a ghost, and every empty house was haunted.

The prognosticators of the weather had their fixed days; these were St. Paul's day, Candlemas day, and St. Swithin's day; St. Mark's day was the day on which destinies were fixed of life and death, on Childermas day was fixed the days that were to be lucky or unlucky. From the doctrine of the ministry of angels, which is on Michaelmas day, every individual had assigned at their birth a good or bad angel. Drake.

Shakspeare believed in the visitation from the spirits of the deceased, Lord Clarendon tells a long story about the ghost of Sir George Villiers, father of the Duke of Buckingham, who was stabbed by Felton, 1628, appearing several times to an officer, in the king's wardrobe, in Windsor castle, to tell him to go to his son and warn him, that unless he did something to ingratiate himself with the people, or at least to abate the extreme malice they bore toward him, he would be suffered to live but a short time.*

I rather think I should have told this knightly ghost, he had better go and tell his terrible prognostication to his son himself. COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE.-When a young damsel was anxious to know something of the swain who was destined to be her husband, she was desired to run until she was out of History of the Rebellion.