both are expreffed by the fame word in the original)." Some one may perhaps fay: Do you judge this worthy of praife? What man is there fo bad, who would not give attention to God, when he speaks, or promises any thing? To fuch an one we answer: Beware, O Sir, beware,that you do not rafhly refuse this wife man the praise due to him; nor afcribe to unworthy perfons faith, which is the most perfect of the virtues; nor cenfure our doctrine upon this fubject. For, if you will confider this matter, not fuperficially, but fearch it to the bottom, you fhall plainly fee, that it is no eafy thing to have faith in God only, without any other pledge. This, I fay, is no eafy thing, by reason of the close relation that we bear to what is mortal, with which we are yoked, and which forcibly perfuades us to have faith in riches, glory, power, friends, health and ftrength of body, with many other things. Now, to efface each of these, and put no faith in the creature, which is never to be trafted in; and to have faith in God alone, who alone can be fecurely relied on; to do this, I fay, is the act of a great and heavenly mind, a mind that can no more be infnared by the things of this world. And it is well added, that his faith was counted to him for jufice; for nothing is fo juft, as to carry ourfelves towards God with a fincere and perfect faith in him alone. But this, which is so just, and agreeable to the nature of things, is accounted a paradox, because of the want of faith in the moft of us, to whom, by way of reproof, the facred word fays, That firmly and inceffantly to rely upon HIM WHO ONLY 18, feems a wonderful thing to men, who poffefs no real good; but is not wonderful to a true difcernment, for it is the proper work of JUSTICE."

So this Jew explains how the faith of Abraham was counted to him for juflice: and if faith had been confidered in this light, when the queftion of juftification by faith only was fo warmly agitated, the controverfy might foon have been compofed, and great scandals prevented. But I return to our author, who, in all his writings, fpeaks of faith in the

fenfe here reprefented; and, several times finding occafion to quote this 6th verfe of Gen. xv. upon which the doctrine of juftification by faith is founded, explains it in fuch a manner, as fhews, that it was then an established doctrine in the Jewish schools of divinity; and that St Paul's infifting on it, as he does fo copioufly to the Jewish converts, was a feasonable and judicious application of a doctrine then commonly understood and admitted.

But as nothing is more changeable than the meaning of words, and that efpecially when they come into vulgar ufe; this word faith got a new sense in the firft age of the Chriftian church, and was transferred to fignify a belief of the gospel-history. Many of the new converts took faith in this cheap fense: and whereas St Paul had, in his writings, retained the original fignification, which he had been accuftomed to in the School of Gamaliel, fome miftook his expreffions fo far, as to affign those high advantages to a notional belief of Chriftianity, which he had afcribed only to a confirmed habit of piety, even fuch as Abraham had attained to, and whereby he had merited the title of Father of the faithful. When this error spread in the church, St James zealously confuted it: and, not standing to dispute about words, which is needlefs, when we clearly fee in what fenfe the opponents mean them, he used the term as they understood it, and feverley cenfured the nominal faith, with which they deceived themselves. Yet, at the fame time, by calling it a dead faith, he fufficiently intimated, that the name of faith was as improperly applied by them, as when the name man is given to a dead carcafe, or when a dry ftick, refting in the earth, is called

The other half of each was planted with peafe and beans alone. The latter were immediately attacked by the fnails, and almost utterly confumed. The former remained untouched, till the plume had advanced above the quicklime. It was remarkable, that the feeds planted with the lime, lay a confiderable time below ground, without fhowing any figns of vegetation. Query. Will quicklime, sprinkled upon the furface of the ground along the drills, hinder the fnails from penetrating to the feeds below?

Though lime-water is inevitably defructive to the fnails on which it is thrown; yet as it foon finks into the earth, or evaporates, and of confequence lofes its power; a new crop of these pernicious vermin will immediate ly affemble from the neighbouring grounds, and reduce the gardener to the neceffity of continually applying the lime-water. To prevent this inconveniency; after the fnails are once banifh ed by the ufe of the lime-water, a narrow ring of powdered quicklime fhould be laid upon the furface of the ground, round each plant. For greater fecurity, part of the quicklime may be alfo incorporated with the foil.

of which, the plant above ground being deprived of the fupply of nourishment requifite for its vegetation, droops, and dies away.- -In fummer 1756, I had occafion to fee a plantation of colewort going to wreck from this caufe. As the effects of lime water upon infects then occurred to me, I drenched with it the earth contiguous to the roots of every plant. Next day, upon examination, I found great numbers of the infects dead, and many others fo torpid and dull as to be scarce able to crawl For three fucceffive nights, I repeated the watering; and by this means destroyed or put to flight the pernicious vermin. The roots that had not been entirely confumed, foon fent out a new crop of absorbing filaments; and, in confequence of that, many of the plants in a fhort time recovered their former vigour.

§ 2. During the fummer months, there is found in the earth about the roots of vegetables, particularly of the colewort kind, a fpecies of the manyfooted infects. Their body is white, and divided tranfverfely by numerous equidiftant ftrictures, which give to the intercepted spaces an annular appear ance. Their length does not exceed the half, their breadth the fixteenth, of an inch. Their head, which is joined to the body by a neck, is furnished with two finall antennæ. Whether this is their ultimate ftate, or only a ftage in their progrefs to perfection; what infect produces them; and what changes they may have undergone before they arrived at their prefent form, I have not yet been able to discover. In favourable foils and feafons, they are fometimes fo Dumerous as utterly to deftroy whole plantations of colewort. They feed upon the fucculent cortical part, and tender filaments of the root; in confequence

That there might be no reafon to doubt whether the death of thefe infects fhould be afcribed to the water, confidered fimply as water, or as a fluid impregnated with fome quality from the lime, I made the following experiment.

-I put into two cups, filled with earth, an equal number of these infects. Into one of thefe I poured as much common water as was fufficient to drench the earth, into the other the fame quan tity of lime-water. The infects in this laft made the most violent efforts to efcape. Many of them crawled up on the fides of the cup; others ftood with their head and part of their body erect. ed above the furface of the earth; but the greateft part of them, being unable to withdraw themfelves from the contact of the water, lay contracted and benummed, and, after three hours, difcovered no fymptoms of life. Even thofe that had retired out of the earth, did not furvive much longer. The infects in the other cup, upon the infufion of the water, appeared indeed more torpid, and did not move about with their ufual brifkness; but few of them removed from the earth, and, after three days, not one of them was found dead.

§3. An aquatic infect, fhaped almost like a lobster *, being put into lime-wa*The country-people call it the scrow.

ter

ter, fell inftantly into the most precipi tate diforderly motion. This was foon fucceeded by fuch a general languor, that the infect was fcarce able, by faint and interrupted struggles, to move from one fpot. Some of thefe infects, which, by their bulk, appeared to be the youngest, were dead in lefs than five minutes after they were put into the lime-water; others, of a more advanced age, furvived eight minutes; but, after fifteen, very little motion could be perceived in the limbs of any of them.- -Some of them, after they had been a little time in the lime-water, were removed into common water; but, though they appeared to be much revived by the change, they did not furvive it two hours.

4. Several water-fpiders were forcibly kept for half an hour, immerfed in lime-water, without any apparent injury. The furface of their body was not at all affected by it, but retained its fmooth fhining appearance.

$5. There is a particular fpecies of infects which principally infefts thofe parts of the human body in which the febaceous glands are found in the greateft number. These infects are called piattuli, pediculi lati, pediculi inguinales, or crabs, from their fuppofed refemblance to this animal. Numerous applications are propofed for the deftruction of those infects; but all of them, however efficacious, are fo infupportably difagreeable, that their ufe can only be inforced by neceffity. In a cafe of this kind, the frequent application of ftrong lime water to the parts infefted, was attended with remarkable fuccefs.

§ 6. Will lime-water prevent or remove the itch? The itch is well known to proceed from a minute fpecies of infects, which, making their way through the epidermis, lodge betwixt it and the fkin, and there multiply their fpecies with the utmost rapidity. Lime-water is deftructive to the generality of infects. Therefore, if lime-water can reach the infects that produce the itch, it will, in all probability, by destroying them, remove the difeafe.- -After these infects have fheltered themselves beneath the epidermis, lime-water, I am afraid,

will not reach them; and for this reafon that application must be of ufe principally in preventing the disease. Before the infects have pierced the epidermis, they lie expofed to the full power of the remedy. This reasoning is fupported by the fuccefs of Mr Butter's experiment. § 7. Will lime-water deftroy buggs? A few experiments made upon these infects might be of ufe to the world.

§ 8. The poisonous effects of certain bodies upon the animal tribes may be ranked among the most curious and intricate phenomena in nature. Subftances that are inevitably pernicious to fome fpecies of animals, afford a wholefome nourishment to others, which in their structure and properties differ very little from the firft. Hemlock is poison to the cow; to the goat it is falutary food. Monkfhood is devoured by the horfe without any bad confequence; to the goat and fheep it is destructive. The euphorbium plant, which is a fpecies of the fpurge, is, when applied to the generality of animals, a corrofive cauftic: yet a certain fpecies of infects feeds upon it alone. The efficient caufe of this diverfity lies beyond the reach of human comprehenfion.

However, the manner in which some fubftances prove pernicious to certain tribes of animals, may be easily explained. Oil, or any other tenacious liquid, externally applied, is inevitably destructive to the greateft part of infects †. The reason of this is evident. The refpiratory organs of all infects receive and expel the air by numerous little holes, placed at different diftances along the furface of their bodies. Whatever blocks up these holes, muft hinder the ingrefs and egrefs of the air, and confequently produce fuffocation. Hence oil, honey, axunge, &c. rubbed upon infects, prove infallibly mortal.

In what particular way lime-water deftroys infects, is perhaps difficult to determine. As it is poffeffed of no vifible tenacity, its operation cannot be fimilar to that of oils. Yet, to appear

On the cure of the ftone by injections, p. 22. 23. [xvi. 128.]

Malpigius de bomb. p. 19.

ance,

ance, it produces its effects, by difturbing refpiration. For all fishes, when put into lime-water, rife to the furface, and pant, in the fame manner as when they are placed, in common water, beneath the exhaufted receiver of an air-pump. Haddington, April 20. 1758.

kindred to the human fpecies. It has been found hard to defcribe man by an adequate definition. Some philofophers have called him a reasonable animal; but others have confidered reason as a quality of which many animals partake. He has been termed likewife a laughing animal; but it is faid, that fome men

be more properly distinguished as an idle

and is to be continued every Saturday.

The IDLER, N° 1. [xiv. 432.]

Hofe who attempt

Hor.

es

fometimes idle. It is at least a definition from which none that fhall find it in this paper can be excepted; for who can be more idle than the reader of the IDLER ?

That the definition may be complete,

the beginning, by the difficulty of finding a proper title for their work. Two writers fince the time of the SPECTATOR, have affumed his name, without any pre. tenfions to lawful inheritance; an effort was once made to revive the TATLER; and the ftrange appellations by which papers have been called, fufficiently fhow, that the authors were diftrefled, like the natives of America, who fometimes come to the Europeans to beg a

name.

It will be easily believed of the IDLER, that if his title had required any fearch, he never would have found it. Every mode of life has its conveniencies. The Eler, who habituates himself to be fatisfied with what he can moft eafily obtain, not only escapes labours which are often fruitless, but fometimes fucteeds better than those who defpife whatever is within their reach, and think every thing more valuable as it is harder to be acquired.

If fimilitude of manners be a motive to kindness, the IDLER may flatter himself with univerfal patronage. There is no fingle character under which fuch numbers are comprised. Every man is, or hopes to be an Idler. Even those who feem to differ moft from us, are haften ing to increase our fraternity: as peace is the end of war, to be idle is the ultimate purpose of the busy.

There is perhaps no appellation by which a writer can better denote his VOL. XX.

but the peculiar characteristic of man; and perhaps he is the only being that can properly be called idle, that does by others what he might do himself, or facrifices duty or pleasure to the love of ease.

Scarcely any name can be imagined from which lefs envy or competition is to be dreaded. The IDLER has no rivals or enemies. The man of business forgets him; the man of enterprise defpifes him; and though fuch as tread the fame track of life, fall commonly into jealousy and difcord, Idlers are always found to affociate in peace, and he who is most famed for doing nothing, is glad to meet another as idle as himself.

What is to be expected from this paper, whether it will be uniform or various, learned or familiar, ferious or gay, political or inoral, continued or interrupted, it is hoped that no reader will inquire. That the IDLER has fome fcheme, cannot be doubted; for to form fchemes is the IDLER's privilege. But though he has many projects in his head, he is fparing of communication, having obferved, that his hearers are apt to remember what he forgets himself; that his tardinefs of execution exposes him to the incroachments of those who catch a hint and fall to work; and that very fpecious plans, after long contrivance and pompous difplays, have fubfided in weariness without a trial, and without mifcarriage been blafted by derifion. Ee

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