that he was in much pain, which he said was insupportable, in regard of the extreme inflammation. I told him I would willingly serve him, but if haply he knew the manner how I would treat him, without touching the wound, or seeing it, perhaps he would not expose himself to my cure, because he might think it either ineffectual or superstitious. He replied, the wonderful things of which many have related unto me of your way of curing, make me nothing at all doubt of its efficacy.' I asked him then for any thing that had the blood upon it; so he presently sent for his garter wherewith his hand was first bound; and, having called for a bason of water, as if I would wash my hands, I took a handful of powder of vitriol, which I had in my study, and presently dissolved it. As soon as the bloody garter was brought me, I put it within the bason, observing, in the mean while, what Mr. Howell did, who stood talking with a gentleman in the corner of my chamber, not regarding at all what I was doing; but he started suddenly, as if he had found some strange alteration in himself. asked him, what he ailed? I know not what ails me,' replied he, but I find that I feel no more pain. Methinks that a pleasing kind of freshness, as if a wet cold napkin did spread over my hand, has taken away the inflam mation that tormented me formerly.' I answered, since you feel already so good an effect of my medicament, I advise you to cast away all your plasters; only keep the wound clean, and in a moderate temper betwixt heat and cold.' This was reported to the Duke of Buckingham, and a little after to the King, who were both very curious to know the circumstance of the business, which was, that after dinner, I took the garter out of the water, and put it to dry before a great fire. It was scarcely dry but Mr. Howell's servant came in running, that his master felt as much burning as ever he had done, if not more; for his heat was such, as if his hand was betwixt coals of fire. I answered, that though that had happened at present, yet he should find ease in a short time; for I knew the reason of this accident, and I would provide accordingly; for his master should be free from that inflammation, it may be, before he could possibly return unto him; but, in case he found no ease, wished him to come presently back again; if not, he might forbear coming. Thereupon he went; and, at the instant, I did put again the garter into the water, and he found his master without any pain at all. King James, who had received a punctual information of what had happened, would fain know how it was done: I readily told him what the author, from whom I had the secret, said to the great Duke of Tuscany on the like occa sion: (he was a religious Carmelite, who, came from the Indies and Persia to Florence; he had also been in China, and had done many strange cures with his powder, after his arrival in Tuscany,) the Duke said he would be very glad to learn it of him; and the Carmelite answered, that it was a secret he had learnt in the oriental parts, and he thought there was not any person in Europe who knew it but himself, and that it deserved not to be divulged, which could not be done if his Highness meddled with the practice of it, because he was not likely to do it with his own hand, but must trust a surgeon, or some other servant; so that in a short time divers others would come to know it as well as himself. But a few months after, I had an opportunity to do an important courtesy to the Carmelite, which induced. him to discover unto me his secret, and the same year he returned to Persia; so that now there is no other knows this secret in Europe but myself. The King replied, that I need not be apprehensive that he would discover any thing, for he would not trust any body in the world to make experience of his secret, but that he would do it with his own hands, and, therefore, desired some of the powder, which I delivered, instructing him in all the circumstances; whereupon his Majesty made sundry proofs, whence he received singular satisfaction." How far this may be credited in this enlightened age, I will not pretend to say; yet Mr. Bayle, the author of the celebrated Dictionary which bears his name, relates some thing no less strange, in a letter to a friend, dated Rotterdam, March 27, 1697. "It is," says he, "some time ago that I mentioned to you a physician in Friezeland, who has performed several cures without giving any thing to his pa tients. He contents himself with mingling with their urine somewhat, which, as the malady requires, either sweats, vomits, or purges. He continues this practice, and I am told he was domestic to a certain great Lord of Italy, who was sent for to the court of Vienna, to cure the Emperor, which he actually did. This man discovered his master's secret, and has set up for himself. Yet he is not the only one who professes it, for there are three others who pursue this practice as well as he; one at Leyden, one at Antwerp, and a third has been here at this city of Rotterdam for two or three months. He has but lately been in any degree of credit. His house at present is like the pool of Bethesda, all who are diseased run thither. It is certain that he has cured some, and that he has sweated a great many. The physicians cry out against him with the utmost fury; and, as there are more in this country than in any other, who are apt to deny, as impossible, whatever they do not comprehend, so there are numbers who join in the same outcry with the physicians; but, not being able to deny the fact that many have been sweated, they attribute this to a prepossessed imagination. For my own part I cannot think it impossible, physically speaking, that a man may be made to sweat by having something put into his urine." These relations, with others no less wonderful that are mentioned in the great philosopher Bacon's Natural History, seem to give countenance to the pretensions of this new operator, who, the papers say, did actually perform some extraordinary cures. I HOPE that by your means an error, which is of the greatest consequence to the lives of many poor unhappy wretches, may no longer exist, but be exploded out of all societies. It is this, that, if the lungs of a deceased infant, when put into water, swim, it is admitted as evidence, that the child was born alive. Now, Sir, if this experiment (so much relied on) is proved to be uncertain and fallacious, I hope you will grant with me, it is an experiment of very dangerous import. That it has proved to be such, there are many gentlemen of the faculty can testify, who were present at Surgeon's-hall when it was lately declared to be so by a learned gentleman in full court, when, on reading a lecture on the lungs, he took occasion to break off from the subject, and deliver himself in words to this effect: "And here I must beg leave, gentlemen, to take notice of a method made use of by some of the faculty, to ascertain whether an infant is born alive or dead, which is by opening the thorax of the suspected infant, taking out the lungs, and casting them into water; if they sink, it is looked upon as a fact the child was still-born; but if they swim, then without all doubt the child was born alive. The truth of this experiment is founded on these reasons: all crea tures which come into the world alive must breathe, which breath being received into the lungs, must necessarily inflate and puff them up; and though in death it in a great measure expires, yet there still remains so much air in the vesiculæ, as to make them buoyant in water; on the contrary, when still-born, as it is impossible in that state, for the lungs to receive air, they must consequently subside and sink. "Now, this manner of reasoning, however specious it may appear, or whatever authority it may be supported by, is not strictly true, as I myself can affirm, having in the course of my practice, had an opportunity of trying the foregoing experiment upon two different births; the one was born alive, but died soon after; the other dead; when behold the lungs of the former sunk, and those of the other, to our great astonishment, swam. These, together with many other experiments I have since made upon the lungs of different animals, convince me that there is no dependance upon what Dr. Gibson looked upon as infallible; for, although it may sometimes prove true, upon the whole it should be regarded no otherwise than as a very uncertain and precarious proof of the fact in question. I make bold therefore, humbly to recommend it to all the gentlemen who now hear me (as a thing of the utmost consequence) to take every opportunity to explode such a notion out of our practice, and to be particularly careful to caution our pupils against giving judgment in such cases, since it may come to pass, that on such judgment may depend the lives of many poor unhappy women." These, Sir, were the remarks made by that learned gentleman, whose name and great merit is well known in London, and whose opinion in this matter I am proud to lay before the public, hoping it may have its due weight, and answer the salutary purpose for which it was delivered. 1774, Oct. W. P. LII. Various Anecdotes.-Extraordinary Predictions. ABOUT the year 1735, a book was published, intitled the Cure of Deism. The author, Mr. Elisha Smith, had the misfortune to be confined in the Fleet Prison, for a debt of 2001. William Benson, Esq. one of the auditors of the Imprest, was highly pleased with this work. He inquired who the author was, and, having received the foregoing account, not only sent him a very handsome letter, but discharged the whole debt, fees, &c. and set him at liberty. This deserves to be recorded, as an uncommon instance of generosity and goodnature; though Mr. Auditor Benson, having been thrust into the Dunciad, will probably be known to posterity only as a bad critic: On two unequal crutches propp'd, he came, Milton on this, on that one Johnston's name. To Milton he erected a monument in Westminster-Abbey, and gave Mr. Dobson, of New College, 10001. for translating Paradise Lost into Latin; Johnston's Latin Psalms he preferred to Buchanan's. Mr. Benson published, however, a translation of the first and second Georgics, which had merit. IN the year 1747, Mr. M~~, a gentleman of an ample fortune, about fifty-five years of age, travelled through Kent, in quest of a wife. He was a widower, and had one son, about twelve years old. The qualifications he required were, that the party should be a widow, between thirty and thirty-five, should have a daughter between six and eight, and be of good repute; but neither birth, beauty, nor fortune, were desired. At length, the happy woman was found at Rochester, where the nuptial knot was tied. Mr. M. however, previously stipulated, that, if he thought fit to be absent from home three or four months, his wife should never ask him where he was going, nor, on his return, where he had been, nor shew the least uneasiness on that account. She was not to stay at London, but only to pass through it. He settled on her a jointure of 500l. a year, and arrayed her in clothes and jewels to the amount of 1000]. THE following lines, written by Pope, were occasioned by the removal of an old Doric gate from Chelsea road, into Lord Burlington's gardens at Chiswick. It did belong to Sir Hans Sloane, but he neglecting it, Lord Burlington begged it of him. PASSENGER. O Gate, how cam'st thou here? GATE. I was brought from Chelsea last year, |