Mr. URBAN,

Jan. 2.

3. Gilbert has obferved, in his

M2: "Tour to the Lakes," that fhot

were found in fome trees which grew near the field of battle at Marston Moor. A correfpond. LVII. 851, has obferved, with a great degree of wit and ridicule, that Mr. Gilpin must be mifinformed, because fhot will not enter into green wood. Your correfpondent Y. p. 1054, has endeavoured to explain the reason why green wood fhould fo powerfully refift thot; but one thing, I think, was rather neceffary to the juice of the obfervation, or the neceffity of an explanation, I mean the truth of the circumftance itself; for I have no doubt, Mr. Urban, that the cafe is notoriously otherwife. If your correfpondents will enquire of any game keeper who kills deer, or try the experiment themfelves, they will find, I believe, that a fho, dif. charged from a mufket, will as furely enter a tree, as a nail may be driven into it by a hammer. The note which attended the obfervation in October, that balls, not bullets, were meant by Mr. Gilpin, I conceive to be erroneous, not only becaufe Mr. Gilpin does not call them balls, but becaufe a ball, with a fufficient degree of momentum to bury itself in a tree, would certainly either fpinter or go through it. D. R.

M. URBAN,

THE

Jan. 6.

HE Critical Reviewers, reviewing Mr. Weddred's "Scriptural View of the Refurrection and Afcenfion of Jefus Chrift," (fee vol. LVII. p. 992.) on thele words, "one of the foldiers with a fpear pierced his fide, and forthwith there camne out blood and water, (which fully proved his death, for this water is lodged in the pericardium, which being wounded, death does immediately entue,)" have the following remark: "The anatomical accuracy would have deferved commendation, if we had not been informed by our medical affociate, that the pericardium contains water only." Now I would afk you, Mr. Urban, if the words of Mr. W. differ

31

from the Reviewers? Blood followed the fpear as well as water; but Mr. W. does not fay that both came from the fame place.

The human petrifaction in the villa Ludovifia, enquired after in p. 1071, though not mentioned by many travellers, is to be met with in two modern accounts of Rome. In "Les Delices de l'Italie," London, 1709, tom. III. p. 115, is mentioned a petrified fkeleton, un fquelette petrefié; and in the "Voyage d'un Francois en Italie, 1765 and 1766," Venice, 1769, tom. III. a fingular human petrifaction, une petrefaction bumaine finguliere.

Our countryman Richard Lafcelles faw this curiofity about the fame time as the fuppofed Sir R. Fanfhaw. His account of it is very full, as follows, p. 180, 1670.

"In a great fquare box, lined with velvet, I faw the body of a petrified man, that is, a man turned into flone; one piece of the leg broken, to affure an ambaffador doubting of the verity of the thing, fhewed me plainly both the bone and the ftone crufted over it. The head and the other parts lie jumbled up toge ther in the box. If you ask me why they do not put this body into fome tomb to bury it, I anfwer you, that it needs no other tomb than this cruft of ftone. Indeed I never faw a body fo neatly intombed as this. You would fwear that this tomb is a pure just-aucorps rather than a tomb. It fits as clofe as if a taylor had made it, and that you may not think it an impoffible thing that men fhould be thus petrefied, I muft mind you what Ortelius faith, that, upon the mountains fituated in the Wettern parts of Tartary, are feen figures of men, camels, fheep, and other beafts, which, by an admirable metamorphofis, were changed into ftones about 300 years ago; and Ariftotle + himself speaks of men petrefied in the hollow cave of a mountain near Pergamus."

Lafcelles noted the wooden bedstead covered with precious flones, valued at 100,000 crowns, the four pofts all of oriental polished jafper; the rest of o ther rich tones: but the head exceeding the reft for riches and art, efpecially the midft, where the family arms are fet in rich ftones of feveral colours. He pronounces the beft ufe that could be made of it would be to lay the man of fione in.

*Tab. Geograph. Ruiliæ. Lib. de An. c. 59.

and

and that beds of ftone are fitteft for men of fione. He alfo noticed a curious clock. Thefe three articles are united in the "Delices de l'Italie" before mentioned.

Monfieur Miflon in 1688 fpeaks of this petrifaction as a piece of bone faid to have belonged to a petrified man. But this is a mistake, for the bones are no; way petrified; but a candied cruft (croute candie), a certain ftony incruftation, has gathered round them, which has given them this name. I do not, however, mean by this, that bones do not petrify, as well as other fubftances. There is nothing but what will petrify. In various cabinets which I have vifited, I have obferved a hundred different things petrified: fruits, flowers, trees, wood, plants, bones, fish, bread, pieces of fieth, animals of all forts. Paræus gives an account of a child petrified in his mother's womb. And, what is more extraordinary, the hiftory of our time fpeaks of a city in Africa petrified in one night, with men, beafts, trees, furniture, and every thing in the city without exception." Nouv. Voy. d'Italie, II. 170, 1702.

I have not at hand any of the travel lers of the prefent century, fuch as Keyfler, Blainville, &c. &c. to anfwer whether their curiofity was excited by this petrified man. Mr. Wright does not mention him, nor the author of the 66 Viaggiana."

P. 1104. After fome hours chace, un

aflifted by the bulky index of the Variorum

edition of Cicero's Letters to Atticus, I have caught the paffage which Bishop Atterbury thought he had exactly pointed out, if not tranfcribed, into his letter to Pope, dated "Bromley, October 15, 1721." It is the 14th letter of the 2d book of the Epiftles to Atticus, where he thus deferibes the interruptions of his vifitors in his Formian retreat † : "Bafilicam habeo, non villam, frequentia Formianorum: at quam parem bafilicæ tribum Emiliam ? Sed omitto vulgus. Poft horam IV molefti ceteri non funt.

C. Arrius proximus eft vicinus, immo ille quidem jam contubernalis ; qui etiam fe idcirco Romam ire negat, ut hic mecum totos dies philofophetur. Ecce ex altera parte Sebofus, ille Catuli familiaris. Quo me vertam? Statim mehercule Arpinum irem, ni te in Formiano commodiffime exfpectari viderem, duntaxat ad prid. non. Maii. Vide enim quibus hominibus aures fint deditæ meæ. Occafionem mirificam, fi qui nunc, dum hi apud me funt, emere de me fundum Formianum velit." Which may be thus tranflated: "I have a court inftead of a country-houfe: fo great is the refurt of the people of Formia to it, that you would think the whole Emilian tribe, the largeft in Rome, attended my levee. But I pafs over the bulk of attendants, who leave me after the fourth hour. C. Arrius, my next door neighbour, the fame who was formerly my companion, pro tefts he will not go to Rome, but fpend whole days in converfing with me on philofophical fubjects. On the other fide I have Sebofus, the friend of Catulus. What can I do? I would make the beft of my way to Arpinum, if it were not more convenient for me to wait for you here, at least till the 6th of May. For only think what kind of men I am obliged to liften to! It would be an admirable opportunity, if any perfon, while they are with me, fhould offer to purchase this villa." A. B.

Mr. URBAN, Gerrard-freet, Jan. 3. ALONG journey, which I was o

bliged to make, and an accumulation of bufinefs fince, have deprived me of my ufual pleasure of attending you in your intellectual tour of obfervation through the world. However, I have at length found leifure to retrace your fteps, at leaft flighly, and fhall make fuch remarks as the shortnefs of my time will permit.

I have received much fatisfaction from perufing occafionally the defcriptions and hiftories of trees, by different correfpondents, particularly T. H. W. continue their ufeful labours; and, and J. A. I hope thefe gentlemen will when their plan is compleated, I would recommend the re-publication of the whole, apart, in a small volume. I think the publick would receive it favourably.

There is another work much wanted in this way; an abridgement of the laft edition of Evelyn's Sylva, which is now increafed to a price that few can afford,

and

and to an extent which ftill fewer have time enough to go through. Yet there is a vaft deal of valuable knowledge in it; and a judicious Summary, in 8vo or 12mo, would be read with pleasure. While it is right and proper that large collections fhould be formed of all that is known on any fubject, for the use of perfons who have much leifure, or a peculiar tafte for the cultivation of fuch fubjects, it is alfo proper that fome regard fhould be paid to the cafe of men engaged in active life and profeffional bufinefs, to whom every great book is a great evil," and who, though they may have an ardent love of knowledge, and might be extremely ufeful in diffufing it, and promoting the benefits derived from it, are, however, too much involved in the neceffary duties of their ftations to find leifure to perufe volumes in 4to and tolio. When we had fuch literary journalists as John Le Clerc, Michael de la Roche, and old Dr. Maty, there was lefs room for my complaints, because they gave abstracts of books; but, as we have no Review now conducted on this plan, it must be done in feparate publications, or not all.

33

Your correfpondent J. Nafeby, LVII. p. 117, has stated a cafe of a man who was bitten by an alligator in fwimming across a river, and did not feel any painful fenfation till he came out of the water. Before any argument can be founded on this cafe, I think we must know more of the particulars of it. If it was a very flight wound, as I fhould be inclined to fuppofe, then the attention of the man's mind being occupied by the exertion neceffary in fwimming to get to the other fide of the river, are, I think, fufficient to account for his not feeling any pain, without fuppofing that the water had any effect in the cafe: a man does not feel the blows given him in fighting while his attention is wholly engaged by the defire of mastering his antagonist. I can hardly conceive that immerfion in water fhould diminish pain. The idea of performing furgical operations in this way has, I believe, occurred to medical men. A furgeon of my acquaintance propofed, in order to prevent the bad effects of admitting cold air into the cavity of the belly, that the operation of dividing the Lymphyfis pubis, in women who have narrow pelves, fhould be performed while the patient was half immerfed in luke-warm water. But he certainly did not recolGENT. MAG. January, 1788.

Amidst the variety of matter, Mr. Urban, that you difcufs, we have, every now and then, controverted points. If thefe intereft me, I read what paffes on both fides, for a certain time; but, if the difpute be not terminated, and I have beftowed on it as much time as it is worth, or as I can afford, I am obliged to give it up, by which means I lofe my preceding labour, and do not fee the iffue of the controverfy. Many of your readers, I am convinced, are in the fame fituation. It is much, therefore, to be defired, that when any fubject has been argued about for a long time, backwards and forwards, fome one of the parties should fum up the evidence, and let us know how it ftands at the laft. This would add much to the ufefulness of your Mifcellany. And I think it fo important, that if none of your correfpondents will do it, I think you yourself, good Sir, fhould occafionally employ fome fteady hand to do us this piece of fervice. You will excufe my taking the liberty of recommending this: I am fure you know I do it from the best motives; and I have fome little title to request it, becaufe, in the only matter of controverfy I ever was engaged in in your Magazine, which was relative to English names of animals correfponding to the Scotch, after feveral letters from different people had paffed, containing various opinions about the " Fumart," I gave exactly fuch a fummary of the evidence as I here requeft of you. At pretent, I recolle&t three articles of which a fummary would be defirable: the difpute about the orthography of Shakspeare's name about the origin of caliing the nine of diamonds the curfe of Scotland--and about the changes produced by ingrafting trees. of your readerè think my plan would occupy room in the Magazine which had better be devoted to original matter,

If any

I would

I would remind fuch, that it is better to know a few things to purpose, than many things fuperficially and confufedly.

We are much obliged to M. A. N. for his admirable effay on retirement from bufinefs, p. 388: the hand of a mafter is visible in it. Moft men wander heedlefs through life, having eyes, but feeing not:" M. A. N. is an OBSERVER.

66

Your correfpondent M. Skinner mentions a little brook at Haftings, in Suffex, which the inhabitants call the bourne. I only mean to guard him against fuppofing this to be an appella tion peculiar to that rivulet. In ancient times all little brooks were called bournes or burns; and this ufe of the term is fill retained in Scotland, and in the North of England. The bourne is, therefore, no more than the rivulet.

I muft beg leave to diffent from fomebody who has written very unfavour ably of fmoking tobacco, as bad for the lungs, &c. If he mean to fay, that the frequent practice of fmoking, and fuch a habit of doing it as that a man cannot be happy without it, is a prejudicial thing, I agree with him. Tobacco.fmoke is a fimulant, and, therefore, the frequent and immoderate ufe of it must tend to weaken the conftitution in the fame way, though in a much smaller degree, that dram-drinking, or any thing elfe that excites the nervous fyftem, does. But against the moderate and occafional ufe of it there exitis no rational objection. It is a valuable article in medicine. I have known much good from it in various cafes, and have myfeif been recovered by it, at times, from a languor which neither company nor wine was able to diffipate. Although, therefore, I fhall not decide on the juftnefs of the etymology, I must clearly affent to the truth of the fact, afterted by that critic, who found its name to be derived from three Hebrew words, which, if I recollect right, were тOB bɩnus, ACH jumus, A ejus, "GooD is the SMOKE thereof."

From tobacco, I pafs naturally to opium, a medicine never to be mentioned without a paufe, expreffive of ve æeration. It is a pity that the ufe of things fhould fo often be confounded with the abufe of them. If this were not the cafe, a late correfpondent of yours would not have expreffed fo many fars and objections to the use of this

drug. As to invalids keeping it "in
their clofets," and privately ufing it there,
I will join in condemning fuch a prac-
tice, as I fhould condemn private dram-
drinking; and yet it does not follow
that brandy or opium are not moft ex-
cellent articles. Opium is undoubtedly,
in fpite of fome people's prejudices, one
of the best articles of the materia me-
dica. I query whether, in alleviating
pain, &c. it has not done as much good
to mankind as all the reft put together.
In the hands of a judicious practitioner
it never can be dangerous; and, if peo-
ple will truft to ignorant quacks, they
muft take their chance. To fpeak of
never prefcribing opium without trem-
bling, is ridiculous. Your correfpond.
ent miftakes when he thinks that the
prefent ufe of opium is one of the new
fafliens in phyfic. This medicine was
known in ancient times, and has been
as highly extolled by the ancient phyfi-
cians as it ever was fince, or will be
again. It was the prevalence of fabions,
the chemical remedies, and the inert
practice introduced by the theory of
Stahl, which withdrew the attention of
phyficians from it; but they have re-
turned to it again as to "a fountain of
living water," after " hewing out to
themfelves broken cifterns that could
hold no water;" and I will venture to
predict, that if new fafbions should
withdraw them ten times more, they
would return to it as oft again, becaufe
its excellence is manifeft and incontro-
vertible. I muft inform your corre-
fpondent, that most of the great and fu
perior practitioners have been diftin-
guifhed by their attachment to opium.
Sydenham was called Opiopbilos; and,
whatever prejudices may have been en-
tertained by tome phyficians, as there
have been many, I will most heartily
join with Adrian Van Royen in his
beautiful apostrophe to this excellent
gift of God, in his elegant poem De
Amoribus et Connubus Plantarum:
Vivat Apollineis nimium fufpecta miniftris,
Vivat in innumeris fola medela malis.

Which, for the fake of your English
readers, I fhall try to tranflate:
For ever flourish though the healing tribe,
Falfely fufpicious,view thy matchlefs power:
For ever flourish, balm of human kind!
In ills innumerous the only cure."

I have now, Mr. Urban, got as far as October; but mat delay future remarks till more leifore. T. SEARCH.

Mr.

Mr. URBAN,

was dedicated, or any memorial of his

before he was promoted to the fee of Exeter, was Dean of York. There was no fmall bustle about his election to that dignity. (See Drake's Ebor. 561, 562.) He was promoted to Exeter 1214, and fat 18 years. (Godwin, edit. Richardfon, p. 404.)-There was at Exe ter a Benedictine priory, founded by the Conqueror or Rufus, or rather by the Monks of Battell, on land of their gift. Qu. if Bishop Simon was a benefactor thereto? See its regifter in the Cotto nian Library. (Tanner, p. 90.)

The weapon on Bishop Wyvil's tomb in Salisbury cathedral is in the hand of the Bishop's champion.

Mr. UREAN,

GO

A. B.

ODWIN was certainly mistaken in his affertion, that Simon de Apulia was confecrated Bishop of Exeter in 1206: Dr. Richardfon, in a note to p. 404 of his edition of De Præful. Angl. having fhewn from pub'ick records that the fee was vacant in 1210, and 1212; and from Matt. Weft. that Simon was really not confecrated before 1214. The cafe probably was, that on the death of Bishop Marshall, in October 1206, Simon was appointed to this diocefe by Papal provifion; and that the King objected to the appointment, not only as being an encroachment upon his prerogative, but becaufe Simon was an Italian, and zealous in the intereft of the court of Rome. In June 1207, Innocent III. greatly provoked the King, by promoting Langton to the archbishoprick of Canterbury, and the memorable rupture with the Pope was the confequence of it. This occafioned the interdict, which continued fix years and a quarter; and before it was taken off, there were fix fees in the hands of the King, viz. York, Durham, Chefter, Chichefter, Worcester, and Exeter. (Chron. Abb. de Petrob.) The interdict was relaxed June 29, 1214; and, on the 5th of October, Simon bishop of Exeter, and Walter de Grey bishop of Worcester, were confecrated at Canterbury.

S. E. (vol. LVII. p. 1070) acknowledges himself to be at a lofs to account for Simon de Apulia's feal (p. 880) having on it a legendary of St. Nicholas and his boys, without any fymbol of St. Peter, the patron of Exeter cathedral. But, as I imagine, other ancient feals of bithops might be pointed out, which have no reprefentation of the perfon of the Saint to whom their epifcopal church

ftition of former times, does it seem ftrange that a bishop fhould, in this inftance, give a preference to the Saint of whom he had formed the most favourable opinion. Nicholas was the patron of boys, efpecially of thofe defigned for holy orders; and Simon might conceive himself to be indebted to him for the literary improvements he made in his youth, as well as for his fuccefs as he advanced in life. This prelate, according to Matt. Weftm. was eminent for prudence and learning; and at the lower part of the feal he is exhibited in the attitude of praying to St. Nicholas. The coat of arms used by Simon de Apulia was, Azure, three mitres, two and one, with this jingling motto, equally adapted to crowns, coronets, and mitres : honos eft onus. (Ifacke's Antiq. of Exeter.) W. & D.

Mr. URBAN, Hinckley, Jan. 19. IN your Magazine for December laft,

p. 1059, a correfpondent of yours, under the fignature of Academicus Leiceftrenfis, founds an alarm and with few claffical, mathematical, and optical terms (mifapplied), a confiderable share of vanity and illiberality, attacks your old correfpondent Obfervator, hugs his own triumph, and charges him with inattention, falfe defcription, and wholly miftaking the fite, &c. of an ancient en campment Obfervator chanced to defcry in a morning ride on the common road, whilft on a visit to a friend.

Academicus fets our in all the parade of furly zeal, contradicts every part of Obfervator's defeription, &c. (which he had modeftly given) in all the enthufiafic fire of a scientific despot; and almost inclines one to conclude, that Obfervator had fapped the foundation, and vitiated the first principles of fcience. What (a reader may fay) has Obfervator done? He innocently thought to amufe himself and others. See his decent account in your Magazine, vol. LVII. p. 657.

Academicus, either to fhew himself acquainted with technical terms of art, or that Obfervator was unacquainted with them, imitating the mathematician, talks of an ifofceles and fcalenum,-but elliptically leaves out triangle, which I voluntarily fupply, unfcientifically talks of a compound curve,-mifapplies the optical term diverges, &c.

J, with many others of your readers lament that gentlemen, who write either