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their fpiritual fponfors. About the year 1116 long hair was confidered as a luxury, and a mark of effeminacy. Eighty years after, whoever wore long hair was, by a canon, excluded from entering the church; and on Christmas-day at mafs, God. froy, bishop of Amiens, refufed at St. Omer, in prefence of Robert, Earl of Flanders, the offerings of thofe who had preferved their hair. Francis I. wore his hair fhort on account of a wound which he had received in his head; his courtiers followed his example, and the people imitated the courtiers.

The invention of bells is attributed to the Egyptians: however this may be, it is certain that they were alto announce the festivals in ways ufed honour of Ofiris. Amongst the Hebrews the high priest in grand ceremonies wore a kind of tunic, ornamented with small golden bells. At Athens, the priest of Proferpine and Cybele used them during their facrifices, and in fome measure they made a part of their mysteries. Bells were known alfo among the Perfians, the Greeks, and the Romans. Pope Sabinian, and St. Paulin of Nola, introduced them into the church, to call the faithful to divine worship, and to diftinguish the canonical hours, but it does not appear that large bells were used before the fixth century. In 610 the army of Clotaire, who were befieging Sens, were fo frightened by the noife of the bells of the church of St Stephen, which Loup, bishop of Orleans, ordered to be rung, that they railed the fiege, and betook themfelves to flight. About the beginning of the following century bells were baptifed; for Alcuin, preceptor to Charlemagne, confiders this ceremony as much older than the year 770.

The Romans invented lotteries, to enliven their Saturnalia. This feftival began by the distribution of tickets which gained fome prize.

Auguftus made lotteries which confifted of things of little value, but Nero established fome for the people, in which a thousand tickets were distributed daily, and feveral of those who were favoured by Fortune got rich by them. Heliogabalus invented fome very fingular; the prizes were either of great value or of none at all; one gained a prize of fix flaves, and another of fix flies; some got valuable vafes, and others vases of common earth. A lottery of this kind exhibited an excellent picture of the inequality with which Fortune diftributes her favours.

The firft watches were made at Nuremberg in 1500, by Peter Hell, and called Nuremberg eggs, on account of their oval form. The fame year George Purbach, a mathematician of Vienna, employed a watch that pointed to feconds, for aftronomical obfervations.

The art of making perukes was invented at Paris, about the end of the reign of Lewis XIII. and people then gave over the use of calottes ornamented with a double row of hair, quite ftraight or frizzled. The Abbe la Riviere first set the example; his peruke weighed two pounds. Thefe head-dreffes were heavy, and of an enormous fize, until 1680, when the Sieur Ervais devifed a method of curling the hair. Perukes then became real ornaments, and feemed to banish the marks of old age.

Nonius Marcellus refers the origin of New-year's gifts among the Romans to Tatius, king of the Sabines, who reigned at Rome conjointly with Romulus, and who having confidered as a good omen, a prefent of fome branches cut in a wood confecrated to Strenia, the goddess of strength, which he received on the first day of the new year, authorised this custom afterwards, and gave to these perfons the name of Strena. However this may be, the Romans on that day ce

lebrated

Obfervations on the Origin of certain Customs and Inventions.

5.3

lebrated a feftival in honour of Janus, fearching for the philofopher's stone, and having thrown to the hogs what remained after fome of his experi ments, obferved, that those who fwallowed it, after being violently purged, became much fatter. He took it into his head to make a trial of it upon fome of his brother monks; but, as the dose was too strong, they all died. Hence comes the name of antimoine in French, which has been given to this mineral substance.

and paid their refpects at the fame time to Juno; but they did not pafs it in idleness, left they should become indolent during the rest of the year. They fent presents to one another of figs, dates, honey, &c. to fhew their friends that they wished for a happy and agreeable life. Clients, that is to fay, those who were under the protection of the great, carried prefents of this kind to their patrons, adding to them a fmall piece of filver. Under Auguftus the fenate, the knights and the people prefented fuch gifts to him, and in his abfence deposited them in the Capitol. Of the fucceeding princes fome adopted this custom, and others abolished it, but it always continued among the people. The early Chriftians condemned it, because it appeared to be a relique of Paganism, and a fpecies of fuperftition; but when it began to have no other object than that of being a mark of veneration and efteem, the church ceafed to difapprove of it.

The origin of abbeys is very ancient, and may be traced back to the firft ecumenical council of Nicea in the fourth century. Some active ecclefiaftics cultivated the earth, with an intention of confecrating the fruits of their labour to the relief of indigence; and while with one hand they fertilised the deferts, they affifted the distressed with the other. By their benefactions they acquired friends, and by their labour they procured riches. Their inftruments of hufbandry appeared to be inconteftible titles of their right of poffeffion; and, in the course of time, difmal and barren folitudes were converted into rich houfes. The name of monaftery feemed then no longer applicable to them, and they exchanged it for that of abbey.

Antimony, that remedy fo celebrated, was discovered by a German monk, named Bafil Valentine, who,

Pofts were established in 1462, under Louis XI. King of France, on account of the fiege of Nanci; the proceedings of which were regularly conveyed to him, by couriers, ftationed at certain distances on the road. This expedient was found to be convenient, and it was afterwards continued, and brought to perfection.

The custom of faying God bless you to those who fneeze, is faid to have originated from Pope Gregory, furnamed the Great, during the time of an epidemical diforder, which carried people off in a fit of fneezing. Some, however, pretend that this custom is much older, and that it was known to the Greeks and the Romans long before the Chriftian æra.

Cards were invented under the reign of Charles VI. King of France, to amufe him during the intervals of that diforder which conducted him to the grave. The world would have been at no lofs, had his Majesty been fuffered to die in peace without this invention.

Burying grounds were not eftablifhed until the year 200. People before were interred in the highways, and ancient tombs are still to be feen on the roads leading to Rome. Hence these words, fo often repeated in epitaphs, Sta viator : Stop, traveller.

John Van-Eick, better known under the name of John of Bruges, invented painting in oil, about the commencement of the fourteenth century.

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In 1474, the phyficians and furgeons of Paris reprefented to Louis XI. that feveral people of diftinction were afflicted with the stone, and that it would be of the higheft utility to anatomy to examine, in a living fubject, that part of the human body which is the feat of this disorder. They therefore requefted his Majefty, that he would order a perfon, named Franc Archer, who had been fubject to this malady, and who was condemned to be hanged, to be delivered into their hands. This being

granted, the first operation of cutting for the ftone was performed publicly at Paris, in the burying ground of St Severin. The criminal was completely cured in the fpace of a fortnight, and obtained, befides his pardon, a confiderable reward. We cannot here help obferving, that this is a ftriking inftance of the viciffitudes of life, fince, to be cured of his diforder, it was neceffary that this unhap py man should be condemned to the gallows.

On the Gallantry of the Roman Ladies, as compared with that of the Moderns.

CUS

USTOMS founded upon the paffions and the affections of the heart, must be prevalent in all ages, and common to every nation. Of all customs, none is more general than that of gallantry. Every where, and in every period, there have been ardent lovers, jealous and deceived hufbands, infipid coquettes, and vain coxcombs, who have boafted of the favours conferred upon them by the fair fex. A like caufe muft always produce like effects. The Romans, from whom we often take examples, in the most flourishing times of the republic, conducted themfelves, with refpect to gallantry, almoft in the fame manner as we. Their's, however, could not properly be called gallantry; it was rather a real fpecies of debauchery, authorifed by example and cuftom.

Irregularities of this kind, among women of the firft clafs, were fo common at Rome, that it often appeared furprising, that there were found a few who formed an exception ; and though, among the Romans, there were fome delicate hufbands, as among us, it is certain that, in general, they were not much in

cenfed at the worthless conduct of their fair spouses on the contrary, they were often the best friends of their gallants.

What renders their customs in this refpect perfectly fimilar to ours is, that among them, the greatest men were moft liable to be difgraced by the infidelity of their wives. This obfervation is so just, that we shall fcarcely find an illustrious character, in the last age of the republic, who may not ferve as a model of the unfortunate hufbands of the prefent day.

Julius Caefar, without doubt, was one of the first perfonages at Rome, and, at the age of tweety-three, poffeffed a confiderable share of merit; he was one of the best made men of his time, and enjoyed, in an eminent degree, the favour of the Roman ladies. Every body, however, who has read ancient history, is acquainted with the illicit correfpondence of his wife Pompeia with Clodius, and the adventure which the latter had at the facrifices offered up to the Bona Dea, The addrefs with which Cæfar extricated himself from this affair is worthy of admiration. Being unwilling to

quarrel

quarrel with Clodius, he repudiated his wife, whom he afferted to be innocent; but he did not by this entirely fhelter her from fufpicion. What man, then, is there who will not be comforted under fuch a misfortune, when he confiders that Julius Cæfar himself was not exempted from it?

Pompey, the celebrated rival of Cæfar, who was ftyled The Great, at the age of twenty-five, when returning from the Mithridatic war, was informed of fuch ftrange things refpecting the conduct of his wife Mutia with Cæfar, that he could not help repudiating her. We, however, find, that he afterwards united himself in the closest manner with Cæfar: and this did not prevent Mutia from marrying a man of better family than Pompey. So true it is, that all these great men were extremely tractable, and easy on this head. We must indeed acknowledge that Pompey was not betrayed by his wife but in his abfence, whereas that of Cæfar carried on her intrigue in an open and fcandalous manner, and during the time of a celebrated and fplendid feftival.

The famous triumvir Mark Anthony, who, as we are told, was a man of great merit among the ladies, was well affured, and even a witnefs of the infidelity of his fpoufe with Dolabella; but, notwithstanding, he lived with the latter in habits of the most intimate friendship, there is every reason to believe also that he was not ignorant of the paffion which his fecond wife Fulvia entertained for Auguftus, who was neither fufficiently prudent, nor fo much his friend, as to conceal this diftreffing secret*. And if it be true, as feveral VOL. XI. No 61.

*

H

authors have affured us, that he had married Cleopatra, it is certain that he was cruelly deceived by that queen who faw Delius in private, under pretence of his being the friend and confident of Anthony.

The father of Brutus the confpirator, faw, without emotion, the amours of his wife Servilia with Cafar, and heard it publicly declared that Brutus was his fon. Servilia was the uterine fister of Cato, that stern philofopher, and the private commerce which Cæfar carried on with her did not end but with the death of both; for, amidst the numberless political intrigues which Cæfar was engaged in, he always retained his paffion for Servilia, who, on her part, continued inviolably faithful to her admirer.

Lucullus, whofe mildnefs, greatnefs of mind, and magnificence, were never exceeded, experienced the fame fate with his wife Claudia, who car ried her debauchery and perversity so far, as to give herself up to her own brother, and in fuch a scandalous and public manner, that her conduct was well known to every body.

The father of Lucullus had been equally unfortunate as his fon. It is well known to what exceffes Cecilia, the mother of Lucullus, proceeded. They were fo fhameful and dishonorrable, that it required all the merit of her fon to prevent the splendor of the actions, which that young man performed, from being tarnished by

them.

We fhould never have done, were we to quote all the examples which hiftory furnishes us on this fubject. We muft however confefs, that, amidst fo many irregularities, and that univerfal corruption which prevailed a

mong

Profligate fools, in all ages of the world, have boafted of their own difgrace, and even added infult to injury, by revealing to the world the frailty of the unhappy object by whom they have been favoured. Were examples of this truth in modern times required, we need not go far to look for them.

mong the ladies at Rome, there were fome women of fo rare and fublime virtue, that, in a great measure, they effaced thofe ftains which the reft brought upon the whole fex.

In Octavia, the third wife of Anthony, and fifter of Auguftus, we obferve the mcft beautiful and exalted character that can adorn humanity. Her charms, the great number of her admirers, and the inconftancy of her husband, all invited her to prove unfaithful, but nothing was capable of making her deviate even for a moment from her duty.

Livia, the wife of Auguftus, abfolute mistress of the empire, and of the emperor himself, and whofe influence was great in a luxurious and refined court, never gave the least occafion for the voice of scandal to defame her reputation.

Cornelia, the laft wife of Pompey, whofe fidelity and greatnefs of mind have been a fubject of admiration in all ages, made it be faid, and with great justice, that fhe was ftill more illuftrious than her husband, and even than the conqueror of her husband.

The wife of Paulus Emilius exhibits also a great and virtuous character; but we shall find one ftill more magnanimous in Portia, the wife of Brutus. As their history is well known, it will be needless to enlarge upon it here; but whatever may have been the virtues of thefe Roman ladies, it must be acknowledged, that fuch inftances were rare, and that they were only to be met with now and then in an age.

We may daily hear illiberal detractors of the fair fex decry the ladies of the prefent day, and reproach them with their inclination for gallantry; but if thefe ignorant defpifers

of the most beautiful and enchanting part of the creation, would give themselves the trouble to read the hiftory, and study the private manners of the Romans, they would find that their women were much lefs de-' licate in that refpect than ours. And who are those who take fuch liberties with the most agreeable part of fociety? Old bachelors, or young libertines.

The first, like the butterfly, have stained fo many rofes, that they are fully perfuaded it is impoffible for them ever to find one unfullied. Debauchees by taste and by habit, and deaf to the voice of fentiment and friendship, they have feduced without remorse the wives of their best friends, and, judging of the perverfity of the rest by that of those who have been the miferable victims of their unbridled paffions, they think themfelves authorized to fwear that they will never marry, left they fhould be expofed to that mifery which they have occafioned to more perhaps than one husband. According to them a virtuous woman is a phoenix that never had existence but in the imagination; and at the very moment when they advance this ridiculous affertion, if you fhould ask them, whether their mothers were virtuous and chafte, they would not hesitate to answer in the negative*.

Libertines from the age of twenty to twenty-five, calumniate the fair fex in a different manner. Elated with the advantage which age and the bloom of youth give them over the ladies, and being best acquainted with thofe only who will difpofe of their favours to the highest bidder, they boldly declare that there is no woman whom an amiable and handsome

young

*The following repartee is very applicable to the prefent fubject: A certain perfon having afferted, in company, that all women without exception were unchafte; one prefent, immedtately replied, "You are then, Sir, the fon of a ftrumpet, or you have advanced an infamous falsehood."

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