664 The GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE, VOL. VI. fhe will own that she herself makes a better Face of herself every Day fhe lives. Item, That no Lady who abftemiously keeps at home, denying to come to this Aflembly, thall be efteem'd a Contemner of Vanities, when the real Cause is the want of fashionable Cloaths to appear in. Item, That no Lady in the AffemblyRoom fhall stand before any Pier or Looking-Glajs, under the Pretence of adjusting her Drefs, or any other Pretence whatfo A Senfe to carry him thro' the Difpute, fhall Item, Thefe Articles shall stand in full Force 'till repealed by the unanimous Confembly; and that the General Court will fent of every Female Member of this Afnow end their first Meeting, and prorogue themselves to this Day Se'night, when ever, above the Space of Three Minutes, B they will again meet to take fome other unless the has no Admirers, Male or Fe-weighty and important Affairs under Conmale, befide herself. PHOE. STATUTE, Sec. and Cler. Fem. Parl. Item, No Lady, who with an easy, free Sprightliness of Wit and Humour keeps up the Converfation of Company, fhall be termed immodeft. Item, Nor fhall any Lady, who fits filent for want of Wit, be thought to have more Wisdom or Modefty than the Speaking Members. Item, Whatever Maiden orMarried Lady boafts of her Virtue and Honour, fhall be immediately fufpected of having made a falfe Step. C Item, Nor fhall any Lady be compli. D mented for her Chastity, who never was fufpected to have had the Question ask'd. Item, No Lady when speaking of a Gentleman fhall with a contemning Familiarity call him Fellow, unless there is, a known Intrigue between them of a long Date; or unless fpeaking of a Beau, they E term him a pretty Fellow. Item, The Lady who is always fondling her Husband in publick Company, fhall be deem'd to have at that Infant a Gallant waiting to meet her in private. fideration. Nov. 3, 1736. In Defence of the Study of Mathematicks. a contemptible is the Name of Arts and Sciences grown (especially those Arts that belong to the Mathematicks) among fome Sort of People, whose Fortunes best qualify them to understand 'em, that they fpeak of them with Derifion, and look upon the Mathematicks as a mere defpife, because they will not take Pains whimfical Invention or Jeft, which they to comprehend. Tell them of a Pack of Cards, or of any fuch fashionable Arts, (and fo avoid the Trouble of thinking too whereby they can fpend Time in a Laugh, nicely) and they'll as zealoufly join with exclaim against Vices they often commit. you, against Books and Study, as they'll Books, a Man pores himfelf into Stupidity, They infult, that by fpending Time over polite Converfation. But what can be faid and unqualifies himself for Company, and to a Multitude of Men, who are above being fway'd by Reason, and are refolv'd to chufe their Delights according to their own vitiated, habitual, and confin'd Way of thinking? They admit of nothing for an Excellency, but what has Pomp or Fashion attending it, and directly fuited to their own deprav'd Palate. There are Cavillers of all Degrees and Capacities, and find fault with the Performances of who make it their Business to degrade other Men; and would, if potfible, reduce all Mens Capacities, above theirs, to the Level of their own: But fuch invidious Difpolicions difcover themfelves by their own Pride and Weakness; and whilst they ing Things, as they fay, not worth the afperfe others for a Vanity, in attemptBeginning of November to the End of Fe-Enquiry, they appear Grovelings, who bruary inclufive; nor shall they mention Hearts as cold as Ice, and Breafts as white as Snow, but from July to Auguft. F Hem, It is refolved Nem. Con. after the Question put, that it is in the Jurifdiction and Power of this Female Court to extend their Laws to whatever Men do or may frequent this Affembly. is agreed by the whole Court, That whatTherefore it ever Beau, who has no other Worth to recommend him than a French Suit of Cloaths and Solitair, fhall not dare to make his Addreffes to any Lady in his G own Behalf; but fhall be allow'd only to chit-chat of the News of the DrawingRoom, or deliver a Meffage or Billet-Doux from his Friend. Item, Among the Things which the fine Sparks may whisper to the Ladies, no one thall talk of Flames or Fires, but from the Item, No Wit, or reputed Wit, that begins to argue with a Lady, and wants H would fupprefs all Arts and Knowledge, whereby Men are lifted up above Men, or Nation above Nation. They encourage thought Knowing or Wife. It is very hard, Flattery and Diffimulation, but hate to be Truth Truth and ufeful Knowledge fhould fuffer fo much Difgrace by fo many Enemies they both have in the World, and that fo little regard is had for them by Mankind in general! It is much to be defir'd, for A the Honour of our British Nation and its Inhabitants, that the fashionable Arts of Carding, Drinking, Gaming, Powdering and Cringing, were neglected or more thrown alide; and the brave Scientifical, and noble Grecian and Roman Arts, introduced or revived among us. We fhould B be more the Glory and Delight of ourfelves, as well as the Efteem end Dread of our Neighbours, if we would endeavour to flourish in Arts, and grow wife in Knowledge: Whereas, we are now dwindled to a defpis'd Race of Mortals, who are vers'd only in Mimickry, Foreign ifm and Luxury; and the Lord knows when we are to be deliver'd out of our Troubles. Philo-Mathematicus. C I come now, Secondly, To give a true Account of the Earth, as it was be- D fore the Deluge, and fhall make it ap pear, that there is Water enough, now, in the Ocean to cover the Tops of the kigheft Mountains, even fuppofing them to be (as they really are,) much higher than Mr Fog has placed them. Fog reprefents Mr Somebody as faying, -That the high Mountains, like that of Mount Gordion, or Mount Ararat, do not furpass 3000 Foot from the Surface of the Sea-(fuppofe he means,-do not furpafs 3000 Feet perpendicular Height above the Surface of the Sea.) This wife Body has made one Miftake, and told one Fib in the Compafs of thefe few Words; ft. He is mistaken in making Mount Gordion the fame with Mount Ararat, where the Ark refted, as the ingenious Dr Prideaux will fatisfy any Body, that will read his Connexions to the Old and New Tefta nent. And 2dly, He Fibs in faying, that the High Mountains do not exceed 3000 Feet above the Level of the Sea: For Snodon Hill in Wales was measured by Mr J. Caswell of Oxford* trigonometrically, and found to be 3720 Feet above the Level of the Sea; and tho' this was too much by reafon of the Refraction of the Air, yet according to the Barometrical Method of Measuring, it exceeded the Truth but 145 Feet according toDr J.G. Scheuchzer's Calculation; fo that it is evident that this Mountain is 580 Feet higher than he makes the highest in the World, and yet, What is this in Comparison with thofe!-The fame Dr Scheuchzer † meafured the Stella Piz Stail, (which is the highest of the Alps by much, and perhaps the highest Mountain in the World may exceed it but little ;) and found it to be 9585 Paris Feet, which is 10170 English Feet above the Level of the Sea Now as this wants but 390 Feet of two Miles, we will, for the fake of a round Number, fuppofe the highest Mountain in World to be two Miles perpendicular Height above the Level of the Ocean, and then let us fee if we can find Water enough in it to cover this Mountain. E F Whoever will but acquaint themselves with thofe Discoveries which have been lately made of this Terraqueous Globe, will find that two Parts in three of the Surface of the known World are covered with Water, and in all Probability, in the Parts unknown, the Proportion is the fame or greater: This being premifed, and also that the mean Depth of the Sea is equal to the Height of the highest Mountains above it, I now proceed to Account for the Flood. G And it appears very plain to me, that when GOD first made the World, there was no fuch Thing as Islands encompaffed by Ocean, or as Oceans dividing oneContinent from another, but all the vaft Abyss of Water lay together, and all the dry Land was contiguous; the Earth was then one vaft Continent, extending itself at least eleven Thousand Miles every Way, in the Midft of this Spot was the Garden of Eden, where Adam was created, and from whence his Pofterity were to spread themselves over the whole Face of it: This is evident from the Hiftory of the Creation; for when GOD had fet a Space between the Matter of this Earth, and that of the Stars and Planers are composed, Gen. i. 6, 7, 8, he faid,-Let the Waters under the Heavens toplace אל מקום אחד be gathered together ONE HEAP, and let the dry Land appear. Gen. i. 9-Thus spoke the WORD who made the Earth and the Heavens, and Mofes affures us, it was fo. Who then fhall dare to contradict it, or require further Evidence? And yet, if it were needful we are not without it; for Peter Speaking of the Earth of Old, talks of it as ftanding out of the Water, and in the Water; 2 Pet. iii. 5, 6, whereby he gives us to understand, that the Flood was not entirely drain'd off the Old See the Philofophical Tranfactions No 405, and 406, for November and Dec. 1728. World World, but it ftill remains, a great Part C les F Thus therefore was the Old World drowned; the Abyss, which lay Antipodes to it, was by Divine Power brought over it, till a great Part of it, as where Ame- D vica is now, &c. was drained, and that which was before dry Land, was then made the Seat of the Abyss of Waters. But here Mr Fog raifes a Difficulty, and fays, That it was impoffible that the Rain could have been abundant enough to caufe fuch an Effect: That the most vio-B Tent Rains rife but after six feet a Day, and therefore computing the highest Moun tain at 2000 Feet Elevation, the Heavens faith must shower down 125 Feet of Water inless flead of Six, which Quantity exceeds all the Forces of Nature, So hard does this Man labour to make the Belief of the Scripture as utterly inconceivable as the moft abfurd Popish Tenets! But would it not become him, first to understand his Subject, before he prefumes to write upon it? Does the Scripture fay, that this Effet was caufed intirely by the Rain? Surely no; but it says,-In the fix hundredth Tear of Noah's Life, in the fecond Month, the 17th Day of the Month; the fame Day were all the Fountains of the Great Deep broken up, and the Windows of Heaven were opened. By the Former of thefe Expreffions, Mofes very naturally reprefents to us the Overflowing of the Ocean, and by the Latter the plentiful Rain that was pour'd out upon the Earth. GOD gave the Word, and Clouds and Abyfs then confpired to ruin the World, the Waters came upon the dry Land every Way poffible, according to the Powers of Nature before establish ed; nay, even thofe fubterraneous Conduits, thro' which the Water was before ftrained and refined for the Ule of Men, at this Depreffion of the Earth must feel an unusual Agitation. It will perhaps be objected,That tho' the higheft Part of the Dry Land, then, did not exceed 3 or 4 Miles per pendicular Height from the level of the Abyfs, which could not amount to above a 2000th Part of Earth's Semidiameter, yet this lying all on one Side of the Globe would overturn the Ballance, and naturally deprefs it into the Abyss, and confequently the Earth could not remain in that Situation. To which I answer, That the Earth might remain in its proper Situation, according to the citablifhed Laws of Nature, it pleafed the ALMIGHTY fa to order it, that all the groffer Parts of the Atmosphere should remain perpetually over the Abyss, and he caufed the Winds fo to Scour the feveral Coafts of the Dry Land, as to preferve it in that Situation; this remained as a Ballance to the Dry Land, and established it in the Place which GOD had appointed: And hence we may observe, that the first natural Caufe of the Deluge was the Alteration of the Wind. GÖD caused this, which he had ordained to keep out, to bring that grofs Atmosphere over the Dry Land, and with it that dreadful Shower which quite over turned the Ballance, and funk the Earth into the Abyfs of Waters; and accordingly Mofes affures us, that when GOD had executed his Vengeance on that faith Race, he made a Wind to pass over the Earth, Gen. viii. 1. this naturally put a stop to the Rain, and drove that grofs Atmosphere towards its proper Place; upon which, says the Text, the Waters affwaged. It will perhaps be said,—That at this rate, there could be no Rain before the Flood: for the Winds, which by fcouring the feveral Coafts of the Earth kept that grofs Atmosphere in its proper Place, could let no fuch heavy Vapours, as Clouds and Rain, approach from thence; or if they did, the Earth would, according to the Laws of Nature, be in the utmost Danger of being drowned. -This is moft true, and accordingly Mofes affures us, that GOD kad net caufed it to rain upon the Dry Land, but there went up a Mift from the Earth, which watered the whole Face of it, Gen. ii. 5, 6.And no doubt but the Old World was well replenished withSprings, which increasing into Rivers, and water ing ing the lower Parts of the Dry Land, as after. Having thus fufficiently accounted for the Flood, it only remains to obferve, That when GOD again drained the Water off the Dry Land, he did not do it compleatly, but, leaving Part of the Old World under Water, part of the Old Abyss alfo remained dry; by this means there were Continents and Inlands scatter'd all over the Globe, and the groffer Atmosphere became equally diffufed over all; fo that the whole Earth is now fafely replenished with Rain, and Men by Sea, as well as Land, travel from one Country to Another, and answer all the Purposes for which the prefent World was defigned, and a wife Man may fee, it is Voice of God in Nature, as well as in his Word,There all no more be a Flood to deftroy the Earth, Gen. ix. 11. [To be continued.] 731 * Fog's Journal, Nov. 20. N° 419. Has a Letter from Caire in Egypt, concerning the Pyramids and Coptic Priefts. WHA B C the Ceremony was over. The Proceffion in thort filed off before the Altar, bat the Bishop refting the Relics of this Saint for fome Moments, the Statue for getting the Part fhe was to act, and touch'd with a Fit of Devotion, started up and put herself on her Knees in her Grotto, before the Shrine. Her fine long curled Locks which cover'd her, fell down behind her, and the Damfel remaining in the pure State of Nature, offered to the Sight of the Spectators, fuch lively Beauties, that appear'd nothing like thofe of a dying Perfon. The Bishop, a truly pious Prelate, fcandaliz'd at the Impertinence and Folly of the Monks interdicted the Community. The Coptic Priefts in this Country, do fomething much like it every Year, to the Hononr of one of their deceas'd Patriarchs whom they regard as a Salòt. A Man quité naked appears on a Tomb, and there delivers a Difcourfe in Praife of him. All the Succeffors of this Coptic Pontiff hold him in great Veneration, whofe Manners they fay were as pure as D thofe of an Angel. If fo, the Patriarchs they choose in these Times, have scarce any Thing in common with this Saint. They abufe the Religion, of which they are the Depofitories, make fale of all Permiflions or Difpenfations granted by them, and refufe nothing for Money, nay there is nothing a Coptic Prieft may not authorize by the Credit they have with the People; Divorces are very common here; when a Man is difcontented with his Wife, or when a Woman complains that the cannot accommodate Matrers with her Husband, the Patriarch fepárates them, without searching into the Caufe of the Difagreement, or endeavouring to restore the Union that ought to fubfift between Man and Wife. THAT relates to the Pyramids, he recites from antientHiftorians, and tells us 'tis all very improbable; on Account he gives the Students of Hiftory a Caution to be attentive in the Choice of the Authors they read. And fays, all Nations give Birth to a Number of Compilers of Fables; the Turks have their Expounders of Laws, the Jews their Rabbins, the Roman Catholicks_ their Monks, and we our Fanaticks or F Whigs. We make fhort of this part of his Letter which relates to things at fo great a Distance, to come to a Story he introduces nearer Home. In a late Proceffion at Marfeilles, the Monks built an Altar in the Street, to repose a Shrine, which was carry'd thro' the Town; they rais'd a kind of Dome, fupported by Pillars of Wood, under $ was form'd a Grotto hung with Greens, to receive the Figure of St Mary Mag dalen, but that it might have as near a Refemblance as poffible with the Original, they undress'd a young Virgin of 15, and put her in a Pofture to reprefent the expiring Saint; fhe was lain on a Bed of Grats Turf, and her Hair fo artfully order'd that few Places of her body were expos'd. This animated Statue was charged to lie still without Motion, till G The European Priéfts would certainly be far richer than they are, if this Priviledge belong'd to the Functions of their Office. What Treasures would rowl in to our Clergy's Coffers by broken Marriages, if they were poffefs'd of that Power! I imagine the Pontiff of Rome might renew the antient Croisades, if he would but grant the Adventurers a License to throw off the Wedding Cloak.' On thefe Terms, more numerous Armies' might be affembled, than that which Xerxes conducted against the Greeks. It appears to be the only Method now practicable, for carrying on a fuccessful War against the Enemies of Chriftianity, altho' in former Times, the Europeans ran in Crowds, and abandon'd their own Land |