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An Efay on Augury.

[From Stillingfleet's calendar of Flora.] E know from Hefiod, fays Mr. Stilling fleet, that hufbandry was in part regulated by the blowing of plants, and the coming or going of birds; and moft probably it had been in ufe long before his time, as astronomy was then in its infancy; but when artificial calendars came into vogue, the natural calendar feems to have been totally neglected; for I find no traces of it after his time, whether for good and fufficient reafons I pretend not to determine.

I fhall make no further mention at prefent of the use of plants in directing the husbandman, but take this opportunity of making a digreffion about birds, in relation to their prognoftic nature. Henceforward then, i. e. from the time of Hefiod, they feem to have been looked upon as no longer capable of directing the husbandman in his fural affairs, but they did not, however, lofe their influence and dignity; nay, on the contrary, they feem to have gained daily a more than ordinary, and even wonderful authority, til at last no affair of confequence, either of private or public concern, was undertaken without confulting them. They were looked upon as the interpreters of the gods, and thofe who were qualified to understand their oracles were held among the chief men in the Greek and Roman ftates, and became the affeffors of kings,

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and even of Jupiter himself. However abfurd fuch an inftitution as a college of Augurs may appear in our eyes, yet, like all other extravagant inititutions, it had in part its origin from nature. When men confidered the wonderful migration of birds, how they disappeared at once, and appeared again at stated times, and could give no guess where they went, it was almoft natural to fuppofe, that they retired fomewhere out of the sphere of this earth, and perhaps approached the ætherial regions, where they might converfe with the gods, and thence be enabled to predict events. This, I fay, was almoft natural for a fuperftitious people to imagine, at least to believe, as foon as fome impoftor was impudent enough to af fert it.

Add to this, that the difpofition in fome birds to imitate the human voice must contribute much to the confirmation of such a doctrine. This inftitution of Augury feems to have been much more ancient than that of Arufpicy; for we find many instances of the former in Homer, but not a fingle one of the latter that I know of; though frequent mention is made of facrifices in that author. From the whole of what I have obferved, I fhould be apt to think, that natural Augury gave rife to religious Augury, and this to Arufpicy, as the mind of man makes a very easy tranfition from a little truth to a great deal of error.

A paffage in Ariftophanes gave me the hint for what I have been

faying.

faying. In the Comedy of the
Birds, he makes one of them fay
thus:
"The greatest bleffings
which can happen to you mortals
are derived from us; firft, we fhew
you the seasons, viz. Spring, Win-
ter, Autumn. The crane points
out the time for fowing, when the
flies with her warning notes into
Egypt; the bids the failor hang
up his rudder and take his rest,
and every prudent man provide
himself with winter garments, Next
the kite appearing, proclaims an-
other feason, viz. when it is time
to fheer his sheep. After that the.
fwallow informs you when it is
time to put on fummer cloaths.
We are to you, adds the chorus,
Ammon, Dodona, Apollo; for af-
ter confulting us you undertake
every thing; merchandize, pur-
chafes, marriages, &c." Now, it
feems not improbable, that the
fame tranfition was made in the
fpeculations of men, which appears
in the poet's words, and that they
were eafily induced to think, that
the furprising forefight of birds, as
to the time of migration, indicated
fomething of a divine nature in
them; which opinion Virgil, as an
Epicurean, thinks fit to enter his
protest against; when he fays,

Haud equidem credo quia fit
vinitus illis
Ingenium.

di

But to return to Ariftophanes. The first part of the chorus, from whence the afore-cited paffage is taken, feems with all its wildness to contain the fabulous cant, which the augurs made use of in order to account for their impudent impofitions on mankind. It fets out

with a cofmogony, and fays, that in the beginning were Chaos and Night, and Erebus and Tartarus. That there was neither water, nor air, nor fky; that Night laid an egg, from whence, after a time, Love arofe. That Love, in conjunction with Erebus, produced a third kind, and that they were the first of the immortal race, &c.

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Linnæus's Dream.

INNEUS, whose fame has fpread throughout all Europe, had spent many days in examining and claffing those wonderful plants which he had collected from the craggy mountains of Norway. He admired their beauty and ftructure, but knew not their ufe; nor was he able accurately to determine what place they held in the vegetable creation. He faw much was to be known, and lamented his ignorance; whilft the world was admiring him as a prodigy and father of science; nor could he forbear bitterly bewailing the shortnefs of life, which puts a stop to philofophical enquiries, and renders it almoft impoffible to attain even the smallest degree of perfection, in any one branch of knowledge. "Alas (faid he) why is

man's existence circumfcribed within fuch narrow bounds; and why, furrounded as he is with the glorious works of God, is he permitted to know fo little of them ? Scarce are we born into the world, scarce do we acquire skill to perceive what is moft worthy our notice, before we are snatched away, and hurried to the grave, leaving our undertakings unfinished, and in the hands

of those who either have not skill to carry them on, or chufe fome other purfuits."

His thoughts diftreffed him, but till he retained that humble acquiefcence to the will of the fupreme being, which is ever infeparable from a truly philofophical mind:- he knew that whatever the Author of nature appointed was certainly right and good. Hembled therefore, but not difcontented or repining, he retired to reft, and in the vifions of the night was inftructed.

He fancied himself bufied in fearching for fome extraordinary plants which he had long defired to be poffeffed of, and that he had wandered infenfibly to one of the moft delightful spots in all Norway. It was the brow of an high mountain: the vast ocean was before him, on which appeared with fwelling fails, a large fleet, paffing to convey the products of the north to the more pleafing regions of the fouth; and on the other part, through a vale bounded on each fide by craggy rocks, was feen the adjacent country, which the warm feafon, just begun, had clad in all its verdure. Beyond a river that bent its courfe through rich pastures filled with cattle, appeared to the right a large and populous town, over which the rifing ground exhibited to the view, corn-fields, and all the variety of a well-watered Country: and to the left a thick wood, through a large opening whereof (formed by nature) was feen the ruins of an ancient castle, heretofore the feat of gothic valour. Linnæus's attention to his purfuit was for a while fufpended; and he topt to furvey alternately thefe

pleafing fcenes. In the mean time, the fun fetting in full glory beneath the waves, caused the horizon to exhibit the brighteft colours of the rainbow, and these gradually fading, the ftarry concave of heaven began to be enlightened by the rifing moon. But foon the scene was changed, the whole fky became veiled with thick clouds, and a distant roaring proclaimed the approach of a dreadful ftorm. Already the rain defcended in vaft torrents, the heavens blazed with lightning, and the rocks refounded with loud claps of thunder.

Linnæus, filled with terror, was feeking where to fhelter himself, when a voice from a cave (whence there fuddenly iffued a gleam of light) bade him approach, and confider what he faw. With trembling he obeyed, and entered a spacious cavern, adorned on all fides with pointed cryftals, which had been formed by water diftilling from the rock, and which reflecting the light that proceeded from a golden lamp hanging in the midst, made it as bright as day. Here he found a venerable old man, in a loose robe of purple ornamented with ermine, who had before him a large concave mirrour, and in his hand a golden rod he feemed calm and ferene, and approached Linnæus with a smile of complacency that diffipated all his fears. hold (faid he) thy fincereft friend, who has defired thy happiness, and long fought to discover himself to thee. I would gladly always abide with thee, but the ftate of things in this world forbids it; and I can only ufe favourable opportunities of converfing with thee: at fuch times I would make thee partaker

"Be

of

of my riches, and they will continue for ever Seeft thou this mirrour? obferve attentively what it reprefenteth to thee."

Having thus fpoke, before Linnæus could reply, he waved his wand, and immediately there appeared a garden that had been lately planted: the trees were covered with a bright green, and began to fhoot forth their various blooms on every part, and to fill the air with fragrant fweets. But fuddenly there came forth those who had the care of the plantation, and ftripped them of all their boughs and verdure, leaving only the bare and unadorned trunks, which inftead of the pleasant scene that before prefented itself to the view, afforded only a difguftful and barren profpect. Soon, however, there were grafted on thefe, fresh branches of all kinds; and again, they fprung to a more delightful verdure, and produced more fragrant bloffoms, and in the end the fineft fruits, and on increafing in beauty,

went

ftrength, and usefulness.

Linnæus was filled with admiration, and 'began diligently to obferve their various kinds, that he might know to what claffes they belonged, when the venerable old man interrupted his fpeculations, and thus addreffed himself to him. "Know that no evil is permitted but for good, and that the fhortnefs of life which thou lamentedft, is confiftent with the defigns of a wife and gracious God, the tender Father of all created beings. Thou fawest the plants beautiful and pleafant to the fight, and it perhaps difpleafed thee that they were fo foon ftripped of their glory, and prevented from attaining that perfection to which they feemed to be

tending: but thou faweft alfo, that thereby they became in the end more beautiful, and inftead of continuing ufelefs objects, only pleafing to the fight, yielded the finest and moft delicious fruits. So it is with man. His days are fhort, during which he exists in an imperfect. ftate on earth, and he is quickly removed from thence, to flourish in that more exalted ftation for which he was created. In this world he begins to exert the powers of his mind, and to enquire after knowledge, and having obtained fome fmall portion of wisdom, to promife himfelf a great increafe, and to form plans of much improvement, and of perfection in what he has undertaken; but being defigned for pursuits of a ftill nobler kind, he has a period put to his exiftence and progress here (like the plants thou faweft) deprived of his first beauty and luftre, in order to be exalted to a more glorious ftate, and to be endued with higher faculties, that fhall be grafted on his human nature, and by the affiftance of them he shall attain to the utmost his foul can defire.

he is

It must not be revealed to man too clearly what are the glories of that exalted ftate, left he fhould be unwilling to remain his appointed time in this, and rufhing immaturely into it, fhould fail in the defired end; but he is permitted to have fome faint glimpses to quicken his defires, and his endeavours to fit himself for it. What happiness muft there be in a state, wherein man fhall have before him a profpect of existence to all eternity, without meeting with any obstacle to put a stop to his purfuits ? wherein he shall have leisure thoroughly

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roughly to contemplate and inveftigate all the ways and works of God, and to gain a perfect knowledge thereof, obferving accurately

every thing that exists, and learning its place, its order and defign?

What enjoyment in a state, wherein he may be permitted to learn the hiftory of this world, through which he shall have paffed, and of "all its revolutions; of the actions and ways of men, and of the dealings of God with them!- -wherein he may learn the hiftory of other worlds, vifible and invifible, and the fcheme of Divine Providence with regard to the whole! and reflecting thereon, may become acquainted with all the attributes of the Deity; and being filled with unfeigned love and adoration, may draw near to the Moft High, and fee him as he is!"

Linnæus was in raptures at these words: he no longer lamented his 'condition : he became fuddenly contented with the fhortnefs of his days, and even wished to arrive at the end of them: but conicious how much attention and care it required to reach that defireable period in fuch a manner as to have well grounded hopes of enjoying the ftate of happiness he fo earneftly wifhed for, he addreffed himfelf to the fage, to beg his direction and inftruction. Venerable monitor, (he cried) teach me, O teach me how to live, fo that I may attain an happy end. But fuch was the fervour and folicitude of his mind, that he awoke, and lo! that which he had feen and heard, was but a dream.

Avarice and Glory, an hiflory. By the king of Pruffia. By the

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is chiefly his own enemy, HE mifer, my dear d'Argens

but the ambitious man is the enemy of the human race. He ftrides forward to vice with impunity, and even his virtues degenerate into faults. The miser and the ambitious are both equally felf-interefted; but, while one deftroys only a cottage, the other, perhaps, overturns an empire.

Avarice and Glory once made a journey together to this world, in order to try how mankind were difpofed to receive them. Heroes, citizens, priests, and lords, immediately lifted beneath their standards, and received their favours with gratitude and rapture. Travelling, however, into a more remote part of the country, they by accident fet up at the cottage of a fimple fhepherd, whofe whole poffeffions were his flock, and all his folicitude the next day's fubfiftence. His birth was but humble, yet his natural endowments were great. His fenfe was refined, his heart fenfible of love and piety, and, poor as he was, he ftill preferved an honeft ardour for liberty and repofe. Here, with his favourite Sylvana, his flock, his crook, and his cottage, he lived unknown, and unknowing a world that could only inftruct him in deceit and falfehood.

Our two travellers no fooner beheld him, than they were ftruck with his felicity. "How infupportable is it, cried Glory, thus to be a fpectator of pleasures which we have no fhare in producing. Shall we, who are adored here below, tamely continue spectators of

a man