or it may be but 1 s. 3. d. it will be 25 s. if 1 Shilling be the Integer, it will be but of a Pound, or 1 s. 3 d. if . be fuppos'd the Integer. As for the last Queftion 'tis but dividing the Number of Solid Inches in a Cubic Foot, by the Number of Solid Inches in a Wine Gallon, and the Quota is the Anfwer. Q. There is a Wager laid a bout these following queries by two Perfons, who refer themselves to your Society, to give your Opinion of them, what you affert Q. Four Perfons being to to be the true Product of two Shillings and eleven Pence, multiplied have their Shares of twenty by twoShillings and eleven Pence? Shilling in the manner followAlfo what is the Product of thirty ing, viz. A to have, B to five Pence, multiplied by thirty have C to have, D to five Pence? Alfo how many Gallons, Wine measure, will a Box contain that is a foot Square every way? Gentlemen, you are humbly defir'd to infert thefe in your next Oracle. because they wholly depend upon your Opinion to decide them, and which will be a great fatisfaction to the querift, and in doing it so fpeedily, you will very much oblige, your most humble unknown Servant. bave, the total being but 195. 1 would defire to know why they being paid, there should remain one Shilling? I A. Because the Total of ae and a of twenty Shillings, do not all together make up one 20 s. the Question might as properly have been ask'd why does make? 4 whofe Roots are the 2 Diagonals. If this hint won't help you, fend again and we'll give you the Expreffion at large. Q Gentlemen, I have read in one of your Oracles your upinion, that there is a World in the Moon, and nothing in the Writings of Mofes Speaks against it, you Jay; methinks there feems there to be an argument against it, where 'tis faid; (let there be lights in the firmament of Heaven, to divide the day from the night and let them be for A. Yes, and every little Algebraift befides; let a be the given Number x the Number fought. Then asigns and for Seasons and for is x Va+ 1/2 + 1/1. How much does a Mans Head walk more than his Feet, Suppofing him to travel a thousand Miles? 4. Suppofing he moves regularly, his Head takes so much a greater Circuit, then his Feet, as is the mention'd part of a Circle, days and years) and again (to give light upon the Earth,) account is thereabouts often rewhich fort of argument on this cited, I mean for the end for if you say there might be and which they were created: But alfo the Moon may are lights for the Earth, yet I fee no more reason for it than be a world, whofe Radius is the Semidiamiter of the Earth, to a Correfpondent that you may fay the fame of part of a Circle, whofe Radius is words for them both; and why the Sun, for there are equal the Semidiamiter of the Earth to-hould Moles Speak of a thing gether with the Man's height. That is, let bé the Ra-fo, at least that men could have that really is not Sure had it been dius of the Circle of the Earth, the height of the Perfon, e any parts of the Circumference that Feet walk. Then as, r Ċ : : r + b. the found it out, truth would have binted fomewhat of it to us; And that there are not more Worlds than this one, this feems to prove; that Chrift who 15 one God, bath died for this World, and therein for all, now suppose you the Inhabitants of another to Circumfe-World fhould fin, can any thing lefs than a Sacrifice fatisfie for fin, and can Chrift die twice,or cannot they fin, or how? I could rather grant it were inhabited by Angels, or is that your meaning? Is not this and the like Opinion of other Worlds, injurious to true Faith? s+r+b Q. The 4 fides of a Trapezium being given a, b, c, d, and the Areas, to find the Diagonal? 4. This Queftion will arife to a Biquadratic Equation, 2 of I I cannot think you would be of fenfive. Is it not a bad Device of the World against which we have vowed? Not that I think you would devife fo. Is it not Pride in the Mind, and an unboundless and over-tendency of Thought? Well, I conclude, if it be as you fay, it must be a large Soul to receive it; pray, your farther Opinion? thing that is different from the Truth, but not repugnant to it do not we read in the Pfalms of the Foundation and Pillars of the Earth, and in Job of the breadth of the Earth: Yet there's nothing in Nature more certain than that the Earth is round and bangs in the Air, as other Celestial Orbs do, every little Navigator can tell better things. But to answer all A. The Scriptures were given things at once, We have Ideas of us as the Rule of Faith and Mora- things in our Minds, and the ends lity, and not as a Syftem of Na- of Speech is only to convey thofe tural Philofophy. And therefore Ideas to one another, and that there was no need of fpeaking na- way is most proper that is most tural things according as they are, customary. When therefore Foshua but according as they appear to be, faid, Sun, ftand thou ftill, the and accordingly as they were com- Idea he had in his Mind was this, nonly read. For do but imagine let not the Night come upon us the Sun had really no other Mo-till we are avenged of our Enetion but that about its own Axis,mies: Therefore when we speak of and that the Earth did really move about its Axis, and according to the different Pofitions of its fides towards the Sun, caufe Day and Night to all places in the Temperate and Torid Zones (for as for thefe places which lie near the Poles, "the Diurnal Motion of the Earth does not affect them, but the annual, or the place the Earth happens to be in the Eclipfe); I fay, fuppofe the Earth mov'd and the Sun ftood ftill, and fuppofe alfo the Ifraelites understood (as its more than barely probable they did) that the Sun mov'd and the Earth ftood ftill, wou'd it not have appear'd ridiculous to Joshua ta have faid otherwife than, Sun, ftand thou still in Gibeon, &c. he fpoke to the apprehenfion of thofe about him, and did well in it. But as to that great Objection of thofe fcrupulous Perfons who think that Truth must always peak; Truth may fpeak fome the truth, or falfhood of a thing, we are not fo much to look upon the way of Expreffion, as the Idea of the thing that is meant by fuch Expreffion. Were I ask'd, Whether the way from one Exchange to the other was by Temple Bar, and I fhould fay yes, when I really believ'd it was not, I should really lye, though speak a logical Truth. And of the contrary. Lyes and Truths are in the Mind and Understanding, Words are only organical Mediums, but yet great_care_ought to be taken of 'em. But after all, we are not really perfuaded there are more Worlds (we mean habitable one) than ours, we only fay 'tis probable, and we have very good reafon for it, which it wou'd be too long to mention at preefent, And as for finning or not finning in them, &c. we need not enquire about that, God Almighty is not bound to act by them (if any) as Hb 4 he he does by us, his Wildom is un- | Neighbouring Hill, which opening Yearchable; he can, if he pleases, tell how to make and govern Worlds without us. Q. Do not feveral places in Scripture argue, that the Sun goes about the World? But if you Jay, that's Spoke to Mens common understanding of things; (bould not Truth Speak the Truth, and then too it would have been fo received and delivered down to us, and easily fo applyed to our Un derstandings; befides, I prefume many things of Faith are not Suited to vulgar Reason: If these be thought worthy of your An fwer, I defire they may be with meekness, as I have put the Queftion with Modefty, and can and must be convinced on better Rea. fon; befides I am young and but meanly read,and am a well-wifher to your Honourable Society, efeeming you to love Religion, and to be Propagators of a good and rational way among us. I am Your unknown Servant. 4. The firft Anfwer well con fider'd, prevents this fecond. Q Gentlemen, I did fome time fince fend you a Relation efteemed Authentick, much to the purpofe following Anno 1376. July 22. At a Town in Saxony, called Hameter being much infefted with Rats, a Mufician called the Pide-piper, happened to come, and agreed with the Burgers to deftroy them all fer a certain Summ, then tuning his Pipe, all the Rats danced after him, and in crofing a River were drowned; he then demanded his Pay, which was denied him. Then he fet on piping again, and all the Children of the Place followed him to a Swallowed up all but one, who lagg'd behind. Upon which it was Decreed in the Town,That befides the Date of the Nativity of our Saviour; they should add, From the time of the going out of their Children, fo many Years as fince that time; which is practifed to this Day. Now Gentlemen, your Opinion is defired: what this Piper was, whether Man, or Damon? and whence be had Power to effect fuch a strange thing? &c. What became of the Children? In this you will gratifie feveral curious Perfons, and particularly the querift, who is, your very humble Servant. what A. That they have fuch an additional Date is attested. But 'tis to be obferv'd, that a Story feldom lofes in the telling; 'tis pof fible a Man might deftroy all, or many of their Rats by Poifon, which will immediately make 'em run to the Water to drink, and die there, and 'tis alfo probable, the Secret perhaps not being till then practis'd, that out of pretence (like Juglers) he might play the while, as if that was the Caufe. And afterwards for want of Payment, he might out of revenge take a proper time when moft of the Town Children were at play together in Boats, or fome other way, on the Water, to drown moft of 'em, and make his escape, but for a Dæmon, or any thing of that nature, we believe nothing of it. Q. Is it just that a poor innocent Cuckold could bear the in famy, when the Perfons who confer it upon him, seem to be only guilty. From whence may the word word be deriv'd? And under how many Circumftances may they be confider'd? A. Some are in this number of happy Creatures, and know nothing of it. Some again think they are, but are not; which fort of Men are more miferable than if they really were, and knew it not. Hiftorians have likewife told us of feme Men who have been fo without their Wives fault, in their miftaking other Men for their own Husbands. Others again are Cuckolds, and perceiving it but in part, will not believe any thing of it, through the good Opinion they have of their Wives. Some are fenfible of it, and do all they can to hinder it; but others both know and would prevent if it were in their Power, which indeed are the most unhappy of all the kind. The word Cuckold has by fome been believed to be Ironically derived from the word Cuckow, be caufe this Bird lays her Eggs in the Neft of others; or becaufe fuch Men, who too familiarly vifit other Mens Wives, have been often obferved to fuffer in the fame kind;or elfe from the reafon Pliny affigns, for Vine dreffers being anciently called Cuckows, viz. flothful, because they deferr'd cutting their Vines till that Bird began to fing, which was later than the right time: So that the fame Name may have been given to fuch Men, as through neglect may have caufed their Wives to feek out fome more diligent and induftrious Compani on. Some have derived it from the Greek word Coccyx, and others again from the Latin word Coquus. But let it be from whence it will, the Husband deferves no Infany in the matter, excepting fo far, as by his own perfidy, or ill treatment of his Wife, he has been partly the caufe of her accepting the Addreffes of another, who will be fure not to omit any thing that lies in his Power to add to her Felicity. And although the Wife is not in this cafe excufable, yet the Husband may justly be blamed, because he brings it upon himself. Though where the Man honeftly performs his part of the Covenant, he is undoubtedly free from any difgrace which can hap pen through the ill Conduct of his Wife; fince what is out of our Power,does no way affect and concern us; and as a vicious action ought only, to be imputed to its Author, fo likewife that shame and difhonour which is the effect on't, can be defervedly imputed to no other. And fome whole Nations have been fo far from accounting it any dishonour, that the Abyffines take it in very good part, that their Prieft fhould lie with their Wives on the WeddingNight. There are alfo many places in the East-Indies where the Men will gladly permit the Enjoyment of their Wives to fuch as will give them an Elephant; being proud of having a Wife valued at fo high a rate. QI will beg that you will anfwer this, In the last Verse of the fecond Chapter of Job; It is Said, His Friends fate down with him feven Days and feven Nights: Muft we understand by that, that they did not leave him to go to Reft, and to refresh themselves at Meal-times? Or how muft we interpret it? Pray be pleased to give me your Answer. A. 'Twas the Custom in those hot Countries, to fleep as well as to |