a dumb philosopher; and only instructed by acti on, The last we fhall fpeak of, who feemeth to be of the true race, is faid by St. Jerome to have met St. Anthony † in a defart, who enquiring the way of him, he fhewed his underftandiug and courtesy by pointing, but would not answer, for he was a dumb philofopher also. These are all the notices which I am at present able to gather, of the appearance of fo great and learned a people on your fide of the world. But if we return to their ancient native feats, Africa and India, we fhall there find, even in modern times, many traces of their original conduct and valour. In Africa (as we read among the indefatigable Mr. Purchas's collections) a body of them, whose leader was inflamed with love for a woman, by martial power and ftratagem won a fort from the Portuguese. * But I must leave all others at prefent to celebrate the praise of two of their unparallelled monarchs in India. The one was Perimal the magnificent, a prince most learned and communicative, to whom in Malabar their excefs of zeal dedicated a temple, raised on seven hundred pillars not inferior in Maffæus's opinion to thofe of Agrippa in the Pantheon. The other, Hanimant the marvellous, his relation and fucceffor, whofe knowledge was fo great, as made his followers doubt if even that wife fpecies could arrive at fuch perfection: and therefore they rather imagined him and his race a fort of gods formed into apes. His was the tooth which the Portuguese took in Bifnagar 1559, for which the Indians offered, according to Linfchotten ‡, the immenfe fum of feven hundred thousand du + Vita St. Anth Linschot, ch. 44. cats. cats. Nor let me quit this head without mention⚫ ing with all due refpect Oran Outang the Great, the laft of this line; whofe unhappy chance it was to fall into the hands of Europeans. Oran Outang whofe value was not known to us, for he was a mute philofopher: Oran Outang, by whofe diffection the learned Dr. Tyfon* has added a confir mation to this fyftem, from the refemblance between the homo jylveftris and our human body in thole organs by which the rational foul is exerted. We must now defcend to confider this people as funk into the bruta natura by their continual commerce with beafts. Yet, even at this time, what experiments do they not afford us, of relieving fome from the spleen, and others from impoft humes, by occafioning laughter at proper feafons? with what readinefs do they enter into the imitati 'on of whatever is remarkable in human life? and what furprising relations have Le Comte †, and others, given of their appetites, actions, concep tions, affections, varieties of imaginations, and a bilities capable of purfuing them? If under their prefent low circumftances of birth and breeding, and in fo fhort a term of life as is now allotted them, they fo far exceed all beasts, and equal many men what prodigies may we not conceive of those who were nati melioribus annis, thofe primitive, longæval, and antediluvian man-tygers, who first taught fci ence to the world? This account, which is entirely my own, I am proud to imagine has traced knowledge from a fountain correfpondent to feveral opinions of the ancients, though hitherto undiscovered both by them and the more ingenious moderns. And now what fhall I fay to mankind in the thought of this great difcovery? what, but that they fhould abate of their pride, and confider that the authors of our * Dr. Tyfon's anatomy of a pigmy, 4to. Father Le Comte, a Jefuit, in the account of his travels. knowledg knowledge are among the beafts. That these, who were our elder brothers by a day in the creation, whofe kingdom (like that in the fcheme of Plato) was governed by philofophers, who flourished with learning in Ethiopia and India, are now undistinguished, and known only by the fame appellation as the man-tyger, and the monkey! . 1 As to fpeech, I make no queftion, that there are remains of the first and lefs corrupted race in their native deferts, who yet have the power of it. But the vulgar reafon given by the Spaniards," that "they will not fpeak for fear of being fet to work," is alone a fufficient one, confidering how exceedingly all other learned perfons affect their cafe. A fecond is, that these observant creatures having been eye witneffes of the cruelty with which that nation treated their brother Indians, find it neceffary not to fhow themselves to be men, that they may be protected not only from work, but from cruelty alfo. Thirdly, they could at beft take no delight to converse with the Spaniards, whofe grave and fullen temper is fo averfe to that natural and open chearfulness, which is generally obferved to accompany all true knowledge. But now were it poffible, that any way could be found to draw forth their latent qualities, I cannot but think it would be highly serviceable to the learned world, both in refpect of recovering paft knowledge, and promoting the future. Might there not be found certain gentle and artful methods, whereby to endear us to them? Is there no nation in the world, whofe natural turn is adapted to engage their fociety, and win them by a fweet fimilitude of manners? Is there no nation, where the men might allure them by a distinguishing civility, and in a manner fascinate them by affimulated motions? no nation, where the women, with easy freedoms, and the gentleft treatment, might oblige the loving creatures to fenfible returns of humanity? The love I bear bear my native country prompts me to wish this nation might be Great Britain; but alas! in our prefent wretched, divided condition, how can we hope, that foreigners of fo great prudence will freely declare their fentiments in the midft of violent parties, and at fo vaft a diftauce from their friends, relations, and country? The affection I bear our neighbour-ftate, would incliné me to wish it were Holland-Sed lava in parte mamilla Nil falit Arcadico. It is from France then we muft expect this restoration of learning, whofe late monarch took the sciences under his protection, and raised them to fo great a height. May we not hope their emiffaries will fome time or other have inftructions, not only to invite learned men into their country, but learned beasts, the true ancient man-tygers, I mean of Ethiopia and India? Might not the talents of each kind of thefe be adapted to the improvement of the several fciences? the man-tygers to in ftruct heroes, ftatefmen, and fcholars; baboons to teach ceremony and addrefs to courtiers; monkeys, the art of pleafing in converfation, and agreeable affectations to ladies and their lovers; apes of lefs learning, to form comedians and dancing-mafters; and marmofets, court-pages, and young English travellers? But the diftinguishing each kind, and allotting the proper butinefs to each, I leave to the inquifitive and penetrating genius of the Jefuits in their refpective miffions. Vale et fruere. ANNUS ANNUS MIRABILIS: O R, The wonderful effects of the approaching conjunction of the planets Jupiter, Mars, I and Saturn. By MART. SCRIBLERUS, Philomath. In nova fert animus mutatas dicere formas SUPPOSE every body is fufficiently apprifed of, and duly prepared for, the famous conjunction to be celebrated the 29th of this inftant December 1722, foretold by all the fages of antiquity under the name of the annus mirabilis, or the metamorphoftical conjunction: a word which denotes the mutual transformation of fexes, (the effect of that configuration of the celeftial bodies), the human males being to be turned into females, and the human females into males. The Egyptians have reprefented this great transformation by feveral fignificant hieroglyphics, particularly one very remarkable. There are carved upon an obelisk, a barber and a midwife: the barber delivers his razor to the midwife, and the her fwaddling cloaths to the barber. Accordingly Thales Milefius, (who, like the reft of his countrymen, borrowed his learning from the Egyptians,) after having computed the time of this famous conjunction, "Then," fays he, " fhall men and women mutually exchange the pangs of shaving and "childbearing." Anaximander 66 VOL. VI. N |