events of wars, and the fortunes of particular perfons, in the face of the heavens. "Mathematicians (fays Peter of Blois) are thofe who, from the pofition of the ftars, the aspect of the firmament, and the motions of the planets, difcover things that are to come." Thefe pretended prognofticators were fo much admired and credited, that there was hardly a prince, or even an earl or great baron, in Europe, who did not keep one or more of them in his family, to caft the horofcopes of his children, difcover the, fuccefs of his defigns, and the public events that were to happen. The most famous of thefe aftroIngers published a kind of almanacs every year, containing fchemes of the planets for that year, with a variety of predictions Concerning the weather, and other events. We have the following quotation from one of thefe almanacs, in a letter of John of Salisbury. "The aftrologers call this year (1170) the wonderful year, from the fingular fituation of the planets and conftellations, and fay,-that in the courfe of it the councils of kings will be changed, wars will be frequent, and the world will be troubled with feditions; that learned men will be dif couraged; but towards the end of the year they will be exalted." From this fpecimen we may perceive, that their predictions were couched in very general and artful terms. But by departing from this prudent conduct not long after this, and becoming a little too plain and pofitive, they brought a temporary difgrace on themselves and their art. For, in the beginning of the year 1186, all the great aftrologers in the Chrif tian world agreed in declaring, that from an extraordinary conjunction of the planets in the fign Libra, which had never hap pened before, and would never happen again, there would arife, on Tuesday, September 16th, at three o'clock in the morning, a moft dreadful ftorm, that would fweep away not only fingle houfes, but even great towns and cities;-that this ftorm would be followed by a destructive peftilence, bloody wars, and all the plagues that had ever afflicted miferable mortals. This direful prediction fpread terror and confternation over Europe, though it was flatly contradicted by the Mahometan aftrologers of Spain, who faid, there would only be a few fhipwrecks, and a little failure in the vintage and harvest, When the awful day drew near, Baldwin, archbishop of Canterbury, commanded a folemn faft of three days to be observed over all his province, But, to the utter confufion of the poor aftrologers, the 16th of September was uncommonly ferene and calm, the whole feafon remarkably mild and healthy; and there were no ftorms all that year, (fays Gervafi of Canterbury), bút what the archbishop raised in the church by his own turbulence. In the midst of this general wreck of aftrological reputation, William, aftrologer to the constable of Chester, faved his character, by fubjoining to his prediction this alternative," If the nobles of the land will ferve God, and fly from the devil,

the

the Lord will avert all thefe impending plagues." But though. Pastrology was in itfelf deceitful, and fometimes involved its profeffors in difgrace, it contributed greatly to promote the Atudy of aftronomy; and there is the cleareft evidence, that the astrologers of this period could calculate eclipfes, could find the fituation of the planets, and knew the times in which they performed their revolutions, &c.'

In the chapter which treats of manners, the author presents an anecdote of Robert duke of Normandy.

The fame hiftorian hath preferved the following curious anecdote, which may ferve both as a proof and illustration of the wit, politenefs, and generofity of the Normans. When Robert duke of Normandy, father of William the Conqueror, was at Conftantinople, in his way to the Holy Land, he lived in uncommon fplendor, and was greatly celebrated for his wit, his affability, his liberality, and other virtues. Of thefe many remarkable examples were related to the emperor; who refolved to put the reality of them to a trial. With this view he invited the duke and all his nobles to a feaft in the great hall of the Imperial palace, but took care to have all the tables and feats filled with guests, before the arrival of the Normans, of whom he commanded them to take no notice. When the duke, followed by his nobles in their richeft dreffes, entered the hall; obferving that ail the feats were filled with guests, and that none of them returned his civilities, or offered him any accommodation, he walked, without the leaft appearance of surprise or difcompofure, to an empty fpace, at one end of the room, took off his cloak, folded it very carefully, laid it upon the floor, and fat down upon it; in all which he was imitated by his followers. In this pofture they dined, on fuch dishes as were fet before them, with every appearance of the most perfect fatisfaction with their entertainment. When the feaft was ended, the duke and his nobles arose, took leave of the company in the moft graceful manner, and walked out of the hall in their doublets, leaving their cloaks, which were of great value, behind them on the floor. The emperor, who had admired their whole behaviour, was quite surprised at this last part of it; and fent one of his courtiers to intreat the duke and his followers to

put on their cloaks. "Go, (faid the duke), and tell your mafter, that it is not the cuftom of the Normans to carry about with them the feats which they use at an entertainment." Could any thing be more delicate than this rebuke, or more noble, polite, and manly, than this deportment ?'

Concerning the credulity and the curiofity of the Normans, our hiftorian has the following remarks.

* Bromton,

B 4

The

The Normans were no lefs credulous than the Anglo-Saxons. This is evident from the prodigious number of miracles, revelations, vifions, and inchantments, which are related with the greatest gravity by the best of their hiftorians, and other writers. "In this year (1171), about Eafter, (fays Matthew Paris), it pleased the Lord Jefus Chrift to irradiate his glorious martyr Thomas Becket with many miracles, that it might ap pear to all the world he had obtained a victory fuitable to his merits. None who approached his fepulchre in faith, returned without a cure. For ftrength was reftored to the lame, hearing to the deaf, fight to the blind, speech to the dumb, health to lepers, and life to the dead. Nay, not only men and women, but even birds and beafts, were raised from death to life." Giraldus Cambrenfis, who was one of the most learned and ingenious men of the twelfth century, amongst many ridiculous ftories of miracles, vifions, and apparitions, tells of one devil who acted a confiderable time as a gentleman's butler with great prudence and probity; and of another who was a very diligent and learned clergyman, and a mighty favourite of his archbishop. This laft clerical devil was, it feems, an excellent hiftorian, and used to divert the archbishop with telling him old ftories. "One day when he was entertaining the archbishop with a relation of ancient hiftories, and furprifing events, the converfation happened to turn on the incarnation of our Saviour. Before the incarnation, faid our hiftorian, the devils had great power over mankind; but after that event their power was much diminished, and they were obliged to fly. Some of them threw themselves into the fea; fome concealed themfelves in hollow trees, or in the clifts of rocks; and I myself plunged into a certain fountain. As foon as he had faid this, finding that he had discovered his fecret, his face was covered with blushes, he went out of the room, and was no more seen.”

The Normans were as curious as they were credulous. This prompted them to employ many vain fallacious arts to difcover their future fortunes, and the fuccefs of their undertakings. John of Salisbury enumerates no fewer than thirteen different kinds of diviners or fortune-tellers, who pretended to foretell future events; fome by one means, and fome by another. Nor did this paffion for penetrating into futurity prevail only among the common people, but alfo among perfons of the highest rank and greatest learning. All our kings, and many of our earls and great barons, had their aftrologers, who refided in their families, and were confulted by them in all undertakings of importance. We find Peter of Blois, who was one of the most learned men of the age in which he flourished, writing an account of his dreams to his friend the bishop of Bath, and telling him how anxious he had been about the interpretation of them; and that he had employed for that purpose divination by the

palter.

pfalter. The English, it feems probable, had still more fuperftitious curiofity, and paid greater attention to dreams and omens, than the Normans. For when William Rufus was dif fuaded from going abroad on the morning of that day on which he was killed, becaufe the abbot of Gloucefter had dreamed fomething which portended danger, he is faid to have made this reply," Do you imagine that I am an Englishman, to be frighted by a dream, or the fneezing of an old woman.' But the truth is, that exceffive credulity and curiofity were the weakneffes of the times, rather than of any particular

nation.'

We will not anticipate the conclufions which the reader may draw from an attention to these extracts. But, in another article, we fhall lay before him what we have farther to obferve from the confideration of the prefent volume of the History of Great Britain.

[To be continued. ]

A Courfe of Lectures on Oratory and Criticism. By Jofeph Priestley, LL. D. F. R. S. 4to. 10s. 6d. boards. Johnfon.

ΤΗ

HESE Lectures were compofed by the author, when he was tutor in the languages and belles lettres in the Academy at Warrington, and were first delivered in the year 1762.

He has been frequently urged, he says, to make them public ; and has been induced to do it at this time, partly for the fake of lord Fitzmaurice, to whom they are dedicated; and partly with a view to the illuftration of the doctrine of the affociation of ideas, to which there is a conftant reference through the whole work (in order to explain facts relating to the influence of oratory, and the ftriking effect of excellencies in compofition, upon the genuine principles of human nature) in confequence of having of late endeavoured to draw fome degree of attention to thofe principles, as advanced by Dr. Hartley.

Confidering the nature of the work, the reader cannot expect, that every thing in it fhould be original. Dr. Priestley is of opinion, that it is, on the contrary, the business of a lecturer to bring into an eafy and comprehenfive view, whatever has been obferved by others. He has therefore borrowed many of his examples from Dr. Ward's Oratory, from Lord Kaims's Elements of Criticism, and other works of the fame nature; but, at the fame time, has interspersed a great number of his own illuftrations and remarks.

He

He has divided his work into three parts. In the firft he treats of recollection, or the invention of thofe thoughts and fentiments, which make up the body of a difcourfe; in the fecond, of method, or the proper arrangement of thofe materials; and in the third, of the various beauties and improprieties of ftyle.

On the subject of amplification the author has these useful remarks.

• Perfons of a very exact judgment are generally the leaft copious in compofition, and notwithstanding they have the greatest knowledge, compofe with peculiar difficulty; their nicer dif cernment, which makes them attend to all the relations and connexions of things, rejecting every thing that doth not in every respect fuit their purpose, Whereas thofe perfons who are unattentive to the minuter proprieties of things, find no difficulty in admitting a great variety of thoughts that offer themfelves in compofition; a flight affociation of any ideas with the fubject in hand being fufficient to introduce them. In general, the latter are more proper for public fpeakers, and the former for writers. The want of clofe connexion, fmall improprieties, or even inconfiftencies, pafs unnoticed with moft perfons when they hear a difcourfe. Befides, no perfon can fo well depend upon his memory in comparing one part of a difcourfe that he has only heard, with another. But all thefe little inaccuracies are expofed to obfervation, when a good judge of compofition hath the whole difcourfe before him in writing.

It may, likewife, be of fervice to add, that it is very poffible a writer may cramp his faculties, and injure his productions, by too great a fcrupulefity in the first compofition. That clofe attention to a fubject which compofition requires, unavoidably warms the imagination: then ideas crowd upon us, the mind haftens, as it were, into the midst of things, and is impatient till thofe ftrong conceptions be expreffed In fuch a fituation, to reject the firft, perhaps loofe and incorrect thoughts, is to reject a train of juft and valuable thoughts, that would follow by their connexion with them, and to embarrass and impoverish the whole work. Whenever, tberefore, we begin to feel the ardour of compofition, it is most advise able to indulge it freely, and leave little proprieties to be adjusted at our leifure.

• Besides, if we would wish to communicate to our readers those strong fenfations that we feel in the ardour of compofition, we must endeavour to express the whole of our fentiments and fenfations, in the very order and connexion in which they actually prefented themfelves to us at that time. For, fuch is the fimilarity of all human minds, that when the fame appearances are prefented to another perfon, his mind will, in general, be equally ftruck and affected with them, and the compofition will appear to him to be natural and animated. Whereas, if, in

con