The art of phyfic, until lately, feemed to confist in an affemblage of every horrid fubftance that ignorance and fuperftition could jumble together; which was formed into bolufes, draughts, and pills, and forced down the throat of the miferable patient. Every new difpenfatory finds fomething nugatory, if not hurtful in those before published, and the materia medica will, by degrees, be reduced to a few powerful medicines, which will be adminiftered for the affiftance of nature, and not to counteract her efforts. Let us be thankful that in these disorders which occafion so ardent a defire for fresh air and water, we are not now ftifled in a close room, nor heated with cordials. Let us rejoice that phyficians begin to think themselves only the fervants to nature. Formerly her dictates were held in fovereign contempt-perhaps by degrees they may address her like Edmund in Shakespeare, "Thou nature art my goddess." Already a physician has had

the

the courage to write, that a perfon labouring under a disorder is like a pond of water ruffled by something caft into it— the way to have it still, is not by forcing the waves to fubfide; but to do nothing, and permit gravity to produce its neverfailing effects. It is impoffible for the knowledge of medicine to advance, and that of chirurgery to be stationary-they muft proceed and improve together. The modern anatomists have partaken of the improvements of the present Age, and carried their art to a degree of perfection unknown in times preceding. Reason and true philosophy, as already remarked, being the principles upon which our present system of arts and sciences is founded, it cannot be fuppofed that modern furgery should prefer theory to experiment. If the phyficians address themselves to nature, the furgeons obey the dictates of the same all-healing power.

The science of aftronomy must be fuppofed in a bad state when the Ptolomaic system was confidered as the true one. Long after the revival of the system of Copernicus, that of Ptolomy still held its ground, and was believed by fo learned a man as Dr. Browne, and not difbelieved by Milton; who, in the converfation between the Angel and Adam, balances between the two theories, not for the reafon Addifon affigns, but because that of Copernicus was not firmly established.

The true fyftem of the universe was at laft confirmed by Sir Ifaac Newton, Dr. Halley, with fome other contemporary astronomers, and is daily receiving additional ftrength. Great difcoveries have been lately made, and greater still are expected from the vaft power of modern telescopes. Could Galileo have imagined what improvements another Age would make in his fimple perfpective glafs, it might have caft a gleam of light

over the horrors of his doleful prison, into which he was thrown for being wifer than the barbarism of the Age would admit.* Horrox triumphed in feeing first the tranfit of Venus, but he never imagined that the folar fyftem would have been extended beyond the orb of Saturn --but why do I revert to the time of this ingenious aftronomer? Our prefent philofophers as little suspected the existence of the Georgium Sidus § as their predeceffors.

What

Virgilius, furnamed Solivagus, a native of Ireland, and Bishop of Saltzburg, in the 8th century, ventured to affert the heretical doctrine of the Antipodes, and of other planets befides the earth; for which the Pope pronounced his anathema-Galileo then was not the firft philofopher whom the Court of Rome perfecuted."

WATKINSON.

Perhaps Dr. Herschel had just read the Rape of the Lock, and chofe " to inscribe amid the

ftars

E 2

What farther difcoveries are reserved for the Golden-Age may be owing to the late-invented inftruments for obfervation; which feem to promise a future intimate acquaintance with the starry heavens, in comparison of which our present knowledge may be confidered as ignorance.

The relinquishing falfe opinions always accompanies the progrefs of real knowledge. Aftronomy has advanced, and Aftrology has retreated-however it held its ground until Butler first laughed it

out

ftars Great George's name"-but, without intending the leaft difrefpect to the King, or to his aftronomer, I may be permitted to remark, that all Europe is diffatisfied with the appellation. In the firft place, Sidus is not the Latin word which answers to our idea of a planet.-Again-the rest of the planets have all names of the fame houseMercury, Venus, &c. &c. and the new one might not improperly have taken that of Neptune-if this was rejected, it might have been named from the difcoverer-indeed the propriety of being fo named, is evident from foreign aftronomers always terming it the planet of Herschel,