taxeth my obscurity in the comment upon a part of some letter of mine you desired to have explained: but whatsoever you took for the explanation, I am sure I sent you none; for I knew not what it was you desired to have expounded.

I pray you ake not that pro concesso in general, which is only proper to some monsters of our sex. I cannot deny so apparent a truth as that wickedness prévaileth with some of our sex; because I dayly see some, even of the fairest amongst us, misled, and unwillingly and unwittingly ensnared by the prince of darknesse. But ours shall still be the purer and more innocent kinde. Theare went one thousand virgins to heaven in one day. Looke at the almanack, and you shall find that glorious day. And if you thincke there are some, but not many of us, that may prove saints, I hope you are deceived. "But not many rich, not many noble, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven." So that riches and nobility are hinderances from heaven, as well as our native infirmity.

You would thincke me very full of divinity, or desirous to shew that little I have; in both which you should do me wrong, if you knew what business. I have at court, and yet preach to you. Pardon me, it is not my function. Now a little more to the purpose.

I have delivered your ten patents, signed and sealed, to Mr. Hercy. If it be not an inexcusable presumption in me to tell you my mind, unaskit, as if I would advise you what to do, pardon me if I tell you; I thinck your thancks will come very unseasonably, so near new year's tide, especially those with which you send any gratuity; thearefore, consider, if it weare not better to give your new year's gift first to the queene, and your thanckes after, and keepe Mr. Fowler's 'till after that good time. New year's tide will come every year, and be a yearly tribute to them you beginne with. You may impute the slowness of your thanckfulnesse to Mr. Hercy or me, that acquainted you no sooner with your own matter.

The Spanish imbassador invited Madame de Beaumont (the French imbassador's lady) to dinner, requesting her to bring some English ladies with her. She brought my lady

* One of the charges against this innocent princess was, that she was a papist. The blunder she here makes, respecting the thousand virgins, refutes the charge, for no Roman Catholic is ignorant that the legend says, the number was eleven thousand. The day alluded to, is the 12th of the calends of November, on which day, Undecemilla, a virgin and martyr, suffered. But some blunderer, not knowing that Undecemilla was a diminutive of Undecima, and a woman's name, read Undecim mille for Undecim virgo et martyr, and altering the other words into virgines et martyres, multiplied one saint into eleven thousand.

Bedford, lady Rich,+ lady Susan, lady Dorothy, with her, and great cheere they had. A fortnight after, he invited the duke, the earl of Mar, and divers of that nation, requesting them to bring the Scotish ladies; for he was desirous to see some natural beauties. My lady Anne Hay, and my cousin Drummond, went; and, after the sumptuous dinner, weare presented, first, with two pairs of Spanish gloves a-pieceand after, my cousin Drummond had a diamond ring, of the value of two hundred crowns, given her-and my lady Anne a gold chaine, of Spanish worke, neare that value. My lady Cary went with them, and had gloves theare; and after, a gold chaine, of little links, twice about her neck, sent her.

Yesterday, the Spanish imbassador, the Florentine, and madame de Beaumont, tooke their leave of the queene till she come to Hampton Court.

There is an imbassador come from Polonia, and faine he would be gone againe, because of the freezing of theyr seas; "but he hath not yet had audience.

The Venetians lately sent two imbassadours, with letters, both to the king and queene. One of them is returned with a very honourable dispatch; but he staying but a few dayes, and the queen being not well, he saw her not. The other stayes heare still.

It is said the Turk hath sent a chahu to the king. It is said, the Pope will send a knight to the king in imbassage. The duke of Savoye's imbassage is dayly expected.

But out of this confusion of imbassages, will you know how we spend our time on the queene's side?. Whilst I was at Winchester, theare weare certain childe-playes remembered by the fayre ladies, viz. "I pray, my lord, give me a course in your park. Rise, pig, and go. One peny follow me, &c." And when I came to court, they were as highly in request as ever cracking of nuts was. So I was by the mistress of the revelles not only compelled to play at I know not what,( for 'till that day I never heard of a play called Fier,) but even persuaded, by the princely example, to play the childe againe. This exercise is mostly used from ten of the clock at night to two or three in the morning; but that day I made one, it

Lucy countess of Bedford, wife of Edward earl of Bedford, and daughter of John lord Harrington.

+ Penelope, wife of Robert lord Rich, afterwards earl of Warwick, and sister ⚫of the unfortunate earl of Essex.

Lady Susan Vere, daughter to Edward earl of Oxford, afterwards married to sir Philip Herbert, afterwards earl of Pembroke and Montgomery.

§ Duke of Lennox.

began at twilight, and ended at supper-time. Theare was an interlude; but not so ridiculous (as ridiculous as it was) as my letter, which I heare conclude with many prayers to the Almighty for your happinesse, and so humbly take my leave. Your honoured neece,

MANY rash opinions have been held of the nature, number, language, and guardianship of angels; and many, who have maintained them, have endeavoured to press Scripture into their service.

A very learned foreign divine divides the doctrine of angels into ten parts. In the first, he considers their names; in the second, their existence and origin; in the third, their nature; the fourth, regards fallen angels; the fifth, the place of angels; the sixth, their number; the seventh, their order; the eighth, their ministry; the ninth, the worship of them; and the tenth, the angel of Jehovah, Jesus Christ, who was above all angels.

In his speech in the House of Commons, when the Bill was under discussion.

It is curious to see the various opinions of writers on this subject. The Talmudists have multiplied the good angels to more than three hundred thousand millions, and the bad angels to a number beyond computation.

Some Romish divines have made the latter consist of six thousand six hundred and sixty-six legions; each legion of six thousand six hundred and sixty-six angels; and the whole number, forty-four millions, four hundred and thirty-five thousands, five hundred and fifty-six. St. Cyril, of Jerusalem, thought the number of angels would be found, at last, to exceed that of all human existence. Isidore supposed the number of elect men would be equal to that of fallen angels, and that the former were intended to fill up the places vacated by the latter, Mr. Daillon affirmed there was only one devil; * and that Christians had borrowed their notion of a plurality from Pagans: Averroes denied the existence of any devil. So widely differ the sportive fancies of mankind!

Scripture, as usual, has been called in to determine this controversy. St. Hilary says-" Angels are to men as one to ninety or, as one to an hundred: for Scripture says- If a man have an hundred sheep, and lose one, he leaveth ninety-nine, and goeth after that one."" Matt. xvii. 12.

Fallen angels, say some, are more than five thousand; one demoniac said-" My name is legion." Luke viii. 30.

for

Fallen angels, say others,' must be very numerous; for they form a kingdom powerful enough to oppose the efforts of holy angels. Matt.xii. 26.

Fallen angels, say others again, are exactly a third part of the intelligences of the same order; for, it is said, "The dragon's tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven."

xii. 3.

Rev.

It is certain, add others, the number of the good angels is far greater than that of the fallen; for Scripture speaks of only one legion of the first, and it speaks of twelve legions of the last. Mark v. 19; Matt. xxvi. 53; vide Jacob. Ode Prof. Traject. Comment. de Angel.

"Were I inclined to amuse myself with this controversy,' says a sensible writer, "I would collect all writings, saered and prophane, on this subject, and summon various classes of writers to take their several proper shares; and what remained of pure revelation, expounded by just reasoning, should be my faith on this article. Pedantic superstition, in the person of James I. would load away sorcery, witchcraft, contracts, devils by wholesale. Pagan presumption would ship off hieroglyphics, astrology, magic, manicheism, &c. Popery would claim a large share of angelography. Vulgar popular observation of effects, and ignorance of causes,

would claim a very large proportion of small talk on these Occult powers. Fancy, in rhetorical guise, would reduce a volume of well-set words to a page of meaning: the volume. must be hers, the page mine. Politicians would take off a large stock of the tutelar tribe. Sound reasoners on demonology would represent the demoniacs of the New Testament as diseased people, of whom the good physician, Jesus, spoke in popular style. These would claim many a text from the subject, and I could not rationally refuse their claim. Bright. and black wings, and rays, horns, and cloven feet, would fall to artists. I should, perhaps, at last, find, that the best. guardian angel was a good conscience, and the most formidable devils my own depraved passions.

"FRIEND WALKER.”

THE following curious letter was written by Dr. Walker, who accompanied the British expedition into Egypt for the -purpose of extending vaccine inoculation.

66

John Walker to Friends Pemberton, Hewit, and Gibson.

"Health and peace be multiplied unto you. Inasmuch as I intend to sojourn for awhile in the land of Judea, and having already a companion to go with me thither, (who is an inhabitant of Bethlem Judea, I turn you to request that you will commit to remembrance, that any letter sent for me to that ship of the king's, which is by interpretation the "Thunderer," and whose sign is the "Eagle of Jupiter," will be likely to reach me in whatever part of my journeying it may be. The letters I sent to Joseph were directed to the care of the wife of him who commanded this ship, and may yet be in her keeping; if so, it will be pleasant unto her if ye call on her, and take them into your charge. Farewell.

"Written at Rosetta, on the 18th day of the 6th month, in the 41st year of the king, when his armies came from afar, from the east and from the west, and encompassed Cairo about, together with the armies of the Arabians and the Egyptians, and the Syrians, and those that dwell in the land round about the Hellespont, and in the isles thereof, from the river even to the going down of the sun in the Adriatic. And behold the fall of the city; will it not be shortly written ⚫ in the chronicles of the king, and all the world shall hear the report thereof?"