caufe; and he added, that this degenerated rye made the inhabitants of the Hartz liable not only to furprizing convulfions, but to a mortal sphacelus of the extremities.

In the year 1709, one fourth part of all the rye grown in the province of Salonia in France, was horned, and A the furgeon to the hofpital of Orleans had no iefs than 500 patients under his care that were distempered by eating it. They were called ergots, from ergot, the French name for horned rye; they confifted chiefly of men and boys, the number of women and girls being B very fmail. The firft fymptom was a kind of drunkeunefs, then the local diforder began in the toes, and thence extended fometimes to the thigh, and the trunk itfelf, even after amputation, which is a good argument again that operation before the gangrene is topped.

it all the affiftance that is poffible, and therefore an account is added of the methods of cure that have been already tried,

At Marpurg the phyficians gave purgatives, and afterwards bitters and fudorifics in great abundance. Others prefcribed acids.

Langius began with an emetic, then gave bitter fudorifics, and for bad vifcid aliments, fat, and new bread.

Anti fpafmodics were used without fuccefs. Epifpaftics produced fome good effect.

In Salonia the pains abated on bleed. ing, and a decoction of vitriol, allum, and common falt, fometimes stopped the mortification at the beginning.

M. Pay, a French furgeon of fome eminence, having a child under his care who was affected with the ganс grene in its leg, he made large incifons quite to the bone (See an account of a late treatife againft imputation, Vol. xxiv, p. 403) and then bored holes in several parts of the thin-bone where intense pain was felt, fo as almoft to feparate the carious part of it, but by degrees, the parts which he had taken away were fupplied by a callous, and new flesh being formed, the cure was com pleated.

In the year 1710, the celebrated Fontanelle describes a cafe in the History of the Academy of Sciences of France, which exactly refembles that of the poor family at Wattifham. A peasant at Blois, who had eaten horned rye D in bread, was feized with a mortification, which firft caufed all the toes of one foot to fall off, then the toes of the other, afterwards the remainder of the feet, and, laftly, it eat off the flesh of both his legs and thighs, leaving the bones bare.

Horned rye is not only hurtful to E man, but to other animals; it has been known to deftroy even the flies that fettled upon it; fheep, dogs, deer, geefe, ducks, fwine, and poultry that were fed with it for experiment, died miferably, fome convulfed, others mortified and ulcerated.

To this account many queries are added as proper objects for medical tudy.

1. What is the cause of rye's becoming horned?

2. How does horned rye produce its deleterious effects?

3. Why does it fometimes produce convulfions, and fometimes mortiñcation? and why is there fometimes a fever and fometimes none?

4. What is the best method for treating the fick? for hitherto no treatment has been fuccessful.

As the last query is incomparably the most important, it is proper to give those who may attempt to refolve

Ergot is French for a cock's fpur, and horned rye was called ergot from the refemblance of its excreffence to that part.

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DrTot, the author of this account, who tranflated the treatife against amputation, mentioned above, into French, propofes the following method

Having occafionally premised bleeding, he would, he fays, vomit the pa tient once or twice with ipecacuanha, purge him with bitter falts, and then give large doles of camphire, elixir of vitriol, and the bark, with a decoction of camomile flowers. He would alfo apply large blifters to the neck and os facrum, and thoroughly scarify the infected parts, which he would cause to be continually fomented with a vinous decoction of the bark.

He obferves that a damp and close air, hog's flesh, and a milk diet, encreafed the power of the disease: And he adds with respect to the blaß, a difeafe of wheat, that it does not only hurt taken inwardly, but that if a perfon walks bare footed in fields where blafted corn is growing, his legs will become ulcerated,

The Hiftory of URIEL ACOSTA, as related by himself.

RIEL ACOSTA, of Jewish extrac

Ution out of Christian parentage, his ancestors having been compelled

A

to profes chriftianity, was born in
the city of Oporto in the kingdom of
Portugal, at the latter end of the 16th
century. His father (he fays) was a
fincere Chriftian, and being a man of
character and fubftance, gave him a
polite and liberal education. He was
inftructed (as is the custom there) in
the principles of the Roman Catholic
religion, about which however he
was foon perplexed with doubts and
difficulties, particularly in regard to
the article of confeflion and abfoluti-
on. He followed at this time (being B
then 22) the study of the law, and
when he was about 25, he obtained an
ecclefiaftical dignity, viz. that of
treasurer in a collegiate church.

D

At length being diffatisfied with the chriftian faith, and knowing that both Jews and Chriftians acknowledged the infpiration of the Old Testament, C whereas the Gospel is believed by Christians only, he carefully applied himself to the study of Mofes and the prophets, and, in short, became (as he tells us) upon conviction a Jerv. This determined him to abandon (if poffible) a country in which he could no longer remain with fafety, nor could he without great danger make his efcape; though at last he did effect it, for after refigning his treasurership and quitting a noble houfe in Oporto of his father's own building, he got undiscovered on board a fhip, together with his mother and brothers, whom he had brought over to his own way of thinking, and arrived safe at Amfterdam. Here he found the Jewish religion fully tolerated, and, as their law requires, was immediately circumcifed.

punishments of the Mofaic law were only temporary, that great law-giver being wholly filent in regard to the immortality of the foul and a future ftate. At this his enemies exulted, hoping by this means to irritate the Chriftians alfo against him, and with this view, before his book was printed, they engaged a certain phyfician to publish a treatise on the immortality of the foul. This was in the year of the world 5383, which answers to that of Chrift 1623. In this work Acofla was greatly villified and abused as being a difciple of Epicurus, though at that time (he fays) he was fuch a ftranger to the tenets of that philofopher, that, judging of them by hearfay only, he had often arraigned them, for which, on better information, he was forry and afhamed. After this, the very children, encouraged by their parents, infulted him publickly in the streets, calling him a Heretic and a Renegade. They even afsaulted him in his houfe by throwing ftones, and used all poffible means to disturb and moleft him. And on his publishing an answer to the above mentioned treatife, in which he denied the foul's immortality, the rulers of 'the lynagogue accufed him to the magiftrates as an enemy not only to Judaism but alfo to Christianity. Upon this he was committed to prison, where he was confined 8 or 10 days, and was then discharged upon bail, after paying a fine of 300 florins and forfeiting all the copies of this work.t

Some time after this, Acofia began to entertain doubts of the authenticity, even of the Mofaic law, and at length (he fays) was perfuaded that that alfo was a fiction. And now thinking it

In a few days however he perceived that the modern Jews had widely de-needlefs to continue any longer an

parted from the customs and ordinances enjoined by Mofes, which occafioned him to remonftrate to the rulers, but in vain; for the least noncompliance he was threatened with excommunication. And as, instead of being intimidated he still perfifted in what he thought his luty, this fentence was thereupon denounced a gainst him with fuch feverity, that, even his brothers, to whom he had been preceptor, when they met him in the street, were afraid to speak to him.

Upon this, Acofta determined to write and publifh his defence; and while he was engaged in this work, he was convinced (he fays) by diligent enquiry, that the rewards and

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exile from fociety, being excommuni'nicated by the Jews, and ignorant even of the language of the other inhabitants, he determined to pay an implicit obedience to the elders, and accordingly, after 15 years separation from them, he returned once more into their communion, retracting all he had faid, and fubfcribing to their decrees.

In a few days, however, Acofta was informed againft by a nephew who

The fame opinion has of late years been Bishop of Gloucefter, in his Divine legation of maintained and fully difcuffed by the prefent Mofes

f This work was entitled An enquiry into the Philofopbical Traditions compared with the written law,

deferved to fuffer a thousand deaths for the crimes I had committed, namely, my "breach of faith which I had fo flagrantly 'violated, that I had even perfuaded o⚫thers not to embrace Judaijm, for whose fatisfaction I was willing to obey their ordinance, and to fubmit to the fentence that had been pronounced against me, promifing never more to relapse into the like fin and wickedness. When I had 'finished, I defcended from the desk, ' and the chief ruler came up to me,

lived with him, concerning his food,
the manner of preparing it, and other
particulars, by which it appeared that
he was o Jew. This occafioned him
fresh uneafinefs. His brothers and
kinfmen (thinking the honour of their
family at stake) were now his bittereft.
enemies, and left no means untried to
diftrefs and ruin him. His coufin-
german, in particular, prevented a A
marriage which (being then a widow-
er) he was on the point of concluding,
and prevailed with his brother to keep
all his fortune in his hands, and to
break off all correfpondence with
him. The Rabbis, also, and populace
perfecuted him ftill more than ever: B
Add to this, that having been con.
fulted by two Chriftians, who came
from London, the one an Italian, the
other a Spaniard, who feemed willing,
on account of their poverty, to profefs
themselves Jews, and having diffuaded
them from it, telling them the yoke
they must undergo, these wretches, for
the fake of lucre, betrayed and in-
formed against him to his dear friends
the Pharifees. For this he was imme-
diately convened before the great
council, where he was told that if he
was a Jew he muft fubmit to their fen-
tence, and, if not, he should be again
excommunicated. The fentence be- D
ing then read, seemed to him so fhame-
ful and fevere, that, commanding his
temper, he calmly replied, That he
could not poflibly fubmit to it.' Im-
mediately excommunication was de-
nounced again him; not contented
with this, themselves, and even their E
children, instigated by them, spit upon
him in the streets; they did not, in-
deed, stone him, because they could
not. This continued for feven years,
during which time he was constantly
perfecuted on one fide by his relations,
and on the other by the populace. If
he was ill, no one came near him; if
he wanted an arbitration none would
undertake it, he must go to law-a te-
dious and an expenfive remedy! At
length being quite harraffed, and even
defperate, Acofta determined to fubmit
to every thing rather than continue
fuch a forlorn and miferable outcaft. G
How his fentence was executed fhall
be related in his own words :

I entered the fynagogue, which was crowded with men and women

as if for a fhow, and in proper time
I walked up to the raised desk in the
middle of it, and there read with a

voice a writing prepared by the
in which I confeffed that !

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and in a whisper bade me step aside 'to one corner of the fynagogue. I obeyed, and the door-keeper ordered 'me to undress myfelf. I ftripped myself naked to the wait, tied a napkin round my head, pulled off my fhoes, and held up my arms, embracing, as it were, one of the pillars, to which the door-keeper then bound my hands. After this, the precentor gave me with a thong nine and thirty lafhes, as by the sentence of the law the number must not ex⚫ceed forty *. While I was fcourged a pfalm was fung. I then fat down on the ground; and the preacher coming up to me abfolved me from my excommunication; and thus the gate of Heaven (fo long fhut) was again opened to me. After this I put on my cloaths, and went to the 'threshold of the fynagogue, where I lay down, the door keeper fupporting my head. Then all who went out, young and old, ftepped over me; that is, lifting up one foot, they trod upon me with the other ; and when all was over, and none remained, I rose up, and being cleanfed from the duft by him who affifted me, went home. Think, O reader, what a fight it was to behold an elderly man, of no mean condition, a man who was naturally modeft, even to a fault, ftripped naked in a public affembly, before women and children as well as men, and there fcourged by the fentence of fuch as were rather abject flaves than judges. Confider how grievous it must be to fall at the feet of my inveterate ene. mies, from whom I had received fo many infults, fo many injuries, and by them to be trampled on. Think that my own brothers, fprung from the fame parents, educated in the fame houfe, had ufed their utmost

Hendeavours to accomplish this, for-
getful of the affection I had always
⚫hewn them, and of the favours
many
I bad-

Deut. xxv. 3. 2 Cor. xI. 24,

yours I had, through life, conferred upon them, for which all my recompence was difgrace, ruin, and outrages, fo bafe, fo heinous, that I am a'fhamed to relate them."

The above narrative is extracted from a Latin treatife called Exemplar Humana Vita, in the latter part of which Acofta arraigns the doctrine of a future ftate and revelation in general. The conclufion of it is as follows:

At one thing, among others, I ' am much furprized, and truly furprifing it is, viz. how the Pharifees dwelling among Chriftians are allowed to enjoy fo much liberty as even to fit in judgment; and indeed I may fay, that if Jefus of Nazareth whom the Christians worship, was now to preach at Amfterdam, and the Pharifees fhould again be difpofed to fcourge him for arraigning their traditions and hypocrify, they might freely do it. This is certainly moft ignominicus, and ought not to 'be fuffered in a free city, which pro* feffes to protect men in the enjoyment of peace and liberty, yet does

By confidering the time when the phyfician's book On the immortality of the Soul, was published, viz. 1623, and the two periods in which Acofta lived in a state of excommunication, we may thence conclude (though not exactly) that his death muft have happened about the year 1645.

An Account of fome felet Papers for im proving Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce. (Continued from p. 87.)

I.

T is proposed to ftab hoved cat

met protect them from the injuries D Itle (See Vol. XXXIV p. 569) with

of the Pharifees; and when a man * has no defender or avenger, it is no 'wonder that he undertakes to defend himself, and to revenge the injuries he has received. Thus you have the true hiftory of my life, and • I have set before you the part I have acted on this moft vain theatre of E the world. Now judge rightly of · me, O ye fons of men, and, without prejudice, freely and truly pronounce my fentence. And if any thing herein contained fhould excite your compaffion, acknowledge and bewail the miseries of mankind, of which you yourselves alfo are partakers. And that nothing may be Iwanting, know, that the name by which I was called when a Christian in Portugal was Gabriel Acofta, and that by the Jews (whofe religion I with I had never professed) with a little alteration, I was called Uriel. The above mentioned treatise, together with a refutation of the doctrinal part, by the celebrated Philip a Limborch, is annexed by him to his Amica collatio cum erudito Judæo, printed at Gouda in 1687, and the account he gives of it, and of its author's tragical end, is as follows:

This treatife feems to have been compofed by Gabriel or Uriel Acofta, a few days before his death, and ́af• ter he had determined to die. For,

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an inftrument called a trocar, used to tap dropical perfons, which, at the fame time it penetrates the belly, introduces a pipe into the wound.

Lambs are fometimes hoved by eating green clover, and are relieved by the fame operation.

II. Grafs lands ought never to lie till they become moffy and hidebound. It is proper to pare and burn the old fwarth, and fow it with oats on one thin ploughing; fow it the fecond year with oats on a deeper ploughing, the third year with beans, and the fourth year with wheat.

As foon as the wheat is got in, plough it as deep as you can: Plough it again in February, and harrow it to as fine a tilth as poffible. In March fet on one half of its own muck which it has yielded from the traw of its four preceding crops. Spread it and plough it in with a thin ploughing, and fow it with barley before old Lady Day.

When the barley begins to fpread, fow hay feeds undreft, or on day or black earth Timothy grafs, called alfo cat-tail-grafs. This grafs will form a fwarth in a few months.

When the land is once more laid down in grafs, let it lie for 10 or 11 years, but if it does not fwarth well, give it a good dreffing of rotten dung.

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III. Arable land fhould never be kept fo long in ploughing as that it will not produce good crops without great expence in tillage and manure.

It should be made a clean fallow, well manured, and laid down to grafs A in a barley crop.

IV. It is an incontroverted maxim, that the natural foil will always precipitate that which is adventitious: "Chalk, therefore, laid upon clay, will subside, and fo will clay laid upon chalk, because the native foil, whichfoever it B be, predominates, and the adventitious is comparatively in a fmall quan. tity. But the fubfided manure may be recovered by ploughing, which will bring it to the furface, and, when there, it will again attract the nitre of the air, and produce as good crops as at first. C

V. The Ancona hemp may be propagated to great advantage in fome of our N. American colonies, as appears by the following experiment:

Mr George Anfen, now a farmer near Shifnal in Shropshire, fowed fome of the feed in his garden at Carolina, D which grew luxuriously to the height of four feet, and yielding feed in valt abundance, it was green all the winter, and early next fpring gave a second crop of feed, and then the ftems died.

VI. If a cold clay be manured with coal-afhes, it will feldom fail to produce red clover; but the ashes should be screened through an iron sieve to get them free from cinders, which will burn again, or if it be thought more eligible to reduce the cinders to afhes, that may be done by throwing a moderate quantity of quick lime upon the heap. White or Dutch clover is F an excellent grafs, and more proper to be fed down with cattle than cut for hay: It is of great advantage to heep, for it is very fine and fweet, and puts out flowers when its talks are fo fhort that the flowers feem to spring out of the ground; it has therefore obtained the name of lamb's fucklings, G and the fociety for encouraging arts,

c. has offered a premium of zol, for Sowing the greateft quantity of it. The hop, or yellow clover, grows on the barreneft fands; it is not apt to fwell or hove the cattle that eat it, and in good ground it will continue very long.

VII. Farmers are advised to use Broad wheel waggons, for the followin reafons: Farmers ufe their carrieto bring manure and other things

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from places at a confiderable distances With a narrow wheel'd carriage they can ufe but four horfes, but eight horfes in a broad wheel'd waggon will draw more than three times the weight that four horfes can draw in a common carriage: A broad wheel'd waggon will go in any quarter road with eafe and steadinefs, where a narrow wheel'd one will be jolted and racked almost to pieces in deep ruts.

VIII. Those who are inclined to cultivate madder, are admonished not to do it but in the richeft and deepest foils that lye low.

IX. The following inftructions concerning Burnet, are given by Mr Roque of Walham Green.

It grows beft on dry lands; it will flourish on ftony and gravelly land, and in ftrong lands, if the water does not fettle upon it.

It will not fucceed in lands newly broken up, which are beft seasoned with potatoes..

If the land is poor it fhould be well manured with any manure before Burnet is fown.

It may be fown in April, May, June, July, or Auguft: It bears feed twice a year.

Work the ground very fine with a harrow, and roll it; when harrowed and rolled, fow 12 pounds of feed to an acre; when fown harrow it with a light harrow; then roll it again.

In about 8 or 9 days it will come up. It must be kept very clean the first year; afterwards it will become fo ftrong that it will choak all other graffes, no drought stints it, no froft killsit.

When the feed is ripe, it sheds Those who intend to fave it should cut it in the morning when the dew is upon it.

Thrafh it the fame or the next day; when thrashed it makes excellent fod der; if part of the feed is left in it, and it be well dried, it will be as good for the horses as oats with hay.

When green it outweighs all pasture graffes.

The first year it fhould be cut but once; the fecond crop should be cut in September.

The feed fown in April, may be mowed the latter end of June, or beginning of July. That fown in June muft be cut but once, and that fown in July not at all.

Those who would fave the feed must feed it till May, otherwile it will be too rank and lodge.

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