nomena, as to deliver Lectures upon them, in the elegance of the Roman language, hitherto thought the province of men t

But fince your humility will not let you take upon you the office of teachers, your judgment directs you to do the next kind things, to hear, and to approve.

Your patience therefore is humbly defired in one, with hopes of obtaining favour in the other.

THUS much was faid upon the occafion of reading the Lectures in manufcript, one of which many Ladies attended, having carnestly requefted to be admitted, and were thofe of rank and judgment; and who were pleafed to express their approbation of the information they received.

The Inquirer is of opinion, that he said no more in this Addrefs than what, was civil and juft; but in as much as he has been called upon, either to retract or defend his fentiments of the Ladies in the circumftance of Literature; he chufes rather to defend his opinion than to give. up the honour of any part of the human race, and in reality the great intereft of the whole.

The foundation of his opinion, that Women fhould be taught, and made in a better degree acquainted with Arts, and Sciences than is cuftomary, fhall be expreffed in few words. It is plain that Women have the management of the male part of the fpecies as well as the female, for the few years of the beginning of life: It is well known that the impreffions made upon the human mind, even in the first years, are of confiderable importance to the welfare of the human race: It is alfo well known that by the death of husbands, Women often get the government

of

+ This Lady has taken a Doctor's degree in the univerfity, and is called Doctor Teresa : She is married and is a mother of children. To this may be added an account lately fent from Stockholm. The Countefs Senatrix of Ekeblad, was declared a member of the Royal Society, for the encouragement of Arts and Sciences, in confideration of the many valuable experiments, that Lady has made in the art of Oeconomy.The Prince has granted her his royal patent for the publication of thofe experiments. To thefe accounts may be added a more recent fact. By a letter from Milan we are informed, that Madam Catane Agnefi, native of that city, celebrated for her profound learning and knowledge. in feveral Arts and Sciences, particularly in the Mathematics, had been fome time fince named to fill a vacant Profefforfhip. This Lady has fince wrote to the Pope, to thank bim for the honour he has done her, for having made choice of her to fill that place; to which his Holiness answered: That this was not only an honour to her, but much more to the University, which has the glory to poffefs a Lady, who by her profound learning furpaffes all thofe of her time.'

of large families of children, and that the opinion of the Mother muft in a great measure determine their course of Education. To ask, after being thoroughly fenfible of these things, whether it is proper to give more knowledge to the Female part of human fociety? is to afk a qucftion too idle for a studied answer: But it may be afked in return, whether Solomon's description of a good Woman be a mere religious Ens Rationis, or a defcription of what may and fhould often come to pafs? be the latter, it will not be eafy to reconcile all that skill of manufactures and prudence of behaviour, with the opinion of those perfons to whom this Reply is addreft." Who can find a virtuous Woman for her price is far above RUBIES. The heart of her Husband "doth fafely truft her, fo that he fhall have no need of fpoyl. She "will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She fecketh "wool and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like "the merchants fhips, fhe bringeth her food from afar. She rifeth "alfo while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her houfhold, and a "portion to her maidens. She confidereth a field and buycth it: with "the fruit of her hands fhe planteth, a vineyard. She giveth her loyns. "with ftrength and ftrengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her " merchandize is good; her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth "her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the diftaff. She stretch"eth out her hand to the poor, yea fhe reacheth forth her hand to the needy. She is not afraid of the fnow for her houfhold for all her "houfhold are clothed with fearlet. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry, her clothing is filk and purple. Her husband is known in "the gates (a), when he fitteth with the elders of the land. She ma"keth fine linen and felleth it, and delivereth girdles unto the mer"chant. Strength and honour are her clothing, and fhe fhall rejoyce "in time to come. SHE OPENETH HER MOUTH WITH WISDOM, AND IN HER TONGUE IS THE LAW OF KINDNESS. She looketh "well to the ways of her houfhold, and eateth not the bread of idle"ness. Her children arise up and call her blessed; her husband also and

66

(a) The Courts of judicature were held in the Gates of cities: the making and execution of Laws with judgment and integrity, is the most honourable office in a civil ftate ;; and the approbation of conduct upon a fair fcrutiny before upright Judges is the highest praise.

" and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, and thou "excelleft them all. Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain; but a "Woman that feareth the Lord, the shall be praised. Give her of the "fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates.'

This charming character is founded upon a great degree of useful knowledge; and if the fubject of the following Lecture be not expreft in it, perhaps it is not excluded from it. Although Solomon does not recommend the study of this part of Natural Philofophy, concerning GEMS, to Women; yet he chufes them as precious parts of Natural Productions, to which to compare a valuable Woman; Her price is far

above RUBIES.

There is no occafion to dispute critically here, which of the Gems he really means: For it is not any one kind of Gem, but a substitution of a lefs for a more general kind; and the meaning is all kinds of Gems held in eftimation by mankind: If they were not worth the contemplation of Women, they would not be worth a choice in Solomon's judgment upon which to found a comparison in fo extraordinary a case; efpecially fince God alfo made choice of them for civil and religious purposes.

LECTURE

LECTURE VI

T

HE indifpofition to believe things creditable of Ireland fhall be a fufficient reafon for caution, in all that shall be laid before the Reader, in regard to GEMS: And previous to every thing upon this fubject, the Inquirer declares honeftly, that the fpecimens which he fhall hereafter mention, were not brought to the capital of this kingdom upon any opinion of their being valuable in any other refpect, than that of flints and pebbles (a); except the Crystals, whose natural tranf

parency,

(a) A late writer's remark upon thofe who have hitherto treated this fubject, fhall be a reafon for caution not to borrow any thing without an acknowledgment.

"The Lithologists are, indeed, of all Authors, the greatest Plagiaries: Every one who "has read them, will find that reading one of them is much the fame thing with reading "them all; and that, in a fubject where perfonal discoveries went but a little way, they • have all adopted not only one another's fentiments and opinions, but their words and "fentences; Examples for which, even for whole pages together, are but too frequent "with many of them; and that without the leaft hint at the name of the Author, or "that they were from any where else. Hill his General Natural Hiftory, page 500.

What follows from the Scriptures and the Bifhop of Ely, is to fhew, that Gems have been in high estimation, and that God himfelf highly regarded this part of his own workmanship, confecrating them to religious purposes; and alfo, that it is extremely difficult to determine what Natural Appearances belong to the ancient names. Concerning the precious ftones mentioned in the title page of this Lecture, Fagius writes, Eft tanta etiam de nominibus iftorum lapidum apud omnes interpretes cum noftros "tum Hebræos difcrepantia ut nemo fere quid certi ftatuere poteft." Crit. Sacri.

The Septuagint verofin, according to the Alexandrian manufcript, gives the Greek names of there ftones, as follows, Σάρδιον και τοπάζιον, και σμάραγδος, ὁ εἶχε ὁ εἷς. Καὶ ὅ ειχα 。 ὁ δεύτερο, ἄνθραξ καὶ σάπφειρος καὶ ἴασπις. Καὶ ὁ είχαν ὁ τρίτος, λιγύριον καὶ ἀκάτης και αμέθυσΘ. Καὶ ὁ τιχῶν ὁ τέταρτο, χρυσόλιθοι καὶ βερύλλιον καὶ ὀνύχιον. The

parency, figure and beauty inclined him to think favourably of them, that the improvement of Art would render them more eftimable. Seve

The Hebrew text with Montanus his tranflation is as follows,

ral

The first row fhall be a Sardius, &c.]. There is fo little certainty what thefe ftones were, that nothing can be affirmed about them; as appears by the vast variety of interpretations, that have been made of them, by writers both old and new: The first of them is called Cdem in the Hebrew, which fome take to be a Ruby, having no other reason for it, but because it fignifies red. Others take it for an Adamant; which may feem to be derived from Odem, as a Jafpri is from Jafphe. And there are feveral other conjectures, but none fo probable as that of our Tranflators, who call it a Sardius, or Sardine ftone, as they render it, (iv. Rev. 3.) which is of a red flaming colour, as Braunius hath demonftrated from feveral Authors (Lib. 11. de veft. facr. Hebr. c. 8. n. 8.). But as fome defcribe it, with a caft of yellow in it like that of fresh oyl. And it is not improbable that this ftone had the name of Sardius from the Hebrew word Sered, which fignifies red, xliv Ifa. 13. as Kimchi there interprets it. And thence the divine majefty is faid› to look like a Sardine ftone (in the place above named) becaufe he appeared in great an-. ger. So an ancient writer, Διὰ τὸ φοβερὸν θεῦ, πυροειδὶς γὰρ τὸ σάρδιον.

.

A Topaz.] The second stone in this row, is in Hebrew called Pitdah, which we truly tranflate a Topaz which was a ftone of a green colour, not a yellow, as we now com monly understand it. So Pliny and others, as the fame Braunius fhews, L. 11. c. 9. where he fancies that the word Topafion, by an eafy change of letters, was made out of Pitdah for the Syriack interpreter xxi Rev. 20. calls this ftone Topadion; in which there are the fame letters that are in Pitdah: but however this be, it appears from xxviii Job 19. that this is the right tranflation of the word; for there it is Pitdah Cufh, the moft excellent Topáz ftones, being found in an ifland belonging to Arabia, called thence by the name of Topazion.

And a Carbuncle.] So we tranflate the third ftone of the first row (which in Hebrew is called Bareketh) following perhaps Abarbinel. But the greatest part of interpreters take. it for the Smaragdus: which good authors defcribe as the most radiant of all other ftones; and therefore called perhaps Bareketh, from its extraordinary fplendor. For Barak, eve

ry