◄ Mosheim himself, who began this accufation of Origen, produces no authority, in his Differtations, for his affertion. He only fays that he cannot reconcile the fact that Origen mentions, with his feeming unwillingness to allow the Ebionites to be Chriftians. But this is eafily accounted for, from the attachment which he himself had to the doctrine of the divinity of Chrift, which they denied ; and from their holding no communion with other Christians. All the appearance of authority that I can find in any ancient writer, of the Jewish Chriftians deferting the law of their ancestors, is in Sulpicius Severus, to whom I am referred by Mofheim in his history. But where, Sir, in this hiftorian, do you find, any promise of immunities to the Jewish Chriftians, if they would forfake the law of their fathers? On the contrary, the hiftorian fays, that the object of Adrian was to overturn Christianity, and that the Jews were banished because the Chriftians then were chiefly of that nation. According to this account, all the Jews, Chriftians as well as others, were driven out of Jerufalem; and nothing is faid of any of them forfaking the law of Mofes; and your affertion of their having been gradually prepared for it, by having before this time obferved their law more from habit than from confcience, is unfupported by any authority or probability. Eufebius mentions the expulfion of the Jews from Jerufalem, but fays not a word of any of the Chriftians there abandoning circumcifion, and their other ceremonies on that occafion. Indeed, fuch a thing was in the highest degree improbable.' Thus ends this church of orthodox Jewish Chriftians at Jerufalem, planted by Mofheim, and pretty well watered by the Archdeacon of St. Albans; from which you have derived fuch great advantage to your argument.' I cannot help, in this place, taking fome farther notice of what you fay with refpect to the charge of a wilful falfhood on Origen. "Time was," you fay," when the practice" (viz. of ufing unjustifiable means to ferve a good end) "was openly avowed, "and Origen himself was among its defenders." This, Sir, as is ufual with you, is much too ftrongly stated, and as you mention no authorities, you might think to escape detection. I believe, indeed, you went no farther than Mofheim for it. Jerom, in his epistle to Pammachius, Opera, vol. I. p. 496. fays, that Origen adopted the Platonic doctrine (and you, Sir, are an admirer of Plato) of the fubferviency of truth to utility, as with respect to deceiving enemies, &c. as Mr. Hume and other fpeculative moralifts have done; confidering the foundation of all focial virtue to be the public good. But, Sir, it by no means follows from this, that fuch perfons will ever indulge themfelves in any greater violations of truth than those who hold other fpeculative opinions concerning the foundation of morals. 66 Jerom was far from faying as you do, that "he reduced his theory to practice." He mentions no inftance whatever of his having recourfe to it, and is far, indeed, from vindicating you in afferting, that the art which he recommended he fcrupled not to employ; and that, toj filence an adverfary, he had recourfe 66 66 to "to the wilful and deliberate allegation of a notorious falfhood." Here, Sir, is much more in the conclufion than the premifes will warrant. Many perfons hold fpeculative principles, which their adverfaries think muft neceffarily lead to immorality; but thofe who hold them fhould be heard on the fubject; and the conclufion will notbe juft, unlefs they themselves connect immoral practices with their principles. I find, Sir, that the characters of the dead are no fafer in your hands than thofe of the living. I am unwilling to fay a harsh thing, and I wish to avoid it the more, left I fhould be thought to return railing for railing but really, unless you can make a better apology for yourself, than I am able to fuggeft, you will be confidered by impartial perfons, as a falfifier of history, and a defamer of the character of the dead, in order to ferve your purpose.' (To be concluded in our next.) FOREIGN LITERATURE. ART XV. Guftavi Orrai, M. D. Defcriptio Peftis, &c. A Defcription of the Plague which raged at Jaffe in 1770, and in Mofcow in 1781. By Dr. Orræus. 4to. Petersburgh, 1784. N1 [Concluded.] EXT follow the confectaria, or theory, which will at leaft not be unpleafing to the lovers of novelty. 1. Many phænomena and fymptoms, confidered and compared, feem to fhew that the plague is fcarce to be regarded as an highly putrid difeafe; and that the effects, which the peftilential miasma produces, are not to be deduced from an alcaline acrimony. The author feems, fuccefsful in establishing both these propofitions. "If," fays he, "the miafma were of a putrid nature, it ought to produce correfpondent effects, and fhew evident marks of the prefence of putrefaction, which was neither obferved with refpect to the dead nor the living. For neither the breath, perfpiration, ulcers, or excrements, of the infected, had any fingular foetor or putridity; on the contrary, the fweat had an acid odour. It is certain, that one or two perfons confined with fcorbutic ulcers, or gangrene in the hofpital, tainted the air much worfe than fifteen or twenty infected, who were in the fame ward. The fubftance of buboes and carbuncles had no putridity, after having been cut out.-Wounds and ulcers dry up on the first attack, and lofe all their foetor.-The decline of the plague in the heighth of fummer-the fudden convalefcence of the fick-the benefit derived from bodily exercife-the numbers who retained the perfect ufe of their reason and fenfes almoft to the laft gafp-are the chief of the remaining arguments deduced from the fymptoms, and urged against the putrid nature of the miafma. The The dead bodies furnish him with others: In the 20th obfervation it is already mentioned, that they did by no. means rapidly run into putrefaction; and he now further obferves, that at Mofcow, in the beginning of the plague, many corpfes not being buried deep, nor covered with much mould, they were laid bare by the rain. In confequence of which they were covered again at the public expence; and it was remarked with fome furprize, how flowly they putrified. After the ceffation of the plague, upon examining the infected and fufpected houses, about one thousand bodies were found fecretly buried in the courts, gardens, and under the very floors; many of them had probably lain fince the first onfet, during a pretty hot fummer and autumn; and notwith-> Itanding, they were either entire, or not totally corrupted. 2. Although therefore it be impoffible exactly to afcertain to what clafs of acrimony the miafma fhould be referred, yet it would feem to come nearer the rancid than any other with which we are acquainted, as appears from the acid nature of fat, whether fresh or not, the evident signs of rancidity in the plague, &c. 3. Fat therefore and the oily fluids are the true, and probably the only fomites of the true peftilent miafma; and its feat seems to be in the fkin and. fubjacen adipofe membrane. For if it be by any means repelled towards the deep-feated cellular texture, or be at firft lodged there, nature always uses the utmost efforts to expel it to the fuperficial cellular texture. 4. The combination of the peftilential miafina with the fatty and oily fubftances, occafions an inanimation or total ceffation of their circulation; of which a deliquefcence is the confequence; and they afterwards become acrid, and emit very fubtle vapours. 5. The miafma attacks, 1. the fat of the fkin; 2. that of the mediaftinum; 3. of the omentum; and 4. of the remaining adipofe membrane. We must do the author the juftice to obferve, that he says infinitely more in fupport of this doctrine, than we could ever have expected before hand; but as the reader will easily fuppofe, he has by no means brought conviction upon our minds. 6. The unequal effects of the misama must be attributed to a variation in its power at different times, the diverfity of conftitution, &c. 7. It is probable, that the miafma does not adhere only to infected matters, but that it is diffused in a more or less diluted ftate through the atmosphere, B b 8. The 1 8. The petechial fevers at the commencement, various morbid affections during the prevalence, and the malignant fevers after the ceffation of the plague, though they differ from it in fome refpects, feem a-kin to it, and to derive their origin from the miafma, much diluted, and rendered in fome measure inert. 9. But the phænomena occurring during the period of infection, are to be deduced from the efficacy of the miafma, and manifeftly indicate its depofition on the fkin or fubjacent fat, together with the exhaling unguent, a difordered ftate of the perfpiration, a ceffion of the action of the ftomach and inteftines, a lentor of the fluids, and a gradual relaxation of the whole cellular tiffue. 10. To remove this obftruction of the perfpirable matter, while it is yet mobile, it is requifite to propel the fluids moderately to the furface, and to restore the ftrength of the ftomach. 11. The fymptoms attending the flow type, point out a derivation of the perfpirable matter, tainted with the miafma towards the deep-feated cellular texture, an infraction of it, and laftly, a colliquation of the fluids. 12. Therefore remedies preventing this. derivation, attenuates, and tonics are indicated. 13. The acute differs from the flow type, as the burning fever differs from the petechial. The violence of fymptoms and fhortness of period, indicate greater virulence in the miafma, and more copious accumulations of the peccant matter, which is now alfo more mobile in the cellular tissue, efpecially the deep-feated. 14. At the onfet of the acute type, the tone of the celIular tiffuc, and the mobility of the peccant matter, render a perfect evacuation by fweat, refolution of buboes, and running of a purulent matter from the penis, poffible. But at a more advanced period, when it has ftruck a deeper root into the adipofe membrane, vomits, attenuants, tonics, together with external applications, will be neceffary to bring about the fuppuration of the carbuncles and buboes. 15. The irregular and violent fymptoms of the very acute type, fhew a fudden relaxation of the internal cellular tiffue, and altumultuary derivation of humours towards the nobler vifcera. 16. Remedies therefore capable of freeing the ftomach from its load, reftoring its tone, and throwing out the peccant matter towards the external cellular tiffue, are proper 17. The fuppuration of buboes and carbuncles, feems to produce its happy effects by feparating the dead and indurated parts, from the living, and thofe only obstructed, by occa occafioning a collection of the peftilential matter, its transformation into pus, and evacuation; and hence by restoring the vital powers of the whole cellular texture. 18. The noxious effects of blood-letting and purging, are to be ascribed to the derivation of the peftilential matter, from the external to the internal cellular substance. 19. The choice of diet is of great importance in preventing and curing the plague: the rule is, to avoid fubftances capable of exciting fermentation and acidity in the prima via, and to employ nutritive and eafily digeftible substances, complete acids, and corroborants. 20. The diftemper of horned cattle having a strong resemblance with the plague, faline and aftringent remedies feem equally proper in it. MONTHLY CATALOGUE. MISCELLANEOUS. Art. 16. Pictures from Natures. In 12 Sonnets. To which is added, the Lock transformed. London, C. Dilly. 4to. Is. 6d. 1785. A FEW obfervations on fonnet-writing, precede these poems in which the author obferves, that the minute delineation of objects feems to be the province of that fpecies of poetry. He remarks too, that it is more peculiarly adapted to the beautiful, by difplaying the various pleafing characteristics of a fingle object. With regard to the productions now before the public, he adds, that every leading image or fentiment were derived from real incident or actual obfervation.' The following fonnet may be given as no unfavourable fpecimen of the work: 'Tho' now pale Eve with many a crimson streak, And tho' blue fteams emerging from the lake And feems to breathe a cherub-like repofe ! |