1776. To the Ladies-The Danger of their Head-Drefs. 371 discover my prefumption and expofe my weakness in a moft confpicuous point of view. How impertinent would it be, even to attempt to admonih you, who poffefs the graces, the charms and beauty of the divinities! I am pleafed with the loftiness of your coiffure; methinks it is emblematical of your fenfibility and noble nefs of foul; although ill-natured people fay, that fo much exterior fhew upon the head, is contrived only to hide the deformity within. I deny this pofition, as groundless and falte. Let us for a moment confider the reigning taste of a lady's education. Is the not early initiated into the manners, principles and genius of the times? and can hiftory point out more modeft? She ftudies what is most useful for an accomplished woman to know; fpeaks with a sweet infantine lifp; moves gracefully in the dance; penetrates into the refined elements of diffimulation and drefs, and, with a generous contempt, looks down on honeft fimplicity; which is confined to dull earth, utterly unable to rife above the low delights of domestic duties. It is in the service of fo much excellence my pen is now employed, not to fatirize, but to exhibit the danger that attends the fashionable coiffure. At this time of the year, the air is full of electrical vapour, which is continually attracted by the points of pins, or any thing of a metallie quality. Thus teaches philofophy: and experience fhews that there is nothing which renders the fituation of the ladies more dangerous in a storm of thunder and lightening than the present fashionable head drefs. A real fact will prove the truth of what is above advanced. It was the custom a few years ago, for the Italian ladies to wear their head drefs very lofty, and the falfe part of their hair faftened on with iron wire or pins, this metal is attractive; that is, it has the power to invite or draw the lightening to it. There happened one day, In the year 177% at Rome, a moft terrible ftorm of thunder and lightening; a lady was ftanding at a window, a flash burft over the house, the iron pins in her bair attracted it on her head and fet her wig on fire; at the fame time the received a violent fhock, but fuffered no other harm than the lofs of her curls. She would moft certainly have been killed, had the not been near a leaden pipe which conveyed the rain from the building. Lead as well as water will convey electrical effluvia. The lightening flew from the pins in her hair to the pipe, and was by that means carried into the earth; this circumftance, no doubt, saved the lady's life. I mention this accident with a defign to be ferviceable, and if the ladies are determined to practife the prefent mode, I humbly advise that each, for her own fafety, may have a conductor to her head. The expence will be trifling. A TONSURE. To the EDITOR of the LONDON MAGAZINE. SIR, IN your last you gave an essay on the late eminent profeffor Ward of Gretham college his opinion inclined to fix the use of them prior to the giving the law on mount Sinai; but the ingenious Mr. Bryant, in his "new fyftem of ancient mythology," thinks that there was no writing antecedent to that period. Doubtless your readers will be pleafed to fee the arguments used by both fides, on fo in terefting a fubject. Mr. Bryant obferves, "that according to Berofus, both Oannes and 372 Obfervations on the early Ufe of writing. people of the first ages had been poffeffed of fo valuable a fecret, as that of writing; they would never have afterwards defcended to means lefs perfect for the explanation of their ideas. And it is to be obferved, that the invention of hieroglyphics was certainly a discovery of the Chaldeans; and made use of in the firft ages by the Egyptians; the very nations, who are fuppofed to have been poffeffed of the fuperior and more perfect art. They might retain the former, when they became poffeffed of the latter; because their ancient records were entrufted to hieroglyphics; but, had they been poffeffed of letters originally, they would never have devia ted into the use of fymbols; at least, for things which were to be published to the world, and which were to be commemorated for ages. Of their hieroglyphics we have famples without end in Egypt; both on obelisks, and in their fyringes; as alfo upon their portals, and other buildings. Every mummy almoft abounds with them. How comes it, if they had writing fo early, that scarcely one fpecimen is come down to us; but that every example fhould be in the leaft perfect character? For my part, I believe that there was no writing antecedent to the law at mount Sinai. Here the divine art was promulgated; of which other nations partook the Tyrians and Sidonians first, as they were the nearest to the fountain-head. And when this discovery became more known, even then I imagine, that its progrefs was very flow that in many countries, whither it was carried, it was but partially received, and made ufe of to no purpose of confequence. The Romans carried their pretendons to letters pretty high; and the Helladian Greeks ftill higher; yet the former marked their years by a nail driven into a poft and the utmost effort of Grecian literature for fome ages was fimply to write down the names of the Olympic victors from Corcbus; and to regifter the priesteffes of Argos. Why letters, when introduced, were fo partially received, and employed to fo little purpofe, a twofold reafon may be given. First, the want of antecedent writings, to encourage people to proceed in the fame track. Where fcience is introduced together : July with letters, the latter are more generally received, and more abundantly ufed. For the practice of writing, or, in other words, compofing, depends upon previous reading, and example. But the Cadmians, who brought letters to Greece, brought those elements only: and those much later, I believe, than is generally imagined. Nor had the Helladians any tendency to learning, till they were awakened by the Afiatic Greeks, and the islanders, who had been fooner initiated in fcience. They had made a great progrefs; while their brethren in the weft were involved in darkness. And this early knowledge was not owing to any fuperiority of parts, but to their acquaintance with the people of the Eaft, and with the writings of thofe countries; by which they were benefited greatly. Compofition depends upon fcience; it was introduced in Hellas together with philofophy. Anaxagoras of Clazomene brought the learning of the Ionic fchool to Athens: he was fucceeded by Archelaus, of whom Socrates was a follower. Writing, I am fenfible, was antecedent: but at this time it became general. About this period, Theognis, fchylus, and Pindar fhone forth in poetry; and the ancient comedy was first exhibited. After which, wonderful fpecimens of genius were in every kind difplayed. "Another reafon for this deficiency feems to have been the want of fuch materials as are neceffary for expeditious and free writing. The rind and leaves of trees, and shells from the feas, can lend but fmall affiftance towards literature; and ftones and flabs are not calculated to promote it much further. Yet these seem to have been the beft means, that they could in early times procure, to mark down their thoughts or commemorate an event. The Chaldeans and Babylorians are greatly celebrated for their wisdom and learning: and they were undoubtedly a moft wonderful people; and had certainly all the learning that could arife from hieroglyphical reprefentations. They had, I make no doubt, the knowledge of lines, by which geometrical problems must be illuftrated: and they had the ufe of figures for numeration: but I imagine, that they were without letters for ages. Epigenes having this knowledge: at which time they were ingenious, and wife above the rest of the fons of men; but had no pretenfions to literature properly fo called. For, I cannot help forming a judgement of the learning of a people from the materials with which it is expedited, and carried on, And I fhould think that literature must have been very scanty, or none at all, where the means abovementioned were applied to. For it is impoffible for people to receive any great benefit from letters, where they are obliged to go to a fhard or an † oyster thell, for information; and where knowledge is configned to a pantile. As to the high antiquity affigned to letters by Pliny; it is impoflible to give any credence to that author, who from 720 years infers eternity, and fpeaks of those terms as fynonymous." Epigenés faid that the Babylonians, who were great obfervers of the heavens, had accounts of thofe obferva, tions for feven hundred and twenty years, written upon plinths baked in the fun. * Epigenes apud Babylonios 720 annorum obfervationes fiderum colilibus laterculis infcriptas docet gravis auctor in primis. Qui minimum, Berofus et Critodemus, 490 annorum. Ex quo apparet æternus literarum ufus. I can fee no proot from hence of the eternity of letters, for which Pliny contends: nor, indeed, do I believe, that letters exifted among them at the time of which he speaks. For if they had been fo fortunate as to have had for a long time thefe elements, they were too ingenious a people not to have used them to better purpose. The Babylonians had writing among them fooner than most nations of the earth but the years taken notice of by Epigenes were antecedent to their Plinii Hift. Nat. lib. 7. p. 413. bers, and make the fums 1720 and 1490. + Ofracifmus, Petalifmus, Liber, Folium, Tabella, Latercula. ting upon leaves and fhells, came the terms Petalifmus and Ofracifmus among the Greeks: from the bark of trees came Libri of the Latins.' Some prefix M. or Mille to the other num For the LONDON MAGAZIN E. From wri Some Thoughts addressed to Soame Jenyns, Efq. on his View of the internal Evi» dence of the Chrifiian Religion. SIR, AM one among those who are glad are IAM one teds, when yourdy, Chriftianity has taught man the unity and attributes of the Supreme Being." ted the one Lord. Indeed you own And altho' you speak of a trinity, yet you have confefied it can be no object of faith, fince "if taken in the extenfive fenfe of an affent to the evidence of things not feen, it comprehends the existence of a God and a future ftate, and is therefore not only itself a moral virtue, but the fource from whence all others must proceed; for on the belief of thefe all religion and morality muft entirely depend." But as the trinity cannot be an object of faith, by your own definition, you have been tempted to lay down this very extraordinary propofition, "had this revelation been lefs incomprehenfible, it would certainly have been more incredible." Which is furely to acknowledge the trinity to be among the |