They take a poft of about the bignefs of a man's leg, and eight or nine feet long, and make it very fharp at one end. This they lay upon the back of the criminal, and force him to carry it to the place of execution: imitating herein the old Roman custom, of compelling malefactors to bear their crofs. Being arrived at the fatal place, they thruft in the ftake at the fundament of the perfon, who is the miferable fubject of this doom; and then taking him by the legs draw on his body upon it, till the point of the flake appears at his fhoulders. After this they erect the ftake, and faften it in a hole dug in the ground. The criminal fitting in this pofture upon it, remains not only ftill alive, but alfo drinks, fmokes, and talks, as one perfectly fenfible; and thus fome have continued for twenty-four hours. But generally, after the tortured wretch has remained in this deplorable and ignominious pofture an hour or two, one of the flanders-by is permitted to give him a gracious flab to the heart; fo putting an end to his inexpreffible mifery.

[To be continued.]

An Extract from A SURVEY of the WISDOM of GOD in the CREATION.

IN

N order to try whether any fap rofe in winter, he* made various experiments: from all which it appeared, it does rife then alfo, but in fmall quantities. And hence we fee why an ever-green grafted on an oak will remain verdant, when the oak-leaves drop. Perfpiring lefs, it needs lefs nourishment than the oak, and fo is fufficiently fed by the fap that rifes even in winter.

* Di. Hale.

In fummer, when hot fun-fhine follows a fhower, the vines in the middle of a hop-ground, are often all fcorched up, almost from one end of a large ground to the other: at the fame time the vapours afcend plentifully. The fcorching of the vines feems to be caufed by thefe fcorching vapours, which afcend moft in the middle of the ground, the air there being more denfe, and confequently hotter than on the

outfides.

The white clouds likewife which appear in fummer-time, occafion a vehement heat, by reflecting many of the folar rays, which otherwife would not touch the carth. And if the fun be on one fide, and the clouds on the other, they are perfect burning-glaffes.

Sometimes there is a kind of hollow clouds, full of hail or fnow. During the continuance of these the heat is extreme, fince by fuch condensation they reflect more strongly. By thefe likewife thofe blafts may be produced, as well as by the reflection of denfe vapours.

The fun-flower being tender, if the fun rifes clear, faces to the cafl. The fun continuing to fhine, at noon it faces to the fouth, and at fix in the evening to the welt. The cause is, that fide of the ftem which is next the fun, perfpires the most, and thereby fhrinks.

"What degree of heat will plants bear?" The common temperate point in the Thermometer is eighteen degrees. The external heat of a human body, will raise it to fifty-four degrees. Very hot fun-fhine will raise it to eighty-eight. Plants endure a confiderably greater heat than this, near the line, for fome hours a day. But the hanging of the leaves of many of them fhews, they could not long fubfift under it.

The winter heat is from the freezing point to ten degrees; the vernal and autumnal from ten to twenty. The May and June heat is from seventeen to thirty, in which the generality of plants flourish beft. The heat of July is, in the thade, about thirty-eight degrees; in the fun-fhine, at noon about fifty,

The

The heat of a hot-bed, when too hot for plants, is eighty-five or more: and near this is the heat of the blood in high fevers. The dew heat of a hot-bed is fifty-fix degrees; and the fame heat hatches eggs.

A continual fteam is afcending during the fummer: the funbeams giving the moisture of the earth, at two feet depth, a brifk, undulating motion, which rarefied by heat, afcends in the form of vapours. And the vigour of warm and confined vapour (fuch as is that which is two or three feet deep in the earth) must be great, and penetrate the roots with fome vigour; as we may reasonably fuppofe, from the vaft force of confined vapour in the engine for raising water by fire.

Though vegetables have not, like animals, an engine, which by its alternate dilatations and contractions, drives their juices through them, yet has nature contrived other means, powerfully to raise the fap and keep it in motion. And their roots are covered with a very fine thick ftrainer, that nothing may enter but what can be readily carried off by perfpiration.

That there is a lateral communication of the fap-veffels in plants, as of the blood-vessels in animals, plainly appears from the experiment of inarching trees. For when three wall-trees thus incorporated, the root of the middlemoft may be dug up, and the tree will grow ftill, as receiving nourishment from the trees with which it is connected. And hence elders, willows, vines and moft fhrubs, will grow with their tops downward in the earth. For the fame reafon, if you frequently, in an evening, wash the bodies of new-planted trees, they will grow quicker and better than any others of the fame plantation.

[To be continued.].

An EXTRACT from THREE DIALOGUES.

DIALOGUE

[Continuea from page 92.]

II.

Calliftus. AFTER much perfuafion, I prevailed at last upon

them to go to town for a month only, and try

whether it would be agreeable to them or not. It was concluded that I fhould fet out before them. In this interval I had time to confider cooly what I had done, and what I had to do. I had conceived the moft violent paffion for the sweet, innocent Melinda; and the question was in what manner it was to be gratified. She was by nature of a foft, tender difpofition, formed for love. I had engaged her gratitude, and I did not doubt infpiring her with an equal paffion:—but what then?-I knew her rooted piety too well, not to be certain that there were only three poffible ways of gaining the poffeffion of her, -the legal,-forcible,—or fraudulent. My pride and vanity farted at the thoughts of the firft; the fecond I never in my life could think of; and the last my honour blushed at: not to mention the ftruggles of my confcience.-Now might I too have had my Urania; but thofe haughty idols to whom I facrificed all my first principles of religion, frowned, and I dared not difobey them. My generofity, my honour, my paft kindneffes, and my love, pleaded on behalf of the innocent victim. -Now, I was again racked with contending paffions.-Had it not been for my vanity, I fhould at once have reconciled my honour with my love, and married the amiable Melinda. -What if I only feem to marry her? That, if it can be rightly managed, will fatisfy her as well: fhe fhall live still

with her mother; and then the confiraints we muft fubmit to, in order to fave appearances, will preferve all the ardour of an

amour.

amour. I fhall love her for ever, without any fatal confequences. Here I fixed-the expedient ferved to deceive myfelf; and now all my thoughts were turned upon the

execution.

Think that the ladies are now fettled in their new habitation; a fmall houfe in the fkirts of the town, with one maid-fervant and a boy, the utmoft I could prevail on them to accept. They live as much, if not more retired, than they did in the country. I am their only companion, and therefore I exert all my powers to be as pleafing as poffible. I fpend feveral hours there almost every day. I fupply them with books, and often read to them my felf. But, to facilitate my grand fcheme, I foon introduced a new acquaintance. Melinda, was extremely delighted with mufic. From hence I took my hint. I had a young man in my fervice who had been a chorifter at Oxford; he had fprightly parts, an agreeable voice, and fome skill upon the harpfichord.-Poor wretch! where art thou now? Would I recal thee, not only to thy native country, but to thy native innocence! But it is I that muft anfwer for thy fins! O Sophronius, my good friend, would you could meet with him, and reclaim him! He has fenfe, and therefore may reform; and I believe had no bad nature, till my example led him aftray. After the fad event I am foon to relate, I could not bear the fight of him, and therefore fent him with a friend abroad, with a promise never to forget him, when he wanted my affiftance. I have remembered him in my will, that poverty might not tempt him to more wickedness. You will fee him upon this account; and would to God your goodness may have the effect, which I doubt not it will aim at, for my fake, as well as his.

[To be continued.]

of