Three different Characters for fome Vowels? Why a Mute Scheva, a foft Daghes, a Raphe, &c. and that Multitude of Accents, which, abating Two or Three, are only proper to fpoil the Eyes, and confound the Print? Is there any Neceffity to change the Pronunciation of the Words upon fo many Occafions? Is it not an old Complaint, That the Jews have filled their Grammars with Trifles, as well as their Theology? Those who blame them for that Fault, ought carefully to avoid it.

The Jewish Grammar is only proper to spoil a Man, to make him Superficial, and well pleased with Trifles. Any one may be convinced of it, by the Method of the Jews in teaching their Grammar. A trifling Nicety puzzles them: They difpute about an Accent, Half a Point, the Pronunciation of a Word, and many infignificant Things. Several Chriftians, skilled in Hebrew, are unhappily affected with the fame Diftemper, and acted by the fame Spirit. They are not ashamed to make long and frequent Digref fions about Grammatical Trifles. Which proceeds from the wrong Way of teaching that Grammar, whereby a Beginner is apt to look upon those Trifles as things of great Moment.

The Grammar of the Mafforets is tedious and difficult, and makes one lofe a great deal of Time. Moft of thofe, who have applied themselves to the Hebrew Tongue, muft needs own it. What Progrefs have they made in that Language after a long Study? Nay, how ftrangely perplexed are thofe, who understand it beft, when they are put upon reading a Bible that is not pointed, and have not yet acquired the great Art of Gueffing? Don't we fee, that most of our Divines, tho' highly concerned to learn Hebrew, never went about it, being difcouraged by the Difficulties attending the very Beginning of the common Methods?

On the contrary, The new Grammar is fhort, easy, free from needlefs Obfervations, favourable to the Ancient Verfions, in a Word, fuch as the moft Learned Criticks defired is fhould be.

I fay, it is fhort, eafy, and free from all needlefs Obfervations; which is fo evident, that it were almost needless to prove it. The Difficulties of the common Method proceed from the Vowels, and their Concomitants; and therefore when the Vowels are left out, all the Difficulties muft needs vanifh away. Which agrees with Cappel's Obfervation, in the Paffage I have quoted out of that Author. Si confonarum duntaxat in legendo habenda eft ratio, quidquid ad pun&tationem & punctorum mutationem Spectat, illud totum una litura effet delendum, atque ita longe maxima Grammatica pars abolenda foret. I add, That the new Method is favourable to the An cient Verfions. The Criticks know, that the Pointing of the Mafforets is generally the Reason, why the Septuagint and the Vulgar Bible do not feem to agree with the Hebrew Text. Let that Pointing be laid afide; and it will appear, that the Hebrew Text agrees with the Vulgar and the Septuagint, much better than 'tis commonly thought.

The new Method is of general Ufe to learn the Ancient Languages, fuch as the Chaldaick, Syriack, and Samaritan. Thofe Languages have been difufed for a long Time, and because they were formerly written without Points, and almoft without Vowels, like the Hebrew, the fame Reasons, that fhew the Usefulness of the new Method for the Hebrew Tongue, prove alfo the Usefulness of the fame Method for the other Languages. Perhaps, in order to prove it. I fhall publifh, in a fhort Time, new Grammars of those Oriental Languages according to the new Method.

Laftly, That Method is fuch as the moft Learned Criticks defired it should be. I need not repeat what Cappel fays about it. I fhall only obferve upon this Occafion, That one may very well wonder, that Great Man fhould have fo clearly mentioned the new Method, without making the Difcovery, or affirming the Poffibility of it. Which is a new Proof of what every Body knows, that Discoveries depend very much upon good Luck, and that the

L 3

finest

fineft and the most useful were not always made by the moft Eminent Men. Were I allowed to enliven this Subject, I would mention an Ingenious Reflection of Mr. de Fontenelle, (in his Hiftory of the Academy of Sciences for the Year 1708.) upon a Thing that has fome Affinity with this. 'Tis no Wonder, fays he, that the Ancients fhould not have improved the Knowledge of Burning-Glaffes: They knew those Glaffes, and had no Notion of Telescopes. But it is much more furprifing, that we fhould reckon Three Hundred Years from the Invention of Spectacles, to that of Perspective-Glaffes. Every Thing goes on flowly among us: Perhaps fome important Discovery is now ready to break out, and it will be a Wonder how it was not made fooner,

I do not think any Body will be offended with me, for calling my new Method an important Difcovery, confidering how useful it may be to underftand the Holy Scripture. The Baran de Spanheim would not look upon this Method, as an inconfiderable Thing, if one may judge of it from his Letter concerning the Critical History of the Old Testament, in which, fuppofing that Mr. Simon defigned to fet up for the Author of a like Discovery, he expreffes himself thus. Mr. Simon muft needs be a very Lucky, or a very Great Man, fince he has retrieved a Language that was loft, as he thinks, for many Ages, or at leaft fhewed a certain Way to attain to it. If it be fo, will any Body deny, that this Discovery is as Glorious to our Age, as any that was or can be made in our Days?

ARTICLE

ARTICLE XXXI.

UPS AL.

HE Author of a Differtation concerning Rain, Printed here in Bue, undertakes to explain the different Sorts of Rain. He afcribes a Blood Rain to an extraordinary Quantity of Vapours arifing from Mines of natural Cinoper, or Vermillion, or from that Clay or Red Earth that ferves to make Bricks. He afcribes to the fame Cause the seeming Changes of Water into Blood, like thofe that have been feen within thefe few Years in Dalecarlia, in the Country of Hesse in 1684. and at Berlin in 1677. (See a Curious Obfervation of Mr. Maundrell in the Margin) Brimftone and Silver Rains, fays the Author, proceed from the fame Cause. Stone Rains are only, in all Probability, a very hard Hail, wherein grofs Vapours happen to be entangled. Fire Rains may arife from the fame Causes, that produce Boiling-Wells, that is, from Sulphurous Vapours coming out of Marcaffite Mines. The Author mentions afL 4

ter

* Mr. Maundrell having faid, that he came to a fair large River, which is doubtless the Famous River Adonis, fe Famous for the Idolatrous Ritos performed there in Lamentation of Adonis, goes on thus. "By this "Means we had the Fortune to fee what may be "fuppofed to be the Occafion of the Opinion, which "Lucian relates, concerning this River, viz. That "the Stream at certain Seafons of the Year, efpeci66 ally about the Feaft of Adonis, is of a bloody Co"lour: Which the Heathens looked upon as pro"ceeding from a kind of Sympathy in the River "for the Death of Adonis, who was killed by a wild "Boar in the Mountains, out of which this Stream

" rifts

ter Scheffer a Fire-Rain, that fell in 1629. upon the Lake of Landfee. It was mixed with Water; but the Sparks burnt the Cloaths of thofe on whom they fell. Our Author affirms, That fome credible Perfons told him, they faw a like Rain fall in 1705. upon the Lake of Vefman in the Western Dalia: It stuck to Cloaths like a Kind of burning Soot.

T

PARI S.

HE Abbot de la Paluelle has published a Book. at Caen, wherein he decides feveral Cafes con cerning Lords and Vaffals, Patrons and Curates.

Refolution de plufieurs Cas de confcience, & des plus importante queftions du Barreau, touchant les droits &devoirs reciproques des Seigneurs & des Vaffaux, des Patrons & des Curez, tant pour le For exterieur que pour celui de confcience; par Meffire Jofeph Andre de la Paluelle, Licentie en Theclogie & en Droit, Droit Curé de Clinchamps, Syndic du Diocefe de Coûtances, & Seigneur & Patron de la Lucerne. Caen 1710. Two Volumes in 8vo.

The Author examines this Question, among others: Whether the Lord of a Manor may lawfully require from

"rifes. Something like this we faw actually come to pafs; for the Water was ftained to a furprising "Rednefs; and, as we obferved in Travelling, had

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difcoloured the Sea a great Way into a reddish Hue, "occafioned doubtless by a Sort of Minium, or red Earth, washed into that River by the Violence of the Rain, and not by any Stain from Adonis's Blood". A Journey from Aleppo to Jerufalem. London 1707. Pag. 34-35.

The Heathen Priefts fhould have been fo honeft, as to tell the People. That the Change of the Water into a Red Colour was not a miraculous Thing.

Y