the Devil requires from them to renounce again God, and their Baptifm, and to fwear that they will never fpeak of God, the Holy Virgin, and the Saints, and that they will do to their Neighbours all the Mifchief they can.

Our Author fays, It is a common Thing to prepare Storms of Hail at the Devil's Meeting, to detroy the Fruits of the Earth. But he obferves, That fometimes the poor and beggerly Sorcerers are a gainst it, for fear of Starving, and quarrel with the rich upon that account. Henry Boguet was informed of this Particular by fome Wizards, burnt at Chame plite, who further faid, That when the rich Sorcerers undertake to raife thofe Storms, and are ftourly oppofed by the Poor, they find it neceffary to throw the Dice, in order to decide the Difference.

The Author observes, as a very remarkable Thing, That moft of those who have been executed at St. Claude for Witchcraft, had no Crofs in their Beads, or at leaft that fome fmall piece was wanting to each Crofs. As if the fmall wooden Croffes of Beads could not eafily break and wear out by a long Ufe. He makes another Obfervation, viz. That all the Witches he examined, as a Judge, never fhed any Tears in his Prefence; but when he fpoke to them in private, their Tears were very plentiful. This is far from being a certain Sign of Guilt; and granting that what he fays is exactly true, it may ea fily be accounted for. How unhappy were thofe that fell into the Hands of fuch a credulous Judge!

It is neceffary (fays he) to fhave the Heads of Sorcerers and Witches, because they hide in their Hair a Drug, called the Charm of Silence; and whilft they have it about them, they never confefs any thing, and if they are put to the Rack, they feel no Pain. Sometimes they hide the Charm in their Cloaths; and therefore 'tis an ufual thing

to give them new Cloaths. Frances Secretdin was ftrip'd ftark naked, to know whether the Devil had imprinted any Mark on her Body; for 'tis commonly believed, that fome Witches are marked in the Shoulder, others under the Eye-lid, fome under the Tongue, and others in their Secret Parts. However our Judge confeffes, that he never could fee any fuch Marks, tho' he took great Care to find them out. One George Gandillon fhewed him the Place, on which he had been marked, by the Devil,' viz. in his Left Sholder; but our Author could not difcern the Mark for want of a skilful Chirurgeon. He believes the Devil does frequently take off fuch Marks, when thofe that lift themfelves under his Banner, are committed to Gaol. Thus Judge Boguer finds out a Reason for every thing.

1

See the Continuation of this Extract in the Vth Volume. Article II.

* I have published a curious Report of Two Phyfi cians and Three Chirurgeons about thofe Marks, in my Account of Two Witches tried at Geneva. See the First Volume. Article XLVII.

372

MEMOIRS ART. 59.

a ali bo di ori yili ci

OBSERVATIONS concerning? the Ob liquity of the Ecliptick, taken from a Fo

reign Journal.

T appears to me, that the fmall Variation, to be

,

the Space of many Years upon the Obliquity of the Ecliptick, is not to be afcribed to a real Variation of the Obliquity of the Ecliptick, as if the Angle it makes with the Equator was now fmaller than it was fome Years ago; which is perhaps the Opini on of fome Aftronomers to this very Day. That Difference ought rather to be afcribed to a Variati on in the Refraction, as I have already faid upon fome other Occafions. And indeed, fince in the frequent Obfervations which I have made at all times about the apparent Lownefs of the Horizon of the Sea, I have found that there is a continual Variation, which can only be afcribed to the different Conftirution of the Air; I think there can be no doubt,

doubt, that the Refraction does alfo continually vary in the Heights of the Stars, and particularly of the Sun, above the Horizon, according to the dif ferent Conftitution of the Air; tho' not fo fenfi bly, but as they are more or less elevated above the Horizon. However, it is not fo eafily dif cerned as in the Lownels of the Horizon of the Sea.

1. Because those Heights of the Stars are always different, and do not afford a fixed Point.

2. Because those Differences being lefs fenfible, as the Star is more elevated above the Horizon; the fmall Differences that are found in thofe Heights are imputed to the Obfervation, or to the Inftrument; which cannot be done in the Obfervations of the Horizon.

It feems therefore more reasonable to afcribe, to that Variation of Refractions, in the Solftitial Heights of the Sun, the fmall Variation obfervable in the Obliquity of the Ecliptick, than to admit a real Variation in the Obliquity of the Ecliptick, which would occafion a great Confufion in Aftronomy, and befides is far from being fufficiently proved, as it appears from all the Obfervations, that have been made hitherto.

Tho the Inftruments be never fo good and fo Jarge, I think Obfervations will never be performed more exactly: The different Conftitution of the Air will always prevent it. I repeat it again, what is obferved in the Horizon is a Prefumption, or rather a Demonftration for all the Heights, in which the Variation of the Refraction cannot be fo eafily and fo

Polerved; but the Existence of the

Variation in the Horizon, is a Proof of the Exi ftence of the Variation in the feveral Heights above the Horizon,

173mb gdt so bad Bb 3

Does

Does it follow from thence, that Mr. Caffini's Tables of the Refraction for the Heights of the Stars above the Horizon are not right? By no fmeans. They are right in a certain Conftitution of the Air; but perhaps they will not fo exactly agree in other Conftitutions. Can any one give Rules and Tables for all the different Constitutions of the Air? I don't think it poffible. Besides, how can an Obfervator know thofe, which he ought to make Ufe of His Bufinefs is to obferve, what happens in the Horizon of the Sea, if he can fee it, fo that he may judge how much the Refraction in the Heights of the Stars may be encreased or leffen'd, when fome important Obfervations re. quire, that he fhould mind thole Aftronomical Niceties. Such is the Ufe that can be made of the Obfervations of the apparent Lownefs of the Horizon of the Sea with respect to Aftrono

my.

A

ARTICLE LX.

LEIP SICK

Second Edition of Sanctius's Commentary upon
Fob has been reprinted here.

Gafparis Sanctii Centumputeolani, e Societate Fefu Theologi, in Collegio Complutenfi Sacrarum Litterarum quondam Interpretis, in Librum Fob Commentarii, cum Paraphrafi. Nunc fecundo prodeunt, Indicibus sum Locorum Scripturæ, Regularum & Proverbiorum,

tum