metaphysicians." Intense thought, (says a writer in the Lady's Magazine) spoils a lady's features;.. it banishes les ris et les graces which make all the enchantment of a female face. I am not sure (he adds) whether in time it may not per fectly masculate the sex; for a certain woman, named Phatheusa, the wife of one Pytheus, thought so intensely during her husband's absence, that at his return she had a beard grown upon her chin."

Rabbi Solomon Duitsch owed his conversion to his beard. This Jew was remarkably affected by a text which perhaps never affected any other person. "Son of man, take thee a sharp knife; take thee a barber's razor and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard; then take thee balances to weigh and divide the hair." Ezek. v. 1.

"I could not but wonder (says he) why the Lord, who in the xixth of Leviticus had expressly prohibited the children of Israel from shaving the beard, should

yet give so opposite a command to Ezekiel, who was also a priest and a prophet! My wonder was augmented, when I remarked that the prophet did not offer any objection to it, as he had done on another occasion, mentioned in the 4th chapter. While meditating on the subject, I felt a strong impression on my mind, as if these words had been addressed to me, as they were to the prophet. I wished to oppose and overcome it, but I had neither rest nor ease: I continually had this rebuke conveyed to my mind: How long wilt thou continue in subjection to the law? How long wilt thou oppose the word of God? In great perplexity, I fell down on my knees, and sighing, said, 'Lord! what wouldst thou have me do? strengthen me to combat with my wicked heart, and enable me to deny myself, and do thy holy will.' I then took a pair of scissars in my right hand, and a looking glass in my left, and began to cut my beard with great quak❤

ing and trembling. It is indescribable what I felt while I was engaged in this work; so that I spent upwards of two hours about it. I then lay down for a little repose, and when I awaked my mind was so full of peace and comfort that I could most heartily thank the Lord for his powerful aid, which he had granted to me an unworthy creature."

192. The Plague.

Antes has some remarks upon the plague which are well worthy the consideration of philosophical physicians. It always ceascs in Egypt when the weather becomes very hot; and extreme heat eradicates it more certainly at Cairo, than cold abates it at Constantinople. "They are always (he says) pretty sure when the plague will cease, for it seldom remains after the 24th of June; this has given occasion to the following superstitious notions, not among the Turks only, but particularly among the Cophtic Chris

tians. They say, and firmly believe, that angels are sent by God to strike those people who are intended as a sacrifice. All those who receive the stroke must inevitably die, but those that receive the infection through fear only escape or recover. When they feel themselves infected, they say, anna matrubbel cuppa! which signifies, I am struck, or smitten, by the plague. As the 17th of June, according to the Cophts, is the festival of the Archangel Michael, on which day he lets a drop of water of such a fermenting quality fall into the river, as occasions its overflowings; they say that, at the same time, he, as the chief of all the other angels, orders all those occupied in striking the people to retire. The Cophts add, that if any of them should still lurk about in the dark after that day, they must absolutely fly before St John on the 24th of June. A thinking mind, though it acknowledges the hand of God in every thing, cannot con

tent itself with reasons of this kind; for God, who has all the elements and every thing in nature at his command, can employ a thousand means to obtain his aim without working miracles. The natural cause of the plague ceasing at that time in Egypt is the great heat; Fahrenheit's thermometer at that time standing generally at 90 or 92 degrees in the shade. It has several times fallen under my own immediate observation, that vessels came to Alexandria from other parts of Turkey, with many people on board affected by the plague, after that period, but the infection never took, and even the patients who came on shore infected with that disorder frequently recovered."

Observations on Egypt, p. 43. This very diffident, and yet very sagacious Moravian observes, that "this has made him think whether the same degree of artificial heat, so as to occasion a constant perspiration, might not be of more benefit, even to those infected by