more pure, fubtile and active than the elementary fire, we shall have formed fome, tho' perhaps imperfect idea of spirit. in the beautiful plumage of the feathered race, and in the golden ftudded cerulean firmament. We hear him in the gentle whifpers of the foft zephyrs, in the rushing of the violent tempeft, in the roar ings of the deep waters, and in the tre mendous peals of loud clapt thunders. It is he who rides on the wings of the wind, collects the deftructive tempest, and directs the forked lightning. Allall nature, in every part of her works, declare the varied God. If we fuppofe this fpirit to be diffufed through infinity of fpace, and to pervade the primogenial particles of all matter, and constituent particles of bodies; that is all powerful, wife and benevolent; that is ever active, and of a benign nature; that it is conftantly refolving itself into modes, forms and effences, from whence proceed the various parts and existences of the vifible and invifible creation, we may have formed fome, tho' perhaps imperfect ideas of that univerfal fpirit, that divine effence from which all things proceed, and in whom we live and move and have our being. This is that Almighty and eternal fpirit who is the author, creator and preferver of the univerfe, and all things conftituted therein. It is this divine effence, who in the facred writings is called the fpirit of God, the power and word. This is the fpirit that moved upon the face of the waters at the formation of the terraqueous globe. This is that power, which faid, let there be light, and there was light. This is the word, power or spirit, who in the beginning made all things, and without whom was not any thing made which is made. This is the life of man, and the the light which fhined in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. This is that Lord, the omniprefence of whom, is thus elegantly described by the infpired Pfalmift. "Whither fhall I go from thy Spirit, or whither fall I go from thy prefence? If I climb up into heaven thou art there; if I go down into hell thou art there alfo. If I take the wings of the morning and remain in the uttermoft parts of the fea, even there fhall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand fhall hold me up. If I fay peradventure the darknefs fhall cover me, my sight fhall be turned into day, for darkness is no darknefs to thee, the day and the night are both alike." This is that universal spirit who is every where vifible in the works of nature, we see him in the grafs of the field, in the foliage of the trees, in the variegated hue of the enamelled flowers, This divine effence ever kind and benevolent, ever conftant and uniform in his actions, has through the infinitude of space, brought into existence, an infinite number of fyftems, fpheres and beings of various orders, forms and magnitude; containing an infinite variety of intelligent beings of different orders and degrees of perfection; fome being far from, and others approaching the divine effence with whom they are ultimately connected, forming an uninterrupted uniform chain throughout the vifible and invifible creation, connecting in one point, the divine, moral and natural order of things. Hence though there is only one infinite, eternal and almighty fpirit or divine effence in the immenfity of space, yet there exifts and is formed of this effence, an eternal and almighty being, coeval with the divine effence, and from whom he hath not any feparate exiftence, but rather a divine effulgence, from whom, as from a fountain, proceeds that univerfal spirit which fills the immenfity of the universe. This divine effulgence therefore is what we ought to understand by the word God, and the divine effence proceeding therefrom the fpirit of God. From hence proceeds a third effence or being of equal duration with the fubftance from which he proceeds, to whom is given the government of powers and fyftems vifible and invifible. It was this divine being under whofe direction the divine effence brought into re-existence the earth in the manner and form it now is. This is he, who graciously condefcended to partake of the earthly conftitution, to take upon him the nature and form, and to become the advocate, re deemer deemer and faviour of that fubordinate fallen and offending being, man. This is he, who in the facred writings, and by divine revelation, is juftly tiled the fon of God, the Chrift and Saviour of the world. Thus the Deity, in the union of three divine, almighty and eternal effences governs and preferves the infinite works of the creation, by general and unerring rules. To obferve the operations of this divine effence, to trace the laws by which it governs the world, is the purport of natural philofophy. To defcribe the laws which it has ordained for the conduct of intelligent beings, is the bufinefs of moral philofophy; and to explain and defcribe the motives, which gave rife thereto, divine philofophy. Of these three branches of fcience, though ultimately connected, it is not my intent at prefent to confider, but fhall confine my attention in the fubfequent letters, to the works and operations of nature. MENTOR. council of the queen obferving that the ordinary circulation in Ireland being made in English money, entered into the hands of the rebels, and ferved them to acquire fuch things as they wanted. They therefore perfuaded Elizabeth to pay her army with money of a lower value than the current fpecie, that the rebels might not buy in Spain, clothes, provifions, ammunition and other military ftores, with which they had been furnished by the ordinary coin. This was taking the queen by the weak fide, in presenting to her an apparent diminution of the expence; tho' fhe had felt the inconvenience of altering the coin, which she had re-established at the commencement of her reign; and the confented that a quantity of bafe money fhould be ftruck for Ireland. With this the foldiers were paid, and the quantity fupplied the quality; the circulation therefore was the fame, and the rebels loft little on the tax of this money. But the finances of England were confiderably injured, to the amount of 300,000 pounds, which exceeded very much the fum total of To the Editor of the Anthologia Hibernica. the fubfidies. (Carte, Hume, &c.) Nor SIR, IF you think the following antiquities merit the attention of your numerous readers, you will give them a place in your valuable and entertaining Mifcellany. FIG. 1ft, plate 2. Is a brafs halfpenny of queen Elizabeth, which the ordered to be ftruck for the payment of her troops in Ireland, tho' fhe would never confent that any copper or brafs money fhould be coined in England. On the obverfe are the arms of England at that period borne by the royal family, being thofe of France and England quartered, around them Elizabeth, Anglia, Francia, et Hiberniæ. On the reverfe the arms of Ireland supported by E. R. with the legend Pofui. Deum adjutorem meum. The coin is the fize of the figure, and, having the arms of England, was probably intended to be current in that country; it is of bafe metal, and not of the intriofic value of one farthing. The was the effect lefs injurious to internal commerce, the bafe money would fcarcely pafs for any value, fo that the quantity by no means fupplied the quality, except to the foldiers, who forced the currency by military execution. Fig. 2, is a Perfian feal of the original fize, and Fig. 3, a Chinese of the size of the drawing. But not understanding those languages, requeft the favour of fome of your learned correspondents, to translate and explain them. Fig. 4, is an Amulet of gold, the original being of the fize of the drawing. It weighs 3dwts. 6gr. and of the value of 9s. 2d. was found not many years fince at the caftle of Caftle town in the county of Carlow, and now in the poffeffion of Falkner, Efq. on each fide is a legend in gothic letters of the 14th and 15th centuries, as fhewn in the plate. On one fide is Laevat maen maen va: ān mool men aen. vat: mol. for Lavat meun, meun lavat, an mali, meum an lavat mali. That is, Purge me from my fins, repeated three times, three being a facred number, number, from reprefenting the Trinity. On the reverse is moen for meum repeated nine times, nine being the fquare of three, or the Trinity acting upon itself, was therefore fuppofed the most potent charm in the whole lift of Talifmans. This fuperftitious belief in the power and efficacy of charms originated in the eaft. The Jews, Arabians, Perfians and Indians were much given to this fpecies of fupernatural protection in very remote periods. And the Romans, from their lively fpirit of religioufnefs, were greatly tinctured with fuperftition, hanging amulets about the necks of their children, and even of adults, of various figures and materials, as gold, filver, brafs and leather, according to the ftate and riches of individuals; their forms were in thofe of hearts, circles, crefcents, femicircles, &c. infcribed with mottos and magic fentences. After the establishment of chriflianity, the fuperftition was continued among all the nations of Europe; even the Roman pontiffs and clergy found their account in felling amulets to the people, as indulgences, of various metals, according to the wealth or ftate of the purchafer, infcribed with magical fentences in Occult, Gothic and Runic characters. The cuftom continued late, and the prefent fashion among our ladies of wearing rings, pictures and lockets pendant on the breast from the neck, is the remains of this antient fuperftition. The fentences were mostly in Latin, tho' much contracted and tendered obfcure by orthography, in which was fuppofed to confit much of their power. The Roman language was chofen for this purpose, in preference to others, from a belief propagated among the people, that the devil could not read latin. (Vide Montfaucon Ant. tom. 3-) rope, were denominated in Irish Gobhian or Gobhain pronounced Gowen, and with the tumuli, cromlechs, &c. were the antient fepulchres of the chiefs and heroes of former times. In thefe tombs it was fuppofed that their fpirits frequently refided, and from which, by vifions, dreams and tokens they communed with their pofterity, relative to future events and the welfare of the state; and in confequence were much reforted to, and became the temples not only of the antient inhabitants of this ifle, but of all the northern nations. (Ant. Celto-Scan. p. 21.) The monument under confideration ftands upon a hill, and is about 9 feet above the ground, and 3 feet thick, flopes confiderably, and on the fouth fide has a rude mark of a crofs in creux. On the introduction of the chriftian religion, the miffionaries observing the attachment the people had to their old fepulchres and antient fanes, preached and propagated the principles and tenets of chriftianity at thofe places; on the tumuli, raths, &c. they erected stone and wooden croffes, and the pillar ftones. were converted into croffes, by cutting on them the figure in creux. At thefe croffes, baptifm and most other rites of the chriftian religion were made, and from hence they preached and promulgated the truths of the gospel. Thefe monuments were original of whatever fpecies, denominated Cil or Ciol in old Irish, from the gothic Kill death or a grave, whence Cil Gobban or Kil-Gowen is the grave of the pointed or beaked ftone. Alfo Cill or Cille in Irish came to fignify a church, as the first places of chriftian worship were at thofe kills or graves. Wherefore we frequently find places in Ireland bearing the name of Kill where no church was ever erected. The fame custom was frequent in Ireland on the eftablishment of the chriftian faith, towards the clofe of the 9th century. (Ant. Celto-Scan. p. 12.) Fig. 5. is the reprefentation of the pillar-ftone fituated at Kilgowen, near Kilcullen in the county of Kildare, on the road to Timolin. Thefe fpecies of antient monuments fo frequently difcovered in all the northern nations of EuApril 1793. |