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ship; it is on this that our salvation depends. "Where were you," it is asked us, “before Calvin?" We were, we say, in a society like that in which the true Israelites were at the time of Jesus Christ; we were in a position where it was dangerous to stop.

Pardon me a word further, which I do not utter for the sake of making an odious comparison of you with the Arians, the enemies of the divinity of Jesus Christ. May God preserve me from such a thought! I do not mean to annoy you, but only to explain myself better. You know that, when the Roman empire saw itself almost entirely Arian, the Arians arrogated to themselves the name of Catholics, and considered it an injury to be called Arians; and that on the other hand, they treated the orthodox as schismatics and heretics, calling them Athanasians, Eustachians, and Luciferians, after the name of the orthodox bishops, who had displayed their energy in defending the truth. Would it have been right to say to them, 'You are altogether new: where were you before Athanasius, before Eustachius, before Lucifer of Caillari?' as one says to us, 'Where were you before Luther, before Calvin, before Zwingle?'

In the main, whatever eclipse there may have been in the Romish church with regard to faith, there have been always teachers and whole peoples who have protested against her errors, as have been, for example, the Iconoclasts, the council of Frankfort, the Berengarians, Bertram, and those of his opinion, the Vaudois, the Albigenses, and the Hussites. It answers no purpose for parrying this thrust, to say that they were heretics; since it is neither God nor the Holy Scripture that has condemned them, but the Romish church, who was both judge and party, and who is not infallible, though she herself may say so. Thus one may say, that there have always been some Protestants, as well in public in these communities, which were the purest part of the church, as in private, even in the bosom of the church of Rome.

Willany one adduce, for the antiquity of your doctrines, the books which have been inserted in your collection of the Fathers, which are either evidently supposititious or very doubtful?

For instance, the mass of St. James, St. Peter, and St. Mark, the Catho'r epistle of St. Barnabas, &c.; for, d these books are really apostolic, how comes it that they are not annexed to the others of the New Testament? The epistles of St. Ignatius, the works of St. Dionysius the Areopagite, which are quoted by the same author for the invocation of Saints, purgatory, a the monastic life, although he owns in another place, that it is very uncer tain whether this book is by St. Dionysius?

But, to turn to something less serous; I do not doubt, sir, that as you are curious in medals, you will read with pleasure of a singular instance af the prejudice which the ablest persons among you have concerning the artquity of their religion. You know that Father Veron found the mass in Holy Scripture, though your transla tors since that time have not fallen i his opinion. What I am going to t you is still more surprising; it is, that M. de Peyresk, that great genius, fr whom the learned have an extreme veneration, professed to have found the mass on a medal; his manuscrits have come into my possession, and so I can substantiate it; the very meda of which he speaks, is not so rare as one might imagine, and there are few of the curious who have not seen it, he believed, then, that the medal of Constantine, which has a kind of altar on its reverse, and a circular fizer upon it with this inscription, Bret: tranquillitas, was a representation of the Holy Sacrament of the altar, az! that this circular figure was the sacred host.

He makes a dissertation of four et five pages upon it, and proves L opinion by reasons which he thinks incontrovertible; but it happens fortunately, that a petty antiquary, who is in nowise prepossessed with the antiquity of the use of the host in the eucharist, and who, if you please, shall be the person now addressing you, will have this circular figure to be nothing else than the globe of the

Perhaps he means the interpolsted Ignatius. "Spurious epistles," says Mr. Chevallier, "were ascribed to him, proba bly as early as the middle of the seventh century."

world placed on a pedestal, to mark its happiness and tranquillity under the reign of Constantine; this is easily perceived when the impression is clear, which did not happen perhaps to M. de Peyresk; for the zodiac and the planets upon it, are distinctly discernible on this globe, which leaves no doubt of its being the globe of the world!

Thus, sir, I finish with protesting to you, that by the grace of God, I have my conscience quite at ease, praying God daily to make known the truth to those who are ignorant of it, or have only a partial knowledge of it, whoever they may be; and that it may please Him to inspire us all with love toward Himself, and toward one's neighbour, with which one cannot perish, and without which one cannot possess Him who is both love and charity. It remains for me to thank you very humbly for the kindness you have for our printers, and my thanks would have formed the whole of my letter, if I had not thought myself obliged to reply to the cordial solicitations with which you have favoured

me,

by as sincere an opening of my heart as you could wish, beseeching you to take in good part the freedom which I have used, and to believe me inviolably,

Yours, &c.

MR. URBAN,

Sir,
JACOB SPON.
Doctor in Medicine,
incorporated at Lyon.

Great Totham Hall,
Oct. 4.

IT appears to be but little known that the art of Aërostation, which, by the way, must still be considered in its nonage, it not having as yet been rendered subservient to any useful purposes, is a discovery of some much remoter period than is generally supposed. We read, it is true, of an attempt which was made by Dædalus and his son Icarus to soar in the regions of ether by means of artificial wings, in which the former is said to have succeeded; but this is commonly reckoned among the fables of the ancients.

For the discovery of the, at any rate, interesting art of Aërostation, the world, I believe, has always considered itself indebted to the two brothers,

Stephen and John Montgolfier, na-
tives of Annonay, in France, who, in
the year 1782, were invited by the
Academy of Sciences at Paris, to re-
peat their experiments at the expense
of that body, when, as well as on the
subsequent occasion before the King and
the Royal Family at Versailles, they
were crowned with complete success.
But as, in all things, we should be
inclined to "render unto Cæsar the
things that are Cæsar's," it seems to
be no more than justice that it should
be recollected that some years pre-
vious, namely in 1767, a scientific
English gentleman, Mr. Black, was
the first who (after Mr. Cavendish, in
1766, ascertained the weight and
other properties of inflammable air),
threw out the suggestion in one of
his lectures, that if a bladder, suffi-
ciently strong and thin, were filled
with inflammable air, it would form a
mass lighter than the same bulk of
atmospheric air, and consequently rise
in it; so that it seems not at all im-
probable, I think, that the brothers,
Montgolfier, were but the perfectors
of the embryo scheme of Dr. Black.
But what will be said by the scientific
world, when it is asserted
neither the Montgolfiers nor Dr.
Black appear to be entitled to the
merit of discovering of aërostatic
art. "There is nothing new under
the sun," says Solomon; a declara-
tion, I believe, which most of us are
inclined to consider somewhat apocry-
phal. While pursuing my antiqua-
rian researches the other day, in a
rare poetical work, entitled "The
Ship-wracke of Jonas," translated
from Du Bartas, by Sylvester, 4to,
1592, I was much struck on meeting
with the following couplet:

that

"Against one shipe that skips from stars
to grounde,

From wave to wave (like WINDY BAL-
LOONES bounde.)"

In this single couplet, therefore, we appear to be presented with "confirmation strong as proofs of Holy Writ," that, instead of balloons being, as is generally supposed, an invention of no more than some sixty years standing, they were known at least two centuries previous!

Balloons were certainly in existence long before 1782, if not in Eng

land, at all events on the Continent. What can the most sceptical say to the following?

Thomas Macfarlane, esq. of Gressnal, when in Germany, on his way home with those specimens of the Ruta Baga, which he had the happiness to introduce to the notice of the British agriculturist, in 1797, and for which he was voted an honorary member of the Norfolk and other Agricultural Societies, had the singular felicity of being introduced to the celebrated mathematician, M. Von Mendlesheim, at Stettin, on the Oder, who showed him a drawing, &c. of a balloon, in a scarce work, published by John Christopher Sturm, bearing

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MR. URBAN, Cork, Sept. 28. THE manner in which the numismatic writers of the present day have classed the coins of Philips II. and III. of Macedon, particularly those in silver, has always appeared to me very unsatisfactory. The arrangement adopted by the earlier writers, in assigning all those with the horseman on the reverse to Philip II. and those with Jupiter sitting to Philip III. may certainly appear liable to some objections; but a close examination of these coins, their types, symbols, and weights, having brought nearly complete conviction to my own mind that this arrangement was correct, I deem it right to lay before you and your learned readers the proofs from which I have derived this opinion.

Before, however, I proceed to adduce those proofs, it will not perhaps be amiss to notice the principal types of the coins of Philips II. and III. in gold, silver, and brass, and the rules now generally used in classing them.

Of the gold coins, those bearing the head of Apollo on the obverse are assigned to Philip II., and those with the heads of Minerva and Hercules to Philip III.; and, although some difference of opinion seems to exist as to

the classification of some of the ver small coins bearing the heads of Hecules and Apollo, the general m of arrangement is, I believe, the une just noticed, and to that I am perfectly willing to subscribe.

Of the silver, the large coins bear::r the head of Jupiter on one side, and a horseman on the other, are universa allowed to belong to Philip II., whe the small ones, bearing a young he with diadem on the obverse, and i horseman on the reverse, are, by numismatic writers of the present day, supposed to belong to Philip III.

Those bearing the head of Hercules, reverse, Jupiter sitting, are all ass.23ed to Philip III., although a fu French writers have given the drachma of that type to Philip II.

The brass coins (bearing on the bverse the heads of Apollo and Hecules, a young head with diadem, and the Macedonian shield, and on the reverse, the different types of a horseman, club, and thunderbolt,) are i now given to Philip III. and IV.; an it is asserted by some, that no bras coins exist which can with any prob bility be assigned to Philip II.

All these rules I am willing to ac mit as correct, except those which assign to Philip III. the small coits both silver and brass, bearing on the obverse the young head with diadem or the young laurelled head of Apoia, and on the reverse, a horseman; and I think I shall be able to satisfy th reader that these coins ought to be restored to the prince to whom the writers of the last century have getrally assigned them, namely Philip li.

Let us first consider the small siver coins with the horseman on the reverse, and their weights, types, and symbols.

The weight of these coins is generally from 35 to 43 grains, which, allowing the full weight to be 44, answers to the weight of the tetarobolus, or piece of 4 oboli; and, as the fu weight of the large coins of Philip II. was 220 grains, or 20 oboli, and those of Philip III. 264, or 24 oboli, it would be exactly one-fifth of the former, or one-sixth of the latter; but as the tetradrachm of 264 grains, and its half, quarter, and eighth, seem to have been the coins almostly exclusively used by Alexander the Great and his succes

sors, whilst many of his predecessors used very different standards, these coins from their weights would seem rather to belong to Philip II. than to Philip III. Another argument may be deduced from their size, for small silver coins are found of almost all the Kings of Macedon, of whom any coins are known; and if these are not allowed to Philip II. there will remain to him no small coins, although he reigned 24 years, and his large coins are more numerous than those of any King of Macedon, except Alexander the Great; a circumstance extremely improbable: whilst, if we assign them to Philip III. the small coins of that prince will be nearly as numerous as those of Alexander, although the former reigned only about six years and a half, and his large coins are not very

common.

Let us now consider the types of these coins. The obverse bears generally a young head with diadem; a few of them, however, exhibit the laurelled head of Apollo. In Mr. Leybourn's collection, is one of the latter class, weighing 36 grains, the obverse of which is in fine preservation: it was brought from the Mediterranean together with several of those with the diadem, and its reverse bears the strongest resemblance to the latter. A comparison of those two types with those of the other coins of Macedonian princes will be found to afford strong evidence in support of my argument; for the head with diadem is found on a great number of the Macedonian coins before Philip II. but very seldom on those of Alexander, and never on those of Philip III. with the reverse of Jupiter sitting, the only ones which can with certainty be assigned to him; whilst those with the laurelled head of Apollo are still more likely to belong to Philip II. whose gold coins generally-I believe I may say always-bear the head of that deity, and the strong resemblance both in weight and type, of the reverse which 1 have just noticed, renders the justice of this arrangement still more obvious. The reverses of these coins always exhibit a horseman, a type found on all the large coins of Philip Il. and often on the earlier Macedonian coins, but which very seldom occurs on those of Alexander, and never I believe on GENT. MAG. VOL. II.

any known coins of his successors, except those of Cassander.

The last point to which I shall draw the reader's attention, is the resemblance of the symbols on these coins to those on the gold and large silver coins of Philip II. Those of most common occurrence are, a trident, thunderbolt, star, corn-wreath, and A in a wreath, every one of which we find on the gold and large silver coins of Philip II.; but I have not met with one of them on the gold or large silver coins of Philip III.; whilst several of the silver coins of the latter, with Jupiter sitting, exhibit the symbols of a snake, torch, &c., which are also found on the gold coins of that prince. An objection has been raised, that the head with diadem, from its youth, appears more likely to belong to Philip III. than to his father; but as the latter began to reign at twenty-three, they may, if coined in the early part of his reign, well represent a young man of that age, and on some the head appears older than on others. The truncated form of the letter П, I cannot suppose to constitute any distinction, as that form of the letter is found on the known coins of both Philip II. and III. and the coins of both those princes generally bear that letter more or less truncated.

As the brass coins of Philip with the young head, with diadem on the obverse, and a horseman on the reverse, bear a strong resemblance to the small silver coins I have just noticed, both in types and symbols, it will I believe be readily admitted that they belong to the same prince. Yours, &c.

JOHN LINDSAY.

STAINED GLASS IN LUDLOW CHURCH, CO. SALOP.

MR. URBAN, Shrewsbury, Oct. 2. THE Church of Ludlow is undoubt

edly one of the finest ecclesiastical buildings in the county of Salop, and perhaps the most stately parochial edifice in England, the architecture being in the style of the latter part of the fifteenth century; though it is less florid than is usual in buildings of that period.

The whole of the windows in this

* Engraved in Gent. Mag. 1812, vol. LXXXII. ii. 209.

4 E

interesting building, bear evidence of having once been enriched with a profusion of stained glass; the splendour of which, judging from what remains, must have been inferior to none in point of colouring, since it appears to have been executed by perfect masters of the art, and at a period when glass staining was at its highest perfection; and, notwithstanding the devouring hand of Time, or more probably the mistaken zeal of the Puritans, has despoiled the nave of that majestic solemnity and religious awe emanating from the mellowed tints of

"storied windows richly dight," the choir, chancel, and chantry chapels, still retain specimens of no ordinary beauty, although in places so barbarously mutilated by modern repairs, as to present a strange mixture of patchwork. The large eastern window of the high chancel, containing the legendary history of the life of St. Lawrence, the patron saint of the church, was particularly defaced, and wantonly broken; so much so indeed, that the various subjects displayed could with difficulty be traced: though it appears from a date near the top of the window, to have been repaired in a bungling manner about a century ago, when the numerous fractures it then contained were filled with common painted glass, quite opaque.

In this state it remained until 1828, when the Corporation of Ludlow fortunately directed Mr. David Evans, of Shrewsbury, to restore the window according to its original design; which undertaking has lately been completed in a manner that has excited the admiration of every one who has seen it, and even caused astonishment at the elaborate skill displayed by the artist in overcoming the difficulties he had to encounter in replacing many portions of the window which had been destroyed, and of so restoring the whole, as to form an harmonious display of the most brilliant colouring, whereby it is impossible to distinguish the old from the new glass.

The window occupies the whole breadth of the chancel, 18 feet, and is 30 feet in height; the mullions have recently been renewed; and it contains 540 feet of glass, in 65 compartments. The subject displayed is the history of the life, miracles, and mar

tyrdom of Saint Lawrence, which i represented in 27 designs, as follows: 1. Lawrence introduced to the Pope. The Saint, accompanied by his cofessor, is kneeling before the Pope whose train is supported by a bear. Inscription

Laurenc' adducitur Dirt'.

The Saint, in a kneeling posture, proached by the Pope, who is act of ordaining him, in the prese of the various officers of the chur Inscription

2. Lawrence ordained a Deac

Hic Sixt' ordi'at Laurene' Dia.

3. Lawrence appointed tre The son of the Emperor is represe bringing his treasure in bags, and livering them to the Saint before Pope and the Church. Inscript Fili' i'p'atoris Laurenc' t'dit thes

4. Lawrence relieving the Poor! The Saint is here presenting a pact money from his bag to the lam: halt, and the blind. Inscription

Laurene' thesaur' erogat paup ́b's

5. Lawrence captured.-The Sur in his canonicals appears secured his enemies. Inscription

Hic Laur' capit' ab i'íquis. 6. Lawrence brought before Emperor, attended by the Captain da a posse of soldiers. Inscription

Laur' p'sentat' cora' imp'at 7. Lawrence before Idols.Saint is led by the Emperor Idols, who appear as falling to p by the sanctity of his presence. scription

Laur' ducit' cora' pdolis. 8. Lawrence Imprisoned. -T Captain is thrusting the Saint prison, by command of the Emper on the roof of the prison, back ground, are spectators wit ing his incarceration. Inscriptica

seen in

Laurene' bic i'carceratut.

9. Lawrence restoring the Bl During his imprisonment, the S miraculously restores Lucillus to in the presence of the Jailor. Insc?

tion

Laur' aperit ocul' fucilli. 10. Lawrence converts Ypolitus

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