The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-10-31

g gernefs by the we-wiihing auditor. Or,
" is 1t not rather due to the fearful imagination
" or man 30
Martin did not explain himfelf on the pri:na-
~ canfes which brought him tuch concourfe
OF people, Tor bs could not fpeak to You on the
eat quetion in metaphysics or morals; but he
ieems to be IN the firm perfua6on that material
hgns announce and precede the events of our
lite, and regards the forms which he employs as.
mathematical truths. This prophet is an igno-
| ramus of the firlt order, endowed with moi
tranquil flock ofimpudence. You can found
him on nothing: nature has formed him with
contribution for quackery in the highef de-
gree. 1t is moi IN amuirinent with him, not even
A protection quacSing is inmate with him, aud
we are icis attouiihed at his fuccefs when we
have well read on his face the real or affected i'm
pertuybability of his mind.
nc has a ION very young, towards whom he
u!cs great feverity; and the tone which he en-
pioys ihews, that from whatever country he
comes, he is tranger to every kind of educate
on. Nevertheless, he is not deficient in polite
nsts: he makes definitions, and with fuch adj
treis, that he takes with each the language
which he ought to hoid,--Is he not true
quack
His houie iSnot empty d Jingle day in the week.
On Sundays alone hs never receives any one.
Sunday is his day of recreation on Sunday he
gets into good carriage, forbids any one to fol-
low him, and returns home very late. One
would Iuppofe that he went to air his prophe-
tic iprit IL the country, fee his friends and per-
haps laugh with them at Parifan credulity.
am never nevertheless inclined to believe that he
is hmlelf the dupe to certain point of the for
Gerry he deals in. 1t was thus that Bof1uet real
ly believed part of certain dognas and INVITE
RES, becaufe he had good bihoprick, but nc al
lowed himiefnot obeiieve the whole--the reafon
is, that one has always little faith or fortune
| Martin is acquainted neither with the fates Of
Dodona nor thofe of Prsnefte, neither with the
forteJ pngiiinne, nor thoie of Homer, nor the
modern lots OF the faints, when the firit words
that are heard chanted on entering church are
taken for divine anunciAtion, 4 heavenly pro-
phecy. He embarraaes hinfelf very little to
know 1t the Egyptian man, the Egyptian woman,
the Bohemian man, the Boheslian woman, have
read or Hill read fortunes in his mode. He calls
himielf the nuiqne, iprig of literature, thinks
himteif the hrtt man in the world the day that
his rantipg tragedy is trh brought on the ftage
The ditaRrous time we have paIed through,
and the forms OF the revolutions, MAY probably
have driven this crowd TO Martin but it ap-
pears that he is very fparng in finifer PREDICT
ons, which is probably matter of calculation
with him, becaute people pay efs willingly for
bad fortune than for good, or perhaps the DIFF
appointed enquirer might take it into his head
to revenge the icverity of the oracle on the per-
! ion Of the prophet.
who 'yoiiItt have told ten years fince 10 more
than FIX thcuiand men, that they hould be be-
| headed on the icafold They would have re-
Piled, a" Oh we are not noble enough IS for
that" grand hisneur alone, would have
fni!ed from vanity.
I fhould be curious to know if Guillotin,
IN his youth, ever confulted fortune-teller, or
any diviner; and, in fhort, if he has had any
idea OF his new and terrible Immortality. Sup
pote anecronancer had fadto him tkofe words:
2hanbait be q pkyfcian, and tby na,aIe fsn,i,a-
&c manki~4." What would Guillo.in have
, thought of fuch amphbological words?
Martin never prefents fcaffoids in perfps6tive.
Are they then FOR ever levelled? May Martin
not be deceived ? and yet we know what would
make thete fcadolds fprout up amonga us. We
only want Il deicent fonlewhat more rapid 10 the
vileif, mot wretched, and GaoR l.,ameful of hu-
man fuperftitions, defpotif;n. You underftand
me, but Martin is acquainted neither with the
hifory of England, nor the Revolutions of
Rome but ihrfiirg and turning his jeu de ia
yott IN his hands, he enters into no political rea-
foning.
Struck with Ill that had feen, and fcarccly
able to recover from my furorize, Elid to my
feif, How is it poIlibe for mankind to be 70 Gre
duions, becauie he is prodigiouay feeling, aud
therefore naturally iupertitious, becaufe the leat
part oi 'ilS SA.lseuce IS the pre1eut.
But admitting. 6nce 10 rcafon well we muR
make the round OF the circle admitting that
there is jonlething real in this kind of divination;
1t, III ihort, there exit certain unknown rules to
| perceive the future, rs we have methods TO fix
the pat; if we had near us hidden thermome-
ter to difcoverthe moff fscret actions, ought we
not then to bum all oar volumes, (hut lip our
academies, and laugh at the crowd OF writer's ?
Martins cards would be the diyinatory book,
the book bat teespe,iee; FOR it is from want of
fore-knowiedse that we commit 20 many errors
! and 70 many INTAKES.
The Guack iometimes performs cure, and to
the great attohihment of the phyfcian. The
men of genius whom have met with in the
courfe ofmy life were not thofe who have ap-
! Peared in print. The mechaniciaa ihiugs up
hls ihoulders when you fpeak to him OF the ge-
ometrician. Vaucamfon, aid, &c will make
you eeomctiiciau with the end {" of my walk
ing Tick" The DIepherd reads in the fky the
different changes of the feaions, without having
recourle 10 the ielIons ofLalande. The fpiders,
1t is Fact, led us to take Holland. Every thing
is iny!tery and darkueis; and if, as | believe,
there is nothing but qulckery in fortune-readng,
Martin at lealt knows, and even perceives more
than al the PHILOSOPHERS together that folly is
aAd ever will DC the attribute of the multitude,
iince the enquiTing crowd refort without ceains
to the leglefs man, whilR 10 perion conftilts ei-
ther Mont elQuieu or Rouneau.