or Divining Rod. §8,fi 



are felt, at the fame time that an external motion is commu- 

 nicated to the rod. Thefe lingular emotions, none of which 

 were obferved to take place, when he was above ftagnant wa- 

 ters were followed by head-ache, fatigue of body, debility of 

 mind, and other fvmptoms of nervous irritation. The dry 

 ltate of the atmofphere, alfo favourable to ele&ric experi- 

 ments, was obferved to render him more aft ive and lively in 

 his prognoftics; but a full meal evidently diminifhed the ca- 

 pacity; and an inflammatory fever, which confined him a 

 fortnight to his bed, deranged or deftroyed the miraculous 

 power for the fpace of three months. From thefe circum- 

 Itances it mould feein that its action is dependent on Tome 

 peculiar nervous fenfibility ; that our faith or our imagination 

 mould be preporTetied in its favour, according to Pryce ; and 

 that much depends on an harmonious dittribution of the 

 animal fpirits, devoid of anxiety or reafoning reflecting the 

 event : but that a ltate of doubt is an obltruction to its opera- 

 tion. Thefe, perhaps, may be the principal difficulties in 

 niing the divining rod ; but we are allured by Cookworthy 

 and Prvce, that, regarding thefe and other eflentials in its 

 ufe, a rod may be found adapted to the peculiar fyftcm of 

 every perfon. 



Difficult, however, as is the admiffion of belief in the af- 

 ferted virtue of the divining rod, and little as it has been un- 

 derftood by thofe who have mod ably efpoufed its caufe, it 

 mav not be amifs juft to trace the outlines of that theory to 

 which it has been by them referred for explanation, that of 

 the corpufcular philofophy, which is a mode of accounting 

 for the phenomena of nature by the motion, figure, relt, 

 pofition, 8cc. of the corpufcules or minute particles of mat- 

 ter. Boyle funis up the chief principles of this hypothecs 

 in the following particulars: — lit, That there is but one ca- 

 tholic or univerfal matter, which is an extended, impene- 

 trable, and divifible fubftance, common to all bodies and ca- 

 pable of all forms. 2d, That this matter, in order to form 

 the vaft variety of natural bodies, mult have motion in fome 

 or all of its altignable parts; and that this motion was given 

 to matter by the Creator of all things, and has all manner of 

 directions and tendencies. 3d, Matter muft alfo be actually 

 divided into parts, and each of thefe primitive particles, frag- 

 ments, or atoms of matter, muft have its proper magnitude 

 or fize, as alfo its peculiar figure or fliape. 4th, It is fup~ 

 pofed that thefe differently flzed and fhaped particles may 

 have different orders and politions, whereof great variety may 

 arife in the compolition or bodies. (Encyclopedia Britannica.) 

 Pryce, in his Mincralogia Cornubienjis, gives the following 



X 4 account 



