Of THE ORIGIN Of 1 CHEMISTRY. 79 



" molliticm, teruam Vcncrh xratam ct folidam; 

 14 quartam Marti?, eft cnim laborum paticn:,, 

 " rcque ac fcrrum, cclcbratus hominibus ; quin- 

 " tain Mcrcurii prcptcr mifturam inrcqualcm ct 

 14 variam ; fcxtam luns argcntcam ; fcptimam 

 41 foils aurcam, coloribus fuis ea fidcra rcfcrcnti- 

 41 bus. 



We have already allcdgcd, that the hierogly- 

 phic mode of writing ufcd by Hermes, und the 

 attentive care of his followers to involve in myf- 

 tcry the operations of nature, moft probably 

 gave rife to the application of chemical flgns : 

 Theie, however, fubjcct to tlje fame variations 

 to which the letters of every language arc liable, 

 differ, no doubt, widely from thofc that were 

 firft employed; yet, we can flill trace in them 

 certain original characters, which the lapfe of 

 lime lias not been able to obliterate. We have 

 icon that, a! moil from the beginning of the 

 world, the fhirs were thought to have confide- 

 rablc influence on all tcrreftrial afiairs; and this 

 opinion, as well cftablifhcd as it is ancient, af- 

 figns clearly the reafon why all the rnctals have 

 been diftinguifhcd unto thi> d'ty, by the names 

 of the planetary bodies. On a principle fomc- 

 what fimilar, we find the triangular iigns in th* 

 theory of Plato. As the ftars held dominion 

 over time, fo the vanity of aftrologcn led then-. 

 to fuppofe, that fome, more than other?, had an 

 influence on certain days of the week; and, 



thxr 



