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nothing about the old masters of this art. Their thera- 
peutic is always mixed with superstitious or cruel treat- 
ment. Natural history offers the same difficulties as 
anatomy. Their law prohibits paintings, drawings, and 
statues; and the Mahometan gravity leaves entirely the 
practice of music to the female sex, and to the lowest 
class of the people; hence they have no liberal arts, and 
no pleasures or agreeable occupation. 
The study of astronomy is confounded with astrology; 
every one who looks into the skies to know the time of 
day, or of the new moon, is considered by the people as 
an astrologer or prophet, who can foretell the fate of the 
king, of the empire, and of individuals. They have 
some astrological books, and this talent is very much 
respected with them. It opens the road to high places 
at court, on account of the influence which the astrolo- 
gers exert in public and private affairs. As I decla- 
red deadly war against astrology and alchymy, I was 
happy enough, by force of reasoning, to convince some 
of them of the ridiculous pretensions of astrologers and 
alchymists. 
I had a very striking opportunity of proving that 
they confounded astronomy with astrology; when the 
chief of these astronomers of Fez intreated me to give ' 
him the longitude and the latitude of every planet, on 
the first day of the year, in order to form a calculation 
and to foretell whether the year would prove a good 
one or a bad one, &c. I answered him with firmness, 
that the science of astronomy being almost a divine one, 
ought never to be prostituted to the reveries and 
quackeries of astrology; and treating divination with 
contempt, I convinced him that the arbitrary begin- 
ning of the year, in the various almanacs, has no con- 
nection with nature. I finished my phillippics by 
