810.) 
is said, St. Antony, to put an’end to his 
irresolution about retirement, went to 
achurch, where, immediately hear ing the 
deacon pronounce these words: “ Go sell 
all thou hast, and give it to the poor, then 
come and follow me ;”’ he applied them to 
himself, as a direct injunction trom, God, 
and withdrew to that solitude for which 
ie is so celebrated amony the catholics. 
The following passage from Gregory 
of Tours, is too remarkable to be 
omitted :—-He relates that Clovis, the 
first Christian King of France, marching 
against Alaric, King of the Visigoths, 
and being near the city of Tours, where 
the body of St. Martin was deposited, 
he sent seme of iis nobles, with presents 
to be offered at the Saint’s tomb, to see 
if they could not bring him a pronusing: 
augury, while he himself uttered this 
prayer: §* Lord if thou wouldest have me 
punish this impious people, the savage 
enemy of thy holy name, give me sume 
signal token, by which I may he assured 
that such is thy will.” Accordingly, his 
messengers had no sooner set foot within 
the cathedral, than they heard the priest 
ehaunt forth this verse of the eighteenth 
Psalm: Thou hast girded me with 
strength for war, thou hast subdued under, 
me those that rose up against me. 
Transported at these words, after laying 
the presents at the tomb of the saint, 
they hastened to the King with this 
favourable prognostic: Clovis joyfuily 
accepted it, and engaging Alaric, gained 
a complete victory. 
Here also may be subjoined a passage 
in the history of St. Louis IX. In the 
first emotions of his clemency, he had 
granted a pardon te a criminal under 
sentence of death; but some minutes 
after, happening to alight upon this verse 
of the Psalms: Blessed is he that doth 
righteousness at all times; he recailed his 
pardon, saying, “ The King who has 
the power to punish a crime, and does 
not do it, is, in the sight of God, no 
Jess cuilty the if he had eed it 
himself.” 
The Sortes Sanctorum were fulminated 
against by varivus councils. The coun- 
cil of Varres, ‘‘ forbade all ecclesiastics, 
under pain of excommunication, to 
perform that kind of divination, or 
to pry into futurity, by lodking into any 
book, or writing, whatsoever.” The 
onc of Ayde, in 506, expressed it- 
self to the same effect: as did those of 
Orleans, in 511: and Auxerre, in 595. 
It appears, however, to have continued 
ery common, at least in England, so 
date as the twelfth century; the council 
On the Times of the Inyjlorescence of Plants. 
563 
of Aenham, which met there, in 1110, 
condemned jointly Sorcerers, Witches, 
Diviners, such as occasioned death by 
magical operatious, and who practised 
fortune-telling by the holy book-lots. 
PCter de Blois, who wrote at the close 
of the twelfth century, places among the 
Sorcerers, those who under the veil of ree 
ligion, promised, by certain superstitious 
practices, such as the lots of the Apostles 
and Prophets, to discover hidden and 
future events: yet this same Peter. de 
Blois, one of the most learned and pious 
men of his age, ina letter to Reginald, 
whose election to the see of Bath had 
for a long time been violently opposed, 
tells him, that he hopes he has overcome 
all difficulties: and further, that he be- 
lieves he is, or soon will be, established 
in his diocese. ** This belief,” says he, ‘ 1 
ground on a dream I lately hadtwo nights 
saccessively, of being at your consecra- 
tion: and also, that being desirous ef 
knowing its certain meaning, by lots of. 
the 
Moses 
human curiosity, and the Psalter, 
first which occurred to me were: 
and Aaron among his priests. 
Thus, though the ancient fathers, and, 
since fen others have in general aureed, 
that the Sorts Siuctoman cannot be 
cleared of superstition, though they 
assert that it was tempting God, to expect 
that he weuld inform us of futurity, and 
reveal to us the secrets of jis will, when- 
ever the sacred book is opened for such 
a purpose, though it contain nothing 
which looks like a promise of that kind 
from God; though so far from being 
warranted ‘by any ecciestastical law, ic 
has been condenmed by several, and, at 
last, in more enlightened times, has becn 
altogether abolished, yet they do not 
deny, that there have been occasions, 
when discreet and pious persons have 
opened the sacred book, not to discover 
futurity, but to meet with some passage 
to support them in times of distress and 
persecution. O. 
eae 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
HAVE often heen gratified with a 
perusal of the Naturalist’s Reports, 
as given by your intelligent correspond-~ 
ent in Hampshire; and thinking that the 
differencey which a few devrees of latie 
tude makes in the inflorescence of plants, 
would) be a curious subject of compari- 
son, I have this year, assisted by a bota- 
eal friend, noted the times of the inflo- 
rescence of such indigenous, phenogamic 
plants, as have yet appeared, amounting 
to about 130 species, intending to com- 
pas. 
