MACKEY'S "THEORY OF THE EARTH".
(Vol. viii., p. 468.)
About the year 1827, when the prosecutions for blasphemy were leading hundreds and thousands to see what could be said against Christianity, with a very powerful bias to make the most of all that they could find, some friends of mine, of more ingenuity than erudition, strongly recommended to my attention the works of a shoemaker at Norwich, named Mackey, who they said was more learned than any one else, and had completely shown up the thing. It is worth a note that I perfectly remember the cause of their excitement to have been the imprisonment of the Rev. Robert Taylor, for publishing various arguments against revelation. I examined several works of Mackey's, and I have yet one or two bound up among my wonders of nature and art. As in time to come, when neither love nor money will procure a copy of these books, some tradition may set inquirers looking after them, perhaps it may be worth while to preserve a couple of extracts for the benefit of those who have the sense to hunt the index of "N. & Q." before they give up anything.
"The Virgin Andromeda, the daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia, was the representative of Palestina; a long, narrow, rocky strip of land; figuratively called the daughter of Rocks and Mountains; because it is a country abounding with rocks and stones. And the Greeks, really supposing Cepha, a rock or stone, to have been the young ladies father, added their sign of the masculine gender to it, and it became Cepha-us. And mount Cassius being its southern boundary was called Cassiobi; from its being also the boundary of the overflowed Nile, called Obi, which the Greeks softened into Cassiopeia, and supposed it to have been her mother;..."—Mythological Astronomy, part second, Norwich, 1823, 12mo., p. xiii.
"The story of Abraham, notwithstanding all the endeavours of theologians to give it the appearance of the history of human beings, has preserved its mythological features with an outline and colouring, easily to be recognised by every son of Urania [Ur of the Chaldees is subsequently made to contain the root of Uranus]. We have just seen that the Egyptians have their harvest about the time which the sun passes over the equator, and if we go back to the time of Abraham we shall find that the equator [perhaps he means equinox] was in Taurus; the Egyptians must, then, have had their harvest while the sun was in the Bull; the Bull was, therefore, in their figurative way of speaking, the father of harvest, not only because he ploughed the ground, but because the sun was there when they got in their harvest: thus the Bull was doubly distinguished as their benefactor; he was now, more than ever, become the Bull of life, i. e. he was not only called Abir, the Bull, but Abir-am or Ab'-r-am, the Bull of life,—the father of harvest. And as their harvest was originally under the direction of Iseth, or Isis, whatever belonged to harvest was Isiac; but the Bull, Abiram, was now become the father of Isiac! and to give this the appearance of a human descent, they added to Abir, the masculine affix ah; then it became Ab'-rh-am who was the father of Isiac. And we actually find this equivoque in the hebrew history of Abram whom the Lord afterwards called Abraham, who was the father of Isaac, whose seed was to be countless as the sand on the sea-shore for multitude; even this is truly applied to Isiac the offspring of Ab'-rh-am; for countless indeed are the offspring of the scythe and sickle! but if we allow Isiac to be a real son of Ab-rah-am we must enquire after his mother. During the time that the equator [perhaps he means the sun] is passing through the constellation of the Bull in the spring, the Bull would rise in the east every morning in the harvest time, in Egypt,—but in the poetical language of the ancients, it would be said that, when Abir-am consorts with Aurora he will produce Isiac. But Aurora is well known to be the golden splendour of the east, and the brightness of the east is called Zara, and the morning star is Serah, in the eastern languages, and we find a similar change of sound in the name of Isaac's mother, whom the Lord would no longer call Sarai but Sarah. These ARE remarkable coincidences!"—Companion to the Mythological Astronomy, Norwich, 1824, 12mo. pp. 177-179.
M.
In answer to the inquiry respecting this singular man, I beg to say that I remember him between the years 1826 and 1830, as a shoemaker in Norwich. He was in a low rank of trade, and in poor circumstances, which he endeavoured to improve by exhibiting at private houses an orrery of his own making. He was recognised as a "genius;" but, as may be seen by his writings, had little reverence for established forms of belief. At the period of which I speak, which was soon after the publication of his first work, I knew but little of his mind, and lost sight of him altogether till about 1840. Then circumstances connected with my own line of study led me to call on him in Doughty's Hospital, Norwich, an asylum for aged persons. I found him surrounded by astronomical apparatus, books, the tools of his former trade, and all kinds of strange litters. In the conversation that ensued, I learned much of the workings of his mind; though his high self-appreciation could not descend to unreserved converse with a woman. My object was, to ascertain by what steps he had arrived at his theory of the earth's motion, but I could gain nothing distinct. He mentioned the Asiatic Researches as containing vast information on his peculiar subject; quoted Latin, and I think Greek, authors; and seemed to place great dependence on Maurice and Bryant; but, above all, on Capt. Wilford's Essays. He showed me some elaborate calculations, at which he was then working and still fancied himself qualified, perhaps destined, to head a great revolution in the astronomical world. I cannot say how far his knowledge of geology went, as I am not well acquainted with that science. He had evidently read and studied deeply, but alone; his own intellect had never been brushed by the intellects and superior information of truly scientific men, and it appeared to me that a vast deal of dirt, real dirt, had accumulated in his mind. My visit disappointed and pained me, but he seemed gratified, and I therefore promised to call again, which I did, but he was not at home. I think this visit was soon after he had removed into the hospital, for I then purchased his last work, The Age of Mental Emancipation, published 1836, before he obtained that asylum. He died before 1849, but I do not know the exact year.
In any next visit to Norwich, I will make inquiries on all points relating to Mackey, of the very few persons now left who took interest in him, and I think I can find the printer of his last pamphlet.
I have not the work mentioned in "N. & Q.;" but, besides his last work, I have The Mythological Astronomy of the Ancients demonstrated, which is partly in poetry.
I have been obliged to write this Note in the first person, as I can give only my own impressions respecting Mackey; and I wish that ere this you may have received clearer information from more competent persons. If your Querist have the least grain of faith in the theory of Mackey, I hope he will not let the subject drop, for I have long been deeply interested in it.
F. C. B.
Diss.
Mackey, of whom your correspondent inquires, was an entirely self-educated man, but a learned shoemaker, residing in Norwich. He devoted all his leisure time to astronomical, geological, and
philological pursuits; and had some share in the formation of a society in his native town, for the purpose of debating questions relative to these sciences. I have understood that he was for some time noticed by a small portion of the scientific world, but afterwards neglected, as, from his own account, he appears also to have been by his literary fellow townsmen; and at last to have died in a Norwich alms-house. This is but a meagre account of the man, but it is possible that I may be able to glean farther particulars on the subject; for a medical friend of mine, who some time ago lent me Mythological Astronomy, promised to let me see some papers in his possession relative to this learned shoemaker's career, and to a few of his unpublished speculations. When I have an opportunity of seeing these, I shall be glad to communicate to your correspondent through "N. & Q." anything of interest. The title-page of Mythological Astronomy runs thus:
"The Mythological Astronomy of the Ancients demonstrated by restoring to their Fables and Symbols their Original Meanings. By Sampson Arnold Mackey, Shoemaker. Norwich: printed by R. Walker, near the Duke's Palace. Published May 1, 1822, by S. A. Mackey, Norwich."
The book contains a variety of subjects, but principally treats of the Hindoo, Greek, and Roman mythology; and endeavours to deduce all the fables and symbols of the ancients from the starry sphere. It also contains a singular hypothesis of the author's upon the celebrated island of Atlantis, mentioned by Plato and other Greek authors; and some very curious speculations concerning the doctrine of the change in the angle which the plane of the ecliptic makes with the plane of the equator.
Urania's Key to the Revelations is bound up with the above work. I forgot to say that his Ancient Mythology demonstrated is written in verse, and afterwards more fully explained by notes. His poetical abilities, however, neither suit the subject, nor are of a very high order. His prose is better, but here and there shows the deficiency of education.
E. M. R.
Grantham.