The Grub-street Journal, Thursday, Jan. 14. No. 53.
Dr. Quibus chuses for the subject of his discourse the operation designed to be performed on the ears of one Rey, a condemn’d malefactor, by Mr. Cheselden. This he treats in a ludicrous manner, and supposes that if Mr. Rey should prove so unphilosophical as to give the surgeon the slip as soon as the operation is over, we should be as much in the dark as we were before. He declares his opinion, that not only the drum, but the whole organ, or the ear it self, is of no use at all in hearing, and would know the truth of his conjecture by seeing the ears of some malefactor entirely extirpated. Recommends it as a thing of great use, if instead of executing malefactors they were made to undergo such kind of experiments. Trial may be made whether the Retina of the eye is of any use in seeing. A needle might be introduced into the eye, and the Retina quite remov’d. The spleen might be taken out of some vile malefactor, and an observation made whether their inclinations to evil courses depend not on a superfluity of the Atra Bilis. Another experiment he recommends as of great consequence, that is, whether the tying up one of the testicles would not determine the sex of a child begotten at such a time. By this means, he says, many illustrious families might be inform’d of a just and certain method of obtaining an heir to their estates. See p. 19.
The Grub-street Journal, Thursday, Jan. 14. No. 54.
The author begins with the Laureat’s new-year’s ode (for which [see p. 20.]) and subjoins to it some explanatory notes; the substance of which is contain’d in the following short remarks.
Line 1. The eternity of the world is here maintain’d, tho’ Dr. Clarke had objected against it.
3. Old Janus, a heathenish emblem, is supplanted by old Time, as more familiar to christian readers.
5. To this is objected, making Spring a living person calling for birth as it were to old Time; whereas old Time had bid spring pass, so no occasion for spring to call. Which is defended thus; When time bids spring pass, it might not be ready, but as soon as it was, it calls for birth.
Line 7. Harvest in summer is very early, and something unusual.
9. But not soon enough, it seems, because here each season is said to bring THEIR stores TO winter’s wants, till warmer genial suns recall the spring——However Mr. Cibber’s authority makes it current.
15. An admirable improvement of Nocte pluit tota, &c. which to set in a true light is translated and imitated: