wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?...
Who shut up the sea with doors, ... and said, Hitherto
shalt thou come, and no further?"[383] Such speculations
make life agreeable, make death welcome, But alas!
I was torn from this noble society by the business
of this dirty mean world, and the cares of fortune:
for I was obliged to be in town against the 7th day
of the term, and accordingly governed myself by my
Oxford Almanack, and came last night; but find, to
my great astonishment, that this ignorant town began
the term on the 24th of the last month, in opposition
to all the learning and astronomy of the famous university
of which I have been speaking; according to which,
the term certainly was to commence on the 1st instant.[384]
You may be sure, a man who has turned his studies
as I have, could not be mistaken in point of time;
for knowing I was to come to town in term, I examined
the passing moments very narrowly, and called an eminent
astronomer to my assistance. Upon very strict
observation we found, that the cold has been so severe
this last winter (which is allowed to have a benumbing
quality), that it retarded the earth in moving round
from Christmas to this season full seven days and
two seconds. My learned friend assured me further,
that the earth had lately received a shog from a comet
that crossed its vortex, which, if it had come ten
degrees nearer us, had made us lose this whole term.
I was indeed once of opinion, that the Gregorian computation
was the most regular, as being eleven days before
the Julian; but am now fully convinced, that we ought
to be seven days after the chancellor and judges,
and eighteen before the Pope of Rome; and that the
Oxonian computation is the best of the three.
These are the reasons which I have gathered from philosophy
and nature; to which I can add other circumstances
in vindication of the account of this learned body
who published this almanack. It is notorious to
philosophers, that joy and grief can hasten and delay
time. Mr. Locke is of opinion, that a man in
great misery may so far lose his measure, as to think
a minute an hour; or in joy, make an hour a minute.
Let us examine the present case by this rule, and
we shall find, that the cause of this general mistake
in the British nation, has been the great success of
the last campaign, and the following hopes of peace.
Stocks ran so high at the ’Change, that the
citizens had gained three days of the courtiers; and
we have indeed been so happy this reign, that if the
University did not rectify our mistakes, we should
think ourselves but in the second year of her present
Majesty. It would be endless to enumerate the
many damages that have happened by this ignorance
of the vulgar. All the recognisances within the
Diocese of Oxford have been forfeited, for not appearing
on the first day of this fictitious term. The
University has been nonsuited in their action against
the booksellers for printing Clarendon in quarto.
But indeed what gives me the most quick concern, is