in the different treatment received by different classes the "Son of the Stars" had fulfilled his mission. of courtezans. Well might the poet say— Vice is undone, if she forgets her birth, Oh! CANT what crimes are committed by thy adorers. How impudently dost thou usurp the throne of Honesty. But Reason will dethrone the tyrant. Yes, that Reason so much villified, because so much dreaded, by corrupt and foolish men, will sooner or later separate the wheat from the chaff of human morality, and gathering the wheat into garners will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Then that sexual instinct whose perversion we deplore will in all cases be made conducive to the best interests of states instead of being, as it now is, a prime cause of their corruption and overthrow. THE CHALDAIC PHILOSOPHERS. Eudoxus states that Zoroaster lived about 5000 years before Plato, and Plutrarch says about 5000 years be. fore the taking of Troy, one of which dates would be 1500 and the other 2000 years before the Mosaic account of the creation. We do not pretend to reconcile these statements, or say which is correct, Moses himself could not be expected to explain the mystery, except by standing firm to his own chronology-which of course we should not dispute. One thing however seems pretty certain, that Zoroaster lived and established the sect of Magi some time prior to the advent of Moses. Aristotle says that the Chaldean Magi were prior to the Egyptian priests, who it is well known were in existence and of considerable power in the time of Moses. Manetho an ancient historian says that there was a temple at Heliopolis dedicated to the sun or Mithra where the Magi instructed the priests of Isis in the mysteries of their religion, and that there was one Moses, a priest at this temple, who afterwards became the leader of a number of enslaved Jews-from this it appears that Moses must have been well acquainted with the Chaldaic philosophy. The Magi or wise men and the magicians of Egypt are mentioned as being in the court of Pharaoh about one hundred and fifty years before the birth of Moses. (See Genesis c. xli. v. 8.) To place his existence as remote as possible from the present period without coming in contact with the flood, some have said he was Shem the son of Noah; and Epiphianus that he lived in the time of Nimrod, whilst Suidas states that he was cotemporary with Ninus, king of Assyria, and Eusebius that he lived during the reign of Semiramis. We are told by Pliny that he laughed the same day that he was born, and that his brain did beat so hard that it heaved up the hand laid upon it, a presage of his future success; that he lived in the desert upon cheese so prepared that it grew not old. But Pliny could relate marvels which never happened as well as other time honored historians. Suidas asserts that there were four Books extant written THE Chaldeans, Assyrians, and Babylonians appear very often in the pages of Sacred History, and though but little is known of them on account of their great antiquity, scarce any thing is ever heard of them by the masses except what can be gathered from the Old Testament. Ancient Chaldæa was a part of Babylonia in Asia, and at one time formed a portion of the great Assyrian Empire. The inhabitants of this country were called Chasdim. The Chaldaic philosophy diffused itself over l'ersia and Arabia, and was known in nearly all the countries of the East. Of the antiquity of the Chaldeans there has been much dispute. They declared at the time of Alexander's expedition when he possessed himself of Babylon in the 4883rd year of the Julian period, and 2673rd of the world, that they had then made astronomical computations for 470,000 years, which caused Aristotle to request his nephew Calisthenes, who accompanied Alexander, to discover for him the period to which their history extended. The period stated by Calisthenes is much less than philosophy, which was afterwards altered and improved by that claimed by the Chaldeans, though doubtless their antiquity was great. But upon this subject much more light will be thrown on the completion of the researches of Mr. Layard among the ruins of Ninevah now in progress. One thing is certain that they were acquainted with astronomy in the 27th year of Nabonasser, as testified by sacred and other records. The foundation of the Chaldaic Philosophy is said to have been laid by Zoroaster whose period of existence is also much shrouded in fable. There are no less than six Zoroasters mentioned in history, but the founder of the Chaldaic philosophy is doubtless the most ancient. He is called by Suidas "Zoroaster the Assyrian," and played a part very similar to that of Moses and Mahommed upon the world's stage. His name is analysed by Stanley in his History of Philosophy, where he states that its signification is" Son of the Stars." Suidas states that Zoroaster died by fire from Heaven-and Arnobius that he came to the people out of a fiery mountain. Many good Christians have tried to prove this a plagiarism from the Pentateuch, but it is not so easy for any save the prejudiced to discover the least probability of this taking place. The Jews were too careful of their Pentateuch to let the Chaldeans or Assyrians get hold of it before the Babylonian captivity at least, and at that period by Zoroaster, one of which was concerning Nature, and another Astrology, being predictions calculated upon astronomi cal observations. The Persians believe that Abraham was the father of their Zerdúsht or Zoroaster, and Tarikh Montekhes asserts that Zoroaster was the founder of the sect of the Megiousch or Magi, that he was also the first who taught the doctrine of two principles of all things, that the surname Megiousch is a word corrupted by the Arabians from the Persian word Meikhousch, which signifies half sweet half sour, because of the two principles the one good, and the other evil which he held. Belus who reigned in Babylonia after the Arabs was also the reputed founder of the science of the starshe probably discovered something beyond what had been discovered by Zoroaster and for his knowledge was honored by the Babylonians as a God. The time at which he flourished was about 2681, anno mundi (year of the world.) It was from Zoroaster that the Magi or wise men of the east descended, amongst whom were Azonaces, Zoromasdres, Berosus, and others. Berosus was the first who introduced the Chaldaic learning into Greece. Some assert that he was contemporary with Moses, whilst Eusebius (on whom no great reliance is to be placed) says that he was priest of Belus, at Babylon, and lived in the time of Alexander. He wrote and dedicated a work to Antiochus Soter on the Antiquities of Assyria which was then an ancient empire. The knowledge possessed by the Magi has been preserved by being conveyed from father to son from one generation to another, and thus kept exclusively to the priests of the temples. These were divided into sects and distinguished by names according to their sciences. Daniel mentions them as Hhartumim, Ashaphim, Mecashphim, and Chasdim, translated as magicians, astrologers, soothsayers, and Chaldeans. The sect Hhartumim were such as studied the nature of all things, comprehending especially theology and physics. They were in fact dealers in divine and natural speculations. The Ashaphim were priests or professors of religious worship, rites, and ceremonies. The Mecashphim revealers of abstruse things-practisers of divination, or sorcerers. The Chasdim were astrologers or astronomical Chaldeans; which name was finally given to all Chaldeans, and the Mecashphim and Chasdim were linked together as practisers of divination. These Magi or learned men possessed great influence in Chaldæa, Arabia and Persia, where they obtained implicit credit from the people, and used their arts as the stepping-stone to civil power. Juvenal refers to this in one of his satires. More credit, yet, is to Chaldeans given; What they foretell is deemed the voice of heaven; In Persia, during the time of Plato, as he states in one of his dialogues, the Magi were highly honored in the court. On a young prince arriving at the age of fourteen years he was placed under the instruction of four great lords, the first of these, one of the Magi,"teaches him the magic of Zoroaster the Son of Oromazus, in which is comprehended all the worship of the Gods; he teaches him likewise the laws of the kingdom and all the duties of a good king." Oromazus was the name given to the good God, Zoroaster is therefore styled by Plato in this passage as the Son of the good God, a proof of the esteem in which he was then held by the Persians. It would be merely conjecture were we to say that this was the first system of philosophy of which we have any knowledge, though there might be a fair field for speculation in tracing its course to India and Egypt, where it became modified and from which the Hebrew philosophy ultimately sprung. It is sufficient to have traced it upwards beyond the birth of the Jewish law giver. What Zoroaster and the Magi after him taught would swell this article to too great a length. We may resume the subject in a future number. PRIG In her rage" which grew from fear," Betsy raves about cleverest of the Chartists, extracting thunder out of a frame of cucumbers, idiotic proposals, and heaven knows what besides ;-as if in the exuberance of feeling consequent upon our" cockney impudence and ignorance," she had taken a topsey-turveying swig at the gin bottle under an erroneous impression that it was the tea-pot. Oh! that women should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains, which we fear that Betsy is very much in the habit of doing- Only upon the hypothesis that she, from accident or design, had partaken too freely of the cup that inebriates as well as cheers, can we account for poor Betsy's asking us the following ques、 tion : We ask Mr Southwell what he would think of the modesty and manners of a man who should intrude into a room which he (Southwell) had hired for a particular purpose; and there and then submit to the assemby a proposition diametrically opposed to his (Southwell's), purpose. We might decline to answer this question on the ground that it bears internal evidence of being put by a lady not exactly in her right mind; but so great is our gallantry, and affection for the softer sex, that we cannot be bearish enough to refuse some answer to their questions however silly they may be. In reply then to Betsy we say If the Man from London hired a room for the parinvited the public to say whether such particular purticular purpose of getting money from the public, and Pose was good or not, and that particular purpose happened to be particularly obnoxious to a large por tion of the public, the Man from London would not be astonished if some cockney, or other politician, intruded himself into the room, and there and then submitted to the assemby, a proposition diametrically opposite. In such case he might be strongly inclined to turn "physical force Chartist," and "eject summarily the impertinent intruder;" because there is nothing more annoying to scoundrels, especially pious ones, than to be baulked or thwarted when about to make, what a certain class of persons denominate, a good haul. The Bishop and his aids-de-camp met for the purpose of catching flats. We intruded ourselves upon them, and they, as might have been expected," flared up" in style that, for a time, made the Man from London wonder whether he had not got to Hell by a short cut. band hooted more like imps of the devil than anyAssuredly the Bishop and his thing human we have seen since our return from travel. THE GHOST SEER, OR, FROM THE PAPERS OF COUNT BETSY AND "THE MAN FROM LONDON." It is said Women leave no stone unturned In which the cause may be concerned, And the conduct of our fair contemporary, the Courier, illustrates that opinion in a peculiar manner. Poor Betsy is perfectly furious about the onslaught made on his right reverend Father in Godship, the Bishop of Manchester, at the do-give-us-more-moneyhelp-us-police meeting at the Exchange. Betsy, being devotedly attached to that " Church and guts" party who pay their hirelings so handsomely, has rushed into print with an article about the "Man from Lon. don," which shows how enthusiastic she is "in the cause" and how determined to "leave no stone un. turned"-the turning of which may help Holy Mother Church out of difficulties. About eleven o'clock at night he returned, On entering the room' he appeared grave and thoughtful. Having dismissed the servants, he took me by the hand, and said, in the words of Hamlet, "Count ""There are more things in heav'n and earth, "Gracious Prince !" replied I. " you seem to forget that you are retiring to your pillow greatly enriched in prospect." The deceased was the hereditary prince, "Do not remind me of it," said the prince," for, should I even have acquired a crown, I am too much engaged to occupy myself with such a trifle. If that Armenian has not merely guessed by chance▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ "How can that be, my Prince," interrupted I. "Then will 1 resign you all my hopes of royalty for a monk's cowl." Who the unknown friend was who had thus saved us from inevitable death, by interposing in our behalf the active arm of I have mentioned this purposely to show how far every am- justice, we could not conjecture. Filled with terror, we reached bitious idea, was then distant from his thoughts. our hotel. It was past midnigt. The Chamberlain Z-was waiting anxiously for ns at the door. "How fortunate it was that you sent us a message," said he to the Prince as he lighted us up the staircase. "The news which Baron F-soon after brought us respecting you, from the square of St. Mark, would otherwise have given us the greatest uneasiness." "I sent you a message !" said the Prince. know nothing of it." "When? I "This evening after eight, you sent us word that we must not be alarmed if you should come home later to-night than usual.” The Prince looked at me. "Perhaps you have taken this precaution, wtihout mentioning it to me?" I knew nothing of it. "It must be so, however" replied the chamberlain, since here is your repeating watch, which you sent me as a mark of The Prince put his hand to his watch pocket. It was empty and he recognized the watch which the chamberlain held as his own "Who brought it?" said he in amazement. "An unknown mask in an Armenian dress, who disappeared immediately." We stood looking at each other. "What do you think of this?" said the Prince, after a long silence, "I have a secret guardian here in Venice." The following evening we went earlier than usual to the Square of St. Mark. A sudden shower of rain obliged us to take shelter in a coffee house, where we found a party engaged at cards, The Prince took his place behind the chair of a Spaniard to observe the game. 1 went into an adjacent chamber to read the newspapers. A short time afterwards I heard a noise in the card-room. Previously to the entrance of the Prince, the Spaniard had been constantly losing, but since then he had won upon every card. The fortune of the game was reversed in a striking manner, and the bank was in danger of being challenged by the pointeur, whom this lucky change of fortune had rendered more adventurous. A Venetian, who kept the bank, told the Prince in a very rude manner that his presence interrupted the fortune of the game, and desired him to quit the table. The latter looked coldly at him, remained in his place, and preserved the same countenance, when the Venetian repeated his insulting de-authenticity." mand in French. He thought the Prince uuderstood neither French nor Italian; and, addressing himself with a contemptuous laugh to the company, said, "Pray, gentlemen, tell me how I must make myself understood to this fool" At the same time he rose, and prepared to seize the Prince by the arm. His patience forsook the latter; he grasped the Venetian with a strong hand, and threw him violently on the ground The company rose up in confusion. Hearing the noise I hastily entered the room, and unguardedly called the Prince by his name: "Take care," said I, imprudently; "we are in Venice." The name of the Prince caused a general silence, which ended in a whispering which appeared to me to have a dangerous tendency. All the Italians present divided into parties, and kept aloof. One after the other left the room, so that we soon found ourselves alone with the Spaniard and a few Frenchmen. "You are lost, Prince," said they, "if you do not leave the city immediately. The Venetian whom you have handled so roughly is rich enough to hire a bravo. It costs him but fifty zechins to be revenged by your death." The Spaniard offered, for the security of the Prince, to go for the guards, and even to accompany us home himself. The Frenchmen proposed to do the same. We were still deliberating what to do, when the door suddenly opened, and some officers of the inquisition entered the room. They produced an order of government, which charged us both to follow them immediately. They conducted us under a strong escort to the canal, where a gondola was waiting for us, in which we were ordered to embark. We were blindfolded before we landed. They led us up a large stone staircase, and through a long winding passage over vaults, as I judged from the echoes that resounded under our feet, At length we came to another staircase, and, having descended a flight of steps, we entered a hall, where the bandage was removed from our eyes. We found ourselves in a circle of venerable old men, all dressed in black of awe. the hall was hung round with black, and dimly lighted. A dead "I do," answered the Prince, The frightful transaction of this night, threw the Prince into a fever, which confined him to his bed for a week. During this time our hotel was crowded with Venetians and strangers, who visited the Prince from a deference to his newly discovered rank. They vied with each other in offers of service, and it was not a little entertaining to observe that the last visitor seldom failed to hint something derogatory to the character of the preceding one. Billets doux and nostrums poured in upon us from all quarters. Every one endeavoured to recommend himself in his own way. Our adventure with the Inquisition was no more mentioned. The Court of wishing the Prince to delay his departure from Venice for some time, orders were sent to several bankers to pay him considerable sums of money. He was thus, against his will, compelled to protract his residence in Italy; and, at his request, I also resolved to postpone my departure for some time. (To be continued.) Obituary. DIED, last week, at his residence, No. 1, Oldham street, an "Antedeluvian Buffer," of ancient pedigree, who rejoiced in the name of Christian Beacon, and who has been seen much disordered parading the streets of Manchester for three weeks in a state of great destitution. He is reported to have fallen a victim to the prevailing epidemic which the prayers of the Then addre sing the prisoner, “Is this the same person whom faithful have failed to prevent attacking this their veyou meant to have assassinated to-night ?" racious friend. We are informed that he expired in great agonies. and was followed to his last home by one Wm. Harris, son of the celebrated Mrs. Harris, long supposed to have been an apocryphal character, and his inconsolable friend Cheap Joseph. We are sorry to hear that the body was denied "consecrated ground" and that no service was read over the tomb, anticipative of his glorious resurrection from the dust. BELIEVING Church of Englandism founded on gross errors, and believing, moreover, that it is part and parcel of a fraudulent political system, I hereby Challenge you to a Public Discussion of the following question: Are Church of England doctrines in harmony with the teaching, or Church of England practises in harmony with the example, of Jesus Christ? Should your Lordship think it beneath the dignity of a Bishop publicly to discuss that system by which he largely profits, or be deterred from accepting this Challenge by a natural disinclination again to encounter the Man from London, I suggest that Canon Stowell be appointed to championize your AN ADDRESS TO WORKING MEN, Of which the following is a copy has been extensively posted in Manchester during the past week. people say that if we are cruel enough to publish any more such Addresses the poor Bishop and his "Man" must be provided with strait jackets. HOLD ON, HOLD ON, IN THE WORLD'S DESPITE! Lines to his dear Friend Walter Cooper, BY T. GERALD MASSEY. Never despair, Oh! my brother in sorrow; I know that our mourning is ended not-yet- Green spots, mid life's waste, wait thy worn spirit-dove; What, tho' the Army of Martyrs have perished, The Angel of Life rolls the stone from their graves; Think of the wrongs that have ground us for ages; In our hearts, in our lives, in our warfare for man; THE OBJECT OF GOVERNMENT-Poverty is, after all, the NOTICE. WHAT has the Bishop of Manchester done for Working Men? He calls them MOST respectable of all classes,' but what has he done for them? Bishops as well as others are to be judged by their works. That he is a Whig we know, and about his regard for the good things doled out by Whigs there can be no mistake. We know too that instead of curing the souls and filling the stomachs of those sheep of which he is the Shepherd, he raises his mitred front in Parliament-looks to the main chance on Railway Committees-and, and at the late help-uspolice Meeting at the Exchange, demonstrated his keen affection for public moeny, and priestly hatred of To-MORROW, Sunday the 14th inst. in the Morning at Eleven public discussion. What has that amiable Apostle of a religion of peace the Rev. Hugli Stowell, done for working men? True, he distinguished himself by closing against them the Zoological Gardens, and attempting to put down cheap Trips on a Sunday. True, he is a good hater of whatever tends to the emancipation of mind from the vile thraldom of priestly domination, but is he on that account a friend of working men? I think not, and call upon them to assert the good old right of Free Discussion, which this Bishop and his " man Stowell would put down not by legitimate argument, but the bludgeons of Policemen. Working men arise in the strength and majesty of reason, and assist me in my struggle with bigotted hypocrites who, fearing the truth that would set you free, vainly hope by Violence and Cajolery to crush its mighty power. CHARLES SOUTHWELL. The Walter Cooper will Lecture on the Character and Writings Published every Saturday, at the Hall of Science, Camp Field Printed by GEORGE SMITH, Bookseller and Stationer, Green- THE LANCASHIRE BEACON. No. 12.] Responsible Editor,-CHARLES SOUTHWELL, HALL OF SCIENCE, MANCHESTER. PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY. THE CHALDAIC PHILOSOPHY. THE doctrines of the four classes of Chaldean priests, Hhartumim, Mecashphim, Chasdim, and Ashaphim, are deserving attention. The Hhartumim, or divine and natural speculators, divided all things into three kinds. First, the eternal; secondly, those beginning in time but having no end; and the third, mortal things. The two first were those which formed their theology; the latter physics, comprehending all things material. They conceived that there was one principle of all things, and declared that principle to be wise and good. That this Supreme principle, or God, in his body resembled light, and in his soul truth. In the same manner was he also termed fire, for the word "Ur" in Chaldee signified both light and fire. Upon this ground the worship of fire was introduced amongst the ancient Chaldeans, and borrowed from them by the Persians (Ghebirs, or fire worshippers). They held that God, or the Supreme Being, communicated this fire to all his creatures and diffused it through the ether. The second kind of things were the æviternal and incorporeal, or those which commenced in time, but were without end. In this class were a multitude of subordinate Gods and the souls of men. They were all conceived to be light, except certain evil demons, which were dark. And over this middle class Mithra, the middle or mediatory God, presided, and who is called by the oracles mind. This class was subdivided into Intelligibles, or those which were only understood; Intelligibles and Intellectuals who were understood, and were themselves capable of understanding; and Intellectuals, who were only capable of understanding this triad consisting of a father, a power, and a mind. There were also the Fountains, a triad of Faith, Truth, and Love. Principles-Hecate, principative soul and principative virtue. The unzoned Gods, the movers of the spheres, Sarapis, Bacchus, Osyris, and Apollo. The zoned Gods, restricted to particular zones. Angels, waiters upon the Supreme. Demons, good and bad; the good being the messengers of God, and the bad haters of God and enemies of man. These evil demons were the supposed causes of all earthquakes, shipwrecks, and miseries which afflicted mankind. Lastly, the souls of men. They believed that the soul proceeded from the mansion wholly bright to serve the mortal body, and if it performed its office well went back to the same region; but if ill, that it retired to the worst mansions to make expiation. The third kind of things were corruptible; and this [PRICE, 1d kind or class were presided over by Ahrimanes, and contained the air, earth, and water. According to Diodorus they believed the earth to be in figure like a boat and hollow; and Psellus states that they sometimes called it Hades. Some persons in the present day call it the Pandemonium, or Hell of the universe, without recognizing the plagiarism. This is so far an outline of the speculations of the first class of Chaldeans, to explain which and set forth the deductions therefrom would require a volume. The Mecashphim were dealers in magic of two kinds-natural and theurgic. The natural magic was that by which they expelled noxious animals, lions, serpents, &c., from cities, driving harm from plants, prevention of hail, destroying of worms, &c. It also included the use of the Tsilmenia, or, as called in Arabic, Tsaliman, or Talisman, one kind of which was used for preservation and the other for prediction. The former were of various kinds, such as a peculiar kind of stone or scrap of parchment inscribed with magic numbers; the latter were generally small images erected to the stars, into which it was believed their power flowed, and communicated the gift of prophecy or spoke in dreams. This kind were also called Teraphim; and mention is made of them in the 17th chapter of Judges, where Micah is stated to have had "an house of gods, and made an ephod and seraphim." The King of Babylon, Ezekiel says, stood at the parting of two ways and "consulted with images." A learned Rabbi was of opinion that the images which Rachel stole from the house of her father, Laban, were the Teraphim, lest her father, being skilful in astrology, should consult them, and learn which way Jacob had fled. The theurgic or telectic magic consisted of the service of the Gods or method of rites; and by these rites they conceive that they could procure a communica tion with the good demons and expulsion of the bad; that they could also obtain the assistance of apparitions. The Chasdim were diviners and astrologers. Their art consisted of two parts-Meteorologic, which consists of the motions of the stars, and Apotelesmatic, or divination. They assumed primarily that "terrestrials sympathize with the celestials, and that every one of those is renewed by the influence of these;" and above all, that our life is subject to the stars; that the planets arc efficient causes in every thing that happens in life. They held the principal Gods, or rulers of destinies, to be twelve, to each of which they attributed a month and a sign of the zodiac. Next after these, twenty-four stars, twelve northward and twelve |