been our practice in this world; or if, in the neglect of the distressed and hungry, we have given up ourselves to chambering and wantonness, to gluttony and voluptuousness? It is virtue and obedience, acts of goodness and mercy, that only can deliver us. If we worship in spirit and in truth the most glorious of immortal beings, that God who is omnipotent in wisdom and action, and perform all the offices of love and friendship to every man, then will our Lord pronounce us the blessed of his Father. If we do evil, we shall come forth into the resurrection of damnation. This merits your attention, reader, and I hope you will immediately begin to ponder, what it is to have a place assigned in inconceivable happiness or misery for ever.

Having thus lost Miss NOEL, and my good old friend, her worthy father, I left the university, and went down to the country, after five years and three months absence, to see how things were posited at home, and pay my respects to my father; but I found them very little to my liking, and in a short time, returned to Dublin again. He had lately married in his old age a young wife, who was one of the most artful, false, and insolent of women, and to gratify her to the utmost of his power, had not only brought her nephew into his house, but was ridiculously fond of him, and lavishly gratified all his desires. Whatever this little brute, the son of a drunken beggar, who had been a journeyman glover, was pleased, in wantonness, to call for, and that his years, then sixteen, could require, my father's fortune in an instant produced; while scarcely one of my rational demands could be answered. Money, clothes, servants, horses, dogs, and all things he could fancy, were given in abundance; and to please the basest of women, and the most cruel step-mother that ever the devil inspired to make the son of another woman miserable, I was denied almost everything. The liberal allowance I had at the university was taken from me. Even a horse to ride out to the neighbouring gentlemen, was refused me, though my father had three stables of extraordinary cattle; and till I purchased one, was forced to walk it, wherever I had a mind to visit. What is still more incredible, if anything of severity can be so, when a mother-in-law is sovereign, I was not allowed to keep my horse even at grass on the land, though five hundred acres of freehold estate surrounded the mansion, but obliged to graze it at a neighbouring farmer's. Nor was this all the hard treatment I received. I was ordered by my father to become the young man's preceptor; to spend my precious time in teaching this youngster, and in labouring to make the little despicable dunce a scholar. All this was more than I could bear. My life became insupportable, and I resolved to range even the wilds of Africa, if nothing better offered, rather than live a miserable slave under the cruel tyranny of those unrelenting oppressors.

My father, however, by the way, was as fine a gentleman as ever lived, a man of extraordinary understanding, and a scholar; likewise remarkably just and good to all the world, except myself, after I left the university and to do him all the justice in my power, and vindicate him so far as I am able, I must not conceal, that great as the ascendancy was, which my mother-in-law had over him, and as much as he was henpecked by that low-bred woman, who had been his servant maid, yet it was not to her only that my sufferings were owing. Religion had a hand in my misery. False religion was the spring of that paternal resentment I suffered under.

It was my father's being wont to have prayers read every night and morning in his family, and the office was the litany of the common prayer-book. This work, on my coming home, was transferred from my sister to me, and for about one week I performed to the old gentleman's satisfaction, as my voice was good, and my reading distinct and clear; but this office was far from being grateful to me, as I was become a strict Unitarian, by the lessons I had received from my private tutor in college, and my own examinations of the vulgar faith. It went against my conscience to use the tritheistic form of prayer, and became at last so uneasy to me, that I altered the prayers the first Sunday morning, and made them more agreeable to Scripture as I conceived. My father at this was very highly enraged, and his passion arose to so great a height, upon my defending my confesion, and refusing to read the established form, that he called me the most impious and execrable of wretches, and with violence drove me from his presence. Soon after, however, he sent me Lord Nottingham's Letter to Mr. Whiston, and desired I would come over to him when I had carefully read it over. I did so, and he asked me what I thought of the book. I answered, that I thought it a weak piece, and if he would hear me with patience, in relation to that in particular, and to the case in general, perhaps he might think my religion a little better than at present he supposed it to be. "I will hear you," he said, "proceed." I then immediately began, and for a full hour repeated an apology I had prepared.* He did not interrupt me once, and when I had done, all he replied was, "I see you are to be placed among the incurables. Begone," he said, with stern disdain; and I

The reader will find this apology in the Appendix to this life, [see note, p. 41, ante]. By scripture and argument, without any regard to the notions of the fathers, I there endeavour to prove, that God the Father, the beginning and cause of all things, is One Being, infinite in such a manner, that his infinity is an infinity of fulness as well as immensity; and must be not only without limits, but also without diversity, defect or interruption: and of conse quence his Unity so true and real, that it will admit of no diversity or distinction of persons :that as to the Lord Jesus Christ, he was the servant chosen of this tremendous God, to redeem mankind; but his holy soul so far in perfection above Adam or any of his posterity, and possessed so much a greater share of the indwelling of the divine life and nature than any other creature, that he might, compared to us, with a just figure of speech, be called God."

resolved to obey. Indeed it was impossible for me to stay, for my father took no farther notice of me, and my mother-inlaw and the boy, did all they could invent to render my life miserable.

On the first day of May, 1725; early in the morning, as the clock struck one, I mounted my excellent mare, and with my boy O'FIN, began to journey as I had projected, on seeing how things went. I did not communicate my design to a soul, nor took my leave of any one, but in the true spirit of adventure, abandoned my father's dwelling, and set out to try what fortune would produce in my favour.I had the world before me, and Providence my guide. As to my substance it consisted of a purse of gold, that contained fifty Spanish pistoles, and half a score moidores; and I had one bank note for five hundred pounds, which my dear Miss NOEL left me by her will, the morning she sickened; it was all she had of her own to leave to any one. With this I set forward, and in five days time arrived from the Western extremity of Ireland at a village called Ring's-end, that lies on the Bay of Dublin. Three days I rested there, and at the Conniving House,* and then got my horses on board a ship that was ready to sail, and bound for the land I was born in, I mean Old England.

The wind, in the afternoon, seemed good and fair, and we were in hopes of getting to Chester the next day; but at midnight a tempest arose, which held in all the horrors of hurricane, thunder and lightning, for two nights and a day, and left us no hope of escape. It was a dreadful scene indeed, and looked as if the last fatal assault was making on the globe. As we had many passengers, their cries were terrific, and affected me more than the flashing fires and the winds. For my part, I was well reconciled to the great change, but I confess that nature shrunk at the frightful manner of my going off, which on the second night, I expected every moment. At last, however, we got into Whitehaven. It pleased the great King of all the earth to bid the storm Have done.

Four remarkable things I noticed while the tempest lasted. One was that the Dean of Derry, DR. WHALEY, whom we had on board, who had nineteen hundred a year from the church, for

The Conniving-House, as the gentlemen of Trinity call'd it in my time, and long after was a little public house, kept by Jack M'Lean, about a quarter of a mile beyond Rings-end, on the top of the beach, within a few yards of the sea. Here we used to have the finest fish at all times, and in the season, green peas and all the most excellent vegetables. The ale here was always extraordinary, and every thing the best; which, with its delightful situation rendered it a charming place of a summer's evening. Many a happy evening have I passed in this pretty thatched house with the famous LARREY GROGAN, who played on the bag-pipes extremely well; dear JACK LATTIN, matchless on the fiddle, and the most agreeable of companions; that ever charming young fellow, JACK WALL, the son of counsellor Maurice Wall the most worthy, the most ingenious, the most engaging of men; and many other delightful fellows, who went in the days of their youth to the shades of eternity. When I think of them and their evening songs "We will go to Johnny M'Lean's to try if his ale be good or not etc." and that years and infirmities begin to oppress me-What is life!

teaching the people to be Christians, was vastly more afraid than one young lady of the company, who appeared quite serene. The Dean, though a fine orator at land, was ridiculous in his fears at sea. He screamed as loud as any of the people : but this young lady behaved, like an angel in a storm. She was calm and resigned, and sat with the mate and me during the second night discoursing of the divine power, and the laws of nature in such uproars. By the way, neither mate, nor master, nor hand could keep the deck. The ship was left to the mercy of the winds and

waves.

The second remarkable thing was that as this young lady went naked into bed in her cabin, the first night before the tempest began to stir, it was not many hours till a sea struck us upon the quarter, and drove in one of our quarter, and one of our stern dead lights, where we shipped great quantities of water, that put us under great apprehensions of foundering, and filled so suddenly the close wooden bed in which Miss MELMOTH lay, that had I not chanced to be leaning against the partition, and snatched her out, the moment I felt myself all over wet, and half covered with the breaking sea, she must inevitably have perished. I ran up on deck with her in my arms, and laid her almost senseless and naked there, and as there was no staying many minutes in that place, I threw my great coat over her, and then brought her down to my own berth, which I gave her, and got her dry clothes from her trunk, and made her drink a large glass of brandy, which saved her life. She got no cold, which I thought very strange, but was hurt a little in the remove. When all was over she protested she would never go naked into bed, on board ship, again.

The third particular was, that there were some officers on board, most monstrously wicked men, and when we were given over by the captain, and no hope he thought of being saved, these warriors lamented like young children, and were the most dismal disturbing howlers on board: yet, when we got on land, they had done with O Lord, O Lord, and began again their obscene talk, and to damn themselves at every word to the centre of hell.

The fourth thing was this. There was on board with us a young gentleman of my acquaintance, one Pierce Gavan, who had been a fellow-commoner in my time of Trinity, Dublin. The first day of the storm, he was carried over-board by a rolling sea, and fairly lodged in the ocean, at above twenty yards distance from the ship; but the next tumbling billow brought him back again. He was laid on the deck without any hurt. On the contrary, one CHARLES HENLEY, a young merchant, was beat over, and we never saw him more.

HENLEY was not only a man of sense and prudence, who had an honest mind, and a cultivated understanding, but by search

and enquiries into the doctrines, institutions and motives of revealed religion, had the highest regard for the truths of genuine Christianity, and chose the best means in his power to make himself acceptable to God.

GAVAN, on the contrary, had no sense of religion, nor did he ever think of the power and goodness of God. He was a most profane swearer, drank excessively, and had the heart to debauch every pretty woman he saw, if it had been possible for him to do so much mischief. Yet this man, who never reformed that I heard, and whose impieties have even shocked young fellows who were no saints, was astonishingly preserved; and HENLEY, who had the most just natural notions, and listened to Revelation, perished miserably! How shall we account for such things? By saying, that the world that now is, and the world that is to come, are in the hands of God, and every transaction in them is quite right, though the reason of the procedure may be beyond our view. We cannot judge certainly of the ends and purposes of Providence, and therefore to pass judgment on the ways of God, is not only impious, but ridiculous to the last degree. This we know for certain, that whenever, or however, a good man falls, he falls into the hand of God, and since we must all die, the difference as to time and manner, signifies very little, when there is an infinite wisdom to distinguish every case, and an infinite goodness to compensate all our miseries. This is enough for a Christian. Happy is the man, and for ever safe, let what will happen, who acts a rational part, and has the fear and love of God in his thoughts. With pleasure he looks into all the scenes of futurity. When storms and earthquakes threaten calamity, distress, and death, he maintains an inward peace.

May 10th. When we had obtained the wished for shore, the passengers all divided. The Dean and his lady, and some other ladies, went one way, to an inn recommended to them by a gentleman on board; the warriors and Gavan marched to another house; and the young lady, whose life was by me preserved, and I, went to the Talbot, which the mate informed me had the best things and lodgings, though the smallest inn of the town. This mate, one WHITWELL, deserves to be particularly mentioned, as he was remarkable for polite breeding, good sense, and a considerable share of learning, though a sailor; as remarkable this way, as the captain of the ship was the other, that is for being the roughest and most brutal old tar that ever commanded a vessel.

WHITWELL the mate, about thirty-six years of age at this time, told me, he was the son of a man who once had a great fortune, and gave him a university education, but left an estate so encumbered with debts, and ruined with mortgages, that its income was almost nothing, and therefore the son sold the remains of it