A KNOWLEDGE of an author is sometimes necessary to the acceptance and appreciation of his work. I have, therefore, concluded to give a few outlines of the personal history of the humble individual who presents the following "REFLECTIONS," to the public.

I was born of poor and virtuous parents, who had at all times a desire to die the death of the righteous. By them I was taught to read and to write, and also arithmetic, which, with a very slight knowledge of a few other branches of learning, was all the useful education their limited means could afford me. I say useful education-for I was made too well acquainted with the sciences of the papal school. My youth was devoted to hard labor which left little time for literary improvement; and the care of a family, and the life of a farmer succeeding, still prevented attendance of much extent to mental cultivation. This having been my situation in life, I can only hope that the truth which may appear in the following pages, and the sincere desire that they may do good, with which they are presented, will excuse the defects of style and lack of elegance in language, which I am conscious they display.

Being little acquainted with the learned languages, I have ad

hered chiefly to that contained in the Scriptures which has been