bitants of

As to the inhabitants of this sweet place, The inhawe found only four poor familys, who till Troda. the ground, fow feeds, gather eggs, and catch fish; and one convent of nuns of the A Roman poor clares; with two old francifcan friars, Catholic The natives fpeak Irish only, which is the nunnery. language of all the western islands; but the nuns talked English and French well. There were twenty of them in all, and they feemed very fenfible, well-bred women. They were Irish and Scotch. They were exceeding glad to fee me and the ladys, my friends, who were with me. They invited us to their cloyfter, which is a plane, convenient houfe, and made us lodge there the three nights we stayed on the island. They behaved with the greatest goodness and civility. They entertained us in the kindeft manner, and in the best way they could, tho they knew we were hereticks.

These reclufes were dreft in the plad and kerchief: the white plad, that has a few narrow stripes of black, blue, and red. It was pleated at top, and came down almost to the ground. They tye it round their wafte with a blue filk fafh, and faften it on the breaft with a strap and filver buckle. The fleeves were of the fame ftuff, and buttoned on the wrift with filver ftuds. A little filver crucifix hung upon their breafts and they had on each arm an embroidered filver crofs. Their

Very ex

handfome.

kerchiefs was of the finest linen, and hung tapering down their backs.

The fuperior of this houfe was Mrs MackLean, a Scotch lady, and next to her in feniority and priority were Mrs. Mack-Duff, Mrs. Mack-Leod, Mrs. Mack-Pherson, Mrs. O-Neal, Mrs. O-Fervill, Mrs. O-Congbyr, Mrs. O-Kelly, Mrs. O-Totothill, Mrs. OHickie, Mrs. O-Morghe, Mrs. O-Connor, Mrs. O-Hanlen, Mrs. O-Dwiny, Mifs ORork, Mifs O-Shaghenefly, Mifs O-Callaghan, Mifs O-Molaghelin, Mils O-Brene, and Miss Ferguson.

Of these ladys Mifs O-Rork, and Mifs traordina- O-Shagheney were as agreeable women as I ry and have any where seen. where feen. Miss O-Rork in particular, had an understanding-a behavior the most charming; and as the feemed to take a pleasure in talking to me, I asked her one day, as we fat together in the hollow of a rock, that hangs over the Atlantic Ocean, how the ever came to think of so vastly remote a folitude; and how her fine conception could swallow the grofs things of popery? My dear Mrs. Benlow, the beautiful Rork, one Maud replyed, I cannot refuse you any thing in the mo- you ask me, and will lay before you my naftery of cafe.- -My father is one of the most il

The hiftory

of Mifs 0

of the nuns

Troda.

luftrious familys in Ireland, but through the revolutions of time, in that conquered kingdom, our house was brought low. This

made

made me refolve for a cloyfter, as foon as I was able to think; and having been informed by a travelling fryar of the poor monastery on the westward ifland, Troda, I found it fuited my circumstances and temper, and that in this lone, filent, folitude, I could difengage myself from all affections to a world I was not born to enjoy; that on this remote verge of the earth, in the midst of the watry wafte, I could beft acquire that devotion and heavenly life; that recollection, that eafy quiet fpirit, which heaven seemed to affign me for my portion in this first state. With my father's leave then I withdrew, and turned the little he could fpare me, into a few books and linnen, the fee of the cloyfter, and some neceffaries wanting. I have been here two years, and am quite happy. All my fifters in the house are excellent women; and as the little country affords us plenty of fish and fowl, and wild-birds eggs, the finest water, and corn for bred and 1741. mault-drink; as the fulmar gives us oyl, and June 24. the goats fupply us with milk, fome butter, and candle-light, we are really happyer than strangers to us would think. Our fituation is delightful. All we wish for we have.

The nun's

In religion most of our hours are spent, and in laboring only to acquire the divine life, and account of recover the loft talents of our progenitor, we pafs from fatisfying object to fatisfying ob

ject,

her religi

on.

ject, and in this proper exercife of our intellectual powers, feel that real felicity which grandeur and diffipation can never give to the great in the world: Ce monde, madame, qui felon l'ecriture, eft entierment oppofé à l'efprit de Dieu, s'oppofé auffi a tous ceux qui veulent vivres felon les regles de l'evangile : ce monde, qui les corrompt par fes pernicieuse maximes, par d'inutiles affaires, de folles paffions, & d'amusemens frivoles, & leur perfuade que les biens, les honneurs & les plaifirs, font la felicité de la vie. Mais icy, dans cet tranquille lieu folitaire, les ames touchées du defiz ardent de s'uni a dieu, s'en approchent pour etre les hofties vivantes; vont detruire au pied de l'autel toutes les imperfections qui peuvent lui deplaire, en lui facrifiant jufqu'aux dernieres reftes de leurs paffions, & jufqu'aux moindres inclinations de leur amour propre; l'adorant en efprit & en verité, & obfervant jufqu'aux moindres circonftances de fes loix, & de la facrifice du Jefus Chrift. Voila, madame, les advantages de cet paifible folitude, & de la profeffion que les religieufes embraffent en cet lieu. Tranquillement nous adorent le grand Dieu, & le feigneur nous nourrira de la manne de fa parolle; il nous éclairera des lumieres de fa verité; il nous rafraichira des eaux de fa grace; il nous couvrira de la nuë de fa protection; il nous fortifiera contre les

en

ennemis de nôtre falut; & enfin, d'ici il nous fera paffer dans la terre promise; dans le royaume des cieux, qui, felon l'evangile, appartient à ceux qui font pauvres, qui font patiens, & qui font humbles.

The piety and beauty of this discourse, and the correctness of the nun's French, gave me prodigious pleasure; and as fhe thought fo juftly in what she had fayed, I told Mifs O-Rork, that my admiration was the more encreased at her being among the Roman Catholics. How could the get down a number of things I mentioned: and in particular, how could the worship the wafer god, and pray to faints?

The amiable Maud replyed; my dear Mrs. Benlow, I conceived an affection for you from the first hour I saw you, and I will therefore lay before you my foul. foul. In the fanctuary of my heart, I am no more a papift than you are. I confider the things of the Roman religion as figurative and fpiritual; and you may believe me, this is the cafe of many within the pale of Rome; of many great doctors; tho the language of the church, for political reasons, is strong for the letter.

As to what you call the wafer-god, it is to me only the auguft facrament of the altar, and I confider it only as the appointed fymbolical presence of our glorious mediator.

As