ciprocal deference and condefcenfion with our love, and made them perpetual fuel to the tender fire. We had one heart, one will, one foul. Matrimony and nature could not require more of mortals than we were.

But fee the end of the brightest mortal scene. Death came between us when leaft we dreamed of him, and fnatched Belvidera from my arms. He hurryed her to the reaim of night, and I was left moft difmally alone. The fad misfortune affected my fenfes for fome time, and till the corps was forced from me, I would fit the day and night, like melancholy itself, fpeechlefs, motionless, gazing at it, and only start sometimes, to call out in a frantic way, Belvidera awake.

And now the beautys of my country feat were all withered in a moment. Its charms to me seemed horrors. I could not even bear being in France: but with my Belvidera's heart in this gold box you fee upon the table, according to her own laft request to take it with me where-ever I went, and keep it in my chamber while I lived, I took my leave of that fine port of the world for ever, and went to Holland to difpofe of what money I had in the funds of that country; purpofing to live in that free, friendly land, and purchase fome pretty country-house in the neighbourhood of the Hague; that I might enjoy retirement, or be able to chufe

the best company upon earth, as my mind was inclined to either. But there, by my weakness in the difpofition of my affairs, and the wickednefs of men I had to deal with, I loft in a few months time above fifty thousand pounds; and as Alvarez had not many hundreds remaining, but a couple of thousand pounds; he thought of this fine rock, on which he had been many times, and determined to make it as habitable as he could; to bring every neceffary of life there, and in that wild, lone retreat, prepare for his latter end; having fully feen and known the world; and no longer being fit to be an actor in it.

way

All the obstacle in the of this project, Mr. Durour continued, was fome occafional Affiftance from the brethren of my race, and fresh things I might want now and then ; and to make this bear, I agreed with a fenfible man of one of those islands to call upon me sometimes, and bring or send me by his boat the particulars I required; but not to mention me to any one, left the people of the ifles fhould come to vifit me as a fight. This man hath acted very prudently and punctually ever fince; and by his affiftance, and the large quantitys of every thing I brought with me to the rock, I am enabled to appear and live in the manner you fee. In the latter end of my forty feventh year, I

fettled

fettled in this place, and have been here almoft four years. In conftitution, I am as young and strong as ever, and have only a heavy hour now and then, when I think of the unutterable happiness I enjoyed with my Belvidera. My time is spent in reading, fishing, shooting, and prayer. When the water is fine, I put out to fea in my nevoge, that is, a little boat of wattles covered with a horse-hide, which is swiftly rowed with two paddles, and cannot easily be wrecked on the rocks: the seasoned hide bears many a thump that would break a man of war, and if it cracks, we ftop the leak with wool. In this kind of bark I frequently go feveral leagues: I could land on any of the ifles with it: and I generally return to my rock with fowl and fish fufficient for twenty men. I gather drift wood enough in the fummer for my winter firing, but nevertheless take in fome turf in the feafon. So that every thing confidered, I am very far from being miferable in this abfolute folitude, and find more true pleasure in being thus alone, than I am fure I could have, if I were to hum among the swarm.

But I must observe to you, ladys, that my prefent felicity is principally owing to that folio No. I. in my alcove. It is the Bible; and were I to live a thousand years upon this rock, it would afford me a noble and delightful entertainment. It is a never-failing

L 4

fund

fund of the most fublime fatisfactions to all who are defirous of worshiping God, and forming their religious notions, according to the inftructions of divine wisdom; and not by decrees of erring mortals, who have corrupted the chriftian religion with three fupreme confcious fpirits, and a number of other fhocking impietys. In the Bible, ladys, there are no mysterys to ftare at, and perplex the human race; no ground for doctors to erect their tyranny, and babel-fabricks on: but we are ordered there to pray to God the Father in the Spirit of Chrifi's doctrine, and to take care to walk continually as in the divine prefence that tremendous prefence, before which the fmalleft actions, and most secret performances cannot go unnoticed.

The

rules and discoverys in this most sacred vclume give us peace in this first station; and by the law of grace, fo excellently accommodated to our ftate of infirmity, and guilt, we are affured of life and immortality, in fome better sphere of existence. Let the Bible then be your principal ftudy, and by observing its heavenly precepts, tho now we part, we shall meet again in the boundless realms of glory. There I fhall find my Belvidera. Alleluiah.

Here the Solitary ended, and we thanked him for his ftory. We could not enough admire the goodness of the man, the amiable

Mifs Dellon, and especially his laudable zeal for the Bible, and original chriftianity. We retired full of the relation, to our tents, and as the night was quite calm, were lulled into the foundest fleep by the charming murmur of the ocean on the cliffs. Next day we did intend to depart, but fuch a tempeft arose, as made us thankful we were on the rock. The ftorm we had been in was almost a trifle to this, and in fafety I had the pleafure of beholding the moft tremendous, grand watry scene all powerful nature could produce. The whole Atlantic was in mountains that reached to the clouds, and broke in fuch wild uproar, and with fuch mighty thunders in its dreadful fall upon the rock we stood on, that I could not enough adore that amazing power of the Deity, which rendered the little spot fuperior in ftrength to the aftonishing exertions of his Almighty arm on the vaft deep. The tempeft lafted twenty four hours; and as our fhip was quite fecured in the creek, we lived very contentedly with Mr. Durcur in his charming cave, and paffed the hours away in mufic and feftivity. The whole was fine. And if I had been told of fuch realities, I would with pleasure have gone from Cheviot-hills to fee only this rock, this Solitary, and this ftorm from fo fafe a place.

The