defpondency; not to mention the hundreds that have died from time to time in fuch places, and the numerous fuicides which have been traced to the fame fource.

I knew one man who for many years believed himself to be the Holy Ghoft, and endeavoured to make his acquaintance believe the fame in other refpects he appeared to be in his right senses.

Mr. Bentley fays in his letter to the members of the house of commons, dated May 12th, 1791, that although he had a fortune of one thousand pounds, and naturally liked good living, yet that he lived on horfe and afs flesh, barley bread, ftinking butter, &c. and when he found that his eating fuch things gave offence to his neighbours, he left off eating afs flesh, and only lived on vegetables, as the common fort of food by their dearnefs hurt his confcience.

A few years fince k faw in a field not seven miles from China-hall, Mr. Taylor, a shipcarpenter,

carpenter, of Deptford, toffing up his bible
in the air. This he often repeated, and
raved at a strange rate. Amongst other
things, (pointing to a building at some
distance) "That (faid he) is the devil's
houfe, and it fhall not ftand three days.
longer!" On the third day after this I faw
with furprize an account in one of the pub-
lic papers of that
very building having been
fet on fire, and burnt to the ground; and
thus the poor itinerant difciples of Thefpis
loft the whole of their wardrobe and
fcenery.

This religious maniac foon after preached
very often in Smithfield and Moorfields; but
he did not wholly depend on the operations
of the Holy Spirit, as at laft he feldom be-
gan to preach until he was nearly drunk, or
filled with another kind of fpirit, and then
he was
"a very powerful preacher indeed."

"Great were his looks, his eyes with hallow ftare

Deep, deep within the burning fockets roll'd,
"Like Gorgon's creft, or ftern Alecto's hair,
"His tempeft-beaten locks erect and bold,
"With horrid fhade his temples feem'd to fold,
"His beard, the reft conceal'd, a black difguife.
ORLANDO FURIOSO.

1

But the good man happening feveral times to exert himself rather too much, had nearly tumbled headlong out of his portable pulpit; these accidents the mob uncharitably ascribed to the liquor that he had drank, and with mud, stones, dead cats, &c. drove him off every time he came, until at last our preacher took his leave of them with saying,

that he perceived it was in vain to attempt their converfion, as he faw that God had given them over to the hardness of their hearts,"

I must inform you that this devout zealous preacher lived many years before this, and fome years after, with a very holy fifter, and begot fons and daughters, without being brought into bondage, by fubmitting to the carnal ordinance of marriage. I have been lately informed, that his enthusiasm and superftition, at last, entirely deprived him of the fmall remains of reason, and that he died in a private mad-house,

But

But although this holy man deferted them, yet other fpiritual knights-errant were not wanting, fo that a little time before the heaps of ftones which lay for years in Moorfields were removed, for the purpose of building on the spot, I have feen five or fix in a day preaching their initiation fermons from thofe elevated fituations, until they could collect a fufficient fum of money to purchase pulpits. Some of thefe excellent preachers received the whole of their divine education and took up their degrees in Moorfields, and in due time, after having given ample and fatisfactory proofs of being properly qualified, have been admitted to profefforships in the noble College fituated on the fouth fide of those fields, generally known by the name of Bedlam. You must know, Sir, that many of the lazy part of the community fet up ftalls in Moorfields to buy and fell apples, old iron, &c. feveral of thefe having heard fuch edifying difcourfes frequently repeated as they fat at their ftalls, and obferving the fuccefs which thofe kind of preachers met with, boldly refolved to make trial of their

fpiritual gifts on the heaps of ftones, and have now totally abandoned their stalls, and forth as ambaffadors of heaven.

are gone

Thus poor Crifpin crazy for the praise,

"Of pulpit eloquence, to preach effays,

"His 'prentice clerk; his cobbling ftool his stage;
"Flies to the fields with tabernacle rage!
"With Rowland's skill erects his orbs of fight,
"Or turns them ravish'd! on the inward light!
"New faith, all faving faith, proclaims aloud!
་ "Now deals damnation to the trembling crowd,
"Afk'd why for preaching he deferts his stall,
"(Bred at Moorfields, or Tot'nham) hear him bawl,
"Because as how I feels I has a call."

BUSBY's Age of Genius.

One of these who cannot read, lately informed me, that he had quitted all temporal concerns for the good of poor ignorant fin

ners.

John Turpin, a waiter of an Inn at Dartmouth, fome time late in 1791, made free with fome of his master's plate, and was whipped at the tail of a cart round the town, after which he went to Totness, about 12 miles from Dartmouth, and commenced methodist preacher; and a few months after

he