Azora's fill-pond. and buttons, this, exclufive of exotics and flowers, would make, I believe, an octavo : and in relation to exotics and flowers, I am fure she talked twice as much, and of every thing extremely well. I never did hear any thing like her. The difcourfe coft her no more than the breath of her noftrils. But at last we came to a fish-pond, that was an acre of water, and I affure you, reader, that in half an hour's time the illuftrious Azora not only talked more of fish and ponds than the ingenious and honourable Roger North, of Rougham in Norfolk, hath written on these subjects in his excellent discourse, printed in 1713; but mentioned many useful things relative to them, which Mr. North was a stranger to. She told me, among other matters, that there was only pike and perch in her pond, and that the reafon of it was, because he loved pike above all fish; and as the jacks were fish of prey, no fish but the perch could live with them: the perch, on account of the thorny fins on its back, efcapes the pike's voracious appetite. She farther informed me, that the jacks in her pond were the finest in the world, as I would fee at dinner, and that the reason of it was owing to the high feeding the took care they had every day befide the entrails of what fowl and fheep her people killed for her table and themselves, the pike had blood and bran 4. bran mixed in plenty, and all the frogs the could get from a neighbouring fen; for of them the jacks are moft fond. This made the fish extraordinary; and as the water was current thro' the pond, and the bottom of various depths, from one foot, and two feet, to fix feet, that the spawn may have shallow water to lie in, and the fry fhallow water to fwim in, as they both required, this was the reason, that one acre of water in fuch a manner produced double the quantity of fish to what a pond of still water, and a bottom all of one depth, could have. See (Azora continued) what multitudes there are. They know me, as I feed them myself every day, and tamely come up, cruel tyrants as they are, to get their meat. Here the called jack, jack, and throwing in a basket of unfortunate frogs, it was wonderful to fee how thofe devouring monsters appeared, and voraciously fwallowed the poor things. the public Azora was going to proceed to another An acpond of carp and tench, which he had at count of the other end of her gardens, and let me worship at know how that was ordered, fo as to pro- Lodge. duce the largest and fineft fish: but a bell rung Burcot Morning faw every foul of the community affembled; and while I chose to fit on one of the benches among the people, at fome distance, that I might the better obferve every thing done, the ladies afcended by a few fteps into a reading-desk, and Azora began with great devotion to pray in the following manner : O Chrift, our bleffed mediator, pray for prayer. us that our faith fail not, and thro' thy merits and interceffion, Lord Jefus, let our prayer be fet forth in the fight of Almighty God as incenfe, and the lifting up of our hands as a morning facrifice. Almighty and everlasting God, thou pure and infinite Spirit, who art the great cause and author of nature, and haft established the world by thy wifdom, and stretched out the heavens by thy difcretion; upon whom depends the existence of all things, and by whose providence we have been preferved to this moment, and enjoyed many bleffings and undeferved advantages; graciously accept, we beseech thee, our grateful sense and acknowledgements of all thy beneficence towards us; accept, O Lord, our moft hearty and unfeigned thanks for all the inftances of thy favour which we have experienced; that we have the ufe of our reafon and understanding, in which many fail, and have had refreshing fleep and quiet the past night; for delivering us from evil, and giving us our daily bread;-for all the neceffaries, conveniencies, and comforts, which thy liberal hand haft provided for us, to fweeten human life, and render it more agreeable than otherwife it would be in this day of our exercise, probation and trial. While we live, we will praise and magnify they awful name, and join in afcribing with the glorious and innumerable heavenly hoft, honour, power, and thanksgiving to the eternal God, who fits on the throne of fupremacy unrivalled in majefty and power. But especially, O great and bleffed God, adored be thy goodness for fo loving the world, as to give thy only begotten Son, to the end, that all who believe in him, fhould not perish, but have everlasting life; for his humbling himself even to the death upon the cross, and shedding his blood for the remiffion of our fins. Great and marvellous are thy works of mercy, O Lord God Almighty! who can utter all thy praife? Praise our God, all ye his fervants, and ye that fear him, small and great. Amen; allelujah. Bleffing and honour, and glory, and power be unto him that fitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever. O God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, have mercy on us duft and fin, weakness and imperfection, and enter not into ftrict judgment with us, thine un righteous 250 righteous and unworthy fervants. We confefs with fhame and grief, that we have violated thine holy laws, and abused thy tender mercies that we have followed too much the devices and defires of our own hearts, and in numberless inftances have offended against a most righteous governor, a most tender and compaffionate Father, and a most kind and bounteous benefactor. In thought, word, and deed, many have been our of fences and many are ftill our imperfections. We have finned against Heaven, and before thee, and have thereby deferved thy just difpleasure. But our hope and confidence is in thine infinite mercy, O God, and that according to thy promises declared unto mankind in Chrift Jefus, our Lord, thou wilt fpare them who confefs their faults, and restore them that are penitent. We do earneftly repent, and are heartily forry for all our mildoings. Thro' faith we offer up the Lamb that was flain, to the eternal God for the redemption of our fouls; believing the worthiness of our Lord Jefus Chrift to be a full, perfect, and fufficient facrifice, oblation and atonement for the fins of a repenting world, and therefore refolving, with all our ftrength, to imitate his fpotlefs virtue, and perfect obedience. Pardon us, then, we befeech thee, and blot out our iniquities. Deliver us, we pray, in the naine of the Lord |