billow brought him back again. He was laid on the deck without any hurt. On the contrary, one Charles Henley, a young merchant, was beat over, and we never faw him more. character. Henley, was not only a man of fenfe and Henley's prudence, who had an honeft mind, and a cultivated understanding, but by search and enquiries into the doctrines, inftitutions and motives of revealed religion, had the highest regards for the truths of genuine Chriftianity, and chofe the best means in his power to make himself acceptable to God. character. Gavan, on the contrary, had no fenfe of Gavan's religion, nor did he ever think of the power and goodness of God. He was a most prophane fwearer, drank exceflively, and had the heart to debauch every pretty woman he faw, if it had been poffible for him to do fo much mischief.-Yet this man, who never reformed that I heard, and whofe impieties have fhocked even young fellows who were no faints, was aftonishingly preferved; and Henley, who had the jufteft natural notions, and liftened to Revelation, perished miferably? How fhall we account for fuch things? By faying, that the world that now is, and the world that is to come, are in the hands of God, and every tranfaction in them is quite right, tho' the reafon of the procedure may be beyond our view. We cannot judge certainly of the ends and purposes of Pro vidence, and divide companies, May 10, 3729. vidence, and therefore to pass judgment on the ways of God, is not only impious, but ridiculous to the laft degree. This we know for certain, that whenever, or however, a good man falls, he falls into the hand of God, and fince we must all die, the difference as to time and manner, fignifies very little, when there is an infinite wifdom to diftinguish every cafe, and an infinite goodness to compenfate all our miferies. This is enough for a Chriftian. Happy is the man, and for ever fafe, let what will happen, who acts a rational part, and has the fear and love of God in his thoughts. With pleasure he looks into all the scenes of futurity. When ftorms and earthquakes threaten calamity, diftrefs, and death, he maintains an inward peace. Thepaffen- 17. When we had obtained the wished gers land, for fhore, the paffengers all divided. The into feveral Dean and his lady, and fome other ladies, went one way, to an inn recommended to them by a gentleman on board; the warriors and Gavan marched to another house; and the young lady whofe life was by me preferved, and I, went to the Talbot, which the mate informed me had the best things and lodging, tho' the finalleft inn of the town. This mate, Mr. Whitwell, deserves to be particularly mentioned, as he was remarkable for good breeding, good fenfe, and a con confiderable share of learning, tho' a failor; as remarkable this way, as the captain of the ship was the other way, that is, for being the roughest and most brutal old tar that ever commanded a veffel. of Whit Skinner and 18. Whitwell the mate, about thirty-fix The ftory years of age at this time, told me, he was well, the the fon of a man who once had a great for- mare of the tune, and gave him a univerfity education, Jenkins. but left an eftate fo encumbered with debts, and ruined with mortgages, that its income was almost nothing, and therefore the fon fold the remains of it, and went to fea with an Eaft-India captain, in the 22d year of his age, and was fo fortunate abroad, that he not only acquired riches, in four years time that he trafficked about, between Batavia and the Gulph of Perfia, but married a young Indian Lady, (the daughter of a Rajah, or petty Prince in the Mogul Empire) who was rich, wife and beautiful, and made his life fo very happy, for three years that the lived, that his ftate was a mere Paradise, and he seemed a little fovereign. But this fleeting scene was foon over, and on his return to England with all his wealth, their ship was taken by the pirates of Madagascar, who robbed him of all he had, and made him a miferable flave for two years and upwards. That he escaped from them to the tawny generation of Arabs, who lived on the the mountains, the other fide of this African ifland, and used him with great humanity; their chief being very fond of him, and entertaining him in his mud-wall-palace: he married there a pretty little yellow creature, niece to the poor ruler, and for twelve months was very far from being miferable with this partner, as they had a handsome cottage and fome cattle, and this wife was good-humour itself, very fenfible, and a religious woman; her religion being half Mahometanism and half Judaism. But she died at the years end, and her uncle, the Chief, not living a month after her, Whitwell came down from the mountains to the next fea coaft under the conduct of one of the Arabians, his friend, and meeting with an European fhip there, got at laft to London. A little money he had left behind him in England, by way of referve, in cafe of accidents, if he ever fhould return to his own country, and with this he dreft himself, got into bufinefs, and came at laft to be mate of the Skinner and Jenkins. His destiny, he added, was untoward; but as he had thought, and read, and feen enough in his wide travels, to be convinced, the world, and every being, and every atom of it, were directed and governed by unerring wisdom, he derived hopes and comforts from a due acknowledgment of God. There are more born born to mifery than happiness, in this life: but all may die to be for ever glorious and blessed, if they please. This conclufion was just and beautiful, and a life and fentiments fo uncommon I thought deferved a memorial. mon fcene 19. Mifs Melmoth and I continued at the An uncom Talbot for three weeks, and during that time, breakfafted, dined, and fupped together. Except the hours of fleep, we were rarely from each other. We walked out together every day, for hours converfed, fometimes went to cards, and often the fung, delightfully fung, while on my flute I played. With the greatest civility, and the most exact good manners, we were as intimate as if we had been acquainted for ages, and we found a fatisfaction in each others company, as great as lovers generally experience: yet not fo much as one fyllable of the paffion was mentioned: not the leaft hint of love on either fide was given, while we stayed at Whitehaven; and I believe neither of us had a thought of it. It was a friendship the moft pure and exalted, that commenced at my faving her life, in the manner I have related, and by fome ftrange kind of magic, our notions and inclinations, tempers and fentiments, had acquired fuch a fameness in a few days, that we feemed as two fpiritual Socias, or duplicates of each others mind. Body |