midft of these good Offices, fhe would fometimes play. with his Hair, and delight in the Oppofition of its Colour to that of her Fingers: Then open his Bofom, then laugh at him for covering it. She was, it feems, a Perfon of Diftinction, for the every Day came to him in a different Drefs, of the most beautiful Shells, Bugles," and Bredes. She likewife brought him a great many Spoils, which her other Lovers had prefented to her, fo that his Cave was richly adorned with all the spotted Skins of Beafts, and most Party-coloured Feathers of Fewls, which that World afforded. To make his Confinement more tolerable, fhe would carry him in the Dufk of the Evening, or by the favour of Moon-light, to unfrequented Groves and Solitudes, and fhew him where to lie down in fafety, and fleep amidst the Falls of Waters, and Melody of Nightingales. Her Part was to watch and hold him awake in her Arms, for fear of her Countrymen, and awake him on Occafions to confult his Safety. In this manner did the Lovers pafs away their Time, till they had learned a Language of their own, in which the Voyager communicated to his Miftrefs, how happy he fhould be to have her in his Country, where she should be clothed in fuch Silks as his Waftecoat was made of, and be carried in Houfes drawn by Horfes,without being exposed to Wind or Weather. All this he promised her the Enjoyment of, without fuch Fears and Alarms as they were there tormented with. In this tender Correfpondence thefe Lovers lived for feveral Months, when Tarico, inftructed by her Lover, discovered a Veffel on the Coaft to which the made Signals; and in the Night, with the utmost Joy and Satisfaction, accompanied him to a Ship's-Crew of his Countrymen, bound for Barbadoes. When a Veffel from the Main arrives in that Ifland, it seems the Planters come down to the Shore, where there is an immediate Market of the Indians and other Slaves, as with us of Horfes and Oxen. TO be short, Mr. Thomas Inkle, now coming into English Territories, began feriously to reflect upon his lofs of Time, and to weigh with himself how many Days Interest of his Money he had loft during his Stay with Yarico. This Thought made the young Man very penfive, and careful what Account he should be able to give his Friends of his Voyage. Upon which Confideration, the prudent and frugal young Man fold Yarico to a Barbadian Merchant; notwithstanding that the poor Girl, to incline him to commiferate her Condition, told him that he was with Child by him: But he only made use of that Information, to rife in his Demands upon the Purchaser. I was fo touch'd with this Story (which I think fhould be always a Counterpart to the Ephefian Matron) that I left the Room with Tears in my Eyes, which a Woman of Arietta's good Senfe, did, I am fure, take for greater Applaufe, than any Compliments I could make her N° 12 Wednesday, March 14. -Veteres avias tibi de pulmone revello. R Perf. Sat. 5. v. 92. I root th' old Woman from thy trembling Heart. A T my coming to London, it was fome time before I could fettle myself in a House to my liking. I was forced to quit my firft Lodgings, by reafon of an officious Landlady, that would be afking me every Morning how I had flept. I then fell into an honest Family, and lived very happily for above a Week; when my Landlord, who was a jolly good-natur'd Man, took it into his Head that I wanted Company, and therefore would frequently come into my Chamber to keep me from being alone. This I bore for two or three Days; but telling me one Day that he was afraid I was melancholy, I thought it was high time for me to be gone, and accordingly took new Lodgings that very Night. About a Week after, I found my jolly Landlord, who, as I faid before, was an honeft hearty Man, had put me into an Advertisement of the Daily Courant, in the following Words, Whereas a melancholy Man left his Lodgings on Thursday laft in the Afternoon, and was after C 3 wards wards feen going towards Iflington, if any one can give notice of him to R. B. Fifemonger in the Strand, he fell be very well rewarded for his Pains. As I am the best Man in the World to keep my own Counfel, and my Landlord the Fishmonger not knowing my Name, this Accident of my Life was never difcovered to this very Day, I am now fettled with a Widow-woman, who has a great many Children, and complies with my Humour in every thing. I do not remember that we have exchanged a Word together thefe Five Years; my Coffee comes into my Chamber every Morning without afking for it; if I want Fire I point to my Chimney, if Water to my Bafon: Upon which my Landlady nods, as much as to fay fhe takes my Meaning, and immediately obeys my Signals. She has likewife model'd her Family fo well, that when her little Boy offers to pull me by the Coat, or prattle in my Face, his eldeft Sifter immediately calls him off, and bids him not difturb the Gentleman. At my firft entring into the Family, I was troubled with the Civility of their rifing up to me every time I came into the Room; but my Landlady obferving that upon thefe Occafions I always cried Pith, and went out again, has forbidden any fuch Ceremony to be used in the House; fo that at prefent I walk into the Kitchen or Parlour without being taken notice of, or giving any Interruption to the Bufinefs or Difcourfe of the Family. The Maid will ask her Mistress (tho' I am by) whether the Gentleman is ready to go to Dinner, as the Miftress (who is indeed an excellent Houfwife) fcolds at the Servants as heartily before my Face as behind my Back. In fhort, I move up and down the Houfe, and enter into all Companies with the fame Liberty as a Cat or any other Domeftick Animal, and am as little füfpected of telling any thing that I hear or see. I remember laft Winter there were feveral young Girls of the Neighbourhood fitting about the Fire with my Landlady's Daughters, and telling Stories of Spirits and Apparitions. Upon my opening the Door the young Women broke off their Difcourfe, but my Landlady's Daughters telling them that it was no Body but the Gentleman (for that is the Name which I go by in the Neighbourhood as well as in the Family) they went on without minding me. I feated myfelf by the Candle that flood on a Table at one end of the Room ; and pretending to read a Book that I took out of my Pocket, heard feveral dreadful Stories of Ghofts as pale as Ashes that had food at the Feet of a Bed, or walked over a Churchyard by Moon-light: And of others that had been conjured into the Red-Sea, for difturbing People's Reft, and drawing their Curtains at Midnight, with many other old Womens Fables of the like nature. As one Spirit raised another, I observed that at the End of every Story the whole Company clofed their Ranks, and crouded about the Fire: I took notice in particular of a little Boy, who was fo attentive to every Story, that I am mistaken if he ventures to go to Bed by himself this Twelve-month. Indeed they talked fo long that the Imaginations of the whole Affembly were manifeftly crazed, and, I am fure, will be the worse for it as long as they live. I heard one of the Girls, that had looked upon me over her Shoulder, asking the Company how long I had been in the Room, and whether did not look paler than I used to do. This put me under fome Apprehenfions that I should be forced to explain myself if I did not retire; for which Reafon I took the Candle in my Hand, and went up into my Chamber, not without wondering at this unaccountable Weakness in reasonable Creatures, that they should love to astonish and terrify one another. Were I a Father, I fhould take a particular Care to preferve my Children from thefe little Horrors of Imagination, which they are apt to contract when they are young, and are not able to shake off when they are in Years. I have known a Soldier that has entred a Breach, affrighted at his own Shadow; and look pale upon a little fcratching at his Door, who the Day before had marched up against a Battery of Cannon. There are Inftances of Perfons, who have been terrified even to Diftraction, at the Figure of a Tree, or the fhaking of a Bull-rufh. The Truth of it is, I look upon a found Imagination as the greatest Bleffing of Life, next to a clear Judgment, and a good Confcience. In the mean time, fince there are very few whofe Minds are not more or lefs fubject to these dreadful Thoughts and C 4 Ap. * ་ Apprehenfions, we ought to arm ourselves against them by the Dictates of Reafon and Religion, to pull the old Woman out of our Hearts (as Perfius expreffes it in the Motto of my Paper) and extinguifh those impertinent Notions which we imbibed at a Time that we were not able to judge of their Abfurdity. Or if we believe, as many wife and good Men have done, that there are fuch Phantoms and Apparitions as those I Have been speaking of, let us endeavour to eftablish to ourselves an Intereft in him who holds the Reins of the whole Creation in his Hand, and moderates them after fuch a Manner, that it is impoffible for one Being to break loose upon another without his Knowledge and Permiffion. FOR my own part, I am apt to join in Opinion with those who believe that all the Regions of Nature fwarm with Spirits; and that we have Multitudes of Spectators on all our Actions, when we think ourselves most alone : But instead of terrifying myself with fuch a Notion, I am wonderfully pleased to think that I am always engaged with fuch an innumerable Society, in fearching out the Wonders of the Creation, and joining in the fame Confort of Praise and Adoration. MILTON has finely described this mixed Communion of Men and Spirits in Paradife; and had doubtless his Eye upon a Verfe in old Hefiod, which is almoft Word for Word the fame with his third Line in the following Paffage. Nor think, though Men were none, That Heav'n would want Spectators, God want Praife: C Thursday, |