1786. eloquence of her faded eyes, from each of which iffued a ftream of tears, that wetted the poor fondling which clung to her withered bofom. She had fcarcely prefented herself as an object of charity, when the brave tar, totally unmindful of the difpute, and abforbed in the generous emotions of godlike pity, pulled out a leather purfe from his breeches pocket, with a fort of involuntary impulfe, and offering it to the fqualid daughter of affliction, with great tenderness, while a tear stole into his eye, accosted her thus-"Here, my lafs, take this trifle; mayhap it will help to bear you into the port of comfort. You seem to me to have had a curfed rough voyage through life; and are now driving before a heavy gale, with bare poles, without either rudder or compass. But what of that! Have a good heart, and chear up, my girl: who knows what may be in the wind yet? If it's foul weather today, d'ye see, why it may be fair to-morrow. So take this, get a fresh ftore of provifions in the hold, and new-rigged. Beware of the lee-fhores of extravagance, and thank God that the vessel has not been quite bulged upon the rocks of inhumanity !”"Aye, Heaven reward your goodness!" replied the poor wretch, lifting up her eyes, almost drowned in tears of gratitude, “and teach me and my fatherlefs infant, to supplicate external bleffings on the head of our benefactor."-" Are you a native of Great Britain?" rejoined the fubaltern." No, Sir," replied the forrowing female, in tones of meeknefs and dejection; "I was born in New York, and educated with care and tendernefs, till I became m able, when my fate fo ordered, that i thould be united in wedlock to the most amiable of mankind. We loved each other with the moft inviolable affection, and paffed two years in the fond interchange of mutual tenderneffes; and in all probability we might have been ftill happy, had not the diffenfions of the province put a final period to our domeftic felicity. As it became necellary, at that period, for the fafety of every perfon, to attach himself either to the services of his king or the leaders of the rebellion, my poor William," continued the poor outcaft, wiping her eyes, thought it most honourable to enter into the fervice of the former. To be brief, he was killed, with many more brave men, in repelling an excurfion of the enemy; and I, unhappy wretch was left behind, in a ftate of pregnancy, to wander upon the face of the creation, woe-worn, friendless, and deplorable!" "Here another shower of tears put a stop to the continuation of her narrative; at the ceafing of which, the gallant votary of Mars pulled out his money with great trepidation; and, with a countenance high-fraught with the majefty of compaflion,. Hib. Mag. October, 1786

529 and the divine effufions of a patriot and a Chriftian, shared his ftinted pittance with the miferable widow of a loyal foldier.

The parties now feparated from each other. The lieutenant, pulling up his breeches, croffed the path with hafty ftrides; and the philanthropic foldier, after furveying the poor claimant with particular concern, enfolded his arms, and resting his chin upon his breast with seeming melancholy, walked down the Mall with a kind of fullen difcontent, that very plainly indicated his astonishment at the feeming irreconcileable difpenfations of the Almighty. For my part, after contributing my mite towards the relief of the indigent woman, I indulged myself in the happieft reflections on the adventures of the evening; and could not avoid congratulating myself upon being an inconfiderable member of that community which by fea and land is defended by a race of Britons, who are not more distinguished in battle for their heroifm, than in the calm retirements of peace for their humanity.'

Pietro Quirini's Voyage to the North, in the Year 1431.

(Continued from p. 482, of our laft.)

"THE

HE inhabitants of thefe rocks are a well-looking people, and of pure morals. They are not in the leaft afraid of being robbed. Accordingly they never lock up any thing, but leave their doors and every thing open. Their women alfo are not watched in the smallest degree; for their guefts lay in the fame room with the hufbands and their wives and daughters, who, when they went to bed, ftripped quite naked in their prefence. The beds of the foreigners who were faved from the wreck, stood clofe to thofe in which flept the grown-up fons and daughters of their landlords. Every other day the father and fons went a fishing by break of day, and were abfent for eight hours together, without being under any concern with refpect to the honour and chaftity of their wives and daught. In the beginning of the month of May their women ufually begin to frequent the baths. Cuftom and purity of morals have made it a law amongst them, that they fhould first ftrip themselves quite naked at home, and then go to the bath at the distance of a bowfhot from the house. In their right-hand they carry a bundle of herbs to wipe the fweat from off their backs; at the fame time laying their left-hand somewhat extended on their middle, as if they thereby wished to cover the parts of fhame, though in fac they did not seem to take much pains about it. In the bath they were seen promiscuously with the men. They had not the leaft noti on of fornication or adultery; and did not XXX

marry

marry from fenfual motives, but merely in order to conform to the divine commands. They also abstained from swearing and curfing. At the death of their relations they fhowed the greatest refignation to the will of God, and even returned thanks to the Almighty in their churches for having fpared their friends fo long a time, and having fuf fered them to live fo long with them, and in that he now called them to himself to be partakers of his heavenly bounty. They also fhowed fo little of extravagant lamentations and grief, that it appeared juft as if the deceafed had laid himself down and fallen into a fweet fleep. If the perfon who died was married, the widow, on the day of burial, prepared a fumptuous banquet for the neigh bours; when he herfelf, as well as her guests, appeared in their beft clothes; and on this occafion fhe intreated the guests to eat and drink heartily in memory of the deceased, and to his eternal repofe and happiness. They went conftantly to church, praying there devoutly on their knees, and kept the faft-days very ftrictly.

Their houfes were made of wood, and were of a round form, with a hole in the middle of the room for the admiffion of the light; which hole in winter they covered with a transparent fish-fkin, on account of the feverity of the cold. Their clothes were made of coaric cloth, manufactured at London and elsewhere. As to furs, they wore them but feldom; but in order to use them felves the better to the cold, they would lay their new-born infants, the fourth day after their birth, naked under the fky-light, which they then opened in order to let the fnow All upon thera; for it fnowed almoft continually during the whole winter that Quirini's people were there, from the 5th of February to the 14th of May. In confequence of this treatment, the boys are so inured to the cold, and become so hardy, that they do not mind it in the leaft.

The Ile of Roft is furrounded by a great number of fea-fowl, which the inhabitants in their language call Muxi. They are fond of living near mankind, and are as tame as the common pigeons, They make an inceffant noife, excepting in the funmer, when is one continued day, and then they are fi lent for about four hours, and this filence feives to point out to the inhabitants the proper time for them to retire to reft. In the carly part of the fpring arrived alfo an amazing number of wild geefe, that made their nefts upon the island, and that fometimes against the walls of the houfes. They likewife were very tame, intomuch that, when the mistress of the houte went to take fome eggs out of their nefts, the female would walk flowly, from the neft, and ftay away till the housewife had taken as many eggs as

the wanted for baking. As foon as the good woman was gone, the goose would immedi ately set herself on the nest again.

In the month of May the inhabitants began to prepare for their voyage to Bergen, and were willing alfo to take the ftrangers as long with them. Some days before their departure, the intelligence of their being at Roft reached the wife of the Governor over all these islands; and her husband being at the time absent, she fent her chaplain to Quirini with a prefent of sixty stock-fish, three large flat loaves of rye-bread, and a cake; and at the fame time let him know, that the had been informed their hofts had not used them well, and defired them to mention in what point they had been wronged, and that they should receive inftant fatisfaction; it was also recommended to the inhabitants to treat them well, and to take them over to Bergen along with them. They thanked the lady; and giving their teftimony to the innocence of their hofts, fpoke of the reception they had met with in the higheft terms; and as Quirini had ftill remaining a firing of amber beads, which he had brought from St. Jago in Gallicia, he took the liberty of fending them to the lady, and defired her to pray to God with them for their safe return to their own country.

When the time of their departure was come, the people, by the advice of the Dominican friar, forced them to pay two crowns for each month, that is, seven crowns apiece: and as they had not cath enough about them, they gave, befides money, fix filver cups, fix forks, and fix fpoons, together with fone other articles of small value, fuch as girdles and rings. The greater part of these things fell into the hands of the rafcally pricft; who, that nothing might be left to them of this unfortunate voyage, did not fcruple to take them, under pretence that it was due to him for having acted as their interpreter. On the day of their departure all the inhabi tants of Roft made them prefents of fish; and at taking leave, the women and children fhed tears, as did alfo the strangers themfelves. The priest, however, accompanied them, in order to pay a visit to the archbiflop, and give him part of his booty.

At their departure from Roft, the season was fo far advanced, that, at the end of the month of May, during their run, they faw the image of the fun forty-eight hours above the horizon; but, as they continued failing farther on towards the fouth, they loft the fun for a fhort time, though but for one hour, it being all the while broad day-light. They failed conftantly between the rocks; and they perceived here and there, near the projecting points of the land, marks of deep and navigable water. Many of these rocks, were inhabited; and they were kindly

ceived

1786.

ceived by the inhabitants; who gave them meat and drink without accepting any recompenfe. The fea-fowl, that when awake were always fo loud and noify, they found had built their nefts upon all these rocks, and the ftillness and filence of thefe birds was a fignal for them alfo to retire to sleep.

In the courfe of their voyage they met the bishop of Trondon (Drontheim), who, with two galleys, was making the tour of his diocefe, which extended all over thefe countries and iflands, attended by above two hundred people. To this prelate they were now prefented; who, when he was informed of their misfortunes, their rank, and family, expreffed great compaffion for them. He gave them a letter of recommendation for Trondon, his archiepifcopal fee, where St. Olave, one of the kings of Norway, was buried, which procured them a kind reception; and a horle was given to Quirini. But as the King of Norway happened at that time to be at war with the Germans, their hoft, who was likewise master of the veffel, refufed to fail any farther, but landed at a little inhabited ifle near Drontheim; and afser recommending them to the inhabitants, returned directly. The next day, being Afcenfion-day, they were conducted to Drontheim, into the church of St. Olave, which was very handfomely ornamented, and where they found the Lord Lieutenant with all the inhabitants. There they heard mass; after which they were conducted before the Lord Lieutenant, who immediately afked Quirini if he fpoke Latin? and being informed by him that he did, invited him, together with all his attendants, to his table, whither they were conducted by a Canon. They were afterwards taken, by this fame Canon, to good comfortable lodgings, and amply provided with all kinds of neceffa

ries.

• Quirini wifhed for nothing more than 'to return to his own country; and he therefore defired advice and affiftance to enable him to return home by the way of Germany or England. That they might avoid tra velling too much by fea, which was not fafe on account of the war, they were advifed to apply to their countryman, Giovanne Franco, whom the King of Denmark had knighted, and who refided at his castle of Stichimborg (Stegeborg, in Eaft Gothland) in the kingdom of Sweden, fifty days journey from Drontheim. Eight days after their arrival, the Lord Lieutenant gave them two horfes and a guide to take thein to Stichimborg: but as Quirini had prefented the Lord Lieutenant with his fhare of the ftockfish, a ⚫ filver feal, and filver girdle, he received from the latter a hat, a pair of boots, fpurs, and leathern cloak-bag, and a small axe, with the image of St. Olave, and the Lord Lieu

531 tenant's coat-of-arms on it, together with a packet of herrings, fome bread, and four guilders Rhenifh. They had befides this a third horfe from the archbishop of Drontheim; and now, being twelve in number, they all fet out together on their journey with their guide and three horses. They travelled on for the space of fifty-three days, chiefly to the fouthward (fouth-eaft), and frequently met with fuch miferable inns on the road, that they could not even procure bread at them. In fome places they ground the bark of trees, and with milk and butter made cakes of it, which they eat inftead of bread. Befides this, they had milk, butter, and cheese, given them, and whey for drink. They ftill proceeded or their journey, and fometimes met with better inns, where they could have meat and beer. One thing, however, they every where found in great abundance; and this was a kind and friendly reception, fo that they were extremely welcome wherever they went.

There are but few dwellings in Norway, and they often arrived in the night at the hour of repofe, though it was not dark but broad day-light. Their guide, who knew the cuftom of the country, opened the door of the houfe, in which they found a table furrounded by benches covered with leathern cufhions, ftuffed with feathers, which ferved inftead of mattresses. As nothing was kept locked up, they took fome of the victuals they found there, and then went to reft. Sometimes the mafters of the house happened to come in and fee them afleep, and were much amazed, till the guide, who heard them, acquainted them with the particulars; upon which their astonishment was mingled with compaffion, and they gave the travellers every neceflary, without taking any recompence, by which means thefe twelve people and three horses did not spend on a journey of fifty-three days, more than the four guilders they had received at Drontheim.

On the road they met with horrid barren mountains and valleys, and with a great number of animals, like roes (reindeers, cervus ta a dus befides fowls, as hafel-hens and heath-cocks, which were as white as fnow (probably ptarmigans, tetrao lagopus), and pheasants of the fize of a goofe (probably the tetrao urogallus). In St. Olave's church they faw the fkin of a white bear, which was fourteen feet and a half long. Other birds, fuch as gerfalcons (falco gyrfalcus), gofs-hawks (falco aftur brijs), and various other forts of hawks, are whiter here than common, on account of the great cold of the country.

Four days before they reached Stichimborg (Stegeborg) they came to a place called Vafthena (Wadfiena) where St. Bridget was born, and had founded a monaftery of

X X X 2

Nune

breathe, whilft the pale phantom, in a hollow voice, thus spake with indignation : The Ghof's Speech.

Nuns, together with chaplains of the fame order. At this place the northern kings and princes have built a moft magnificent church, covered with copper, in which they counted fixty two altars. The nuns and chaplains received the ftrangers very kindly, who, after two days ftay there, at length fet out, in order to wait on the Chevalier John Franco, who did all he could to comfort them in their diftrefs, and relieved them in a manner that did honour to his generofity. A fortnight after, there was given at St. Brigitta's church in Wadstena a plenary indulgence, of which the people of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, as well as those of Germany, Holland, and Scotland, came to partake. Some of them came from the distance of fix hundred miles.

They went to the indulgence at Wadftena with the Chevalier John Franco, in order to see whether they could not procure fome intelligence there of any fhips bound for Germany or England; there being always at that time a great concourse of people. The Chevalier was five days on the road, and had more than one hundred horfes in his train. Here they took leave of their beneficent countryman, who had furnished them plentifully with clothes and money for their journey, and had ordered his fon Mathew, a very amiable young man, to accompany them to the distance of eight days journey to Lodefe (on the Gotha Elf), where they were lodged at his own houfe, the fhip not fetting fail directly. He had lent them his own horfes all the way from Stichimborg; and as Quirini was ill of a fever, he mounted him on a horse, which had an easier pace than ever he had met with in one of these anima's before. From Lodefe three of his crew went home in a veffel bound for Roftock, and eight of them accompanied him to England, where they came to their friends in London by the way of Ey and Cambridge; and after a two months refidence there, continued their route through Germany and Bafil, and at length, in the space of twenty-four days, arrived safe and in good health at Venice, Mat, Rev.

For the Hibernian Magazine. A FEW evenings fince, whilft a number of our patriots, fenators, and fages of the law were affembled, and intent on the myfleries of play, there was profound filence, the tapers, instead of light, caft round a gloomy dimnefs, when lo! a blaze of lightning flashed, a sudden burst of thunder fhook the temple, and in the midst of this aftonified crowd appeared the ghoft of

All rofe affrighted, fear thook their joints, and raised their trembling hands; they flood aghaft, quick palpitations feized their hearts; they flared with horror, and fearce dared to

"ARE these the great, the nobles of the land? Thefe! who like her meaneft fons, like common fharpers, thus confume the night in riot and gaming? Alas! Ireland, what haft thou o hope, when these, who, by their birth, their fortune, and their fituation, should look upon themfelves as guardians of the commonwealth, thus spend their time like its moft idle, base, and worthless members? But far, far more excufable are they; want, perhaps, compels to try the meaneft arts and shifts for a fubfiftence; or whofe uncultivated minds are not prepared to relish or enjoy more rational amusements; far more excufable, I fay, than you, whom education has formed with her beft care, whom fortune has bleffed with affluence, and placed above the common herd.

"What, in the name of madness, is in this plague, which thus infests your minds? Is it the love of money? O! rather learn to cultivate your lands, if lands are yet in your poffeffion; thus you, with credit and with honefty, may improve your patrimonies, and enlarge your income. This science requires genius, memory, application; and moft of you have but a small pretence to any of all thefe. Some few indeed, who can defcend to drudge and make a trade of it, and whom nice honour binds not with too ftrict a hand, fuch as lord the earl of

and forme others, may find it worth their while, in point of profit, to continue gamefters; especially whilst they have fuch bubbles as you my lord, or you —, or you -> or you -, to exercise their precious talents upon: but what pretence have you to game, who, ignorant of the laws of chance, know not the odds which lie against your fortune? Nay, grant your knowledge equal to the beft, who but a madman or an idiot would ftake for happiness a mifery upon the hazard of an equal chance?

"But you will fay, perhaps, it is a plea fure and amusement you purfue. Dear chil dren, why do you not return to puth pin, or to marbles? or exercise yourselves at leapfrog? It were far lefs infamous, and net much more ridiculous, if Fame speak truth of all the filly pranks, the idle schemes, and poor contrivances, which your depraved imaginations have found out, to ruin and confound your fortunes.

"It is true, when one confiders how worthlefs in yourselves, how fhameful and ignominious to your friends, and how ufcleis, if not mifchievous to your country, the generality of you are, who thus confume your time and wafte your fortunes; the ruin and mifery that is brought upon yourfelves

marts

moves no compaffion, no regret, in any human breaft. But what confideration can alleviate the fevere unmerited distress of an innocent wife, whofe fortune perhaps is fquandered away, or at least whofe peace and happiness are thus deftroyed? How will you retrieve from poverty and fhame a beggared offspring? Or what fatisfaction can you make for the miseries and diftrefs of many an honeft tradesman and his family, whom your long bills unpaid have brought to ruin and deftruction? For this is one of thofe upright and honourable maxims, which rooks and sharpers, who devour you, wifely propagate and fupport, that the debts of honour muft first, must inftantly be fatisfied. Prepofterous and abfurd; does not the tradefman truft to and depend upon your honour? You have from time to time a valuable confideration for your money, the product of his honefty, industry or labour; add to this, his credit as a trader, and his happiness as a man, perhaps, depend on your juft dealings with him. And fhall an honourable rascal, who from his fuperior fkill, or greater roguery, hath drawn you in to be his debtor, be preferably fatisfied, and have his debts discharged before the other? You cannot anfwer it to your confciences, to your reason, or to your honour.

"But why do I talk of these to fuch as you? As well may I to fmugglers, to that lawless troop of boid affaffins, who defy the laws of God and man, and with the bloody hand of force and murder carry on the trade of fraud; as well there, might one declaim upon the villainy of their proceedings, and from confideration of public good, and the injury they do the fair trader, hope to reclaim them from their practices. For whilft there are amongst you fuch abandoned wretches as in the fenate will give their votes to laws which they have refolved before they fleep to break, what fear of fhame, what plea of reason, what restraint of law, can be contrived to bind you, or convince you?

"What therefore fhall I fay? Or with what words can I hope to move you to reflection. Yet, for fhame awake, aroufe yourselves from this lethargic flumber! Confider what you are, what the sphere of human life in which you are to act; and if not with dignity, at least with decency perforin your parts. On you depends, too much depends, the finking virtue of your country. The examples which are fet by you will cer tainly be followed in fome degree by all ranks of men. If you break through the laws, and laugh at order and decency, licentioufnefs is catching, there are enough ready to commit the fame irregularities, and quote from you excufes of their own mifdoings. And how fcandalous is it to be made the patterns of vice, of folly, of every fpecies of

533

wrong conduct and contemptible behaviour? For your family's, your honour's fake, learn to know and venerate yourselves; and do not, by actions unbecoming even in your meaneft vaffals, difgrace that dignity you are born to, nor fully those honours which you ought to adorn. For your country's fake, attempt to gain the praife, or fomething worthy the high ranks and eminent ftations you are to fill in life. How noble were it, and how easy to you, to protect and patronize the liberal arts; to raise public works; to call forth and encourage private worth; to found academies for polite and useful fcience; to reward the poet's, the painter's, the fculptor's amiable toils! Thefe, fuch as thefe, were pleasures and amusements worthy of the great, the wife, and wealthy; beneficial to your country, and glorious to yourselves.

"Instead of thefe, which is it you purfue? What are your pleasures? What are your employments? Alas! regardlefs, negsigent of fame, deaf to the voice of virtue, to the call of honour; all noble emulation dead within your breafts, you fuffer yourfelves to be led blindfold to fhame by vice and folly; bewildered in your minds, em. barraffed in your fortunes, funk in your characters, and loft to every useful, every noble purpose.

O yet return! yet make one generous effort to recover! Rekindle once again the dying spark of virtue in your bofoms. It is honour, it is your country, it is your friends who call upon you; nay, it is the voice of Heaven, who with a kind benevolent inter t hath thus appointed me, and doth permit my thade to break the filent manfions of the dead, and at this folemn hour to make one trial, if happily a departed friend, arifen from the grave, might have the power to win you back to reafon. No more, my allotted time on earth is spent. Adieu!""

Here the honeft Ghoft, knowing himself exempt from the laws which punish scandalum magnatum, took the liberty of mentioning feveral noble names, which it would not only be prefumption, but rafhness and impu dence in a printer to tranfcribe. He there. fore leaves thefe blanks to be filled up by the reader as he can meet with information; having no defire or intention to ftigmatize particular characters, or to offend any individual perfon.

Anecdotes of the late Count O'Rourke.