Page images
PDF
EPUB

heavenly and as beautiful as that overhead; and the range of mountains, having one line of fummit under our feet, and another above us, were fufpended between two firmaments.' II. 212-14.

The rain now ceafed, and the clouds grew thinner. They ftill concealed the fummits, but now began to adorn the mountain, fo light and filvery did they become. At length they cleared away from the top, and we perceived that the mountain, whofe jagged and grotefque rocks we had fo much admired, was of a pyramidal fhape. That on the fouthern fide of the dale head, which was of greater magnitude, and there fore probably, though not apparently, of equal height, had three fum. mits. The clouds floated on its fide, and feemed to cling to it. We thought our fhore tamer than the oppofite one, till we recollected that the road would not be vifible from the water; and prefently the mountain which had appeared of little magnitude or beauty while we paffed under it, became, on looking back, the moft pyramidal of the whole, and in one point had a cleft fummit like Parnaffus; thus forming the third conical mountain of the group, which rofe as if immediately from the head of the Lake, the dale being loft. But of all objects the frees was the most extraordinary. Imagine the whole fide of a mountain, a league in length, covered with loole ftones, white, red, blue and green, in long ftraight lines as the torrents had left them, in fheets and in patches, fometimes broken by large fragments of rocks which had unaccountably ftopt in their defcent, and by parts which, being too precipitous for the ftones to rest on, were darkened with moffes,-and every variety of form and colour was reflected by the dark water at its foot: no trees or bushes upon the whole mountain,-all was bare, but more variegated by this wonderful mixture of colouring than any vegetation could have made it.' II. 231-33.

During the whole of this excursion, we lose sight almost entirely of the character of foreigner which the writer has undertaken to support. It is quite impossible, we are convinced, for any person, during a transient visit, to acquire the intimate knowledge which is here displayed of every thing connected with the country around him: he not only speaks quite familiarly of the names of all the villages and hamlets within his view, but notices, with an accuracy that could only have been attained by a residence in the neighbourhood, inany of the changes and alterations that have taken place during a course of years.

Leaving the vicinity of the Lakes, we proceed on our return to the metropolis, through Carlisle, York, Durham, &c. Nothing particularly worthy of notice occurs during the journey. We have a short description of the two famous cathedrals; and the narrative is, as usual, interspersed with a variety of little stories and anecdotes, some of which are amusing enough, but narrated, in general, in no very good taste.

[blocks in formation]

Once more established in London, he resumes his more general speculations. We shall not detain our readers with any extracts from his remarks on the state of the House of Commons; his observations are in general quite commonplace and superficial; and he rings the usual changes on the well worn subjects of bribery and corruption, rotten boroughs, &c. &c.

The excessive credulity of the people has been a fovourite topic with almost all the authors who have attempted to delineate the English character. If it be a fact that they are more generally subject to this weakness than their neighbours, it is a circumstance that is not easily to be accounted for. But, contrary to the opinion of our traveller, who boldly asserts that the great mass of the people are as ignorant, and as well contented with their ignorance, as any the most illiterate nation in Europe,' we are well convinced that instruction and information is much more generally diffused through all ranks of people in Great Britain than in any other country on the face of the earth; besides, no nation is more addicted to travelling than the English; and their immensely extended commerce leads a great number in all ranks of life to visit foreign countries; than which, nothing tends so much to remove those prejudices which are the usual sources of credulity. Now, with these advantages, and many more that might be enumerated, such as the freedom of the press, and of discussion in their public assemblies, that they should continue the most credulous and easy to be duped of all the nations in Europe, is certainly most extraordinary, and in our opinion quite incredible. The truth is, this notion seems to arise altogether from the circumstance of the great number of quacks that infest this country, and the great and rapid fortunes that have been made by some of these impostors. But the great riches of England, and the rapid circulation of wealth throughout all parts of the country, is of itself sufficient to attract these needy adventurers to its shores and when we consider the advantages and facilities afforded them by the quick communication and intercourse that is maintained with every part of the country, and, above all, by means of the newspapers, to which they chiefly trust for the extension of their fame, we need no longer marvel at their predilection for England, and their uncommon success. Besides, the superstitious belief in the efficacy of relics, and the miraculous power of their tutelary saints, which still maintains its ground in many parts of Europe, must operate powerfully against these profane doctors, and drive them to a part of the world where these superstitions no longer prevail: for it is certainly a very just remark which is here quoted from the ingenious

Lady

Lady Mary W. Montague, that 'quacks are despised in countries where they have shrines and images.'

We are here presented with a variety of anecdotes of some of the most celebrated of those worthies, and an amusing account of some of their tricks and arts of deception; which concludes with a full detail of that most extraordinary of all quackeries, the theory of animal magnetism, which, to the disgrace of Europe, not forty years ago, attracted such a share of the public attention, He takes the pains to give us the substance of the lectures of Mainauduc, who was the teacher of this new system of physics in this country. But we will not, by any extracts, attempt to draw our readers' attention to a subject that is happily now almost entirely forgotten.

A large portion of the third volume, on which we now enter, is occupied with an account of the different religious sects which chiefly prevail in England. We have a good account of the rise and progress of Methodism, and a variety of anecdotes of Wesley and Whitfield, the Calvin and Luther, as our author calls them, of this schism. The character and adventures of these two personages is so very generally known to the public, that it would be idle to give any part of their history here. But the following account of one of the sect, who has chosen to secede from the government of the general body, presents such a curious picture of human nature, that we are tempted to extract it for the amusement of our readers.

One of thefe independent chieftains has publifhed an account of himself, which he calls God the Guardian of the Poor and the Bank of Faith. His name is William Huntington, and he ftyles himself S. S. which fignifies Sinner Sayed.

The tale which this man tells is truly curious. He was originally a coal-heaver, one of thofe men whofe occupation and fingular appearance I have noticed in a former letter; but finding praying and preaching a more promifing trade, he ventured upon the experiment of living by faith alone; and the experiment has anfwered. The man had talents, and foon obtained hearers. It was easy to let them know, without asking for either, that he relied upon them for food and clothing. At first fupplies came in flowly, a pound of tea, and a pound of fugar at a time, and fometimes an old fuit of clothes. As he got more hearers they found out that it was for their credit he fhould make a better appearance in the world. If at any time things did not come when they were wanted, he prayed for them, knowing well where his prayers would be heard. As a fpecimen, take a flory which I fhall annex in his own words, that the original may prove the truth of the tranflation, which might elfe not unreafonably be fufpected.

*

"Having now had my horfe for fome time, and riding a great deal every week, I foon wore my breaches out, as they were not fit to ride

in.

in. I hope the reader will excufe my mentioning the word breeches, which I fhould have avoided, had not this paffage of fcripture obtruded into my mind, juft as I had refolved in my own thoughts not to mention this kind providence of God. And thou shalt make linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs fhall they reach.' &c. Exod. xxviii. 42, 43. By which and three others, (namely, Ezek. xliv. 18; Lev. vi. 10; and Lev. xvi. 4), I saw that it was no crime to mention the word breeches, nor the way in which God fent them to me; Aaron and his fons being clothed entirely by Providence ; and as God himself condefcended to give orders what they should be made of, and how they should be cut; and I believe the fame God ordered mine, as I truft it will appear in the following history.

"The fcripture tells us to call no man mafter, for one is our mafter, even Chrift. I therefore told my most bountiful and ever-adored Mafter what I wanted; and he, who ftripped Adam and Eve of their figleaved aprons, and made coats of fkins and clothed them, and who clothes the grafs of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is caft into the oven, muft clothe us, or we fhall foon go naked; and fo Ifrael found it when God took away his wool, and his flax, which they prepared for Baal: for which iniquity was their skirts discovered, and their heels made bare. Jer. xiii. 22.

"I often made very free in my prayers with my valuable Master for this favour; but he still kept me fo amazingly poor that I could not get them at any rate. At laft I was determined to go to a friend of mine at Kingston, who is of that branch of bufinefs, to bespeak a pair; and to get him to truft me until my Mafter fent me money to pay him. I was that day going to London, fully determined to befpeak them as I rode through the town. However, when I paffed the fhop I forgot it; but when I came to London I called on Mr Croucher, a fhoemaker in Shepherd's Market, who told me a parcel was left there for me, but what it was he knew not. I opened it, and bohold there was a pair of leather breeches with a note in them! the fubftance of which was, to the beft of my remembrance, as follows.

"SIR,-I have fent you a pair of breeches, and hope they will fit. I beg your acceptance of them; and, if they want any alteration, leave in a note what the alteration is, and I will call in a few days and alter them. J. S. '

"I tried them on, and they fitted as well as if I had been measured for them; at which I was amazed, having never been measured by any leather breeches-maker in London. I wrote an anfwer to the note to this effect.

"SIR, I received your prefent, and thank you for it. I was go. ing to order a pair of leather breeches to be made, because I did not know till now that my Mafter had befpoke them of you. They fit very well; which fully convinces me that the fame God, who moved thy heart to give, guided thy hand to cut; because he perfectly knows my fize, having clothed me in a miraculous manner for near five years.

When

When you are in trouble, Sir, I hope you will tell my Master of this, and what you have done for me, and he will repay you with honour.' "This is as nearly as I am able to relate it; and I added,

"I cannot make out I. S. unless I put I. for Ifraelite indeed, and S. for Sincerity; because you did not found a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do.'

"About that time twelvemonth I got another pair of breeches in the fame extraordinary manner, without my ever being measured for them."

[ocr errors]

Step by step, by drawing on his Mafter as he calls him, and perfuading the congregation to accept his drafts, this Sinner Saved has got two chapels of his own, a house in the country, and a coach to carry him backwards and forwards.' III. 20-26.

The Methodists certainly gain ground in all parts of the country; and their numbers are so great, and their progress so rapid, that our author is of opinion that the safety of the established Church is seriously threatened. In the account of the Quakers, there is little to attract our notice. The following observations on their character, are certainly striking.

• What is truly extraordinary is, that though they seem to have advanced to the utmost limits of enthufiafm as well as of herefy, so far from being enthufiaftic, they are proverbially deliberate and prudent: fo far from being fullen and gloomy, as their prohibitions might induce you to fuppofe, they are remarkably cheerful: they are univerfally admitted to be the most respectable fect in England; and though they have a church without a priesthood, and a government without a head, they are perhaps the best organized and most unanimous society that ever exifted.' III. 75.

This sect is represented, and we believe truly, to be in rather a declining state. We are next presented with a number of extracts from the insane ravings of Emanuel Swedenborg, which our readers will readily excuse us for passing over in silence. The disciples of this very prolix and fanciful dreamer, have, we believe, made but very slender progress in this country.

A number of letters follow, containing an account of some of those impostors, madmen and fanatics, who, in spite of their gross absurdity and vulgarity, have succeeded in attracting the public attention; such as Richard Brothers, Joanna Southcott, and others of that description. The author has taken a good deal of pains in examining a great variety of pamphlets published by those wretched impostors and their dupes. That the writers of such a mass of blasphemous impiety, idiocy and brutal vulgarity as is here exposed, instead of receiving the wholesome discipline of the house of correction, should have succeeded in making thousands of proselytes, and should even have been cherished and encouraged by some individuals in a respectable station, is wonder

ful,

« PreviousContinue »