foul as to extinguifh the candles, which the workmen carried down, in order to come at Travis, by the way which they denominate, the air-gate.* 5. The temperature of the air varies much in coal-pits, even of the fame depth. No thermometrical obfervations were made on the prefent occafion; but the fenfations of Travis feem to have indicated coldnefs; and his extremities never recovered their natural warmth. Moisture always abounds in thefe mines. 6. The weakness of Travis prevented him from giving any account of his fufferings, either from hunger or thirft. But it was observed that he was eager to drink, at the time when he was found. 7. It is certain that Travis had no provifions with him in the coal-mine, and that there was not any fupply of water, except near the mouth of the pit; a place he muft immediately have quitted, and to which he deprived himfelf of the power of returning, by throwing the earth behind him, in his progrefs. We may therefore prefume, that he paffed the whole feven days of his confinement, without either meat or drink. I have talked with the Captain of a fhip, who was one of fix, that endured it in its extremity, and who was the only perfon that had not loft his fenfes, when they received accidental relief. He affured me his pains, at firft, were fo great, as to be often tempted to eat a part of one of the men who died, and which the reft of his crew, actually for fome time lived upon: he faid that duiug the continuance of this paroxyfm, he found his pains infupportable, and was defirous, at one time, of anticipating that death, which he thought *The ventilation of this fubterranean paffage might perhaps, have been expedited, and the mephitis almoft inftantly corrected, by carrying down into it buckets of water and flaking in them a fufficient quanity of fresh burnt lime. The hot fteam generated by this operation, it may be prefumed, would have diffufed itfelf quickly through the whole cavity; the gas would have united with the aqueous vapour; been precipitated with it; and a current of atmospheric air would have rushed in to supply its place. inevitable: inevitable but his pains he faid, gradually decreased, after the fixth day, (for they had water in the fhip, which kept them alive fo long) and then he was in a ftate rather of languor, than defire; nor did he much with for food, except when he faw others eating; and that for awhile revived his appetite, though with diminished importunity. The latter part of the time, when his health was almoft defroyed, a thoufand ftrange images rofe up in his mind; and every one of his fenfes began to bring him wrong information. The moft fragrant perfumes appeared to him to have a fetid fmell; and every thing he looked at took a greenifh hue, and fometimes a yellow. When he was prefented with food by the fhip's company, that took him and his men up, four of whom died fhortly after, he could not help looking upon it with loathing inftead of defire; and it was not, till after four days, that his flomach was brought to its natural tone; when the violence of his appetite returned with a fort of a canine eagerness. THOUGHTS on the Mifery of MAN. [Extracted from a late Writer ] THERE is nothing more capable of letting us into the knowledge of human mifery, than an enquiry after the real caufe of that perpetual hurry and confufion, in which we pafs our lives. The foul is fent into the body, to be the fojourner of a few days. She knows that this is but a fiep, till fhe may embark for eternity; and that a fmall space is allowed her to prepare for the voyage. The main part of this fpace is ravifhed from her by the neceffities of nature; and but a flender pittance is left to her own difpofal: and yet this moment which remains, does does fo ftrangely opprefs and perplex her, that fhe only ftudies how to lose it. She feels an intolerable burden, in being obliged to live with herfelf, and think of herfelf; and therefore, her principal care is to forget herself, and to let this fhort and precious moment pafs away without reflection, by amufing herself with things which prevent her notice of its speed. This is the ground of all the tumultuary business, of all the trifling diverfions amongst men; in which our general aim is to make the time pafs off our hands without feeling it, or rather without feeling ourselves; and, by getting rid of this small portion of life, to avoid that inward difguft and bitterness, which we fhould not fail to meet with, if we found leifure to defcend into our own breafts. For it is undeniably certain, that the foul of man is here incapable of reft and fatisfaction. And this obliges her to expand herfelf every way, and to feek how fhe may lofe the thoughts of her own proper being in a fettled application to things about her. Her very happiness consists in this forgetfulnefs: and to make her exquifitely miferable, nothing more is required, but the engaging of her to look into herself, and dwell at home. We charge perfons from their very infancy with the care of their own fortunes and honours, and no lefs of their eftates and dignities belonging to their kindred and friends. We burthen them with the ftudy of languages, of exercises, and of arts. We enter them in business, and perfuade them, that they can never be truly bleffed, unless by their induftry and caution they in fome measure fecure the intereft and glory of themfelves, their families, and their dependents; and that unavoidable unhappiness is entailed upon the failure of any one particular of this kind. Thus we teach them to wear out their flrength, and to rob themfelves of their reft. A ftrange method (you will fay) of making them happy! What could be done with more effect towards the infuring them in mifery? Would you know what? why, only to releafe them from thefe cares, and to take off their burdens. For then their eyes and thoughts muft muft be turned inward, and that is the only hardfhip which they efteem infupportable. Hence, if they gain any relaxation from their labours, we find them eager to throw it away upon fome sport or diverfion, which takes up their whole activity, and pleasantly robs them of themselves. It is for this reafon, that when I have fet myfelf to confider the various agitations of human life, the toil and danger to which we expofe ourselves in the court, in the camp, and in the pursuit of ambition, which give birth to fo mnch paffion and contention, to fo many defperate and fatal adventures; I have often faid that the univerfal cause of men's misfortunes, was their not being able to live quietly in a chamber. A perfon who has enough for the ufes of this world, did he know the art of dwelling with himself, would never quit that repose and fecurity for a voyage or a fiege: nor would take fo much pains to hazard his life, had he no other aim, than barely to live. But, upon ftricter examination I found, that this averfion to home, this roving and reftlefs difpofition, proceeded from a caufe, no less powerful than univerfal; from the native unhappiness of our frail and mortal ftate, which is incapable of all comfort, if we have nothing to divert our thoughts, and to call us out of ourselves. I speak of those alone who furvey their own nature, without the views of faith and religion. It is indeed one of the miracles of chriftianity, that by reconciling man to God, it reftores him to his own good opinion; that it makes him able to bear the fight of himself; and in fome cafes, renders folitude and filence more agreeable, than all the intercourfe and action of mankind. [To be continued.] VOL. X. U On On allegorical WRITINGS in general, and especially the PARABLES of our LORD. PUBLIC Teachers have employed two ways of communi cating knowledge to mankind, the plain or direct, and the figurative or allegorical. Our Saviour fometimes ufes the one, fometimes the other. He began his ministry with his sermon on the mount, the greateft part of which is delivered in the direct manner. But on other occafions, he generally recom. mended truth, or enforced duty, in the allegorical method of parables. In the early ages of the world, the art of reasoning was little known or practifed. In thefe primitive times, men were inftructed chiefly by figns and hieroglyphics; and before their minds were converfant in matters of fubtilty and fpeculation, all instruction abounded with parables and taste, fimilitude and comparisons. The most ancient, as well as excellent in kind are to be found in Scripture. The parables of Jotham, to the men of Shechem, thofe of Nathan to David, and the Widow of Tekoah, the Thistle and Cedar in Lebanon by Jehoafh, are fufficient proofs of their antiquity. Let us take a view of the nature and advantages of this method of instruction; the excellency of our Lord's parables, and the means of understanding them, together with the method of ranging them under proper heads. 1. A parable may be founded on a true, or a probable story, or on one wholly fictitious. The most ancient, recorded in Scripture, are of the latter part; but the parables of our Saviour are of the former. Some diftinguish the figurative kind of compofition into three different fpecies, the Parable, the Allegory, and the Apologue. The parable, though it be a mere fiction, muft yet be such a one as is probable, or at lea may poffibly be true. An allegory is a difcourfe by which a different A |