Brutus however repulfes them, lands and encamps on the sea fhore. In the night an aurora borealis aftonifhes his men, fuch a phenomenon having never been seen by them before.

He endeavours to keep up their spirits, by telling them that what they look upon as a prodigy, may be a phenomenon of nature usual in those countries, though unknown to them and him; but that if it be any thing fupernatural, they ought to interpret it in their own favour, because heaven never works miracles, but for the good. About midnight they are attacked again by the Barbarians, and the light of the aurora, is of great ufe to them for their defence.

Brutus kills their chief leader, and Orontes the three next in command. This difcourages them, and they fly up into the country. He makes prifoners of fome of the natives, who had been used to those feas, and enquires of them concerning a great ifland to the fouth west of their country; they tell him they had been in fuch an island upon piratical voyages, and had carried fome of the natives into captivity. He obtains some of thefe captives, whom he finds to be Britons; they defcribe their country to him, and undertake to pilot him.

In the next book, Brutus touches at the Orcades, and a picture is given of the manners of the favages. The North Britons he brought with him from Norway, relate strange ftories

concerning one of the greatcft of their islands. supposed to be inhabited by Daemons, who forbid all accefs to it by thunders, earthquakes, &c. Eudemon relates a tradition in Greece, that in one of the northern islands of the ocean, fome of the Titans were confined after their overthrow by Jupiter. Brutus, to confound their fuperftition, refolves to land in that island.

Brutus fails thither in a final veffel of fix oars attended only by Orontes, who infifls on fharing with him in this adventure. When the boat approaches the fhore, a violent hurricane rifes, which daflies it against the rocks, and beats it to pieces. All the men are drowned but Brutus and Orontes, who fwim to land. They find a thick foreft dark and impenetrable, out of which proceeds a dreadful noise.

All at once the fun was darkened, a thick night comes over thein; thundering noifes, and bellowings are heard in the air, and under ground. A terrible eruption of fire breaks out from the top of a mountain, the earth fhakes beneath their feet, Orontes flies back into the wood, but Brutus remains undaunted, though in great danger of being fwallowed up, or burnt by the fire. In this extremity he calls upon God; the eruption ceases, and his guardian angel appears to Brutus,, telling him God had permitted the evil spirit to work feeming miracles by natural means, in order to try his virtue, and to humble the pride of Orontes, who was too confident in his courage, and too little regardful of providence. That the hill before them was a volcano;

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volcano; that the effects of it dreadful, though natural, had made the ignorant favages believe the island to be an habitation of fiends. That the hurricane, which had wrecked his boat, was a ufual fymptom preceding an eruption. That he might have perished in the eruption, if God had not fent him his good angel to be his preserver.

He then directs him to feek the fouth-west parts of Great Britain, because the northern parts were infefted by men not yet difpofed to receive religion, arts and good government; the fubduing and civilizing of whom was reserved by providence for a fon, that fhould be born of him after his conqueft of England.

Brutus promifes to obey; the angel vanishes. Brutus finds Orontes in a cave of the wood; he is fo afhamed of his fear, that he attempts to kill himfelf. Brutus comforts him, afcribes it to a fupernatural terror, and tells him what he had heard from the angel. They go down to the coaft, where they find Hanno, with a fhip to carry them off.

The enfuing book defcribes the joy of Brutus, at fight of the white rocks of Albion. He lands at Torbay, and, in the western part of the ifland, meets with a kind reception.

The climate is defcribed to be equally free from the effeminacy and softness of the fouthern climes, and the ferocity and favagenefs of the northern. The natural genius of the native being thus in the medium between thefe extremes, was well adapted to receive the improvements in virtue, he meditated to introduce. They are

represented worshippers of the fun and fire, but of good and gentle difpofitions, having no bloody facrifices among them. Here he meets the Druids, at an altar of turf, in an open place, offering fruits and flowers to heaven.

Then follows a picture of the haven, which is fucceeded by an account of the northern parts, supposed to be infefted by tyrants, of whom the Britains tell ftrange ftories, reprefenting them as giants, whom he undertakes to affift them in conquering.

Among these islands, our poet takes notice of the island Mona, groaning under the lash of fuperftition, being governed by priests.

Likewise of another distracted by dismal Anarchy, the neighbours eating their captives, and carrying away virgins; which affords room for a beautiful episode, defcribing the feelings of a paffionate lover, who prevailed on Brutus to fly to the rescue of a favourite fair-one, whom, by his aid, he recovered from the arms of her brutal ravisher.

Our poet alfo speaks of a third under the dominion of Tyranny, which was ftronger than the reft, and defended by giants living in caftles, high rocks, &c. fome of thefe giants our poet names, as Corineus, Gogmagog, &c. Here he propofed to moralize the old fables concerning Brutus, Gogmagog, &c.

Brutus, however, is oppofed in his attempt by the priefis, conjurers, and magicians; and Ee 2

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the pricfls are fuppofed to have had fecrets, which paft for fupernatural, fuch as the ufe of gunpowder, &c. He meets with many difficultics likewife from his own people, which interrupt his defigns; particularly from one of his kinfmen, whois young, fierce, and ambitious. He is earnest for conquering all by force, and treating the people who fubmitted to him as flaves.

But Brutus gives it as his opinion, not to conquer and deftroy the natives of the new-dif covered land, but to polifh and refine them, by introducing true religion, void of fuperftition and all falfe notions of the Deity, which only leads to vice and mifery, among people who are uncorrupted in their manners, and only want the introduction of ufeful arts, under the fanction of a good government, to establish and enfure their felicity *.

This turbulent kinfman likewife endangers a revolt, by taking away a woman betrothed to a Britain.

Some of Brutus's followers take part with him, and raise a faction, which, by his wifdom and firmnefs, he fuppreffes; and brings the dif contented back to their duty, who at length unite with him against the giants, their common enemy. It must not be omitted, that the kinfman is reprefented as repenting of his feceffion,

*Here the poet could have had a fine opportunity of expofing the inhuman conduct of the Europeans, with respect

to the Indians.