Page images
PDF
EPUB

less amidst the wild beasts, clothe thee with salvation in the day of judgment !" Then the governor proclaimed, "Thecla, ser vant of God, I command thee to be discharged.” And the women with one voice gave glory to God, crying out," He is God alone whom Thecla worships. He alone is God, who hath preserved Thecla."

The whole city was soon moved at their cries; and the tidings being brought to Tryphæna, she revived and arose, and went forth to meet Thecla, who embracing her, she said, "Now I believe that the dead are raised Now I believe that my child liveth. Come Thecla my daughter, to my house, and all that I have shall be thine." On this Thecla returned with Try phæna, and tarried with her certain days, and taught her the word of the Lord, and many women were subject to the faith, and Tryphæna and all her household believing, there was a great joy in the house of Tryphæna.

But Thecla had an earnest desire to see Paul, to be further instructed by him. And sending to every quarter, she sought after him. When it was told her that he was at Myra in Lycia, she went forward to seek him. And when she found Paul preaching the word of God, she placed herself amongst the hearers. Paul marvelled greatly at seeing her. And taking her to the house of Hermes, she related to him all that had befallen her at Antioch. All that heard these things were established in the faith, and offered up prayer for Tryphæna. And Thecla arising, said unto Paul, I go unto Iconium. And Paul said unto her go, and teach the word of God. And Tryphæna when she heard that Thecla was going to Iconium, sent her much gold and raiment for the relief of the poor saints. 1

And Thecla departed thence to Iconium, and entering into the house of Onésiphorus fell on her face, where she had first heard Paul, praying with many tears, and giving thanks to God and saying, "Lord God of this house, where thy light first shined upon me, Jesus, thou Son of the living God, who wast my helper before the governor, my deliverer in the fire, my protector from the wild beasts; thou alone art God, for ever and ever. Amen.""

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

A

"A considerable portion of the rural labor of Hindostan, is abstracted from agriculture, its proper object, and employed in

pared with the Hebrew, and in several places corrected by Miles Coverdale, and afterwards examined by Archbishop Cranmer, who wrote a preface to it. On this account, it was called Cranmer's Bible. By a royal proclamation, every parish was obliged to have one of them, in its church or churches, under the penalty of forty shillings a month. Satan, seeing this was likely to prove very pernicious to his cause, raised another opposition, for two years after, those imps of hell, the Popish Priests, obtained its suppression from the tyrannical monarch. It was again restored, however, under that excellent monarch, King Edward the Sixth, but suppressed again when Queen Mary came to the throne, and finally restored in the first year of Queen Elizabeth's reign, and a new edition of it given in 1562.

In the year 1562, Archbishop Parker resolved on a new translation of the scriptures, which was completed and printed in 1568. This. translation was used upwards of forty years, and was called the Bishop's Bible.

Thus has the word of God triumphed over all opposition. The united efforts of hell and Rome, of devils and men, were all too weak to effect their purpose. Seeing the trouble and pains which our ancestors endured to secure this invaluable blessing to our posterity, it should still enhance its value. Christians, fellow-citizens, while ye have the light walk in the light. The primitive Christians were intimately acquainted with the Bible, making it their companion wherever they went, and such was their affection for it, that many of them have been found buried with the gospel lying at their feet. The martyrs prized the bible. Many of them were burnt, with their bibles bound round them. Dying Christians have prized their Bibles. The last words of a celebrated person to his friend, were" Read your Bible." Tempted Christians, do you want assistance ? Here you may learn that the grace of your heavenly Father shall be sufficient for you, and that as your day is, so shall your strength be. Doubting Christians, do you want consolation? Here you may hear the Saviour saying, in the most soothing and affectionate accents, "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom:" "Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong fear not," &c. Are you in poverty and distress, with respect to this world? Here you may read, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you." "I have been young, and now am old, yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread." In short, whatever you want, whether help, consolation, light, or knowledge only study this blessed book attentively, and you shall have it. Be thankful, you are not surrounded by worse than Pagan darkness. Read your

among the children equally; only the chief among them has one fourth per cent. more than the rest.'

"The bargains made by the great merchants, both Mahomedans and Hindoos, are transacted with peculiar secrecy and dexterity. The buyer and seller sit opposite to each other, and without speaking a word, the one of the two opens his girdle, the seller takes hold of the purchaser's hand, and with it he covers it as well as his own, and according to different signs made by the touch, perfectly understood by the parties, the bargain is concluded. Thus in the same place, a parcel may be sold several times, without any one present knowing that it hath been sold at all, or for how much.

"As the value of these mines depends much upon the security and protection given to the purchasers who resort to them; the native governments have afforded this with much solicitude. A particular person is appointed to weigh all the diamonds, to preclude all imposition in this particular; servants are appointed to every considerable merchant during his stay, to guard both his money and effects, and not unfrequently an escort is allowed him till he reach the frontiers of the kingdom.

"The lot of the poor natives, who work the mines, though well skilled in their business, is invariably a hard one. Their wages never exceed three pagodas in the year; a subsistence so scanty almost compels them to dishonesty. Accordingly they make little scruple, as often as with safety they can, to hide a stone for their own profit. As they are perfectly naked, except the small rag around their middle, this can hardly be done but by swallowing the stones; and this heing detected they have been known to secrete them in the corner of the eye. To prevent thefts, twelve or fifteen out of fifty are bound to be security for the honesty of the rest, to the great merchant who employs

them.

"About seven days journey east from Golconda, lies the mine of Colour, or Gani, as it is called by the Hindoos. This mine was discovered about a hundred years later than that of Roalconda, by a peasant while he was preparing ground to sow millet, who found at the foot of a high mountain, a glittering stone, as he thought, but on presenting it at Golconda to a diamond merchant, he was informed of its quality and value. "The report of this trader in diamonds, who had not before seen one of so great a weight, made much noise in the country, and engaged the monied men in the vicinity to search the ground, where they found many of greater size than at any other mine. Here are produced a number of stones from ten to forty carats, and among them some larger, particularly that presented to Aurengzebe, weighing nine hundred carats. In this mine the

"Finis," exclaimed Hogarth," The deed is done, all is over!" It is very remarkable, and a well known fact, that he never again took the palette in his hand. It is a circumstance less known, perhaps, that he died in about a year after he had finished this extraordinary tail-piece.

A STRANGE PROVIDENCE.

An account of two faithful Lovers, who were united by the fury of an Earthquake.

THE plains, in which Lima, the capital city of Peru is placed, are the most beautiful in the world. They are of vast extent, reaching from the foot of the Andes or Cordelier Mountains, to the sea; and are covered with groves of olive-trees, of oranges, and citrons, watered by many streams; one of the principal among which, washing the walls of Lima, falls into the ocean at Callao; in which latter place is laid the scene of this ensuing history.

To this city, Don Juan de Mendoza had come over with his father from Old Spain, when an infant. The father, having borne many noble employments in Peru, died much esteemed and honoured rather than rich. This young gentleman had, in early youth, conceived a very strong passion for Donna Cornelia di Perez, daughter to a very wealthy merchant, who dwelt in the city of Callao, at that time the best port in the whole Western world.

But, although the young lady, who was reputed the most accomplished person in the Indies, returned his affection; yet he met with an insuperable difficulty in the avarice and inflexible temper of the father, who, preferring wealth to every other consideration, absolutely refused his consent. At length the unfortunate lover saw himself under the necessity of returning to his native country, the most miserable of all mankind, torn away for ever from all that he held most dear. He was now on board, in the port of Callao, and the ship ready to sail for Spain. The wind fair; the crew all employed; the passen gers rejoicing in the expectation of seeing again the place of their nativity.

Amid the shouts and acclamations, with which the whole bay resounded, Mendoza sat upon deck alone, overwhelmed with sorrow, beholding those towers, in which he had left the only person who could have made him happy, whom he was never more to behold: a thousand tender, a thousand melancholy thoughts possessed his mind. In the mean time, the serenity of the sky is disturbed; sudden flashes of lightning dart across. which increasing fill the whole air with flame.

in twelve distinct offices, three of which were occupied by the jewels and plate only. To each treasury a Tepukchy and Darogha were appointed, who classed the jewels in a regular manner, according to their kind and value, and they were always ready to render an exact account, daily or monthly, of their application or expenditure. Concerning the different regulations of the mint and jewel office, the author of the Ayeen Acberry is more full and luminous, than upon any other department of the internal economy of that great empire.

"The Moguls were no less curious in other gems, than in the diamond: Emeralds, topazes, saphires, and pearls, always occupied a considerable part of the jewel office; and their value was greater than that of the diamond. Considering the small progress that chemistry had then made in any part of the world, their knowledge of gems, and of the precious metals, may be regarded as both accurate and extensive, The methods laid down for refining gold and silver, by Abul Fazel, rather resemble the accuracy of a professional man, than the idea of a nobleman treating generally of the state of the treasury. No less than twelve different degrees of fineness of gold, called barrah banny, are distinctly noted in his book; and the method of ascertaining each degree in any given specimen, is accurately laid down.

"The practical habit of ascertaining the goodness of coins, or the fineness of jewels, is an attainment in which Europeans are at present far outdone by the natives. Their skill in this matter is so decidedly superior, that every European whose transactions are considerable, retains a native writer or Baunian, who receives payments for him, and who is answerable for the sufficiency of the money which he accepts. In most of the great towns of Hindostan, gems and precious stones are procurable as a mercantile commodity; but an European without professional knowledge, and much experience in this traffic, could not safely enter into competition with the native merchants.

"Another cause of the abstraction of useful hands from agriculture, is the pearl fishery. The natives employed in this trade are very numerous, while the drudgery they suffer is far more unhealthy and perilous than that of the diamond mines.

"The shell-fish which produces this jewel, is the Mytilus margaritiferus, which is found adhering to the coral banks along the shores of Tinivelly. It is fished by the natives, who assemble in small boats from different quarters, at two seasons of the year; the first continues during March and April; the second during August and September. After each fishing, a numerous fair is held for the sale of the produce. Seven different villa

« PreviousContinue »