other travellers began to prepare fledges to carry them over the fnow, and to get things ready to be going; but my measures being fixed, as I have faid, for Arch-Angel, and not for Muscovy or the Baltick, I made no motion, knowing very well, that the fhips from the fouth do not fet out for that part of the world till May or June; and that if I was there at the beginning of August, it would be as foon as any fhips would be ready to go away; and therefore, I fay, I made no hafte to be gone, as others did; in a word, I faw a great many people, nay, all the travellers, go away before me. It feems, every year they go from thence to Mofcow for trade; viz. to carry furs, and buy neceffaries with them, which they bring back to furnish their fhops; alfo others went on the fame errand to Arch-Angel; but then they alfo, being to come back again above eight hundred miles, went all out before me.

In fhort, about the latter end of May, I began to make all ready to pack up; and as I was doing this, it occurred to me, that seeing all these people were banished by the czar of Muscovy to Siberia, and yet, when they came there, were at liberty to go whither they would; why did they not then go away to any part of the world wherever they thought fit? and I began to examine what fhould hinder them from making fuch an attempt.

But my wonder was over, when I entered upon that subject with the perfon I have mentioned, who answered me thus: Confider, firft, faid he, the place where we are; and, fecondly, the condition we are in; efpecially, faid he, the generality of the people

people who are banished hither. We are surrounded, faid he, with stronger things than bars and bolts: on the north fide is an unnavigable ocean, where fhip never failed, and boat never fwam; neither, if we had both, could we know whither to go with them. Every other way, faid he, we have above a thousand miles to pass through the czar's own dominions, and by ways utterly impaffable, except by the roads made by the government, and through the towns garrifoned. by his troops; fo that we could neither pass undifcovered by the road, or fubfift any other way: fo that it is in vain to attempt it.

I was filenced, indeed, at once, and found that they were in a prifon, every jot as fecure, as if they had been locked up in the castle of Mofcow; however, it came into my thoughts, that I might certainly be made an inftrument to procure the escape of this excellent perfon, and that it was very easy for me to carry him away, there being no guard over him in the country; and as I was not going to Mofcow, but to Arch-Angel, and that I went in the nature of a caravan, by which I was not obliged to lie in the ftationary towns in the defart, but could encamp every night were I would, we might eafily pafs uninterrupted to Arch-Angel, where I could immediately fecure him on board an English or Dutch fhip, and carry him off fafe along with me; and as to his fubfiftence, and other particulars, that should be my care, till he should better supply himfelf.

He heard me very attentively, and looked earneftly on me all the while I fpoke; nay, I could fee in his very face, that what I faid put his fpirits into an exceeding

3

ceeding ferment; his colour frequently changed, his eyes looked red, and his heart fluttered, that it might be even perceived in his countenance; nor could he immediately answer me when I had done, and, as it were, expected what he would fay to it; and after he had paused a little, he embraced me, and faid, How unhappy are we! unguided creatures as we are, that even our greatest acts of friendfhip are made fnares to us, and we are made tempters of one another! My dear friend, faid he, your offer is fo fincere, has fuch kindness in it, is fo difinterested in itself, and is fo calculated for my advantage, that I must have very little knowledge of the world, if I did not both wonder at it, and acknowledge the obligation I have upon me to you for it: But did you believe I was fincere in what I have fo often faid to you of my contempt of the world? Did you believe I fpoke my very foul to you, and that I had really maintained that degree of felicity here, that had placed me above all that the world could give me, or do for me? Did you believe I was fincere, when I told you I would not go back, if I was recalled even to be all that once I was in the court, and with the favour of the czar my mafter? Did you believe me, my friend, to be an honeft man, or did you think me to be a boafting hypocrite?-Here he ftopped, as if he would hear what I would fay; but, indeed, I foon after perceived, that he stopped because his fpirits were in motion; his heart was fulį of ftruggles, and he could not go on. I was, I confefs, aftonifhed at the thing, as well as at the man, and I used fome arguments with him to urge him to fet himself free; that he ought to look upon this as a

door opened by Heaven for his deliverance, and a fummons by Providence, who has the care and good difpofition of all events, to do himself good, and to render himself useful in the world.

He had by this time recovered himself. How do you know, Sir, faid he, warmly, but that inftead of a fummons from Heaven, it may be a feint of another inftrument, representing, in all the alluring colours, to me, the fhew of felicity as a deliverance, which may in itself be my fnare, and tend directly to my ruin? Here I am free from the temptation of return. ing to my former miserable greatnefs; there I am not fure, but that all the feeds of pride, ambition, avarice, and luxury, which I know remain in my nature, may revive and take root, and, in a word, again overwhelm me; and then the happy prifoner, whom you fee now master of his foul's liberty, fhall be the miferable flave of his own fenfes, in the full poffeffion of all perfonal liberty. Dear Sir, let me remain in this bleffed confinement, banished from the crimes of life, rather than purchase a show of freedom at the expence of the liberty of my reason, and at the expence of the future happiness which now I have in my view, but shall then, I fear, quickly lofe fight of; for I am but flesh, a man, a mere man, have paffions and affections as likely to poffefs and overthrow me as any man: O be not my friend and my tempter both together!

If I was surprised before, I was quite dumb now, and stood filent, looking at him; and, indeed, admired what I faw; the ftruggle in his foul was fo VOL. II.

A a

great,

great, that though the weather was extremely cold, it put him into a most violent sweat, and I found he wanted to give vent to his mind; so I said a word or two, that I would leave him to confider of it, and wait on him again; and then I withdrew to my own apartment.

About two hours after, I heard fomebody at or near the door of the room, and I was going to open the door; but he had opened it, and come in: My dear friend, faid he, you had almost overfet me, but I am recovered: do not take it ill that I do not close with your offer; I affure you, it is not for want of a fenfe of the kindness of it in you; and I come to make the most sincere acknowledgement of it to you; but, I hope, I have got the victory over myself.

My lord, faid I, I hope you are fully fatisfied, that you did not resist the call of Heaven. Sir, faid he, if it had been from Heaven, the fame power would have influenced me to accept it; but I hope, and am fully fatisfied, that it is from Heaven that I decline it; and I have an infinite fatisfaction in the parting, that you fhall leave me an honeft man ftill, though not a free man.

"

I had nothing to do but to acquiefce, and make profession to him of my having no end in it, but a fincere defire to ferve him. He embraced me very paffionately, and affured me, he was fenfible of that, and fhould always acknowledge it; and with that he offered me a very fine prefent of fables, too much indeed for me to accept from a man in his circumstances; and I would have avoided them, but he would not be refused.

The