-This I dare not observe to my father, as he is an admirer * of Mr. Hutchinson, and will not bear any contradiction: but my private judgment is, that Mr. Hutchinfon on the Cherubim and Elohim or Eloim, is a mad commentator, as I may fhow 'you, if we ever happen to meet again.

• At present, all I can do more on the Hebrew subject, is to 'observe that, in refpect of the preservation of the Hebrew < tongue, I imagine the one prevailing language before the mi

racle, at Babel, (which one language was afterwards called • Hebrew) tho' divided and fwallowed as it were at the Tower, ⚫ was kept without change in the line of Shem, and continued their tongue. This cannot be difputed, I believe. I like' wife imagine, it must be allowed, that this Hebrew continued ⚫ the vernacular tongue of the old Canaanites. It is otherwise 'unaccountable how the Hebrew was found to be the language of the Canaanites, when the family of Abraham came among them again, after an absence of more than 200 years. If ⚫ they had had another tongue at the confufion, was it poffible for Abraham, during his temporary fojournments among them, and in the neceffities of his peregrination, to perfuade 'so many tribes to quit their dialect, and learn his language.

or, if his influence had been fo amazing, can it be fuppofed, they would not return again to their old language, • after he had left them, and his family was away from them 'more than 200 years? No, Sir. We cannot justly suppose fuch a thing. The language of the old Canaanites could nor ⚫ be a different one from the Hebrew. If you will look into Bochart, you will find this was his opinion. That great man < fays, the Ante-babel language escaped the confufion two ways, viz. by the Canaanites, through God's providence preferving it in their colonies for the future ufe of the Hebrews, who < were to poffefs the land; and by the patriarch Heber, as a • facred depofitum for the use of his pofterity, and of Abraham in particular.

This being the cafe: the Phenician or Canaanitish tongue, being the fame language that the line of Heber spoke, with 'this only difference, that by the latter it was retained in greater purity, being in the mouths of a few, and transmitted by inftruction; it follows, that Abraham and his fons could talk

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⚫ with all these tribes and communities; and as to the other ⚫ nations he had communication with, he might easily converse with them, as he was a Syrian by birth, and to be fure could talk the Aramitifh dialect as well as Laban his brother. The Aramitifh was the cuftomary language of the line of Shem. It was their vulgar tongue. The language of the old world, ⚫ that was spoken immediately before the confufion, and was • called Hebrew from Heber, they reserved for sacred uses.

For the benefit of our female readers, the unfortunate case of poor Mifs Melmoth, who went into naked bed on board ship, muft not be omitted:

The fecond remarkable thing (fays Mr. Buncle) is, that as this young lady went into naked bed in her cabbin, the first night, before the tempeft began to ftir, it was not many hours till a fea ftruck us upon the quarter, and drove in one ⚫ of our quarter and one of our stern dead lights, where we 'fhipped great quantities of water, that put us under great apprehenfions of foundering, and filled fo fuddenly the close • wooden bed in which Mifs Melmoth lay, that had not I ⚫ chanced to be then leaning against the partition, and snatched her out, the moment I found myself all over wet, and half covered with the breaking fea, fhe muft inevitably have perifhed. I ran up on deck with her in my arms, and laid her • almost senseless and naked there: and as there was no staying many minutes in that place, I threw my great-coat over her, and then brought her down to my own birth, which I gave her, and got her dry cloaths from her trunk, and made her ⚫ drink a large glass of brandy, which faved her life. She got no cold, which I thought very ftrange, but was hurt a little in the remove. When all was over, fhe protested she would • never go into naked bed, on board ship, again.'

For a fpecimen of our author's ftile and manner of relating familiar circumftances, take this curious paragraph:

Mr. Berrisfort and Mifs Fox followed the dogs with cau tion, and never attempted any thing that could hazard their • necks or their bones: but the charming Juliet Berrisfort had fo violent a paffion for the diverfion of the field, that he was feized with a kind of enthufiafm when he heard the cry of the hounds, and as if he had been the goddess of the filver < bow,

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bow, or one of her immortal train, went on without a ⚫ thought of her having brittle limbs. She leaped every thing ⚫ to keep in with the dogs; five-bar gates; the most danger❝ous ditches and pales; and drove full-speed down the steepest hills, if it was poffible for a horse to keep his feet on them. She frightened me the firft morning I was out with her. She made my heart bounce a thousand times. I expected every now and then that she would break her neck; that neck where lilies grew. I was reckoned a very defperate rider by all that knew me, and yet, with this young lady, I paus⚫ed several times at fome leaps, when she did not hesitate at

all. Over fhe went, in a moment, without thinking of the ' perils in her way; and then, if I broke my neck, I could "not but pursue.

'When glory call'd, and beauty led the way,

< What man could think of life, and poorly stay?

"It was not in my complexion to stay, and by that means, I got a terrible fall the fecond day; whether by my own 'fault, or my horfe's, I cannot tell but as no bone was

broke, and I had received no other mischief than a black eye, a bruise in my fide, and a torn face, I was foon on my mare again, and by Mifs Berrisfort's fide. She laughed im'moderately at me, while the dogs were at fault, as my bones < were fafe, and advised me with a humorous tenderness, to ride with her brother and Mifs Fox. It was not however ⚫ very long before I had more fatisfaction than I defired; for ' in half an hour's time, we came to fome pales, which the stag went over, and I leaped first; but Mifs Berrisfort's horfe, tho' one of the beft in the world, unfortunately ftruck, ⚫ and cleared them in such a manner, that the lovely Juliet came ' over his head. She fell very fafely in high grafs, where I wait❝ed for her, for fear of an accident of any kind, and did not ⚫ receive the least hurt; but in the violence of the motion, and the way she came down, the curtain was thrown on her breast, and she lay for fome moments ftunn'd upon the 'ground. In a minute however I fnatched her up, and fet her on her feet. She came to herfelf immediately, and thanked me for my care of her; but was vexed to the heart • at what had happened. She requested I would not mention 'the

the thing to her brother, or Mifs Fox, and hoped I would ⚫ be so generous as not to speak of it to any one.Mifs Ber• risfort (I said) it is not in my foul to extract mirth from the "bad fortune of any one; and much lefs is it in my power to ridicule, or laugh at a woman of diftinction, for an accident like this. You may believe me, when I promise you, upon my word, and swear it by every facred thing, that I will not fo <much as hint it to any mortal while you remain in this world. This gave her fome relief, and by her foot in my hands, F <lifted: her into her faddle again. Two benefits were from this mifchance derived. One was, that for the future, this lady hunted with a little more caution, and did not take the leaps fhe was wont to do:-the other, that it gained me her heart, (though I did not know it for many months) and thereby fecured for me the greateft happinefs, against a day • of diftrefs. From the moft trivial things the most important • do often spring.'

The book concludes thus; 'I went the 2d of August, 1725, to Barnard's caftle in Durham, and intended the next morn⚫ing to fet out for Mr. Fleming's houfe in Stanmore, to go from thence to my cottage on the fide of a W'eftmorland fell: but • after I had rid a mile of the road to Eggleston, where I pur pofed to dine, I called out to my lad to ftop. A fudden ⚫ thought came into my head, to ride first to Gretabridge, as I I was fo near it, to fee fome fine Roman monuments, that are in the neighbourhood of that village. To that place I went ་ then, and passed the day in looking over all the antiquities and curiofities I could find there. I returned in the evening to my inn, and while a fowl was roafting for my fupper, stood leaning against the house-door, looking at feveral travellers that went by, and fome that came to reft where I did that night. Many figures I beheld, but none I knew. At laft there came riding up to the inn, full speed, a young lady on a most beautiful beaft, and after her, two horfes more; on one of which was her man: fervant, and on the other her maid. She had a black mask on her face, to fave her from the duft and fun, and when the lit from her horfe, fhe did ⚫ not take it off, but went with it on into the house, after • she had looked for a moment or two at me. This I thought • very

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very frange. A charmer to be fure, I faid. With what life and grace did fhe come to the ground! but how cruel the dear little rogue is, to conceal the wonders of its face. Landlord, I faid to the mafter of the houfe, who was com*ing up to me, can you contrive a way to get me one view of * that masked lady, and I will give you a pint.Sir, mine. * hoft replied, that I can do very easily, for this lady has fent me to let you know, fhe wants to fpeak with you—wish meTransporting news! I flew to her apartment, and there faw that dear irrefiftible creature, who had added to the inferior charms of face and perfon, that wisdom and goodness of conduct and conversation, which are the true glory of a woman. It was Mifs Melmoth. She had heard I had been at Mrs. Afgill's houfe, and did not get the letter fhe left for me; which made her think of riding towards Graabridge, on an imagination fhe might find me thereabout; as the remembered to have heard me fay, in one of our con* verfations, that I intended as foon as I could, to look at the * Roman antiquities in this place: but she had very little hopes *(fhe added) of fucceeding in her enquiry; as little as I had * of her riding up to the inn; and this made the meeting the *more pleasing. It did enhance the pleafure indeed. It turned the amour into an adventure, and gave it that delicious flavor, which the moderns read of in the hiftories of paft times, * but rarely experience in thefe days. The reader that has been engaged in fuch a wonderful, and tender scene, can only form an idea of a felicity, which words would in vain attempt to express.

As foon as we had fupped, I recited my adventures fince * we parted, and gave Mifs Melmoth a flowery defcription of Orton Lodge; then asked, if fhe would bless me with her < hand, and fit down mith me in my pretty folitude.

• Sir, (Mifs Melmoth replied) if you required it, I would go with you to Hudfon's-Bay, had I a hundred thousand, instead of four thousand pounds; which is my fortune, ex'clufive of fome personal estate, which my friend Mrs. Af gill by her will bequeathed me; and the whole is at your • service, to dispose of as you please.

• Give