old man and his danghter, in the prayers and thanksgiving which he put up on their recovery; for the too was a herets in the phrafe of the village.

13. The philofopher walked out with his long ftaf and hi dog, and left them to their prayers and thanksgivings. "My malter," faid the old woman, "alas! he is not a chrittian, bm he is the best of unbelievers." "Not a chillian," exclaima Mademoiselle La Roche, yet he faved my father! Heave bless him for it; I would he were a christian."

14. "There is a pride in human knowledge my child," fail her father, "which ofter blinds men to the fublime truths of revelation; hence there are oppofers of chriflianity among met of virtuous lives, as well as among thofe of diffipated and licen tious characters. Nay fometimes I have known the latte more easily converted to the true faith than the former; be caufe the fume of paffion is more easily diffipated than the mit of falfe theory and delufive fpeculation." But this philofo pher," faid his daughter, "alas ! my father, he fhall be a chrif tian before he dies."

15. She was interrupted by the arrival of their landlordHe took her hand with an air of kindnefs; the drew it away from him in filence; threw down her eyes to the ground, and left the room, I have been thanking God," faid the good La Roche for my recovery." "That is right replied the landlord."I fhould not with," continued the old man, hefi tatingly, to think otherwife; did I not look up with grati tude to that Being, I fhould barely be fatisfied with my re covery, as a continuation of life, which it may be, is not a real good."

16. "Alas! I may live to wifh I had died ; that you had left me to die, fir, inftead of kindly relieving me (clafping the philofopher's hand) but when I look on this renovated being as the gift of the Almighty, I feel a far different fentiment. My heart dilates with gratitude and love to him. It is pre pared for doing his will, not as a duty but as a pleasure; and regards every branch of it not with disapprobrtion, but with horror."

17." You fay right my dear fir," replied the flrilofopher "but you are not yet re.ellablished enough to talk much: you mut take care of your health, and neither study nor preach for fome time. I have been thinking over a feheme that truck me to-day, when you mentioned your intended departure. I was never in Switzerland; I have a great mind

to accompany your daughter and you into that country. I will help to take care of you by the road, for as I was your first phy can, I bold myfelf refponfible for your cure."

18. La Roche's eyes gliffened at the propofal; his daughter was called and told of it. She was equally pleafed with her fa ther for they really loved their landlord; not perhaps the lefs for his infidelity; at least that circumftance mixed a fort of pity with their regard for him, Their fouls were not of a mould for harth feelings-hatred never dwelt with them.

19. They travelled.by fhort ftages; for the philofopher was as good as his word, in taking care that the old man fhould not be fatigued. The parties had time to be well acquainted with one another, and their friendship was increafed by acquaintance. La Roche found a degree of fimplicity and gentlenefs in his companion, which is not always, annexed to the character of a learned or a wife man.

20. His daughter, who was prepared to be afraid of him, was equally undeceived. She found in him nothing of that felf importance which fuperior parts, or great cultivation of them, is apt to coufer. He talked of every thing but philofophy and religion; he feemed to enjoy every pleasure and amusement of ordinary life, and to be interested in the most common topics of difcourfe. When his knowledge or learning at any time ap peared, it was delivered with the utmost plainnefs, and without the leaft fhow of dogmatism,

21. On his part he was charmed with the focicty of the good clergyman and his lovely daughter. He found in them the guilelels manners of the earliest times, with the culture and ac. complishments of the most refined ones. Every better feeling warm and vivid; every ungentle one, repreffed or overcome. He was not addicted to love; but he felt himfelf happy, in be ing the friend of Mademoiselle La Roche, and fome times enyied her father the poffefhon of fuch a child.

22. After a journey of eleven days they arrived at the dwel ling of La Roche. It was lituated in one of thofe vallies in the Canton of Berne, where nature feems to repofe in quiet, and has enclosed her retreat with mountains inacceffible.

23. A ftream, that fpent its fury in the hills above, ran in front of the house, and a broken water fall was feen through the woods that covered its fides. Below, it circled round a tufted plain, and formed a little lake in front of a village, at the end of which appeared the fpire of La Roche's church, rifing above a clump of beeches.

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24. The philofopher enjoyed the beauty of the feene; but

to his companions it recalled the memory of a wife and parent they had loft. The old man's forrow was filent ; his daughter fobbed and wept. Her father took her hand, kiffed it twice, preffed it to his bofom, threw up his eyes to heaven; and hav ing wiped off a tear that was juft about to drop from each, began to point out to his gueft fome of the most striking objects which the prospect afforded. The philofopher interpreted all this; and he could but flightly cenfure the creed from which it arofe. 25. They had not been long arrived, when a number of Ļa Roche's parishioners, who had heard of his return, came to the houfe to fee and welcome him. The honeft folks were awk. ward but fincere, in their profeffions of friendship. They made some attemps at condolence; it was too delicate for their hand, ling; but La Roche took it in good part. "It has pleafed God," faid he; and they faw he had fettled the matter with himfelf. Philofophy could not have done fo much with a thou fand words.

26. It was now evening, and the good peasants were about to depart, when the clock was heard to fliike feven, and the hour was followed by a particular chime. The country folks who came to welcome their paftor turned their looks towards him at the found; he explained their meaning to his gueft, "That is the fignal," faid he, " for our evening exercife. This is one of the nights of the week in which fome of my parishioners are wont to join in it; a little ruftic faloon ferves for the chapel of our family, and fuch of the good people as are with us; if you chofe rather to walk out, I will furnifh you with an attendant; or here are a few old books which may af ford you fome entertainment within."

27." By no means," answered the philofopher; "I will attend Mademoiselle at her devotions." "She is our organift," faid La Roche; "our neighborhood is the country of mufical mechanifm, and I have a fmall organ, fitted up for the purpose of affifting our finging." "It is an additional inducement," replied the other, and they walked into the room together, 28. At the end flood the organ mentioned by La Roche; before it was a curtain, which his daughter drew afide, and, placing herself on a feat within, and drawing the curtain clofe, fo as to fave her the awkwardness of an exhibition, began a voluntary, folemn and beautiful in the highest degree. The philofopher was no mufician, but he was not altogether infenfible to mufic. This faftened on his mind more ftrongly, from its Leauties being unexpected.

29. The folemn prelude introduced a hymn in which, fuch of the audience as could fing, immediately joined.. The words were motly taken from holy writ; it fpoke the praises of God, and his care of good men. Something was faid of the death of the juft; of fuch as die in the Lord. The organ was touched with a hand lefs firm-it paufed-it ceased-and the fobbing of Mademoiselle was heard in its stead.

30. Her father gave a fign for ftopping the pfalmody, and rofe to prayer. He was difcompofed at firft and his voice faultered as he spoke ; but his heart was in his words, and its warmth overcome his embarraffment. He addreffed a Being whom he loved and he spoke for those he loved. His parish ioners caught the ardor of the good old man, even the philofopher felt himself moved, and forgot for a moment, to think why he fhould not.

31. La Roche's religion was that of fentiment not theory, and his gueft was averfe to disputation; their discourse did not therefore lead to queftions concerning the belief of either; yet would the old man fometimes fpeak of his, from the feelings of a heart impreffed with its force, and wishing to spread the pleafure he enjoyed in i“.

32. The ideas of his God and his Saviour, were so congenial to his mind, that every emotion of it naturally awakened them. A philofopher might have called him an enthusiast; but if he poffeffed the fervor of enthufiafts, he was guiltless of their bigotry. "Our father who are in heaven!" might the good old man fay-for he felt it-and all mankind were his brethren.

33. "You regret, my friend," faid he to the philofopher, "when my daughter and I talk of the exquifite pleasure derived from mufic; you regret your want of musical powers and mufical feelings: it is a department of foul, you fay, which nature has almoft denied you, which, from the effects you fee it have on others, you are fure must be highly delightful.

34-"Why fhould not the fame thing be faid of religion? Trust me, I feel it in the fame way, an energy, an infpiration, which I would not lose for all the bleffings of feafe, or enjoyments of the world; yet fo far from leffoning my relish of the pleafures of life that I feel it heightens them all.

35. "The thought of receiving it from God, adds the blef fing of fentiment to that of fenfation, in every good thing which I poffefs; and when calamities overtake me, and I have

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had my fare, it confers a dignity on my affliction, and fa litts me above the world. Man, I know, is but a worm, yet methinks I am allied to God!" It would have been inhuman in our philofopher to cloud, even with a doubt, the funfhine of his belief.

· 36. His difcourfe, indeed, was very remote from metaphy fical difquifition or religious controverfy. Of all men I ever knew, his ordinary converfation was the leaft tinctured with pedantry, or liable to differtation, With La Roche and his daughter, it was perfectly familiar.

37. The country round them, the manners of the village, the comparison of both with thofe of England, remarks on the works of favorite authors, on the fentiments they conveyed, and the paffions they excited, with many other topies in which there was an equality, or alternate advantage, among the fpeakers, were the fubjects they talked of.

38. Their hours too of riding and walking, were manyy in which the philofopher, as a ftranger, was fhown the remarka ble fcenes and curiofities of the country. They would femetimes make little expeditions, to comtemplate, in different attitudes, thofe aftonishing mountains, the cliffs of which, cev. cred with eternal fnow, and fometimes fhooting into frantic fhapes, from the termination of moft of the Swifs profpects.

39. Our philofopher afked many queftions, as to the na tural hiflory and productions. La Roche obferved the Sub. limity of the ideas which the view of thefe ftupendous fummits, inacceffible to martal foot, was calculated to infpire, which faid he, naturally leads the mind to that Being, by whom their four. dations were laid. "They are not feen in Flanders," faid Mademoifelle, with a figh. "That is an odd remark," faid the philofopher fmiling, She bluffed, and he enquired no farther.

40. It was with regret he left a fociety in which he found himfelf fo happy ; but he fettled with La Roche and his daugh ter a plan-of correfpondence; and they took his promife, that if ever he came within fifty leagues of their dwelling, he would travel thofe fifty leagues to vifit them.

41. About three years after, our philofopher was on a vifiț

*The philofopher was a refident in Flanders, and a fceptic. This reproof of his infidelity is inimitably delicate. In short, this whole Rory is a beautiful fatire on de fm, bigotay and metaphifical theology, while it paints unaffected virtue, benevolence and piety in the mol engaging colours.