the slain deity, this third member of it was a resurrection of him; while other gods or godmen performed any parts of this character which might be omitted in the actions of this third deity, so that the whole was completed, as to the various exploits, though they might be achieved under different names: farther, that they believed in the rebellion, defeat, and subterraneous imprisonment of certain super-human intelligences, who had revolted from under the divine authority, a defeat in which all the inmates of heaven took part, but which was chiefly accomplished by the thunderbolts of the supreme god; that they believed in a former happy, virtuous, and deathless state of the world, under the government of the superior deity himself, which was terminated by the appearance or revolt of the evil principle; that this happy state was to be restored to earth by the sufferings, conflicts, and resurrection of the divine hero; that they believed (and that all heathen nations to this day do believe) in a great flood of waters, sent from heaven to punish man's wickedness, which swept over the whole world, and drowned all its inhabitants, excepting two or more, who, divinely warned, escaped with animals and food, in a boat or vessel, or on the top of a mountain; and finally, that there are some traces of their recording a great overthrow of impious giants, when they attempted to scale the walls of heaven, by piling mountains on each other.

I will ask any candid reader to cast an impartial glance at this system of theology, which I have proved, at length, to be tolerably complete in the Egyptian, Persian, Indian, Scandinavian, Greek, and other systems of religion; and I shall have no

fear in asking him, or her, whether it is not a clear and undeniable testimony, not only to the traditionary origin of Pagan mythology, but reflectively to the truth of revelation.

If we find whole nations, in the days of the Pharaohs, Zoroaster, or Hesiod, believing, as past facts, those events and prophecies which the infidelity of our own and past days would reject as modern inventions, or fables of an interested prieftcraft, 'what shall we say to these things?' Surely we can say no other than that the scriptural word is not only witnessed as truth by the divine authority which inspired it, but that the very heathen who rejected, or were ignorant of it, as a written revelation, have all unconsciously borne the fullest and most unquestionable testimony to its declared truths, of a self-existing omnipotent Creator-the divine trinity in unity-the fall of the angels-the garden of Eden-the promise of a divine Redeemer-and that avenging flood of God's indignation which swept from the burdened earth at once the sins and the existence of its first dwellers.

X. Q.

It is impossible that human nature can ever be above the need of Christianity. And if ever man bas for a time fancied that he could do without it, it has soon appeared to him clothed in new youth and vigour, as the only cure for the human soul; and the degenerate nations have returned with new ardour to those ancient, simple, and powerful truths, which in the hour of their infatuation they despised.-D'Aubigné.

RECOLLECTIONS OF IRELAND.

No. IV.

A PARISH HISTORY.

A BRIGHT newly-risen, or I might say, more properly, just rising sun, would probably have drawn me towards the cottage which was now the habitation of sorrow; (the word cottage, I must acknowledge, is not exactly Irish, but that of cabin does not seem to convey the idea appropriate to the abode of Kate Conolly.) I had however, as my friends said, unfortunately acquired English ways, and I feared to be thought intrusive. I had sometimes passed that

road before the sun was high: for I was an early riser, and here rejoiced in the magnificence of mountains in the wildest part of wild Ireland, alone and fearless at the hour of four in the morning, when the grey clouds, sluggishly creeping up their sides, were whitening beneath the action of the king of day, and curling into distorted and fantastic shapes, seemed loth to depart from their beds below till he was up in his brightness,

'Laughing away the clouds as if in scorn,
And smiling as if earth contained no tomb.'

But to descend from this sublimity. I had sometimes, too, in my morning rambles, in very different scenery and circumstances, passed by Widow Con

nolly's house and listened, unobserved, to the clear, happy voice of her grand-daughter, as she warbled some sweet melody of her country from the shed where she sat milking the cow, which was the old woman's pride, and might, if she were a good girl, be her own portion. Kate, like myself, was an early riser in her youth, and perhaps had joined me in a complaint against sleep, which I have known few in these sober times to utter,-that it robs us of the sensation of happiness-but the happiness we spoke of —that mild, delicious happiness, which early youth alone can possess-in our cases, sprung from the earth and to earth returned again.

At breakfast we found Nanny suffering from a violent head-ache; one of those complaints which, like the tooth-ache, sufferers are not sufficiently pitied for; I have generally some prescription ready to offer, and at present I prescribed my own remedy,— perfect seclusion in the most retired corner of the house; and finding there was now a plea for visiting Kate sufficient even for English reserve to act on, I proceeded to see her after breakfast.

The door stood open; and not receiving any answer to my tap at it, I stepped in. Although the day was very warm, the old widow was bent over the embers in the front of the wide hearth; her arms folded on her knees, and her body resting on them; beside her, on a low stool, was seated the man, to whom I already felt a strong aversion, O'Toole. Though neither of them appeared to notice my entrance, I felt assured they were quite conscious of it, and the speech which was intended to look like the continuation of a former dialogue, was in fact made purposely on my account.

'True for you,' she said, 'it was just for that he did it, the Orange villain.'

Her companion either not understanding her object, or not caring to further it, abruptly looked round to me, and in consequence she too was obliged to notice my presence; and when I inquired for Kate, she sullenly pointed to a door, telling me she was 'in there in the bed.' I was not surprised at the intelligence, and soon saw the poor girl, looking very pale, but her eyes had a bright and excited look, which was not in accordance with her pallid complexion.

On seeing me, she stared for a moment as in utter surprise, and then looked away with a pained expression, saying only,

'Is it you, ma'am?'

I made the answer which may be supposed appropriate to such an inquiry, the tone of which was strongly expressive of disappointment.

6

'Oh! no, ma'am,' Kate said in reply, only if Miss Nanny had stepped over, or the minister himself, it would have been more natural like.'

I accounted for the former, but before I could say anything of the latter his stately figure passed the window.

Bending at the threshold he uncovered his head on entering it with the same air of grace and dignity as if he stepped into the presence of his bishop. The old woman rose and saluted him with a civility she had not shewn to me, but the man surlily kept his seat.

'Can I see Kate, Mrs. Conolly?' said the rector. 'She is in the bed there, sir.'

'Ill?'

'Bad entirely.'