Daphne, and they continued fasting many days. Then sending forth one of the children to buy bread, he found Thecla in the way seeking for Paul.

When Thecla was come to the tomb she found Paul praying, and she cried out "O Almighty Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, Father of thy holy and well-beloved Son Jesus Christ, I bless thee that thou hast delivered me from the fire, and given me again to see thy servant Paul." And Paul answered, “Q God that searchest the heart, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, I thank thee that thou hast heard me."

And breaking bread they refreshed themselves in all the holy works of Christ. And Thecla said unto Paul, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. But he replied, the days are eviland thou art a beautiful woman-but patiently wait, and thou shalt receive the gift of Christ.

Having sent Onesiphorus and his family to their own house, he took Thecla, and departed towards Antioch. There Alexander, a man of great power in the city, saw and would have offered violence to her. But she cried out dishonour not the handmaid of the Lord, and having repulsed him put him to great shame. Being filled with indignation, he brought her before the governor, who being bribed, condemned her to be cast to the wild beasts.

Thecla earnestly entreated the governor that her innocence might be preserved in safety, till she was brought forth to execution. When the governor had demanded with whom she might be entrusted? Tryphæna, a woman of great wealth in the city, whose only daughter had lately died, made request to have the charge of her.

On the day when she was brought forth to the amphitheatre, they cast her to a very fierce lioness. But when Thecla walked up to the lioness, the savage beast received her with a kind of reverence, and offered no violence to her, but came and gently licked her feet.

The people seeing this, vehemently cried out, appealing to God, and condemning the unrighteous sentence. And Tryphæna again took the charge of her till the morrow.

When the morning arose, Alexander came to the house of Tryphæna, to demand Thecla. Tryphæna taking her by the hand led her forth saying, I conducted Faleonella to the tomb; and now I lead Thecla to the wild beasts. Thecla hearing this wept and prayed, "O Lord God in whom I have trusted, reward Tryphaena for her compassion towards me thy servant!"

On her entering, there was a tumultuous noise in the theatre, the roaring of the wild beasts, the clamours of the people, and the lamentations of the women condemning the unrighteous

sentence.

Thecla being taken from Tryphaena was again cast into the theatre. And another fierce lioness running towards her instantly cast herself at her feet. Then a bear roused by the cries of the people, ran towards her. But the lioness rising, fell upon her, and tore her in pieces. At length a very savage lion came forth that had been accustomed to devour men. The lioness ran towards him. They fought for some time, till they fell dead together.

Tryphaena, who was placed in the highest part of the theatre, seeing this, sunk down, and was taken up for dead. The whole city was filled with terror: for Tryphæna belonged to the emperor's family. And Alexander himself besought the governor saying, have compassion on the city, and send this pestilent wo man hence, lest the whole city be destroyed.

The governor calling to Thecla from the midst of the wild beasts said to her, "Woman declare who art thou-and by what power hast thou been preserved." Thecla replied, "I am a servant of the living God, and have believed on his Son Jesus Christ, in whom he is well pleased, therefore have I been delivered. He alone is the way to eternal salvation. He is a refuge from the storm, a rest to the afflicted, a defence to those that are in despair, and whosoever believeth not on him shall not see life."

The governor hearing this, commanded her to be clothed. Thecla answered, "My God, that hath clothed me, defenceless amidst the wild beasts, clothe thee with salvation in the day of judgment!" Then the governor proclaimed, "Thecla, servant 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 Tryphana, 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 beard these things were established in the faith, and offered up prayer for Tryphæna. And Thecla arising, said unto Panl, 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.

And Thecla departed thence to Iconium, and entering into the house of Onesiphorus 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."

THE WORKS OF GOD DISPLAYED.

An Account of the Diamond Mines in Hindostan

[Eng. Mag.]

"A considerable portion of the rural labour of Hindostan Is abstracted from agriculture, its proper object, and employed in the diamond mines. Of the four principal mines, that of Roalconda, five days journey from Golconda, is the most ancient; for Tavernier says that it was discovered two hundred years before his time. Around the place where the diamonds are found in this mine, the ground is sandy, and full of rocks, in which there are veins of half a finger, to a whole finger in width. The miners make use of irons with hooks at the end, with which they pick out the earth or sand, from these veins, which they put into tubs, and among that earth they find the diamonds.

"There are several diamond cutters at this time, but none of them have above one mill, which is of steel. Tavernier, who is a judge of this subject, asserts, that the natives cannot give that lively polish to the stones which the Europeans do, yet they can cut some which our lapidaries will not undertake.

"There are two kinds of merchants employed in this traffic; the one takes a portion of the ground, and employs miners to dig, paying a duty to the king of four pagodas per day, for

every hundred men employed in the works; the other class of merchants are merely purchasers of the stones from the first ; and they also pay a duty to the king, of about two per cent. for all that they buy.

"Of this latter class was M. Tavernier, who has given by far the most detailed and authentic account of this trade that has yet reached Europe. He had made many different journeys to the different mines of India, and in this traffic accumulated an immense fortune.

Each

"It is very pleasing,' he observes, to see the young children of the merchants, and other people of the country, who seat themselves under a tree in a square of the town, and though not older than fifteen or sixteen years, and many still younger, they make bargains with perfect skill and exactness. has his diamond weights, and a bag hanging by one side, with a purse at the other; thus he sits, expecting his customers, who come to sell. When any person brings a stone, it is put into the hands of the eldest of these boys, who sits as a kind of chief, and after having examined it, passes it to the rest one after another, till all have seen it, when it is again returned to him.Meanwhile, not a word is spoken, till he demand the price, with a view to purchase it, if possible; and should he buy it too dear, it is on his own account. In the evening the children compute what they have laid out; then examine their stones, and class them according to their water, their weight, and cleanness; they then carry them to the great merchants, who have generally large parcels to match. The profit is then divided 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 round their middle, this can hardly be done but by swallowing the stones; and this being 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 val

ue.

"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 earth is dug to a considerable depth, carried to a spot prepared for the purpose, and there washed, and winnowed. The men, women, and children, employed in these labours, when the place was first visited by Tavernier, amounted to upwards of sixty thousand; and many superstitious ceremonies were employed to engage their diligence and fidelity to their superi

ors.

"The third mine is that of Sumbulpour, lying thirty coss south of Rhotas, on the confines of Bengal. The name is the same with that of a large town on the river Gouel, in the sands of which the diamonds are found. After the great rains are over, they wait for two months till the water becomes clear, and the river has subsided so low as in some places to leave the sand dry, in other places covering it only a few inches. This happens about the end of January, when workers flock to it from Sumbulpour, and the neighbouring towns, to the amount of eight thousand persons, men, women, and children.