prevented from joining him by at least twenty men who were between them: none of whom could move without immediate peril of his life.-At the time Mr. Rogers reached this station of poffible fafety, his ftrength was fo nearly exhausted, that had the struggle continued a few minutes longer he must have been inevitably loft.

They now found that a very confiderable number of the crew, feamen, foldiers, and petty officers, were in the fame fituation with themfelves, though many who had reached the rocks below had perifhed, in attempting to afcend. What that fituation was they were ftill to learn; at present they had escaped immediate death, but they were yet to encounter cold, nakedness, wind, rain, and the perpetual beating of the spray of the fea, for a difficult, and doubtful chance of escape.

They could yet difcern fome part of the fhip, and folaced themfelves, in their dreary ftations, with the hope of its remaining entire till day-break; for, in the midst of their own misfortunes, the fufferings of the females affected them with the most acute anguish, and every fea that broke, brought with it terror, for the fate of thofe amiable, and helpless beings.

But, alas! their apprehenfions were too foon realized. In a very few minutes after Mr. Rogers had gained the rock, an univerfal fhriek, announced the dreadful catastrophe: in a few moments all was hufhed, except the warring winds, and beating waves; the wreck was buried in the remorfeless deep, and not an atom of her was ever after discoverable.

Thus perifhed the Halfewell; never was a watery grave filled with fuch precious remains. Great God, how infcrutable are thy judgments!

What an aggravation of woe was this tremendous blow, to the yet trembling, and fcarcely half faved wretches, who were hanging about the fides of the horrid cavern? They were themselves ftill in the most imminent danger; but their deareft friends, the pleafing companions of their voyage, had now bid 3 I 2

them

them an everlasting farewel. They felt for themselves; but they wept for wives, parents, fathers, brothers, fifters,-All-All cut off from their dearest hopes.

Many of those who had gained the precarious ftations which we have defcribed, worn out with fatigue, weakened by bruifes, battered by the tempeft, and benumbed with the cold, quitted their holdfafts, and tumbling headlong either on the rocks below, or in the furf, perifhed beneath the fect of their wretched affociates, and by their dying groans, awakened terrible apprehenfions in the furvivors, of their own approaching fate.

At length, after the bittereft three hours which mifery ever lengthened into ages, the day broke on them; but inftead of bringing with it the relief with which they had flattered themfelves, it ferved to difcover all the horrors of their fituation. They now found that had the country been alarmed by the guns of diftrefs which they had continued to fire for many hours before the fhip ftruck, but which from the violence of the ftorm were unheard, they could neither be observed by the people from above, as they were completely ingulphed in the cavern, and over-hung by the cliff, nor did any part of the wreck remain to point out their probable place of refuge; below, no boat could live to fearch them out, and had it been poffible to have acquainted those who would wish to affift them, with their exact fitutation, no ropes could be conveyed into the cavity, to facilitate their escape.

The only profpect which offered, was to creep along the fide of the cavern, to its outward extremity, and on a ledge fcarcely as broad as a man's hand, to turn the corner, and endeavour to clamber up the almoft perpendicular precipice, whose fummit was near two hundred feet from the base.

And in this defperate effort did fome fucceed, whilft others, trembling with terror, and their ftrength exhaufted by fatigue, loft their precarious footing, and perished in the attempt.

[To be continued.]

On

On the Appearance of SAMUEL unto SAUL, at Endor. 1 Sam. xxviii.

THE

[Extracted from a late Writer.]

HE Sacred Hiftory informs us, that Saul applied to a woman at Endor, who he believed had a familiar fpirit; that by her he might come at Samuel's ghoft. For though God had deferted him, yet he was weak enough to imagine, that Samuel might be prevailed on to listen to him, and return to him a kind anfwer. He faid unto her, I pray thee divine unto me by the familiar fpirit, and bring me up whom I fhall name unto thee. Then faid the woman, Whom fhall I bring up unto thee? And he faid, bring me up Samuel. Some have thought that the ghoft of Samuel did not appear; but that this cunning woman impofed on Saul's credulity, making him believe she saw an apparition, when she really faw none; at the fame time contriving that a voice fhould be heard Ipeaking unto Saul in fuch a manner, and in fuch words as are related in that chapter.

But this opinion is highly improbable. For if the woman had the fole conducting of that affair, intending only to impofe upon Saul, fhe would have contrived to make the pretended Samuel's anfwer as agreeable, and pleafing to the King as poffible, and that for her own fake especially: for fear of offending Saul, and to fave her own life, as well as to procure the larger gratuity. The whole turn of Samuel's speech is too rough and ungrateful, too grave and folemn, too full of truth and reality, to have been owing only to her contrivance.

For what was here fpoken as from Samuel was really prophetic and fulfilled a few days after. Here were things foretold, which neither the woman, nor even her familiar spirit could certainly have forefeen. None but God himself could

have

have revealed the fecret. And how unlikely is it that God should make use of this witch as a prophetefs; and should give her the honour of revealing his counfels? at the fame time. concurring with her in the impofition put upon Saul; making him believe that Samuel appeared and talked with him, when no Samuel was there?

For these reasons we may believe there was most certainly an Apparition in the cafe, and that it was not a demon in Samuel's fhape, but the ghost of Samuel himself. The story is told in fuch a way, as one would expect to find upon fuppofition, it really was Samuel. It is faid, that the woman faw Samuel, that he cried out, &c. and that Saul perceived it was Samuel. In the sequel of the narrative it is added, Samuel faid unto Saul, &c. and again then faid Samuel, &c. So that it is as plainly declared that Samuel appeared and talked with Saul, as it is that Mofes and Elias appeared and talked with our Saviour.

Therefore if we confider the letter of the Text (1 Sam. xxviii. 15, 16) and the most obvious and natural conftruction of it (which we should not depart from without the greatest neceffity) we shall be obliged to confefs that the Apparition was really Samuel and no other.

[To be concluded in our next.]

The Death of RICHARD the First.

VISCOUNT having found a great treasure in the dominions of Richard, fled to a town in France. Richard pursued him; and going about the walls, to find out the fittest places to affault it, one Peter Bafile fhot at him with a poisoned arrow, and therewith gave him a wound, which brought him to his end, in four days. Finding himself past hope of recovery, he caufed the party that had wounded him to be brought before him: who being afked what moved him to do this? anfwered,

anfwered, That King Richard had killed his father, and two of his brothers, with his own hand; and therefore he would do it, if it were to do again. Upon this anfwer, every one thought the King would have adjudged him to fome terrible punishments; when contrary to their expectations, he not only freely forgave him, but gave special charge, that he fhould be fet at liberty, commanding befides to give him a hundred fhillings to

bear him home.

IMPARTIAL JUSTICE.

HE Chronicle of Alexandria relates, That a widow made

Theodrick called

applaud them,

her complaint to King Theodrick, that a fuit of her's was drawn out for the space of three years, which might have been difpatched in a few days. The King afked who were her Judges? On her naming them, they were fent for, and commanded to give all poffible expedition to this woman's cause. In two days they determined it in her favour. them again; who fuppofing it had been to haftened thither full of joy. Being come, the King asked them, How it came to pafs that they had performed that in two days, which had not been done in three years? They answered, The recommendation of your Majefly made us finish it. The King replied, When I put you into office, did I not configa all proceedings to you; and particularly thofe of the widows? Having faid this, he ordered their heads to be ftruck off!

RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT.

APOOR woman having loft a little dog, and understanding

it to be in the poffeffion of the Lady of Sir Thomas More, fhe went to Sir Thomas, as he was fitting in the hall, and told him that his Lady with-held her dog from her. Sir Thomas ordered his Lady to be fent for, and the dog to be brought with her; which he taking in his hands, caufed his Lady to fland at

one