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King Charles the First defended.

foul perceives it; there is, confequently, no time, unless the foul thinks, therefore the foul thinks at all times, or always.

I hope what I have faid will not prevent a replication from the ingeni ous author of the effay; I fhall read with pleasure whatever flows from his pen. I fhall add no more; but for your greater prefent fatisfaction refer you to the writings of the fagacious and worthy bishop of Carlisle, who, I am told, has written on the foul, and foul fleeping, in a very masterly manner. As for you, Sir, I believe it may be as well if you trouble yourself no more to write on these abftrufe matters. I am, Sir,

Your most humble Servant,
C. BENSON.

Bristol, May 18.

To the AUTHOR of the LONDON MAGAZINE.

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SIR,

Was highly entertained with Philanthropos's letter to Doctor N-1, P. 91. of you Magazine for February. What pains does he take to ridicule that gentleman, who is an honour to the university of which he is a member, and greatly esteemed by all his acquaintance? Can Philanthropos make us believe that the doctor leffens himself in magnifying King Charles, as the best of kings? No, Sir, this is not only the doctor's opinion, but the opinion of numberless perfons who ftill revere his memory, by a decent and conftant attendance at church on the anniversary of his martyrdom, while Philanthropos, with fome diffidents, may be regaling themselves with calves heads Certainly the king that lays down his crown and life in defence of his religion, may properly be called the best of kings, (unless Philanthrops can fhew fuch another) with. out pafing a course compliment on any crowned heads. Comparifons, Philanthropos, are odious, and the doctor, I believe, meant offence to none.-PhiJanthropos affects to be arch, in asking the doctor many queftions. To anfwer all his interrogatories, is needle's. Let us fee what hiftorians write of this great, good, and just king. I believe my authors are of as much credit as Philanthropos. "It was reported (reports, Philanthropos, are often true) fays a certain author, that

at

May

Oliver, upon a difguft between the army and parliament, made fome advances of reconciliation with the king,-whom he offered to reftore, not only to his legal authority, but to make him as abfolute as the grand fignior, on condition he would maintain the army, govern defpotically, and fupport their ambition.-But the good king, fo far from being guilty of thofe defigns, which his enemies taxed him with, that he would not purchase his life, liberty, and revenge, at the expence of his confcience. Upon this refufal, Oliver never left him, till he brought him to the block. He condemned, and killed the juft, who deferved another fate.-But certain it is, if the king would have facrificed the church, difcharged the bishops, and have made Calamy, and fuch-like, his chaplains, there would have been no civil war, and he would have been reputed not only the beft of kings, but even a faint, by thofe very men who took up arms against him."

As to his political errors, who was to blame? Let Philanthropos answer this question. Magna eft veritas et prævalibit. In his note, p. 93, he obferves, that all the Stuarts were ruined by the time-ferving adulations of the highchurch-clergy, who fo infifted on paffive obedience and non-refiftance, that even James the Second was lulled afleep.-Is not this, Sir, an apology for an ill advised, unhappy family?

Let us now attend to what that amiable divine, the bishop of St. David, obferves in his excellent fermon before the House of Lords, January laft.-" Corrupt and interested inftructors impreffed his youthful (Charles) mind with exalted notions of kingly power. Court fycophants were not wanting to confirm him in fentiments that were flattering to his age and fiation. The reigns of the laft race of princes furnished precedents to authorife exertion of power unknown to the conftitution. And the opinion of those who prefided in the feats of judgment gave a fanction to ideas, that had been carefully inculcated, and, his lordship adds, wil lingly embraced." If fo, they were as willingly refigned. For the king foon made an atonement, by a renunciation of all fuch pretenfions for the future. Obliging him

felf

1769

The Hiftory of Lucy Miranda.

felf to do so no more. Repentance is all the fatisfaction we can make to Heaven for our failings, and certainly ought to have contented his fubjects. But what could content fuch fubjects? Puritans, Oliverians, Prefbyterians, and Independents. Tell me, Philanthropos, and eris mihi magnus Apolla. The army, the parliament, in thofe times, confifted chiefly of fuch. The prerogative of the crown, and the liberty of the fubject, were not fettled, as in these our halcyon days.-More is needleis. Only permit me to add, that James the Second (I hate Jacobitifm) was a bigot to a religion, cruel, and perfecuting; witness the dire effects of it now in Poland. Charles the First, steady in a religion the reverfe to popery; witness the bleffed effects of it in the British dominions. Let us therefore revere his memory, as our forefathers have done. Let us make allowance for the prejudice of education, and caft a veil over his infirmities; as the beft may err. Let us with pleasure reflect that his virtues, with his crown, are defcended to his prefent majefty, who is an honour to that religion for which his royal anceffor died a martyr.-Long, very long, may he live to defend this church, which in its moft excellent form of prayer juftly ftiles him, most religious, and moft gracious.

I am, Sir,

Your most obedient fervant,
May 11, 1769.
H. C.

IN

The affecting Hiftory of Lucy Miranda. N the year 1539, Gabot, the governor of the fort of the Holy Ghoft in Paraguay, having occafion to embark for Spain, appointed Nunez de Lara to fucceed him in his abfence, but left him no more than one hundred and twenty men, with a small quantity of provifions, in a place where the Spaniards had few certain friends, and an immense number of declared enemies.

Lara, on his fide, feeing himself furrounded by nations, from whom he could expect no refpect but in proportion as he could command it, thought the best thing he could do, would be to gain over thofe nearest to him, which were the Timbuez; and he fucceeded pretty well in the attempt. But his fuccefs foon proved fatal to

229

him, in a manner he little dreamed of. Mangora, cacique of the Timbuez, happening, in one of the frequent vifits he paid Lara, to fee Lucy Miranda, a Spanish lady, and wife of Sebaftian Hurtado, one of the principal officers of the fort, became deeply enamoured with her. It was not long before the perceived it; and, knowing what he had to fear from a barbarian, with whom it was fo much the commander's intereft to live upon good terms, fhe did all that lay in her power not to be feen any more by him, and to guard against any violence or furprize. Mangora, on his fide, thinking, that if he could but get her to his habitation, he might difpofe of her as he pleased, often invited Hurtado to come and fee him, and bring his wife along with him. But Hurtado as often begged to be excufed, alledging, that he could not absent himself from the fort, without the commander's leave; and that he was fure he should never be able to obtain it.

Such an answer as this was enough to let the cacique fee, that to fucceed in his defigns upon the wife, he muft first get rid of the husband. While he was therefore confidering ways and means to do it, he got intelligence, that the hufband had been detached with another officer, called Ruiz Mofchera, and fifty foldiers, to collect provifions. Looking upon this therefore as a favourable opportunity, fince it not only removed the husband, but weakened the garrison, by which the wife might expect to be protected, he pofted four thousand picked men in a marth in the neighbourhood of the fort, and fet out for it, with thirty others loaded with refreshments. his arrival at the gates of it, he fent word to Lara, that, hearing how much he was in want of provifions, he was come with enough to ferve him, till the return of the convoy. Lara received the treacherous cacique with the greatest demonftrations of grati tude, and infifted upon entertaining him and his followers. This was what Mangora had expected; and he had accordingly given his men inftructions how to behave, and appointed signals for those he had posted in the march.

On

1527-30. The entertainment began with a great deal of chearfulness on

both

230 both fides, and lafted till the night was far advanced; when, the Spaniards rifing to break up, Mangora gave fome of his attendants the fignal for doing what he had before-hand directed; which was to set fire to the magazines of the fort, as foon as the Spaniards should be retired.. This was accordingly done, without the Spaniards having the leaft fufpicion of the matter. The officers were scarce compofed to rest, when most of them being alarmed by the foldiers crying out fire! fire! and jumping out of bed to extinguish it, the Indians feized the opportunity of difpatching them. The reft were killed in their fleep; and the four thousand men pofted in the marth, having been at the fame time let into the fort, it was immediately filled with flaughter and confufion. The gover. noi, though wounded, having elpied the treacherous cacique, made up to him, and ran him through the body; but being more intent upon fatisfying his revenge, than confulting his fafety, he continued fo long venting bis now useless fury on the dead body of his enemy, that the Indians had time to intercept his flight; and immediately difpatched hini..

The Hiftory of Lucy Miranda.

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There now remained no living foul in the fort, but the unfortunate Miranda, the innocent cause of so bloody a tragedy, four other women, and as many little children, who were all tied and brought before Siripa, brother and fuccellor to the late cacique. This barbarian, at the fight of Miranda, conceived the fame paffion for her, that had proved fo fatal to his bro ther, and ordered her to be unbound, relinquishing to his attendants all the other prifoners. He then told her, that he must not confider herself as a flave in his houfe; and that it would even be her own fault, if he did not become the mistress of it; and that he hoped the bad fenfe enough to prefer to an indigent forlorn husband, the bead of a powerful nation, who would take pleasure in fubmitting to her, himself and all his fubjects. Miranda might well expect, that, by refusing his offers, the fhould expose herself, at best, to a perpetual and moft cruel flavery; but her virtue got the better of every other confideration. She even gave Sripa the antwer the

May

thought was most likely to exasperate him, in hopes his love might change into fury; and a fpeedy death put her innocence and honour beyond the reach of his brutal inclinations.

But in this fhe was greatly mistaken. Her refufals ferved only to increase the efteem Siripa had conceived for her, and heighten his paffion, which he still flattered himself he fhould be at laft able to fatisfy. He continued, therefore, to treat her with a great deal of lenity, and even fhewed her more civility and respect, than could be well expected from a barbarian. But his moderation and gentleness ferved only to make her more fenfible of the danger the was expofed to. In the mean time, Hurtado, being returned with his convoy, was greatly furprized to behold nothing but a heap of afhes, where he had left Gabot's tower. The first thing he did was to enquire what was become of his wife; and, being informed fhe was with the cacique of the Timbuez, he immediately set out to look for her, without confidering what dangers he thereby fruitlessly expofed himself to. Siripa, at the fight of a man, who was the fole object of all Miranda's affections, could no longer contain himself, but ordered him to be tied to a tree, and there shot to death with arrows.

His attendants were preparing to obey him, when Miranda, drowned in tears, threw herself at the tyrant's feet, to obtain the life of her husband; and, fuch is the power of a paffionate affection, it calmed the violent ftorm, which it had but a little before excited in the heart of a barbarian. Hurtado was unbound; he was even, sometimes, permitted to fee his wife. But the cacique, at the fame time he thus indulged them, gave them to underftand, that they muft not, on pain of death, attempt to go any further lengths. It is therefore probable, he only meant this indulgence as a fnare to obtain a pretext for recalling the conditional reprieve he had granted Hurtado, who foon fupplied him with one. A few days after, Siripa's wife came to inform him, that Miranda was lain down with her husband; the barbarian immediately ran to examine the truth of the report with his own eyes; and, in the art emotion of his

paffion,

1769. Inftance of the Divine Interpofition.

paffion, more to the fatisfaction of his wife's jealoufy than his own, he condemned Miranda to the flames, and Hurtado to the kind of death he had but lately escaped. The fentence was immediately executed, and this faithful pair expired in fight of each other, full of fentiments worthy of their virtues.

An uncommon Inflance of the Divine In

terpofition.

DDR Diego the Moverza in paf

Don de Paraguay, a dreadful famine raged at Buenos Ayres, yet Don Pedro, whofe forces were very much weakened by mortality, and the attacks of the barbarous nations, being afraid of giving the Indians a habit of spilling Spanish blood, forbid the inhabitants, under pain of death, to go into the fields in fearch of relief. But, as hunger is one of those extremities, which make people blind to the greatest dangers, and deaf, even to the most facred injunctions, he placed foldiers at all the out-lets to the country, with orders to fire upon those who should endeavour to tranfgrefs his orders. A woman, however, called Maldonata, was lucky enough to elude the vigilance of the guards; and God twice preferved her by one of thofe exertions of his providence, to which public notoriety alone can extort belief from the incredulous, apt to take offence at every thing befide the common courfe of things. This woman, having for a long time rambled about the country, took notice of a cavern, where the flattered herself fhe might at last find a fure retreat against all the dangers that threatened her: but he had fcarce entered it, when the Ipied a lionefs, the fight of which terrified her to the last degree. She was,, however, foon quieted a little by the careffes of this animal, at the fame time that the perceived they were not difinterested. The lionefs, it feems, was reduced to the laft extremity, as, though her term for littering was expired, the could not get rid of her burthen. Maldonata upon this took courage, and gave the poor creature the affiftance the feemed fo earnestly to require. The lioness, being happily delivered, not only immediately gave her bene

2

231 factress the most fenfible proofs of her gratitude; but never returned from fearching her own daily fubfiftence, without laying at the feet of Maldonata enough for her's, till the whelps being ftrong enough to walk abroad, the at last took them out with her, and never returned, leaving Maldonata to fhift for herself.

Maldonata foon after fell into the hands of fome Indians, who made a flave of her, and kept her in captivity

fength retaken able time. Being at

length retaken by fome Spaniards, she was brought back to Buenos Ayres, where Don Francis Ruiz de Galan commanded for Don Pedro de Mendoza, who happened to be abfent. Ga lan was a man, whofe severity often degenerated into cruelty. Therefore, as he knew that Maldonata bad ftolen out of the city, contrary to orders, and did not think her fufficiently pu nifhed by a very long and very cruel flavery, he condemned her to death, and to a kind of death, which no man but a tyrant could have thought of. He ordered fome foldiers to take her into the country, and there leave her tied to a tree, not doubting but some wild beaft or other would foon come and tear her to pieces.

Two days after, the fame foldiers being fent to fee what was become of her, they were greatly furprized to find her alive, and unhurt, though furrounded by lions and tigers, whom a lionefs, lying at her feet with her whelps, kept at a distance. As foon as the lionefs perceived the foldiers, the retired a little, as it were to give them leave to unbind her benefactress, which they accordingly did. Maldonata then related to them the history of this lioness, whom the knew to be the fame the had formerly affilted; and the foldiers remarked, that, on their offering to carry away Maldonata, the lionefs fawned greatly upon her, and feemed to exprefs fome concern at lofing her. On the report the foldiers made to the commander of what they had feen, he faw that he could not but pardon a woman, whom heaven had protected in fo fignal a manner, without appearing more inhuman than lions themfelves. The author of Argentina, the first author to relate this adventure,

affures

232

Some Paffages in the Divine Legation confidered.

affures us, that he had heard it, not only from the public voice, but from the mouth of Maldonata herself; and Father del Techo fays, that, when he arrived at Paraguay, a great many perfons fpoke to him of it, as an event which had happened within their memory, and of which nobody doubted the truth.

To the AUTHOR of the LONDON MAGAZINE.

SIR,

As

S you inform us in your Review, that Mr. Ruffhead's hiftory is made from materials furnished by the Bishop of Gloucefter, it is no wonder if it is calculated to enhance the character of the bishop. What truth there is in the ftory relating to Lord Bolingbroke, I do not pretend to know: But it is well known that his lordship had great reason to be offended with Pope, for printing an edition. of The Patriot King, in order to publith it immediately after his lordship's death, which he thought would probably happen before his own. How. ever, as to the bishop's attachment to the religion of his country, no one can now doubt it. As he got a bishop. rick for writing his Divine Legation of Mofes, this event may perhaps have made him more fteadily orthodox. But the argument of his book does not seem to be fufficient to convince any one, that a perfon of his fagacity can think it deferving the name of demonstration.

He afferts, that men cannot be kept together in fociety without the opinion of a future ftate, though he at the fame time afferts that the Jews were. He afferts, that all other ancient legiflators, Mofes only excepted, taught the doctrine of a future ftate, and blended it with their laws, which is falfe, as Mr. Sykes has fully proved.

Having afferted, that no nation can poffibly fubfift without the belief of futurity, and that the Jews were never taught this doctrine; he infers from hence, that Mofes's law muft be divine, and the Jews under a theocracy. Thus, the inferring his propofition, without proof, from falfe premiffes, is the promised demonftration.

May

But that his readers may be further indulged, he brings in, as another medium of proof, an extraordinary and special providence, fubfifting among them, through all ages of their government, from Mofes to Jefus Chrift, in which, according to him, the good were always rewarded, and the evil punished. This the Bible hiftory proves to be falfe, as well as the nature of things fhow it to be impoffible. Though it must be allowed that the odd manner of the expreffion, of some of their writers, may make some ignorant readers understand them in this fenfe, but their national calamities plainly evince the contrary. When they were carried into captivity, were there not one righteous good man amongst them? If that was the cafe, they must have been the wickedeft nation upon earth.

To

I am, Sir,
Your humble fervant,
and conftant reader,
CRITON.

April 19, 1769.

the AUTHOR of the LONDON
MAGAZINE.
Stoke, Gloucefterfbire, May 22, 1769.
SIR,

T the latter end of the fcholium,

A probate of Sir Ifaac Newton's Principles, he gives a correction for the angle at the upper focus of the mean anomaly by four analogies, but Dr. Halley in his works gives two conftant quantities which fhorten the work, viz. 51567, and 137513; I require therefore the law for obtain. ing the aforefaid conftant quantities.

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I alfo require the method of investigating the magnitude, &c. of the moon's fhadow, of the fun's eclipse, April 1, 1764, that is to determine the angle of the fhadow's direction with the meridian of the given place; and agreeable to circumftances, whe - ther the folar azimuth is to be added or fubftracted from the aforefaid angle, to affign the pofition of the tranfverfe axis of the umbra; likewife the com- 1 putation of the breadth of the shade, and umbra, at the given time.-An anfwer to thefe enquiries will very much oblige

Your humble fervant,

EDWARD ALLEN.

To

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