"Philippi is interesting in another point of view, as being the first place in Europe where the Gospel was preached.

"To-morrow we must travel rather more quickly, for Fanny leaves us on Saturday, and I should like her to be with us till we reach the hired house' at Rome, where St. Paul dwelt for two years." L. N.

WALES A CENTURY AGO.

VERY few could read at that period. Bibles and other books were scarce. When a woman gave birth to a child, the nurse would engage in prayer on her behalf to Almighty God, and to "sweet Mary." Children were taught the Lord's prayer, the creed, the ten commandments, and what was called, "the dream of Mary" The latter was held in more reputation than all the rest. When a person departed this life, the neighbours would visit the late dwelling of the deceased, on the evening previous to the interment, and all bowed on their knees as they entered the house. The parish clerk would read a portion of the Common Prayer, amidst great noise, frolic, and laughter. The parties present would have recourse to every idle sport until twelve o'clock at night, and very often till the crowing of the cock. They had a curious custom, which was observed on a funeral day, which they called diodles, a kind of charity. As soon as the death of a party occurred, the relatives of the deceased would send a cup to be painted of the same colour as the coffin, (they had the coffin of a married party painted black, and that of a single person white.) When the corpse had been placed on the bier, on the day of interment, the landlord would have to dole the charity, which consisted of a loaf of bread, some cheese, with a piece of silver stuck into it, and the colored cup filled to the brim with ale or milk. The articles were then handed over the corpse, to the poor person who had been nominated to be receiver of this bounty, who, on receipt thereof, would bless the donor; and he would also engage in prayer on behalf of the deceased. All the relatives would visit the churchyard on the following Sunday, and would bow down on their knees on the grave, and repeat the Lord's prayer. In some localities, parties would engage a fiddler every Sabbath throughout the summer season,

to play in the open air, on the top of some hill, or a common, where dancing would be kept up for several hours. Many spent their Sabbaths at public-houses, where they got drunk, and the day generally ended in dreadful combats.

In coming from funerals, the relatives and friends of the deceased would go into public-houses, and very often a fiddler or a harper would be engaged, and what was called a merry night was held. Wizards and sorcerers were deemed wise men of great repute. Dreams were carefully remembered, and estimated as warnings from God. When a child happened to die, the parents thought that his soul would be converted into a candle to light them to the kingdom of heaven.

This horrible state of ignorance reigned till about a hundred years ago, when the champions of the cross commenced the work of reform in earnest. They visited every town, village, hamlet, and glen; they preached the gospel in season, and out of season, for which labor of love, they were retaliated upon by persecution and even imprisonment. However, their efforts soon told upon the state of the principality. The vices alluded to were supplanted, and the superstitious customs abated. The peasants flocked to hear the gospel preached; churches were formed; chapels built; Bibles were printed, and Sunday schools established in every locality.--Williams' " Welsh as a Nation."

OUT-OF-DOOR KNOWLEDGE.

THE way to be wise is a way well worth knowing; and though people differ very widely in opinion on the subject, we are disposed to think there is much less of mystery about it, than is generally supposed. God has given to every man the means of acquiring knowledge; and has made that knowledge so essential to his happiness, as to furnish the strongest inducement to seek for it. It has been said that a child learns more before it is able to read or write, than it does afterwards, and this fact furnishes us with the sound but very simple argument, that reading, usually regarded as the great means of acquiring information, is not absolutely essential to make us wise. It is very true that it enlarges the sphere of our researches, conducting us to "fresh fields and pastures new;" but many a man who has never

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learned his letters, has both head and heart better furnished than those who have spent their whole lives amongst books.

How then is this? God has given us all ability to read His Own Book of Nature, without going to school. He has given us eyes to see, ears to hear, hands to handle, hearts to feel, and mental and moral faculties to understand, to admire, and to be grateful. He has made the world for us, and us for the world. Every thing without, around, and about us, answers to every thing within; and it is really astonishing to find, how readily and heartily we can learn what he wishes to teach us, if we only use our natural powers and affections as we ought to use them.

Many of us talk a great deal of the wisdom of the ancients: and there might have been some great and wise men in former times; but, speaking generally, knowledge is a very young thing. In England there was very little a few centuries ago, if we except (as of course we must do,) that Divine Wisdom imparted from above which never grows by natural research. There were wise men in the Scriptural sense of that expression, "born not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God;" but there were very few who had much of that kind of knowledge which is now possessed by thousands, even in our Infant schools-the knowledge of facts-of objects-of matters to be investigated by observation, induction, collation, or comparison -of things outside the mind, and rightly appreciable only by being seen, felt, and handled.

Before the days of Bacon, persons used either to invent truth, or to take it altogether on trust from the writings of those who lived before them. They were not accustomed to see and think for themselves, and, as might have been expected, they made very few accessions to knowledge that were worth anything at all. And yet many of those who lived before his time were shrewd, clever, learned, erudite men-great scholars, great logicians, and very great thinkers. But great as they were in their own way, the world owes them very little. They established very few truths, and corrected very few errors. Almost all the real knowledge we possess was obtained, not by what is called booklearning, but simply by observation and thinking-by seeing things, and reasoning upon them.

We mention these facts for the sake of encouraging our young

readers, if they are anxious to grow wiser and happier, to " go and do likewise"-to use their eyes, and all those faculties of mind with which God has endowed them, in examining all the wonders of Creation and Providence, as those of their predecessors did, who laid the foundation of all true science, especially in the witching department of Natural History-a study almost co-extensive with the universe itself.

There is an individual, now well known in the world of letters, whose powers of observation and description have received the highest commendation from Dr. Buckland and many others of our illuminati, who, but a short time since, was a common quarryman in Scotland.* And how do our young friends think that he attained his present standing? He saw, and recorded his observations; and, by this simple and easy process, took a foremost rank among geologists and authors. Many similar instances might be mentioned; but we purpose for the present to refer only to John Ray, the naturalist, whose " Memorials " published by a Society which takes its name from him, and numbers about 800 members, are now before us.

John Ray was born in 1628, and, according to Dr. Derham, 66 was bred a scholar at Braintree school, under one Mr. Love, the master thereof, where he made such proficiency, that, before he arrived at the age of sixteen, he was sent to the University of Cambridge, and entered at Catherine Hall, on June 28th, 1644, under the tuition of Mr. Duckfield. Here he continued about a year and three quarters, and then removed to Trinity College, but for what reason or by what means I cannot tell, only I find he was afterwards much pleased therewith, because in Catherine Hall they chiefly addicted themselves to disputations, but in Trinity, the polite arts and sciences were principally minded and cultivated."

Thus was John Ray spoiled for a mere casuist and logician, and translated from the world of words, to that of things-from disputations of science falsely so called, to the amenities of true philosophy and art-from the dry logic of the schools, to the living freshness of nature-from toilsome travel through metaphysical perplexities, to the glorious and ample fields afforded by

* See our Magazine for June, p. 274.

a" simpling voyage or an itinerary. And no wonder he was "much pleased" with the change. Had he been nothing but a mere scholar, the services he has rendered to his country would have been lost, and the delightful pursuit of Natural History would have probably remained unredeemed from the conjectural rubbish and silly conceits of the pseudo-philosophers, who preceded him in this department.

But Mr. Ray had made up his mind to dream no longer. He began to deal with realities, never forgetting the Great Reality of Christianity; for he was good as well as wise, and amongst his philosophical writings, his biographers have discovered and given to the public many of his prayers and sacred meditations. That such an one would rightly use his talents, and really enjoy his varied knowledge, no one could have been disposed to doubt, had he heard him at the family altar, thus pouring out his soul before God-" Make us more spiritual, more heavenly-minded, more zealous for thy glory, more careful in all things to serve and please thee, and more fearful to offend thee. Help us to grow daily in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, that so our last days may be our best days; and when thou shalt call for us out of this world, we may be ready to leave it, and die with a comfortable hope and expectation of eternal life and happiness."

The light of the glorious sun, if it have no landscape to paint or play upon, loses much of its enlivening and inspiriting character. And so does the landscape itself if uncheered by sunshine. The gospel, when it shines into a heart, unfurnished with natural knowledge, finds no salient points to light up, no details to bring out: and a merely natural mind, wise only in the things of this world, has no beauty that we, as Christians, should desire. But when all our attainments are consecrated by true piety, the prospect is a lovely one. God who gives to all, the means of acquiring knowledge, knows how to mould and direct its use, when acquired, and that which we have gathered in the world he often teaches us to employ elsewhere. Thus it was that the observations and experience of John Ray came to his aid in the sanctuary. 'Although he was much famed for his preaching he did it in a way very different from the fashion of those fanatical times. His Grace the late pious and learned Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Tenison told me," writes Dr.