brambles, and pointed thorns, fo perplexed and interwoven with one another, that it was impoffible to find a paffage through it. Whilft he was looking about for fome track or path-way that might be worn in any part of it, he saw a huge lion couched under the fide of it, who kept his eye upon him in the fame posture as when he watches for his prey. The Indian immediately started back, whilft the lion rose with a fpring, and leaped towards him. Being wholly deftitute of all other weapons, he stooped down to take up an huge ftone in his hand; but to his infinite surprise grasped nothing, and found the supposed stone to be only the apparition of one. If he was disappointed on this fide, he was as much pleased on the other, when he found the lion, which had feized on his left fhoulder, had no power to hurt him, and was only the ghost of that ravenous creature which it appeared to be. He no fooner got rid of his impotent enemy, but he marched up to the wood, and after having furveyed it for fome time, endeavoured to prefs into one part of it that was a little thinner than the reft; when again, to his great furprise, he found the bufhes · made no refiftance, but that he walked through briers and brambles with the fame ease as through the open air; and in fhort, that the whole wood was nothing elfe but a wood of fhades. He immediately concluded, that this huge thicket of thorns and brakes was defigned as a kind of fence or quickfet hedge to the ghofts it inclosed; and that probably their foft fubftances

fubftances might be torn by these subtle points and prickles, which were too weak to make any impreffions in flesh and blood. With this thought he refolved to travel through this intricate wood; when by degrees he felt a gale of perfumes breathing upon him, that grew stronger and sweeter in proportion as he advanced. He had not proceeded much further, when he obferved the thorns and briers to end, and gave place to a thousand beautiful green trees covered with bloffoms of the finest scents and colours, that formed a wilderness of sweets, and were a kind of lining to those rugged scenes which he had before paffed through. As he was coming out of this delightful part of the wood, and entering upon the plains it inclosed, he faw feveral horfemen rufhing by him, and a little while after heard the cry of a pack of dogs. He had not listened long before he saw the apparition of a milk - white fteed, with a young man on the back of it, advancing upon full ftretch after the fouls of about an hundred beagles, that were hunting down the ghost of an hare, which run away before them with an unfpeakable swiftnefs. As the man on the milkwhite steed came by him, he looked upon him very attentively, and found him to be the young Prince Nicharagua, who died about half a year before, and by reafon of his great virtues, was at that time lamented over all the western parts of America.

He had no fooner got out of the wood, but he was entertained with fuch a lanskip of flowery Y 3

plains,

plains, green meadows, running ftreams, funny hills, and fhady vales, as were not to be reprefented by his own expreffions, nor as he faid, by the conceptions of others. This happy region was peopled with innumerable fwarms of fpirits, who applied themselves to exercises and diverfions, according as their fancies led them. Some of them were toffing the figure of a coit; others were pitching the fhadow of a bar; others were breaking the apparition of a horse; and multitudes employing themfelves upon ingenious handicrafts with the fouls of departed utenfils, for that is the name which in the Indian language they give their tools when they are burnt or broken. As he travelled through this delightful scene, he was very often tempted to pluck the flowers that rofe every where about him in the greatest variety and profufion, having never seen several of them in his own country: but he quickly found, that though they were objects of his fight, they were not liable to his touch, He at length came to the fide of a great river, and being a good fisherman himfelf, ftood upon the banks of it fome time to look upon an angler that had taken a great many thapes of fishes, which lay flouncing up and down by him.

I fhould have told my reader, that this Indian had been formerly married to one of the greatest beauties of his country, by whom he had feveral children. This couple were fo famous for their love and conftancy to one another, that the Indians to this day, when they

give a married man joy of his wife, wish they may live together like Marraton and Yaratilda. Marraton had not ftood long by the fisherman, when he faw the fhadow of his beloved Yaratilda, who had for fome time fixed her eye upon him, before he difcovered her. Her arms were ftretched out towards him, floods of tears ran down her eyes: her looks, her hands, her voice called him over to her; and at the fame time feemed to tell him that the river was unpaffable. Who can defcribe the paffion made up of joy, forrow, love, defire, aftonishment, that rofe in the Indian upon the fight of his dear Yaratilda? He could exprefs it by nothing but his tears, which ran like a river down his cheeks as he looked upon her. He had not stood in this posture long, before he plunged into the ftream that lay before him; and finding it to be nothing but the phantom of a river, ftalked on the bottom of it till he arose on the other fide. At his approach Yaratilda flew into his arms, whilft Marraton wifhed himfelf difencumbered of that body which kept her from his embraces. After many questions and endearments on both fides, fhe conducted him to a bower which fhe had dreffed with all the ornaments that could be met with in those blooming regions. She had made it gay beyond imagination, and was every day adding fomething new to it. As Marraton stood astonished at the unspeakable beauty of her habitation, and ravished with the fragrancy that came from every part of it, Yaratilda told him that she was pre

Y 4

paring

paring this bower for his reception, as well knowing that his piety to his God, and his faithful dealing towards men, would certainly bring him to that happy place, whenever his life fhould be at an end. She then brought two of her children to him, who died fome years before, and refided with her in the fame delightful bower; advifing him to breed up thofe others which were ftill with him in fuch a manner, that they might hereafter all of them meet together in this happy place.

The tradition tells us further, that he had afterwards a fight of those dismal habitations which are the portion of ill men after death; and mentions feveral molten feas of gold, in which were plunged the fouls of barbarous Europeans, who put to the fword fo many thousands of poor Indians for the fake of that precious metal. But having already touched upon the chief points of this tradition, and exceeded the measure of my Paper, I fhall not give any further account of it.

C*,

*By ADDISON, dated it seems from Chelsea. See final Note to N° 5.

*.* At Drury-Lane, May 3, "Hamlet." The King by Mr. Keene; Hamlet by Mr. Wilks; Horatio, Mr. Mills; Laertes, Mr. Powell; Ghoft, Mr. Booth; Fop, Mr. Bowen; Grave Digger, Mr. Johnfon; Queen, Mrs. Knight; and Ophelia by Mrs. Bradshaw. SPECT. in folio.

**On this evening, May 4, "The Bufy Body." Marplot by Mr. Pack; Sir G. Airy by Mr. Wilks; Sir F. Gipe, Mr. Eftcourt; Sir J. Traffic, Mr Bullock; Charles, Mr Mills; Miranda by Mrs. Bicknell; Ifabinda by Mrs. Porter; and Patch by Mrs. Saunders. Ibidem.

N° 57°