soon sent back to my hole. The keys had hardly turned upon me, when I was seized with so severe a fit of rage and despair, that I dashed my head against an iron anchor which was made fast to the wall. The blood which followed the blow increased my fury; once more, thought I, and all my sorrows are at an end: but observing, in that critical instant, that the iron was broken, by feeling a fracture, a gleam of hope succeeded despair, and restored a calm to my disordered senses. I reflected that this discovery might prove the means of my escape, and sanction the preservation of my existence.

With incredible labor I loosened the broken fluke-found it long and strong enough for my design, and fell to work without loss of time. After two days' constant toil, I succeeded in loosening one of the stones; I soon removed another, and at the expiration of six days had effected a breach sufficient to enlarge me. I had no sooner left my former abode, than I found myself in a spacious vault, as dark as the prison I had just left. Here I met with nothing but ropes, whips, pincers, axes, blocks, and a variety of other patibulary instruments. 1 found at last a door, but it was so well secured that it was in vain to hope for relief from that quarter ;yet not dismayed, I persevered in my researches, and was fortunate enough at length to find a chimney; nothing, thought I, can now baffle my expectation; I climb with new courage and after some successful efforts I attain the middle, where, to my great disappointment, I meet with a strong Iron grate. Mustering all

the resolution I was master of, I returned in quest of my useful anchor, and with its help perforated the wall under the grate this new hole let me into a granary, but perceiving it was already broad day light, I did not think it prudent to venture further, so returned below until the next night, having nothing to apprehend from an unseasonable visit from my gaoler. I thought that prudence warranted this measure, so eagerly picking up all the stones which had fallen from the chimney, and concealing them behind some boards, I carefully stopped the hole of my dungeon. I had hardly performed that piece of business, when I heard a noise to, wards the door, and had scarcely time to effect a hasty retreat behind the boards, where I had deposited the rubbish, when the door flew open, and the first objects that were offered to my view, through the cracks of my recess, were two dark complexioned strapping fellows of the severest aspect, having each a candle in one hand and a stiletto in the other,besides a pair of pistols in their girdles. Three fat fathers of the order of St. Dominic followed them, one of whom was one of my wishers of good journeys; a secretary of the St. Office completed the group. They sat themselves round a table covered with a black cloth, on which was placed a cup to contain holy water, a bible, and a crucifix crossed by a naked sword. This awful apparatus filled me with terror; I grew concerned for my safety, apprehensive as I was of a discovery.

The friars having laughed and punned for a few minutes, arose, and recited with a thunder

ing voice the psalm exurgat Deus. During the recitation, the two fellows who held the ta pers, looked fiercer than before.

They had not got through with the Psalm, when I heard some faint groans at a distance,but from whence they proceeded I could not possi bly guess. The door soon opened again : a girl of about seventeen years of age, who notwith standing her grief and despondency, appeared beautiful, was introduced, surrounded by four desparadoes, whose hideous aspect formed a perfect contrast, with her interesting person. She was covered with a long loose blood color. ed gown, tied round her with black ribbons; her head and face were covered with a black veil, through which I could observe the languishing sparkling of her expressive eyes, and the pale hue of her once rosy lips.

This unfortunate young woman having stag. gered with downcast eye, towards the table, fell at the feet of her judges, bedewing them with her tears, so overcome that she could not articulate a syllable; but her sighs and sobbings having subsided a little, she addressed them with a tone of voice capable of moving the most flinty heart, in the following manner. Oh! fathers, what more can I undergo? surely I have suffered enough during two years confinement in this hideous dungeon, where I have been a constant prey to the keenest sorrow, to the blackest melancholy !

Arise, beautiful child, interrupted one of the inquisitors. You are brought before us this! time to confess honestly all the crimes with

which you stand charged before this awful tribunal. It now lies in your own breast, prove yourself deserving (by a sincere avowal) of the lenity, clemency, and the charity of the St. Of

fice.

Alas! what awowal, what confession can I make? resumed the poor girl-I mentioned all I had to say the first time I was brought before you; I now repeat it again-I do not believe that I have ever committed, wilfully, any enor mous crime against that God whom I serve and adore: nor do I remember ever offending a father whom I love and honor, neither did I give any cause of sorrow to a tender and respectable mother, whose memory I will always venerate, whose lessons and examples of virtue will never depart my recollection; as to my neighbors, my conscience clears me of any guilt towards them; I have always endeavored to do by them as I wished to be done by. Since you ask for truth you have now heard it!

No more of that, if you please resumed the friar; we are tired every day with such nonsense; one would think that two thirds of those who appear before us, had agreed before hand upon the answers they mean to give: To the fact, madam, own at once, that your father, who has avoided our pursuits by a timely flight, is one of those execrable wretches, who, despising the many wonderful & holy mysteries, and articles of faith, which our holy mother the church commands us to believe, together with the sanctifying and salutary practices which she has instituted for the benefit of our souls, took on

themselves to reduce their belief to almost nothing; whose morals centre in the mere observation of the laws of nature: so that under the deceiving appearance of the austerest probity and of an unbounded toleration, for other people's opinion, that their's may be tolerated, by means of the most unbounded kindness and false charity behaving as the most dutiful subjects of the land, and appearing the most honest of man, kind, they have gained the weak to their side, drawing them of course into satan's net, by which means that dangerous vermin has already tainted the flock of the faithful.*;

Oh! unworthy and destestable race !—that thou wert at the bottom of the endless abyss, with Korah, Dathan and Abiram, with all the pagans, jews and heretics, with all the sorcerers which exist on the face of the earth!-but no, subsist ye, continue to be the constant obj ject of the extensive charity, the zeal, the work and watchings of the Lords's ministers, and namely of the holy inquisition, whose sole aim is God's greatest glory, and the salvation of your wicked souls! ah ! dear daughter, you are still ignorant how far that zeal and charity extends, which keeps us day and night in quest of the lost sheep..

These expressions persuaded me, that the unfortunate object before my eyes, was the daughter of an old gentleman of my acquaintance, who took passage with me from Holland, his native country, to England; and had related to me the persecutions which himself and his friends, the Unitarians in Spain, had been exposed to. He had a thousand times mentioned with a torrent of tears, that very daughter whom his own safety had left no time

to rescue.