give the one thousand pounds sterling, enclosed that it will shortly be our grave, for we have in this bottle to him or to those, who after having neither provisions nor water to resist hunger and found it shall cause prayers to be said for me thirst. I therefore maintain that thy poesy, is a and for my well-beloved unknown Margaret weakness of intellect, a mere imbecility." Floreff, and who will erect one common monument to our memory."

"Buxton! Buxton!" replied I. "of your opinions on my poesy as you call it, I have nothing to say, but to express yourself in this manner of the sovereign Ruler of the world, of Him whose pity we were never before so much in want of,

"Invoke His pity then, my friend, do so. But reflect-here is a poor little infant but just borninnocent and inoffensive-he is doomed to die, yet I, an Atheist, a really wicked man, am suffered to live."

"Doubtless He has His reasons."

"With such reasoning," replied he, “every thing can be justified; the plague-hunger-and shipwrecks."

I was in the act of committing this bottle to the deep, when the vessel spared me the trouble; it disappeared suddenly under my feet, and sunk like a stone. I instantly found myself struggling is scandalous." with the waves, and surrounded with the thousand fragments of our late home. Before me was the long boat filled with the sailors and the passengers, using their utmost efforts to get clear of the wreck, and a little further to the right was a small boat in which I could distinguish the Captain and his wife. Surrounding them were to be seen struggling with the waves, men aud women, dogs and sheep, mixed up with trunks, boxes and the broken masts. Half-drowned by the large quantities of water I had swallowed, and weighed down by my clothes which were "What are we to wait for? Do you think thoroughly soaked, I found myself, I do not that the land will come any nearer to us by know how, clinging to a large piece of timber waiting here, or that roast beef, beer and rum, which was floating near me-I endeavored to will drop from the clouds? Look around you, strengthen my hold, but my hand slipped-I as far as the eye will reach. What do you see? tried again, but my strength was fast failing me, solitude-we are alone and helpless. To night and I should to a certainty have been drowned, we shall be dying of thirst, to-morrow of hunger, when a powerful hand grasped me by the neck, the day after to-morrow, or at latest in three or and dragged me on to the plank. I looked up-four days either you will strangle me, or I shall it was Buxton. kill you, for food."

"Wait tranquilly my friend, and above all do not blaspheme."

"Buxton," said I, "in the name of Heaven cease."

At length daylight appeared, and with the first rays of the sun, the last vestiges of the tempest disappeared. It is almost always so. The "The night was fast approaching and the permore violent the storm, the shorter is its dura- fect calm of the sea continuing, we had hardly tion. These tempests appear to have exhausted moved from where we were in the morning. On their fury, in destroying vessels, and in taking the following day, a slight wind ruffled the surhuman life, merely to show by the perfect calm face of the ocean, but no sail was to be seen on which succeeds them, the great contrasts there the horizon. are in nature.

The sun rose in all its grandeur and illumined far and wide the Indian Ocean. Buxton and I were both seated on the large piece of timber, on which we had so miraculously found safety. It was some twenty feet in length, and four feet in width, with a proportionate thickness, and was intended to have been used in the repair of the Galatea's keel, on her arrival at Batavia.

"Well," said Buxton, crossing his feet in the oriental manner, and moving his head like a Chinese Mandarin, "where is now your poesy?"

"What do you mean?" replied I.

"By the bye," said Buxton, in the middle of the day, "what have you done with the bottle, and with your pretty romance of Margaret Floreff?"

Spite of my painful sufferings from hunger and thirst, I succinctly related to Buxton the facts, that at the moment of the shipwreck, I had thrown the bottle into the sea, after having placed in it one thousand pounds sterling in bank notes, with an injunction to the finder to have prayers said for Margaret and myself, and to erect us a

monument.

Although the face of Buxton was livid from "Thy poesy; let us see whether your faith the terrible thirst under which he suffered, he and romance will relieve us from our present po- burst out with a laugh, which when I had related sition. Look at the scorching sun! in a few the facts to him, appeared as if it would never hours we shall be sun struck, or our very skin have ceased. burnt off us-look at the sea-never in all our "Very well," he at length said, "some fish will passages has it been more calm and beautiful swallow your bottle, and will make of his inside than it is at this moment, yet it is very probable a tomb for you, and for your well beloved. How

ever you have this chance, a whale may poss'y I am ignorant how much time elapsed between swallow the fish in its turn, and the whale may the moment when Puxton uttered thes words, one of these days be cast on the coasts of Hol- and the time when I recovered from the fainting land or of England: the whale is cut up-is fit into which I had again fallen, but on opening opened, and" my eyes, we were fast nearing a bark-one of Buxton! Buxton !" cried I, interrupting him, those strange craft which, on my previous voya"you will no more succeed in eradicating my love ges to the Maldive Islands, I had so frequently for my ideal Margaret, than you will in destroy-seen. ing my belief in a Supreme Being. Floreff' shall be the last words which shall pass my lips before I die, and I already feel that the time will not be distant."

She was not on fire, as we had imagined, but in the centre, on a sort of altar, was a pyramid of aloes and sandal wood, burning as gently and as regularly as if some one was feeding the flame. This bark was of great height, but to"Nonsense," said Buxton, fraternally pressing wards the middle gradually sloped down, until me to him, for he had an excellent heart, and there were barely three feet of distance from the was the best, the most devoted of friends: "Non-water. Buxton easily jumped in, and kept our sense, I will not anuoy you, believe all and every plank alongside until he had time to assist me in, thing you wish-I will no more contradict you- for I was very weak and feeble.

I will even agree with you if you wish it."
He clasped my hand, and the next morning
was still holding it.

Towards five o'clock of that evening I felt myself dying my eyes were closing--my heart was growing cold.

This bark, which I at once recognized, from its extreme length, and from the materials of which it was built, and from being without sails and without a crew, was one of those which the superstitious inhabitants of those coasts, half heathens and half Mahomedans, are accustomed What enchantment had suddenly recalled me to launch on the ocean when they wish to propito life was I already dead, or was I still living? tiate the God of Tempests. After having loaded Harmonious sounds enthralled my soul, and it with perfumes and with aromatics, which they seemed as if they were calling me to heaven. I set fire to, and with provisions, destined for the opened my languishing eyes, and perceived Bux-invisible priests of this unknown but powerful ton, who a little less dying than myself, was God, they abandon it to the terrible vengeance of playing on that charming flute of which I have the monsoon. The storm in which we had been already spoken, and which he had saved, in some way, from the wreck. I was so touched with this sentiment of goodness for me, that I forgave him from the bottom of my heart, all his blasphemies, for it was for me, that with his last breath, he was with his beautiful instrument, attaching us to life. Still the enchantment was so perfect, and We were restored to life-restored as if by a my feelings were so touched, that I felt as if pass-miracle. When our strength was a little recruiting to the other world.

66

wrecked, was no doubt the reason of this propitiatory sacrifice of the Maldivians, who could never have imagined that we should profit by their piety. The bark was well filled with fresh water, cocoa-nut milk in jars, fruits, and meat dried in the sun.

ed, we availed ourselves to invigorate our shat

My friend, my brother in affliction," he sud-tered frames of all the delicacies with which the denly cried, lifting me from the plank and raising my head, "look! look before you!"

"A ship," said I.

A sail," answered he, "it is!"

"A ship," repeated I, "we are saved."

vessel was so well provided. Were we far from, or were we near, the Island of Ceylon? The question was a very difficult one for us to solve, deprived as we were of every nautical instrument. However, it was not then a question of

"It is a ship," added he, "but my God, is it much importance to us, as we had abundance not on fire?"

"It appears to me so," was my reply. "But do you not perceive," said he, "how the wind is rising behind us, and how rapidly we are now approaching the vessel. Courage, there is every hope that we shall now be saved. Strange and mysterious vessel, she has no sails-not one." "Perhaps," said I, "she is a steam vessel-I had at first thought so; but no-oh! unless we reach her very soon, I am sure that I cannot hold

out."

to eat and drink.

"Well," said I to Buxton, "if there were not some people who believed in a God, should we be to-day on board this ship? should we have this food? should we be saved?"

"Do not speak that to me," replied he; "let us sleep."

The following morning, at day break, when we arose from our slumbers, a thousand vessels, and that without exaggerating the number, were surrounding our bark, which they saluted with

Courage courage!" cried Buxton, "do not the greatest respect, as being sacred. We were despair!" In view of Columbo, the capital of the Island of

guide book of social relations and duties, a trea- into the deepest recesses of the temple of Relitise on man's self-education and discipline, will gion, to subject every part of the sacred edifice not perhaps be unacceptable. Before giving this, to the most rigid scrutiny. Amongst these was however, it may be well briefly to recal so much Des Cartes. To learn the truth, he believed it of the author's history as will serve to show "the to be necessary to begin in universal skepticism, stand-point," (to borrow an expression of his and thence proceed, step by step, more geomeown) from which it was written. trico, carefully and cautiously to inquire into the

1. To put aside all prejudices.

2. To find the foundations upon which the superstructure may be built.

3, To lay bare the cause of error.

That Goethe was born in Frankfort-on-the-nature and character of fundamental truths, acMayne in 1749-that he died in Weimar in 1832, cepting nothing, however, as such, unless proven are facts of which no one requires to be reminded. by incontrovertible demonstration. Or as SpiNor perhaps is it necessary to do more than al-noza has clearly and briefly stated it—“ Des lude to his early domestic position and education. Cartes, (says he.) endeavored The stern exterior and rigid household rule of the Imperial Councillor, who thus sought to conceal and repress a paternal fonduess whose weakness he feared; the mild and winning devotion of Frau von Goethe, as she endeavored secretly to mitigate the severity of her husband's notions of parental duty and discipline, or played with child- and as a preliminary step, he proceeded to queslike freedom and equality with her offspring from tion all things, not indeed as a sceptic, who whom she was not far removed by years; the proposes no other end than mere doubt to himgood sense of the sister, painfully conscious of self, but that he might liberate his mind from all her deficiency in personal attractions, yet finding prejudice, and thereby better fit himself to ascerin this another reason for drawing more closely tain the firm and immutable principles of knowlin heart to her brother; "the first love" for Margaret which, despite its unhappy termination, yet lived within his memory,

Gleich einer alten, halbverklungnen sage
Kommt erste Lieb*

4. To understand all things clearly and distinctly:

ledge." The first fact, indisputable in its character was self-existence. "Dubito, cogito, ergo sum."t "I doubt, I think, therefore I exist." Self annihilation was impossible, for he, the Doubter, the Sceptic, the Inquirer stood there interrogating himself, investigating the and gave pathos to his "latest songs;" the taste works of creation, reflecting on the nature of for pictures and the drama, fostered by the young Deity. But, whilst self-existence was thus proFrench lieutenant, developed at Leipsic and the ven, further consideration disclosed it to be finite, University of Strasbourg, when he should have imperfect, unhappy. Yet the ideas, the very exbeen devoting himself to the study of the law-istence of Finitude, Imperfection, Unhappiness, barely to allude to these is sufficient, for with all involved that of their correlatives, the compleof them, Goethe has himself familiarized us in his mentary ideas of Infinitude, Perfection, Happi"Dichtung und Wahrheit," the Fact and Fiction ness; and the Being, in whose nature they were of his own life. But of his materialism, his Pan- collected, must he Him, whom we call God. theism, it is proper to say something more.

Such is a brief outline of the metaphysical The human mind, like the pendulum, oscillates system promulged by Des Cartes; such his logical ever to and fro. For centuries it had been ham- demonstration of the existence of a Deity; 'such pered by priestly authority and ecclesiastical the fallacy by which he sought to renew his faith dogmas. Gradually it had begun to react, to re-in man and in God. It did, and will, suffice for assert its right of investigation and free inquiry. many a mind. It did not satisfy the stern, rigoHuss and Wicliffe were the prelude, so to speak, rous Thinker, to whom the master's fame subseto the energetic protest of Luther and Calvin, of quently owed so much. That Disciple was Melancthon and Zuingluis, against a creed which Spinoza. was in fact mere acquiesence in the decrees of self-constituted authority. But the intellect of the age, thus freed from its trammels and permitted to seek for a faith, which had its foundations in Reason though its superstructure were a "building not made with hands," was not likely 3 to rest content with a partial emancipation. Spirits bolder than the rest, minds more inquiring than others, would naturally seek to penetrate

* "Like an old half-expiring legend Comes first love."-Dedication to Faust.

Spinoza's title to his abstract of the Cartesian Philosophy, 1. Spinoza 21.

It may be as well to mention here that the edition of Spinoza, used and cited as above, is the Leipsic Ed. of 1843. Benedicti de Spinoza, Opera quae supersunt om

nia. Ex. editionibus, &c., Carolus Hermanus Bruder.

vols. Tauchnitz Press.

+1 Spinoza, 21-22.

The Student, familiar with Spinoza, will see at once that we have not given a verbatim et literatim translation; but we trust that he will find the sense and purport of the original carefully rendered.

1. Spinoza, 24.

Born at Amsterdam, on the 24th of November, enfeebled in health by the hereditary phthisis 1632, of Jewish parents, who had fled from Por- of which he ultimately died; struggling mantugal to avoid the persecutions which seem to fully, but most unhappily, for so hath the Allhave followed" the chosen people" ever since wise ordained it, with the fearful problems of that memorable invocation uttered before Pon- man's origin, existence, and destiny; simple, sintius Pilate, the young Baruch, for so was he cere, and courageous, Spinoza wandered forth in called, was handed over to the Rabbins to be in- search of some shelter, some resting-place, structed in all the learning and ceremonies, ne- wherein to earn a sustenance, whilst he couragecessary for his admission to the priesthood. ously fought that battle of life to which God had Gifted by nature with a mind, acquisitive, astute, appointed him. reflecting, and discriminating, the boy assidu- It is not our purpose to follow the fortunes of ously availed himself of his opportunities, aud Baruch, now Latinized into Benedictus, on his frequently puzzled his preceptors, amongst whom renunciation of Judaism, through his painful toils was Moses Morteira, by the ingenuity and pro- and privations, his disappointed love, his repeated fundity of his questions. Indeed to use the words refusals of professorships, his heroic self-denials, of Dr. Bruder's Praefation-" etiam in angustias his laborious and voluntary poverty, his early adduxit" he led them even in difficulties. He death. It is not with Spinoza, but with Goethe, pored over the precepts of the Talmud with that we have to do in this present writing. intense sincerity and was driven, by the hon- But enough has been said to show, that there est convictions of his heart, to confess to him- are other martyrs than those who perish at the self that he doubted their alleged divine ori- stake, and that the earnest, faithful Spinoza is gin. Just then the writings of Des Cartes fell not without a claim to be enrolled amongst them. into his hands: Of course nothing but unbelief Before however, attempting an outline of his was the result to the young Israelite, compara- system, it may be proper to notice one or two tively ignorant of the Prophets, though familiar errors, which seem to prevail amongst those who with their commentators; wholly ignorant doubt- either are, or claim to be, metaphysicians. The less, of the Apostles, or knowing them only first is that Spinoza was ill-acquainted with, we through the verbal triflings of the Schoolmen, were about to say ignorant of, the Inductive with their gratia gratians, and gratia gratiata. method, as advocated by Bacon; the other, that and other equally vapid and patristic quibbles. the Baconian method and the Cartesian system Conscientious to an extreme, if such a thing be are identical. possible, Spinoza did not hesitate in announcing Now as to the first of these two errors, a sinthe conclusion at which he had arrived, and was gle quotation from Spinoza's own writingswill speedily met with the usual arguments of bigotry show that not only was he not ignorant of, but and intolerance. Reconciliation with the Priests, was well acquainted with Bacon, so far as mere and relief from further persecution were offered reading goes. Moreover, concerning the prinhim, together with an annuity of one thousand ciples of the Cartesian and the Baconian philosflorins, upon the condition of keeping silence. ophies," inquires Henry of Oldenburgh in his The pure-hearted, honest truth-seeker disdained Epistle to Spinoza in August, 1661,* “Of Bato accept affluence and repose as the reward of con" is the reply, "of Bacon I can say little, smothering his convictions. The Rabbins threat- who speaks quite confusedly on this subject and oned him with excommunication. He replied by proves almost nothing, but he tells much,"f asking where, in the writings of Moses, was to and then proceeds to argue at length the corbe found declared the immortality of the soul. rectness of his views, and to point out certain disSo young, yet so fearless a spirit was not to be tinctions between the two great philosophers, tolerated by the Synagogue. Returning from whose respective works have had such vast influthe theatre one night he was assailed. Fortu- ence on the development of the intellectual purnately the dagger of the assassin was ill-directed. suits of the human race. "Let it be remarked It glanced from his chest, rending only his cloak. here," says he for example, " that Verulam often This torn garment was to him long a memento takes the intellect for the mind, in which he diffor meditation. Per tempus conservavit togam fers with Des Cartes."

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pugionis ictu perforatam," says his biographer- The other error, namely that the Baconian he long preserved the cloak pierced by the stroke method is identical with the Cartesian system, of the poniard. This was in 1660. Excom- finds its principal modern advocate in M. Cousin. municated, with all the fearful curses and Speaking of Des Cartes he says,

imposing ceremonies of Judaism, from any participation in the religion of his Fathers; destitute of fortune, for he had bestowed upon his two orphan sisters his entire patrimony;

VOL. XVII-55

Il a precisément établi en France la même

2. Spinoza, 143.

2. Spinoza, 146. et seq.
Ibid.