eternity, without a poffibility of touching it; and can there be a thought fo tranfporting, as to confider ourfelves in these perpetual approaches to HIM, who is the ftandard not only of perfection, but of happiness! ADDISON. CHAP. V. DESCRIPTIVE PIECES. SECTION I. AMONG the great bleffings and wonders of the creation, may be claffed the regularities of times and feafons. Immediately after the flood, the facred promife was made to man, that feed-time and harvest, cold and heat, fummer and winter, day and night, fhould continue to the very end of all things. Accordingly, in obedience to that promife, the rotation is conftantly prefenting us with fome useful and agreeable alteration; and all the pleafing novelty of life arifes from these natural changes: nor are we lefs indebted to them for many of its folid comforts. It has been frequently the task of the moralift and poet, to mark, in polished periods, the particular charms and conveniences of every change; and, indeed, fuch discriminate observations upon natural variety cannot be undelightful; fince the bleffing, which every month brings along with it, is a fresh inftance of the wifdom and bounty of that Providence, which regulates the glories of the year. We glow as we contemplate; we feel a propenfity to adore, whilft we enjoy. In the time of feedfowing, it is the feafon of confidence: the grain which the husbandman trufts to the bofom of the earth shall, haply, yield its fevenfold rewards. Spring prefents us with a fcene of lively expectation. That which was before fown, begins now to difcover figns of fuccefsful vegetation. The labourer obferves the change, and anticipates the harvest; he watches the progrefs of nature, and fmiles at her influence; while the man of contemplation walks forth with the evening, amidst the fragrance of flowers, and promises of plenty; nor returns to his cottage till darknefs clofes the fcene upon his eye. Then cometh the harvest, when the large with is fatisfied, and the granaries of nature are loaded with the means of life, even to a luxury of abundance The powers of language are unequal to the defcription of this happy feason. It is the carnival of nature; fun and fhade, coolnefs and quietude, cheerfulness and melody, love and gratitude, unite to render every fcene of fummer delightful. The divifion of light and darkness is one of the kindeft efforts of Omnipotent Wisdom. Day and night yield us contrary bleffings; and, at the fame time, affift each other by giving fresh luftre to the delights of both. Amidft the glare of day, and buftle of life, how could we fleep? Amidst the gloom of darknefs, how could we labour? How wife, how benignant, then, is the proper divifion! The hours of light are adapted to activity; and those of darkness to reft. Ere the day is paffed, exercife and nature prepare us for the pillow; and by the time that the morning returns, we are again able to meet it with a smile. Thus every feafon has a charm peculiar to itself; and every moment affords fome interesting innovation. SECTION II. The Cataract of Niagara, in Canada, North America. THIS amazing fall of water is made by the river St. Lawrence, in its paffage from lake Erie into the lake Ontario. The St. Lawrence is one of the largest rivers in the world; and yet the whole of its waters is discharged in this place, by a fall of a hundred and fifty feet perpendicular. It is not eafy to bring the imagination to correfpond to the greatnefs of the fcene. A river extremely deep and rapid, and that ferves to drain the waters of almost all North America into the Atlantic Ocean, is here poured precipitately down a ledge of rocks, that rifes, like a wall across the whole bed of its stream. The river, a little above, is near three quarters of a mile broad; and the rocks, where it grows narrower, are four hundred yards over. Their direction is not straight acrofs, but hollowing inwards like a horseshoe: so that the cataract, which bends to the fhape of the obftacle, rounding inwards, prefents a kind of theatre the most tremendous in nature. Juft in the middle of this circular wall of waters, a little ifland, that has brav ed the fury of the current, prefents one of its points, and divides the ftream at top into two parts; but they unite again long before they reach the bottom. The noife of the fall is heard at the distance of feveral leagues; and the fure of the waters at the termination of their fall, is inconceivable. The dafhing produces a mift that rifes to the T very clouds; and which forms a moft beautiful rainbow when the fun fhines. It will be readily fuppofed, that fuch a cataract entirely deftroys the navigation of the stream; and yet fome Indians in their canoes, it is faid, have ventured down it with fafety. SECTION III. The Grotto of Antiparos. GOLDSMITH. Of all the fubterraneous caverns now known, the grotto of Antiparos is the most remarkable, as well for its extent, as for the beauty of its fparry incrustations. This celebrated cavern was firft explored by one Magni, an Italian traveller, about one hundred years ago, at Antiparos, an inconfiderable ifland of the Archipelago. "Having been informed," fays he, "by the natives of Paros, that, in the little ifland of Antiparos, which lies about two miles from the former, a gigantic statue was to be seen at the mouth of a cavern in that place, it was refolved that we (the French conful and himself) fhould pay it a vifit. In purfuance of this refolution, after we had landed on the island, and walked about four miles through the midst of beau-tiful plains, and floping woodlands, we at length came to a little hill, on the fide of which yawned a most horrid cavern, that, by its gloom, at firft ftruck us with terror, and almoft repreffed curiofity. Recovering the first furprife, however, we entered boldly; and had not proceeded above twenty paces, when the fuppofed ftatue of the giant prefented itself to our view. We quickly perceived, that what the ignorant natives had been terrified at as a giant, was nothing more than a fparry concretion, formed by the water dropping from the roof of the cave, and by degrees hardening into a figure, which their fears had formed into a moniter. Incited by this extraordinary ap pearance, we were induced to proceed still further, in quest of adventures in this fubterranean abode. As we pro ceeded, new wonders offered themfelves; the fpars, formed into trees and fhrubs, prefented a kind of petrified grove ; fome white; fome green; and all receding in due perfpective. They ftruck us with the more amazement, as we knew them to be mere productions of nature, who, hitherto in folitude, had, in her playful moments, dreffed the fcene, as if for her own amufement. "We had as yet feen but a few of the wonders of the place; and we were introduced only into the portico this amazing temple. In one corner of this half illuminated recefs, there appeared an opening of about three feet wide, which feemed to lead to a place totally dark, and which one of the natives affured us contained nothing more than a refervoir of water. Upon this information, we made an experiment, by throwing down fome stones, which rumbling along the fides of the defcent for fome time, the found feemed at last quashed in a bed of water. In order, however, to be more certain, we fent in a Levantine mariner, who, by the promise of a good reward, ventured, with a flambeau in his hand, into this narrow aperture. After continuing within it for about a quarter of an hour, he returned, bearing in his hand, fome beautiful pieces of white fpar, which art could neither equal nor imitate. Upon being informed by him that the place was full of thefe beautiful incrustations, I ventured in once more with him, about fifty paces, anxiously and cautiously defcending by a steep and dangerous way. Finding, however, that we came to a precipice which led into a fpacious amphitheatre, (if I may fo call it,) ftill deeper than any other part, we returned, and being provided with a ladder, flambeau, and other things to expedite our descent, our whole company, man by man, ventured into the fame opening; and defcending one after another, we at last saw ourfelves all together in the moft magnificent part of the cavern." SECTION IV. The Grotto of Antiparos continued. "OUR candles being now all lighted up, and the whole place completely illuminated, never could the eye be prefented with a more glittering, or a more magnificent scene. The whole roof hung with folid icicles tranfparent as glafs, yet folid as marble. The eye could fcarcely reach the lofty and noble ceiling; the fides were regularly formed with fpars; and the whole prefented the idea of a magnificent theatre, illuminated with an immenfe profufion of lights. The floor confifted of folid marble: and, in feveral places, magnificent columns, thrones, altars, and other objects, appeared, as if nature had defigned to mock the curiofities of art. Our voices, upon speaking or finging, were redoubled to an aftonishing loudness; and upon the firing of a gun, the noife and reverberations were almost deafening. In the midst of this grand amphitheatre rose a concretion of about fifteen feet high, that, in fome meaf ure, refembled an altar; from which, taking the hint, we caufed mafs to be celebrated there. The beautiful columns that shot up round the altar appeared like candlefticks; and many other natural objects reprefented the customary ornaments of this rite. "Below even this fpacious grotto there feemed another cavern; down which I ventured with my former mariner, and descended about fifty paces by means of a rope. I at laft arrived at a small spot of level ground, where the bottom appeared different from that of the amphitheatre, being compofed of foft clay, yielding to the preffure, and in which I thurst a tick to the depth of fix feet. In this, however, as above, numbers of the most beautiful crystals were formed; one of which, particularly resembled a table. Upon our egrefs from this amazing cavern, we perceived a Greek infcription upon a rock at the mouth, but fo obliterated by time, that we could not read it dif tinctly. It seemed to import that one Antipater, in the time of Alexander, had come hither; but whether he penetrated into the depths of the cavern, he does not think fit to inform us.' This account of fo beautiful and ftriking afcene may ferve to give us fome idea of the fubterraneous wonders of nature. SECTION V. Earthquake at Catanea. GOLDSMITH. ONE of the earthquakes most particularly defcribed in history, is that which happened in the year 1693; the damages of which were chiefly felt in Sicily, but its mo tion was perceived in Germany, France, and England. It extended to a circumference of two thousand fix hundred leagues; chiefly affecting the feacoafts, and great rivers; more perceivable alfo upon the mountains than in the vallies. Its motions were fo rapid, that persons who lay at their length, were toffed from fide to fide, as upon a rolling billow. The walls were dathed from their foundations; and no fewer than fifty-four cities, with an incredible number of villages, were either destroyed or greatly damaged. The city of Catanea, in particular, was utterly overthrown. A traveller, who was on his way thither, perceived, at the distance of fome miles, a black cloud, like night, hanging over the place. The fea all of a fudden began to roar; Mount Etna to fend forth great fpires of flame; and foon after a fhock enfued, with a |