eagerly demanded of him if he did not see that blood upon the feet-curtain of his bed. There was none to be seen, the physician assured him, it was nothing but a vapour of his fancy. I see it plainly, in the shape of a human hand: I have been visited with a tremendous apparition. As I was lying sleepless in my bed this night, I took up a letter of a deceased friend, to dissipate certain thoughts that made me uneasy: I believed him to be a great philosopher, and was converted to his opinions: persuaded by his arguments and my own experience, that the disorderly affairs of this evil world would not be administered by any wise, just or provident being. I had brought myself to think that no such being could exist, and that a life produced by chance, must terminate in annihilation: this is the reasoning of that letter, and such were the thoughts I was resolving in my mind, when the apparition of my dear friend presented itself before me; and unfolding the curtains of my bed, stood at my feet, looking earnestly upon me for a considerable space of time. My heart sunk within me; for his face was ghastly, full of horror, with an expression of such an anguish as I can never describe; his eyes were fixed upon me, and at length with a mournful motion of his headAlas, alas! he cried, we are in a fatal error!-and taking hold of the curtains with his hand, shook them violently and disappeared.-This I protest to you, I both saw and heard; and look! where the print of his hand is left in blood upon the curtains!" Antitheus survived the relation of this vision very few hours, and died delirious in great agonies.

What a forsaken and disconsolate creature is man, without bis God and Saviour!

THOMAS PAINE.

[Meth. Mag.]

THIS unhappy man is well known to have been one of the most malignant enemies of Christianity. He was an avowed infidel in principle, and an open profligate in practice. He lived despised by the wise and good, and, like many other infidels, died apparently full of dread of the future; a stranger to that repentance which is unto life.

The following account of the concluding scenes of his life, is from the pen of Dr. Manley, a respectable physician, who attended him in his last illness.

"During the latter part of his life, though his conversation was equivocal, his conduct was singular. He would not be left

alone night or day; be not only required to have some person with him; but he must see that he or she was there, and would not allow his curtains to be closed at any time; and if, as it would sometimes unavoidably happen, that he was left alone, he would scream and halloo until some person came to him. When relief from pain would admit, he would seem thoughtful and contemplative, his eyes generally closed, and his hands folded on his breast, although he never slept without the assistance of an anodyne. There was something remarkable in his conduct at this time, which comprises about two weeks before his death, particularly when we reflect that Thomas Paine was the author of the Age of Reason. He would call out during his paroxism of distress, without intermission, O Lord help me,' God help me!-Jesus Christ help me! O Lord help me,' &c. repeating the same expressions without the least variation, in a tone that would alarm the house. It was this conduct, that induced me to think that he had abandoned his former opinions; and I was more inclined to that belief when I understood from his nurse, who is a very serious, and I believe a pious woman, that he would occasionally inquire, on seeing her engaged with a book, what she was reading; and being auswered, and at the same time being asked whether she should read aloud, he assented, and would appear to give particular attention. I took occasion during the night of the 5th and 6th of June, to test the strength of his opinions respecting revelation. I purposely made him a very late visit; it was a time which seemed to suit my errand, it was midnight. He was in great distress, constantly exclaiming in the words above mentioned; when I addres sed him in the following manner, the nurse being present.—' Mr. Paine, your opinions, by a large portion of the community, have been treated with deference. You must be sensible that we are acquainted with your religious opinions, as they are given to the world; what then must we think of your present confduct? Why do you call upon Jesus Christ to help you? Do you believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ? Come now, answer me honestly I want an answer as from the lips of a dying man, for I verily believe that you will not live twenty-four hours.'I waited some time at the end of every question: he did not an swer, but ceased to exclaim in the above manner. Again I addressed him, Mr. Paine, you have not answered my questions; will you answer them?-Allow me to ask, do you believe?or let me qualify the question-Do you wish to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? After a pause of some moments, he answered, I have no wish to believe on the subject." I then left him; and know not whether he afterwards spoke to any

person on any subject, though he lived till the morning of the 8th.

How apparent is it from the preceding narration, that the mind of Paine was convinced of the truth of that religion which he had ridiculed, and whose Author he had blasphemed; but that the stubborn pride of the hardened infidel prevented him from explicitly confessing this, when the question was solemnly put to him. Indeed there seems much reason for believing that he was in that state which forever precludes the possibility of genuine repentance—that he was given over by God to a reprobate mind.

There are some who affect not to believe this account of Paine, and of the other infidels; but it is hard to tell whether such affectation is caused by shame or ignorance, or both.Paine's decease took place at New-York, and those who attended him at that horrid hour, were witnesses of his dread of appearing at the bar of God.

ROMAN CATHOLIC INQUISITION AT GOA.

An account of the Inquisition at Goa, in the East Indies. [By the Rev. Claudius Buchanan, D. D.]

[Meth. Mag. Eng.]

BEFORE Dr. B. begins to give an account of the Inquisition at Goa, he observes, with a candour and liberality suited to his enlarged mind and generous heart, that "he is acquainted with individuals of the church of Rome," whose unaffected piety he considers a reproach to a great body of protestants, even of the stricter sort." 99 But he is very far from considering the excellency of their character, as an apology for a church which has corrupted the faith, and by her bloody persecutions rendered christianity odious to Jews, Turks, and Pagans.

Arrived at Goa, principally with a design to inquire into the state of the inquisition there, Dr. B. was received in the house of the British resident, and introduced next day to the viceroy, by that gentleman and colonel Adams. Having obtained permission from his excellency to sail up the river to Old Goa, the seat of the inquisition, major Pareira, of the Portuguese establishment, offered to accompany him, and to introduce him to the archbishop of Goa. The following account, copied from Dr.

B.'s Journal, is far from being calculated to make any impres sions favourable to popery.

"Goa: Convent of the Augustinians, Jan. 23, 1808. "I had communicated to colonel Adams, and to the British resident, my purpose of inquiring into the state of the inquisition. These gentlemen informed me, that I should not be able to accomplish my design without difficulty; since every thing relating to the inquisition was conducted in a very secret manner, the most respectable of the lay Portuguese themselves being ignorant of its proceedings; and that, if the priests were to discover my object, their excessive jealousy and alarm would prevent their communicating with me, or satisfying my inquiries on any subject.

"On receiving this intelligence, I perceived that it would be necessary to act with caution. I was, in fact, about to visit a republic of priests whose dominion had existed for nearly three centuries; whose province it was to prosecute heretics, and particularly the teachers of heresy and from whose authority and sentence there was no appeal in India.

"It happened that Lieut. Kempthorne, commander of his majesty's brig Diana, was, at this time in the harbour. On his learning that I meant to visit Old Goa, he offered to accompany me; as did captain Stirling, of his majesty's 84th regiment.

"We proceeded up the river in the British resident's barge accompanied by major Pareira, who was well qualified, by a thirty year's residence, to give information concerning local circumstances. From him I learned that there were upwards of two hundred churches and chapels in the province of Goa, and upwards of two thousand priests.

"On our arrival at the city, it was past twelve o'clock : all the churches were shut, and we were told that they could not be opened again till two o'clock. I mentioned to major Pareira, that I intended to stay at Old Goa some days, and that I should be obliged to him to find me a place to sleep in. He seemed surprised at this intimation, and told me that it would be diffi cult for me to obtain a reception in any of the churches or convents, and that there were no private houses into which I could be admitted. I said I could sleep any where; I had two servants with me, and a travelling bed. When he perceived that I was serious in my purpose, he gave directions to a civil officer, in that place, to clear out a room in a building which had been long uninhabited, and which was then used as a warehouse for goods. Matters at this time presented a very gloomy appearance; and I had thoughts of returning with my compan

ious from this inhospitable place. In the mean time we sat down in the room I have just mentioned, to take some refreshment, while Major Pareira went to call on some of his friends. During this interval, I communicated to Lieut. Kempthorne the object of my visit. I had in my pocket Dellon's account of the inquisition at Goa ;* and I mentioned some particulars. While we were conversing on the subject, the great bell of the cathedral began to toll; the same which Dellon observes always tolls, before day light, on the morning of the Auto da Fè. I did not myself ask any questions of the people concerning the inquisition; but Mr. Kempthorne made inquiries for me; and he soon found out that the Santa Casa, or Holy Office, was close to the house where we were sitting. The gentlemen went to the window to view the horrid mansion; and 1 could see the indignation of free enlightened men arise in the countenances of the two British officers, while they contemplated a place where formerly their own countrymen were condemned to the flames, and into which they themselves might now be suddenly thrown, without the possibility of rescue.

The magnificence of the churches of Goa far exceeded any idea I had formed from the previous description. Goa is properly a city of churches: and the wealth of provinces seem to have been expended in their erection. The ancient specimens of architecture at this place far excel any thing that has been attempted in modern times in any other part of the East, both in grandeur and in taste. The chapel of the palace is built after the plan of St. Peter's at Rome, and is said to be an accurate model of that paragon of architecture. The church of St. Dominic, the founder of the inquisition, is decorated with paintings of Italian masters. St. Francis Xavier lies enshrined in a monument of exquisite art, and his coffin is enchased with silver and precious stones. The cathedral of Goa is worthy of one of the principal cities of Europe; and the church and convent of the Augustinians (in which I now reside) is a noble pile of building, situated on an eminence, and has a magnificent appearance from afar.

"But what a contrast to all this grandeur of the churches is the worship offered in them. I have been present at the service of one or other of the chapels every day since I arrived; and I seldom see a single worshipper, but the ecclesiastics. Two rows of native priests, kneeling in order before the altar, clothed in coarse black garments, of sickly appearance and vacant countenance, perform here, from day to day their laborious

* Monsieur Dellon, a physician, was imprisoned in the dungeon of the inquisition at Goa, for two years, and witnessed an Auto da Fé, where some heretics were burned..