an ill Woman; but by their present Conduct, The may likewife deferve the Character of an ill Subject. They come in for their Share of political Guilt, and have found a way to make themselves much greater Criminals, than their Mothers before them.

I have great Hopes that these Motives, when they are affifted by their own Reflexions, will incline the Fair Ones of the adverfe Party to come over to the National Intereft, in which their own is fo highly concerned; especially, if they confider, that by thefe fuperfluous Employments, which they take upon them as Partisans, they do not only dip themselves in an unneceffary Guilt, but are obnoxious to a Grief and Anguifh of Mind, which doth not properly fall within their Lot. And here I would advise every one of these exasperated Ladies, who indulges that opprobrious Eloquence which is fo much in fashion, to reflect on fop's Fable of the Viper. This little Animal, fays the old Moralift, chancing to meet with a File, began to lick it with her Tongue till the Blood came; which gave her a very filly Satisfaction, as imagining the Blood came from the File, notwithstanding all the Smart was in her own Tongue.

N° 27 Friday, March 23.

Dii Vifa fecundent.

Luc. lib. 1. v. 630.

Profper the Vision, Heav'n!

T is an old Obfervation, that a time of Peace is always a time of Prodigies; for as our News-Writers muft adorn their Papers with that which the Criticks call The Marvellous, they are forced, in a dead calm of Affairs, to ranfack every Element for proper Amusements, and either to aftonifh their Readers from time to time with a ftrange and wonderful Sight, or be content to lose their Cuftom. The Sea is generally filled with Monsters when there are no Fleets upon it. Mount Etna immediately began to rage upon the Extinction of the Rebellion: And wo to the People of Catanea, if the Peace continues; for they are fure to be fhaken every Week with Earthquakes, till they are relieved by the Siege of fome other great Town in Europe. The Air has likewife contributed its Quota of Prodigies. We had a Blazing Star by the laft Mail from Genoa; and in the prefent Dearth of Battles have been very opportunely entertained, by Perfons of undoubted Credit, with a Civil War in the Clouds, where our fharp-fighted Malecontents difcovered many Objects invifible to an Eye that is dimm'd by Whig-Principles.

I queftion not but this Paper will fall in with the prefent Humour, fince it contains a very

remark

remarkable Vision of a Highland Seer, who is famous among the Mountains, and known by the Name of Second-Sighted Sawney. Had he been able to write, we might probably have seen this Vifion fooner in Print; for it happened to him very early in the late hard Winter; and is tranfmitted to me by a Student of Glasgow, who took the whole Relation from him, and ftuck clofe to the Facts, though he has deliyered them in his own Stile.

Sawney was defcended of an ancient Family,

very much renowned for their Skill in Prognofticks. Moft of his Ancestors were SecondSighted, and his Mother but narrowly escaped being burnt for a Witch. As he was going out one Morning very early to fteal a Sheep, he was feized on the fudden with a Fit of Second-Sight. The Face of the whole Country about him was changed in the Twinkling of an Eye, and prefented him with a wide Profpect of new Scenes and Objects, which he had never feen till that Day.

He difcovered at a great Distance from him a large Fabrick, which caft fuch a gliftering Light about it, that it looked like a huge Rock of Diamond. Upon the Top of it was planted a Standard, ftreaming in a strong Northern Wind, and embroider'd with a mixture of Thiftles and Flower-de-luces. As he was amufing himself with this ftrange Sight, he heard a Bagpipe at some distance behind him, and, turning about, faw a General, who seemed very much animated with the Sound of it, marching towards him at the Head of a numerous Army. He learnt, upon Enquiry, that they were making a Proceffion to the Structure which ftood before him, and which

he found was the Temple of Rebellion. He immediately ftruck in with them; but defcribed this March to the Temple with fo much Horror, that he shiver'd every Joint all the while he spoke of it. They were forced to clamber over fo many Rocks, and to tread upon the Brink of fo many Precipices, that they were very often in danger of their Lives. Sawney declared, that, for his own part, he walked in fear of his Neck every Step he took. Upon their coming within a few Furlongs of the Temple, they paffed through a very thick Grove, confecrated to a Deity, who was known by the Name of Treason. They here difperfed themselves into abundance of Labyrinths and covered Walks which led to the Temple. The Path was fo very flippery, the Shade fo exceeding gloomy, and the whole Wood fo full of Echoes, that they were forced to march with the greatest Warinefs, Circumfpection and Silence. They at length arrived at a great Gate, which was the principal Avenue to that magnificent Fabrick. Sawney ftood fome time at the Entrance to obferve the Splendor of the Building, and was not a little entertained with a prodigious Number of Statues, which were planted up and down in a fpacious Court that lay before it; but upon examining it more nicely, he found the whole Fabrick, which made fuch a glittering Appearance, and feemed Impregnable, was compofed of Ice, and that the feveral Statues, which feemed at a diftance to be made of the whiteft Marble, were nothing else but fo many Figures in Snow. The Front of the Temple was very curiously adorned with Stars and Garters, Ducal Coronets, Generals Staffs, and many other Emblems of Honour wrought in the most beautiful Froft-Work. After having flood at gaze

fome

fome time before this great Gate, he discovered on it an Inscription, fignifying it to be the Gate of Perjury. There was erected_near it a great Coloffus in Snow that had two Faces, and was drefs'd like a Jefuit, with one of its Hands upon a Book, and the other grafping a Dagger. Upon entring into the Court, he took a particular Survey of feveral of the Figures. There was Sedition with a Trumpet in her Hand, and Rapine in the Garb of a Highlander: Ambition, Envy, Difgrace, Poverty, and Disappointment, were all of them represented under their proper Emblems. Among other Statues, he obferved that of Rumour whispering an Idiot in the Ear, who was the Reprefentative of Credulity; and Fashion embracing with her hundred Arms an old-fashioned Figure in a Steeple Crown'd Hat, that was defign'd to exprefs a cunning old Gipfy, call'd Paffive Obedience. Zeal too had a Place among the reft, with a Bandage over her Eyes, though one would not have expected to have seen her represented in Snow. But the moft remarkable Object in this Court-Yard was a huge Tree that grew up before the Porch of the Temple, and was of the fame kind with that, which Virgil tells us flourished at the Entrance of the infernal Regions. For it bore nothing but Dreams, which hung in Clufters under every Leaf of it. The Travellers refreshed themselves in the Shade of this Tree before they entered the Temple of Rebellion, and, after their Frights and Fatigues, received great Comfort in the Fruit which fell from it. At length the Gates of the Temple flew open, and the Crowd rufhed into it. In the Centre of it was a grim Idol, with a Sword in the Right Hand, and a Firebrand in the Left. The Fore-part of the Pedestal was curiously

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