thro' feveral difficulties, of which the most of us feemed utterly regardless.

When we landed, we perceived the island to be frangely overcaft with fogs, which no brightness could pierce, fo that a kind of gloomy horror fat always brooding over it. This had fomething in it very fhocking to easy tempers, infomuch that fome others, whom Patience had by this time gained over, left us here, and privily conveyed themselves round the verge of the ifland, to find a ford by which she told them they might escape.

For my part, I ftill went along with those who were for piercing into the centre of the place; and joining themselves to others whom we found upon the fame journey, we marched folemnly as at a funeral, thro' bordering hedges of rofemary, and thro' a grove of yew-trees, which love to overfhadow tombs and flourish in church-yards. Here we heard on every fide the wailings and complaints of feveral of the inhabitants who had caft themfelves difconfolately at the feet of trees; and as we chanced to approach any of thefe, we might perceive them wringing their hands, beating their breafts, tearing their hair, or after fome other manner vifibly agitated with vexation. Our forrows were heightened by the influence of what we heard and faw, and one of our number was wrought up to fuch a pitch of wildness, as to talk of hanging himself upon a bough which fhot temptingly a-crofs the path we travelled in; but he was reftrained

from

from it by the kind endeavours of our above-mentioned companion.

We had now gotten into the most dufky filent part of the ifland, and by the redoubled founds of fighs, which made a doleful whistling in the branches, the thickness of air which occafioned faintish refpiration, and the violent throbbings of heart which more and more affected us, we found that we approached the grotto of Grief. It was a wide, hollow, and melancholy cave, funk deep in a dale, and watered by rivulets that had a colour between red and black. Thefe crept flow, and half congealed amongst its windings, and mixed their heavy murmur with the echo of groans that rolled thro' all the paffages. In the most retired part of it fat the doleful Being herfelf; the path to her was ftrewed with goads, ftings, and thorns; and the throne on which the fat was broken into a rock, with ragged pieces pointing upwards for her to lean upon. A heavy mist hung above her, her head oppreffed with it reclined upon her arm: Thus did fhe reign over her difconfolate fubjects, full of herself to ftupidity, in eternal penfivenefs, and the profoundelt filence. On one fide of her ftood Dejection, just dropping into a fwoon, and Palenefs wafting to a skeleton; on the other fide were Care, inwardly tormented with imaginations, and Anguish fuffering outward Troubles to fuck the blood from her heart in the fhape of Vultures. The whole vault had a genuine difmalnefs in it, which a few fcattered

I 3

fcattered lamps, whofe blueifh flames arofe and funk in their urns, discovered to our eyes with increase. Some of us fell down, overcome and spent with what they fuffered in the way, and were given over to thofe Tormentors that stood on either hand of the prefence; others, galled and mortified with pain, recovered the entrance, where Patience, whom we had left behind, was ftill waiting to receive us.

With her (whofe company was now become more grateful to us by the want we had found of her) we winded round the grotto, and afcended at the back of it, out of the mournful dale in whose bottom it lay. On this eminence we halted, by her advice, to pant for breath, and lifting our eyes, which till then were fixed downwards, felt a fallen fort of fatisfaction, in obferving thro' the fhades what numbers had entered the island. This fatisfaction, which appears to have ill-nature in it, was excufable, becaufe it happened at a time when we were too much taken up with our own concern, to have refpect to that of others; and therefore we did not confider them as fuffering, but ourfelves as not fuffering in the moft forlorn eftate. It had also the ground-work of humanity and compaffion in it, tho' the mind was then too deeply engaged to perceive it; but as we proceeded onwards it began to discover itself, and from observing that others were unhappy, we came to queftion one another, when it was that we met, and what were the fad occafions that brought us together. Then we heard our

ftories,

ftories, we compared them, we mutually gave and received pity, and fo by degrees became tolerable company.

A confiderable part of the troublesome road was thus deceived; at length the openings among the trees grew larger, the air feemed thinner, it lay with. lefs oppreffion upon us, and we could now and then difcern tracts in it of a lighter greynefs, like the breakings of day, fhort in duration, much enlivening, and called in that country, Gleams of Amusement. Within a short while these gleams began to appear more frequent, and then brighter and of a longer continuance; the fighs that hithertto filled the air with so much dolefulness, altered to the found of common breezes, and in general the horrors of the ifland were abated.

When we had arrived at last at the ford by which we were to pass out, we met with thofe fashionable mourners who had been ferried over along with us, and who being unwilling to go as far as we, had coafted by the fhore to find the place, where they waited our coming; that by fhewing themselves to the world only at that time when we did, they might feem alfo to have been among the troubles of the grotto. Here the waters, that rolled on the other fide fo deep and filent, were much dried up, and it was an easier matter for us to wade over.

The river being croffed, we were received upon the further bank by our friends and acquaintance, whom Comfort had brought out to congratulate our I 4

appear

appearance in the world again. Some of these blamed us for ftaying so long away from them, others advised us against all temptations of going. back again; every one was cautious not to renew our trouble, by asking any particulars of the journey; and all concluded, that in a case of so much affliction, we could not have made choice of a fitter companion than Patience. Here Patience, appearing ferene at her praifes, delivered us over to Comfort. Comfort fmiled at his receiving the charge; immediately the fky purpled on that fide to which he turned, and double day at once broke in upon me.

VISION