Before I could anfwer, I found a venera-ble old gentleman standing by my fide, and he feemed much more furprized at the fight of me than his daughter was; for, as this young lady told me afterward, the gueffed at once the whole affair; feeing me with my gun and dog, in a fhooting drefs; and knew it was a natural curiofity brought me into the garden, and ftopped me at the window, when I faw her in fuch an attitude, and in fuch a place.―This I affured them was the truth of my cafe, with this fmall addition however, that I was ready to perifh for want of fomething to eat; having been from four in the morning at hard exercife, and had not yet broke my fast.If this be the cafe, fays the good old man, you are welcome, Sir, to Eden-Park, and you fhall foon have the best breakfast our house affords. Upon this Mr. Noel brought me into his houfe, and the lovely Harriot made tea for me, and had such plenty of fine cream, and extraordinary bread and butter fet before me, that I break fafted with uncommon pleasure. The honour and happiness of her company rendered the repaft quite delightful. There was a civility fo very great in her manner, and a focial goodnefs fo charming in her talk and temper, that it was unC 6 fpeakable speakable delight to fit at table with her. She asked me a number of questions relating to things, and books, and people, and there was fo much good fenfe in every inquiry, fo much good humour in her reflections, and replications, that I was entirely charmed with her mind; and loft in admiration, when I contemplated the wonders of her face, and the beauties of her perfon. When breakfaft was over, it was time for me to depart, and I made half a dozen attempts to rife from my chair; but without her laying a rofy finger on me, this illuftrious maid had fo totally fubdued my foul, and deprived me of all motive power, that' I fat like the renowned Prince of the Maffagetes, who was stiffened by enchantment in the apartment of the Princefs Phedima, as we read in Amadis de Gaul. This Mifs Noel faw very plain, and in compaffion to my misfortune, generously threw in a hint now and then, for a little farther converfation to colour my unreasonable delay. But this could not have been of fervice much" longer, as the clock had struck twelve, if the old gentleman, her father, had not returned to us, and told me, he insisted on my staying to dine with him; for he loved to take a glafs after dinner with a facetious companion, and would be obliged to me for my com pany pany. At prefent (Mr. Noel continued) you will excufe me, Sir, as business engages me till we dine: but my daughter will chat the hours away with you, and fhew you the curiofities of her library and grott. Harriot will fupply my place. This was a delightful invitation indeed, and after returning my hearty thanks to the old gentleman for the favour he did me, I addreffed myself to Mifs Noel, when her father was gone, and we were walking back to the library in the garden, and told her ingenuously, that though I could not be pofitive as to the fituation of my foul, whether I was in love with her or not, as I never had experienced the paffion before, nor knew what it was to admire a woman; having lived till that morning in a state of indifference to her fex; yet, I found very strange emotions within me, and I was fure I could not leave her without the most lively and af flicting inquietude. You will pardon, I hope, Madam, this effufion of my heart, and fuffer me to demonftrate by a thoufand and a thousand actions, that I honour you in a manner unutterable, and from this time, can imagine no happiness but with you. A Converfa tion with Mifs Noel, in relation to the Language of Adam, and the Primavity of the Hebrew Tongue, Sir, (this inimitable maid replied) you are an entire ftranger, to me, and to declare a paffion on a few hours acquaintance, must be either to try my weaknefs, or becaufe you think a young woman is incapable of relifhing any thing but fuch ftuff, when alone in converfa-tion with a gentleman. I beg then I may hear no more of this, and as I am fure you can talk upon many more rational fubjects, requeft your favour, to give to give me your opinion on fome articles in this Hebrew Bible you fee lying open on the table in this room. My father, Sir, among other things he has taken great pains to inftruct me in, for feveral years that I have lived with him in a kind of folitary state, fince the death of my mother, whom I loft when I was very young, has taught me to read and understand this infpired Hebrew book; and fays we must afcribe primavity and facred prerogatives to this language. For my part, I have fome doubts as to this matter, which I dare not mention to my father. Tell me, if you pleafe, what you think of the thing. Mifs Noel, (I answered) fince it is your command, that I should be filent as to that flame flame your glorious eyes and understanding have lighted up in my foul, like fome fuperior nature, before whom I am nothing, filent I will be, and tell you what I fancy on a subject I am certain you understand much better than I do. My knowledge of the Hebrew is but fmall, though I have learned to read and understand the Old Teftament in the Ante-Babel language. My opinion on your question is, that the Biblical Hebrew was the language of Paradife, and continued to be spoken by all men, down to, and at the time of Mofes writing. the Pentateuch, and long after. Abraham, though bred in Chaldea, could converfe freely with the Egyptians, the Sodomites, and the King of Gerar; nor do we find, that any variety of fpeech interrupted the commerce of his fon Ifaac with the feveral nations around, or that it ever ftopt Jacob in his travels. Nay, the Ifraelites, in their journey through the defarts of Arabia, (after they had been fome hundred years in Egypt) though joined by a mixt multitude, and meeting with divers kinds of people, had not corrupted their language, and were eafily understood, because it was then the univerfal one. The fimplicity and distinctnefs of the Hebrew tongue preferved its purity fo long and fo univerfally. It could not |