And

neying over Abyffinia, never travelled in more frightful Glins*. yet, we often came to plains and vales which had all the charms a paradife could have. Such is the nature of this 'country,

*Relation de l'Ambaffade, Sebastien, roy de Portugal.

dediće a Don

Through thefe fcenes, an amazing mixture of the terrible and the beautiful, we proceeded from five in the morning till... one in the afternoon, when we arrived at a vaft water-fall, which defcended from a precipice near two hundred yards high, into a deep lake, that emptied itself into a fwallow fifty yards from the catadure or fall, and went I fuppofe to the abyfs. The land from this head-long river, for half a mile in length and breadth, till it ended at vast mountains again, was a fine piece of ground, beautifully flowered with various perennials, the acanthus, the aco nus, the adonis or pheafant's eye, the pur ple biftorta, the blue borago, the yellow bupthalmum, the white cacalia, the blue campanula, and the fweet-fmelling caffia, the pretty double daify, the crimson dianthus, the white dictamnus, the red fruximella, and many other wild flowers. They make the green valley look charming; and as here and there ftood two or three ever*

H

green trees, the cyprefs, the larix, the balm of Gilead, and the Swedish juniper, the whole spot has a fine and delightful effect. On my arrival here, I was at a lofs which way to turn.

The inhabi

tants of this fine valley, a Society of married friars.

S. 2. I could not however be long in fufpenfe how to proceed, as I faw near the water-fall a pretty thatched manfion, and feveral inhabitants in it. I found they were a religious fociety of married people, ten friars and their ten wives, who had agreed to retire to this ftill retreat, and form a holy house on the plan of the famous Ivon, the difciple of Labadie, fo celebrated on account of his connection with Mrs. Schurman, and his many fanatical writings *. A book called the Marriage Chretien, written by this Ivon, was their directory, and from it they formed a proteftant La Trappe; with this difference from the Catholic religious men, that the friars of the reformed monaftery were to have wives. in their convent; the better to enable them to obtain Chriftian perfection in the religious life. Thefe Regulars, men

* Sec my fecond volume, where you will find a particular account of Labadie and

Ivon.

and

and women, were a moft industrious people, never idle, but between their hours of prayer always at work: the men were employed in a garden of ten acres, to provide vegetables and fruit, on which they chiefly lived; or in cutting down old trees, and fitting them for their fire: and the women were knitting, fpinning, or twifting what they had fpun into thread, which they fold for three fhillings a pound: they were all together in a large, handsome room: they fat quite filent, kept their eyes on their work, and feemed more attentive to fome inward meditations, than to any thing that appeared, or paffed by them. They looked as if they were contented and happy. They were all extremely handfome, and quite clean: their linen fine and white; their gowns a black stuff. The women dined at one table, the men at another; but all fat in the fame room. The whole house was in bed by ten, and up by four in the morning, winter and fummer. What they said at their table I could not hear, as they fpoke low and little, and were at a dif tance from me, in a large apartment: but the conversation of the men, at table, was very agreeable, rational and improving. I obferved they had a great many children, and kept four women fervants to

attend

attend them, and do the work of the houfe. The whole pleafed me very greatly. I thought it a happy inftitution.

Some thoughts on the inftitu tion of mar

ried regulars.

§. 3. As to the marriage of the friars in this cloystral house, their founder, Iven, in my opinion, was quite right in this notion. Chafte junction cannot have the leaft imperfection in it, as it is the appointment of God, and the inclination to a coit is fo ftrongly impreffed on the machine by the author of it; and fince it is quite pure and perfect; fince it was wifely intended as the only beft expedient to keep man for ever innocent, it muft certainly be much better for a regular or retreating priest, to have a lawful female companion with him; and fo the woman, who chufes a convent, and dislikes the fashions of the world, to have her good and lawful monk every night in her arms; to love and procreate legally, when they have performed all the holy offices of the day; and then, from love and holy generation, return again to prayer, and all the heavenly duties of the cloystered life; than to live, against the inftitution of nature. and providence, a burning, tortured nun, and a burning, tortured friar; locked up in walls they can never pafs, and under the

govern

government of fome old, crofs, impotent fuperior. There is fome fenfe in fuch a marriage chretien in a convent. Ivon's convent is well enough. A cloyfter may do upon his plan, with the dear creature by one's fide, after the daily labours of the monk are over. It had been better, if that infallible man, the Pope, had come into this scheme: How comfortable has Ivon made it to the human race, who renounce the dress and pageantry, and all the vanities of time. Their days are spent in piety and usefulness; and at night, after the completorium, they lie down together in the most heavenly charity, and according to the first great hail, endeavour to increase and multiply. This is a divine life. I am for a cloyfter on thefe terms. It pleafed me fo much to fee thefe monks march off with thein fmiling partners, after the laft pfalm, that I could not help withing for a charmer there, that I might commence the Married Regular, and add to the ftock of children in this holy houfe. It is really a fine thing to monk it on this plan. It is a divine inftitution: gentle and generous, ufeful and pious.

f

On the contrary, how cruel is the Roman church, to make perfection confift in celibacy, and caufe fo many millions of men

and