died in a fit of rage. The tortured soul has rushed forth from its clay tenement, among fiends and furies, its fittest companions. Thus it is said by the inspired penman: Wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one. Job v. 2.

Let us learn to suspend our violence, and govern our tempers, when causes of discord arise. Let us allow ourselves time to think how little prospect we have of gaining by fury and rage, and how much of the true happiness of life we are sure of throwing away.-Wrath is cruel. Astyages, king of Persia, being displeased with Harpagus, invited him to supper, and caused thât miserable parent to feed on the flesh of his own son; and then asked him how he liked the repast.-When Darius had subdued Scythia, Oebasus, a nobleman whom he had conquered, requested of the tyrant that he would leave one of his three children to comfort his distressed father, and content himself with the service of the other two. The conqueror promised that he would dismiss them all; and hereupon caused them all to be slain, and the dead bodies to be cast at the feet of the unhappy father.-Alexander, at a festival, murdered his own friend Clitus, because he would not flatter him in his follies; and exposed Lysimachus to the fury of a lion.-Nebuchadnezzar being full of fury against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, caused them to be cast into a fiery furnace, heated to seven-fold rage.-Lucious Sylla in his anger against Marcus

Marius, caused his legs to be broken, his eyes to be pulled out, his hands to be cut off, and his body to be torn asunder.

The honourable Commodore Byron was an eyewitness to the following shocking scene of brutal rage, on the coast of Patagonia. I beg leave to present the reader with it in his own words:"Here I must relate a little anecdote of our christian cacique. He and his wife had gone off, at some distance from the shore, in their canoe, when she dived for sea-eggs; but not meeting with great success, they returned a good deal out of humour. A little boy of theirs, about three years old, whom they appeared to be dotingly fond of, watching for his father and mother's return, ran into the surf to meet them. The father handed a basket of sea-eggs to the child, which being too heavy for him to carry, he let it fall; upon which the father jumped out of the canoe, and catching the boy up in his arms, dashed him with the utmost violence against the stones. The poor little creature lay motionless and bleeding, and in that condition was taken up by the mother; but died soon after. She appeared inconsolable for some time; but the brute his father shewed little concern about it."

Thus we have seen, that sinful anger destroys our own peace of mind-hurts the unity of the spirit among brethren-blocks up our way to the

divine throne-exposes us to danger—makes work for bitter repentance-fires the mind of othersmakes us unlike the meek and lowly Jesus-causes us to resemble madmen and devils-and is cruel and murderous.

CHAP. VI.

CHARACTER OF PROTERVUS.

PROTERVUS was notorious in his childhood for his genius in pranks of mischief and malevolence: his fond and foolish parents, instead of restraining him, praised his parts, admired him for his address and courage, and prided themselves in what they called the seeds of heroism and prowess. Finding this the road to honour and applause, young Protervus was quickened in his course, and proceeded from one degree of malignity to another, till he became the scourge of society. When arrived to years of maturity, the rashness and ungoverned passion of Protervus pushed him on to a hasty and irregular conduct his lips often poured out foolishness, and through the impatience of his spirit, he rushed into many snares, and sometimes involved his best friends in the same mischief. It is confessed, Protervus had sometimes honest and honourable projects in his head: but the violence of his temper was such that he was easily diverted from the point he should have kept in sight. He pursued nothing with that steadiness which is necessary in order to success.

He was very easily

offended; and his resentment was consequently often founded on misunderstandings, and wrong interpretations of words or actions. That which a small share of humility and charity would have passed over in silence, Protervus swelled into a great and heinous provocation. He never could suspend his anger till facts were ascertained, and the truth examined. When once displeased, he was inflexibly severe, and resolutely implacable. The truth of this will appear from the following relation.

The unhappy Ærumnosus offended his neighbour Protervus. I do not now perfectly recollect the circumstances of the case; but Ærumnosus soon found that he had incurred the resentment of one whose tender mercies were cruel. A rigorous prosecution was entered against him. His humiliating confessions, his willingness to make all the satisfaction in his power, the earnest supplications of his distressed wife, and seven helpless children, were of no avail. Ærumnosus was sent to the county jail; he was tried, cast, and condemned to perpetual imprisonment. On the side of Protervus there was power; but the unfortunate Ærumnosus had no comforter. I had the following account of his distressed situation from one who saw him in his confinement.

"I was told by the keeper that that was the cell of Ærumnosus. I looked through the twilight