thought of marrying him; and to that end found out a match which he thought fit for his ends. He ordered his servant to make ready their horses in the morning, and when they were riding on the way, he bade the man ride before. He then spake to his son to this purpose: "Son, you have been matter of great grief to me; and having used many means to reclaim you from this way, to no purpose, I have one more remedy in view, with which if you comply, I shall settle my estate upon you, else you shall never enjoy a groat of it; I am riding to such a gentleman's house, to whose daughter I intend to marry you." The son said little, but went with his father, who before had made way there. They were entertained nobly; he had a sight of the young lady, a great beauty, and the young man fell much in love with her. When they had taken their leave, and were on their way home, his father asked him what he thought of her? He answered, "No man living, but must be taken with such a one; but I fear she will not like me." The father bid him take no care for that. The wooing was not long; at three weeks end they came to London to buy things for the wedding. The father had charged, that, in the time of wooing in that gentleman's house, there should be no swearing or debauchery, lest his son should be discouraged. Wedding clothes being bought, and the day come, the young couple were married. At the wedding-dinner, at her father's house, the mask was taken off; they fell to drinking and swearing among their cups; and, amongst others, the bride swore an oath. At this the bridegroom, as a man amazed, took occasion to rise from the table, stepped forth, and going to the stable, took a horse, mounted, and rode away, not knowing whither. As he rode along, he bewailed himself as undone, and that deservedly; he had been so in love, and the business so hurried on! He said, he had at that time, restrained prayer, and slackened his communion with God, whereas, in that grand affair he should have been doubly serious; and so might thank himself that he was utterly done. He sometimes thought of riding quite away. At last, being among the woods, he led his horse into a solitary place, tied him to a tree and betook himself to his prayers and tears, in which he spent the afternoon. God had altered his argument of prayer; which was now for the conversion of his wife. He did not rise from prayer, without good hope of being heard. At the bride-house there was hurry enough; horse and man (after they missed the bridegroom) being sent every way.

In the evening he returned, and inquiring where his bride was, went up to her and found her in her chamber pensive. enough. She asked him if he had done well to expose her to

scorn and derision all the day? He entreated her to sit down upon a couch by him, and he would give her an account of what he had done, and tell her the story of his whole life. He went over the story, not without great affection and many tears; the flood-gates of which had been opened in the woods. And ever and anon, "through grace, God did so and so for me." When he had told her his story, she asked him, what he meant by those words, so often used in the relation, "Through grace?" and then asked him, if he thought there was no grace for her, who was so wretched a stranger to God? Yes, my dear, said he, there is grace for thee; that I have been praying for, this day, in the woods. And God hath heard my prayer, and seen my tears, and let us now go together to him about it. Then did they kneel down by the couch-side, and he prayed: and such weeping and supplication there was on both sides, that when they were called down to supper, they had hardly eyes to see with, so swelled were they with weeping. At supper the bride's father (according to his custom) swore. The bride immediately said; "Father, I beseech you swear not." At which the bridegroom's father, in a great rage, rose from table: what, says he, is the devil in him! hath he made his wife a Puritan already? and swore bitterly, that he would rather set fire (with his own hands) to the four corners of his new-built house, than ever he should enjoy it. Accordingly he made his will, gave his son (when he should die) ten pounds to cut off his claim; and gave the estate to some others, of whom Dr. Reeves was Not long after, he died. Dr. Reeves sent for the gentleman, paid him his ten pounds, told him he had been a rebellious son, and disobliged his father, and might thank himself.He received the ten pounds and meekly departed. His wife (the match was so huddled up) had no portion promised, at least that he knew of, who relied on his father. And she was also deserted by her friends: but having two hundred pounds in her own hands, that had been given her by a grandmother, they took and stocked a farm in Sussex. There Mr. Knight had often been and seen her, who had been highly bred, in her red waistcoat milking her cows. She was now become the great comforter and encourager of her husband. God, said she, hath had mercy on me, and any pains-taking is pleasant to me. There they lived with much comfort, and had the blessing of marriage, divers children.

one.

After three years, he was met on the road, in Kent, by one of the tenants of the estate, and saluted by the name of landlord; alas! said he, I am none of your landlord; yes, you are, said he; I know more than you do of the settlement; your father, though a cunning lawyer, with all his wit, could not alie

nate the estate from you, whom he made joint purchaser. Myself, and some other tenants know it, and have refused to pay any money to Dr. Reeves: I have sixteen pounds ready for you, which I will pay to your acquittance, that will serve you to go to law with them. He was amazed at this wonderful providence, received the money, sued for his estate, and in a term or two, recovered it. His blessed wife, who enjoyed a loving husband, divers fine children, and a plentiful estate; in the midst of these outward blessings, fell into a way of questioning the truth of her grace, because of outward prosperity. This was her sin without doubt, for which Mr. Knight rebuked her; but it was a severe rebuke that the Lord gave her for her unthankfulness: a fine boy, about three years old, fell into a kettle of scalding wort, and was taken out by his mother, and died. This she looked on as the Lord's discipline for her unthankfulness, and was instructed. This relation was sent me (says Mr. Turner) by the Rev. M. Singleton, now living in Hoxton-Square; and he received it from Mr. Knight, who was intimately acquainted with Mr. Studly.

Further remarks upon the subject of Giants.

AT this day it is conceived, by some, extravagant to believe, there ever existed persons denominated giants, as set forth on page 48, in this work. Although at first thought upon this subject, we are inclined to abandon such accounts as untrue; perhaps it would be well to consult the scriptures, which embrace the most ancient and the most authentic history of giants, before we pronounce the accounts alluded to altogether fabulous. First, in the book of Genesis, 6th chapter, verse 4th, it is said, "there were giants in the earth in those days." This was previous to the deluge, and the inhabitants of that time lived to the age of many hundred years."

There can be no doubt that the people of that age possessed a hardiness of constitution and a robustness of person quite unknown to the present inhabitants of any part of the globe. From this very circumstance greater magnitude of person and longer date of life might be expected to be the natural result. If so, where then is the absurdity of supposing them to be, in general, persons of greater stature? If at the present day there are found persons who are an exception from the common size of men, of which Doct. Adam Clarke, of London, gives us the account, in his comment of the scriptures, upon the subject of giants; viz. that he had known a young man who measured

eight feet and six inches in height, and every way well proportioned. If, therefore, at this day, such a monster of a man is known to exist, how much more may we say, and with confidence too, that in those ages, when man lived longer on the earth, there were exceptions from the general size of men, of a more monstrous and astonishing description? Therefore it is said there were giants in the earth in those days.

The book of Numbers, in the second place, Chap. 13, notices this subject in the following manner. At the time when Moses sent out the spies to explore the country of the Canaanites, they returned with this account: that they had found cities which were walled, and very great; and that they had seen the children of Anak there, who were giants. And on this very account they were afraid, and discouraged the people from such an enterprise : declaring that they were not able to go up against them, because they were stronger than they.

And further they said that they were a people who eat up the inhabitants thereof; alledging that all the people they saw were men of great stature. And besides all this they had seen the sons of Anak, who came of the giants; in whose presence they felt themselves to be but grasshoppers, in comparison of them while the giants esteemed the Israelites in the same light, as grasshoppers only. When, therefore, this account was spread abroad, through the camp of Israel, they were terrified beyond measure, and wept all that night, for very fear that they should all be devoured of the giants; for the spies had said that they eat up the inhabitants of the land. But Moses, and Aaron, and Joshua and Caleb, and some of the spies, endeavoured to encourage the people not to fear them, but to go up and possess the land. But this only enraged them, and they made haste to stone their leaders; which was prevented only by the sudden appearance of the glory of God in the tabernacle, who reproved them for their anger and unbelief.

Thirdly, we will notice the 2d Chap. of Deuteronomy upon this subject, see verses 10, 11, 20, 21. The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall as the Anakims; which also were accounted giants. Verse 20. That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time. Verse 21. A people great, and many, and tall as the Anakims; but the Lord destroyed them. From the above quotations it appears that there were an abundance of gigantic people in ancient days; but some may say, truly this is proved, but unfortunately their height is not spoken of so clearly as might be desired. To this we will answer, that the design of God, in giving to us the history of his works and ways, was not to satisfy a vain curiosity, by telling us of the heights of men

or the bulk of beast, &c. but to shew us his wonderous power, and amazing goodness and holiness, to excite our fear and love of him, and to imitate his holiness. Yet the scriptures have stooped and condescended to afford us four instances, the only that I recollect, which intimate pretty clearly what the height of some of those giants were: but this I consider is only to shew us that the Lord is stronger than the strongest ; for it is said he destroyed those nations.

The scriptures I allude to are, first, the 3d Chap. of Deuteronomy, 11th verse, where it is said, for only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was bedstead of iron: is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it. Doct. Adam Clarke, in his comment upon this, remarks, that bishop Cumberland, in his account of the length of a cubit, says it contans 21 inches and a trifle over. This being correct, we have, at once, the length of his bedstead, which was 15 feet; and 7 feet 8 in hes in width.

The second instance is in the book of Amos, 2d Chap. 9th verse, where the prophet relates what God had done for his people in times past, viz. that he destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oak. This it is conceived is spoken in the strongest terms; representing the height of some of those people at least, to be equal to the height of the cedar tree, which in that country is a tree of cousiderable magnitude and height.

The third instance is that of Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span; which is eleven feet and three inches..

From the above remarks, and quotations, we think it is safe to conclude, that anciently, giants were more common and enormous than at the present day. And we think by these that the accounts on page 48 of this work, are in some measure corroborated; and the reasons given for the finding of those large skeletons of the human kind, in the earth in various ages.

The fourth scripture account, which is upon this subject, is Chronicles, 11th Chap. verse 23. And he, (Benaiah, one of David's captains,) slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high; which is eight feet and nine inches.

It is not unreasonable to believe that the antideluvians, many of them, and also since the deluge, of the ancient nations, were men of great stature; which is shewn, both from sacred ad profane history.

The above scripture accounts seem to place the subject in a very definite light; and subdues the mind to a belief of the existence of giants anciently. If there have been beasts once,