the departed Chief to appear to him; and, thinking that it could hear, has even set it a time and place in the fields to meet him.

Can it be supposed that the Romances which he read could be of any real service? The names of the chief of these, the Reader has already seen. With respect to these he has said, when conversing with his friends on the subject," I believe I should have been an arrant coward had I never read Romances; such was the natural timidity, or if you please, imbecility of my mind." Of his courage none could doubt, who have seen him, while offering the salvation of God to a rebel world, surrounded and assailed by a desperate mob, standing alone, when his friends had forsaken him and fled, every man providing for his own safety. Instances of this kind will occur in the course of this Narrative.

As he had heard and read much of enchantments and enchanters, so he had heard much of magic and magicians. Whether there were any thing real in their pretended science he could not tell but his curiosity prompted him strongly to enquire. He had heard of the Occult Philo sophy of Cornelius Agrippa, and wonderful tales his school-fellows had told relative to this book;-" that it was obliged to be chained to a large block, else it would fly, or be carried away, &c."

Hearing that a school-master at some miles' distance, had a copy, he begged his father to write a letter to the gentleman, requesting the loan of the book for a few days. Though he knew not the road, and was only about eight years of age, yet he equipped himself for the journey; and when his mother said, "Adam, you must not attempt to go; you will be lost, for you know not the road," he replied, Never fear, mother, I shall find it well enough. "But you will be so weary by the time you get there,

that you will not have strength to return;" to which he answered, Never fear, mother, if I can get there and get the book, I hope to get as much out of it, as will bring me home without touching the ground. The little fellow had actually made up his mind to return to his home on the back of an angel; he was however disappointed; the man refused to lend the book.

This disappointment only served to whet and increase his curiosity and an occurrence shortly after took place, which in some measure crowned his wishes as to a sight of this book. A family of travelling tinkers or iron founders,-makers of small iron pots,-came to the country. It was currently reported of them, that they were all conjurors and possessed some wonderful magical books. Adam got leave from his parents to visit them. He found a man, his wife, and a tall well-made son of about twenty years of age, and several other children, two of whom were dumb, encamped in a forsaken house, where, for the time being, they had erected a furnace and were hard at work. Adam's errand was soon known, and the father, a very intelligent man, began to entertain him with strange relations of what might be done by spells, figures, diagrams, letters, fumigations, &c., &c. All this he heard with raptures, and enquired into the particulars :—these were sparingly related, and he was told to come the next day. He went accordingly, and was well received, and to his inexpressible joy, a copy of the three books of Cornelius Agrippa's Occult Philosophy was produced. He touched it with fear, and read it with trembling, and asked liberty to take some notes, which was conceded. In this way, studying, talking, looking for simples, and preparing for operations, he spent several days; this eccentric community cheerfully dividing, with this indefatigable student, their morsel of homely fare. Every night,

however, he returned home; and early in the morning revisited these occult philosophers. At length, when they had supplied all the adjacent place with their manufacture, they removed to another part of the country, entirely out of his reach; and he returned laden with spoils, for such he esteemed them; and having, as he supposed, the bounds of his knowledge considerably enlarged. His instructor, however, had told him that there was a fourth book of the incomparable Cornelius Agrippa, without which, as it contained the practice of the art, it would be useless to attempt any operations. This was discouraging; but it could not be remedied, and so he nearly remitted all study of the science, as he was unacquainted with the practical part, till he should be able to meet with this fourth book.

The notes which he took at this time were very imperfect, as he had not learned to write, so as to make them very intelligible: but his brother copied all fair; and by the help of Adam's descriptions, made those little entries pretty correct.

He was persuaded the whole was innocent, for every thing seemed to be done with a reference to, and dependance upon, God. By His terrible name all spirits were to be raised, employed, bound, and loosed. The science appeared to connect both worlds, and bring about a friendly intercourse between disembodied and embodied spirits: and by it those which were fallen and wicked were to be made the servants and vassals of the good and holy.

This view of the subject, tended greatly to impose on his mind; but happening about this time to read an answer in a book entitled The Athenian Oracle, to the question,-"Is that magic lawful whose operations are performed in the name of God, and by solemn invocations of his power, &c., &c. ?" The answer was,

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No:-for, concerning such things, our Lord has said Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me ye that work iniquity, Matt. vii. 22, 23.

This had a proper effect, and made him proceed afterwards with caution in all these occult matters: nor did he ever attempt to use any kind of magical incantations.

This subject has been treated more particularly because many young minds have been led astray by the promises and apparent piety of this science; and have been thereby plunged into sorrows and disappointments. So much of the fear of God had young Clarke all this time, that had he not been convinced that it was consistent with religion, he never would have bent his mind to its study. Many years after this, he investigated this subject still more minutely; and saw all that could be termed the use and abuse of it.

There was, however, one good effect produced, by the report spread in the neighbourhood,-that the young Clarkes had such sovereign magical powers, and had such spells set in their house, garden, and fields, that, "if any person came to plunder or steal, he would be arrested by the power of those spells, and not be able to move from the spot in which he began his depredations, till sun-rise the next morning :" this secured their property. Previously to this, many things were stolen, particularly poultry; but after this, nothing was ever taken; and the family became so secure, that for months together, they neither bolted nor locked their doors; nor indeed was it necessary.

There are three or four articles in the little library mentioned above, on which it may be necessary to say a few words, because of the effects produced by them on A. C.'s mind; and because of the influence they had on his future life and studies:-viz. The Arabian Nights' Entertainments, Robinson Crusoe, and L'Estrange's Fables of Esop.

The reading of the first of these gave him that decided taste for Oriental History which has been so very useful to him in all his biblical studies. He wished to acquaint himself more particularly with a people whose customs and manners, both religious and civil, were so strange and curious; he never lost sight of this till divine providence opened his way, and placed the means in his power, to gain some acquaintance with the principal languages of the East. This also will be noticed in its due place.

The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, he read as a real history: no true tale was ever better or more naturally told: and none, merely fictitious, was ever told more imposingly. No history, true or feigned, had ever a more direct moral tendency. From it, he has often said, he learned more expressly his duty to God, to his parents, and a firmer belief in Divine Providence, than from all he read or heard from books or men during his early years: and, as soon as they could read, he took care to put this work into the hands of his own children, from the conviction, that in it were combined the finest lessons, and maxims of religion and morality, with every thing interesting and fascinating in historic detail. He has always stated that the good impressions made on his mind by reading this work, were never effaced.

With the Fables of Esop, and his Life by Planudes, he was always much delighted. It was almost one of the