600 A GOOD DESIGN.

vindicate the honour of God, which is insulted by this devil-
worship.” ‘ But how will it vindicate the honour of God?” said
he; “while the people will not be able to know what you mean by
it, unless you could speak to them and tell them so, and then they
will fight you, and beat you too, I'll assure you; for they are
desperate fellows, and that especially in defence of their idolatry.”
“Can we not,” said I, “do it in the night, and then leave them
the reasons and causes in writing in their own language?” ‘“Writ-
ing!” said he; ‘why, there is not a man in five nations of them
that knows anything of a letter, or how to read a word in any
language, or in their own.” “ Wretched, ignorant!” said I to
him; “however, I have a great mind to do it. Perhaps Nature
may draw inferences from it to them, to let them see how brutish
they are to worship such horrid things.” “Look you, sir,” said
he: “if your zeal prompts you to it so warmly, you must do it;
but, in the next place, I would have you consider, these wild
nations of people are subjected by force to the Czar of Muscovy’s
dominions; and if you do this, ‘tis ten to one but they will come
by thousands to the Governor of Nortsinskoy, and complain, and
demand satisfaction; and if he cannot give them satisfaction, ’tis
ten to one but they revolt, and will occasion a new war with all
the Tartars in the country.”

This, I confess, put new thoughts into my head for a while;
but I harped upon the same string still, and all that day I was
uneasy to put my project in execution. Towards the evening, the
Scots merchant met me by accident in our walk about the town,
and desired to speak with me. ‘I believe,” said he, “I have put
you off of your good design. I have been a little concerned about
it since, for I abhor the idol and the idolatry as much as you can
do.” “Truly,” says I, “you have put it off a little as to the
execution of it, but you have not put it all out of my thoughts ;
and I believe I shall do it still before I quit this place, though I
were to be delivered up to them for satisfaction.” ‘‘ No, no,” says
he; “God forbid they should deliver you up to such a crew of
monsters. They shall not do that neither: that would be mur-
dering you indeed.” ‘“ Why,” says I, “how would they use
me?” “Use you!” says he; “T'll tell you how they served a