A MENTAL STRUGGLE. 619

I would say; but, indeed, I soon after perceived, that he stopped
because his spirits were in motion; his great heart was full of
struggles, and he could not go on. I was, I confess, astonished at
the thing, as well as at the man, and I used some arguments with
him to urge him to set himself free; that he ought to look upon
this as a door opened by Heaven for his deliverance, and a summons
by Providence, who has the care aid disposition of all events, to do
himeelf good, and to render himself useful in the world.

He had by this time recovered himself. “ How do you know,
sir,” says he, warmly, ‘that, instead of a summons from Heaven,
it may not be a feint of another instrument, representing, in all the
alluring colours to me, the show of felicity as a deliverance,
which may in itself be my snare, and tend directly to my ruin?
Here I am free from the temptation of returning to my former
miserable greatness; there I am not sure, but that all the seeds of
pride, ambition, avarice, and luxury, which I know remain in
nature, may revive and take root, and, in a word, again overwhelm
me; and then the happy prisoner, whom you see now master of
his soul’s liberty, shall be the miserable slave of his own senses, in
the full of all personal liberty. Dear sir, let me remain in this
blessed confinement, banished from the crimes of life, rather than
putchase a show of freedom at the expense of the liberty of my
reagon, and at the expense of the future happiness which now
I have in my view, but shall then, I fear, quickly lose sight of;
for I am but flesh, a man, a mere man, have passions and affections
as likely to possess and overthrow me as any man. Oh, be not my
friend and my tempter. both together |”

If I was surprised before, I was quite dumb now, and stood
silent, looking at him; and, indeed, admired what I saw. The
struggle in his soul was so great, that, though the weather was
extremely cold, it put him into a most violent sweat, and I found
he wanted to give vent to his mind: so I said a word or two, that
I would leave him to consider of it, and wait on him again; and
then I withdrew to my own apartment.

About two hours after, I heard somebody at or near the door of
‘my room, and I was going to open the door; but he had opened it;
and came in. “ My dear friend,” says he, “ you had almost over-