878 DANGER OF EXCESSIVE JOY.

and the next moment be tearing his hair, or pulling his clothes
to pieces and stamping them under his feet, like a mad man; and
afew moments after that we should have him all in tears, then
sick, then swooning; and had not immediate help been had, would
ina few moments more have been dead. And thus it was, not with
one or two, or ten or twenty, but with the greatest part of them;
and if T remember right, our surgeon was obliged to let above
thirty of them blood.

There were two priests among them, one an old man, and the
other a young man; and that which was strangest was that the
oldest man was the worst. As soon as heset his foot on board our
ship, and saw himself safe, he dropped down stone-dead, not the
least sign ef life could be perceived in him, Our surgeon imme-
diately applied proper remedies to recover him, and was the only
man in the ship that believed he was not dead. At length he
opened a vein in his arm, having first chafed and rubbed the part
so as to warm it as much as possible. Upon this, the blood, which
only dropped at first, flowed something freely; in three minutes
after the man opened his eyes; and about a quarter of an hour
alter that, he spoke, grew better, and in a little time quite well.
After the blood was stopped, he walked about and told us he was
perfectly well, took a dram of cordial which the surgeon gave him,
and was what we called come to himself. About a quarter of an
hour after, they came running into the cabin to the surgeon, who
was bleeding a French woman that had fainted, and told him the
priest was gone stark mad. Tt seems he had begun to revolve the
change of his circumstance, and again this put him into an eestasy
of joy ; his spirits whirled about faster than the vessels could con-
vey them, the blood grew hot and feverish, and the man was as
fit for Bedlam as any creature that ever was init. The surgeon
would not bleed him again in that condition, but gave him some-
thing to doze and put him to sleep, which after some time operated
upon him, and he waked the next morning perfectly composed and
well.

The younger priest behaved with great command of his passions,
and was really an example of a serious, well-governed mind. At his
first coming on board the ship, he threw himself flat on his face,