it was little meant; Ι now return to our Hero, who, to the Surprife, I apprehend, of the Reader, exemplified the Truth of one Proverb, viz. He that is born to be hang'd will never be drowned; which, as ShakeSpear phrafes it, may be fomewhat musty; but I am convinced never had fo pregnant an Example of its Veracity before.

CHA P. XIII.

The Atrange and yet natural Escape of our Hero.

Ο

UR Hero having with wonderful Refolution thrown himself headlong into the Sea, as we have mentioned, was miraculously within two Minutes after replaced in his Boat; and this without the Affiftance of a Dolphin or Sea-Horse, or any other Fish or Animal, who are always as ready at Hand when a Poet or Historian pleafes to call for them to carry a Hero through a Sea; as any Chairman at a Coffee-Houfe Door near St. James's, to con

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vey

vey a Beau over a Street, and preserve his white Stockings. The Truth is, we do not chufe to have any Recourfe to Miracles, from the strict Obfervance we pay to that Rule of Horace,

Nec Deus interfit nifi dignus vindice nodus.

The Meaning of which is, Do not bring in a Jupernatural Agent when you can do

without him; and indeed, we are much deeper read in natural than fupernatural Caufes. We will therefore endeavour to account for this extraordinary Event from the former of these; and in doing this it will be neceffary to disclose fome profound Secrets to our Reader, extremely well worth his knowing, and which may serve him to account for many Occurrences of the Phanomenous Kind which have lately appeared in this our Hemisphere.

Be it known then, that the Great Alma Mater Nature, is of all other Females the moft obftinate, and tenacious of her Purpofe. So true is that Obfervation,

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Naturam expellas furca licet, ufque recurret.

Which I need not render in English, it being to be found in a Book which moft fine Gentlemen read. Whatever Nature, therefore, purposes to herfelf, fhe never fuffers any Reason, Defign or Accident, to fruftrate. Now, tho' it may feem to a fhallow Obferver, that fome Perfons were defigned by Nature for no Ufe or Purpose whatever; yet certain it is, that no Man is born into the World without his particular Allotment; viz. fome to be Kings, fome Statesmen, fome Embaffadors, fome Bishops, fome Generals, and fo on. Of these there be two Kinds, thofe to whom Nature is fo generous to give fome Endowment, qualifying them for the Parts fhe intends them afterwards to act on this Stage; and those whom the uses as Inftances of her unlimited Power; and for whofe Preferment to fuch and fuch Stations, Solomon himself could have invented no other Reafon than that Nature defigned them fo. These latter fome great Philofophers have, to fhew them to be the Favourites of Nature,

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ture, diftinguished by the honourable Appellation of NATURALS. Indeed the true Reason of the general Ignorance of Mankind on this Head feems to be this; That as Nature chufes to execute these her Purposes by certain fecond Causes or Tools, and as many of thefe fecond Caufes feem fo totally foreign to her Defign, the Wit of Man, which like his Eye, fees beft directly forward and very little and imperfectly, what is oblique, is not able to discern the End by the Means. Thus, how a handsome Wife or Daughter should contribute to execute her original Defignation of a General; or how Flattery fhould denote a Judge, or Impiety and Atheism, a Bishop, he is not capable of comprehending. And indeed, we ourselves, wife as we are, are forced to reafon ab effectu, and if we were asked what Nature had intended fuch Men for, before the herfelf had by the Event demonftrated her Purpose, it is poffible we might be fometimes puzzled to declare; for it must be confeffed, that at first Sight, and to a Man uninspired, great Fortitude of Mind with a vast Capacity and Knowledge, might induce a Belief in the Beholder, that fuch Endowments

were

were by Nature defigned for Power and Honour rather than the reverfe; whereas daily Experience convinces us of the contrary, and drives us as it were into the Opinion I have here difclofed.

Now, Nature having originally intended our GREAT MAN for that final Exaltation, which as it is the most proper and becoming End of all GREAT MEN, it were heartily to be wished they might all arrive at; would by no Means be diverted from her Purpose. She therefore no fooner spied him in the Water, then fhe foftly whispered in his Ear to attempt the Recovery of his Boat; which Call he immediately obeyed, and being a good Swimmer with great Facility accomplished it.

THUS we think this Paffage in our Hiftory, at first so greatly furprising, is very naturally accounted for; and our Relation rescued from the Prodigious which, thoʻ it often occurs in Biography, is not to be encouraged nor much commended on any Occafion, unless when abfolutely neceffary to prevent the History's being at an End. Second

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