Letter from the Rev. Mr. THOMAS DAVIDSON, of Braintree, to Mr. ARCHIBALD WALLACE, Merchant, Edinburgh, 12th O&tober, 1767.

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HE late Mr. Thomas Bradbury happened to dine one day at the house of Mrs. Tooley, an eminent chriftian lady in London, who was famous in her day for religion, and for the love the bore to Chrift, and to all his fervants and people. Her house and table were open to them all, being another Lydia in that respect. Mr. Timothy Rogers, who wrote the book on religious melancholy, and was himself many years under that dif temper, happened to dine there the fame day with Mr. Bradbury; and, after dinner, he entertained Mrs. Tooley and him with fome ftories concerning his father, who was one of the ejected minifters in the year 1662, and the fufferings he underwent on account of his nonconformity. Mr. Rogers particularly related one anecdote, that he had often heard his father, with a good deal of pleasure, tell to himself and others, concerning a deliverance which he had from being fent to prifon, after his mittimus, as they call it, was written out for that purpose.

He happened to live near the house of one Sir Richard Cradock, a juftice of the peace, who was a most violent hater and perfecutor of the Diffenters; one who laid out himself to distress them by all the means which the fevere laws then in being put in his power, particularly by enforcing the law againft conventicles. He bore a particular hatred to Mr. Rogers, and wanted above all things to have him in his power; and a fair opportunity, as he thought, offered itself to him. He heard that Mr. Rogers was to preach at a place fome miles distant; and he hired two men to go as fpies, who were to take the names of all the hearers they knew, and to witness against Mr. Rogers and them.

The thing fucceeded to his wifh. They brought the names of feveral perfons who were hearers on that occafion; and Sir Richard fent and warned fuch of them as

he had a particular fpite at, and Mr. Rogers, to appear before him. Accordingly they all came with trembling hearts, expecting the worft; for they knew the violence of the man.

While they were in his great hall, expecting to be called upon, there happened to come into the hall a little girl, a grandchild of Sir Richard's, about fix or feven years of age. She looked at Mr. Rogers, and was much taken with his venerable appearance; and he, being naturally fond of children, got her on his knee, and made a great deal of her; and fhe was fond of him. At laft Sir Richard sent one of his fervants to inform the company, that one of the witneffes was fallen fick, and could not be prefent that day; and therefore warned them anew to come on another day, which he named to them.

Accordingly they came; and the crime, as the juftice called it, was proved. He ordered their mittimus to be written, to fend them all to gaol. Mr. Rogers, before he came, expecting to fee the little girl again, had brought some sweetmeats to give her: and he was not disappointed; for the came running to him, and was fonder of him than fhe was the day before. She was, it feems, a particular favourite of her grandfather's, and had got fuch an ascendancy over him, that he could deny her nothing. She was withal a child of a violent fpirit, and could bear no contradiction, as fhe was indulged in every thing. Once, it feems, when she was contradicted in fomething, fhe run a penknife into her arm, that had near coft her either her life or the lofs of her arm. After which, Sir Richard would not fuffer her to be contradicted in any thing.

While fhe was fitting on Mr. Rogers's knee, and eating the sweetmeats which he gave her, fhe looked wiftfully on him, and faid, "What are you here for, Sir?" He anfwered, "I believe your grandfather is going to fend me and my friends, whom you fee here, to gaol." "To gaol!" fays fhe; "why, what have you done?" Why, I did nothing but preached at fuch a place, and VOL. II. No. 6.

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they did nothing but heard me." "But," fays fhe, my grandpapa fhan't fend you to gaol." "Aye but, my dear," faid he, "I believe he is now making out our mittimus to fend us all there."

She run immediately to the chamber where her grandfather was, and knocked with her head and heels till fhe got in, and faid, "What are you going to do with my good old gentleman here in the hall ?"That's nothing to you," faid her grandfather, " get you about your bufinefs." “But I won't," fays the," he tells me that you are going to fend him and his friends to gaol; and if you fend them, I'll drown myfelf in the pond as foon as they are gone; I will indeed." When he saw the girl was refolute and peremptory, it shook him, and overcame even the wicked defign he had formed to perfecute the fervants of the Lord. He ftept into the hall, with the mittimus in his hand, and faid, "I had here made out your mittimus to fend you all to gaol, as you deferve; but at my grandchild's requeft, I fall from the profecution, and fet you all at liberty."

They all bowed, and thanked his Worship. But Mr. Rogers ftepped up to the child, and laid his hand upon her head; and, lifting up his eyes to heaven, he faid, "God bless you, my dear child; may the bleffing of that God whofe caufe you now did plead, though as yet you know him not, be upon you in life, at death, and throughout eternity.” And then he and his friends

went away.

Mrs. Tooly liftened with uncommon attention to the ftory; and looking on Mr. Rogers, faid, " And are you that Mr. Rogers's fon?" Yes, Madam," answered he, "I am.' Well," fays fhe, "for as long as I have been acquainted with you, I never knew that before. And now I will tell you fomething you never know before: I am the very girl your dear father bleffed in the manner you now related it. It made an impreffion on me I could never forget." Upon this double difcovery, Mr. Rogers and Mrs. Tooly found they had a fuperadded tie of love and affection to each other be

yond what they had before. And then he and Mr. Bradbury were defirous to know how fhe, who had been bred up with an averfion to the Diffenters, and to serious religion, made now fuch a figure among them, and was fo eminent for religion.

She complied with their requeft, and very freely told them her ftory. She faid, that after her grandfather's death, she was left fole heirefs of his great eftate; and being in the bloom of youth, and having none to controul her, fhe run after all the fashionable diversions of the time in which the lived, without any manner of reftraint. But at the fame time the confeffed, that, at the end of them all, fhe found a diffatisfaction both with herself and them, that always ftruck a damp to her heart, which he did not know how to get rid of, but by running the fame fruitless round over and over again; but all in vain.

She contracted fome flight illness, upon which the thought he would go to Bath, as hearing that that was a place for pleasure as well as health. When the came there, fhe was led in providence to confult an apothecary, who happened to be a very worthy religious man. He inquired what the ailed?. "Why," fays fhe, "Doctor, I don't ail much as to my body; but I have an uneafy mind, that I can't get rid of." "Truly," fays he, "Mifs, I was fo too, till I met with a book that cured me of it."" Books!" faid fhe, "I get all the books" I can lay my hands on, plays, novels, and romances I can hear of; but after I have read them, my uncasiness is the fame." "That may be," said he, " Mifs, I don't wonder at it. But this book I fpeak of, I can fay of it, what I can say of no other I ever read, I never tire of reading it; but can begin to read it again as if never before. And I always fee fomething new in it." Pray," fays fhe, "Doctor, what book is that ?" "Nay, Mifs," anfwered he, " that is a fecret I don't tell to every one." "But could not I get a fight of that book?" fays fhe. fpeak me fair, I can help you to it."

Yes," fays he,

Mifs, if you

Pray get it me

then, Doctor, and I'll give you any thing you please." "Yes," fays he, "if you will promife one thing, I'll bring it you; and that is, that you will read it over carefully; and if you should not see much in it at first, that you will give it a fecond reading."

She promised faithfully fhe would: and after raifing her curiofity, by coming twice or thrice without bringing it, he at laft brought it, took it out of his pocket, and gave it her. It was a New Teftament. When the looked on it, the faid, "Poh (with a flirt), I could get that at any time." 66 Why, Mifs, fo you might," replied the Doctor; " but remember I have your folemn promife, that you will read it carefully." "Well," fays fhe, "though I never read it before, I'll give it a reading.'

Accordingly fhe began to read it; and it foon attracted her attention. She faw fomething in it fhe had a deep concern in; and if she was uneafy in her mind before, fhe was ten times more fo now; fhe did not know what to do with herself. So the got away back to London, to fee what the diverfions there would do again. But all was in vain.

She was lodged at the court end of the town, and had a gentlewoman with her by way of a companion. One Saturday evening fhe dreamed that he was in a place of worship, and heard a fermon which she could remember nothing of, when she awaked, fave the text; but the dream made fuch an impreffion on her mind, that the idea fhe had of the place, and the minifter's face, was as ftrong as if he had been acquainted with both for a number of years. She told her dream to her companion on the Lord's day morning; and, after breakfast, faid, fhe was refolved to go in queft of the place, if she fhould go from one end of London to the other.

Accordingly they fet out, and went into this and the other church, as they paffed along; but none of them answered what she faw in her dream. About one o'clock they found themselves in the heart of the city; and they went into an eating-house and had a bit of dinner; and fet out again in fearch of this place,