fign for France; but a moft dreadful Tempeft arifing, our Veffel perif'd in it. I know not what happen'd, nor by what wonderful Means I was preferv'd; but after a long Time of Infenfibility, I found myself among Women of a frange Figure and Behaviour, and whofe Language was altogether unknown to me. The Succour they af forded me was applied in fuch a Manner, that I had no Caufe to doubt but that I was fallen into hofpitable Hands; but I had no fooner recover'd from my Weakness, than 1 difcover'd I had to do only with Barbarians, and those too of the most favage and inhuman Kind, The Place they had convey'd me to, was a Cavern under the Earth, which are all the Dwellings this dreadful Place affords.

WITH all the Kinduefs, however, that thefe Savages are capable of, they led me to several of thefe horrid Habitations, and at length brought me to one where there were a great Number of Men, of much the fame Appearance as the Women who conducted me among them. I efpied two Men habited like Chriftians, and which I immediately remember'd to be fome of the Mariners belonging to our Veffel: The Sight of them gave me fome Pleafure, till advancing toward them, I perceived they were bound Hand and Foot, and had the Terror of approaching Death visibly painted in their Faces. As I was certain the Savages did not understand my Language, I demanded of thefe Men for what Caufe they were ja treated, and in what Place we were.

THEY told me, that after the Lofs of the Ship, their whole Care was my Safety; and that it having been Split on a Rock near that Coast, they with Eafe brought me to the Shore; that hoping to get fome Habitation to place mt in, they had carried me in their Arms till they met a great Company of Men and Women, who took me from them; that they were bound in the Manner I saw them, immediately after their coming into the Caverns; and that, by their Skill in Navigation, they knew that we were fallen into the Hands of a People wholly barbarous and favage; and that they made a Practice of killing all the Men that were Straugers, and afterwards eating them; which Fate they expected, and was inevitable.

THIS

THIS Difcourfe filled me with a most terrible Fear, which the Savages, by my Trembling and my Tears, per-. ceiving, fell down upon their Knees, teftifying by that, and many other Geftures, which I then comprehended not the Meaning of, that they meant no Hurt to me; but my Terror ftill continuing, the Women, who had brought me there, conducted me back to the Cavern they had at firf allotted for me.

BUT I had not long indulg'd my Griefs, before feveral of them returning to me, took me by the Arms, and led me to a vaft Plain, in the Middle of which were two great Trees, to which the unfortunate Mariners were bound, and a prodigious Concourfe of Savages gather'd round about them. A profound Silence was for a while obferved, but at a certain Signal given, both the Men and Women fet up a Cry of Joy; then be among them, who seemed to be the Chief, drew his Bow, and hot an Arrow into. the Bofom of one of the miferable Mariners; and after him all the reft doing the fame, the mangled Body was in a Moment all cover'd over with Blood and Wounds. AT this horrible Ceremony 1 fell into a Swoon, which Spared me the Affright of feeing the others ferved in the Jame Manner. I expected no better a Fate; but in this I was deceiv'd, and never met with any thing from them but Tokens of the most fervent Refpect and Homage. Their Behaviour, after what I had seen, very much amazed me; but I had not been many Days among them, before I was informed of the Reason. An unhappy Woman, preferv'd as I had been from the Fury of the Seas, and bad lingered out fome Years in those difmal Abodes, told me a great many of their Cuftoms; and that one of them was to facrifice all the Men whom the Cruelty of Fortune threw on their Coafts, but to treat the Women with all poffible Care and Kindness. Being great with Child when I arrived among thefe Barbarians, I was in a little Time deliver'd of a Daughter, whom, as foon as born, the Savages adorn'd with Flowers and Feathers, teftifying their Foy that my Child, was of a Sex which preferv'd it from Deftruction. The Chriftian Woman whom I mention' d, died foon after. I have now liv'd with them a whole Year; how long I fball

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Jhall drag on this Load of Mifery, I know not. I am forced to nourish my dear Infant in the Manner of the Savages ; Heaven fend her a better Fate than to live or die among them, as her wretched Mother expects foon to do.

THUS ended this wonderful Narration: but Timante feeing there were more Leaves in the Book, fearching carefully, found in one of them these Words:

AFTER a Year, and almost the half of another, I refign my Breath to the Divine Power which gave it me Mafter of the Universe! Sovereign Ordainer of all human Affairs, whom I have never ceafed one Moment to adore, take into thy Care the innocent Felidia.

On the fame Leaf with this Paper, there were Cy. phers of the Time of Felidia's Birth, which exactly agreeing with the Age of my fair Savage, left us no room to doubt but that she was the Felidia which Leonida had been delivered of, and the Daughter of Timante; the mutual Sympathy which appear'd between them at first Sight, gave a Probability of this Truth, and the Writing confirm'd it paft Sufpicion.

I FELT a Joy at this Discovery, which I am no more able to utter than I was then to conceal.-I embraced the Knees of my now more than ever dear Uncle, call'd him a thousand times my Father, conjured him to be favourable to my Paffion; and fince the Heart of the adorable Felidia feem'd influenc'd by the fame Sentiments with mine, that he would not delay the Happiness of us both. It was with an Air more auftere than ever I had feen him affume, that he endeavour'd to convince me of the Error of fuch a Propofition, and how upfit a Place and Time it was to think of Joy, when we were encompass'd round with Creatures little inferior in Brutality to the Beasts of the Foreft, and every Moment in Danger of lofing that Life which but with inceffant Toil and Care we had fo long fupported. He concluded, however, with affuring me, that if we should ever be fo happy as to fee other Climates, he fhould think it would be his own Satisfaction to fee us united.

DISCOURSING of this Adventure employ'd us till the next Day, when, at the usual Time, we did not fail of going

going to meet Felidia. We found her at the appointed Place, and at Sight of her the tranfported Father could not with-hold his Tears; but running to her to take her in his Arms, that fweet Innocence gently repulfed him, pointing to me, and making Signs that he was afraid of difobliging me. I approach'd her, and teftified, by my Actions, that it would now be a Pleafure, not a Pain, to fee her in his Arms; on which she turn'd to Timante, receiving his Careffes in a Manner that would have made any one believe fhe was fenfible how near he was to her, and that all the humble Tenderness she could express was no more than Duty.

WE Conducted her to our Cabin, which the examin'd with a good deal of Aftonifhment.- -In this Vifit Ti mante made her fit down, and having provided himfelf with the Rind of a Tree, fuch as her unhappy Mother had made ufe of, he took one of her own Arrows, and with the Point of it writ fome Letters of the Alphabet, and then pronouncing them with a loud Voice, foon made her comprehend that he wifh'd fhe fhould understand them; and it was furprizing to hear the Readiness with which, in a little time, the founded every one of them after him.

She continued coming to us conftantly every Day, and in taking the Leffons which Timante gave her, difcover'd aWit, a Spirit, and Apprehenfion, which amazed even him. It was not fifteen or fixteen Days before the had fo well profited by his Inftructions, that by the Help of a few Signs, join'd to our Expreffions, the not only understood what we faid, but could reply to us in an intelligible Manner. As by Degrees fhe arrived at a better Understanding of Language, the discovered fo charming a Difpofition, and fuch a natural Tendency to Virtue, that Timante thought he could not any longer, without being guilty of Injuftice, refufe her the Knowledge of herself, and who it was that had taken this Pains with her: He recited to her the melancholy Contents of the Table-book fhe had given me, and drew a Stream of Tears from her fair Eyes, in the Repetition of her Mother's Fate. She however teftified the ex

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tremeft

tremeft Joy to find Timante was her Father; and tho' fhe could not yet exprefs herself in Terms fo proper nor fo elegant as the has now the Power of, the few Words fhe utter'd had Charms which are not to be imagined.

As every Day she grew more able to reply, we began to question her concerning the Laws, or rather Cuftoms of this barbarous Place; and wherefore they facrificed the Men and refpected the Women who came among them.-She told us fhe had but little Knowledge of thefe Affairs; fhe had only heard that it was occafion'd by an ancient Tradition, which reported, that fome Troops of Men, altogether unknown to them, had formerly made a Defcent into their Country, the Savages being at that Time employ'd in calling their Grand Council, and electing a Chief; which Ceremony being always performed in a vaft Plain, a great Dittance from their Caverns, there were none left to make Oppofition to these new Invaders but the Women, who were never admitted on these great Occafions.

BEING however inftructed in the Ufe of Bows and Arrows, they had made fo vigorous a Defence against thofe that came against them, that there feem'd to be no. Want of Men; and if it had not been for a strange Sort of Arms they brought with them, had certainly "been repuls'd by the female Savages; (thefe ftrange Arms we understood to be Guns :) but that by the Help of thofe extraordinary Weapons, great Slaughter had been made among them; on which they ran with a great Cry to the Place where the Grand Council was held imploring Affiftance of their Fathers and Husbands, and relating all that had pafs'd.

Ar this News they all came down immediately with Stakes, Stones, and Arrows; and as they were a prodi gious Number in Comparison with their Enemies, they foon overcame and maffacred them, which having done, out of Revenge and Cruelty, they roafted, and after eat them. Since this Attempt made on them, they facrificed all Strangers, as a Terror to prevent all other Invafions of the like Nature; but the Women having made fo refolute a Defence, they decreed, in Honour

to