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An Account of Mr. SILAS TOLD.

[Written by Himself.]

Was born at the Lime-kilns, near the Hot-wells, in the

city of Brifiol, on the 3d day of April, 1711. My parents were very creditable people. My grandfather Told, who was an eminent Phyfician in London, was poffeffed of a very plentiful estate. My grandmother also enjoyed a very confiderable fortune at Torrington, in the West of England, worth about 600l. per annum; but having a great diflike to London, and her husband's business fixing him there, their pofterity experienced fatal confequences therefrom; as he took to him a housekeeper, who, as I was informed by my mother, when the found a fair opportunity, gave him what proved his end, and fecured all his writings, and the title-deeds of the eftate, together with all the ready money, plate, jewels, &c. the family being abfent from London! And although fhe could not hold the estate, yet, for a great number of years, and even to this day, several people have lived rent free, for want of proper title-deeds to empower the heir to receive the fame.

When I came to London I was frequently advised to make a claim to the estate; but for want of money to go to law, together with the lofs of the writings, I declined it. And as to my grandmother Told's eftate, in the Weft, this never came within my knowledge.

My father, who was a Physician at Briflol, and in great efleem throughout that city; but being a great fchemer, it proved his ruin. One inftance of this was, his building a wet dock at the Lime-kilns, where he laid out thirty-three hundred pounds, and loft every penny by one Evans, for whom my father undertook the bufincfs, who failed, and

went

went off. This laid my father under the neceffity of going out Doctor of a Guinea-man, in the courfe of which voyage he died.

My brother Jofeph, with myself, were fent to nurse at Kingswood, near Briftol, where we were taken care of by the moft tender-hearted woman I ever met with. At this place we continued till I arrived at the age of eight years; my friends, at Bristol, then made intereft for me to be admitted into the hofpital of Edward Colfon, Efq; on St. Auguftin's Back, near the Quay of Bristol; a fchool, I dare venture to fay, that cannot be furpaffed by any throughout Great-Britain for piety and Christian difcipline, having a Minifter to attend twice a week regularly, for the inftruction of one hundred boys in their duty towards God and man.

I now proceed to give an account of my life from my infancy, as far as it may be brought to my remembrance, which is from three years of age. For a confiderable length of time, my fifter Dulcybella and I often wandered into the woods and fields, fixing ourfelves under the hedges, converfing about God and happinefs; fo that at times I have been tranfported in fuch a measure with heavenly blifs, that whether in the body or out of the body, I could not tell; this happiness attended me for a few years.

Once, when we were very young, we wandered out into Kingswood, and loft ourfelves in the woods, and were in the utmost confternation; but quickly the kind providence of God permitted a large dog to come behind us, although no house was within a mile; yet the dog drove us clear out of the wood into our knowledge. What was remarkable, the dog never barked at us! And when in our knowledge, we looked around us to behold the dog, he was not to be feen. Being heedlefs, we wandered again into the wood, and were a fecond time bewildered, and in greater perplexity than before; when on a fudden, looking around us, we beheld the fame dog making toward us, till he came directly up to us; VOL. X.

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we being much terrified ran from him, till we got a fecond time into our knowledge; I then turned about to look for the dog, but faw no more of him, although we were upon an open

common.

In the year 1725, I was bound an apprentice to Capt. Mofes Lilly, in the fhip Prince of Wales, and failed from Bristol, firft for Cork, and then for Jamaica in the month of July.

The firft reception I met with on board, when the fhip lay in King-road was this: the chief mate called for the cabinboy; but he not being on board, he fent me to the cook to get him a plate of victuals, which I really imagined was meant for myself, and accordingly got a plate full, carried it down into the cabin, and having a keen appetite, made a very comfortable dinner. When the chief mate had done his business, he fent for me, in order to bring his victuals. I told him, I underflood it was for myself, and that I had eaten it up; upon which he knocked me down, and began curfing and damning me at a horrible rate. This language I was never acquainted with, therefore I thought I fhould have broke my heart: and having no friend, to whom I could apply, I fuffered much, even for the whole term of eleven years.

The firft of these fufferings was fea-fickness, which held me till our arrival at Jamaica. After lying at King flon many months (not having any freight for England) the fhip made a voyage down to the Bay of Campeachy, in the Spanish WeftIndies, at which place fhe lay at anchor about twelve miles from the land; where her bottom beating the ground at every fwell of the fea, fhe was exccedingly damaged. When we had compleated our cargo we failed back for Jamaica, very fhort of all forts of provifion, expecting to have a short paffage; but, to our mortification, it was a paffage of fourteen weeks. After being out three weeks, we were put to fhort allowance, both of bread and water; one bifcuit and twothirds of a pint of water per day. This was what I never before experienced, and therefore it was the more grievous,

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and had it not been for a heavy fhower of rain, off the island of Cuba, we must have perifhed for want. Here we stopped up all the scuppers, and faved about fix casks of water, by the ufe of the fwabs which we dried the decks with, and which we rung into the cafks; and although the water was very bitter, yet, providentially, our lives were preferved thereby ; for, we were reduced to half a pint of water a day, and that full of mud and maggots: yet we were three days before we arrived at Blue-Fields, the weft end of Jamaica, without a fingle pint of water on board.

When we came to an anchor in Blue-Fields-Bay we hoifled out the long-boat, flowed her full of casks, and dispatched her for fresh water, when one of our men fell flat upon his belly, and drank fo immoderately, that a few hours after he came on board he expired; and the next morning we fewed him up in a hammoc and threw him overboard, when a large fhark defcended after him, and, we fuppofed, fwallowed the whole body.

An Account of the Death of Mr. HADDEN, Innkeeper, in Bath: in a Letter to the Rev. J. Wesley, by Mifs M. B.

WITH

ITH joy I embrace the earlieft opportunity of letting you know, that our dear brother Hadden, is at laft, gone to paradise.

For fome time before his death, he was endued with an uncommon degree of deadnefs to the world, freedom from anxiety, refpecting his family, and refignation under continual pain and weakness.

In his long illness, he fought Jefus in good earnest, and deeply mourned his want of a clear fenfe of pardon. At laft, the Lord gave it him fome time before his death. He then faid, "I firmly

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"I firmly believe, Jefus died for me: I could not say this a little while ago; but it now feems that I have faith enough, my Saviour." to go up into the clouds to meet

The next day, on his faying, "I have been in violent pain," I asked, How did you find your foul then? He answered, "All love! all glory!" On my afking him, Have you now any doubt concerning the forgiveness of your fins? he faid, "No: none at all." On Saturday the third inftant he told the Nurse that the angels would come for him at night, and fo it proved.

After lying very ftill about an hour and half, and, to all appearance, was just expiring, he raifed himfelf up in his bed, and cried out, "My bleffed Lord! Oh! bleffed Jefus ! There he is! There are the angels! Cannot you see them! There is another come! Hallelujah! hallelujah! Oh what happiness is this! I have been upon Mount Sion! What a mercy is it, that I have my fenfes fo perfect; that I may not fay any thing to offend God! For nothing unholy can enter heaven. Hallelujah! Sing! fing! Hallelujah! Oh! how happy am I! What! a publican! a publican happy! a publican going to heaven! it ought, it ought to be put in the Newspaper! Poor Mr. Brookman (another Innkeeper of his acquaintance) what will he do when he comes to die? Tell him, tell him, bring it round to him fome way or other; Lord Jefus! open his eyes before it is too late!" Then looking round on us he faid, "God blefs you all! keep clofe to God and his people." To me he faid, "I fee the Devil up against the cieling." On my faying, He has no power over you; he anfwered, with an air of triumphant difdain, " Power! no! Fly Satan! Get thee hence! Hallelujah! hallelujah!" Thus he continued till he fell into a doze. After lying fome time he clapped his hands together, looked up with a fmiling countenance, and fell asleep in Jesus !

Bath, April 13, 1773.

M. B.

A fort