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it cannot be necessary to spend much time in proving that he has built upon this false basis, must be false too; for although man may build that which is nought on a good foundation, I think it would be no easy matter to build that which is stable, on a false basis. Nevertheless, as I before said, I was much dazzled with what I saw in that place, for there were singing men in the hall, and persons in flowing robes and beautiful mitres, and veiled vestals ranged in long order behind an iron grate, (for these mingle not with the rest,) and persons throwing about incense from a smoking censer, and devotees on their knees, with other surprising things, which, had I not been forewarned and forearmed as it were, would assuredly have misled me, as they have done many others: but I had my uncle at hand to warn me, which he failed not to do from the first authority, viz. my lord's letters. However he

1 "For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made manifest : for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." iii. 9-15. 1 Cor.

2 "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holiday, or of the new moon, or of the

did not seem inclined that we should stay long in that place where offences abounded, for he remarked that it would not be pleasing in the sight of the master, that we should do so; therefore he turned back, and went out at the door by which we had come in. Nevertheless he was willing that I should see one more apartment in this range, and to this intent he led me round another passage, and brought me into a second great hall, the walls of which were covered with an inconceivable and indescribable multitude of strange things, some being set on shelves, others being suspended on hooks, and others being set on the ground.

'What is all this?' I said; for the place was obscure, and I went groping and stumbling about,

sabbath days: which is a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances. (Touch not; taste not; handle not; which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh." Col. ii. 16-23.

"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learn. ed; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple."-Rom. xvi. 17, 18.

though I saw not but that my uncle walked steadily enough, not meeting with any thing which caused him to stumble.' 'You shall see presently,' said my uncle; and with that he took out a small pocket lantern, with which he was provided, and having struck a light, he applied it to the candle within the lantern, and so gave me the light which I desired. *

Well,' said he, when this was effected, 'do you see better now, tell me what you behold?' 'I see much,' I replied, but to be plain with you, sir, not much which I count of any value.'

'Be that as it may,' replied my uncle, this is Father Peter's treasure house, where he amasses and ranges in order, all things which he would have his people count valuable, and worthy of reverence and honour.'

'Rather say the charnel house,' I replied; for I see little else but effigies of death, and old rubbish, and lumber crumbling away, and mixing with the dust.'

'That is as you and I think,' replied my uncle, 'but the Father would count us as under the

1 "Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity: for brightness, but we walk in darkness. We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noon-day as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men."-Isaiah lix. 9, 10.

2 "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." --Psalm cxix. 105.

worst of condemnations for uttering such a sentiment.' And he was going on to say more, when a very venerable looking person, clad in scarlet, with a sort of crown or mitre on his head, came forward to address us, and that with much blandness and courtesy of manner; and I was presently made to understand that this was Father Peter himself.

It seemed that he knew perfectly well who I was, though my uncle did not name me to him, and called me Mr. Nicodemus, as if he had known me all his life. So my uncle had no more trouble in shewing off the collection, for the Father seemed to have great delight in the work, and grew quite brisk in the idea of having a stranger to exhibit before ;-and first he made me to remark certain long rows of shelves fixed in the wall, numbered to eighteen or thereabouts, on which were disposed in order, varieties of dried birds chiefly owls, the oldest of which, (which he pointed out to me as the most precious,) were all tumbling to pieces, being worn and moth-eaten. These he would have me admire, although he did not like my uncle to lift up his lamp to help my discernment, but pushed it down with his hand, saying, 'My brother, you do but perplex the young man's sight.' These owls I found had been the inhabitants of the towers time immemorial; and as my uncle told me, there is scarcely an owl dies in the old building but the Father has him stuffed, and

set in his place;1 pretending that there is a virtue in the old skins, by the touch of which many grievous maladies have been cured.

When the Father told me this I could not help laughing, thinking he was jesting with me; at which he was very angry, saying something about want of faith, of which however I took no notice. He shewed me also some others of his wonders, but as they all seemed to me to be about of equal value with the owls, I soon got tired of looking at them, and motioned to my uncle to take leave'; but we were not to get off quite so easily, for I had no sooner betrayed a wish to be going, than he brought out a huge book bound and fastened with clasps of brass, and saying at the same time, 'This, Mr. Nicodemus, is the true copy of my Lord's letters, which he left to me, with the keys of this castle, (which are and ought to be mine and mine only, 2) neither is there any other true copy than mine: hence you, Mr. Secretary, are doing the work of the Master's enemy, in spreading those copies abroad which are known to be spurious, and of

"The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech-owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest. There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow; there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate."-Isa. xxxiv. 14, 15.

2 "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."-Matt. xvi. 19.