The Wheeling repository — Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.], 1807-05-07 00:00:00, page 3

<3one Vith a pen irt such a manner that
the lines are formed by verses from the
Psalms, and so contrived as to contain
every psalm. When Charles II. was
©nee at Oxford, he was greatly struck
with the portrait, and begged it of the
authority of the College, promising in
return to grant them whatever request
they should make. This they consent
ed to, and gave his Majesty the picture,
accompanied with the request— which
was, t/\ut he would give it to them again.
Humble Confession in a Coal-Pit.
A person who lately resided near
Witchhaven, having one evening sacri
ficed a little to freely to Bacchus, in a
visit to some ol his neighbours, took his
departure for home at a very late (or ra
ther early) hour in the morning. Hav
ing about 3 miles to walk, and very of
ten losing the balance of power, he had
attained half the way, but at last fell near
the mouth of a coal pit, about a mile from
his house : here the leaden hand of .Mor
pheus lay so heavy upon him, that lie
soon forgot his danger and himself in a
sound sleep. Not long had he lain
there before the black gentleman of the
pit had arrived (4 or 5 in number),
i hese wicked wags soon agreed to fas
ti-n the sleeping visitant to their basket,
and introduce him into their infernal re
gions— 1 bis was done with all possible
safety ; and he was landed in the sub
terraneous regions. A figure of a black
ugly boy was placed by his side, to watch
him closely when he would awake ;
which when he did, and opened his eyes
upon the object, produced an effect upon
his mind, body and face, that emphati
cally declared (for he was speechless
w ith horror) he tho’t himself really a
mong the damn’d—and that the lad was
no more nor less than one of the Devil’s
imps. As soon as lie was fairly awake,
the sweat running from his brow with
horror, the lad exclaim’d, 44 Oh ! what
you’re come at last, are you ? Aye, aye,
I’ll fetch my master the awld one to you.’
Accordingly the lad ran, and bro’t not
one, hut 4 or five old ones, who ex
claim’d with horrid, dissonant voices,
4 Oh ! what he’s here, is he ? aye we
have been expecting him this long time
past ! Come, come, confess your sins
immediately, or else you go into a bed
of brimstone in a moment: Here they
jnoduced a black hook, in which they
pretended to register what he should
c mfess. As soon as he could speak he
begged fur heaven's sake that they would
have mercy on him, and he would tel!
all his sins, tho’ he solemnly declared
they were but few. He then said that
he had got drunk with some friends in
Salford and fell asleep on his way home,
when he supposed that a cart had gone
over him and killed him. 4 Aye, aye,
that we know very well, roared the de
mons—but your sins !’ 4 Why cries the
trembling culprit, 4 it is true I did once
steal a pig.’4 A pig ! did you P well come
as it was one of the swinish multitude,
we’ll forgive him for that. But what
else P ‘ Why I did once rob old Mary’s
garden of some of her codlings.’ 4 Well
but,’ says Belzehub the chief, ‘what fe
male connections have you had P have
you never ruined any wenches ?’ 4 No,
heaven knows I never have; ’tis true I
courted a young woman, but she turned
out nothing, or I would have married
her.’4 Who was she ?’ cried the leading
fiend. 4 Her name was Peggy -.
Here three of the black gentlemen burst
into a roar of laughter, but the leading
one, who put the question, was chop fal
len, as honest Peggy turned out to be
no other than his own dearly beloved
wife. It is unnecessary to add that the
culprit was again baskettecL, and restor
ed to the light of heaven, to the mutual
satisfaction of both narties.
"
The Lady’s Rock.
TThe following historical Anecdote is
extracted from the lion. Mrs. Mur
ray’s Companion and Guide to the High
lands of Scotland.]
At the south end of the island of Lis
niore, we sailed near a small Rocky Isle,
over which the sea rolls at high tide; at
other times it raises its rough hen/1 over
.he surface of the water. It is called the
Lady’s Rock, for the following reason :
In former times, one of the M‘Leans,
of Duart, whose castle (now in ruins)
stands on a promontory in Mull, in near
ly an opposite direction to the Lady’s
Rock, married a sister of Argvle. This
lady was handsome and amiable, but
unhappily she was barren. In those
times it was a high crime in the eyes of
a husband, when his wife bore him no
children. Duart hated his hapless lady
lor fliat cause, and determined on h'*r
destruction. To accomplish it with
| ease, and as he imagined, safe from de
tection, he ordered ruffians to convey her
ecretly to the bare Rock near Lismore,
and there leave her to perish at high
tide. The deed was executed to Duart’s
wish, aud the lady left on the rock,
watching the rolling tide rising to over
whelm her. When she had given her
self up for a lost being, and expected in
a very short time to be washed from the
Rock by the waves, she fortunately per
ceived a vessel sailing down the Sound
of Mill in the direction of of the Kock
on which she was sitting. Every effort
in her power was exerted, and every
signal in her possession was displayed,
to attract the notice of the people in the
vessel. At length they perceived her, and
drew near the Rock. She made herself
known, and related that it was by the
order of her barbarous husband that she
was left on the Rock, and thus reduced
to the wretched state in which they found
her. The mariners, ever a generous race,
took compassion on her, received her on
board their vessel, and conveyed her
safely to her brother’s, at Inverary.
M‘L.ean Duart made a grand mock
funeral for his much loved, and much
lamented lady, whom he announced to
have died suddenly. He wrote discon
solate letters to her relations, particular
ly to Argyle, and after a decent time
went to Inverary in deep mourning;
where, with the very greatest shew of
grief, he lamented to his brother-in-law
the irreparable loss he had sustained.
| Argyle said little, but sent for his sister,
whose unexpected appearance in life and
health, proved an electric shock to her
tender husband. Argyle was a mild
and amiable man, and took no other re
venge on M‘JLean, but commanding him
to depart instantly, at the same time ad
vising him to be cautious not to meet his
brother Donald,who would certainly take
away his life, for attempting to destroy
that of his sister. Sir Donald Camp
bell did meet him many years after
wards in a street in Edinburgh, and
there stabbed him for his crime to bis
sister, when M4Lean was 80 years of
age.
A gentleman deceased in Scotland
lately, has bequeathed 12001. to be paid
to the person who shall write and lay
before the judges he has appointed, a
Treatise which shall by them be deter
mined to have the most merit upon the
following subjects, as expressed in bin -
will, viz. “ The evidence that there is
a being, all powerful, wise, and good, by
whom everything exists, and particular
ly to obviate difficulties regarding the
wisdom and goodness of the Deity ; and
this, in the first place, from considera
tions independent of written revelation*