The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1866-01-27
fast ~succumbing. He was saved to life
as Arthur Wellesley, Duke of yelling

ton.
The life of John Newton is but the
history of series of marvellous deliver
ances. AS a youth he had agreed to ac-
company some friends on board q man
OF war. He arrived too late, the boat in
which his friends had gone was capsiz-
ed and all its occupants drowned. On
another occasion, when tide surveyorin
the port OF Liverpool, some business bad
detained him, so that he came to his
boat much later than usual, to the great
surprise of those who were in the habit
OF observing his then undertaking pune
tuality. He went out in the BOA as
heretofore TO inspect a ship, which blew
up before he reached her. Had he lett
the shore a few minutes sooner he must
have persisted with the rest on board.
Evelyn was sa%untering one day along
a meadow near Says Court, when he
looked in at the window of a matched
cottage, and saw q young man carving
one OF Tintoretto's cartoons. He entered,
admired the work, and soon recon
mended the artist TO Charles III. Thus
the name of Gibbins became known.
Milton sees n wretched "mysteryn in
Italy, and conceives the plan of para
dlse Lost" The plague breaks out In
London he retires to Chalfopt, and the
simple question of q Quaker friend call.
forth Paradise 'Regained." GibbOn
muses. among the ruins of Roman gran
deur; and the Decline and Fall of the
mighty Empire breaks in long perspec-
tive on his view. A Welsh harper
thrills the cords at Cambridge. and
Gray, fired with sudden emotion. writes
the conclusion of the Bard" Lady
Austen points to a sofa, and Cowper Gre
ates the "Task.u
me history OF nations, as of indivi-
duals, hangs on threads. Robert Bruce =
was about to join a crusade when a spi-
der. struggling to fix his web to tho
ceiling, gave him q lesson In perseyer-
ance, and, remaining in his own land,
he routed the army OF Edward RI, ut
Bannockburn, andachieved heindepen-
dence OF the Scottish crown. Cromwell
was about to set sail for America, and
clear forests with his axe, when a royal
edict forbade emigration in unlicensed
ships. Had he embarked the day be-
fore, he would never have been Lord
Protector, no Charles Stuart have laid
his head on the block.
The fleet of William of Orange had
been driven westward to Torbay. To
return In the teeth of the wind was inn
possible, and Plymouth, the next port
was garrisoned by Lord Bath. The
Royal fleet was out of the Thames and
fastening down the Channel. "You
may go to prayers, Doctor said Russell
to Burnet; 'all is over.b But 1t was
not SO. A soft breeze sprung up from
the south, and the sun sh0ne forth. The
feet turned back, William landed, and
the Stuart dynasty ceased to reign.
W. recollect that we had several mar
row escapes ourselves in childhood. We
once got choked on u fish-bone till We
were black in the face,-and on another
occasion we tumbled into a pond of
water, but were fished out all right,
which gave rise to the idea that we were
not born to be drowned-apy more than
we were to be ehoked to death by q Ash
bono. At the age or Twelve, we put our
right fist into our left %nostril, and 1t wa
with the utmost difficulty we extricated
ourself from this dilemma. Our escapes
have been as broad as they were mar
r0w.