rious employments, with as much pleasure and chearfulness as if they were going to a merry-making."

In contemplating the moral ftate of mankind, the horror of the view, in like manner, will be much alleviated by taking in every mitigating circumftance that attends the profpect. There is reafon to think, with the moft judicious writers on this interefting question, that there are few individuals who in the courfe of their lives have not been the authors of more good than evil. Prejudice, refentment, or oppofition of intereft may,, and often do, produce particular inftances of the fad effects of the malevolent and felfifh paffions, in the very fame man who, in the general tenour of his conduct and connections, regularly exercifes the kind and focial affections. But in determining concerning the comparative prevalency of moral good and evil; a hafty or peevish remarker, while he examines the weight of the malignant action, is not equally careful to inquire into the ftate of the oppofite fcale. There are many latent circumstances alfo neceffary to be known, before we are fully qualified to give any particular action its precife and diftinguishing denomination. The motive and intention of the agent; the point of view in which the action appeared to his own eye; the degree of furprize or premeditation, of knowledge or ignorance, with which it was committed; are nice difcriminations which an uncandid obferver always overlooks, and a charitable one cannot often difcern: yet these constitute the true nature and effential characteristic of moral conduct.

There is another circumftance which may very much contribute to lead the judgment into unfavourable conclufions upon this fubject: vicious actions ftrike more forcibly upon the mind, as being in their nature more open to public notoriety, than thofe of an oppofite quality. Atrocious deviations from moral rectitude rarely pafs undiscovered; whereas many of the nobleft and moft laudable inftances of human merit, are frequently known only to the parties immediately concerned, and not feldom lie concealed in the breaft of the worthy agent. Vice. obtrudes itself upon the public eye; but virtue muft often be. fought for in lefs confpicuous fcenes. The fecretum iter, and the fallentis femita vitae, are the paths in which her votaries are moft frequently to be found. No wonder therefore, if in computing their comparative number, very erroneous calculations are apt to be made.

When all reflections of this kind, together with others. which might be mentioned of the fame tendency, are duly con fidered and their full force admitted; it will not, perhaps, be thought an unwarrantable inference, that there is an over-ballance of good in the moral, as well as in the natural world.'

We

We cannot quit this article without expreffing a defire to fee' the Effay on Friendship, in the hands of the fame tranflator.

N. B. Mr. Melmoth's name has been added to the later advertisements of this publication: a circumftance which we knew not before the prefent article was drawn up.

L.

ART. VII. BRYDONE'S Tour through Sicily and Malta, concluded.

WE

See our laft Month's Review.

E left our travellers to the enjoyment of their repofe, on their beds of leaves, in the cavern of goats, in the middle or woody region of mount Etna. As they propofed to themselves the pleafure of faluting the rifing fun from the fummit of the mountain, and had about eight miles of the upper or defert region to climb, befide a great part of the foreft in which they were then embowered,-it was incumbent on them to be stirring pretty early. Accordingly they breakfasted about midnight, and then fet forward under the guidance and abfolute difpofal of the Cyclops, who now began to difplay his great knowlege of the mountain; and they followed him with implicit

confidence.

He conducted us, fays Mr. B. over "Antres vaft, and deferts wild," where fcarce human foot had ever trod. Sometimes through, gloomy forests, which by day-light were delightful; but now, from the univerfal darkness; the rufiling of the trees; the heavy, dull, bellowing of the mountain; the valt expanfe of ocean ftretched at an immenfe distance below us; infpired a kind of awful horror. Sometimes we found ourselves afcending great rocks of lava, where if our mules fhould make but a falfe tep, we might be thrown headlong over the precipice. However, by the affittance of the Cyclops, we overcame all thefe difficulties; and he managed matters fo well, that in the fpace of two hours we found we had got above the regions of vegetation; and that we had left the foreits of Etna far behind. These appeared now like a dark and gloomy gulph below us, that furrounded the mountain.

The profpect before us was of a very different nature; we beheld an expanse of fnow and ice that alarmed us exceedingly, and almoft ftaggered our refolution. In the center of this, but fill at a great distance, we obferved the high fummit of the mountain, rearing its tremendous head, and vomiting out torrents of smoke. It indeed appeared totally inacceflible from the vaft extent of the fields of fnow and ice that furrounded it. Our diffidence was ftill increafed by the fentiments of the Cyclops. He told us, that it often happened, that the furface of the mountain being hot below, melted the fnow in particular spots, and formed pools of water, where it was impoffible

* The party confifted of nine perfons, including the three fervants, the Cyclops, their conductor, and two men to take care of the mules. The Cyclops was fo called, from his being better acquainted with Etna, than any other man in the island.

to foresee our danger; that it likewife happened, that the furface of the water, as well as the fnow, was often covered over with black afhes,. that rendered it exceedingly treacherous; that however, if we thought proper, he fhould lead us on with as much caution as poffible. Accordingly, after holding a council of war, which you know people generally do when they are very much afraid, we fent our cavalry down to the foreft below, and prepared to climb the fnows. The Cyclops, after taking a great draught of brandy, defired us to be of good cheer; that we had plenty of time, and might take as many refts as we pleafed. That the fnow could be little more than seven miles, and that we certainly fhould be able to accomplish it fome time before fun-rife. Accordingly, taking each of us a dram of liqueur, which foon removed every objection, we began our march.

The afcent for fome time was not rapid; and as the furface of the fnow funk a little, we had tolerable good footing; but as it foon began to grow fleeper, we found our labour greatly increased: however we determined, to perfevere, remembring in the midst of our fatigue, that the emperor Adrian and the philofopher Plato underwent the fame; and from the fame motive too, to fee the rifing fun from the top of Etna. After incredible labour and fatigue, but at the fame time mixed with a great deal of pleasure, we arrived before dawn at the ruins of an antient ftructure called Il Torre del Philofopbo, fuppofed to have been built by the philofopher Empedocles, who took up his habitation here the better to ftudy the nature of mount Etna. By others, it is fuppofed to be the ruins of the temple of Vulcan, whofe fhop, all the world knows (where he used to make excellent thunderbolts and celeftial armour,as well as nets to catch his wife when the went aftray) was ever kept in mount Etna. Here we refied ourselves for fome time, and made a fresh application to our liqueur bottle, which I am perfuaded, both Vulcan and Empedocles, had they been here, would have greatly approved of after such a

march.

I found the mercury had fallen to 20: 6. We had now time to pay our adorations in a filent contemplation of the fublime objects of nature. The fky was perfectly clear, and the immenfe vault of the heavens appeared in awful majefty and fplendour. We found that it ftruck us much more forcibly than below, and at firit were at a lofs to know the caufe; till we obferved with astonishment, that the number of the ftars feemed to be infinitely increased, and that the light of each of them appeared brighter than ufual. The whitenefs of the milky way was like a pure flame that fhot across the heavens; and with the naked eye we could observe clusters of stars that were totally invifible in the regions. below. We did not at first attend to the caufe, nor recollect that we had now paffed through ten or twelve thoufand feet of grofs vapour, that blunts and confufes every ray, before it reaches the furface of the earth. We were amazed at the distinctness of vifion, and exclaimed together, What a glorious fituation for an obfervatory! Had Empedocles had the eyes of Gallileo what difcoveries mult he not have made! We regretted that Jupiter was not vifible, as I really believed we might have difcovered fome of his fatellites with the naked eye,--or at leaft with a small glafs which I had in my pocket. We obferved a

light a great way below us on the mountain, which feemed to move amongst the forefts; but whether it was an Ignis Fatuus, or what it was, I fhall not pretend to fay. We likewife took notice of feveral of thofe meteors called Falling Stars, which ftill appeared to be equally elevated above us, as when feen from the plain: fo that in all probability these bodies move in regions much more remote than the bounds that fome philofophers have prefcribed to our atmosphere.

After contemplating these objects for fome time, we set off, and foon after arrived at the foot of the great crater of the mountain. This is exactly of a conical figure, and rifes equally on all fides. It is compofed folely of afhes and other burnt materials, discharged from the mouth of the volcano, which is in its center. This conical mountain is of a very great fize; its circumference cannot be lefs than ten miles. Here we took a fecond reft, as the most violent part of our fatigue ftill remained. The mercury had fallen to 20: 41. -We found this mountain exceffively fteep; and although it had appeared black, it was likewife covered with fnow, the furface of which (luckily for us) was spread over with a pretty thick laver of afhes thrown out from the crater. Had it not been for this, we never fhould have been able to get to the top; as the fnow was every where froze hard and folid from the piercing cold of the atmosphere.

"In about an hour's climbing, we arrived at a place where there was no fnow, and a warm comfortable vapour iffued from the mountain, which induced us to make another halt. Here I found the mercury at 19: 61. The thermometer, to my amazement, was fallen three degrees below the point of congelation; and before we left the fummit of Etna, it fell two degrees more, viz. to 27. From this fpot it was only about 300 yards to the higheft fummit of the mountain, where we arrived in full time, to fee the most wonderful and moft fublime fight in nature.

But here defcription muft ever fall fhort; for no imagination has dared to form an idea of fo glorious and fo magnificent a fcene. Neither is there on the furface of this globe, any one point that unites fo many awful and fublime objects.-The immenfe elevation, from the furface of the earth, drawn as it were to a single point, without any neighbouring mountain for the fenfes and imagination to rest upon; and recover from their aftonishment in their way down to the world. This point or pinnacle, raised on the brink of a bottomlefs gulph, as old as the world, often difcharging rivers of fire, and throwing out burning rocks, with a noife that thakes the whole island. Add to this, the unbounded extent of the profpect, comprehending the greatest diverfity and the most beautiful fcenery in nature; with the rifing fun, advancing in the east, to illuminate the wonderous fcene.

The whole atmosphere by degrees kindled up, and fhewed dimly and faintly the boundlefs profpett around.-Both fea and land looked dark and confufed, as if only emerging from their original chaos; and light and darkness feemed fill undivided; till the morning by degrees advancing, completed the feparation. The ftars are extinguilhed, and the fhades difappear. The forefts, which but now gemed black and bottomlefs gulphs, from whence no ray was re

I 3

flected

flected to fhew their form or colours, appears a new creation rifing to the fight; catching life and beauty from every increasing beam.The scene ftill enlarges, and the horizon feems to widen and expand itself on all fides; till the fun, like the great Creator, appears in the caft, and with his plaftic ray completes the mighty fcene.-All appears enchantment; and it is with difficulty we can believe we are Aill on earth. The fenfes, unaccustomed to fuch objects, are bewildered and confounded; and it is not till after fome time that they are capable of feparating and judging of them.-The body of the fun is feen rifing from the ocean, immenfe tracks both of fea and land intervening; the islands of Lipari, Panari, Alicudi, Strombolo, and Volcano, with their fmoking fummits, appear under your feet; and you look down on the whole of Sicily as on a map; and can trace every river through all its windings, from its fource to its mouth. The view is abfolutely boundless on every fide; nor is there any one object, within the circle of vifion, to interrupt it; fo that the fight is every where loft in the immenfity; and I am perfectly convinced that it is only from the imperfection of our organs, that the coafts of Africa, and even of Greece, are not difcovered, as they are certainly above the horizon. The circumference of the vifible horizon on the top of Ætna cannot be less than 2000 miles; at Malta, which is near 200 miles diftant, they perceive all the eruptions from the fecond region; and that island is often difcovered from about one half the elevation of the mountain; so that at the whole elevation the horizon must extend to near double that distance, or 400 miles, which makes 800 for the diameter of the circle, and 2400 for the circumference. But this is by much too vaft for our fenfes, not intended to grasp fo boundless a fcene. I find, indeed, by feveral of the Sicilian authors, particularly Maffa, that the African coaft, as well as that of Naples, with many of its islands, have often been discovered from the top of Etna. Of this, however, we cannot boaft, though we can very well believe it. Indeed, if we knew exactly the height of the mountain, it would be eafy to calculate the extent of its vifible horizon; and (vice versa) if its visible horizon was exactly afcertained, it would be an eafy matter to calculate the height of the mountain.-But the most beautiful part of the fcene is certainly the mountain itfelf; the island of Sicily, and the numerous iflands lying round it. All thefe, by a kind of magic in vifion, that I am at a lofs to account for, feem as if they were brought clofe round the fkirts of Etna; the diftances appearing reduced to nothing -Perhaps this fingular effect is produced from the rays of light paffing from a rarer medium into a denfer; which (from a well known law in optics) to an obferver in the rare medium, appears to lift up the objects that are at the bottom of the dense one; as a piece of money placed in a bafon appears lifted up, so soon as the bafon is filled with water.

"The Regione Djerta, or the frigid zone of Ætna, is the first object that calls your attention. It is marked out by a circle of fnow and ice, which extends on all fides to the distance of about eight miles. In the center of this circle, the great crater of the mountain rears its burning head, and the regions of intenfe cold and of intenfe heat feem for ever to be united in the fame point.-On the north fide of

the