PAUL AND VIRGINIA. 19I 



claimed: "Why do they not fend thefe idle 

 " wretches to perifli in our Colonies?" She added, 

 that the ideas of virtue, of humanity, and of reli- 

 gion, adopted by all Nations, were nothing but the 

 political inventions of their Princes. Then, fud- 

 denly plunging into the oppofile extreme, (he aban- 

 doned herlelf to fuperftitious terrors,which filled 

 her with mortal appréhendons. She ran about, 

 carrying with her vaft fums, which (he beftowed 

 on the rich monks, who were her ghoftly direflors, 

 and entreated them to appeafe the Deity, by the 

 facrifice of her fortune; as if that wealth, which 

 fhe had denied to the miferable, could be accept- 

 able to the Father of Mankind ! Her imagination 

 was frequently haunted by deluges of fire, burning 

 mountains, or hideous fpcd:res wandering before 

 her, and calling her by name, with horrible fcreams. 

 She threw herfelf at the feet of her diredlors, and 

 formed, in her own mind, tortures and punifh- 

 ments preparing for her ; for Heaven, juft Hea- 

 ven, fends fearful vifions to harrow up the fouls of 

 the unmerciful. 



Thus (he paiTed feveral years, by turns an atheift 

 and a devotee, equally in horror of life and of 

 death. But what terminated an exiftence fo de- 

 plorable, was the very thing to which fhe had fa- 

 crificed the fentiments of Nature. She had the 

 mortification to refled, that her riches would, after 



her 



