1828.] — Friar Bacon's Key. 161 
of perpetual motion, and was destined to whirl along for the rest of my 
life like a comet revolving in its orbit. But herein I wes happily mis- 
taken. We did at last stop before an immense pair of folding-doors, 
of brass or some heavy metal, let into the solid rock, which latter was 
scraped out into the form of an arch. Above this stood two colossal 
figures, each holding in its brazen grasp a chafing dish, full of live 
embers, that threw a lurid light for a few yards round, just sufficient to 
show the inscription over it—< Carpr Diem.” 
This little memorandum gave me no particular encouragement to 
proceed, but the grey man was not a person to allow any one too much 
time for reflection. With his usual expedition, he had handed me out 
of the coach, received his fare, and again mounted his box, before I had 
well made up my mind what to do. 
« Stop a moment, coachman,” I exclaimed, as he took up his whip, 
and was about to give it the preparatory flourish—< Just stop for a 
minute or so: Stop! I say,—I have a mind to go back with you.” 
« But I have no mind that you should. Tschick! tschick—gee-up, 
ho, lads!’ He was gone. 
What was to be done now? I might as well go on, since it seemed 
there was no way of getting back,—at least for the present,—so I 
applied my rusty old key to the ponderous lock before me, not a little 
doubtful, though, of the result; when, to my great surprise, it not only 
fitted exactly, but at the first touch of it the bolt shot from its fastening. 
The doors then swung slowly on their hinges, as if impelled by some 
invisible hand, and showed me a spacious hall of white marble, sup- 
ported by columns of the same, and with windows, that, from the light 
streaming upon the pavement, must open into day, though all behind 
me, for many a mile, was utter darkness. I had little hesitation in enter- 
ing a place of such fair promise, when the gates again closed after me, 
as they had opened, of their own accord: but this gave me little 
trouble, as I had carefully retained the key, and had, therefore, no occa 
sion to fear the being detained against my will. ; 
Boldly passing on through this noble hall, I suddenly found myself 
in a world,—for I may call a space so limitless a world,—that fairly 
struck me dumb with wonder. Above me was a chrystal sky, brilliant 
' with excess of light, although it had neither sun, nor moon, nor stars, 
nor any other visible source of so much splendour. Before me, and on 
both sides, as far as the eye could reach, was hill after hill, valley after 
valley, the soil of which was gold-dust, the rocks gold, and the stones 
thickly set in it, diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and all those gems to 
which the fancy of man has given an estimation. Thousands of human 
beings were busy, in all directions, with shovel and pick-axe, sweeping 
up the yellow dust, or rending the jewels from their beds of gold ; and, 
indeed, the work must have been carried on for ages, for the ground 
was full of immense cavities, that appeared to have resulted from the 
mining after the treasures imbedded in it. Of the multitudes thus 
employed, some were young, and others old, but by far the greater 
part were no less burthened by their years than by the riches they had 
collected and stowed away in their pockets, to the great increase of 
5 ir persons. What was still more singular, the aged were infinitely 
e most industrious. They scarcely allowed themselves time to eat or 
drink, so intent were they in adding to their loads, even when they were 
sinking under them; but the young, with a few exceptions only, took 
M.M. New Series.—Vou. VI. No. 32. Y 
