2x6 THE BEE, OR Feb. 9, 



nefs of the heart it was which arifes from hope defer- 

 red. Upon looking nearer, I faw him pale and feverifli. 

 In thirty years, the weftern breeze had not once fanned 

 his blood. He had feen no fun, no moon in all that 

 time ; nor had the voice of friend or kinfman breathed 

 through his lattice, his children 



" But here my heart began to bleed ; and I was 

 forced to go on with another part of my portrait. 



" He was fitting upon the ground upon a little ilraw, 

 in the farthcll corner of his dungeon, which was alter- 

 nately his chair and bed. A little calendar of fm:tll 

 llicks were laid at the head, notched all over with the 

 difinal days and nitihts lie had pafl'ed there. He had 

 one of thele little flicks in his hand ; and with a rufly 

 nail, he was etching another day of miferv to add to 

 the heap. As I darkened the little lignt he had, he 

 lifted up a hopelefs eye towards the door ; tlien call it 

 dov/n ; (hook his head, and went on with his work of 

 afBiftion. I heard his chains upon his hgs, as he turn- 

 ed his body to lay his little Hick upon the bundle. He 

 gave a deep figh. I faw the iron enter into his foul. 

 I burtl into tears. I could not fuflain the pifture of 

 confinement which iny fancy had drawn." 



Think not however that this is a mere fancy pifture, 

 which has no reality ia exillence. Could the horrid 

 walls of all thofe gloomy manfions, allotted for the con- 

 finement of human beings in every part of the world, 

 be now caft down, and the miferable objefts they con- 

 tain be laid open to the view, what human being could 

 bear to look at it? The heart of the molt favage tyrant 

 would be melted at the light ; and the millions of mi- 

 fera"15le beings who are there, now, at this very mo- 

 ment, dying in the agonies of mifery, and thofe who 

 figh at the diftant profpecl of that only termination of 

 their wretchednefs, would freeze up his foul with horror. 

 Yet the man who could not bear the fight for, one mo- 

 ment, can, without one painful effort, order hundreds 

 fiom his liglit to be fliut up in thefe dreary manfions 



