50 NORTHERN MEMOIRS. 



pass of his steerage, he splits the vessel, or in- 

 evitably oversets her ; exposing his natives and 

 others to a malicious fate : therefore how diffi- 

 cult it is to sail betwixt Sylla and Charibdis ? 



Arn. And as difficult almost to weather the 

 times at home ; for whenever a state stands a 

 tiptoe, the common people are threatned exiles. 



Theoph. I would not be thought so rash to pre- 

 anticipate before trial ; nor would I truckle to 

 uneven tempers of men and times, by a supine 

 complacency, so to be coaks'd out of my life by 

 the sugared temptation of designers. 



Arn. Unthinking men, whilst the storm is yet 

 rising, rise before it, so fool away their lives : 

 he that falls in with a discontented family, pro- 

 pounds to build on another man's ruin. The 

 divine powers shake the arm of flesh ; and what 

 is too difficult for God to do? He that made 

 the world, can throw it down and dash it in 

 pieces. 



Theoph. Yes sure, and us too, if we stand 

 within distance (I mean in his way of justice 

 against impenitents.) O my friend, let's remove 

 further off. 



Arn, What star must direct us ? and whither 

 must we go ? 



Theoph. Into the solitary shades of Scotland ; 

 for every eye will trace us out here. 



Arn. What ! so unjust to ourselves, to fly 



