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situated not far from the sea coast: it stands 

 upon a navigable lake, from whence a river runs 

 into the sea, and ebbs and flows with the tide. 

 Persons of all ages divert themselves there with 

 fishing, sailing, or swimming, especially boys, 

 whom love of play and idleness bring thither. 

 The contest among them is, who shall have the 

 glory of swimming farthest. It happened in one 

 of those trials of skill, that a certain boy, more 

 bold than the rest, launched out towards the 

 opposite shore: he was met by a Dolphin, who 

 sometimes swam before him, and sometimes be- 

 hind him, then played round him, and at last 

 took him upon his back, then set him down, and 

 afterwards took him up again : and thus he car- 

 ried the frightened boy out into the deepest part, 

 when immediately he turned back again to the 

 shore and landed him among his companions. 

 The fame of this remarkable event spread 

 through the town, and crowds of people flocked 

 round the boy, to ask him questions and hear 

 his answers. The next day, the shore was lined 

 with multitudes of spectators, all attentively 

 contemplating the ocean, or whatever at a dis- 

 tance looked like it; in the mean while the boys 

 swam as usual, and among the rest the youth I 



