59 



and fpices ; and, when I aflured her th^t plain 

 rice merely put into a bag and boiled, made 

 a very wholefome and nourifhing diet, flie 

 fmiled, and exprefled ftrong doubts of the 

 fad : therefore, in order to convince her, I 

 defired that fhe would procure fome rice that 

 day for the children's dinner, and let me in- 

 ftruft her how to prepare it. She did fo, 

 with a fort of reludance, believing that it 

 could not be good, — not eatable ! I repeated 

 my afTurances that fhe would find it an im- 

 portant article of diet, adding, that it was 

 predejlined for her children to ufe it as a 

 principal part of their food. — ^-This was a 

 clofefpeclmen of her own logic, and a little 

 ftaggered her : but fhe could not " tell by 

 anticipation what was predeftined. Whatever 

 'Vvas would come to pafs." This, fhe believed, 

 never could. She knew not what was to be; 

 but, like the raoft zealous of the fe£t, referved 

 herfelf to judge the cafe of pre-ordination by- 

 the event. 



At dinner-time the rice appeared, and, 

 fortunately. It was well boiled. I defired them 

 to mix with it fome moid fugar and a fmali 



