1799.] 
_ in the air, attended by a great number of 
others. Thele people, being entirely de- 
ftitute of all phyfical knowledge, were af- 
tonifhed at that wonderful fight, and fell 
upon their knees to adore their miraculous 
_god. This idol was publicly worfhipped 
near the fhore of the fea, and eafily could 
be reflected by the numerous facets of fuch 
a cloudy fpeculum, which nature perhaps 
formed of the faline particles drawn up 
into the air along with the vapours of the 
fea. It is obvious that this muft have 
been the cafe, becaufe this phenomenon 
was feen no more after the introduction of 
Chriftianity, when that idol was deltroyed. 
~  _KrrcHer obferves alfo, that the Mau- 
ritanian fhepherds may have been mifled 
by a fimilar illufion, to believe that the air 
was inhabited by an immenfe number of 
{pirits; when they were clothed in the fkins 
of wild beafts, and danced to the found of 
fifes and flutes. Their images were re- 
flected by the clouds ; and when they 
beheld the air filled with fupernatural 
beings, for which they took the re- 
fle&tion of their own images, and heard 
the noife which they made re-echo in 
the mountains, they could eafily take up 
the idga that the air was filled with fpec- 
tires and devils. 
‘Tuomas Faz£ to, whohas carefully 
colleéted whiatever is remarkable in Sicily, 
defcribes, in the firft decade of his work, 
book ii. ch. 1. another fingular phenome- 
non of the fame kind. When the air, fays 
he, is calm and ferene, the fky exhibits fre- 
quently, at the dawn of day, various ani- 
mal and human forms, fkipping to and fro, 
or fighting with each other, till they are 
difpelled by the heat of the rifing fun. 
Thefe inftances we think will be fufi- 
cient to ferve our readers as a clue to ex- 
plain many fingular apparitions and vifions 
in a natural manner, and to account for the 
phyfical caufes of fecond fight, which is 
‘particularly attributed to the inhabitants 
of North Wales, and of the Scotch iflands. 
BW: 
—— 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
A PEDESTRIAN EXCURSION THROUGH 
feveral PARTS of ENGLAND and 
WALES during the Summer of 1797+ 
(Continued from p. 619.) 
W E arrived at Ba/ing/foke (as the 
‘oot-traveller ought always to do 
at the place where he intends to fleep) 
time enough to walk through the town, 
and fix our quarters wherever appearances 
were moft inviting... We had not, how- 
ever, far to look. A decent, humble, 
A Pedeftrian Tour in England and Wales. 
783 
but comfortable houfe (the White Hart) 
prefented itfelf at the very entrance of the 
town: juft fuch a one as the pedeftrian 
may regard as a prize in the lottery. No 
fwaggering polt-boy to joftle him from the 
fire, no powdered waiter to fneer at his 
dufty garb, no purfey landlady to meafure 
him, with her eye, from head to foot, and 
inquire for his horfes, or his carriage ! 
and, on the other hand, no drunken rab.~ 
blement from the forge or faétory to ftun 
his fenfes with obfcene oaths and low 
{currility. The miftrefs of the houfe was 
a decent  houfewifely woman, foft of 
fpeech, gentle of manners, and (but for 
a few careworn premature wrinkles) fome- 
what handfome. She was fitting at work 
in a neat and comfortable parlour, with a 
fine girl, about 10 or 12 years of age, 
whole perfon interefted me, but whofe 
fubdued look and fixed attention to her 
knitting-needle, excited my fympathy. 
She looked as if fhe thought that, at her 
time of life, more ought to be given to 
play, and lefs to work. I thought fo too; 
but the diftributions of fociety (not her 
mother) were to blame, and I {mothered 
my fympathy in filence, 
Having befpoken our beds, we proceed- 
ed to explore the town in queft of infor 
mation ; and having entered a confiderable 
linen-draper’s fhop, in one of the windows 
of which a few pamphlets were exhibited, 
we found no difficulty in getting into con- 
verfation with the proprietor. From him 
we learned, that this was the only book- 
fhop in the town; that there was neither 
public library, circulating library, reading- 
room, nor book-club ; that half of his fhop 
had formerly been appropriated to fuch 
purpofes ; but that it did not anfwer— 
‘¢ the people of Bafingftoke having neither 
time nor inclination to read.” Yet this 
is a confiderable town, on a great. high 
road, only 46 miles from London ; and 
fymptoms of opulence, and confequently 
of leifure, are conf{picuous on every fide. 
Having fatisfied our curiofity in thefe 
particulars, we returned to our little inn ; 
in the parlour of which we fpent our even- 
ing fo comfortably, that we were hardly 
confcious either that we were in a public 
houfe, or that it was Sacurday evening. 
The modeft little girl, already mentioned, 
waited upon us with almoft obtrufive ci- 
vility ; and two fweet little ruddy babes 
amuied us with their infant pranks. One 
of thefe, about four years old, reminded 
me of my own little girl ; and the analogy 
was completed when [I learned that her 
name was Maria. I feated her on my 
knee, and kiffed her with paternal emo- 
tion ; and felt how painful it is to be one 
5H2z hundred 

