Discourse ensues, not trivial, yet not dull, To one, whose fortune it has been to spend in evening, in mid-winter, in the bosom of the family of which I am treating, it would appear, that Cowper had copied his beautiful picture from the original there presented. This evening, there happened to be no company: Virginia was not at home: the General, Mrs. Wolburn, Rowland and Louisa, were alone, and at liberty to discuss whatever subject might be proposed. The favourite topic of the General was the revolution, which had just been brought to a conclusion, and raised the colonies into a free, and since, into a great and flourishing republic. He kept up a constant epistolary correspondence with all the worthies of the times, especially with General Washington, with whom he was upon terms of the easiest familiarity, and with whom he was accustomed to spend some time, every summer, at Mount Vernon. In describing the dangers which he had been exposed to, the risks he had run, the thread-breath escapes he had made, the destitute condition of the country, when she declared herself free; the want of ammunition, troops, discipline, resources, and even the necessaries of life, his eyes flashed with enthusiasm, and the vigour and fire of youth seemed to revive in his bosom. In the course of his remarks, he would digress to his old horse Bull, which might be called his hobby; and with Bull, he would invariably couple his good man Moses. 66 By the by," said he, " Mr. Rowland, Moses is a Roman Catholic." 66 And a more faithful servant cannot be found in the world," added Louisa. "Our religion inspires fidelity, my dear miss," said Rowland. "Even Protestants appear convinced of that," said the General; "for most of those whom I am acquainted with, give them the preference." 66 "I heard Sabina Bramswell remark, papa, that when her father can get a Catholic servant he will have no other." "And justly, very justly, my love, if I may judge from my good old Moses." "You must know, Mr. Rowland," observed Mrs. Wolburn with a significant emphasis, "that Moses goes regularly to confession. To father Hamilton, isn't it, Wolburn? in Alexandria." "Every month, my dear, as regularly as the sun. Even during the war, when we poor sinners," he continued with a tone of voice, half jocular, and half earnest, "had hardly, or thought we had hardly, time to say a prayer, Moses would find time to prepare himself for confession, and receive communion. And I never knew him to be without his beads. I ɔnce surprised him at the rosary, and asked an explanation of that kind of prayer: and I believe he satisfied me.' "I think he mentioned, papa, that the beads are a spiritual nosegay made up of prayers in honour of the Virgin Mary," said Louisa. "A very pretty idea," rejoined Mrs. Wol burn. "The beads, my dear General," said Rowland, "are composed of five or six decads, divided from each other in such a way, that the ten Hail Mary's are separated by a Glory be to the Father, and the Lord's prayer. The prayer called the Hail Mary comprises three parts; the first of which consists of the words of the angel Gabriel on announcing to her, that she was to be the mother of God. • Hail full of grace the Lord is with thee.** The second consists of the salutation of Elizabeth inspired by the Holy Ghost: 'Blessed art thou among women.' The third part was added by the Church, in the fifth century, when the maternity of the Blessed Virgin was denied by the Nestorians: Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.' The Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost,' &c. is a doxology, which was introduced into the various churches, after the condemnation of the Arian heresy, which denied the mystery of the trinity. To perpetuate the remembrance of the incarnation of Christ, the maternity of Mary, and the mystery of the trinity, is the object of * Luke i. 28. the Catholic in reciting the beads. The beads themselves are of no other use than to designate the number of times the prayers should be said: the efficacy of the rosary, therefore, consists not in the beads themselves, but in the prayers offered with attention, and fervour, and religion to the Virgin Mary; not with the view of making her equal to her son, or of obtaining from her the remission of our sins, but merely to propitiate her favour, and obtain her advocacy and intercession."* Here Mrs. Wolburn begged leave to retire to her devotions, and gracefully left the room. Louisa followed. 66 Perhaps, Mr. Rowland, you may desire to be alone till supper," said the General: "I will therefore leave you to yourself." The father was not unwilling to spend the short time which remained before tea, in reciting his breviary, and performing several spiritual exercises, from which he never dispensed himself, except in case of necessity. The General having ordered more wood to be put on the fire, made his obeisance, and retired. * Modern Protestants inveigh, with great zeal, against our invoking the B. V. Mary. How few of them imagine that one of their most celebrated Bishops, Montague, could express himself thus: "It is no impiety to say, as the Catholics do, Holy Mary pray for me." CHAPTER IV. "When Prudence warned her to remove by times, Dryden. ROWLAND finding himself alone, and not likely to be disturbed for some time, took from his pocket a breviary, and commenced his "office." For the reader must know, that every Catholic clergyman is bound to recite, every day a certain number of Psalms, extracts from the sacred scriptures, and from the fathers of the church; and this is what is termed the "office," and the book in which the office is contained, is called the "breviary." So that the Catholic Priest who is accused of keeping the Bible out of sight, is obliged to spend at least an hour a day, in reading passages from that sacred volume. Do those persons who are loudest in the praises of the Bible imitate their example? or rather is not their time, and care, and attention absorbed by the concerns of a family which they raise around them. Father Rowland was accustomed to recite his office kneeling, and when time would permit, he concluded the whole by a chapter from the epistles. It chanced, as he opened the Testament, a small edition of which he always carried about him, that he fell on the second chapter of the second epistle of St. Peter. With the utmost attention, he perused the first verse: "But there were also false prophets among the |