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Article THE CONVERT. Page 1 of 7 →
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The Convert.
THE CONVERT .
MANKIND too frequently make the conduct of its advocates the test ' of the principle ivhich they profess—this is false in reason , and inconclusive in argument , truth is immutable and loses no portion of its quality from the dereliction and weakness of its professors . Egbert , the wise , one of the earliest monarchs , of the East-Angles , was celebrated for his benevolence , and the considerate manner in which he attended to the welfare of his people , whose warlike character joined to
the talents of their young monarch , had at an early period procured for them the honour of an alliance with Rome , the then Mistress of the world . Although dissatisfifd with the heathenism of his Druid priests , he still outwardly adhered to their faith ; the splendid fables of the Roman and Greek mythology had at first excited his imagination , hut failed to convince his understanding . No , he exclaimed , in reply to the solicitations of the priests of Jupiter sent to him by Julius Agricola , not for a faith like this will I desert my father ' s worship and overturn the Altars of my country ; this is not the staff on which my doubts can
rest . Although disappointed in their endeavours they returned well pleased with the reception and presents made them by the politic Briton , and reported so favourably of him to Julius , that he renewed the mutual treaty on terms yet more advantageous to the monarch of the East-Angles . The approaching feast of Thor was anxiously anticipated both by Egbert and his people , as its solemnities were to terminate ivith his union ivith the beautiful Carialla , a Saxon maiden of high
birth , by whom he believed himself devotedly attached . A month only was wanting to complete his happiness when one delicious evening he wandered with his destined bride upon the sands , their dreams were of long years of future bliss : they spoke of love unalloyed by doubt or jealousy , and confident in mutual truth , defied alike the temptations and the storms of life . Vain picture of earthly confidence ! the heart knoweth not its own dangerous devices and weakness , its resolves are as
unstable as human passion , as mutable , as its impulses are various ; indulging in anticipations and hopes such as haunt our sleep in youth , the lovers observed not that they had strayed from their attendants till the loud echo of the thunder warned them of the distance from their
friends , and that one of those sudden autumnal storms to which the island is subject was near at hand ; as these are sometimes extremely violent though short in their duration , Egbert ' s first care was to provide a shelter for his betrothed in one of the numerous fissures of the rocks ivith which the coast abounds , where , after spreading his mantle on the ground to form a seat , he cast himself at her feet on the dry weeds and leaves ivith which the floor was strewed . Thus while all around
was storm and violence , they passed the time in conversation , happy in each other , nor blamed the strife of elements which held them prisoners in that solitary cave . " Look dearest Egbert , " cried Carialla , fixing her blue eyes eagerly upon the troubled bosom of the waters , " is not that a human figure struggling with the waves . " " It is indeed , " replied the youthful monarch , "bravely he buffets them . Thor give him strength to reach the sandy hills , " he cried , as he observed the half-spent swimmer directing his course to a peaked rock ivhich rose about a hundred and fifty yards from the shore;—
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Convert.
THE CONVERT .
MANKIND too frequently make the conduct of its advocates the test ' of the principle ivhich they profess—this is false in reason , and inconclusive in argument , truth is immutable and loses no portion of its quality from the dereliction and weakness of its professors . Egbert , the wise , one of the earliest monarchs , of the East-Angles , was celebrated for his benevolence , and the considerate manner in which he attended to the welfare of his people , whose warlike character joined to
the talents of their young monarch , had at an early period procured for them the honour of an alliance with Rome , the then Mistress of the world . Although dissatisfifd with the heathenism of his Druid priests , he still outwardly adhered to their faith ; the splendid fables of the Roman and Greek mythology had at first excited his imagination , hut failed to convince his understanding . No , he exclaimed , in reply to the solicitations of the priests of Jupiter sent to him by Julius Agricola , not for a faith like this will I desert my father ' s worship and overturn the Altars of my country ; this is not the staff on which my doubts can
rest . Although disappointed in their endeavours they returned well pleased with the reception and presents made them by the politic Briton , and reported so favourably of him to Julius , that he renewed the mutual treaty on terms yet more advantageous to the monarch of the East-Angles . The approaching feast of Thor was anxiously anticipated both by Egbert and his people , as its solemnities were to terminate ivith his union ivith the beautiful Carialla , a Saxon maiden of high
birth , by whom he believed himself devotedly attached . A month only was wanting to complete his happiness when one delicious evening he wandered with his destined bride upon the sands , their dreams were of long years of future bliss : they spoke of love unalloyed by doubt or jealousy , and confident in mutual truth , defied alike the temptations and the storms of life . Vain picture of earthly confidence ! the heart knoweth not its own dangerous devices and weakness , its resolves are as
unstable as human passion , as mutable , as its impulses are various ; indulging in anticipations and hopes such as haunt our sleep in youth , the lovers observed not that they had strayed from their attendants till the loud echo of the thunder warned them of the distance from their
friends , and that one of those sudden autumnal storms to which the island is subject was near at hand ; as these are sometimes extremely violent though short in their duration , Egbert ' s first care was to provide a shelter for his betrothed in one of the numerous fissures of the rocks ivith which the coast abounds , where , after spreading his mantle on the ground to form a seat , he cast himself at her feet on the dry weeds and leaves ivith which the floor was strewed . Thus while all around
was storm and violence , they passed the time in conversation , happy in each other , nor blamed the strife of elements which held them prisoners in that solitary cave . " Look dearest Egbert , " cried Carialla , fixing her blue eyes eagerly upon the troubled bosom of the waters , " is not that a human figure struggling with the waves . " " It is indeed , " replied the youthful monarch , "bravely he buffets them . Thor give him strength to reach the sandy hills , " he cried , as he observed the half-spent swimmer directing his course to a peaked rock ivhich rose about a hundred and fifty yards from the shore;—