thought of nothing but completing his enterprise, and utterly driving the Yankees from the Ifland. This hardy enterprize he performed in much the fame manner as he had been accustomed to drive his oxen; for as the Yankees fled before him, he pulled up his breeches and trudged steadily after them, and would infallibly have driven them into the sea, had they not . begged for quarter, and agreed to pay tribute.

- The news of this achievement was a seasonable restorative to the spirits of the citizens of New-Amfterdam. To gratify them ftill more, the governor refolved to aftonish them with one of those gorgeous fpectacles, known in the days of claffic antiquity, a full account of which had been flogged into his memory, when a fchool-boy at the Hague. A grand triumph, therefore, was decreed to Stoffel Brinkerhoff, who made his triumphant entrance into town riding on a Naraganfet pacer; five pumpkins, which, like Roman Eagles, had ferved the enemy for standards, were carried before him-fifty cart loads of oysters, five hundred bufhels of Wheathersfield onions, a hundred quintals of codfish, two hogfheads of molaffes, and various other treasures, were exhibited as the spoils and tribute of the Yankees; while three notorious counterfeiters of Manhattan notes* were

*This is one of those trivial anachronisms, that now and then occur in the course of this otherwise authentic history. How could Manhattan notes be counterfeited, when as yet Banks were unknown in this country-and our simple progenitors had not even dreamt of those inexhaustible miues of paper opulence. Print. Dev.

led captive to grace the hero's triumph. The procesfion was enlivened by martial mufic, from the trumpet of Antony Van Corlear the champion, accompanied by a felect band of boys and negroes, performing on the national inftruments of rattle bones and clam fhells. The citizens devoured the spoils in fheer gladness of heart--every man did honour to the conqueror, by getting devoutly drunk on New-England rumand the learned Wilhelmus Kieft calling to mind, in a momentary fit of enthusiasm and generofity, that it was customary among the ancients to honour their victorious generals with public ftatues, paffed a gracious decree, by which every tavernkepeer was permitted to paint the head of the intrepid Stoffel on his fign!

CHAP. IV.

Philosophical reflections on the folly of being happy in times of prosperity.—Sundry troubles on the southern Frontiers. How William the Testy had well nigh ruined the province through a Cabalistic word.As also the secret expedition of Jan Jansen Alpendam, aud his astonishing reward.

If we could but get a peep at the tally of dame Fortune, where, like a notable landlady, the regularly chalks up the debtor and creditor accounts of mankind, we should find that, upon the whole, good and evil are pretty nearly balanced in this world; and that though we may for a long while revel in the very lap of profperity, the time will at length come, when we must ruefully pay off the reckoning. Fortune, in fact, is a peftilent fhrew, and withal a moft inexorable creditor; for though she may indulge her favourites in long credits, and overwhelm them with her favours, yet fooner or latter fhe brings up her arrears, with the rigour of an experienced publican, and washes out her scores with their tears. "Since," fays good old Boetius in his confolations of philofophy, " fince no man can retain her at his pleasure, and fince her flight is fo deeply lamented, what are her favours but

fure pronoftications of approaching trouble and calamity."

There is nothing that more moves my contempt at the ftupidity and want of reflection of my fellow men, than to behold them rejoicing, and indulging in fecurity and self confidence, in times of profperity. To a wife man, who is bleffed with the light of reason, thofe are the very moments of anxiety and apprehenfion; well knowing that according to the fyftem of things, happiness is at beft but tranfient-and that the higher he is elevated by the capricious breath of fortune, the lower must be his proportionate depreffion. Whereas, he who is overwhelmed by calamity, has the lefs chance of encountering fresh disasters, as a man at the bottom of a ladder, runs very little risk of breaking his neck by tumbling to the top.

This is the very effence of true wifdom, which confifts in knowing when we ought to be miserable; and was discovered much about the fame time with that invaluable fecret, that "every thing is vanity and vexation of fpirit;" in confequence of which maxim your wife men have ever been the unhappieft of the human race; efteeming it as an infallible mark of genius to be diftreffed without reason-fince any man may be miferable in time of misfortune, but it is the philofopher alone who can discover cause for grief in the very hour of prosperity.

According to the principle I have just advanced, we find that the colony of New-Netherlands, which,

under the reign of the renowned Van Twiller, had flourished in such alarming and fatal ferenity, is now paying for its former welfare, and discharging the enormous debt of comfort which it contracted. Foes harafs it from different quarters; the city of New Amfterdam, while yet in its infancy, is kept in con ftant alarm; and its valiant commander, William the -Tefty, answers the vulgar, but expreffive idea of "a man in a peck of troubles."

While bufily engaged repelling his bitter enemies the Yankees, on one fide, we find him fuddenly molested in another quarter, and by other affailants. A vagrant colony of Swedes, under the conduct of Peter Minnewits, and profeffing allegiance to that redoubtable virago, Chriftina queen of Sweden, had fettled themselves and erected a fort on fouth (or Delaware) river-within the boundaries, claimed by the government of the New Netherlands. Hiftory is mute as to the particulars of their first landing, and their real pretenfions to the foil, and this is the more to be lamented, as this fame colony of Swedes will hereafter be found moft materially to affect, not only the inter efts of the Nederlanders, but of the world at large!

In whatever manner, therefore, this vagabond colony of Swedes first took poffeffion of the country, it is certain that in 1638 they established a fort, and Minnewits, according to the off hand ufage of his contemporaries, declared himself governor of all the adjacent country, under the name of the province of