He ftill, however, lived without a sense of GoD or religion. After his exchange he rose gradually in the army, till at last he became aid de camp to Lord STAIR. He then went to Paris, during the regency of the Duke of ORLEANS, and lived in a court the most diffolute in the world. What, by a wretched abuse of words, is ftyled gallantry, was the whole business of his life, and his fine constitution, fafcinating perfon, and elegant addrefs, gave him full opportunity of indulging in every excess, so that he generally went by the name of the happy Englishman. When returning to England, as hé was going poft upon a French horfe, the animal fell with him, and he was picked up for dead. When in the packet-boat a few weeks after, a violent ftorm arose, and the veffel was driven on the coaft of Holland, and the fhip was in so much danger, that the captain urged all in turn to prayers. It was then that Colonel GARDINER first seriously confidered the follies and the crimes he had been guilty of; that he was not fent into this world for nought; that he had neglected the part affigned to him; had degraded his own nature; and, instead of being useful, had been hurtful and pernicious among those with whom he had acquaintance. What account was he to give to his Maker? Self-condemned, polluted

by

by fo many crimes, how was he to find mercy in the fight of God? Hence, an overwhelmed and dejected mind; hence dismal forebodings of punishment; hence that wounded spirit, which who can bear? His prayer was long and fervent, and troubled with many tears. The mercy of GOD was again fhewn him, but among his giddy and diffolute companions he foon after endeavoured to excuse himself the scandal of " having prayed." In July 1719, having made an affignation with a married lady, a woman of rank, on a fabbath evening, to kill time he went to a neighbour's houfe, and the master being fuddenly called out, he ftumbled upon a book, whether placed there by accident or defign. I do not remember, which was called the Chriftian Soldier: as the hour was not yet arrived, he took up this book, and from the title he had curiofity to dip into it. Some paffages ftruck his attention, and he read on until he fell. afleep. He dreamt he faw an unusual blaze of light poured upon the book, and he afterward had a strong visual representation of the LORD JESUS CHRIST upon the crofs, furrounded on all fides with glory, who addreffed him," as an ungrateful finner, defpifing the "numerous mercies fhewn him." When he awoke, the impreffion was fo vivid, that he could fcarce con• VOL. IV. ST

ceive

ceive it had been a dream; he then looked back with horror on his past life; he would fain have kneeled down and afked pardon of GoD, but he thought he was a monster as yet too vile to fupplicate; he never once remembered the affignation, but went home, and paffed this and the three fucceeding nights, without the refreshment of fleep, in fasting and in prayer. His mind was continually taken up in reflecting on divine purity and goodness; the grace, which had been proposed to him in the gospel, which he had rejected; the fingular advantages he had enjoyed and abused; the many mercies he had received and despised; with the vain folly of that career of pleasure, which he had been fo many years running after with desperate eagerness, all roused his indignation against the great Deceiver, by whom, to ufe his own expreffion, he had been fo wretchedly "befooled." Thus the whole frame and difpofition of his foul was new modelled and changed; and he became, and continued to the very laft, a moft pious and exemplary Christian.

In the year 1140, that is to fay, a little more than fix hundred years ago, a count of Perch, who had led a very irreligious life, made a vow, during a violent tempest, that if he escaped fhipwreck, he would found,

upon

upon his eftate, a monaftery, and that the roof of the church should have the form of a fhip's keel. Upon his return to his domain, he chofe, for the fituation, a wild valley, very low, and the only descent was by a narrow paffage, hence the name La TRAPPE. The regulations of this convent were exceedingly auftere. By degrees its manners became relaxed, when a fingular adventure gave rise to the greatest reform in this inftitution. The estate fell by inheritance to M. L'abbe de RANCE, a man of a good family, and naturally of a benevolent heart, but given up to an unfortunate amour, As he returned from a journey, having been absent but a few days upon bufinefs, on his arrival he went to his beloved mistress, a woman of the greatest beauty and vivacity, and by means of a key he paffed along a dark paffage, and afcending by a private staircafe, opened the door of her chamber, when lo! instead of the beauteous MONBAZON, he beheld, by means of a blue lamp, a head befmeared with blood on the toilette, and cafting his frantic eyes around, he faw a coffin in which she was placed, which, being too fmall, the head had been cut off, and put in a difh upon the table. This frightful spectacle inspired him with the resolution of abandoning the world, and of entering into the convent 5T 2

of

of La TRAPPE, where he introduced all the aufterities

of St. BARNARD.

Now did REMORSE efface the guilty fcene,
which to his breast apply'd her dagger keen,
reftrain'd in full career the erring youth,

and led him back to innocence and truth:
'twas here he fled, divorc'd from pleasure's chain,
to woo religion in this gloomy fane,

to wash away with tears his errors past,

and spend each day, as though it were his last.

The monks of La TRAPPE never speak, they eat only vegetables, and drink water; they rise every morning at two, and after matins they make themselves a grave, in remembrance of their mortal ftate; they wear camlet next the skin, and lie upon straw. In the place where they affemble to warm themselves, which is the only indulgence they take, over the fire-place, there is the picture of a moft beautiful woman, and a person turns it every five minutes, when a half putrified skeleton appears.

SECT.