none in answer, unless the packet-boat has been taken
by the French, or that so little time has quite excluded me from your
memories. In my first I gave you an account of my journey hither, and my
reception among the ingenious in these gloomy regions.

I arrived on the Banks of Acheron, and found Charon scooping his wherry,
who seeing me approach him, bid me sit down a little, for he had been
hard worked lately, and could not go with a single passenger: I was
willing enough to embrace the proposal, being much fatigued and weary.
Having finished what he was about, he cast his rueful aspect up to
the clouds, and demonstrating from thence (as I suppose) it was near
dinner-time, he took from out a locker or cupboard in the stern of his
pinnace, some provender pinned up in a clean linnen clout, and a jack of
liquor, and fell too without the least shew of ceremony, unless indeed
it were to offer me the civility of partaking with him. He muttered
something to himself, which might be grace as far as I know; but if it
were, 'twas as short as that at an Auction-dinner, nor did he devour
what was before him with less application than I have seen some there.
For my part, I could not but contemplate on his shaggy locks, his
wither'd sun-burnt countenance, together with the mightiness and
sanctity of his beard; but above all, his brawny chopt knuckles employed
my attention: In short, having satisfied the cormorant in his guts,
he had time to ask me what country-man I was? to which I submissively
answered, an English-man: O, says he, those English-men are merry
rogues, and love mischief; I have sometimes a diverting story from
thence: What news have you brought with you? truly I told his highness
I came away a little dissatisfied, and had not made any remarks on the
world for some time before my death; and for news I had not leisure to
bring any thing of moment. But ere we had talked much more, we saw
two other passengers approach us, who, by their often turning to one
another, and their laying down arguments with their hands, seemed to be
in warm debate together; which was as we conjectured; for when they
drew nearer to us, they proved to be a termagant High-Flyer, and a
puritanical Scripturian, a fiery Scotchman: Occasional Conformity was
their subject; for I heard the Scot tell him 'twas all popery, downright
popery, and that the inquisition in Spain was christianity to it, by
retarding the sons of grace from partaking of the gifts