Such an Employment will pafs away the hours of his confinement with greater pleafure and profit, and will footh his prefent Afflictions by opening his future profpects.

In paffing through the Gate of a Prison on a flormy winter night, my ears were faluted by the clanking of chains, the oaths and blafphemies of the prifoners. They were moving about, and leaping, in a cell, where they were confined together, to counteract the rigour of the cold. This circumftance threw me into a train of reflections ; and I could not help regret

ting,

not

ting, that both their bodies and their Souls were greater objects of attention. The excellent Mr. Howard's regulations at that moment darted full upon my mind; and I could not but compare the diforderly behaviour of this promifcuous fociety, with what would have been the cafe, had they been decently accommodated in separate places of confinement.

That this mode of punishment may be adopted in preference to all others, is the fincere wifh of many confiderate perfons. It is not the object of true policy, any

more

more than of true religion, to cut off from Society the diftempered branches. Ofgreater benefit is it to reduce them to order by proper applications, to recover them from their unhappy fituation, to inftill good principles into their minds, to make them ufeful members of the State, and true difciples of their Saviour.

It was recommended by Queen Anne to the house of convocation, to prepare a Form of Prayer for the vifitation of prisoners, and particularly condemned perfons. This, it is needless to say, was O 2

not

not complied with. But if Mr. Howard's plan for the reformation of prisoners meets with the Encouragement it deferves, it seems probable, that the present very refpectable members of convocation will not be the laft to promote fo falutary an Undertaking. A form for this purpofe, was about that time composed by a Synod of the Church of Ireland, and has been lately adopted by the proteftant epifcopal church of America. It would have been added in this felection, but that it must be already in the hands of most of the chaplains of Goals, as it is to be found

found in Roffell's Prifoner's Director.

The good Bishop Wilfon was more than once interested for fome condemned perfons of his diocefe. No apology, but to the writer of his life, will be neceffary for inferting his exhortations and prayers upon these occafions. And as all his Labours tended to the general benefit of mankind, it will be no unpleafing fight to behold him enter the melancholy prifon, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives.