When I had thus said, Gito threw off his mantle, and getting under mine, thrust his head out at top to reach my lips; but that the most malicious wave might not ravish us asunder, he girt himself to me with the thong that bound his wallet; and "'tis some comfort," said he, "to think that by this the sea will bear us longer e're it can divorce us from each other's arms. Or, if in compassion it shou'd throw us on the same shore, either the next that passes by wou'd give us a monument of stone, that by the common laws of humanity he wou'd cast upon us; or at least the angry waves, that seem to conspire our separation, wou'd unwittingly bury us in one grave, with the sand their rage wou'd vomit up." I was satisfy'd with my chain, and, as on my death-bed, did now contentedly expect the coming hour. In the mean time the tempest, acting the decrees of Fate, had rent all the rigging from the vessel; no mast, no rudder left, not a rope or plank, but an awkward shapeless body of a ship tost up and down the flood. The fisher-men that inhabited the sea-side, expecting a booty, in all haste put out with their boats; but when they saw those in the vessel that cou'd defend their own; they chang'd their design of pillaging to succouring. After a salute on both sides, unwonted murmurs, lilre that of some beast, labouring to get out, proceeded from beneath the master's cabin; upon which, following the sound, we found Eumolpus sitting alone, and in his hand a large scroll of paper that he was filling, even to the margent, with verses; we all were amaz'd to see a man amuse himself with poetry, at a time when he had reason to think each minute wou'd be his last, and having drawn him, malcing a great noise, from his hole, we endeavour'd to recover him from his frenzy; but he was in such a heat to be disturb'd, that "'Sdeath," said he, "let me make an end of this couplet, it finishes the poem;" on which I took hold of the mad man, and order'd the still murmuring poet to be hall'd on shore. When with some trouble we had got him on shore, we very pensively enter'd one of the fishermen's huts, and howe're we feasted on our meats the sea had corrupted, we had no comfortable night of 't. The next day, as we were proposing how to bestow our selves, we discover'd an human body floating on a little wave that made to shore: I stood still concern'd, and began with more diligence to see, if what was presented to our view was real. When, finding it to be a man's: and "who knows," I cry'd out, "but this wretch's wife, in some part of the world, secure at home, may expect his coming; or perhaps a son, ignorant of the fatal storm, may wait the wisht arrival of his father; who with so many kisses seal'd his unwilling parting: These are our great designs! vain mortals swell with promising hopes, yet there's the issue of them all! see the mighty nothing how it's tost!"