ad-side, or in
holding free discourse with a beggar beneath a hedge, or a tinker,' he
added, smiling; 'it was those superfluous ceremonies, those surplices and
white neckcloths, and, above all, the necessity of strictly regulating
his words and conversation, which drove John Wesley out of the church,
and sent him wandering up and down as you see me, poor Welsh Peter, do.'

Nothing farther passed for some time; we were now drawing near the hills:
at last I said, 'You must have met with a great many strange adventures
since you took up this course of life?'

'Many,' said Peter, 'it has been my lot to meet with; but none more
strange than one which occurred to me only a few weeks ago. You were
asking me, not long since, whether I believed in devils? Ay, truly,
young man; and I believe that the abyss and the yet deeper unknown do not
contain them all; some walk about upon the green earth. So it happened,
some weeks ago, that I was exercising my ministry about forty miles from
here. I was alone, Winifred being slightly indisposed, staying for a few
days at the house of an acquaintance; I had finished afternoon's
worship--the people had dispersed, and I was sitting solitary by my cart
under some green trees in a quiet retired place; suddenly a voice said to
me, "Good-evening, Pastor"; I looked up, and before me stood a man, at
least the appearance of a man, dressed in a black suit of rather a
singular fashion. He was about my own age, or somewhat older. As I
looked upon him, it appeared to me that I had seen him twice before
whilst preaching. I replied to his salutation, and perceiving that he
looked somewhat fatigued, I took out a stool from the cart, and asked him
to sit down. We began to discourse; I at first supposed that he might be
one of ourselves, some wandering minister; but I was soon undeceived.
Neither his language nor his ideas were those of any one of our body. He
spoke on all kinds of matters with much fluency; till at last he
mentioned my preaching, complimenting me on my powers. I replied, as
well I might, that I could claim no merit of my own, and that if I spoke
with any effect, it was only by the grace of God. As I uttered these
last words, a horrible kind of sneer came over his countenance, which
made me shudder, for there was something diabolical in it. I said little
more, but listened attentively to his discourse. At last he said that I
was engaged in a paltry cause, quite unworthy of one o