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Literary
December 2, 1820
The Alexandrian: A Commercial, Agricultural And Literary Journal
Alexandria, District Of Columbia
What is this article about?
A traveller, caught in a storm, complains to Jupiter but later realizes the tempest saved him from a robber by wetting the bowstring. A heavenly voice reveals divine providence in the event.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
THE TRAVELLER.
A traveller, during the violence of a storm, implored relief from Jupiter, and entreated him to assuage the tempest. But Jupiter lent a deaf ear to his entreaty. Struggling with the unabated fury of the whirlwind, tired, and far from shelter, he grew peevish and discontented. 'Is it thus,' he said, 'the gods to whom our sacrifices are offered daily, heedless of our welfare, and amused with our sufferings, make an ostentatious parade of their omnipotence?' At length, approaching the verge of a forest, 'Here,' he cried, 'I shall find that succour and protection which heaven, either unable or unwilling to aid me, hath refused.' But, as he advanced, a robber rose suddenly from a bush, and the traveller, impelled by instant terror and the prospect of greater danger, betook himself to flight, exposing himself to the tempest of which he had so bitterly complained. His enemy, meanwhile, fitting an arrow to his bow, took exact aim; but the bow-string being relaxed with the moisture, the deadly weapon fell short of its mark, and the traveller escaped uninjured. As he continued his journey, a voice issued awful from the clouds. 'Meditate on the providence as well as on the power of heaven. The storm which you deprecated so blasphemously hath been the means of your preservation. Had not the bow-string of your enemy been rendered useless by the rain, you had fallen a prey to his violence.'
A traveller, during the violence of a storm, implored relief from Jupiter, and entreated him to assuage the tempest. But Jupiter lent a deaf ear to his entreaty. Struggling with the unabated fury of the whirlwind, tired, and far from shelter, he grew peevish and discontented. 'Is it thus,' he said, 'the gods to whom our sacrifices are offered daily, heedless of our welfare, and amused with our sufferings, make an ostentatious parade of their omnipotence?' At length, approaching the verge of a forest, 'Here,' he cried, 'I shall find that succour and protection which heaven, either unable or unwilling to aid me, hath refused.' But, as he advanced, a robber rose suddenly from a bush, and the traveller, impelled by instant terror and the prospect of greater danger, betook himself to flight, exposing himself to the tempest of which he had so bitterly complained. His enemy, meanwhile, fitting an arrow to his bow, took exact aim; but the bow-string being relaxed with the moisture, the deadly weapon fell short of its mark, and the traveller escaped uninjured. As he continued his journey, a voice issued awful from the clouds. 'Meditate on the providence as well as on the power of heaven. The storm which you deprecated so blasphemously hath been the means of your preservation. Had not the bow-string of your enemy been rendered useless by the rain, you had fallen a prey to his violence.'
What sub-type of article is it?
Fable
Prose Fiction
What themes does it cover?
Religious
Moral Virtue
What keywords are associated?
Traveller
Storm
Jupiter
Providence
Robber
Divine Intervention
Moral Tale
Literary Details
Title
The Traveller.
Key Lines
'Meditate On The Providence As Well As On The Power Of Heaven. The Storm Which You Deprecated So Blasphemously Hath Been The Means Of Your Preservation. Had Not The Bow String Of Your Enemy Been Rendered Useless By The Rain, You Had Fallen A Prey To His Violence.'