the bravery of the Temple by the Excellency of the outward Court If the Walls of Babylon are so great what is the City But if the very Suburbs of the New Jerusalem yea the Neighbour-Villages and Country round about at so vast a distance be so rich so plentiful what shall we think of the place itself If the Sun shines to us so glorious so far off what is it if you were near to it I desire not Readers to impose upon your Faith tell me you that admire this World for so delicate an Eden do not you think the God that made it and gave it to the Children of Men most of which care but little for him hath he not a far better for himself and his own Children Psal 8.1 3 c. 2. The Reports of them that have been there or had some sight of the place I shall name St. Paul for one 2 Cor. 12.2 4. Will ye believe such a Man See what he saith 2 Cor. 4.17 18 2 Tim. 4.8 and in several other places I mention St. John the Apostle for another entertained with extraordinary Visions in the Isle of Patmos Rev. 21.2 c. Will ye believe the Son of God that came down from Heaven to visit the Children of Men And came on purpose to court us and prepare our way thither he hath told you of those Rewards in several places Mat. 8.11 Mat. 13.43 Mat. 22.30 Luke 12.32 Luke 20.36 John 10.28 Neither have they only told us these Stories but seal'd their Reports with Miracles and Sufferings And others have believ'd them as wise as we and we believe others in Things as strange and incredible that are not so worthy of Credit as this And why do we stumble here But verily Canaan was a Type of Heaven and the Reports of that a Figure of these and the Unbelief of the Israelites in that Case a Shadow of ours in this They would not believe then nor we now but the Aggravation is on our part Caleb only of them that were sent to search the Land encourag'd them We have a Cloud of Witnesses to encourage us and yet we will not believe Well many of them fell short God not being pleased with them let us take care lest we fall also the same Example of Vnbelief 4. The Inhabitants that dwell there and are like to be our Companions for ever Here we sojourn in Meshech and dwell in the Tents of Kedar we cohabit with a People of unclean Lips and an uncircumcised Heart In Hell the Company is worse nothing there but damned cursed blaspheming Spirits In Heaven is pure Society without any mixture of Evil or Unkindness The Apostle tells you who they are and I suppose you know Heb. 12.22 23 c. 1. God himself Blessed for Evermore The Lord is in his holy Temple the Lord's Throne is in Heaven Psal 11.4 The Lord of Hosts wonderful in Counsel and excellent in Working A King Eternal Immortal Invisible who dwells in the Light which no meer Mortal Man can approach unto The Strength of Israel glorious in Holiness fearful in Praises gracious and merciful slow to anger of great kindness abundant in Goodness and Truth The Father of Lights with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning The Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come the same God for ever and ever The humble holy and compassionate Jesus who died for us who trod the Wine-press of his Father's Wrath alone for us and came from Heaven to Earth from Earth to Hell from Earth to Heaven again to prepare the Way and provide Mansions of Bliss and Crowns of Glory for us The Blessed Spirit the Second Advocate our tender Guide Solliciter and Comforter the Three-One God blessed for evermore 2. The holy Angels glorious Creatures as far superiour to the Excellency of Man as Man is to the Beasts that perish We may guess their Excellency 1. From their Priority of Creation Indeed Moses or whoever was the Author of Genesis gives us no Historical Account of their Creation because it concern'd not us But we may probably conjecture that they were made before us not only because of their Excellency but because likewise they are said to be present Witnesses of the Creation of Man and sung together Job 38.7 When the Foundations of the World were fasten'd and the Corner-stone laid And besides no sooner scarce was Man in Paradise but Satan was there ready one of the fallen Angels to lay a Temptation for him 2. Their Nature having neither the Clogs of Flesh Bones or Blood as we have but free nimble intellectual Spirits 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Principalities and Powers endow'd with an extraordinary Measure of Knowledge 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eyes before and behind of a quick Sight and Conception and a quicker Expedition in the Dispatch of Sacred Duty Love hath given Wings of an ardent Zeal and a flaming Affection thence called Seraphim in a word immaterial and immortal 3. Their Number You will not expect that we should count the Stars of Heaven Rev. 12.4 Some of the Heathens thought them innumerable so Max. Tyr. and Pythagoras thought all the Air was full of them Thales omnia Deorum sunt plena Orpheus counted 365 Hesiod Three Myriads the Holy Scripture Thousands and Ten thousand times Ten thousand c. Dan. 7.10 Whatever they are they are many and glorious Creatures insomuch that the very appearance of them in this lower World would dazle and affright us We have frequent mention made in the Old Testament of their appearing to some Persons of greater Favour and Eminency in the Church and yet even then it was an astonishing Wonder and even good Men look'd upon it as a Presage of Death Judg. 13.6 19 22. and it would be so now We are dash'd in the Presence of a Man that is extraordinarily famous and eminent for Wisdom Goodness or Greatness How many have we read or heard of Men of a competent Spirit Presence and Courage have been struck mute in the Company of some Great Sir How should we veil our Faces now to Angels as they to God in Heaven The Rags of our Mortality Sin and Baseness is enough to make us blush in such pure glorious heavenly Company That which I drive at in all this is to shew That if the Inhabitants be so rich so brave the Country is a Paradise If the Courtiers are so gorgeously apparelled and arrayed with so high a Glory the Court is more glorious These are the Natives of the place And do not you think the place where they live is mighty pleasant They must needs fare well that go to such good Company 4. But besides all this we shall have the Society of the Spirits of Just Men made perfect Fan the World and sift it so clean that all the Chaff may be driven away and nothing left but pure Grain Good Men Men that love God and work Righteousness and cleave to that which is good Run over all
and Wisdom must this God be that stretched out the Heavens like a round Canopy and hung it over this lower World in so exact and circular a Figure that no inequality can be found in it 3. Of the Situation of the Heavens ALL this Great Body hung with an innumerable Number of Stars and Planets each Body big enough to make a World of all this hung upon nothing no material Arches no visible Pillars to support it Nothing but the Power of him that made it It surpasses Human Skill the Wit of all Men in the World to hang a little Ball or an Egg-shell in the Air without somewhat material to support it God hath not only hung the Earth but the Heavens also upon nothing What cannot the God of all the World do Let him but speak the Word and he can make a World stand without Pillars His Word is enough for a World to stand upon and shall poor sneaking Man be afraid to venture upon his Promise He spake the Word and the World was created he spake the Word and the Heavens were stretched forth over the empty places He may speak the Word Ten thousand times and Man shall despond and be afraid to venture out any further than he can stand upon his own Legs If St. Peter step forth upon the Sea at the Voice of his Saviour he begins to sink And if the Sinner do but essay to trust upon the Word of the Almighty when no outward supply is ready at hand his Faith fails him and he sinks into Despair So long as we have Money in our Pockets or a Remedy in sight we can keep our Feet but in Poverty Distress and Danger all the Promises in the Gospel sealed with the Word and Oath of a God are not Ground enough for Man to set his Foot upon 4. Of the Stars and Planets WHich deserve to be considered 1. As many How many I know not You have heard the Phrases As the Stars of Heaven for multitude and as the Sands upon the Sea-shore Used promiscuously sometimes one sometimes the other Astronomers have long ago reckoned up 1022 of them that are visible and 't is concluded those that are invisible are far the greater number Psal 147.4 He telleth the Number of the Stars and calls them all by their Names If the Stars of Heaven be so numerous what are the Inhabitants that dwell beyond I grant 't is a little Flock that goes to Heaven compared with the many many damned Souls that go to Hell but as God said to Abraham Gen. 15.5 Look now towards Heaven and tell the Stars if thou be able to number them c. The number of them that stand about the Throne is ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands stand before him Rev. 5.11 He sheweth Mercy to thousands of them that love him and keep his Commands And let not any think that amongst so many Children God will forget or overlook any of them he knows them all and will lose none of them He calls his own Sheep by Name and leads them out John 10.3 He counts our wandrings puts our Tears into a Bottle the very Hairs of our Head are all numbred There 's not a Word in our Mouth nor a Thought in our Heart but he knows it altogether Such Knowledge is too great for us it may put us into wonder and strike us with an awful Reverence of the Divine Omnipotence and Wisdom Consider then a little Sinner how many thy Sins are how many the Mercies of God bestowed upon thee how many Invitations thou hast had to Repentance and how many Repulses thou hast given to the Messages of Heaven and withal how if they were ten thousand times ten thousand more God knows and remembers them all and then say with Job 9.2 How should Men be just with God 2. Their Greatness Indeed they seem little to us because they are a great way off Distance of Place gives Disadvantage to the Prospect but he that saith they are no bigger than they seem is as wise as that Philosopher that thought the Sun was no bigger than his Head The Learned and most Skilful Astronomers do generally conclude it for a demonstrative Truth that the least Star in the Firmament is bigger than the Earth we live upon And yet these so great Bodies are carried so high supported only with the Hand of the Almighty let not the penitent Sinner then say can God raise me up from the Grave of Sin from Things below and set me up on high and bring me safe to Heaven Thô thou liest now among the Potsherds sunk deep into Sin and Misery yet God is able to lift thee and thousands more and carry thee as upon Eagles Wings and set you as Stars in Heaven there to shine for ever and ever 3. Distance from one another especially the Planets and from the Earth The Moon is next to us Mercury next Venus in the third place the Sun fourth Mars the fifth Jupiter the sixth Saturn highest the Fixed Stars above them all Were they all in the same Orb they would move together at the same time and make no Distinction of Day and Night of Winter and Summer or not so much as would serve for our Necessities And should they be all so low as the lowest or should he that holds them there let them fall thence by the reverse of his Decree or the withdrawing of his constant Providence they would soon set this World on Fire and send us off the Stage and burn the Universe into a Scroll Should God draw back the Hand of his Omnipotence but one moment the Stars would fall upon our Heads and make this whole World into a Hell in the twinkling of an Eye How necessarily do we depend upon the Divine Mercy for our Safety and Security every Hour we live More ways than one than a thousand doth he keep Death and Destruction from us Let us consider a little this excellent Favour So many Globes as big as Worlds and most of them far greater hanging over our Heads all the Days of our Life and we still walking safe under them how much methinks do we owe to the Power and good Providence of God for saving our Lives in such imminent Danger Were those excellent Bodies subject to the like Irregularities as we are apt to go out of their place to leave their Orbs to disobey the Will of him that made them as Man generally is what a dangerous Condition should we be in Damocles who sat down to Table at a Feast with a naked Sword hanging over his Head with a Horse-hair had no such reason of an awful fear upon him as we have if he that govern'd the Stars were a Man and not God 4. Their Light Which is so great in all that if but one of the Stars or Planets except the Moon which hath none but borrowed Light were not kept at a distance from us they would certainly dazle our weak Eyes into
the Chapel of Lambeth House where he received his Archiepiscopal Consecration His chief Motto painted on the Walls of his House and in his Windows was that of St. John The World passeth away and the lust thereof Ibid. p. 529. 60. Archbishop Abbot preached upon this his last Text John 14.16 I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that may abide with you for ever Upon the first Proposal whereof as many of his Hearers presaged his departure from them so it proved his last Farewel-Sermon For soon after he came out of the Pulpit he fell into grievous Fits of the Stone which first stopped the Passages of Nature and within a few days shut up all the Offices of his Senses To those that came to visit him who were not a few and among others the Judges being then at Sarum in their Circuit he comunicated most Christian and grave Advice insisting very much upon the Benefit of a good Conscience the Comfort whereof he felt now in his Extremity admonishing all that heard him so to carry themselves in their most private and secret Actions as well as publick that they might obtain that at the last which would stand them in more stead than what all the World could afford them besides At last with Hands and Eyes lift up to Heaven he gave up the Ghost with these Words Come Lord Jesus come quickly finish in me the Work that thou hast begun Into thy hands I commend my Spirit for thou hast redeemed me Save me for thy Mercy 's sake for I put my whole trust in thee Let thy mercy be shewed upon me for my sure trust is in thee O let me not be confounded for ever Ibid. p. 550. 61. William Cooper born at Edinburgh used these amongst other Meditations in his last Sickness Now my Soul be glad for of all parts of this Prison the Lord hath set to his Pioneers to loose thee Head Feet Milt and Liver are fast failing yea the middle Strength of the whole Body the Stomach is weaken'd long agoe Arise make ready shake off thy Fetters mount up from the Body and go thy way I saw not my Children when they were in the Womb yet there the Lord fed them without my knowledge I shall not see them when I go out of the Body yet shall they not want a Father Death is somewhat dreary and the Streams of that Jordan between us and our Canaan run furiously but they stand still when the Ark comes Let your Anchor be cast within the Veil and fastened on the Rock Jesus Let the end of the three-fold Cord be buckled to the Heart so shall ye go through He expressed a great Willingness to Exchange this Life for a better which he did Anno 1619. Ibid. p. 563. 62. Andrew Willet in a Journey from London homewards had his Leg broken by a Fall from a Horse and was God's Prisoner for 9 Days together being so long confined to his Bed where his Time he spent in meditating upon the Song of Ezekiel Isa 38. his Contemplations being taken down in Writing by his Son who then attended upon him Two Sabbath-Days which happen'd in that time he spent in Conscionatory Exhortations to those who waited upon him Upon the tenth Day on occasion of a Bell tolling for one near Death he discoursed with his Wife touching the Joys of Heaven and then they both sang an Hymn composed by himself which they usually every Morning praised God with Their Spirits being thus raised they continued their Melody and sang the 146 Psalm sometimes stopping a little and glossing upon the Words by way of Self-application till on a sudden fetching a deep Sigh or Groan he sunk down in his Bed but being raised up a little he said Let me alone I shall do well Lord Jesus And with that Word gave up the Ghost ibid. p. 575. 63. Mr. Bolton falling sick of a Quartan-Ague and finding his Distemper get strength revised his Will and having preached upon Death Judgment and Hell he promised next to preach upon Heaven the only fourth and last Thing that remained but never preached more He often breathed forth these Speeches O when will this good Hour come When shall I be dissolved When shall I be with Christ Tho' Life be a great Blessing yet I infinitely more desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ He thanked God for his wonderful Mercy in pulling him out of Hell in sealing his Ministry by the Conversion of Souls which he wholly ascribed to his Glory He called for his Wife and desired her to bear his Dissolution with a Christian Fortitude and turning to his Children told them they should not now expect from him in his Weakness to say any thing to them he had told them enough formerly and hoped they would remember it and verily believed that none of them durst think to meet him at the great Tribunal in an unregenerate State Some of his Neighbours moved to him that he would tell them what he felt in his Soul Alas said he do ye look for that now from me who want Breath and Power to speak I have told ye enough in my Ministry Yet to satisfie you I am by the wonderful Mercies of God as full of Comfort as my Heart can hold and feel nothing in my Soul but Christ with whom I heartily desire to be And seeing some weeping he said Oh what a deal of Doe there is before one can die The very Pags of Death being upon him after a few gapings for Breath he said I am now drawing on apace to my Dissolution Hold out Faith and Patience your Work will quickly be at an end Then shaking them by the Hand he desired them to make sure of Heaven and remember what he had formerly taught them protesting that it was the Truth of God as he should answer it at the Tribunal of Christ before whom he should shortly appear And a dear Friend taking him by the Hand ask'd him if he did not feel much pain Truly no said he the greatest that I feel is your cold Hand And then being laid down again not long after he yielded up his Spirit unto God Anno 1631. Aged 60. Ibid. p. 591. 64. Mr. Will Whately in his Sickness gave heavenly and wholsome Counsel to his People exhorting them to Redemption of Time Reading Hearing and Meditating on the Word of God to be much in Prayer Brotherly Love and Communion of Saints c. A Minister praying with him That if his time were not expired God would restore him or put an end to his Pains c. he lifting up his Eyes stedfastly towards Heavne and one of his Hands in the close of that Prayer gave up the Ghost shutting his Eyes himself as if he were fallen into a Sleep Anno 1639. Aged 56. a little before the Civil Wars began and before the sad Desolations that befel the Town of Banbury in particular Ibid. p. 599. 65. Dr. Robert Harris when
they were hardly used and now in their Journey loaded with heavy Irons and more inhumanely dealt with They with great chearfulness profess'd That they were better in a more happy Condition than ever in their Lives from the sense they had of the Pardoning Love of God in Jesus Christ to their Souls wholly referring themselves to their wise and gracious God to chuse for them Life or Death Expressing themselves thus Any thing what pleases God what he sees best so be it We know he is able to deliver but if not blessed be his Name Death is not terrible now but desirable Mr. Benjamin Hewling particularly added As for the World there is nothing in it to make it worth while to live except we may be serviceable to God therein And afterwards said ' Oh! God is a strong Refuge I have found him so indeed The next Opportunity I had was at Dorchester where they both were carried there remaining together four days By reason of their strait Confinement our Converse was much interrupted but this appeared that they had still the same Presence and Support from God no way discourag'd at the approach of their Tryal nor of the event of it whatever it should be The 6th of September Mr. Benjamin Hewling was ordered to Taunton to be tryed there Taking my leave of him he said Oh! Blessed be God for Afflictions I have found such happy Effects that I would not have been without them for all this World I remained still at Dorchester to wait the Issue of Mr. William Hewling to whom after Tryal I had free Access whose Discourse was much filled with Admiring of the Grace of God in Christ that had been manifested towards him in calling him out of his Natural State he said God by his Holy Spirit did suddenly seize upon his Heart when he thought not of it in his retired Abode in Holland as it were secretly whispering in his Heart See ye my Face enabling him to answer his gracious Call and to reflect upon his own Soul shewing him the Evil of Sin and Necessity of Christ from that time carrying him on to a sensible adherence to Christ for Justification and Eternal Life He said Hence he found a Spring of Joy and Sweetness beyond the Comforts of the whole Earth He further said He could not but admire the wonderful Goodness of God in so Preparing him for what he was bringing him to which then he thought not of giving him hope of Eternal Life before he called him to look Death in the face so that he did chearfully resign his Life to God before he came having sought his Guidance in it and that both then and now the Cause did appear to him very Glorious notwithstanding all he had suffered in it or what he further might Although for our Sins God hath with-held these good things from us But he said God had carryed on his blessed Work in his soul in and by all his Sufferings and whatever the Will of God were Life or Death he knew it would be best for him After he had received his Sentence when he returned to Prison he said Methinks I find my Spiritual Comforts increasing ever since my Sentence There is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus it 's God that justifies who shall condemn When I came to him the next Morning when he had received News that he must die the next day and in order to it was to be carried to Lyme that day I found him in a more excellent raised Spiritual Frame than before He said he was satisfied God had chosen best for him he knows what the Temptations of Life might have been I might have lived and forgotten God but now I am going where I shall sin no more Oh! it 's a blessed thing to be free from sin and to be with Christ Oh! the Riches of the Love of God in Christ to Sinners Oh! how great were the Sufferings of Christ for me beyond all I can undergo How great is that Glory to which I am going It will soon swallow up all our Sorrow here When he was at Dinner just before his going to Lyme he dropt many abrupt Expressions of his inward Joy such as these Oh! the Grace of God the Love of Christ Oh that blessed Supper of the Lamb to be for ever with the Lord He further said When I went to Holland you knew not what Snares Sins and Miseries I might fall into or whether ever we should meet again But now you know whither I am going and that we shall certainly have a most joyful meeting He said Pray give my particular Recommendations to all my Friends with acknowledgments for all their Kindness I advise them all to make sure of an Interest in Christ for he is the only Comfort when we come to die One of the Prisoners seemed to be troubled at the manner of the Death they were to die to whom he replied I bless God I am reconciled to it all Just as he was going to Lyme he writ these few Lines to a Friend being hardly suffered to stay so long I AM going to Launch into Eternity I hope and trust in the Arm of my Blessed Redeemer to whom I commit you and all my dear Relations my Duty to my dear Mother and Love to all my Sisters and the rest of my Friends William Hewling As they passed through the Town of Dorchester to Lyme multitudes of People beheld them with great Lamentations admiring at his Deportment at his parting with his Sister As they passed upon the Road between Lyme and Dorchester his Discourse was exceeding Spiritual as those declared who were present taking occasion from every thing to speak of the Glory they were going to Looking out on the Country as he passed he said This is a Glorious Creation but what then is the Paradise of God to which we are going 'T is but a few hours and we shall be there and for ever with the Lord. At Lyme just before they went to die reading John 14.18 He said to one of his fellow-Sufferers Here is a sweet Promise for us I will not leave you comfortless I will come unto you Christ will be with us to the last One taking leaving of him he said Farewel till we meet in Heaven Presently I shall be with Christ Oh! I would not change conditions with any in this World I would not stay behind for Ten Thousand Worlds To another that ask'd him how he did now He said Very well he bless'd God And farther asking him if he could look Death in the face with Comfort now it approach'd so near He said Yes I bless God I can with great Comfort God hath made this a good Night to me my Comforts are much increased since I left Dorchester Then taking leave of him said Farewel I shall see you no more To which he replied How see me no more Yes I hope to meet you in Glory To another that was by him to the last
as Mr. Battiscomb and made him such frequent Visits in the Prison till the Place it self was so far from being Scandalous that there was generally all the Conversation and where you might be sure to meet the best Company in the Town of both Sexes Mr. Battiscomb had the Happiness not to be displeasing to the fair Sex who had as much Pity and Friendship for him as consisted with the Rules of Decency and Vertue and perhaps their Respect for him did not always stop at Friendship tho' it still preserved the other Bounds inviolable Pity is generally but a little way from Love especially when the Object of it is any thing extraordinary But after he had been there some time and nothing could be prov'd against him which could any ways affect him he was at length almost unwillingly deliver'd from this sort of happy Slavery And when the Duke landed appear'd with him and serv'd him with equal Faith and Valour till the Rout at Sedgmoor when he fled with the rest and got up as far as Devonshire where he was seiz'd in a Disguise and brought to his old Palace the Prison at Dorchester He behav'd himself there the second time in the same courteous obliging manner as he did at the first tho' now he seem'd more thoughtful and in earnest than before as knowing nothing was to be expected but speedy Death tho' his Courage never droopt but was still the same if it did not encrease with his Danger At his Tryal Jeffreys rail'd at him with so much eagerness and barbarity that he was observ'd almost to foam upon the Bench. He was very angry with him because he was a Lawyer and could have been contented all such as he should be hang'd up without any Trial and truly 't was no great Matter whether he or the rest had had that Formality or no. Mr. Battiscomb was as undaunted at the Bar as in the Field or at Execution How he demeaned himself in Prison before his Death take this following Account verbatim as 't was written by his Friends The Account given of him by his Relations HE was observed to be always serious and chearful ready to entertain Spiritual Discourse manifesting Affection to God's People and his Ordinances he seem'd to be in a very calm Indifference to Life or Death referring himself to God to determine it expressing his great Satisfaction as to some Opportunities of Escape that were slipt saying That truly he sometimes thought the Cause was too good to flee from suffering in it tho' he would use all lawful Means for his Life but the Providence of God having prevented this he was sure it was best for him for he said he bless'd God he could look into Eternity with Comfort He said with respect to his Relations and Friends to whom his Death would be afflictive That he was willing to live if God saw good but for his own part he thought Death much more desirable He said I have enjoyed enough of this World but I never found any thing but Vanity in it no Rest or Satisfaction God who is an Infinite Spiritual Being is the only suitable Object for the Soul of Man which is spiritual in its Nature and too large to be made happy by all that this World can afford which is all but sensual Therefore methinks I see no reason why I should be unwilling to leave it by Death since our Happiness can never be perfected till then till we leave this Body where we are so continually clogg'd with Sin and Vanity frivolous and foolish Trifles Death in it self is indeed terrible and natural Courage is too low to encounter it nothing but an Interest in Christ can be our Comfort in it he said which Comfort I hope I have intimating much advantage to his Soul by his former Imprisonment The Day he went from Dorchester to Lyme after he had received the News of his Death the next Day he was in the same serious Cheerfulness declaring still the same Apprehension of the Desirableness of Death and the great Supports of his Mind under the Thoughts of so sudden passing through it alone from the Hope of the Security of his Interest in Christ taking leave of his Friends with this Farewel Tho' we part here we shall meet in Heaven Passing by 〈◊〉 Estate going to Lyme he said Farewel Temporal Inheritance I am now going to my Heavenly Eternal One. At Lyme the Morning that he died it appeared that he had the same Supports from God meeting Death with the same cheerfulness When he was mounting the Ladder he smiled and said I am not afraid of this I am going to a better Place from a poor and miserable World to a Celestial Paradise a Heavenly Jerusalem I might have chosen whether I would have undergone this Death if I had hearkened to the L. C. J. but it was upon such unworthy Terms that shou'd I have accepted of my Pardon it wou'd have been troublesome to me I die a true Protestant I am in Charity with all Men. God preserve this Nation from Popery The Lord bless you all So taking his leave of them he knew after Prayer he lanched into Eternity His CHARACTER All that knew or saw him must own Mr. Battiscomb was very much a Gentleman not that thin sort of Animal that flutters from Tavern to Play-house and back again all his Life made up of Wig and Crevat without one dram of Thought in his Composition but one who ha◠solid Worth well drest and set out to the World His Body made a very handsome and creditable Tenement for his Mind and it had been pity it shou'd have liv'd in any other He wa◠pretty tall well made I think inclining to Black not altogether unlike Mr. Benjamin Hewling as He has been thought to resemble the Duke of Monmouth He was Witty Brave exactly Honourable Pious and Vertuous and if ever that Character belong'd to any Man it did eminently to Mr. Battiscomb That he liv'd universally belov'd and dy'd as generally lamented 3. Mr. WILLIAM JENKYNS HIS Father was sufficiently known and his Circumstances hard enough being seized only for his Opinion and clapt up close in Newgate where the Inconvenience of the Place and want of the Exercise he formerly enjoy'd quickly kill'd him as he used to say before his Confinement 't would certainly do if ever it happen'd Thus was he requited by that very Person for whom with Mr. Love he ventured his Life so deeply and so hardly escaped with it 'T was his inhumane Treatment which edg'd and animated his Son and the Revenge of his Father's Blood may be presum'd to have gone very far in pushing him on to engage his Life and Fortune in this Undertaking he having given Funeral Rings for his Father with this Poesie William Jenkyns murder'd in Newgate He was his Father's only Son who had taken care to have him educated suitable to his ingenuous Birth and Inclinations He improved sufficiently in all useful Learning and was
now about One or Two and twenty He and several young Gentlemen rode down from London a little before the Duke landed and were taken on Suspicion and laid up in Ilchester Gaol till the Duke himself came and relieved them He continued in his Army till the Rout when if I mistake not he got to Sea and was forc'd back again with the Hewlings or some others He was condemned at the bloody Assizes in Dorchester A Friend discoursing to him at Dorchester about his Pardon and telling him the doubtfulness of obtaining it he replied Well Death is the worst they can do and I bless God that will not surprize me for I hope my great Work is done At Taunton being advised to govern the Airyness of his Temper telling him it made People apt to censure him as inconsiderate of his Condition to which he answered Truly this is so much my natural Temper that I cannot tell how to alter it but I bless God I have and do think seriously of my eternal Concerns I do not allow my self to be vain but I find cause to be chearful for my Peace is made with God through Jesus Christ my Lord. This is my only ground of Comfort and Cheerfulness the Security of my Interest in Christ for I expect nothing but Death and without this I am sure Death would be most dreadful but having the good Hope of this I cannot be melancholy When he heard of the triumphant Death of those that suffered at Lyme he said This is a good Encouragement to depend upon God Then speaking about the mangling of their Bodies he said Well the Resurrection will restore all with great Advantage the 15th Chapter of the First of Corinthians is Comfort enough for all Believers Discoursing much of the Certainty and Felicity of the Resurrection at another time he said I will as I think I ought use all lawful Means for the saving of my Life and then if God please to forgive me my Sins I hope I shall as chearfully embrace Death Upon the Design of Attempting an Escape he said We use this means for the preserving our Lives but if God is not with us it will not effect it It 〈◊〉 Business first to seek to him for Direction and Success if he sees good with resigning our Lives to him and then his Will be done After the Disappointments when there was no prospect of any other Opportunity he spake much of the Admirableness of God's Providence in those things that seem most against us bringing the greatest Good out of them For said he we can see but a little way God is only wise in all his Disposals of us If we were left to chuse for our selves we should chuse our own Misery Afterwards discoursing of the Vanity and unsatisfyingness of all things in this World he said It is so in the enjoying we never 〈◊〉 our Expectations answer'd by any thing in it and when Death comes it puts an end to all things we have been pursuing here Learning and Knowledge which are the best Things in this World will then avail nothing nothing but an Interest in Christ is then of any worth One reading to some of his Fellow-Prisoners Jer. 42.12 I will shew mercy unto you that he may have mercy upon you and cause you to return to your own Land he said Yes we shall but not in this World I am perswaded September the 29th at Night after he heard he must die the next Morning he was exceedingly composed and chearful expressing his Satisfaction in the Will of God The next Morning he was still more spiritual and chearful discovering a very sweet Serenity of Mind in all that he said and did Whilst he was waiting for the Sheriff reading the Scriptures Meditating and conversing with those about him of Divine Things amongst other things said be I have heard much of the Glory of Heaven but I am now going to behold it and understand what it is Being desir'd to disguise himself to attempt an Escape he said No I cannot tell how to disturb my self about it and methinks it is not my Business now I have other things take up my Thoughts If God saw good to deliver me he would open some other Door but seeing he has not it is more for the Honour of his Name we should die And so be it One saying to him that most of the Apostles died a violent Death he replied Nay a greater than the Apostles our Lord himself died not only a shameful but a painful Death He further said This manner of Death hath been the most terrible thing in the World to my Thoughts but I bless God now am I neither afraid nor ashamed to die He said The parting with my Friends and their Grief for me is my greatest Difficulty but it will be but for a very short time and we shall meet again in endless Joys where my dear Father is already enter'd him shall I presently joyfully meet Then musing with himself a while he with an extraordinary seriousness sung these two Verses of one of Herbert's Poems Death is still working like a Mole Digging my Grave at each remove Let Grace work so on my Soul Drop from above Oh come for thou dost know the way Or if to me thou wilt not move Remove me where I need not say Drop from above He then read the 53d of Isaiah and said He had heard many blessed Sermons from that Chapter especially from the 16th Verse All we like Sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way but the Lord hath laid on him the Iniquities of us all Seeming to intimate some Impress made on his Soul from them but was interrupted Then he said Christ is all When the Sheriff came he had the same chearfulness and serenity of Mind in taking Leave of his Friends and in the Sledge which seemed to encrease to the last as those present have affirmed joyning in Prayer and in singing a Psalm with great appearance of Comfort and Joy in his Countenance insomuch that some of his Enemies that had before censured his Chearfulness for unthoughtfulness of his Danger and therefore expected to see him much surprized now professed they were greatly astonished to see such a young Man leave the World and go through Death as he did His CHARACTER He was a very promising and ingenious young Gentleman He had a great deal of ready Wit and an extraordinary Briskness and Gaity He was a very good Scholar had run through a course of Philosophy but his particular Inclination was to the Mechanical part of it wherein he had a very happy Genius and performed many pretty things He wrote very good clean Latin He was indifferent tall pretty thin a fair Complexion his Nose a little inclining to one side being hurt in his Infancy He led a sober vertuous Life and dy'd a happy Death at Taunton September the 30th 1685. 4. Lady LISLE HAD those Persons who suffer'd about Monmouth's Business
my Soul into the Kingdom of Heaven See her Life 23. I Remember says Mr. Increase Mather in his Disc of Angels that once in Discourse with the Learned Doctor Spencer in Cambridge concerning his Book of Prodigies he said to me that his Judgment was That the Evil Angels had Prenotions of many Future Things and did accordingly give strange Premonitions of them No doubt it is often so and yet as Lavater Schottus and others have noted there are sometimes Things signified by Angels which it is not easie to determine of what sort those Genii are VVhat shall be thought of the Phantom which appeared to General Vesselini assuring him that he might take the City of Muran by the Assistance of a Widow which Lived in that City which strangely came to pass accordingly in the Year 1644. There comes to my mind a very Unaccountable Thing which happened at London above Thirty Years ago It was this One Mr. Cutty an honest Citizen passing between Milk-street and Wood-street in Cheap-side on March 2d 1664 took up a Letter Sealed The Superscription whereof was these VVords following From Geneva to a Friend VVithin the Letter these VVords were written This is to give both timely and speedy Notice that in the Year 1665 in the latter end of May shall begin a Plague and hold very hot till the latter end of December and then cease but not quite and then go on till the latter end of the Spring the next Year And in 1665 and 66 putting both together shall not only happen a Plague but great Sea Fights such as the like was scarce ever heard of and this shall not be all but in the Year 1666 on the Second of September shall happen a Fire that shall burn down one of the Eminentest Cities in the World Mr. Cutty carried the Letter to the then Lord Mayor A Reverend Divine in London who was of his Acquaintance had a Copy of it before the sad Things here Predicted came to pass and at my last being at London was pleased to favour me with it as 't is here Related This Account being certainly true and very surprizing I thought it not unworthy the Publication 24. There are sometimes very unaccountable Motions and Impressions on the Spirits of good men which are wrought in them by the ministry of Holy Angels whose work it is to prevent and disappoint the Designs of Satan and of his evil Angels I remember one relates a remarkable Passage of a good man that when he was reading in his House he could not rest in his Spirit but he must step out of Doors which he had no sooner done but he saw a Child in a Pond of VVater ready to perish which would have been gone past recovery had not he gone out of his Doors just at that moment This Impression must needs be from a good Angel And an other like Passage is related in the Life of that Holy Man Mr. Dod One Evening though he had other work to attend he could not but he must got to such a Neighbour's House when he came to him he told him he knew not what he was come for but he could not rest in his Spirit until he had visited him The poor man was astonished for he had in the Violence of a Temptation put a Rope into his Pocket with an intent to have destroyed himself had not Mr. Dod's thus coming prevented it Surely an Angel of the Lord was in this Providence Bishop Hall speaks of one whom he knew that having been for Sixteen Years a Cripple had these monitions in his Sleep that he should go and wash in St. Matherns Well in Cornwell which he did and was suddenly recovered This he thinks was from Angelical Suggestion Marcus Aurelius Antoninus did in a Dream receive the Prescript of a Remedy for his Disease which the Physitians could not cure A Physitian of Vratislavium followed the Counsel he had given him in a Dream concerning the cure of a Disease which was to him incurable and he recovered the Patient It added to the wonder that a few Years after he met with that Receipt in a Book then newly Printed Histories report that the like to this happened to Philip and to Galen If Angels may Suggest things beneficial unto the minds of Men who are Strangers to God much more unto them that fear him Thus far Mr. Mather Converse with Angels and Spirits Extracted from the Miscellanies of John Aubery Esq 25 Dr. Richard Nepier was a Person of great Abstinence Innocence and Piety He spent every Day Two Hours in Family Prayer When a Patient or Querent came to him he presently went to his Closet to Pray and told to admiration the Recovery or Death of the Patient It appears by his Papers that he did converse with the Angel Raphael who gave him the Responses 26. Elias Ashmole Esq had all his Papers where is contained all his Practice for about Fifty Years which he Mr. Ashmole carefully bound up according to the year of our Lord in Volumes in Folio which are now reposited in the Library of the Museum in Oxford Before the Responses stands this Mark viz. R â„ž is which Mr. Ashmole said was Responsum Raphaelis The Angel told him if the Patient were curable or incurable There are also severalâ— other Queries to the Angel as to Religion Transubstantiation c. which I have forgot I remember one is Whether the Good Spirits or the Bad be most in Number R â„ž is The Good It is to be found there that he told John Prideaux D. D. Anno 1621 that Twenty Years hence 1641 he would be a Bishop and he was so sc Bishop of Worcester R â„ž is did resolve him That Mr. Booth of in Cheshire should have a Son that should inherit Three Years hence sc Sir George Booth the first Lord Delamere viz. from 1619. Sir George Booth aforesaid was born Decemb. 18th Anno 1622. This I extracted out of Dr. Nepier's Original Diary then in the possession of Mr. Ashmole It is impossible that the Prediction of Sir George Booth's Birth could be found any other way but by Angelical Revelation This Dr. Richard Nepier was Rector of Lynford in Bucks and did practise Physickâ— but gave most to the Poor that he got by it 'T is certain he foretold his own Death to a Day and Hour he died Praying upon his Knees being of a very great Age 1634. April the First One says why should one think the Intellectual World less Peopled than the Material Pliny in his Natural History tells us that in Africa do sometimes appear Multitudes of Aerial Shapes which suddenly Vanish Mr. Richard Baxter in his certainty of the World of Spirits hath a Discourse of Angels and wonders they are so little taken notice of he hath counted in Newman's Concordance of the Bible the word Angel in above 300 places Thus far Mr. Aubery CHAP. III. Concerning the Appearance of bad Angels or Daemons HEre I have a great Task and
her in the bewitching of Peter and John Newman At another time she was carried to a Meeting in the Night to a green place near Marnhull as she was then told where were present Ann Bishop Eliz. Style Mary Penny and some unknown to her Then also an Image in Wax was Baptized by the Devil in the fore-related manner by the Name of Ann or Rachel Hatcher one of Marnhull as she was then informed After the Ceremony was ended they had Wine Cakes c. She likewise confesseth that she was at another such Meeting where twelve Persons were present many of whom were unknown to her but she took notice of one lame Man in blackish hair among them and of the Devil as before She saith that after their Meetings they all make very low Obeysance to the Devil who appears in black Cloaths and a little Band. He bids them welcome at their coming and brings Wine or Beer Cakes Meat or the like He sits at the higher end and usually Ann Bishop sits next him They Eat Drink Dance and have Musick At their parting they use to say Merry meet Merry part and that before they are carried to their Meetings their Foreheads are anointed with greenish Oyl that they have from the Spirit which smells raw They for the most part are carried in the Air. As they pass they say Thou tout a tout tout throughout and about Passing back they say Rentum Tormentum and another word which she doth not remember She confesseth that her Familiar doth commonly suck her right breast about Seven at Night in the shape of a little Cat of a dunnish Colour which is as smooth as a Want and when she is suck'd she is in a kind of a Trance That she hurt Thomas Garret's Cows because he refused to write a Petition for her That she hurt Thomas Conway by putting a Dish into his hand which Dish she had from the Devil she gave it him to give his Daughter for good hansel That she hurt Dorothy the Wife of George Wining by giving an Iron slate to put into her Steeling Box. That being angry with Edith Wats the Daughter of Edmond Wats for treading on her foot she cursed Edith with a Pox on you and after touched her which hath done the said Edith much harm for which she is sorry That being provoked by Swanton's first Wife she did before her Death curse her with a A Pox on you believes she did thereby hurt her but denies she did bewitch Mr. Swanton's Cattle She saith that when the Devil doth any thing for her she calls for him by the Name of Robin upon which he appears and when in the shape of a Man she can hear him speak but his Voice is very low He promised her when she made her contract with him that she should want nothing but ever since she hath wanted all things Taken before me Rob. Hunt The Witnesses were Thomas Conway of Wincaunton in the County of Somerset Mary his Wife Edward Wats of Wincaunton in the aforesaid County 11. Anno 1664. Christian the Wife of Robert Green of Brewham in the County of Somerset Aged about thirty three years being examined before the aforesaid Robert Hunt Esq made this confession as follows That about a year and a half since she being in great Poverty one Catherine Green of Brewham told her that if she would she might be in a better condition and then perswaded her to make a Covenant with the Devil Being afterwards together in one Mr. Hussey's ground in Brewham Forrest about Noon Catherine called for the Devil who appeared in the shape of a Man in blackish Cloaths and said somewhat to Catherine which Christian could not hear After which the Devil as she conceived him told the Examinant that she should want neither Cloaths Victuals nor Money if she would give her Body and Soul to him keep his Secrets and suffer him to suck her once in twenty four hours which at last upon his and Catherine Green's perswasion she yielded to then the Man in black prickt the fourth Finger of her Right hand between the middle and upper joynts where the Sign yet remains and took two drops of her Blood on his Finger giving her four-pence-half-penny with which she after bought bread in Brewham The he spake again in private with Catherine and Vanished leaving a smell of Brimstone behind Since that time the Devil she saith hath and doth usually suck her left Breast about five of the Clock in the Morning in the likeness of an Hedg-hog bending and did so on Wednesday Morning last She saith it is painful to her and that she is usually in a Trance when she is suckt She saith also that Catherine Green and Margaret Agar of Brewham have told her that they are in Covenant with the Devil and confesseth that she hath been at several Meetings in the Night at Brewham Common and in a Ground of Mr. Hussey's that she hath there met with Catherine Green and Margaret Agar and three or four times with Mary Warberton of Brewham that in all those Meetings the Devil hath been present in the shape of a Man in black Cloaths at their first coming he bids them welcome but always speaks very low That at a Meeting about three Weeks or a Month since at or near the former place Margaret Agar brought thither an Image in Wax for Elizabeth the Wife of Andrew Cornish of Brewham and the Devil in the shape of a Man in black Cloaths did Baptize it and after stuck a Thorn into its Head that Agar stuck one into its Stomach and Catherine Green one into its Side She further saith that before this time Agar said to her this Examinant that she would hurt Eliz. Cornish who since the Baptizing of the Picture hath been taken and continues very ill She saith that three or four days before Jos Talbot of Brewham Died Margaret Agar told her that she would rid him out of the World because he being Overseer of the Poor he made her Children to go to Service and refused to give them such good Cloaths as she desired And since the Death of Talbot she confessed to the Examinant that she had bewitcht him to Death He died about a year since was taken ill on Friday and Died about Wednesday after That her Mother-in-Law Catharine Green about five or six years ago was taken in a strange manner One day one Eye and Cheek did swell another day another and so she continued in great pain till she died Upon her Death she several times said in the hearing of the Examinant that her Sister-in-Law Catharine Green had bewitched her and the Examinant believes that she bewitcht her to Death That a little before Michaelmas last the said Catharine Cursed the Horses of Rob. Walter of Brewham saying a murrain on them Horses to Death Upon which the Horses being three all died Taken before me Robert Hunt 12. In 1665. Margaret Agar of Brewham in the aforesaid County
Apparition of the Womans first Husband telling him That he must go to his Wife and tell her That she should have no rest till his Sons Life were put in the altered Lease He askt why he spake to him and what he had to do to meddle in it It answered him Thou art a Man fit for it and thou shalt have no rest till thou do it The Man delayed and was still haunted with this Apparition He went to the Minister of the Town and told him of it who counselled him to tell the Woman She told him That she took it to be Just that her Husband that paid most of the Money should have the benefit of the Lease and perhaps not believing the Man delayed This Apparition came to the Porter again and said That she may believe thee go tell her of such and such Discourse and Actions that were between her and me in secret which none else knoweth of The Man went and told her all that he was bid She confessed that it was all true and secret between them but still delayed till some trouble I remember not what molested her self In short the Porter and she had no rest till she had drawn a new Lease with the Name of the first Husbands Son and sent it into England to the Earl of Donagal who Sealed it Historical Discourse of Apparitions and Witches p. 40. 4. St. Augustine relates a memorable Story which fell out at Milan where a certain Citizen being dead there came a Creditor to whom he had been indebted and unjustly demanded the Money of his Son the Son knew the Debt was satisfied by the Father but having no Acquittance to shew his Father appear'd to him in his Sleep and shew'd him where the Acquittance lay Aug. in lib. de curâ pro mortuis agendâ 5. It is a thing both known and frequent That the Inhabitants of the Scotish Isles when their Friends are dying come to them and request them that upon such or such a day after their Death and in such a place they wou'd meet them which the Dead accordingly do at the time and place agreed upon and have sometimes discourse with them See Flavel on the Soul 6. Marsilius Ficinus having made a solemn Vow with Michael Mercatus after they had been pretty warmly disputing of the Immortality of the Soul out of the Principles of their Master Plato that whether of them two died first should appear to his Friend and give him certain Information of that Truth Ficinus Died quickly after Mercatus being early in the Morning very intent on his Studies heard a Horse Riding by with all speed and of served that he stopt at his VVindow and therewith heard the Voice of his Friend Ficinus crying out aloud O Michael Michael vera vera sunt illa i.e. O Michael Michael those things are true VVhereupon he suddenly opened his VVindow and espying Marsilius upon a white steed called after him but he Vanished out of his sight he sent therefore presently to Florence to know how Marsilius did and understood that he died about that hour he called at his VVindow Flavel out of Dr. More who cites it out of Baronius 7. Much to the same purpose is that so Famous and well attested Story of the Apparition of Major George Sydenham to Capt William Dyke both of Somersetshire attested by the worthy and Learned Dr. Thomas Dyke and by Mr. Douch to whom both the Major and Captain were intimately known The summ is this The Major and Captain had many disputes about the being of a God and the Immortality of the Soul in which points they could never be resolved tho they much sought for and desired it and therefore it was at last fully agreed betwixt them that he that died first should the third Night after his Funeral come betwixt the hours of twelve and one to the little House in the Garden adjoyning to Major Sydenham's House at Dulverton in Somersetshire The Major died first The Captain awaited at the time and place appointed for his Major but no Appearance About six Weeks after the Captain and Dr. Dyke went to Eaton and lay again in the same Inn but not the same Chamber as before at Dulverton The morning before they went thence the Captain staid longer than was usual in his Chamber and at length came into the Doctors Chamber but in a Visage and Form much differing from himself with his Hair and Eyes staring and his whole body shaking and trembling whereat the Doctor wondering demanded the cause The Captain Answered I have seen my Major if ever I saw him in my Life I saw him but now This morning said he after it was light some one came to my Bed-side and suddenly drawing back the Curtains call'd Cap Cap the Term of Familiarity used by the Major To which he added I could not come at the time appointed but I am now come to tell you that there is a God and a very just and terrible one and if you do not turn over a new leaf you will find it so The Cap. eat little and seemed to have these words sounding in his Ears frequently during the remainder of his Life and often related it but with Trepidation and Horror Flavel ex Sadducismo Triumphato 2d part p. 183. 8. Thomas Goddard of Marlborough in the County of Wilts Weaver A. 1674. Nov. 23. Saith that on Monday the Ninth of this Instant as he was going to Ogborn at a Style on the High way near Mr. Goddard's Ground about Nine in the Morning he met the Apparition of his Father-in-Law one Edward Avon of this Town Glover who Died in May last having on to his Appearance the same Cloaths Hat Stockings and Shoes he did usually wear when he was Living standing by and leaning over that Style Which when he came near the Apparition spake to him with an audible Voice these Words Are you afraid To which he Answered I am thinking on one who is Dead and Buried whom you are like To which the Apparition replyed with the like Voice I am he that you were thinking on I am Edward Avon your Father-in-Law come near to me I will do you no harm To which Goddard Answered I trust in him who hath bought my Soul with his precious Blood you shall do me no harm Then the Apparition said How stands Cases at home Goddard askt What Cases Then it askt him How do William and Mary Meaning as he conceived his Son William Avon a Shooemaker here and Mary his Daughter the said Goddard's Wife Then it said What! Taylor is dead meaning as he thought one Taylor of London who married his Daughter Sarah which Taylor died about Michaelmas last Then the Apparition held out its Hand and in it as Goddard conceived Twenty or Thirty Shillings in Silver and then spake with a loud Voice Take this Money and send it to Sarah for I shut up my Bowels of Compassion towards her in the time of my Life and now here
after comes to her and tells her she had sent the Devil to him and bids her take the Land and so gave it up and her Son is now possest of it His Name is Mat. he lived in the Service of Mr. Reading's Brother for some Years but he has forgot his Sir-name though he knows him very well Related in a Letter of Dr. Ezekias Burton to Dr. H. More Mr. Glanvil's Saducism Triumph p. 417. 3. Dr. Bretton late Rector of Ludgate and Deptford lived-formerly in Herefordshire and married the Daughter of Dr. S. This Gentlewoman was a Person of extraordinary Piety which she expressed as in her Life so at her Death She had a Maid that she had a great kindness for who was Married to a near Neighbour whose Name as I remember was Alice Not long after her death as Alice was rocking her Infant in the Night she was called from the Cradle by a knocking at the Door which opening she was surprised at the sight of a Gentlewoman not to be distinguished from her late Mistress neither in Person nor Habit. She was in a Morning Gown the same in appearance with that she had often seen her Mistress wear At first sight she expressed very great Amazement and said Were not my Mistress dead I should not question but that you are she She replied I am the same that was your Mistress and sook her by the Hand Which Alice affirmed was as cold as a Clod. She added That she had Business of great Importance to imploy her in and that she must immediately go a little way with her Alice trembled and beseecht her to excuse her and intreated her very importunately to go to her Master who must needs be more fit to be employed â—he answered That he who was her Husband was not at all concerned but yet she had a desire rather to make use of him and in order thereunto had several times been in his Chamber but he was still asleep nor had she power to do more than once uncover his Feet towards the awakning of him And the Dr. said That he had heard a walking in his Chamber in the Night which till now he could give no account of Alice next objected That her Husband was gone a Journey and she had no one to look to her Child that it was very apt to cry vehemently and she feared if it awaked before her return it would cry it self to death or do it self mischief The Spectre replyed The Child shall sleep till you return Alice seeing there was no avoiding it sorely against her will followed her over a Stile into a large Field who then said to her Observe how much of this Field I measure with my Feet And when she had taken a good large and leasurely compass she said All this brlongs to the Poor it being gotten from them by wrongful means And charged her to go and tell her Brother whose it was at that time that he should give it up to the Poor again forthwith as he loved her and his deceased Mother This Brother was not the Person who did this unjust Act but his Father She added That she was the more concerned because her Name was made use of in some Writing that related to this Land Alice ask'd her How she should satisfie her Brother that this was no Cheat or delusion of her Fancy She replyed Tell him this Secret which he knows that only himself and I are privy to and he will believe you Alice having promised her to go on this Errand she proceeded to give her good Advice and entertained her all the rest of the Night with most heavenly and divine Discourse When the Twi-light appeared they heard the Whistling of Carters and the noise of House-Bells whereupon the Spectre said Alice I must be seen by none but your self and so she disappeared Immediately Alice makes all haste home being thoughtful for her Child but found it as the Spectre had said asleep as she left it When she had dressed it and committed it to the care of a Neighbour away she went to her Master the Doctor who amazed at the account she gave him sent her to his Brother-in-Law He at first hearing Alice's Story and Message laughed at it heartily but she had no sooner told him the secret but he changed his Countenance told her he would give the Poor their own and accordingly he did it and they now enjoy it This with more Circumstances hath several times been related by Dr. Bretton himself who was well known to be a Person of great Goodness and Sincerity He gave a large Narrative of this Apparition of his Wife to two of my Friends First to one Mrs. Needham and afterwards a little before his Death to Dr. Whichcot Some Years after I received the fore-going Narrative viz. near four Years since I light into the company of three sober Persons of good Rank who all lived in the City of Hereford and I travelled in a Stage Coach three days with them To them I happened to tell this Story but told it was done at Deptford for so I presumed it was because I knew that Dr. Bretton lived there They told me as soon as I had concluded it that the Story was very true in the main only I was out as to the place for it was not Deptford but as I remember they told me Pembridge near Hereford where the Dr. was Minister before the Return of the King And they assured me upon their own knowledge that to that Day the Poor enjoyed the piece of Ground They added That Mrs. Bretton's Father could never endure to hear any thing mentioned of his Daughters appearing after her death but would still reply in great anger That it was not his Daughter but it was the Devil So that he acknowledged that something appeared in the likeness of his Daughter This is Attested by me this 16th of Febr. 1681. Edward Fowler This Narrative was sent to Dr. H. More from Mr. Edward Fowler Prebendary of Gloucester Glanv Sad. Triumph p. 419. 4. These Relations seem strange indeed but was it now as strange that Constantine the Great praying earnestly to God should see the sign of the Cross figured in the Air with an Inscription in it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in hoc vince by this overcome And yet Eusebius Reports it in these words While the Emperour was thus earnestly praying unto God and besought him that he would reveal himself to him and that he would assist him in his purposes and resolutions while he was thus earnestly at his Prayers a divine and wonderful Vision appeared unto him which was scarce credible if himself had not related it But seeing this victorious Emperour did with an Oath confirm it to be true when he related it to me who intended to write his History long after when taking notice of me he admitted me to familiar Conference with him who can doubt of the Truth of his Relation which even then was seen and admired
by his whole Army and afterward in process of time was confirmed in a miraculous manner He said moreover that in his sleep Christ appeared unto him with the former sign of the Cross And bid him make the like Figure to wear in his Banner Euseb in Vit. Constant l. 1. c. 22 23. See the next Chap. I dare not insist upon the Truth of that Relation that when this Emperour gave the Tithes to the Church a Voice was heard in the Air saying Nunc venenum infaesum est Ecclesia now Poison is poured into the Church though Hermannus Gigas Reports it for true Melleolus Relates it thus When Constantine gave to Pope Sylvester the Palace of the Laterane the City of Rome and Provinces of Italy a Hand was seen writing upon a Wall of the Laterane Hodie vacuum Ecclesia infusurus Centur. Magdeb cant 4. c. 13. 5. Voices Extracted from the Miscellanies of John Aubery Esq In the Life of King Henry IV. of France writ by the Arch-bishop of Paris it is recorded That Charles IX who caused the Massacre was wont to hear Screaches like those of the Persons Massacred 6. St. Augustine heard a Voice saying Tolle lege He took up his Bible and dipt on Rom. 13.13 Not in rioting and drunkenness not in chambering and wantonness c. and Reformed his Manners upon it 7. One Mr. Smith a Practitioner of Physiek at Tamworth in Warwick-shire an understanding sober Person reading Hollinshead's Chronicle found a relation of a great Fight between Vortigern and Hengest about those Parts at a place call'd Colemore A little time after as he lay awake in his Bed he heard a Voice that said unto him You shall shortly see some of the Bones of those Men and Horses slain that you read of He was surprized at the Voice and ask'd in the Name of God who it was that spoke to him The Voice made answer That he should not trouble himself about that but what he told him should come to pass Shortly after as he went to see Colonel Archer whose Servants were digging for Marle he saw a great many Bones of Men and Horses and also Pot-sherds and upon a view it appeared to be according to the description in Hollingshead's Chronicle and it was the place where the Fight was but it is now called Blackmore This was about the Year 1685. and I had the account from my worthy Friend and old Acquaintance Tho. Mariett of Warwickshire Esq who is very well acquainted with Mr. Smith aforesaid 8. It was since the Restauration of King Charles II. that Martin Luther's Table Talk was Translated into English by but about half a Year before as he lay in his Bed awake he heard a Voice which did bid him Translate that Book but by reason of some Business he neglected it The Voice demanded Why he had not done it he replyed he had not leisure Said the Voice You shall have leisure enough shortly And shortly after he was Arrested and put in the Gate-house at Westminster where he remained many Months and there was the Translation finished See the Preface before the Book Thus far I 'm beholden to Mr. Aubrey's Collections 9. Philip Vp-John the Son of a Reverend Divine being about 11 Years of Age whilst he lived with Dr. Annesley in Spittle-yard in the Year 1686. being alone reading the Bible he thought he heard a Voice Bidding him prepare for Death for he should die in a short time Upon which this Boy being surprized he came down Stairs and acquainted the Family with it Two or three days after he heard this Voice he went to one Mr. Mallerye a Joyner who work'd to the Family and seeing him making a Coffin he told Mr. Mallerye he should die shortly and desired he would make for him such a Coffin as that was which passage Mr. Mallerye acquainted the Family with the same Day and though then in perfect health in a few days after fell sick of which sickness he died This remarkable Passage I received from a Person who was at Dr. Annesley's House when this hapned 10. Mrs. Elizabeth Dunton as she was walking through Moor-Fields to see her Reverend Father Dr. Annesley who then lay dangerously ill she fancied she heard a Voice saying to her You need not be so much concerned for your Father for as near as he is to death you shall go before him This made a great Impression upon her Mind and in a few Days after she fell Sick and her Recovery is much doubted This happened about the latter end of October 1696. CHAP. VI. The Discovery of things Secret or Future by Signs common Sounds and Voices THis Title is near a-kin to the fore-going and differs only in this that there an Articulate Voice and Express words were heard here only some Inarticulate sound of no natural signification or particular sence is requisite or some noise in General which can be supposed to import nothing move then the Presence and Agency of some Invisible being Of which it will not be necessary to give many Instances because of the Affinity this hath to several other Heads or Titles in this Book 1. A. D. 1630. A very Miraculous thing happened at Geismar in Hassia two Souldiers lying for safety in that Town one of them complained to the other who was in Bed with him that he was very cold the other Answer'd he could not believe it in regard that his own Body was very hot and wet intreating him to touch and feel his side which when he had done finding his hands exceeding wet and as it were glued and congealed together he suspected something extraordinary and looking on his hands by the light of the Moon he Judged them to be Bloody and endeavouring to wash off the Blood from his side presently more Blood issued out at length after the space of an hour it ceased of it self About three handfuls of Blond were taken out of the Sheets this with the Relation of other Circumstances they presented in the Morning to the Commander who enquired of him how he had felt himself that Night the Souldier Answered That he had been extream ill for some time but was afterwards restored to his former Health The two next years after this Prodigy this goodly Countrey of Hassia was miserably harassed by several Armies and the Inhabitants were Barbarously and Inhumanely treated by the Emperours Army and if the Prince or his Poor Subjects did at any time complain and Petition for Justice or Redress they were only scorned and rejected for their labours so that they were forced to endure Quarterings Taxations Burnings Robberies and Sacking of their Towns and Villages yea the Slaughter of Innumerable innocent Subjects of all sorts without being able to obtain any Pity or Compassion from their Enemies The same Year 1630 in May the Noremberg Carrier and several Passengers in their Journey towards Hamborough passing by the Town of Coburg at Night they observed with great Admiration a Prodigious fire going in
and out of the Town and heard a mighty noise like the Discharging of Canons Two years after which General Wallestein Assaulted this Town with Souldiers and great Guns but was so stoutly entertained by those within that after the loss of a great many of the Imperialists he was forced tho he had besieged it above Twenty Months to break up his siege and depart Surprizing Mirac of Nature p. 108. 2. In King Henry the VIII's Days there was one Mr. Gresham a Merchant of London setting Sail homewards from Palermo where dwelt at that time one Antonio called the Rich who had at one time two Kingdoms Mortgaged to him by the King of Spain and being Crossed by contrary Winds Mr. Gresham was constrained to Anchor under the Lee of the Island off from Bulo where was a Burning Mountain Now about the Midday when for a certain space the Mountain forbore to send forth Flames Mr. Gresham with eight of the Sailors ascended the Mountain approaching as near the Vent as they durst where amengst other Noises they heard a Voice cry aloud Dispatch dispatch the Rich Autonio is a coming Terrified herewith they hasted their return and the Mountain presently broke out in a Flame But from so dismal a place they made all the haste they could and desiring to know more of this matter the Winds still thwarting their course they returned to Palermo and forthwith enquiring for Antonio they found that he was Dead about the very Instant so near as they could guess when that Voice was heard by them Mr. Gresham at his return to London reported this to the King and the Mariners being called before him confirmed the same upon Mr. Gresham this wrought so deep an Impression that he gave over all his Merchandizing distributed his Estate partly to his Kinsfolk and partly to good uses retaining only a Competency for himself and so spent the rest of his days in Solitary Devotion Sands Relat. 248. 3. Knocking 's Extracted from the Miscellanies of John Aubrey Esq Mr. Baxter's Certainty of the Worlds of Spirits A Gentleman formerly seeming Pious of late Years hath fallen into the Sin of Drunkenness and when he has been Drunk and slept himself Sober something Knocks at his Beds-head as if one knock'd on a Wainscot when they remove the Bed it follows him besides loud Noises on other parts where he is that all the House heareth It poseth me to think what Kind of Spirit this is that hath such a care of this Man's Soul which makes me hope he will recover Do good Spirits dwell so near us Or are they sent on such Messages Or is it his Guardian Angel Or is it the Soul of some Dead Friend that suffereth and yet retaining Love to him as Dives did to his Brethren would have him Saved God keepeth yet such things from us in the Dark Three or four Days before my Father died as I was in my Bed about Nine a Clock in the Morning perfectly awake I did hear three distinct Knocks on the Beds-head as if it had been with a Ruler or Ferula Mr. Hierome Banks as he lay on his Death Bed in Bell-yard said Three Days before he died that Mr. Jennings of the Inner-Temple his great Acquaintance Dead a Year or two before gave Three Knocks looked in and said Come away He was as far from believing such things as any man 4. Mr. Brograve near Puckridge in Hertford-shire when he was a young man riding in a Lane in that Contrey had a Blow given him on his Cheek or Head He look'd back and saw that no body was near behind him anon he had such another Blow I have forgot if a Third He turn'd back and fell to the Study of the Law and was afterwards a Judge This Account I had from Sir John Penrudock of Compton-Chamberlain our Neighbour whose Lady was Judge Brograve's Neice 5. Newark has Knocking 's before Death And there is a House near Covent-Garden that has Warnings 6. At Berlin when one shall Die out of the Electoral House of Brandenburgh a Woman Drest in white Linnen appears always to several without speaking or doing any harm for several Weeks before This from Jasper Belshazer Cranmer a Saxon Gentleman Thus far I am beholding to Mr. Aubrey's Collect. CHAP. VII Discovery of Things Secret or Future by Prodigies Comets Lights Stars c. HERE I propound only to shew how God Almighty when he is doing or going to do any thing extraordinary in the World to put Nature out of its usual Course and make some greater and more remarkable Steps in his Providence He often hangs out some Flag makes some Flame of Fire his messenger or so Ruffles the Elements of the Visible World in such an unusual manner as is enough to startle Men not out of but into their Wits and make them serious and inquisitive into the Counsels of Heaven and their own Merits and Behaviour towards God and so to Humble them into Sorrow and Penitence when they see the Hand of God thus lifted up or concern'd for them 1. Before the Destruction of Jerusalem there was often seen in the Air Armies of men in Battle-array seeming to be ready to charge each other the Brazen Gate open'd of it self without being touched by any Body Joseph de Bell. Jud. l. 7. Gaffarella Part 2. c. 3. 2. A little before the time that Xerxes cover'd the Earth with his million of men there appear'd horrible and dreadful Meteors as Presages of the Evils that afterwards happened as there did likewise in the time of Attila who was call'd Flagellum Dei God's Scourge Gaffarrel unheard of Curios Part 2. Ch 3. 3. When Ambrose was a Child a Swarm of Bees settled on his Face in the Cradle and flew away without hurting of him whereupon his Father said Si vixerit infantulus ille aliquid magni erit viz. If this Child live he will be some great man Clark's Mart. of Eccl. Hist 4. In the time of Gregory the Great A. C. 600 c. The River Tsber swell'd to such an unmeasurable height that it ran over the Walls of Rome and drowned a great part of the City and brake into many great Houses overthrew divers antient monuments and Gravaries belonging to the Church carrying away many thousand measures of Wheat Presently after which Innundation came down the River an innumerable Company of Serpents with one monstrous great one as big as a Beam which when they had swam into the Sea were there choaked and their Carcasses being all cast upon the Shoar there rotted which caused such an Infection of the Air that presently a great Plague followed at Rome so that many thousands died of it Yea Arrows were visibly seen to be shot from Heaven and whosoever was stricken with them presently died amongst whom Pelagius was one then Bishop of Rome Ibid. p. 97. What the consequences of those Prodigies were I leave to the Consideration of the ingenious Reader who may easily find in Church-History
to the sober consideration of an Intelligent Reader 1. The Magi or Wise Men of the East were directed by a Star to the very Countrey and Place where our Blessed Saviour was Born and this method God seemed to take for their Conduct rather then another because they were trained up according to the custom of the Oriental Countreys in these studies See Doct. Gell's Serm. in defence of Astrlogy 2. Our Saviour at his Crucifixion to denote the horror of the Act and the Extinction of Light in the Jewish Church gives notice to the whole World by a dismal Eclipse of the Sun what a Bloody Act that People were a doing at that time and what a Calamitous season was approaching that Nation There was Darkness upon the Face of the Earth from the 6th to the 9th hour This Eclipse Dionisius is said to have seen in Egypt and in Astonishment to cry out Either Nature or the God of Nature suffers And tho this be accounted not in the Number of natural but supernatural Eclipses because if there be any credit to be given to the Writings of Dionysius it was obsered by him and the Philosopher Apollophanes to happen not at the time of the Conjunction of Sun and Moon but at their opposition Viz. At full Moon this doth no hurt to my cause at all For I plead only for this point that God is pleased to make significations of his will in the discovery of things not well known in the outward Face of the Heavens Eusebius also tells us that Phlegon made observation of this Eclipse Alsted Eucyel l. 20. c. 10. Hist Eclips 3. A little before the Death of Charles the great A. C. 814. There happened another Famous Eclipse of the Sun of which Eginardas in his Life as he is cited in fascical tempt saith thus Many Signs preceeded the Death of the Glorious and Holy Emperour Charles for there was an unusual Eclipse of the Sun and Moon there appeared for seven days a spot of black colour in the Sun Ibid. 4. June 17th 1415. When John Husse was tried at Constance by the Cardinals and Bishops in the Convent of the Franciscans there fell out so great an Eclipse that the Sun was almost Darkened After which John was Condemned and a dismal Persecution followed upon all his Disciples that breathed after a Reformation Clark's marr of Eccl. Hist p. 123. 5. A Greek Astrologer the same that had predicted the Dukedom of Tuscany to Cosmo de medices foretold also the Death of Alexander and that with such confidence that he described the Murderer to be one of this familiar Acquaintance of a slender Body small Face Swarthy Complexion and of an unsociable reserved temper by which description he did as good as point out with the Finger Lawrence Medices who Murdered the same Alexander in his Bed-Chamber Dinoth memorab l. 6. p. 394. Jovii Elog. p. 320. 6. Pope Paul the 3d wrote to Petrus Aloides Farnesius his Son that he should take special care of himself upon the 10th of September for the Stars did then threaten him with some signal Misfortune Upon which the Incredulous young Man was slain by thirty Men who had joyned in Conspiracy against him Sleiden Comment l. 19. Zuing. Theat vol. 5. l. 3. 7. Basilius the Mathematician predicted to Cosmo Medices when as yet but a private Man that a mighty Rich Inheritance would fall to him before the Ascendant of his Nativity was Illustrated by a happy Conspiracy of Stars in Capricorn in such manner as had heretofore fallen out to Augustusâ— Caesar and Charles the 5th Emperor and accordingly upon the 5th of the Ides of January he was advanced to the Dukedom of Florence Dinoth memorab l. 6. p. 390. 8. The Famous Picus Mirandula for his invective Writings against the Astrologers of his time called Flagellum Astrologorum or Astrologo-Mastix the Scourge of Astrologers met at last with one Bellantius of Syena who upon a Scheme of his Nativity gave this Judgment upon him that he should dye the thirty fourth year of his Age Which accordingly came to pass Gaffarell Curios c. 7. p. 252. 9. Guido Bontius foretold to Guido Count of Monts-ferat the day wherein he might if he would sally out of Forolirium and attack his Enemies and might defeat them but withal himself should be wounded in the Hip. Which accordingly he did and prospered the Astrologer himself being in Company with him and providing a medicine for the wound before-hand which the Count as was predicted received at the same time Wanley's Wonders of the little World l. 6. c. 4. Fulges Ex. l. 8. c. 11. 10. Within three or four days after King Charles the Second died I being then Minister of Shipley and considering with my self of how great importance the knowledge of such an Accident might be to the Nation concluded that if they were any thing of moment in the Science of Astrology sure some prediction might be expected from our Prognosticators in this case Upon which I went streight to a Countrey Shop where Almanacks were sold and enquired what old ones lay upon their hands they produced all out of which I singled out so many as pretended to Astrological Observations and Prognostications in one of them which I think was Gadbury's I found to this purpose That that year by the then Configurataions of the Heavens should be much such another as was that of 1660 which was so happy for the settlement of the late King in his Throne but now as then there would be a Party of Saturnine humours that would by their murmuring and discontents be in danger of bringing Punishment upon their own Heads After I had read over this I passed on to another where I found words of the like import Upon which I returned home pausing upon the case not knowing whether to resolve it into the Science of Astrology or something else And so I leave it to the censure of my Reader For Comets I declared that I do not believe the Governour of the World puts out such Flameaus sets such Beacons on fire in the upper Regions for no purpose Nature doth not saith the Philosopher and shall the Christian say the God of Nature doth any thing in vain Two and Fifty years ago Decemb. 1638. There was a Blazing Star seen upon which followed the Irish Massacre and the late Civil Wars In December and March 1664. There were two Comets seen which were followed by that sad and dreadful Plague whereof died that were taken notice of 98596 besides many others which escaped the Bills of Mortality and that lamentable fire which in London destroyed so many Stately Buildings and Parish Churches 11. In Dec. and Jan. 168â— Another Great Comet appeared to the Amusement or Terrour of all considering Spectatours beginning in Sagittarius or the latter end of Scorpio about the beginning of November thence proceeding to Capricorn c. Concerning which said John Hill a Physician and Astrologyer in his Alarm to Europe Printed by H.
Bohemian Language signifies an Hundred Years after God would raise up a Swan in Germany whose Singing would affright all those Vultures Which was exactly fulfilled in Luther just an hundred Years after Clarks Marrow of Ecclesiast History p. 119. Fuller Abel Rediv. p. 30. 2. Luther speaks thus of the Covetousness of Germany and the Dearth there We fear Famine and we shall suffer it and find no Remedy for it And whereas we are without Necessity we are sollicitous to prevent Famine like Wicked and Incredulous Heathens and neglect the Word of God and his Work He will permit shortly a dismal Day to come upon us which will bring with it whole Wain-loads of Cares which we shall neither have Power or Means to escape And likewise he foretold the combustion which arose in Germany saying I am very much afraid that if the Princes give ear to Duke George's ill Counsel there will arise some Tumult which will destroy all the Princes and Magistrates in all Germany and engage in it all the Clergy Fuller Abel Rediv. p. 49. 3. In May 1631. at Hull in Saxony the Water was turn'd into Blood and about the middle of this Month this Town was taken by Tilly and afterwards retaken from him by their natural Lord and presently again repossessed by Tilly's Forces and he himself after the Battle of Leipsick made his Escape thither that Night and had his Wounds dress'd by the Town-Barber whilst Tilly's Army lay in the Twon one of his chief Officers saw Blood prodigiously dropping from the House wherein he lay whereupon he said What Must we bleed Will the King of Sweden bleat us That is impossible But it happen'd otherwise for Hull was not above Seven Dutch Miles distant from the place of Battle wherein the Imperial Army was utterly routed and miserably destroyed in the Chase and if the King had had but three Hours more of Daylight it was judged that hardly a Thousand of the Enemy had escaped one of their own Relations affirming that there were Fifteen Thousand of the Imperialists slain upon the place in the Pursuit that Night and the next day following it 's said Tilly's couragious Heart could not refrain from Tears when he perceiv'd such woful Destructions among his brave old Soldiers his Army consisting of Forty-four Thousand stout Men being usually termed Invincible The next day the King besieged Hull which was yielded to him and soon after the Castle But a while after Papenheim and the Imperialists again retook this City exercising all manner of Barbarism upon the Inhabitants This Year likewise in the time of the Siege of Magdeburgs a City Captain's Wife dying in Child-bed desired to be ript open which being done they found a Boy almost as big as one of 3 Years old who had an Head-piece and an Iron Breast-Plate on his Body great Boots of the French Fashion and a Bag on his Side with two things therein like Musquet Bullets This horrible Prodigy no doubt portended the deplorable Desruction of the City which happen'd May 10. 1631. when a general Assault was made upon the Town by the Imperialists the Walls were mounted in an instant the Town entred and the Soldiers fell to killing At the same instant a Fire none knew how broke out and it being a windy day on a sudden all became one mighty Flame the whole Town being in Twelve Hours time turn'd to Cinders except some few Fisher-Houses Six goodly Churches were burnt the Cathedral by the Diligence of the Monks and Soldiers being preserved There were at least Twenty Thousand People killed besides Six Thousand drowned in the River Elbe Two days after Tilly came into the Town and finding some Hundreds of Women and Children in the great Church he gives them their Lives and some Bread to maintain them Surprizing Mirac of Nature p. 109. 4. About the Year 1679 or 1680 there was a noise like the shooting off or the bursting Crack of a Gun heard I believe all over England I heard it my self as I lay in Bed near the Town of Shrewsbury about Seven or Eight a Clock in the Morning it was all over that Country and several other adjacent Counties at London in Sussex and the North of England and did strangely amuse People where-ever it was heard but this I wonder at that in some places it was heard in the Afternoon about One say some others about Three a Clock c. Surely it was significative the rather because the great Comet succeeded it and the Mutations in England But I leave it to the Consideration and Judgment of the Ingenious Reader 5. Octob. 5. 1682. There was born at Exeter a Monster having two perfect Heads one standing right as it should the other being in the Right Shoulder it liv'd not long but was buried and taken up again the tenth Instant many hundreds resorting to see it I propound it here for an Aenigma to exercise my Reader 's Judgment 6 Days Lucky and Vnlucky Extracted from the Miscellanies of John Aubrey Esq Is this thy Day Luk. 19.42 That there be Good and Evil Times not only the Sacred Scriptures but Prophane Authors mention See 1 Sam. 25.8 Esth. 8.17 and 2.19 22. Ecclus 14.14 The Fourteenth day of the First Month was a Memorable and Blessed Day amongst the Children of Israel See Exod. 12.18 40 41 42 51. As to Evil Days and Times see Amos 5.13 and 6.3 Eccles 9.12 Psal 37.19 Obad. 12. Jer. 46.21 And Job hints it in cursing his Birth-day Cap. 3. v. 1 10 11. 7. The Romans counted Feb. 13. an Unlucky Day and therefore then never attempted any Business of Importance 8. The Jews accounted August 10. an unfortunate day for on that day the Temple was destroyed by Titus the Son of Vespasian 9. And not only among the Romans and Jews but also amongst Christians a like Custom of observing such Days is used especially Childermas-day or Innocents-day Cominus tells us that Lewis XI used not to debate any Matter but accounted it a sign of Misfortune towards him if any Man communed with him of his Affairs and would be very angry with those about him if they troubled him with any Matter whatsoever upon that day But I will descend to more particular Instances upon Lucky and Unlucky Days 10. Upon the Sixth of April Alexander the Great was born Upon the same Day he conquer'd Darius won a great Victory at Sea and died the same day 11. Upon the Thirtieth of September Pompey the Great was born Upon that day he Triumph'd for his Asian Conquest and on that day he died If Solomon counts The day of ones Death better than the day of ones Birth there can be no Objection why that also may not be reckon'd amongst ones Remarkable and Happy Days 12. Sir Kenelm Digby that Renowned Knight great Linguist and Magazeen of Arts was Born and Died on the Eleventh of June and also fought fortunately at Scanderoon the same day Hear his Epitaph composed by Mr. Farrar and recited in
his own great Abilities after Courtesies of Courage had passed between them My Lord says the Duke I know your Lordship hath very worthily good Accesses unto the King our Soveraign let me pray you to put His Majesty in Mind to be good as I no way distrust to my poor Wife and Children at which Words or at his Countenance in the Delivery or at both my Lord Bishop being somewhat troubled took the freedom to ask him whether he had never any secret Abodement in his Mind No reply'd the Duke but I think some Adventure way kill me as well as another Man The very day before he was slain feeling some indisposition of Body the King was pleased to give him the Honour of a visit and found him in his Bed where and after much serious and private Discourse the Duke at his Majesty's departing embraced him in a very unusual and passionate Manner and in like sort to his Friend the Earl of Holland as if his Soul divined he should see them no more which infusions towards fatal End had been observed by some Authors of no Light Authority On the very day of his Death the Countess of Denbigh receiv'd a Letter from him whereupon all the while she was writing her Answer she bedew'd the Paper with her Tears And after a most bitter Passion whereof she could yield no Reason but that her dearest Brother was to be gone she fell down in a Swoon Her said Letter endeth thus I will pray for your happy Return which I look at with a great Cloud over my Head too heavy for my poor Heart to bear without torment but I hope the great God of Heaven will bless you The day following the Bishop of Ely her devoted Friend who was thought the fittest Preparer of her Mind to receive such a doleful Accident came to visit her but hearing she was at rest he attended till she should awake of her self which she did with the Affrightments of a Dream her Brother seeming to pass thorough a Field with her in her Coach where hearing of a sudden Shout of the People and asking the reason it was answer'd to have been for Joy that the Duke of Buckingham was sick Which natural Impression she source had related unto her Gentlewoman before the Bishop was entred into her Bed-Chamber for a chosen Messenger of the Duke's Death This is all I dare present of that Nature or any of Judgment not unwillingly omitting certain Prognostick Anagrams and such strains of Fancy Sir Henry Wooton 's Short View of the Life and Death of George Villiers Duke of Buckingham p. 25 26. 2. When Alexander went by Water to Babylon a sudden Wind arising blew off the Regal Ornament of his Head and the Diadem fixt to it This was lookt upon as a Presage of Alexander's Death which happen'd soon after 3. In the year of Christ 1185. the last and most fatal end of Andronicus Commenus being at Hand the Statute of St. Paul which the Emperor had caused to be set up in the great Church of Constantinople abundantly wept Nor were these Tears in vain which the Emperor washt off with his own Blood 4. Barbara Princess of Bavaria having shut her self up in a Nunnery among other things allow'd her for her peculiar Recreation she had a Marjoram-Tree of an extraordinary bigness a small Aviary and a Gold Chain which she wore about her Neck But 14 Days before she died the Marjoram-Tree dried up the Birds the next Night were all found dead and after that the Chain broke in two in the middle Then Barbara calling for the Abbess told her that all those Warnings were for her and in a few Days after died in the Seventeenth year of her Age After her Death above twenty other Virgins died out of the same Nunnery Several other Presages there are that foretold the death of Princes and great Men As the unwonted Howlings of Dogs the unseasonable Noise of Bells the Roaring of Lions c. Concerning Dead Mens Lights seen often in Wales take this following Story 5. A Man and his Family being all in Bed about Midnight and awake he could perceive a Light entring a little Room where he lay and one after another of some Dozen in the shape of Men and two or three Women with small Children in their Arms entring in and they seemed to dance and the Room to be far wider and lighter than formerly they did seem to eat Bread and Cheese all about a kind of a Stick upon the Ground they offer'd him Meat and would smile upon him he could perceive no Voice but he once calling upon God to bless him he could perceive the Whisper of a Voice in Welsh bidding him hold his Peace being about four Hours thus he did what he could to awake his Wife and could not they went out into another Room and after some dancing departed and then he arose yet being but a very small Room he could not find the Door nor the way to Bed until crying out his Wife and Family awaked Being within about two Miles of me I sent for the Man who is an honest poor Husbandman and of good Report And I made him believe I would put him to his Oath for the Truth of this Relation who was ready to take it Attested by Mr. John Lewis a learned Justice of Peace in Cardigan-shire Hist Discourse of Appar and Witches p. 130. 6. Mr. Flavel in his Treatise of the Soul says I have with good Assurance this Account of a Minister who being alone in a Journey and willing to make the best Improvement he could of the Days Solitude set himself upon a close Examination of the State of his Soul and then of the Life to come and the manner of its being and living in Heaven in the Views of all those things which are now pure Objects of Faith and Hope after a while he perceiv'd his Thoughts begin to fix and come closer to these great astonishing things than was usual and as his Mind settled upon them his Affections began to rise with answerable Liveliness and Vigour He therefore whilst he was yet Master of his own Thoughts lift up his Heart to God in a short Ejaculation that God would so order it in his Providence that he might meet with no Interruption from Company or any other Accident in that Journey which was granted him For in all the Days Journey he neither met overtook or was overtaken by any Thus going on his way his Thoughts began to rise and swell higher and higher like the Waters in Ezekiel's vision till at last they became an overflowing Flood Such was the Intention of his Mind such the ravishing Tastes of Heavenly Joys and such the full Assurance of his Interest therein that he utterly lost the Sight and Sense of this World and all the concerns thereof and for some hours knew no more where he was than if he had been in a deep sleep upon his Bed At last he began to perceive
Who upon the Eighth day of July 1657. went from this to a better World about four of the Clock the day before he Died a Matron who Died a little before and whilst living was Dear to Mr. Vsher appeared to him in his sleep and invited him to Sup with her the next Night He at first denyed her but she more vehemently pressing her request on him at last he consented and that very Night he Died. Dr. Stern's Dissertatio de morte p. 163. 14. I have also the fullest assurance that can be of the Truth of this following Narrative A Person yet living was greatly concerned about the welfare of his Dear Father and Mother who were both shut up in London in the time of the great Contagion in 1665. Many Letters he sent to them and many hearty Prayers to Heaven for them But about a fortnight before they were infected he fell about break of day into this Dream that he was in a great Inn which was full of company and being very desirous to find a private Room where he might seek God for his Parents Life he went from Room to Room but found company in them all at last casting his Eye into a little Chamber which was empty he went into it lockt the Door kneeled down by the outside of the Bed and whilst he was vehemently begging of God the Life of his Friends fixing his Eyes upon the Plaister'd Wall within side the Bed there appeared upon the Plaister of the Wall before him the Sun and Moon shining in their full strength The sight at first amazed and discomposed him so far that he could not continue his Prayer but kept his Eye fixed upon the Body of the Sun at last a small line or ring of black no bigger than that of a Text Pen circled the Sun which increasing sensibly eclipsed in a little time the whole body of it and turned it into a blackish colour which done the Figure of the Sun was immediately changed into a perfect Death's head and after a little while Vanished quite away The Moon still continued shining as before but whilst he intently beheld it it also darkned in like manner and turned also into another Death's head and Vanished This made so great an Impression upon the beholder's mind that he immediately awaked in confusion and perplexity of thoughts about his Dream and awakning his Wife related the particulars to her with much emotion and concernment but how to apply it he could not presently tell only he was satisfied that the Dream was of an extraordinary Nature At last Joseph's Dream came into his thoughts with the like Emblems and their Interpretation which fully satisfied him that God had warned and prepared him thereby for a sudden parting with his Dear Relations which answerably fell out in the same order his Father dying that day fortnight following and his Mother just a Month afterwards These Eight Relations the Transcribed out of Mr. Flavel's Treatise of the Soul 15. The Lady Rich gives this Relation of Mr. Tyro Minister from his own Mouth About seven weeks before his Death when there was hope of recovery he told me he had something to tell me that he had not imparted to any body and expressed it thus When I was one Evening returning to my Lodging then at Vngar from this House being then in a good Degree of Health and in a serious frame meditating by the way I heard a Voice say You shall dye and not pass your five and thirtieth year of Age. Which Voice Astonished me greatly and looking round about me seeing no body put me into great Consternation and Sweat all over me such as I never felt tho I dare not compare it to drops of Blood yet I cannot express how dreadful it was You know Madam my Principles and that I am no Enthusiast and how cautious I am as to Revelations But I am sure this was no Melancholy Fancy But an Articulate Voice After I had a little recovered my self I begged of God to discover to me if this were from him or a Delusion from Satan but still the Impression remained t ho I sought God by Prayer most part of that Night and you may remember in my next Visit I told you I should dye shortly but I did not tell you of the Voice I heard And then he added This is my Five and Thirtieth year of my Age in July next I shall be so old And many other Expressions he added which is too much for a Letter but he Died in January 1630. Hist Disc Appar Witches p. 199. 16. The Lady Ware 's Chaplain dreamt that such a day he should dye but having forgot it almost till the Evening before Supper there being thirteen at Table according to a fond conceit that one of these must soon dye One of the young Ladies pointed to him as the person He remembring the Dream fell into some disorder but being reproved for his superstition he said he was confident he was to dye before Morning It was Saturday Night and he was to Preach next day he went to his Chamber in perfect health sate up late prepared his Notes for his Sermon and the next Morning was found Dead See Mr. Parson's Sermon at the Earl of Rochester's Funeral 17. Sir Matthew Hale had some secreet presage of his Death saying that if he did not dye such a day he should live a Month longer and he died that very day Month. Nov. 25. See his Life by Dr. Burnet 18. It was observed that several Omens preceeded the Death of Arch-bishop Laud as the falling down of his Picture in his Parlour the Arms of his See the sinking of the Lambeth Ferry-Boat with the Arch-Bishop's Coach-Horses and Coach-Men to the bottom of the Thames Dr. Heylin in his Life and the Author of the Breviate of the Life of Arch-Bishop Laud p. 35. 19. One James Oxenham of Sale-Monachroum in the County of Devon a Gentleman of good worth and quality who had many Children one whereof was called John Oxenham a young Man in the Vigour Beauty and Flower of his Age about twenty two six Foot and a half high pious and well qualified this young Man falling Sick two days before his departure there appeared the likeness of a Bird with a white Breast hovering over him Attested by Robert Woodley and Humphrey King who justified it to the Minister of the Parish being examined by him at the appointment of Joseph Laud Bishop of Exeter this Person died Sep. 5. 1635. He was no sooner Dead in this Manner but the same Apparition did again shew it self to Thomazine the Wife of James Oxenham the younger a Woman of unspotted Life about eleven a Clock at Night And she died to the comfort of all about her Sep. 7. 1635. Attested by Elizabeth Frost and Joan Tooker who were examined by the same Minister Not long after Rebeccah Sister of the aforesaid Thomazine Aged about eight years about eleven a Clock at Night was presented with
the Apparition of the same Bird which hovered over her and a very docible Girl and of gentle Behaviour who died in a peaceable manner Sep. 9. 1635. Attested by Elizabeth Avery and Mary Stephens She was no sooner Dead but Thomazine a little child of the aforesaid James Oxenham and Thomazine his Wife being in the Cradle fell Sick over whom did presently appear the said Bird in form as aforesaid and so she Died Sep. 15. 1635. Witnesses hereunto the aforenamed Eliz. Avery and Mary Stephens Add to all these that the said Bird had appeared formerly to Grace the Grandmother of the said John over her Death-Bed a Virtuous Woman who Died A. C. 1618. And to make it yet more remarkable There were four more of the same Family and Kindred Sick and Recovered who did never see any such Apparition See the Relation it self Printed at London by J. O. for Rich. Clutterbuck at the Gun in little Britain A. 1641. 20. Being lately at Sir John Brisco's Huse a Baronet now living at Amley Castle in Sussex His Sister then a Guest at his House and Married to an East-India Merchant a Gentlewoman of good parts told me that living at New-Salisbury and designing to make some Provision for her Husbands Return and speaking of it in the House she was often discouraged by a Nurse that she kept in the House with her who advised her still to stay till she saw him return At last Tidings came that he was Dead in the Indies Upon which the Nurse told her that she being in Bed one Night with her Mistress and sitting up to give the child Suck by Moon-shine a Person in the form of her Husband whom she never had seen but only guessed at by the representation given of him by others appeared to her standing at the Bed-side and looking stedfastly upon her and after some short space departed And for this reason she suspected his Death and consequently gave the advice afore-said And upon computation and comparing the Story of the Nurse and the Contents of the Letter together it was found that the Apparition was made at the very time of his Death This the Lady assured me with great Confidence with some other particular Circumstances which have slipt my memory 21. A Scotch Minister removed lately upon the Turn of the times out of Scotland into England and here placed near Oswestree in Shropshire having lost his Wife by Death was earnestly desirous to know what was become of her at last as he lay in Bed one Night she appeared to him by his Bed-side told him she was well and where she was he should be e're long and so Vanished away Afterwards he fell Sick and about Christmas after Died A. 1694. This was reported to me by a very Learned and Pious Divine Mr. Henry who had it from Mr. James Owne of Oswestree aforesaid who was with him in his Sickness 22. Mr. Cartwright the Lord's day before he Died which was the last Sermon that he made Preached upon Eccl. 12.7 Then shall the dust return to the Earth and the Spirit shall return to God who gave it Mr. Clark in his Life 23. James Faber of Picardy flying in a time of Persecution for security to the Queen of Navarr then residing at Albert in Gascoign The Queen one day having a design to Dine with him and for that end having invited some Learned Men whose conference she took much delight in At Dinner Mr. Faber became exceeding sad and brake out into bitter Weeping The Queen asking why he wept when she came to be Merry with him He Answered Most Serene Queen how can I be glad or make others so who am as Wicked a Man as the Earth bears What is that Wickedness said she you complain of so who are known from your youth to have lived so Holily He Answered I am now a Hundred years Old free from the touch of any Woman and Remember not that I have done any thing to Burden my Conscience c. Except one Sin for which yet I am assured there is a Propitation And as she pressed him to declare what it was he could scarce speak for abundance of Tears and said How can I appear before the Throne of God who having taught others in purity and sincerity the H. Gospel many of which having followed by Doctrine have constantly suffered 1000 Torments and Death it self whereas I like an unconstant Doctor did cowardly fly c. The Queen endeavour'd to comfort him with the Examples of other Holy Men so did the rest of the Company with other Considerations And thereupon he said There remains now nothing but that I go to my God and having made my Will I have an Impression that I must delay no longer knowing that the Lord calls for me And so fixing his Eyes upon the Queen he said Madam I make you my Heir and to your Preacher Monsieur Gerard I leave my Books and to the Poor I give my Cloaths and what else I have The Queen smiling said What then Mr. Faber shall I have The Care Madam said he to see this distributed to the Poor It is well said she and I solemnly profess that thie Legacy is more acceptable to me than if the King my Brother had named me his Heir After this he was more joyful but at last said I have need of some Rest be you merry and joyful and in the mean time Adieu Upon which he laid himself down upon a Bed that was near where to their great Admiration when they went about to awake him they found him fallen asleep in the Lord dead in good earnest without the least sign of any previous Indisposition The Narrative the Queen of Navar did relate her self to Frederick the 2d Prince Elector Palatine when he lay sick at Paris and it was communicated by Mr. Hubertus Thomas Counsellor to the said Frederick and present at the Relation to Dr. Rivet who hath set it down in his Epistle to his Brother 24. Bishop Jewel long before his Sickness told the Approaching and in his Sickness the precise day of his Death in a Letter to the Bishop of Norwich A. 1570. he writes Flux Flux i. e. in the German Tongue Quick Quick If you make any Delay I shall prevent you And in another You shall yet in this Life sing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In his Life 25. Mr. Herbert Jones of Monmouth when he was a little Boy was used to eat his Milk in a Garden in the Morning and was no sooner there but a large Snake always came and eat out of the Dish with him and did so for a considerable time till one Morning he striking the Snake on the Head it hissed at him Upon which he told his Mother that the Baby for so he call'd it cry'd Hiss at him His Mother had it kill'd which occasion'd him a great Fit of Sickness and 't was thought woul'd have dy'd but did recover 26. Extracted from Mr. Aubrey 's Miscellanies I cannot
pass by an Instance I have from a very honest Man in the next Parish who told me it himself That his Wife being big with Child near her Delivery he buys half a Dozen of Boards to make her a Bed against the time she lay in The Boards lying at the Door of his House there comes an old Fisher-woman yet alive and asked him whose were those Boards He told her they were his own She asked him again For what use he had them He replied For a Bed She again said Intend them for what you please she saw a dead Corps lying on them and that they would be a Coffin which struck the honest Man to the Heart fearing the death of his Wife But when the old Woman went off he calls presently for a Carpenter to make the Bed which was accordingly done but shortly after the honest Man had a Child died whose Coffin was made of the ends of those Boards 27. I shall tell you what I have had from one of the Masters of our College here a North-Country-man both by Birth and Education in his younger Years who made a Journey in the Harvest-time into the Shire of Ross and at my Desire made some Enquiry there concerning the Second-sight He reports That there they told him many Instances of this Knowledge which he had forgotten except two The first one of his Sisters a young Gentlewoman staying with a Friend at some 30 Miles distance from her Father's House and the ordinary place of her Residence One who had the Second-sight in the Family where she was saw a young Man attending her as she went up and down the House and this was about Three Months before her Marriage The second is a Woman in that Country who is reputed to have the Second-sight and declared that eight Days before the Death of a Gentleman there she saw a Bier or Coffin cover'd with a Cloth she knew carried as it were to the place of Burial and attended with a great Company one of which told her it was the Corps of such a Person naming that Gentleman who died Eight Days after Those that have this Faculty of the Second-sight see only things to come which are to happen shortly thereafter and sometimes foretel things which fall out Three or Four Years after For instance 28. One told his Master that he saw an Arrow in such a Man thorough his Body and yet no Blood came out His Master told him that it was impossible an Arrow should stick in a Man's body and no blood come out and if that came to pass he would be deem'd an Impostor But about five or six Years after the Man died and being brought to his Burial-place there arose a Debate anent his Grave and it came to such a height that they drew Arms and bended their Bows and one letting off an Arrow shot thro' the dead Body upon the Bier-trees and so no Blood could issue out at a dead Man's Wound Part of a Letter written to Mr. Aubrey by a Gentleman's Son in Straths-pey being a Student in Divinity Sir I am more willing than able to satisfie your Desire As for Instances I could furnish many I shall only insert some few attested by several of good Credit yet alive 29. And first Andrew Mackpherson of Clunie in Badenoch being in sute of the Laird of Gareloch's Daughter as he was upon a day going to Garloch the Lady Garloch was going somewhere from her House within kenning to the Road which Clunie was coming the Lady perceiving him said to her Attendants that yonder was Clunie going to see his Mistress One in her Company replied and said If you be he unless he marry within six Months he 'll never marry The Lady asked how did he know that He said very well for I see him saith he all inclosed in his Winding-Sheet except his Nostrils and his Mouth which will also close up within Six Months which happened even as he foretold within the said space he died and his Brother Duncan Mackpherson this present Clunic succeeded I have heard of a Gentleman whose Son had gone abroad and being Anxious to know how he was he went to consult one who told him that that same day 5 a Clock in the Afternoon his Son had married a Woman in France with whom he had got so many Thousand Crowns and within Two Years he should come to see Eather and Friends leaving his Wife with Child of a Daughter and a Son of six Months of Age behind him which accordingly was true About the same time two Years he came home and verified all that was soretold 30. One Archibald Mackeanyers alias Mackdonald living in Ardinmurch within 10 or 20 Miles or thereby of Glencoe and I was present my self where he foretold something which accordingly fell out In 1683 this Man being in Strathspey in John Mackdonald of Glencoe his Company told in Balachastell before the Laird of Grant his Lady and several others and also in my Father's House that Argyle few or none knew then where he was or at least there was no word of him then here should within two Twelvemonths thereafter come to the West-Highlands and raie a Rebellious Faction wh ich would be divided among themselves and disperse and he unfortunately be taken and Beheaded at Edinburgh and his Head set upon the Talbooth where his Father's Head was before him Which proved as true as he foretold it in 1685. thereafter 31. There as a young Lady of great Birth whom a Rich Knight fancied and came in sute of the Lady but she could not endure to fancy him being a harsh and unpleasant Man But her Friends importuning her daily she turned melancholy and lean Fasting and Weeping continually A common Fellow about the House meeting her one Day in the Fields asked her saying Mrs. Kate What is that that troubles you and makes you look so ill She replied That the Cause is known to many for my Friends would have me marry such a Man by Name but I cannot fancy him Nay says the Fellow give over these Niceties for he will be your first Husband and will not live long and besure he will leave you a rich Dowry which will procure you a great Match for I see a Lord upon each Shoulder of you All which came to pass in every Circumstance as Eye and Ear can witness 32. Near 40 Years ago Macklend and his Lady Sister to my Lord Seaforth were walking about their own House and in their Return both came into the Nurses Chamber where their young Child as on the Breast At their coming in the Nurse falls a weeping they asked the cause dreading the Child was sick or that she was scarce of Milk The Nurse replied the Child was well and she had abundance of Milk yet she still wept and being pressed to tell what ailed her she at last said Macklend would die and the Lady would shortly marry another Man Being enquired how she knew that Event she told
or more some big some small together then so many and such Corpses together If two Candles come from divers places and be seen to meet the Corpses will the like if any of these Candles are seen to turn sometimes a little out of the way or path that leadeth to the Church the following Corps will be forced to turn in that very place for the avoiding some dirty Lane or plash c. Now let us fall to evidence Being about the Age of Fifteen dwelling at Lanylar late at Night some Neighbours saw one of these Candles hovering up and down along the River-Bank until they were weary in beholding it at last they left it so and went to Bed A few Weeks after came a proper Damsel from Montgomery-shire to see her Friends who dwelt on the other side of that River Istwith and thought to Ford the River at that very place where the Light was seen being dissuaded by some Lookers on some it is most likely of those that saw the Light to adventure on the Water which was high by reason of a Flood She walked up and down along the River-Bank even where and even as the aforesaid Candle did waiting for the falling of the Water which at last she took but too soon for her for she was drowned therein Of late my Sexton's Wife an aged understanding Woman saw from her Bed a little bluish Candle on her Tables end within two or three Days after came a Fellow enquiring for her Husband and taking something from under his Cloak clap'd it down upon the Tables-end it was a dead-born Child Another time the same Woman saw such another Candle upon the end of the self-same Table within a few Days after a weak Child newly Christend by me was brought to the Sexton's House where presently it died ' And when the Sexton's Wife who was then abroad came home she found the Child on the other end of the Table where she had seen the Candle Some thirty or forty Years since my Wife's Sister being Nurse to Baronet Rudd's three eldest Children and the Lady Mistress being dead the Lady Comptroller of the House going late into the Chamber where the Maid-Servants lay saw no less than Five of those Lights together It happen'd a while after that the Chamber being newly Plaister'd and a Grate of Coal-fire therein kindled to hasten the drying of the Praister that five of the Maid-servants went to Bed as they were wont but as it fell out too soon for in the Morning they were all dead being Soffocated in their Sleep with the steem of the new-temper'd Lime and Coal This was at Langathen in Carmarthenshire Jo. Davis See more Generglyn March 1656. To this Account of Mr. Davis I will subjoyn what my worthy Friend and Neighbour Randal Caldicot D. D. hath affirmed to me many Years since viz When any Christian is drowned in the River Dee there will appear over the Water where the Corps is a Light by which means they do find the Body Thus far Mr. Aubrey Ominous Presages taken notice of as relating to the Troubles and Death of King Charles I. in a Printed Relation 1655. 68. When he was in Spain treating and prosecuting the Match with the Infanta Jun. 30. 1623. a great Clap of Thunder struck away the Flag and Flag-staff from the Main-top-mast-head of a Ship then riding at Black-wall and bound for Spain with Provision of fresh Victuals to fetch the Prince home it also split the Main-top-mast and threw one part on one side and the other part on the other side of the Ship and raized the Main-mast down to the Ship it killed two Men and one Woman at Croydon This was two Days after the Prince wrote to the Pope Thursday next there were many great Claps of Thunder abundance of Rain and so great a Pillar of Fire from Heaven out of the South that it reach'd from the Heavens to the Farth not as a Flash of Lightning gone in the very sight but a very firm Pillar of Fire The Crown and Vane from the top of the Gate-House of St. James whereon the Clock stood was struck down a piece of the Bell where the Priuce kept his Court melted a Gardiner near Westminster kill'd and his Wife hurt another at Croyden kill'd c. Old Tho. Earl of Arundel having sent for the King's Statue out of Italy viewing it at Greenwich where it was landed and commending the Workmanship whilst they were discoursing of it there fell three drops of Blood on the top of it no Man knowing how they should come there A. 1623. A Buckinghamshire Taylor came from Alisbury aged 41 and a sober Man went along London Streets pronouncing Woe to Rome Woe to the Pope Woe to all Papists and all that did adhere to Popery Dukes Marquesses Earls c. This three or four Days in the Week praying earnestly at White-Hall-Gate for the Continuance of the Gospel in England till he was sent to the New-Bridewell near Clerken-well where he continued three Weeks After which he proceeded again to the same Execrations One of the Crowns and Vanes of the Tower was turned over the Top of the Spindle with a very small Gale of Wind and so hung for three quarters of a Year or more the Crown and Vane weigh'd 100 weight His Hand and Scepter broke off from his Statue at the Exchange and fell down to the Ground even at Change-time to the admiration of all Beholders and the next day it was set up again One Mrs. Cary of Bristol a Woollen-Draper's Widow on the Back of the Town having seen many strange Apparitions of the late King at several times as his Crown all bloody himself in Black and his Head off by means of the Earl of Dorset was admitted to the King who dismissed her with only this Reflection Take her away she is a merry Woman The VVoman returns home to Bristol where the like Visions appear'd to her again she could not contain but away she makes for London a second time and the King gone to York by the help of a Lady at Court she follows in a Coach thither and with much Importunity of Speech beseecheth him to consider what she had seen and said but was not credited At Caussam near Reading the King playing at Chess with White Men the Head of the VVhite King fell off VVhen the Lord Fairfax was at St. Albans and the General Council of the Army drawing up the grand Rdmonstrance against the King the Sign of the Kings-Head beneath the Hill from the Cross that part of the Board between the Head and Shoulders was broken out of the Sign so that the Head and Shoulders seem'd parted VVhen the King was at the High Court of Justice as it was then called on his Tryal the Head of his Cane fell off he stooped to take it up himself looked upon it as an ominous Presage 69. William Writtle condemn'd at Maidston Assizes for a double Murder mention'd hereafter told a Minister
and Strictness in Religion and told them that in a clear Moonshine Night the Devil in the shape of a great uggly Man stood by his Bed-side opening the Curtains and looking him in the Face and at last took up the Blanket and sometimes smiled on him then was more uggly and after a while in which he lay in great Terror the Apparition vanished and he was affrighted into the aforesaid Change of Life Attested by most credible and Religious Persons near Wolverhampton in Staffordshire who dwelling in the same-House with Mr. Baxter oft told the same to him Hist Disc of Apparitions and Witches p. 59. 30. Serj. Glanvil's Father had a fair Estate which he intended to settle on his elder Brother but he being a vicious young Man and there appear'd no Hopes of his Recovery he settled it on him that was his second Son Upon his death his eldest Son finding that what he had before looked on as the threatnings of an angry Father was now but too certain became Melancholy and that by Degrees wrought so great a Change on him that what his Father could not prevail in while he liv'd was now effected by the Severity of his last Will so that it was now too late for him to change in hopes of any Estate that was gone from him But his Brother observing the reality of the Change resolv'd within himself what to do so he call'd him with many of his Friends together to a Feast and after other Dishes had been serv'd up to the Dinner he order'd one that was cover'd to be set before his Brother and desired him to uncover it which he doing the Company was surpriz'd to find it full of Writings so he told them that he was now to do what he was sute his Father would have done if he had liv'd to see that happy Change which they now all saw in his Brother and therefore he freely restored to him the whole Estate Dr. Burnet in his Life of Sir Matthew Hale y. 8. 31. Bruno born in Collogne and Professor of Philosophy in Paris about the year of Christ 1080. being present at the singing of the Office for his Fellow-Professor now dead highly reputed for his Holy Life the dead Corps sits up in the Bier and crys out I am in God's just Judgments condemn'd These words he utter'd three several Days at which Bruno was so affrighted that a Man held so Pious was Damn'd began to think what would become of himself and many more Therefore concluding there was an Hell took himself with six of his Schollars to a hideous place for dark Woods high Hills Rocks and wild Beasts in the Province of Dauphin near Grenoble and there built a Monastery having obtain'd the Ground of Hugo Bishop of Grenoble the place call'd Carthusia whence his Monks took their Name See my Book of all Religions 32. Luther tells us of two Cardinals riding in great Pomp to the Council of Constance and by the way they heard a Man bitterly weeping and wailing When they came to him they found him intently viewing an uggly Toad and ask'd him why he wept so bitterly he told them his Heart was melted with this consideration that God had not made him such a loathsome and deformed Creature hoc est quod amarè fleo said he Whereupon one of them crys out Well said the Father Surgunt indocti rapient Coelum The Unlearned will arise and take Heaven and we with all our Learning shall be cast into Hell Luther in tertium praecept See more in this Book A Relation of the wonderful Conversion of a Kentish Gentleman Mr. Studly related to me by Mr. Knight Minister intimately acquainted with him 33. His Father was a Lawyer in Kent of about 400 l. per annum who had built a very fair Mansion-House upon the Estate He was a great Enemy to the Power of Religion and an Hater of those that were then call'd Puritans His Son in his youth seem'd to follow in the same Steps till the Lord that had separated him from the Womb call'd him home which was as followeth The young Man was at London and being drunk in some Company and going in the Night towards his Lodging fell into a Cellar and in the Fall was seiz'd with Horror and thought he fell into Hell at that time It pleased God he took little Harm by the Fall but lay there some Hours in a drunken Drowse his Body being heated with what he drank and his Soul awakned he thought he was actually in Hell After that he was come to himself and was gotten home into Kent he fell into Melancholy betook himself to read and study the Scriptures and to much Prayer Which at length his Father perceiv'd and fearing he would turn Puritan was troubled and dealt roughly with him made him dress his Horses which he humbly and willing submitted to And when at that time his Father perceived he sate up late at Night reading in his Bible he denied him Candle-light But being allowed a fire in his Chamber he told Mr. Knight he was wont to lye along and read by the fire light and said that while he was dressing his Fathers Horses in his Frock and in that time of reading by the fire he had those Comforts from the Lord and Joys that he had scarce experienced since His Father seeing this means ineffectual resolved to send him into France that by the Airiness of that Countrey his Melancholly temper might be cured He went and being at his own dispose by the Lords guiding him he placed himself in the House of a Godly Protestant Minister and between them after they were acquainted and such is the Cognation of saving grace in Divers Subjects that a little time will serve for Christians to be acquainted there grew great endearment Great progress he made in speaking the Language and his Father expecting an Account from the Gentleman with whom he sojourn'd of him of his proficiency in speaking French he sent it to him but soon after had Orders to return home And the Father directing it or he intreating it the Landlord with whom he had sojourned came into England with him and both made very welcome at his Father's House He not knowing that he was a Minister At last the Father took the French Gentleman and his Son at Prayers together and was angry paid him what was due to him and sent him away Then his Father having an interest in 〈◊〉 Person of Honour a great Lady at White-Hall whose Courts he as a Lawyer kept and his Son by his now past Education accomplisht for such an employ prevailed with that Lady to take his Son for her Gentleman to wait upon her in her Coach He thought by a Court Life to drive away his Melancholy as he call'd his Sons seriousness in Religion The Lady had many Servants some given to Swearing and Rudeness whom this Young Gentleman would take upon him to reprove with that Prudence and Gravity that Sin fell down
after the several Ordinances and Priviledges of a Church-Communion The Churches of New-England have usually been very strict in their Admissions to Church-Fellowship and required very signal Demonstrations of a Repenting and a Believing Soul before they thought Men fit Subjects to be entrusted with the Rights of the Kingdom of Heaven But they seem'd rather to augment than abate their usual Strictness when the Examination of the Indians was to be perform'd A day was therefore set apart which they call'd Natootomeuhtenicusuk or a Day of asking Questions when the Ministers of the adjacent Churches assisted with all the best Inrerpreters that could be had publickly examined a good number of these Indians about their Attainments both in Knowledge and in Virtue And notwithstanding the great satisfaction then received our Churches being willing to proceed surely and therefore slowly in raising them up to a Church-state which might be comprehended in our Consociations the Indians were afterwards called in considerable Assemblies convened for that purpose to make open Confession of their Faith in God and Christ and of the Efficacy which his Word had upon them for their Conversion to him which Confessions being taken in Writing from their Mouths by able Interpreters were scanned by the People of God and found much Acceptance with them I need pass no further Censure upon them than what is given by my Grandfather the well-known Richard Mather in an Epistle of his published on this occasion says he There is so much of Gods Work among them as that I cannot but count it a great Evil yea a great Injury to God and his Goodness for any to make light of it To see and hear Indians open their Months and lifting up their Hands and Eyes in Prayer to the living God calling on him by his Name Jehovah in the Meditation of Jesus Christ and this for a good while together to see and hear them exhorting one another from the Word of God to see and hear them confessing the Name of Christ Jesus and their own Sinfulness sure this is more than usual And tho' they spoke in a Language of which many of us understood but little yet we that were present that day saw and beard them perform the Duties mentioned with such grave and sober Countenances with such comely Reverence in their Gesture and their whole Carriage and with such plenty of Tearâ— trickling down the Cheeks of some of them as did argue to us that they spake with the holy Fear of God and it much affected our Hearts At length was a Church-state settled among them They entred as our Churches do into an Holy Covenant wherein they gave themselves first unto the Lord and then unto one another to attend the Rules and Helps and expect the Blessings of the Everlasting Gospel and Mr. Eliot having a Mission from the Church of Roxbury unto the Work of the Lord Christ among the Indians conceived himself sufficiently authorized unto she performing of all Church work about them grounding it on Acts 13.1 2 3 4. and he accordingly administred first the Baptism and then the Supper of the Lord unto them Thus far Mr. Cotton Mather I shall next insert the Dying Speeches of several of the Converted Indians formerly published by the Reverend Mr. Eliot They are deliver'd to me by a Friend that brought them with him from Boston in New-England and are so great a Rarity that 't was with difficulty he procured them in New-England where they were Printed neither was there a Copy of 'em to be found in London Mr. Eliot begins thus Viz. Here be but a few of the Dying Speeches and Counsels of such Indians as died in the Lord. It is an humbling to me that there be no more it was not in my Heart to gather them but Major Gookins hearing some of them rehearsed he first moved that Daniel should gather them in the Language as they were spoken and that I should Translate them into English and here is presented what was done that way These things are Printed not so much for Publishment as to save Charge of Writing out of Copys for those that did desire them JOHN ELIOT 38. Waban was the first that received the Gospel our first Meeting was at his House the next time we met he had gather'd a great Company of his Friends to hear the Word in which he hath been stedfast When we framed our selves in order in way of Government he was chosen a Ruler of Fifty he hath approved himself to be a good Christian in Church Order and in Civil Order he hath approved himself to be a Zealous Faithful and Stedfast Ruler to his Death His Speech is as followeth I now rejoyce tho' I be now a dying great is my Affliction in this World but I hope that God doth so afflict me only to try my praying to God in this World whether it be true and strong or not but I hope God doth gently call me to Repentance and to prepare to come unto him therefore he layeth on me great pain and affliction tho' my Body be almost broken by Sickness yet I desire to remember thy Name Oh my God untll I die I remember those Words Job 19.23 to 28. Oh that my Words were now written Oh that they were printed in a Book that they were graven with an Iron Pen and Lead in a Rock for ever For I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the Earth And though after my Skin Worms destroy this Body yet in my Flesh I shall see God c. I desire not to be troubled about Matters of this World a little I am troubled I desire you all my Brethren and you my Children do not greatly weep and mourn for me in this World I am now almost dying but see that you strongly pray to God and do you also prepare and make ready to die for every one of you must come to dying Therefore confess your Sins every one of you and believe in Jesus Christ I believe that which is written in the Book of God Consider truly and repent and believe then God will pardon all your great and many Sins God can pardon all your Sins as easily as one for God's free Mercy and Glory do fill all the World God will in no wiseâ— forget those that in this World do sincerely repent and believe Verily this is Love oh my God Therefore I desire that God will do this for me tho' in my Body I am full of Pain As for those that died afore we prayed to God I have no hope about them now I believe that God hath call'd us for Heaven and there in Heaven are many Believers Souls abiding Therefore I pray you do not overmuch grieve for me when I die in this world but make your selves ready to die and follow me and there we shall see each other in â—â—â—â—al Glory in this World we live but a little while therefore we must be always
Hastings about Three Years ago where when the People were in great Poverty and suffer'd much by Scarcity of Money and Provisions it pleased God that an unusual and great Showl of Herrings came up the River by which the Inhabitants were plentifully supplied for the present and the next week after a Multitude of Cod succeeded them which were supposed to have driven the former into the River before them by which means the Necessity of the poor Inhabitants was supplied unexpectedly to Admiration 6. And this very Year 't is very observable when Money is at a low ebb amongst us and People every where muttering and complaining of the baseness of the old Coyn and the slowness of Coyning new Money c. God hath sent us in his Gracious Providence such a plentiful Harvest that not only the Farmers and poor People but even the Fields themselves to use the Psalmist's Phrase seem to laugh and sing 7. One Mr. Norwood late of Deptford a serious Christian being low in the VVorld and having several small Children his VVife then lying in was extreamly discontented at the Poverty and Straits of the Family the poor man pinched with this double Distress VVant of Provision and Peace too and belng unwilling to trouble his Master who was a Meal-Man and had relieved him formerly in his Troubles retires to Prayer opens his Case to God Almighty begs earnestly for a Supply returns home to his VVife and finds her in a pleasant Temper who ask'd him If any body had been with him Telling him That some body who would not tell whence he came had brought her Five Shillings This extreamly affected and chear'd the good man that he was free to speak of it in all Companies as occasion offered it self and at last mentioned it to the very Person a Minister Mr. J. J. that sent it who professed that being in his Study at that time upon a sudden and warm Impulse of mind he was put upon it 8 Another time his VVife was reduced to great Necessities for want of Shifts c. and was disturbed as before the good man goes the next Lord's Day to Church was Invited to Dine and Sup with a Friend said nothing of these wants but at going away the good VVoman of the House put him up Shifts for his VVife and Children and I think saith my Relater for himself too and ties up some money in one of them These are both Attested by one Mr. John Lane of Horsly down Lane in Southwark in a Letter dated July 3. 1695. and subscribed by several other hands of St. Olives Parish 9. Another person one Atkins formerly of Oxford lately of St. Olives in Southwark being brought to low Circumstances and so straitened with Poverty that they had neither Bread nor Drink nor Candle nor money to buy with the Wife grew impatient and the good man endeavoured to satisfie her with recounting over their former Experiences of Gods Goodness to them c. told her they would go to Prayer and beg for a supply he had not been long at his Devotions but a person knocking at the Door ask'd for Mr. Atkins but not willing to stay for his coming left Five Shillings with the woman for him not telling who sent it nor did they ever know his Name to this day which so wrought upon the unbelieving Wife that she was mightily affected with it and laid the consideration of it deeply to Heart This is likewise Attested by the aforesaid Author Mr. John Lane c. 10. A. C. 1555. betwixt Oxford and Aldebrough in the County of Suffolk when by unseasonable Weather a great Dearth was in the Land a Crop of Pease without Tillage or Sowing grew in the Rocks insomuch that in August there were gathered above one hundred Quarters a Quarter being 8 Bushels and in Blossoming remained as many more This is related by Mr. Speed and by the Author of the World Surveyed and others for a very great Truth CHAP. XXII Strange Instances of Consolation and Protection in Dangers MAN's Extremity we use to say is God's Opportunity and no doubt but one great Reason why God chuseth rather such Seasons to appear in is to give a clearer Demonstration of his Power and to shut out all others that may put in for a share of the Glory as Co-rivals with Him He will not give His Honour to any of His Creatures which they would be apt to challenge if God should put forth himself too early for their Relief and Assistance when they think they can stand upon their own Legs I. Personal Deliverances and Comforts c. 1. Polycarp being Conducted to the Theatre in order to his Suffering Martyrdom was Comforted and Encouraged by a Voice from Heaven Be of good Chear O Polycarp and play the Man The Speaker no Man saw but the Voice was heard by many of us said his Church at Smirna in their Epistle to the Brethren of Pontus Clark's Marr. of Ecclesi History 2. A brief Account of Mr. Roswell 's Tryal and Acquittal About the same time Mr. Roswell a very worthy Divine was Tryed for Treasonable Words in his Pulpit upon the Accusation of very vile and lewd Informers and a Surry Jury found him Guilty of High Treason upon the most villanous and improbable Evidence that had been ever given notwithstanding Sir John Tallot no Countenancer of Dissenters had appeared with great Generosity and Honour and Testified That the most material Witness was as Scandalous and Infamous a Wretch as lived It was at that time given out by those who thirsted for Blood That Mr. Roswell and Mr. Hays should die together and it was upon good Ground believe that the happy deliverance of Mr. Hays did much contribute to the preservation of Mr. Roswell though it is very probable that he had not escaped had not Sir John Talbot's worthy and most honourable Detestation of that accursed Villany prompted him to repair from the Court of King's Bench to King Charles II. and to make a Faithful Representation of the Case to him whereby when inhumane bloody Jefferys came a little after in a Transport of Joy to make his Report of the Eminent Service he and the Surry Jury had done in finding Mr. Roswell Guilty the King to his disappointment appeared under some Reluctancy and declared That Mr. Roswell should not die And so he was most happily delivered Bloody Assizes 3. Origen mightily Encouraged the Martyrs of his time visited such as were in deep Dungeons and close Imprisonment and after Sentence of Death accompanied them to the place of Execution putting himself often in great Danger thereby he kissed and embraced them at their last Farewell so that once the Heathens in their Rage had stoned him to Death if the Divine Power of God had not marvelloussy deliver'd him and the same Providence did at many other times Protect and Defend him oven so often as cannot be told c. Ibid. 4. Augustine going abroad to visit his Churches was laid
his Judgment and Piety that notwithstanding the Opposition made by some great ones without his own seeking he was made Bishop of Meath in Ireland which just then fell void while he was in England and the King often boasted That he was a Bishop of his own making Clark in his Life 12. The Papists very rashly and hastily had Publish'd a Libel against Luther supposing he was deâ—d because he was constrained for his own safety to use caution in appearing abroad by râ—â—on of his many Enemies that laid wait for him signifying How the Devils had carried away his Body c. Which Libel came to Luther's hands two Years before he died and he reading of it thank'd God that the Devil and his Instruments were such Tools that they could not stay till his Death Pref. to Luther 's Sermons I pass over the Story of Queen Emma Mother to King Edward the Confessor who is said by our Historians to be causlesly suspected of too much Familiarity with Alwinus Bishop of Winchester of which Suspicion she purged herself and him by the Fire-Ordeal walking bare foot over nine red-hot Plough-shares without any hurt in thankfulness for which 't is said they gave each of them nine Manours to the Church of Winchester Dugdale Monast. Angl. Vol. 1. inter Addenda p. 980. 13. A. C. 1650. Anne Green a Servant-Maid to Sir Tho. Read of Duns-Tew in Oxfordshire being with Child by some one of the Family through over-working her self in turning of Malt fell in Travail about the fourth Month of her time but being but a young Wench and not knowing how it might be repairs to the House of Easement where after some Straining the Child scarce above a Span long and of what Sex not to be distinguished fell from her unawares She was three Days after conveyed to the Castle of Oxford and there Sentenc'd to be Hang'd She hung half an Hour was pulled by the Legs and struck on the Breast by divers of her Friends and after all had several Stroaks given her on the Stomach with the But-end of a Soldier 's Musket Afterwards being cut down and put in a Cossin and brought away to a House to be dissected though the Rope still remained strait about her Neck they perceived her Breast to rise whereupon one Mason a Taylor in Charity to her set his Foot upon her Breast and Belly and as some say one Orum a Soldier struck her again with the But-end of his Musket After a while they perceived a small Rattling in her Throat and then they used means for her Recovery by opening a Vein laying her in a warm Bed and causing another to go into Bed to her and using other Remedies with respect to her Senselesness Head Throat and Breast insomuch that within 14 Hours she began to speak and the next Day Talk'd and Prayed very heartily In the mean time her Pardon was sued out from the Powers then in being and Thousands of People came to see her magnifying the just Providence of God in thus asserting her Innocency of Murder She affirmed that she neither remembred how the Fetters were knock'd off how she went out of the Prison when she was turn'd off the Ladder whether any Psalm was sung or not nor was she sensible of any Pains that she could remember but which is most observable she came to her self as if she had awakened out of her Sleep not recovering the use of her Speech by slow degrees but in a manner altogether beginning to speak just where she left off on the Gallows She lived afterwards and was Married and had three Children not dying till 1659. Dionysius Petavius takes notice of it in his Continuation of the Hist of the World so doth Mr. Heath and Dr. Plot in his Natural Hist of Oxfordsh p. 193. 14. I shall only take notice further of an awful Example mentioned by A. B. Spotswood in his History of Scotland p. 449. His Words are these This Summer viz. Anno 1597. there was a great Business for the Tryal of Witches amongst others one Margaret Atkin being apprehended on Suspicion and threatned with Torture did confess her self Guilty being Examined touching her Associates in that Trade she named a few and perceiving her Delations find Credit made offer to detect all of that sort and to purge the Country of them so she might have her Life granted For the reason of her Knowledge she said That they had a secret mark all of that sort in their Eyes whereby she could surely tell how soon she looked upon any whether they were Witches or not And in this she was so readily believed that for the space of three or four Months she was carried from Town to Town to make Discoveries in that kind many were brought in question by her Delations especially at Glasgow where divers Innocent Women through the Credulity of the Minister Mr. John Cowper were condemned and put to Death In the end she was found to be a meer Deceiver and sent back to Fife where she was first Apprehended At her Tryal she affirmed all to be false that she had Confessed of her self or others and persisted in this to her Death which made many fore-think their to great forwardness that way and moved the King to re-call his Commission given out against such Persons discharging all Proceedings against them 15. There was in the Year 1649. in a Town called Lauder in Scotland a certain Woman accused and imprisoned on Suspicion of Witchcraft when others in the same Prison with her were Convicted and their Execution ordered to be on the Monday following she desired to speak with a Minister to whom she declared freely that she was guilty of Witchcraft acknowledging also many other Crimes committed by her desiring that she might die with the rest She said particularly that she had Covenanted with the Devil and was become his Servant about Twenty Years before and that he kissed her and gave her a Name but that since he had never owned her Several Ministers who were jeasous that she accused her self untruly charged it on her Conscience telling her That they doubted she was under a Temptation of the Devil to destroy her own Body and Soul and adjuring her in the Name of God to declare the Truth Notwithstanding all this she stiffly adhered to what she had said and was on Monday Morning Condemned and ordered to be Executed that Day When she came to the place of Execution she was silent until the Prayers were ended then going to the Stake where she was to be burnt she thus expressed her self All you that see me this Day know ye that I am to die as a Witch by my own Confession and I free all Men especially the Ministers and Magistrates from the guilt of my Blood I take it wholly on my self and as I must make answer to the God of Heaven I declare I am as free from Witchcraft as any Child but being accused by a Malicious Woman and
whom he might be Ordained he pitched upon the Bishop of Catalonia to whom when he came and had Conversed a while with him there grew a very strict Bond of Friendship between them Ibid. p. 105. 5. Under the Seventh Persecution Theodora a godly Virgin for her Religion was condemned to the Stews where her Chastity was to be a Prey to all Commers which Sentence being executed many wanton young Men were ready to press into the House but one of the Brethren called Didymus putting on a Soldier 's Habit would have the first turn and so going in perswaded her to change Garments with him and so she in the Soldiers Habit escaped and Didymus being found a Man was carried before the President to whom he confessed the whole matter and so was condemned Theodora hearing of it thinking to excuse him came and presented her self as the guilty Party desiring that she might Die and the other be Excused but the Merciless Judge caused them both to be put to Death Clark Gen. Martyr p. 82. 6. In Queen Elizabeth's Reign in a Fight between the Earl of Kildare and the Earl of Tir-Owen two of the Earl of Kildair's Foster Brethren were Slain whose Death he took so heavily that himself shortly after Died for Grief For there is no Love in the World comparable by many degrees to that of Foster-brethren in Ireland Camb. Brit. Irel. p. 116. 7. Dr. Cranmer was a Faithful Friend to the Lord Cromwel even in his Disgrace insomuch that he ventured King Henry VIIIth's Displeasure to excuse for him and absented from the Parliament when he was condemned Church Hist. by Dr. Burnet 8. Minutius Faelix saith that he and his Friend Octavius did both will and will the same things 9. Humphry Duke of Glocester being Wounded and Overthrown by the Duke of Alenzon at the Battel of Agincourt in France was rescued by his Brother King Henry Vth who bestriding him delivered him from the Danger Speed Chron. Clark's Mirrour c. 56. p. 231. 10. Pelopidas and Epaminondas were singularly noted and commended for the perfect Love and Friendship that was ever inviolable kept between them even till their Deaths having been joined together in so many Wars Battels Charges of Armies and in Government of the Common-wealth They were both alike born to all Vertue only Pelopidas took most pleasure in the Exercise of his Body and Strength and Epaminondas in the Exercise of his Wit and Learning the Recreation of the one was to wrestle hunt and exercise his Strength of the other to hear study and always to learn something in Philosophy Their great Love each to other was shewed in a Journey they made together unto Mantinea to aid the Lacedemonians who were now in League with the Thebans wherein they being both set in the Battel near together amongst the Foot-men against the Arcadians it fell out that that point of the Lacedemonian Army wherein they were retreated and many of them run away But these two gallant young Men resolved rather to die than to fly and standing close together they couragiously resisted the many Enemies that assaulted them till such times as Pelopidas having received seven dangerous Wounds fell down upon a heap of dead Bodies as well of their Friends as of their Foes then Epaminondas thinking he had been slain stept notwithstanding before him and defended his Body and Armour and he alone fought against many desiring rather to die than to forsake Pelopidas lying amongst the Dead but himself at last being thrust through the Breast with a Pike and receiving a sore Cut on his Arm with a Sword was even ready to sink when Agesipolis King of the Lacedemonians came with the other point of the Battel in an happy hour and so saved both their Lives when they were even past hope Plut. in vita Pelop. 11. Audamidas a Corinthian by Birth had two Friends Aretaeus and Charixcenus both wealthy himself being very poor This Man at his Death made this his last Will and Testament viz. I bequeath my Mother to be nourished and cherished by him in her Old Age. Item I bequeath my Daughter to Charixcenus to be placed out by him with as big a Portion as possibly he can give her The Girl was at that time Marriageable The Heirs as soon as they heard of the Will came forthwith and accepted those things that were given in charge but Charixcenus dying within five days Aretaeus undertook the whole Charge maintained the old Woman during Life and married the Man's Daughter together with his own on the same day allowing them out of five Talents two Talents apiece for their Portion Lucian in Toxar Dial. CHAP. XXXVIII Remarkable Hospitality BY a Hospitality I mean a Charitable Disposition of Soul to entertain and relieve such as are in real Distress And the Apostle enforceth this as a Duty upon Christians with a good Argument when he bids us Not to be forgerful to entertain Strangers because that some by so doing formerly had received Angels into their Houses unawares And who knows till after some time of Conversation with them what Graces may be lodged in the Breasts or what Commissions may be put into the Hands of those Persons that Lazarus like wait at our Gates 1. A religious and rich Matron at Anticch entertained Origen together with his Mother and his Brethren after the Death of his Father and the Confiscation of his Goods 2. Gregory the Great was much given to Hospitality so that when many Inhabitants from divers parts fled from the barbarous Cruelty of the Longobards and came to him he entertained and relieved them inviting daily to his House many of those Exiles He made also large Distributions unto others giving them Corn Wine Flesh Cheese and many other Refreshments in their several Seasons he sent often also large Relief to the Sick Lame and Impotent not only in Rome but in many other Towns and Villages round about insomuch that all that he had seemed to be a common Granary Clark's Marr. of Eccl. Hist p. 98. 3. Mrs. Margaret Corbet was eminent for a charitable and bountiful Spirit She was another Dorcas Full of Good-Works and Alms-Deeds That high Elogium that Solomon gives to a vertuous Woman may properly be applied unto her Many Daughters have done vertuously but she excelled them all Prov. 31.19 Many there are that come far short of her but very few that went beyond her in Acts of Charity God gave her a liberal and plentiful Estate and that was a great Mercy But it was a far greater Mercy that he gave her a free and liberal Heart to do good and to distribute To cast her Bread on the Waters and to honour God with her Substance That Protestation which Job makes for his own Vindication Job 31.16 19. may fitly be applied unto her He would not withhold the poor from their desire nor cause the eyes of the Widow to fail He would not see any to perish for want of Clothing nor any poor
without Covering The whole Countrey round about where she dwelt will bear her Witness that she visited and relieved the Sick and cloathed the Naked She fed the Hungry and healed the Wounded Her Purse her Hand her Heart were all open for their Relief She bought many Precious Drugs and Cordial Waters She made several precious Salves and gave them all away to such as stood in need of them She spared not her best Pains being never weary of well-doing insomuch that in the extremity of her great Sickness such bowels of Compassion yearned in her she compounded several Medicines with her own Hands and applied them Thus will her Works praise her in the Gate and being dead she yet speaks Prov. 31.31 Heb. 11.14 for her precious Name lives The Lord will have the Name of the Righteous to be in everlasting Remembrance Psalm 112.6 and the Memory of the Just is blessed Clark's Examp. Vol. 2. c. 15. 4. Mr. John Bruen of Bruen-Stapleford for three years together whilst he lived in Chester maintained the Poor of his own Parish in the County allowing them all the Profit of his two Mills He relieved the Poor in Chester both daily at his Gate and otherwise Weekly as he was rated Ibid. 5. Mr. John Dod though his Means was very small yet was much given to Hospitality Scarce any Sabbath in the year but he dined both Poor and Rich commonly three or four Poor besides Strangers that came to hear him He had so large a Heart that upon occasion he hath given to some three Shillings to some five Shillings to some ten Shillings yea to some twenty Shillings and when the Poor came to buy Butter or Cheese he would command his Maid to take no Money of them Ibid. 6. Mr. Samuel Crook of Wrington in Sommersetshire was very bountiful to his Kindred that needed it and then he shewed it most when their Necessities swelled highest He was very charitable and open-handed to the poor Members of Jesus Christ And albeit his Charity shined most to those of his own Flock yet was it not shut up from Strangers but he was very liberal to them also upon good Occasions Yea when he went abroad to bestow the Gospel freely upon other Congregations adjacent such Poor as he found to be Hearers unless they were known to him to take up Hearing as a Cloak to cover their Idleness and Neglect of their Callings never went home empty-handed but he always warmed and cheered them with his Bounty as well as instructed them with his Doctrine Ibid. 7. Mr. John Carter sometime Minister of Delstead was very diligent in Visiting the Sick especily the poorer sort and he never went to the House of any poor Creature but he lest a Purse-Alms as well as a Spiritual-Alms of good and heavenly Advice and Prayer No poor body ever came to his Door that went away unhanded his Wife also looking unto that as well as himself Ibid. 8. Dr. William Gouge was very charitable especially to the Houshold of Faith He maintained some poor Schollars in the University wholly at his own Charge and contributed liberally towards the Maintenance of others He set a-part a Sacred Stock as he called it a Portion for the Poor proportionable to his Encoms which also he faithfully distributed Ibid. 9. Dr. Harris in his Works of Charity to the Poor was no less discreet than private When he met with fit Objects his Hand was more ready to give then his Tongue to proclaim it Indeed he was no Friend to idle lazy canting Persons who live on the Sweat of other Mens Brows Whosoever shall survey his Large Bills of Weekly and Quarterly Allowances besides considerable Sums given to poor Ministers and especially to poor Widows and Orphans who never knew whence it came and shall add thereunto his Legacies bequeathed in his Will to charitable Uses cannot but judge that his Charity exceeded the ordinary Proportions of his Revenues Ibid. 10. Mr. Ignatius Jordan of Exeter was famous for his Charity both in his Life and at his Death In his Life he was a free-hearted and open-handed Man He was a great Patron of the Poor another Job in that respect He could truly say with him as Job 30.25 Was not my Soul grieved for the Poor No doubt it was and did earnestly plead for them and especially for God's Poor honest poor Persons whose Hearts and Faces were set God-ward and Heaven-ward and his Hands were very open to relieve them He did that for them which many that had far greater Estates had not Hearts to do Ibid. He would often say That he wondred what rich Men meant that they gave so little to the Poor and raked so much together for their Children Do you not see quoth he what comes of it And hereupon he would reckon up divers Examples of such as heaped up much for their Children who within a short time had scattered and consumed all And on the Morth-side he often spake of such as had small beginnings and afterwards became rich or of a competent Estate giving a particular Instance in himself I came said he but with a Groat or Six pence in my Purse Had I had a Shilling in my Purse I had never been Mayor of Exeter Therefore leave Children but a little and they by God's Blessing upon their Labours and Industry may become Rich but leave them a great deal and they are in danger to become Beggars His Care for the Poor was most remarkable in the time of a great Plague in that City which was Anno Christi 1625. For in the absence of the Mayor he was chosen his Deputy and he seeing the sad and deplorable Condition of the City accepted of it and wrote his Letters to divers Towns in Devonshire and to some in Dorcet and Somersetshire by which means he procured several Sums of Money for the Supplial of the Wants of many Hundred of Poor that in that time were in a distressed Condition One that was an Eye-witness Related that he had seen Morning after Morning coming to his Door sometimes Thirty sometimes Forty yea Fifty Sixty or more wringing their Hands Some crying that their Husbands are Dead others that their Wives were Dead others that their Children are Dead and all that they had not wherewith to Bury them Some again cryed that their Families are Sick and they had not wherewithal to Relieve them others that they had divers Children but had neither Bread nor Money to Buy it for them Some cryed for Bread some for Physick others for Shrouds for their Dead and he not only heard them patiently but his Bowels yearned towards them and his Hands were stretched out for their Relief For standing in his Shop with his own Hands he ministred Supplies unto them all and so dismissed them for the present The next Morning when there was a renewal of their sad Complaints his charitable Care of them was renewed also And thus he continued Morning by Morning even for the space
refreshed with Meat some with Cloathing some with Shooes others with Houshold-stuff A poor Woman being Delivered and wanting a Bed to lye on he brought her his own Bed contenting himself to lye on the Straw 27. Dr. Taylour Martyr used at least once in a Fortnight to call upon Sir Henry Doile and others of the Rich Clothiers in his Parish to go with him to the Alms-houses and there to see how the Poor lived what they lacked in Meat Drink Apparel Bedding or other necessaries Ministring to them himself according to his Power and causing his Rich Neighbours to do the like 28. Mary the Wife of Alexander Farnese Prince of Parma being Childless conceived an hope that if she took up some Orphan or Beggars Boy and bred him for Charities sake God would bestow a Son upon her she therefore took up one in the Street and bred him in her Court and according to her Expectation at Nine Months end she was Delivered of a Son whom she called Ranucio Strada 29. Master Fox never denied to give to any one that asked for Jesus sake And being asked whether he knew a poor Man that had received Succour of him answered I remember him well I tell you I forgot Lords and Ladies to remember such 30. The young Lord Harrington gave the Tenth of his Allowance which was One Thousand Pounds per Annum during his Minority to the Poor and good Uses besides what he gave in the way as he walked which was often and much 31. Master Whateley the late painful and powerful Preacher of God's Word at Banbury for the space of many Years together set apart the Tenth part of his Revenues both Ecclesiastical and Temporal which he used to give to the Poor Clark's Marr. c. 19. p. 66. 32. Dr. Hammond Mr. Joseph Mede and Mr. Jo. Parker of London all gave the Tenths of their yearly Incomes to the Poor So did Judge Hales See his Life by Doctor Burnet Doctor W. Gouge gave the Seventh part 33. The late Countess of Warwick gave and laid aside the Third part of her Estate constantly for the Poor For young Scholars Ministers of both Dominions that had none or but small Preferments Foreigners c. and borrowed Money sometimes to give to the Poor Dr. Walker 34. Chrysostom tells of the Church of Antioch tho' the Revenues of it were small in his time yet besides its Clergy besides Strangers Lepers and Prisoners it daily maintained above Three Thousand Widows and Maids Hom. 67. in Matt. 35. Cyprian upon his turning Christian sold his Estate to Relieve the Wants of others and not be Restrained from it by Perswasions or Considerations After his Entrance on the Ministry his Doors were open to all Commers from whom no Widow ever returned empty to the Blind he would be a Guide to Direct them a Support to the Lame and a Defence to the Oppressed See my History of all Religions 36. The Jews have no Beggars such as go from House to House tho' in Barbary many indigent Persons With great Insulting they upbraid the Moor and Christian with their Common Beggars Their way of Relieving the Poor is By Copies of the Law bought and laid up in the Synagogue till the Buyer's Family or any of them be in Poverty and then sold for their Use By Legacies of dying Persons For none Dye safely say they who Bequeath not something to the Corban Contributions out of which they raise Portions and provide for Orphans And to avoid Sophistication the poorer Females are provided for by Lot those on whom the Lot falls are first placed in Marriage Private Alms on Fridays and Holy-days By Kibbus or Letters of Collection from Synagogue to Synagogue Dr. Addison 37. Amongst the Chinese were a particular Judge in every City appointed for the Poor the first day of his Office Publishes an Order that all that have any Children Lame Sick c. should come by a certain Day and make their Cases known If able they are put to Learning of a Trade if not to Hospitals where they are brought up at the King's Charge None are permitted to go abroad The Blind are not accounted as unable for Work Mandelslo Their good Works which they believe Meritorious are Building Monasteries and Churches and giving Alms besides which they do nothing whereby a Man may Judge of their Faith by their Works D. of Holstein 's Emb. Travel No Muscovite almost but as he goes to Church or about his occasions buys Bread to distribute among the Poor Idem In China few or no Beggars are found for a young Beggar hath the Whip the Old Lame and Blind are provided for in the Hospitals Sir Th. Herbert The Baniams or Priests of the Indians Hindoes have Spittles to Recover lame Birds and Beasts The Mogut Relieves many poor People A Musselman will give the Seventh part of his Estate towards the Relief of the Poor 'T is one of Mahomet's five Precepts to give yearly to the poor the Fortieth part of their Substance M. de Thevenot 38. Some of the Mahometans in their Life time Relieve the Poor with their Goods and others at their Death leave great Estates for the founding of Hospitals Building of Bridges Kirvanseraies Inns for the Caravans bringing Water to the High-ways c. Others at their Death give their Slaves Liberty They who want Purses employ themselves in mending High-ways filling the Cisterns by the Road with Water shewing Travellers the foard for God's sake refusing Money when offered Some buy Birds to set at Liberty others leave confiderable Means to Bakers or Butchers to distribute meat among so many Dogs and Cats Sultan Amurah seeing a Man one Day stoop at the Corner of a Street in Constantinople to Dine on a piece of Bread and bit of Roast which he had bought hard by and held his Horse that was loaded with Goods he had to sell by the Bridle he ordered the Horse to be unloaded and the load to be put on the Master's Back obliging him to continue so all the while that the Horse was eating a Measure of Oats M. de Thevenot At the chief Temple in Fez the Priest takes charge of the Poor's Money and Orphens and deals to them Corn and Money every Holy-day Rosse The Hospital at Milan is a Royal Building I was told it had 90000 Crowns Revenue The old Court is large and would look Noble if it were not for the new Court that is near it which is 250 Foot Square and there are three Rows of Corridors or Galleries all round the Court one in every Stage a Gallery before every Door It is true these take up a great deal of Building being ordinarily Ten or Eight Foot broad but then here is an open space that is exstream cool on that side where the Sun doth not lye for it is all open to the Air the Wall being only supported by Pillars at the distance of fifteen or twenty Foot one from another In this Hospital are not only Galleries full
forsaken and hardned Another time to Mrs. N. How deplorable a thing is this that I who have preached so much of the Glory of another World should now be deprived of it all You will as surely see me damned as you now see e stand here And again being prest to publish his Repentance for his Book that had caused him so much Trouble he answered I have thought sometimes so to do but I am so confused and confounded in my Mind that I know not what to do I can do nothing to purpose Again with a deep Sign said The black Tokens of Reprobation are upon me I cannot stoop to the Sovereignty of God I would be above him In short he drew three Papers of Recantation written with his own Hand The first of which begins thus That it is a Dishonour to the Church and Clergy of England to have such an one that hath no more Wit so little Justice Reason and Conscience plead for them that the Author of this Libel is worthily so represented appears by divers base false devillish and most scandalous Passages therein contained They are represented as a People weak and phantastical and not rendring a tolerable Reason for their differing from others which is a devillish stroke made by a black blow to assert the Nonconformists have no kind of Order in sending forth their Ministers that Preachers run on their own Head upon a phansiful Supposition that they are able to Preach or at the most have but the Consent and Connivance of a few weak Persons is a Devillish Lie as thousands can witness to say it is a true State or the Case being truly thus as we are able to make it good is a Lie if possible more than damnable c. After which he miserable destroyed himself Octob. 13. 1684. See the Narrative attested by Tho Blunt and Ben. Dennis and printed May the 7. 1688. CHAP. XLVI Good People extreamly Afflicted and mightily Comforted THE sharpest Afflictions often befal the best of Men not only Outward and Temporal but Inward and Spiritual insomuch that they are ready sometimes to cry out with our Blessed Saviour Eli Eli Lama-Sabachtheni God withdraws his glorious Countenance and Satan shews his ugly Visage and all this on purpose to rouse and startle a secure World and convince us that it is no very easy matter to get to Heaven and that 't is the safest way to work out our Salvation with Fear and Trembling Besides it serves to shew the Sincerity of the poor deserted Christian for in such cases the Man is mightily humbled and confesseth all his Sins and strips himself stark naked of any Merit or Conceit of his own inherent Righteousness and freely acknowledges that he hath none else to fly to for Succour and Consolation but God only 1. Mr. Tho. Peacock Batchelor of Divinity and Fellow of Brazen-Nose Colledge in Oxford in his Illness was strangely Afflicted and as strangely comforted as may be collected by these Despairing and Comfortable Expressions of his in the time of his Visitation compared together 1st His Despairing Expressions were such as these ' I thought I had been in a good Estate but I see it now sat otherwise for these things my Conscience lays against me First I brought up my Scholars in Gluttony while I was talking they did undo themselves And further I did unadvisedly expound many places of Scripture many times at the Table and for these I now feel a Hell in my Conscience Again I have procured my own Death by often eating like a Beast when I came jostling up and down to my Friends in the Country and now I see before my Face those Dishes of Meat wherewith I clogged my Stomach Sin Sin Sin I am uncapable of Prayers A damnable wretched c. O! how woful and miserable is my Estate that thus must converse with Hell-hounds The Lord hath cursed me I have no Grace I was a foolish glorious Hypocrite it is against the Course of God's Proceeding to save me he hath otherwise decreed he cannot I can put my Trust in God no more than a Horse I desire to believe no more than a Post than a Horse-shooe I have no more Sense of Grace than these Curtains than a Goose than that Block O! O miserable and woful the burden of my Sin lieth heavy upon me I doubt it will break my Heart Comforts They are nothing to me hold your Peace do not trouble your selves idly you vex me your words are as Daggers to my Heart To one saying Good Sir endeavour to settle your Mind he answered Yes to play with Hell-hounds I cannot desire Grace I can as well leap over the Church I fear to be damned for my Sins I cannot so much as name Jesus I had rather be in the Fire than here Cursed be the day when I took Scholars c. 2d His Gracious and Comfortable Expressions As O if God! O God give me a Spark of Grace c. O if God would give me a drop O if I had O if it would please God! I had rather than any thing in this or other three thousand Worlds I thank God he hath began to ease me O I love your Company to Dr. Aiery and Mr. Dod c. for the Graces in you O God reconcile me unto thee that I may taste one dram of thy Grace Being put in mind of that place Isaiah 45.8 11 c. he lift up his Eyes saying Take heed be not too bold look to the Foundation Lord grantme the Comfort of the Deliverance c. Blessed be God! blessed be God! blessed c. I am a thousand times happy to have such Felicity thrown upon me a poor wretched Miscreant Lord Jesus unto thy hands Lord receive my Soul Lord lift thou up the Light of thy Countenance upon me and be merciful unto me Then very weak he repeated the Lord's-Prayer twice his Belief once with a strong Voice and so slept in the Lord. The last Conflicts and Death of Mr. Tho. Peacock Published by E. B. 1646. 2. See the Story of Mrs. Joan Drake and her great Afflictions together with her subsequent Comforts in the foregoing Chapter Of Earnests of a Future Retribution of Mr. Honywood and others in the Chap. of Doubts strangely Resolved 3. Mr. Paul Baynes on his Death-Bed had many Doubts and Fears upon him so that he went out of the World with her less Comfort than many weaker Christians saith my Author Mrs. Harris Dr. Harris's last Wife though a pious Woman yet was much afflicted and delivered up to the Buffetings of Satan and such hellish Temptations that the ablest Divines were at their Wits-end to answer them and her poor self was put even beyond herself But as her Husband would often say The Difference is not great whether Comfort come a little before Death or an hour after Death See Dr. Harris 's Life 4. Mr. Richard Rothwell that bold Divine that often encountred the Devil with a Courage extraordinary yet was
manner for many Months I could not breath without a mighty Pain and as soon as with Difficulty I had breath'd every Breath was turn'd into a Groan and every Groan was big with a very deep Sorrow I was weary with my Groaning Psal 6.6 All the Night made I my Bed to swim and watered my Couch with Tears Those that are in Health will scarcely perhaps credit what I say they will think I am a melancholy Man and aggravate my Trouble and set it out more than needs or than it was and that in the whole there was a great deal more of Fancy than of Reality but I pray God they may never taste one drop of that bitter Cup whereof I was made to drink for if they should they 'l find it whatever Names they now give it to be then full of real Miseries You think it may be that I have spoke a great deal and your Attention may be wearied but I 'l assure you 't is many hundred times below what I felt Great Griefs as well as mighty Joys exceed all our Words and Bitterness is not to be described Never was any I believe nearer to Death not to die never was any compass'd with a greater Danger never any had less hoep of an Escape than I and yet the Mercy of a God that is Omnipotent has relieved me And as 't is commonly said that Musick sounds best upon the Water so by setting our Sorrows and our Mercies together our Praise may be more harmonious You may in this behold the Severity and the Goddness of God his Severity in continuing on me so many smart Strokes for so long a space and his Goodness in giving me help when no Power on Earth was able to give me the least Relief The Storm indeed is in a great measure over blessed be God but I cannot without trembling call it to mind nor dare I think very long upon it I can scarce believe that I am at so much ease as I now am I can scarce believe that I am in this Assembly of which I confidently thought I had taken my leave for ever When I look back upon the rough Waves and the stormy Seas I am ready to say Can it be that God has brought me safe to Land After I had conversed with the Dead am I now among the Living am I now with People under Hope blessed be the Name of the Lord I am It is a great Mercy to me and it is the more so as it was unexpected and above the Power of Nature contrary to all my hopes and above all humane help Those that have heard my Groans and seenmy Agonies and heard of my Affliction cannot but wonder at it I often said that I could not be delivered without a Miracle and God himself has wrought it It was by the Soveraign Goodness and meer Mercy and Grace of God that I obtained this Deliverance all this he did for a most unworthy Sinner for an impatient and fretful Sinner too is not this wonderful Mercy with a witness a Mercy never to be forgotten as long as I have a Day to live I have cause to give Thanks for how many has he suffered to sink when the Waves were not so high against them as those that rowl'd over me the Storms and the Winds that blew them down not so fierce in some respect against them as they were against me and yet they are covered in the Grave whilst I though sorely weather-beaten have out-lived the Storm How many are there dead since I was ill many excellent and holy Men are now silent in the Dust who were more knowing more useful more zealous and better qualified than ever I am like to be and yet God has spared a poor Shrub whilst he has torn up some of the Cedars of our Lebanan by the Roots Here ends the Relation of Mr. Rogers's Bodily Distress which you 'l find more at large in his Practical Discourses of Sickness and Recovery to which I refer you I shall next proceed to give an Account of his Trouble of Mind as I find it in his Treatise upon that Subject In which he displays in Experimental Judgment a Moderate Temper and a Spirit repleat with all the Charms of Mildness and Pity of which his own Sufferings have rendred him very sensible The Preface contains certain Heads of Advice to the Relations of such as are Melancholy As 1. That they should look upon the Party as under te worst Distemper in this Life both Body and Mind being infected and therefore a Subject both for a Physician and Minister 2. To be compassionate to 'em considering that we our selves are in the Body 3. Not to use harsh Speeches to 'em but imitate him that wou'd not break the bruised Reed nor quench the smoaking Flax. 4. To believe what they say or at least that their Apprehensions are such as they tell you they are 'T is a real Misery to them if but fancy'd To contradict 'em is Cruelty 5. Urge 'em not to do what they cannot lest you add to their Burden 6. Attribute not the Effects of meer Disease to the Devil it may proceed from a violent Pressure upon their Spirits 7. Do not much wonder at what they say or do All 's to be born with where the Agent is so unhappy as to think himself lost for ever 8. Mention no formidable Things or Stories to 'em 't will effect greater Disorders upon their Spirits 9. When you talk to 'em do not speak as if their Troubles would be very long that 's the Sword that stabs them An End of Misery is encouraging 10. Give 'em Examples of others under the same Circumstances that have been delivered 11. Pray for ' em 12. Get others to pray for ' em 13. Put 'em in mind of the Sovereign Grace of God in Christ Jesus Menasseh found Mercy New follow the Letters of several Divines to the Author and his Relations very pertinent to the Subject treated of being mostly Experiences in such Troubles and Deliverances from ' em Mr. Rogers tells us It is very hard indeed to persuade a Person under great Pain and Anguish and a sense of the Wrath of God and a fear of Hell that ever any has heretofore been so perplext as he Such generally think themselves worse than Cain or Judas or any the most wicked People in the World as thinking that their Sins have greater Aggravations and that consequently they shall be more miserable but you may acquaint them with several Instances of God's Gracious dealing with others after they have been for many Months and Years afflicted I could send you to some now alive that were long afflicted with Trouble of Mind and Melancholy as Mr. Rosewell and Mr. Porter both Ministers the latter whereof was six years oppressed with this Distemper and now they both rejoyce in the Light of God's Countenance I my self was near two years in great Pain of Body and greater Pain of Soul and without any
continued in London Teaching and Preaching the Gospel so long as the Strength of his Body would permit and at length being old and stricken in Years he died comfortably and peaceably in the Lord being about Eighty Years old January 20. A. C. 1568. See his Life CHAP. L. Remarkable Silence or Reservedness of Men c. As also of Retirement SOme People love to make a loud Noise in the World but they are rarely the most wise and solid for the deepest Waters are generally the calmest and the emptiest Barrels in a Sea the greatest Sound and a Dear Friend of mine now Deceased Mr. J. Tutte no impolitick or irreligious Man commended this as his last Farewel-Admonition to his Step-Son upon his Death-Bed That he should fear God and endeavour to pass through the World without making any great Noise as he went 1. St. Basil affected a solitary Life 2. St. Hierom was in love with a Monastick Life that he might have more freedom to attend his Studies with a good Library and Heliodorus for his Companion retired into Syria and afterwards Heliodorus leaving him he betook to a Wilderness between the Syrians and the Saracens where he continued Four Years in great Solitude Clark's Marr. of Eccl. Hist 3. Bonosus Hierom's Fellow-Student having settled his Affairs forsaking his Country Parents Friends and onely accompanied with a few Books departed into a solitary Island to extricate himself from the Snares of the World and enjoy more Freedom in the Service of Christ Ibid. 4. Fulgentius a Year before his Death retired with some Brethren into the Island of Circina and there lived a most strict Life but the Necessities of his People requiring and their Importunity prevailing he returned to them and then fell into most grievous Sickness Ibid. p. 94. 5. Gregory the Great after his Father's Death having given his Estate to the Relief of the Poor betook himself to a Monastical Life first under Hilarion and afterwards under Maximianus both famous for Learning and Piety Ibid. p. 96. 6. John Picus of Mirandula Three Years before his Death retired himself from the Pleasures Profits and Honours of the World that he might live a more private Life and made over almost all his Estate in the Earldoms of Mirandula and Concordia to his Brother's Son and distributed a great part of his Money Plate and Jewels amongst the Poor Clark in his Life 7. Thomas Aquinas was called Bos or Ox by his School-fellows because he was also silent Textor 8. Mr. Samuel Daniel the English Poet being a Servant in Ordinary to Queen Anne and thereupon having a fair Salary allowed him kept a handsome Garden-House in Old-street near London where as a Tortoise burying himself in the Ground all Winter long he lay obscure some Months together that he might in Retirement enjoy the Felicity he aimed at and then afterwards he would appear in Publick to enjoy and converse with his Friends whereof the Two principal were Dr. Cowel and Mr. Cambden In his Old Age he turned Husbandman and Rented a Farm in Wiltshire nigh the Devises it is thought not so much for the hopes of Profit as to enjoy the Retiredness of a Country-life No question he pleased himself with Contentedness and Freedom from the Troubles of City and Court his Fancy being too fine and sublimated to be wrought down only for private Profit Select Lives of Worthies in England p. 338. 9. Mr. Michael Drayton another famed English Poet was very temperate in his Life and slow of Speech and inoffensive in Company Ibid. p. 341. 10. Mr. Abraham Cowley another excellent Man to make up the Triumovirate thô he took well at Court yet seems to resent the Inconveniences that attended it for he makes this his serious Wish To retire from the Buz and Noise of the City into some place of privacy where he might enjoy the pleasant Correspondence of many Books and a few Friends and one Wife and a pleasant Garden Thus he delivers himself in one of his Poems and in a Letter to Mr. Evelyn Author of the Kalendarium Hortense he declares it more at large professing that he had been then a pretty while aiming at it but was not yet arrived at that State of Mortal Happiness 11. One of the Cato's having attained to the Age of Eight and fifty Years gave over his Publick Charge and Travel in Affairs of the Roman Common-wealth and went to wear out the remainder of his Days near to Naples in a Country Village which then was called Picenum but now it is named Marca de Aâ—â—a where he maintained his Faculties and nourished himself with such Conveniences as his poor Lands and Living afforded him This Good and Vertuous Cato keeping a simple Cottage one while perusing his Books and other whiles looking to his Vines and Plants His Neighbours had written 〈◊〉 a Coal over his Door these words How happy a Man art thou O Cato because thou only knowest what it is to live in this World amongst other Men. Treasury of Anâ— and Modern Times p. 735. 12. Lucullus the Consul and Roman Captain continued at the Wars against the Parthians Sixteen Years together during which time he won much Honour to Rome many Provinces to the Common-wealth great Renown to himself and mighty Treasures for his Houses This Man after his Return from Asia to Rome found the State full of Partialities and Dissensions through the Quarrels between Marius and Sylla he resolved to leave Rome which forthwith he did put in effect causing certain places of sumptuyous Workmanship to be builded near Naples along by the Sea-side in a place now called Castello di Lupo There he made his Sojourning for the space of Eighteen Years in quite Repose and silent Pleasure free from all the Turmoils and Travails of State and in this Contentment he ended his Days Ibid. 13. Dioclesian after he had governed Rome 18 years and had attained to very old Age he gave over the Empire from whence he dismissed himself into Nicomedia with no other Intention but only to return home to his own House and there in Peace and Quiet to spend the rest of his Life and accordingly at Salon he dealt in Husbandry 12 years together After two years spent in this Retirement the Romans sent two worthy Ambassadors to entreat him to return to Rome again The Ambassadors found him in his Garden weeding his Beds of Lettis and other Herbs whom he answered thus My Friends do not you think it more honest and better that he who digged and planted these Lettis should eat them peaceably and quietly in his own House than to forsake such wholesome Fare and return to the Tumults and Rumors of Rome I have now made good proof both what it is to command and what Benefit ensueth by labouring and deliving in the Ground Leave me then to my self I entreat you in this private State of Life for I much rather affect to maintain my Life by the labour of my Hands than to be
troubled with the charge of the Roman Empire With this Answer the Ambassadors took their Leave and parted 14. Doris the Athenian having governed the Common-wealth Six and thirty years in upright Sincerity and Justice became aged and weary with Publick Negotiations Wherefore he dislodged from Athens and went to a Country-House or Farme which he had in a not far distant Village and there reading Books of Husbandry in the night-time and practising the Exercise of those Instructions in the day-time he wore out the space of 15 years Upon the Front-piece of his Gate these Words were engraven Fortune and Hope Adieu to ye both seeing I have found the true entrance to Rest and Contentment Ibid. All these excellent Men of whom we have spoken and an infinite number more left their Kingdoms Consulate Dignities Governments Cities Pallaces Favours Courts and Riches to the end that they might live peacefully And it is the more memorable in that no Slanderers Tongue can avouch that any of them forsook their Countries as being infamous wretchedly poor or banished but only being thereto moved in pure and simple Goodness and on their own liberal Free-will for the more commodious Order and Direction of their Lives before Death should tyrannize over them Ibid. 15. Democritus when he had reformed the Common-wealth of the Abderites and instituted Governors in all places on the Frontiers as also on the Sea-Coasts such as were honest minded Men and not ambitious Which being done he lived with the Citizens some years and perceiving them to be well reformed and that they had no more need of his Laws he made his Retirement to a solitary place to attend on his Philosophy highly contemning all matter of the World which are nothing but true Vanities well knowing that they deserved not to be sorrow'd for because Heraclitus did nothing else and daily therefore he laughed them to scorn Without the City and very near unto the Walls there was a Tree which we commonly call a Plane-tree somewhat low yet extending his Branches very amply under which he sat upon a Stone continually alone having no other Garment but a long Gown of coarse Stuff bare-footed his Visage pale with a long Beard and his Body very meager Somewhat near unto him there ran a River descending out of a Neighbouring little Hill whereon stood a Temple dedicated to the Nimphs round environed with wild Vines having good store of Books by him and diversity of Creatures whereof he dissected some setting instantly down what his Experience taught him Ibid l. 5. c. 19. 16. Charles the Fifth laid down first some of his Hereditary Dominions A. C. 1556. and the rest with the Empire not long after he had now enjoyed the one Forty years and the other Thirty six He was much disabled by the Gout he had been in the greatest Fatigues that ever Prince had undergone even since the Seventeenth year of his Age. He had gone nine times into Germany six times into Spain seven into Italy four into France had been ten times in the Netherlands ahd made two Expeditions into Africk had been twice in England had crossed the Seas eleven times had not only been a Conqueror in all his Wars but had taken a Pope a King of France and some Princes of Germany Prisoners but at last grew weary of this Pomp and Greatness of the World and retired to a place within the Confines of Castile and Portugal pleasant and of a temperate Air where he had seven Rooms twelve Servants about him and some other Servants sent to stay in the Neigbouring Towns At first he gave himself to Mechanick Studies making Clocks c. afterwards to Gardening c. and afterwards more to his Devotion using Discipline to himself with a Cord marked with the Severity he had used to himself with it and reserved by his Son afterward among his Rariries went often to the Chappel and Sacrament and was supposed to be in most Points a Protestant before he died Hist of the Reform 17. The Lord-Chief-Justice Hales having laid down his Place about a year before his Death betook himself to a retired Privacy in order to a Preparation for his Departure according to his own Paraphrase of Seneca's Thyestes Act 2. ' Let him that will ascend the Tottering Seat ' Of Courtly Grandeur and become as Great ' As are his mounting Wishes as for me ' Let sweet Repose and Rest my Portion be ' Give me some mean obscure Recess a Sphers ' Out of the Road of Business or the Fear ' Of falling lower wherre I sweetly may ' My self and dear Retirement till enjoy ' Let not my Life or Name be known unto ' The Grandees of the time tost to and fro ' By Censures and Applause but let my Age 'Slid gently by not over-thwar the Stage ' Of publick Action unheard unseen ' And unconcerned as if I he're had been ' And thus while I shall pass my silent days ' In shady Privacy free from the noise ' And bustles of the mad World then shall I 'A good old innocent Plebeian die ' Death is a meer Surprize a very Snare 'To him that makes it his Life's greatest care 'To be a publick Pageant known to all ' But unacquainted with himself doth fall See his Life written by Dr. Burnet 18. Mr. Abraham Cowley had much in the like manner retired from Publick Business to prepare for Death as he tells us in his Poem ' Well then I now do plainly see ' This busy World and I shall ne're agree ' The very Honey of all earthly Joy ' Doth of all Mears the soonest cloy ' And they methinks deserve my Pity ' Who for it can endure the Stings ' The Crowd the Buz and Murmurings ' Of this great Hive the City ' Ah! yet e're I descend to the Grave ' May I a small House and large Garden have ' And a few Friends and may Books but true ' Beth Wife and both delightful too c. And again Whilst this hard Truth I teach methinks I see The Monster London laugh at me ' I should at thee too foolish City ' If it were fit to laugh at Misery ' But thy Estate I pity ' Let but the wicked Men from out thee go ' And all the Fools that croud thee so ' Even thou who dost thy Millions boast 'A Village less than Islington will grow 'A Solitude almost See his Poems 19. Renatus Deschartes when he found that there were nothing worth his Knowledge among Men he made choice of a Desart at Egmond in Holland and there lead a solitary Life for the space of Five and twenty years and discovered many admirable things by hs Contemplation and composed his so much applauded Works A Summary of his Life by Borellus p. 13 17. 20. Gabriel Dugres speaketh of Cardinal Richlieu in these words The old Latin Proverb saith that Vir sapit qui pauca loquitur A Man is wise that sayeth but little We have likewise two old Proverbs
conscientiously to discharge my Duty to all Relations let the Event be what it will O that I were so spiritual as to make a good use of all the Disappointments I have ever yet met with I bless God I have not promised my self Happiness in any thing in the World but have been some way or other disappointed in it God is very kind to me in it He sees how my Affections are still running out after the Creature and how apt I am to be fond of that which draws my Heart from God Now I will return to God let God do what he pleases with me I bless God for Relations and Friends but I desire to enjoy them more as God is pleased to make them a Blessing to me than for any outward Comfort I have in them O that I could love Christ more and Creatures less I see they are uncertain Comforts but in Christ is never failing Delight and Satisfaction to be had Upon a Dream she dreamt on the Nineteenth of November in the Year 1680. HER Dream in her own Words was this viz. Methoughts I was above Stairs and either something or a Voice said to me That I must in a very short time come and appear before my Judge there to give an Account of all I have done and then I should be tried whether I was sincere or no in what I did Methoughts I presently died but Soul and Body remained together 'till I were Summoned to Judgment I was extreamly concerned at this Voice and began to bethink myself what Account I could give at Judgment I could not tell whether I was really sincere or no. I began to Examine myself and thought what should I do The Day of Grace was over 't was too late to repent and the like c. and I could not tell what would become of me for ever I dreamt I went down Stairs and there the People told me I look'd like Death Aye says I so I well may when I am dead I could not tell what to do for a room to pray in to see if there were any hopes of acceptance I was so amazed and affrighted that I was almost besides myself for fear I was not siucere I then thought what Ends have I proposed to myself in the performance of Duties and could not find that I had designed any thing of Self in what I had done I was I hoped sincere though under great Fears and Amazements because of my appearing before the Heart-searching God I awaked in a great fright REFLECTION VI. Her Reflection in her own Words upon this Dream was this viz. OH my Soul What shall I now do This that was but a Dream will shortly be true I must e're long be Summoned to Judgment in a more Solemn Manner than I can now think of and there I must give up my Account before the Great GOD. If I am an Hypocrite I shall then be undone for ever Sure there is something more than ordinary in this Dream God is wonderful good and kind to me I have been very careless and negligent in the performance of all Duties God is pleased to give me one Warning more to see if I will do what I can towards an Assurance of Salvation If after all these Warnings I shall be found Christless my Damnation will be greatly aggravated my Summons to Judgment will be more dreadful than I can now think it will be When I must appear before my Judge fitting on his Throne I shall there be accountable for all my Thoughts Words and Actions before that God who knows them better than I do my self When the Sentence shall be pronounced and the Judge will stay to see it executed there will be no Repealing of that Sentence no avoiding its Execution but I must for ever then enter either into endless Joys or Torments What shall I now resolve upon I do and cannot but believe that this Day is near Die I must I am not sure of one Moments time more Am I mad then to live as I now do To be contented when I know not what will become of me for ever I now resolve through the Assistance of the Blessed Spirit to be more in the Work of Self-examination that I may not be surprized by Death or Judgment Blessed be God for bearing with me so long for giving me one Warning more before the Great Day of Judgment What wonderful Patience have I abused What need have I to be speedy and sincere in my Repentance and now do what I wish'd in my Sleep I had time to have done REFLECTION VII Upon Scalding her Foot Sept. 7. 1681. Her Reflection upon it was this which follows in her own Words viz. OH how great was that Smarting Pain I then presently considered if that pain was so dreadful what would be the Torments of the Damned If it is now so sad to have a little hot Liquor poured on ones foot what will it be to have Soul and Body tormented to lie burning in Fire and Brimstone for ever This pain though great yet is quickly over I have cooling things for it but in Hell a Drop of Cold Water cannot be obtained to cool the Tongue of the Damned tho' if that could be yet it would do but little good What doth God point out to me by all these Providences but that I should do the utmost I can to scape Hell Torments I have now time and opportunity to work out my Salvation How inexcusable shall I be if after all I should neglect so great Salvation What cause have I to admire Christ who not only died to deliver his from Hell-Torments but hath purchased such Joy and Glory for all such as durst trust themselves with him Well now what do I resolve upon Oh! for an Holy Ingenuity in my Carriage towards God! that I could but live as becomes the Redeemed of the Lord and make use of all Providences and Ordinances as God hath appointed them for Her Carriage before she Received the Sacrament IN her Sixteenth Year she had longing Desires to receive the Sacrament which she acquainted her Pastour with who told her That then she must forsake all Sin and cleave to Christ and not live in the omission of any known Duty or in the commission of any known Sin then he said She must make Religion her Business He said He hoped she made Conscience of Secret Prayer He said She knew what Paul said concerning the unmarried Woman That she cares for the things of the Lord how she might be holy both in body and spirit And he bid her observe this and he did not question but Christ would bid her Welcome and accordingly on the Sabbath-day following she went to the Sacrament but before she went she spent some time in Examination and could not find but that she had Truth of Grace And then she brake out in the following pathetical Ejaculations viz. Oh! how should the Thoughts of Free Grace ravish and fill me with Love to
him truly from the Lord with a kindness that notably represented the Compassion which he hereby taught his Church to expect from the Lord Jesus Christ and after he had lived with her more than half a Hundred Years he followed her to the Grave with Lamentations beyond those which the Jews from the Figure of a Letter in the Text affirm that Abraham deplored his Aged Sarah with her departure made a deeper Impression upon him than what any common Affliction could His whole Conversation with her had that Sweetness and that Gravity and Modesty beautifying of it that every one called them Zachary and Elizabeth Cott. Mather in his Life p. 57. 5. C. Plautius Numida a Senator having heard of the Death of his Wife and not able to bear the Weight of so great a Grief thrust his Sword into his Breast but by the sudden coming in of his Servants he was prevented from finishing his Design and his Wound was bound up by them nevertheless as soon as he found opportunity according to his desire he tore off his Plaisters opened the Lips of his Wound with his own Hand and let forth a Soul that was unwilling to stay in the Body after that his Wife had forsaken hers Val. Max. L. 4. C. 6. p. 114. 6. Philip sir-named the Good the First Author of that Greatness whereunto the House of Burgundy did arrive was about Twenty three Years of Age when his Father John Duke of Burgundy was slain by the Villany and Perfidiousness of Charles the Dauphin being informed of that unwelcome News full of Grief and Anger as he was he hasts into the Chamber of his Wife she was the Dauphin's Sister O said he my Michalea thy Brother hath murthered my Father Upon this his Wife that loved him dearly burst forth into Tears and Lamentations fearing least this Act of her Brother's would make a Breach betwixt her Husband and her which her Husband taking Notice of comforted her saying Be of good cheer tho' it was thy Brother's yet it is not thy fault neither will I esteem or love thee less for it c. Which accordingly he made good so long as they lived together Lips Monit L. 2. C. 17. p. 388. Pol. p. 200. Clark's Marr. c. 65. p. 291. Wanley's Wonders of the Little World p. 143. 7. Mr. Samuel Fairclough his Wife dying in Child-bed was blamed for his great Sorrow for such a pious Relation See his Life CHAP. LIII Good Children Remarkable THat old celebrated Proverb in our Church Train up a Child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it hath so much truth in it that a Good Education will either improve and meliorate the Nature of Persons or haunt them with continual Checks and Vneasiness of Thought all their Life after either they shall be made better by the Impression of early Notions upon their Hearts or smart for their Disobedience and Obstinacy For certainly a crooked Child seldom grows streight with Age and if a Plant is not flexible when young it will grow stiffer and more obdurate with time We use to Imprint the Seal when the Wax is warm and soft and Sow our Seed at Seed-time not in the Drought of Summer or the Coldness of Winter Every Body that hath Eyes takes Notice of the Rising Sun and the first opening of the Day every Gardiner and Farmer loves to see his Seeds and Grain and Plants promise well at the first And who is there so improvident among Christians as not to take notice and rejoyce in the early Product of their Instructions and Endeavours but especially to see them grateful and good in their particular Relations 1. Ant. Wallaeus attended upon his Parents so carefully in the time of their Sickness and so comforted them with Divine Consolations that at the Hour of Death they both blessed him and gave this Testimony of him that he had never offended them in all his Life Clark's Eccles History p. 471. 2. Q. cicero Brother of Marcus being proscribed and sought after to be slain by the Triumvirate was hid by his Son who for that cause was hurried to Torments but by no Punishments or Tortures could he forced to betray his Father The Father moved with the Piety and Constancy of the Son of his own accord offered himself to Death least for his sake they should determine with utmost severity against his Son Zonar Annual Tom. 2. p. 86. Xiphil in Augusto p. 60. 3. There happened in Sicily as it hath often an Irruption of Aetna now called Mount Gibel it murmurs burns belches up Flames and throws out its fiery Entrails making all the World to fly from it It happened then that in this violent and horrible breach of Fire every one flying and carring away what they had most precious with them Two Sons the one called Anapias the other Amphinomus careful of the Wealth and Goods of their Houses reflected on their Father and Mother both very old who could not save themselves from the Fire by slight And where shall we said they find a more precious Treasure than those who begat us The one took up his Father on his Shoulders the other his Mother and so made passage through the Flames It is an admirable thing that God in the Consideration of this Piety though Pagans did a Miracle for the Monuments of all Antiquity witness that the devouring Flames staid at this Spectacle and the Fire wasting and broiling all about them the Way only which these two good Sons passed was Tapestry'd with fresh Verdure and called afterwards by Posterity The Field of the Pious in Memory of this Accident Causs Hic Tom. 1. L 3. p. 113. Lon. Theatr. p. 272. Solin C. 11. p. 225. Camerar Oper. Subciscent 1. C. 86. p. 401. 4. Sir Thomas Moore being Lord Chancellor of England at the same time that his Father was a Judge of the King's-Bench he would always at his going to Westminster go first to the King's-Bench and ask his Father Blessing before he went to sit in the Chancery Baker's Chron. p. 406. Fuller H. S. L. 1. C. 6. p. 13. 5. The Carriage of Mr. Herbert Palmer towards his Parents was very dutiful and obsequious not only during his Minority but even afterwards which was very evident in that Honour and Respect which he continued to express to his Aged Mother to the Day of her Death Clark's Exampl Vol. 1. C. 23. 6. Our King Edward the First returning from the Wars in Palestine rested himself in Sicily where the Death of his Son and Heir coming first to his Ear and afterwards the Death of the King his Father he sorrowed much more for the loss of his Father than of his Son whereat King Charles of Sicily greatly wondred and asking the Reason of it had this Answer return'd him The loss of Sons is but light because it may be easily repaired but the Death of Parents is irremediable because they can never be bad again Idem
ex Speed Chron. 7. Sir Nathaniel Barnardiston enjoyed his Father a less time than his Grand-Father his Father being removed by Death long before his Grand-Father but yet we may easily gather what his Carriage to him was from the high and extensive Value he set upon his Memory as he used to please himself to Discourse of his Father affirming That he was a very Godly Man and that it was a great Disadvantage for him to part with him so young These things and others he would often declare to his Children and Friends dropping many Tears to shew his great and strong Affection and when he made his Will he there exprest an importunate Desire to his Executors that the Bones of his Father might be digged out of the Earth where they were buried and laid by his own Body in a new vault he order'd his Executors to erect for the same purpose Thus though he could not live with his Father as long as he would have desired yet he designed that their Bodies or Relicks should lie together 'till the happy Resurrection-Day which certainly did denote a Noble Veneration and a most raised Filial Affection See his Life CHAP. LIV. Remarkable Instances of an Early Piety or Children Good betimes TO see young Trees newly planted hopeful and promising is a very lovely and inviting sight A Jeremiah sanctified from his Mother's Womb a Joshua pious in his young years a Timothy well instructed in the Scriptures from a Child are very pleasant in sacred Records And when we see the Seeds of Piety spring up so soon we are ready to impute it to the Influence of Heaven and the Efficacy of Divine Grace And though sometimes these Blossoms die before any Fruit appears and a good Beginning hath not always a good Ending yet certainly and Lot Solomon or our Senses be Witnesses in the case 't is the likeliest way to end well when we begin well 1. Mr. Samuel Crook to shew that his Heart even in his Youth was drawn up towards the Pole of Heaven translated divers of David's Psalms and composed several Hymns of his own Some of which he sung with Tears of Joy and Desire in his last Sickness See his Life p. 4. 2. Origen when a Child was mightily inquisitive into the Meaning of the Scriptures even tiring his Parents with asking Religious Questions comforting his Father in Prison with Letters and hardly forbearing to offer himself to Martyrdom Dr. Cave 's Prim. Christian 3. K. Edward VI. took Notes of such things he heard in Sermons which more nearly related to himself Hist of the Reform 4. Queen Elizabeth wrote a good hand before she was Four years old and understood Italian Ibid. 5. Sir Thomas Moore never offended his Father nor was ever offended by him 6. Arch-bishop Vsher at 10 years old found himself wrought upon by a Sermon on Rom. 12.1 I beseech you Brethren by the Mercies of God c. Dr. Bernard in his Life 7. Dr. W. Gouge when at School was continually studious even at play-hours conscionable in secret Prayer and sanctifying the Sabbath Clark 's Lives 8. Mr. Tho. Gataker was often chid by his Father from his Book Ibid. 9. Mr. Jeremy Whitaker when a School-Boy would frequently go in company 8 or 10 miles to hear a warming Sermon and took Notes and was helpful to others in repeating them and though his Father often and earnestly endeavoured to divert him yet when a Boy he was unmoveable in his Desires to be a Minister Ibid. 10. Mr. Herbert Palmer was esteemed sanctified even from the Womb at the Age of 4 or 5 years he would cry to go to his Lady Mothers Sir Tho. Palmer being his Father that he might hear somewhat of God When a Child little more than Five years old he wept in reading the Story of Joseph and took much pleasure in learning Chapters by heart he learned the French Tongue almost so soon as he could speak he often affirmed that he never remembred the learning of it by his Discourse he could hardly be distinguished from a Native French-man When at the Latin-School at vacant hours others were at play he was constantly observed to be reading studiously by himself Ibid. 11. Mr. Tho. Cartwright in his younger years rose many times in the night to seek out places to pray in Ibid. 12. Mr. Rich. Sedgwick when he was a School-boy and living with his Uncle and the rest of the Family were at their Games and Dancing he would be in a Corner mourning Ibid. 13. Mr. Julius Herring when a Boy was noted for his Diligence in Reading the Scriptures On Play-days he with 2 or 3 more School-fellows would pray together repeat the Heads of the Catechism with the Sermons which they heard last Lord's-day Ibid. 14. Mrs. Margaret Corbet Daughter of Sir Nathaniel Brent Warden of Merton-Colledge whom about 14 years of Age wrote Sermons with Dexterity and left many Volumes of such Notes writ with her own Hand Ibid. 15. Mrs. Elizabeth Wilkinson was from her Childhood very Docile took much pains in writing Sermons and collecting special Notes out of Practical Divines When I was saith she in a Narrative written with her own Hand about Twelve years old upon reading in the Practice of Piety concerning the happy State of the Godly and the miserable Condition of the Wicked in their Death and so on to all Eternity it pleased the Lord so to affect my Heart as from that time I was wrought over to a desire to walk in the Ways of God Ibid. 16. Mr. Caleb Vernon could read the Bible distinctly at Four years old and by six became very apt in places of Scripture the Theory thereof and moral Regard thereto exactly observant of his Parents with ambition to serve and please them in love To begin a Correspondency with a good Friend of his Mr. R. D. then in London he wrote this his first Letter at Ten years of age Dear Sir I Received your kind Letter for which I thank you and desire the Book which you sent me may be made of good effect to my Soul and that my Soul may be filled with the Love of God ' being ready for the Day of his coming to judge the World in Righteousness when the Kings of the Earth shall tremble and the Rulers shall be astonished at the Brightness of his coming when he shall come with his Holy Angels in Power and Glory to judge the Earth in the Valley of Jehoshaphat O! that my Soul was fit for his Coming that I may be like a flourishing Flower in the Garden of Eden prepared for the Lord Christ This is a Trying-day the Lord is searching Jerusalem with Candles to find out out-side Professors who do make clean the out-side of the Cup and Platter when their Hearts are full of Deceit Oh! that we might be comforting one another with his coming putting on the Breast-plate of Faith and laying aside the Traditions of Men. O! how near is his coming even at the
the Faith that we may have this Testimony in our own Consciences that all our Ways and Paths are well-pleasing to the Lord our great Soveraign that we may so even so run as to obtain an immortal Crown at last though the Righteous shall scarcely be saved and that we might be found upon Mount Sion with the Lamb among the Sealed ones of God is the earnest and daily Prayer of Your loving Sister Lydia Carter Mrs. Lydia Carter's Letter to her Brother Jeremiah Carter Loving Brother Jeremiah YOU are a young Man and you read of the young Man in the Gospel concerning whom it is said Christ looking upon him loved him I think that was but a common Love because of some hopefulness of more good or of less discovery of more evil in him than in many others The Lord knows that I do most tenderly love you as a Brother in the Flesh but oh how much more should I love you as a Brother in Christ Now that you may have a share in the Soul-saving Love of Christ that you may be more intimately acquainted with the deep Mystery of the Gospel that you may consecrate the Flower of your Youth to God that you may fly all Sins incident to your present State that you may be sensible of continued Mercies that you may improve all Opportunities and Abilities which you have received from God for God that you may earnestly contend for the Faith once delivered to the Saints that you may follow the Lord fully in your Generation and that you and I with all our Relations may one Day sit down in heavenly places together with Jesus Christ is the uncessant Prayer of Your very Loving Sister Lydia Carter August 10. 1655. Mrs. Lydia Carter's Letter to her Sister Child Loving Sister Child YOU are a Mother 't is a Blessing yet but an earthly Blessing Children are certain Cares uncertain Comforts Now that you may bear Christ in your Spirit as you have born Children in your Body that you may have further Experience of the preserving Love of God which passeth the Tenderness of Maternal Affection Isai 49.14 15. that you may always enjoy the Light of God's Countenance that you may be strengthned with all Might according to the glorious Power of God in your inward Man unto all Patience and Long-suffering with Joyfulness that you may by your heavenly Conversation adorn the Gospel of Jesus Christ that you may be counselled and comforted by the sweet Influences of the Spirit of Grace and that you may be one of those who shall be caught up in the Clouds together with all the Saints to meet the Lord in the Air and befor ever with him is the fervent Prayer of Your very Loving Sister Lydia Carter Mrs. Lydia Carter's Letter to her Aunt Child Most endeared Aunt WHom I love in the Truth and not I only but also all they that have known the Truth Grace be with you Mercy and Peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in Health even as your Soul prospereth I have no greater Joy than to hear that all the Lord's People walk in the Power of Godliness shewing forth the Praises of him who hath called us out of Darkness into his marvelous Light It is true I have need to be more fully instructed of those who have attained unto a full Age and by reason of use have their Senses exercised to discern both Good and Evil yet as one who hath obtained this Grace of the Lord as to be faithful in a few things I shall not be negligent to put you in remembrance of these things tho' you know them and are established in the present Truth That which the Lord expects at our Hands is that we should walk worthy of him who hath called us unto a Kingdom that we should live unto the praise of his rich Grace who hath so freely poured out his Soul unto Death for us Dying Love justly merits an humble holy thankful and fruitful Conversation Truly we live in a crooked and perverse Generation Satan hath his Seat in every place great is the subtilty of Sin the deceitfulness of our own Hearts the power and malice of our Spiritual Adversary it nearly concerns us therefore to give all diligence to make our calling and election sure before we go away from hence and be no more Aunt My continual and fervent Desire is That we may be every Day more and more enlightned into the Depths of Special and Distinguishing Love and that I may be helped forward in my Faith and Joy in the Holy Ghost by your Experiences is the Prayer of Your Affectionate Cousin Lydia Carter My Love unto all my Cousins praying that they may be blessed with all Spiritual Blessings in the common Saviour Mrs. Lydia Carter's Letter to her Sister Desborrow Loving Sister Desborrow THat we should exhort one another daily consider one another and provoke one another unto Love and Good Works is the Exhortation of the Scripture and such Counsel as I desire might be written upon your Heart and mine Sister You are now entred into the World with me but that an abundant entrance may be administred into the Kingdom of God unto us both that we may with Mary choose the better part which shall never be taken from us that we may grow in Grace and in the Knowledge of Jesus Christ that we may not be weary of Well-doing that we may approve our Hearts unto God in all manner of Holiness that we may be filled with Spiritual Graces suitable to our Relations and Conditions that we may persevere unto the End that we may have the Sence of God's Love kept alive and warm upon our Hearts that we may bring forth much Fruit proportionable to the precious Enjoyments of Divine Mercy that we may make it our Business to praise exalt and glorifie him who hath abundantly loved us in his Son that we may have a continual Eye upon him who is the Author and Finisher of our Faith that we may earnestly strive to attain unto the Resurrection of the Dead and that we may learn Christ love Christ and live Christ is the restless Desire of Your very Loving Sister Lydia Carter Your Husband and you shall not be forgotten by me in my Pleadings at the Throne of Grace Farewel These Letters were all sent me by her own Son who received 'em from his Father a little before his Death He also sent him the following Letter and Directions for the Management of his whole Life which being full of pious Instructions may properly come under this Head His Letter was this following My dear Child THY Master's Letter to me last Week gives me great Encouragement to think that if please God I live I shall receive a great deal of Comfort from thee he writes so fully that I profess I never read more written concerning any one in my Life of thy
chearfulness tractableness industriousness willingly to learn and obey of thy Truth and honesty and especially of thy Desire and Endeavour to know and serve the Lord. Oh Child this good Character of thee is the most comfortable and reviving Cordial that I have taken all the time of my late and long Sickness I pray God continue thy good Resolutions of living up to thy Master's wonderful Commendations of thee Now dear Child if thy Deserts answer these Praises I shall not fear but I shall meet thy Face in Heaven hereafter though through my corporal Indisposition I fear I shall see thy Face no more on Earth and in the new Jerusalem if thou diest in the Arms of Divine Embraces I shall see thee not disfigured with Pock-holes but dignified with celestial Glory and there wilt thou see thine own Mother's Face who killed herself with excessive Love to thee and who died Praying so earnestly for thy everlasting Salvation But I must subscribe in hast being much indisposed through a Cold I catch'd last Lord's Day in Preaching Your real loving Father Still Praying for the Welfare of your Soul and Body May 10. 1675. I shall next add his pious Counsel to his Son which he gave him at his own House December 25th 1675. which here follows in his own Words viz. Concerning your SOVL 1. AS you have been a Son of many Prayers and Tears being a long time earnestly begg'd of God and against all Human Hope being brought forth into the World by God's Special Hand of Providence and being wonderfully restored to Life again after sâ—me Hours seeming Death which immediately ensued after your Birth and being likewise as signally delivered from the nearest hazard and likelihood of Death when you had the Small-Pox I do therefore exhort and charge you in the Presence of the All-seeing God and as you will answer it before Jesus Christ the Judge of the Quick and Dead that you make it your primary and principal Care and Endeavour to know fear love obey and serve God your Creator and Deliverer as he hath revealed himself through his Son by his Spirit in his Holy Word 2. I do likewise counsel you to read God's Holy Word both in the Latin and English Bible as often as you have opportunity and I also counsel you to read over Wollebius's Compendium of Theology in Latin and English 'till you well understand both at such Seasons as you may most conveniently do it 3. I do likewise counsel you constantly every Morning and Evening to pray unto God for his Direction Protection and Benediction in all that you do and that with an audible Voice when you may conveniently do it or at least mentally expressing all possible Reverence Affection Joy and Thankfulness to God through Christ therein 4. I counsel you likewise manfully to resist all Extreams sinful Sadness and Despondency of Spirit and to exercise Faith Chearfulness and Delight in the remembrance of all God's Mercies and Deliverances 5. I do likewise counsel you carefully to shun all evil Company with all Temptations to and Occasions of Evil. 6. I do likewise counsel you to be Dutiful to your Mother Loving to your Brother and Sisters Obedient to your Master diligently and faithfully to serve the Lord in all Relations and Conditions as he requireth Concerning your BODY 1. I Counsel you to use moderate Exercise and lawful Recreations for the necessary Health of your Body being always moderate in your Eating Drinking and Sleeping Never spend too much Time of Cost in any Exercise or Recreation Concerning your ESTATE 1. I Do counsel you never to desert your Trade or Calling which you have by God's special Providence been call'd unto 2. I do counsel you to serve out your full time with cheerfulness and delight endeavouring to acquaint your self with all the Mysteries and Improvements of your Trade and if you find not convincing Reasons to the contrary to serve as Journey-man for One Year because I judge you may by that means gain more Acquaintance and Interest and a further Insight into your Trade 3. I do counsel you not to marry before you be Twenty five Years of age unless some remarkable Providence shall induce you thereunto 4. I do likewise counsel you to use all possible Prudence in your Choice of a Wife that she be truly Religious or at least eminently Vertuous that is born of honest Parents and who is of Age and Estate suitable unto your self 5. I do likewise counsel you not to sell any part of your Estate in Land if either your Wife's Portion or your borrowing of Money upon Interest may conveniently serve to set up your Trade 6. I do likewise counsel you to have a convenient Shop in a convenient Place at your own Charge which will very much facilitate and make way for your suitable and comfortable Marriage yet if you shall by some remarkable Providence meet with a Wife of a considerable Estate you may by her Portion set up your Trade without Mortgaging of your Land 7. Lastly I likewise counsel you in all Things and in all Times so to Think and Speak and Act as you may be willing to appear before God at Death and Judgment Decemb. 25. Anno Dom. 1675. 20. Constantine the Great did so honour the Countenance of old Paphnutias tho' disfigured by the loss of his Eye that he often with delight did kiss the Hollow of that Eye which was lost for the Cause of Christ Chetwind's Historical Collections 21. I have read of one Chilion a Dutch Schoolmaster who being perswaded to recant and save his Life for the sake of his Wife and poor Children answered If the whole Earth was turned into a Globe of Gold and all mine own I would part with it rather than with my Wife and Children and yet these I can part with for the sake of Jesus Christ. The like was said by George Carpenter as Mr. Fox relates Part 2. p. 113. Mr. Barker's Flores 22. A young Man condemned and brought to the Block and then remitted by Julian as he rose spake these Words Ah sweet Jesus am not I worthy to suffer for thy sake Luther's Coll. p. 247. CHAP. LXII Remarkable Zeal and Charity in Propagating Religion EVery thing is naturally apt to communicate its own Qualities Earth Air Fire and Water the Sun Moon and all the Planets the Light makes an Infant smile and the Night affects us with dulness and sleepiness God would make us good and happy as himself is and the Devil bad and miserable Jews and Mahometans and Hereticks have a Zeal many times to promote their particular and unsound Principles but we have some Examples of good Christians who have been forward and zealous to propagate the Gospel in sincerity 1. Mr. Tho. Gouge having a compassion for those parts of Wales which were distressed with Ignorance and wanted the Means of Knowledge made a Journey into South Wales and in every Town where he came he enquired what poor People there were
and of great Note too that I could name 2. The Reverend Mr. Hooker a Man so bashful and modest by natural Disposition that he was not able to outface his own Pupils yet hath been rewarded with a competent Estate whilst living and a good Name and glorious Elogiums since his Death 3. Mr. Thomas Gouge was great in Modesty yet it never appeared by word or action that he put any value upon himself or hunted for any applause from Man and this was very observable in him that the Charities which were procured chiefly by his Interest and Industry where he had occasion to speak or to give an Account of them he would rather impute it to any one that had but the least hands and part in the procuring of them than assume any thing of it to himself Another Instance of his Modesty was that when he was ejected out of his Living of Sepulchres Parish he forbore Preaching saying That there was no need of his Labours in London where there were so many godly able and painful Ministers to carry on that Work According to the Apostle's Exhortation he was cloathed with Humility and had in a very eminent degree that Ornament of a meek and quiet Spirit which St. Peter tells us is in the sight of God of great Price so that there was not the least appearance either of Pride or Passion in any of his Words or Actions He was not only free from Anger and Bitterness but from all affected Gravity and Moroseness His Society and Converse was affable and pleasant He had a very great serenity of Mind and evenness of Temper which was visible in his very Countenance and according his Humility was rewarded with Honour and Respect from Men with the Love of all Parties though of different Sentiments with a great Tranquility of Mind with a peaceable and quiet Possession of the Good Things of this Life and at last with an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a gentle and easie Death for in a good old Age of Seventy seven Years he died in his Sleep without any sensible Pain or Sickness A. C. 1681. See his Life See more in the Ch. The Humble strangely advanced 4. Mr. John Fox in his younger Days and towards the latter and of King Henry the Eighth's Reign went to London where he lived humbly and obscurely and soon spent what his Friends had given him and his own Industry got him and began to be in want one Day sitting disconsolate in St. Paul's Church almost spent with long Fasting his Countenance being thin his Eyes hollow after the ghastful manner of dying Men insomuch that every Body shunned a Spectacle of so much horrour there came one to him as he was sitting in this humble and homely Posture and despicable Condition and thrust an untold Sum of Money into his Hand bidding him be of good Cheer and accept that as a common Courtesie from his country-men wishing him to make much of himself for within a few Days new Hopes were at hand Mr. Fox could never learn who this was but within Three Days after the Dutchess of Richmond sent for him to live in her House and be Tutor to the Earl of Surrey's Children then under her Charge Clark's Examp. Vol. 2. p. 610. 5. Humility says the Reverend Mr. Steel makes a Man think meanly of himself moderately of his own Notions and Apprehensions highly of those that deserve it and respectfully of all It was this which taught excellent Bishop Ridley when he was in Prison thus to accost honest Bishop Hooper However in some By-matters and Circumstances of Religion your Wisdom and my Simplicity I grant hath a little jarr'd yet now c. More Comfort to them if they had been on these Terms in the time of their Liberty and Prosperity Humility is a great step to Unity Ephes 4.2 I beseech you that ye walk with all lowliuess and meekness with long-suffering for hearing one another in love endeavouring to keep the Vnity of the Spirit in the bond of peace Pray behold how these Graces are here link'd together lowliness meekness unity and peace The humble Man will not endure that his Reputation shall outweigh the Peace of the Church and therefore is more willing that Truth should be victorious than himself He 'll go Two Miles for One to meet his Adversary in an honest way of Accommodation and when he cannot make his Judgment to bend yet his Heart shall stoop to you with all sincerity This Vertue made Aristippus come to Eschines when they were at fend with this greeting Eschines Shall we be Friends And this dictated his Answer Yes Sir with all my Heart But remember saith Aristippus That I being elder than you do make the first motion Yea said the other and therefore I conclude you to be the worthier Man for I began the Strife and you began the Peace Let us all then be cloathed with Humility assume not in regard of your Learning Wit or Parts consider you are but Sharers in our Common Benefactor neither let your Riches or Dignities make you speak or write otherwise than you would do without them and this will go a great way to prevent our biting and devouring one another See Mr. Steel 's Sermon in the Casuistical Morning Exercises CHAP. LXX Present Retribution to the Just. THE Vnjust Oppressors Extortioners Felons Thieves and fraudulent Persons think with their crooked Policy their crafty Dealings their Dissimulation and Tricks to impose upon the World to delude the Senses of Men and enrich themselves and be secure but upon a fair Examination it will be certainly found that Righteousness stands upon much the surer Ground and bids fair both for the Love of Man and the Blessing of God Righteousness exalts a Nation when Sin in general and Injustice in particular is the Reproach and Ruine of any People 1. Sir John Fitz-James of whom we have mentioned before in remarkable Justice was by King Henry the Eighth advanced to be Chief Justice of the King's-Bench 2. Sir Matthew Hale of whom we have mentioned as another Great Example of Justice was presently so taken Notice of by the Eye of the World that he was imployed in his Practice by all the King's Party he was assigned Council to the Earl of Strafford Arch-bishop Laud King Charles the First the Duke of Hamilton the Earl of Holland and the Lord Capel Afterwards being Councel for the Lord Craven he pleaded with that force of Argument that the then Attorney-General threarned him for appearing against the Government To whom he answered He was Pleading in Defence of those Laws which they declared they would maintain and preserve and he was doing his Duty to his Client so that he was not to be daunted with Threatnings Upon all these occasions he had discharged himself with so much Learning Fidelity and Courage that he came to be generally imployed for all that Party and afterwards Cromwel resolving to take him off from that Party endeavoured to promote him
same upon charitable Uses After this Vow finding his Estate wonderfully increased he began to build Alms-houses one in the Parish of St. George in Southwark another in St. Mary Newington because in those Parishes he observed many blind poor lame People were and never an Alms-house for them He built a Chappel near one of his Alms-houses and when he had so done with the Poor's Stock he bought Lands and Houses of Inheritance which he setled upon the Company of Drapers as for the Relief of his poor Alms-people so for the performing other charitable Gifts mentioned in his Last Will and Testament While he lived he was wont to go himself once a Month to his Alms-houses in his worst Cloaths that he might not be suspected to be the Founder of them and gave unto the poor People their promised Allowance This whilst living At his Death also he gave very considerable besides which he gave the left to his Wife and two Daughters about 10000 l. 9. William Pennoyer Esq Citizen and Merchant of London a Person wholly composed of Mercy and Goodness many Years before his Death turned great part of the Stock wherewith he traded into Lands of Inheritance to the value of Four hundred Pounds per Annum he lived frugally spending upon himself and Family about Two hundred Pounds per Annum and the Remainder he bestowed on charitable Uses His Legacies bequeathed in his Last Will and Testament were as followeth To poor Ministers Widows and others in distress about 150 l. To Four of his poor Tenants 20 l. Likewise 800 l. to be laid out here in Woollen-Cloth or other Commodities to be sent to New-England for the Vse of his poor Kindred there To Bristol 54 l. per Annum towards the Maintenance of a School-master and a Lecturer to Preach a Week-day Lecture there and to other charitable Vses He likewise setled 20 l. per Annum on Trusstees for the teaching of Forty Boys in or near White-Chappel and 40 s. yearly to buy Bibles for some of the Children He gave 12 l. Annum for maintaining a School at Hay in Brecknock-shire and 40 s. more yearly to buy Books for the Scholars Ten Pound per Annum for poor distressed People in Bethlehem Hospital London Ten Pound per Annum more to Ten of the blindest poorest oldest Cloath-workers at the Discretion of the Masters Wardens and Assistants of the said Company for the time being Forty Pound per Annum to Christ-Church Hospital for the placing out Four Children yearly and 40 s. more yearly to buy each of the Children a Bible Besides these he gave to his poor Kindred above 2000 l. by his Will And by a Codicil annexed thereunto he bequeathed to certain Trustees 1000 l. to be given to honest poor People As also 300 l. for Releasing poor Prisoners c. 10. Thomas Arnold Citizen and Haberdasher of London at his first setting up was not rich in Stock but being charitably disposed and ready to every good Work his Estate through God's Blessing very much increased He frequently enquired of others after such poor People as were over-burdened with Children or otherwise distressed yea he hired Men with Money to make it their Business to find out honest poor People on whom he might bestow his Charity and likewise did intrust others with considerable Sums to distribute among the poorer sort charging them to have special Respect to the honest Poor such whom they conceived did truly fear God That he was no Loser but a Gainer by his Liberality appeareth in that God so blessed him in his Calling that he attained to an Alderman's Estate and was chosen to that Office yea he gave over his Calling in the City and withdrew into the Country that he might the better mind God and the Concernments of his Soul more and the World less 11. John Clark Doctor of Physick one of great Repute for his Learning Piety and Charity sometime President of the College of Physicians was wont to lay by all the Lord's-days Fees as a sacred Stock for charitable Uses devoting that entirely to God which he received on his Day accounting it a piece of Sacriledge to appropriate it to himself or any common use whereupon God so prospered him in his Calling that tho' at first his Practice was little and his Estate not very great yet afterwards his Practice so increased and the World so flowed in upon him that he lived plentifully and comfortably 12. Dr. J. Bathurst likewise kept his Lord's-days Fees as a Bank for the Poor which was so far from lessening his Incomes that by the Blessing of God upon his Practice they were greatly in few Years augmented by it for tho' at his first coming to London he brought little Estate with him and here had small Acquaintance York-shire being his Native Country where he had spent his former Days yet the Lord was pleased so to prosper him in his Calling that in 20 Years time he purchased Lands of Inheritance to the value of 1000 l. per Annum to speak saith my Author what I know to be certain for in the Repute of some his Estate at his Death was no less than 2000 l. of yearly value 13. Dr. Edmond Trench likewise observed the same course as his Wife and divers other of his Friends do testifie And certain it is that this was no damage but a great advantage to him for he had as many Patients as his weak Body would permit him to visit and tho' he lived at a full and plentiful rate frequently and chearfully entertaining Ministers and Scholars at his Table yet did he gain a very considerable Estate which he left to his Wife and Children c. 14. Samuel Dunche of Pusey in the County of Berks Esq a Person that according to the Apostle's Rule Did good to all but especially to those of the Houshold of Faith used to send Moneys yearly to several Towns as to Stow upon the Woold in Gloucester-shire to Lamburn and others for the Relief of the Poor and upon the last here named he setled Lands of Inheritance for ever for the same use And to Rumsey in Hamp-shire he gave by Deed upon the like Account a Lease of Ninety nine Years to commence after his Decease The Poor also of the said Town whom he called his Alms-people had also during his Life weekly Relief from him and many other Towns together with them were large Sharers in the like Bounty Several poor Children of the said Town and likewise of those belong to Farringdon he set to School and did not only pay for their Teaching but also furnished them with Books convenient He caused also several good Books to be Printed at his own Charge which he freely gave to the Poor and gave considerable Sums of Money yearly for the Relief of poor Ministers and upon several of them he setled Annuities as 10 l. 20 l. per Annum for their Lives besides Legacies at his Death Besides all this his Hand was
Death strike my Heart I fear not thy Stroke Now it is Father into thy blessed Hand I commend my Spirit sweet Jesus into thy Hands I commend my Spirit blessed Spirit of God I commit my Soul into thy Hands O most Holy Blessed and Glorious Trinity three Persons and one true and everlasting God into thy blessed Hand I commit my Soul and Body At which Words her Breath stayed and so moving neither Hand nor Foot she slept sweetly in the Lord. See her Life CHAP. LXXIX Protection of the Good in Dangers THE Divine Providence is exercised over all the Creation but more especially upon Man then other Creatures that are made subject to him For God causeth his sun to shine and his Clouds to distil with Rain upon the just and unjust But more remarkably upon those that fear God and keep close to him in the way of Duty and a close and cordial Devotion then any others For the Truth whereof I appeal to History and the Experiences of Private and good Men. 1. By Vertue of a Bull issued out by Pope Gregory against John Wickleif and signed by Twenty three Cardinals declaring his Writings to be Heretical and this Bull sent to Oxford together with letters to the King Arch-bishop Sudbury and Courtney then Bishop of London requiring them to Apprehend and Imprison the said Wickleif and they resolving to proceed against him in a Provincial Synod laying aside all Fear and Favour and going to work roundly with him in spite of all Entreaties Threatnings or Rewards god by a small matter overthrew and confounded their Devices for the day of Examination being come in came a Courtier name Lewis Clifford a Man of no great Birth and commanded them That they should not proceed to any definitive Sentence against the said Wickleif wherewith the Bishops were so amazed and crest-fallen that they became as mute Men not having a Word to answer And one that writes this Story saith further that whilst the Bishops were sitting at the Chappel at Lambeth upon John Wickleif not only the Citizens but the vise Objects of the City were so bold as to entreat for him and to stop them in their Proceedings Clark's Mar. of Eccl. Hist p. 112. 2. John Husse being condemned and excommunicated by the Pope and Cardinals for an Heretick opposed by some of the Barons of Bohemia and banished by King Winceslaus yet was entertained in the Country and protected by the Lord of the Soil at Hussinets and Preached there still 'till afterwards the Pope dying a Schism happened in the new Election at the Council of Constance whither Husse was commanded to come and make his Appearance which proved so fatal to him notwithstanding the safe conduct granted him by the Emperour for his Journey and Return Idem p. 117. 3. Henry Alting when Heidelberg was taken by Storm prepared for Death and being at the same time in his Study bolted his Door and betook to Prayer looking every Moment when the bloody Soldiers would break in to make a Sacrifice of him But the great Arbiter of Life and Death took care for his safety for Monsieur Behusius Rector of the School and his dear Friend hiring two Soldiers called him forth and conveyed him through a Back-door into the Lord Chancellors House which Tilly had commanded to be preserved from Plundering because of the publick Monuments of the Common-wealth that were kept there This House was commanded to be Guarded by a Lieutenant Colonel that was under the Count of Hoheuzollem a Man greedy of Prey who lest he should lose his Share in the Booty by his Attendance upon that place sent forth his Soldiers as it were a hunting commanding them That if they met with any Citizens of Note that under pretence of Safeguarding them they should bring them to him purposing by their Ransom to enrich himself To this Man Alting was brought who with his naked Sword reeking with Blood said to him This Day with this Hand have I slain ten Men to whom Dr. Alting shall be added as the eleventh if I knew where to find him But who art thou Such a Countenance and such a Speech by such a Man at such a time might have affrighted the most constant Mind but our Alting by a witty Answer neither denying himself to be Alting nor unseasonably discovering himself Answered as sometime Athanasius in the like case I was saith he a Schoolmaster in the College of Wisdom Hereupon the Lieutenant Colonel promised him safety who if he had known him to have been Alting would certainly have slain him But what a sad time had be that Night hearing the continual Shrieks and Groans which filled the Air of Women ravished Virgins deflowred Men some haled to Torments others immediately slain himself retiring into a Cockloft lest he should be discovered by some of those many which fled thither for Refuge At last the Colonel being remanded away thence the House was resigned to the Jesuits and so he was in fresh Danger but by a special Providence the Kitchin being reserved for Tilly's own Use he was close fed by one of the Palatine Cooks who at last hired three Bavarian Soldires to guard him to his own House Idem p. 493. The following Letter was sent me Novemb. the 8th 1696. by a Gentleman now living in London with whom I am well acquainted viz. SIR THere were three strange Accidents that befel my Son John during his abode at Chesham in Bucke some Years since which perhaps may be worth your taking notice of in your History of Remarkable Providences 1. The first was the great Danger he was once in of Drowning which hapned to him by venturing too fat upon the Groundsil just by a large Pond for a little Whisk where his Foot slipt and down he plunged and being but about eight Years of Age was not able to swim but by a wonderful Providence one Mr. John Reading his first Cosen was then at work in a Stable near the Pond who coming to see what it was made such a Plunge into the Pond found it to be my Son John strugling and sprawling for Life and almost at his last Gasp The Providence of God was signally remarkable in this my Son's Deliverance from Drowning for when his Cosen first heard the noise in the Pond he took it to be some Stone flung into the Pond and was a while resolved not to see after it as believing no harm had befallen any one But at last of a sudden it came into his Mind that the great noise which the Plunge made could not be made by a Stone he therefore now leaves his Work and runs to satisfie his dubious Thoughts and finds my Son almost Drowned when this Person with the hazard of his Life got my Son out of the Pond he could not be brought to speak the muddy and dirty Water had so swell'd him for about nine Hours time but then he came something to recollect his Senses he gave the Account of his falling
of destroying herself and have had oftentimes a Knife put into her Hand to do it so that she durst not be left by herself alone and when she had considered what the Cause of it might be her Conscience did hint most her neglecting of Duties to have performed they being the Ordinances of God Thus she continued 'till two Years ago she buried her Child the which was a very great trouble to her to part with and then was she more convinced of Sin which caused her Burthen to be the greater so that she could seldom have any other Thoughts but of Desperation but the Lord keeping her by his great Mercy so that sometimes she could pray with Devotion and discerning the Lord to remove this great Trouble from her she did plainly find that those great Temptations were very much lessened the which is a great Comfort unto her Spirit Believers Experiences p. 25. CHAP. XCI Satan Hurting by Dreams That God hath made use of Dreams and Visions of the Night to awaken Men to their Duty and a Sence of the Dangers they were in is demonstrated already and it is not unreasonable to believe that the Devil can in this Case too transform himself into an Angel of Light and impose upon the Imaginations of Men by strange deluding Fancies and Idea's formed on purpose to trick their Minds into a Snare and to allure them into some Trap of either Sin or Misery that he hath laid for them 1. King James the Fifth of Scotland was a great Enemy to the Light of the Gospel which in his Days broke forth in that Kingdom viz. about the Year 1541 and out of a blind and bloody Zeal was heard to say That none of that Sort should expect any Favour at his Hands no not his own Sons if they proved guilty But not long after Sir James Hamilton being suspected to incline that way was falsly accused of a Practice against the King's Life and being Condemned was Executed Shortly after the King being at Linlithgow on a Night as he slept it seemed to him That Thomas Scot Justice-Clerk came unto him with a Company of Devils crying Wo-worth the Day that ever I knew thee or thy Service for serving thee against God and against his Servants I am now adjudged to Hell torments Hereupon the King awaking called for Lights and causing his Servants to arise told them what he had heard and seen The next Morning by Day-light Advertisement was brought him of this Scot's Death which fell out just at the time when the King found himself so troubled and almost in the same manner for he died in great extremity often uttering these words Justo Dei Judicio comdemnatus sum by the righteous Judgment of God I am condemned Which being related to the King made the Dream more terrible 2. Another Vision he had in the same place not many Nights after which did more affright him Whilst he lay sleeping he thought He saw Sir James Hamilton whom he had caused to be Executed come with a Sword drawn in his Hand wherewith he cut off both his Arms threatning also to return within a short time and deprive him of his Life With this he awaked and as he lay musing what this might import News was brought him of the Death of his two Sons James and Arthur who died at St. Andrews and Strinling at one and the same Hour The next Year viz. 1542 being overcome with Grief and Passion himself died at Faulkland in the Thirty second Year of his Age. Arch-bishop Spoteswood 's History of the Church of Scotland Clark's Mirrour Ch. 7. p. 34 35. I am not sure that these particular Instances are properly placed under this Head I leave it to my wise and judicious Reader to consider whether or no these were Divine Admonitions or Satanical Illusions Mr. Clark hath accounted them as Satanical But 't is certain the Vulgar sort of People are so fond of observing their Dreams and some pretended wise Men and Women of a superstitious Kidney do promote this Fancy extreamly and undertake to prescribe Rules for the making a Judgment upon them and by that means do no small hurt to some weak hypochondriacal and melancholick Spirits How often shall we hear them whining out their Complaints upon the Account of some late Dream in expectation of some sad Disaster or Malady that they believe with much Confidence will befall them And sometimes fretting and pining to that extremity that no Comfort will down with them 'till the Date of their Dream be fully expired And I doubt not but Comfort will down with in promoting these silly and troublesome Conceits CHAP. XCII Satan Hurting by Witchcraft ATheism and Sadducism have got such Ground in the World of late Ages that 't is no vain Vndertaking to write of Devils and the Mischief done by them to Mankind by the Mediation of a sort of People that have Familiar Communion with them To transcribe all has been writ upon this Subject by Dr. More Mr. Glanvil Mr. Baxter Scheggius Remigius Delrio Mather c. would make up a large Volume enough to confute any whose Faces are not harder than Brass and their Hearts than Iron it shall be enough to say so much as shall suffice to convince those who are industrious enough to read patient enough to deliberate and have humility and honesty enough to be serious and impartial And as for the rest Qui vult Decipi decipiatur 1. In Pinola there were some who were much given to Witchcraft and by the Power of the Devil did act strange Things Amongst the rest there was one Old Woman named Martha de Carillo who had been by some of the Town formerly accused for Bewitching many but the Spanish Justices quitted her finding no sure Evidence against her with this grew worse and worse and did much harm when I was there two or three died withering away declaring at their Death That this Carillo had killed them and that they saw her often about their Beds threatning them with a frowning and angry Look the Indians for fear of her durst not complain against her nor meddle with her Whereupon I sent saith my Author unto Don Juan de Guzman the Lord of that Town that if he took not Order with her she would destroy the Town He hearing of it got for me a Commission from the Bishop and another Officer of the inquisition to make diligent and private Enquiry after her Life and Actions Which I did and found among the Indians many and grievous Complaints against her most of the Town affirming that she was certainly a most notorious Witch and that before her former Accusation she was wont to go as she had occasion about the Town with a Duck following her which when she came to the Church would stay at the Door 'till she came out again and then would return with her which Duck they imagined was her beloved Devil and Familiar Spirit for that they had often set Dogs at
of blasphemous Imitations of certain things recorded about our Saviour or the Prophets or the Saints in the Kingdom of God II. Secondly It seems an unaccountable thing how the Witches can render Themselves and Tools invisible or indeed how the Devils themselves can do it and yet that they do so is most undoubted Matter of Fact This strange Operation makes our Author think that Witchcraft principally consists in a Skill how to abuse the plastick Spirit of the World unto some unlawful Purposes by means of a Confederacy with Evil Spirits to whom Witches are engaged by a Magical Sacrament And here to confute those Persons that are so dogmatical against these Points he inserts three strange Instances of the Truth of them which I shall repeat in few words One of the bewitched People of whom he speaks pretending she was Assaulted by a Spectre with a Spindle though no body but she could see it at last in her Pains she gave a snatch at the Spectre and pulled away the Spindle which as soon as she got into her Hand became visible to others then present who found it to be a real solid iron Spindle belonging they knew to whom which though they locked up safe it was unaccountably stolen away again by Demons Secondly Another Woman was haunted by a very abusive Spectre that she said came to her in a Sheet at which she likewise giving a snatch tore away a Corner of it which in her Hand immediately became visible to a Room full of Spectators and was sound to be a palpable Corner of a Sheet Her Father who was then holding her catch'd that he might hold what his Daughter had so strangely seised but the unseen Spectre had like to have torn off his Hand endeavouring to wrest it from him However he still held it and has it says the Author as he supposes still it being but a few Hours before his Writing this it being at the beginning of October 1692. That this Accident happened in the Family of one Pitman at Manchester Thirdly A young Man delaying to procure Testimonials for his Parents who were in Prison upon suspicion of Witchcraft was persued with very odd Inconveniencies and once above the rest an Officer going to put his Brand on the Horns of some Cows that belonged to those People which though he had seised for their Debts yet he was willing to leave in their Possession for the subsistance of the poor Family This young Man helped him in holding the Cows thus to be Branded the first three Cows he held well enough but when the hot Brand was clapt upon the fourth he winced at such a rate that he could hold the Cow no longer and being asked the reason he said That at the same instant the Brand entred the Cows Horn he felt exactly the like burning Brand clapt upon his own Thigh and shewed the lasting Marks of it to such as desired to see them Now let our Sadducees unriddle these Phaenomena's if they can A third remarkable Curiosity is That the Execution of some of these Witches has been immediately attended with the strange Recovery of some Persons that had lain for many Years in a most sad Condition under they knew not what evil Hands And the Author inclines to believe That many of the Self-murders lately committed in those parts were the Effects of Witchcraft letting fly Demons to disturb the Minds of those poor Wretches because several who were before distracted and under the like Terrors of a despairing Humour and the like Temptations to Self-murther had marvellously recovered their Senses and a calmness of Mind upon the Execution of the late Witches Fourthly The frequent Apparitions of Ghosts of murdered People together with the Spectres of the Witches is another strange Remarkable and so much the stranger because all those People whose Ghosts have so seemed to appear to the bewitched Persons have been found in Fact to have died very unaccountably And no less astonishing is the frequent Apparitions of Ghosts even to other Persons not bewitched by which old Murthers have been revealed had considered of which our Author gives a very signal and fresh Instance concerning a poor Man lately prest to Death because he refused to plead for his Life which he Inserts in an Extract of a Letter written to the honourable Samuel Sewall Esq by one Mr. Putnam to which I refer you Having already insisted longer on this Matter than the Room we have here will well permit tho' I shall not think my Labour ill spent if it may serve but to convince any Unbeliever in the Points now so mainly contested about the Being and Operation of Spirits and other Wonders of the Invisible World CHAP. XCIII Satan Restrained in Hurting c. GOD only is Absolute and restrained with no Limits all the Creatures are dependent upon his Will tied with a Chain to his Throne they have Bounds set them Pillars of Non-ultra beyond which they may not pass And 't is well for us that not only Satan but all his Agents are in Chains that God hath set a Hook in Leviathan 's Jaws that he can move no whither without leave and permission for it would be a sad World if the Devil were absolute Ranger and Lord Paramount in it 1. Upon a time a certain Wizzard sent his Spirits to kill Ambrose but they returned Answer That God had hedged him in as he did Job Another came with his Sword to his Bed-side to have killed him but he could not stir his Hand 'till repenting he was by the Prayer of Ambrose restored to the Use of his Hands again Clark's Mar. of Eccl. Hist 2. Wolphius wrote to Skenkius That near Zurick the Devil vexed a Melancholly Woman and sollicited her to drown herself she went and sate long on the Flood-gate of a Pond at last by his Importunity she yielded saying If it must be so on Gods Name let it be so and cast herself into the Water where she lay three Hours on her Back and could not sink and being found and brought home her Body was light as Straw and she recovered her Health Hist Disc of Apparitions and Witches p. 97. 3. About the Year 1644. the Lord Grandison a Scottish Noble-man took up his Habitation for some time at Berwick upon Tweed and brought his Family with him in which amongst others was the Steward of his House who was a very Religious Man but was then very much afflicted in Mind among others Mr. Robert Balsam a very Religious Minister in those Parts came to Visit him and spake comfortably to him whereupon the Man's Tongue swelled out of his Mouth and a Voice came out of his Throat without any Motion of his Tongue saying What dost thou talk to him of Promises and Free Grace he is mine Mr. Balsom replying That Satan was a Lyar and bound and that the Blood of Christ cleanses us from all Sin Satan beginning to Curse Swear and Blaspheme in a most terrible manner Mr. Balsom
stretching out her Fingers to the full length used to swear by these Ten Bloody Bones This Woman had a Son called Stephen Maurice who was born with two Thumbs upon a Hand and he likewise marrying had several Children born in like manner with two Thumbs a-piece upon each Hand all which supernumerary Thumbs she in a bloody manner with her own Hand cut off This Woman assisted my Mother as Midwife when she brought me into the World W. T. 6. Sir Roger Mosson of Mosson in Flint-shire had a Coal-pit sunk pretty deep by some Workmen who discovered a good Mine of Coal but meeting with a Fire-damp were so affrighted that they deserted the Work At last a bold Fellow that was a notorious Swearer came and undertook to go on with it He with two or three more Men goes down into the Pit leaving the other Men near the Eye thereof whilst himself with a Candle lighted goes forward but presently was so attacked with the Fire-damp that the other Men were struck down with it in great amazement and had much adoe to recover themselves and an Engine of a vast bulk and weight that stood near the Eye of the Pit was carried up into the Air as high as the tops of some Trees that grew upon a Hill near adjoyning and the Man himself that went foremost with the Candle miserably and irrecoverably perished This I had out of the Philosophical Transactions printed some Years ago but in what Year particularly I remember not having not the Pamphlet by me at present 7. Anno Christi 1649. about the end of June there was a Soldier at Ware going with some others to wash himself in the River but finding the Water shallow he asked if there was no deeper a Place for him to swim in Some told him that there was not far off a deep Pit but that it was very dangerous and therefore advised him to take heed how he went into it To whom he answered God damn me if it be as deep as Hell I will go into it which accordingly he did but immediately sunk to the bottom never rising again but was there drowned Attested by good Witnesses Clark's Mirr c. 129. 8. One Mr. Barrington a great Swearer going forth a Hunting or Hawking on a Lord's-Day or a Festival and not speeding to his Mind came to an Ale-house at Puckrych Five Miles from Ware in the way to Cambridge and called for Drink beginning to swear after his unhappy Custom saying By God's Blood this is an unlucky Day and presently after he bled at the Nose which so vexed him that he began to rail and blaspheme the Name of God swearing Passion Wounds Flesh Nails Blood and Body c. till at last he proceeded farther to bleed at the Ears Eyes Wrists joynts of his Hands and of all his Body at the Navil and Fundament in a wonderful great Quantity and Streams of Blood blaring out his Tongue in a fearful manner as black as Pitch so that no Person durst come near him This continued faith my Author till the Devil and Death made an end of him Next day the Body was laid on a Cart carried to Stondâ—n and buried in the High-way Mr. Batman in his Doom warning to the Judgment p. 418. Who saith he had it from Mr. Barrington's wife afterward married to Mr. Carington in Cambridge CHAP. CVII Divine Judgments upon Sabbath-breakers AS God requires us to Remember the Sabbath-Day so as to keep it Holy so himself Remembers them that dare to Profane it The Child that gathered Sticks on that Day among the Israelites in the early Times of the Mosaick Oeconomy was by the Order of God himself stoned to Death And as he began to shew his Severity betimes in the Punishing of this Sin so he hath continued to the present Age to shew his great Displeasure against it insomuch that I think King James was much in the right when he caused his Declaration for Sports upon that Day to be torn out of his printed Volume of Writings where it is not now to be seen 1. A certain Nobleman profaning the Sabbath usually in Hunting had a Child by his Wife with a Head like a Dog and with Ears and Chaps crying like a Hound 2. Stratford upon Avon was twice on the same Day Twelve month being the Lord's-Day almost consumed with Fire chiefly for Profaning the Lord's-Day and Contemning his Word in the Mouth of his Faithful Minister 3. Feverton in Devonshire whose Remembrance makes my Heart bleed was oftentimes admonished by her Godly Preachers that God would bring some heavy Judgment on the Town for their horrible Profanation of the Lord's-Day occasioned chiefly by the Market on the Day following Not long after his Death on the 3d. of April Anno Dom. 1598. God in less than half an Hour consumed with a sudden and fearful Fire the whole Town except only the Church the Court-House and the Alms-Houses or a few poor Peoples Dwellings where a Man might have seen Four Hundred Dwelling-Houses all at once on fire and above Fifty Persons consumed by the Flame Not many Years after this a Misfortune of the like nature befell the Town again for on the Fifth Day of August 1612. Fourteen Years since the former Fire it was again fired and all consumed except some Thirty Houses of poor People with the School-House and Alms-Houses They are blind which see not in this the Finger of God God grant them Grace when it is next built to change their Market-Day and to remove all Occasions of Profaning the Lord s-Day Let other Towns remember the Tower of Siloe Luke 13.4 and take Warning by their Neighbours Chastisements Fear God's Threatnings Jerem. 17.27 And believe God's Prophets if they will prosper 1 Chron. 20.20 Thus far Dr. Bread in his Theatre of God s Judgments p. 419 420. 4. Mr. Smythyes Curate of St. Giles's Cripplegate in the Confession and Discovery of a Condemned Prisoner executed May the 25th 1687 for Theft saith that it was his Earnest Desire That all young Men especially should take care not to mispend the Lord's-day And I do now know saith he that ever I observed any Repentance in a Condemned Malefactor who did not bitterly lament his Neglect of his Duty to God on that Day 5. Edmund Kirk Vintner executed at Tyburn July 11. 1684. for murdering his Wife in his Confession acknowledged himself frequently guilty of Profaning the Lord's-Day Vpon which Holy Day saith he I committed the hainous Sin of murdering my poor Wife Thus Sin was punished with Sin a Less with a Greater and the Greater with the Gallows and that Greater committed near the same Gallows And himself confessed That he had to his Wife asking whilst she passed by what Place that was told it was Tyburn where John Gower was lately hanged for killing his Wife O Lord how dear to me thy Counsels are but how just and terrible are thy Judgments 6. Famous and memorable also is that Example which happened at
They brought to me the Man himself and when we ask'd him how he dared to sin again after such a Warning he had no Excuse But being a Person of Quality for some special Reason of Worldly Interest I must not name him Hist Disc of Apparitions and Witches p. 60. 27. Mr. William Rogers an Apothecary of Crancbrook in Kent exceeding much given to Drinking and Sabbath-breaking though a Young Man of a sweet and pleasing Temper was often admonished and perswaded by Mr. Robert Abbot Minister of the Place to come to Church but had often promised and failed But one Lord's-day in the Morning when he said he was ready to come he was taken sick and betook him to his Bed but it proving only an Ague next Morning he betook him to his old course again Next Week the Messenger of Death came in earnest Mr. Abbot addressed himself to him in his Chamber with these words Oh! how often have you deceived God your own Soul and me and what is now to be done I fear you will die and then what will become of you His Sickness prevailed and there was too great a Fire kindled in his Breast to be smothered it burned in his own Soul and it lightened from his Heart and Lips into the Ears and Hearts of those about him One while he cries out of his sins saying I have been a fearful Drunkard pouring in one Draught after another till one Draught could not keep down another I now would be glad if I could take the least of God's Creatures which I have abused I have neglected my Patients which have put their Lives in my hands and how many Souls have I thus murdered I have wilfully neglected God's House Service and Worship and tho' I purposed to go God strikes me thus before the day of my Promise comes because I am unworthy to come among God's People again Another while he falls to wishing Oh! that I might burn a long time in that Fire pointing to the Fire before him so I might not burn in Hell Oh! that God would grant me but one Year or a Month that the World might see with what an heart I have promised to God my Amendment Oh! that God would try me a little but I am unworthy Another while to his Companions Be warned by me to forsake your wicked ways lest you go to Hell as I must do Calls his young Servant tells him that he had been a wicked Master to him But be warned by me saith he you have a Friend that hath an Iron Furnace which burns hot a long time but if you give your self to my sins you shall be burned in the Furnace of Hell an hotter Furnace Millions of Millions of Ages The Minister propounding to him the Gospel-Promises of the largest size he cried It is too late I must be burned in Hell He pressed him with Tears not to cast away that Soul for which Christ died c. He answered He had cast off Christ and therefore must go to Hell In short at last in idleness of Thoughts and Talk he ended his miserable Life See the Narrative published by Mr. Abbot the Minister Or A Pamphlet called A Warning-piece to Drunkards p. 31 32. 28. Nathanael Butler was first addicted to Drunkenness Gaming Purloining and Fornication before he committed that Murder upon his Friend John Knight in Milk-street London 1657. for which he was afterwards condemned to the Gallows and executed 29. Tho. Savage used to spend the Sabbath at an Ale-House or a Base House and was that very Morning made Drunk by his Harlot with burnt Brandy when perswaded to Murder his Fellow-Servant for which he was executed at Ratcliff 1668. CHAP. CXXIV Divine Judgments upon Uncleanness Inordinate Love c. BIshop Latimer is said to have presented King Henry the VIII a new Testament wrapp'd up in a Napkin for a New Year's Gift with this Poesie about it Fornicators and Adulterers God will judge 'T was boldly done and the Admonition tho' very biting and pungent yet had the Word of God for its Basis and Foundation For to touch a little upon the History of this Sin 1. Eli's Sons 1 Sam. 2. David 2 Sam. 11. The two Women 1 King 3.16 may go for Scriptural Examples all faulty this way and all punished yea Solomon himself no doubt paid dear for his Polygamy and Concubinage not to except Jacob among the Patriarch's who was most crossed in his Children of any as I have noted before in this Book 2. Henry the VIII and our late King Charles the II. may be worthy of the Reader 's Remark 3. A. C. 1544. Henry Duke of Brunswick had for his Wife the Sister of Vlrick Duke of Wirtemberg who had for one of her Wairing-Maids one Eve Trottin with whose Beauty the Duke was so desperately smitten that after some Sollicitations he had several Children by her But after some time unknown to his Wife and her Friends he shut her up in his Castle of Stauffeburg and appoints two Women to lay a wooden Image representing her in her Bed giving out that Eve was sick at last this Image was laid up in a Coffin and it was pretended that Eve was dead The Counterfeit Corps was carried forth to be buried with all the usual Pomp and Ceremonies of a Funeral Prayers and Sacrifices The Dutchess and her Maids and other Companies of Virgins were present at the Solemnity all in mourning Apparel In the mean time Eve was kept in the Castle and the Duke had seven Children by her afterwards But at last the Imposture was brought to light to the perpetual Shame and Ignominy of the Duke with what ill Consequences more I cannot inform my self Sleidan's Commentar l. 15. 4. Childeric King of France was so odious for his Adulteries that his Nobles conspired against him and drove him out of the Kingdom Clark's Exampl Vol. I. c. 2. 5. Sir Robert Carr made afterwards Viscount Rochester a Minion of King James the I. and one of the Privy-Council falling in Love with the Countess of Essex who being married with Robert Earl of Essex both at Twelve Years of Age had lived above Ten Years without any carnal Knowledge one of another to make way for a Marriage with the same Countess procures the Commitment of Sir Tho. Overbury to the Tower because he discouraged Rochester from the said Match and at last his Death Upon which followed a Divorce between the Countess and the Earl her Husband a Creation of Rochester Earl of Somerset a Consummation of the Marriage between Rochester and the Countess of Essex a Celebration of the Wedding with the presence of the King Queen Prince and a great Confluence of Bishops and Nobles a gallant Masque of Lords and afterwards another Masque of the Princes Gentlemen which out-did this a Treat afterwards at Merchant's-Hall where the Mayor and Aldermen in their Gowns entertained the Bride and Bridegroom with the Attendance of the Duke of Lenox the Lord Privy-Seal the Lord-Chamberlain
my Dagger into the very Body of God as far as I can Now Fortune failed him as before wherefore forthwith he drew his Dagger and taking it by the Point threw it against Heaven with all his strength Behold the Dagger vanish away and five drops of Blood distilled upon the Table before them and without all delay the Devil came in place and carried away the Blasphemous Wretch with such force and noise that the whole City was amazed and astonished thereat The other two half beside themselves with Fear strove to wipe away the drops of Blood out of the Table but the more they wiped it the more clearly it appeared The Rumour of this Accident flew into the City and caused the People to flock thick and threefold unto the Place where they found the other two Gamesters washing the Blood off from the Board whom by the Decree of the Senate they bound with Chains and carried towards the Prison but as they passed with them through a Gate of the City one of them was stricken suddenly dead in the midst of them with such a number of Lice and Worms creeping out of him that it was both wonderful and loathsom to behold The third they themselves without any further Inquisition or Tryal to avert the Indignation which seemed to hang over their Heads put incontinently to Death The Table they took and preserved it for a Monument to Witness unto Posterity both what an accursed Pastime Dicing is and also what great Inconveniences and Mischiefs grow thereby Jo. Fincel Andr. Musc in Diabol Blasph Mand. 4. Breach of Sab. l. 1. c. 35. Mand. 3. l. 1. c. 31. Beard 's Theat c. 43. 3. In the Year 1550. There lived in Alsatia one Adam Steckman who got his Living by dressing Vines This Man having received his Wages lost it all at Dice whereupon he grew so distempered in Mind wanting wherewithal to maintain his Family that in his Wife's Absence he cut his three Children's Throats and would have hanged himself but that his Wife coming in and seeing this pitiful Tragedy gave a great out-cry and fell down dead whereupon the Neighbours coming in apprehended the Man who by the Law was adjudged to a cruel Death Fincel l. 2. 4. The Turks tho' they often Game yet 't is always for nothing M. de Theo. 5. The Chinese delight excessively in all sorts of Game and when they have lost are not tho' they stake Wives and Children whom they willingly part with till they can Redeem them Sir Tho. Herb. 6. At Dâ—rmstadt Anno 1403. at the Twenty Third Tournament that was held in Germany the Gentlemen of Franconia and those of Hesse drew so much Blood one of another that there remained dead upon the place Seventeen of the former and Nine of the latter Dr. Brown 's Travels p. 175. 7. Concerning the Olympick Games of Greece at which they met from all Parts of the Country and the Pastimes of Rome see Godwin's Antiqu. and Galtruchius's History of the Heathen Gods with Mar. D' Assigny's Notes 8. It is a Capital Crime among the Japonese to Play for Money Tavernier's Collect. c. p. 4. 9. Mr. Roger Ascham School-Master to Queen Elizabeth and her Secretary for the Latin Tongue being too much addicted to Dicing and Cock-fighting lived and died a poor Man Camb. Eliz. 10. Tertullian tells of a Christian Woman who going to the Theatre was possessed by a Devil who at his casting out being asked how he durst set upon a Christian Answered I found her on mine own Ground Dr. Cave 's Primitive Christian 11. The Great King S. Lewis hearing that the Count of Anjou his Brother and Monsieur Gautier of Nemours were at Play arose sick out of his Bed and went staggering to their Chambers and taking the Tables Dice and part of the Money cast them all out of the Window into the Sea and was much moved at them Sir Fran. Sale 's Introd c. 12. Mr. Bruen of Stapleford being convinced that he and his Family had immoderately used Gaming in his House and being troubled at the mispence of time upon such Vanities when the Maid was hearting the Oven one day with great Resolution he fetch'd his Cards Dice Table c. and put them in the Oven and burnt them In his Life Here it will not be amiss to take notice of the several Laws Canons and Constitutions made to restrain the immoderate use of Gaming I. Civil Constitutions of the Roman Empire I. Since it hath been Anciently allowed to Soldiers when not employed to play at Dice the Emperor complains that all do play at that time and spend their Patrimony in Playing and therein utter Blasphemies against God therefore he Decrees That it shall be Lawful for no body to Play or to be a Spectator of those that do C. de Relig. sumpt funer Martyr in Ind. c. 14. Nay these Games were forbid to be used either in Publick or Private Dan. de aleâ c. 7. They were amerced four-fold for the Money lost in them Ascon in Divin 2. Cic. And denied Relief if wronged Pandect 11. tit 5. 2. Bishops Priests and Deacons are forbid to play at Tables or to look upon them that do play if they did otherwise they were to be thrust into a Monastery for three Years Justinian in authent Collat. 9. tit 15. in God l. 1. tit 6. leg 18. 3. In our own Nation all Dicing is generally forbidden 1 Rich. 2. Dicers punished with six days Imprisonment 21 Hen. 4. With sitting in the Stocks 11 Hen. 7. Keepers of Dice-play with three Years Imprisonment Players with two 17 Edw. 4. 4. In the State of Geneva the very making of Dice is condemned Babington on the Eighth Commandment II. Ecclesiastical Canons 1. The Canons of the Apostles so called deprive every Clergy-man given to Dice or Drunkenness unless he reform Can. 42 43. Accordingly a certain Clerk in the Decretal is found deposed for being a Dicer and an Usurer De excess Prelat c. Inter Disect Decr. l. 5. t. 31. c. 11. 2. A General Council at Rome under Innocent III. forbids Clergy-men either Dice or Huckle-bones either to play with or to be present c. De vit honest Cler. c. Clerici Decret l. 3. t. 1. c. 13. 3. Another General Council at C P. under the Emperor Justinian prohibits all in general as well Lay-men as Clerks to Play ever after at Dice under pain of Excommunication Synod Constantinop 6. c. 50. 4. A Spanish Council held at Eliberis suspends every Christian Man from the Lord's Table that shall Play at Dice or at Tables for a Twelve month Conc. Elib c. 79. 5. Two French Synods one at Rochel the other at Nimaux condemn and prohibit the use of these Games in general Babington on Command 8. 13. The Lord Fitz-Girald a little before his Death which was Anno 1580 wrote a Penitential Sonnet concerning his former Gaming which is to be seen in a Pamphlet called The Nicker nicked CHAP.
cast his Child into the Fire and the Child afterwards sicken'd and died The Leper cleansed p. 17. For this Act he was suspended again Ibid. 37. James Naylor a Blasphemous Quaker was burnt in the Tongue at Bristol 38. Jo. Collins and Tho. Reeve Ranters for calling a Cup of Ale the Blood of Christ and saying They could go into the House of Office and make a God every Morning c. were in the Old-Bailey Fined and Sentenced to Six Months Imprisonment Tho. Kendal in Drury-Lane affirming there was no God or Hell fell down dead See the Tryals Printed by B. Alsop 1651. Muggleton was condemned to the Pillory and â—ined 500 l. 1676. CHAP. CXXXIX Divine Judgments upon Wizards Witches and Charmers c. IT is worthy of a very serious Consideration That those very People who leave the God of Israel and think to better themselves by Idols or Corrivals and a superstitious Adbesion to them either the World or the Devil or any other Pretender never got any thing by such Methods but to be deluded in their Hopes and sink under the Vanity of their foolish and wicked Curiosity When did we ever see a Wizard Rich Or a Curioso Prosperous I mean a Curioso in the worst sense Or an Atheist make a Comfortable Exit out of the World I grant sometimes by the Leave of him that Rules the World and the Industry of Satan present Advantages may possibly accrew and do too often to be Worshippers of Mammon but generally when the Blot is great and the Criminal notorious God looks upon it as conducive to his Honour and necessary in point of Justice and Wisdom to strike openly and leave a Mark of Ignominy upon such gross Delinquents Read what follows and ye will agree with me in judgment 1. Concerning John Faustus Dr. d ee and Edward Kelley c. See the Chapter of Divine Judgments upon Curiosity 2. A. C. 1553. Two Women were taken who with a Tempest Hail and Frost design'd to destroy all the Corn in the Country but being found cutting a Neighbour's Child in pieces to boil in a Cauldron in order to the making of a Magical Ointment for the purpose were put to Death Beard 's Theatr. p. 419. 3. At Ihena in Germany or near it An. 1558. a Magician that had used to cure Diseases by the Composition of Herbs was for poisoning of a Carpenter whom he had a Quarrel with a little before examined before the Senate confessed the Murder and was burnt at a Stake Ibid. 4. Cleomandes a Conjurer in Rome for practising Death upon many little Children was sought for by the Parents but having shut himself up close in a Coffer and they breaking it open the Devil carried him away Plutarch 5. Piso being accused by Tiberius for bewitching Germanicus to Death cut his own Throat Tacit. Ann. 6. One Otto a Dane who by his Devilish Art used to raise Storms was at last by one more Expert drowned in the Seas himself 7. A Conjurer in Saltzburg attempting to draw all the Serpents in the Country into a Ditch and feed them there was by the old Serpent the Devil drawn in amongst them and perished miserably Clarks Exampl Vol. I. c. 8. 8. The Governour of Mascon a great Magician as he was at Dinner with some Company was snatched away by the Devil hoisted up into the Air and carried three times about the Town to the great Astonishment of the Inhabitants to whom he cried for help but all in vain Ibid. Ex Hug. de Clun An. 1437. Sir Giles Britaine Hight-Constable of France having murdered above 160 Infants and Women great with Child and wrote Conjuring-Books with their Blood which was proved against him was adjudged to be hanged and burnt to Death Ibid. p. 37. 10. Picus Mirandula writes That in his time a great Conjurer promised a certain Prince that he would present to him the Siege of Troy with Hercules and Achilles fighting together as when alive but being at his Conjurations the Devil carried him away that he was never heard of after Ibid. 11. The Lord of Orve in Lorrain used to feast Noblemen splendidly but fraudulently with all sorts of Dainties so that at parting they found their Stomachs empty having eat nothing was often seen scourged by a Monkey sometimes lying along upon his Table and begging of the Monkey Let me alone Wilt thou always torment me at this rate At last in great Misery and Beggary he was forc'd to get into an Hospital in Paris where he ended his wretched Life Ibid. 12. An. 1530. A Popish Priest digging for a Treasure in a hollow Pit of the City which the Devil had directed him to found at last a Coffer with a black Dog lying by it which whilst he was looking upon the Earth fell upon him and rushed him to death Wierus 13. Cornelius Agrippa a great Necromancer always attended with a familiar Spirit like a black Dog his End approaching he takes off the inchanted Collar from the Dog's Neck saying Be gone thou cursed Beast thou hast utterly undone me After which the Dog vanish'd and he died miserably Clark ex Paul Jovio 14. An. 1578. Simon Pembroke of St. George's Parish in London being suspected for a Conjurer and one that used to erect Figures being questioned for it as he was before the Judge he fell down and died having some Conjuring-Books found about him Clark Ibid. 15. A Sicilian called Lyodor for using Charms and Spells transforming Men into Beasts and other Shapes doing Mischief to the People of Catania charming himself out of the Hangman's Hands being carried in the Air to Constantinople and back again c. was at last by Leo Bishop of Catania seized before all the People who admired him and burnt alive in a hot Furnace Schot Phil. Curios c. 16. Ann. Bodenham of Fisherton-Anger near Salisbury a Witch for predicting things to come helping People to stolen Goods c. was executed at Salisbury 1653. Edm. Bowyer 's Narrative 17. An. 1642. One Mother Jackson for bewitching one Mary Glover in Thames-street a Merchant's Daughter was arraigned and condemned at Newgate 18. John Contius an Alderman of Pentich in Silesia near 60 Years of Age being invited to the Mayor's Supper after the ending of a certain Controversie between some Waggoners and a Merchant gets leave first to go home to order some Concerns leaving this Sentence behind him It 's good to be Merry whilst we may For Mischiefs grow fast enough e'ry Day Going home and looking upon the Hoof of one of his Geldings he was so struck that he complained he was all on fire fell sick complained loudly and despairingly of his Sins but would have no Divine to come to him The Night he died a Black Cat opened the Casement with her Nails scratched his Face and Bolster and so vanishing away he breathed his last A violent Storm of Wind arose a Spirit in the shape of Contius appeared in the Town that would have ravish d a
Monster yet often viewing will make it familiar and free it from distaste Walk every day with Joseph a turn or two in thy Garden with Death and thou shalt be well acquainted with the Face of Death but shalt never feel the Sting of Death Death is black but comely Philostrates lived Seven Years in his Tomb that he might be acquainted with it against his Bones came to lie in it Some Philosophers have been so wrapp'd in this Contemplation of Death and Immortality that they discourse so familiarly and pleasingly of it as if a fair Death were to be preferâ—◠〈◊〉 a pleasant Life 1. King Xerxes standing on a Mountain and having many Hundred thousand of his Soldiers standing in the Plain fell a weeping to think upon it how in a few Years he and all those gallant valiant Men must die Adam he lived 930 Years and he died Enoch he lived 965 Years and he died Methusalem lived 967 Years and he died Oh the longest Day hath its Night and in the end Man must die Maximilian the Emperor made his Coffin always to be carried along with him to this end that his high Dignity might not make him forget his Mortality Joseph the Jew in his best Health made his Stone Coffin be cut out in his Garden to put him in mind of his Ego abeo I go hence The Persians they buried their dead in their Houses to put the whole Houshold in mind of the same Lot Semel mori once to die Simonides when commanded to give the most wholsome Rule to live well willed the Lacedoemonian Prince ever to bear in mind Se tempore brevi moriturum E're long he must die I have read of a sort of People that used dead Mens Bones for Money and the more they have they are counted the more Rich Herein consists my richest Treasure to bear that about me that will make me all my Life remember my End Great Sultan Saladin Lord of many Nations and Languages commanded upon his Death-bed that one should carry upon a Spear's point through all his Camp the Flag of Death and to proclaim for all his Wealth Saladin hath nought left but this Winding-sheet An assured Ensign of Death triumphing over all the Sons of Adam I uncloath my self every Night I put off all but what may put me in mind of my Winding-sheet Anaxagoras having Word brought him his only Son was dead his Answer was Scio me genuisse mortalem I know he was born to die Philip of Macedon gave a Boy a Pension every Morning to say to him Philippe memento te hominem esse Philip remember thou art a Man and therefore must die When I was a young Man saith Seneca my care was to live well I then practised the Art of Well-living When Age came upon me I then studied the Art of Dying well Platonius in Stobelas 'T is not enough saith he to spend the present Day well unless thou spendest it so as if it were to be thy last Caesar Borgias being sick to Death said When I lived I provided for every thing but Death now I must die and am unprovided to die A Man saith Luther lives Forty Years before he knows himself to be a Fool and by that time he sees his Folly his Life is finished So Men die before they begin to live When dying then sin if you can said Picus Mirandula In Sardis there grew an Herb called Appium Sardis that would make a Man lie laughing when he was deadly sick Such is the Operation of Sin Beware therefore of this Risus Sardonicus Laughter of Sardis Commonly good Men are best at last even when they are dying It was a Speech worthy the Commendation and frequent Remembrance of so divine a Bishop as Augustine which is reported of an aged Father in his time who when his Friends comforted him on his Sick Bed and told him they hoped he should recover answered If I shall not die at all well but if ever why not now Surely it is Folly what we must do to do unwillingly I will never think my Soul in a good case so long as I am loath to think of dying There is no Spectacle in the World so profitable or more terrible than to behold a dying Man to stand by and see a Man dismanned Curiously didst thou make me in the lowest part of the earth saith David But to see those Elements which compounded made the Body to see them divided and the Man dissolved is a rueful sight Every dying Man carries Heaven and Earth wrapped up in his Bosom and at this time each part returns homeward Certainly Death hath great dependency on the course of Man's Life and Life it self is as frail as the Body which it animates Augustus Caesar accounted that to be the best Death which is quick and unexpected and which beats not at our doors by any painful Sickness So often as he heard of a Man that had a quick passage with little sense of pain he wished for himself that Euthanesie While he lived he used to set himself between his two Friends Groans and Tears When he died he called for his Looking-glass commanded to have his Hair and Beard kembed his rivelled Cheeks smoothed up then asking his Friends if he acted his part well when they answered Yes Why then says he do you not all clap your hands for me Happy is he who always and in every place so lives as to spend his every last moment of Light as if Day were never to return Epictetus most wisely teaching this Death saith he and Banishment and all that we look upon as Evils let them be daily set before thy Eyes but of all most chiefly Death So shalt thou think upon nothing that is too low nor too ardently covet any thing The Day-Lily is a Flower whose Beauty perishes in a Day There is also a Bird haunts the River Hypanis called Haemorobios or the Bird of one Day ending its Life the same Day that it begins dying with the dying Sun and travelling thro' the Ages of Childhood Youth and Old Age in one Day In the Morning it is hatch'd at Noon it flourishes in the Evening it grows old and dies But this is more to be wonder'd at in that winged Creature that it makes no less Provision for one little Day than if it were to live the Age of a Crow or a Raven To this little Animal the Life of Man is most fitly to be compar'd It inhabits by the River of Gliding Time but more fleet than either Bird or Arrow And often only one Day determines all its Pomp oft-times an Hour and as often a Moment We ambitiously desire great Names and without any prejudice to our Ears we hear the Titles of Magnificent most Illustrious Happy Pious Most Potent Most August Most Invincible the Best the Greatest What can we do more unless we should imitate Sapor King of the Persians in an Epistle which he thus began to Constantine the Emperor Sapor King
and encompassed the Guests with Funeral Salutations They supped in the mean time with a deep silence Domitian in the mean time began a Discourse relating to nothing but Death and Funerals While the Guests in the extremity of Terror were ready to die for fear What then Domitian thought he had given wholsom Admonition to himself and the Senators Abraham that great Person when he by the Command of God had been forced as a Pilgrim to wander from place to place minded nothing more than the Purchase of a Burying-place that he would have to be so surely his own that he might possess it by all the Right and Law imaginable For this reason he paid down the Money demanded of the Seller Currant Money among the Merchants Nor was it enough for him that the Purchase should be publickly made he required that all the Inhabitants of the Country should be Witnesses of the Bargain Whereby that Person of high Credit intimated that nothing is more a Man's Property than his Sepulchre which he may truly above any thing else call his own according to the Example of Abraham the best of Men always reckoning it among their chiefest Cares to take care of their Sephlchres The Emperor Maximilian the First three Years before he died caused his Coffin made of Oak to be put up in a great Chest and carried along with him where-ever he went and provided by his Will that his Body should be put into it wrapt in Linen without any Embalming or Disembowelling his Nose Mouth and Ears only being filled with Quick-lime What meant that great Personage Only to have his Monument always in his sight to give him this continual Document Think upon Death that it should also further say wherefore dost thou amplifie and extol thy self wherefore doâ—t thou possess so much and covet more Thee whom so many Provinces and Kingdoms will not contain a little Chest must hold But why did he put the Lime into those hollow parts Behold the Spices that Embalmed him Maximilian that thou wert great thy Actions declare but this more especially before thy Death What need I call to mind the Bier of Ablavius who being Captain of the Pretorian Bands a Prince among the Courtiers of Constantine the Great an insatiable devourer of Gold which he thought upon more than his Tomb. This Person Constantine taking by the Hand How long said he Friend shall we heap up Treasure And speaking those words with the Spear that he held in his Hand he drew out the form of a Coffin in the Dust and then proceeding Though thou hadst all the Riches in the World yet after thou art dead a Place or Chest no bigger than this which I have here marked out must contain thee if so large a piece of Ground do come to thy Lot Constantine was a Prophet for Ablavius being cut into bits had not a piece left big enough to be buried The Emperor Charles the Fifth of Famous Memory most piously imitating that Maximiliâ—n whom I have mentioned long before his Death withdrew himself of his own accord from Publick Affairs and having resigned his Cares to his Young and Vigorous Son shut himself up in the Monastery of St. Justus in Spain only with Twelve of his Domesticks applying himself to Religious Duties He forbid himself to be called by any other Name than Charles and disclaiming with Business the Names of Caesar and Augustus contemned whatever savoured of Honourable Title This also is farther reported that long before the Resignation of his Empire he caused a Sepulchre to be made him with all its Funeral Furniture which was privately carried about with him where-ever he went This he had five Years by him in all places even when he marched against the French to Milan causing it every Night to be placed in his Chamber Some that waited on him imagin'd the Chest had been full of Treasure others full of Ancient Histories some thought one thing some another But Caesar well knowing what it contained and wherefore he carried it about smiling said that he carried it with him for the use of a thing which was most dear to him in the World Thus Charles continually thought upon Death and every day could say I have lived rising every day to Heavenly Gain Many others have happily imitated Charles the Emperor who have been used twice every day to contemplate their Coffins the Monument of their Death Genebald Bishop of Laudanum lay in a Bed made like a Coffin for seven Years together all which time he lived a most severe Life Ida a Woman of applauded Sanctity long before her Death caused her Coffin to be made which twice a day she filled full of Bread and Meat which she twice a day gave liberally to the Poor The study of Vertue is the best Preparation for Death No Death can defile Vertue He easily contemns all things who always meditates upon this That he is to die I am told of a worthy Person now living in London who keeps his Coffin by him and has done so for a considerable time Mrs. Parry an Ancient Gentlewoman kept her Coffin by her several Years she lived in the Town of Bergavenny in Wales On LIFE Life is a Dream a Bubble Ice a Flower and Glass A Fable Ashes and the fading Grass A Shadow a small Point a Voice a Sound A blast of Wind at length 't is nothing found Sc. Ambrose having received the News of his Death when his Friends bewailed him and begg'd of God to grant him a longer space of Life I have not lived as to be ashamed to live among you neither do I fear to die because we have a gracious God St. Austin nothing troubled at the News of his Death He never shall be great saith he who thinks it strange that Stones and Wood fall and that Mortals die St. Chrysostom a little before his Death in Exile wrote to Innocentius We have been these three Years in Banishment exposed to Pestilence Famine continual Incursions unspeakable Solitude and continual Death But when he was ready to give up the Ghost he cryed out aloud Glory be to thee O God for all things Aemylius and Plutarch at the approach of the Theban Exile being reported to the Magistrates of the Thebans they being in the midst of their Jollity took no notice of it At the same time Letters being brought to the Chief Magistrate wherein all the Counsels of the Exiles were discovered and delivered to him at the same Banquet he laid them under his Cushion sealed as they were saying I deferr serious Business till to Morrow But this deferrer of Business with all his Friends was that Night surprized and killed Thus Death uses to surprize those that delay while they deliberate while they muse while they deferr he comes and strikes with his unlook'd-for Dart. St. Austin a most faithful Monitor thus instructs one that promises I will live to Morrow God has promised thee Pardon but neither God nor Man has promised
ghostly Child but notwithstanding let the Superiors of the Society bury it where they list Of the Temporal Things granted me by the Apostolick See or gotten any other way I dispose in this manner I nominate and make my general Heir the House of the professed Fathers in Rome of the Society of Jesus of which Order I was but first of all I will that my Debts he paid if there be any and all Duties discharged to whom they are due then for Forty Days as is the Fashion let there be given to my Family such things as pertain to their Diet that is to say so much as is allotted them in Money for their Bread Wine and Victuals I am able to leave them nothing else because I desired this leave of making my Will to bestow all I had on pious Uses as Churches and Poor People and for that cause gave every one of them Wages or some Allowance beside their Diet. Let there be restored unto my own Brother or his Heirs an Image in a Frame of Robert Clement VIII Let there be given to my Nephew Angelo also a little Picture in a Frame of Robert Cardinal de Nobilibus and one of the two in Frames of S. Charles Borromeus and one of the little Crosses which I wear about my Neck with the Relicks that are in it Let there be restored to the Roman College Six Tomes of the Annals of Baronius which it lent me that the other Six of mine might be given to the same for on this Condition I received of the College the first Six Tomes which was given thereunto in my Name by the Author himself that after my death I should leave them all his Works entire To the sam College I leave one of my three best Vestments with the Stole and Manuple which they please also all my Writings and my whole Library unless it shall please our most Reverend F. General to bestow the Library upon some other House of the Society that is in greater Want To our Blessed Lady's Church in Via which is my Titular I leave another of my three best Vestments such as it shall please mine Heir to give I leave no more to that Church because as the Friars know I have been at great Charge in Building of the same and they requested that of me in lieu of other Ornaments which I had determined to have brought them Whatsoever else doth belong unto me or shall belong whether Immoveables Moveables living Things Duties or Debts owing to me whether Sacred belonging to the Chapel or Profane belonging to my Wardrobe or to my Cellars or other Places whether ready Money or whatsoever else I will as is said that all intirely belong to the Heir viz. to the House of the Professed Fathers in Rome And I appoint and nominate the same for Heir in all and every of these Things For the Help of my Soul I leave or prescribe nothing because very little will come unto my Heir as I suppose seeing I never took care to heap up Money or gather Wealth as also for that I trust or rather know the pious Charity of my Mother the Society of Jesus will not be wanting to help me as it is never wanting to other of her Children and as my self have never been wanting all my Life-time to offer Sacrifices and Prayers for such as were departed out of the same I nominate for Honour's sake my most Illustrious and Reverend Lord Cardinal Aldobrandino for the Executor of this my last Will. I hope there will need no labour in the Execution thereof And I leave unto the said most Illustrious Lord than which have nothing more dear a wooden Cross filled with most precious Relicks the Names of which he shall find in a little Desk covered with red Silk This Will and Testament I will have to stand in force the former two being annulled which in all things and for all I revoke make void and annul notwithstanding this Will hath not perhaps been made with wonted Solemnities as the Law requireth for the Bull of Clement VIII in which leave is given me to make my Will doth expressly grant me this Liberty and further to make it by simple Letter or any other Writing subscribed with my own Hand I Robert Bellarmine do Dispose Ordain Bequeath and Appoint by Testament as above not only in the aforesaid but in any other better form whatsoever Jan. 23. 1611. In his Sickness he used often to kiss a little Cross of Silver and therewith to bless himself and mutter over some Prayers In his last Hours after the Pater-Noster and Ave Maria repeated over and over again together with the Creed he breathed his last Sept. 17. about Six or Seven in the Morning In the Relation of his Death published by J. C. 1621. I put this Copy of Bellarmine's Will the rather in this Place to oppose it to Calvin's mentioned before because Opposites set one against another give the greater Light one to another I might have set down a Parcel of Luther's Will too Lord I thank thee that thou wouldst have me live a poor and indigent Life upon Earth I have neither House nor Land nor Possessions nor Money to leave Thou Lord hast given me Wife and Children them Lord I give back to thee c. See the Chapt. of Good Pastors c. Luther had a Wife and Children but no Estate to leave them Calvin's Inventory according to Computation amounted not to above a Hundred Pound Bellarmine's seems to consist mostly in a Library of Books Vestments and Pictures 13. Oecolampadius in the 49th Year of his Age falling sick of an Ulcer that broke forth about the Os sacrum sent for the Ministers of the Church and bespake them to this purpose Oh my Brethren the Lord is come He is come he is now calling me away c. I desired to speak with you to encourage you to continue faithful Followers of Christ to persevere in Purity of Doctrine in Lives conformable to the Word of God Christ will take care for the Defence of his Church therefore Let your Lights so shine before Men c. Continue in Love unfeigned walk as in God's Presence adorn your Doctrine with Holiness of Life A Cloud is arising a Tempest is coming and some will fall off but it becomes you to stand fast and God will assist you c. For my self I value not the Aspersions that are cast upon me I bless God I shall with a clear Conscience stand before the Tribunal of Christ I have not seduced the Church of Christ as some affirm but leave you all Witnesses that at the last gasp I am the same that formerly I was He had nothing to give and therefore made no Will but calling for his Children he stroked them on the Head and tho the Eldest was but three Years old bid them See that they loved God and desired his Wife and Kindred to take care they might be brought up in the Feat of
sometime seen the Courage and Constancy of the Laird of Grang. See this Passage under the Head of Discovery of Things secret or future by Impulses The next Day Knox gave Order for the making of his Coffin continuing all the Day in fervent Prayer crying Come Lord Jesus sweet Jesus into thy hands I commend my Spirit Being ask'd whether his Pains were great he answered That he did not esteem that a Pain which would be to him the end of all Troubles and the beginning of Eternal Joys Oft after some deep Meditation he used to say Oh! serve the Lord in Fear and Death shall not be troublesome to you Blessed is the Death of those that have part in the Death of Jesus The Night before his Death he slept some Hours with great unquietness often sighing and groaning And being ask'd why he mourned so heavily he answered In my Life-time I have been assaulted with Temptations from Satan and he hath oft cast my Sins into my Teeth to drive me to Despair yet God gave me Strength to overcome all his Temptations But now the subtil Serpent takes another course seeking to perswade me that all my Labours in the Ministry and the Fidelity that I have shewed in that Service hath not merited Heaven and Immortality But blessed be God that brought to my Mind these Scriptures What hast thou that thou hast not received And Not I but the Grace of God in me With which he is gone away ashamed and shall no more return And now I am sure that my Battle is at an end and that without pain of Body or trouble of Spirit I shall shortly change this Mortal and miserable Life with that Happy and Immortal Life that shall never have end After which one Praying by his Bed asked him after he had done If he heard the Prayer Yea said he and would to God all present had heard it with such an Ear and Heart as I. Adding Lord Jesus receive my Spirit With which words without any motion of Hands or Feet he fell asleep aged 62. A. C. 1572. The Earl of Murray when the Corpse was put into the Ground saying Here lies the Body of him who in his Life-time never feared the face of any Man Fuller Abel Rediv. p. 323 324. 41. Henry Bullinger in his last Sickness endured the sharpest Pains for four Months with an admirable Patience caused the Pastors and Professors of the City to come to him unto whom he delivered a large Oration wherein he thanked them for their Love opened to them his Faith freely forgave all his Enemies exhorted them to Constancy and Unity commended the Care of the Church and Publick School in Writing to the Senate desired that Rodolphus Gualterus might be his Successor c. And so in the midst of his Extremities sometimes repeating the 16 sometimes the 42 and sometimes the 51 Psalms sometimes the Lord's Prayer sometimes other Prayers at the last as one going to sleep he quietly yielded his Soul into the hands of God Sept. 18. 1575. aged 71. Ibid. p. 339. 42. Mr. Edw. Deering to his Friends on his Death-bed upon occasion of the Sun shining said There is but one Sun in the World nor but one Righteousness one Communion of Saints if I were the most Excellent of all Creatures in the World equal in Righteousness to Abraham Isaac and Jacob yet had I reason to confess my self to be a sinner and to expect Salvation only in the Righteousness of Jesus Christ for we all stand in need of the Grace of God As for my Death I bless God I feel so much inward Joy and Comfort that if put 〈◊〉 my choice whether to die or live I would a Thousand times rather chuse Death if it so stand with the Holy Will of God Ibid. p. 342. 43. Boquine in the Year 1582. on a Lord's-day preached twice and in the Evening heard another Sermon then supped chearfully and after Supper refreshed himself by walking abroad then went to visit a sick Friend and whilst he was comforting of him he found his own Spirits begin to sink and running to his Servant he said unto him Pray adding Lord receive my Soul and so departed in the Lord. Fuller Abel Rediv. p. 349. 44. Mr. Gilpin finding Death to approach him commanded the Poor to be called together unto whom he made a Speech and took his leave of them he did so likewise by others made many Exhortations to the Scholars and to divers others and so at last fell asleep in the Lord Anno 1583. aged 66. Ibid. p. 360. 45. Olevian in his Sickness made his Will and by Pious Meditations prepared for Death declared that he had learned by that Sickness to know the greatness of Sin and the greatness of God's Majesty more than ever he had done before To John Piscator coming to visit him he said that the day before for four hours together he had been filled with ineffable Joy for said he I thought I was in a most pleasant Meadow in which as I walked up and down I was besprinkled with a Heavenly Dew and that not sparingly but plentifully where both my Body and Soul were filled with unspeakable Joy To whom Piscator made answer That good Shepherd Jesus Christ lead thee into fresh Pastures yea said Olevian to the Springs of Living Waters Afterwards having repeated some Sentences full of Comfort out of Psal 42. Isa 9. and Mat. 11. he often said I would not have my Journey to God any longer deferred I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ And so bidding Farewel to his Colleagues and Friends in the Agony of Death Alsted asking if he were sure of his Salvation in Christ He answered Most sure and so gave up the Ghost Anno 1587. aged 51. Ibid. p. 376. 47. George Sohnius of Fribourg in Wetteraw bore his last Sickness with much Patience and with fervent Prayer often repeating O Christ thou art my Redeemer and I know that thou hast redeemed me I wholly depend upon thy Providence and Mercy from the very bottom of my Heart I commend my Spirit into thy Hands And so he slept in the Lord Anno Christi 1589. aged 38 Ibid. p. 385. 48. James Andreas born in Waibling at Wittenberg falling sick sent for James Herbrand saying I expect that after my Death many Adversaries will rise up to asperse me and therefore I sent for thee to hear the Confession of my Faith that so thou mayest witness for me when I am dead and gone that I died in the True Faith The same Confession he made also before the Pastors and Deacons of Tubing The Night before his Death he slept partly upon his Bed and partly in his Chair When the Clock struck Six in the Morning he said My â—our draws near He gave Thanks to God for bestowing Christ for revealing his Will in his Word for giving him Faith and the like Benefits And when ready to depart he said Lord into thy Hands I commend my Spirit
He hath done it already Brother And to one that had been helpful to him in his Sickness The God that made you and bought you with a great Price Redeem your Body and Soul unto himself Which were his last words Decemb. 23. 1652. aged 68. Ibid. p. 229. 94. Dr. Will. Gouge after three days illness complained Alas I have lost three days And to a Friend visiting him I am willing to die having I bless God nothing to do but to die And to his Sister being afraid to leave him alone Why Sister said he I shall I am sure be with Christ when I die Which he did Decemb. 12. 1653. aged 79. Ibid. p. 246. 95. Mr. Tho. Gataker gave this his last Charge to his Relations Sister Son Daughter c. My heart fails and my strength fails but God is my Fortress and the strong Rock of my Salvation into thy hands therefore I commend my Soul for thou hast redeemed me O God of Truth Son you have a great Charge look to it Instruct your Wife and Family in the fear of God and discharge your Ministry conscientiously To his Sister two Years older than himself he said Sister I thought you might have gone before me but God calls for me first I hope we shall meet in Heaven I pray God to bless you He admonished his Daughter to mind the World less and God more for that all things without Piety and the true fear of God are nothing worth Advising his Son Draper to Entertain some Pious Minister in his House to teach his Children and instruct his Family exhorting them all to Love and Unity And then commanded them all to withdraw He died July 27. 1654. aged near 80. Ibid. p. 259. 96. Mr. Bolton dying told his Children That none of them should dare think to meet him at God's Tribunal in an unregenerate Estate And when some of his Parish desired him to express what he felt in his Soul of the exceeding Comforts that are in Christ answered I am by the wonderful Mercy of God as full of Comfort as my heart can hold and feel nothing in my Soul but Christ with whom I heartily desire to be And looking upon some that were weeping said Oh what a deal of do there is ere one can die Chetwind's Collections 97. Mr. Whitaker Do not complain but bless God for me and entreat him to open the Prison-door He died 1654. aged 55. Ibid. p. 272. 98. Mr. Rich. Capel Sept. 21. 1656. preached twice taking his leave of the World by pressing Faith in God That Evening he repeated both his Sermons in his Family read his Chapter went to Prayer and so to Bed and died immediately Sept. 21. 1656. He often said That if God saw fit one had better die of a quick than lingring Death Ibid. p. 313. 99. Mr. Jessey the last Night he lived cried out Oh the unspeakable Love of God! Oh the vilest Oh the vilest that he should reach me when I could not reach him And then rehearsing over and over Blessed be that ever ever ever Blessed and Glorious Majesty And when a Cordial appointed for him was brought Trouble me not upon your own Peril trouble me not Then shewing his care for the Poor Widows and Fatherless and desiring Prayers and afterwards repeating Acts 2.27 and calling for more Julip more Julip meaning more Scriptures by and by he sang this Hymn Jerusalem my heart's Delight I come I come to thee Then shall my sorrows have an end When I thy Joys shall see Then often repeating those words Praises for ever Amen Amen Praises to the Amen for ever and ever Amen After a while he fell asleep Sept. 4. 1663. aged 63. Mr. Collier in his Life and Death p. 94. 100. Mr. Brand thus Oh! my God my God what is sinful Man Worm-man what manner of Love is this Love indeed O I cannot express it Oh! let me be with thee with thee O my God! Oh! I long for Heaven Oh! welcome Death Oh! happy Death that will put an end to all my Troubles and Afflictions one Moment in Abraham's Bosom will make amends for all turn Sorrow to Joy What a dreadful Appearance will there be at the Great Day what a sad thing to be disappointed and come short of Heaven O my Redeemer liveth I have served a good Master I would not desire Life for a Moment unless to promote the Interest of Christ If God would give me my choice what I would ask I would not ask Life Nay I have prayed to God that I might die Why so said a by-stander That I may be said he with God! O my God I would come to thee Let me live with Thee As he was going to Bed with much concernedness of Mind he said There will be a Cry at Midnight Prepare Prepare Which came to pass accordingly for after going to Bed he was taken with a Vomiting of Blood and after that died Dr. Annesly in his Life 101. Mr. John Janeway for the latter part of his Life he lived like a Man that was quite weary of the World and that looked upon himself as a stranger here and that lived in the constant sight of a better World He plainly declared himself but a Pilgrim that looked for a better Country a City that had Foundations whose builder and maker was God His Habit his Language his Deportment all spoke him one of another World His Meditations were so intense long and frequent that they ripened him apace for Heaven but somewhat weakned his Body Few Christians attain to such a holy contempt of the World and to such clear believing joyful constant Apprehensions of the transcendent Glories of the unseen World On his Death-bed he thus express'd himself O help me to Praise God I have now nothing else to do I have done with Prayer and all other Ordinances I have almost done conversing with Mortals I shall presently be beholding Christ himself that died for me and loved me and washed me in his Blood I shall before a few hours are over be in Eternity singing the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb. I shall presently stand upon Mount Zion with an innumerable company of Angels and the Spirits of the Just made perfect and Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant I shall hear the voice of much People and be one amongst them which shall say Hallelujah Salvation Glory Honour and Power unto the Lord our God and again we shall say Hallelujah And yet a very little while and I shall sing unto the Lamb a Song of Praise saying Worthy art thou to receive Praise who wert slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy Blood out of every Kindred and Tongue and People and Nation and hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and we shall Reign with thee for ever and ever Methinks I stand as it were with one Foot in Heaven and the other upon Earth methinks I hear the Melody of Heaven and by Faith I see the Angels waiting
to the uttermost I humbly beseech thee give me now in this great Instant full Patience proportionable Comfort and a Heart ready to die for thy Honour the King's Happiness and this Church's Preservation and my Zeal to these far from Arrogancy be it spoken is all the Sin Humane Frailty excepted and all Incidents thereto which is yet known to me in this Particular for which I now come to suffer I say in this particular of Treason but otherwise my Sins are very many and great Lord pardon them all and those especially whatever they are which have drawn down this special Judgment upon me And when thou hast given me Strength to bear it do with me as seems best in thine own Eyes and carry me through Death that I may look upon it in what Visage soever it appear unto me Amen And that there may be a Stop of this Issue of Blood in this more than miserable Kingdom I shall desire That I may pray for the People too as well as for my self O Lord I beseech thee give Grace of Repentance to all Blood-thirsty People but if they will not Repent O Lord confound all their Devices defeat and frustrate all their Designs and Endeavours upon them which shall be contrary to the Glory of thy Great Name the Truth and Sincerity of Religion the Establishment of the King and his Posterity after him in their just Rights and Privileges the Honour and Conservation of Parliaments in their just Power the Preservation of this poor Church in her Truth Peace and Patrimony and the Settlement of this distracted and distressed People under their ancient Laws and in their native Liberties And when thou hast done all this in Mercy for them O Lord fill their Hearts with Thankfulness and with Religious Dutiful Obedience to thee and thy Commandments all their Days So Amen Lord Jesus Amen And receive my Soul into thy Bosom Amen Our Father c. Again kneeling by the Block he prayed thus Lord I am coming as fast as I can I know I must pass through the Shadow of Death before I can come to see thee But it is but umbra mortis a meer Shadow of Death a little Darkness upon Nature but thou thro' thy Merits and Passion hast broke through the Jaws of Death So Lord receive my Soul and have Mercy upon me and bless this Kingdom with Peace and Plenty and with Brotherly Love and Charity that there may not be this Effusion of Christian Blood amongst them for Jesus Christ's sake if it be thy Will Then laying his Head upon the Block and praying silently to himself he said aloud Lord receive my Soul Which was the Signal given to the Executioner Thus he died Aged 71. Jan. 10. 1644. A brief Relat. of his Death and Sufferings printed at Oxon c. 1644. 114. King Charles the First made this his last Speech upon the Scaffold I Shall be very little heard by any body here I shall therefore speak a Word unto you here Indeed I could hold my Peace very well if I did not think that holding my Peace would make some Men think that I did submit to the Guilt as well as to the Punishment but I think it is my Duty to God first and to my Country for to clear my self both as an honest Man and a good Christian I shall begin first with my Innocency In troth I think it not very needful for me to insist long upon this for all the World knows I never did begin a War with the two Houses of Parliament and I call God to witness to whom I must shortly make an Account that I never did intend to encroach upon their Privileges They began upon me it was the Militia they began upon They confess'd that the Militia was mine but they thought it fit to have it from me And to be short if any Body will look to the Dates of Commissions both theirs and mine and likewise to the Declarations will see clearly that they began these unhappy Troubles not I So that for the Guilt of these enormous Crimes that are laid against me I hope in God that God will clear me of it I will not I am in Charity God forbid that I should lay it upon the two Houses of Parliament there is no necessity of either I hope they are free of this Guilt For I do believe that ill Instruments between them and me have been the Cause of all this Bloodshed so that by way of speaking I find my self clear of this I hope and pray God that they may be so too Yet for all this God forbid that I should be so ill a Christian as not to say That God's Judgments are just upon me Many times he doth pay Justice by an unjust Sentence that is ordinary I will only say this That an unjust Sentence that I suffered to take effect is punished now by an unjust Sentence upon me That is so far I have said to shew you that I am an innocent Man Now for to shew you that I am a good Christian I hope there is a good Man pointing to Dr. Juxon that will bear me witness that I have forgiven all the World and those in particular that have been the chief Causers of my Death who they are God knows I do not desire to know I pray God forgive them But this is not all my Charity must go further I wish that they may repent for indeed they have committed a great Sin in that Particular I pray God with St. Stephen that this be not laid to their Charge nay not only so but that they may take the right way to the Peace of the Kingdom So Sirs I do wish with all my Soul and I hope there is some here will carry it further that they may endeavour the Peace of the Kingdom Now Sirs I must shew you how you are out of the way and will put you in a way First You are out of the way for certainly all the way you ever had yet as I could find by any thing is in the way of Conquest Certainly this is an ill way for Conquest Sirs in my Opinion is never Just except there be a good just Cause either for Matter of Wrong or a just Title and then if you go beyond it that makes it Unjust in the end that was Just at first But if it be only Matter of Conquest then it is a great Robbery as a Pirate said to Alexander That he was the great Robber he was but a petty Robber And so Sirs I do think the way you are in is much out of the way Now Sirs for to put you in the way believe it you will never do right nor God will never prosper you until you give God his due the King his due that is my Successors and the People their due I am as much for them as any of you You must give God his due by regulating rightly his Church according to his Scriptures which is now out
ready to make a short-sighted Man exclaim with Hercules in the Tragoedian That Vertue is but an empty Name or at least could only serve to make its Owners more sensibly unhappy But altho' such Examples might a little work on a weaker Vertue that which is more confirmed and solid can more easily resist it 'T is not impatient nor uneasie but still believes that Heaven is awake that the Iron Hands of Justice will at length overtake the Offenders and by their Destruction vindicate the Honour and Innocence of those whom they have ruin'd It considers any Riddles in Providence as a curious piece of Opticks which if judged of either before 't is finished or by piece meal here an Eye and there another distorted Feature appears not only unpleasing but really dreadful which yet if viewed when 't is compleat and taking all the Features together makes a Figure sufficiently regular and lovely Who almost could have imagined without some such Reflections as these that those brave Men we have seen for some Years past pick'd out and out off one after another with as much Scandal and Obloquy as cou'd be thrown upon 'em by the ungenerous Malice of thier Enemies when the very Attempt to clear their Reputation has been made almost Capital and involved those who had Courage enough to attempt it in little less Mischief than what they themselves endured That ever these Phoenixes should rise again and flourish in their Ashes That so many great Pens should already have done some of 'em Justice and the World as much to all the rest And with how much more Joy if 't were possible would those Heroes have received their Crowns could they have foreseen their Deaths wou'd have tended so far to work up the Nation to such a just Resentment as wou'd at last have so great an Influence as we find it had on our late glorious deliverance We shall therefore here under this Chapter add the Last Words and what 's Remarkable in the Deaths of those Eminent Persons who fell in Defence of the Protestant Religion and the English Liberties both in London and the West of England from the Year 1678. to this Time 1. Sir Edmundbury Godfrey declared some Days before his Death That he believed in his Conscience he should be the first Martyr Two Anagrams there were made on this brave Gentleman which for the peculiar luckiness of 'em it may not be ungrateful to the Reader to have 'em inserted Sir EDMVNDBVRY GODFREY Anagram I FIND MURDER'D BY ROGUES Another BY ROME'S RUDE FINGER DIE He was the first Martyr for our holy Protestant Religion We shall address what has been written on this Subject not only to Posterity but to all the sober unprejudic'd Men of the present Age and so dismiss it and go on to the rest for whom he only made way after we have presented you with one of the best pieces of Wit tht the Age has yielded on Sir Edmund's Death 'T is a part of that ingenious Poem call'd Bacchanalia Well Primrose my our Godfrey's Name on thee Like Hyacinth inscribed be On thee his Memory flourish still Sweet as thy Flower and lasting as thy Hill Whilst blushing Somerset to her Eternal Shame shall this Inscription wear The Devil's an Ass for Jesuits on this spot Broke both the Neck of Godfrey and the Plot. 2. Mr. COLLEDGE NO body can doubt but that 't was now very much the Interest of the Papists to get off if possible that foul Imputation of a Plot which stuck so deep upon 'em which had been confirm'd by Sir Edmund's Murther Coleman's never-to-be-forgotten Letters Arnold's Assassination and a great deal of Collateral Evidence which fell in unexpectedly many of those who gave it being utterly unacquainted with the first Discoverers After several unfortunate Attempts they had made to this purpose after the Living had perjur'd themselves and the Dying done worse to support their desperate Cause after Attempts to blast and ruine some of the Evidence and buy off others of 'em in both which publick Justice took notice of and punish'd 'em being of a Religion that sticks no Villany to serve an Interest and certainly the most indefatigable and firm People in the World when they set about any Design especially where Diana is concern'd not being yet discouraged they resolv'd to venture upon one Project more which prov'd but too successful to the Loss of the bravest and best Blood in the Kingdom and that was to Brand all those who were the steddiest Patriots and so their greatest Enemies of what Rank soever they were with the odious Character of Persons disaffected to the Government or in the old Language Enemies to Caesar They pretended to perswade the World that after all this great noise of a Popish Plot 't was only a Presbyterian one lay at the bottom Things being thus what can any Man of Modesty say to Mr. Colledge's Protestations over and over both in Prison and at his Death that he was perfectly innocent of what he dy'd for I did deny in them say he that is before the Council and do deny it upon my Death I never was in any manner of Plot in my days nor ever had any such Design as these Men have sworn against me I take God to witness as I am a dying Man and on the Terms of my Salvation I know not one Man upon the face of the Earth which would have stood by me And lower I knew not of any part of what they swore against me till I heard it sworn at the Bar. Again All the Arms we had was for our Defence in case the Papists should have made any Attempt by way of Massacre c. God is my Witness this is all I know And in his solemn Prayer and some of his almost very last Words 'T is thee O God I trust in I disown all Dispensations and will not go out of the World with a Lye in my Mouth And just after to the People From the sincerity of my Heart I declare again That these are the very Sentiments of my Soul as God shall have Mercy upon me Thus dy'd Mr. Colledge whose Blood as he himself desir'd it might sufficiently spoke the Justice of his Cause who seem'd in his Speech to have some Prophetick Intimations that his Blood would not be the last as indeed it was not but rather a Praelude to that which follow'd the Edge of the Law being now turn'd against all those who dar'd defend it He has one Daughter yet living whose Gratitude and Generosity to those who were kind to her under the Misfortunes of her Family is at present the Wonder and Entertainment of the Court of England and whose brave Soul speaks her the true Child of such a Father His CHARACTER How great and undaunted his Courage was both his Tryal and Death testifie He was very vigorous and earnest almost to a Fault in his Undertakings But certainly there are so few who err on that hand that
we may without Flattery account this his warm Zeal for his Country if it did a little exceed a happy as well as a very pardonable Error He was extraordinary ingenious in his own Trade and imployed amongst great Persons for his dexterity therein He had an entire Love for the City of London and stood up for its Honour and Privileges as highly as any Man living He had a Soul so very great and generous that many who knew him well have said considering his Education they wondred how he came by it He was a Man of very good sound Sense considerably more than those of his Rank generally have which he had much improved in his latter time by Conversation with Persons of Honour and Quality In fine he liv'd sufficiently belov'd by those who knew and did not fear him and dy'd lamented by his Friends and admired and esteemed by his very Enemies Some time after his Death his Picture was sold about Town Under it were these Lines engraven By Irish Oaths and wrested Laws I fell A Prey to Rome a Sacrifice to Hell My guilty Blood for speedy Vengeance cries Hear hear and help for Earth my Suit denies 3. ARTHVR Earl of Essex THat Party and those Persons who were engag'd to manage the Designs before-mention'd were now entred on the most compendious way of introducing what they desir'd as well as avoiding what their own Consciences and all the World knew they deserv'd My Lord of Essex was a Person whom 't was no doubt the highest Interest of the Popish Faction to have gotten out of the way even tho' there had been no such extraordinary Reason as has been mentioned He had large Interest a plentiful Estate a great deal of Courage understood the World and the Principles and Practices of the Papists as well as any Man having been of several Secret Committees in the Examination of the Plot on which very reason there was as much necessity for his dying as Sir E. B. Godfrey's He was besides all this they very well knew of Inflexible Honesty and so true a greatness of Mind they could no more expect to gain him than Heaven it self to be on their side As for the immediate Subject of his Death the manner and circumstances thereof It must first be granted and a very reasonable demand it is that for the present only supposing he was murder'd by the Papists they would we may be sure make it their business to render the manner of it as dark as the Hell in which 't was contriv'd But whatever this couragious honest Gentleman suffer'd from their Spite and Malice he bore all with handsom and truly English Resolution As he before his Imprisonment and since was indefatigably diligent in getting up the bottom of this foul Business all English-men must own he has deserv'd the Love and Honour of his Country who was not discourag'd from acting even in the worst of times against a whole enraged Faction His CHARACTER It must be confessed 't is a bold and dangerous thing to attempt the Character of one of the greatest Men which our Age has produced especially for one who had not the Honour of any Personal intimacy with him All that 's to be done is from what has been already said and what other Memoirs are left of him to endeavour at something so like him that any one who sees it may say 't was meant for the Picture of the Great Essex how infinitely soever it must of necessity be short of its Original The first thing then Remarkable in him and which alone would sufficiently distinguish him is That he was a Person of strict Morals and severe Piety and that in the midst of a Court and Age not very Famous for either Nor did this degenerate into Superstition or Weakness He was a refin'd Politician without what some will say 't is impossible to be so and that 's Dissimulation When Affronts were offer'd him he did not as others dissemble 'em but like himself only scorn and conquer 'em even tho' of the highest Nature and which generally pierce deepest into Persons of his Figure and Character He was as all the rest here commemorated a firm Lover of his Country and Religion the true Character of a true English-man and engaged on their sides against the then Duke of York and other Ministers not from any mean Pique or little discontented Humour which he was very much above but meerly from the true Respect he had for them and a sense of that imminent Danger they were in which his piercing Judgment and long Experience made him more sensible of and his Courage and Vertue more concern'd at than others not only those who fat unconcern'd Spectators or shared in their Ruins but even then most of them who were engaged with him in the same Common Cause of their Defence and Preservation Nothing of such an impatience or eagerness or black Melancholy could be discern'd in his Temper or Conversation as is always the Symptom or Cause of such Tragical Ends as his Enemies would perswade us he came to Lastly What may be said of most of the rest does in a more especial and eminent manner agree to the Illustrious Essex and than which nothing greater can be said of Mortality He liv'd an Hero and dy'd a Martyr Upon the Execrable Murther of the Right Honourable Arthur Earl of Essex MOrtality wou'd be too frail to hear How ESSEX fell and not dissolve with fear Did not more generous Rage take off the blow And by his Blood the steps to Vengeance show The Tow'r was for the Tragedy design'd And to be slaughter'd he is first confin'd As fetter'd Victims to the Altar go But why must Noble ESSEX perish so Why with such fury drag'd into his Tomb Murther'd by slaves and sacrific'd to Rome By stealth they kill and with a secret stroke Silence that Voice which charm'd when e'er it spoke The bleeding Orifice o'er flow'd the Ground More like some mighty Deluge than a Wound Through the large space his Blood and Vitals glide And his whole Body might have past beside The reeking Crimson swell'd into a Flood And stream'd a second time in Capel's Blood He 's in his Son again to Death pursu'd An instance of the high'st Ingratitude Then they malicious Stratagems employ With Life his dearer Honour to destroy And make his Fame extinguish with his Breath An Act beyond the Cruelties of Death Here Murther is in all its shapes compleat As Lines united in their Centre meet Form'd by the blackest Politicks of Hell Was Cain so dev'lish when his Brother fell He that contrives or his own Fate desires Wants Courage and for fear of Death expires But mighty ESSEX was in all things brave Neither to Hope nor to Despair a Slave He had a Soul to Innocent and Great To fear or to anticipate his Fate Yet their exalted Impudence and Guilt Charge on himself the precious Blood they spilt So were the Protestants some Years ago Destroy'd
in Ireland without a Foe By their own barbarous Hands the Mad-men die And Massacre themselves they know not why Whilst the kind Irish howl to see the Gore And pious Catholicks their Fate deplore If you refuse to trust Erroneous Fame Royal Mac-Ninny will confirm the same We have lost more in injur'd Capel's Heir Than the poor Bankrupt Age can e're repair Nature indulg'd him so that there we saw All the choice strokes her steady hand cou'd draw He the Old English Glory did revive In him we had Plantagenets alive Grandeur and Fortune and a vast Renown Fit to support the lustre of a Crown All these in him were potently conjoyn'd But all was too ignoble for his Mind Wisdom and Vertue Properties Divine Those God-like ESSEX were entirely thine In his great Name he 's still preserv'd alive And will to all succeeding Times survive With just Progression as the constant Sun Doth move and through its bright Ecliptick run For whilst his Dust does undistinguish'd lie And his blest Soul is soar'd above the Sky Fame shall below his parted Breath supply 4. WILLIAM Lord RVSSEL THE next who fell under their Cruelty and to whose Death Essex's was but the Prologue was my Lord Russel without all Dispute one of the finest Gentlemen that ever England bred and whose Pious Life and Vertue was as much Treason against the Court by affronting them with what was so much hated there as any thing else that was sworn against him The Last Speech and Carriage of the Lord Russel upon the Scaffold c. ON Saturday July the 21st 1683. about Nine in the Morning the Sheriffs went to Newgate to see if the Lord Russel was ready and in a little time his Lordship came out and went into his Coach taking his Farewel of his Lady the Lord Cavendish and several other of his Friends at Newgate In the Coach were Dr. Tillotson and Dr. Burnet who accompanied him to the Scaffold built in Lincoln's Inn-Fields which was covered all over with Mourning Being come upon the Scaffold his Lordship bowed to the Persons present and turning to the Sheriff made this following Speech Mr. Sheriff I expected the Noise would be such that I should not be much heard I was never fond of much speaking much less now therefore I have set down in Paper all that I think fit to leave behind me God knows how far I was always from Designs against the King's Person or of altering the Government And I still pray for the Preservation of Both and of the Protestant Religion Mr. Sheriff I am told that Captain Walcot Yesterday siad something concerning my Knowledge of the Plot I know not whether the Report be true or not Mr. Sheriff I did not hear him name your Lordship Writer No my Lord your Lordship was not named by any of them Lord Russel I hope it is not for to my knowledge I never saw him nor spake with him in my whole Life and in the Words of a dying Man I profess I know of no Plot either against the King's Life or the Government But I have now done with this World and am going to a better I forgive all the World heartily and I thank God I die in Charity with all Men and I wish all sincere Protestants may love one another and not make way for Popery by their Animosities I pray God forgive them and continue the Protestant Religion amongst them that it may flourish so long as the Sun and Moon endures I am now more satisfied to die than ever I have been Then kneeling down his Lordship prayed to himself after which Dr. Tillotson kneeled down and prayed with him which being done his Lordship kneeled down and prayed a second time to himself then pull'd off his Whig put on his Cap took off his Crevat and Coat and bidding the Executioner after he had lain down a small moment do his Office without a Sign He gave him some Gold Then embracing Dr. Tillotson and Dr. Burnet he laid him down with his Neck upon the Block The Executioner missing at his first stroke though with that he took away his Life at two more severed the Head from the Body The Executioner held up the Head to the People as is usual in cases of Treason c. Which being done Mr. Sheriff ordered his Lordship's Friends or Servants to take the Body and dispose of it as they pleased being given them by His Majesty's Favour and Bounty His Body was convey'd to Cheneys in Buckinghamshire where 't was buried among his Ancestors There was a great Storm and many loud Claps of Thunder the day of his Martyrdom An Elegy was made on him immediately after his Death which seems by what we have of it to be writ with some Spirit and a great deal of Truth and Good-will only this Fragment on 't could be retriev'd which yet may not be unwelcome to the Reader 'T is done he 's crown'd and one bright Martyr more Black Rome is charg'd on thy too bulky score All like himself he mov'd so calm so free A generall Whisper question'd Which is he Deckt like a Lover tho' pale Death 's his Bride He carne and saw and overcame and dy'd Earth wept and all the vainly pitying Croud But Heaven his Death in Thunder groan'd aloud His CHARACTER For his Character if we 'll believe the best Men and those who knew him best 't is one of the most advantageous the Age or indeed our Nation has yielded Those are great words which Mr. Leviston Gower speaks of him on his Tryal but yet not a Syllable too big for his Merit tho' they are very expressive of it That he was one of the best Sons the best Fathers the best Husbands the best Masters the best Friends and the best Christians By other That he was a most Vertuous Prudent and Pious Gentleman A Man of that Vertue that none who knew him could think him guilty of such a Conspiracy A Man of great Honour and too Prudent to be concern'd in so vile and desperate a Design A Person of great Vertue and integrity One whom those he had long convers'd with never heard utter so much as a word of Indecency against the King And others of the highest Quality who had been often in his Company say That they had never heard any thing from him but what was Honourable Just and Loyal His Person was tall and proper his Temper even and aggreable and such as rendred his Vertues even more lovely than they did him His Piety and Devotion as unaffected and yet as remarkable as his Love to the Church of England The True Church of England as he himself calls it not those Tumours and Wens that grow upon it and pretended to be not only part but all of it in our late bad Times to whose Heighths and Extravagancies he thinks it no shame in his Speech to confess he could never rise He was of a Noble Courage which he did not express by
he said Pray remember my dear Love to my Brother and Sister and tell them I desire they would comfort themselves that I am gone to Christ and we shall quickly meet in the Glorious Mount Sion above Afterwards he prayed for about three quarters of an hour with the greatest fervency exceedingly blessing God for Jesus Christ adoring the Riches of his Grace in him in all the Glorious Fruits of it towards him Praying for the Peace of the Church of God and of these Nations in particular all with such eminent Assistance of the Spirit of God as convinced astonished and melted into Pity the Hearts of all present even the most malicious Adversaries forcing Tears and Expressions from them some saying They knew not what would become of them after Death but it was evident he was going to great Happiness When he was just going out of the World with a joyful Countenance he said Oh! now my Joy and Comfort is that I have a Christ to go to and so sweetly resign'd his Spirit to Christ the 12th of September 1685. An Officer who had shewed so malicious a Spirit as to call the Prisoners Devils when he was Guarding them down was now so convinced that he after told a Person of Quality That he was never so affected as by his chearful Carriage and fervent Prayer such as he believed was never heard especially from one so young and said I believe had the Lord Chief Justice been there he could not have let him die The Sheriff having given his Body to be buried although it was brought from the Place of Execution without any notice given yet very many of the Town to the Number of about 200 came to accompany him and several Young Women of the best of the Town laid him in his Grave in Lyme Church-yard the 13th of September 1685. After which his Sister writ this following Letter to her Mother ALthough I have nothing to acquaint my Dear Mother withal but what is most afflictive to Sense both as to the Determination of God's Will and as to my present Apprehension concerning my Brother Benjamin yet remaining yet there is such abundant Consolation mixt in both that I only wanted an Opportunity to pay this Duty God having wrought so Glorious a Work on both their Souls revealing Christ in them that Death is become their Friend My Brother William having already with the greatest Joy declared to those that were with him to the last That he would not change Conditions with any that were to remain in this World and he desired that his Relations would comfort themselves that he is gone to Christ My Brother Benjamin expects not long to continue in this World and is exceeding willing to leave it when God shall call being fully satisfied that God will choose that which is best for him and us all by these things God doth greatly support me and I hope you also my dear Mother which was and is my Brothers great desire there is still room for Prayer for one and God having so answered though not in kind we have Encouragement still to wait on him Honoured Mother Your Dutiful Daughter Hannah Hewling When I came to Taunton to Mr. Benjamin Hewling he had received the News of his Brother's being gone to die with so much comfort and joy and afterwards of the continued goodness of God increasing it to the end He expressed to this effect We have no cause to fear Death if the Presence of God be with us there is no evil in it the sting being taken away it 's nothing but our Ignorance of the Glory that the Saints pass into by Death which makes it appear dark for our selves or Relations if in Christ What is this World that we should desire an abode in it It 's all vain and unsatisfying full of sin and misery Intimating also his own chearful expectations soon to follow discovering then and all along great seriousness and sense of Spiritual and Eternal things complaining of nothing in his present Circumstances but want of place of Retirement to converse more uninterruptedly with God and his own Soul saying That this lonely time in Newgate was the sweetest in his whole Life He said God having some time before struck his Heart when he thought of the hazard of his Life to some serious Sense of his past Life and the great consequences of Death and Eternity shewing him that they were the only happy Persons that had secured their Eternal states The folly and madness of the ways of sin and his own Thraldom therein with his utter inability to deliver himself also the necessity of Christ for Salvation He said it was not without Terror and Amazement for some time the sight of unpardon'd sin with Eternity before him But God wonderfully opened to him the Riches of his Free-Grace in Christ Jesus for poor Sinners to flee to enabling to look alone to a crucified Christ for Salvation He said this blessed Work was in some measure carried on upon his Soul under all his business and hurries in the Army but never sprung forth so fully and sweetly till his close Confinement in Newgate There he saw Christ and all Spiritual Objects more clearly and embraced them more strongly there he experienced the blessedness of a reconciled State the Excellency of the ways of Holiness the delightfulness of Communion with God which remained with very deep and apparent impressions on his Soul which he frequently express'd with Admiration of the Grace of God towards him He said Perhaps my Friends may think this Summer the saddest time of my Life but I bless God it hath been the sweetest and most happy of it all nay there is nothing else worth the name of happiness I have in vain sought satisfaction from the things of this World but I never found it but now I have found Rest for my Soul in God alone O how great is our Blindness by Nature till God open our Eyes that we can see no Excellency in Spiritual things but spend our Precious Time in pursuing Shadows and are deaf to all the Invitations of Grace and Glorious Offers of the Gospel How just is God in depriving us of that we so much slighted and abused Oh! his Infinite Patience and Goodness that after all he should yet sanctifie any Methods to bring a poor sinner to himself Oh! Electing Love distinguishing Grace what great cause have I to admire and adore it He said What an amazing Consideration is the Suffering of Christ for sin to bring us to God his Suffering from wicked Men was exceeding great but alas what was that to the Dolours of his Soul under the infinite Wrath of God This Mystery of Grace and Love is enough to swallow up our thoughts to all Eternity As to his own Death he would often say He saw no reason to expect any other I know God is infinitely able to deliver and I am sure will do it if it be for his Glory and my Good in
which I bless God I am fully satisfied it 's all my desire that he would chuse for me and then I am sure it will be best whatever it be for truly unless God have some Work for me to do in the World for his Service and Glory I see nothing else to make Life desirable In the present state of Affairs there is nothing to cast our Eyes upon but Sin Sorrow and Misery And truly were things never so much according to our desires it 's but the World still which will never be a resting-place Heaven is the only state of Rest and Happiness there we shall be perfectly free from Sin and Temptation and enjoy God without interruption for ever Speaking of the Disappointment of their Expectations in the Work they had undertaken he said with reference to the Glory of God the Prosperity of the Gospel and the delivery of the People of God We have great cause to lament it but for that outward Prosperity that would have accompanied it it 's but of small moment in it self as it could not satisfie so neither could it be abiding for at longest Death would have put an end to it all Also adding nay parhaps we might have been so foolish as to have been taken with that part of it with the neglect of our Eternal Concerns and then I am sure our present Circumstances are incomparably better He frequently express'd great concern for the Glory of God and Affection to his People saying If my Death may advance God's Glory and hasten the Deliverance of his People it is enough saying It was a great comfort to him to think of so great a Privilege as an Interest in all their Prayers In his Converse particularly valuing and delighting in those Persons where he saw most Holiness shing also great Pity to the Souls of others saying That the remembrance of our former Vanity may well cause Compassion to others in that state And in his Converse prompting others to Seriousness telling them Death and Eternity are such weighty Concerns that they deserve the utmost intention of our Minds for the way to receive Death chearfully is to prepare for it seriously and if God should please to spare our Lives surely we have the same reason to be serious and spend our remaining days in his Fear and Service He also took great care that the Worship of God which they were in a Capacity of maintaining there might be duly perform'd as Reading Praying and Singing of Psalms in which he evidently took great delight For those three or four days before their Deaths when there was a general Report that no more should die he said I don't know what God hath done beyond our expectations if he doth prolong my Life I am sure it is all his own and by his Grace I will wholly devote it to him But the 29th of September about Ten or Eleven at Night we found the deceitfulness of this Report they being then told they must die the next Morning which was very unexpected as to the suddenness of it but herein God glorified his Power Grace and Faithfulness in giving suitable Support and Comfort by his blessed Presence which appeared upon my coming to him at that time finding him greatly composed he said Tho' Men design to surprize God doth and will perform his Word to be a very present help in trouble The next Morning when I saw him again his Chearfulness and Comfort were much increased waiting for the Sheriff with the greatest sweetness and serenity of Mind saying Now the Will of God is determined to whom I have referred it and he hath chosen most certainly that which is best Afterwards with a smiling Countenance he discoursed of the Glory of Heaven remarking with much delight the third fourth and fifth Verses of the 22d of the Revelations And there shall be no more Curse But the Throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it and his Servants shall serve him and they shall see his Face and his Name shall be in their Foreheads and there shall be no Night there and they shall need no Candle nor Light of the Sun and they shall Reign for ever and ever Then he said Oh what a happy State is this shall we be loth to go to enjoy this Then he desired to be read to him 2 Cor. 5. For we know that if our earthly House of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a Building of God a House not made with hands eternal in the Heavens to the tenth or eleventh Verses In all his Comforts still increasing expressing his sweet Hopes and good Assurance of his Interest in this Glorious Inheritance and being now going to the Possession of it seeing so much of this happy Change that he said Death was more desirable than Life he had rather die than live any longer here As to the manner of his Death he said When I have considered others under these Circumstances I have thought it very dreadful but now God hath called me to it I bless God I have quite other apprehensions of it I can now chearfully embrace it as an easie Passage to Glory And tho' Death separates from the Enjoyments of each other here it will be but for a very short time and then we shall meet in such Enjoyments as now we cannot conceive and for ever rejoyce in each others Happiness Then reading the Scriptures and musing with himself he intimated the great Comfort God conveyed to his Soul in it saying O what an invaluable Treasure is this blessed Word of God In all Conditions here is a store of strong Consolation One desiring his Bible he said No this shall be my Companion to the last moment of my Life Thus Praying together Reading Meditating and Conversing of Heavenly things they waited for the Sheriff who when he came void of all Pity or Civility hurried them away scarce suffering them to take leave of their Friends But notwithstanding this and the doleful Mourning of all about them the Joyfulness of his Countenance was increased Thus he left his Prison and thus he appeared in the Sledge where they sat about half an hour before the Officers could force the Horses to draw at which they were greatly enraged there being no visible obstruction from weight of way But at last the Mayor and Sheriff hall'd them forward themselves Balaam-like driving the Horses When they came to the Place of Execution which was surrounded with Spectators many that waited their Coming with great Sorrow said That when they saw him and them come with such Chearfulness and Joy and Evidence of the Presence of God with them it made Death appear with another Aspect They first embraced each other with the greatest Affection then two of the elder Persons praying audibly they join'd with great seriousness Then he defired leave of the Sheriff to pray particularly but he would not grant it only asked him if he would Pray for the King He answered I Pray for all Men. He
then requested they might sing a Psalm the Sheriff told him It must be with the Ropes about their Necks which they chearfully accepted and sung with such Heavenly Joy and Sweetness that many present saiâ—â— It both broke and rejoyc'd their hearts Thus in the experience of the delightfulness of Praising God on Earth he willingly closed his Eyes on a vain World to pass to that Eternal Employment Sept. 30. 1685. All present of all sorts were exceedingly affected and amazed Some Officers that had before insultingly said Surely these Persons have no thoughts of Death but will find themselves surprized by it after said That they now saw he and they had something extraordinary within that carried them through with such Joy Others of them said That they were so convinced of their Happiness that they would be glad to change Conditions with them All the Soldiers in general and all others lamenting exceedingly saying That it was so sad a thing to see them cut off they scarce knew how to bear it Some of the most malicious in the Place from whom nothing but Railing was expected said as they were carried to their Grave in Taunton Church voluntarily accompanied by most of the Town That these Persons had left a sufficient Evidence that they were now glorified Saints in Heaven A great Officer in the King's Army has been often heard to say That if you would learn to die go to the Young Men of Taunton Much more was uttered by them which shewed the Blessed and Glorious frames of their hearts to the Glory of Divine Grace but this is what occurs to Memory Mr. Benjamin Hewling about two hours before his Death writ this following Letter which shewed the great composure of his Mind Mr. Hewling's last Letter a little before his Execution Taunton Sept. 30. 1685. Honoured Mother THat News which I know you have a great while feared and we expected I must now acquaint you with That notwithstanding the Hopes you gave in your two last Letters Warrants are come down for my Execution and within these few hours I expect it to be performed Blessed be the Almighty God that gives comfort and support in such a day how ought we to magnifie his holy Name for all his Mercies that when we were running on in a course of sin he should stop us in our full Career and shew us that Christ whom we had pierced and out of his Free Grace enable us to look upon him with an Eye of Faith believing him able to save to the utmost all such as come to him Oh admirable long-suffering and Patience of God! that when we were dishonouring his Name he did not take that time to bring honour to himself by our destruction But he delighteth not in the death of a sinner but had rather he should turn to him and live And he has many ways of bringing his own to himself Blessed be his Holy Name that through Affliction he has taught my heart in some measure to be conformable to his Will which worketh Patience and Patience worketh Experience and Experience Hope which maketh not ashamed I bless God I am not ashamed of the Cause for which I lay down my Life and as I have engaged in it and fought for it so now I am going to Seal it with my Blood The Lord still carry on the same Cause which hath been long on foot and tho' we die in it and for it I question not but in his own good time he will raise up other Instruments more worthy to carry it on to the Glory of his Name and the Advancement of his Church and People Honoured Mother I know there has been nothing left undone by you or my Friends for the saving of my Life for which I return my hearty Acknowledgments to your self and them all and it 's my dying Request to you and them to Pardon all undutifulness 〈◊〉 unkindness in every Relation Pray give my Duty to my Grandfather and Grandmother Service to my Uncles and Aunts and my dear Love to all my Sisters to every Relation and Friend a particular Recommendation Pray tell 'em all how Precious an Interest in Christ is when we come to die and advise them never to rest in a Christless Estate For if we are his 't is no matter what the World do to us they can but kill the Body and blessed be God the Soul is out of their reach for I question not but their Malice wishes the Damnation of that as well as the Destruction of the Body which has too evidently appeared by their deceitful and â—â—tering Promises I commit you all to the Care and Protection of God who has promised to be a Father to the Fatherless and a Husband to the Widow and to supply the want of every Relation The Lord God of Heaven be your Comfort under these Sorrows and your Refuge from those Miseries we may easily fore-see coming upon poor England and the poor distâ—eâ—â—ed People of God in it The Lord carry you through this Vale of Tears with a resigning submissive Spirit and at last bring you to himself in Glory where I question not but you will meet your dying Son Ben. Hewling Their CHARACTERS THey were both of very sweet and obliging Tempers as has appeared in their History it being a very hard matter for their worst Enemies when they once knew 'em well not to Honour and Love ' em Mr. Benjamin the Elder reconciled the Lamb and the Lion exactly In the Field he seem'd made only for War and any where else for nothing but Love He without Flattery deserv'd to be call'd a very fine Man of a lovely Proportion extreamly well made as handsome a Meen and good an Air as perhaps few in England exceeded him His Picture is pretty like him The Younger Mr. William somewhat taller and more slender his Face fresh and lively as his Spirit being Master of an extraordinary vivacity and briskness of Temper Both of 'em Vertuous Pious and Courageous far above their Years and indeed seem'd to be Men too soon one of 'em not being Twenty the Eldest but Two and twenty when they dy'd verifying that common Observation That whatever is perfect sooner than ordinary has generally a shorter Period prefix'd it than what 's more base and ignoble 2. Mr. CHRISTOPHER BATTISCOMB HE was another young Gentleman of a good Family and very great Hopes and of a fair Estate which lay in Dorsetshire somewhere between Dorchester and Lyme He had studied some time at the Temple and having Occasions in the Country about the Time of my Lord Russel's Business he was there seiz'd on Suspicion of being concern'd in 't and clapt into the County Gaol at Dorchester where he behaved himself with that Prudence and winning Sweetness and shew'd so much Wit and innocent pleasantry of Temper as extreamly obliged both all his Keepers and Fellow-Prisoners and even Persons of the best Quality in that Town They knew how to value such a Gentleman
in the performance of that Duty which like Jacob's Ladder tho' it stand upon the Earth yet it reaches up to Heaven Here 's the Love of God made manifest to a poor Sinner at the last hour like the Thief upon the Cross he that never new before what the Love of God was to his Soul finds it now filled with it and running over Now bless the Lord O my Soul yea all that is within me Bless his holy Name for this Dispensation Now Light appears out of Darkness in the Face of Jesus now all Worldly Joy and Comforts seem to me as they are things not hard to part with Father Mother Brothers Sister Wife Children House and Lands are as my dear Saviour saith to be parted with for him or we are not worthy of him I bless his Name I find no reluctancy to do it he hath brought me to his Foot-stool and I can say heartily the Will of the Lord be done in this matter I never before but saw a Beauty in Worldly Comforts but now those seem so faded by the greater Lustre and Beauty that I see in God in Christ Jesus that I am astonished where I have been wandring all my days spending my Time and my Money for that which is not Bread O strive to get a taste of this Love of God in Christ Jesus and it will perfectly wean you from this deceitful foolish World What is worldly Honour and Riches O set not your hearts upon them but get a Treasure in Heaven that your hearts may be there also O lose no time for if you ever knew the sweetness of it you would never be at rest till you found him whom your Soul loved it will be more yea infinitely more than all worldly Enjoyments can afford you tho' in their greatest Perfection it will make your Life sweet and your Death most comfortable It is the Bread which this World knoweth not of and therefore maketh little or no Enquiry after it Dearest Relations whilst you and my other dear Friends are like Aaron and Hur holding up the Hands of Moses I am through Grace getting Victory over the Amalekites I â—n embrace my dear and beloved Brother and Companion with more Joy in the Field of Suffering than ever I could have done had I met him crowned with the Lawrels of Victory Oh the Mercy to die with such a Friend and such a valiant Soldier of Jesus who hath kept his Garments clean I now begin to pity you that stay behind who have many Temptations to conflict with for a little yea a very little time and my Warfare will be accomplished and if God continue his Love and Influence upon my Soul it will be both short and sweet I have little of this World about me I leave you all the Legacy of what was ever dearest to me the best of Wives and five poor Children who must pass through an evil and sinful World but I have committed them to God who hath commanded to cast our Fatherless Children and Widows upon him Dear Parents Brothers Sister all adieu my time draws on my Paper is finished and your dying Child and Brother recommends you all to him who is All-sufficient to the God of Peace that brought again from the Dead our Lord Jesus the great Shepherd of the Sheep through the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant who will make you Perfect in every good Work to do his Will working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be Glory for ever and ever Amen RICHARD NELTHROP From the Palace of Newgate Octob. 30. 1685. Two of the Clock in the Morning Mr. Nelthrop's Last Speech THE great and inexpressible trouble and distraction I have been under since I came into Trouble especially since my close Confinement in Newgate hath so broken my Reason that for many Weeks last past till the day my Sentence was passed I have not had any composure of Mind and have been under the greatest trouble imaginable Since my dearest Wife hath had the Favour granted her of coming to me I am at present under great composedness of Mind through the Infinite Goodness of the Lord. As to what I stand Outlawed for and am now sentenced to die I can with comfort Appeal to the great God before whose Tribunal I am to appear that what I did was in the simplicity of my heart without seeking any private Advantage to my self but thinking it my Duty to hazard my Life for the Preservation of the Protestant Religion and English Liberties which I thought invaded and both in great danger of being lost As to the Design of Assassinating the late King or his present Majesty it always was a thing highly against my Judgment and which I always detested and I was never in the least concerned in it neither in Purse nor Person nor ever knew of any Arms bought for that intent nor did I believe there was any such Design or ever heard of any disappointment in such an Affair or Arms or Time or Place save what after the Discovery of the General Design Mr. West spoke of as to Arms bought by him And as to my self I was in the North when the late King was at New-Market and the first News I had of the Fire was at Beverly in York-shire As to my coming over with the late Duke of Monmouth it was in prosecution of the same ends but the Lord in his Holy and Wise Providence hath been pleased to blast all our Undertakings tho' there seemed to be a very unanimous and zealous Spirit in all those that came from beyond the Seas And as to the Duke of Monmouth's being declared King I was wholly Passive in it I never having been present at any publick Debate of that Affair and should never have advised it but complained of it to Col. Holmes and Captain Patchet I believe the Lord Gray and Mr. F the chief Promoters of it As to the Temptation of being an Evidence and bringing either into trouble or danger of his Life the meanest Person upon the Account for which I suffer I always abhorred and detested the thoughts of it both when in and out of danger and advised some very strongly against it except when under my Distraction in Prison that amongst other Temptations did violently assault me but through the goodness of my dearest God and Father I was preserved from it and indeed was wholly incapable and could never receive the least shadow of comfort from it but thought Death more eligible and was some time afore out of my distracted and disquieted condition wholly free from it though not without other Temptations far more Criminal in the sight of Men. I bless the Father of all Mercies and God of all Consolations that I find a great Resignedness of my Will to his finding infinitely more comfort in Death than ever I could place in Life tho' in a condition that might seem honourable every hour seeing the Will of God in ordering
prevent all of you from such ignominious Deaths and I advise you all that you never take any great thing in hand but what you have a Warrant for from the Lord I assure you I had no satisfaction in this but this I am sure that if I have done any thing amiss in it it is pardoned I bless God I have that satisfaction I die a Professor of the Church of England I desire Pardon of all those I have any ways wronged or abused as I freely forgive all those that have wronged or abused me I am in Charity with all Men. Lord have Mercy upon me and give me strength to go through these Pains and give me full Assurance now at this last moment Come Lord Jesus come quickly 10. SAMVEL ROBBINS SAmuel Robbins of Charmouth in the County of Dorset was Executed or rather Murthered at Warham in the said County He received his Sentence of Death with great Courage and not at all dismayed saying very often in Prison before If it pleased God to call him now to glorifie his Name by this Providence of his to Death he should be ready but said he I am as Innocent of any thing I have done against any man that may deserve this Punishment as the Child now unborn When he came to the Place of Execution he very chearfully declared his Innocency to the Spectators as before and so Praying very devoutly for some time he was Executed 11. Mr. CHARLES SPEAK HE happened to be at Illminster at the time of the Duke's being there which was the greatest Crime he was guilty of the Validity of his Evidence I leave to those in the West which know how far it was carried that way He was a fine Courteous loving Gentleman and notwithstanding his Youth he acted the part of an Old Christian Soldier at his Death preparing himself to undergo those Pains saying very often They were nothing to his Deserts from God Almighty but as for what I am accused of and sentenced for I hope you will believe I am not so guilty as my Judge and Accusers have endeavoured to make me If it had pleased God I should have been willing to have lived some time longer but God's time being come I am willing I will be contented to drink this bitter Cup off Being at the Place of Execution the Croud was so great that I suppose he was shorter than otherwise he would have been but alas how could it be For on every side of him as well as up and down the Town the Inhabitants were weeping and bewailing him Oh 't is the worst day that ever we saw in this Town Must this good Gentleman die here Oh! yet save his Life I am ready to die for him and the like He prayed very heartily for near an hour and sung a Psalm and so we hope was translated to Heaven there to sing everlasting Praises and Hallelujahs 12. Mr. PARRET MR. Parret was executed at Taunton if I mistake not he said he was a Londoner and a Brewer When he came to the Place of Execution he seemed a Man almost unconcerned at Death After some time he began to deliver himself somewhat low in Voice to the People and after rising by degrees he seemed more like a Minister in a Pulpit Preaching devoutly than a Prisoner just going to Execution but I being then not well could not tarry to see his End But the Character I had was That he desired all not to be faint-hearted because of their fall and to think that there was no hopes remaining He said He verily believed God would yet work out Deliverance for them and at the time they were in the greatest Extremity that would be God's Opportunity Put your whole trust and confidence and dependance on the Lord and he will never leave you nor forsake you 13. The Last Speech of Henry Boddy Executed at Bath WHile he was in Prison especially after Sentence he behaved himself mighty humble meek and was much in Meditation which was observed by several Divines especially one who attended him to his last his Name Mr. Simpson His poor Wife coming to see him at Wells and to make her Interest with some Friends if possible to save his Life but finding it lost Labour and that she could by no means prevail she died there for grief before her Husband was Executed to his great grief When he came to the Place of Execution he delivered himself to the People in these Words GOod People I am come here to pay a Debt due to Nature which every one one time or another must pay though not in this manner or nature I am condemned as a Traytor and Rebel against my King which were things I always hated and abhorred and therefore give me so much time as to deliver my self to you and what I say I hope you will believe me at this time being just going to give an Account not only for every idle word but for all things I have done since I have had a Being I was Born in Lyme-Regis in the County of Dorses and bred up a Seaman from my Infancy I have had the Honour to serve His Majesty King Charles the Second in his Wars with the Dutch and French divers times I always thought it to be the Duty of every true English-man to stand up in his Country's Quarrel with Foreigners to maintain our Ancient Privileges and Honour of our Nation I served him faithfully And as for my Undertaking now with the late Duke of Monmouth for which I am now come to suffer Death As for my Designs I am sure they were good for I did believe him to be my Soveraign's Son and Heir but if otherwise I have done amiss and am sorry and hope the Lord hath pardoned it While I was in Arms I am sure there 's none can say I have personally wronged them I desire all your Prayers for me to the last I am no Orator therefore if you please speaking to the Minister do these last Spiritual Services for me as for to Pray with me and for me The Minister being much taken with him desired leave of the Sheriff to ask him some Questions which being granted the Minister said unto him I must make bold with you but not to hold you too long before I Pray but to satisfie my self and the People on what ground you stand I mean as concerning your everlasting state Now pray resolve me a few things First Whether you do own that Doctrine of Non-resistance owned by the Church That it is not Lawful on any Account whatsoever to take up Arms against the King O Sir as to that I answer Could I have been satisfied he had been my Lawful Prince I should not have done it But said the Minister he is and you are not to be Judge except you own those things some People will hardly have Charity for you after you are dead What matters that said he would you have me now you put me so close to
in it than that which is contrary thereto so now I see no Cause to repent of it nor to recede from it not questioning but God will own it at the last Judgment-day If no more had been required after the late King's Restauration to qualifie Ministers for Publick Preaching than was after the first Restauration from the time of Charles the First probably I might have satisfied my self therewith and not scrupled Conformity thereto but the Terms and Conditions thereof by a particular Law made in 1662. being not only new but so strict and severe that I could never have satisfaction in my own Conscience after all Endeavours used for a Complyance therewith and a Conformity thereto To say nothing of the Covenant which I never took but the giving my Assent and Consent have been too difficult and hard for me to comply with And I very well remember that about Fourteen Years ago entring into a Discourse with Mr. Patrick Heldâ—re an Irish-man who was contemporary with me in Dublin concerning Conformity which he much endeavoured to perswade me to I urged the severity of the fore-mentioned Conditions against it and after some Debates and Reasons with him I told him I did believe they were contrived and designed on purpose to prevent our Publick Preaching and to keep us out of the Church To which he ingenuously reply'd He judged it was so For said he a Bishop in Ireland whose Name I have forgot told me the very same But though I could not wade through and conquer this Difficulty yet I censure not those that did it and I believe after all the hottest Disputes and most vehement Debates and violent Contests between Conformist and Nonconformist there are of both Parties will be glorified in Heaven hereafterâ— According to the 29th Article of the Church of England a visible Church is a Congregation 〈◊〉 Faithful Men in the which the pure Word of God is preached the Sacraments of the Lord duly administred according to Christ's Ordinance and all those things that of necessity are requisite and necessary to Salvation so with such a Church have I held the most intimate Communion and with such did I live could hold it I would not therefore be so incorporated with any Church as to exclude me from and render me uncapable of holding Communion was other Churches I was never strongly bound up to any Form of Ecclesiastical Government but that under which a pure and undefiled Religion doth flourish and that which contains and really practises Holiness and advances the Kingdom of God in the World that can I approve of and willingly live under were I to live I did approve of the ancient and present Form of Civil Government English Monarchy I am fully satisfied with and do also declare That it is not warrantable for any Subject to take up Arms against and resist their Lawful Soveraigns and Rightful Princes And therefore had I not been convinced by several things that I have read and heard to believe that the late Duke of Monmouth was the Legitimate Son of his Father Charles the Second I had never gone into his Army judging that without this I could not be freed from the guilt of Rebellion which I always resolved to keep my self clear from And though his Father deny'd he was marry'd to his Mother I thought it might be answer'd with this That Kings and Princes for State-Reasons often cannot be fathomed by their Subjects affirming and denying things which otherwise they would not do and make even their Natural Affections to truckle and stoop thereto I exhort all to abhor all Treasonable Plots and Pretences of all Rebellion with the highest Detestation and to take the plain Text of Sacred Scripture to walk by in honouring and obeying and living in subjection to Rightful Kings and not readily to receive or suddenly to be impress'd with evil Reports and Defamations of them also not rashly to be Propagators of the same I desire God to forgive all mine Enemies and to give me an heart to forgive them which are many some mighty and all most malicious Particularly Barter of Lisael who betrayed me and proved such a Traytor to James Duke of Monmouth his old and intimate Friend I am grievously afflicted that I should prove the occasion of the great Sufferings of so many Persons and Families But this hath fallen under the Just and Wise ordering of Divine Providence as David's going to Abimelech when he proved the occasion of the Death of all the Persons Men Women and Children in the City But who shall say unto God What doest thou The care of my most dear Wife and a great many Children I cast upon God who I hope will be better than the best of Husbands unto her and the best of Fathers unto them God knows how Just and Legal Right my Wife hath unto her Estate to him therefore I commit her to defend her from the Violence and Oppression of Men particularly from a most inhumane and unnatural Brother But no wonder if he will lay violent hands upon his Sister's Estate that hath so often laid them on his own Father I die a deeply humbled self-judging and self-condemning Sinner loathing and abhorring my many and great Iniquities and my self for them earnestly desiring full Redemption from the Bonds of Corruption under which I have groaned so many Years long for a most perfect Conformity to the most holy and glorious God the only infinite pure Being thirsting for a perfect diffusion of his Grace through all the Powers and Faculties of my Soul panting after perfect Spiritual Life and Liberty and a consummate Love to my dearest Jesus who is an All comprehensive Good and to be satisfied with his Love for ever A vigorous and vehement Zeal for the Protestant Religion with a Belief I had of the Duke's Legitimacy hath involved me in this ignominious Death yet blessed be God that by sincere Repentance and true Faith in the Blood of Jesus there is passage from it to a Glorious Eternal Life and from these bitter Sorrows to the fulness of sweetest Joys that are in his Presence and from these sharp bodily Pains to those most pure Pleasures that are at his Right-hand for evermore And blessed be God that such a Death as this cannot prevent and hinder Christ's changing of my vile Body and fashioning it like his Glorious Body in the general Resurrection-day I am now going into that World where many dark things shall be made perfectly manifest and clear and many doubtful things fully resolved and a plenary satisfaction given concerning them all Disputes and Mistakes concerning Treason Rebellion and Schism shall be at an end and cease for ever Many things that are innocent lawful and laudable which have foul Marks and black Characters stampt and fix'd upon 'em here they shall be perfectly purified and fully cleansed from there where at one view more shall be known of them than by all wrangling Debates and eager Disputes or by reading all
Hearts to be truly thankful Comfort my Fellow Sufferers that are immediately to follow Give them Strength and Comfort unto the end I forgive all the World even all those that have been the immediate Hastners of my Death I am in Charity with all Men. And now blessed Lord Jesus into thy Hands I commend my Spirit Our Father c. After which going up the Ladder he desired the Executioner not to be hard to him who answered No and said I pray Master forgive me To which he said I do with my whole Heart and I pray God forgive thee But I advise thee to leave off this bloody Trade The Executioner said I am forced to do what I do it 's against my Mind So lifting up his Hands to Heaven the Executioner did his Office 17. The Behaviour and Dying Words of Mr. ROGER SATCHEL who was Executed at Weymouth in the County of Dorset MR. Satchel at the time of the Duke's landing at Lyme lived at Culliton about Five Miles West of that Town No sooner had he the News of the Duke's being landed but he sets himself to work to serve him desiring all he knew to joyn with him and was one of the first that went to him to Lyme and was with him to the end But after the Rout travelling to and fro to secure himself was at last taken at Chard by three Moss Troopers He was from thence carried to Ilchester and so secured in Ilchester Gaol and at the Bloody Assizes at Dorchester took his Tryal and received his Sentence with the rest After Sentence two of his Friends came to him and told him there was no Hope He answer'd My Hope is in the Lord. After which he spent most of his time before Execution in Prayer and Meditation and conferring with many good Persons The Morning being come he prepared himself and all the way drawing to Execution was very devout Being come to the Place there was a Minister I think of that Place who sung a Psalm and prayed with them and would have some Discourse with this Person which he avoided as much as possible but he asked him what were his Grounds for joyning in that Rebellion who answered Had you Sir been there and a Protestant I believe you would have joyned too But do not speak to me about that I am come to die for my Sins not for my Treason against the King as you call it So pointing to the Wood that was to burn his Bowels he said I do not care for that what matters it what becomes of my Body so my Soul be at rest So praying to himself near half an Hour and advising some he knew never to yield to Popery he was turned off the Ladder He was a couragious bold spirited Man and one of great Reason just and punctual in all his Business and one that did much Good amongst his Neighbours 18. Mr. LANCASTER THere was at the same Time and Place one Mr. Lancaster executed whose Courage and Deportment was such that he out-braved Death and in a manner challenged it to hurt him saying I die for a good Cause and am going to a gracious God I desire all your Christian Prayers 'T is good to go to Heaven with Company And much more he spake concerning the Duke of Monmouth whom he supposed at that time to be living And so praying privately for some small time he was turned or rather leaped off the Ladder 19. The Last Speech of Mr. BENJAMIN SANDFORD at the Place of Execution HE with Nine more was brought from Dorchester to Bridport to be Executed Coming to the Place of Execution he held up his Hands to Heaven and turning himself to the People said I Am an Old Man you see and I little thought to have ended my Days at such a shameful Place and by such an ignominious Death and indeed it is dreadful to Flesh and Blood as well as a Reproach to Relations but it would have been a great deal more if I had suffered for some Felonious Account Says one to him Is not this worse do you think than Felony He answered I know not any thing that I have done so bad as Felony that this heavy Judgment should fall upon me except it be for my Sins against my God whom I have highly provok'd and must acknowledge have deserved Ten thousand times more Lord I trust thou hast pardoned them Seal my Pardon in the Blood of my Saviour Lord look upon and be with me to the last moment 20. JOHN BENNET THere was also Executed at the same time one John Bennet a poor Man but Pious and of good Report with his Neighbours in Lyme where he lived I have heard that when he was on Trial a certain Person inform'd his Lordship that the Prisoner then at the Bar had Alms of the Parish And that his Lordship should reply Do not trouble your selves I will ease the Parish of that trouble In Prison and at the Place of Execution he behaved himself so to all that many of his Enemies pitied him and would if it had lain in their Power as they said have saved him Here was a glorious Instance of Filial Affection His Son being then present offered to have died for him and was going up the Ladder if it might have been suffer'd He prayed some short time and so was translated as we have Hopes to think from this troublesome World into Celestial Joy and everlasting Happiness To conclude The Solemn Serious Dying Declarations and Christian Courage of the Western Sufferers have always outweighed with me the Evidence of those flagitious Witnesses who swore these Persons out of their Lives And I did and do most stedfastly believe that the only Plot in that Day was the same which the Almighty has at length owned and most signally prospered in the Hand of our Gracious August and Rightful Sovereign King William I mean the rescuing the Protestant Religion and the Laws and Liberties of England from a most impetuous Torrent of Popery and Tyranny wherewith they were most dangerously threatned Thus far the Author of the Bloody Assizes from whom I have extracted all the Memoirs relating to the Deaths and Sufferings of English Protestants from the Year 1678. to this Time While we are thus talking of Death and Dying I can't forbear naming the Ghostly Last Will and Testament of M. Armand It contains the real Inclinations of his Soul in all the Accidents of his Life That he was bigotted to the Roman Catholick Religion is plain by this Ghostly Will wherein he allows no Salvation out of it This Will being long I shall not insert it here but referr you to the Present State of Europe for December 1695. where you will find it recited at large Since the Publication of M. Arnaud's Ghostly Will there is come to light his Temporal Will wherein that which is most Remarkable is his persisting to acknowledge himself a Son of the Catholick Church and his bequeathing his Heart to the
is a certain way by which some Men make Trial what Death is but for my own part I cou'd ne'er yet find it out But let Death be what it will 't is certain 't is less troublesome than Sleep for in Sleep I may have disquieting Pains or Dreams and yet I fear not going to Bed I hope these Thoughts will put a gloss upon the Face of Death and to make Death yet the easier to thee think with thy self I shall not be long after thee for 't is but t'other Day I came into the World and anon I am leaving it I now take my leave of every Place I depart from There is says Feltham no fooling with Life when 't is once turned beyond Thirty Silence was a full Answer of him that being ask'd what he thought of Humane Life said nothing turn'd him round and vanish'd Abraham see how he beginneth to possess the World by no Land Pasture or Arable Lordship the first thing is a Grave The first Houshold-stuff that ever Seleucus brought into Babylon was a Sepulchre-stone a Stone to lay upon him when he was dead that he kept in his Garden and you know my Dear a Friend of ours tho' in perfect Health that 's now making his Coffin as a daily Monitor of his own Mortality Life at best is uncertain yet as to outward Appearance I am likely to go first But should'st thou die before me But what a melancholy thing wou'd the World then appear I 'll retire to God and my own Heart whence no Malice Time nor Death can banish thee The variety of Beauty and Faces I shou'd see after thy Decease tho' they are quick Underminers of Constancy in others to me wou'd be Pillars to support it since they 'd then please me most when I most thought of you I 've graved thy Picture so deep in my Breast that 't will ne'er out till I find the Original in the other World Don't think my Dear that conjugal Affection can be dissolved by Death The Arms of Love are long enough to reach from Earth to Heaven Fruition and Possession principally appertain to the Imagination If we enjoy nothing but what we touch we may say Farewel to the Money in our Closets and to our Friends when they go to Agford Part us and you kill us nay if we wou'd we cannot part Death 't is true may divide our Bodies but nothing else We have Souls to be sure and whilst they can meet and caress one another we may enjoy each other were we the length of the Map asunder Thus we may double Bliss stol'n Love enjoy And all the Spight of Place and Friends defie For ever thus we might each other bless For none cou'd trace out this new Happiness No Argus here to spoil or make it less 'T is not properly Absence when we can see one another as to be sure we shall tho' in a State of Separation For sight of Spirits in unprescrib'd by space What see they not who see the Eternal Face The Eyes of the Saints shall out-see the Sun and behold without Perspective the extreamest Distances for if there shall be in our glorified Eyes the Faculty of Sight and Reception of Objects I could think the visible Species there to be in as unlimitable a way as now the intellectual The bright transforming Rays of Heavenly Light Immense Immortal Pure and Infinite Does likewise with its Light communicate The Spirit exalt and all its frame dilate St. Augustine tells us The Saints of God even with the Eyes of their Bodies closed up shall see all things not only present but also from which they are corporally absent for then shall be the Perfection whereof the Apostle saith we Prophecy but in part then the Imperfect shall be taken away Whether this be so I cannot say yet sure I am that nothing can deprive me of the Enjoyment of the Vertues while I enjoy my self Nay I have sometimes made good use of my Separation from thee we better fill'd and farther extended the Possession of our Lives in being parted you lived rejoyced and saw for me and I for you as plainly as if you had your self been there But sure I dream for lo on a sudden all the Arguments I use to sweeten our parting are as so many Daggers thrust into my Heart and now it comes to the push I can't bear the Thoughts on 't Part bless me how it sounds 't is impossible it shou'd be so it does not hang together What part after so many Vows of never parting here or scarce a Minute in the other World 'T is true we first came together with this Design to help and prepare one another for Death but now the Asthma is digging thy Grave and thy Coffin lies in view I am fainting quite away methinks I feel already the Torments to which a Heart is expos'd that loses what it loves never did Man love as I have loved my Sentiments have a certain Delicacy unknown to any others but my self and my Hearts loves Daphne more in one Hour than others do in all their Lives Say dear Possessor of my Heart can this consist with parting No With Gare on your Last Hour I will attend And least like Souls should me deceive I closely will embrace my new-born Friend And never after my dear Pithia leave 'T is my Desire to Die first or that we expire together in thy tender Arms I wou'd imitate herein the Mayor of Litomentia's Daughter who leaping into the River where her Husband was drowned she clasped him about the middle and expires with him in her Arms and which is very Remarkable they were found the next Day embracing one another I likewise admire the Resolution of the Indian Wives who in Contempt of Death scorn to survive their Husbands Funeral Pile but with chast Zeal and undaunted Courage throw themselves into the same Flames as if they were then going to the Nuptial Bed As Remarkable is that of Laodomia the Wife of Protesilaus who hearing that her Husband was killed at Troy slew her self because she would not out-live him Neither is Artemisia to be less valued who after the Death of her Husband lived in continual Mourning and dy'd before she had finished his Tomb having drunken the Bones of her Husband beaten into Powder which she buried in her own Body as the choicest Sepulchre she cou'd provide for him And if we look back into ancient Times we find there was hardly a (g) (g) Dr. Horneck's Lives of the Primitive Christians Widow among the Primitive Christians that complained of Solitariness or sought Comfort in a Second Marriage Second Marriage then was counted little better than Adultery their Widows were the same that they were whilst their Husbands lived Neither are the Men without Ancient and Modern Instances of this Nature For C. Plautius Numida a Senator having heard of the Death of his Wife and not able to bear the Weight of so great a Grief thrust his Sword into
his Breast but by the sudden coming in of his Servants he was prevented from finishing his Design and his Wound was bound up by them nevertheless as soon as he found Opportunity he tore off his Plaisters (h) (h) Val. Max. l. 4. c. 6. p. 114. and let forth a Soul that was unwilling to stay in the Body after that his Wife had forsaken hers And as the Widows among the Primitive Christians as I hinted before counted Second Marriages a sort of Adultery so the Men too in that (i) (i) Dr. Horneck's Lives of the Primitive Christians purer Age were so Chast and Holy that not a Man came near his Wife after he perceived or had notice that she was with Child till she was delivered and even then when they came together there Thoughts were so Innocent that they proposed no other End but Procuration of Children to be brought up in the Fear and Nature of the Lord and wou'd not hear of a Second Match Neither is the present Age without Instances of Loving Husbands I shall begin with Ant. Wallaeus who lived with his Wife so very lovingly that they never Quarrel'd their mutual Care was to please each other and by Deeds to prevent each others Desires Neither did Wallaeus fear any thing more than that his dear Wife should die before him for he used her not only for the Government of his Family but for his constant Companion I shall further instance in Mr. Ratcliff whose Grief for the Death of his Wife ††See her Epitaph in Westminster Abbey was so very great and constant that it indispos'd him both in Body and Mind and in few Days ended his Life I admire these noble Instances of conjugal Affection but in nothing so much as their Aversion to new Bedfellows The Truth is Second Marriages are a sort of who bids most For my own share I am such an Enemy to 'em and naturally of a Temper so averse to Confinement that shou'd I survive thee as is very unlikely I doubt whether I shou'd ever be brought to draw again in the Conjugal Yoke 'T is said by one of the Rabbins concerning Methuselah's Wife that she had Nine Husbands in One for Age and Years so I may say of thee that I have Nine Wifes in thee alone for Matrimonial Sweetness and Love and so have no need to marry a Tenth or if I marry again 't will be to a single Life that I might imitate those Primitive Virgins Dr. Horneck speaks of who so freely and voluntarily dedicated themselves to God that they 'd be marry'd to none but him and tho' many times they were tempted by Rich Fortunes yet nothing cou'd alter their Resolution of continuing Virgins 'T is true the World is a Desart without the Society of Women and my self no Enemy to 'em but for all that they are dangerous things to meddle with especially for better for worse Whatsoever Gold one bestows upon Fetters and how glorious soever Servitude may be yet I perswade my self for all the glittering shew that Shackles and Slavery are but a couple of bad Masters and therefore will dance no more to the Musick of Fetters except Phoenix-like from thy Ashes another Daphne could arise and then I can't say what I might do for I love to look on thy Image tho' but in a Friend or Picture and shall ever receive thy Kindred with Honourable mention of thy Name Then wonder not when e'er you die if I live and pine like the constant Turtle Thy Love deserves a great deal more I know 't is a common Saying There 's but one good Wife in the World and every Man enjoys her But I never found this true in any Case but my own For there 's my Lord L declares he cou'd love his Wife above all Women in the World if she were not his Wife The Duke of is of the same Mind and the George and Garter little better Sir Charles follows his Example and most have a tang of this Rambling Fancy Where is the Man except my self that 's not a C d or the Woman that so tempers her self in her Behaviour with Men as if Vertue had settled her self in her Looks and Eyes I profess when I have excepted Daphne Chloris and Sapho I know not where to find her We were wont to say It was a wise Child that knew his own Father but now we may say It is a wise Father that knows his own Child Men and Women as familiarly go into a Chamber to damn one another on a Feather bed as into a Tavern to be merry with Wine She that does not dance so lofty that you may see her Silken Garters and learn to forget Shame is no body Who wou'd think to find Hercules the only Worthy of his Time stooping to the Meanness of being a Servant to Omphale and in the quality of a Wench working at the Rock and Spindle Or to see Mark Anthony lose the World for a Cleopatra a Woman a thing in Petticoats But wou'd Flesh and Blood listen to Prov. 22.14 and remember that the Child often proves the Pisture of the Lover and discovers it Bless'd Conclusion of stoln Sweets◠they 'd ne'er invade the Right of another But to see lewd Men seeking new Wives for a fresh Supply for Wenching is no Wonder but to find chast Persons marrying again is what I cou'd ne'er approve of And I find King Charles of my Opinion for in his Last Words to his Queen he tells her That he had never strayed from her either in Thought Word or Deed And I am apt to believe him for I am such a Platenick my self as never to touch the Lip or Hand of a lewd Woman and as much averse to a Second Marriage so that if you shou'd dye I 'll fly the Sex in general There 's Pitch and Birdlime in their Lips and Fingers an Itch of amorousness of Skin all over A Man may as soon hug a Flame without burning as not be fired if he embraces Petricoats Democrates put his Eyes out to avoid the Sight of ' em These Patterns I resolve to imitate for tho' Men in Fashion make no account of their Wives and live at a lewd rate yet I am no Lover of Strolling Mutton No I thank God I have a good Wife a very Non-such and know it too which are two Blessings that seldom go together But Miracles are ceast and I must not expect such another We find the First Man Adam the Righteous Let the Meek Moses the Philosopher Secrates and the Orator Cicero were all either over-reach'd or afflicted with Women and I am not so stupid to think I shou'd merit a better Fate or meet a Second Wife that cou'd match the first who I must say fully answers Solomon's Character in the 30th of Proverbs and has had no Equal since the World began If any come near thee 't is the Witty Chloris but she 's an Angel grown and wont be tied to a
Ciod of Earth or if she wou'd ' Ise too much a Platonick to tell her I am Flesh and Blood No my Dear when you are gone I can easily part with every thing my Leave then will soon be taken of All but my self Never did any Man bid Adieu to the World more absolutely and purely and shake Hands with all Women in it than I shall do when thou art dead not but I kindly resent thy recommending that dear Saint But she and Argus have nothing to fear For tho' my Flesh is malicious enough yet I 'm as Chast as Ice and a perfect Enemy to Caterwauling I love my Daphne ' cause she pleases me And therefore only pleases ' cause 't is she And therefore in her shake Hands with the whole Sex But tho' I 'm averse to a Second Wife yet to forbid thee Marriage after my Death according to the Property of some Husbands I will not for the Holy Scripture saith The Wife is bound unto the Marriage as long as her Husband liveth If her Husband die she is at Liberty to marry with whom she will only in the Lord. If therefore after my Death thou hast a mind to Marry again as I scarce think it of thee Marry in the Name of the Lord our God but follow not the Practice of doating Widows who couple with those to whom they might more properly have given suck Neither would I have thee engage in a Smithfield Bargain What! Marry for Money or be laying new Foundations of Life now you are half way through it To lay up Goods for many Years was thought by the Primitive Christians fitter for Heathens than Christians for having seen no such thing in their Master they could not tell how it should be proper in his Servants but thou art a Rational Creature tho' a Woman and hast no need of this Advice I come next to tell thee I have made my Will wherein thou art sole Executrix that I might give at the rate I love thee from our Marriage till now I have been wrapp'd in a Circle of Obligations to thee and am so desirous to require thy Love that I am scarce contented with giving All but cou'd grutch my Funeral Expences my very Shroud and Grave that I might add to your future Store I need not press you to believe this for Men in their Last Wills and Speeches appear just as they are they here grow Open and Plain-Hearted and dare not depart with their Hands to a Lye But if you think this Will a Romance or that my Words out-love my Actions I must referr all to Death it self for then will be seen whether the Items in it come only from my Mouth or from my Heart I say I referr you to Death for the Truth of this for my Carriage in Health en't able to shew how Dear you are I have not that Fondness in my natural Temper that trumpets forth great Love and to speak my Conscience I think it unhandsome in a (k) (k) As I hinted in a Letter to the Ingenious Cl s. Marry'd State The Stork is a fond Creature and by always kissing his Mate in publick gives a bad Example to Marry'd People who have learn'd it from him Publick Wantonness is odious between Birds much more so between Man and Wife Believe me Daphne more Souls of our Youth perish this way than any other It pleases not me tho' spoken by an Emperor Give me leave by the Lusts of others to exercise mine own tho' a witty yet a wicked Speech I ever thought an intemperate Man in Wedlock differs little from a Brute for too much Billing in Publick sheweth the way to unexperienc'd Youth to commit Riot in Private Cato accus'd one before the Senate that he had kissed his Wife before his Neighbour's Daughter The very Elephants cry out against the Stork and Marry'd Wantons in this Matter who as Pliny writes make not the least Love one to another except they be covered with Bought 'T was a witty Answer of the Lacedaemouian Virgin who being ask'd in the Morning by her Friend whether or no in the Night she had embrac'd her Husband reply'd Good Words good Man not I him but he me Intimating that Fondness in a Wife was unsufferable and in a Man 't is scandalous Which makes me so little practise it Surely a Landlord may value his House without riding o' th' ridge on 't But I need not bring Arguments to prove I love tho' I am not fond seeing your Charity for me makes you say I out-love every thing Then wonder not I'm grieved at Neither am I less concern'd for the after Reflections so far as they relate to my Dear But pray forgive all my Errors and the Excess of a Love that has nothing of parting in 't 'T will if I do survive you follow thee to thy Dying-Bed 'T is there I 'll attempt to expire that I may if possible follow thee in the same Tract to Heaven where I hope to find and (l) (l) As I lately proved in a Letter upon that Subject know thee hereafter For why may not Husband and Wife that helped forward each others Salvation whose Souls were mutually dear and who went to Heaven as it were Hand in Hand there meet and return each other Thanks for those Christian Offices Holy David cheared up his Thoughts after the Death of his Child with this Meditation (m) (m) 2 Sam. 12.23 I shall go to him but he shall not return to me Which had been little Comfort if he had thought never to have known him there It will be no small Augmentation of our Complacency as I told Ignotus to find those very Friendships which we had contracted here below translated to the Mansions above when I shall see and know thee again with whom I had lived so well and slept so long in the Dust With what Ardours shall we then caress one another With what Transports of Divine Affection shall we mutually embrace and vent those innocent Flames which had so long lain smothering in the Grave How passionately Rhetorical and Elegant will our Expressions be when our Sentiments which Death had frozen up when he congeal'd our Blood shall now be thaw'd again in the warm Airs of Paradise Like Men that have escap'd a common Shipwrack and swim safe to the Shore we shall Congratulate each others Happiness with Joy and Wonder Our first Addresses will be a Dialogue of Interjections and short Periods the most pathetick Language of Surprize and high-wrought Joy and all our after-Converse will be couch'd in the highest Strains of Heavenly Oratory intermixed with Hallelujahs But I 'll stop here to let you see that my Love to your Soul is not so great as to make me forget the House it dwells in No to thy Ashes I 'll keep a Body pure and Troth inviolable for Separation shall have no place in our Union which is too great to be exampled And as to thy Burial it shall speak
aloud how much I love thee not that I like the Fune al State of Great Men neither do I approve the Embalming of the Egyptians and I as little fancy your odd Whim of being wrapp'd in a Leaden Coffin and flung into the midst of the Sea as if you desired to protract the Corruption of your Flesh out of which you shall be generated anew or dream'd of rising whole as you lay down and carrying Flesh and Blood into the Kingdom of Heaven without a change But tho' I like not these costly Burials yet I think no Tomb gay enough to enclose thy Ashes tho common Graves deserve no Inscription yet thy Relicks shall have a Monument may tell thy Vertues to the end of Time But what Epitaph can reach thy Worth 'T is a Note above Ela and can't be reach'd by a Cowley's scarce by a S r's Verse Neither can this Love to thy Ashes be call'd profuse but a Debt due to thy Memory and is what 's justified by the Example of former Ages St. Jerome tells us That in his Time Husbands were wont to spread Lilies Violets and Roses upon the Graves of their deceas'd Wives by which uxorious Office they did lessen the Grief of their Hearts conceiv'd by the Loss of their loving Bed-fellows and the like Expressions of mutual Love Wives shewed to their bury'd Husbands Now above all Flowers in these Ceremonious Observances the Rose was in greatest Request for tho' dead and dry it preserves a pleasing Sweetness and was for that Reason by the Ancients strewed upon their Kindreds Graves 'T is incredible says a late (n) (n) Dr. Horneck's Lives of the Primitive Christians Writer to consider what Cost the Primitive Christians bestow'd upon the Burials of their deceas'd Friends they look'd upon 't as sinful to neglect those Bodies when dead which in their Life-time had been Temples of the Holy Ghost The Care they took to embalm them was such that the Arabs professed they got more Money for their Perfumes of the poor Christians than of the richer Pagans who yet never were without Incense in their Idol-Temples Tho' they had little in the World yet what they had they were very free off on such Occasions for they look'd upon Good Mens Funerals as Prologues to Eternal Rest All this is supposing you die first which if you shou'd my Corpse shall follow just as Lodowick Cortusius a Lawyer of Padua follow'd his Wife He 'd have no Mourning at his Funeral but order'd Pipers Harpers and Twelve Virgins clad in Green to sing all the way to his Grave that so which is what I intend he might turn his Funeral Rites into a Marriage Ceremony But if I happen to die before you prepare me thus for the Grave Let me be said out in the Chamber next the Dining-Room from thence on the * * Not sooner least I come to Life again at my Mother did after seeming Death Seventh Day after my Death let me be nail'd down in an Elm-Coffin when kiss and salute my Hand and Cheek as a Token of thy Affection to me The Chinese always before they bury their Dead if he was a married Man bring him to his Wife that so she might first kiss him and bid him farewel After this is done let my Body be carried to the New-burying Place there to lie in the same Grave with Thee and our (o) (o) A Gentlewoman descended of honourable Parents with whom they had contracted an extraordinary Friendship dear O where we 'll both wait thy coming to us and instead of the fashionable Custom of staying at Home I 'd have thee follow my Corpse to the Ground 't is the last Office of Love to a Friend see me put into it and be one of the last that shall come thence In performing this Request you in part imitate the generous Hota who thus followed her Husband to the Grave laid him in a stately Tomb and then for Nine Days together she wou'd neither eat nor drink whereof she died and was buried as she had ordered in her Last Will by the side of her beloved Husband He first deceas'd she for a few Days try'd To live without him lik'd it not and dy'd I mention not this Instance as if I thought I deserv'd your Tears or liked Extravagant Mourning No as St. Bernard says let them bewail their Dead to excess who deny their Resurrection yet I must say that to follow our Friends to the Grave and to mourn for their Interrment is a manifest Token of True Love Our Blessed Saviour himself wept over the Grave of dead Lazarus whom he revived whereupon the standers by said among themselves Behold how he loved him The Ancient Romans before they were Christians mourned Nine Months but being Christians they used Mourning a whole Year cloathed in Black for the most part for Women were cloathed partly in White and partly in Black according to the Diversity of Nations But in our Times Husbands can bury their Wives and Wives their Husbands with a few counterfeit Tears and a sowre Visage masked and painted over with Dissimulation contracting like the Ephesian Matron Second Marriages before they have worn out their Mourning Garments But the Tears I have shed for your long Sickness have clear'd me of this Levity and shew even while you are living how much I shall grieve when you die in earnest and how impatient I 'll be till I bed with you in the Dust that as our Souls shall know each other when they leave the Bodies so our Bodies also may rise together after the long Night of Death and I hope I shall find thee of this Opinion Dr Brown applauds those ingenious Tempers that desire to sleep in the Urns of their Fathers and strive to go the nearest way to Corruption 'T was the late Request of a Great Divine to lie by his Wife in Shore-ditch and for that Reason he was bury'd there And Sir Nathanael Barnardiston in his Last Will desires his Executors that the Bones of his Father might be digged out of the Earth where they were bury'd and laid by his own Body in a new Vault he ordered 'em to erect for the same purpose that tho' he cou'd not live with his Father as long as he wou'd have desired yet he designed that their Bodies should lie together till the Resurrection As it is good to enjoy the Company of the Godly while they are living so it is not amiss if it will stand with convenience to be buried with them after Death The old Prophets Bones escap'd a burning by being buried with the other Prophets and the Man who was tumbled into the Grave of Elisha was revived by the virtue of his Bones and we read in the Acts and Monuments that the Body of Peter Martyr's Wife was buried in a Dunghil but afterwards being taken up in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth it was honourably buried in Oxford in the Grave of one Frideswick a Popish She-Saint to this
end that if the Papists shou'd go about to untomb Peter Martyr's Wife 's Bones they shou'd be puzzl'd to distinguish betwixt the Woman's Body and the Relicks of that their Saint so Good it is in the Opinion of some to be buried with those that are accounted Pious 'T was for this Reason I formerly desired to lie in the Chancel of C with my Reverend Father but Love to a Parent tho' ne'er so tender is lost in that to a Wife and NOW if I can mingle my Ashes with thine I have nothing further to ask If I shou'd be so miserable as to out-live thee a few Hours thy Tomb shall be my Breast till on Six Shoulders I am brought to Thee and O as the only Companions of my Long Home Neither is this Fancy without Precedent for we read (p) (p) In the Flying-Post March the 4th 1696. of a young Gentleman now in Town who getting a Lock and Key to the Vault (q) (q) In St. Clement's Church where his Mistress lies pays her frequent Visits Just thus I 'll visit thee and when I leave this Light Come spend my Time in the same Cell at Night And then farewel farewel I cannot take A final Leave until thy Ashes wake You see my Dear how loth I am to give the Beck'n of Farewel But won't you pardon a Spouse as Husbands go now-a-days who receives Life from your Smiles and is well no longer than he 's Praising of you The Best of Wives and my Truest Friend is but part of your Character And can I leave such a Treasure in post-hast I have kinder Things to add but have not time to write 'em half so must reserve the rest till we meet in Heaven or till I write again when expect my Thoughts on the several Duties of a Married Life Remarks on thy present Sickness and some Secrets I here omit I beg thy Answer to this Letter for I 'll keep it by me as a dear Memorial I 'd next proceed to consider the nature of our Souls and that other World we are hastening to But here 's enough to let you see that as in Life so in Death I am wholly ours and shall so continue as long as I am London Wall August the 3d. 1682. P t. Mrs. E 's Answer to the foregoing Letter I Received my Dearest thy obliging Letter and thankfully own that tho' God has exercised me with a long and languishing Sickness and my Grave lies in view yet he hath dealt tenderly with me so that I find by Experience no Compassions are like those of a God 'T is true I have scarce Strength to answer your Letter but seeing you desire a few Lines to keep as a Memorial of our Constant Love I 'll attempt something tho' by reason of my present Weakness I can write nothing worth your reading First then As to your Character of me Love blinds you for I don't eserve it but am pleased to find you enjoy by the help of a strong Fancy that Happiness which I can't tho' I would bestow But Opinion is the rate of things and if you think your self Happy you are so As to my self I have met with more a greater Comforts in a Marry'd State than ever I did expect But how could it be otherwise when Inclination Interest and all that can be desired concurr to make up the Harmony From our Marriage till now thy Life has been one continued Act of Courtship and sufficiently upbraids that Indifference which is found among Married People Thy Concern for my present Sickness tho' of long continuance has been so Remarkably tender that were it but known to the World 't wou'd once more bring into fashion Mens loving their Wives Thy WILL alone is a Noble Pattern for others to Love by and is such an Original Piece as will near be equall'd I next come to consider the Imprudence of where I must say I am so far from blaming your Conduct that I admire the Greatness of your Conjugal Love in that very Particular which shewed it self to be like the Apple of the Eye which is disturbed with the least Dust But my Dear be concern'd at nothing for I am well pleased with all you say or do and have such a Kindness for you that I dread the Thoughts of surviving thee more than I do those of Death Cou'd you think I 'd marry again when it has been one great Comfort under all my Languishments to think I shou'd die first and that I shall live in him who ever since the happy Union of our Souls has been more dear to me than Life it self As to what you mention about our Funerals I like it well and am yet further pleased with our Ground Bed-follows I doubt not but dear O Thee and I shall make as wholsome a Morsel for the Worms as any and as we sleep together in the same Grave so I hope we shall be Happy hereafter in the Enjoyment of the Beatifick Vision and in the Knowledge of one another for I agree with you that we shall know our Friends in Heaven Wise and Learned Men of all Ages and several Scriptures plainly shew it tho' I verily believe was there none but God and one Saint in Heaven that Saint would be perfectly Happy so as to desire no more But whilst on Earth we may lawfully please our selves with Hopes of meeting hereafter and in lying in the same Grave where we shal be Happy together if a senseless Happiness can be called so You mention writing your Thoughts of the Nature of the Soul and that other World we are hastening to But seeing you did not send 'em I shall wait with Patience till those things are no longer the Object of our Faith but Vision Thus have I given a short Reply to some Part of your kind Letter and will answer it more at large as my Strength encreases But I shall see you to Morrow at Stoke and will then tell you more of my Mind I hope you 'll write every Week for if I recover I 'll answer all your Letters I shall only add my Hearty Prayer That God wou'd bless you both in Soul and Body and that when you die you may be conveyed by the Angels into Abraham's Bosom where I hope you 'll find Your Constant E 'T will not be improper to add here another Letter writ by Mrs. E to a young Lady which with the former shews her Conjugal Affection was not by fits and starts but that 't was the same in Health as on a Sick-bed The Letter is as follows YOU was not mistaken Dear Madam when you believed I shou'd break-open your Letter 'T is a Freedome we Women take that are bless'd with such obliging Husbands as I have I read it took your Advice and sent it that Night for Tunbridge went to Bed and diverted my self with the Thoughts of that Pure and Vertuous Friendship which was begun between Cl s and P t. I was much concerned at
that unhappy Accident which threatned the putting a Stop to it for I ever esteemed Platonick-Love to be the most Noble and thought it might be allowed by all but some wise Persons are afraid least the Sex should creep in for a share Here was no Danger for tho' Nature and Art have done their utmost to make Cl s Charming to all her Wit c. being beyond most of her Sex yet P t having for many Years given such Testimonies of a Conjugal Affection even to excess if such a thing can be that I fanned their Friendship might have been honourably continued to the End of Time I hope what Difficulties they meet with at their first setting out will heighten their Friendship and make it more strong and lasting So wishes August 27. 1695. Your Humble Servant E This Letter was occasioned by a Misconstruction put on the Correspondence then carried on 'tween P t and the aforesaid Lady but E being universally Religious by consequence is universally Charitable and therefore as she knew no Harm thinks none but encourages the Correspondence Mr. Richard Mays was a Man of sincere Godliness A (r) Mr. Singleton worthy Person sufficiently known in this City for his great Skill and Pains in training up of Youth was the Happy Instrument which Providence made use of for the first awakening and enclining him to look out after God I have often heard him speak with great thankfulness both to God and him of that Mixture of Love and Prudence whereby he gained upon him Throughout the Whole of his Sickness of Six Weeks continuance all was clear between God and him 2 Sam. 23.4 His End was like the Light of the Evening when the Sun setteth an Evening without any Clouds He said to my self when I enquired of him concerning that Matter I have not indeed those Raptures of Joy which some have felt tho' yet he added blessed be God I have sometimes tasted of them too but I have a comfortable well-grounded Hope of Eternal Life Another time I have had my Infirmities and Failings but my Heart hath been right with God as to the main and I look for the Mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to Eternal Life Again another time I know that I have passed from Death to Life And again Blessed be God for our Lord Jesus Christ who hath delivered me from the Wrath to come In the Presence of others that stood by him when the sudden Blast was so strong as almost to puff out the Lamp of Life expecting to die in a very few Moments he said in the Words of the Psalmist Into thy Hands I commit my Spirit thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of Truth and this was uttered by him with a more than ordinary Chearfulness visibly spread on his Face He would often say in his Sickness If God hath any Pleasure in me and any more Work for me to do he will raise me up but if not lo here am I let him do with his Servant what seemeth him good In short I could neither observe my self nor learn from those that were constantly about him who must know this Matter better than any others and would not Lye for God himself that he had the least Darkness upon his Spirit as to his present and future State from the beginning of his Sickness till he gave up the Ghost which he did the last Lord's-Day about Five in the Morning the time when he was wont to arise and prepare himself for his Sacred Work Mr. Nathaniel Taylor in his Sermon at Mr. Mayo 's Funeral Dr. Samuel Annesley was reconciled to Death yea so desirous of it as hardly induced him to have his Life prayed for But hearing some Ministers had been fervently praying for his Life he replied I 'm then more reconciled to Life than ever for I 'm confident God will not give a Life so eminently in answer of Prayer as mine must be if he would not use it to greater purposes than ever before Yet some little time before his Change his Desires of Death appear'd strong and his Soul filled with the fore-tasts of Glory oft saying Come my dearest Jesus the nearer the more precious the more welcome Another time his Joy was so great that in an Ecstasie he cried out I cannot contain it What manner of Love is this to a poor Worm I can't express the thousandth part of what Praise is due to thee We know not what we do when we offer at praising God for his Mercies It 's but little I can give but Lord help me to give thee my All. I 'll die praising thee and rejoyce that there 's others can praise thee better I shall be satisfied with thy likeness satisfied satisfied Oh my dearest Jesus I come See a larger Account in Dr. Annesley's Funeral Sermon preach'd by Mr. Daniel Williams The Death of Old Mr. Eliot of New-England While he was making his Retreat out of this Evil World his Discourses from time to time ran upon The Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ It was the Theme which he still had recourse unto and we were sure to have something of this whatever other Subject he were upon On this he talk'd of this he pray'd for this he long'd and especially when any bad News arriv'd his usual Reflection thereon would be Behold some of the Clouds in which we must look for the Coming of the Son of Man At last his Lord for whom he had been long wishing Lord come I have been a great while ready for thy Coming At last I say his Lord came and fetched him away into the Joy of his Lord. He fell into some Languishments attended with a Fever which in a few Days brought him into the Pangs may I say or Joys of Death And while he lay in these Mr. Walter coming to him he said unto him Brother Thou art welcome to my very Soul Pray retire to my Study for me and give me leave to be gone meaning that he should not by Petitions to Heaven for his Life detain him here It was in these Languishments that speaking about the Work of the Gospel among the Indians he did after this Heavenly manner express himself There is a Cloud said he a dark Cloud upon the Work of the Gospel among the poor Indians The Lord revive and prâ—â—â—er that Work and grant it may live when I am dead It is a Work which I have been doing much and long about But what was the Word I spoke last I recall that Word My Doings Alas they have been poor and small and lean Doings and I 'll be the Man that shall throw the first Stone at them all Mr. Cotton Mather tells us of Mr. Elias That the Last of his ever setting Pen to Paper in the World was upon this Occasion I shall transcribe a short Letter which was written by the shaking Hand that had heretofore by Writing deserved so well from the Church of God but was now taking its leave of Writing for
of Christ It is not all I can do that will or can save me Were I to live my Days over again and spend them in nothing but Prayers and Tears that could not Save me no it is nothing but the Mercy of God in Christ that must save me and upon this will I trust I am resolved that at the last I will lay my self wholly at the Feet of God's Mercy in Jesus Christ and there I will die This he uttered with raised and enlarged Affections They have brought my Coffin and I am not afraid to see it proceeded he I thank God I can freely lie down in it These Shackles about my Legs are as if they were not I do not regard them My Heart is so cheared with the consideration of the Precious Promises God hath made to poor perishing Sinners and why not to me And why not to thee indeed said I She loved much to whom much was forgiven Ah reply'd he it is much must be forgiven me Much indeed More to this purpose passed between us Several other Ministers were with him that Day and prayed with him as he told me what Discourse they had with him I know not A little before Execution enquiring of him what Confession he thought to make he said he was not inclined to speak much publickly in that respect for this reason That he judged it useless and at most would only gratifie some who came for nothing else but to hear him tell a long Story of a Vicious Life which was more likely to discompose his own Minds than tend to their Edification Moreover he said I cannot affect the Guilty and for others some may believe me some may not The Guilty know themselves I will therefore leave them to God and their own Consciences wishing them true Repentance that they may never come to this miserable End He did not think fit to go out of the World accusing others whom he could no more than accuse and neither bring them to deserved Punishment for what they had done hor prevent thereby their proceeding in the same course of Wickedness No for said he God must convince them and change their hearts which he did and would Pray earnestly for to his last He was desirous to employ all his little space in seeking God and giving up himself to Jesus Christ in humble Prayer now and then saying Oh! my Time is short within a few hours yea moments I shall be in Eternity O vain World Requesting me oft not to leave him till Death separated us I accompanied him to the Place of Execution where I prayed with him committing his Soul to God he joyned with me with great Ardency Then was sung the latter part of the 39th Psalm by his Appointment in singing whereof he seemed elevated in Heart and Voice above most present At last turning about and looking round on the Multitude he took his Farewel in these words or words to the like effect Gentle Spectators You are come to see a sinful miserable Wretch suffer this Ignominious Death I thank God it is not terrible to me for I trust that I shall find Mercy with God for my poor Soul through the precious Blood of my sweet Jesus You may see here what Sin will bring you to Oh take warning by me take heed of Sin shun Temptationsâ— flee Ezsil Company beware of Sabbath-breaking for by this Sin the Devil begins with many to draw them to all manner of Wickedness so he did with me Oh forsake all your Evil Wars turn to the Lord he is a gracious God Oh vile Wretch that I have so sinned against a holy just and merciful God I have been a Prodigal indeed but I hope now a Returning one Oh that they that have been my Companions in Mischief may Repent before it be too late I beg of them to fear God and mind their Souls There may be some of them that hear me at this time the Lord touch their hearts Oh do not still go on you are known to God who will call you to Account for all one day Think of it I beseech you the Lord give you true Repentance and Pardon your Sins that you may not come to this miserable End you see me come to With more to the like purpose Then Resigning himself to God and begging Acceptance with him for the Merits of a Dear and All-sufficient Redeemer he ended this Temporal and Miserable Life Thus far Mr. Burroughs CHAP. CXLV The Last Wills of Persons Remarkable for their Oddness and Singularity HAving had occasion to mention before several Wills with a particular Respect to Charities bestowed and some which were Remarkably Serious and Devout here I shall present the Reader with a few that I thought not very suitable to either of those Heads having something of Oddness or Levity or Brevity in them extraordinary 1. I have already spoken of Endamidas the Corinthian who dying Poor left his Aged Mother to Aretaeus and his Young Daughter to Charixenus two Rich Friends of his the one to be maintained till she died and the other till she married She the Chapter of Remarkable Friendship 2. Hilarion is reported at Eighty Years Old to have made this Will All my Wealth that is the Gospel and one Hair Vest my Coat and little Cloak I leave to my most loving Friend Hesychius Mourning Ring 3. Antonius the Great this As for the Place of my Burial let none know but your own Love my Felt and old Cloak give it to Athanasius which he gave me when it was new Let Serapion take the other which is somewhat better Do you take my Hair Garment And so Farewel my Bowels for Antony is going Ibid. 4. I Acathius Victor have been running to Eternity from A.C. 1581. and have Eternity in my Mind Now I commend my Spirit to God my Body to the Earth and Worms But as for Estate nothing now is mine but Good-Will which I carry with me to the Tribunal of God Ibid. 5. S. Hierom Martyr left his Estate to his Mother and Sister but to Rusticius the Chief Magistrate of Ancyra his Right-hand already cut off Ibid. 6. Zisca bequeath'd his Skin to make a Drum and his Flesh to the Fowls of the Air and Wild Beasts Ibid. 7. A Woman left her Cat 500 Crowns to maintain her with Food so long as she lived 8. I have mentioned already an Old Witch that on her Death-bed bequeathed her Imp the Devil to her Daughter 9. Luther was more serious and wise when he in his Last Will bequeath'd his Wife to God who gave her 10. Cardinal Bellarmine as I have noted before makes a long sputter in his Last Will about his Disposal of a few Cloaths and fine Pictures c. 11. I have been credibly informed that a certain School-Master in Shropshire making his Will his Wife who had always the Whip-hand over him standing by took occasion frequently to Advise the Clerk that wrote for him or rather to Correct and altar what
her Husband dictated he not daring or not caring at that time of his Weakness to gainsay or resist her when he was called to Seal and Subscribe he wrote not in English but Greek This is the Will of Penelope Chaloner The Will being thus finished to her great Satisfaction she would not depart till she had got it into her own Custody that it might be safely kept At last upon some Difference between her Son and her arising it was produced to her great shame and disappointment 12. Going one time to Major Trevers his House in Cheshire I met with the Major at Tarvia near his House where there had been a Lecture that day permitted by Bishop Wilkins and kept up by the Neighbouring Clergy The Major told me That the Preacher for that Day had this pleasant shall I say or odd Passage in his Sermon A Scotch Laird or Gentleman having sent or a Clerk to make his Will began to him thus after the common Preface Imprimis I bequeath my Soul to God To which his Clerk made answer very seriously But what if he wonnot take it Mon With what temper of Spirit it was then spoken I know not but sure I am 't is a Point that deserves a serious Thoughtfulness and Gravity of Mind CHAP. CXLVI Remarkable Instances of Sudden Death WHO will not stand upon his Guard against the Efforts of Death that threaten us every Hour who has appointed no time when he intends to meet us He creeps flies leaps upon us with a tacit motion a stealing pace making no signs before-hand without any cause without any caution in-sickness in health in danger in security so that there is nothing sacred or safe from his clutches No Man says the Reverend Mr. Veal in his Sermon concerning the Danger of a Death-bed Repentance knows the time of his Death any more than the manner of it or means by which it shall be brought about Our breath is in God's hands Dan. 5.23 No Man hath a Lease of his Earthly Tabernacle but is Tenant at Will to his Great Landlord Who knows when he shall die or how Whether a Natural Death or a violent one To how many thousand unforeseen Accidents are Men subject Not only Swords and Axes may dispatch them but God can Commission Infects and Vermin to be the Executioners of his Justice upon them A great Prelate may be eaten up of Mice Hatto Archbishop of Mentz and a Patent Prince devoured by Worms Acts 12.23 And who doth not carry the Principles of his own Dissolution perpetually within him Death lies in Ambush in every Vein in every Member and none know when it may assault them It doth not always warn before it strikes If some Diseases are Chronical others are Acute and less lingring and some are as quick as Lightning kill in an instant Men may be well in one moment and dead in the next God shoots his Arrows at them they are suddenly wounded Psal 64.7 How many are taken away not only in the midst of their days but in the midst of their sins The lusting Israelites with the flesh between their teeth Numb 11.33 Julian if Historians speak truth with Blasphemy in his mouth and how many frequently with the Wine in their heads In such cases what place what time for Repentance for seeking it for using means to attain it when they have not room for so much as a thought of it Thus far Mr. Veal I now proceed to Instances of Sudden Death Sound and merry was Tarquin when he was choaked with a Fish-bone Healthy also was Fabius when a little Hair that he swallowed with his Milk cut the Thread of his Life A Weezel bit Aristides and in a moment of time he expired The Father of Caesar the Dictator rose well out of his Bed and while he was putting on his Shooes he breathed his last The Rhodian Embassador had pleaded his Cause in the Senate even to Admiration but expired going over the Threshold of the Court-house A Grape-stone killed Anacreon the Poet and if we may believe Lucian Sophocles also Lucia the Daughter of Marcus Aurelius died with a littie prick of a Needle Cn. Brebius Pamphilus being in his Pretorship when he asked the time of the Day of a certain Youth perceived that to be the last hour of his Life The Breath of many is in haste and unexpected Joy expels it As we find it happened to Chilo the Lacedaemonian and Diagoras of Rhodes who embracing their Sons that had been Victors at the Olympick Games at the same time and in the same place presently expired Lastly Death has infinite accesses through which he breaks into our Houses Sometimes through the Windows sometimes through the Vaults sometimes through the Copings of the Wall sometimes through the Tyles and if he cannot meet with any Traytors either in the City or in the House I mean the Humours of the Body Diseases Catarrhs Pleurisies and the like which he makes use of as Ministers in his Councils he tears up the Gates with Gunpowder Fire Water Pestilence Venom nay Wild Monsters and Men themselves as bad he leaves no Engines untryed to snatch and force away our Lives Mephibosheth the Son of Saul was slain by Domestick Thieves as he was sleeping at Noon upon his Bed Fulco King of Jerusalem as he was Hunting a Hare fell from his Horse and was trampled to Death by his hoofs and so gave up the Ghost Josias of all the Kings of Judah David excepted for Piety Sanctimony and Liberality the chief was unexpectedly wounded with an Arrow and died in his Camp The Holy Ludovicus in the 57th Year of his Age upon the African Shore in the midst of his Army the Pestilence there raging died of the Distemper Egillus King of the Goths a most Excellent Prince was killed by a Mad Bull which the madder People not enduring the severity of his Laws had let forth Malcolm the First King of Scotland after many Examples of Justice while he was taking Cognizance of the Actions of his Subjects by Night was on a sudden suffocated Have not many gone well to Bed that have been found dead in the Morning Of necessity the Soul ought to stand upon its Guard Vzza a Person of no small Note in David's Lifeguard when he attempted to stay the shogging Ark as it was carried in Triumph to Jerusalem was presently struck from Heaven so that he died by the Ark. The hand of God armed a Lion out of a Wood against the Prophet that had eaten contrary to his Command The sudden voice of Peter compelled Anazias and Saphira to expiate their Crime by as sudden a Death whose Souls the greatest part of Divines believe to be freed from Eternal Punishment thereby But enough of Ancient Examples Charles the Eighth of France having concluded a Marriage between his Daughter Magdalene and Ladislaus King of Bohemia while the Bride with great Pomp was conveyed towards her intended Husband he was taken suddenly with Sickness
so have some excellent Persons in this Countrey done Governour Eaton at New-Haven and Governour Hains at Hartford died in their Sleep without being sick That Excellent Man of God Mr. Norton as he was walking in his House in this Boston was taken with a Syncope fell down dead and never spake more Nor is there any Rule or Reason for Christians to pray absolutely against sudden Death Some Holy Men have with submission to the Will of the most High desired and prayed for such a Death So did Mr. Capel and God gave him his Desire for on September 21. 1656. having Preached twice that Day and performed Religious Duties with his Family he went to Bed and died immediately The like is reported by Dr. Fuller in his Church History concerning that Angesical Man Mr. Brightman who would often pray if God saw fit that he might die rather a sudden than a lingring Death and so it came to pass For as he was travelling in the Coach with Sir John Osborne and reading of a Book for he would lose no time he was taken with a Fainting Fit and though instantly taken out in the Arms of one there present and all means possible used for his Recovery he there died August 24. 1607. The Learned and Pious Wolfius not the Divine who has written Commentaries on several Parts of the Scriptures but he that published Lectionum Memorabilium Reconditarum Centenarios on May 23. 1600. being in usual Health was after he had Dined surprised with a sudden illness whereof he died within a few Hours That Holy man Jacobus Faber who did and suffered great things for the Name of Christ went suddenly into the silent Grave On a Day when some Friends came to visit him after he had courteously entertained them he laid himself down upon his Bed to take some Repose and no sooner shut his Eyes but his Heaven-born Soul took its flight into the World of Souls The Man who being in Christ shall always be doing something for God may bid Death Welcome when ever it shall come be it never so soon never so suddenly Thus far Mr. Mather God who is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek him was pleased to give a Quietus est to the Reverend Mr. Hurst suddenly taking him from his Work to receive his Wages advancing him from the Pulpit to the Throne April 14. 1690. as he did the laborious Bishop Jewel who was first of the same Merton College in Oxford in somewhat alike manner from preaching at Lacock in Wiltshire now near an Hundred and twenty Years since who had said to a Gentleman disswading him from preaching then It did best become a Bishop to die preaching or standing in the Pulpit seriously thinking of that comfortable Elogy of his Lord and Master which you heard our Preacher chose for his Text at the Interment of Mr. Cawton Happy art thou my Servant if when I come I find thee doing Mr. Wells and Mr. Pledger were if I mistake not both struck with sudden Death on the Lord's-Day An Ingenious Poet of our own said in his Jambicks of the excellent Mr. Vines who went to his eternal Rest the Night after his Preaching and Administring the Lord's Supper the beginning of March 1655. Abit beata Mors Modis oportet hisce Episcopum mori And another then to the same purpose in our Mother Tongue wrote also Our English Luther Vines whose Death Iweep Stole away and said nothing in a Sleep Sweet like a Swan he Preach'd that Day he went And for his Cordial took a Sacrament Had it but been suspected he would die His People sure had stopp'd him with a Cry But his Hour was then come and so was that of the famous Mr. Hollingworth at Manchester who when at a Fast in Praying and Preaching he had as far outdone himself that Day as he used to outdoe other Ministers chang'd his Habitation here for a better having done his Work upon the irresistable Stroke of a deadly Apoplexy So was that as I have heard of the holy Mr. Ambrose So that of the laborious and much-followed Mr. Watson and we know lately of our Brother Mr. Oakes carried out of the Pulpit As was the Learned and Pious Professor Dr. Joshua Hoyl out of the University Pulpit in Oxford Death which came to him was in hast and made quick dispatch it gave one blow and down he fell Mr. Thomas Gouge died says Archbishop Tillotson who preach'd his Funeral Sermon in the 77th Year of his Age Octob. 29th 1681. It so pleased God adds this Great Author that his Death was so sudden that in all probability he himself hardly perceiv'd it when it happen'd for he died in his Sleep So that we may say of him as it is said of David After he had served his Generation according to the Will of God he fell asleep I confess continues our Author that a sudden Death is generally undesirable and therefore with Reason we pray against it because so very few are sufficiently prepared for it But to him the constant Employment of whose Life was the best Preparation for Death that was possible no Death cou'd be sudden nay it was rather a Favour and Blessing to him because by how much the more sudden so much the more easie As if God had designed to begin the Reward of the great Pains of his Life in an easie Death And indeed it was rather a Translation than a Death and saving that his Body was left behind what was said of Enoch may not unfitly be applied to this Pious and Good Man with respect to the suddenness of his Change He walked with God and was not for Good took him See his Funeral Sermon CHAP. CXLVII EPITAPHS MANY Instances of EPITAPHS in Prose and in Verse may be collected from the old Greek Poets and Historians who yet were but Children compared to the Chaldeans and Egyptians But the Ancientest President of Epitaphs must be that recorded in the Ancientest History viz. the Old Testament 1 Sam. 6.18 where it is recorded that the Great Stone erected as a Memorial unto Abel by his Father Adam remained unto that Day in being and its Name was called the Stone of Abel and its Elegy was Here was shed the Blood of Righteous Abel as it is also called 4000 Years after Mattn 23.35 and this is the Original of Monumental Memorials and Elegies 1. St. Bernard 's Epitaph made by one Adam a Canon Regular Clarae sunt Valles sed claris Vallibus Abbas Clarior his clarum nomen in Orbe dedit Clarus avis clarus meritis clarus honore Claruit ingenio religione magis Mors est clara cinis clarus clarumque sepulchrum Clarior exultat Spiritus ante Deum Clark's Marr. of Eccl. Hist p. 105. 2. The Epitaph upon Bede made by one of his Scholars Hac sunt in Fossà Bedae Snacti Ossa But in the Morning this was found on his Tomb. Hac sunt in Fossà Bedae Venerabilis Ossa Ibid.
she Go learn of her Humility An odd Epitaph upon Thomas Saffin Here Thomas Saffin lies Interr'd ah why Born in New-England did in London die Was the third Son of eight begot upon His Mother Martha by his Father John Much favour'd by his Prince he 'gan to be But nipt by Death at the Age of 23. Fatal to him was that we Small-Pox name By which his Mother and two Brethren came Also to breathe their last nine Years before And now have left their Father to deplore The loss of all his Children with that Wife Who was the Joy and Comfort of his Life June 18. 1687. Here lie Interr'd the Bodies of Captain Thomas Chevers who departed this Life the 18th of Nov. 1675. Aged 44 Years And of Anne Chevers his Wife who departed this Life the 14th of Nov. 1675. Aged 34 Years And of John Chevers their Son who departed this Life the 13th of Nov. 1675. Aged 5 Days Reader consider well how poor a Span And how uncertain is the Life of Man Here lie the Husband Wife and Child by Death All three in five days space depriv'd of Breath The Child dies first the Mother next the Morrow Follows and then the Father dies with Sorrow A Caesar falls by many Wounds well may Two stabs at Heart the stoutest Captain slay On Another Tomb-stone is writ Here lies two loving Brothers side by side In one day buried and in one day died Here lies the Body of Mrs. Bridget Radley the most deservedly beloved Wife of Charles Radley Esq Gentleman-Usher Daily-Waiter to His Majesty which Place he parted withal not being able to do the Duty of it by reason of his great Indisposition both of Body and Mind occasioned by his just Sorrow for the loss of her She changed this Life for a better the 20th of November 1679. Sacred to the Immortal Memory of Sir Palmes Fairbone Kt. Governour of Tangier in Execution of which Command he was Mortally wounded by a Shot from the Moors then Besieging the Town in the 46th Year of his Age Octob. 24. 1680. Ye Sacred Reliques which that Marble keep Here undisturb'd by Wars in quiet sleep Discharge the Trust which when it was below Fairbone's undaunted Soul did undergo And be the Town 's Pallà dium from the Foe Alive and dead these Walls he will defend Great Actions great Examples must attend The Candian Siege his early Valour knew Where Turkish Blood did his young Hands imbrew From thence returning with deserv'd applause Against the Moors his well-flesh'd Sword he draws The same the courage and the same the cause His Youth and Age his Life and Death combine As in some great and regular Design All of a piece throughout and all Divine Still nearer Heaven his Vertue shoâ—e more bright Like rising Flames expanding in their height The Martyr's Glory crown'd the Soldier 's fight More bravely British General never fell Nor General 's Death was e'er reveng'd so well Which his pleas'd Eyes beheld before their close Follow'd by thousand Victims of his Foe * To this lamented Loss for Times to come His Pious Widow Consecrates this Tomb. Here lies expecting the Second Coming of our Saviour the Body of Edmund Spencer the Prince of Poets in his Time whose Divine Spirit needs no other Witness than the Works which he left behind him He was Born in London in the Year 1510. and died in the Year 1596. Abrahamus Couleius Anglorum Pindarus Flaccus Maro Delicìae Decus Desiderium Aevi sui Hic juxta situs est Aurea dum volitant latè tua scripta per orbem Et fama aeternùm vivis Divina Poeta Hîc placidâ jaceas requie custodiat urnam Cana fides vigilentque perenni lampade musae Sit sacer iste locus Nec quis temperarius ausit Sacrilegà turbare manu venerabile bustum Intacti maneant maneant per saecula dulcis Coulei cineres servetque immobile saxum Six vovet Votumque suum apud posteros sacratum esse voluit Qui vivo Incomparabili posuit sepulchrale marmor Georgius Dux Buckinghamiae Excessit è vita Anno Aetatis suae 49. honorifica pompa elatus ex Aedibus Buckinghamianis vitis Illustribus omnium ordinum exsequias celebrantibus sepultus est Die 3. M. Augusti Anno Domini 1667. On the Royal Tombs adjoyning to Cowley 's a Modern Poet writes thus Whole Troops of mighty Nothings lie beside Of whom 't is only said they liv'd and dy'd Here lies Henry Purcel Esq who left this Life and is gone to that Blessed Place where only his Harmony can be exceeded Obiit 21. die Novembris Anno Aetatis suae 37. Annoque Domini 1695. CHAP. CXLVIII Miracles giving Testimony to Christianity Orthodoxy Innocency c. I Can never believe that Miracles ascended up to Heaven with our Saviour so as never to be seen upon Earth more after the first Age of the Church 'T is true they have run in a narrower Stream And when the Gospel was sufficiently established and confirmed by the Testimony of them they were not quite so necessary But some Necessity still occurs and some Miracles have been in all Ages wrought Take these amongst many others and compare them with some other Chapters of this Book 1. Irenaeus in his Second Book against Heresies saith Some of the Brethren and sometimes the whole Church of some certain Place by reason of some urgent Cause by Fasting and Prayer had procured that the Spirits of the Dead had been raised again to Life and had lived with them many Years Some by the like means had expelled Devils so that they which had been delivered from Evil Spirits had embraced the Faith and were received into the Church Others had the Spirit of Prophecy to foretel things to come they see Divine Dreams and Prophetical Visions Others Cure the Sick and Diseased and by laying on of Hands restore them to Health Clark's Marr. of Eccl. Hist 2. S. Augustine tells us that when the Bodies of Gervasius and Protasius the Martyrs were taken up and brought to S. Ambrose's Church at Milan several Persons that were vexed with unclean Spirits were healed and one a noted Citizen that had been blind many Years upon touching the Bier with his Handkerchief was restored to his sight Aug. Confess l. 9. c. 7. 3. In the Reign of Constantine the Great the Gospel was propagated into Iberia in the uttermost part of the Euxine Sea by the means of a Captive Christian Woman by whose Prayers a Child that was Mortally Sick recovered health and the Lady of Iberia her self was delivered from a Mortal Disease Whereupon the King her Husband sent Embassadors to Constantine entreating him to send him some Preachers into Iberia to Instruct them in the True Faith of Christ which Constantine performed with a glad heart Clark in Vit. Constantin p. 11. 4. That Luther a poor Friar saith one should be able to stand against the Pope was a great Miracle that he should prevail against the Pope was a greater
entire Elogy Ibid. 31. I cannot omit her Reverential Regard for the Lord's-Day which at the Hague I had a very particular occasion to take Notice of On a Saturday a Vessel the Pacquet-Boat was stranded not far from thence which lying very near the Shore I view'd happening to be thereabouts at that time 'till the last Passengers were brought as all were safe off Multitudes went to see it and her Highness being inform'd of it said she was willing to see it too but thought she should not for it was then too late for that Evening and she reckoned by Monday it would be shiver'd to pieces thô it remaining entire 'till then she was pleas'd to view it that Day but she resolved she added she would noe give so ill an Example as to go see it on the Lord's-Day Mr. Howe 's Discourse on the Death of our late Queen 32. She was not inaccessible to such of her Subjects whose dissentient Judgments in some such Things put them into lower Circumstances Great she was in all valuable Excellencies nor greater in any than in her most Condescending Goodness Her singular Humility adorn'd all the rest Speaking once of a good thing which she intended she added But of my self I can do nothing and somewhat being by one of two more only then present interposed she answered She hoped God would help her Ibid. 33. He that will read the Character Psal 15. and 24. of an Inhabitant of that Holy Hill will there read her true and most just Character Wherein I cannot omit to take notice how sacred she reckoned her Word I know with whom she hath sometimes conferr'd whether having given a Promise of such a seeming import she could consistently therewith do so or so saying That whatever prejudice it were to her she would never depart from her Word Ibid. 34. She had a Love to all good Men thô of a different Communion Her Esteem and Affection were not confin'd to one Party or to the Church of which herself was a Member This is the Unchristian Character of many that they hate and despise those who differ from them in the Circumstantials of Religion But the deceas'd Queen had a larger Soul she lov'd and valu'd the Image of God wherever she found it 'T is well known how frequently I may say constantly she joyn'd in the Worship of God with the Dutch and French Churches thô their Constitution and Order are very different from those of the Church of England I have been a Witness of the Kindness and Respect with which she treated English Dissenting Ministers and was present when she thank'd one of that quality for a Practical Book of Divinity which he had publish'd and had been put into her Hands This Consideration makes our Loss the greater because she is taken away who was so capable and willing to compose the unhappy Differences in Matters of Religion which she did lament and earnestly wish'd the removal of ' em Mr. Spademan 's Sermon preach'd at Rotterdam the Day of Her Majesty's Funeral 35. Those who never had themselves Experience of Want and Distress are tempted unto a neglect and disregard of the Miserable Most of the Great and Rich choose rather to lay out their Treasures on any Vanity than in Relieving the Destitute and Distress'd But this pious Queen was rich in this kind of good Works and did as willingly seek out Objects of her Charity as others do avoid ' em The Character which Solomon gives of a Vertuous Woman did most visibly belong to the deceas'd Queen Prov. 31.20 She stretched out her Hand to the Poor yea she reacheth forth both her Hands to the Needy And it might truly have been said of her what Job alledged as an Evidence of his Sincerity in the Service of God Job 29.13 15 16. The Blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me and I caus'd the Widow's Heart to sing for Joy c. By such a Christian Practice this wise Queen laid up Treasure in Heaven Ibid. 36. Could we and those who were related to the late Queen be perswaded to walk in the Steps of her Faith and Piety we should reap more Advantage after her Death than we did in her Life 'T is a memorable Wonder that is related 2 Kings 12.21 How when a dead Man was cast into the Sepulchre of Elisha as soon as he touch'd the Bones of Elisha he revived and stood upon his feet We may hope that if the holy Example of the deceas'd Queen might touch our dead Souls they would be reviv'd and gain Spiritual Life Ibid. 37. She knew how dangerous an Instrument of the Devil Flattery is and how fatally her Station exposed her to it And she took care for nothing more than to secure herself against the danger of it I Shall never forget with what weight of Reason and sincerity of Concern I have sometimes heard this Great Queen represent the Dangers which Princes above all others are apt to run in this respect And with what Earnestness she has exhorted those about her to deliver to her the plainest Truths and with all Freedom to tell her if they had observed any thing amiss in her Conduct that she might amend it Dr. Wake 's Sermon preached at Grey's-Inn on the Occasion of the Queen's Death 38. She thought herself engag'd to labour not only her own particular but the Salvation of others You may know it you that by your Employments were design'd to her immediate Service have been so often corrected by her when over zealous for her and so negligent of God she would not admit of your Sedulities but when they were sanctifi'd by Prayer It behoves ye in the first place to serve God said she to ye that 's your first Duty I will have none of your Attendance but upon that Condition Mr. Claude's Sermon on the Queen's Death preach'd at the Hague 39. Never was Majesty better tempered with Easiness and Sweetness She knew how to be familiar without making herself cheap and to condescend without meanness She had all the Greatness of Majesty with all the Vertues of Conversation and knew very well what became her Table and what became the Council-Board She understood her Religion and loved it and practised it and was the greatest Example of the Age of a constant regular unaffected Devotion and of all the eminent Vertues of a Christian Life In the midst of all the Great Affairs of State she would rather spare time from her Sleep than from her Prayers where she always appeared with that great Composure and Seriousness of Mind as if her Court had been a Nunnery and she had nothing else to do in the World Dr. Sherlock 's Sermon preached at the Temple upon the sad Occasion of the Queen's Death 40. She was not wrought up to any Bigottry in unnecessary Opinions She was most conversant in Books of Practical Divinity of which some of the latest used by her were certain Sermons and some Discourses concerning
Happiness Death and Judgment Arch-bishop Tenison 's Sermon preached at the Funeral of Her late Majesty 41. In this Princess Authority Majesty and Humility met together That dwelt in her to such a degree that in her Presence or within her Hearing the speaking of this which I have said or any thing like this would have been exceedingly offensive But the Justice of Nations gives those Praises to the Merit of good Princes which their own Modesty would not bear An ordinary Instance may suffice for the shewing her averseness not only to Flattery but to Praise Of a Book addressed to her she said She had read it and lik'd it well but much the better because the Epistle was a bare Dedication Ibid. 42. Her Graces and Vertues were not blemished by Vanity or Affection Had that been so she would scarce have made such a Profession as this a little before her Death I know said she what loose People think of those who pretend to Religion they think it is all Hypocrisie Let them think what they will I may now say and I thank God I can say it I have not affected to appear what I was not Ibid. 43. Seeing God had determin'd this good Queen must die the Christian Manner in which she went out of the World is in some sort an Alleviation of the Grief of those whom she has left behind her who have indeed Reason more than enough to mourn but yet not as Persons without hope Ibid. 44. I will not say that of this Affliction she had any formal Presage but yet there was something which look'd like an immediate Preparation for it I mean her choosing to hear read more than once a little before it the last Sermon of a Good and Learned Man now with God upon this Subject What! shall we receive Good from the Hand of God and shall we not receive Evil Job 2.10 Ibid. 45. She fix'd the Times of Prayers in that Chamber to which her Sickness had confin'd her On that very Day she shewed how sensible she was of Death and how little she fear'd it She required him who officiated there to add that Collect in the Communion of the Sick in which are these Words That whensoever the Soul shall depart from the Body it may be without Spot presented unto Thee I will said she have this Collect read twice every Day All have need to be put in mind of Death and Princes have as much as any Body else Ibid. 46. She seem'd neither to fear Death nor to covet Life There appear'd not the least Sign of Regret for the leaving of those Temporal Greatnesses which make so many of high Estate unwilling to die It was you may imagine high Satisfaction to hear her say a great many most Christian Things and this amongst them I believe I shall now soon die and I thank God I have from my Youth learned a true Doctrine that Repentance is not to be put off to a Death-bed Ibid. 47. On Thursday she prepared herself for the blessed Communion to which she had been no Stranger from the Fifteenth Year of her Age. She was much concern'd that she found herself in so Dozing a Condition so she expressed it To that she added Others had need to pray for me seeing I am so little able to pray for my self 48. When a Second Portion of a certain Draught was offer'd her she refus'd it saying I have but a little Time to live and I would spend it a better way Ibid. 49. In all these Afflictions the King was greatly afflicted how sensibly and yet how becomingly many saw but few have Skill enough to describe it I 'm satisfied I have not At last the Helps of Art and Prayers and Tears not prevailing a Quarter before One on Friday Morning after two or three small Strugglings of Nature and without such Agonies as in such Cases are common having like David serv'd her own Generation by the Will of God she fell on sleep Thus far Arch-bishop Tenison 50. Before the Queen had exceeded the Age of Childhood when in the midst of her Play she was imitating the Dutch March with her Hands upon the Cover of a Chest and was admonish'd not to mind the Dutch the King her Uncle's Enemy but on the other side France and the Dauthin were commended to her with a Divine and Prophetic Utterance she made answer I care not for France 't is Holland I desire Not many Words indeed but certainly Prognosticating and apparently then foretelling that fame Wedlock from Heaven conferr'd upon us and upon all Europe Dr. Perizonius 's Oration on the Queen in Holland 51. She had a greater Regard to the Dignity of those on whom she conferr'd her Bounty than to her own Fame in so fruitful a Field of Honour nor would she endure it should be spread abroad how many or who they were whom she supported by her Liberality Therefore she sate by herself and four times a Year alone in her Closet carefully computed what she had formerly determin'd to give to every one She view'd the Accompts of her Beneficence herself and distributed it from those Notes to several parts of the World by Letters written with her own Hand no Body being admitted to assist her in so Noble an Office because it was not her pleasure that any Body should be concern'd in the Testimony of her Conscience This was that which the ancient Stoics so studiously inculcated but very difficulty perswaded either others or themselves to observe That Vertue was to be desir'd for its own sake without any respect of Profit Praise or in hopes of great Advancement Ibid. 52. After the Expedition for England the Queen being tyr'd out with Grief and Mourning she order'd a Lady to be sent for of approved Probity and Illustrious Quality into whose Breast she might discharge the Sighs and Afflictions which then oppress'd her And then it was that she poured forth these Expressions sad indeed but worthy to be Engraven in Gold or carv'd in Cedar That if the only thing contended for were the Right which her Birth and the Laws of the Land had given her to the Inheritance of three Kingdoms she would never assent that it should be justify'd and recover'd by Arms from her Father but that she was over-rul'd by this Perswasion alone that the Laws of her Country and the Safety of the true Reformed Religion were in apparent danger Otherwise that she would reddily and patiently acquiesce and be satisfi'd with the Fortune which she had obtain'd in this Country with the Love and good Will of all Men which was dearer to her than a Kingdom And that she could not but extol the wonderful Goodness of God toward her that tho' she spent her brittle Years in a Court besieg'd with Vice and Impiety and tho' after the Death of her Mother she grew up under a Step-Dame and a Father devoted to the Church of Rome and were little minded by her Vncle yet she had so
hither to the King giving him an Account That she had ordered a Fleet of Forty Men of War to sail away for the Coast of France and burn the Enemies Ships which were reported to be design'd to infest the English Shoar What Symphony could produce a more harmonious Harmony of Notes than this of the Opinions and Counsels of the King and Queen when the one knew nothing of the other's Mind Insomuch that Similitude of Manners and Consent of Minds not Fortune seem'd to have joyn'd William and Mary together Ibid. 60. It wos a Saying of the King before he thought of Marriage to Charles the Second's Embassador at a time when there happen'd an accidental Discourse about the Choice of Wives That of all the Qualities to be sought for in a Wife his first Care should be to find out the Best-Condition'd And he himself made himself the Master of his Wish for he could not have found to better Wife had the Sun itself according to the Proverb been to have sought her out But as the King met with his chief Help and Assistance in the Queen's Love so not only her Subjects but all others for whom it was in her Power to do Good found more than ordinary Succour in her bountiful Nature She thought the Day lost wherein she had not an Opportunity to do good to several Ibid. 61. How many experienc'd the Bounty of the her Munificent and Liberal Hand as well in England as in Germany the Low Countries Piedmont but more especially the French Exiles who rather chose to lose their Estates than to hazard the Loss of their Souls And the Splendour of this Benevolence shin'd forth in Mary's â—â—st coming into this Country For the Prince of Orange so soon as Mary became his Consort order'd such a Sum of Money to be paid her for the necessary Expences of her Apparel and Princely Ornaments What did the Divine Princess do with it at those Years She did not stifle the Money in close and dark Chest nor did she lavish it out in gorgeous Attire upon Pearls and Gems which other Women far distant from her degree are so mad after that they never cease this Fury 'till they have quite ruin'd their Husband's Patrimonies But moderate in her Layings-out considering the Grandeur of her Fortune upon her Apparel and other Ornaments which the Dignity of so great a Princess requir'd she introduc'd into the Court-Diligence Frugality Pasirmony Vertues most commonly unknown in Courts The rest of that large Allowance she consum'd in Relieving the Distresses of honest and worthy People who labour'd under great Necessities not through their own Extravagancy but reduc'd thereto by Misfortune and the Hardness of the Times Ibid. 62. What her Innoceny and Temperance was in the midst of so much Wealth your selves cannot be ignorant who know how pious she was nor have I any thing to add as to her Chastity when your have heard how entirely she lov'd the King She could not endure a wanton Word nor the sight of a Woman who was reported or suspected to have violated her Modesty Ibid. 63. As she excell'd all in Majesty so she suffer'd none to out-do her in Humanity I will give you one rare Example of her extraordinary Affability and Goodness An Embassador of a great Prince after he had paid his Duty to Mary at the Hague retiring out of the Chamber lest he should turn his back to the Princess went backward stopping and bowing two or three times By chance it happen'd that after he had bow'd a second time still retreating backward his Perriwig caught hold of a Branch that hung in the Room which either he had not seen or else had forgot and pulling it off discover'd his bald Head The Embassador blush'd and the Ladies and Maids of Honour could not forbear laughing only the Princess did not so much as smile but kept her Countenance with the same Gravity as when she heard the Embassador's Address After the Embassador was gone one of the Ladies who was greatly in her favour admiring the Reservedness of the Princess upon such a Jocular Accident made bold to ask her how she could hold laughing To whom the Princess I should have done the Embassador an Injury said she should I by an unseasonable Fit of Laughter added to the Shame and Trouble of a Person who was in Confusion and Perplexity enough at what had unhappily and through no Fault of his befall'n him No Madam that had been ill done and against my Duty Ibid. 64. Now as she was always like herself through the whole Course of her Life so neither did she swerve from herself at her Death Ibid. 65. When the Right Reverend Arch-bishop of Canterbury sent for some few Days before she expir'd gave her to understand the certain Approach of Death that she was to prepare for the Journey which all Mortals early or later are to take placidly without any sign of a sick Mind thô extreamly weakned in Body by the force of the Disease she made answer That that was not the first Day of her Learning to prepare for Death for that she had serv'd God during the whole Course of her Life A Saying truly worthy of so great a Queen worthy the Remembrance of all Ages She had learn'd that then we begin to live when we die We die as soon as born every Day something is imperceptibly cropt from our Lives 'till by degrees the whole be lopt away And that this most pious Queen neither deceiv'd herself nor the Arch-Bishop is apparent from that memorable Saying of hers about Six Years before her fatal Day when she sate by the Bed-side of a Noble Person 's Wife whom she highly lov'd and valued to confirm and comfort her then drawing her last Breath They who were present desir'd her that she would turn away her Eyes from the expiring Lady But the Queen refus'd saving withal That it rarely fell out for Persons of her Rank and Quality to see such a Spectacle as now was offered her by the design'd Favour of Heaven to make advantage of it in better understanding the Vanity of our Life What advantage she made of it the Conclusion of her Days sufficiently taught us Ibid. 66. She bid the King Farewel in these Words I leave the Earth I hope dear King you never mistrusted my Fidelity and Love Moderate your Grief I wish that with the same Joy that I depart with the same Easiness you may set Bounds to your Sorrow Soon after the Divine Mary expir'd in the Hands and Embraces of the King who never left her nor stirr'd out of her Chamber Day or Night whilst she lay labouring under three most cruel Diseases and Small-Pox an Erisipelas and a Pestilential Fever either of which was enough to have carried off the strongest of Men. Ibid. 67. Never any Man whatever were the Madness of raging Disaster could perceive any change of Countenance in the King But this same Grief he was not able to withstand vanquish'd
which God had given to the Grandeur of her Power We have seen Tears in her Eyes for sorrow that she could not do so much as she desir'd With what Goodness I will not say of a Princess and a Queen but of a Mother did she take particular Accompts and make particular Enquiries for the succour of poor Families Ibid. 81. 'T was this Charity that made her shut her Ears against Calumny and Backbiting Never durst any one speak ill of any Body before the Queen Neither Flattery nor Calumny two of the most dangerous Pests of Sovereign Courts durst never open their Mouths in her presence Slander was utterly banish'd from her sight and hearing Lord says David who shall abide in thy Tabernacle He that is pure in his Life whose Actions are just who speaks always according to Truth who slanders not his Neighbour and who lends not his Ear to the Backbiter This is then one more Encomium which it behoves us to give the Queen and which you who had the Honour to be near her Person knew that she most justly deserved Ibid. 82. There was something admirable in the Diligence of this excellent Queen and very extraordinary in a Person of her Sex her Age and Degree For she spent every Hour of the Day to profit and advantage She was wont to rise by Six a Clock in the Morning Winter and Summer far different from most People who covetous of many Things are so prodigal of that little time which is so burthensome to 'em that they seek always to waste it Ibid. 83. The Queen concern'd herself for all those who had quitted their Country for the sake of Religion Piety and the Glory of God which she had always before her Eyes made her continually wish That Persons who had shew'd their Zeal and Affection to the Service of God might do nothing but what became the Character of that Zeal which had inclin'd ' em Let us fulfil these Wishes so just and so Christian-like The incorruptible Crown of Glory shall not be given to him that begins but to him that perseveres Let us therefore labour our Zeal and Fervency while we may to the end we may find Grace and Mercy at the Day of our Death and that we may be made Partakers of that Bliss and Eternal Glory which now the Queen enjoys That Queen who because she was a Woman that truly feared the Lord deserves far greater Praises than we have been able to give her Ibid. 84. I remember one Day this pious and pensive Princess recalling to Mind her Father who had so lately Rul'd most flourishing Kingdoms but gone astray from that Faith whch the Laws of God and Man had establish'd ever since the Reign of Edward VI. the Josiah of his Age and which his Father and Grand-Father had subscrib'd to I remember I say that being admitted into her private Chappel after she had let fall a Showre of Tears she gave Thanks to God the Supream Parent of all Things who sometimes forsook the Sons and Grand-Children of Hero's sometimes in them supply'd what was wanting in their Parents correcting the Vice of Nature by the Benefit of Grace Which when I had confirmed by the examples of herself and her Great Grand-Father James the Son of unfortunate Mary and that it was done by the same Miracle of Grace as we daily see Nature produce Gold and Diamonds out of stony and craggy Mountains and sweet Juices out of bitter Roots I added by way of Consolation of her afflicted Piety that perhaps the Father of so many Tears and Sighs would not be lost in Heaven Ibid. 85. When first the News was brought of the inauspicious but certain Nuptials of James the Father with Mary of Modina by the Mediation of Lewis not only she together with Anne her Sister with a cast-down Countenance and watry Eyes receiv'd the Tidings attended with a Deluge of Tears which Doctor Thomas Doughty then Domestick Chaplain could by no means put a stop to but our Mary also after she somewhat alleviated her Sorrow with Weeping brake forth into these Expressions worthy to be engrav'd in Cedar However things fall out said she I hope we shall preserve immaculate to God our Faith and our Religion let all other things pass away which we shall look upon as of little consequence Ibid. 86. From these Exercises of her Youth she was called to greater and higher Things and to lay the Foundations of Empire and Council under the Conduct of William Henry Her Mind being capable of Great Things beyond her Sex she profited so well by the Company of so Great a Prince not only by his Instructions but by his Example that she was taught to Reign before she could know herself I will faithfully relate what I only heard my self and therefore can attest While she staid at the Hague after the Expedition for England expecting a Wind I was admitted to the Presence of the Royal Princess and found her turmoil'd with many Cares and deep Cogitations At what time she who was never wanting in any measure of Familiarity casting a propitious Look upon the Interpreters of the Holy bible deliver'd herself in these Expressions to me What a severe and cruel Necessity said she now lies upon me either to forsake a Father whom my Grand-Mother first ruin'd hence France the Author of our Parents Calamity or to forsake a Husband my Country nay God himself and my Soul my nearest and my dearest Pledge 'T is a cruel Necessity indeed Madam answer'd I but not to be avoided Heaven not enduring divided Duty nor divided Affections Heaven that has not only joyn'd you by an Eternal Tie to William but calls you to succour your labouring if not perishing Country the Church of God your Religion and these your Batavians over whole Necks the Sword or Bondage hang. You forsake a Father Madam 't is true but who first forsook himself Nature his Children Kingdoms Religion Laws his Word and the Hopes of his Subjects who departed himself from the Government that he might serve the Conveniences of those who under the pretence of false Religions measure all things Divine and Human by their own Advantages And when I added that she was called by the Voice of Heaven from a most delightful Ease to be the Companion of William in his Cares and Toyls and unless our Wishes fail'd us to the Government of one of the greatest Empires in the World I said the very Image of Modesty itself I govern a People and wield Scepters I who only learnt to handle next the Sacred Bible Books that either may instruct or recreate the Mind then to handle my Needle Pen or Pencil or to mind my Flowers Garden or whatever else belongs to my Family-Affairs or calls off our Sex from the Contagion of Idleness And therefore be not deceived in your Opinion continued she smiling as if the Prince by his Society had instructed me in the Arts of Peace and War 'T is true after hard
Agaric for Phlegm The Lote-Tree follows the Motion of the Sun Philos Confer of the Virtuosi of France p. 122. 2. There is observed a Sympathy between the Feet and the Head the one taking cold the other is affected between the Mouth and the Stomach between the Heart and the Hands or Wrists So that Medicines are often applied to the one for the Cure of the other There is a Sympathy between the Light and the Spirits of Men the Green Colour and the Eyes All Cordials have a Sympathy with the Heatt as Pearls and precious Stones Male-Peony with the Brain the Blood-stone with the Blood The Dog knows the Dog-killer I Query here What is to be thought of the Lions in the Tower dying at the Smell of a Handkerchief dipt in the Blood of King Charles the First 3. I would have it throughly enquired saith Sir Francis Bacon whether there be not some secret Passages of Sympathy between Persons of near Blood as Parents Children Brothers Sisters Nurse-Children Husbands Wives c. There be many Reports in History that upon the Death of Persons of such Nearness Men have and an inward Feeling of it I my self remember that being at Paris and my Father dying in London two or three days before my Father's Death I had a Dream which I told to divers English Gentlemen that my Father's House in the Country was plaister'd all over with Black Mortar There is an Opinion that loving and kind Husbands have a Sense of their Wives Breeding-Child by some Accident in their own Body Bacon's Natural Hist Cent. 10. p. 211. 4. Hither also may be referred the Effects of Imagination of which Authors have said so much A Sister of mine saith Gaffarella had the Figure of a Fish upon her left Leg caused by the Desire my Mother had to eat Fish when she was great and it is represented with so much Perfection and Rarity that you would take it to be drawn by some excellent Master Now that wherein the Wonder lies is this That when ever the Girl eat any Fish that upon her Leg put her to a sensible Pain And I had a Friend that had a Mulberry growing upon his Forehead caused likewise by his Mother's longing after them and he never eat Mulberries but that on his Forehead put him to Pain by its extraordinary Beating This other Story which I shall now relate saith he is very well known to all in Paris that are curious Inquirers into these Things The Hostess of the Inn in the Suburbs of St. Michael at Bois de Vincenne who died about two Years since had likewise a Mulberry growing upon a Lower Lip which was smooth and plain all the Year long till the time that Mulberries begin to ripen at which time hers also began to be red and to swell more and more observing exactly the Season and Nature of other Mulberries Gaffar unheard-of Curios par 2. ch 6. 5. Oysters taken out of Water will open against the Flood-time and close upon the Ebb Britan. Bacon p. 18. 6. All Concords of Musick are Sympathies And 't is observed that if a Lute or Viol be laid upon the Back with a small Straw upon one side of the Strings and another Lute or Viol be laid by it the Unison of one being struck will make the String move and the Straw fall off Bacon's Nat. Hist cent 4. 7. There is a Sympathy between the Ear and Sounds between the Spirit and the Ear insomuch that according to the Variety of Notes and Tones and Tunes the Mind is diversly affected wild Creatures are tamed Soldiers are provoked to Courage some moved to Fear and Sadness by this means The Voice of an Orator or Preacher hath a great Influence upon the Hearers according to the Sweetness Harshness Lowness Loudness Mournsulness c. of it 8. The Sympathetic Powder and Weapon-Salve magnified by Sir Francis Bacon and Sir Kenelm Digby c. is laugh'd at by Mr. Hales of Eaton and look'd upon as a fond Conceit 9. The Sympathy of Affections and Strength of Imagination is admirable when the Mind is able to presage the Death or Dangers of a Friend tho a great way off This also I found in my self For once I suddenly fell into a Passion of Weeping upon the Apprehension I took that my dear Friend was dead whom I exceedingly loved for his Virtues and it fell out accordingly as I presaged for he died about that same Hour that I fell into that Weeping Fit and we were at that time 60 Miles asunder nor could I tell certainly that he was dead till two Days after Thus to some the Death of Friends is presaged by bleeding at the Nose and sudden Sadness by Dreams and divers other ways which the Learned Poet was not ignorant of when he saith Agnovit longe gemitum praesagia mali mens Aen. 1.10 So by the Greek Poet the Soul is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Southsayer of Evil The Cause of this the Gentiles ascribed to the Sun which they held to be the Soul and our Souls Sparks of that great Lamp A Platonical Conceit which he thought Men's Souls to be material we were better to ascribe this to the Information of that Angel which attends us Rosse Arcan Microcosin 10. One Faber of Buxovil in Alsatia constantly acted the Part of his pregnant Wife being taken with Vomitings and suffered those inordinate Longings that usually attend Women in that Condition his Wife all the while suffering no such Inconveniencies Miscelan Curios Med. Phys Germ. An. 2. Observ 215. 11. That this hath happen'd to some Persons in Oxford is very certain and that to knowing Ones too very unlikely to be deceived and of unquestionable Veracity whereof one of them told me That they came upon him when he little thought of his Wife and that the Pangs were very odd ones such as he never felt in his Life not like any Griping in the Guts but lying in the Muscles of the abdomen which yet he should never have thought to have had relation to his Wife had they not suddenly and beyond expectation ceased as soon as his Wife began to be in Labour Thus far Dr. Plot in his Nat. Hist of Oxfordshire p. 193. CHAP. II. Instances of Antipathy THIS is the Opposite of Sympathy arising from the Contrariety of innate and undiscoverable Qualities a secret Vnsuitableness in the Nature of one Thing to that of another where the Properties clash together and bid Battle upon a near approach of one to the other As of the Horse and Camel Elephant and Swine Lion and Cock Bull and Fig-Tree Naked Man and Adder Ape and Tortoise Ape and Eel Cantharides and the Bladder Plague and Quick-silver Plague and Arsnic Birds and Scare-Crows Things alive and Things dead and corrupted as Man and Man's Carcass Beast and Beast's Blood c. But I shall especially Instance in the Antipathies of Mankind against some particular Things 1. Cardinal Don Henrique de Cardona would fall into a
the like Nature she told me CHAP. XVI Great Sleepers THE Essence of Sleep according to Dr. Willis consists in this That the Corporeal Soul withdrawing it self a little and contracting its Irradiation into a narrower Sphere leaveâ— the Cortex of the Brain for some time destitute and in the mean while the Nervous Liquor distilled from the Blood rushes in for new Supplies In Natural Sleep he saith these two Causes conspire together by some mutual Compact of Nature viz. at the same time the Spirits recede and the Nervous Humour enters In Non-natural or Extraordinary Sleep sometimes this Cause sometimes that is first But in Praeternatural or Insatiable Sleep there is a greater Energy of the same Causes so that the Brain is flooded with the Influx of Nervous Serous and other Vicious Humours 1. Timon's Nurse used Yearly after the manner of some wild Beasts to lie hid for two Months together without any other evidence of Life all that while save only that she breathed Plut. Symp. l. 8. qu. 9. p. 780. 2. Epimenides of Creet when he was a Boy being wearied with Heat and Travel laid him down in a certain Cave and there slept 57 Years being awaked he returned home wondring at the Changes he found in the World and was at last difficultly known by his younger Brother growing old It is said that he lived in all 175 Years And from him it was that the Sleep of Epimenides became a Proverb Plin. Nat. Hist l. 7. c. 52. p. 184. But this Story I offer rather for the sake of its Antiquity than Credibility 3. Platerus tells of one that slept three Days and three Nights together upon foregoing weariness without the occasion of precedent Drunkenness or the taking of any Soporiferous Medicine Plat. Obs l. 1. p. 6. 4. William Foxly Potmaker for the Mint in the Tower of London fell asleep on Tuesday in Easter Week and could not be waked with pinching or burning till the First Day of the next Term which was full 14 Days and when he was then awaked he was found in all points as if he had slept but one Night He lived 40 Years after This Matter fell out in the 37th Year of King Henry the Eighth's Reign Baker's Chron. 5. Crantzius tells of a young Scholar of Lubeck who that he might sleep without Disturbance betook himself to a Chest There passed 7 Years from the time of his lying down there till that one determined to see what was in the Chest where he found this young Man asleep there whom he shook with such Violence that he awaked him His Face was without change he was easily known to his Acquaintance who were amazed at what had passed he supposing that he had slept but one Night and some part of a Day Cran. Vâ—ndal l. 8. c. 39. Donat. Hist. Mir. l. 4. c. 12. p. 214. 6. M. Damascen speaks of one that slept a whole Autumn and Winter under a Rick of Hay and then arose as a Man half dead and distracted Zuing. Theat Vol. 2. l. 5. p. 415. 7. The Lucomorians in the further part of Samaria are reported to die as it were in the manner of Swallows and Frogs from the 27th of November to the 24th of April following and then again awake and arise This was witnessed to Henry the Third when in Poland by several Princes worthy of Credit divers Nobles of France many Physicians of the Court particularly the famous Pidâ—xius being present 'T is related also by Alex. Guagninas of Verona Colonel of Foot in the Castle of Vitelaska in the Frontiers of Muscovy in his Description of Muscovy Mers Qu. Com. in Gen Qu. 30. p. 1222. Joh. Licat l. 1. c. 6. Hen. Kornman de Mirac Mort. par 2. c. 41. Delr Disq Mag. c. Zacch Qu. Mad. Leg. l. 4. tit 1. qu 11. p. 241. Treas l. 6. c. 10. p. 565. Schot Phys Curios l. 1. c. 36. p. 176. 8. The Story of the Seven Sleepers who to avoid Martyrdom fled into a Cave and slept from the Reign of Decius till the 30th Year of Theodosius the Younger i. e. 196 Years will seem incredible and yet 't is mentioned by Nicephorus Eccl. Hist. l. 14. c. 45. By Lonicer Theatr. p. 230. Schot Phys Curros l. 3. c. As also by Mahomet in his worshipful Alcoran tho with some Addition and Variation for he saith they slept 300 Years CHAP. XVII Instances of such as have used to walk and perform strange things in their Sleep 'T Was the Opinion of some of the Ancient Philosophers that our Natural Life was but a Sleep and all our Actions are perform'd in a Dream and that we did not awake till Death came and pluck'd our Souls out of the Cradle and sent us rubbing up our Intellectuals and shaking our Spirits into the other World And surely such instances as follow here seem to make a fit Emblem for such an Hypothesis where Men Sleep by halves and employ at the same time some of the Animal Spirits as Cursitors of the Brain to move and act and discharge their Functions whilst â—hers of them sleep and rest and refresh themselves 1. A young Man arose from his sleep took a Sword opened the Doors and muttering to himself went into the Street where he quarreled alone and fancying that he was in Fight with his Enemy he made divers passes till he fell down and through an unhappy slip of his Sword gave himself such a Wound on his Breast that was like to be his Death Hereupon being awaked and affrighted and dreading greater dangers he sent for me to be his Physician and was cured saith Zacutus Lusitan in his Prax. admirand l. 1. Obs. 43. p. 33 c. 2. John Poultney would in his sleep usually rise out of his Bed dress him open the Doors walk about the Fields and return to his Bed not awaked he would rise in his sleep take a Staff Fork or other Weapon and therewith lay about him now striking now defending himself as if charged with an Enemy ot knowing when awaked what had passed He was of Leicestershire Fullers Work p. 133. Leicestershire 3. Henricus ab Heere 's saith he knew a young Student who having certain Verses to finish while awake rising in the Night hath opened his Desk he hath writ and often read over what he hath written which done he hath applauded himself with Laughter called to his Chamber-fellow to praise him also then putting off his Shooes and Cloaths shutting his Desk and laying up his Papers he returned to his Bed and slept till called up utterly Ignorant what he had done in the Night In the Morning returning to his Studies not having yet seen his Papers and being careful how to fill up the Gap in his Verses taking his Papers when he found them supplied to his desire and that with his own hand he hath been strangely amazed and would not believe his Companions who waking had seen what he did The Night after his Companions
nutriment and augmentation is decent and salutary and conducive to action and the proper offices of nature but either a Redundancy or Deficiency are hurtful and obstructive Extraordinary fatness on the one hand devours up or overwhelms the Animal Spirits so that they must move like Travellers in the Wilds of Kent and Sussex Leanness impoverishes Nature and sets her upon a poor Horse that 's hardly able to carry himself 1. Zacutus speaks of a young Man so fat that he could scarce move himself or go or set one step forward but continually sate in a Chair in perpetual fear of being Choaked Zacutus cured him Zacut. prox Adm. l. 3. Obs 108. p. 416. 2. Dionisius Son of Clearchus the Tyrant of Heraclea was by reason of his Fat pressed with difficulty of Breathing and fear of Suffocation He could no feel very long and sharp Needles prick'd into his Sides and Belly upon adivce of his Physicians whilst they passed through the Fat till they touched upon the sensible Flesh Athenaeus l. 12. c. 12. p. 549. 3. Vitus a Matera a Learned Philosopher and Divine was so Fat that he was not able to get up a pair of Stairs He breathed with great difficulty nor could he Sleep lying along without danger of Suffocation Donat. Hist Mirab. l. 5. c. 2. p. 274. 4. I have seen saith the same Author ayoung Englishman carried through all Italy to be seen for Money who was of that monstrous Fatness and Thickness that the Duke of Mantua and Mountferrat commanded him to be Pourtray'd naked to the Life Ibid. 5. Anno 1520. a Nobleman born in Diethmarsia but sometimes living in Stockholme being sent to Prison by the Command of Christiern II. could not be thrust in at the Prison Door by reason of his extream Corpulency but was thrown aside into a Corner near it Zuing. Theat v. 2. l. 2. p. 279. 6. Pope Leo X. was Fat to a Proverb Ibid. 7. Polyeusus Sphettius an Athenian mentioned by Plutarch in Photion Ptolomeus Energes Magan who reigned 50 years in Cirene c. are taken notice of by Authors for their Extraordinary Corpulency CHAP. XXXI Instances of extraordinary Leanness 1. CYnesias called Philyrinus because he girt himself round within boards of the Wood Philyra least through his exceeding Talness and Slenderness he should break in the Waste Athen l. 12. c. 13. p. 551. 2. Panaretus was exceeding lean and thin notwithstanding which he passed his whole Life in a most entire and perfect Health Ibid. p. 562. 3. Philetas of Coos was an Excellent Critick and Poet in the time of Alexander the Great but withal he had a body of that exceeding leaness and lightness that he commonly wore Shoes of Lead and carried Lead about him least at sometime or other he should be blown away by the Wind. Ibid. p. 552. CHAP. XXXII Persons Long-liv'd 'T IS reported of Paracelsus that he would undertake if he had the Nurture of a Well-humour'd and Complexien'd Infant from his Nativity to put him in a way of living Everlastingly but that was a brag fit only for such a bold Thrasonical Smatterer in Chymistry and Magick as he was no doubt but Old Age and Death might be retarded and kept off much longer then they are in the Cases of some Persons where Nature hath given a due Contexture a fit Complexion of Humours with the Observation of a suitable Diet and where Divine Providence doth not resist 1. There is a Memorial entred upon the Wall of the Cathedral of Peterborough for one who being Sexton thereof Interred two Queen's therein Katherine Dowager and Mary of Scotland more then 50 years interceeding betwixt their several Sepultures this Vivacious Sexton also buried two Generations or the People on that place twice over Fullers Worthies p. 293. Northamp 2. Richard Chamond Esq served in the Office of Justice of Peace almost 60 years he saw above 50 several Judges of the Western Circuit was Unkle and great Unkle to 300 at the least and saw his youngest Child above 40 years of Age. Fullers Worth p. 211. Cornwal Carew's Survey of Cornwal p. 18. 3. In Herefordshire saith my Lord St. Albans there was a Morrice Dance of 8 Men whose years put together made up 800 that which was wanting in one superabounded in others Verulam Hist Life and Death p. 135. 4. William Paulet Marques of Winchester and Lord Treasurer of England 20 years together who died in the 10th year of Queen Elizabeth was born in the last years of Henry VI. He lived in all 106 years and three Quarters and odd days during the Reign of 9 Kings and Queens of England He saw the Children of his Childrens Children to the number of 103 and died 1572. Bakers Chron. p. 502. fullers Worth Hantshire p. 8. 5. One Polezew saith Mr. Carew of Cornwal reached to 130 years one Beauchamp to 106. And in the Parish where himself dwelt he professed to have remembred the Decease of 4 within 14 Weeks space whose years added together made up the Sum of 340 the same Gentleman made this Epitaph upon one Brawne an Irishman but Cornish Beggar Here Brawne the Quondam Beggar lies who counted by his Tale Some Sixscore Winters and above Such Vertue is in Ale Ale was his Meat his Drink his Cloth Ale did his Death reprieve And could he still have drank his Ale he had been still Alive 6. Democritus of Abdera a most Studious and Learned Philosopher who sent all his Life in the Contemplation and Investigation of things who lived in great Solitude and Poverty yet did arrive to 109 years Fulgos. l. 8. c. 14. p. 1095. 7. Simeon the Son of Cleophas called the Brother of our Lord and Bishop of Jerusalem lived 120 years though he was cut short by Martyrdom 8. Aquila and Priscilla first St. Paul's Hosts and afterwards his fellow Labourers lived together in Wedlock at least 100 years a piece Verulam p. 116. 9. Johannes Summer Matterus saith Platerus my great Grand-father by the Mother's side of an ancient Family after the Hundredth year of his Age Marryed a Wife of 30 years by whom he had a Son at whose sedding which was 20 years after the Old man was present and liv'd 6 years after that so that he compleated 126 years Plateri Obs. l. 1. p. 233. 10. Galen the great Physician who flourished about the Reign of Antoninus the Emperour is said to have lived 140 years from the time of his 28th year he was never seized with any Sickness save only a Feaver for one day only Fulgos. l. 8. c. 14. p. 1096. 11. James Sands near Brimingham in Seaffordshire lived 140 years and his Wife 120. He out-liv'd 5 Leases of 21 years a piece made unto him after he was Married Fullers Engl. Worth p. 47. 12. Sir Walter Rawleigh knew the Old Countess of Desmond who liv'd in the year 1589 and many years since who was Marryed in Edward IV's time and held her Joynture from all the Earls of Desmond since them The
Lord Bacon casts up her Age to be 140 at least adding withal that she recovered her Teeth after casting them 3 several times Rawleigh Hist World l. 1. c. 5. p. 166. Fuller p. 310 13. Garsius Aretinus lived to 194 years in good state of Health and deceased without being seized with any apparent Disease only perceiving this Strength somewhat weakned Thus writes Petranch of him to whom Garsias was great Grandfather by the Fathers side Fulgos. l. 8. c. 14. p. 1096. 14. Thomas Parre Son of John Parre born at Alderbury in the Parish of Winninton in Shropshire he was born in the Reign of King Edward IV. Anno 1483. at 80 years he marryed his first Wife Jane and in the space of 32 years had but two Children by her both of them short lived the one lived but a Month the other but a few years being Aged 120 he fell in Love with Katherine Milton and got her with Child He lived to above 150 years two Months before his Death he was brought up by thomas Earl of Arundel to Westminster he slept away most of his time and is thus Characterised by an Eye Witness of him From Head to Heel his body had all over A Quick set Thick set Natural Hairy Cover change of Air and Dyet are conceived to Accelerate his Death which happened November 15 Anno 1634 and was buried in the Abby Church at Westminster Fullers Worthies p. 11. Shropshire 15. John of Times was Armour-bearer to Charles the Great by whom he was also made Knight being a Man of great Temperance Sobriety and Contentment of Mind in his Condition of Life lived unto the 9th year of the Emperor Conrade and died at the Age of 361 years Anno 1128. 1146 saith Fulgosus Bakers Chron. p. 73. 16. Guido Bonatus a Man of great Learning saith he saw a Man whose name was Richard Anno 1223 who told him that he was a Soldier under Charlemain and that he had now lived to the 400th year of his Age. Fulgos. l. 8. c. 14. p. 1098. CHAP. XXXIII Examples of a Vegete and Healthful Old Age. I have often look'd upon Old Age as the very Dregs of Life the Sediment of our Natural Humour 's a Complex of Infirmities but the following Instances would tempt one to love Temperance for Lifes sake and Life for it self for no doubt but the Sweetness of Life consists much in the Healthful and Vegete Temper of our Bodies and a Virtuous course of Life and due Abstinence Conduceth much thereto when the Debauch'd Sensualist lies down under the Burden of his Carelesness and the Sins of his Youth never able to retrieve the Damages of his former Lusts 1. Sir Walter Rawleigh in his Discovery of Guiana reports of the King of Aromaia being 110 years Old came in a Morning on foot to him from his House which was 14 English Miles and returned on foot the same day Hakew. Apolog. l. 3. c. 1. p. 166. 2. Buchanan in his Scottish History speaks of one Lawrence who dwelling in one of the Orcades marryed a Wife after he was 100 years of Age and more and that when he was 140 years old he doubted not to go a Fishing alone in his little Boat though in a rough and Tempestuous Sea Camor Hor Subs. c. 2. cap. 68. p. 277. 3. Sigismemd Polcastrus a Physician and Philosopher of Padua Read there 50 years in his Old Age he buried 4 Sons in a short time at 70 years of Age he married again and by his second Wife he had 3 Sons the eldest of which called Anronius he saw dignified with a Degree in both Laws Jerome another of his Sons had his Cap set upon his Head by his Aged Father who Trembled and Wept for Joy not long after which the Old Man died Aged 94 years Schenck p. 539. 4. Platerus tells of Thomas Platerus His Father upon the Death of his first Wife Anno 1572. and the 73 year of his Age married a second time within the compass of 10 years he had 6 Children by her 2 Sons and 4 Daughters the youngest of his Daughters was born in the 81 year of his Age two years before he died J Foelix was born Anno 1536 and my Brother Thomas 1574 the distance between us being 38 years and yet my Brother is all Gray and seems Elder then my self possibly because he was gotten when my Father was stricken in years Pl. Obs. p. 275. 5. M. Valerllus Corvinus attained to the fulfilling of 100 years betwixt whose first and sixth Consulship there was the distance of 47 years yet was he sufficient in respect of the entireness of his bodily Strength not only for the most important Matters of the Common-wealth but also for the exactest Culture of his Fields a Memorable Example Val. Max. l. 8. c. 13. p. 236. 6. Metellus equalled the length of his Life and in extream Age was created Pontiffe for 22 years he had the ordering of the Ceremonies in all which time his Tongue never faultred in Solemn Prayers nor did his Hand tremble in the Offering of the Sacrifices Val. Max. ibid. p. 238. 7. Nicholaut Leonicenus was in the 96 year of his Age when Langius heard him at Ferrara where he had Taught more then 70 years he used to say that he enjoyed a Green and Vegete Age because he had delivered up his Youth chast unto Man's Estate Melch. Adam in Vit. Germ. Med. p. 141. 8. Massanissa was the King of Numidia for 60 years together and excelled all other Men in respect of Strength and of an admirable Old Age that for no Rein or Cold he would be induced to cover his Head they say of him that when he was on Horseback he would lead his Army for the most part both a compleat day and the whole Night also nor would he in extream Age omit any thing of that which he had accustomed to do when young and after the 86th year of his Age he begat a Son and whereas his Land was was waste and desert he left it fruitful by his continual Endeavours in the Cultivation of it he lived till he was above 90 years of Age. Val. M. p. 236. 9. Cornarus the Venetian was in his Youth of a Sickly body began to eat and drink first by measure to a certain weight thereby to recover his Health this Cure turned by use into a Diet that Diet into an extraordinary long Life even of 100 years and better without any decay of his Senses and with a constant enjoyment of Health Verulam's Hist of Life and Death p. 134. 10. Appius Claudius Coecus was blind for the space of very many years yet notwithstanding he was burden'd with this mischance he govern'd 4 Sons and five Daughters very many Dependants upon him yea and the Common-wealth it self with abundance of Prudence and Magnanimity when he had lived so long that he was even tired with living caused himself to be carried to the Senate for no other purpose then to perswade them
kept her uncoffin'd till seven Days were expired at the end of which time her Heat which was before so languid and obscure that it could scarcely be discerned began more manifestly to discover it self Upon which Rubbings and other artificial Helps were used which proved so effectual that in a short time they found a trembling Vibration of the Pulse afterwards she began to breathe and so at last gradually recovered all her Senses The first Thing she spake of was that she desired to see her Mother who coming to her she thus uttered her Mind O Mother since I was absent from you I have been in Heaven and Angel went before me to conduct me thither I passed through three several Gates and at length I came to Heaven Gate where I saw Things very Glorious and Vnutterable as Saints Angels and the like in glorious Apparel and heard unparallell'd Musick Divine Anthems and Hallelujahs I would fain have entred that glorious Place but the Angel that went before me withstood me yet I thought my self half in but he told me I could not be admitted now but I must go bacik and take leave of my Friends and after some short time I should be admitted So he brought me hither again and is now standing at the Bed's-feet Mother you must needs see him he is all in White Her Mother told her It was but a Dream or Fancy and that she knew not what she said Whereupon she answered with a great deal of Vehemency that it was as true as that she was there at present She took notice also of several Persons in the Room by their Names to shew she did not Dream but spoke with Understanding But for the greater Confirmation she told them of three or four Persons that were dead since she was deprived of her Senses and named each Person one of them was dead and they knew not of it before they sent to enquire She said she saw them passing by her while she stood at the Gate One whom she named was reputed a vicious Person came as far as the Gate but was sent back again another way All the Persons she named died in the time she lay in this Trance She lived about two Years after this enjoying a perfect Health and then died in great Assurance of her Salvation speaking comfortable Words and giving wholsome Instructions to all who came to Visit her It is worthy Observation That during the whole time of her first Sickness which was about a quarter of a Year she neither eat nor drank any thing besides the Juice of an Orange and the Yolk of an Egg. Attested by her Brother Dr. Atherton Physician of Caermarthen 9. Mrs. Lydiah Dunton Wife to Mr. John Dunton then Rector of Graffham in Huntingdonshire was laid out for dead several Days yet came to Life again to the great Admitation of all that saw her in that Condition This Passage was related by her Husband to a Friend of mine CHAP. XXXV Women Excellent in the Arts. WHen Amesia stood forth to plead her own Cause in the Senate the Romans sent to the Oracle to enquire what it protended to the State as if Females were no Relation to the Muses or Minerva or capable of those Improvements in Literature and the Sciences as Men are Whether they are or no I desire my Reader not to judge till he hath first perused the few Examples which follow 1. Gilberta Anglica born in Mentz in Germany where she was beloved of a young Scholar for whose sake lest the Love should come to the Ears of her Parents all Modesty set aside she put her self into a young Man's Habit fled from her Father's House and came into England with her Paramour where she gave her self to Study At length the young Man dying finding her self entred into some Knowledge and desirous of more she continued her Habit and Study as well in the Scriptures as in Humane Learning At length coming to Rome she read publickly in the Schools where she had a frequent Auditory and besides her singular Wisdom being much admired for her Sanctity and Austerity of Life she was after the Death of Leo the Fifth elected and confirmed in the Papal Dignity and is commonly called by the Name of Pope Joan. Platin. 2. Constantia the Wife of Alexander Sforza had so improved her self in Learning by her indefatigable Industry that upon the sudden without any Premeditation she was able sufficiently to discourse upon any Subject either of Divinity or Philosophy besides she was well seen in the Works of Hierom Ambrose Gregory Lactantius and Cicero Heymond 3. â—osuida was born in Germany and a Saxon by Nation she lived under Lotharius the First in the Diocess of Hildesheim She was Eloquent in the Greek and Latin Tongues and practised in all good Arts. She composed many Books not without great Commendations from the Readers one especially to her Fellow-Nuns exhorting them to Chastity Virtue and Divine Worship She published six Comedies besides a Noble Poem in Hexameter Verse of the Books and Noble Acts done by the other Caesars She wrote the Lives of Holy Men but chiefly a Divine Work of the Pious and Chast Life of the Blessed Virgin Fulgos l. 8. c. 3. 4. The Lady Jane Gray Daughter to the Duke of Suffolk a Lady of incomparable Peity and for her Years of incomparable Learning for being not past 17 Years of Age she understood perfectly the Greek and Latin Tongues and was so ready in Points of Divinity as if she knew them by Inspiration rather than by Instruction Baker's Chron. When her Master came to take his Leave of her finding her busie in reading of a Greek Poet he asked her How she could contain her self at such Studies when her Father with other Persons of Quality and Ladies were following their Game and Pleasures in the Park Sir said she they do not know what true Pleasure means I find more Satisfaction and Delight in one Page of this Book than they in all their Sports During her Imprisonment the writ upon the Walls these Verses Non aliena Putes homini quae obtingere possunt Sors hodlerna mihi cras erit illa tibi In English thus Think nothing strange chance happens unto all My Lot's to Day to morrow thine may fall And again Deo juvante nil nocet livor malus Et non juvante nil juvat Labor gravâ— Post tenebras spero lucem In English thus If God protect no Malice can offend Without his Help there 's nothing can descend This Distich was made upon her Miraris Janam Graio sermone locutam Quo primum nata est tempore Graia fuit Dr. Fell. 5. Concerning Queen Elizabeth we have spoke already in the Chapter of Rath-rip Wits I shall add no more here save only that when Mr. Doddington of Trinity-College and Greek Professor at Cambridge had entertained her with a Greek Oration and offered in Latin afterwards to speak it in Latin if she pleased she made answer Ego
Fume whereby the Beams of the Eyes they corrupt the Visive Spirit They go half upright and have a Comb like a Cock fear'd by all other Serpents if seen or heard but they themselves fear the Weasel Ibid. 19. Sagitta Jacularis Serpens volens the Dart so called because he will leap or shoot himself at least 10 yards he is about 3 or 4 foot long Its Poison is present Death scarce Curable Ibid. 20 The Salamander is a four footed Creature a kind of a Lizard black and full of yellow specks with a great Head It is a bold Creature delights in moist places and clear Springs They are reported to live in Fire but that is a Story for they no otherwise live there but by quenching it by a cold moist humour which issues from them when that is exhausted if the Fire continues they are subject to destruction They have as many Venoms as colours If they once Bite they never let go The Cure is by Decoction of Frogs drink Milk c. Ibid. 21 Seps Sepidon Selsi◠has a broad Head slender Tail of many colours about a yard long He causes the part to Rot which he bites For the Cure wash with Vinegar and Oximel Ibid. 22. The Serpent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a kind of Snake a crafty Creature lying all the Winter under the Earth or Roots of Birch or Hasel casting its Skin every Spring and Autumn They are best in the Spring when they have cast their Skins and recruited their Flesh with Food The Head Gall and Tail and to be cast away The Heart Liver Flesh and Bones are a precious Treasure in Physick concerning which see more in Salmon's Dispensatory l. 2. c. 5. p. 252. 23. The Snake Anguis Chersydrus the Water Snake their Poison is not inferiour to that of other Serpents when they Bite there ensueth great Pain Inflammation blackness in the Wound the Vertigo and Death within four days The Water Snake has a fiery Poison which disperses it self over the whole Body which when it comes to the Heart the Creature immediately falls down dead Therefore it is best if a part be bitten presently to cut it off otherwise to apply Organy beaten with Oil of Tartar and Oil Olive or Oak-Ashes mixt with Barly-Meal Pitch Water and Honey boiled to Poultis 1. The Liver of a Snake breaks the Stone in the Bladder 2. The Flesh eaten cures the Leprosie and Pox applied it helps Wounds 3. The Skin boiled in Wine and that Wine Dropt into the Ears easeth the Pains of them Ibid. p. 247. 24. The Viper 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a Creature that brings forth alive exceeding other Serpents in Venom sleeping all the Winter under the Earth in Rocks The young Females are the best being taken in the Spring Vipers have stronger Virtues than Serpents and they have also the same preparation In the Viper there is nothing Venemous but the Head and Gall. Concerning its excellent Virtues in Physick See Salmon's Dispensatory p. 253. Having given this Account of the Particular Species of Serpents out of Mr. Salmon we will conclude with some general Remarks out of Jo. Jonston's History of the wonderful things of Nature In the Province of Caraia under the King of Tartary some Serpents are 10 yards long and 10 hands broad some want fore feet but have Claws in the room of them their Eyes are as great as two small Loaves for which he cites Paul Venetus Americus Vespasius saw some in the Indies which Men did Eat as big as Kids a yard and an half long with long feet strong claws of divers colours nosed like Serpents having from the Ears to the Tail a certain Bristle going quire through the Back Ludovic Rom. Sais Calicut breeds the like as great as Boars with fore-feet no Venom yet biting dangerously Anno 1543. there appeared four footed Beasts in the Borders of Germany near to Styria like Lizards with Wings whose Biting was incurable Anno 1550. about St. Margarets-Day in Hungary near Zisca about the River Theysse they were found in the Bodies of many They killed about three thousand men Some came out of Men's mouths but they went in again It is almost incredible what is reported of those places that multitudes of them were found in piles or handfuls of Wheat and when the Countrymen thought to burn them there came a great many more forth and charged them with Man's Voice to forbear saying That they were not bred naturally but sent by God to punish Men for their Sins Johnston's Nat. Hist Class 7. c. 33. This puts me in mind of a Story related by Matt. Paris which is this Anno 1234. Walter Grey Archbishop of York having 5 years Corn under hand would not thresh it out for the Relief of the Poor in three year Famine hoping still that the price would encrease being told by his Officers it was greatly to be fear'd least the Corn were consumed by Mice he willed them to deliver it to Husbandmen who dwelt in his Mannor upon Condition they should pay him as much new for it after Harvest They attempting to take down a great Mow of Corn which he had at Rippon saw the heads of many Snakes Toads and other Venemous Creatures peering out at the end of the Sheaves The Bishop hereupon forces certain poor Men to go up with Ladders they were scarcely up when they saw a great Smoak rising out of the Corn and felt withall a loathsome Stink which compelled them with all haste possible to hasten down again Moreover they heard an unknown Voice saying unto them Let the Corn alone for the Archbishop and all that he has belongs to the Devil In fine saith the Story they were fain to build a Wall about the Corn and then set it on Fire fearing least such a huge number of Venemous Creatures should impoison or annoy the whole Country Charles Fitz-Jeffery's Curse of Corn-holders p. 24. Schiltbertus a Hollander tells a Story of a Combat between Sea and Land Serpents thus In the Kingdom of Genyck there is a City called Sampson where Water-Snakes and Land Serpents innumerable did surround it for a Mile about These came forth of the Woods which are many in the Countries adjoyning and these forth of the Sea Whilst these met for 9 days no man for fear durst stir forth yet they hurt neither Man nor any other living Creature On the 10th day these two kinds of Serpents began to fight early in the morning and continued till Sun-set and then the Water-Serpents yielded to the Land-Serpents the next day 8000 of them were found dead It is most certain that there are Serpents in the Sea Aristotle says they will overthrow Gallies and kill Men. Olaus Magnus writes That about Norway when the Sea is Calm Serpents will shew themselves that are an hundred or two hundred foot long and sometimes will catch Men from their Ships Johnst Nat. Hist c. 9. c. 18. Jacob Hollerius writes that by the frequent smelling of the
of in this Disputing Age viz. That they are a Congestion of Vapours or Exhalations in the Clouds inkindled there by an Antiperistasis and so moving and diffusing themselves till they burst the Clouds and break forth with a loud Eruption and quickness of Flame to the Astonishment of us who live beneath But sure I am with the Psalmist They are the Voice of the Lord and bring mighty Things to pass sometimes to our Terrour and Amazement 1. In the time of Marcus Antonius the Philosopher we read that the Quadi his Enemies were stricken with Thunder at the Prayers of the Christian Soldiers whence the Christian Legion was called The Thundering Legion presently saith the Emperour of them in that Epistle as they lay upon their Faces and prayed to God I know not whom a cold Shower fell upon us but upon our Enemies Hail mingled with Thunder that we found immediately that the Hand of the mighty God affisted us Johnst Nat. Hist cl 3. c. 5. p. 79. 2. About Anno 105 in the Reign of Trajan who raised the 3d Persecution Octob. 22 there arose furious and violent Winds which tore up Trees by the Roots uncovered and overthrew many Houses c. Then followed Thunder and Lightnings which made the Night like Noon-Day then fearful Thunderbolts which brake down stately Buildings and slew many Men c. Clark's Mir. p. 489. Dion 3. July 1654 at Salisbury in New-England one Partridge was killed by Thunder and Lightning his House being set on Fire thereby himself with others endeavouring to quench it by a second Crack was struck dead and never spoke more Ten others were struck and lay for dead but they all revived except Partridge in whose Clothes and Skin were Holes found like Shot-holes Remarkable Providences p. 73. 4. Octob. 21. Anno 1638 at Withycomb in Devonshire being Sabbath-day whilst the People were attending the Publick Worship of God a black Cloud coming over the Church there was suddenly an amazing Clap of Thunder and with it a Ball of Fire came in at the Window whereby the Church was much damnified and many of the People struck down Some of the Seats in the Body of the Church were turned upside down yet they that sate in them received no hurt One Mr. Hill sitting in his Seat by the Chancel had his Head suddenly smitten against the Wall by which Blow he died that Night Another had his Head cloven his Skull rent in three pieces and his Brains thrown on the Ground whole The Hair of his Head by the Violence of the Blow stuck fast to the Pillar that was near him A Woman attempting to run out of the Church had her Clothes set on fire and her Flesh on her Back torn almost t the very Bone Clark's Examples Vol. 1. ch 104. p. 501. 5. Anno 1613 June 26 in the Parish of Christchurch in Hampshire one John Hitchell a Carpenter lying in Bed with his Wife and a young Child by them was himself with his Child burnt to Death by a Flash of Lightning no Fire appearing outwardly upon him and yet lay burning for the space of three Days till he was quite consumed to Ashes Clark's Prodigies p. 579. 6. Anno 1665 in February there was a great Tempest accompanied with Thunder and Lightning in divers places at which time the stately Spire of Coventry fell and beat down a great part of the Church killing one Man And in Hampshire a Justice of the Peace riding by t the way was slain and burnt by Lightning Ibid. p. 570. 7. Dr. Beard saith That a Man travelling between two Woods in a great Tempest of Thunder and Lightning rode under an Oak to shelter himself but his Horse would by no means stay under that Oak but whither his Master would or no went from that Tree and stayed very quietly under another Tree not far off he had not been there many Minutes before the first Oak was torn all to fitters with a fearful Clap of Thunder and Lightning Beard 's Theat p. 443. 8. Acosta saith That it seldom Thunders about Brasil but such Lightnings are frequent there as make the Night appear brighter than the Noon-day On some Snowy Mountains in Africa the Cracks of Thunder are so loud that they are heard 50 Miles off at Sea Mather's Remarkable Prov p. 131. 9. An Adversary of Mr. Bolton's riding abroad when it Thundred very dreadfully observing that his Wife a Pious Woman was not at all afraid when he himself trembled greatly answering That it was the Voice of her Heavenly Father c. Thereupon went to Mr. Bolton begg'd his Pardon and Prayers for the Wrong he had done him and desired to know what he should do to be saved Upon which he became a very reformed Man Ibid. 10. Meurerus in Comment Meteorolog speaks of a Man that going between Lipsia and Torga was suddenly carried out of sight by a Thunder-storm and never seen more Ibid. p. 128. When Matthew Cole was killed with the Lightning at Northampton the Demons which disturbed his Sister Anne Cole 40 Miles distant in Hartford spoke of it intimating their Concurrence in that terrible Accident Ibid. CHAP. LVI Earthquakes OUR Saviour hath told us That one jot of his Word shall not perish till all be fulfilled that Heaven and Earth shall sooner pass away And we have reason to suspect it when we find the Pillars of the Earth shake so terribly as sometimes they do and the Earth we tread upon which one would think firm in its Foundations tossed with such frequent and sometimes very dreadful Concussion̄s What Lesson methinks so natural in this Case as Arise let us go hence Let us cast Anchor within the Veil and place our Treasures in that City which hath lasting Foundations 1. Before the Birth of our Savour Plato mentions a wonderful Earthquake whereby in a Day and Night a vast Island without the Stroights of Gibralter called Atlantis and bigger than Asia and Africa together was wholly overwhelmed and afterward covered by a great Inundation of Water He also writes that by another terrible Earthquake the Continent of Africa was rent asunder from Europe and Asia as it is at this Day being not only contracted by a little Neck of Land at the Red Sea The famous Isle of Sicily was likewise formerly a part of Italy and by an Earthquake divided from it And our Island of Great-Britain is supposed to be broken off from the Centinent of France by that means Herodotus saith that Egypt in ancient time was a Gulph of the Sea and by an Earthquake made dry Land The River Indus in Asira which receives Fifteen other Rivers into it altered its Channel and the Neighbouring Country turned into a Wilderness by a lamentable Earthquake The Isle of Delphos famous for the Oracle and Temple of Apollo was wholly ruined by an Earthquake Strabo mentions a City situate about Sydon that was wholly swallowed up thereby Pliny writes of twelve Cities ruined in in one Night and St. Augustine is
another Earthquake in the same Country that reached 300 Leagues along the Sea-shore and 70 Leagues in Land and Levelled the Mountains along as it went threw down Cities turn'd the Rivers out of their Channels and made an universal Havock and Confusion all this was done saith the Author in the space of seven or eight Minutes sometime before this above 40000 People perished in an Earthquake about Puel and Naples 20. In 1590 happened a terrible Earthquake which made Austris Bohemia and Moravia to Tremble in 1591. In St. Michael Island in the West-Indies there was an Earthquake which continued about 16 days to the extream Terror of the French which inhabit there especially when by force thereof they perceiv'd the Earth to move from place to place and Villa Franca their Principal Town overthrown the Ships that then rode at Anchor trembled and quaked insomuch that the People thought the day of Judgment was come In 1593 another terrible Earthquake happened in Persia which overturn'd 3000 Houses in the City of Lair crushing to Death above 3000 Persons in their Ruins In 1614 there was a great Earthquake in Vercer one of the largest of the Azor's Islands belonging to the King of Portugal overturning the City of Agra 11 Churches 9 Chappels besides many private Houses and in the City of Praga hardly an House was left standing not long after a dreadful Earthquake happened in St. Michael another Island of the Azores the Sea opened and thrust forth an Island above a League and a half in length at the place where there was above 150 Fathom Water 21. In 1622 was a great Earthquake in Italy the shape of an Elephant was seen in the Air and three Suns Armies Fighting Monstrous Births Waters turned into Blood unusual and impetuous Tempests which overthrew several Towers 22. In 1627 an Earthquake happened in England and a great Fiery Beam was seen in the Air in France Six Suns in Cornwall at once and five Moons in Normandy In the same year July 31 happened an Earthquake in Apulia in Italy whereby in the City of Severine 10000 Souls were taken out of the World and in the Horrour of such infinite Ruins and Sepulchre of so many Mortals a great Bell thrown out of the Steeple by the Earthquake fell so fitly over a Child that it inclos'd him doing him no harm made a Bulwark for him against any other danger 23. In the year 1631 there happened a Terrible Earthquake in Naples and the Mountain of Soma after many terrible Bellowings Vomitted out burning streams of Fire which tumbled into the Adriatic Sea and cast out huge deal of Ashes the like happened the year following with great Damage and Loss to the Neighbouring places in Houses People and Cattle and in Apulia 17000 Persons were destroyed by the same 24. In the year 1631 there happened a Terrible Earthquake in the Island of St. Michael one of the Terceres in the Atlantick Ocean Westward upon June the 26th this Island began universally to shake which continued eight days so that the People leaving the cities Towns and Castles were forc'd to live in the open Fields which was attended with a dreadful breaking out of Fire that had not the Wind by Divine Providence blown from the Isle into the Sea and drove back this outragious Fire without doubt the whole Country had been burnt up and destroy'd 25. In 1560 about five a Clock about the County of Cumberland and Westmorland was a general Earthquake wherewith the People were so affrighted that many of them forsook their Houses and some Houses so shaken that their Chimneys fell down The same year the Island of Santorim at the bottom of the Streights in the Mediterranean Sea not far from Candia had formidable Earthquakes and Fires it was most remarkable upon September 24 1650 which shook the Isle till the 9th of October with such mighty and frequent Earthquakes that the People fearing their immediate Ruin was approaching were on their Knees Night and Day before the Altars it cannot be expressed what Horrour seized all Men especially when the Flames breaking through all Obstacles strove to make themselves away through the midst of the Waters of the Ocean about four Mites Eastward from Santorin for the Sea all on a suddain swelled thirty Cubits upward and extending it self wide through the Neighbouring Lands overturn'd all in its way 26. In 1657 the Spaniards felt a terrible blow in Peru which if it were not a Mark of the Wrath of Heaven saith the Author was at least a Sign that the Earth is weary of them especially in those Parts where they have stain'd it with so much Innocent Blood The City of Lima was swallowed up by an Earthquake and Calao another City not far from it was consumed by a Shower of Fire out of the Clouds 11000 Spaniards lost their Lives in this Calamity and the Earth devoured an 100 Millions of refin'd Silver which the Lucre of the Spaniards had forc'd out of her Bowels 27. In 1660 an Earthquake happened at Paris in France and at the same time we had News that part of the Pyrenean Mountains had been overthrown some days before they are certain Mountains that divide France and Spain it did great Mischief there overwhelm'd some Medicinal Baths many Houses and destroying much People one Church which sunk into the Caverns below was thrown up again and stands very firm but in another place this was look'd upon as a great Miracle especially by the French who have disputed with the Spaniard about a Church standing upon the Frontier-Line but now is removed near half a League within the acknowledged Limits of France 28. In 1665 there was a great Tempest accompanied with Thunder Lightning and an Earthquake in divers places in England at which time the stately Spire of Trinity Church in Coventry fell down and demolished a great part of the Church 29. In 1668 in Autumn a great part of Asia and some parts of Europe were infested with extraordinnry Earthquakes the Cities of Constantinople and Adrianople felt its effects but not with that Violence and continuance as in other places In some parts of Persia it continued for above fourscore days Torqueto and Bolio two considerable Cities were by its great Violence laid even to the Ground and all or most of their Inhabitants buryed in the Ruins above 6000 Persons Perished in the first of them and above 1800 in the latter and in all the Adjacent Cities it raged with extraordinary Fury destroying and ruining the Buildings killing many of the People and the rest were forced to quit the Towns and take up their Lodgings in the Fields 30. In 1687 October 20 the London Gazette gives a sad Relation of another Earthquake in the Kingdom of Peru in America whereby the City of Lima was totally overthrown and not an House left standing burying many of its inhabitants under its Ruins at the same time Callao Fenettei Pisco Chancay Los Florillos c. Most of the Sea-port
Towns were destroyed by an Inundation of the Sea which carryed several Ships above 9 Miles into the Countrey and great numbers of People and Cattle were drowned there being found when the Water fell at one place near the Sea side above 5000 People dead and every day more were found so that no account could be given of their number 31. In 1688. a Dreadful Earthquake happened at Naples in Italy which was attended with the Rage and Roaring of Mount Vesuvius On Saturday June 5 about the 22th hour happened there a Terrible Earthquake thó it lasted not long which frightned the Inhabitants out of their Houses with the Terror of inevitable destruction they betook themselves to the Piaza's and open Publick places of the City there is scarce a Pallace or a House that has not received some considerable damage the next day there was another shook which threw down many of the Houses In The Neighbourhood of Vdico a City 16 Miles distant from hence a Mountain opened and we have an account it was all Ruined and that of 6000 Inhabitants there are but few left alive and great damages in several other places 32. In the same Year and Month we have a Dreadful Account of an Earthquake and Fire at Smyrna in a Letter from an English Gentleman at Constantinople dated July 8 1688. On June 30 Between 11 and 12 at Noon there happened at Smyrna a violent Earthquake which in a Minute threw down many and shattered all the Houses in the City it reached all the Adjacent parts and Metelone and Scio where it did but small hurt about 4 hours after a dreadful Fire broke out and consumed all the Town except the Skirts and the Houses on the side of the Hill the most moderate computation of People destroyed is 5000. 33. In December following several Earthquakes happened about Naples and Beneventum but without such infortunate Accidents which attended them some Months before nevertheless that accident being fresh in memory it is not to be imagined what a Consternation the People were in and how they fell to their Prayers in several Churches the Monks in those quarters made use of the opportunity to Preach that the end of the World was at hand and for that Reason endeavoured to give Alms but the People are not now to be imposed upon as formerly when they used such ways to rear such costly Foundations that are scattered over all Europe they resolved to keep what they had not finding the Monks to make better use of their Money then they themselves could do May not these dreadful shakings of the Earth seem plainly to presage those Convulsions that happened soon after and presignifie good as well as bad events not only the happy Revolutions in these three Kingdoms but also the horrid Ruins Devastations and Miseries which the Ambition and Barbarity of the French King has occasioned lately in Christendom and which do still continue 34. Dismal was the Calamity and Judgment which befel the Inhabitants of the Island of Jamaica in the West-Indies upon Tuesday June the 7th 1692 by a dreadful Earthquake about 11 a Clock in the Morning the Earth suffered a great Trepidation which in a Minutes time was such that several Houses began to tumble down and in 6 or 7 Minutes or a quarter of an hour at most made terrible Havock and Devastation it threw down almost all the Houses and Mountains and threw them into the Sea but Port-Royal had much the greatest share in this astonishing Judgment of God the Minister of that place relates that the same Morning he had been at Prayers in the Church which he never neglected to keep up some shew of Religion amongst a most ungodly and debauch'd People and was gone to a place near to the Church where the President of the Council was designing to Dine with one Captain Buden but his House upon the first Concussion sunk first into the Earth and then into the Sea with his Wife and Family and others that were to Dine with him the Minister staying some time with the President escaped the Danger Yet soon after they found the Ground rowling and moving under their Feet Sir says the Minister what 's this He replied very composedly It is an Earthquake be not afraid it will soon be over but it increased and they heard the Church and Tower fall upon which they ran to save themselves the Minister makes towards Morgan's Port which being a wide open place might be thought securest from falling Houses but as he came near he saw the Earth open and swallow up a Multitude of People and the Sea mounting over the Fortifications he then laid aside all thoughts of escaping resolving to make towards his own Lodgings where he found all all things safe he went to the Balcony to view the Street in which his House stood and saw never an House down there not the Ground so much as crackt the People desired him to come down and Pray with them he perswaded them to kneel down and make a large Ring which they did Pray'd with them near an Hour and after seriously exhorted them to Repentance the Earth working all the while with New Motions and trembled like the Rowling of the Sea insomuch that when he was at Prayer he could hardly keep himself when he came to the Sea he saw it had swallowed up the Wharf with all those goodly brick Houses upon it and two intire Streets beyond that he walked upon the Tops of some Houses which lay Level with the Surface of the Water from whence he got into a Canoo and then into a Long-boat which put him aboard a Ship called the Siam Merchant where he found the President safe They could not Sleep that Night for the return of the Earthquake almost every hour which made all the Guns in the Ship jar and rattle The shaking of the Earth still continued with Thunder and Lightning stormy and foul Weather The morning of this day was very fair and clear affording no suspicion of the least evil but in the space of 3 minutes about half an hour after 11 in the morning Port Royal the fairest Town of all the English Plantations was staken and shattered to pieces and sunk into and covered by the Sea as to the greatest part It is reckoned there were lost 1500 Persons From St. Anns there was News That above 1000 Acres of Wood-Land were turn'd into the Sea and carried with it whole Plantations but no place suffered like Port-Royal where whole Streets were swallowed up by the opening of the Earth and the Houses and Inhabitants went down together Some of them were driven up again by the Sea which arose in those Breaches and wonderfully escaped Some were swallowed up to the Neck and then the Earth shut on them and squeezed them to Death and in that manner several were left Buried with their Heads above-ground only some Heads the Dogs had eaten Great noises and bellowings were heard some time after in
the aforesaid Memoirs Vnder this Stone the Matchless Digby lies Digby the Great the Valiant and the Wise This Age's Wonder for his Noble Parts Skill'd in six Tongues and Learn'd in all the Arts. Born on the day he died th' Eleventh of June On which he bravely fought at Scanderoon 'T is rare that one and self-same Day should be His Day of Birth of Death of Victory 13. I had a Maternal Uncle that died the Third of March last 1678. which was the Anniversary day of his Birth and which is a Truth exceeding strange many Years ago he foretold the day of his death to be that of his Birth and he also averr'd the same but about the Week before his departure 14. Of the Family of the Trevours six successive principal Branches have been born the Sixth of July Same Memoirs 15. Meekren in his Medico Chirurgical Observations gives an Account of a Man that had a Septenary-Fever and Pliny if we may believe him tells us of one Antipater a Sidonian that also had a Fever or as some call it an Ague every Year upon his Birth-day As for the Nature of such Fevers or Agues they are as unaccountable as the Revolution of Sevens a Year in which it 's observ'd a great part of the World that get out of Childhood die in and we read of one Family that never escapes it Whether an Anniversary Ague is curable I dare not pretend since we want Examples perhaps from the Fewness of ' em 16. In the Family of the Hastings Earls of Pembrooke it is memorable that for many Generations together no Son ever saw the Father The Father being always dead before the Son was born Chetwind's Historical Collections I shall take particular Notice here of the Third of November both because 't is my own Birth-day and also for that I have observ'd some remarkable Accidents to have happen'd thereupon I had an Estate left me in Kent of which between thirty and forty Acres was Marsh-Land very conveniently flanking its Up-land and in those Days this Marsh Land was usually lot for Four Nobles an Acre My Father died 1643. Within a Year and half after his Decease such Charges and Water-scots came upon this Marsh-land by the Influence of the Sea that it was never worth one Farthing to me but very often eat into the Rents of the Up-land So that I often think this Day being my Birth-day hath the same evil Influence upon me that it had 580 Years since upon Earl Godwin and others concern'd in Low Lands 18. The Parliament so fatal to Rome's Concerns here in Henry VIII's time began the Third of November 26th of his Reign in which the Pope with his Authority was clean banish'd the Realm See Stow's Annals and Weaver p. 80. 19. The Third of November 1640. began that Parliament so direfully fatal to England in its Peace its Wealth its Religion its Gentry Nobility nay it s King 20. The Third of September was a remarkable Day to the English Attila Oliver 1650. He obtain'd a memorable Victory at Dunbar another at Worcester 1651. And that day he died 1658. 21. The Third of September was Dismal and Unhappy to the City of London and consequently to the whole Kingdom I come now to the Days of the Week 22. I. Tuesday Dies Martis was a most remarkable Day with Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury as Weaver 201 observes from Mat. Paris Upon a Tuesday he suffer'd upon a Tuesday he was Translated upon Tuesday the Peers of the Land sate against him at Northampton upon Tuesday he was Banished upon Tuesday the Lord appear'd to him at Pontiniac saying Thomas Thomas my Church shall be glorified in thy Blood Upon Tuesday he return'd from Exile upon Tuesday he got the Palm or Reward of Martyrdom upon Tuesday 1220. his Venerable Body receiv'd the Glory and Renown of Translation fifty Years after his Passion Thus my Author 22. II. Wednesday is said to have been the fortunate day of Sixtus Quintus that Pope of Renowned Merit that did so great and excellent Things in the time of his Government See The just Weight of the Scarlet Robe p. 101. his desired Praises On a Wednesday he was born on that Day he was made Monk on the same he was made General of his Order on that also was he successively created Cardinal elected Pope and also Inaugurated See Heylin speaking of the Temple of Jerusalem 23. III. Thursday was a fatal Day to Henry VIII as Stow 812. and so also to his Posterity He died on Thursday Jan. 28. King Edward VI. on Thursday July 6. Queen Mary on Thursday November 17. Queen Elizabeth on Thursday March 24. 24. IV. Friday was observ'd to be very fortunate to the Great Renowned Capt. Gonsalvo he having on that day given the French many Memorable Defeats 25. V. Saturday was a Lucky Day to Henry VII Upon that Day he atchiev'd the Victory upon Richard III. being August 22. 1485. On that day he entred the City being August 29. Correct Stow who mistakes the Day and he himself always acknowledged he had experienced it fortunate See Bacon in his Life 26. At Feltwell in Norfolk which lies East and West a Fire happen'd to break out at the West end which the West Wind blew and burn'd all the Street On that Day Twenty Years another Fire happened there which began at the East end and burn'd it to the Ground again This I had from a Reverend Divine 27. Collonel Hugh Grove of Wiltshire was beheaded at Exeter together with Coll John Penrudock on the Ninth day of May 1655. On that very day Three Years his Son and Heir died at London of a Malignant Fever and about the same Hour of the Day 28. A very good Friend of mine and old Acquaintance was born on the 15th of November his eldest Son was born on the 15th of November and his Second Son's First Son on the 15th of November Thus far I 'm beholding to Mr. Aubrey's Collections CHAP. XVI Premonitions of particular Changes or Accidents of Life FOR God to take notice of and concern himself with Particulars was an Article of Religion which Epicurus could not allow of because it seemed Inconsistent with the Majesty of the Supream Being to interrupt his own Peace and Quiet with so many little Punctilioes But for us Christians to doubt of it were very unreasonable since we find in Sacred Scripture that He was concerned about the Sin of Adam the Murder of Abel the Punishment of Cain the preservation of Noah the Production of Isaac the Correction of David the safety of Daniel and the Three Children and to pass over many more Instances the Death of his Son and St. Peter his Apostle 1. Sir Henry Wooton speaking of the Duke of Buckingham's Death takes notice of these Ominous Presagements before his end being to take his Leave of my Lord's Grace of Canterbury the only Bishop of London whom he knew well planted in the King 's unchangeable Affection by
a very strong Faith in the Doctrine of the Resurrection and did greatly solace her Soul with excellent Scriptures which do speak the happy state of Believers as soon as their Souls are separated from their Bodies and what she quoted out of the Scripture she did excellently and sutably apply to her own use incomparably above the common reach of her Sex and Age. That in 1 Cor. 15.42 was a good support to her The Body is sown in Corruption but it should be raised incorruptible it is sown in dishonour it shall be raised in glory it is sown in weakness but it shall be raised in power And then she sweetly applies it and takes in this Cordial Behold thus it is and thus it shall be with my poor mortal Flesh Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord because they rest from their labours and their works do follow them The righteous perish and no Man layeth it to heart and the upright are taken away and no Man regardeth it that they are taken away from the evil to come they shall enter into peace they shall rest in their Beds every one who walked in their uprightness Behold now Father I shall rest and sleep in that Bed-chamber Then she quoted Job 19.25 25 26 27. I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter end upon the earth and though after my skin worms destroy this body yet in my Flesh shall I see God whom I shall see for my self and my eyes shall behold and not another though my reins be consumed within me Behold now Father this very Skin which you see and this very Flesh which you see shall be raised up again and these very Eyes which now are so dim shall on that day see and behold my dear and precious Redeemer albeit the Worms eat up my Flesh yet with these Eyes shall I behold God even I my self and not another for me Hear last words were these O Lord God into thy hands I commit my Spirit O Lord be gracious be merciful to me a poor Sinner And here she fell asleep She died the first of September 1664. betwixt seven and eight in the Evening in the fourteenth year of her Age. 18. Jacob Bicks the Brother of Susanna Bicks was born in Leyden in the year 1657. and had Religious Education under his Godly Parents the which the Lord was pleased to sanctify to his Conversion and by it lay in excellent Provisions to live upon in an hour of distress This sweet little Child was visited of the Lord of a very sore Sickness upon the sixth of August 1664. Once when his Parents had prayed with him they asked him if they should once more send for the Physician No said he I will have the Doctor no more the Lord will help me I know he will take me to himself and then he shall help all When his Parents had prayed with him again he said Come now dear Father and Mother and kiss me I know that I shall die Farewel dear Father and Mother Farewel dear Sister farewel all Now shall I go to Heaven unto God and Jesus Christ and the holy Angels Then with a short word of Prayer Lord be merciful to me a poor Sinner he quietly breathed out his Soul and sweetly slept in Jesus when he was about seven years old He died August 8. 1664. 19. John Harvey was born in London in the year 1654. His Father was a Dutch Merchant he was piously Educated under his vertuous Mother and soon began to suck in Divine Things with no small delight The first thing very observable in him was that when he was two years and eight months old he could speak as well as other Children do usually at five years old It was his Practice to be much by himself in secret Prayer and he was careful to manage that work so as that it might be as secret as possible it might be but his Frequency and Constancy made it to be so easily observed upon which one time one having a great mind to know what this sweet Babe prayed for got into a place near him and heard him very earnestly praying for the Church of God desiring that the Kingdom of the Gospel might be spread over the whole World and that the Kingdom of Grace might more and more come into the Hearts of God's People and that the Kingdom of Glory might be hastened He was wont to continue half an hour sometimes an hour upon his Knees together He would have a savoury word to say to every one that he conversed with to put them in mind of the Worth of Christ and their Souls and their nearness to Eternity He was next to the Bible most taken with reading of Reverend Mr. Baxter's Works especially his Saints Everlasting Rest and truly the Thoughts of that Rest and Eternity seemed to swallow up all other Thoughts and he lived in a constant Preparation for it and looked more like one that was ripe for Glory than an Inhabitant of this lower World His Mother asked him whether he were willing to die and leave her he answered Yes I am willing to leave you and go to my Heavenly Father His Mother answered Child if thou hadst but an assurance of God's Love I should not be so much troubled He answered and said to his Mother I am assured dear Mother that my Sins are forgiven and that I shall go to Heaven For said he here stood an Angel by me that told me I should quickly be in Glory At this his Mother burst forth into tears O Mother said he did you but know what Joy I feel you would not weep but rejoyce I tell you I am so full of Comfort that I can't tell you how I am O Mother I shall presently have my Head in my Father's Bosom and shall be there where the Four and twently Elders cast down their Crowns and sing Halleujah Glory and Praise to him that sits upon the Throne and unto the Lamb for ever CHAP. LV. Good Parents Remarkable PArents are not only obliged to provide a temporal Livelihood a Purse and Wife and calling for their Children but especially to see that they be brought up in the Fear of God and set out in a fair way to Heaven and the Salvation of their Souls and they that do the one and not the other had better never have been the Instruments or Means of conveying them into the World for certainly 't is better for us not to be at all than be miserable for ever 1. Eusebius the Father of Hierom was very careful of the Education of his Son and his Mother was a religious Woman and therefore from his Infancy he was trained up like another Timothy in the Knowledge of Christ and the sacred Scriptures Clark 's Marr. of Eccl. Hist 2. Mariana the Mother of Fulgentius after the Death of her Husband was very careful to train her Son up in Learning causing him to be instructed in the Greek
Tongue before he learned Latin and as his years encreased so he much improved in all sorts of Learning to her great Joy so that she committed to his care the Government of her whole House And afterwards when he had retired into a Monastery under Faustus she impatiently running to the Bishop cried out Restore the Son to his Mother the Master to his Servants and Houshold it becomes you to comfort such disconsolate Widows not to destroy my forlorn House Filling the Air with her Exclamations ever calling upon the Name of Fulgentius Ibid. p. 90 91. 3. Monica the Mother of S. Augustine was very sollicitous for the Conversion and Reformation of her Son admonishing him and spending many Prayers and Tears upon that score consulting with S. Ambrose about him who told her it was impossible a Child of so many Prayers and Tears should miscarry And afterwards when he was converted rejoycing at it she desired to be dissolved as being satisfied mightily in her Mind as to that which she desired most in this World the Conversion of her Son and according within a few days she fell sick and died August Confess 4. Ant. Wallaeus and his Wife were both careful in the Education of their Children and their first care was to train them up in Piety and good Manners for which end their Father read to them daily some Chapters and made some Application thereof unto them His next care was to bring them up in Learning neither would he wholly trust their Masters therein but many times examined them himself to see their Proficiency nor did he train them up to Science only but also to Prudence for which cause when they were come to Years of Discretion he used to impart to them the Affairs of Church and State asking their Judgments therein He sought not to advance his Children to high places knowing the danger thereof but rather desired a middle and competent Estate for them wherein they might live honestly and comfortably and according to his desire he lived to see his eldest Son John a Doctor of Physick and Professor thereof and employed by the States into France to fetch that Miracle of Learning Salmasius to Leyden his Daughter Margaret married to John of Breda Doctor of Both Laws his Daughter Katherine married to Anthony Clement a Learned and Pious Divine his Son Anthony a Lawyer his Son Baldwin a Student in Divinity only his youngest Daughter Susan remained at home to be a Comfort to her aged Mother Clark's Eccl. Hist p. 489. 5. It was a Saying of Ignatius that Parents ought to afford these three Things to their Children Correction Admonition and Instruction both in Humane Arts and God's Word all which preserve them from Idleness and Folly give them Wisdom and learn them Subjection and Obedience to their Superious Clark 's Examples p. 495. 6. In the Reign of Queen Mary there was one William Hunter a young Man of Brentwood in Essex who being condemned by Bishop Bonner to the Fire for his Religion and was sent down to Brentwood to be burnt there His Father and Mother came to him desiring heartily of God that he might continue constant to the end in that good way which he had begun His Mother added That she thought her self happy that she had born such a Child who could fine in his Heart to lose his Life for Christ's sake William answered For the little Pain that I shall have which is but for a moment Christ hath promised me a Crown of everlasting Joy His Mother kneeling down said I pray God to strengthen thee my Son to the end I think thee as well bestowed as any Child that ever I bore Ibid. 7. If I can but once find the Fear of God in those about me said Reverend Claviger Satis habeo satisque mihi Vxori filiis filiabus prospexi I shall have enough for my Self Wife and Children they will be all cared for Sel. CHAP. LVI Good Servants Remarkable THE Faithfulness of Abraham 's Servant is recorded to his everlasting Praise and so is Joseph 's Fidelity to his Master and the Apostles have laid down their Offices so expresly that now under the Evangelical Oeconomy a sincere discharging the Duties of that Relation is accounted an honourable Badge to the Person Good nature hath prevailed far with some but Grace with more only this is to be said by way of Apology for them of this lower Orb that they who take upon them to write Histories for the Benefit of future Ages are too apt to overlook this lower Class of People and pass them over in a careless Silence But God will not be forgetful 1. Publius Catienus Philosimus was left by his Master the Heir of his Estate yet did he resolve to die with him and therefore cast himself alive into that Funeral Fire which was prepared to burn the dead Body of his Master Sabellic l. 3. c. 8. p. 161. 2. M. Antonius an excellent Orator being accused of Incest his Servant the Witness deposing that he carried the Lanthorn before his Master when he went to commit this Villany was apprehended and to extort a Confession from him he was torn with Scourges set upon the Rack burnt with hot Irons all which notwithstanding he would not let fall a word whereby he might injure the Fame or Life of his Master although he knew him guilty Val. Max. l. 6. c. 8. p. 169. Lips Monit l. 2. c. 13. p. 331. 3. The Servant of Vrbinius Panopion knowing that the Soldiers commissioned to kill his Master were come to his House in Reatina changed Cloaths with him and having put his Ring upon his Finger he sent him out of a Postern-door but went himself to the Chamber and threw himself upon the Bed where he was slain in his Master's stead Panopion by that means escaped and afterward when the Times would permit it erected a noble Monument with a due Inscription in memory of the true Fidelity of so good a Servant Val. Max. L. 6. C. 8. p. 180. Lips Monit L. 2. C. 131 332. Dinoth L. 4. p. 300. 4. Antistius Restio was Proscribed by the Triumvirate and while all his domestick Servants were busied about the Plunder and Pillage of his House he conveyed himself away in the midst of the Night with what privacy he could his Departure was observed by a Servant of his whom not long before he had cast into Bonds and branded his Face with infamous Characters this Man traced his Wandring Footsteps with such Diligence that he overtook him and bare him Company in his Flight and at such time as the other were Scrambling for his Goods all his Care was to save his Life by whom he had been so severely used and though it might seem enough that he should forget what had passed he used all his Art to preserve his Patron for having heard that Pursuers were at hand he conveyed away his Master and having erected a Funeral Pile and set Fire to it he slew
Affairs 9. My Heart doth truly rejoyce and bleS God when I see or hear of the Courage of his faithful Ministers or other private Christians in opposing or withstanding the Storm of these wicked Times and upon serious deliberate Consideration I had abundantly rather suffer with them then enjoy Peace and Prosperity upon the sinful Terms of these wicked Times 10. I most of all desire and delight to hear such Preaching as is most searching and that gives most plain and practical Directions for the leading of a holy Life 11. I have the highest Esteem of and most affection are Love to those in whom I see the most hopeful Signs and Fruits of a Work of Grace in their Hearts 12. I endeavour to shun and avoid all loose and vain Company and Associate my self with those that are more solid and prositable in their Conversation for Religious Advantages 13. I humbly and heartily desire the gracious Assistance of God's most holy Spirit to discover unto me the true and real worth of my own Soul and that of all other Evils I may be preserved from Errors and Mistakes in this Business of such Weighty and infinite Concernment 14. I have often heard in many Sermons divers distinguishing Characters of true saving Grace and upon serious Reflection upon my own Soul I find that my Heart doth not totally condemn me in any of them but that God hath wrought some real tho' weak Impressions of them in me for which I humbly desire more and more Strength and Ability to Praise him in Heart and Life 15. Notwithstanding all which wherein I have truly so far as I am able exprest the Truth yet fear and tremble least my own Heart should deceive me herein and tho' I daily beg of God a renewing of an Addition to Spiritual Strength yet desire to rely only upon the free and rich Mercy of God through the All-sufficient Merits of Jesus Christ for the Pardon of my Sins and Salvation of my Soul desiring to receive him upon his own Terms as my King Priest and Prophet Mr. Albyn sent these his Evidences for Heaven to Mr. Calamy with this Letter Mr. Calamy I Humbly entreat you to Peruse and Consider the Particulars afore-written and to afford me your Judgment in Writing under your own and some other godly Ministers Hands subscribed thereunto Yours in all Christian Obligations B. A. London July 4th 1650. To which Mr. Calamy returned his Answer I Am verily perswaded from infallible Grounds out of God's Word that whosoever can own these fifteen Particulars above-mentioned in Truth and in Sincerity is a true Child of God and shall certainly inherit everlasting Life Edm. Calamy Minister of God's Word in Aldermanbury We whose Names are under Written are of the same Perswasion with our Reverend Brother Mr. Calamy above Written John Fuller Matth. Newcomen These Evidences for Heaven were delivered to me by the very Person who Transcribed them from Mr. Albyn 's own Writing which he kept by him to his Death 19. The Heavenly Instructions senthy Mrs. Lydia Carter in several Letters to her Relations which being Writ whilst she was very Young deserve a place under our present Head of Extraordinary Zeal and Devotion The Letters were Five in Number and were Directed to Benjamin Carter Jeremiah Carter her Sister Child her Aunt Child and to her Sister Desborrow all of Chesham in Buckingham-shire Mrs. Lydia Carter's Letter to her Brother Benjamin Carter Loving Brother WHen you consider how Priscilla expounded the Way of God more perfectly unto Apollos I hope you will take in good part the sincere and cordial Wishes of a weaker Vessel Providence hath set our Bodies at a great Distance yet how near and dear you are unto my Soul the Lord knows whose eternal Welfare I as vehemently desire as my own and should be unspeakably glad if as we have lain in one Mothers Belly and Bosom together we might also lie down in the same Divine Embraces of infinite Love Brother I know not whether I shall ever see your Face any more not that I speak in respect of present Sickness but in regard of the uncertain brevity of Life Man giveth up the Ghost and where is he Oh that same Expression And where is he hath often put my Soul into a wondering Frame because the Scripture saith after Death cometh Judgment Brother I humbly and ingeniously confess that I am less then the least of all those who look Heaven-ward yet that I am a bruised Reed or as smoaking Flax I cannot deny But oh Brother I would have you a tall Cedar in Religion a Pillar in the Church of God a valiant Champion for the Truth one that may attain unto the full Stature of a perfect Man in Christ. Brother believe me I blush at these Scriblings of mine yet how fain would I write unto you seeing I cannot speak with you that I might put you in mind of Eternity of Eternity that little Word of the greatest Concernment But when this thought first entred into my Heart I bewailed oh I bewailed mine own Ignorance Unbelief Inconsideration and want of Zeal and I thought you might justly smile at my forwardness in exhorting you who am so unable myself and might say Who is this that darkneth Counsel with Words without Knowledge Yet because the Widow's Mite was kindly accepted of by Christ Brother do you vouchsafe a benign Aspect upon this weak Attempt otherwise you will discourage a young Writer quite Indeed I want skill to write my Words and Words to express my Mind What shall I say Oh would to God the grave and gracious Counsels of that holy Man now in Heaven might always sound in both our Ears Shall I wish he were alive again that we might be blessed with his Fatherly Admonitions and Instructions concerning that one thing necessary Or may not we be known to be the Spiritual Children of our Father Abraham if we walk in the Steps of his Faith though he knows us not being Dead Alas alas I am sure I may speak it of my self tho one should arise from the Dead it would be nothing available unless God did bring my unsensible and unteachable Heart under the powerful Convincements of his Word which is a more sure Word of Prophecy then a ghostly Relation unto which we are all bound to take good heed Brother search the Scriptures for in them you shall find eternal Life and they testified of Christ I profess unto you I know nothing in all this World worth the knowing but a Crucified Christ and to be fully perswaded upon unquestionable Grounds of a saving Interest in him Undoubtedly the pale Horse is prancing up and down in the World upon which Death Rides and we know not how soon he may have us under his Feet But that we may escape out of the Hands of that Horsemans Page Rev. 6. ver 8. that we may so live in Christ that Death may be an Advantage to us that we may so walk in
the promised Land Methinks I hear God saying to me as to Moses Go up to Mount Nebo and die there so Go thou up to Tower-Hill and die there Isaac said of himself That he was Old and yet did not know the day of his Death But I cannot say thus I am Young and yet I know the Day the Kind and the Place of my Death also It is such a kind of Death as two Famous Preachers of the Gospel John the Baptist and Paul the Apostle were put to before me we have mention of the one in Scripture-Story of the other in Ecclesiastical History And Rev. 20.4 The Saints were Beheaded for the Word of God and for the Testimony of Jesus But herein is the disadvantage which I am in in the thoughts of many who judge that I Suffer not for the Word or Conscience but for meddling with State-matters To this I shall briefly say that it is an old Guise of the Devil to impute the cause of God's Peoples Sufferings to be Contrivements against the State The Rulers of Israel would put Jeremiah to death upon a civil Account tho' it was the Truth of his Prophecy made them angry because he fell away to the Chaldeans So Paul must die as a Mover of Sedition The same thing is laid to my Charge whereas indeed it is because I pursue my Covenant and will not prostitute my Principles to the Lusts of Men. Beloved I am this Day to make a double Exchange I am exchanging a Pulpit for a Scaffold and a Scaffold for a Throne and I might add a third I am changing this numerous Multitude upon Tower-hill for the innumerable Company of Angels in the Holy Hill of Sion and I am changing a Guard of Soldiers for a Guard of Angels which will receive and carry me into Abraham's Bosom This Scaffold is the best Pulpit I ever preached in God through his Grace made me an Instrument to bring others to Heaven but in this he will bring me to Heaven and it may be this Speech upon a Scaffold may bring God more Glory than many Sermons in a Pulpit Before I lay down my Neck upon the Block I shall lay open my Case and that without Animosity or Revenge God is my Record whom I serve in the Spirit I speak the Truth I Lye not I do not bring a Revengeful Heart unto the Scaffold this Day Before I came here I did upon my bended Knees beg Mercy for them that denied Mercy to me I have forgiven from my Heart the worst Enemy I have in the World and this is the worst I wish to my Accusers and Prosecutors who have pursued my Blood that I might meet their Souls in Heaven I have no more to say but to desire the Help of all your Prayers that God would give me the Continuance and Supply of Divine Grace to carry me through this great Work I am now to do that I who am to do a Work I never did may I have a Strength that I never had that I may put off this Body with as much Quietness and Comfort of Mind as ever I put off my Cloaths to go to Bed And now I am to commend my Soul to God and to receive my fatal Blow I am comforted in this Tho' Men kill me they cannot damn me and tho' they thrust me out of the World yet they cannot shut me out of Heaven I am now going to my Long Home to my Father's House to the Heavenly Jerusalem to the innumerable Company of Angels to Jesus Christ the Mediator of the New Covenant to the Spirits of Just Men made perfect to God the Judge of all in whose Presence there is Fulness of Joy and at whose Right Hand there are Pleasures for evermore Then he kneeled down and made a short Prayer privately Then after rising up he said Blessed be God I am full of Joy and Peace in believing I lie down with a world of Comfort And then saying The Lord bless you he lay down with his Head over the Block and when he stretched out his Hands the Executioner did his Office 118. The Last Speech of Sir Walter Rawleigh MY Honourable Lords and the rest of my good Friends that are come to see me die know That I much rejoyce that it hath pleased God to bring me from Darkness to Light and in freeing me from the Tower wherein I might have died in Disgrace by letting me live to come to this Place where tho' I lose my Life yet shall I clear some false Accusations unjustly laid to my Charge and leave behind me a Testimony of a true Heart both to my King and Country Two things there are which have exceedingly possess'd and provoked His Majesty's Indignation against me viz. A Confederacy or Combination with France and disloyal and disobedient Words of my Prince For the first His Majesty had some Cause though grounded upon a weak Foundation to suspect mine Inclination to the French Faction for not long before my Departure from England the French Agent took occasion passing by my House to visit me We had some Conference during the time of his abode only concerning my Voyage and nothing else I take God to witness Another Suspicion is had of me because I did labour to make an Escape from Plimouth to France I cannot deny but that willingly when I heard a Rumour that there was no hope of my Life upon my Return to London I would have escaped for the Safeguard of my Life and not for any ill Intent or Conspiracy against the State The like Reason of Suspicion arose in that I perswaded Sir Lewis Steukly my Guardian to flee with me from London to France but my Answer to this is as to the other that only for my Safegard and nough else was my Intent as I shall answer before the Almighty It is alledged That I feigned my self Sick and by Art made my Body full of Blisters when I was at Salisbury True it is I did so the Reason was because I hoped thereby to deferr my cooming before the King and Council and so by delaying might have gained time to have got my Pardon I have an Example out of Scripture for my Warrant that in case of Necessity and for the Safeguard of his Life David feigned himself Foolish and Mad yet it was not imputed to him for Sin Concerning the second Imputation laid to my Charge That I should speak Scandalous and Reproachful Words of my Prince there is no Witness against me but only one and he a Chymical Frenchman whom I entertained rather for his Jests than Judgment This Man to incroach himself into the Favour of the Lords and gaping after some great Reward hath falsly accused me of Seditious Speeches against His Majesty against whom if I did either speak or think a Thought hurtful or prejudicial Lord blot me out of the Book of Life It is not a time to Flatter or Fear Princes for I am a Subject to none but Death
Therefore have charitable Conceit of me That I know to swear is an Offence to swear falsly at any time is a great Sin but to swear falsly before the Presence of Almighty God before whom I am forthwith to appear were an Offence unpardonable Therefore think me not now rashly or untruly to confirm or protest any thing As for other Objections as That I was brought perforce into England That I carried Sixteen Thousand Pounds in Money out of England with me more than I made known That I should receive Letters from the French King and such like with many Protestations he utterly denied England's Worthies by Will. Winstanley p. 303. 119. The Death of Henry Bullinger Mr. Bullinger falling Sick and his Disease encreasing many Godly Ministers came to visit him but some Months after he recovered and preached as formerly but soon Relapsed when finding his vital Spirits wasted and Nature much decayed in him he concluded his Death was at hand and thereupon said as followeth If the Lord will make any farther use of me and my Ministry in his Church I will willingly obey him but if he pleases as I much desire to take me out of this miserable Life I shall exceedingly rejoyce that he will be so pleased to take me out of this miserable and corrupt Age to go to my Saviour Christ Socrates said he was glad when his Death approached because he thought he shou'd go to Hesiod Homer and other Learned Men deceased and whom he expected to meet in the other World then how much more do I joy who am sure that I shall see my Saviour Christ the Saints Patriarchs Prophets Apostles and all Holy Men which have lived from the beginning of the World These I say I am sure to see and to partake with them in Joy Why then should I not be willing to die to enjoy their perpetual Society in Glory And then with Tears told them That he was not unwilling to leave them for his own sake but for the sake of the Church Then having written his Farewel to the Senate and therein admonished them to take care of the Churches and Schools and by their permission chose one Ralph Gualter his Successor he patiently resigned up his Spirit into the Hands of his Redeemer dying Anno Christi 1575. and or his Age 71. 120. Mr. Haines Minister of Westminister was acquainted with a Gentleman of a very Holy Life and Conversation Which said Gentleman as he lay in his Bed one Morning a Boy of about twelve Years of Age appeared to him in a radiant Light and bid him prepare to Die in twelve Days He being surprized at it sent for Mr. Haines and told him of it who perswaded him from believing of it telling him 't was only a Fancy But within six Days he was siez'd with a violent Fever and four or five Hours before his Death the same Boy came and sate upon his Pillow and as the Gentleman grew paler he changed colour too and just as the Breath went out of the Body he disappeared This is attested by the Gentleman's Family for they all saw it and Mr. Haines related it to a Person of good Reputation from whom I received it 121. The Last Will of Mr. Henry Stubbs Deceased July â— 1678. Published at the Desire of his Widow Mrs. D. S. KNowing that I must shortly put off this my Earthly Tabernacle I make my Last Will and Testament Imprimis I commend my Soul into the Hands of God wholly trusting in Jesus Christ my dear Lord and Saviour through his All-sufficient Satisfaction and powerful Mediation to be accepted Eph. 1.6 Item I commit my Body to the Earth from whence 't was taken in sure and certain Hope of a Resurrection to Life Eternal building upon that sure Word John 6.40 Item I leave my Fatherless Children to the Lord who hath promised to be a Father to the Fatherless Ps 68.5 And to preserve them alive Jer. 49.11 Commanding them to keep the way of the Lord Gen. 18.19 Item I â—xhort my Widow to trust in the Lord of whose care she hath had no little Experience and therefore should trust in him Psal 9.10 And I desire her to read often Jer. 49.11 Psal 68.5 Heb. 13.5 Item The Congregations to which I have been formerly a Preacher and that with which I now am by a special Hand of Providence I commend to God and the Word of his Grace which is able to build them up and to give them an Inheritance amongst all them which are sanctified Acts 20.32 beseeching them by the Lord Jesus That as they ahve received of me how they ought to walk and please God so they would abound more and more 1 Thes 4.1 Item And for my Kindred according to the Flesh my Hearts Desire and Prayer to God for them is That they may be saved Rom. 10.1 Item And for all those yet living and who have seriously and earnestly desired my Prayers my earnest Request to God for them is That it would please him to do for them all as the Marter shall require 1 Kings 8.59 Item And for my Brethren in the Ministry my Prayer is That they may take heed to themselves and to all the Flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made them Overseers to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own Blood Acts 20.28 Item And for the People my Prayer is That they may obey them that have the Rule over them Heb. 13.17 Item And for Professors of Religion my Prayer is That they may walk worthy of God unto all well-pleasing being fruitful in every Good Work Col. 1.10 11. Item And for the King my Prayer is That Mercy and Truth may preserve him Prov. 26.28 And for Him and all that are in Authority my Prayer is That they may so lead their own Lives that the People under them may lead quiet and peaceable Lives in all Godliness and Honesty 1 Tim. 2.2 Item And for the whole Land of my Nativity my humble Prayer to the Lord of all Grace and Mercy is That the Power and Purity of the Gospel together with a Learned and Faithful Ministry to dispence the same may be continued and preserved therein The Last Words of those Eminent Persons who fell in the Defence of the Protestant Religion and the English Liberties both in London and the West of England from the Year 1678. to this time IN the two last Reigns many of the Flower of our Nobility and Gentry either lost their Lives or Estates or Liberties or Country whilst a Crew of Parasites triumphed and fluttered in their Ruins To see a Russel die meanly and ignobly in the Flower of his Age an Essex or a Godfry sacrificed to the insatiable Ambition and Revenge of their Enemies who yet not content with their Lives would like the Italian stab on after Death and tho' they could not reach their Souls endeavour to damn their Memories These and too many other such melancholy Instances would be