city to preside over children in a country retirement, believing his charitable pains abundantly rewarded by the prayers of such happy innocents. He procured able masters in their several kinds, a master of music, a writing master, and a choice one for grammar learning, reserving to himself a governing inspection over the scholars and over the tutors themselves. Above all, they had their times for conning and repeating the church catechism, the psalter', the epistles and gospels, for which this youth's vast memory served him to good purpose and to his great consolation, when many years after he travelled and fell desperately sick among those who take it for a mark of heresy in a traveller to carry about him an English Bible. None of the scholars performed their tasks of this kind (neither indeed of any kind) so constantly carefully and easily, as he. Sometimes at those repetitions he would deliver observations of his own, that could not have been expected from his years (which yet, that it may not seem incredible, was no more than

"Adeo jam

vulis trahendis ad Christum, Opp. iii. 278 sq. indignum videtur apud multos, siquis ex Theologis aut famatus in litteris vel ecclesiastica dignitate præditus ad hoc se opus inclinaverit presertim circa parvulos, quod mihi (quia in talibus esse putor momenti alicujus) in fabulam et improperium cesserit."-285.

1 Cf. §§ II ad fin. 13, 15, 36, 76. Compare Jerome's advice to the monk Rusticus: "Nunquam de manu et oculis tuis recedat liber, discatur Psalterium ad verbum."-Epist. 125, § 11 (i. 939).

St. Augustine's Adeodatus would often do, whose prodigious wit, the father himself protests, amazed him to think of it'). He did so naturally comprehend and retain everything, that while he conquered the greatest difficulties, he neglected not the least parts of useful education. Short-hand he learnt exactly, and his masters were even proud of him, and gave him this commendation, that he could do what he pleased. Yet he had so little vanity and took so little pleasure in hearing himself commended, that he would often weep and forsake his meals when they would applaud him, and so unawares expose himself3 to the envy of his schoolfellows; so that if his other virtues were gained by exercise, it looked as if his modesty and humility were born and bred with him.

2

3. But while he was very young it pleased Almighty God (Who had designed to fit him for great encounters) to permit the devil, who it seems already dreaded him, to send him a very formidable trial, a violent temptation to atheism, or rather a perplexing habit of doubting, Whether there were a God? and if there was one, how to be worshiped

1 "Annorum erat ferme quindecim, et ingenio præveniebat multos graves et doctos viros... Horrori mihi erat illud ingenium; et quis præter Te talium miraculorum opifex ?"-Conf. ix. 6, § 14.

2 I have supplied, without notice, many letters which have been lost in the margin of the MS. Of this word however no trace remains.

3 Him?

and served? Such thoughts extremely afflicted his body and mind. Hereupon he rises from his bed one night, which was cold and frosty (for sleep he could not) and going down to the grass-plat in the garden, throws himself prostrate with his face on the ground, and with abundance of sighs and tears he prays earnestly with all his strength, and most humbly begs of God that He would put into his heart the true love and fear of His Divine Majesty; that this fear and love of God might never depart from his mind, and that he might know how to serve Him. After long weeping and praying he felt his heart much eased; the consolations which none can know1 but such as have experienced them, flowed into his soul; God made His face to shine upon him, and his scruples to vanish and pass away, as snow in warm weather. Two sweet and strong impressions were made that night within him': one was, that God did graciously promise to be with

1 This clause (which none can know), I have supplied. In the original there is an asterisk here.

2 "Two things especially, in that night's holy exercise were so imprinted in the heart and mind of the child, that they came fresh into his memory every day of his life. (This he told me more than once, two or three years before his death.) The one was the joy and sweetness which he did in that watching night conceive and feel in his heart. The other was the gracious promise which God made to him, to bless and keep him all his whole life, so that he would constantly fear God and keep His commandments."-John Worthington in Hearne's Caii Vind. 685.

him by His Holy Spirit, to assist and bless him all the days of his life; the other was, that the pious tender-hearted child promised and vowed to Almighty God, that he would serve Him faithfully and set himself entirely to keep all His commandments. Then he raised himself from the earth and returned to his chamber, where he spent most part of that night in great and good passions, watching and prayer. He scarcely in his whole life neglected one day to renew the memory of that night's work, after which he always felt more and more confirmation in all goodness.

4. In his thirteenth year Mr. Brooks would needs himself carry his young scholar to settle him in the university, declaring that he was more than ripe for it, and alledging his loss of time if he stayed any longer at school. He placed him in Clare Hall' at Cambridge, famous for a set of the most eminent men of their times in their several faculties; Dr. Butler, for physic, Mr. Lake' afterwards secretary to the lord treasurer Weston, and Mr. Ruggle that excellent comedian, all noted for their polite learning; Dutch Thomson (as they

4

1 See in the Appendix a list of Ferrar's contemporaries at Clare Hall.

2 Some papers relating to Dr. Butler are in Baker's MSS. ii. 541, xix. 39, xxii. 39-44.

3 A. M. 1606. Reg. Acad.

4 Richard Thomson, A.B. 1587, A.M. 1591, “a Dutch man born of English parents and educated in Clare Hall," Wood's

call him still at Cambridge), Mr. Parkinson', and Dr. Austin Linsell' (afterwards lord bishop of Peterborough, and at last of Hereford), for their profound knowledge in divinity. The last of these, who was a general scholar, was pleased to receive a youth of so great hopes into his own tuition, every day reading to him admirably well: yet he ever acknowledged that he himself learnt more by teaching him, than he could teach him. He was entered but pensioner at first, that he might be more strictly obliged to study and exercise. But soon after the fellows would needs have him fellowcommoner, that he might be their companion, as they expressed themselves. His tutor would invite his learned friends to be present at hard trials of his memory and other his extraordinary faculties. And

Fasti, i. 273, where is some account of him and his works. On his De Intercisione gratiæ, &c. see Heylin, Cypr. Angl. 122, and Clarke's Lives (1677), 55 fin. Wood has given incorrectly the title; it is Richardi Thomsonis Angli Diatriba de amissione et intercisione gratiæ et justificationis. 8vo. Lug. Bat. 1618. He does not notice the edition Lug. Bat. 1616 in a larger oct.

1 Thomas Parkinson, A.B. 1607-8, A.M. 1611, acted the part of Ignoramus before king James in 1614-5, was taxor in 1617, is recorded as fellow of Clare and M.A. in 1619, was proctor in 1621, and died before his year was out. Baker has preserved the entry of his burial from the register of St. Edwards. "Mr. Tho. Parkinson, M.A., fellow of Clare and proctor, buried Feb. 12, 1621."-Baker in Hawkins's Ignoramus, xcvii. n. Le Neve's Fasti.

2 A.B. 1595, A.M. 1599, D.D. 1621. Reg. Acad.