her, or hearing others call her by her name, he might think upon both at once. This is but by the bye; yet let me say, both grandmother and uncle loved her and liked her much the better for her name; and what further insight they had in giving her that name, let others conjecture'.

But to proceed.

84. N. F. at one time in his sickness overheard his brother J. F. bemoaning his and the families infinite loss to a minister then by, if God should now take N. F. from them; and, in his exuberance of grief, concluded: Mass, what shall become of us poor sheep, if the shepherd be thus now taken from us? N. F. called him to him, saying, Ah, my brother, what mean you to use that expression? Do you know, what you say? and with passion said, Go, I pray, go to church, and fast this day, and beg of God to forgive you your undue speeches and expressions; it much grieveth me to hear them; God forgive you them, I beseech him. And the minister one day, speaking to him about his sickness : Whether, said he, is it for the trial of your patience, or for your sins, or for our punishment. At that word he grew very much offended and displeased, and with great vehemency and loud voice besought him, that he would not let such a word proceed out of his mouth, nay, not think such a thought, for he was a most miserable sinner; and so went on in that kind.

1 She never was married.

85. Sunday being come, he found himself more and more declining, and heartily wishing and humbly praying, as daily he used, that God in His good time would release him out of this world, that so he might rest in the sweet bosom of his Lord and Saviour Jesus, whither he knew he should go, if once freed out of this wretched life. Why stay I here, Lord, any longer, who can now do little but take my ease and sleep? Lord, in Thy good time receive my soul.

86. This Sunday was the first Sunday of the month', the constant usual day for their monthly communion. He acquainted the minister, that after he had celebrated it at the church he would come home and give it to him; for now it was that heavenly food that was his only stay, strength, and joy to receive. As for earthly food, he had now done with it: God would ere long hear his prayers, and the humble requests of his poor soul. To this end and like effect he spake, but in far better expressions. When the minister came to give it him, he desired absolution, having made again a most full and lively confession of his faith. The minister said, Shall I give it you in the words of the book? I, I', said he, nothing better, nothing

1 Dec. 3, 1637, Advent Sunday.

2 The old way of writing and pronouning Aye. See below. In the exercises of the maiden-sisters of Little Gidding the word occurs more than once. "Perhaps it was my disciple.' 'I, so I guess.' "All laws are silenced, I, all authority is

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better. Then he received in most devout manner the sacrament; which done, gave Almighty God most humble and hearty thanks for this inestimable benefit and favour, and used very effectual words to that purpose, and so awhile lay very silent and still.

87. And afterwards being demanded, How he felt himself? he would say he was very well, blessed be God, but hoped to be better ere long. As his friends, brother, sister, nieces, &c. stood about him with sad looks, he would bid them be cheerful, for part we all must. It was the common portion of all men to die. Be of good comfort, be of good courage, we shall all meet again in heaven at last, I doubt it not (and some of you ere long). It will be the best wisdom, and only happiness, to prepare all for it: for who can be too ready for death? And this meditation was greatly in his mind for three months at least before this time or hour (yet it

dissolved." (Hearne, Caii Vind. 752, 792.) Nares's Glossary cites, Two Gent. Ver. i. 1, (Proteus. But what said she? Did she nod? Speed. I. Proteus. Nod, I? why, that's noddy.) Rom. and Jul. iii. 2, (Hath Romeo slain himself? say thou but I, And that bare vowel I shall poison more Than the death-darting eye of cockatrice, &c.)

1 "He said to Mr. Duncon, 'Sir, I see by your habit that you are a priest, and I desire you to pray with me,' which being granted, Mr. Duncon asked him, 'What prayers?' to which Mr. Herbert's answer was, 'O, Sir, the prayers of my mother the Church of England; no other prayers are equal to them; but at this time I beg you to pray only the litany, for I am weak and faint.'"--Walton's Life of Herbert, lxix.

may be truly said, it was daily one part of his meditations); and with his pen he enters into that field of address and contemplation, and writes a tract of that nature, as, when time is fitting, may be made more known to the world. I shall only here give you what I found written thus briefly in a paper in his hand, thus1.

88. "The remembrance of death is very powerful to restrain us from sinning. For he who shall well consider that the day will come (and he knoweth not how soon) when he shall be laid on a sick bed, weak and faint, without ease and almost without strength, encompassed with melancholy thoughts, and overwhelmed with anguish; when on one side, his distemper increasing upon him, the physician tells him that he is past all hope of life, and on the other, his friends urge him to dispose of his worldly goods, and share his wealth among them, that wealth which he procured with trouble, and preserved with anxiety, that wealth which he now parts from with sorrow; when again the priest calls on him to take the preparatory measures for his departure; when he himself now begins to be assured that here he hath no abiding city, that this is no longer a world for him, that no more suns will rise and set upon him, that for him there will be no more seeing, no more hearing, no more speaking, no more touching, no more tasting, no

1 The paper, omitted by Baker, is here given after Peckard, 246 seq.

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more fancying, no more understanding, no more remembering, no more desiring, no more loving, no more delights of any sort to be enjoyed by him; but that death will at one stroke deprive him of all these things, that he will speedily be carried out of the house which he had called his own, and is now become anothers, that he will be put into a cold, narrow grave, that earth will be consigned to earth, ashes to ashes, and dust to dust: let any man duly and daily ponder these things, and how can it be that he should dare".

89. But to proceed. He more particularly directed his speeches to his dearly beloved two nieces, Mary and Anna' (whom, as formerly related, he most entirely loved, who had both stedfastly, by the help of God's assistance, taken long ago resolution of living in virginity', and in such and such

1 Daughters of Mrs. Collett.

2 "Yet nothing is so sound, but in time it will run into corruption. For I must not hold it in, that some persons in Little Gidding had run into excess, and incurred offence, if the bishop had not broken the snare which they were preparing for their own feet. For after he had spoken well of the family in the pulpit, and privately to divers, some of them could not see when they were well, but aspired to be transcendants above their measure. For two daughters of the stock came to the bishop, and offered themselves to be veiled virgins, to take upon them the vow of perpetual chastity, with the solemnity of the episcopal blessing and ratification. Whom he admonished very fatherly, that they knew not what they went about. That they had no promise to confirm that grace unto them; that this readiness, which they