2

merchant of good reputation in the city, and, as they term it, an alderman's fellow or companion; a merchant-adventurer, trading to the east and west Indies, Spain, Flanders, Germany, &c.; who kept (as they term it) a good free table, and constantly wanted not only company of his own rank, but often had men of eminency to dine with him, yea lords, knights, ladies, &c.; and sir John Hawkins, sir Francis Drake, sir Walter Raleigh, all gallant seamen, with whom he was an adventurer, evermore affecting the planting of Christian religion in the new world, and advancing trade and commerce for a common good, as well as his own lawful trading. Of whose life very much may be said in its due place. A zealous lover of the church he was, and ever as ready to supply king and state with what was required of him. £300 upon a privy seal he willingly lent, and queen Elizabeth writ him esquire. I shall conclude with the last and true character of old Mr. Ferrar, which that grave, learned bishop Francis White, who was exceeding familiar with

1 Entertained seems to be the word required.

2 See above, p. 13, note.

3 "The parish-church and chancel of St. Bennett Sherehog in London Mr. Ferrar repaired and decently seated at his own expense and as there was not any morning preacher there he brought from the country Mr. Francis White.”—Peckard, 10. He was dean and afterwards (Dec. 3, 1626) bishop of Carlisle, next (Feb. 9, 1628-9) of Norwich, and lastly (Dec. 8, 1631) of Ely. He died in Feb. 1637-8. (Richardson's Godwin.) Kennet has left a notice of him (MS. Lansd. 984. art. 131);

old Mr. Ferrar, he being the chief means of bringing him out of the country to London, and there in his parish was a lecturer, to whom he liberally contributed, to keep us that happiness the parish had of him and often in the week he was pleased to afford Mr. Ferrar his good company, who wonderfully joyed in it. He preached his funeral sermon (whereat were many hundreds of persons), whose text was: Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in his season. Job v. 26. And I shall only, amongst many other due commendations that he gave him, out of his own knowledge, as well as out of others' true relations, here in this place declare that he told his auditors, that he never came into old Mr. Ferrar's company, but that saying of our Saviour Christ came into his mind, when He saw Nathanael coming unto Him: Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile'. For, said he, truly Mr. Ferrar was such a man, and all that knew him must

see also Fuller's Worthies in Hunts, Bentham's Ely, (1812), i. 200, ii. 109, Baker's MS. xxx. 170. When rector of St.

St Paul's, he wrote

Peter's, Cornhill, and divinity reader at his answer to Fisher (Heylin, Cypr. Angl. 95, 115, seq.), was king's chaplain (ib. 116, 120), disputed against Preston at York house (ib. 140, 213; cf. Fuller, ed. Brewer, vi. 33), was abused by Burton (Heyl. 311), wrote on the sabbath (ib. 279), a subject on which his opinions were influenced by a conference with Brabourne, (Brabourne's Reply to Mr. Collings's Provocator provocatus [in Emm. Libr. x. 5. 65], 64, 65).

1 John i. 47.

needs acknowledge him so to be. Thus he proceeded forward in declaring many good things of him.

62. N. F.'s posture in his study was either walking or standing at a desk, to write or read at, seldom sitting at study or writing, and some things that he writ were upon a low desk, he all the time kneeling upon his knees.

63. The bishop of Lincoln' being their diocesan, and having for many years known N. F. and his brother in the public affairs of Virginia plantation, N. F. at his first coming to Gidding had gained the bishop's license to have the litany read every day in their church, which was then a time of plague, and he afterwards continued his license to them, while he was their diocesan. Four several times he came to Little Gidding, and at one time he preached there, and confirmed all of the family that had not been confirmed before, and many gentlemen that came that day thither, and some hundreds of other people from neighbour towns about. There he dined and many ministers also were there. The Peterborough singing-men and their music was not wanting in the church. The bishop's text was...... He viewed the house, and understood long before of all their orders and manner of life, and fully approved all things, as

1 Williams.

2 On the bishop's love of music see Hacket, ii. 30, seq. It was in the spring of 1634 (Peckard, 181), that Dr. Towers, dean of Peterborough, sent his choristers to Gidding.

then many of quality, gentry and clergy, heard from his own mouth, and much magnified what N. F. and his mother had done, which he gave all the furtherance he could unto, and said, It was the joy of his heart to live to see such an act done, in honour of God and the Church of England. Many had taken from it, and the coal from the altar had consumed many of their inheritances; yet the rest feared not. But, said he, to restore, as is now done', the glebe-land to the church of their own accord, request, and seeking, which was no less, than to give so much to it! (For in truth it was so, for it was many years ago passed away, by consent of the parties that could do it, and a composition of £20 agreed for ever to be paid the parson, in lieu of glebe and tithes, &c.) But with much ado, said he, they found out that so many acres had been glebe in that parish in former times, but when that old lord of it, about 100 years ago, inclosed all that lordship, this was no more to be found, all laid into pasture, as at this →day it remains. But, said he, they have, by a decree in chancery, allotted and laid out in their lordship as many acres in convenient places. Here's, said he, an example for all the gentry of England. So after much approbation and commendation of all things, he at his departure gave them all again his solemn benediction, and as he was ready to get on

1 See the Appendix.

2 "Under lord Coventry."-Peckard, 181.

horseback, he embraced', before all the many hundreds of people there, Nicholas Ferrar, saying in the conclusion these words: Deus tibi animum istum, et animo isti tempus longissimum concedat. God keep you in that mind, and grant that mind of yours a long continuance here on earth.

64. Another time pleasing to honour the family with his presence, after much discourse it seemed good to him to enter into the pleasantness of telling stories, as upon talking of things past and present, as occasion was given, and he would have N. F. to parallel them with some of the like nature, and so the time passed away to the great delight of the present company, and therein th bishop shewed his dexterity. So home he went. In some few

1 On another occasion "meeting in the archdeaconry of Buckingham with one doctor Brett, a very grave and reverend man,...he [Williams] embraced him in his episcopal arms with these words of St. Augustine, viz. Quamvis episcopus major est presbytero, Augustinus tamen minor est Hieronymo.”—Heylin, Cypr. Angl. 270, 271.

2 "After that [reading], discourse took up the time; which was the bishop's delight and the hearer's profit. . . . . When he had the society of them, that were of good reading, and strong notions, he would propose, and hear, and reply, and canvass a question with that reason, and instances of antiquity, yet with such a gust of hilarity, that he contented all with his judgement, and endeared them to him with his civility. .... And because his breasts were full, and had need to be drawn the choicest and most able of both universities came thick unto him. . . . . Such company was often about the