management of the estate without the advice of Mr. Ferrar. Some lords of the Virginia company, supposing that he would not now refuse preferment in the church, though he had declined advancement in the state; one offered him a living of £300 a year; another nobleman courted him to accept of one of £400 a year. He returned his most humble acknowledgements to those honourable peers, promising to pray for their prosperity, but as he had already parted with all propriety in his temporal estate by sharing it equally with kindred for their common good; so he would employ his talent or half-talent (for he alone had a mean opinion of his own abilities) to make them partakers of the true spiritual treasures.

34. So giving a long farewell to the great and busy world, they all returned to their Little Gidding, where the first thing old Mrs. Ferrar did was to beautify their church. It was repaired and made already decent, but she would have it adorned. So she contrived to have it wainscotted and the floor neatly boarded (as it still continues); and this was done not only for cleanliness but warmth, since they resolved to spend so much of their time in it. She adorned the communion-table with carpets of blue silk embroidered with gold; the pulpit and the reading-desk were hung with fine cloth of the same colour, richly laced and fringed with vallans' about

1 Valance, Valence, Valency, or Vallance. "A kind of saye, serge or stuff to make curtains for beds with."-Florio p. Richardson, q. v.

each of them. She covered the floor upon which the altar was raised with sky-coloured silk, the benches round the chancel with blue taffety; and all the rest was suitable and very noble. But these were ornaments only for Sundays and holydays; there were carpets of tapestry and green cloth for the week-days. There was a brass font set up, and a large eagle of the same to hold a fair bible'. She thought the house of God the only place on which such costly furniture was not ill bestowed; and in this her son not only approved but animated her devotion.

35. After thus finishing the church, their next care was to set up a school, and, there being an ancient dove-house belonging to the lordship, they presently dispigeoned it, as thinking it not decent in them, who had no harvest of their own, having turned all into pasture, to harbour so many little thieves to devour their neighbours' corn. So the dove-house was enlarged into a handsome school

1 The font and eagle, a bracket for an hour-glass and brazen tables (containing the creed, commandments, and Lord's Prayer) still remain of the other ornaments only a silk carpet for the communion-table, and two small fragments of tapestry are preserved. As late, however, as May 9, 1748 (at the parochial visitation of Dr. Neve, archdeacon), there existed "cushions for the reading-desk and pulpit, with hangings about them;" and besides two pieces of plate (the flagon and offertory-dish) still in use, "a cup 73 oz., cover 3 oz., inscription round the foot For the parish of Little Gidding in Hunts; and a patine 63 oz."-(Register at Gidding.)

He

house, where not only their own children were trained up, but those of other parishes upon the request of their parents had liberty to come; where they might learn virtue as well as grammar music and arithmetic, together with fair writing. For which arts and sciences they had three several masters, and these had their several hours to ply their business. Then he fitted all his nieces and female relations, according to their ages and conditions, with chambers closets gardens and walks of pleasure. He fitted up so convenient lodgings for the scholars and for the schoolmasters, and placed his own lodging so in the midst of the house, that he could hear and see good order observed. provided one room and called it the infirmary, that if any of all his young company should fall sick, they might be removed thither out of harm's way. They had rules and times even for their recreations, and they had places for running and vaulting and shooting at butts with bows and arrows. On Thursday and Saturday part of the afternoons were allowed the children for those pastimes, that the bow might not stand bent continually. The habit of the young women, nine or ten or more of them, was black stuff, all of one grave fashion always the same, with comely veils on their heads. And if ever women merited the title of the devout sex, these gentlewomen won it by their carriage and deserved to wear it; though to come to many particulars would so oppress the modesty of some yet alive, that such instances of their devotion are not yet to

be made public. They were curious at their needles, and they made their scissors to serve the altar or the poor. They were fine surgeons', and they kept by them all manner of salves oils and balsams: a room they had on purpose to lock up these and cordial waters of their own distilling. All which being as freely given by them to the country folks, as themselves freely received all from God and their kind uncle, they were sure not to want customers; which every year cost them a good round sum. None of them were nice of dressing with their own hands poor people's wounds, were they never so

1 "When a lady of the house, diverted either by the attractives of his discourse, or some other occasion, delayed the clients of her charity in alms, or that other most commendable one in surgery, he in his friendly way would chide her out of the room."-Life of Hammond in Wordsw. Eccl. Biog. iv. 368; cf. Peckard's note ibid. 185. Herbert requires as the second quality in his parson's wife, "a curing and healing of all wounds and sores with her own hands; which skill either she brought with her, or he takes care she shall learn it of some religious neighbour."- -c. x. Again, he says of the parson, if there be any of his flock sick, he is their physician, or at least his wife, of whom instead of the qualities of the world, he asks no other, but to have the skill of healing a wound or helping the sick."-c. xxiii., at the end of which he gives a list of simples and salves used by the parson's wife. Aubrey, 400, 585, Clarke (1677), 417, 418. Mrs. Collett used to send ointments and balsams with the recipes for their composition to her friends, recommending them by her own experience (Collett Letters MSS. To lady Bodley, Jan. 2, 1631-2, July 1632, Dec. 10, 1632; to lady Aucher, Dec. 10, 1632, with the grateful reply Jan. 4, 1632–3).

offensive; but as for prescribing physic, their uncle understood it well himself, yet he never practised it, and he forbid them to tamper or meddle with it. And together with helps for the body the virgins were expert and ready to administer good counsels prayers and comforts to their patients for their souls' health. To take off the burthen of household affairs from his aged mother's shoulders, her son ordered his four nieces to be the managers, yet so as it might prove a burthen to none of them, but rather a recreation to them all. He contrived that every sister should be sole governess but one month in four, and then Mary's better part' was not to be taken away from her who acted the part of their Martha. Nor was she often called away, being not to apply her hands to anything servile, but only to carry in her head, to give the servants directions and cause herself to be obeyed by them, to book farthing of their weekly expenses, allowing every small matter its column in their account-book; so they could cast an eye on what they gained or spent in every little necessary at the end of the month or year. This made his nieces, several of whom resolved to marry', not only perfect accountants but good housewives too. The land was all let out in parcels to their tenants, who by agreement were to serve the house with some provisions at constant rates. Their diet was neat and frugal, yet with

1 Luke x. 42.

2 § 66.

every