"elevated his foul, and was his heaven upon earth." But before his return thence to Bemerton, he would ufually fing and play his part at an appointed private mufic-meeting; and, to juftify this practice, he would often fay, "Religion does not banish mirth, but only moderates and fets "rules to it."

And as his defire to enjoy his heaven upon earth drew him twice every week to Salisbury, fo his walks thither were the occafion of many happy accidents to others, of which I will mention fome few.

66

In one of his walks to Salisbury, he overtook a gentleman that is ftill living in that city, and in their walk together Mr. Herbert took a fair occafion to talk with him, and humbly begged to be excufed if he asked him fome account of his faith; and said, "I do this, the rather because though you are not of my parish, yet I receive tithe from you by the hand of your tenant; and, Sir, I am the bolder to do it, because I know there be fome "fermon-hearers that be like those fishes that always live in falt water, and 66 yet are always fresh." After which expreffion Mr. Herbert asked him fome needful questions, and having received his anfwer, gave him fuch rules for the trial of his fincerity, and for a practical piety, and in fo loving. and meek a manner, that the gentleman did fo fall in love with him and his discourse, that he would often contrive to meet him in his walk to Salisbury, or to attend him back to Bemerton, and ftill mentions the name of Mr. George Herbert with veneration, and still praiseth God for the occafion. of knowing him.

In another of his Salisbury walks, he met with a neighbour minister, and after fome friendly difcourfe betwixt them, and fome condolement for the decay of piety, and too general contempt of the clergy, Mr. Herbert took occafion to fay, "One cure for these diftempers, would be for the clergy "themselves.

fures of devotion: Nor are we to conclude, that thofe are always truly devout, who are delighted with this fublime fpecies of mufical compofition. It is related of a good and pious prelate, who had determined, with Nazianzen, " to give wings to his foul, to rescue it wholly "from the world, and dedicate it to God," that he did not love the pomp of a choir, which, he thought, filled the ear with too much pleasure, and carried away the mind from the serious attention to the matter; which is indeed the finging with grace in the heart, and the inward melody, with which God is chiefly pleased.

"themselves to keep the Ember-weeks ftrictly, and beg of their parishioners "to join with them in fafting and prayers for a more religious clergy." "And another cure would be for themselves to reftore the great and neglected duty of catechifing, on which the falvation of fo many of the poor and ignorant lay-people does depend; but principally, that the clergy "themselves would be fure to live unblamably; and that the dignified clergy "especially, which preach temperance, would avoid furfeiting, and take all "occafions to express a visible humility and charity in their lives: For this "would force a love and an imitation, and an unfeigned reverence from all "that knew them to be fuch." (And for proof of this, we need no other teftimony than the life and death of Dr. Lake', late Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells.) "This," faid Mr. Herbert, "would be a cure for the wicked"nefs and growing atheism of our age. And, my dear brother, till this be "done by us, and done in earneft, let no man expect a reformation of the "manners of the laity; for it is not learning, but this, this only, that must "do it; and till then the fault muft lie at our doors."

In

* In that enumeration of the feveral virtues, which the elegant philofopher of Rome has introduced in his much-admired "Treatife on the Duties of Life," no mention is made of bumility. It is indeed of too heavenly a nature to have a place in a fyftem of Pagan fuperftition. But our divine Lawgiver has professedly made it the foundation of his religion, "Learn of me, for I "am meek and lowly in heart." In the fchools of this world, elaborate lectures are delivered on natural philofophy, on law, on medicine; but, in the school of Chrift, the great leffon which is inculcated is the leffon of humility. Where this quality is wanting, where pride poffeffes the heart, a man may be deemed learned, ingenious, eloquent; but he has no title to the denomination of a Chriftian.

'Dr. Arthur Lake, Bifhop of Bath and Wells, died in 1626. He obtained his preferment, "not fo much," fays Fuller, "by the power of his brother, Sir Thomas Lake, Secretary to King James, as by his own defert, as one whose piety may be justly exemplary to all of his order. In all the places of honour and employment which he enjoyed, he carried himself the fame in mind and perfon, fhewing by his constancy, that his virtues were virtues indeed; in all kinds of which, whether natural,moral, theological, perfonal, or paternal, he was eminent, and indeed one of the examples of his time. He always lived as a fingle man, exemplary in his life and converfation, and very hofpitable. He was alfo well read in the fathers and schoolmen, and had a command of the Scripture, which made him one of the beft preachers, that few went beyond him in his time." (Wood's Ath. Ox. Vol. I. p. 501.)

3.75 In another walk to Salisbury, he faw a poor man with a poorer horfe, that was fallen under his load; they were both in distress, and needed prefent help, which Mr. Herbert perceiving, put off his canonical coat, and helped the poor man to unload, and after, to load his horfe: The poor man bleffed him for it, and he bleffed the poor man; and was so like the good Samaritan, that he gave him money to refresh both himself and his horse; and told him, "that if he loved himself, he should be merciful to "his beaft." Thus he left the poor man, and at his coming to his mufical friends at Salisbury, they began to wonder that Mr. George Herbert, who ufed to be fo trim and clean, came into that company fo foiled and difcompofed; but he told them the occafion: And when one of the company told him "he had disparaged himself by fo dirty an employment;" his answer was, "that the thought of what he had done, would prove mufic to him at "midnight; and that the omiffion of it would have upbraided and made "difcord in his confcience, whenfoever he should pass by that place: For if “I be bound to pray for all that be in distress, I am fure that I am bound, "fo far as it is in my power, to practise what I pray for. And though I do not wish for the like occafion every day, yet let me tell you, I would not willingly pass one day of my life, without comforting a fad foul, or shewing mercy; and I praife God for this occafion. And now let us tune our "inftruments."

Thus as our bleffed Saviour, after his refurrection, did take occafion to interpret the Scripture to Cleopas and that other difciple which he met with, and accompanied, in their journey to Emmaus; fo Mr. Herbert, [in his path toward heaven, did daily take any fair occafion to instruct the ignorant, or comfort any that were in affliction; and did always confirm his precepts, by fhewing humility and mercy, and miniftering grace to the

hearers.

And he was most happy in his wife's unforced compliance with his acts of charity, whom he made his almoner, and paid constantly into her hand a tenth penny of what money he received for tithe, and gave her power to dispose that to the poor of his parish, and with it a power to dispose a tenth part of the corn that came yearly into his barn: which truft fhe did moft faithfully perform, and would often offer to him an account of her steward

ship, and as often beg an enlargement of his bounty; for fhe rejoiced in the employment: And this was ufually laid out by her in blankets and shoes for fome fuch poor people, as she knew to ftand in moft need of them. This as to her charity. And for his own, he fet no limits to it; nor did ever turn his face from any that he faw in want, but would relieve them, efpecially his poor neighbours; to the meanest of whofe houses he would go and inform himself of their wants, and relieve them cheerfully if they were in diftrefs; and would always praise God, as much for being willing, as for being able to do it. And when he was advised by a friend to be more frugal, because he might have children, his anfwer was, "he would not fee the "danger of want fo far off; but being the Scripture does fo commend charity, as to tell us, that charity is the top of Christian virtues, the co❝vering of fins, the fulfilling of the law, the life of faith; and that charity "hath a promise of the bleffings of this life, and of a reward in that life "which is to come; being these and more excellent things are in Scripture

spoken of thee, O Charity! and that being all my tithes and church-dues "are a deodate from thee, O my God, make me, O my God, so far to trust "thy promise, as to return them back to thee! and by thy grace I will do "fo, in diftributing them to any of thy poor members that are in distress, "or do but bear the image of Jefus my Mafter. Sir," faid he to his friend,

my wife hath a competent maintenance secured her after my death, and "therefore as this is my prayer, fo this my refolution fhall, by God's grace, "be unalterable."

This may be fome account of the excellencies of the active part of his life; and thus he continued, till a confumption fo weakened him, as to confine him to his houfe, or to the chapel, which does almoft join to it; in which he continued to read prayers conftantly twice every day, though he were very weak: in one of which times of his reading his wife obferved him to read in pain, and told him fo, and that it wafted his fpirits, and weakened him; and he confessed it did, but faid, "his life could not be "better spent, than in the service of his Master Jefus, who had done and "fuffered fo much for him: But," faid he, "I will not be wilful; for "though my fpirit be willing, yet I find my flesh is weak; and therefore "Mr. Bostock shall be appointed to read prayers for me to-morrow, and I

" will

"will now be only a hearer of them, till this mortal fhall put on immor"tality." And Mr. Bostock did the next day undertake and continue this happy employment, till Mr. Herbert's death. This Mr. Boftock was a learned and virtuous man, an old friend of Mr. Herbert's, and then his curate to the church of Fulton, which is a mile from Bemerton, to which church Bemerton is but a chapel of eafe. And this Mr. Bostock did alfo conftantly fupply the church-fervice for Mr. Herbert in that chapel, when the mufic meeting at Salisbury caufed his abfence from it.

About one month before his death, his friend Mr. Ferrar (for an account of whom I am by promise indebted to the reader, and intend to make him fudden payment) hearing of Mr. Herbert's fickness, sent Mr. Edmund Duncon" (who is now Rector of Fryer Barnet, in the county of Middlesex) from his houfe of Gidden Hall, which is near to Huntingdon, to see Mr. Herbert, and to affure him, he wanted not his daily prayers for his recovery; and Mr. Duncon was to return back to Gidden, with an account of Mr. Herbert's condition. Mr. Duncon found him weak, and at 3 G

that

"The friendship of good men may be maintained in vigour and height, without the cere"monies of vifits and compliments, yea, without any trade of fecular courtefies, merely in or"der to fpiritual edification of one another in love. Mr. Ferrar and Mr. George Herbert "loved each other most intimately, and drove a large stock of Chriftian charity long before "their deaths, and yet they faw not each other in many years; I think, fcarce ever, but as "members of one univerfity, in their whole lives." (Barnabas Oley's Life of Mr. George Herbert.)-Mr. George Heibert was very defirous of refigning his prebend in the church of Lincoln to this his dear friend, who declined the acceptance of it, and diverted or directed the charity of Mr. Herbert to the re-edifying of the ruined church of Leighton, where the corps of the prebend lay.

Of Mr. Nicholas Ferrar, a reclufe almoft to monachifm, yet a rational and devout Chriftian, Bishop Turner fays very properly, that fome things in his life were rather to be admired than imitated yet furely he and his fociety are not deferving of that cenfure with which they have : been treated by the author of "British Topography."

h He was brother to Dr. Eleazer Duncon, Prebendary of Durham, and to Mr. John Duncon, "two very worthy and learned perfons, and great fufferers, who died before the miracle ❝of our happy reftauration, and were happy in that they lived not to see such oftentation of "fin and ingratitude, as fome fince have made, as if they had been delivered from flaverie un"der the tyrant, that they might with more libertie yield themselves fervants to fin under the "tyrannie of Satan." (Barnabas Oley's Preface, Sc.)