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that time lying on his bed, or on a pallet; but at his feeing Mr. Duncon, he raised himself vigoroufly, faluted him, and with fome earneftnefs inquired the health of his brother Ferrar; of which Mr. Duncon satisfied him; and after fome difcourfe of Mr. Ferrar's holy life, and the manner of his conftant ferving God, he faid to Mr. Duncon, " Sir, I fee by your habit "that you are a prieft, and I defire you to pray with me;" which being granted, Mr. Duncon afked him "What prayers?" to which Mr. Herbert's anfwer 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 of you to "pray only the Litany, for I am weak and faint ;" and Mr. Duncon did fo. After which, and fome other difcourfe of Mr. Ferrar, Mrs. Herbert provided Mr. Duncon a plain fupper and a clean lodging, and he betook himself to reft.-This Mr. Duncon tells me; and tells me, that at his firft view of Mr. Herbert he faw majefty and humility fo reconciled in his looks and behaviour, as begot in him an awful reverence for his perfon; and fays, "his "difcourfe was fo pious, and his motion fo genteel and meck, that after al"moft forty years yet they remain ftill fresh in his memory.'

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The next morning, Mr. Duncon left him, and betook himself to a journey to Bath, but with a promise to return back to him within five days, and he did fo; but before I fhall fay any thing of what discourse then fell betwixt them two, I will pay my promised account of Mr. Ferrar.

Mr. Nicholas Ferrar (who got the reputation of being called "St. Nicholas" at the age of fix years) was born in London, and doubtless had good education in his youth; but certainly was at an early age made Fellow of Clare Hall in Cambridge; where he continued to be eminent for his piety, temperance, and learning. About the 26th year of his age he betook himself to travel; in which he added to his Latin and Greek, a perfect knowledge of all the languages spoken in the western parts of our Chriftian world, and understood well the principles of their religion, and of

their

Rather in the 21ft year of his age. Mr. Ferrar was born Nov 22, 1592, and went abroad in the retinue of the Princefs Elizabeth in 1613. He was ufually called "the Proteftant Saint Nicholas, and the pious Mr. Herbert's brother." By the advice of Dr Butler, an eminent physician at Cambridge, his fellow collegian, he travelled for his health; his conftitution, naturally delicate, having been much impaired by his inceffant application to ftudy.

their manner, and the reafons of their worship. In this his travel he met. with many perfuafions to come into a communion with that church which calls itself Catholic; but he returned from his travels as he went, eminent for his obedience to his mother the Church of England. In his abfence from England, Mr. Ferrar's father (who was a merchant) allowed him a liberal maintenance; and, not long after his return into England, Mr. Ferrar had, by the death of his father, or an elder brother, or both, an eftate left him, that enabled him to purchase land to the value of four or five hundred pounds a-year, the greatest part of which land was at Little Gidden, four or fix miles from Huntingdon, and about eighteen from Cambridge; which place he chofe for the privacy of it, and for the hall, which had the parifh-church or chapel belonging and adjoining near to it; for Mr. Ferrar having feen the manners and vanities of the world, and found them to be, as Mr. Herbert fays, "a nothing between two difhes," did fo contemn it, that he refolved to spend the remainder of his life in mortifications, and in devotion, and charity, and to be always prepared for death: And his life was spent thus:

He and his family, which were like a little college, and about thirty in number, did moft of them keep Lent and all Ember-weeks ftrictly, both in fafting and using all those mortifications and prayers that the Church hath appointed to be then ufed: and he and they did the like conftantly on Fridays, and on the vigils or eves appointed to be fafted before the Saints'-days; and this frugality and abftinence turned to the relief of the poor: but this was but a part of his charity, none but God and he knew the rest..

This family, which I have faid to be in number about thirty, were a part of them his kindred, and the reft chofen to be of a temper fit to be moulded into a devout life; and all of them were for their difpofitions ferviceable and quiet, and humble and free from fcandal. Having thus fitted himfelf for his family, he did, about the year 1630, betake himself to a conftant and methodical fervice of God, and it was in this manner :-He, being accompanied with moft of his family, did himself ufe to read the common-prayers (for he was a deacon) every day, at the appointed hours of ten and four, in the parish-church, which was very near his house, and which he had both repaired and adorned; for it was fallen into a great ruin, by reafon of a de

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population of the village, before Mr. Ferrar bought the manor: And he did also constantly read the matins every morning at the hour of fix, either in the church, or in an oratory, which was within his own houfe; and many of the family did there continue with him after the prayers were ended, and there they spent fome hours in finging hymns or anthems, fometimes in the church, and often to an organ in the oratory. And there they fometimes betook themselves to meditate, or to pray privately, or to read a part of the New Testament to themselves, or to continue their praying or reading the Pfalms; and, in cafe the Pfalms were not always read in the day, then Mr. Ferrar, and others of the congregation, did at night, at the ring of a watchbell, repair to the church or oratory, and there betake themselves to prayers and lauding God, and reading the Pfalms that had not been read in the day; and when these, or any part of the congregation, grew weary or faint, the watch-bell was rung, fometimes before and fometimes after midnight, and then another part of the family rofe, and maintained the watch, fometimes by praying or finging lauds to God or reading the Pfalms: and when after fome hours they alfo grew weary or faint, then they rung the watch-bell, and were also relieved by fome of the former, or by a new part of the fociety, which continued their devotions (as hath been mentioned) until morning. And it is to be noted, that in this continued ferving of God, the Pfalter or whole Book of Pfalms, was in every four and twenty hours fung or read over, from the first to the last verse; and this was done as conftantly as the fun runs his circle every day about the world, and then begins again the fame instant that it ended.

Thus did Mr. Ferrar and his happy family serve God day and night :Thus did they always behave themselves, as in his prefence. And they did always eat and drink by the stricteft rules of temperance; eat and drink so as to be ready to rife at midnight, or at the call of a watch-bell, and perform their devotions to God.-And it is fit to tell the reader, that many of the clergy that were more inclined to practical piety and devotion, than to doubtful and needlefs difputations, did often come to Gidden Hall, and make themselves a part of that happy fociety, and stay a week or more, and then join with Mr. Ferrar, and the family in these devotions, and affist and ease him or them in their watch by night. And these various devotions had

never

never lefs than two of the domeftic family in the night; and the watch was always kept in the church or oratory, unless in extreme cold winter nights, and then it was maintained in a parlour which had a fire in it, and the parlour was fitted for that purpofe. And this course of piety, and great liberality to his poor neighbours, Mr. Ferrar maintained till his death, which was in the year 1639'.

Mr.

* In this parlour was a tablet of brafs, placed by the advice of Mr. Herbert, with this inscription approved by him':

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(WHO BIDS ADIEU TO ALL FEARS AND HOPES OF THIS WORLD,

AND ONLY DESIRES TO SERVE GOD)

SET UP THIS TABLE.

'Mr. Ferrar died Dec. 2, 1637. (Dr. Peckard's Memoirs, &c.)That happy fociety, of which he was the founder, is thus noticed in a well-known ludicrous poem:

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Mr. Ferrar's and Mr. Herbert's devout lives were both fo noted, that the general report of their fanctity gave them occafion to renew that flight acquaintance which was begun at their being contemporaries in Cambridge; and this new holy friendship was long maintained without any interview, but only by loving and endearing letters. And one teftimony of their friendship and pious defigns may appear by Mr. Ferrar's commending "The Confiderations of John Valdeffo" (a book which he had met with

in

"To th' new-founded College came I
"Commended to the care of many;
"Bounteous are they, kind and loving,
"Doing whatfoe'er's behoving.

“ These hold and walk together wholly,
"And ftate their lands on ufes holy.
"Whether pure thefe are or are not,
"As I know not, so I care not:
"But if they be diffembling brothers,
"Their life furpaffeth many others :
"See but their cell, school, and their temple,
"You'll fay, the ftars were their example."

Of this congregation of faints, fee" Hacket's Life of Archbishop Williams," p. 50-53. During the civil commotions, their religion and loyalty expofed them to danger. The whole family "fled away and dispersed, and took joyfully the spoiling of their goods." Heb. x. 34. All that they had restored to the church, all that they had beftowed upon facred comeliness, all that they had gathered for their own livelihood and for alms, were feized upon as lawful prey, taken from fuperftitious perfons.

m The version of this celebrated work of John Valdeffo is printed in octavo, and contains 311 pages. It is entitled, "The Hundred and Ten Confiderations of Signior JOHN VALDESSO, treating of thofe Things which are moft profitable, most neceffary, and moft perfect in our Chriftian Profession. Written in Spanish, brought out of Italy by Vergerius, and first set forth in Italian at Bafil, by Cælius Secundus Curio, Anno 1550: afterward translated into French, and printed at Lyons, 1563, and again at Paris, 1565, and now tranflated out of the Italian Copy into English, with Notes: Whereunto is added an Epiftle of the Author's, or a Preface to his divine Commentary upon the Romans. 1 Cor. ii. Howbeit we speak Wisdom amongst 'them that are perfect, yet not the Wisdom of this World. Oxford: Printed by Leonard Lichfield, Printer to the University. Ann. Dom. 1638."

Of the nature of this work we may form an idea from the Addrefs of the Editor, the learned Dr. Jackfon, to the Reader:

"Thefe

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