was feared if I remained longer I should not have strength to return, That winter I suffered more than I had ever done before from inflammation on the lungs, and I raised blood when I coughed. For three or four months from this period (the latter end of 1821) I had constantly a blister open, either at my chest or side; if it were closed but for a day, I was almost suffocated from difficulty of breathing; and I could not lie down night or day. I had also frequent spasms: the effect produced by them was loud, rapid, and convulsive breathing, and when the paroxysms were over I was left cold and powerless. In March 1822 Mr. Keele said, We have tried every thing I can think of, to cure these spasms, without effect. You complain of constant pain between the shoulders; I should like to examine your back, as there are nerves leading from the spine to the chest which may produce this hurried breathing. On examination he found the spine curved, and also, between the shoulders, three joints projecting beyond the rest. I had then to remove my pillows, one by one, till I got quite flat, without even a pillow for my head; and my back was rubbed with antimonial ointment, to bring out an eruption; when the pain was more severe than usual, I had a blister between the shoulders. I lay quite flat for months, and then was gradually raised.

"In the summer of 1823 I was allowed to sit up part of the day, and to take a little walk; indeed, I had not strength to walk many yards. The right leg used to shake a little when I placed it to the ground, but as I gained strength the shaking went off. I was to lie down four hours and keep up two; or to lie down two and keep up one; but always to lie down double the time I sat up, and never to keep up for more than two hours at a time; and I must so arrange it that my walks and my meals were to be taken while I was up, so that nothing was to disturb me during the hours appointed for rest. But, notwithstanding this cautious way of proceeding, I was frequently obliged to have leeches to the back, in consequence of the pain I suffered from sitting up; nor did I ever recover full strength in the spine; and every winter, when, from difficulty of breathing, I was obliged to have my pillows raised, the pain between the shoulders was much increased. In the autumn of 1823 I went to the sea-side. I remained at an inn while my mother went to seek for a lodging, and the person afterwards said, Had she seen me before the lodging was taken she would not have let it to us, as she thought I should die there. It pleased God, however, to strengthen me very much while there, and also after my return; and in a short time I was able, with the help of an arm, to walk from Gloucester Terrace to Mr. Keele's in Sloane Street (just out of Sloane Square). This, however, was the extent of my walk, and I had to rest several hours before I could return. Once I went in the morning to Mr. Keele's, and in the afternoon walked on to visit a friend a little further, and returned home in the evening; but I did not recover from the fatigue for a fortnight after.

"I went on much in the same way, sometimes better, sometimes worse, suffering much both from heat and cold, till April 1827, when I was convinced, from my feelings, that a severe illness was coming on: I kept up, however, till May, when my spasms returned and I

was very ill. In the summer I went to Worthing, but derived little benefit from it, and was laid up again soon after my return. I partially recovered, but continued very weak, and was constantly in much pain. Still I kept about till the following February, 1828. On the 3d I went to Park Chapel, but was in great pain while there; I received the Sacrament, but was obliged to leave the chapel before the service was quite over. On the following Friday, the weather being very inviting, I took a short walk; but there was a cold east wind: at night my throat was very sore, the next morning it was worse, and in the afternoon I was obliged to go to bed. From this time I have never walked unsupported, even about the house, nor was able to speak but in a whisper, till the 5th of this month.

"In the summer I went with my mother and brother to the coast of France, but derived no benefit from it; and after my return my strength so rapidly decreased that I was soon too weak to leave my bed at all, and my spasms returned with great severity-I had four or five in a day, for three or four weeks-at length they were in a great measure subdued, but I was left excessively weak. Dr. Blundell was then called in: he said that my liver and bowels were almost torpid, and my blood moved very sluggishly through my veins. He called it a case of semi-animation, and observed to Mr. Keele, she is cold, cold to the very heart.' He prescribed a great deal of powerful medicine, which caused me severe pain, made my mouth very sore, and loosened all my teeth. He also bade me take meat twice a day; and, if I liked, six glasses of wine a day (I never took so much). After a time I gained sufficient strength to sit up a little every day, and Dr. B. then wished I should try to walk. In making this attempt, with my brother's support, I was seized with a violent shaking of the right leg, which made me feel very faint. I was carried back to my bed, and when I stretched out my legs I found that the right leg was shorter. Thus it continued, and whenever I attempted to walk the limb shook so as to produce spasm. In June 1828 I wrote to my friend Mrs. Williams, and mentioned that my breathing was painfully short, from having attempted, with my brother's support, to walk from the sofa to the parlour door, when the shaking of the right leg so convulsed the whole frame as to bring on a severe and obstinate spasm, from the effects of which I was suffering by quickened respiration more than a week after. My friend mentioned this to her husband, who was a surgeon he said directly She should not attempt to walk; she is only injuring herself by this exertion.' In August he came over to see me, repeated this opinion, and wished me to see Sir Astley Cooper. On the 11th of January, 1830, he brought him over to see me. They both examined the spine, and said, There is a general curvature, and a projection of the seventh joint.' He was also convinced that the right leg was shorter than the other, but prescribed nothing for it, but merely medicine to strengthen my frame in general. Shortly after this I was reduced to a state of perfect helplessness, and had a return of frequent and severe spasms. Mr. Bowden, who had succeeded Mr. Keele in business, applied caustic to the spine, and after a time I was able to move my arms, and raise myself a little, and gradually gained strength. I then wished to try if I could walk;

and Mr. Bowden thought that the shaking of the limb might proceed from my being unable to place the foot flat on the floor, and if I had a pair of boots made with the sole of the right boot so thick as to make up for the deficiency in the length, I might perhaps be able to stand on it. I had the boots made as he directed, and he came to see the effect. He gave me all the support he could on the right side, and my mother supported the left; but he found that the leg still shook every time it was placed to the floor, and this produced spasm. Seeing how much I suffered from the exertion, he kindly said, 'We must have no more of this,' and, taking me up, carried me back to the bed.

"In May 1830 my back became exceedingly painful again, and I had a blister between my shoulders. Early in June I requested Mr. B. to examine the spine again, as I felt so much pain at the back of the neck, and the bones appeared to me to be forced out of their place, and I had frequently sudden and sharp pains, which produced spasms. On the 6th of June I had once more to lie quite flat on my back, and had leeches several times, to reduce the inflammation occasioned by two of the bones at the back of the neck being forced out of their place. The loss of blood and the heat of the weather again reduced me to a state of helplessness, and about every two hours such extreme faintness came over me that I seemed to be dying. I gradually gained strength, after I discontinued the bleeding, and applied antimonial ointment instead the weather also becoming cooler. As usual, I had cough and difficulty of breathing as soon as the cold weather came in, which I think was at the beginning of October.

• sin

"On the 23d of October, in the evening, my brother was reading to me, and some observation of Mr. Irving's in the Morning Watch struck me very much, especially the remark that sickness was manifested in the body,' and that all sickness was directly or indirectly the consequence of sin. I had before considered God's chastisements simply as love-tokens, to draw my affections from earth to heaven, and I rejoiced in my sufferings; and though I felt it right to use every means in my power to improve my health, and should have been thankful had it pleased God to be able to move, at least about the house, and wait upon myself, yet I really dreaded, rather than desired, to be so far restored as to go into company, and be compelled to visit with and receive visits from worldly characters. But when Mr. Irving's remarks led me to consider, that, though the Lord did indeed correct me in mercy, yet my sickness was a token of his displeasure on account of my sins; even as a father corrects his child in love, but still the correction was an evidence of displeasure for some fault; I began to examine my heart, and see what secret sins had brought these sufferings upon me. I had very little sleep that night. Various passages of Scripture occurred to my recollection, in confirmation of Mr. Irving's remarks; especially our Lord's words to the palsied man, Thy sins be forgiven thee;' and, Whether is it easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee, or, Arise and walk;' and to the man at the pool of Bethesda, Behold, thou art made whole: go and sin no more, lest a worse thing happen unto thee.' The passage Isai. xxxiii. 24 also appeared very strongly in favour of Mr. Irving's assertion: The inha

bitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.'

"The next day being Sunday, when my mother and brother were at chapel, I employed my time in searching the Scriptures on this subject with prayer; and the more I read, the more I was convinced that sickness was sent as a punishment for sin. The case of the woman who touched Christ's garment for the issue of blood, after spending her money in vain on physicians, seemed similar to mine; and Asa's sin, in seeking not to the Lord but to the physicians for the cure of his diseased feet was strongly impressed on my mind. I then examined the Scripture, to see what ground I had to hope that if I prayed for health God would restore me. The passage at the conclusion of the Epistle of James appeared to me a message from the Lord in answer to my prayer for direction. The command was clear, and the promise equally so; nor was there a single expression to limit it to the Apostolic times; it appeared so naturally to follow the admonition which all allow to be still in force, Is any afflicted? let him pray: is any merry? let him sing Psalms.' It seemed also so much the more suited to my case, and the state of my mind, from the promise of sins being forgiven. I begged my brother to speak to you that evening, and afterwards I wrote to you on the subject, and also to Mr. Harding, the only clergyman in the neighbourhood to whom I could fully open my mind, in reading the various cures performed by our Lord Jesus Christ, 'the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever.' It was desired I should try crutches, and I was anxious to have the real state of my limb fully ascertained. I made the trial, and Mr. Bowden came over to see me try them; but it caused such acute pain all down the spine and right side, and even moving my right arm would produce slight spasms-the pain in my head also was excessive—I had to keep my bed for a few days, and apply a large blister between the shoulders. Mr. Bowden said I had much fever, and I must never try them again. I felt thankful I had made the trial, and the more so from the doubts expressed by many whether Miss Fancourt had really been lame. A remark of one of her doctors, Had there been any actual curvature of the spine, or any shortening of the limb, we should have been constrained to acknowledge a miracle, struck me. I wrote to Mrs. Williams, without assigning any reason, to request Mr. W. would state in writing the opinion he and Sir Astley Cooper took of my case. You, sir, and Mrs. Owen, have seen what he wrote *.

"In May last Mr. Bowden came to pay me a friendly visit (I had taken no medicine, nor been at all under his hands, for several months). I was anxious to shew him that my spine and leg were not at all better, though my general health was so much improved that I could stand firmly on my left leg. I shewed him that I could not raise my. self on the right leg in the slightest degree; and when I tried to walk,

* "Upon an examination of Miss Maria Hughes's spine and lower extremities, for ascertaining the probable state of her disorder, it was observed by Sir Astley Cooper and myself that a degree of morbid curvature existed in the spine, and that one of her extremities was shorter than the other.

"Nov. 28, 1830.

"JOHN MORGAN WILLIAMS, Surgeon."

I sank down immediately. Mr. B. caught me, and lifted me back to the sofa, begging I would never do so again, or I should break my leg. I then shewed him, that the right leg continued the heel shorter than the other; that the right hip still projected, and there was a deep hollow above it; and that my spine continued unimproved; and, when I sat up, my back was quite bowed, and it was very painful to me to sit up at all.

"About a fortnight before I recovered the use of my leg, I felt particularly weak and ill; and on the 3d of this month I had so severe a pain in the head, as to be carried up to bed soon after dinner. Some conversation which had taken place had led me to pray that God would give me some token (I knew not what), to make it manifest to others that God did listen favourably to my prayers. I spent the two following days alone, and devoted my time to meditation, prayer, and study of God's word. The words, Rise, and stand upon your feet,' were much impressed upon my mind, but still without the least idea that this would be the token God would give me : I did not expect to stand till I was quite well. I tried to raise myself on my right leg, as I had done almost daily, by way of experiment (because persons are apt to say 'you do not walk because you do not try'), on the morning of the 5th of this month. In the afternoon, between three and four, while engaged in prayer, I felt a sudden and powerful impulse to make another trial to stand. The Lord strengthened my leg; I stood, and walked, and my legs and hips were equal. On Thursday evening I went to chapel: I prayed that I might be able to sing the praises of God when there, and retain my voice. This prayer the Lord answered, and all my friends remarked, 'How strong your voice is!' for, even when I did not whisper, my voice was faint. Mr. Bowden called upon me on the 19th: he said he would not come before, to give me time to relapse, if I should relapse. He questioned me, both as to the manner of my recovery and the motives which led me to pray for it. He pressed on the spine bones, in such a manner as but a few weeks would have produced spasm, but it had no such effect; and the very fact of my sitting up to write this long letter will prove that my back is much strengthened. He remarked the strength of my voice. I said, 'You know that I have several times lost my voice and it has returned, but the restoration has been very gradual; as my general strength returned, so did my voice strengthen: but now, from being very weak, it is suddenly become strong.' Mr. Bowden said, 'It is a great mercy, and a great miracle;' and observed, It is a fortunate thing I have not been attending you for a long time;' as if he desired, as much as I, that the whole glory should be given to God. He observed, I should like to bring your old doctors to see you: how surprised they would be !'

ago

"I do not now consider my cure complete, but I only asked a token, to strengthen the faith of others, as well as my own. I have opened my mouth wide, both for myself and others, and the Lord is still waiting to be gracious to me. He knows when He will be most glorified by filling that mouth he has opened wide. I wait his time."