This account of John Valdefso I received from a friend, that had it from the mouth of Mr. Ferrar: And the reader may note, that in this retirement John Valdefso wrote his "Hundred and Ten Confiderations," and many other treatises of worth, which want a fecond Mr. Ferrar to procure and tranflate them.

After this account of Mr. Ferrar and John Valdefso, I proceed to my account of Mr. Herbert and Mr. Duncon, who, according to his promife, returned from the Bath the fifth day, and then found Mr. Herbert much weaker than he left him; and, therefore, their difcourfe could not be long; but at Mr. Duncon's parting with him, Mr. Herbert fpoke to this purpofe; "Sir, I pray give my brother Ferrar an account of the decay"ing condition of my body, and tell him I beg him to continue "his daily prayers for me: And let him know, that I have "confidered, that God only is what he would be; and that I am, ་ by his grace, become now fo like him, as to be pleased with "what pleaseth him; and tell him, that I do not repine, but am pleased with my want of health; and tell him my heart "is fixed on that place where true joy is only to be found; and "that I long to be there, and do wait for my appointed change "with hope and patience."-Having faid this, he did, with fo fweet a humility as feemed to exalt him, bow down to Mr. Duncon, and, with a thoughtful and contented look, fay to him, "Sir, I pray deliver this little book to my dear brother Ferrar, " and tell him, he fhall find in it a picture of the many spiritual "conflicts that have passed betwixt God and my foul, before "I could fubject mine to the will of Jefus my Mafter; in whose "fervice I have now found perfect freedom; defire him to "read it; and then, if he can think it may turn to the advan"tage of any dejected poor foul, let it be made public; if not,

let him burn it; for I and it are less than the leaft of God's "mercies."-Thus meanly did this humble man think of this excellent book, which now bears the name of "The Temple ; or, Sacred Poems and Private Ejaculations;" of which Mr. Ferrar would fay, "There was in it the picture of a divine "foul in every page; and that the whole book was fuch a har"mony of holy pafsions, as would enrich the world with plea"fure and piety." And it appears to have done fo; for there have been more than twenty thousand of them fold fince the first impression.

And this ought to be noted, that when Mr. Ferrar fent this book to Cambridge to be licensed for the press, the Vice

• Dr. Donne faid of himself, that he was "lefs than the leaft of God's " mercies."In "Peckard's Memoirs," &c. is inferted a Prayer drawn up by Mr. Ferrar, on the particular occafion of the dangerous illness of his dear friend, Mr. George Herbert.

Chancellor would by no means allow the two fo much noted verfes P.

Religion ftands a tip-toe in our land,
Ready to pass to the American ftrand,

to be printed; and Mr. Ferrar would by no means allow the book to be printed and want them; but after fome time, and fome arguments for and against their being made public, the Vice-Chancellor faid, "I knew Mr. Herbert well, and know "that he had many heavenly fpeculations, and was a divine (6 poet; but I hope the world will not take him to be an inspired prophet, and therefore I license the whole book." So that it came to be printed without the diminution or addition of a syllable, fince it was delivered into the hands of Mr. Duncon, save only that Mr. Ferrar hath added that excellent preface that is printed before it.

At the time of Mr. Duncon's leaving Mr. Herbert (which was about three weeks before his death), his old and dear friend Mr. Woodnot came from London to Bemerton, and never left him till he had seen him draw his last breath, and closed his eyes on his death-bed. In this time of his decay, he was often vifited and prayed for by all the Clergy that lived near to him, efpecially by his friends the Bifhop and Prebendaries of the Cathedral Church in Salisbury; but by none more devoutly than his wife, his three nieces (then a part of his family), and Mr. Woodnot, who were the fad witnesses of his daily decay; to whom he would often speak to this purpose: "I now look "back upon the pleasures of my life past, and see the content I "have taken in beauty, in wit, and mufic, and pleasant conver"fation, are now all paft by me like a dream or as a fhadow "that returns not, and are now all become dead to me, or I to "them; and I fee that as my father and generation hath done "before me, fo I alfo fhall now fuddenly (with Job) make my

Unto the brim, and make our measure up;
"When Sein (hall fwallow Tiber; and the Thames,
"By letting in them both, pollutes her streams;
"When Italy of us fhall have her will,

"And all her calendars of fins fulfi!,

“Whereby one may foretell what fins, next year,
"Shall both in France and England domineer;

"Then fhall Religion to America flee:

"They have their times of gofpel ev'n as we."

(Mr. Herbert's CHURCH MILITANT.)

It is unnecessary to remark the abfurdity of fuppofing, that the predictions of a prophet are contained in thefe lines of Mr. George Herbert.

"bed also in the dark; and I praise God I am prepared for it; "and I praife him, that I am not to learn patience, now I “stand in such need of it; and that I have practised mortifica“tion, and endeavoured to die daily, that I might not die eter"nally; and my hope is, that I fhall fhortly leave this valley of tears, and be free from all fevers and pain; and, which will "be a more happy condition, I fhall be free from fin, and all "the temptations and anxieties that attend it; and this being "paft, I fhall dwell in the New Jerufalem; dwell there with 86 men made perfect; dwell where thefe eyes fhall see my "Mafter and Saviour Jefus; and with him fee my dear mo "ther, and all my relations and friends-But I muft die, or "not come to that happy place: And this is my content, that "I am going daily towards it; and that every day which I "have lived hath taken a part of my appointed time from me; ❝ and that I shall live the lefs time, for having lived this and "the day past."-Thefe, and the like exprefsions, which he uttered often, may be faid to be his enjoyment of heaven before he enjoyed it. The Sunday before his death, he rofe fuddenly from his bed or couch, called for one of his inftruments, took it into his hand, and said,

My God, my God,

My mufic fhall find thee,

And ev'ry ftring

Shall have his attribute to fing.

And having tuned it, he played and fung:

The Sundays of man's life,
Threaded together on time's string,
Make bracelets to adorn the wife
Of the eternal glorious King:
On Sundays heaven's door ftands ope;
Blessings are plentiful and rife,

More plentiful than hope 9.

Thus he fung on earth fuch hymns and anthems as the angels, and he, and Mr. Ferrar, now fing in heaven.

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Thus he continued meditating, and praying, and rejoicing, till the day of his death; and on that day faid to Mr. Woodnot, "My dear friend, I am forry I have nothing to prefent to my merciful God but fin and mifery; but the first is par"doned; and a few hours will now put a period to the latter; "for I fhall fuddenly go hence and be no more feen." Upon which exprefsion, Mr. Woodnot took occafion to remember him of the re-edifying Layton Church, and his many acts of mercy; to which he made anfwer, faying, "They be good works, if "they be sprinkled with the blood of Chrift, and not other

See the whole hymn entitled " Sunday," in Mr. Herbert's "Temple."

"wile." After this difcourfe he became more reftlefs, and his foul seemed to be weary of her earthly tabernacle; and this uneafinefs became fo vifible, that his wife, his three nieces, and Mr. Woodnot, ftood conftantly about his bed, "beholding him with forrow, and an unwillingness to lofe the fight of him whom they could not hope to fee much longer. As they flood thus beholding him, his wife obferved him to breathe faintly, and with much trouble; and obferved him to fall into a fudden agony, which so surprised her, that fhe fell into a fudden pafsion, and required of him to know how he did? to which his anfwer was, "that he had paffed a conflict with his latt enemy, and "had overcome him, by the merits of his Mafter Jefus." After which answer he looked up and faw his wife and nieces weeping. to an extremity, and charged them, " if they loved him, to with"draw into the next room, and there pray every one alone for him; for nothing but their lamentations could make his death "uncomfortable." To which requeft their fighs and tears would not fuffer them to make any reply, but they yielded him a fad obedience, leaving only with him Mr. Woodnot and Mr. Bostock. Immediately after they had left him, he faid to Mr. Bostock, "Pray, Sir, open that door, then look into that Cabi"net, in which you may eafily find my laft Will, and give it "into my hand" which being done, Mr. Herbert delivered it into the hand of Mr. Woodnot, and' faid, "My old friend, I "here deliver you my laft Will, in which you will find that I "have made you my fole executor for the good of my wife and "nieces; and I defire you to fhew kindness to them, as they "thall need it: I do not defire you to be just, for I know you "will be fo for your own fake: but I charge you by the religion "of our friendship, to be careful of them. And having ob

tained Mr. Woodnot's promife to be fo, he faid, "I am now "ready to die." After which words he faid, "Lord, forfake me "not, now my ftrength faileth me; but grant me mercy for "the merits of my Jefus. And now Lord-Lord now receive 66 my foul." And with those words he breathed forth his divine foul, without any apparent disturbance, Mr. Woodnot and Mr. Boftock attending his last breath, and clofing his eyes'.

Thus he lived, and thus he died like a faint, unfpotted of the world, full of alms-deeds, full of humility, and all the examples of a virtuous life; which I cannot conclude better, than with this borrowed obfervation:

All must to their cold graves;

But the religious actions of the just

Smell fweet in death, and bloisom in the dust 3.

Thus died Mr. George Herbert :

"He taught us how to live; and ah, too high
"A price for knowledge! taught us how to die."

s I am obliged to the ingenious Author of "The Lives of the Deans of Canterbury," for pointing out the little poem entitled "Death's final Conqueft,"

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Mr. George Herbert's have done fo to this, and will doubtlefs do fo to fucceeding generations. I have but this to fay more of him, that if Andrew Melvin died before him, then George Herbert died without an enemy". I wish (if God shall be fo pleased) that I may be fo happy as to die like him.

IZ. WA.

THERE is a debt juftly due to the memory of Mr. Herbert's virtuous wife; a part of which I will endeavour to pay, by a very fhort account of the remainder of her life, which fhall follow.

She continued his difconfolate widow about fix years, bemoaning herself and complaining that fhe had loft the delight of her eyes; but more that the had loft the fpiritual guide for her poor foul; and would often fay, "O that I had like holy "Mary, the mother of Jefus, treasured up all his fayings in my "heart; but fince I have not been able to do that, I will la"bour to live like him, that where he now is, I may be alfo." And she would often fay (as the prophet David for his fon Abfalom) "O that I had died for him!" Thus fhe continued mourning till time and converfation had fo moderated her forrows, that the became the happy wife of Sir Robert Cook, of

Conqueft," from which thefe lines were probably quoted. It was originally intended for a folemn dirge, in a play compofed by James Shirley, a dramatic writer, who flourished in the beginning of the reign of Charles I. and who died in 1666. It was a favourite fong with Charles II.; and Oliver Cromwell is faid, on the recital of it, to have been feized with great terror and agitation of mind. The following is the third and concluding ftanza:

"The garlands wither on your brow;

"Then boaft no more your mighty deeds:

"Upon Death's purple altar now

"See where the victor victim bleeds.

"All heads must come

"To the cold tomb :

"Only the actions of the juft

"Smell fweet, and blossom in the dust.”

"Mr. George Herbert, Efq. Parfon of Fuglefton and Bemerton, was "buried 3d day of March, 1632." (Parish Register of Bemerton.)It does not appear whether he was buried in the parish church or in the chapel. His letter to Mr. Nicholas Ferrar, the tranflator of Valdesso, is dated from his Parfonage at Bemerton, near Salisbury, Sept. 29, 1632. It must be remembered, that the beginning of the year, at that time, was computed from the 25th of March. In this year, alfo, he wrote the short addrefs to the Reader, which is prefixed to his "Prieft to the Temple," which was not publifhed till after his death.

u We cannot fuppofe that Andrew Melville could retain the leaft perfonal refentment against Mr. Herbert; whofe verfes have in them fo little of the poignancy of fatire, that it is fcarce possible to confider them as ca pable of exciting the anger of him to whom they are addressed.

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