it not for my interest in nature) I durst say, that neither Aleth, the mother of that just honour of Clareval; nor Monica, nor any other of those pious matrons, anciently famous for devotion, need to disdain her admittance to comparison; she was continually exercised with the af fliction of a weak body, and oft of a wounded spirit, the agonies whereof she would oft recount with much passion; professing that the greatest bodily sicknesses were but flea-bites to those scorpions, so from them all, at last she found an happy and comfortable deliverance, and that not without a more than ordinary hand of God; for on a time being in great distress of conscience, she thought in her dream, there stood by her a grave personage, in the gown and other habits of a physician, who inquiring of her state, and receiving a sad and querulous answer from her, took her by the hand, and bade her be of good comfort, for this should be the last fit that ever she should feel of this kind, whereto she seemed to answer, that upon that condition, she could well be content for the time, with that, or any other torment: Reply was made to her, as she thought, with a redoubled assurance of that happy issue of this her last trial; whereat she began to conceive an unspeakable joy; which yet. upon her waking left her more disconsolate, as then conceiting her happiness imaginary, her misery real; when the very same day, she was visited by the reverend, and (in his time) famous divine, Mr. Anthony Gilby, under whose ministry she lived; who, upon the relation of this her pleasing vision, and the contrary effects it had in her, began to persuade her, that dream was no other than divine, and that she had good reason to think that gracious premonition was sent her from Gon himself, who, though ordinarily he keeps the common road of his proceedings, yet sometimes in the distresses of his servants, he goes unusual ways to their relief: Hercupon she began to take heart, and by good counsel and her fervent prayers, found that happy prediction verified to her, and upon all occasions in the remainder of her life, was ready to magnify the mercy of her GoD in so sensible a deliverance.

"What with the trial of both these hands of Gon, so had she profited in the school of Christ, that it was hard for any friend to come from her discourse no whit holier. How often have I blessed the memory of those divine passages of experimental divinity, which I have heard from her mouth! What day did she pass without a large

a large task of private devotion, whence she would still come forth with a countenance of undissembled mortification. Never any lips have read to me such feeling lectures of piety; neither have I known any soul that more accurately practised them, than her own: Temptations, desertions, and spiritual comforts were her usual theme. Shortly, for I can hardly take off my pen from so exemplary a subject, her life and death were saint-like." Having from his infancy been devoted by his parents to the ministry, he was, for that purpose, educated in the public school of his native place; and, at the age of fifteen, was admitted into Emmanuel college, in Cambridge, of which he was chosen scholar; and took the degree of bachelor of arts in the year 1592. He distinguished himself as a wit and poet in this early season of his life; for he published, in 1597, "Virgidemiarum: Satires in six Books." See his Works subjoined. Our Author informs us, in his "SPECIALITIES," that instead of his being sent to the university, he was very near being placed, for education, under one Mr. Pelset, who was lately come from Cambridge, to be the public preacher of Leicester. But his elder brother having occasion to go to Cambridge, and waiting upon Mr. Nathaniel Gilby, fellow of Emmanuel college, the latter, on hearing of the diversion of his father's purposes from the university, importunately dissuaded him from that new course, professing to pity the loss of so good hopes. The elder brother, moved with these words, at his return home, fell upon his knees to his father, and besought him to alter so prejudicial a resolution, and not suffer the young man's hopes to be drowned in a shallow country channel, but that he would revive his first purposes for Cambridge; adding, in the zeal of his love, that, if the chargeableness of that course were the hindrance, he would be rather pleased to sell part of that land, which, in course of nature, he was to inherit, than to abridge his brother of that happy means to finish his education. A very uncommon instance of generosity!

After our Author had been two years at the university, he had like to have been called away from thence in an untimely and disagreeable manner; of which we shall give the account in his own words: “ My two first years were necessarily chargeable above the proportion of my father's power, whose not very large cistern was to feed many pipes besides mine, for he had twelve children; his weariness of expence was wrought upon by the counsel of

some

lar.

some unwise friends, who persuaded him to fasten me upon that school as master, whereof I was lately a schoNow was I fetched home with an heavy heart; and now, this second time, had my hopes been nipped in the blossom, had not God raised me up an unhoped benefactor, Mr. Edmund Sleigh of Darly, (whose pious memory I have cause to love and reverence) out of no other relation to me, save that he married my aunt, pitying my too apparent dejectedness, he voluntarily urged, and solicited my father for my return to the university, and offered freely to contribute the one half of my maintenance there, till I should attain to the degree of master of arts; which he no less freely and lovingly performed." [SPECIALITIES, p. 7 ]

--room

His scholarship being expired about three years after his arrival at college, taking his bachelor's degree, and the statutes of the college, which allow but one person of a county to be a fellow, cutting off all expectations of his settlement there, he purposed removing into the island of Guernsey, where a place was offered him. But here the Earl of Huntingdon interposed, and having prevailed upon Mr. Hall's countryman and tutor, Mr. Gilby, to resign his fellowship, by taking him for his domestic chaplain, and promising him preferment,was, by that means, made for our Author, and he was unanimously chosen fellow. In 1596 he took the degree of master of arts; and thenceforward acquitted himself with good success in the public disputations, which he was often called to. He read also the rhetoric lecture in the schools for two years, with considerable applause; but, thinking this diverted him from his favourite study of divinity, he gave it up; and, entering into holy orders, preached often, as occasion offered, both in country vil lages and before the university. After having continued about six or seven years in the college, he was recommended by the master, Dr. Chadderton, to the Lord Chief Justice Popham, for the mastership of Tiverton School in Devonshire, then newly founded, by Mr. Blundel.

had accepted of it, and was but just come out from the Chief Justice's when he met a messenger in the street, who delivered him a letter from the Lady Drury, of Suffolk, offered him the rectory of Halsted, near St. Edmund'sbury, and very earnestly desiring him to accept of it; which he did, and relinquished the school. Being thus settled in that "sweet and civil" county of Suffolk, as he called it, his first work was to rebuild his parsonage-house,

VOL. III.

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which

which was extremely ruinous: two years after which he married a daughter of Mr. George Winniff of Bretenham, with whom he lived forty-nine years.

In 1605, he accompanied Sir Edmund Bacon to the Spa, where he composed his "second century of meditations." He had an opportunity in this journey to inform himself, with his own eyes, of the state and practices of the Romish church; and at Brussels entered into a conference with Coster the jesuit. About a year and a half after, his patron, Sir Robert Drury, refusing to restore to the living of Halsted about ten pounds a-year, which he unjustly detained, our Author went to London to solicit him upon that point: Where being invited by the Earl of Essex's tutor to preach before Prince Henry at Richmond, who much admired his meditations, the prince so well liked the two sermons he preached before him, that he made him one of his chaplains. In the mean time Sir Robert Drury, by his unjust detention above-named, refusing to make his living a competent maintenance, (though our Author alleged to him, among other arguments, that he was forced to write books in order to be able to buy some) he resolved therefore to embrace the first opportunity of removing from Halsted. While he was taken up with those anxious thoughts, Edward, Lord Denny, afterwards Earl of Norwich, gave him the donative of Waltham Holy Cross, in Essex; and, about the same time, which was in the year 1612, he took the degree of doctor in divinity, having taken the degree of bachelor in 1603. Thus, as he says, he returned home, happy in a new master, and in a new patron. betwixt whom he divided himself and his labours, with much comfort, and no less acceptance.

In the second year of his monthly attendance on the prince, when he came for his dismission, his highness ordered him to stay longer; and at last, when he allowed him to depart, offered him the honour of being continually resident at court, with promises of suitable preferments; but, being lothe to forsake his noble patron, who had placed much of his heart upon him, he waved that offer, and remained twenty-two years at Waltham, where he preached a long time thrice a-week, as he had done before at Halsted. In the mean while he was made prebendary of the collegiate church of Wolverhampton, and was the chief instrument in recovering a considerable estate, which had been detained from that church by a fraudulent conveyance. In 1616, July 12, he attended the embassy of James Hay, Viscount Doncaster, into France. During his

absence,

absence, the king conferred upon him the deanery of Worcester, which he had promised him before his departure ; and he was presented to the same on December 9, in the same year. Before he could go to take possession of it, namely, on the 14th of March 1616-17, he attended his majesty into Scotland as one of his chaplains. In 1618 he was sent to the Synod of Dort, with other English divines; but by the time he had staid two months there, the unquietness of the nights in those garrison towns working upon his tender constitution, brought him to such a weakness, through want of rest, that he was obliged to return home. However, before his departure, he preached a Latin sermon before that famous assembly, who, by their president and assistants, took a solemn leave of him; and the deputies of the States dismissed him with an honourable retribution, and sent after him a rich golden medal, bearing the portraiture of the Synod. He was inclined to be moderate in the five points controverted in that Synod, as appears by the treatise which he soon after wrote upon the subject, and which is printed amongst his works, under the title of " Via Media."

Having refused, in 1624, the bishopric of Gloucester, which was offered him, he accepted of that of Exeter in 1627, to which he was consecrated December the twentythird, holding with it, in commendam, the rectory of St. Brook in Cornwall. At his first coming to this new dignity, he met with much vexation and uneasiness. "I entered upon that place, says he, [SPECIALITIES, p. 40.] not without much prejudice and suspicion on some hands; for some who sate at the stern of the church, had me in great jealousy for too much favour of puritanism. I soon had intelligence, who were set over me for spies: my ways were curiously observed and scanned.-Some persons of note in the clergy, finding me ever ready to encourage those whom I found conscionably forward and painful in their places, and willingly giving way to orthodox and peaceable lectures, in several parts of my diocese, opened their mouths against me, both obliquely in the pulpits, and directly at the court, complaining of my too much indulgence to persons disaffected, and my too much liberty of frequent lecturings within my charge. The billows went so high, that I was three several times upon my knees to his Majesty, to answer these great criminations; and what contest I had with some great Lords concerning these particulars, it would be too long to report: Only this, under how dark a cloud I was hereupon, I was so sen