A fimilar affair happened at a country. town, ten or twelve miles from Oxford, about two years fince, where a very handfome powerful preacher made converts of a great number of women, both married and fingle, who were wonderfully affected, and great numbers flocked to his standard; but he had not laboured there more than a year, before the churchwardens were made acquainted with his powerful operations on fine young female faints, who all fwore baftards to this holy, fpiritual labourer in the vineyard; upon which the gentlemen of the town exerted themselves, and prevented the farther propagation of methodism; as "The ladies by fympathy feem'd to difcover "The advantage of having a spiritual lover. They were fadly afraid that wives, widows, and miffes "Would confine to the all their favors and kiffes." The author of a letter to Dr. Coke and Mr. More, publifhed fince the first edition of my Memoirs, informs us, that a gentleman of Chesham had a daughter about seventeen years years of age, which he put into the hands hands of a methodist parfon, to have her converted, and was exceedingly kind and liberal to him; and we are informed that this rafcal converted her firft, and debauched her afterwards. , So you fee, my dear friend, by the above examples (were it neceffary, I could give you many more) that not all the converted and fanctified females are thereby become fo abforbed in the spiritual delights of the mystical union, as to have loft all relish for carnal connections; as we find that many among them are bleffed with a mind fo capacious, as to be able to participate in the pleasures of both worlds. I am, Dear Friend, Yours. O 2 LETTER LETTER XXIV. "It was not good for man to be alone : "For thy foft hours, and to unbend the mind." DRYDEN. "Woman, man's chiefest good, by heaven defign'd Art of Living in London. DEAR FRIEND, AFTER a long digreffion, I must now return to my own affairs. I continued in the above-mentioned dreadful fever many weeks, and my life was defpaired of by all that came near me. During which time, my wife, whom I affectionately loved, died and was buried, without my once having a fight of her. What added much to my misfortunes, feveral nurses that were hired to take care of me and my wife, proved fo abandoned and depraved as to have loft all fenfe of moral obligation, and every tender feeling for one who to all appearance was just on the point of death: feveral of these monsters in female fhape robbed my drawers of linen, &c. and kept themselves drunk with gin, while I lay unable to move in my bed, and was ready to perish, partly owing to want of cleanlinefs and proper care. Thus fituated, I must inevitably have fallen a victim, had it not been for my fifter Dorothy, wife of Mr. Northam of Lambeth, and my fifter Elizabeth, wife of Mr. Bell in Soho. These kind fifters, as foon as they were informed of the deplorable state in which I lay, notwithstanding some mifunderstanding which fubfifted between us, and prevented me from fending for them, haftened to me, and each fat up with me alternately, fo that I had one or the other with me every night; and, contrary to all expectation, I recovered. But this recovery was in a very flow manner. As foon as I was able to enquire into the ftate of my affairs, I found that Mr. Wheeler, fack and rope-maker in Old-street, and Meffrs. Bottomley and Shaw, carpenters and fafh-makers in Bunhill-row, had faved me from ruin, by locking up my fhop, which contained my little all. Had not this been done, the nurses would no doubt have contrived means to have emptied my fhop, as effectually as they had done my drawers, The above gentlemen not only took care of my fhop, but also advanced money to pay fuch expences as occurred; and as my wife was dead, they affifted in making my will in favour of my mother. Thefe worthy gentlemen, belong to Mr. Wefley's fociety (and notwithstanding they have imbibed many enthusiastic whims) yet would they be an honour to any fociety, and are a credit to human nature. I hope that I never fhall recollect their kindness without being filled with the warmest fentiments of gratitude towards them. He |