The most sad and Lamentable NARRATION Of the Death of Michael Berkly Esquire, lately of Grays-inn, a most eminent Scholar and Traveller, and master of a large estate, who on Thursday May the 6. in the 63 year of his Age was drowned in the duckingpond near Islington, about ten of the Clock in the Morning.  
As also, The most deplorable account of Richard Biggrave Coach maker, who being a man well beloved & reputed did on that day & much about the same time hang himself at his house in Cow-Lane.  
Together, With the true and sad Relation of a woman who did cut her throat in Holborn, & of two more who on that day also did hang themselves in Westminster.  Teach me O Lord to number my days, that I may apply my heart unto wisdom, Psal. 90. 12. 
London, Printed for Tho. Vere, and Wil Gilbertson, and are to be sold at their shops without Newgate and in Gilt spur street. 1658.   

The Fatal Thursday▪ being May the 6.  
On which day two men, a young man & an old man made away themselves in Westminster, A woman of middle age did cut her throat in Holburn a housekeeper of quality did hang himself in Cow Lane, and that great Scholar and traveller Machael Berkley, was drowned in the in the Duckingpond not far from Islington.  
THE Temptations of the Devil were never more manifest than in this Age of ours, nor his power more unrestrained What a most lamentable accident was that at Goldstone in Lincolnshire; where a young man of honourable parentage wa● violently taken away by the Devil, and some part of the house with him, his hair and his brains were found mixed on the pales of the Court, and one of his Arms in a close not far from the house, most violently torn from his body: what is become of his body itself, there is no man can yet discover; Consider this ye that forget God, lest he come and tear you in pieces, & there be none to deliver you.  
What an example may this be to many of our young Gallants who spend all their time in Riot, and in wantonness, in drinking, swearing and cursing, and in devoting themselves unto destruction, in which they strive to exceed one another, as if they had contracted with the Devil for the Tradition and Monopoly of sin: Look upon a great part of them and you shall find them to dissemble even with nature itself, and to be but so many ridiculous Counterfeit.  
The old men will be young, and do put on the Periwigs of youth: The youngmen will be old; and have their hairs made white with powders; The women do Counterfeit the fears of the Soldiers, and that Lady is not remarkable who hath not a valiant blackspot 〈◊〉 ●o upon her face.  
And as we play the Counterfeits and dissemble with men, so we dissemble also with God: There was never more profession of the Truth, nor less sincerity, never more preaching, nor less practise. We are a people that draw near unto God with our lips but our hearts are far from him.  
Those that will not draw near unto God God will draw far from them, and will withdraw with him the influences of his grace & mercy.  
Our forefathers when they came to the Church every Sabbath day, would leave at the Church door their books their paddles, and their staves; the Sermon being ended, or the Homily rend over, they would every one of them take up that brown bill which was his own, and so departed unto their own heuses,  
A Minister of those times observing it, and withal how unprepared they came to perform the duties of that day. told them that they brought their sins along with them to the Church as they brought their staves, they left them at the door when they came in themselves, but the Sermon being ended, they all of them did take them up again, and carry them home in their hearts, as they did the Staves on their Shoulders or in their hands.  
This was the neglect with which our fore fathers were charges, but we are a Generation more unrighteous than they, we leave not our mannerly sins at the Church-doors as they did, but we take them into the Church with us, and we shut our ears unto the Charmer, Charm he never so wisely: when the Minister is exhorting us to our duties, our hearts are running after our Covetousness, or our pleasures, and while he is sowing the seed we are multiplying the Caves, for this cause many of us are sick and many falll asleep, and many do fall into the Implacable snares of the Devil.  
It is worth your observation and a larger Sheet than this to declare unto you by what degrees of Temptation the Devil doth, work on the hearts of men to destroy themselves: And in the first place, you are to know that the Devil worketh most on those Tempers which are most prone to receive his Impressions. He knoweth women to be the weaker Wessetts, and therefore he worketh most on that Ser to ensnare them to his wiles. he knows they are most full of Impatience and revenge, and therefore he doth present himself unto them in that form which he conceius to he most agreeable to them, and doth give them large promises with some assurances that their desires in all things shall be performed. being made their familiars, he by degrees will show himself in his old colours, and then they are prepared for any mischief which their Imaginations at first did startle to apprehend,  
Amongst men there is none more fit for the Devil to work upon then the proud man, the melancholy man, and the discontented man: Job saith, That the Devil is the father of the children of pride, And God saith, It is not good for man to be alone; melancholy is the mother of discontent, & discontent begeteth despair.  
There are more Temptations in a melancholy and a retired life, then in a life that is sociable. and we are advised to avoid melancholy as the greatest enemy to the soul and body.  
Wilt thou avoid the occasions of despair, and temptation (saith the wise man) trust not too much to thyself alone.  
It is yet fresh in our memory, since a man of a vast estate hanged himself in Bishopsgate street, And Thornely reason that could be given for it was that he was a proud man, from hring he discerned to melancholy, and from melancholy to a desperate Resolution to hang himself. His pride did Tempt him to a retirconesse he thought himself too good & too great for other men and this having drawn him into an obstinate melancholy, it did leave him the lamentable Butce at which all Temptations did shoot, he did shut his witful ear against all Counsel and comfort from others, neither would he receive any from himself: those apprehensions being most grateful to him that could assist him with the swiftest invention to dispatch himself.  
It is possible howsoever that some man may be put to so much distress that he may put an end of his life to put an end to his sorrows, but for a man that aboundeth in wealth and in the love and reputation of all men, for him to drown or to hang himself, is much to be admired and it showeth that the power of the Prince of darkness is so much the stronger on him by how much there appeareth nothing in reason or in Nasure that might ininvite him to put so horrible an Act in Execution.  
Richard Biggrave of Cow lane a Coa●● maker by his Profession, was a man that live in good reputation, and well beloved by all his neighbours. Those who knew him do all report him to be of a civil and a free Conversation, and never to show the least sign of any distrust in the merey of God, or of any enormous sin that did lie heavy upon his Conscience.  
He was of a liberal and a cheerful disposition, and free from those wants which commo nly do cloud and oppress the Spirits, All that knew him were glad of his company, and they do as much lawent him being dead, as they did love him being alive.  
He was a strict observer of his word, and whatsoever he did promise he would be most careful to perform. He had a wife who had a long time been sick, he loved her most initrely insomuch that he was heard to say, that if she recovered not the sooner, his own days would be few amongst the ljoing: Some there are who do impute these words as a for a runner to the sad Sequels that did follow.  
He was a constant observer of the Sabath day, and an Example to others in the performance of Religious duties: From such a life as he did lead, no man could expect such an end as he had, & those who first heard of it, would not believe it, until by their own eyes they were convinced of the truth of it.  
He had promises & Gentleman of quality that his Coach and furniture belonging to it should he ready on such a day, which because it could not so suddenly us performed, there are not some wanting who do affirm it to be the only cause why he did lay violent hands upon himself, but it is not to be beléeved that so wise and so deliberate a man should rashly commit so horrible a folly: or that so dismal an end should arise from no greater a beginning. Howsoever it was, 'tis too true that on Thursday May the 6. he was found to be hanged in his own house; Being suddenly cut down by the first that did behold him it was impossible to recover him to life, and his friends & neighbours that passed to see him became almost as very Carcases as himself, being amazed at so unexpected, and so sad a sight: & not knowing what to impute it to.  
Much about the same time on the same day there were two hanged themselves in West-minster, an old man and a young, There was a woman also who on the same day did cut her throat in Holborn. The Narration whereof at large I do purposely ●●●i●, and do make haste to that which followeth being a subject which none can hear without as much amazement as fears and prayers  
He who exactly shall consider of this Gentleman will believe that Nature. Fortune, learning and religion had conspired to make him absolute, and who shall behold him dead as he was dragged out of the Duckingpond, near to Islington, and lay two days together on the bank to be a lamentable Spectacle In the three score and third year of his Age will conclude again that he was forsaken by Nature Fortune and Religion.  
His name was Michael Berkly, he was descended of an honourable Family in Kent, he was born on Michaelmas day, in the year 1597. and being likely to die on the same day that he came into the world he was immediately Christoned and named Michael, after the name of the Ark Angel to whose memory the Church had dedicated that day of his Nativity  
He had his Education in that famous school of Eat on, where in the whole progress of good Letters he excelled all those that were his Companions. From thence he came to Christ Church in Oxford, and being famous for his learning and Ingenuity, he received the Formality and degree of Bachelor of Arts, and no man contradieting it, he was thosen Collector, which is an Honour that at that time was given yearly unto him, who was thought to be the most generous & deserving Graduate.  
Here it was that he received the uncomfortable news of his Father's death, who left him a great estate both in Land and monies, He could never be persuaded by his dearest friends to marry, although many young Ladies were mentioned to him admirable for their Beauties and Virtues.  
His mind was altogether on Travel and on the 23. year of his Age he embarked himself for France, not so much with a desire to behold Noveltyes and the Fashions of other Nations, as the manner of their Government. & in this there were few that surpassed him, for being the Master of a great purse he had the opportunity to instnuate himself into the Acquaintance of the greatest Personages where he would make such a manifestation of his learning, and of the excellent Judgements of Nature, that many times they departed with admiration frem him. It was not his desire to come acquainted with the greatest Gallants, but with the greatest schol lers, he spent most of his time in Travel, and heving understood in one Kingdom the Me. thou and the Mystery of the Government of it, he would Travel into another.  
He was taken with no place more than Spain, and although he extolled the wisdom and solemn gravity of the people, yet he as much abhominated their cruelty. When he was in Rome and in Germany he had his conversation with the greatest Cardinals, and would put such questions to them in the defence of our Religion, and follow his Discourse so wisely that they knew not what to say to him. Having been oftentimes beyond the Seas; at length his Age and health did advise him to stay in England, and although the Parliament would willingly have employed him in Spain. Upon the great affairs of the state, yet he refused their propositions, and laid the excuse upon the account of his health.  
Being in England, he was a great hearer of Sermons be-would very saldome miss the London Lecture in the morning & he would be very frequent at Senmons in the afternoon and he would constantly give you an excellent account of the ability of the Preacher.  
But these ventues were attended with great imperfections he was too great a Lover of his money, of which he could not but he the master of  considerable sums, for he lives but very sparingly at home and used all the arts of thrifts although he has a great Estate: one of his Servants who died since a Pensioner in the . being demanded why his Masser did wear no better , made answer, because he would not have the poor to beg of him as he walked in the streets, and yet for all that he would have a penny for the poor when he pleased and sometimes more. If selfe-dentall be indeed a Virtue he was perfect in it, for although he were within he would almost constantly deny himself to his friends when they came unto him upon the promise and the account of courtesies, Without all doubt he doted too much upon his money, and it was thought that sometimes the greatest reason of his trabailes abroad, was because he would not be troubled with the charge of his brothers at home.  
He was extremely high conceited of himself, for he thought himself to be one of the wisest men and one of the best Scholars in the world, and he accounted those to be his best friends who were of the same opinion with him. The love of his money brought him to such a retiredness that he but seldom would be seen in the company of any, and this brought him to a deep and an extreme melancholy, and to a great suspicion of all that belonged to him, for without any reason he would look on the fingers of his Servants as on théeves. His high conceit of himself did beget in him an extreme arrogance, and this arrogance a kind of distraction, and a sickness which all working on him exposed him to the temptation of going to the Duckingpond on Thursday May 6. Wither being come he demanded of some who were there at work which was the deepest place of the pond, and more over sold them that he had a Duck to be hunted by three dogs that were coming to him. The men who were at work not far from him saw him presently afterwards in the Pond, in which he entered backwards, and waving up into the knees, or higher, he fell backwards into the water, with which being over whelmed they used their speedtest endeavours to pluck him out, and hot waters were sent for to recover him, but all in vain for the life could not be recalled.  
And what good now will his riches one him, which with too much care he boarded up: what good will his birth, his wit, or his experience gained by so much trabaile to him.  
To conclude, let not the wise man beast in his wit, nor the rich man in his wealth nor the Scholar in his training, nor the State's man in his experience and his policy but let him that rejoiceth rejoyte in this, that he loveth and feareth the Lord.  
The End.