\J \J \^ ^ — ■
 
 WORKS EDITED BY THE REV. T. T. CARTER, M. A. 
 The Treasury of Devotion. A Manual of Prayer for 
 
 General and Daily Use. Compiled by a Priest. i8mo. 2^. dd. ; cloth 
 limp, 2^. ; or bound with the Book of Common Prayer, 3^. 6^. Large 
 Type Edition. Crown 8vo. 3J. dd. 
 
 The "Way of Life. A Book of Prayers and Instruction 
 
 for the Young at School, with a Preparation for Confirmation. Com- 
 piled by a Priest. iSrao. \s. 6d. 
 
 The Path of Holiness. A First Book of Prayers, with 
 
 the Service of the Holy Communion, for the Young. Compiled by a 
 Priest. With Illustrations. i6mo. is. td. ; cloth limp, \s. 
 
 The Guide to Heaven. A Book of Prayers for every 
 
 Want. (For the Working Classes.) Compiled by a Priest. i8mo. 
 IS. td. ; cloth limp, if. Large Type Edition. Crown 8vo. is. td. ; 
 cloth limp, IS. 
 
 The Star of Childhood. A First Book of Prayers and 
 
 Instruction for Children. Compiled by a Priest. With Illustrations. 
 i6mo. 2i. td. 
 
 Meditations on the Life and Mysteries of our 
 
 Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. From the French. By the 
 Compiler of " The Treasury of Devotion." Crown 8vo. 
 
 Vol. I. — The Hidden Life of Our Lord. 3^. (>d. 
 
 Vol. II. — The Public Life of Our Lord. 2 Parts. 5^. each. 
 
 Vol. III. — The Suffering and Glorified Life. 31. td. 
 
 Self-Renunciation. From the French. i6mo. zs. dd. 
 
 Also the Larger Edition. Small Svo. 3^. dd. 
 
 Maxims and Gleanings from the Writings of T. T. 
 
 Carter, M.A. Selected and arranged for Daily Use. By C. M. S. 
 Crown i6mo. \s. 
 
 LONDON AND NEW YORK : 
 
 LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO,
 
 'ofnclisr Jazissen Frnid- 
 
 C. <J. Toir.kinc.Cr. 
 
 Nicholas Ferrar.
 
 Nicholas Ferrar 
 
 HIS HOUSEHOLD AND HIS 
 FRIENDS 
 
 EDITED BY THE 
 
 REV. T. T. CARTER, M.A. 
 
 HON. CANON OF CHRISTCHUKCH, O.XFORD 
 
 SECOND EDITION 
 
 LONDON 
 LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO 
 
 AND NEW YORK : 15 EAST i6th STREET 
 
 1893 
 
 All rights reserved
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 BV THE 
 
 REV. T. T. CARTER, M.A. 
 
 The following pages represent a very 
 remarkable personality, and one of a wide 
 and enduring interest. They also illus- 
 trate an important epoch in the later 
 history of the Church of England. 
 
 It might, perhaps, seem unnecessary, 
 and, as the author herself fears to be 
 possible, even presumptuous, to put forth 
 a fresh biography of Nicholas Ferrar, con- 
 sidering how much has already been made 
 public in the lives previously written, and 
 most especially the interesting details given 
 by the Rev. J. E. B. Mayor. But the 
 preface shows that, while a great debt is
 
 Vi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 due to previous writers, fresh materials of 
 importance have come to light since their 
 works were published, and there seemed 
 room for a different treatment of the whole 
 subject. The author of this volume de- 
 sires to withhold her name, and it is, 
 therefore, left to me to give the assurance 
 that great care has been taken to gather 
 together and test the value of the mate- 
 rials now available for the elucidation of 
 the facts stated, and that this has been done 
 with a warmth of enthusiasm that will, I 
 think, be felt to give life to the narrative, 
 replete as it is with important principles. 
 
 It would not be true to say of this 
 volume that it could be entitled, "Nicholas 
 Ferrar and his Times." Many most im- 
 portant forces were then at work, or grow- 
 ing into power, influencing both the nation 
 and the Church, acting and reacting the 
 one on the other. But there is no attempt
 
 INTROD UCTION. vi i 
 
 here to enter into such general questions, 
 or to describe the course of events. There 
 is but the portraiture of the one family 
 and its surroundings. Yet Nicholas Fer- 
 rar was a marked character; he had 
 relations with many other interests besides 
 his own special objects in life, and he was 
 in friendly intercourse with leading men of 
 the time, some of whom are still cherished 
 in the grateful memories of Churchmen. 
 
 Moreover, Nicholas Ferrar's life coin- 
 cided with one of the most momentous 
 periods of our Church's history. It fell 
 in the period that intervened between the 
 closing years of Elizabeth and the Great 
 Rebellion. The life -and -death conflict 
 with Rome had closed with the defeat of 
 the Armada. The Puritan movement was 
 gaining strength, but as yet was under 
 restraint, and its tremendous influence 
 unsuspected. The Church had the full
 
 viii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 support of the State, unconscious of the 
 injury to its spiritual interests which such 
 patronage involved. The popular feeling 
 was settling down upon the lines on which 
 the Church, as reformed, was intended to 
 continue, preserving the old Catholic tra- 
 ditions, free from what had been rejected 
 of mediaeval development. During this 
 interval lived and taught Andrewes and 
 Overall, Bramhall and Hammond, George 
 Herbert and Jeremy Taylor, Laud and 
 Cosin. There was, indeed, in the general 
 temper an acute sensitiveness as to any- 
 thinof that seemed to savour of a return 
 to past abuses, real or supposed, as is 
 sufficiently shown in this volume, from the 
 suspicions aroused by the establishment 
 at Little Gidding. But, allowing for such 
 exceptional instances, the sense of the 
 continuity of the Church with the Church 
 of the past was as yet undisturbed, and
 
 INTRODUCTION. IX 
 
 the old customs were generally held to be 
 as true to its life, as they had been before 
 the rupture with Rome. We may, there- 
 fore, fairly look at this period as indicating 
 the character of Church life, which was 
 intended for us as the result of what has 
 been generally considered the Elizabethan 
 settlement. It was, in fact, an interval 
 of comparative peace, during which the 
 Church had a fair opportunity of putting 
 forth her true principles. Afterwards 
 followed the prostration of the Church, 
 and on its restoration most unhappily the 
 currents of higher thought were diverted 
 aside from the Church's main channels 
 by the secession of the Nonjurors. They 
 ran comparatively underground for up- 
 wards of a century, only appearing here 
 and there in individual cases, witnessed 
 to by a few, of whom Robert Nelson 
 and Bishop Wilson are prominent ex-
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 amples, but destined not to rise again to 
 the surface, nor indeed to be regarded as 
 the Church's true inheritance, till the 
 Oxford movement. John Keble had 
 Nonjurors for his progenitors, and this 
 may partly account for the fact, that to 
 him, as to Pusey, the great revival, now 
 spreading more and more throughout the 
 length and breadth of the land, was seen 
 at once to be the natural and legitimate 
 aspect of the Church of England. 
 
 It is not that this volume attempts to 
 portray the state of the Church at the 
 time here spoken of — the interval pre- 
 ceding the Great Rebellion ; but it has, as 
 I believe, its value in illustrating the 
 currents of thought prevailing at the time, 
 and thus marks the characteristic ten- 
 dencies then acknowledged to be the 
 groundwork of future progress. Nicholas 
 Ferrar's life and work give the most
 
 INTRODUCTION. XI 
 
 detailed view we possess of the religious 
 feelings and habits of a private family, 
 and thus serve to paint in some degree 
 the character of the period. 
 
 From its bearing, therefore, on the history 
 of the Church of England at a very critical 
 time, as well as for the sake of the records 
 it supplies of a deeply religious life, bent 
 not only on personal holiness, but also on 
 practical usefulness, I venture to recom- 
 mend the work, hoping that it may tend 
 to promote and deepen the interest now 
 happily felt more and more widely in 
 tracing throughout the records of the 
 Church of England the continuous life 
 of the higher forms of devotion, which 
 have ever characterized the Catholic Com- 
 munion. 
 
 T. T. CARTER. 
 
 Clewer, 
 
 October, 1892.
 
 AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 
 
 It is with sincere diffidence that this 
 volume is offered to the pubhc. It aims 
 at presenting the history of Nicholas 
 Ferrar in somewhat fuller relation to the 
 life of his times, than was permitted by 
 the scope of previous biographers ; but 
 a sense of the inadequacy with which this 
 aim is fulfilled has deepened with the 
 writing of each succeeding chapter. 
 
 The chief excuse for its publication lies 
 in the fact than on two points of interest 
 — the dedication of the " Maiden Sisters " 
 and the history of the Concordances of 
 Holy Scripture, the making of which 
 formed so large a portion of the occu-
 
 xiv AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 
 
 pations of Gidding — additional information 
 has come to light since the appearance of 
 the most recent of the Lives of Nicholas 
 Ferrar. 
 
 Most grateful thanks are tendered to 
 A. G. Peskitt, Esq., Librarian of Magda- 
 lene College, Cambridge, for his kind 
 permission to see and make extracts from 
 some of the deeply interesting letters 
 (hitherto unpublished) which have been 
 lately found among the Ferrar manuscripts 
 in the library of his college ; to Harold 
 Mapletoft Davis, Esq., for the loan of a 
 manuscript volume of extracts from the 
 Life of Ferrar by Francis Turner, the 
 non-juring Bishop of Ely, and of tran- 
 scripts from the Gidding " Conversation 
 books," of which the originals are now in 
 Australia; to Captain J. E. Acland, for 
 permission to use his Catalogue of the 
 Gidding Concordances, printed in the
 
 AUTHOR'S PREFACE. XV 
 
 Archceologia for 1888; and to others who 
 have kindly helped in various ways, not 
 least to the present owner of Little Gid- 
 ding, the Rev, William Hopkinson, and 
 Mrs. Hopkinson, to whose kindness the 
 author is indebted for the sight of the 
 fields amid which Nicholas Ferrar lived, 
 the church in which he prayed, and the 
 grave close by in which he now lies. 
 
 The Lives of Ferrar already issued 
 are five in number. The first is the 
 •'Memoirs of the Life of Mr. Nicholas 
 Ferrar, by P. Peckard, D.D., Master of 
 Magdalene College, Cambridge : Cam- 
 bridge, Archdeacon, 1790," founded on 
 an unpublished Memoir of Nicholas Ferrar 
 by his brother John, and other family 
 papers, of which Dr. Peckard became 
 possessed through his wife, a descendant 
 of the Ferrars. The value of this work 
 is somewhat impaired by the author's
 
 xvi AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 
 
 obvious wish to tone down the peculiarities 
 of his subject to suit the taste of his own 
 day. 
 
 Next comes the " Brief Memoirs of 
 Nicholas Ferrar, M.A., and Fellow of 
 Clare- Hall, Cambridge, Founder of a 
 Protestant Religious Establishment at 
 Little Gidding, Huntingdonshire. By a 
 Clergyman of the Established Church," 
 published at Bristol by J. Chilcot in 1829. 
 This book passed through two editions, 
 in the second of which, published by 
 Nisbet in 1837, is given the name of the 
 author, the Rev. T. M. Macdonogh. It 
 is founded, as stated in the preface, on 
 an unpublished Life by Bishop Turner, 
 or rather on extracts from that Life, 
 printed in the Christian Magazine for 
 1 761. This magazine is now difficult to 
 find, but the manuscript Life, belonging to 
 Mr. Mapletoft Davis, which has been for
 
 AUTHOR'S PREFACE. XVll 
 
 some time preserved in his family, is 
 evidently either the draught or a copy of 
 these extracts. It is entitled " Life of 
 Nicholas Ferrar, by the Right Rev. Dr. 
 Turner, formerly Lord Bishop of Ely." 
 In a short preface the transcriber of the 
 manuscript states, that " the following 
 curious and instructive Life was drawn 
 up by Bishop Turner, whose manuscript 
 papers are now before us." He adds that 
 "as the Life is rather too long for our 
 pamphlet " (qu. the Christian Magazine), 
 " even divided, we have taken the liberty 
 to abridge some particulars in the Bishop's 
 account, and now and then to alter a phrase 
 or two of his language, which through 
 length of time is rather in some places 
 become obsolete." On comparing this 
 manuscript with Mr. Macdonogh's book, 
 it appears that he has followed it almost 
 word for word, even to assigning February
 
 AUTHOR'S PREFACE, 
 
 I St as the day of Ferrar's birth, a tran- 
 scriber's error for 21st, the date given in 
 another copy of Turner's Life to be men- 
 tioned presently. The incidents omitted 
 from these extracts are also omitted from 
 his memoir, except in a few instances, in 
 which Peckard's Life has obviously been 
 made use of to fill up gaps. 
 
 In 1852 Messrs. Masters published an 
 abridgment of Peckard's " Life of Nicholas 
 Ferrar," to which is appended particulars 
 of the state of Gidding Church at that 
 time. 
 
 Last in order of publication, but earliest 
 written, and incomparably first in interest 
 and value, is the " Two Lives of Ferrar," 
 edited in 1855 by the Rev. J. E. B. Mayor 
 for his " Cambridge in the Seventeenth 
 Century " (Macmillan, Cambridge), to 
 which are added selections from the Col- 
 lett Letters, and " Some observations that
 
 AUTHOR'S PREFACE. XI x 
 
 happened upon these fore-named works 
 done at Gidding," containing an account 
 of the last days of Nicholas Ferrar, 
 Junior, by John Ferrar : reprinted from 
 Wordsworth's " Ecclesiastical Biography." 
 The original manuscript of the " Obser- 
 vations " is in the Library at Lambeth. 
 The first of the '* Two Lives " consists 
 of extracts made by the Rev. Thomas 
 Baker, the celebrated antiquarian and Non- 
 juror, from the original memoir of Nicholas 
 Ferrar by his brother. The second is 
 entitled by Mr. Mayor, " Life of Nicholas 
 Ferrar, by Dr. J ebb," because it is so called 
 in the manuscript from which it is printed ; 
 but he says, " What is certain is, that the 
 Life is in substance, and generally in expres- 
 sion, Turner's." This life by Dr. Jebb is 
 identical except for the occasional altera- 
 tion of a single word or short phrase, with 
 Mr. Mapletoft Davis's manuscript as far as
 
 XX . AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 
 
 the two go together, but it contains many 
 passages omitted in the latter. It is not, 
 however, a complete copy of Turner's lifcj 
 for some points are left out, e.g. the ac- 
 count of the night watch ings, and of the 
 setting up of old Mrs. Ferrar's tablet, both 
 of which are given in the manuscript. It 
 is curious that both the Life by Turner, and 
 the Memoir by John Ferrar, have been 
 lost sight of in their original form, and are 
 known to us by extracts only. 
 
 From the " Two Lives " and the copious 
 notes with which they are illustrated, these 
 pages are, with the Rev. J. E. B. Mayor's 
 kind permission, chiefly drawn. The 
 author feels unable sufficiently to express 
 her obligations to Mr. Mayor's work. She 
 owes to it not only the rich store of 
 material accumulated in the Notes and 
 Appendix, to much of which she could 
 have gained access in no other way, but
 
 AUTHOR'S PREFACE. XXI 
 
 also guidance and suggestions as to further 
 search. 
 
 The frontispiece has been engraved 
 with much care by Mr. C. J. Tomkins, by 
 the kind permission of the Rev. the Hon. 
 L. Neville, Master of Magdalene College, 
 Cambridge, from the portrait of Nicholas 
 Ferrar by Cornelius Janssen in Magdalene 
 Lodge, with some assistance, the picture 
 being in parts indistinct, from the engrav- 
 ing published by P. W. Tomkins in 1791, 
 which is to be found in some copies of 
 Peckard's Life of Ferrar. The view of 
 the church of Little Gidding, with the 
 grave of Nicholas Ferrar, facing page 277, 
 is from a drawing made on the spot by the 
 author.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 1593-1613 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Childhood and Youth i 
 
 CHAPTER H. 
 
 1613-1618. 
 
 Foreign Travel 21 
 
 CHAPTER HI, 
 
 1618-1625. 
 
 The Council of Virginia— Parliament .... 49 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 1625, 1626. 
 
 Ferrar prepares for a Life of Religious Retire- 
 ment — The Purchase of Gidding— His Ordi- 
 nation 80
 
 XXIV CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER V, 
 1626-1628. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Family established at Gidding— Manner of 
 
 Life and Occupations 106 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 1628-1632. 
 
 The Maiden Sisters 132 
 
 CHAPTER Vn. 
 Some Family Letters ... 166 
 
 CHAPTER VHL 
 
 Descriptive Catalogue of the Concordances made 
 
 at Gidding 182 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Restoration of Leighton Church — Nicholas 
 
 Ferrar's Work as a Translator .... 201 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 1633- 
 Death of George Herbert — Publication of "The 
 
 Temple" — Acquaintance with Crashaw 
 
 . 2.^0
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 1633-1637. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 UnfrieiNdly Criticism — Mrs. Ferrar restores the 
 Glebe Land— Bishop Williams at Gidding— 
 Ferrar's Visit to Williams in Prison . . • 240 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 I 634- 1637. 
 
 Death ov Mrs. Ferrar— Last Years, Illness, and 
 
 Death of Nicholas Ferrar 53 
 
 CHAPTER XIII, 
 
 I 637-1 642. 
 
 Nicholas Ferrar, Junior— Publication of "The 
 Arminian Nunnery" — Bishop Williams's Visi- 
 tation — The King at Gidding 278 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 1642 — 1660. 
 
 Gidding during the Civil War — John Ferrar 
 plans another Polyglott — The King's Last 
 Visit — Sack of Gidding — Return of the 
 Family— Deaths of John Ferrar and Mr. 
 and Mrs. Collett 300
 
 XXVi CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 1 660- 1 720. 
 
 FAGB 
 
 Last Notices of Mary Collett — Some Account 
 OF HER Nephew and Adopted Son, Dr. John 
 Mapletoft— The End 321
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 
 A.D. 1593— 1613. 
 
 " To be particular, I am of that reformed, new-cast religion, 
 wherein I dislike nothing but the name. Of the same belief our 
 Saviour taught, the apostles disseminated, the fathers authorized, 
 and the martyrs confirmed ; but by the sinister ends of princes, 
 the ambition and avarice of prelates, and the fatal corruption of 
 times, so decayed, impaired, and fallen from its native beauty, 
 that it required the careful and charitable hands of these times 
 to restore it to its primitive integrity." — SiR T. Browne, 
 Religio Medici. 1630. 
 
 A KEEN interest attaches to periods of growth and 
 reconstruction, and to none more than to that time, 
 so remote from our own day, and yet so closely 
 linked with it, in which the English Church, just 
 recovering from the struggle and shock of the Refor- 
 mation, gathered its strength together, and, resting 
 for awhile from the heat of battle, gave itself to the 
 task of building up once more the devotional life of 
 its people. 
 
 No doubt reform had been sadly needed, but quiet 
 people, indisposed for controversy, who only longed 
 
 B
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 to serve God in peace, must often have found their 
 lives very cold and bare during those first years of 
 separation. The old forms of piety in which their 
 parents had been trained were broken up ; the daily 
 Sacrifice was no longer offered; the Religious Life was 
 wholly swept away; the very churches themselves 
 were often suffered to go to ruin. "The people," 
 says Clarendon,^ "took so htde care of the churches, 
 and the parsons so little of the chancels, that, instead 
 of beautifying and adorning them in any degree, they 
 rarely provided against the falling of many of their 
 churches, and suffered them at least to be kept so 
 indecently and slovenly, that they would not have 
 endured it in the ordinary offices of their own houses ; 
 the rain and wind to infest them, and the sacra- 
 ments themselves to be administered where the 
 people had most mind to receive them." When 
 Bishop Williams became Dean of Westminster in 
 1619, he found the Abbey Church in such decay 
 "that all that passed by and loved the honour of 
 God's house shook their heads at the stones that 
 dropped down from the pinnacles."'^ 
 
 If we try to picture to ourselves the daily life of 
 England in the beginning of the seventeenth century, 
 it seems at first sight as if men had grown so weary 
 of the controversy and persecution which had so long 
 
 • Clarendon, " History of Rebellion," Boole I. 
 = liackct's "Life of Archbishop Williams," i. 55.
 
 CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 
 
 been associated with the name of reHgion, that they 
 tried to put the subject from them, and to forget 
 everything that could recall the fires of Smithfield, or 
 the fierce vengeance that followed the Rising of the 
 North. 
 
 When we endeavour to trace the features of this 
 perplexing time in the pages of its greatest writer, we 
 find in his vast gallery of portraits every type of 
 character save one — the religious enthusiast. The 
 plays of Shakespeare burn with a passion of patriotism. 
 We find in them the intellectual difficulties of the 
 time, and its strange superstitions, its lofty refine- 
 ment, its love of state and splendour, side by side 
 with its pleasure in coarse buffoonery. There, too, 
 we see the keen and new delight in outward nature, 
 the wild spirit of adventure, the thirst after fresh 
 fields of thought and knowledge, which mark the 
 century ; but we look in vain for a trace of the spirit 
 which made Latimer rejoice, while the faggots were 
 heaped round him, that he was about to light a candle 
 in England which should not be soon put out ; and 
 prompted the dying words of the Jesuit Campion, 
 "To be condemned with these old lights, by their 
 degenerate descendants, is both gladness and glory 
 tous."i 
 
 For a while, overwhelmed by the splendour of the 
 State, by golden dreams of the New World, the 
 ' Quoted in Church Quarterly, April, 1S79.
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 religious question seemed to vanish out of sight ; 
 but underneath the magnificent England of the 
 Court and of literature there lay another England — 
 the England of the people. Impatient of change, 
 unforgetful, indifferent, for the most part, to the 
 charm of high culture ; sober-minded, dutiful, religious 
 to the core, this inner England grew in silence and 
 shadow, slowly gathering to itself some of the 
 choicest spirits among those who felt that the thirst 
 of their soul could not be quenched at the fountains 
 of the Renaissance. One of the finest scholars of the 
 time has recorded, in well-known verses, his pursuit 
 of the learning and the splendour of the world, and 
 his sense of its insufficiency to fill the heart. 
 
 " I know the ways of learning ; both the head 
 And pipes that feed the press, and make it run ; 
 What Reason hath from Nature borrowed, 
 Or of itself, like a good housewife, spun, 
 In laws and policy ; what the stars conspire, 
 What willing Nature speaks, what, forced by fire ; 
 Both the old discoveries, and the new-found seas, 
 The stock and surplus, cause and history : 
 All these stand open, or I have the keys — 
 
 Yet I love Thee. 
 
 *' I know the ways of Pleasure, the sweet strains. 
 The lullings and the relishes of it ; 
 The propositions of hot blood and brains ; 
 What mirth and music mean ; what love and \\it 
 Have done these twenty hundred years and more ; 
 I know the projects of unbridled store :
 
 CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 
 
 My stuff is flesh, not brass ; my senses live, 
 And grumble oft, that they have more in me 
 Than He that curbs them, being but one to five : 
 Yet I love Thee."' 
 
 So wrote George Herbert when, after a long 
 struggle, he put aside his dreams of Court favour 
 and devoted himself to the priesthood ; and no 
 doubt he spoke the thoughts of many silent students 
 in the Cambridge of his day. Gradually the life of 
 the English Church, as we know it, grew into shape. 
 
 Among the contemporary records from which we 
 obtain glimpses of this growing life, few are more 
 interesting than the " Memoir of Nicholas Ferrar," 
 by his brother John, from which the biography here 
 attempted is chiefly drawn.'-* 
 
 The father of the family, Nicholas Ferrar the elder, 
 is a fine type of the great merchants of London ; 
 well-born, loyal (he " was written Esquire by Queen 
 EUzabeth " in return for liberal assistance), hot- 
 tempered, generous-hearted, a man of wide sympathies, 
 gathering many of the notable men of the day round 
 the hospitable table of his fine house in the City ; a 
 zealous Churchman, repairing and seating, at his own 
 expense, his parish church of St. Sythe,^ and providing 
 
 » G. Herbert, "The Pearl." « See Preface. 
 
 'Commonly called "St. Bennet Sherehog," in honour, 
 according to Stowe, of an earlier restorer, one Benedict Shorne 
 or Shrog. Later authorities consider this derivation as doubtful.
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 a morning preacher for the same, the congregation 
 having apparently gone sermonless until he brought 
 Francis White, afterwards Bishop of Ely, to town, and 
 made him their first lecturer. Mr. Ferrar's portrait, 
 by Janssen, is to be seen at Cambridge in the Masters' 
 Lodge at Magdalene College — a fine open face, with 
 uprightness and honesty in every line. 
 
 His wife, Mary Woodnoth, of the ancient family of 
 the Woodnoths of Shavington, was a remarkable 
 woman, gifted with the same singular power of im- 
 pressing her own personality on those around her, 
 which was one of the most marked characteristics of 
 her son Nicholas. Her portrait hangs beside her 
 husband's. The firm delicate lines of her finely cut 
 features, the exquisitely fair complexion, the noble 
 and serious countenance, suit well with the description 
 which is given of her in the memoirs of her son. 
 
 We are told that she was beautiful, bright-haired, 
 and fair, upright even to her eightieth year; highly 
 educated, of a strong judgment, a wise and even 
 temper, so that her choleric husband declared that in 
 their five-and-forty years of married life she had never 
 given him cause for anger ; a woman who did not 
 talk much, but whose word was a law in her little 
 world, and whose discreet, careful, charitable life was 
 grounded in deep love and study of the will of God. 
 
 Nicholas and Mary Ferrar were the parents of seven 
 children, of whom the fourth is the subject of this
 
 CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 
 
 sketch. His affectionate brother and biographer tells 
 us that the little Nicholas was a lovely child, with his 
 mother's bright hair, the petted favourite of the 
 family and their many friends. Of the other children, 
 some died young. One, Richard, a merchant like 
 his father, grew up careless and unthrifty, the black 
 sheep of the household, and passes out of sight. 
 Susannah only, and John, stand out clear and distinct 
 in the family records. We read Susannah's character 
 in her letters, of which a number have been preserved. 
 She appears in them as an energetic, affectionate 
 woman, a wise counsellor to her many children, 
 falling, as every one else did, under the strong in- 
 fluence of her mother and her brother Nicholas, but 
 not always, as we gather, fully agreeing with them, 
 though she gives in dutifully to their wishes. John, 
 short and dark— following the Ferrar side of the 
 house probably — an excellent man of business, clear- 
 sighted and upright, humble above all things, and 
 self-effacing, seems to have been one of those men 
 who live only for others. Not brilliant, remarkable in 
 no way, little spoken of, he is yet the member of his 
 family whom no one can do without. 
 
 Dr. Lindsell, Bishop of Hereford, the lifelong friend 
 of Mrs. Ferrar (whom he held in such affectionate 
 regard that he was himself accustomed to call her 
 " mother "), and the tutor of her son Nicholas, gives 
 a pleasant picture of the household in its happy early
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 time, when the mother was constantly to be found 
 sitting at work with her children and maids around 
 her, singing psalms with them, and hearing them read 
 chapters in the Bible, and stories from the " Book of 
 Martyrs," the Acta Sanctorum of those days. They 
 had family prayer twice a day, a clergyman generally 
 residing in the house to act as chaplain. Even on a 
 journey this was not omitted, and they were careful to 
 attend the church services on Wednesdays and Fridays, 
 as well as on Sundays. The good bishop rather 
 quaintly computes that Mrs. Ferrar must have heard, 
 in the course of her life, as many as twelve thousand 
 sermons, adding, "What good use she made of all 
 these things, let the world speak of it ; her deeds will 
 praise her in the gates of the City, and in the country, 
 in the open fields abroad." ^ 
 
 In this atmosphere of religion and good works, 
 Nicholas Ferrar was born on the 22nd of February, 
 1593, and baptized in the small parish church of 
 St. Mary, *' called Stayning because it standeth at the 
 north end of Stayning Lane" (a little street once 
 chiefly inhabited by " painter-stainers," near Wood 
 Street, Cheapside), on the 28th of the same month, a 
 day " which he registered as more memorable than his 
 birthday, esteeming it, as he ought, a greater favour 
 
 * " Life of Nicholas Ferrar," by his brother, p. 60, the first 
 of the two lives of Ferrar, edited by Rev. J. E. B. Mayor, in the 
 first vol. of " Cambridge in the Seventeenth Centurj'."
 
 CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 
 
 to be received into the Catholic Church than to come 
 into the world." ^ 
 
 He was an active, graceful child, quick-witted, 
 gifted with a strong memory, and great perseverance 
 (he had the Psalter by heart at seven or eight years 
 old), and the precocious love of books which often 
 accompanies delicate health. His brother relates 
 that he would often forget his meals while he pored over 
 the "English Chronicle," or the "Book of Martyrs," 
 quaint old folios which were new then, and of which 
 the last had a touch of personal interest. The little 
 boy learnt by heart the story of Robert Ferrar, 
 Bishop of St. David's, burnt at Carmarthen in 1555, 
 " for his name's sake," though it does not appear that 
 there was any relationship. 
 
 His keen and eager spirit broke forth on occasion 
 in these childish days, showing itself sometimes in I 
 an oddly original fashion. When about six years old 
 he was brought to be confirmed, and having duly ' 
 received "the laying-on of hands," and, it is to be 
 supposed, returned to his place with his companions, ' 
 he contrived to slip away and again present himself " 
 to the bishop, who, naturally thinking that he saw 
 before him a new candidate, confirmed him afresh. 
 " I did it because it was a good thing to have the 
 bishop's prayers and blessing twice ; and I have got 
 it!" said little Nicholas, triumphantly, when called 
 to account for this irregular proceeding. 
 » Life, by Dr. Jehb.
 
 lo LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 His childish fancies seemed to foreshadow his 
 future vocation. " Make my bands little and plain, 
 like those of Mr. Wotton, for I would be a preacher 
 as he is," he said one day to his mother, when she 
 was making for the children the dainty lace-trimmed 
 collars with which we are familiar in the portraits of 
 
 the time. 
 
 He was not eight years old, when it was resolved 
 to send him to join his elder brothers at Emborne, 
 near Newbury, where was a school famous for its 
 healthful situation and the careful and religious 
 discipline maintained therein. 
 
 Stirred, no doubt, and excited by the prospect of 
 this new life, his sensitive nature wrought up to the 
 highest point, he underwent an experience singular 
 in such a young child, and remarkable for its abiding 
 influence on his mind and heart. One night as he 
 lay alone in his little bed, he was tempted to doubt 
 the existence of God, and whether it were possible to 
 render Him an acceptable service. Unable to shake 
 off the horror of these thoughts, and perhaps unwilling 
 to be found weeping by the other children, he got up, 
 went downstairs, and stole out into the garden, and 
 then threw himself on his face on the grass, in an 
 agony of prayer and tears, and " earnestly, with all his 
 strength, humbly begged of God that He would put 
 into his heart the true fear and awe of His Divine 
 Majesty, and that this fear and love of God might
 
 CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 
 
 never depart out of his mind, and that he might know 
 how he must serve Him. After much bitter weeping 
 he felt his heart much eased, and comforts began to 
 come to it, and to have an assurance of God, and the 
 doubt began to pass away and his heart was much 
 cheered. He then rose up and went up to his 
 chamber to bed again, but could not sleep but little ; 
 yet he found daily more and more confirmation in his 
 soul, and so had all his lifetime after a more than 
 ordinary fear of God in him, and His presence, which 
 continued till his dying day." "Two things," says 
 Dr. John Worthington, " in that night's holy exercise 
 were so imprinted in the heart and mind of the child, 
 that they came fresh into his memory every day of his 
 life. (This he told me more than once two or three 
 years before his death.) The one was the joy and 
 sweetness which he did in that watching night 
 conceive and feel in his heart; the other was the 
 gracious promise which God made to him to bless and 
 keep him all his whole life so that he would con- 
 stantly fear God and keep his commandments." " This 
 invocation," adds the writer just quoted, " and fervent 
 prayer of this child, stirred up in him by the Spirit 
 and grace of God, was so followed by the same Spirit 
 in an evident effectual vocation of him, that it resem- 
 bleth the calling of Samuel when he was yet a child." ^ 
 
 * Account by Dr. Worthington, printed in Hearne, " Caii 
 Vindiciss."
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 \ 
 
 Mr. Brooke, the headmaster of Emborne, seems to 
 have been a born schoolmaster; he loved his work, 
 and " forsook the noise of a great city to preside 
 over children in a country retirement, believing his 
 charitable pains amply rewarded by the prayers of 
 such happy innocents." He appears to have bestowed 
 equal care on the religious and secular instruction of 
 his pupils. The children had set times for learning 
 the Psalter and the Epistles and Gospels, as well 
 as the Catechism, and we are told that none of the 
 scholars " performed their tasks of this kind (nor 
 indeed of any kind) so constantly, carefully, and 
 easily " as did Nicholas Ferrar. The work of the 
 school would seem to have been hard, and the dis- 
 cipline severe, but the child had the true scholar's 
 temperament, which loves learning for its own sake, 
 and his retentive memory made his tasks the easier, 
 though perhaps his frail health and high-strung nerves 
 (he would steal away and cry when praised) may be 
 partly traceable to overwork. 
 
 In 1606 his master declared him fit for the Uni- 
 versity, saying that he would lose precious time by 
 remaining longer at Emborne, and he was entered at 
 Cambridge, as a pensioner at Clare Hall, before he 
 had completed his thirteenth year. 
 
 This does not appear to have shown extraordinary 
 precocity; at that time boys commonly went to the 
 Universities at a much earlier age than is now usual.
 
 CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH 13 
 
 Laud, when Chancellor of Oxford, forbade the 
 establishment of a riding school, " for the gentlemen 
 there are most part too young and not strong 
 enough," Lord Herbert of Cherbury, the elder 
 brother of the poet, was sent to Oxford at twelve. 
 Bacon entered Trinity at the same age, and pro- 
 bably Nicholas Ferrar found other undergraduates 
 as young as himself among his fellow pensioners at 
 Clare. 1 
 
 The discipline of the colleges was suited to the age 
 of the students, the tutors exercising a close super- 
 vision over their studies and conduct. " What pains 
 he would take with those under him," was said by an 
 old pupil of a famous scholar ^ of that time ; ** and 
 among other things what excellent lectures he would 
 deliver to them of piety and instruction from the 
 chapter that was read on nights in his chamber," 
 — and Mede gathered his pupils in his chamber 
 each evening "to satisfy him that they had per- 
 formed the task he had set them," and before dis- 
 missing them to their lodgings "by prayer commended 
 
 * Instances may be found much nearer our own times. Both 
 Mr. J. Keble and the late Dr. Copleston, Bishop of Llandaff, were 
 elected scholars of Corpus before they were fifteen. — Coleridge, 
 " Life of Keble." 
 
 - Henry More, quoted by Mr. J. B. Mullinger, "Cambridge 
 Characteristics in the Seventeenth Century," to which book the 
 writer is indebted for the notices of Cambridge life in tliis 
 chapter.
 
 14 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 them and their studies to God's protection and 
 blessing." ^ 
 
 Ferrar's tutor was the senior Fellow of his college, 
 Augustine Lindsell, afterwards Bishop first of Peter- 
 borough, and then of Hereford. The close and 
 kindly relationship begun at Clare lasted through the 
 life of Ferrar, and had a strong influence on his 
 character. " Nick," the bishop would sometimes say 
 to his old pupil when he saw the austerities of his 
 later years, "whither will you go? what example will 
 you give us?" "Nay, tutor," he would reply, "you 
 are to answer to God for this. Why did you com- 
 mend unto me, and made me (being so young at 
 college as I was) to read the lives of all the holy men 
 of old time, and saints of God, the good fathers of 
 the Church, and of those good men in our later 
 times even in the Church of England, the saints and 
 holy martyrs ? Was it that I might only know the 
 good things that they did? And what was that to 
 me, if you intended not, or that I should not endea- 
 vour to fit and frame my lips, in all I could, by the 
 assistance of Almighty God's good grace and spirit, 
 to do and to live as they did, as much as was in my 
 poor power to do ? " -^ 
 
 He spent seven years at Cambridge, winning golden 
 opinions. The "sweet mixture in him of gravity with 
 
 ' Mr. MuUinger, ibid. 
 
 ^ " Life of Nicholas Fcnar," by liis brother, p. 76,
 
 CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 15 
 
 affability, and modesty with civility," is affectionately 
 remembered long after his death by a senior member 
 of his college. Dr. Byng. " His comportment was 
 such in all respects as that it was exemplary, not only 
 to his puisnes and compeers, but to many who were 
 much his ancients, who were all so much pleased with 
 his company as that they thought themselves happiest 
 who most enjoyed it," he writes in 1654 to a mutual 
 friend, also a Fellow of Clare, Barnabas Oley.^ 
 
 Chief among these " ancients " were his friend and 
 physician, Dr. Butler, and the " excellent comedian," 
 Mr. Ruggles, author of a Latin play which was per- 
 formed by the Fellows of Clare for the amusement of 
 James I., on one of his frequent visits to Cambridge. 
 Of his " puisnes and compeers " one would like to 
 know more. 
 
 One whose name was afterwards closely linked 
 with his own, George Herbert, came up to Trinity in 
 1608, but there is no sign that the two young men 
 formed any acquaintance. Herbert was a year 
 younger, and combined with his brilliant scholarship 
 " a genteel humour for clothes and courtly company," 
 keeping carefully out of the way of his inferiors, 
 among whom he would probably have reckoned the 
 merchant's son at Clare. 
 
 There is indeed no trace of friendships formed by 
 Ferrar at this time among his contemporaries. Per- 
 
 ' Quoted by Mr. Mayor in his notes to "Two Lives."
 
 i6 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 haps the boy, though so greatly beloved by his elders, 
 was considered rather old-fashioned and sententious 
 by his young companions. There was a precocious 
 gravity about him ; his natural seriousness was deepened 
 by family sorrows. He writes to his parents of his 
 "dearest brother Erasmus, and your other children 
 that are departed in the Lord ; " and we have glimpses 
 of deep melancholy, of an inward strife that rose at 
 time to anguish. " My soul hath been almost rent," 
 he writes ; " I may truly say that from youth up Thy 
 terrors have I suffered with a troubled mind." His 
 talents were of a sort to delight his teachers more 
 than his equals. He was thoughtful rather than 
 brilliant or original, and though he possessed in a 
 high degree the magnetic influence which enables some 
 men to draw their fellows round them and rule them 
 as by right divine, the current was not so much 
 an intellectual as a spiritual force, and acted mainly 
 on those whose hearts were awake to spiritual in- 
 fluences. 
 
 He worked so hard that his window was known by 
 the light which glimmered earliest in the winter morn- 
 ings, and was last put out at night ; and he was con- 
 stant in his attendance at the chapel services, " offici- 
 ating " (by reading the chapters ?) " as regularly as if 
 he had been the college conduct," a regularity which 
 implied more effort than in our more luxurious days, 
 as the chapel bell rang at five in the morning, and
 
 CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 17 
 
 prayers were sometimes followed by a homily from 
 one of the fellows. 
 
 His principal recreation (it is the only one of which 
 his biographers make any mention) was found in visits 
 to his eldest sister, Susannah, married in 1600 to Mr. 
 John Collett, and now settled at Bourne, about ten 
 miles from Cambridge. He took from the first a 
 deep interest in her children, " catechising and giving 
 them fatherly counsel." He was not more than seven- 
 teen or eighteen when he assumed this position, as 
 adviser in the gravest matters ; and it is a striking 
 proof of the influence which he already possessed over 
 those who knew him best, that Mrs. Collett, a woman 
 of strong character, with the experience of several 
 years of married life, seems from the first to have 
 accepted his aid in the training of her family with 
 unquestioning gratitude. 
 
 His studies were broken by frequent fits of ague, 
 then one of the commonest of English illnesses, and 
 the system of starvation by which his friend Dr. Butler 
 tried to keep it down, " though very agreeable to his 
 patient, who was so great a lover of abstinence " 
 proved, when added to the lowering effects of the 
 damp air of Cambridge, a very inefificient cure. 
 
 In 1 6 ID, after the commendable performance of 
 his acts " in scholis publicis," he was made Bachelor 
 of Arts, and soon after elected Fellow of his college, 
 where he continued to reside until the end of the 
 
 c
 
 l8 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 winter of 1612-13. He was to receive his M.A. 
 degree in the following midsummer, and had already 
 performed "all private and public acts" — which no 
 doubt included the disputations maintained in the 
 College Hall, and also in St. Mary's before the Uni- 
 versity, then customary before the taking of each 
 degree (and which until the establishment of the 
 Tripos were the only public tests of proficiency) — 
 " with approbation of the college and University, and 
 to his own high commendation," when his attacks of 
 ague, which had for some time been increasing in 
 severity, became so serious, that Dr. Butler advised 
 him to leave Cambridge at once, without waiting to 
 take his degree, and try if he could recruit his health 
 by foreign travel. 
 
 His parents were greatly averse to this step, and it 
 needed strong representations from his tutor to induce 
 them to give their consent. A journey on the Conti- 
 nent was then a serious matter, and it is not wonderful 
 that Mr, and Mrs. Ferrar shrank from exposing their 
 delicate young son to the difficult journeying and 
 wild license of the time ; but Lindsell had full confi- 
 dence in his pupil. " We may hope comfortably to 
 see him again," he assured the anxious parents, " not 
 only improved in learning, but grown in grace; a 
 stock few of our young travellers increase abroad." 
 
 Nicholas himself felt the long journey, the distance 
 and separation from his friends, to be a serious crisis
 
 CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 19 
 
 in his life ; his heart was wrung by the pain of 
 parting, and he was probably too much depressed by 
 illness to take pleasure in the prospect of novelty and 
 excitement which opened before him. 
 
 The " pathetically kind " letter, addressed to his 
 parents, which was found in his study three days 
 after his departure, gives a picture of his feelings. 
 He makes a solemn vow that " if the good Lord God 
 be merciful to me and bring me safe home again, I 
 will all the days of my life serve Him in praising His 
 Holy Name and exhorting others ; yea, in His taber- 
 nacle and in His holy sanctuary will I serve Him, 
 and shall account the lowest place in His house better 
 and more honourable than the greatest crown in the 
 world." But he writes as one who had little hope of 
 a happy return to home and friends \ the keynote of 
 the letter is his tender wish that his parents should 
 have comfort in his death. " If I go before," he says, 
 " you must come shortly after ; think it is but a little 
 forbearance of me. It was God that gave me to you, 
 and if He take me from you, be you not only content 
 but most joyful that I am delivered from this vale of 
 misery and wretchedness. I know that, through the 
 infinite mercy of my gracious God, it shall be my 
 happiness, for I shall then, I know, enjoy perpetual 
 quietness and peace, and be delivered from those 
 perpetual combats and temptations which afflict my 
 poor soul." In a postscript he assures his " dearest
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 brothers and dearest sisters," ^ that " If I live, you 
 shall find me a faithful loving brother unto you all. 
 If I die, I beseech you by the fear of God, by the 
 duty to our parents, by the bond of nature, by the 
 love you bear me, that you all agree in perfect love 
 and amity, and account every one the other's burden 
 to be his ; so may plenty and prosperity dwell among 
 you." And he ends with a request that in case of his 
 death £% of his books may be given to the college ; 
 some to his " worthy tutor Lindsell and Cousin 
 Theophilus ; " and if any of my sister's sons prove a 
 scholar, the rest may be given to him." - 
 
 The letter is dated, " This tenth day of April, 
 1613, being Sunday," just a fortnight before he left 
 England. 
 
 * His own sister, Susannah CoUett, his brother John's first 
 wife, who died in the following summer. 
 
 * Copied by Jebb from John Ferrar's MSS. Peckard has 
 omitted several passages.
 
 CHAPTER ir. 
 
 FOREIGN TRAVEL. 
 A.D, 1613-1618. 
 
 " The mind of man is this world's true dimension, 
 And knowledge is the measure of the minde ; 
 And as the minde, in her vast comprehension. 
 Contains more worlds than all the world can fmdc, 
 So knowledge doth itself farre more extend, 
 Than all the minds of men can comprehend. 
 
 " A climing heiglit it is without a head, 
 Depth without bottome, way without an end, 
 A circle witli no line environed ; 
 Not comprehended, all it comprehends ; 
 Worth infinite, yet satisfies no minde 
 Till it that infinite of the God-heade finde." 
 FuLKE Greville, Lord Brooke, 1554 — 1628. 
 
 While Nicholas Ferrar, with a sinking heart, prepared 
 to leave Cambridge, his friends were exerting them- 
 selves to make his departure as pleasant and honour- 
 able as possible. The University, by a special grace, 
 granted his M.A. degree three months before the 
 customary time ; and Dr. Scott, the Master of Clare, 
 procured for him a place in the household of the
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 Princess Elizabeth, then newly married to the Elector 
 Palatine, so that he might begin his foreign life under 
 distinguished patronage. 
 
 In the beginning of Lent the bridegroom visited 
 Cambridge, accompanied by Prince Charles and a 
 " comely concourse " of gentlemen, both English and 
 German, and received a splendid welcome from the 
 University. It was probably on this occasion that the 
 young Fellow of Clare was first brought to his notice. 
 
 Bishop Racket gives an amusing description of 
 the public disputation which formed one of the most 
 important features of the entertainment. This acade- 
 mical tournament took place, according to the usual 
 custom, in St. Mary's, which was scaffolded for the 
 occasion, and filled with " the most judicious of the 
 who^.e island," Avho listened with delighted interest while , 
 Mr. Samuel Collins " stood in the gap, to maintain 
 the truth in three theses against all assailants." " No 
 flood," cries the bishop, rapturously, "can be com- 
 pared to the springtide of his eloquence, but the 
 milky river of Nilus with his Seven Mouths all at 
 once disembogueing into the sea. Oh, how voluble, 
 how quick, how facetious he was ! What a Ver- 
 tumnus when he pleased to argue on the right side 
 or on the contrary ! These things will be living in 
 the memory of the longest survivor that ever heard 
 him." 1 
 
 » " Life of Archbishop Williams." .
 
 FOREIGN TRAVEL. ' 23 
 
 No doubt Nicholas Ferrar, who, though not of 
 sufficient age or importance to figure on such a great 
 occasion, was himself an adept in these affrays, was 
 among the admiring crowd, who listened while the 
 combatants plied each other with "as many turns 
 and twists of argument as ever greyhound following 
 a hare on Newmarket Heath," and looked with 
 interest and curiosity on the learned Germans in the 
 Pfalzgrave's train, whose nearer acquaintance he was 
 soon to make. 
 
 The prince and princess sailed from. Margate on 
 April 23. Nicholas Ferrar, no longer in his plain 
 scholar's garb, but splendidly dressed as befitted the 
 attendant of a royal bride, was in their retinue, and 
 with him probably another young Cambridge scholar, 
 Francis Quarles, author of the " Pious Emblems." ^ 
 The voyage to Flushing lasted four days, and in the 
 course of this time, Ferrar lost his ague, cleared away 
 perhaps, as Dr. Butler had predicted, by sea sickness, 
 perhaps also by the keen salt breezes, and the novelty 
 and liveliness of the gay company among whom he 
 travelled — so great a change from the damp air of the 
 fens, and the grave talk of the common-room at Clare. 
 
 From Flushing the bridal party crossed the grey 
 levels, brightened here and there by vivid patches of 
 spring blossom (for the Dutch were already famous 
 
 ' Quarles, who was about a year older than Ferrar was in the 
 princess's service in his early life.
 
 24 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAK. 
 
 gardeners), to the Hague and Amsterdam. Ferrar's 
 attendance does not seem to have been very onerous, 
 for he is said to have made during his stay in the 
 Low Countries, a careful study of the manners and 
 habits of the Dutch, their poUte inventions and 
 ingenious manufactures, their modes of provision for 
 the poor and infirm, and their forms of worship, 
 which were so numerous, that a contemporary 
 traveller tells us that in the street where he lodged 
 " there be near as many religions as houses." 
 
 He won the favour of the princess, and hopes were 
 held out that he might become her secretary (a place 
 subsequently held by Quarles), but a courtier's life 
 was unsuited to his taste, and when she quitted 
 Holland for the Palatinate, he resigned his place in 
 her suite, and continued his journey alone and 
 untrammelled. 
 
 No doubt the grave young scholar was far happier 
 when the first novelty was past, wandering about the 
 quaint crowded streets, " having ever his Dutch book 
 with an English translation in his hand, that he might 
 not lose a moment " ^ in the study of the language, 
 than in following the princess to all the splendid 
 entertainments provided for her by the States ot 
 Holland. One would give a good deal to see the 
 diary which he diligently kept during his years of 
 
 ' The account of Ferrar's travels is taken from "Life of 
 Nicholas Ferrar," by Dr. Jebb.
 
 FOREIGN TRAVEL. 25 
 
 travel. It does not appear that he was greatly 
 attracted by the wonders of painting and architecture. 
 He " did not make it all his business to see sights or 
 to measure the height of towers," being chiefly 
 interested in the new customs, the varying forms of 
 government, the jarring medley of sects among which 
 he found himself, all the confused and dazzling stir of 
 life into which he had come suddenly from his study 
 at Clare. 
 
 He spent some time at Hamburg, where the 
 English merchants, correspondents no doubt of the 
 prosperous Ferrar house, received him warmly. 
 Indeed, their hospitality was so overwhelming, that he 
 was obliged, much to their surprise, to avoid all wine 
 and strong drink, finding moderation impossible at 
 their overflowing tables. Not content with this silent 
 protest, he tried to elevate the tone of his hosts' 
 conversation, in a way that would now seem rather 
 priggish for a youth of twenty, but which was then 
 perhaps considered suitable in a Cambridge scholar. 
 He *' would lead the conversation to some considera- 
 tion of virtue and vice, and would so delicately array 
 the one and disrobe the other, that his conversation 
 was no less pleasing than it was instructive, ever 
 embracing some pertinent and remarkable passages 
 out of sacred and civil history." There must have 
 been some great charm in the manner in which all 
 this youthful wisdom was poured forth, for the kindly
 
 26 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 merchants were "strangely taken" with this "new 
 way of conversation." 
 
 From Hamburg Ferrar proceeded to Leipsic, and 
 there, in the familiar atmosphere of a university town, 
 he settled down to studies so many and so various, 
 that it is no wonder his father wrote to him " not to 
 destroy himself with too much diligence." Besides 
 his attendance at the exercises in the public schools, 
 where his fluent and elegant Latin was much admired, 
 he "made inquiries for the ablest masters in every 
 art, whom he would gain entirely, if gold and good 
 words would gain them, to teach him their mystery." 
 Nothing seemed to come amiss to him, and we are 
 not surprised that he found it desirable to learn a 
 system of artificial memory. " Painters, weavers, 
 dyers, and smiths were much at his lodgings, and at 
 his service, which enabled him to treat with artisans 
 in their proper terms ; he could maintain a dialogue 
 with an architect in his own phrases ; he could 
 talk with the mariners in their sea terms, knowing 
 the word for almost every rope and pin in a ship. 
 Such was his curiosity in all the fine parts of learning 
 and knowledge ; an affection which is last mortified 
 in a polite and a capacious mind, that now made the 
 great world his other book." 
 
 Among other arts in which the Germans greatly 
 excelled the English at that time, was that of en- 
 graving, and the large collection of prints which
 
 FOREIGN TRAVEL. 27 
 
 Ferrar brought home, and of which he afterwards 
 made so much use in the illustration of his Scripture 
 harmonies, was probably begun during his stay in 
 Germany. His talent and industry attracted atten- 
 tion, and his acquaintance was much sought; but 
 he loved a quieter life than could easily be had among 
 the crowd of students who lodged, unbound by any 
 rules of discipline, around the lecture halls of the 
 University, and after a time, no doubt with many 
 longings for his rooms at Clare, for the quiet garden 
 in the shadow of King's, and the noiseless river glid- 
 ing past, he retired to a neighbouring village where 
 he spent his leisure in the study of the best German 
 writers. 
 
 The duration of his stay at Leipsic is un- 
 certain, but it seems most probable that he set out 
 again on his travels in the early summer of 1614. 
 From Leipsic he went to Prague, where he stayed 
 some time; he then visited Nuremburg and Ulm, 
 Spires and Augsburg, noting everything, and saw the 
 splendours of the Imperial Court at Vienna ; but the 
 plague was raging in Southern Germany, and it would 
 seem that he hastened his journey on that account, 
 for it was still winter, apparently the January or 
 February of 1 615, when he crossed the Alps. 
 
 We are not told which course he took, but as he 
 came first to Venetian territory travelling by way of 
 Padua, it seems most likely that his route was through
 
 28 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 the valleys of the Brenner, from Innspruck to Trent, 
 a road which must have been frequented at all seasons 
 of the year. One incident only of this mountain 
 journey is recorded, " Riding one time over some 
 narrow and dangerous passages of the Alps, his guide 
 being but a little way before him, out comes an ass 
 from the side of a hill between him and his guide, 
 laden with a large piece of timber lying across her 
 back, running upon him down the hill, where the way 
 was extremely strait and narrow and steep, as having 
 a wall on the one side and a dreadful descent on the 
 other. His guide, not hearing the tread of his mule, 
 looked behind him, and seeing the ass thus laden and 
 now near him, he cried out, ' O Lord ! O God! the 
 man is lost if he had a hundred lives ! ' " Overhearing 
 the guide's voice, he was amazed, and, looking up, he 
 saw the ass coming down hastily upon him, so that, 
 the wood lying athwart her, he thought it must tumble 
 him and his mule headlong into the dismal valley 
 beneath him ; therefore he instantly called upon God 
 to preserve him, and by His infinite mercy to find 
 some means of delivering him. Just as the ass came 
 upon him she tripped, and with that bowing and 
 sudden violent motion the timber swayed away from 
 him and only gave him a brush on one side as the ass 
 passed quickly by, while he and his mule stood still. 
 Immediately alighting and falling on his face, he 
 made his most humble acknowledgments to Almighty
 
 FOREIGN TRAVEL. 29 
 
 God for his preservation, while the guide and the 
 owner of the ass — who, coming up, told how she broke 
 away as they were loading her — stood crossing them- 
 selves, and crying Miracolo. 
 
 How fair and smiling the sunny slopes of the 
 Southern Alps must have seemed to the traveller 
 now come from the plague-struck German towns over 
 frozen mountain paths ! In some green valley on the 
 edge of the Venetian territory he was detained, not 
 unwillingly, for a quarantine of thirty days. The 
 period of his detention coincided (possibly he had so 
 pre-arranged it) with the Lent fast, " so that he was 
 forced to do penance both under a restraint from 
 company and from flesh,^ though neither of these was 
 any great constraint upon one already so mortified. 
 Here he had leisure enough to recollect his thoughts, 
 to revise his notes, and to reduce his observations 
 into method. He spent his time of fasting and 
 sequestration from the world very agreeably. In the 
 morning he went up to a neighbour mountain, where 
 abundance of wild thyme and rosemary grew ; there 
 with a book or two, and with his God, whom he met 
 
 1 An entry in the diary of Sir John Oglander shows how 
 strictly the Lent fast was still observed by Englishmen. In 16 10 
 " Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbuiy, granted a dispensation to 
 Sir E. Conway, his wife, and two others whom he might choose 
 to eat flesh at prohibited times, as fish did not agree with him, 
 provided that he did so privately to avoid scandal, and paid 
 13J. d,d. per year to the poor of his parish."
 
 30 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 in the closest walks of his mind, having spent his 
 day in reading, meditation, and prayer, he came down 
 in the evening to an early supper (his only set meal) 
 of oil and fish. He omitted not his offices and exer- 
 cises of devotion morning and evening and at mid- 
 night in his travels, for to serve and please his Maker 
 was the travail of his soul. He needed not many 
 books, who was his own concordance and had the 
 New Testament in a manner without book.^ And if 
 the time and place would not serve him to kneel, yet 
 then and there he made the lowest prostrations of his 
 soul and spirit." - 
 
 This month's retreat, for so it may be called, must 
 have been the utmost gain and refreshment to Ferrar's 
 spiritual life. From the time he left England, he had 
 lived in a ceaseless whirl of new ideas, fresh faces, 
 differing manners, conflicting creeds, and he must 
 have greatly needed time to retire into himself and 
 prepare in quietness to meet the rush of thought, the 
 keen religious difficulties, and the learned unbelief, 
 which awaited him in Italy. On the mountain-side, 
 withdrawn from the bustle and worry of the quaran- 
 
 ' It would seem that he was afraid to carry a Bible about 
 with him, for it is said that the Psalter, Epistles, and Gospels 
 learnt in his childhood "served him to good purpose and his 
 great consolation when, many years after, he travelled and fell 
 grievously sick among those who count it a mark of heresy in a 
 traveller to carry about him an English Bible." 
 
 - Jebb, ii., " Two Lives of Ferrar," p. ii.
 
 FOREIGN TRAVEL. 31 
 
 tine station, where no doubt plenty of impatient 
 travellers were fretting their hearts out over their 
 enforced delay, he found a solitude more complete 
 than in his study at Clare, looking over the great 
 lawns and quiet river. Steeped in calm, and a silence 
 that could be felt — 
 
 " No sound of worldly toil ascending there 
 Mars the full burst of prayer." 
 
 We may believe that in after days he often loved to 
 recall this peaceful time. Of all the noticeable scenes 
 he passed through in his five years' travel, this moun- 
 tain resting-place is the only one to which his bio- 
 grapher adds a descriptive touch, and it is character- 
 istic that the point which struck Ferrar's fancy, here 
 on the threshold of Italy, is no beauty or strangeness 
 of the foreign landscape, but the fragrant growth of 
 thyme and rosemary, familiar flowers in every English 
 garden. 
 
 About Easter Ferrar proceeded to Venice; but 
 though he was kindly received by Sir Dudley Carle- 
 ton, the English ambassador, an introduction that 
 must have opened to him the best society, he did not 
 linger in that gayest and fairest of cities. Probably 
 he longed to be again absorbed in study, for we soon 
 find him settled in Padua. 
 
 For travellers from beyond the Alps, the chief 
 attractions of the Italian Oxford now lie in the pic- 
 turesque cathedral on the river bank, and the silent
 
 32 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 garden, where, among long lines of mulberry trees, 
 stands the deserted chapel which Giotto painted while 
 he listened to the talk of Dante. 
 
 It was very different in the seventeenth century.^ 
 The city was then crowded and overflowing with 
 youths who came from all parts of the civilized world, 
 eac^er to study in its famous schools of law and medi- 
 cine. The students in the great University of Law 
 were classed in twenty-three " nations," each of which 
 had its own officers "- and its own rules, and was per- 
 mitted under the sole condition of not interfering 
 with the government or religion of the State of Venice, 
 to live according to its own customs. Its humbler 
 sister, the University of Arts, could number but seven 
 "nations," five of which belonged to the States of 
 Italy, the foreign students being grouped as " oltre- 
 monte," or " oltremare," but the «/-//i'// enjoyed equal 
 independence with the aristocratic qiurisfi, or law 
 students. 
 
 Neapolitan and Tuscan, Frenchman and German, 
 Pole and Dalmatian, Englishman, Scot, Hungarian, 
 Spaniard, Cypriote, each, when he came forth from 
 the magnificent palace (once the dwelling-place of the 
 
 • This account of the university is taken from "Galileo Gali- 
 lei e lo Studio di Padova," by A. Favaro, and some notices in 
 Evelyn's Diary. 
 
 ^ In 1644 John Evelyn was elected " Syndicus Artistarum," 
 probably of the " Ultramontane nation," or students from beyond 
 the Alps.
 
 FOREIGN TRAVEL. 33 
 
 Dukes of Carrara), which is still the home of the 
 university, and went to his lodging in the fresco- 
 painted streets of the student's quarter, found himself 
 in the midst of a little world of his own countrymen, 
 where he might unmolested practise the manners and 
 profess the religion of his own land, a toleration pos- 
 sible at that time in no State of Italy, or perhaps of 
 Europe, but the territories of the Venetian Republic, 
 which, owing its importance mainly to its wide com- 
 mercial relations, used every means in its power to 
 make foreigners feel at home on its soil.' 
 
 Quarrels of course were of constant occurrence in 
 this mixed crowd of unruly young men, and the luck- 
 less " birro " who might rashly venture to interfere 
 was often ill-used and even stabbed with impunity. 
 It was very dangerous, says Evelyn, to traverse the 
 streets after dark. When St. Francis de Sales, who 
 was a student in the University of Law from 1587 to 
 1591,- irritated his companions by his refusal to join 
 in their evil ways, they attacked him with blows, and 
 the future bishop was forced to defend himself with 
 his sword. 
 
 ' " The commodity which strangers have 
 
 With us in Venice, if it be denied, 
 
 Will much impeach the justice of the State 
 
 Since that the trade and profit of the city 
 
 Consisteth of all nations." 
 
 Merc/iant of Venice, Act iii. sc. 3. 
 * " Life of St. Francis de Sales," by Mrs. Sidney Lear. 
 
 O
 
 34 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 This was the world in which Ferrar found himself, 
 when, some time in the spring of 1615/ he entered the 
 University of Arts, in which was taught medicine, 
 geometry, philosophy, and rhetoric. Ferrar, who 
 held the Physic Fellowship at Clare, seems to have 
 devoted himself chiefly to medicine, for which the 
 schools of Padua were becoming famous. They 
 already possessed an anatomical theatre, and a " gar- 
 den of simples rarely furnished with plants," to which 
 was attached a school of pharmacy, which had been 
 in existence for more than sixty years. There were 
 also two hospitals for the study of clinical medicine, 
 furnished with "the greatest helps and most skilful 
 physicians," and most miserable and deplorable objects 
 to exercise upon, " very carefully attended, and with 
 extraordinary charity." ' 
 
 He also became a proficient in geometry. Galileo, 
 who quitted the Chair of Geometry, " leaving his 
 heart in Padua and taking with him the hearts of his 
 friends," only four years before Ferrar's arrival, 
 specially recommended this study to medical students. 
 " Hippocrates," he is reported to have said, " when 
 writing to his son, warmly exhorted him to the study 
 of geometry, because it would render his mind clearer 
 and more acute in gathering fruit from the study of 
 
 * As Sir Dudley Caileton left Venice in 1615, FeiTar's arrival 
 cannot be placed later. See Mr. Mayor's notes to Ferrar's Life. 
 ^ Evelyn's "Diary."
 
 FOREIGN TRAVEL. 35 
 
 medicine." By the physicians of the day the science 
 was valued for another reason. It formed a needful 
 introduction to the study of astrology, which was still 
 considered an important branch of the medical art.^ 
 
 It was probably at this time also that Ferrar first 
 became acquainted with some of the Oriental languages, 
 a printing press having lately been established at 
 Milan, bythe liberaHty of Cardinal Federigo Borromeo," 
 for the publication of books in Hebrew, Chaldee, 
 Arabic, Persian, and Armenian. 
 
 The thirst for solitude, for space and silence, still 
 haunted him, and from time to time he broke away 
 from his studies and took refuge in one of the pleasant 
 villages which lie among wide and fruitful fields on 
 
 ' A manuscript book on astrology, believed to have belonged 
 to Nicholas Ferrar, is now in possession of Mr. Bowes, of the 
 firm of Macmillan and Bowes, Cambridge, who kindly lent it to 
 the writer for examination. This "wyse boke of fylosophy and 
 astronomic " gives an account of the virtues of the seven planets 
 and the twelve signs of the Zodiac, each of which have their 
 influence on different parts of the body, as Aries on the head 
 and face, Aquarius on the legs, etc. ; and the transcribers (it is 
 written in different hands), having apparently become weary of 
 their task, it ends abruptly in the midst of an enumeration of the 
 advantages of the " ouz " (house) of the moon. 
 
 * Cousin and successor to St. Charles. Readers of the 
 Promessi Sposi may remember the description given by Manzoni 
 of this saintly man, as one of those " rare in all ages, who 
 devoted a great intellect, all the resources of a large fortune, all 
 the advantage of privileged rank, with continual application, to 
 the practice of that which is most excellent. "
 
 36 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAK. 
 
 the banks of the river Brenta,^ What thoughts did 
 he take into these quiet places, as he wandered alone 
 among the green entanglement of trelHsed vines, 
 mingled with little tracts of rye and feathery Indian 
 corn, which make an Italian field-path the most 
 fascinating of walks — what were the plans, the hopes, 
 the dreams which filled his soul ? 
 
 No letters or journals have reached us to give an 
 answer to this question. 
 
 That his life was ever pure and holy we have 
 abundant evidence. It made a deep impression on 
 the careless and often dissipated youths around him, 
 who "would often ingenuously confess that he was 
 in the right way, and that they could not but wish 
 that they could live as he lived." The name of one 
 friend, to whom his advice and example were of 
 priceless service, has been handed down to us. 
 " Mr. Edward Garton had been forced to fly from 
 England to escape a trial for murder, having killed 
 his antagonist in a duel ; and being a stranger at 
 Padua, he was noted there as a man desperately 
 melancholy, till in a good hour for him, he fell by 
 
 ^ " At other times I repair to a village of mine, seated in the 
 valley, which is therefore very pleasant, because many ways 
 thither are so ordered that they all meet and end in a fair plot 
 of ground, in the midst whereof is a church suitable to the con- 
 dition of the place. This place is washed by the river Brenta, 
 on both sides whereof are great and fruitful fields." — L. Cornaro, 
 " Treatise on Temperance," translated by George Herbert.
 
 FOREIGN TRAVEL. 37 
 
 chance into company with Mr. Ferrar, and found so 
 much goodness in him that he made him his con- 
 fessor. He, finding the poor soul's hearty repentance 
 and sorrow for what he had done, so appHed the 
 mercies of God to him, that he was well satisfied and 
 much comforted ; yet he would say ' he was never 
 well but in Mr. Ferrar's company,' whom hence- 
 forward he loved and esteemed above all the world." ^ 
 Among his friends at Padua there were not wanting 
 some who strove hard to win so devout and thought- 
 ful a youth to the Roman Obedience. " By what I 
 have seen in manuscript of Mr. Ferrar," says Barnabas 
 Oley,-^ " and heard by relation of his travels over the 
 western parts of Christendom, in which his exquisite 
 carriage, his rare parts and abilities of understanding 
 and languages, his morals more perfect than the best, 
 did tempt the adversaries to tempt him and mark him. 
 for a prize if they could compass him. And opportunity 
 they had to do this in a sickness that seized on him 
 at Padua, where mighty care was had by physicians 
 and others to recover his bodily health with design 
 to infect his soul. But neither did their physic nor 
 poison work any change in his religion, but rather 
 inflamed him with a holy zeal to revenge their charity 
 by transplanting their waste and misplaced zeal to 
 adorn our Protestant religion, by a right renouncing 
 
 * "Life of Nicholas Ferrar," by Dr. Jebb, p. 71. 
 ' Oley's " Life of George Herbert."
 
 38 • LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 the world with all its profits and honours, in a true 
 crucifying the flesh with all its pleasures, by continued 
 temperance, fasting, and watching unto prayers." 
 
 Oley seems unduly severe in ascribing the assiduous 
 care with which the good Paduan physicians tended 
 Ferrar in his illness solely to their controversial zeal. 
 It is not likely that they who showed such charity 
 to the sick in their hospitals would be less kind to 
 their pupil. They watched over him with the greatest 
 attention ; but he owed his life not so much to their 
 skill as to his own dread of bleeding. He felt sure 
 that this remedy, to which they wished to resort, 
 would hasten his end, and one very old physician, 
 with insight born of long experience, advised that 
 his prejudice should be respected. The vein was 
 not opened, and in a few days he began to recover, 
 to the great joy of his good old friend, who had 
 doubtless passed some anxious hours, and endured 
 much silent criticism from his learned brethren. 
 
 There was very much no doubt in the Church life 
 of Padua to awaken Ferrar's deepest interest, and 
 often his admiration. He carefully collected books 
 on religion and the retired life, and one such, the 
 " Spiritual Combat" of Lorenzo Scupoli — a work which 
 was so popular that, in the thirty years which had 
 elapsed since its publication, it hc:d gone through 
 fifty editions— must have been well known to him, and 
 can hardly fail to have awakened his interest in the
 
 FOREIGN TRAVEL 39 
 
 austere order to which its author belonged ; it was, 
 perhaps, in the Theatine house at Padua that he first 
 saw reahzed that life of retirement, prayer, and fasting 
 for which he seems to have longed from his boyhood, 
 with a longing which struggled for mastery with his 
 keen thirst for knowledge. 
 
 Another form of the devout life must have come 
 before him in the congregation of the Oratory, This 
 society, composed of laymen and secular priests living 
 under a strict rule, had for one of its chief objects 
 the promotion of holiness among men living in the 
 world. With this view, instructions and addresses, 
 open to all who would attend, were given daily in 
 every house of the society, and these were often 
 followed up by some practical lesson in good works, 
 such as visiting and succouring the sick in some 
 hospital. A letter from a priest, who afterwards 
 became a member of the congregation of the Oratory,^ 
 thus describes the method followed in these exercises. 
 " Since that time, I go to the Oratory at St. Giovanni 
 of the Florentines, where they deliver every day most 
 beautiful spiritual discourses on the Gospels, or on 
 the virtues and vices, or ecclesiastical history, or the 
 lives of the saints. There are four or five each day 
 who discourse, and persons of distinction go to hear 
 
 • F. Giovinale Ancina. The letter is taken from the "Life 
 of St. Philip Neri," published by Richardson in 1849. Father 
 Ancina was a friend of St. Francis de Sales.
 
 40 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 them — bishops, prelates, and the like. At the con- 
 clusion there is a little music to console and recreate 
 the spirits, which are somewhat wearied by the pre- 
 ceding discourses. They have gone through the life 
 of the glorious St. Francis and some of his disciples, 
 and of St. Antony of Padua. I assure you it is a 
 most delightful entertainment, and a most consoling 
 and edifying thing altogether ; and I regret very much 
 that neither you nor I knew last year of this excellent 
 and laudable exercise. You must know, too, that 
 they who deliver the discourse are in holy orders, and 
 of most exemplary and spiritual lives. Their superior 
 is a certain Reverend Father Philip, an old man of 
 sixty, but wonderful in many respects, and especially 
 for holiness of life, and for his astonishing prudence 
 and dexterity in inventing and promoting spiritual 
 exercises, the author also of that great work of 
 charity, which was done at the Trinita de' Pellegrini ' 
 during the last Jubilee. Father Toledo, Possevino, 
 and others attribute much to him. In a word, they 
 say he is an oracle, not only in Rome, but in the far- 
 off parts of Italy, and in France and Spain, so that 
 many come to him for counsel ; indeed, he is another 
 Rusbrochio, or Thomas k Kempis, or Taulero." 
 One of these oratories had been opened in Padua, 
 
 ' St. Philip here founded a confraternity for the care of poor 
 pilgrims. The house which served for their reception was also 
 used for convalescents from the hospitals.
 
 FOREIGN TRAVEL. 41 
 
 and we may well imagine that Nicholas Ferrar, seek- 
 ing some peaceful retreat from the noisy crowd which 
 streamed to and fro through the narrow streets, would 
 meet, as he threaded the dim arcades echoing with 
 gay talk in half a dozen languages, with some like- 
 minded friends on their way to join in the " excellent 
 and laudable exercise," and having once followed 
 them into the quiet chapel, would come and come 
 again. We can even fancy that we perceive in the 
 pious conversations, interspersed with music and with 
 stories from history and the lives of the saints, which 
 he instituted long afterwards at Gidding, some 
 reminiscences of this Oratorian exercise. 
 
 Another influence which strongly affected him, was 
 connected with the teaching of the Spanish mystics 
 who made so deep a mark on Italian thought in the 
 seventeenth century. He was so much struck by a 
 once famous book, the " Hundred and Ten Con- 
 siderations" of Juan de Valde's, an early writer of 
 this school, that some years after his return to Eng- 
 land he published a translation of it. 
 
 If Ferrar may have learnt something of rule and 
 the practise of devotion, from the more zealous 
 among the religious houses of Italy, the study of 
 Valdes may have deepened his meditative and in- 
 ward tone of mind, the uncontroversial, it might be 
 almost said the undogmatic, spirit, which in a most 
 controversial age made him so averse to strife, that
 
 42 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 he "would scarce venture to opine even in points 
 wherein the world censured him possessed." ^ 
 
 But neither Roman zeal nor the charm of mystic 
 thought had any power to shake his dutiful unques- 
 tioning attachment to his Mother Church. The foun- 
 dation of that love had been laid too deep in his 
 earliest years. 
 
 When Nicholas Ferrar had completed his studies 
 at Padua, he visited Malta and travelled through a 
 great part of Italy. Scarcely any record of his travels 
 remains except a scanty mention of his ten days' visit 
 to Rome, a visit made secretly, for the English 
 Government was suspicious of possible intercourse 
 with the Roman Court, and the Roman authorities 
 were not less keenly on the watch to stamp out what 
 they deemed heresy, in the stronghold of the Church. 
 Ferrar stole into the city privately on foot on the 
 Monday in Holy Week, and visited, with what feel- 
 ings we can but conjecture, the tombs of the apostles, 
 the sacred sites where the modern world grows dim 
 beside the vivid memories of the past. For fear of 
 discovery by the Inquisition,^ he changed his lodging 
 
 ' Oley, Preface to " Country Parson." 
 
 ''■ Such fears were not causeless, even for an English subject. 
 In 1607 one Mr. Mole, tutor to Lord Roos, being in Rome 
 with his pupil, was arrested on a charge of circulating heretical 
 books, and confined for thirty years in the prisons of the 
 Inquisition. — Aiken's "Memoirs of the Court of James I.," 
 quoted in Macdonoogh's " Life of Ferrar."
 
 FOREIGN TRAVEL. 43 
 
 every night, but, in his extreme eagerness to see 
 everything, he pushed one day in the crowd into 
 one of the long Vatican galleries to watch the Pope 
 pass, and being probably ignorant of the etiquette 
 observed on such occasions, and forgetting all pre- 
 caution in the interest of the sight, he ran the risk 
 of arrest by remaining erect among the kneeling 
 throng, and was only saved by the rough kindness 
 of one of the Swiss Guards, who, with a hand on his 
 shoulder, forced him to his knees, crying, " Down, 
 rascal, down ! " 
 
 After this adventure he avoided public places, and, 
 getting safely out of Rome, returned to the more 
 liberal air of Venice. 
 
 From Venice he went to Marseilles, meaning to 
 sail thence to Spain ; but here he was seized by an 
 old enemy, harder to escape than the Roman in- 
 quisitors — an attack of fever, from which he nearly 
 died. 
 
 On the first day of this illness he wrote to his dear 
 friend, Mr. Garton, ''entreating him to take a chari- 
 table voyage to visit the sick in a place where he was 
 a perfect stranger, where he was obliged to be his 
 own priest, his own cook, and was able to endure 
 no light but from his own memory ; wherefore he 
 prayed him to come immediately, if ever he would 
 see him alive, or else procure him some corner for 
 a Christian burial."
 
 44 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 Garton, with a grateful recollection of that sickness 
 of the soul of which he had been cured by Ferrar's 
 means, set off at once, travelling night and day, and 
 arrived to find the crisis of the fever safely past, and 
 to nurse his friend back to health. 
 
 Ferrar was so deeply touched by this proof of 
 affection that he would not allow Garton to return 
 alone to Venice, but insisted on accompanying him. 
 There he stayed till his health was recruited, and 
 then, taking a last leave of Mr. Garton and the other 
 good friends who had gathered round him during his 
 years of study, he embarked in a little English vessel 
 bound for Spain, and sailed down the Adriatic in 
 search of " fresh woods and pastures new." ^ 
 
 The pleasant monotony of a summer voyage on 
 the shining Mediterranean was broken by an adven- 
 ture wliich was still common in the seventeenth 
 century.^ The little vessel, overladen and lying deep 
 
 • So Peckaid. Jebb says that he sailed from Marseilles. 
 
 * Evelyn was chased by a pirate in the Straits of Dover in 
 1649. Piracy was by no means confined to the Turks, and 
 was not thought a disgraceful occupation. " Sir Henry Mayne- 
 weringe, that quondam famous pirate, my wyfe's cosen germain, 
 was then Surveyor of the Navy," writes Sir John Oglander, 
 calmly, without the least expression of surprise. And this sea 
 Robin Hood, who, though he "always respected his own flag," 
 plundered every Spanish ship he could lay hands on, was 
 actually selected— after his pardon— to bring home Prince 
 Charles from Spain. — " Oglandsr Memoir^.'
 
 FOREIGN TRAVEL. 45 
 
 in the smooth water, was chased by a great, swift- 
 sailing Turkish pirate. The big ship gained rapidly 
 on the small merchantman, and officers and men held 
 hasty council whether to yield or to stand at bay and 
 fight the matter out with their ten guns. Ferrar, the 
 only passenger, stood silent among them. "This 
 young man has a life to lose as well as we," said one 
 of the seamen ; " let us hear what he thinks of the 
 matter." Landsman and student as he was, Ferrar 
 had plenty of courage. " I-et us fall into the hand 
 of God, and not into the hands of men," he said, as 
 the great vessel, its speed aided most likely by the 
 oars of Christian captives, loomed larger and more 
 threatening on their view ; and then, remembering no 
 doubt the tales which he had heard in his childhood 
 from Sir Francis Drake and his fellows, he strove to 
 kindle the enthusiasm of the crew with stories of the 
 gallant deeds of Englishmen at sea. He gave active 
 help also, and everything was made ready for an 
 engagement, when, just as the master was giving the 
 signal for a broadside, the Turk fell off and steered 
 away with all the sail he could, to the inexpressible 
 joy of the crew, who, gazing anxiously over the poop, 
 saw that a much larger ship had come in sight, and 
 that the pirate had turned to chase this more valuable 
 booty. 
 
 They continued their voyage without further inci- 
 dent, and Ferrar on landing made straight for Madrid.
 
 46 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 For some unexplained reason he concealed his name 
 during his Spanish travels, perhaps finding secrecy 
 as needful for Protestants in Spain as in Rome. He 
 would not even make himself known to his fellow- 
 countrymen in Madrid, and when he went to inquire 
 for the letters and bills of exchange which he expected 
 to find awaiting him, asked as if on behalf of a friend. 
 The bills had not arrived, his father thinking that he 
 would not reach Madrid so soon, and to this incon- 
 venience was soon added another and more serious 
 anxiety. He fell in with a Mr. Wyche, the son of an 
 old friend of his father's, who, though not knowing 
 his name, was so pleased with his manners that he 
 introduced him among the English residents in the 
 capital, and he then learnt, apparently from chance 
 conversation, that his family was involved in great 
 distress, and that his return was necessary to extricate 
 them from their troubles. On hearing this bad news 
 he at once gave up his intention of visiting France, 
 and settled to return home as quickly as possible. 
 
 No money having come for him, and being un- 
 willing to accept the loan kindly pressed on him by 
 Mr. Wyche, he sold his cloak and a few jewels, and 
 with the small sum thus obtained started on foot for 
 St. Sebastian. He soon became footsore with this 
 unaccustomed travel on sandy paths, at the hottest 
 season of the year, and would scarce have been able 
 to get on but for the remedy prescribed by the hostess
 
 FOREIGN TRAVEL. 47 
 
 of a roadside inn where he rested for the night, who 
 brought him a bowl of sack in which to steep his feet. 
 By the help of this appHcation, to which he had fre- 
 quent recourse, he plodded on, meeting with no 
 hindrances but weariness and bad accommodation. 
 Once, indeed, he was stopped and closely questioned 
 by the governor of a town through which he passed, 
 who was so delighted with his costly rapier (a parting 
 gift from Mr. Garton) that he was near taking it from 
 him by force ; and once, trying to find his way through 
 a rocky pass, he followed a hog, which he supposed 
 must belong to some farm, through a subterranean 
 passage, and found himself in a cavern inhabited by 
 men whom he took to be robbers. But from both 
 these dangers he escaped safely, and, after a fatiguing 
 walk of some five hundred miles, arrived at St, 
 Sebastian. Here he had to wait some time for a 
 favourable wind, and, his resources being quite ex- 
 hausted, was glad to accept a loan of ^,^10 from 
 a friendly English factor. With the first fair wind 
 he sailed for Dover. 
 
 He had been five years absent from England, and 
 more than once had cause to think that he would 
 never again look on those white cliffs. The sight 
 filled him with such rapture that, leaping ashore, he 
 flung himself down, with his face pressed close to the 
 dear English earth, and, thus prostrate, gave humble 
 thanks to God for his safe return. From Dover he
 
 48 LIFE. OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 travelled post to his father's house in London. The 
 door stood open, and Nicholas went in unannounced 
 through the familiar rooms till he found his father, 
 and, kneeling at his feet, asked his blessing. In the 
 first moment of surprise Mr. Ferrar, who thought him 
 still far away, did not recognize his son in the travel- 
 stained figure before him, in foreign dress, his fair 
 complexion browned by the sun of Spain. "Who 
 are you?" he asked, bewildered, while the young 
 man looked up to him with a heart perhaps too full 
 for speech. It is easy to imagine his answer, the 
 father's fervent blessing, the mother's entrance, all 
 the confused, tremulous joy of this loving family re- 
 united after so long a separation and so many 
 anxieties.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE COUNCIL OF VIRGINIA — PARLIAMENT. 
 A.D. l6lS— 1625. 
 
 " Where can he busy himself better than in those new planta- 
 tions and discoveries, which are not only a noble, but also, as 
 they may be handled, a religious employment ? " — George 
 Herbert, A Priest in the Temple, chap, xxxii. 
 
 The nature of the family trouble which brought 
 Nicholas Ferrar home in such haste does not appear. 
 It may probably have been connected with the affairs 
 of his eldest brother Richard, who seems to have 
 been, through hfe, a constant source of anxiety. 
 John Ferrar passes over his brother's misdeeds in 
 kindly silence; but in his father's will, made in 1620, 
 the administration of the family property is left to 
 John and Nicholas, Richard having his debts forgiven 
 and receiving a younger son's portion, which he 
 apparently squandered, for Mrs. Ferrar in her wilV 
 dated March, 1628, desires that, "if he deserved," 
 
 ' Both wills are given in Mr. Mayor's appendix to "Two 
 Lives of Ferrar. "
 
 50 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 his brothers should, out of their love, make provision 
 for his "great necessities." 
 
 When the crisis, whatever it may have been, was 
 past, Nicholas wished to return to Cambridge, and, 
 once more taking up his abode at Clare, continue 
 the study of medicine ; but his parents would by no 
 means consent to part again with their beloved son. 
 A flattering offer was made to him about this time 
 of the Chair of Geometry at Gresham College, the 
 late holder of that office, Mr, Briggs, who had just 
 been appointed to the newly-established Savilian 
 Professorship at Oxford, recommending him for the 
 post, as being "like, if he set to it, to be the ablest 
 man in the world therein." This also was put aside. 
 Nicholas Ferrar thanked the master and wardens of 
 the Mercer's Company (in whose hands the appoint- 
 ment lay) for the great honour they did him, but told 
 them that " he must not undertake that which he knew 
 he was at best but a novice in ; nor, in truth, did his 
 studies bend that way. He had, indeed, some other 
 good ends, if God thought fit to bring them to pass."^ 
 
 If these words allude to his desire for a life with- 
 drawn from the world, he had still long to wait for its 
 fulfilment, and, before he had been two months in 
 London, he had flung himself heart and soul into a 
 new interest. 
 
 For the next six years his energies were almost 
 
 ' Letter from Peck to Ward, quoted by Rev. T. E. B. Mayor.
 
 THE COUNCIL OF VIRGINIA — PARLIAMENT. 51 
 
 entirely given up to the work of assisting in the 
 guidance and government of the rising settlement in 
 Virginia, on which so many hopes were already placed. 
 
 It is so impossible to give any idea of the life of 
 Nicholas Ferrar during this period, apart from the 
 history of the vast undertaking in which he was 
 engaged, that readers will perhaps pardon a digression, 
 which may be readily skipped by those to whom that 
 history is already familiar. 
 
 In 1606 a Company had been formed for the 
 purpose of establishing a colony in that part of the 
 New World visited by Raleigh, and named by him 
 Virginia. This work, which was taken in hand not 
 for gain only, but in the hope expressed in the noble 
 words of the patent, that the work of colonization 
 " may, by the providence of God, hereafter tend to 
 the glory of His Divine Majesty in propagating the 
 Christian religion to such people as yet lived in dark- 
 ness and miserable ignorance of the true knowledge 
 and worship of God, and may in time bring the 
 infidels of those parts to human civility, and to a 
 settled and quiet government." 
 
 The first expedition sent out by the new Company 
 sailed on December 19, 1606, and, after long battling 
 with unprosperous winds, reached Cape Henry, in 
 Virginia, on April 26, 1607.^ They were accom- 
 
 • This sketch of the Virginian settlement is taken from 
 Peckard's " Life," Anderson's " History of the Colonial Church,"
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 panied by a chaplain, chosen under the advice of 
 Archbishop Bancroft — the Reverend Robert Hunt. 
 Much of the success of the expedition seems to have 
 been due to this holy man. During the stormy, 
 tedious voyage, when the adventurers, anxious and 
 over-weary, broke out into quarrels which threatened 
 to bring the enterprise to an untimely end, he, " with 
 the water of patience and his godly admonitions (but 
 chiefly his true, devoted example), quenched these 
 flames of envy and dissension," When the voyage 
 was over he gathered together the little band of 
 settlers, and, on the northern shore of the James 
 River, a few miles below the place where now stands 
 the town of Richmond, he administered to them 
 the Holy Communion. It was the birthday of the 
 American Church, 
 
 On that spot was soon raised a little cluster of huts, 
 with a reed-thatched church in the middle, and some 
 rude protection of palisades about it, to which the 
 settlers gave the name of Jamestown.^ The infant 
 colony had a hard struggle for existence. Sickness, 
 fire, and the treachery of the Indians, cost many lives 
 and much property. The settlers, in their eagerness 
 
 aad Hawk's " Contributions to Ecclesiastical History of United 
 States." The Ferrars' share in the work is gathered from 
 Peckard and Jebb. 
 
 ' "In 1836 a ruined cliurch tower and surrounding graveyard 
 still marked the site of Jamestown."— Hawk
 
 THE COUNCIL 01- VIRGINIA— PARLIAMENT. 53 
 
 to grow tobacco for export (at one time they planted 
 it even in the streets of Jamestown), neglected to sow 
 sufficient corn, and they passed through a period of 
 fearful destitution, remembered long afterwards as the 
 *' starving time." Through all this trouble Mr. Hunt's 
 patience and courage never failed ; and it is a touch- 
 ing proof of his influence with his flock that in this 
 hour of their extremes! need the whole remaining 
 stock of wine was put aside to be used for the Holy 
 Eucharist alone. 
 
 In the early summer of 1610 the distress became 
 so great that the survivors resolved to abandon the 
 settlement. They gathered together their scanty 
 remaining possessions, buried their ordnance, and 
 having, "by their peale of shot, taken a last and 
 woeful farewell of this pleasant land," they embarked 
 in three vessels rudely made of cedar wood, and 
 dropped down the James River. The next morning, 
 while they waited for the tide to bear them out to 
 sea, they saw, coming up the stream, an English boat. 
 It brought the news that Lord De La Warr, with a 
 squadron of relief, was already in the Chesapeake ; 
 and on Sunday, June 10, his ships arrived off James- 
 town. 
 
 The famine- stricken settlers drew up to receive 
 him on the river bank, outside the gate of the 
 palisade. On landing, he knelt down, and remained 
 long in private prayer; then, before addressing him-
 
 54 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR, 
 
 self to any business, he went straight to the dismantled 
 church, followed by all the rescued people, to give 
 thanks to God. 
 
 The settlement, thus saved from utter ruin, con- 
 tinued to grow slowly, and with varying success. 
 Among those who watched it with intense interest, 
 both as merchant and as Churchman, was Mr. 
 Ferrar. 
 
 When Nicholas returned to England in 1618 his 
 father was a shareholder both in the Virginia Company 
 and also in the New Bermuda Company, which had 
 grown out of it; and his brother John was on the 
 Council of Virginia. Nicholas's academic studies — 
 perhaps also, to some extent, his spiritual yearnings — 
 were swept out of view by this rush of vivid life. He 
 had been surveying, with the eyes of a keen dispas- 
 sionate observer, the laws and manners, the social 
 and political life, of foreign lands; now, without 
 crossing his father's threshold, he found himself a 
 witness of the making of a nation. 
 
 The Virginian Council met every week in Mr. 
 Ferrar's great parlour, and in that hospitable house 
 in Sythe's Lane were laid the foundations of the 
 first free state of America. Sir Edwin Sandys, the 
 treasurer of the Company, a pupil of Hooker, and 
 himself a distinguished scholar, was at once struck 
 with the ability of Nicholas ; he was constantly in his 
 society, and so frequently asked his help, that Ferrar,
 
 THE COUNCIL OF VIRGINIA — PARLIAMENT. 55 
 
 though he held no office in the Company, did most of 
 the work of secretary. 
 
 Under Sandys's able management the little colony 
 began to flourish ; during his year of office its popu- 
 lation rose from six hundred to more than three 
 thousand souls, and with large-hearted foresight he 
 gave a representative government to this small com- 
 munity. The first Legislative Assembly of Virginia 
 met at Jamestown in June, 1619. He and his 
 colleagues were as careful for the Church as for the 
 State.^ They founded a college for the Christian 
 education of the Indians, and of the colonists' 
 children, and, at the suggestion of Sandys, the Com- 
 pany set apart ten thousand acres of land for its 
 support. The interest taken in this college was 
 great and general. The king issued a letter to the 
 archbishops and bishops desiring them to make col- 
 lections in their dioceses for its benefit ; and the 
 Bishop of London alone raised ;^iooo for this Dur- 
 
 ' The following extract from one of the appeals put forth 
 by the Company shows how zealously they urged the cause 
 of religion : — " Oh ! all ye worthies, follow the ever-sounding 
 trumpet of a blessed honour; let religion be the first end of 
 your hopes, et cetera adjicientiir, and other things shall be 
 added unto you ; ye shall be registered to posterity with a 
 glorious title. . . . Doubt ye not but God hath determined and 
 demonstrated that He will raise our State and build His Church 
 in that excellent climate, if the action be seconded with resolu- 
 tion and religion." — Hawk.
 
 56 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR 
 
 pose. An unknown benefactor sent ;^5oo more; 
 another, also anonymous, gave Communion plate. 
 Mr. John Thorpe, a gentleman of the king's bed- 
 chamber, gave up his place at Court, to go out as 
 head of the new college, which was established in 
 Henrico, a settlement which had been raised not far 
 from Jamestown, on the opposite side of the river, 
 and named in honour of Henry, Prince of Wales. 
 
 The colonists responded warmly to the efforts 
 made on their behalf; one of the first acts of the 
 new Legislative Assembly was to establish a fixed 
 payment of corn and tobacco for the support of the 
 clergy, who were to be sent out by the Bishop of 
 London, and to set aside a hundred acres of glebe in 
 every borough, for each of which the Company at 
 home provided six tenants at the public cost.^ 
 
 The Company were so well satisfied with their 
 treasurer that, when Sandys's year of office expired, 
 they resolved to choose him a second time. " Very 
 great was the reputation of the plantation and com- 
 pany," says John Ferrar, "by the most wise, prudent, 
 and industrious management of it by that most 
 eminent man." 
 
 • Sandys, though so good a Churchman, was far from in- 
 tolerant. During his treasurership the Company granted a 
 patent permitting the Nonconformist emigrants of the Mayficnver 
 to form a settlement in Virginia, and it was by an accident that 
 they landed north of that territory. See S. R. Gardiner, " History 
 of England," vol. iv. chap, xxxvi.
 
 THE COUNCIL OF VIRGINIA— PARLIAMENT. 57 
 
 But Sir Edv/in Sandys, though " a wise patriot " 
 according to the view of the Ferrars and their friends, 
 was but a factious leader of opposition in the eyes of 
 the king, who was determined, by any means he could 
 command, to oust him from his post. Peckard's 
 account of the election is full of interest.^ 
 
 It was the custom of the Company to name three 
 persons, one of whom was then chosen by ballot. In 
 a court of near five hundred persons, three names 
 having been agreed on, that of Sir Edwin Sandys was 
 being put first to the vote, when a gentleman of the 
 royal bedchamber entered the room, and, interrupting 
 the ballot, announced that the king forbade the 
 election of Sir Edwin Sandys; he added that his 
 Majesty, bei7ig uimnlling to infringe the rights of the 
 Company, would himself nominate three persons on 
 whom they might vote. 
 
 This speech was received at first in deep silence, 
 which was soon broken by murmurs, in which were 
 heard the words " invasion of rights " and " tyrannic 
 power." Some of the Company moved that the 
 courtiers should retire while they considered what 
 to do, but the Earl of Southampton desired that they 
 should remain and hear the rules of the Company 
 publicly discussed. 
 
 "Let the patent be read," said Sir Laurence 
 Hyde. 
 
 ' Peckarcl, p. 100.
 
 58 ' LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 " The patent ! the patent ! " cried many voices. 
 " God save the king." 
 
 " Gentlemen," said Hyde, when the reading was 
 concluded, " by the words of the patent the election 
 of a treasurer is left to your own free choice. No 
 doubt these gentlemen will undeceive the king on 
 this point." 
 
 Sir Edwin Sandys, anxious to prevent an open 
 break with the Crown, whispered to Sir Robert 
 Phillips, who sat near him, that he desired to with- 
 draw his claim ; and Sir Robert, rising, proposed that 
 the king's messengers should nominate two persons, 
 while the Company preserved their privileges by 
 naming the third. This was accordingly done. The 
 Company named the Earl of Southampton, 
 
 When the ballot was taken, the nominees of the 
 Crown had but three votes between them, and the earl 
 was chosen by acclamation, the court-room echoing 
 with the cries of " Southampton ! Southampton ! " 
 
 John Ferrar was at this time elected deputy 
 treasurer, and Nicholas succeeded to his brother's 
 vacant place at the Council Board. 
 
 Since Southampton made it a condition of taking 
 ofifice that he should have the advice and assistance 
 of Sir Edwin Sandys, it seemed at first as if all might 
 still go well ; but clouds soon gathered thick and fast 
 over the fair prospects of the colony. 
 
 Before the bad news reached England, one of the
 
 THE COUNCIL OF VIRGINIA— PARLIAMENT. 59 
 
 warmest friends of Virginia had passed away. Old 
 Mr. Ferrar died in April, 1620, and was buried, on 
 the 1 2th of that month, in the church of St. Bennet 
 Sherehog. "Like a merciful Father, He calleth us 
 unto him," says the good merchant in his will, signed 
 a few days before his death. "Therefore being 
 called, O Lord, I come unto Thee; receive me 
 graciously, for Thy mercy's sake, into Thy hands, O 
 Lord. For my body, I leave it to be buried in the 
 place where it shall please God to appoint; and, 
 further, that there be a sermon made at my burial, 
 if it may be that thereby all men may be admonished 
 to fear God sincerely, and truly remember what they 
 are, and whither they shall, for death is the end of 
 all flesh." On his sick-bed the true-hearted, humble, 
 affectionate man entreated the friends who stood 
 round him to comfort his dear wife, and commanded 
 his children in all filial duty to love and obey her. 
 "Never, I think," said the dying husband, "man had 
 the like in all kinds; and these forty-five years we 
 have lived together, I must say of her, she never 
 gave me cause to be angry with her, so wise and good 
 she is. You all know," he added, " I was by nature — 
 which God pardon — both quick and choleric and 
 hasty, which she also will forgive." 
 
 The funeral sermon was preached by his old friend, 
 Francis White, then Dean of Carlisle, in the church 
 which the good merchant had repaired and reseated.
 
 6o LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 " I never came into old Mr. Ferrar's company," he 
 said, " but that saying of our Saviour Christ came into 
 my mind, ' Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is 
 no guile.' " 
 
 Mr. Ferrar left careful and liberal provision for 
 his wife and family, with gifts and legacies to his 
 grandchildren, Mrs. Collett's daughter Mary, who 
 had lived with him from her cradle, being specially 
 provided for; he also made many charitable bequests, 
 among which the first and largest is to the new 
 Virginia College, to be paid " when the said college 
 is erected, and to the number of ten of the infidels' 
 children therein placed to be educated in Christian 
 religion and civility ; " and until that time he desired 
 that " Sir Edwin Sandys and John Ferrar shall 
 yearly pay by eight pounds a year to any three 
 several persons in Virginia of good life and fame, 
 that will undertake therewith to procure and bring 
 up each of them one of the infidels' children, and 
 intreating them in all things so Christianly, as by 
 the good usage and bringing of them up, the infidels 
 may be persuaded that it is not the intent of our 
 nation to make their children slaves, but to bring 
 them to a better manner of living in this world, and 
 to the way of eternal happiness in the world to 
 come."^ 
 
 The peace of the good man's deathbed was un- 
 ' " Two Lives," Appendix,
 
 THE COUNCIL OF VIRGINIA — PARLIAMENT. 6i 
 
 troubled by any knowledge of the cruel blow 
 which had fallen on the colony in which he took so 
 deep an interest ; but he had not long departed when 
 London was horrified by the news of the massacre 
 of Henrico. The colonists had lived among the 
 natives on terms of unsuspicious friendship, but the 
 Indian chief grew jealous of their inceasing numbers, 
 and in perfect secrecy a plot was formed for the 
 entire destruction of the colony. On the night of 
 Friday, March 22, a horde of savages broke on ; 
 Henrico, and in a few hours the flourishing village 
 was left desolate. The rector of the college, Mr. 
 Thorpe, lay dead among his murdered scholars. 
 Men, women, and children, the whole population of 
 Henrico, and of the scattered settlements in the forest 
 round it, to the number of 340 souls, fell that night 
 by the Indian knife. The remainder of the colony 
 was saved by the loyalty of a Christian convert, 
 Chanco by name ; he was servant to one of the 
 settlers, who loved and treated him as a son. His 
 brother, a heathen, tried to persuade him to join the 
 attack, but the bonds of religion proved stronger than 
 those of race, and he warned his master of the coming 
 danger. The master hurried to Jamestown to give 
 the alarm to the governor, and the settlements on 
 that side of the river gained time for defence. 
 
 The colonists can scarcely be blamed if they took 
 a fierce revenge, but when " the savages had been
 
 62 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 driven far away, many destroyed of them, their towns 
 and houses ruinated, and their cleer grounds possessed 
 by the EngHsh to grow wheat in," it was impossible 
 to bring back the former friendhness, and the cause 
 of Indian Missions was thrown back for many years. 
 
 The settlers were full of courage and endurance ; 
 they revived with wonderful quickness from the 
 awful stroke. "Yesterday came again good news from 
 Virginia, that the colony will subsist again ; hath 
 driven Oppockanknogh (the Indian chief) far off; 
 slain many of his men, in revenge for his last year's 
 murdering of the 340 of ours, and have got much 
 corn from them," we read in a letter of 1622.^ 
 
 Southampton and the Ferrars did not relax their 
 efforts in the cause of Christianity and civilization, in 
 spite of this bitter experience. Mr. Copeland, the 
 chaplain of a homeward-bound East Indiaman, had 
 prevailed on the crew to subscribe ;^7o towards 
 building a church or free school in Virginia. The 
 Company allotted a thousand acres of land as 
 endowment, and a school, named, in honour of its 
 founders, the East India School, was founded at 
 Charlestown, as a dependency of Henrico College, 
 to which its more promising scholars were to be 
 transferred. A new rector was appointed for the 
 college in place of the murdered Thorpe, and it is 
 natural to suppose that the Copeland designated for 
 
 • Letter to Rev. J. Meade, " Court and Times of James I."
 
 THE COUNCIL OF VIRGINIA —PARLIAMENT. 63 
 
 this office was the same who had aheady shown so 
 much interest in the mission.^ 
 
 The Dean of St. Paul's, Donne, who was a member 
 of the council, urged the cause of the mission with his 
 most passionate eloquence. "Before the martyrs 
 under the throne shall be silenced, before all things \ 
 shall be subdued to Christ," he exclaims in a sermon 
 which has been preserved to us, "His kingdom 
 established, and the last enemy destroyed, the gospel 
 must be preached to those men to whom ye send, to 
 all men. Farther and hasten you this blessed, this 
 joyful, this glorious consummation of all, and happie 
 reunion of all bodies to their souls by preaching the 
 gospel to those men. Preach to them doctrinally, 
 preach to them practically ; enamour them with your 
 justice and (as farre as may consist with your 
 securitie) your civilitie; but inflame them with 
 your gentleness and your religion. . , . We shall 
 have made this island, which is but as the suburbs of 
 the old world, a bridge or gallery to the new; to joyne 
 all to that world which shall never grow old, the 
 kingdom of heaven." '^ 
 
 * Owing to the dissolution of the Company, Mr. Copeland 
 was never sent out. and the college remained in abeyance till 
 Dr. Blair, who was appointed by the Bishop of London in 16S5, 
 restored it under the name of the " College of William and 
 Mary." — Bishop Wilberforce, "History of the American 
 Church." 
 
 ^ Donne's ".Sermons," quoted by Anderson.
 
 64. LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 But many things conspired to delay the good work. 
 The treachery of the Indians was not the only 
 difficulty which beset the Company and its settle- 
 ments. They had also to meet the jealousy of Spain, 
 and to meet it with divided counsels. Gondomar, 
 the Spanish ambassador, told his friends that he was 
 commissioned by his sovereign to do his best to ruin 
 the English settlement. " If it is permitted to gather 
 strength," he is reported to have said, " my master's 
 Indies and his Mexico would shortly be visited both 
 by sea and land by these planters." It was currently 
 believed that "our statesmen, when time was, had 
 store of Gundemore's gold to destroy and dis- 
 countenance the plantation of Virginia." ^ 
 
 The quarrels at the council board were as mis- 
 chievous to the colony as the possible gold of 
 " Gundemore," and more distressing. Sir Thomas 
 Smith, a former treasurer, with his brother-in-law, the 
 Earl of Warwick, and sundry officials who had been 
 rebuked or dismissed by the council, did their utmost 
 to stir up dissension. Accusations of mismanagement 
 were freely exchanged, and the town rang with stories 
 of the quarrels of the rival parties. " Guelphs and 
 Ghibellines were not more enemated against each 
 other." 2 Sandys and Cavendish fell foul of Warwick ; 
 Warwick told Cavendish that he lied; there was a 
 
 ' "A Perfect Description of Virginia," 1649. 
 
 - Chamberlain to Carleton, "Court and Times of James: I.''
 
 THE COUNCIL OF VIRGINIA— PARLIAMENT. 65 
 
 talk of duels ; their supporters " brabbled " when they 
 met in the streets. To add to the difficulties of the 
 council, the king took the side of Smith and Warwick. 
 James could not abide the "country party" to which 
 Sandys and Southampton and the Ferrars belonged ; 
 and he wished above all things to preserve the 
 Spanish alliance. To this end he was quite willing 
 to sacrifice the interests of the Virginian plantations. 
 He discouraged the importation of tobacco, which 
 was their most valuable product. The planters com- 
 plained piteously. They had never, they said, had 
 any help from England, except through Mr. Sandis 
 (Sir E. Sandys), and since, " by the sinister practises 
 of some principal persons" of their own Company, 
 his Majesty had been persuaded to prohibit the im- 
 portation of tobacco, " the only commodity we have 
 hitherto had the means to raise towards the apparelling 
 of our bodies and other needful supplements," they 
 feared to be worse off than ever. They implored the 
 king, as he valued his word, ratified by the Great 
 Seal, " than which we could account no earthly thing 
 more firm," either to restore their former liberties or 
 send for them home to England.^ 
 
 ' " Petition of the Governor and Colonists in Virginia," 
 quoted by Peckard. The king, hearing that mulberries grew in 
 Virginia, wished the settlers to cultivate silk instead of tobacco, 
 and Nicholas Ferrar, while deputy treasurer, procured skilled 
 workmen from France to instruct the colonists in the care of 
 
 F
 
 66 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 Their entreaties were in vain. James only said 
 that smoking was an extravagant and pernicious 
 practice; but he sanctioned the importation of the 
 objectionable article from the colonies of Spain, 
 
 The confusion had nearly reached its highest point 
 
 when Nicholas Ferrar was called to fill one of the 
 
 most important offices of the Company. His brother 
 
 John, either because his term of office was expired, 
 
 or under the necessity of attending to his private 
 
 affairs, which the failure of his partner had reduced 
 
 to the verge of ruin, resigned his post, and Nicholas 
 
 became deputy treasurer in his place. The vast 
 
 stock of miscellaneous knowledge which he had 
 
 delighted to pick up during his travels, now came into 
 
 use. His office was no sinecure. He had to lay in 
 
 the stores needed for exportation to the colony, to 
 
 superintend the lading and provisioning of the ships, 
 
 probably also to assist in the selection of suitable 
 
 emigrants, a matter in which the authorities of the 
 
 Company took great pains, being specially anxious to 
 
 provide good wives for the colonists.^ In addition 
 
 the worms. But this industry was not successful ; the worms 
 were eaten by rats, and the stock seems never to have been 
 renewed. 
 
 ' Here is a specimen of the recommendations sent with 
 emi<Trants ; it is one of several given by Peckard. '* The bearer 
 hereof, Abigail Downing, widow, hath paid for her own passage, 
 so that she is free to dispose of herself when she cometh to 
 Virfrinia ; but if she think good to live with you, tbe adventurers
 
 THE COUNCIL OF VIRGINIA — PARLIAMENT. 67 
 
 to these labours, he drew up all the instructions sent 
 by the treasurer and council to the Colonial Govern- 
 ment. His cares were not confined to Virginia; he 
 was also deputy for the Bermudas. The Church in 
 those islands had been greatly neglected, and the 
 clergy had grown careless, but during the administra- 
 tion of Nicholas Ferrar there was a happy change in 
 this respect. There was no native population in 
 Bermuda, but Nicholas and his brother John gave 
 shares of their estate in the islands, to found a free 
 school for the children of the colonists, and sent out 
 a great supply of Bibles and Psalm-books for their use. 
 For a time all went well, and the colony grew and 
 developed on the lines laid down by Sir Edwin 
 Sandys. The Earl of Southampton established trial 
 by jury, and with wide-hearted statesmanship made 
 the Colonial Assembly independent of the Company 
 at home. But the days of his rule were numbered. 
 Urged on by Gondomar on one side, and the factious 
 minority in the Company on the other, the king 
 determined to find a pretext for withdrawing the 
 charter. Commissioners were appointed to inquire 
 into the manner in which the Company's affairs had 
 
 are content that you allow her victual and diet, as to your other 
 people ; and further, they desire you to have a care of her, and 
 let her have your good counsel and advice for bestowing her 
 upon some honest man. Her kindred are honest people of good 
 fashion, well known to the society."
 
 68 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 been conducted, and the treasurer was not permitted 
 to employ counsel for the defence of himself and his 
 colleagues. 
 
 The chief burden of maintaining the interests of 
 the council fell on Nicholas Ferrar. He was fre- 
 quently summoned before the commission to give 
 evidence as to the government of the colony, and the 
 eager "adventurers," whose affairs were at stake, 
 pressed in after him in such numbers, that an order 
 was issued forbidding him to present himself at the 
 board with more than twelve persons attending him. 
 
 " In the management of this weighty cause, 
 wherein he had the advice of the ablest lawyers, he 
 discovered such great integrity, with such a presence 
 of mind, and yet with so much deference and profound 
 submission to his Majesty, that even they whose 
 interest it was to decry the merits of his cause would 
 acknowledge the merits of his person, and were 
 pleased to say he well understood State affairs, and 
 that it was fit he should be taken off that business 
 and employed on higher;" and, with the hope of 
 depriving the council of his services, a diplomatic 
 appointment was pressed upon him, and also the 
 situation of clerk of the Privy Council. Both offers 
 were refused. 
 
 The commissioners grew angry at the persistence 
 of the Company in defending its rights. " Your 
 interest and advice might prevail on the Company
 
 THE COUNCIL OF VIRGINIA — PARLIAMENT. 69 
 
 to lay down the patent," said the Lord Treasurer 
 Cranfield, hotly. Ferrar answered by an appeal to 
 the king's good faith. " A very considerable number 
 of the English nobility and gentry," he said, ''besides 
 all the planters, were engaged upon the royal word, 
 and under the broad seal; they had ventured their 
 estates, and many of them their lives, upon the most 
 religious accounts and the most honourable action in 
 its kind that England ever undertook ; that now they 
 had brought the plantation, if not to perfection, yet 
 into a very thriving condition; that he could only 
 speak for himself and in behalf of some others there 
 present, in whose names he laid his and their private 
 interest at his Majesty's feet; but he would not abuse 
 his trust to hurt the public." 
 
 Since Ferrar could not be persuaded to quit his 
 post, an attempt was made to drive him from it by 
 false accusations. "A lie," the Spanish ambassador 
 is said to have remarked on this occasion, " might 
 be worth a good deal if it would hold water but a 
 few hours." It was said that since the inquiry 
 began, Ferrar had drawn up and despatched letters 
 of very evil counsel to the Governor of Virginia, 
 advising the planters to insist stiffly on the patent. 
 A pursuivant was sent to fetch him to court with all 
 haste, and he was ordered to produce the despatches. 
 He replied that all those papers were in the secre- 
 tary's hands. The papers were sent for, and read
 
 70 . LIFE OF NIC [TOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 before the Privy Council, "not only to their entire 
 satisfaction concerning his integrity, but even to the 
 admiration of his politics, piety, and eloquence." 
 
 "Who draws them up?" inquired one of the 
 lords. 
 
 Ferrar replied modestly, " The Company." 
 
 " No," said another Privy Councillor ; " it is all 
 one hand, and you have the chief hand in it. They 
 are very rare pieces." 
 
 A copy of one of the letters was shown to the 
 king, who joined in the admiration of the Privy 
 Council. " It is a master-piece indeed," his Majesty 
 condescended to observe ; " the man hath much 
 worth in him." ^ 
 
 But Ferrar's efforts brought nothing but empty 
 compliments ; the Company was already doomed. 
 " The Virginian Company," Gondomar told the king, 
 " is but a seminary to a seditious parliament ; " and 
 James was not likely to love it better for any proofs 
 of the ability of its leaders. 
 
 The examinations dragged on through the early 
 spring of 1623, and at last, on the Thursday in Holy 
 Week, a lengthy accusation, directed against the 
 whole government of the Company, was presented to 
 the Privy Council. The Lord Treasurer sent notice 
 of the presentation to Ferrar, as deputy of the 
 Company, and demanded that a complete answer 
 » Jebb.
 
 THE COUNCIL OF VIRGINIA — PARLIAMENT. 71 
 
 to all particulars of the accusation should be sent in 
 by the following Monday afternoon. Ferrar pro- 
 tested against this haste, which pressed with peculiar 
 hardship at such a season, but Cranfield " austerely 
 refused " to grant an hour's delay. Finding himself 
 unable to gain time, he at once assembled such of 
 the Company as could be got together, and read the 
 charge to them. It was so voluminous that the 
 reading occupied three hours. 
 
 The Company referred their concerns entirely to 
 Lord Cavendish, Sir Edwin Sandys, and Nicholas 
 Ferrar. "These three made it midnight ere they 
 parted; they ate no set meals, they slept not two 
 hours all Thursday and Friday nights; they met to 
 admire each other's labours on Saturday night, and 
 sat in judgment on the whole till five o'clock on 
 Sunday morning; then they divided it equally among 
 six nimble scribes, and went to bed themselves, as it 
 was high time for them." The transcribers finished 
 their task by five o'clock on Monday morning; the 
 Company met at six to review their labours, and by 
 two in the afternoon the answer was presented at the 
 Council Board. 
 
 This answer gave complete satisfaction to the 
 friends of the Company, its enemies, as might be 
 expected, remaining as dissatisfied as before. They 
 sent two Commissioners to the colony to examine 
 into its condition, and rake up, if possible, fresh
 
 72 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 grounds of accusation, and meanwhile trie case was 
 transferred to the Court of King's Bench, Ferrar and 
 about thirty more of the directors and principal 
 members of the Virginian Company being served 
 with a writ of Quo Warranto, and commanded to 
 show by what authority they claimed to exercise a 
 power over the plantation, and send a governor 
 thither. The deputy and the other officials were 
 compelled to conduct their defence at their private 
 charge. 
 
 The case was decided against them, and the court 
 gave sentence "that the patent or charter of the 
 Company of English merchants trading to Virginia, 
 and pretending to exercise a power and authority 
 over his Majesty's good subjects there, should be 
 thenceforth null and void." 
 
 The Company were not disposed to submit tamely 
 to the ruin of all their hopes and projects, but nothing 
 more could be done for the present. 
 
 The party opposed tOf the extension of the royal 
 prerogative was watching, in deep discontent, the 
 progress of the negotiations for Prince Charles's 
 marriage with the Spanish Infanta; and when, in 
 1624, James reluctantly summoned a Parliament, to 
 be opposed to the policy of Spain was in itself a 
 recommendation to a majority of the electors. The 
 new House of Commons contained more than a 
 hundred members of the dissolved Virginia Company,
 
 THE COUNCIL OF VIRGINIA— PARLIAMENT. 73 
 
 with Sandys and Ferrar^ at their head. The king 
 vainly tried to prevent Sandys from taking his seat 
 by offering him an appointment in Ireland. 
 
 When the prince returned home, he was welcomed 
 with a tempest of rejoicing, and the popular feeling 
 with regard to Spain was shown even in the anthem 
 selected for the thanksgiving service held in St. Paul's 
 on the occasion. It was " When Israel came out of 
 Egypt" On the day when Buckingham stood up in 
 the House, with Prince Charles by his side, to explain 
 the reasons for breaking off the marriage contract, 
 he became for the time the most popular man in 
 England.^ 
 
 Buckingham was determined not only to break 
 off the Spanish marriage, but to wreck the Spanish 
 party at the Court, and to this end he made up his 
 mind to separate the Lord Treasurer Cranfield, now 
 Earl of Middlesex, from the king. The weapon he 
 chose for this purpose was an impeachment by the 
 House of Commons. 
 
 The king struggled feebly to save his minister. 
 " You will live to have your bellyful of Parliamentary 
 impeachments," he said with prophetic shrewdness 
 
 ' Ferrar was one of the members for Lymington. — Parliament 
 Roll for 1624. 
 
 ' S. Gardiner, " Iiist(jry of England," vol. v. chap, 
 xlvii. Buckingham " is now a favourite with Parliament, people, 
 and city, for breaking the match with Spain,"— Howell's 
 "Letters."
 
 74 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 to his son, who took Buckingham's part. The Lord 
 Keeper Williams, the duke's "creature and bedes- 
 man,"^ who feared lest his own turn should come 
 next, advised the king to give in. " If you suffer 
 not your old and perhaps innocent servant to be 
 plucked from the sanctuary of your mercy," said the 
 official "keeper of the king's conscience," "you foil 
 your son. Necessity must excuse you from incon- 
 stancy or cruelty." ^ 
 
 The impeachment proceeded. The members of 
 the Virginia Company had their own quarrel to settle 
 with the treasurer, and it is probably for this reason 
 that Ferrar, though so young a member, was joined 
 with Sandys and Cavendish in bringing the impeach- 
 ment before the House of Lords. We have no 
 record of the " long, but not tedious," speech which 
 Ferrar delivered on this occasion,' but in the opinion 
 of his friends it was a main cause of the condemnation 
 of Middlesex. 
 
 * Williams signs himself thus in a letter to Buckingham, 
 through whose influence he had (at his own request) been made 
 Dean of Westminster. 
 
 « Hacket, " Life of Williams." 
 
 * "Many desired to have his speech, but he craved pardon." 
 — " Life of Nicholas Ferrar," by his brother, p. i8. The writer 
 hoped to have discovered some notice of this speech in Sir 
 E. Nicholas's "Notes of the Parliament of 1624" (Domestic 
 State Papers, clxvi.), but was baffled by the extremely difficult 
 handwriting.
 
 THE COUNCIL OF VIRGINIA — PARLIAMENT. 75 
 
 For eight weary hours the treasurer stood at the 
 bar of the House to listen to the charges against 
 him. He was quite worn out, and when a deputation 
 from the Lords was sent to his house, they found him 
 in bed, and complaining bitterly of the treatment to 
 which he had been subjected, in being made to stand 
 for so many hours, and to defend himself without 
 the aid of counsel. He met with little pity. Lord 
 Southampton, who was one of the deputation, told 
 the House that *' his voice seemed strong enough," 
 and it was agreed that when he was next summoned 
 before them he should be allowed " a stoole, but no 
 counsel." Middlesex defended him bravely — in the 
 opinion of Clarendon he cleared himself from blame ; 
 but his enemies had no mercy on him. "The faults 
 of Bacon," said Southampton, passionately, " were 
 few to the faults of the Lord Treasurer ; " he had been 
 guilty of " extorsion and tyranny," was unfaithful to 
 the king, " and a wolfe to all the kingdom." ^ 
 
 He was found guilty, imprisoned, fined, and 
 rendered incapable of again sitting in the House ; and 
 so violent was the feeling against him, that in spite 
 of that severe sentence, we read in a contemporary 
 letter that " it is marvelled they proceeded no further 
 to degrade him upon so many just reasons." "- 
 
 Very different was the feeling of Nicholas Ferrar 
 
 ' Elsinge's "Notes" (Camden Society). 
 
 ' Chambcrlayne to Sir D. Carleton, " Court of James I."
 
 76 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 when, in calmer days, he looked back upon the thing 
 which he had helped to do. Middlesex may have 
 been wrong, very wrong according to a high standard 
 of honour, wrong even according to the standard 
 which prevailed among the public men of his time, 
 but he had not deserved the treatment which he 
 received ; ^ and Ferrar's sensitive spirit repented long 
 and bitterly for the course, which loyalty to his party, 
 and perhaps also some personal anger against the 
 man who had done so much to destroy his work in 
 Virginia, had led him to take. " I would I were 
 assured of the pardon of that sin," he was heard to 
 say, stretching out his right hand, " though on that 
 condition this right hand were cut off." 
 
 If the members of the Virginia Company thought 
 that either the failure of the Spanish alliance or the 
 condemnation of Middlesex would restore their fallen 
 hopes, they were cruelly mistaken. A great eftbrt, in 
 which Sir Edwin Sandys and Nicholas Ferrar again 
 took a leading part, was made to procure a confirma- 
 tion of their rights by Act of Parhament 
 
 The Journals of the House briefly record the 
 
 struggle. 
 
 ' On the question of Middlesex's guilt, see Mr. S. R. Gardiner : 
 "Some things which formed the subject of accusation were even 
 to his praise. But after all allowances have been made, there 
 remains enough to show that he had done things which he 
 ought never to have done." — " History of England," vol. v. 
 chap, xlviii.
 
 THE COUNCIL OF VIRGINIA— PARLIAMENT. 77 
 
 '• Lunaj, 26 April : 
 
 " Mr. Ferrar delivereth a petition from the Treasurer, 
 Council, and Company of Virginia. Read. 
 
 " A Committee of several and all that will come. 
 Those that are of the company to be present to 
 inform, but to have no voice," 
 
 " 20 Maii. Sir Edwin Sandys moves for a select 
 commission to peruse the draught he and Mr. Ferrar 
 have made for grievances on trade." 
 
 " May 24. Petition of grace, not grievances, upon 
 questions ordered to be drawn by Sir Ed. Sandys and 
 Mr. Ferrar," 
 
 ''May 25. The Committee thought fit a petition 
 of right, etc. Sir Edwyn Sandys and Mr. Ferrar to 
 do it." 
 
 But on this same day a message from the king was 
 delivered to the committee. His Majesty "thought 
 tlie House need not meddle with it this session . . 
 will have the honour himself of recalling the patent,'' 
 He added, that "by the next Parliament they should 
 all see it ; he would make it one of his masterpieces, 
 as it well deserved to be." The Virginian charter 
 was withdrawn by the king under the Great Seal ; 
 and shortly after, by letter merely, he suppressed the 
 Bermuda Company. 
 
 The king's promises " were but fair words, as the 
 event showed, for all was let loose, and to go to six and 
 seven," writes John Ferrar, with natural bitterness, in
 
 78 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 concluding the story. The colony was " never looked 
 after, whether sinke or swimme, and hath now these 
 twenty-four yeares since laboured for life, and only to 
 subsist with much adoe, ... in all these many yeares 
 no more people in it, and they having little incourage- 
 ment and great uncertainties whether even to be 
 continued a colony ; whereby men have had no heart 
 to plant for posterity, but every man for the present, 
 planted tobacco to get a living by it." ^ 
 
 But the work of Southampton and Sandys, the work 
 to which the Ferrar brothers devoted some of the 
 best years of their lives, was not thrown away. 
 
 "The Earl of Southampton, Sir Edwin Sandys, and 
 the patriot party in England, unable to establish 
 guarantees of a liberal administration at home, were 
 careful to connect popular freedom so intimately with 
 the life, prosperity, and state of society of Virginia, 
 that they never could be separated." ^ 
 
 They had planted with as firm a hand the Catholic 
 Church, according to the English rite.'^ The colony 
 continued to bear "a great love to the stated con- 
 stitutions of the Church of England, in her govern- 
 ment and public worship, which gave us (who went 
 
 • " Perfect Description of Virginia " (1649). 
 
 2 Bancroft, " History of the United States." 
 
 3 " The last act of the Colonial Legislature, while still under 
 the company, provides that in every settlement a house should 
 be set apart for the worship of God, according to the Church of 
 England." — Ilawk.
 
 THE COUNCIL OF VIRGINIA — PARLIAMENT. 79 
 
 thither under the late persecutions of it) the advantage 
 of liberty to use it constantly among them, after the 
 naval force had reduced the colony under the power 
 but never to the obedience," ^ of Cromwell. 
 
 The ruin of the Company must have been a deep 
 sorrow and disappointment to Nicholas Ferrar, but 
 he had still before him the possibility of a brilliant 
 future. He was an active member of the popular 
 party, the trusted friend of its most distinguished 
 leaders. "Every parliament man was very willing to 
 be acquainted with him." ^ He might have become, 
 as the stirring years went on — 
 
 " A potent voice of Parliament, 
 A pillar steadfast in the storm." 
 
 He deliberately chose instead to spend his life in 
 prayer and fasting, and in the training of a little 
 group of relations and friends in devotion and good 
 works, 
 
 • " Virginia's Cure," quoted by Bishop Wilberforce, " History 
 of the American Church." 
 
 * •' Life of Nicholas Ferrar," by his brother.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 FERRAR PREPARES FOR A LIFE OF RELIGIOUS RE 
 TIREMENT — THE PURCHASE OF GIDDING — HIS 
 ORDINATION. 
 
 A.D. 1625, 1626. 
 
 " Thee sovereignly my will shall chuse ; 
 My love shall to Thy love aspire, 
 The sole desirable desire. 
 Thou wilt have all my heart or none, 
 The world I for Thy sake disown." 
 
 Bishop Ken, 1637-1711. 
 
 " They carry music in their heart 
 Through dusty lane and wrangling mart, 
 Plying their daily task with busier feet, 
 Because their secret souls a holy strain repeat." 
 
 Christian Year, " St. Alattheiu's Day:' 
 
 These lines express the attitude of Ferrar's mind 
 throughout the busy years which he spent in London, 
 filled as they were with business, anxiety, and the heat 
 of political conflict. 
 
 It was thought that he took a vow of celibacy on 
 recovering from his illness at Padua. Whether this 
 be so or not, it seems certain that the desire to devote 
 his life to religious retirement sprang from no sudden 
 impulse, but was the secret growth of years.
 
 PREPARES FOR A LIFE OF RETIREMENT. 8i 
 
 His refusal of the Professorship at Gresham College, 
 and of Government employment, has been already 
 mentioned. A rich merchant, one of his friends of 
 the Virginian Company, made him a proposal which 
 sounds strange to us, but was permitted by the 
 manners of the time; he "courted and wooed" him 
 to take his only child in marriage, with ten thousand 
 pounds to her portion. 
 
 He put all these flattering offers gently aside. He 
 said that he was not worthy of so much honour ; that 
 he had other intentions and aims. To the merchant 
 only, in his eagerness to avoid discourtesy to the 
 proffered bride, he confessed his secret purpose — to 
 lead, with God's help, a retired and single life.^ 
 
 But though " he had formed his resolutions, he had 
 not yet shaped his occasions " for the retirement he 
 longed for. He could not leave his father's affairs 
 unsettled, and his tender love and regard for his 
 widowed mother kept him constantly near her. In 
 the absence of private letters or journals, we have no 
 means of learning how the peculiar form of religious 
 life which he afterwards adopted, formed itself in his 
 mind ; but it was apparently the result of circum- 
 stances, and was probably due, in great part, to the 
 influence of Mrs. Ferrar. 
 
 He himself seems at one time to have cherished 
 the idea of devoting himself to mission work among 
 ' " Life of Nicholas Fenar," by his brother, p. 93.
 
 82 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 the Indians in the Virginian colony which he loved so 
 well. This wish he frequently expressed to Mr. Cope- 
 land, the rector designate of Henrico College, who 
 told Sir Edwin Sandys that he verily believed Mr. 
 Ferrar was determined to spend his life in the con- 
 version of the infidels or others in that country, 
 adding, "If he should do so, I will never leave him, 
 but wait upon him in that glorious work." ^ 
 
 The sorrow which he expressed on his death-bed 
 for his "great neglect in almsgiving," perhaps points to 
 some struggle between his high sense of family duty 
 and affection, and the desire to give up everything, 
 even those tenderest and most sacred bonds, for the 
 love of God alone. " It had been my part to have 
 given all I had," he said to one who spoke of his 
 deeds, adding, " The Lord God forgive, I most 
 humbly beseech Him, my too much carnal love to my 
 friends on this kind." ^ 
 
 During these early years he observed very strict 
 rules of life, preparing himself, by acts of increasing 
 austerity, for whatever form of devotion he might 
 eventually be called to embrace. 
 
 In the course of his travels he had collected a 
 quantity of choice books in various languages ; many 
 of these books treated of prayer and the spiritual 
 life, but there were also among them a great number 
 
 ' " Tcckird," p. io6. 
 
 ^ " Life of Nicholas Fenar," by his brother, p. 8l.
 
 PREPARES FOR A LIFE OF RETIREMENT. 83 
 
 of " comedies, tragedies, love-hymns, heroical poems, 
 novels, and the like," in which he had formerly taken 
 great delight. With Puritan severity, he cut himself 
 off from this world of imagination and poetry.^ He 
 could not make up his mind to destroy his cherished 
 volumes, but he put them under lock and key — three 
 great hampers full — and left them to gather dust and 
 mildew undisturbed. The hours which he could 
 secure from business were so frequently spent in 
 prayer and fasting, that his seasons of retirement 
 passed unnoticed in his family. 
 
 While on the Continent his opportunities of 
 joining in the worship of the English Church must 
 have been scanty and infrequent, and we can fancy 
 how eagerly he would return to the habits of his 
 youth, how devout and constant would be his atten- 
 dance at the divine service. 
 
 * Bishop Ken, lover and writer of poetry as- he was, seems 
 to have taken the same line. In the catalogue of his books, 
 given by the late Very Rev. E. H. Plumptre, no poems occur 
 except some of the works of Milton and those of Herbert, 
 Donne, Crashaw, and Sandys. Read in the light of this fact, 
 the lines — 
 
 " The heavenly fire Jehovah sent 
 Was only on His altar spent. 
 And all poetic heaven-born flame 
 Should be devoted to His Name," 
 
 would appear to mean, that all poetry should be distinctly 
 religious, not only in lone but in subject.
 
 84 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 That " Strong north wind coming out of Scotland," 
 which was said to have blown Abbott across the 
 Thames to Lambeth, had reduced the ritual of our 
 churches to the coldest depth of desolation which 
 it has ever reached. The archbishop forbade his 
 household to bow at the Holy Name. King James 
 showed open disregard for public worship, seldom 
 \ entering his chapel till the prayers were nearly over.^ 
 With such examples before them, it is not wonderful 
 that the careless young court noblemen tilted on 
 Good Friday, that the clergy sometimes ministered 
 without surplices, and their congregation received the 
 Holy Communion standing or sitting. 
 
 But new life was springing up. In one diocese, at 
 least, and that one of the most important. Catholic 
 teaching and devout ritual were enforced. Of the 
 work of the great and saintly Bishop of Winchester, 
 the venerable Lancelot Andrewes, it would be pre- 
 sumptuous for the present writer to attempt any 
 description \ yet, since the training of a Churchman 
 in King James's time without the teaching of 
 
 • " I desired his Majesty King Charles that he would please 
 to be present at prayers as well as sermon every Sunday ; and 
 that at whatsoever part of the prayers he came, the priest then 
 officiating might proceed to the end of the prayers. The most 
 religious king not only assented to this request, but also gave 
 me thanks. This had not before been done from the beginning 
 of King James's reign unto this day. Now, thanks be to God, it 
 obtaineth."— Laud's "Diary," November 14, A.n. 1626.
 
 PREPARES FOR A LIFE OF RETIREMENT. 85 
 
 Andrewes would have been as incomplete as that 
 of our own generation would be if Dr. Pusey or 
 Mr. Keble had never existed, it may be allowable 
 to give some account of that teaching in the words 
 of one who can speak on such a subject with 
 authority.^ 
 
 " Without departing from the position or the lines of 
 the original Reformation," Bishop Andrewes " greatly 
 enlarged its field of teaching. In the outskirts and 
 fringes of its system, where it had been characteris- 
 tically reticent, he was not afraid to supply from the 
 authorities, to which it had all along appealed, what 
 was wanting to complete the harmony and fulness of 
 its doctrine. Thus, with respect to the idea of the 
 Christian sacrifice in the Eucharist, on which the 
 language of the ancient Church was so clear and 
 strong, and on which, from the superstitions and errors 
 of the Mediaeval Church, the English Prayer-book 
 was so reserved, Andrewes, without hesitation and 
 as of full right, recurred, both in controversy and in 
 teaching, to the language of the Liturgies, familiar 
 to the early writers from Irenaeus to Augustine. So, 
 again, with respect of those forms and offices for 
 special occasions not provided for in the general 
 office-book of the Church, he threw himself, as an 
 ancient bishop would have done, on his inherent 
 
 ' "Masters in English Theology: Lancelot Andrewes," by 
 the late Very Rev. R. W. Church, Dean of St. Paul's.
 
 86 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 episcopal authority to supply the want. It is mainly 
 according to the model used by him that our churches 
 are even to this day consecrated. Full of discrimi- 
 nation for what really had the authority of the ancient 
 Church, he was the most fearless of English divines 
 where he had that authority. English theology would 
 be in danger of being much less Catholic, much 
 more disconnected with that of the earlier ages, 
 much more arbitrarily limited in all directions, except 
 towards Geneva or else towards simple latitude, but 
 that a man of Andrewes' character and weight 
 had dared to break through the prescription which 
 the Puritans were trying to establish against the 
 doctrinal language, at once more accurate and more 
 free, of the ancient Church." 
 
 Ferrar had been mainly left to form his own 
 opinions, for he was little more than a boy when he 
 was launched on the Continent to steer his way alone 
 amid the conflicting claims of the Roman Church, 
 the Protestant sects, the scepticism and the indif- 
 ference which met him on every side. 
 
 It must have been an infinite gain to him to hear 
 the teaching of his own Church put forth in all 
 its strength and fulness by an authority so weighty. 
 We can fancy him hanging on the lips of Andrewes, 
 his keen mind following the great preacher through 
 all the windings of his condensed and rapid thought, 
 undeterred by the quaint abruptness which makes
 
 PREPARES FOR A LIFE OF RETIREMENT. 87 
 
 those famous sermons appear difficult and unattrac- 
 tive to modern readers. They were not unattractive 
 then. The chapel at Whitehall was crowded when- 
 ever the "matchless bishop," "the oracle of our 
 present times," occupied the pulpit; and a great 
 school of men was rising up to carry on and develop 
 his teaching. 
 
 Among these men were Dr. Lindsell, Ferrar's old 
 tutor, and his father's friend, Dr. White, Dean of 
 Carlisle; and closely linked with them were Laud, 
 lately made Bishop of St. David's, and Cosins, still 
 young, but already so highly regarded that both 
 Andrewes and Overall had offered him posts in their 
 households, the so-called " families " with which 
 bishops surrounded themselves in those stately days. 
 
 The directions given (under the advice of Laud) 
 to the chaplains who attended Prince Charles in 
 Spain ^ show both the progress which had been made 
 in reviving a decent and orderly ritual, and the great 
 need of enforcing the most ordinary reverence; it 
 was even thought necessary to direct that those 
 
 ' These instructions direct that in the room set apart for \ 
 prayer there should be "an altar, fonts, palls, linen-coverings, ' 
 demy -carpet, four surplices, candlesticks, tapers, chalices, 
 pattens, a fine towel for the prince, other towels for the 
 household, a travese of water for the Communion, a bason and 
 flaggons, two copes ; and also that water should be mixed with ,' 
 the wine, and smooth wafers used for the bread." — Heylin's ; 
 "Life of Laud," vol. i. p. 106.
 
 88 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 present at the services should be uncovered, and 
 should stand at the Creeds and Gospel. 
 
 There was in London another remarkable preacher, 
 who, though he has left no such mark as Bishop 
 Andrewes, was yet of great influence in his day. 
 Dr. John Donne, Dean of St. Paul's, did not form 
 a school of theology, but he stirred men's hearts to 
 their innermost depth. 
 
 "His own heart was possessed with those very 
 thoughts and joys which he laboured to distil into 
 others ; a preacher in earnest, weeping sometimes for 
 his auditory, sometimes with them ; always preaching 
 to himself, like an angel from a cloud, but in none ; 
 carrying some, as St. Paul was, to heaven in holy 
 raptures, and enticing others by a sacred art and 
 courtship to amend their lives ; here picturing a vice 
 so as to make it ugly to those that practised it, and 
 a virtue so as to make it beloved even by those that 
 loved it not ; and all this with a most particular 
 grace and an inexpressible addition of comeliness." ^ 
 
 We are reminded of the St. Paul's which we know 
 and love to-day, when we read of the "organs, cor- 
 nets, and sackbuts " which rolled their waves of sound 
 through the aisles of the perished cathedral, " accom- 
 panied and intermingled with such excellent voices 
 that seemed rather to enchant than chant," and 
 picture to ourselves the crowds gathering from all 
 * Walton's " Llie of Donne."
 
 PREPARES FOR A LIFE OF RETIREMENT. 89 
 
 parts of the city — from Westminster and Southwark, 
 and across the fields from quiet suburban villages, 
 Kensington and Paddington, and others long since 
 swallowed up by invading London — to hear the ser- 
 mons of the great dean, " lit up by the genius of 
 of a poet, and heated by the zeal of an evangelist." ^ 
 
 We can even distinguish individuals as the streams 
 go by and disappear in the open doorways, names 
 familiar to us as the names of those who were alive 
 but yesterday. There is Donne's college friend. 
 Sir Henry Wotton, stately and gracious, with the 
 sweet and polished manner that made his company 
 " one of the delights of mankind," and with him, 
 perhaps, Isaak Walton, just settled in his new shop 
 in Fleet Street The keen eye of the practised 
 scholar and diplomatist must have detected some 
 rare gift in the young linen-draper whom he honoured 
 with his companionship, but he could little have fore- 
 seen that his fame and that of the preacher whom he 
 admired and loved were in the keeping of this modest 
 friend ; that by his portraits, alive with insight and 
 tender sympathy, their features would be chiefly known. 
 
 Here, too, George Herbert, still wearing the silk 
 clothes and sword of a courtly layman, would come 
 from time to time to listen to the old friend of his 
 childhood. He was going through a sharp conflict. 
 
 ' "Donne, the Poet-Preacher," by Bishop Lightfoot, in 
 "Classic Preachers of the English Church."
 
 90 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 It was long before he could decide to give up "the 
 painted pleasures of a court life " for the service of 
 the Church. He tells us himself that — 
 
 "Whereas my birth and spirit rather took 
 The way that takes the town, 
 Thou didst betray me to a lingering book 
 
 And wrap me in a gown. 
 I was entangled in a world of strife 
 Before I had the power to change my life." 
 
 Was it in some crisis of this struggle that he first met 
 Ferrar, and formed with him in that one interview — 
 
 " A friendship that hath conquered Time " ? 
 
 Since Arthur Woodnoth, the goldsmith, the valued 
 friend of Herbert's family, was also Ferrar's cousin, 
 what more probable than that these three, coming 
 forth from the twilight aisles of the cathedral, their 
 hearts pierced by Donne's fiery eloquence, should 
 meet and walk together through the darkening streets 
 to Woodnoth's house in Foster Lane ? 
 
 The young poet and the young member of parlia- 
 ment steeped to the lips in business seem to have 
 understood one another at once. After their first, 
 and, as is thought, only meeting, wherever it may have 
 taken place, Ferrar became George Herbert's "ex- 
 ceeding dear brother," his "entire friend and 
 brother."^ Shortly before his death he desired to 
 
 > "I know they" (Herbert and Ferrar) "loved each other most 
 entirely, and their very souls cleaved together most intimately,
 
 PREPARES FOR A LIFE OF RETIREMENT. 91 
 
 exchange Bemerton for a living near Huntingdon, for 
 no other reason but to be within reach of his friend ; 
 and in Ferrar's care he left his poems, at his absolute 
 disposal, to be burnt or printed as he might see fit. 
 Herbert had been for eight years public orator at 
 Cambridge ; he had been a courtier ; he had older 
 friends, friends more highly placed than the recluse of 
 Gidding. This display of confidence and affection 
 for a man of whom he had seen so little, marks a 
 deep sense of admiration, perhaps also of personal 
 obligation, and a conjecture forces itself on the mind 
 as one thinks of the brief intercourse of these fervent 
 spirits, that the influence of Ferrar, more practical, 
 more determined, less swayed by imagination, may have 
 helped to decide the wavering mind of Herbert in his 
 resolution to lay aside all hopes of rising in the state, 
 and devote himself to the service of God at the 
 altar. 1 
 
 and drove a large stock of Christian intelligence together long 
 before their deaths ; yet saw they not each other in many years.' 
 — Oley, "Life of George Herbert." " As I take it, having but' 
 once had personal conference with each other." — "Life of 
 Nicholas Ferrar," by his brother. 
 
 ' There are many traces of this struggle in Herbert's writings. 
 For one of the most striking, see the poem entitled " Affliction " 
 (No. 63). 
 
 " Broken in pieces all asunder, 
 Lord, hunt me not, 
 A thing forgot ; 
 Once a poor creature, now a wonder —
 
 92 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 Nicholas Ferrar did not take his final leave of 
 London life till the summer of 1626, but during the 
 winter of 1624-25, after the collapse of the last hopes 
 of the Virginia Company, though his family affairs, 
 owing to the failure of John Ferrar's partner, were 
 still seriously embarrassed, he felt free to consider 
 the place and manner of his retirement from the 
 world. 
 
 The scheme of life which he then formed, displays 
 a remarkable union of determination and flexibility. 
 He accepted the situation in which he found himself, 
 which was not perhaps that which he would have 
 chosen, with the calmest common sense, and at the 
 same time with undiminished fervour. He was the 
 chief support of his mother, the virtual head of 
 the family, and he made up his mind to carry out 
 to the full all the varied duties imposed on him by this 
 position, and yet to abate nothing of the ascetic ideal 
 to which he had so long desired to conform his life. 
 The result was a compromise, as so many things must 
 be, but a compromise which he turned to the loftiest 
 purpose. 
 
 Mrs. Ferrar entered heartily into her son's plans, 
 
 A wonder, tortured in the space 
 Betwixt this world and that of grace. 
 
 My thoughts are all a case of knives, 
 Wounding my heart."
 
 PREPARES FOR A LIFE OF RETIREMENT. 93 
 
 which she may indeed have helped to mould, and 
 agreed to leave London and fix her abode in some 
 retired part of the country, where Nicholas might 
 without interruption lead the life of his choice. 
 
 In May, 1625, she completed the purchase of the 
 lordship of Little Gidding, a depopulated parish 
 turned entirely into pasture land, with a large ruinous 
 mansion, a single shepherd's cottage, and a small 
 church used as a hay barn, situated in a solitary 
 neighbourhood twelve miles from Huntingdon. The 
 house required considerable repair and alteration 
 before it could be made a fit dwelling-place for Mrs. 
 Ferrar and her family, which included, besides 
 Nicholas, her granddaughter, Mary Collett, a girl of 
 twenty-two, who had lived with her from early child- 
 hood ; but circumstances compelled her to leave 
 London and take up her abode at Gidding at an 
 earlier date than she at first intended. 
 
 The summer of 1625 set in wet and gloomy, and 
 unhealthy mists crept up from the river, carrying the 
 seeds of illness from the ships in the Pool into the 
 narrow streets of the city. The solemnities of the 
 funeral of James L, the rejoicings for his son's 
 marriage, lost their importance in the presence of a 
 great fear. By Ascension Day, people began to 
 whisper to each other that the plague had come. In 
 the course of that week a friend of the Ferrars, living 
 in the next house^ died. His relations were doubtful
 
 94 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 as to the cause of his death, or desirous to conceal it, 
 and some of the Ferrars were invited to the funeral, 
 but on Whitsun Eve another member of the family 
 sickened, and Nicholas Ferrar took the alarm. 
 
 He at once procured a coach and sent his mother 
 and her household to Hertford that night ; on Whit 
 Monday Mrs. Ferrar proceeded to her son-in-law's 
 house at Bourne, taking with her, as it would seem, 
 her grandaughter Mary and John Ferrar's wife and 
 children, while John himself went on to Gidding to 
 make the newly purchased house fit for habitation as 
 speedily as possible, and Nicholas remained in town 
 to attend to his own affairs and those of his brother. 
 The wet weather still continued, and the fear of 
 famine began to be added to that of pestilence. By 
 the middle of July the plague was raging throughout 
 London and Westminster, and four thousand persons 
 died in one week. 
 
 Nicholas stayed in the sorrowful city till he had 
 wound up his business connected with his father's 
 estate, paid off all debts, and cleared his family estate 
 from the encumbrances resulting from the failure of 
 his brother's partner, and probably also from the ruin 
 of the Virginia Company — a task which he could only 
 accomplish at considerable personal sacrifice. The 
 sum left by his father to the college at Henrico he 
 made over, now that the restoration of the college 
 seemed indefinitely postponed, to the Governor of
 
 PREPARES FOR A LIFE OF RETIREMENT. 95 
 
 Bermuda, in trust for the Christian education of 
 " three wild young infidels." 
 
 When his family affairs were at last brought into 
 order, he joined his brother John at Little Gidding, 
 entreating his mother to remain a month longer at 
 Bourne, lest he should have brought infection with 
 him. 
 
 But the mother's heart would not suffer this delay. 
 Within three days of his arrival, she rode, though now 
 seventy years of age, the fifteen miles from Bourne to 
 Gidding, through miry lanes impassable for a coach. 
 
 " Their greeting was like that of old Jacob and his 
 son Joseph, after his father had given him over for 
 lost, while he was providing for the support of the 
 family. Such an interview must needs be passion- 
 ately kind and zealously devout, both of them bless- 
 ing God, and she again and again blessing her son. 
 He prayed her to enter the rude house and to re- 
 pose herself after her journey. ' Not so,' said she ; 
 'yonder I see the church; let us first go thither, to 
 give God thanks that He has brought me to this good 
 place and has restored me my son.' It was told her 
 there was no getting into it^ for as yet there had not 
 been time to empty the hay that was in it, which was 
 intended shortly to be done. By the sacrilege and 
 profaneness of the former inhabitants of Gidding the 
 house of God was turned into a hay-barn and a 
 hog-stye. But this good woman had somewhat of
 
 96 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 Augustine's mother, Monica, in her devotion, of whom 
 that Father affirms, that ' if a dragon stood between 
 her and the altar, she would have stept through him 
 to advance thither.' So this divine soul persisted in 
 her ardent resolution, and, thrusting into the church a 
 little way, she kneeled and prayed and wept there 
 about a quarter of an hour. Then she charged her 
 son to send instantly for all the workmen about the 
 house, which were many, and commanded them to 
 fling out the hay at the church windows, and to 
 cleanse it as well as they could for the present.^ She 
 was obeyed, and she saw all this done before she 
 would stir or set her foot in the house." 
 
 Under the energetic rule of this devout and high- 
 spirited lady, the renovation of both church and 
 house proceeded so quickly that in a month's time 
 she was able to send for some of her family from 
 Bourne, though the old mansion still required much 
 repair and alteration before it could be properly fitted 
 to the needs of a large household. Mrs. CoUett was 
 the first to rejoin her mother, and she was followed 
 in the course of the summer by the whole of her 
 numerous family, as well as by Mrs. John Ferrar and 
 her children. The spendthrift eldest son, Richard 
 Ferrar, though a constant object of anxiety, is scarcely 
 mentioned in the memoirs, but Mrs. Collett's letters 
 show that he was an occasional visitor at Gidding, 
 ' " Life of Nicholas Feirnr," by Dr. Jebb, p. 29.
 
 PREPARES FOR A LIFE OF RETIREMENT. 97 
 
 and it is hardly likely that he was left uncared for in 
 this time of dismay and trouble. 
 
 Through the remainder of that dreary summer and 
 the long winter that followed, the reunited family 
 remained at Gidding. All, following the mother's 
 example, took a deep interest in the repair and deco- 
 ration of the desecrated church, working at it with 
 their own hands. They made it their oratory, and 
 there daily recited the Litany on behalf of those 
 suffering from the plague. On Sundays they attended 
 the neighbouring church of Steeple Gidding, and when 
 the repair of Little Gidding was sufficiently advanced, 
 the friendly vicar of that parish would sometimes 
 come over, followed by his flock, to perform service 
 in the restored sanctuary. 
 
 During this time Nicholas Ferrar, freed from all 
 labour but the congenial task of fitting house and 
 church to be the home of his little community, 
 worked out in his mind a scheme which should com- 
 bine the rule of a Religious house with the ordinary 
 routine of domestic life. At what time he first pro- 
 posed this manner of life to his relations, by what 
 persuasion he won them to adopt it, how far the 
 union of the different branches of the family under 
 one roof grew out of this plan or was the result of 
 accident and convenience, is matter of conjecture 
 only. 
 
 Probably the anxieties which they had gone through
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 together, the sadness which hung over the land, the 
 hours of united prayer when they knelt in intercession 
 for the " deplorable city " to which they were bound by 
 so many ties, drew the hearts of the little company 
 nearer to each other and to God. In this green and 
 pleasant solitude, their minds were free to rise un- 
 disturbed by the thousand influences of business and 
 society which are too apt to choke devout aspirations. 
 "They began already to taste the delicious fruits of 
 peace and quietness," and when Mrs. Ferrar, after 
 nine months' experience of this quiet life, made up 
 her mind " by the grace of God to take livery and 
 seizin of her new purchase by laying her bones there," 
 John Ferrar and his wife and Mr. and Mrs. Collett 
 determined to remain with her. From this time we 
 hear no more of the house at Bourne, and Gidding 
 remained the home of the entire family. 
 
 After Easter, the plague having at length ceased, 
 they all went up to London, " that the good old 
 gentlewoman might take her last leave of all her 
 friends, expecting to see them no more till the great 
 Easter morning at the Resurrection." 
 
 They remained in town for several weeks, arrang- 
 ing for the letting of the great London house, and 
 settling their remaining affairs ; and, this accom- 
 plished, Nicholas Ferrar felt that the time was at last 
 come when he might solemnly dedicate himself to the 
 exclusive service of God,
 
 PREPARES FOR A LIFE OF RETIREMENT. 99 
 
 He kept his resolution secret, fearing, for what 
 reason it is not easy to understand, that his friends 
 might still oppose it. It is possible that his mother, 
 though herself desirous to live a retired life, still 
 clung to the hope of some brilliant destiny for her 
 favourite son. He passed the week before Whit 
 Sunday in prayer, fasting, and watching, but his 
 family, accustomed to see him spend much time in 
 devotion, observed nothing unusual in this retirement. 
 On Whitsun Eve he watched the whole night through. 
 Dr. Lindsell, the only person to whom he had con- 
 fided his intentions, was "ravished with joy" to find 
 that his beloved pupil was now about to enter on the 
 profession which he had so long desired for him ; 
 yet even he did not fully sympathize with the life to 
 which Ferrar felt called. "If he could but be pre- 
 vailed on to ascend the pulpit," the good man was 
 sometimes heard to say, " he were then in his proper 
 orb, and would shine among those who turn many to 
 righteousness." It was perhaps in order to avoid all 
 possibility of preferment, perhaps only from the intense 
 humility which underlay his somewhat authoritative 
 ways, that he made known to his old tutor his resolve 
 never to pass beyond the diaconate. 
 
 Early in the morning of Trinity Sunday he went, 
 accompanied by Lindsell, to Henry VI I. 's Chapel in 
 Westminster Abbey, and there Laud, still Bishop of 
 St. David's, ordained him deacon, he being then in 
 his thirty-fifth year.
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERE A R. 
 
 It was towards evening when Ferrar returned home 
 on that, to him, memorable Sunday. He went straight 
 to his mother, who was seated among her children 
 and friends — a little gathering, of those from whom 
 she was to part so soon — and, drawing from his 
 breast a roll of vellum, he begged her to allow him 
 to read to her what he had written. It was a formal 
 and solemn vow, written and signed with his own 
 hand, to devote himself to God's service as an act of 
 thanksgiving for his preservation in so many dangers 
 of soul and body, and the deliverance of his family 
 from the brink of ruin. He added his resolution to 
 be " the Levite in his own house," and make his own 
 family his cure of souls. 
 
 The assembled friends seem to have been over- 
 whelmed with amazement at this declaration, remem- 
 bering perhaps how short a time had elapsed since 
 Nicholas had stood in the forefront of the parliamen- 
 tary battle, and did service to Buckingham which the 
 all-powerful duke might now be both able and willing 
 to requite. They stood silent, looking at him ; but 
 the mother, falling on his neck, wept and blessed 
 him, praying that he might be filled with the Holy 
 Spirit daily more and more. " I also/' said she, " will, 
 by the help of my God, set myself with more care and 
 diligence than ever to serve our good Lord God, as is 
 all our duties to do, in all we may." ^ 
 
 ' "Life of Nicholas Ferrar," bj' his brother, p. 25.
 
 PREPARES FOR A LIFE OF RETIREMENT, loi 
 
 All Ferrar's friends seem to have shared in the 
 astonishment caused by his ordination. So reserved 
 had he been, and so completely had his inner life 
 been concealed during his six years of work in 
 London, that even Sir Edwin Sandys, who had known 
 him intimately from the first, was amazed. Offers of 
 benefices were immediately showered upon him, it 
 being apparently inconceivable to the imagination of 
 the time that anybody should wish to live without 
 preferment of some kind. Sir Edwin, through whom 
 these offers were made, pressed him to accept them, 
 but Ferrar was fixed in his determination. 
 
 He told his friend that he had parted his worldly 
 estate among his family, and meant to devote his 
 " half-talent," as he modestly called it, to make them 
 partakers of spiritual treasures. 
 
 There was now nothing more to do but to return 
 to Gidding, and there settle down in the strict way of 
 life which Nicholas had mapped out. That he should 
 have induced not only his devoted mother, but his 
 brother and brother-in-law, both married men of 
 middle age (Mr. Collett had sixteen children), to 
 submit to this austere rule, and to bring up their 
 families in the same, is a remarkable proof both of 
 his extraordinary personal influence and of the recoil 
 of feeling which was drawing back Churchmen more 
 and more towards the lost Religious Life. This 
 feeling meets us again and again in the writings of
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 the century which lies between the period of the 
 Elizabethan Settlement and the period of the final 
 separation of the Nonjurors ; the hatred and terror 
 of Popery was still so great that few ventured openly 
 to propose the foundation of a ReHgious Order, but 
 their minds dwelt on the subject, and here and there, 
 singly or in little groups, they strove after some 
 fashion to live the life. 
 
 Bishop Andrewes, in his " Devotions," gives thanks 
 
 for— 
 
 " The ascetics and their tears. 
 The virgins, flowers of purity, 
 Celestial gems, 
 Brides of the Immaculate Lamb.'' * 
 
 It was the cherished hope of Lettice Lady Falkland, 
 a hope which her early death in the midst of the 
 civil war left unfulfilled, to aid in the foundation of 
 houses " for the education of young gentlewomen and 
 the retirement of widows," " hoping thereby that learn- 
 ing and religion might flourish more in her own sex 
 than heretofore, having such opportunities to serve 
 the Lord without distraction." "' 
 
 Sir George Wheler,^ in the preface to his " Protes- 
 
 * " Devotions of Bishop Andrewes," p. 33. Oxford edition, 
 1848. 
 
 2 " The Holy Life and Death of the Lady Letice Vicountess 
 Falkland," by John Duncon, Parson (sequestered). See also 
 Note at the end of this chapter. 
 
 ^ Sir George Wheler, or Wheeler, was in his youth a traveller 
 of some note. He afterwards took orders and became Rector of
 
 PREPARES FOR A LIFE OF RETIREMENT. 103 
 
 tant Monastery," published in 1698, writes that " Con- 
 vents for single women seem convenient, if not very 
 necessary for all times and countries," and if duly 
 ordered, " would undoubtedly be both a reputation 
 to the Church and advantageous to the nation." 
 " Yet," he adds, " considering the great decay of 
 Christian piety, and especially of devotion in this 
 age, there seems but small hopes that anything of 
 this nature shall be brought to pass. Therefore, till 
 it shall please God to send such unprejudiced times 
 as may bring such commendable works to perfection, 
 the pious conduct of private families shall be the 
 monasteries that I shall most earnestly commend to 
 all devout masters of them." 
 
 Of such devout and strictly ordered households, 
 
 Houghton-le-Spring. "The Protestant Monastery ; or, Christian 
 ^conomicks," is a manual of devotion compiled originally for his 
 own family, and used, as he tells us, in his household for twenty 
 years before its publication. It consists of four day hours, and 
 four night watches, matins, sext, and the second night watch, or 
 compline, being intended for the use of the whole household, 
 and the five remaining offices for such of the family as have more 
 leisure. These offices are formed from those in the Common 
 Prayer-book, with paraphrases and " enlargements," among 
 which is a very beautiful " Litany of Praise " for use on festivals. 
 Sir G. Wheler adds minute directions for setting apart the best 
 room in each house as an oratory, or, if this be not practicable, 
 for a careful arrangement of the family sitting-room before 
 prayer-time, and suggests that the reader and all his family 
 should face the same way, and that men should be placed on 
 one side of the room, and women on the other.
 
 104 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 the family of Gidding is perhaps the most remarkable 
 and certainly the most conspicuous example.^ 
 
 Note. 
 
 A plan of a college for the higher education of women, which 
 should be at the same time a religious house, was put forth half 
 a century after Lady Falkland's death by Mrs. Astell. After 
 deploring the ignorance and frivolity of the ladies of her time, she 
 proposes as a remedy "to erect a monastery, or if you will (to 
 avoid giving offence to the scrupulous and injudicious by names 
 which, though innocent in themselves, have been abused by super- 
 stitious practices) we will call it a religious retirement. . . , 
 Here such as are willing in a more peculiar and undisturbed 
 manner to attend the great business they came into the world 
 about, the service of GoD and improvement of their own minds, 
 may find a convenient and blissful recess from the noise and 
 hurry of the world, . , . and all that acme of delight which the 
 devout seraphic soul enjoys when, dead to the world, she devotes 
 herself entirely to the contemplation and fruition of her Beloved ; 
 when, having disengaged herself from all those lets which 
 hindered her from without, she moves in a direct and vigourous 
 motion towards her true and only good. . . . Your retreat, shall 
 be so managed as not to exclude the good works of the active, 
 from the pleasure and serenity of a contemplative life." 
 
 Daily service " in the cathedral manner," frequent communion, 
 and a careful observation of the precepts of their "holy mother 
 the Church, whose sacred injunctions are too much neglected 
 even by those who pretend to the greatest zeal for her," were to be 
 part of the rule of the house, and " care shall be taken that our 
 
 ' Cf. the account of the Ladies of Naish Court in the 24th 
 chapter of the " Life of Bishop Ken," by the late Very Rev. 
 E. H. Plumptre.
 
 PREPARES FOR A LIFE OF RETIREMENT. 105 
 
 religious be under the tuition of persons qualified to minister to 
 all the spiritual wants of their charge, watching over their souls 
 with tenderness and prudence, applying fitting medicines with 
 sweetness and affability." 
 
 The ladies were to spend some time in study as well as prayer, 
 Mrs. Astell holding that they had as much right as men to 
 improve their minds, and that learning would assist them in the 
 practice of devotion; "for even the men themselves," she 
 remarks, " if they have not a competent degree of knowledge, 
 they are carried about with every wind of doctrine." 
 
 Their special work was to be the education of girls of the 
 higher class, and also, if their means would admit, of the 
 daughters of poor gentlemen, who must otherwise remain 
 untaught ; but all works of mercy, both spiritual and corporal, 
 were to be practised among them as opportunity might offer. — ■ 
 See "A Serious Proposal to the Ladies by a Lover of her Sex " 
 [Mary Astell], 1694. 
 
 Mrs. Astell's scheme roused considerable interest, and an 
 unnamed lady (supposed to be the queen) was ready to give 
 ;i^ 10,000 for the foundation of such an institution ; but Bishop 
 Burnet, who seems to have been consulted in the matter, put an 
 end to the plan, saying that it would be too much like a nunnery. 
 —See " Life of Mary Astell," Diet, Nat. Biog.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE FAMILY ESTABLISHED AT GIDDING — MANNER OF 
 LIFE AND OCCUPATIONS. 
 
 A.D. 1626-2S. 
 
 " Slight those who say amongst their sickly healths, 
 ' Thou liv'st by rule.^ What doth not so but man ? 
 Houses were built by rule, and commonwealths. 
 Entice the trusty sun, if that you can, 
 From his ecliptic line ; beckon the sky. 
 Who lives by rule, then, keeps good company," 
 
 G. Herbert. 
 
 The estate of Little Gidding consisted, and consists 
 to this day, of an upland pasture divided into small 
 irregular fields, of which some still bear names which 
 recall the memory of its old proprietors. The air 
 blows freshly on these green heights. There is a 
 sense of space, of quiet, and pleasant wildness. All 
 around are lower hills, half covered with trees, which 
 open and sink down into wide valleys, rich with 
 hidden streams, through which the eye travels till 
 the grey distance melts into the sky. 
 
 The little church stands on the highest level, 
 sheltered by a wood, which has sprung up among the
 
 MANNER OF LIFE AT GIDDING. 107 
 
 roots of ancient trees, remnants of the grove which 
 shaded it when first Mrs. Ferrar rode up the muddy 
 field track which, until a few years ago, was the only 
 access. 
 
 The Hall has disappeared so completely that its 
 site can only be conjectured from John Ferrar's 
 statement that it was about forty paces from the 
 church. It stood, probably, a little in front of the 
 present farmhouse, facing south ; a ridge still visible 
 in the grass is supposed to mark the line of the path 
 which led to the west door of the church. The little 
 churchyard has been somewhat enlarged. Some large 
 box titees, apparently of great age, now within its 
 boundary, may have formed part of the hedge formerly 
 dividing it from the garden; these, with a single 
 holly, are the only remaining traces of the old 
 plantations. In a neighbouring field, the dried-up 
 hollows of fishponds are still to be seen, and the 
 name of the " Dovehouse Close " commemorates the 
 site of the pigeon-house. 
 
 The place is as retired and still as when the Ferrars 
 first came to it, yet it is not lonely. At the foot of 
 the hill, deep buried in trees, lies Glatton, and, halt- 
 way up, the houses of Great Gidding cluster round 
 their ancient church. Steeple Gidding is scarce a 
 quarter of a mile off, and Coppingford but a little way 
 to the westward. 
 
 The road that goes through Huntingdon to Stam-
 
 loS LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 ford and the north, passes the foot of Gidding hill, 
 and an older highway, the " bullock road," used until 
 lately by drovers bringing herds of cattle from Scot- 
 land, runs along the crest of the ridge on the further 
 side of the valley. From this upper road the great 
 house at Gidding must have been plainly seen. 
 
 When fully repaired and completed, the mansion 
 must have been of considerable size, for it gave ample 
 accommodation to a household of above thirty 
 persons. The men and boys (three schoolmasters 
 lived in the house) were lodged at one end of the 
 building, the women and girls at the other, Nicholas 
 Ferrar having his chamber and study in the midst, 
 so that he might keep watch over his little community. 
 The ground floor was occupied, besides the necessary 
 offices, by the large dining-parlour, by rooms for the 
 reception of guests and of the neighbouring poor who 
 came to seek assistance, and by alms-rooms for poor 
 widows. These last were handsomely wainscoted, 
 with four beds in each, " after the Dutch manner in 
 their almshouses." There was also a dispensary for 
 the compounding of medicines and ointments, and 
 a large room set apart as an infirmary, in case of 
 sickness in the family. The centre of the home life 
 was in the " great chamber " upstairs, where Mrs. 
 Ferrar, seated in her armchair with one of her 
 daughters near her, was usually to be found. This 
 room, hung with tapestry and glowing in winter with
 
 MANNER OF LIFE AT GIDDING. 109 
 
 cheerful firelight, was at once oratory and community 
 room. Here, till the work grew so large as to require 
 a separate room, the famous Harmonies were com- 
 piled. Here the maidens practised embroidery and 
 " fair ^vriting," while the little children, too young for 
 school, sat by, silently working or learning their 
 simple lessons; and here, at the upper end of the 
 room, before the eastern window which looked 
 towards the church, the whole family assembled for 
 the daily offices. For private devotion they had two 
 oratories, one for men, the other for women, each at 
 their own end of the house. 
 
 A schoolhouse was fitted up in the grounds ; the 
 great dovecote (probably one of the large beehive- 
 shaped stone buildings still sometimes found attached 
 to ancient houses) — which they had cleared out 
 because, their own land being all in pasture, they 
 thought it unfair to keep a flock of pigeons to feed on 
 their neighbour's corn — being utilized for this purpose. 
 
 The house was furnished with the utmost plainness 
 
 and simplicity, and had a grave religious aspect, 
 
 befitting the life which its inmates had chosen. 
 
 "Even the walls are not idle, but something is 
 
 written or painted there which may excite the 
 
 reader to a thought of piety." ^ A brass plate affixed 
 
 to the outer door bore the words, " Flee from 
 
 ' G. Herbert, "A Priest to the Temple," chap. x. Many passages 
 in the " Country Parson " remind us of the customs of Gidding.
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 EVIL AND DO GOOD, AND DWELL FOR EVERMORE; 
 
 and in the parlour, in which it was the custom of the 
 family to receive strangers, a tablet was placed, 
 admonishing all comers in what temper of mind they 
 should visit this devout household. It ran as follows :— ^ 
 
 LH.S. 
 
 He who (by reproof of ' 
 our errors and remon- 
 strance of that which is 
 more perfect) seeks to 
 make us better, is wel- 
 come as an angel of God. 
 
 « And . 
 
 f He who by a cheerful 
 participation and appro- 
 bation of that which is 
 good confirms us in the 
 same, is welcome as a 
 
 i Christian friend. 
 
 But 
 
 He who any way goes \ 
 about to disturb us in that | 
 which is and ought to be 
 
 I" He who censures us in 
 
 I absence for that which 
 
 in presence he made show 
 
 amongst Christians (tho' it 1, ^^^^ ! to approve of, doth, by 
 
 be not usual in the world) 
 is a burden whilst he stays, | 
 and shall bear his judg- | 
 ment, whosoever he be. •' 
 
 a double guilt of flattery 
 and slander, violate the 
 bands both of friendship 
 I and Christianity. 
 
 MARY FERRAR, IVidotv, 
 
 MOTHER OF THIS FAMILY, 
 
 AND AGED ABOUT FOURSCORE YEARS, 
 
 (WHO BIDS ADIEU TO ALL FEARS AND HOPES OF THIS 
 
 WORLD, AND ONLY DESIRES TO SERVE GOD), 
 
 Set Up this Table. 
 
 > Bishop Turner, "Manuscript Extracts." The 
 Lenton's letter gives "charity" for "Christianity." 
 
 copy m
 
 MANNER OF LIFE AT GIDDING. 
 
 The care and cost which the Ferrars saved in the 
 simple furnishing of their dwelling were spent freely on 
 the church. It was hastily put in order on their first 
 coming, but when they were finally settled at Gidding 
 they beautified it to the utmost of their power. 
 
 It is a tiny brick building consisting only of nave 
 and chancel, without aisles. It is very narrow, and 
 is now somewhat shorter than formerly, about seven 
 feet at the west end having been pulled down, and a 
 new west front built, in 17 14. 
 
 Mrs. Ferrar had the church new floored, and the 
 walls wainscoted for warmth. It was seated after the 
 fashion of a college chapel, with stalls and benches 
 running east and west ; a pulpit and reading-desk of 
 equal height (to show that prayer was an ordinance 
 of equal value with preaching ^) were placed on each 
 side of the entrance to the chancel, and between 
 them stood a brazen eagle ^ of great beauty, still pre- j 
 served, as are the curious small brass font, with its 
 
 ' A point on which protest was much needed. " One beauty 
 hath beat out another ; the beauty of preaching (which is a 
 beauty too) hath preached away the beauty of holinesse ; for if 
 men may have a sermon, prayer and church service, with the 
 ornaments of God's house, may sit abroad in the cold." — Shel- 
 ford, " Five Discourses." Cambridge : 1635. 
 
 * This eagle was discovered absgj^the time of the restoration 
 in 1853, in a pond on the estate, where it is supposed to have 
 lain since the pillage in 1646. The claws, which were probably 
 of silver, had been carried oft.
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 crown-shaped cover, three brass tablets engraved with 
 the Creed, Lord's Prayer, and Ten Commandments 
 on the east wall, and an hourglass stand, of a pattern 
 resembling the font cover. 
 
 The chancel was raised a step above the rest of the 
 church, and the floor covered with tapestry ; on each 
 side were stalls, which seem to have been reserved 
 for clergy or visitors. The altar, which still remains, 
 is a massive table of cedar wood. It was covered 
 with rich silk, green for ordinary days, on festivals 
 blue with gold embroidery, and furnished with silver 
 candlesticks. It seems to have been placed length- 
 wise,^ a point on which Bishop Williams, the diocesan, 
 would probably have insisted. 
 
 The whole chapel was *' fairly and sweetly adorned 
 with herbs and flowers,^ natural in some places and 
 artificial upon every pillar " of the stalls, and lit by 
 wax tapers affixed to each stall, after a convenient and 
 
 > "Upon that half-pace stood the communion table (not 
 altar-wise as reported), with a rich carpet, hanging very large 
 upon the half-pace, and some plate, as chalice and candlesticks 
 with wax candles." — Letter from Edward Lenton to Sergeant 
 Hetley, describing a visit to Gidding in 1634, published by 
 Peckard and subsequent biographers. 
 
 2 So common was then the custom of decking churches with 
 flowers, that even the little r ed-thatched church at Jamestown, 
 on some occasion of special rejoicing, was "neatly trimmed 
 with the wild flowers of the country."— Purchas's " Pilgrims," 
 quoted by Bishop Wilberforce, " History of the American 
 Church."
 
 MANNER OF LIFE AT GWDING. 113 
 
 picturesque fashion which may still be sometim<;s 
 seen. 
 
 The church seems to have shared in a measure the 
 decay of the house, but in 1853 ^ it was repaired 
 by reverent hands, and as far as possible restored to 
 the condition in which it was placed by the Ferrars. 
 
 Such was the home in which Nicholas Ferrar and 
 his family lived their strict and devout life. The rule 
 which they observed is minutely described by John 
 Ferrar.^ 
 
 The whole household rose at five o'clock in 
 winter, and four in summer, old Mrs. Ferrar herself 
 never getting up later than five ; ^ and, having said 
 their morning prayers in their several chambers, went 
 as soon as they were ready to the great chamber, 
 where Nicholas always awaited them. Here the 
 
 * By the late William Hopkinson, Esq., of Sutton Grange, 
 Northamptonshire, who purchased the estate of Gidding, and 
 restored the church, out of respect for the memory of Nicholas 
 Ferrar. 
 
 * " Life of Nicholas Ferrar," by his brother. 
 
 * Compare the practice of Mrs. Hopton (1627-1709), the 
 "devout gentlewoman of quality," who arranged the " Devotions 
 in the Antient Way of Offices," edited by Hickes. She kept up 
 a constant course of devotion, "setting apart five times every 
 day for religious worship, from which she would not suffer her- 
 self to be diverted by any business that was not very extraordinary. 
 Even in her old age and the cold winter season she would be 
 up, and in the closet at her Mattins, by four of the clock in the 
 morning." — Ballard's " Lives," p. 389. 
 
 I
 
 I'I4 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 younger boys and girls repeated to him such chapters 
 and hymns as each had been set to learn ; and, the 
 recitation finished, all returned to their own rooms. 
 At six o'clock they met again in the great chamber, 
 and said the first office of the day. These offices, 
 which appear to have been said by heart, consisted 
 of Psalms, a portion of the " Harmony of the Gospels " 
 compiled by Nicholas, and a hymn, the whole occupy 
 ing about a quarter of an hour. An office was 
 appointed for each hour,^ and as it would have been 
 impossible for the whole family to meet so frequently, 
 they were divided into companies, each company 
 being responsible for certain hours, and coming at 
 the sound of the bell into the great chamber, where 
 they found Mrs. Ferrar and such of the others as 
 were able to be present. Three times in the day, 
 at seven, ten, and four, all went to church, assembling 
 first in the great chamber, and going thence in order, 
 two and two.^ The three schoolmasters, followed by 
 their pupils, all in black gowns, led the way ; then 
 came John Ferrar and Mr„ Collett, and Nicholas lead- 
 ing his mother; Mrs. John Ferrar and Mrs. Collett, 
 with their daughters, followed their mother, the ladies 
 
 * "Eight, nine, ten o'clock come; those hours had their 
 several companies, that came and did as at the former hours ; 
 psalms said, and a head of the concordance, the organs playing, 
 the hymn sung at each hour, as the clock struck. — "Life of 
 Nicholas Ferrar," by his brother. 
 
 - See the letter of Edward Lenton.
 
 MANNER OF LIFE AT G ID DING. 115 
 
 being dressed plainly in black, with veils on their 
 heads ; the little procession was closed by the servants. . 
 All, as they entered the church, made an obeisance ^ 
 and took their places, the masters in the chancel, the 1 
 boys kneeling on the chancel step, and Mrs. Ferrar, 
 with her daughters and granddaughters, on the north 
 side of the aisle, where sat all the women. Nicholas \ 
 Ferrar, in surplice and hood, said Matins and Even- j 
 song according to the Prayer-book, and at ten o'clock | 
 recited the Litany, of which, by permission of the I 
 bishop, they continued the daily recitation that had j 
 been begun during the plague. 
 
 The schoolmasters and children breakfasted 
 directly after Matins, and then went to the school- 
 house ; but the others appear to have taken nothing ' 
 until eleven o'clock, when they dined with strict ' 
 I moderation on the simplest fare.^ To prevent un- 
 
 ' " The fourth sort of reverence . . . is at the entering in, before 
 we take our seat, to bend the knee and bow the body to Him in 
 the more usual and special place of His residence or resemblance, 
 which is the high altar or the Lord's table usually standing at 
 the east end of God's house. • . . But many of our people 
 come to God's house as the horse goes into his stable, without 
 any reverence at all." — Shelford, "Five Discourses." 1635. 
 
 * " They had the more leisure to work because they fasted so 
 much. ... It was not by fits, but by constancy, that they 
 subdued their bodies by sobriety. Their bread was coarse, their 
 drink small and of ill relish to the taste." — Hacket, account of 
 Gidding in "Life of Archbishop Williams," part ii. 
 
 The Fcrrars retained, or returned to, the hardy habits of an
 
 Ii6 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 profitable talk, the meal was eaten in silence, 
 enlivened by the reading of some pleasant book. 
 " Chronicles of nations, journeys by land, sea voyages, 
 and such like," were read aloud by the younger 
 members of the family in turn, and that all might re- 
 member and profit, one of the elders made an abstract 
 of the most interesting or instructive points, to be 
 afterwards fairly copied out and studied by the 
 children. After dinner, all went to their several 
 occupations, broken only by the summons to prayer, 
 until supper-time, which was usually at five in summer 
 and six in winter. While the table was being set, 
 they sang a hymn accompanied by the organ (this also 
 was their custom before dinner) ; a chapter of the Bible 
 was read during the meal, followed by a story from 
 the " Book of Martyrs." In the summer evenings 
 they went out after supper, walking abroad where 
 they pleased, and in winter they gathered round the 
 fire, and the elder people "found some good dis- 
 course or other to pass the time with," while the 
 younger ones, if they would, " had candles and went 
 away," perhaps to some livelier amusement. At 
 eight o'clock the bell again called them to prayers in 
 
 - earlier time. "These od repasts — thanked be God — are verie ^ 
 well left, and eche one in maner (except here and there some '• 
 yomig hungrie stomach that cannot fast till dinner-time) con- 
 tenteth himself with dinner and supper onlie." — Harrison, ■ 
 "Description of England," 1577, riuotcd in Cliitrch Times, ' 
 March 18, 1892.
 
 MANNER OF LIFE AT G ID DING. 117 
 
 the great chamber, and after prayers the children and 
 grandchildren came to Mrs. Ferrar, and, kneeling, 
 asked her blessing. Then they wished each other 
 good night and went to their own rooms, no one 
 being allowed to go about the house, or into each 
 other's chambers after they had retired for the night. 
 After a time, at the suggestion of George Herbert, 
 Nicholas Ferrar added to the day offices a constant 
 night watch ; but this severe rule was not imposed on 
 all the family, but on such only as voluntarily accepted 
 it, and it was arranged with great care and considera- 
 tion, lest any should be over-wearied. 
 
 The watch was kept every night, from nine o'clock 
 till one in the morning, either by two men or two 
 women, in their own oratory. During these four hours 
 they recited, kneeling, the whole Psalter, occasionally 
 rising to rest and warm themselves at the fires which 
 were always provided in cold weather. Ferrar himself 
 usually watched twice in the week, but he would not 
 pennit any one else to take more than one night in 
 seven. At one o'clock on the nights that he rested 
 the watchers knocked at his door, and at that hour, till 
 his last illness, he always rose and spent the rest of 
 the night in prayer and meditation. Sometimes the 
 monotony of the long watches was broken by singing 
 and soft organ-playing, low and gentle, so as not to 
 disturb the sleeping house. The children and servants 
 would beg to join in these watches, and two of the
 
 Il8 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 boys, young Nicholas Ferrar, John's son, and another 
 "towardly youth," Ferrar Collett, joined their uncle 
 in his watch as often as he would permit. In the 
 summer, Nicholas Ferrar often spent the time in 
 church, and his boy companion would lie down at 
 one o'clock on a bench to sleep, while he remained 
 in prayer till the morning bell called him to the first 
 office in the great chamber. 
 
 Day and night through the years, so fair on the 
 surface, so anxious and troubled below, which pre- 
 ceded the civil war, this ceaseless offering of prayer ^ 
 went up from the quiet house among the Huntingdon- 
 shire meadows — 
 
 " A kind of tune which all things hear an^ fear." 
 
 "Our calling is to serve God, which I take 
 to be the best," said Nicholas Ferrar, when asked 
 if such continual prayer did not interfere with 
 other duties; but he did not wholly forget the 
 activities of life. He devoted a large portion of his 
 time and thoughts to the careful education of the 
 
 ' " Note the word cotiimually, for there was no intermission 
 day nor night. ... By night they kept watch in the house of 
 the Lord, and two by turns did supply the office for the rest, from 
 whence they departed not till the morning. . . . This was the 
 hardest part of their discipline, that they kept sentinel at all 
 hours and seasons to expect the second coming of the Lord 
 Jesus." — Hacket, account of Gidding in "Life of Williams," 
 part ii. pp. 30, 31.
 
 MANNER OF LIFE AT GIDDING. 119 
 
 children of the house. Mr. and Mrs. Collett had 
 eight sons and eight daughters — Thomas (already a 
 barrister of the Inner Temple), Nicholas, Edward, 
 Richard, Ferrar (the little companion of his uncle's 
 night watch), John, and two others whose names are 
 not given; Mary, Anna, Susanna, Hester, Margaret, 
 Elizabeth, Joyce, and Judith, all still at home. 
 
 John Ferrar had one son,^ Nicholas, his uncle's 
 godson, and a little daughter was born on the first 
 Christmas Eve after he came to Gidding. She was 
 baptized on Christmas Day, and her uncle and grand- 
 mother, "out of their affection to the remembrance 
 of the plantation of Virginia, which they so dearly 
 affected, and that John Ferrar might daily more and 
 more have the memorial of it, so as not to cease 
 praying for it, and doing all the good he could other- 
 wise to it," named her Virginia, "so that speaking 
 unto her, looking upon her, or hearing others call her 
 by her name, he might think of both at once." "Let 
 me say," her father adds, "both grandmother and 
 uncle loved her, and liked her much the better for 
 her name ; and what further insight they had in giving 
 her that name let others conjecture."^ These last 
 words seem to point to some hope or intention of 
 bringing up this little Christmas gift to the Religious 
 
 ' Another son, John, was bom two years later, and a daughter, 
 Mary, who seems to have died in infancy. 
 
 - "Life of Nicholas Ferrar," by his brother, p. 83.
 
 120 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 Life ; but Nicholas by no means contemplated educat- 
 ing all his young charges for perpetual seclusion from 
 the world, though he may naturally have hoped that 
 some of them would be drawn to follow his own 
 example, and his eldest niece, Mary Collett, seems 
 from very early days to have felt the desire for a 
 lifelong dedication. 
 
 All the children were taught with extreme care. 
 One of the schoolmasters instructed them in English 
 and Latin, another in arithmetic and writing, and the 
 third in music. Nicholas constantly examined the 
 boys himself in their various studies ; and he was also 
 careful to train them for intercourse with the world, 
 accustoming them to produce their knowledge on 
 occasion, and to speak freely and easily. To this 
 end they were constantly called upon to repeat what 
 they had studied, aloud, before the rest of the family. 
 "This practice brought the youths to deliver any 
 speech with a becoming assurance, and not only 
 taught them a graceful pronunciation, but inured 
 them to express themselves handsomely and without 
 affectation, when they spoke or wrote after such ex- 
 cellent copies of a chaste and clean style as Mr. 
 Ferrar had set them. This made them men betimes, 
 and even acquainted the women with the histories, 
 ancient and modern. And thus a family sequestering 
 itself from the world could not be thought to despise 
 the world from want of understanding, for they knew
 
 MANNER OF LIFE AT G ID DING. 121 
 
 the past and present state of empires, and were more 
 learned in the great affairs of human life than many 
 that live in the throng of business, yet have little 
 insight into things, and less into themselves, notwith- 
 standing the great scuffle in the dark which they are 
 ever engaged in, and never the wiser. " ^ The 
 children of the neighbouring gentry were permitted 
 to share the teaching of the Gidding school, " where 
 they might learn virtue as well as grammar, music, 
 and arithmetic, together with fair writing ; " and the 
 Ferrars also took charge of the sons of one or two 
 friends at a distance. A letter from Mrs. Collett to 
 her cousin, Mr. Arthur Woodnoth, in 1628, on 
 receiving his son Ralph into the house at Gidding, 
 shows the spirit of their training. From the allusion 
 at the end, it would seem that Mary Collett was to 
 have the care of Mr. Woodnoth's niece. 
 
 "Dear Cousin, 
 
 " I am glad we have received such a pledge 
 of you, whereby, though we cannot make requital, yet 
 we shall strive to make proof of that thankfulness and 
 love which we owe you for your care of ours. Believe 
 it, Ralph shall not want what lies in our power, and 
 as we shall truly love him with the selfsame kind of 
 affection which we do our own, so shall we endeavour 
 to train him in the selfsame dispositions of mind 
 ' " Life of Nicholas Ferrar," by Dr. Jebb.
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 which we desire to see in ours, which ahhough at 
 beginning they will seem a little harsh, yet by practice 
 they will grow easy, I doubt not, to him, and the end 
 will be full of joy and comfort to himself and friends, 
 which God grant. My brother hath told us of many 
 new kindnesses (the fruit of your old love) towards 
 my children, besides those to himself, which I esteem 
 the first and chiefest ; they be so many and great as 
 passing the ordinary bounds of affection in you, one 
 not with words to be requited on our parts; and 
 therefore I say nothing, but that we owe you more in 
 all this than we can pay, save in love. My daughter 
 Mary hath not been well of late, but I hope in God 
 she mends, and though we all hope to see you shortly, 
 yet she prays me to write you. She hath with much 
 joy embraced her uncle Nicholas's proposition, and 
 though she cannot sufficiently answer your expecta- 
 tion touching your niece, yet she will not fail in the 
 truth and height of affection towards her good, if you 
 think fit. And so, with all our best prayers, I commit 
 you to God." ^ 
 
 The Ferrars provided teaching for the poor as well 
 
 ' Collett Letters. These letters were found in pulling down 
 a house in Peterborough. In 1855 they were in possession 
 of the late Mr. Samuel Buckle, of Leamington, by whom they 
 were lent for the use of the Rev, J. E. B. Mayor. [They now 
 belong to his brother, F. Buckle, Esq.]
 
 MANNER OF LIFE AT GIDDING. 123 
 
 as the gentry of the neighbourhood. Sunday schools 
 were at that date an almost unknown institution ; but 
 Nicholas Ferrar, mindful perhaps of those schools N 
 established by St. Charles Borromeo, which gathered \ 
 (as they gather still) in the chapels of Milan Cathedral, 
 invited the children from the surrounding parishes to 
 come to Gidding every Sunday morning, and set his 
 elder nieces to teach them to repeat the Psalter. As 
 a penny was given for every psalm learnt by heart, 
 and the children had dinner before going home, the 
 new school became very popular, and the careful 
 teaching and gentle care of the young ladies produced 
 a great effect for the better on their little scholars. 
 "Their parents, who were mostly plain country folks, 
 were extremely pleased and obliged by it, and quickly, 
 not only their parents, but the adjoining ministers, 
 when they came to Gidding, protested that a mighty 
 change was wrought, not only on the children, but on 
 the men and women who sat hearing their children 
 reading and repeating at home. And whereas here- 
 tofore their tongues were exercised in singing either 
 naughty or lewd or else vain ballads, that much 
 estranged their young minds from the ways of virtue, 
 now they heard the streets and doors resounding with 
 the sacred poetry of David's harp, which drove away 
 the evil spirit from Saul," ^ Some of the parents 
 
 ' " Life of Nicholas Ferrar," l)y Dr. Jebb.
 
 124 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 begged that their children might be taught the 
 Catechism as well as the Psalter, but this Nicholas 
 Ferrar refused to allow. He told them that *' bringing 
 children to learn their Psalter was a thing by itself, 
 but catechising belonged to their minister and their 
 parents," adding that " by doing something good in 
 appearance, one might do very ill by encroaching on 
 other men's offices, and that they should have a 
 special care of this fine-trimmed and hidden snare 
 which the devil every where lays in the way of well- 
 meaning people. When he cannot persuade them to 
 ugly known sin, then he tempts them to do some 
 handsome thing which it is not their parts to act, but 
 presumption for them to do it" — a sound principle, 
 though it may appear somewhat overstrained in its 
 application. 
 
 The house at Gidding was well known to the poor 
 of the neighbourhood for its charities as well as its 
 teaching. Its inmates visited and comforted the sick 
 and poor in their own homes, and Nicholas used his 
 medical knowledge for the instruction of his nieces, 
 teaching them to dress wounds and prepare salves 
 and balsams, "all which being as freely given by 
 them to the poor as themselves freely received them 
 all from God and their kind uncle, they were sure not 
 to want customers, which every year cost them a 
 good round sum. None of them were nice of 
 dressing with their own hands poor people's wounds.
 
 MANNER OF LIFE AT GIDDING. 125 
 
 were they never so offensive ; but as for prescribing 
 physic, their uncle understood it well himself, yet he 
 never practised it, and he forbade them to tamper or 
 meddle with it. And together with helps for the 
 body, the virgins were expert and ready to administer 
 good counsels, prayers, and comforts to their patients, 
 for their souls' health." ^ 
 
 The large family of girls had many occupations. " A 
 mean in all things," Ferrar was wont to say, " was the 
 only way with good order to effect great things with 
 ease and delight," and he laid great stress on a con- 
 stant interchange of employments. The four elder 
 nieces took charge of the housekeeping. All were 
 taught embroidery ^ as well as household needlework, 
 and music also was much studied. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Ferrar had all their children taught music care- 
 fully, and Mrs. CoUett played admirably on the lute. 
 The young people no doubt inherited the taste of 
 their parents, and they were diligent in the practice of 
 smging and playing on various instruments. " Fair 
 writing " was also made a great point of, not only the 
 ordinary current hand, but a delicate and beautiful 
 kind of writing, a survival of the days before 
 
 ' " Life of Nicholas Ferrar," by Dr. Jebb, 
 
 * A small piece of tapestry, the work of one of the sisters, 
 still preserved in Gidding Church, where it is used as a 
 kneeling-mat, is so exquisitely fine and delicate, that a fac- 
 simile embroidered by Mr. Hopkinson's niece, cost that lady six 
 months of diligent and patient labour.
 
 126 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 printing, used in formal writings and in copying 
 books, which, according to a curious fashion very 
 prevalent in the seventeenth century, were often cir- 
 culated for years in manuscript before their authors 
 made them over to the printer. To add variety to 
 their occupations, Ferrar also had his nieces taught 
 bookbinding. The daughter of a Cambridge book- 
 binder lived in the house for a year to give the young 
 ladies lessons in binding and gilding, and he himself 
 also acquired the art, with which he had probably 
 gained some acquaintance while living in Germany. 
 
 But the characteristic works of Gidding were the 
 Harmonies or Concordances. The first of these was 
 undertaken entirely for their own use, and but for 
 the interest and admiration it excited, it might have 
 remained the only specimen. It was a " Harmony of 
 the Four Gospels," so arranged that the four books 
 could be read either separately or in one continuous 
 history, the printed text being cut out and pasted on 
 large sheets of paper, and every page illustrated with 
 engravings. 
 
 This first book was finished in 1630. It was fol- 
 lowed by many others, several of which may still be 
 seen.^ So ingeniously and delicately are the printed 
 slips of paper, some of which are very small, united 
 
 • A descriptive list of such, of these works as are known to be 
 still in existence, was published by Captain Acland in the 
 Arclurologia, iSSS, vol. ii. Sec Chap. VIII,
 
 MANNER OF LIFE AT GIDDING. 127 
 
 together, that at first sight the pages might be sup- 
 posed to be printed in the ordinary way. The head- 
 ings are written in a fine clear hand, and the pages 
 surrounded with ruled lines, generally in red ink. The 
 books are usually richly bound by the hands of the 
 ladies of Gidding, and each has a short preface, with 
 the name of Gidding, and the date of the year, but 
 only one has the name of its maker. This is a 
 " Harmony of the Four Gospels," bound in leather 
 and illustrated, now in the possession of the Bishop 
 of Bath and Wells. It originally belonged to Thomas 
 Hervey, who married the daughter of Sir Thomas 
 May, vice-chancellor to Charles I., and has always 
 remained in the Hervey family. At the end of the 
 preface to this book is written — 
 
 " Thanks be to God. 
 " Done at Little Gidding, Anno Domini 1640, by Virginia 
 Ferrar, an. 12." 
 
 It is easy to imagine the pride and pleasure with which 
 the little girl's work was contemplated by the elders 
 of the house, and how John Ferrar, who has never a 
 word for his own labours, could not refrain from 
 inscribing his daughter's name in the great book 
 before sending it to Mr. Hervey. 
 
 In the midst of all their occupations, time was set 
 apart for recreation. On Thursday and Saturday 
 afternoons the young people were allowed to amuse 
 themselves with "running and vaulting and shooting
 
 128 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 at butts with bows and arrows." Their elders, though 
 they kept up some acquaintance with the neighbour- 
 ing families, and received courteously any visitors 
 who chose to come, made it known from the first 
 that they had settled at Gidding for retirement, and 
 avoided all visits of ceremony and the social gather- 
 ings of the county gentry. 
 
 Thus the weeks passed in a grave and cheerful 
 monotony marked only by recurring Sundays. 
 
 " Thou art a day of mirth ; 
 And where the week days trail on ground 
 Thy flight is higher, as thy birth." 
 
 Then the lesson-books were closed, and the busy 
 hands rested. They rose on Sunday at the same hour 
 as in the week, but after the early morning office they 
 retired again to their own rooms, and remained in 
 privacy till nine o'clock, when the bell called them 
 to Matins. Having sung a hymn together in the 
 great chamber, they went, as on week days, in pro- 
 cession to the church, all dressed carefully in their 
 best clothes ; and after the service, which was read by 
 Nicholas, they returned to find the " Psalm-children " 
 awaiting them. The time till half-past ten was spent 
 in instructing them, or hearing them repeat their 
 former lessons, and at that hour the Vicar of Steeple 
 Gidding, having already said Matins in his own 
 church, arrived accompanied by his parishioners, who 
 apparently followed him straight from the church door.
 
 MANNER OF LIFE AT GIDDING. 129 
 
 a pleasant quarter-of-an-hour's walk across the fields. 
 The Little Gidding family, bringing with them the 
 Psalm-children, met him at the church, and Nicholas 
 Ferrar read the ante-Communion Service. At its close 
 a psalm was sung, and then the vicar preached. 
 Once a month, and on great festivals, the Holy Com- 
 munion was celebrated.^ 
 
 On returning from church their first care was for 
 the Psalm-children. A long narrow table supported 
 on trestles was laid in some convenient place, round 
 which the children stood expectant, while Mrs. Ferrar 
 with her own hands set the first dish on the table, the 
 servants following. When grace had been said for 
 the children, the old lady and her family went to their 
 own dinner, leaving only one or two to superintend 
 the Psalm-children, who, when they had finished their 
 
 ' It need not be supposed, because the Holy Communion was 
 celebrated after Matins, according to the usual custom of the 
 time, that this devout family failed to keep the ancient rule of 
 fasting Communion. Shelford, writing in 1635, puts among 
 the preparations for the Sacrament " to come fasting when men 
 are able," quoting St. Augustine's saying that " it pleaseth the 
 Holy Ghost that, in honour of so great a sacrament, the Lord's 
 body should first enter into the mouth of a Christian.'" — " Five 
 Discourses." 
 
 Dinner was usually at eleven or twelve, and the early break- 
 fast now universal appears to have been considered rather as a 
 luxuiy than a necessity. Lessius, author of a book on temper 
 a'nce, translated by Nicholas Ferrar, speaks of those who 
 •'provide breakfast betimes in the morning" as "miserably 
 beguiled."
 
 I30 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR, 
 
 meal, were sent home to go with their parents to their 
 own parish churches. 
 
 When the family had dined they went to their own 
 rooms, or refreshed themselves with a quiet walk in 
 the gardens and orchards as they pleased, and at two 
 o'clock all met together again and went to Steeple 
 Gidding church for Evensong. On Sunday the private 
 offices were not said at the usual hours, but all together 
 on returning from evening service, after which the 
 remainder of the day was given up to rest and recrea- 
 tion. The servants of the house were carefully con- 
 sidered. Nicholas Ferrar " so ordered that what was 
 for dinner should all be performed with the least and 
 speediest loss of time as might be ; that was, by causing 
 ovens to be heated, and all the dinner to be set into 
 them before church-time, and so all the servants were 
 ready to go to church, not any left at home. And for 
 supper, church ended in the evening, then the spits 
 were laid for meat to be roasted at the fire. And one 
 thing else beside will not be amiss to be recounted 
 concerning the servants. It was the custom of that 
 family that, having a Communion the first Sunday of 
 each month throughout the year (besides the great 
 festival times, Christmas, New Year's Day, Easter, and 
 Whitsuntide), they stood at lower end of the board 
 where the old gentlewoman sat, and there they dined 
 that day." ^ 
 
 ' "Life of Nicholas Ferrar," by his brother.
 
 MANNER OF LIFE A GIDDING. 131 
 
 This peaceful and useful life flowed on unbroken 
 till Gidding Hall was plundered by Parliamentary 
 soldiers in 1646, and was resumed when the surviving 
 members of the family ventured back to their ravaged 
 home. The monthly thanksgiving instituted by 
 Nicholas Ferrar in 1625, of which a few clauses here 
 follow, was continued until John's death in 1657,* if 
 not longer. 
 
 " Thou hast given us a freedom from all other 
 affairs that we may without distraction attend Thy 
 service. . . . That holy gospel which came down from 
 heaven, with things the angels desire to look into, is 
 by Thy goodness continually open to our view ; the 
 sweet music thereof is continually sounding in our 
 ears ; heavenly songs are by Thy mercy put into our 
 mouths, and our tongues and lips made daily instru- 
 ments of pouring forth Thy praise. This, Lord, is 
 the work, and this the pleasure, of the angels in 
 heaven ; and dost Thou vouchsafe to make us par- 
 takers of so high a happiness? The knowledge of 
 Thee and of Thy Son is everlasting life. Thy service 
 is perfect freedom ; how happy, then, are we, that 
 Thou dost constantly retain us in the daily exercises 
 thereof!" 
 
 > "Two Lives of Ferrar," by Rev. J, E. B. Mayor, Appendix,
 
 CHAPTER VT. 
 
 THE MAIDEN SISTERS. 
 A.D. 1628-1632. 
 
 " O happy you, that have subdued 
 The force o' the world's desire ! 
 And in th' fort of solitude 
 For safety do retire. 
 
 " You fled from freedom so supposed 
 
 In straitness freedom find, 
 
 Because true freedom is enclosed 
 
 1' the circuit of the mind." 
 
 So>i£' by the *^ Submiss," " Giddiiig Conversation Book.'* 
 
 The house, strictly ordered as it was, was bright with 
 youth and movement. The hours passed evenly, 
 full of cheerful work, measured by ringing of bells, 
 and organ music, and the continual recitation of 
 psalms. The life set to these grave melodies was an 
 active life ; the younger members of the family coming 
 and going, carrying the result of their devout training 
 into the world outside, and bringing new joys and 
 wider interests to the old home ; in some cases 
 throwing off the restraints which had wearied tliem, 
 and causing anxiety and heartache to the loving
 
 THE MAIDEN SISTERS. 133 
 
 friends who watched and prayed for them in the 
 great chamber and the church hard by. 
 
 Nicholas Ferrar took the keenest interest in all 
 these young people, and towards the Colletts he acted 
 the part of a father. Mr. Collett must have been a 
 man of singularly passive, not to say apathetic, tem- 
 perament, for he seems to have taken no trouble at 
 all about the disposal of his children. Every arrange- 
 ment was made by his energetic wife, under the 
 advice of her brother. 
 
 When the eldest son, Thomas, is about to marry, 
 it is Nicholas who goes up to town to see. about the 
 affair. Mrs. Collett writes to her aunt in February, 
 1628— 
 
 " I suppose you may have expected to have heard 
 
 from me upon occasion of the late business touching 
 
 my son; and indeed I had performed it, but that 
 
 answering my son's letters every week hath taken up 
 
 that space of time which the carrier affords us between 
 
 the delivery of his letters and the calling for an 
 
 answer. And now my brother Nicholas being to 
 
 come up, I think it superfluous, for he is able and 
 
 hath full authority to give satisfaction in all things, 
 
 and if my son cheerfully submit his judgment and 
 
 affections to his directions, I shall not doubt of a 
 
 happy issue." ^ 
 
 ' Mrs. Collett to her aunt Collett, February, 1628. — Appendix, 
 "Two Lives."
 
 134 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 Some time in this same year, 1628, Susanna, the 
 third daughter, married the Reverend Joshua Maple- 
 toft, and settled at Margetting, or Margaretting, in 
 Essex. From this time Mrs. Collett's letters are full 
 of the interests of the young home. She often visited 
 Margetting, and during her absence Nicholas kept 
 her fully acquainted with all that went on at Gidding. 
 He certainly did not deserve the reproach often cast 
 on him in later years, of wishing to make nuns of all 
 his nieces ; on the contrary, he seems to have been 
 most desirous of getting them well married. His 
 efforts in this direction were not always judicious, and 
 the anxious mother, in the midst of her cares for 
 young Mrs. Mapletoft, appears to have been cruelly 
 divided between habitual submission to his judgment 
 and a very natural doubt whether he were really 
 qualified to settle such important and delicate matters. 
 The following letter explains itself. 
 
 \AIrs. Collett to Nicholas Ferrar^ 
 
 " Margetting, August, 1629. 
 " I applaud it as most judiciously resolved on 
 neither to send for Hester nor offer two to the 
 choice.^ For the other part of your letter, I can say 
 
 » To what this refers is not explained, but apparently it had 
 been proposed by somebody that two of Mr. Collett's daughters 
 should be offered to the choice of some eligible suitor. It 
 appears to have been not unusual in that time, when marriages
 
 THE MAIDEN SISTERS. 135 
 
 little to it, only I will persuade myself, since you have 
 done it (and with such consent), that you are able to 
 show better reasons for it than my present appre- 
 hensions are capable of; and as my continual prayers 
 shall be that all may prove for the best, so shall my 
 hopes be that it will. Let this, I beseech you, satisfy 
 for answer to that which is past, and for the future I 
 would have said nothing, had not you likewise desired 
 my opinion, but left it to yourself and my dearest 
 friends with you, both to consider and determine of, 
 as those whose judgments are not by me to be 
 questioned, and whose love to me and mine I am 
 most confident cannot be paralleled by any in the 
 like kind. Give me leave only to say, that such 
 is my affection to my dear Anna, that it would be 
 most heavy to me to see her bestowed on any man 
 that did not willingly, nay, moSt-^ desirously, make 
 choice of her. But doubting neither of your love nor 
 wisdom, I dare leave it to God and yourselves to 
 proceed in or suppress the motion as you shall think 
 fittest, and God, I trust, shall direct you." ^ 
 
 As far as Anna was concerned, these cares were 
 needless. Another aim was shaping itself in her 
 mind — an aim which could be best fulfilled within the 
 walls of Gidding. It would appear that her elder 
 
 were arranged chiefly by parents, for the lady's f;\mily tu take 
 the first step. 
 
 ' Appendix, "Two Lives."
 
 136 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 sister, Mary, who had lived with the Ferrars from 
 infancy, had long shared her uncle's aspirations, and 
 had dedicated herself, if the expression may be 
 allowed, to the Religious Life from the first days of 
 the settlement at Gidding. She was then twenty- 
 three years old, and Anna twenty-one. If we may 
 judge from the reliance which the elder members of 
 her family evidently placed on her, Mary must have 
 inherited much of the strength of character, the calm 
 sweetness and discretion, which distinguished her 
 grandmother. 
 
 She would naturally have had much influence with 
 her younger sister, the more so, perhaps, that they 
 were not brought up together, and that Anna came 
 freshly, at an impressionable and thoughtful age, 
 under the spell of her earnestness and the high 
 enthusiasm of their uncle Nicholas, of whom she 
 could have seen but little since the time when, in her 
 early childhood, he had been accustomed to come 
 over from Cambridge to spend a few days of rest and 
 recreation in her father's house at Bourne. 
 
 Among the Ferrar manuscripts lately brought to 
 light in the Library of Magdalene College, Cambridge, 
 there are letters from Anna to her uncle, from which, 
 by the kindness of the authorities of the college, a 
 few extracts are permitted to appear here.^ 
 
 * These manuscripts, left by Packard to the college, were lost 
 sight of for many years. It may be hoped that, when fully
 
 THE MAIDEN SISTERS. 137 
 
 These letters show a deep religious spirit, and 
 many of them are evidently answers to letters of 
 advice and instruction from Nicholas Ferrar. In the 
 winter of 1629, she paid a long visit to Mrs. Mapletoft, 
 and writes from Margetting, January 27 — 
 
 " To the worshipful Nicholas Ferrar, my most dear 
 Uncle, these. 
 
 " My most dear and honoured Uncle, 
 
 " Or rather may I tytel you my tender father, 
 ... for your care hath not rested only in providing 
 a temporal portion, but it hath reached for the pro- 
 curing for mee an eternal habitation, by your often 
 instructions of mee in the way of holinesse." 
 
 In March, 1630, Nicholas himself went to Marget- 
 ting, and Anna writes to him from Gidding, addressing 
 him as — 
 
 " My dear father and soules instructor," asking his 
 help " to stir up my frozen mind ... to performe 
 this work which is every moment due from mee," 
 and asks his prayers " that I may in some measure be 
 accounted worthy of that fountain of living water that 
 floweth to every one that thirsteth, and that without 
 Price." 
 
 From Margetting Nicholas seems to have gone to 
 
 examined and catalogued, ihcy will throw much fresh light on 
 the history of Gidding.
 
 138 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 London, and while he is there Anna writes, expressing 
 her thankfulness to God for having not only deUvered 
 her from fears, but also granted her '* joy and comfort 
 more than I could wish or desire, whilst I behold 
 your exuberante love to mee. But whereas you are 
 pleased, dear father, to engadge yourself to performe 
 your ... to me by deserte, I must wholly renounce 
 it from myself and wholly attribute it to God, and 
 your owne free love, whatever Benefit I have or doe 
 receive." 
 
 " P.S. — I beseech you, dear Unckel, remembermy 
 duty to my Aunt CoUett. My sisters' and owne best 
 love to our Deare Cosin Arthur." ^ 
 
 Anna seems to have thought over her vocation for 
 some time before taking a decisive step, and Nicholas 
 was not likely to encourage a hasty resolution on a 
 matter of such grave importance. It was not till 
 September, 1631, she being then in her twenty-seventh 
 year, that she wrote the letter from which the sub- 
 joined extracts are taken. It is in "fair writing," 
 which, indeed, she frequently uses in her correspond- 
 ence with her uncle, and is endorsed (by Peckard ?) 
 "Anna Collett to her father," but the note which 
 accompanied it shows that it was really addressed to 
 Nicholas. 
 
 ' Mr. Wuodnoth.
 
 THE MAIDEN SISTERS. 139 
 
 "September 22 [1631], 
 " My most dear and honoured Father, 
 
 (The letter begins by stating that the writer 
 thinks it needless to repeat what she has said pre- 
 viously as to her wishes) " Which, if not deceived in 
 mine owne heart, were and are still at present my 
 earnest wishes, but I rest on God and you, my dear 
 father, for the accomplishment of them when and how 
 He pleaseth. 
 
 " Touching my condission of life, such content do 
 I find, I neither wish or desire any change in it; but 
 as God may please, with my Parents' leave, to give 
 me grace and strength, that I may spend the remainder 
 of my days without greater encumbrances of this 
 worlde, which doe of necessitie accompany a married 
 Estate ; 
 
 " But dare not trust my own judgement in this 
 waity matter ; but first beseech you, dear father, to let 
 me know your opinion of it and counsel according to 
 your faithful love." She goes on to answer some 
 questions as to her fortune, expressing a wish for " if 
 God so please, such a portion as may be helpful to 
 others." 
 
 This letter is signed '' Anna Collett." 
 
 Anna still shrank from making known her resolu- 
 tion to her family, feeling perhaps the natural dread 
 of hearing her deepest and most sacred desires made
 
 I40 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 a subject of discussion and questioning.^ It was not 
 till a month later that she summoned up courage to 
 let her uncle have the letter, and she then sent it to 
 him by the hands of her sister Mary, together with a 
 little note, addressed — 
 
 "The Worshipful Nicholas Ferrar, our much 
 honoured father, this. 
 
 "My dear and honoured Father, 
 
 " It hath not only brought me delay 
 [illegible]. To my dear and worthy sister Mary my 
 Futyer love and thanks are ever obleiged to her for 
 the true and loving affection herein expressed to 
 
 mee. 
 
 " Your bounden obedient daughter, 
 
 " Anna Collett." 
 " October, 22, 1631." 
 
 On this note is written, evidently by Nicholas 
 Ferrar — 
 
 " This letter, together with the declaration of her 
 choice, Anna gave her sister for me, to read them in 
 her presence." 
 
 On the declaration itself, in the same hand, is 
 written — 
 
 ' Mrs. Collett was in much distress at this time owing to the 
 misconduct of her son Edward. This may have been the reason 
 for postponing the mention of her own wishes.
 
 THE MAIDEN SISTERS. 141 
 
 " This enclosed declaration, Anna desired her 
 sister Mary to give mee on Saturday, the 22nd 
 October, but I willed her to lay it by till this present 
 23rd, in the afternoon, when I read it in Mary's 
 presence ; only I willed her, and not by word but by 
 writing, to show to her Grandmother and Unkle 
 Ferrar, and so [words illegible]. But without any 
 speed." 
 
 There is among the Magdalene manuscripts another 
 paper, a fragment without date, signature, or endorse- 
 ment, which, if the writing be Anna's, would appear 
 to have been written subsequently to the letter given 
 above. It is as follows : — 
 
 "I.H.S. 
 
 " In the Name of God. Amen. 
 
 " Mine honoured Parents and dearest friends, that 
 I may not be wanting in what I am able to performe, 
 I beseech you accept of my humblest thanks, which 
 I tender to you, for it hath pleased you freely to give 
 me your love and consents to that I have soe much 
 desyred both from God and from you— that is, that 
 I may end my days in a Virgin Estate. And this 
 desyre, I hope, hath been of and from God, although 
 mixed with much corruption ; and further beseech 
 that none would judge it to proceede either of per- 
 suasion by any one to it, or contempt of the Estate 
 of Marriage, or to think it inferior to that which I
 
 142 LIFE OF NICHOLAS PERRARs 
 
 choose, for I here professe in the sight of Heven that 
 the choice be freely my own, not any . . . further 
 than their leave ; nor out of contempt for that of 
 Marriage, for . . . honour it, but have not the herte 
 . myne own choice, wherefore . . ." 
 The lower corner of the paper is scorched, and the 
 second sheet, on which the signature would have 
 been, torn away. It is in a hand much resembhng 
 Anna's ordinary writing, but larger and more rambling, 
 and until the manuscripts have been fully examined, 
 and the handwritings compared by some qualified 
 judge, it must remain doubtful whether this is 
 Anna's final declaration, or if, as the writer ventures 
 to think, we have here the act of dedication of her 
 sister Mary. In either case, a deep interest attaches 
 to this piece of torn paper in which across the gulf 
 of two hundred years the '* maiden sisters of Gidding" 
 hold out their hands to the growing company who 
 in happier times and with fuller completeness have 
 given themselves to the Religious Life in these days 
 of its revival. 
 
 A letter from Anna CoUett to her parents, also in 
 the Magdalene collection, seems to belong to this 
 time, though it has no date of year. It is apparently 
 written at some time anterior to the declaration given 
 to her uncle, in answer to a permission to decline 
 some project of marriage, and an assurance of pro- 
 vision for her in a single life.
 
 THE MAIDEN SISTERS. 143 
 
 " In the Name of God. Amen. 
 
 "Therefore, as I have your consents to be freed 
 from it, soe I humbly abide in prayer that I may con- 
 tinue soe in my desires, and that blessings may rest 
 on mee . . . thereby, for that Lardgeness of Estate 
 which you, my dear friends, are pleased to bestow on 
 mee, I acknowledge it to be not only above my 
 deserts, but even my desires ; I durst not expect so 
 great a favour, and being so given me leave to make 
 Brother a partaker of it, I esteem it a singular bless- 
 ing of God, and pledge of your great love to mee, 
 that I have leave for to pro ... it with such gayne 
 as I wish was greater. For this and all other . . . 
 from God and you, I humbly prayse His holy name, 
 and pray ever to approve myselfe 
 
 " Your most obedient and faithful 
 
 ''Anna Collett." 
 
 (Endorsed, " Anna Collett to her Parent?. July.") 
 
 That Mary and Anna Collett considered themselves 
 absolutely pledged to a single life there can be no 
 doubt. One of their sisters speaks of "the virgin 
 estate, whereof our chief hath made profession," and 
 Nicholas Ferrar, in 1634, in answer to an inquiry 
 about the "nuns" of Gidding, replied that "the 
 name of nuns was odious," but that " two of his 
 nieces had lived, one thirty, the other thirty-two 
 years, virgins; and so resolved to continue, as he
 
 144 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 hoped they would, the better to give themselves to 
 fasting and prayer, but had made no vows." ^ This last 
 statement must be understood to apply to formal vows. 
 Whether they desired to seal their resolution by 
 such a vow is a difficult question, as we have on this 
 point two different and contradictory statements. 
 Hacket, in his account of Bishop Williams' visit to 
 Gidding in 1634, of which more will be said farther 
 on, after warm praise of the devout life of the family, 
 goes on to add that " nothing is so sound but in time 
 it will run into corruption. For I must not hold it 
 in, that some persons in Little Gidding had run into 
 excess and incurred offence, if the bishop had not 
 broken the snare which they were preparing for their 
 own feet. For after he had spoken well of the family 
 in the pulpit, and privately to divers, some of them 
 could not see when they were well, but aspired to 
 be transcendants above their measure. For two 
 daughters of the stock came to the bishop, and 
 offered themselves to be veiled virgins, to take upon 
 them the vow of perpetual chastity, with the solemnity 
 of the episcopal blessing and ratification, whom he 
 admonished very fatherly, that they knew not what 
 they went about. That they had no promise to con- 
 firm that grace unto them ; that this readiness, which 
 they had in the present, should be in their will, with- 
 out repentance, unto their life's end. Let the younger 
 ' Lenton's Letter.
 
 THE MAIDEN SISTERS. 145 
 
 women marry, was the best advice, that they might 
 not be led into temptation. And that they might 
 not forget what he taught them, he drew up his judge- 
 ment in three sheets of paper, and sent it them home 
 that they might dress themselves by that glass, and 
 learn not to think of human nature above that which 
 it is, a sea of flowings and ebbings, and of all manner 
 of inconstancy." ^ 
 
 Dr. Jebb, on the contrary, says that " when their 
 reverend diocesan had declared himself, without any- 
 body's seeking to him, ready to accept a vow (not 
 absolute and unconditional, as it were, in spite of 
 heaven and hell, but) — a vow of sincere endeavour, 
 if God should continue to them the grace, in a single 
 state to withstand the temptations of the world, the 
 flesh, and the devil, the foremost of them all in any 
 of their generous and religious undertakings was not 
 forward to take any such engagement upon her, but 
 kept the middle way between vowing and slackness, 
 arriving at that which St. Paul calls steadfastness of 
 heart, and power over her own will." ^ 
 
 Of these opposite accounts Racket's would seem 
 from the characters of the persons concerned, the 
 most likely to be true, and it also bears more clearly 
 
 1 Racket, "Life of Archbishop Williams," part ii. p. 52. 
 
 2 " Life of Nicholas Ferrar," by Dr. Jebb, p. 66. The manu- 
 script "Life" by Bishop Turner omits all mention of the 
 circumstance.
 
 146 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 the stamp of personal acquaintance with the matter ; 
 Jebb's account appearing to be founded, not on John 
 Ferrar's narrative, in which no mention is made of 
 the proposal, but on recollections which he had 
 gathered from various sources, and which he adds to 
 his "Life" as a kind of appendix. His further 
 statement, that Ferrar in some of his papers declared 
 himself against vows of single life, is difficult to recon- 
 cile with the generally received impression among 
 his personal friends that he had himself made such 
 a vow, as well as with the solemn resolutions which 
 he unquestionably sanctioned in his nieces.^ 
 
 Anna and Mary CoUett lived on like the veiled 
 virgins of early Christian ages ^ in the house of their 
 
 ' " Mary and Anna , who had both steadfastly, by the 
 
 help of God, taken long ago resolutions of living in virginity." — 
 " Life of Nicholas P'errar," by his brother. 
 
 * " First in rank and responsibility stood the deaconess, . . . 
 next to the deaconess were the consecrated virgins, who had 
 been solemnly blessed by the bishop during the celebration of 
 the Holy Eucharist, and had received the consecrated veil from 
 his hands. . . • The third class of the virgins consisted of those 
 who, though living to some extent in the world, yet by the 
 adoption of a dark and simple dresj, the practice of certain 
 devotions, and the profession of a vow of celibacy, had placed 
 themseh'es in relation with the members of the two higher ranks. 
 . . . The circumstances of the first Christian ages did not admit 
 of establishing convents for women, . . . and the deaconesses, 
 the veiled virgins, and the professed, necessarily resided in their 
 own homes." — "Religious Communities of Women in the Early
 
 THE MAIDEN SISTERS. 147 
 
 parents and kinsfolk, and their young sisters gathered 
 round them, sharing in their rule of prayer and work 
 till each in succession passed from Gidding to a 
 home of her own. At first the girls were under 
 the special charge of their grandmother, but in 
 1632 Mrs. Ferrar, though still active both in mind 
 and body, felt that the daily supervision of so many 
 young people was a burden too heavy for her de- 
 clining years. She resigned her post, and on St. 
 Luke's day in that year her granddaughter, Mary 
 Collett, was chosen to replace her. 
 
 Mrs. Ferrar had formed the sisters into a little 
 society, which assumed the name of "Academy;" 
 the members took the names of different virtues, thus 
 turning a fantastic fashion of the day into what was 
 no doubt meant as a continual reminder of the special 
 grace which each should strive to attain. The 
 *' Academy " was composed of two " combinations." 
 Mary Collett was " Chief" of the first " combination," 
 and with her were associated Anna, under the name 
 of " the Patient," and two other sisters, probably 
 Hester and Margaret, who were respectively called 
 "the Cheerful" and "the Affectionate." The 
 " second combination " consisted of the younger 
 girls and children down to little three-years-old Ann 
 Mapletoft, who bore the name of "the Humble." 
 
 Church," reprinted from the Ecdesiasiic, and understood to be 
 written hv the late Ur. Litiledale,
 
 14$ LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 Nicholas Ferrar was the "Visitor" of this so-called 
 Academy; John Ferrar, "Guardian;" and Mrs. 
 Collett, " Moderator." 
 
 They held frequent meetings for the discussion of 
 subjects chosen by the "Visitor." Nicholas Ferrar 
 seems to have supplied much of the matter for these 
 discussions, or " Conversations," as they were called, 
 which the speakers themselves put into shape, their 
 speeches being sometimes read, sometimes extempore 
 or repeated by heart. 
 
 The plan of these '-'Conversations" reminds us some- 
 what of the Oratorian method, and gives reason to 
 think that Ferrar must have sometimes, during his 
 stay in Italy, attended the exercises of the Fathers of 
 the Oratory in Padua, or elsewhere. The members 
 spoke in turn, expressing their opinion apparently 
 with some freedom. Appropriate hymns were sung 
 (of which those that have come down to us are 
 singularly unmelodious), and stories told from history 
 ancient and modern, or the lives of the saints, illustra- 
 ting the truth which the discussion was intended to 
 bring out. These stories were often prepared before- 
 hand, but sometimes told on the spur of the moment, 
 as we learn from a Httle incident which has been 
 preserved. 
 
 The young people were assembled as usual in the 
 "sisters' chamber," and had made their set speeches 
 on the virtue of meekness, which was the appointed
 
 THE MAIDEN SISTERS. 149 
 
 topic of the day, when the " Moderator," Mrs. Collett, 
 asked for an example of this virtue, so specially 
 needful in their sex. None was in readiness, and 
 in the pause which ensued, one of the younger 
 girls, who had as yet taken no part in the debates, 
 looked eagerly up, evidently longing to say some- 
 thing, yet not daring to speak till she had obtained 
 permission. 
 
 "The 'Submiss' countenance," said the "Chief" 
 (Mary Collett), "seems to mine eye to promise 
 satisfaction of your desires." 
 
 " I am much troubled," says the kindly "Guardian," 
 " that both she and the 'Obedient' have been so long 
 left out In regard the first attempt cannot be so 
 perfect; let them have the liberty for a while of 
 telling their stories as they can." And so the little 
 "Submiss" makes her first speech in the Academy, 
 with a beating heart no doubt, and much shy delight. 
 A great number of these " Conversations " were 
 written down, revised, and preserved in the family. 
 Copies of many of them were made about the year 
 1735, by Francis Peck, Rector of Godeby, author 
 of an unprinted life of Nicholas Ferrar mentioned by 
 Peckard,^ and fragments were printed by Hearne, and 
 
 * The manuscript was lent by Peckaid, into whose hands it 
 came, to Mr. Jones, and hy him lost. Peck's copy of some part 
 of the Conversations is still in existence. See "Two Lives," 
 Appendix, p. 294.
 
 I50 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 subsequently (from Peck's copy) by the Rev. J. B. 
 Mayor/ 
 
 The originals, which are stated in a note left by 
 Peck,^ to have been at that time "at Mr. Maple- 
 toft's at Bifield, near Daintry, in Northamptonshire," 
 disappeared from public view for many years, but 
 they were carefully treasured and reverently handed 
 down by successive representatives of their original 
 owner, Susannah Mapletoft. Their last possessor was 
 Mrs. Hodges, of Tiverton, Devon, who inherited 
 them from a cousin, Miss Ann Mapletoft. On Mrs. 
 Hodges's death in April, 1888, they passed together with 
 a Concordance and some other family relics,' to Mr. 
 Mapletoft Davis, a gentleman residing in New South 
 Wales; and in that far-off land these curious and 
 interesting volumes find their present resting-place. 
 
 Before they were sent from England, copies of 
 part of the first volume of ** Conversations" (there are 
 four),^ and of the entries in the Concordance, were 
 
 1 " Two Lives of Ferrar," Appendix. 
 
 * Ibid., p. 301. 
 
 ^ Among these relics is a cabinet said to have been given to 
 the family by Charles I. , and a lawn handkerchief marked " C. R. " 
 in gold thread. The Concordance is described Chap. VIII. II. 
 
 * InPeck'slistofthepapersat Bifield only three "Conversation" 
 books are mentioned. In one of the four belonging to Mr. Maple- 
 toft Davis is the following note : " N.B. — This No. 3 is a copy 
 of the first part of No. 2, Elizabeth Kestian, given me by my 
 dear aunt Legatt " (Margaret Collett married Thomas Legatt,
 
 THE MAIDEN SISTERS. 151 
 
 made by Mrs. Hodges' great-niece, Miss Cruwys 
 Sharland, who with great and ready kindness has 
 placed them at the disposal of the writer. Pre- 
 fixed to the first volume are four letters, of which 
 the first has already been printed by Hearne/ and 
 the last by Peckard.^ The second and third have 
 never before appeared. They are here given in their 
 proper order. 
 
 The first is addressed to Mrs. Ferrar by her two 
 elder granddaughters. 
 
 . " Most deare and honoured Grandmother, 
 
 " The finishing of this book in the return 
 of the selfsame Festival in which it began, having 
 amongst many other considerations brought to re- 
 membrance the love you that day showed in Bestow- 
 ing y* Best of yo' Roomes and Furniture upon us, 
 for the performance of this and other good excercises, 
 hath made us judge, that the first fruits of our labours 
 in every kind, are due to you, by whose bounty 
 we have received the opportunity of beginning and 
 continuing in them. We most humbly beseech you 
 therefore favourably to accept now in writing, that 
 
 she is especially mentioned in old Mrs. Ferrar's will) ; " I desier 
 it to be given to my dear cosen Dr. John Mapletoft," 
 
 » " Caii Vindiciae," p. 782. 
 
 * Peckard incorrectly states that it was sent to Mrs. Maple- 
 toft with a Concordance.
 
 IS2 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 which you so favourably was pleased to approve in 
 the rehearsing ; and together with it, our Faithful 
 acknowledgement, that we owe to you, as the great 
 instrument of God's mercy, not only the conveniency 
 and opportunitie, but even y" very abilities in them- 
 selves that are in us, towards the performance of this 
 or any other good thing. Considering that the 
 Vacancie of Time, the Means of Instruction, and all 
 other necessary concurrent helps have had their 
 prime and daily Rise from and by means of your 
 Love ; and on your Love and Life do at this present 
 mainly depend. Besides, for that whereunto this 
 Excercise is chiefly intended, the discovery of those 
 false opinions wherewith the world misleads all man- 
 kind, especially our weaker sex, we have received both 
 by your precept and example, if not the greatest 
 and weightiest, yet surely the most proper and 
 effectual arguments and motives that could have been 
 brought. You have forsaken all those Affections, 
 Imployments, and Delights, wherein the world per- 
 swades the chief content of Women's minds should lie 
 and you have censured them as vanities at the best, 
 as sins, and great ones, as they are commonly pursued. 
 You have taught us often that which we hope shall 
 ever remain as firm written in our Minds as in this 
 book, that there is nothing but the practise of Virtue 
 and Religion that can in the end yield comfort ; all othej- 
 things will turn to Bitterness at the last We know
 
 THE MAIDEN SISTERS. 153 
 
 your Experience hath been more large and full than 
 most others in these matters; and therefore cannot 
 but beleive your Judgment to be right, and upon 
 this ground have been the rather encouraged to the 
 contempt of that which is indeed contemptible, and 
 to the endeavouring after those things which are 
 alone worthy of Love and Honour. 
 
 "We are bold, dear Grandmother, to refresh these 
 things upon this occasion, the rather as it were by 
 the recording thereof to oblige ourselves to the follow- 
 ing both of your example and advice, the benefits 
 whereof in the continuance of your hfe wee most 
 humbly beseech God of His infinite mercy to con- 
 tinue to us and to your whole Family. 
 
 " Your most bounden daughters, 
 « The Sisters, 
 
 " Mary & Anna Collet. 
 
 "2 Februarie, 1631."' 
 
 Next comes Mrs. Ferrars's reply. 
 
 *' My Deare Children, 
 
 " What I have taught is true. Use carefully 
 therefore now and ever y® time and Opportunities y' 
 God offers for y® attainement of wisedome and 
 encrease of Vertue. As for matters of Husvvifery,
 
 154 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 when God puts them upon you, it would be sin either 
 to refuse them, or to perform them negligently, and 
 therefore the ignorance of them is a great shame and 
 Danger for women that intend Marriage. But to 
 seek these kinds of Businesses for pleasure, and to 
 make them yo'' delights, and to pride yo'selves for 
 yo'' care and curiositie in them, is a great vanitie and 
 Folly at y^ best, and to neglect better things and 
 more necessarie by pretence of being imployed in 
 these things, is surely, though a common Practise, 
 yet a peice of sinfull Hypocrisie. Doe them there- 
 fore, when God puts them upon you, and doe them 
 carefully and well, and God shall reward you, how- 
 ever y^ things themselves be but meane, accepting 
 them at yo"' hands, as if they were greater matters, 
 when they are done and undergone out of obediencv^ 
 to his Command. But let yo' Delight bee onely in 
 y^ better part. As for yo'' Book, I kindly accept it ; 
 and although I have heard you very Jealously deny 
 the Communicating it with any, yet because I suppose 
 you esteeme yo' Sister Mapletoft all one with yo'- 
 selves, I would have you send her this Book, which 
 I doubt not will bee both of Profit and Comfort to 
 her. God continue and encrease you in every good 
 way and thing, till you come to Perfection in Christ 
 Jesus. 
 
 "W Mother, 
 
 "■ Mary Farrar."
 
 THE MAIDEN SISTERS. 155 
 
 The two following letters are addressed to Mrs. 
 Mapletoft : — 
 
 " To OUR DEAREST SiSTER, 
 
 " With the same love y* is given by our 
 most Honoured Grandmother, doe wee make y* Con- 
 veyance of this Book unto you, our Dearest Sister, 
 Professing faithfully, y* wee esteeme our Paines as 
 well Imployed in thus parting with it to you, as wee 
 should have done in keeping it for ourselves, so 
 much doe wee love and praise the Grace of God y* 
 is in you, and the Gracious Benediction of God which 
 wee have received by yo"" meanes, a most worthy and 
 Faithful Brother, to whose good judgment wee doe 
 freely submitt this Little work, Beseeching him to 
 give us Notice of what hee shall there find amisse. 
 And so beseeching God to perfecte his goodnes in 
 you by y* full Restitution both of Inward and Bodily 
 Health wee rest 
 
 " Your Faithfull 
 
 "Sisters, 
 " Mary and Anna Collet. 
 
 "2 Februarie, 1631." 
 
 (The following note ^ is appended in another hand : 
 " Who both dyed Virgins, Resolving so to live when 
 
 • This note is given by Mr. Mayor, Appendix, p. 301.
 
 156 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 they were young, by the grace of God. My much 
 honoured Aunt Mary, who took care of me and 
 my Brother Peter and Sister Mary after the death of 
 our Reverend and pious Father, Mr. Joshua Maple- 
 toft, dyed in y" So**" year of her age. 
 
 " John Mapletoft. 
 
 "Jan. 22, 1715-") 
 
 " My deare and worthy Neice, 
 
 " The Equall joy and Benefitt w*" I have in 
 and by you, make mee as gladly give you my part, 
 as yo' Sisters have done theirs of this Book, and to 
 add my further promise, which their joj-nt consent 
 doth ratifie, that of every good thing y* God shall 
 impart to us, y" shall ever have as liberall and free a 
 Communication, as wee can possibly make you. 
 Which not onely our love but your own desert binds 
 us to whilest you continue what y" are by the per- 
 formance of yo'' Duty, y^ great comfort and Ornament 
 to our Familie. God make you to encrease in all 
 his graces and blessings. Amen. 
 
 " Yo-- Unkle, 
 
 " Nicholas Ferrar." 
 
 The touching inscription in the beginning of the 
 book shows that it was left by Mrs. Mapletoft to her 
 eldest brother, Thomas Collett, and was given by him 
 to his son John; it is as follows : —
 
 THE MAIDEN SISTERS. 157 
 
 " Johannes Collet 
 
 Filius 
 
 Thomae Collet 
 
 Pater 
 
 Thomas, Gulielmi, & Johannis, 
 
 Omnium Superstes 
 
 Natus 
 
 Quarto Junii 1633, 
 
 Denasciturus 
 
 Quando DEO visum fuerit, 
 
 Interim liujus proprielarius 
 
 John Collet." 
 
 The childless man left the treasured volume to his 
 cousin Elizabeth, the daughter of Hester CoUett and 
 Francis Kestian, and below his signature is a note 
 presumably in her writing. 
 
 " Elizabeth Kestian. Given me by my dear cosen 
 John Collet. I desier it to be given to my dear 
 cosen Dr. John Mapletoft." 
 
 Her wish was carried out, for after Nicholas Ferrar's 
 letter to his niece follows a note by Dr. Mapletoft. 
 
 "This book was presented by my Great Grand- 
 mother, my honoured Mother's two Sisters (the 
 daughters of John and Susannah Collet) and their 
 Unkle Nicholas Farrar to my ever honoured Mother, 
 Susanna Mapletoft, the same year in which I was born. 
 And I desire my Son, to whom I do give it, with the 
 great Concordance and the other story Books, that they 
 may be preserved in the family as long as may be. 
 
 " John Mapletoft. 
 
 "Jan. 23, 1715."
 
 IS8 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 Dr. Mapletoft died in 1720, and Mr. Maple toft, of 
 Bifield, in whose hands the books were when Peck 
 wrote in 1735, was probably his son. 
 
 The book opens with an account of the origin of 
 the "Conversations" and the uses which they were 
 intended to serve. 
 
 " It was at the same time when the Church cele- 
 brates the great festival of the Purification, that the 
 maiden sisters, longing to be imitators of those glorious 
 Saints by whose names they were called (for all bore 
 Saints names, and she that was elected Chief, that of 
 the blessed Virgin Mary, having entered into a joint 
 covenant between themselves and some others of 
 nearest blood, which, according to their several 
 relations, they stiled Founder, Guardian, and Visitor, 
 for the performance of divers religious exercises, lest — 
 as sweet liquors are often times corrupted by the 
 sourness of the vessels wherein they are infused — 
 there should arise in their hearts a distaste or abuse, 
 of those excellent things which they purposed), they 
 therefore resolved, together with the practice of devo- 
 tion, to intermingle the study of wisdom, searching 
 and enquiring into those things which appertain to 
 their condition and sex : finding in themselves and 
 observing in others that do sincerely pursue virtue, 
 that the greatest bar of perfection was ignorance of 
 the truth, whereby through misapprehension, many 
 prejudicial things were embraced, and many most
 
 THE MAIDEN SISTERS. 159 
 
 behoveful to their ends, and most delightful in per- 
 formance, were not only neglected, but abhorred." 
 
 The stress laid by Nicholas Ferrar on mental 
 cultivation as a needful aid to devotion, is noteworthy. 
 With this object, they 'agreed " every day at a sett 
 houre to conferre together of some such subject, as 
 should tend either to y" information of y' understand- 
 ing, or to y^ exciting of y^ Affections, to y" more ready 
 and fervent prosecution of vertues, and better per- 
 formance of all such duties, as in their present or 
 other Course of Life hereafter should be required of 
 them." 
 
 Some of the discussions are very interesting, from 
 the light they throw on the manners and ways of 
 thought of the family. Thus, when Mrs. Collett has 
 related the story of John the Almoner, showing " y' 
 hee that sows Almes on earth shall reape Treasures 
 in Heaven," John Ferrar, in reply, denounces the 
 folly of those who spend their substance on them- 
 selves, and who, at the Day of Judgment, must either 
 "stand silent or, at best, show forth hounds and 
 horses, and Idle droanes fatt crammed with continuall 
 surfetts in the Hall, when y* question shall bee of 
 feeding y* hungry. Will y^ bringing forth of Liveries 
 for Pages and footmen, and costly hangings for y« 
 very walls, or y® dayly visits of ladies and great men 
 bee accepted for answers touching y® clothing of y® 
 Naked, and visiting y'' sick? I need not goe over y"
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 Other particulars ; you know what God will ask, you 
 see what men can say. If you venter yo''selves upon 
 such answeares with them, so will not I. My simple- 
 ness, I confesse, reacheth not to understand how 
 these Allegations will serve their turne. I meane, 
 therefore, by God's grace, to keep on y* plaine way, 
 fulfilling y" letter as much as may bee. And both mine 
 own body and my children must excuse mee if I take 
 lesse pleasure to myselfe, or leave lesse wealth to 
 them by this meanes." 
 
 " For mee not to be of the same mind," says Mary 
 Collett, '' were double folly, inasmuch as my Virgin- 
 estate equally excludes y^ care of both of worldly 
 pleasure and children ; " and she then begs her sisters, 
 the " Patient " and the " Affectionate," to relate stories 
 of Saints, " whose riches and prosperity have gone on 
 multiplying by the distribution of them in pious uses." 
 And the " Patient," " having a little conferred with y'= 
 ' Affectionate,' " the two relate stories of the generosity 
 of Cosimo de Medicis and Gonsalvo Ferrante, the 
 "Great Captain," strangely chosen examples of 
 saintly life; Mrs. Collett, the "Moderator," having 
 first warned them that " The examples of Saints 
 work little, but upon those y* endeavour to become 
 Saints, or find themselves plain sinners, . . . but 
 worldly men, that think themselves Christians good 
 enough for Heaven, whilst none can tax them with 
 open enormities, make but a jest of the Example
 
 THE MAIDEN SISTERS. i6i 
 
 or Authority of holy men, when they are alledged to 
 prove or persuade them that which they please not 
 to believe or follow." 
 
 These discourses may now appear dull and 
 ponderous, but their quaint pedantry was in the 
 taste of the day, and they seem to have greatly 
 interested their hearers, to whom they were intended 
 to serve, not only for instruction, but as a substitute 
 for the idle and often coarse masques and interludes 
 which then formed a favourite amusement. In the 
 report of the Conversation on St. John's Day, 163 1, 
 we read that " the remembrance of the former day's 
 pleasure having carried up most of the family (though 
 after a dinner of more than ordinary cheer) into the 
 sisters' chamber, the * Guardian ' (seeing himself and 
 only one or two more left in the dining-room) said, 
 smiling to his mother, ' Madam, you may now see 
 that young people may be brought to take as great 
 delight in things good and profitable, as in others 
 which are vain and useless ; for I do not think any 
 gamesters were hardly ever more earnestly bent on 
 their play than our family are upon their stories.' " 
 
 When Mrs. Ferrar resigned the personal super- 
 intendence of her granddaughters, the sisters met 
 together to elect a successor. A portion of the 
 Conversation which followed is worth quoting.* 
 
 ' The following Conversation is taken from Peck's copy, as 
 printed in Mr. Mayor's Appendix, pp. 373-376. 
 
 M
 
 1 62 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 ' The " Guardian," John Ferrar, begins by suggesting, 
 " not for the excercise of misrule,^ but the main- 
 tenance of good order," that a lord should be 
 chosen among them for the ensuing Christmas. To 
 which the " Affectionate " answers that they should 
 choose, not a lord, but a lady, " as you have resolved, 
 and as the constitution of our family requires, it being 
 the female sex which exceeds among us, not merely 
 in number, but in faultiness." 
 
 Moderator. "That we may not seem to usurp 
 authority, I pray you, let the approbation of our 
 dearest mother be first made known to the company." 
 
 Guardiair. " She hath, not only out of love to us, 
 and desire of our satisfaction, but out of her own 
 judgment, given both consent and approbation in 
 this matter." 
 
 Patient (Anna Collett). "Since the authority we 
 are now establishing is derived from her, methinks 
 the new title should not any way exceed the old, nor 
 the translation may be more large and lofty than the 
 original. I should counsel, therefore, that, waiving 
 the ambitious stile of Lady, we should content our- 
 
 An allusion to the custom of choosing a chief (sometimes 
 called the " lord of misrule ") for the Christmas revels. " I was 
 elected one of the comptrollers of the Middle Temple Revellers, 
 as the fashion of the young students and gentlemen was, the 
 Christmas being kept this yeare with great solemnity," — *' Diary 
 of John Evelyn:" December 15, 1642.
 
 THE MAIDEN SISTERS. 163 
 
 selves for our 'Chief with one of those twain of 
 Mother or Mistress, which our 'Guardian' ended with." 
 
 Aj^edionate. "For this regard, as also with regard 
 to the virgin estate whereof our ' Chief has made 
 profession, as there is nothing more necessary than 
 humility, both for ornament and protection, I suppose 
 not only the swelling stile of Lady may be better 
 waived than used ; and that, with more grace to the 
 office and satisfaction of all parties, we shall name 
 her Mother, which virtually includes the authority of 
 Mistress." 
 
 Here followed a conversation about the compara- 
 tive merits of married and single life, which is closed 
 by the "Cheerful" and the "Affectionate," whose 
 views of life differed from those of their elder sisters. 
 
 Cheerful. " Though we cannot with so much ease as 
 you " (Mary and Anna) " may, yet with no less desire, 
 by God's grace, shall we follow after that which is 
 excellent in every kind. Your virgin state serves 
 better than wedlock to the attainment of perfection, 
 but doth not more necessarily require it. We would 
 not, with the whole world to boot, take husbands, to 
 have less interest with God by that means. It is the 
 hope of serving God better, and of our firmer union 
 unto Him, which inclines our judgements to the 
 married condition. We have made up the accompt 
 and find it clear that there is no gain of worldly
 
 1 64 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR, 
 
 comforts to be got by marriage, except to them who 
 look no higher than the earth, no farther than this 
 life." 
 
 Affectionate. " For industry, therefore, worthy 
 Chief, take what part you please for yourself, and 
 you shall see a double charge belongs to us, who are 
 by you and our other friends designed for wives." 
 
 In a further conversation, held on All Saints Day, 
 Mary Collett was formally inducted into her office, 
 and gifts are offered to her on this occasion, which 
 she refuses, until a note from the " Visitor " (Nicholas) 
 is handed to her, desiring her to accept them. 
 
 The new Mother begins by warning her sisters how 
 she intends to exercise the authority confided in her. 
 " You may cashier me if you please, but if you hold 
 me in you must give me leave to govern as becomes 
 my profession. It must be a very sober table that a 
 virgin sits at the head of; and they must be sober 
 cates that are of her providing." 
 
 Then the "Patient" arose, "and, kissing it, pre- 
 sented a rich Bible to the ' Chief,' " who, after receiving 
 it, said, " I salute it with a kiss " (here she kissed it) 
 " in token of love, and put it on my head " (here she 
 put it on her head), " and lay it up in my bosom " 
 (here she laid it in her bosom) "as an incomparable 
 treasure. I have applied the letter without ; do Thou, 
 O my God (here she lifts up the book) " apply the 
 spirit of this book within."
 
 THE MAIDEN SISTERS. 165 
 
 The " Cheerful" gave a bell, inscribed, The bell tolls 
 to prayers and rings out for the dead. 
 
 The " Affectionate " gave a watch light. 
 
 Then the "Moderator," Mrs. CoUett, arose, and 
 taking three of her children by the hand, led them up 
 to the " Chief," saying, '* I give you these now for 
 children whom, at the first, I brought forth brothers 
 and sisters to you." 
 
 The " Guardian " (John Ferrar) : " The extent of 
 her motherhood is by no means to be confined within 
 those bounds, but must enlarge itself to the generality 
 of this whole family, and in particular to my three " 
 (Nicholas, John, and Virginia) "whom I likewise now 
 set over to her motherhood." 
 
 " To make the gift more proportionable," Susannah 
 Mapletoft offered a seventh child (her own little 
 Ann), "seven being the number of perfection, and 
 by the Pythagoreans more particularly attributed to 
 virginity." 
 
 The curious mixture of playfulness and affectation 
 in these formalities does not conceal the deep re- 
 ligious enthusiasm which they express — a strong and 
 true enthusiasm, not suffered to burn away in excited 
 feeling, but fed, instructed, and exercised in Christian 
 learning and the practice of fixed and active duties.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 SOME FAMILY LETTERS. 
 
 " No empty hopes, no courtly fears her fright. 
 
 No begging wants her middle fortunes bite, 
 
 But sweet content exiles both miserie and spite. 
 
 Her life is neither tost in boisterous seas, 
 Of troublous world, nor lost in slothfull ease ; 
 Pleased and full blest she lives, when she her God can please." 
 Phineas Fletcher, 1584-1650. 
 
 Mrs. Collett's letters,^ full of good sense and 
 affection, show under what careful tender guidance 
 her children lived. Many are written from Mar- 
 getting, where her daughter frequently claimed her 
 care. She spent some months with Mrs. Mapletoft 
 in the summer of 1628, and, when she returned to 
 Gidding, left her daughter Hester to assist in the care 
 of the baby grandchildren, Nan and Mary. This 
 arrangement, it seems, could not be concluded with- 
 out the permission of Nicholas, whose position in the 
 
 ' The letters of Mrs. Collett that appear in this volume are all 
 laken from those printed by the Rev. J. E. B. Mayor in the 
 Appendix of " Two Lives of Ferrar."
 
 SOME FAMILY LETTERS. 167 
 
 house appears to have resembled that of the recog- 
 nized Superior of a religious community. 
 
 "Even in this absence," Mrs. Collett writes to her 
 brother in September, " your love hath been con- 
 firmed to us under many seals. For your agreement 
 upon Hester's stay here for a while longer, as also 
 myself in especial, give you many thanks, for as it 
 will be a great comfort to my dear Su, so I hope by 
 God's mercy, He giving her health, it will be no less 
 content to Hester to show kindness than to receive it. 
 For our resolutions what time to take our journey, we 
 never concluded upon it, but desired that you would 
 not only advise but determine of it. Only, by the 
 way, at my husband's last being here he spake of 
 setting forth from hence as on Monday next, because 
 my son desired to begin our journey on a Monday 
 that he might reach Lincolnshire the Friday after, but 
 what Monday, he is very indifferent. It was only 
 fear of foul weather and Essex bad ways made us 
 think of going so soon, but we expect the resolution 
 from you, for as yet we have made none. We all 
 here beseech you to present our most humble and 
 bounden duties to my most dear mother, our dearest 
 love remembered to yourself, my good brother Ferrar 
 and brother Richard (who I hope is yet with you), my 
 sister, and all other friends." 
 
 In November Mrs. Collett is again at Gidding, 
 having safely traversed the muddy Essex roads ; and
 
 i68 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 we find her writing to Nicholas, who has been called 
 to London on " troublesome and weighty affairs," to 
 beg him to undertake some commission, apparently 
 relating to one or other of her sons. In the following 
 March, Nicholas went to visit his niece at Margetting, 
 who was still far from strong. His reports were 
 eagerly looked for, and the postal arrangements of the 
 time must have kept up a continual excitement on 
 the subject of letters. Mrs. CoUett writes — 
 
 " March i, 1630. 
 " Mv MOST DEAR BROTHER, 
 
 "Your letters were most gladly read, they 
 confirming us in that hope of your health, which, by 
 the carrier's negligence, we could the last week 
 receive no other testimony of than by his own report. 
 And now I beseech you to accept of my most hearty 
 and affectionate thanks for your so constant perse- 
 verance in the manifestation of your unparalleled love 
 and care of me and mine, and in particular that you 
 have been pleased not only to visit but to afford them 
 your company so long at Margetting when I doubt 
 not but, by God's help, the joy to see you and the 
 good counsel you have left with them, will be a 
 means of my dearest Su's speedier recovery of health. 
 For your letters also my husband and myself acknow- 
 ledge ourselves bound and do still desire that you 
 will be pleased to take the like course with any that
 
 SOME FAMILY LETTERS. 169 
 
 shall come hereafter. But though time may per- 
 chance hardly permit it, yet the necessity of the case 
 makes me bold to entreat from you a full and ample 
 advice how to carry that business, which, as it seems, 
 can now no ways be avoided. My dear brother 
 Ferrar (John), who, as he best can, will sufficiently 
 inform you of every particular of our estate here, 
 only I cannot pass over the acknowledgement of 
 God's mercy to us all in that which is so main a 
 pillar of our comforts, the health of our dearest 
 mother, which I beseech Him long to continue and 
 make us truly thankful for it. Let me entreat you to 
 remember my most kind love to my good cousin 
 Arthur ^ and all other friends. With my prayers to 
 God for your health and prosperous success in all 
 your affairs, I commit you to God's protection." 
 
 No detail of the household at Margetting is too 
 minute for the consideration of the mother and uncle, 
 and in February, 1631, Mrs. Collett puts down in 
 writing her answer to several household difficulties 
 which her r,on-in law had brought to her for solution. 
 
 " Gidding, February 12, 1631. 
 
 " That which must be considered is, as I think, 
 
 what is best for her ^ to do, the things in question 
 
 • Mr. Arthur Woodnoth. Nicholas Ferrar was evidently 
 going on to London. 
 ' Mrs. Mapletoft.
 
 I70 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 being such as tend either to easing her of trouble, 
 avoiding of pain, or procuring some pleasure and 
 content to her mind. Now, my opinion is, that if she 
 shall purchase any of these with the displeasure either 
 of God, her husband, or her friends, she will with 
 much bitterness repent the bargain. Therefore my 
 counsel in general is that she be most wary not to 
 foil herself in this kind. 
 
 " Now, for the three first positions, I conceive 
 them to be such as, should they be yielded unto, 
 would in themselves be in no way displeasing to God, 
 but as they have relation to others, and chiefly her 
 husband, whose liking or dislike will make that either 
 good or evil which simply in itself is not so. And 
 first, for her going to see her brother and sister, 
 I cannot see any harm likely to have ensued thereof; 
 but should rather have hoped the quite contrary, and 
 that their kind visitations and conversing together at 
 times convenient might be a means to increase such 
 love between them as might prove of good conse- 
 quence to them both. For keeping another maid, 
 I am not able to say what is best, but shall rather wish 
 her to try the uttermost of her own strength, which, 
 by God's blessing, may be increased into her that she 
 shall not have such need of a maid as may now be 
 feared she will. Concerning one of her sisters going 
 unto her ; though it might for the time be a great com- 
 fort to her, yet, considering that it may please God
 
 SOME FAMILY LETTERS. 171 
 
 and is most likely that she may often have as great 
 need of such helps in the same kind, and no proba- 
 bility that she shall often enjoy their company, I think 
 it as good for her to satisfy herself with these comforts 
 that she may have nearer hand, and not to be 
 troubled in longing after that which is so doubtful she 
 might. But for the nursing of her child, when it 
 shall please God to send it to her, I would advise her 
 not so much as to think of doing it by any but herself, 
 but to resolve to do what possibly she may, though it 
 should be with some pains, and leave the issue to 
 God, for I cannot doubt but the putting of it forth 
 would prove to her a matter of so much grief and 
 trouble of mind that, though she were sure by that 
 means to enjoy it, yet she would think her health 
 bought at too dear a rate. Thus, according to my 
 ability, you have my advice ; but I leave the solution 
 to better judgements, and shall heartily beseech God 
 to direct in the choice of what is best." ^ 
 
 The brother and sister whom Mrs. Mapletoft 
 wished to visit were probably Thomas Collett and 
 his wife, who had now left Gidding and settled in a 
 home of their own. The following letter is to this 
 son, and probably refers to the " Concordance of the 
 Holy Gospels " made for him : — ^ 
 
 ' With this letter was sent a copy of a prayer used at Gidding 
 on behalf of the young couple, 
 ^ Chap. VIII., U.
 
 172 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 " Gidding, November 22, 1630. 
 " The book which your sister sent you in the last 
 week I doubt not but you have read before this 
 (though in your letter to your grandmother you men« 
 tion it not), which upon a diligent survey I am assured 
 you cannot but read in it the character of a most 
 unparalleled love and unwearied pains and carefulness 
 in the contriving thereof for your benefit. God, for 
 His mercy's sake, grant you may in some measure 
 answer them all, the first in a return, the other in 
 imitation; and that you may with all speed resolve 
 and constantly put in execution the practise of that 
 which is contained therein." 
 
 Mrs. CoUett's heart was filled with heavier anxieties 
 than the number of Mrs. Mapletoft's maids, or the 
 regulation of her visits to her family. Her youngest 
 son Edward had been placed in some business in 
 London; Mrs. CoUett writes to him a letter full of 
 earnest advice in November, 1628, apparently shortly 
 after his first leaving home. 
 
 " It would trouble me much if I had but a thought 
 that you would forget those psalms that you have 
 learned. Nay, I hope you will not content yourself 
 in the only keeping of them in your memory, but 
 learn much more, and in particular that book of the 
 Proverbs, which both I desired, and you promised me 
 to do ; and do not say with the sluggard, Thei-e is a lion 
 in the 7i'ay, you have now so iiiuch business that you
 
 SOME FAMILY LETTERS. 17J 
 
 can intend nothing else, without the neglect of per- 
 forming your service to your master, which God 
 forbid you should do. No, my son ; that time which 
 you shall spend in this kind, borrow it from those 
 hours that others take, and yourself may have liberty 
 to spend, in their own pleasures. But if you will say, 
 there is none such allowed you, though I can hardly 
 believe that, then take it from those that are allowed 
 for your rest, and assure yourself, if with a good heart 
 you shall do so, undoubtedly you shall find your mind 
 much strengthened for the performance of all your 
 duties, and the strength of your body no whit im- 
 paired. I might say much more, but I assure myself 
 and praise God for it, you shall not want better 
 counsel than I can give you ; for your dear uncle will 
 see you shortly." 
 
 The young man flung his mother's exhortations to 
 the winds. He is continually in trouble. His 
 master complains of him ; for a whole year he does 
 not write home, in spite of repeated admonitions. It 
 is no doubt of this son that Mrs. Collett speaks in a 
 letter from Margetting, where she had again gone to 
 watch over Mrs. Mapletoft's health. 
 
 "June, 163 1. 
 " I am confident that by God's assistance you are 
 the best able to judge both of his disposition and of 
 what might be likeliest in such an uncertainty, to
 
 174 I-I^^ ^^ NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 bring him to a greater sense of his own ill case, and 
 serious endeavours as much as possibly he may, to 
 regain first pardon of God for his sin against Him, 
 and so the assurance of the safety of his soul, and if 
 God shall please to see it good for him, the repair of 
 his now seeming lost hopes for the things of this life." 
 Thomas, now a barrister in London, and Nicholas 
 Collett, who was learning the goldsmith's trade under 
 Mr. Arthur Woodnoth, were both exhorted to do their 
 utmost for their brother. Thomas took him to live 
 with him, but the youth seems to have been irreclaim- 
 able, and in despair his parents, with Mr. Woodnoth's 
 aid, determined to send him abroad, a resolution of 
 which her brother Nicholas did not wholly approve. 
 
 " To my dear Brother Nicholas. 
 
 "Oct. 21, 1631. 
 " My most dear Brother, 
 
 *' Since I entreated your help for a draught 
 of a letter to Mr. B., I have gathered that by your 
 denial and by your speeches (and the more at the 
 receipt of my cousin Arthur's letter) that you do not 
 well approve of my son's going to the Indies, which 
 before that time 1 did not conceive that you disliked 
 of the course as but only by reason of the difficulties 
 that we are like to meet with in procuring his enter- 
 tainment and his insufficiency to discharge any place
 
 SOME FAMILY LETTERS. 175 
 
 of that kind. . . . The only hope I have of his well 
 doing is only in God's mercy, who can give wisdom to 
 the simple and grace to them that are most unworthy, 
 even when in men's judgement they are most uncapable 
 of the receiving of it, and my trust is that He will 
 hear the prayers of so many as I hope will continually 
 be intercessory for him. Besides, I do conceive well 
 of the means, that the length of the voyage, the 
 danger of peril in the way, the good orders that are 
 kept in the ship, the necessity of forcing him to be 
 obedient to so many that are in authority above him, 
 the discretion he shall see in others in applying them- 
 selves to perform their charge, may by God's grace 
 work the like care in him, and bring him to a more 
 feeling apprehension of his past faults, and so to a 
 more hearty repentance and endeavour of amend- 
 ment every way, Mr. Buckridge thinking it abso- 
 lutely the best way we could set him in. . . . Mr. 
 Bateraan and my cousin Massenberd . . . gave 
 instances of some but ill-disposed before their going 
 thither, to have come home sober and discreet men. 
 Yet notwithstanding perceiving now some opinions of 
 such great danger of evil, I shall humbly beseech 
 yours whether upon these grounds we may not still 
 desire this for him, and have as good hope of his well- 
 doing in this, as in any other course we shall be able 
 to set mm m, for, 1 profess, [for] my own part, I would 
 not hazard a more imminent danger to his soul for a
 
 176 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 more certainty of his temporal preferment. If you 
 therefore will please give me your opinion and counsel 
 herein, I shall by God's grace endeavour to follow it, 
 and shall ever acknowledge it for an addition to those 
 many favours and that obligation wherein myself and 
 all mine stand bound to you in the height of all love 
 and duty. 
 
 " Your loving sister to you much obliged, 
 
 "S. C." 
 
 Nicholas's answer is dated October 28, 1631. 
 
 "Dear Sister, 
 
 " As I am partner in your cares, so shall I, 
 God willing, in your prayers to God for the good 
 success of the business, but counsel is too late to ask 
 when the business is brought almost to upshot. Your 
 reasons do not satisfy me, my own and others fears 
 trouble me. I cannot, therefore, be a setter forward 
 by my approbation, nor will be a hinderer of it, 
 because I have no certainty of exception against the 
 employment itself, and I see your husband's and your 
 own mind strongly bent to the going forward of it, to 
 which I shall never make any exception in any matter 
 touching your children but upon evidence of error 
 on your parts, and that in the very substance and 
 essence of the business ; but as for circumstantial 
 errors (God willing), I will not stand upon them ;
 
 SOME FAMILY LETTERS. 177 
 
 some such have been committed in this matter, but I 
 freely pass them over, as much as concerns me ; only 
 one, out of the same love which makes me forget the 
 rest, I am bound to remember, that is, burdening your 
 son Thomas with Edward's diet, which I did not 
 suspect you had intended, till my mother told me it. 
 I am afraid, nay, I am almost assured, it will prove 
 every way of evil consequences ; if you doubt so too, 
 you have for the making him satisfaction one of your 
 ^10 remaining of the ;^2o, and also your husband 
 hath free liberty to dispose of the twenty nobles a year 
 overplus which remain of the ^{^20 rent, besides your 
 own and sister's allowance. I desire it to be reserved 
 for the exercise of your bounty towards a son ; if you 
 will use it for the benefit of a couple, I shall not hold 
 it an alteration but an improvement of your first reso- 
 lution, I have no more to say in this business, but 
 that you hearken diligently what God saith unto you 
 in it and follow His direction, and all shall, I hope, 
 prove to the best; He will not fail to instruct you if 
 you call upon Him faithfully. To His good grace I 
 commit you, and by His grace continue 
 
 '* Your faithful loving brother, 
 
 " N. F." 
 
 The answer to this rather harsh letter, in which 
 Nicholas betrays evident annoyance at finding that 
 Mr. and Mrs. Collett had for once ventured to act on 
 
 N
 
 178 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 their own responsibility, is not given. Edward 
 Collett sailed for the East Indies in the following 
 March, with promises of amendment, which we may 
 hope were kept. " I give you in charge not only the 
 reading but the putting in practice those precepts con- 
 tained in the written book I send you," Mrs. Collett 
 wrote to him in 1634. " I send you also three books 
 of Mr. Herbert's which are held (and worthily) in 
 great esteem ; if they shall prove so with you, you 
 shall please some of my friends." " The Temple " 
 must have been one of the books sent out to the boy 
 in India. 
 
 One more letter of Mrs. CoUett's must be here 
 given. 
 
 " To my dearest Brother Nicholas, 
 
 "March 2, 1631. 
 "MV MOST DEAR BROTHER, 
 
 " Since your first offer to me (of that which 
 in all reason should have been either my suit or my 
 want), — that is to give me your best assistance upon the 
 revealing thereof, to the attaining of my own desires, — 
 I have, I confess, had many conflicts within myself, 
 to what bounds to limit them. But upon a strict 
 examination of what hath passed in all my life 
 hitherto, I have found that those hopes and expecta- 
 tions which I had fancied to myself would in the
 
 SOME FAMILY LETTERS. 179 
 
 fruition prove most happy, they have not seldom 
 deceived me. I have therefore now resolved by 
 God's grace, not to make any choice for myself, but 
 commit myself wholly to Him to dispose of my future 
 estate which He hath hitherto so graciously provided 
 for me. And for the things of this life my greatest 
 desire is, that I may desire nothing but to rest content 
 and fully satisfied with what estate soever He shall 
 place me in, and with all thankful acknowledgment of 
 His unspeakable mercy towards me to endeavour the 
 performance of those duties which He requires of me, 
 both to Himself and to all those to whom I have 
 special reference of duty or love, and that I may be 
 the more strongly conformed in this purpose, by 
 framing my actions as is most befitting my present 
 condition, I not only beseech your prayers but your 
 counsels and directions. And for my daughter 
 Betty,^ my desire is that she may be trained up in 
 the true fear of God and exercise of humility and 
 obedience, and set in a course whereby she may attain 
 such wisdom for the right ordering of her mind, that 
 howsoever it may please God to settle her, she may 
 by a right use make either a prosperous estate happy, 
 or a mean contented. And if you shall please to 
 assist me with your counsel for the effecting of this 
 both in myself and her, I shall ever acknowledge it 
 
 ' Elizabeth Collett afterwards married her cousin, Benjamin 
 Woodnoth, of Shavington,
 
 i8o LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 among the greatest of those many benefits, which it 
 has pleased God to make you the instrument of to 
 me and all mine, who shall ever rest in aU due 
 acknowledgment. 
 
 *' Your most bounden and much-obliged sister, 
 
 " Susannah Collett." 
 
 This letter appears to refer to some arrangement 
 with regard to the family property. It may well be 
 that among those hopes and expectations which Mrs. 
 Collett desired to leave wholly to the disposal of 
 God, were the vocation of Mary and Anna to the 
 single life " for the better giving themselves to fasting 
 and prayer," and the devotion of her son Ferrar to 
 the priesthood. In the Conversation for the Feast 
 of the Circumcision, 1632, she says, "I will give now 
 by way of recipe to my son, whom my prayers and 
 vows have set apart to this holy calling, that he keep 
 himself pure and undefiled from this evil usage of the 
 world, and whenever he is invited to a tavern or ale- 
 house, let him answer, his mother gave him charge to 
 the contrary." 
 
 Two of the little grandchildren from Margetting 
 were by this time added to the household at Gidding. 
 Mrs. Mapletoft's health seems to have been unequal 
 to the care of her increasing family. She accepted 
 her sister's offer to take charge of Nan and Mall, and 
 Nan was formally made over to Mary's care, as
 
 SOME FAMILY LETTERS. i8i 
 
 mentioned in the last chapter, and bore the name 
 of "the Humble" in the Academy of Gidding. 
 Three little boys followed one another quickly in the 
 Margetting parsonage, but of these, one was soon 
 taken to a more lasting home. 
 
 In 1635 Mr. Mapletoft died, greatly regretted, 
 " I am truly sensible of the loss of such neighbours," 
 a friend wrote to Mrs. Collett; "the loss of that 
 glorified saint doth reflect double on me, not only in 
 him, but in them likewise. I am so sorry for their 
 going from hence, that truly I think the worse of my 
 dwelling. I think there will come a supply to the 
 parsonage, but none so endeared to me as these 
 gentlewomen." 
 
 After a time Susannah was married again to 
 a Mr. Chedley, but her daughter Mary and the two 
 surviving boys, John and Peter, remained at Gidding 
 in charge of her sisters.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF THE CONCORDANCES 
 MADE AT GIDDING. 
 
 " Prosper Thou, O Lord, the work of our hands : O prosper 
 Thou our handyworks." 
 
 " Innocency is never better lodged than at the sign of labour." 
 Inscriptions on the Wall of the Co7icordame Room at Gidding. 
 
 The Harmonies, or, as they are always called in the 
 family manuscripts, the Concordances, made at 
 Gidding, are so numerous and interesting that their 
 history requires a chapter to itself.^ 
 
 It would be a misapprehension to regard these 
 unique works as mere curiosities, the laborious toys 
 of an unoccupied mind. They were the fruit of a 
 close and thoughtful study of Holy Scripture, an 
 earnest desire to learn and to teach its lessons. 
 Nicholas Ferrar's love for the Bible resembles that 
 of his friend Herbert. 
 
 » This chapter is taken from John Ferrar's (imperfect) list of 
 the works done at Gidding, printed by the Rev. J. E. B. Mayor, 
 and the very full and interesting catalogue published in the 
 Archaologia for 1888, vol. ii., by Captain Acland.
 
 THE CONCORDANCES MADE AT G ID DING. 183 
 
 " O Book ! infinite sweetness ! let my heart 
 Suck every letter, and a honey gain, 
 Precious for any grief in any part, 
 To clear the breast, to mollify all pain. 
 
 Oh, that I knew how all thy lights combine. 
 And the configurations of their glory ! 
 Seeing not only how each verse doth shine, 
 
 But all the constellations of the story." 
 
 During Ferrar's lifetime, the arrangement of the 
 Harmonies seems to have been entirely his own, but 
 all the members of the family, from Mrs. Ferrar down 
 to the little girls, assisted in the manufacture. The 
 method of their construction has been already 
 described. The following extract from John Ferrar's 
 account of the one originally made for their own use 
 will show how much study must have been bestowed 
 on the arrangement : — 
 
 I. 
 
 ' ' Glory be to God on high. 
 "The actions, doctrines, and other passages touch- 
 ing our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as 
 they are related by the four Evangelists, reduced into 
 one complete body of history; wherein that which 
 is severally related by them is digested into order, 
 and that which is jointly related by all, or any of 
 them, is first expressed in their own words, by way 
 of comparison ; secondly, brought into one narration, 
 byway of composition; thirdly, extracted into clear
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 context, by way of collection ; yet so as whatsoever 
 was omitted in the context, is inserted by way of 
 supplement in another print, and in such a manner 
 as all the four evangelists may easily be read severally 
 and distinctly, each apart and alone, from first to last. 
 Done at Little Gidding, anno 1630." 
 
 In each page throughout the book were sundry 
 exquisite pictures added, expressing either the facts 
 themselves, or other types and figures, or matters 
 appertaining thereto, " much to the pleasure of the 
 eye and delight of the reader." 
 
 This volume is lost, destroyed probably in the 
 pillage of Gidding. 
 
 II. 
 
 Another Concordance was made apparently on the 
 occasion of Thomas CoUett leaving Gidding for a 
 home of his own. This book is a " Harmony of the 
 Four Gospels," bound in red parchment. On the 
 first blank page are the following inscriptions : — (The 
 first is the same as that in the Conversations.) 
 
 " Johannes Collet. Filius Thomse Collet, Pater 
 Thomse, Gulielmi, and Johannis, omnium superstes. 
 Natus Quarto Junii 1633. Denasciturus — Quando 
 Deo visum fueiit. Interim hujus proprietarius. — 
 John Collet." 
 
 "This was the book of my honoured Aunt, Mrs. 
 Mary Collet, compiled at Little Gidding by the
 
 THE CONCORDANCES MADE AT GIDDING. 185 
 
 direction of her Uncle, Mr. N. Ferrar, and bound, 
 I believe, by herself. It was given to me by my good 
 and dear Cosin, Mrs. Elizabeth Kestian, who died 
 Aug., 17 15. I give it to my son, and if he dyes 
 without issue to my daughter, Elizabeth Castrell, and 
 to her son Robert, and I desire that it may be 
 preserved in my family as long as may be. There 
 were never above two more of the form that I ever 
 heard of, one of which was presented to Charles the 
 First, by his desire, when he was pleased to honour 
 the Family at Little Gidding with a visit, when he 
 went from London into the North ; and the other to 
 King Charles II. at his restoration, 1660, by John 
 Ferrar,^ who is now owner of Little Gidding, from 
 the aforesaid Mrs. Mary Collett, who, as I think, 
 bound both the said books in purple velvet and richly 
 gilded. 
 
 " That to King Charles the First was sent to him 
 soon after he had been there. — John Mapletoft, 
 Jan. 23, 1715" (1715-16). 
 
 This book remained in the Mapletoft family, and 
 is now the property of a descendant, Mr. Harold 
 Mapletoft Davis, residing in New South Wales, 
 Australia.^ 
 
 ' Only surviving son of John Ferrar, author of " Memoir of 
 Nicholas Ferrar." He died in 1719 in his eighty-ninth year. — 
 Inscription in Gidding Church. 
 
 - Further note on the Harmonies, 1889, Captain Acland.
 
 l86 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 It is characteristic that in these elaborate works 
 Nicholas Ferrar seems to have had no end in view 
 beyond the instruction of his own family. It was 
 only by accident that he was induced to extend their 
 usefulness. 
 
 In 1 63 1 the king, having heard — by what means 
 we are not informed, but very probably through 
 Cosin, one of the royal chaplains — that an extremely 
 curious and interesting book had been compiled at 
 Gidding, despatched a gentleman from Apthorpe, 
 where he was then staying, to request that this choice 
 volume might be sent for his inspection. 
 
 " The tidings were much unexpected, and Nicholas 
 Ferrar at London." Apparently no one ventured to 
 take any decided step in his absence; for they 
 begged leave to defer sending the book for a week, 
 adding a message that it " was wholly unfitting every 
 way for a king's eye, and those who had given him 
 any notice of such a thing had much misinformed 
 his Majesty; and when he should see it, he would 
 con ^ them no thanks, the book being made only for 
 the young people in the family." 
 
 But the gentleman was not to be put off, declaring 
 that if he went back without it, he knew he should 
 be sent again that night. " So necessity enforced the 
 delivery," and the book was carried off with a promise 
 
 ' "'To con thanks,' an old expression for 'to thank;' it is 
 the same with s^avoir gr^," — Johnson.
 
 THE CONCORDANCES MADE AT GIDDING. 187 
 
 that it should be returned when the king left 
 Apthorpe; but three months passed before the 
 gentleman came back to Gidding, and then he 
 arrived empty-handed. 
 
 The king, he said, took such pleasure in that book, 
 that he would not part with it unless the family would 
 make him another for his daily use, " for in the midst 
 of his progress and sports he spent one hour in the 
 perusing of it, and that would apparently be seen by 
 the notations he had made upon the margins of it 
 with his own hand." Some months later, the volume 
 was restored, and the many notes found in the margin 
 proved how diligently Charles had studied it. " In 
 one place, which is not to be forgotten to the eternal 
 memory of his Majesty's superlative humility (no 
 small virtue in a king), having written something in 
 one place, he puts it out again very neatly with his 
 pen. But that, it seems, not contenting him, he 
 vouchsafes to underwrite, / confess 7ny error^ It ivas 
 well before (an example to all his subjects), / was 
 mistaken. 
 
 III. 
 
 The Ferrars hastened to obey the king's command, 
 and another Harmony was at once put in hand.^ 
 
 ' From John Ferrar's narrative, it would appear that the first 
 Concordance made for the king was finished in 1632 or 1633, but 
 the date in the book itself is 1635. If this is correct, it was not 
 presented till after the royal visit to Gidding.
 
 1 88 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 So greatly was Charles interested in this book and 
 its makers, that in 1633, on his progress into Scotland 
 to be crowned at Holyrood, he stopped to visit 
 Gidding. Strangely enough, the Ferrar memoirs 
 make no mention of this honour ; and it is only from 
 Rushworth's " Progress " that we learn that on 
 May 13 in that year the king "stept a little out of 
 the way to view a place at Gidding, near Stilton, in 
 Northamptonshire, which by the vulgar sort of people 
 was called a Frotesta?if nunnery" ^ 
 
 The king's description of this Protestant family, 
 who " outdid the severest monastics abroad," kindled 
 the curiosity of the queen, who perhaps fancied the 
 account exaggerated. She sent a gentleman to Little 
 Gidding, with commands to bring her an exact account 
 of what he saw there ; and she wished to have visited 
 the place herself, but this was prevented by the state 
 of the roads, which seem to have enjoyed a reputation 
 for superior badness, and which proved impassable 
 for her coach. 
 
 When the Concordance was finished it was sent to 
 the king through Cosin, who was chaplain-in-waiting 
 that month, and was received by Charles with 
 expressions of pleasure which meant more than 
 merely royal courtesy. 
 
 " It shall be my vade mecuvi" he said to Cosin, 
 
 » " Rushworth," vol. ii. p. 178, quoted by the Rev. J. E. B. 
 Mayor.
 
 THE CONCORDANCES MADE AT GIDDING. 189 
 
 and added to Laud, who stood by, " How happy a 
 king were I if I had many more such workmen and 
 women in my kingdom ! God's blessing on their 
 hearts and painful hands ! " 
 
 This Concordance remained in the royal library at 
 Windsor till it was presented by George III. to the 
 British Museum, where it now remains. 
 
 IV. 
 
 The king was so much pleased with the work, that he 
 asked Laud if he thought "these good people" would 
 be wiUing to take some further trouble. 
 
 " I often," he said, " read the Books of Kings and 
 Chronicles, as is befitting a king, but in many things 
 I find some seeming contradictions, and one book 
 saith more, and the other less, in many circumstances 
 the latter being a supply to the former. Now I, 
 seeing this judicious and well-contrived book of the 
 four Evangelists, gladly would have these skilful 
 persons to make me another book, that might be so 
 ordered that I might read these stories of Kings and 
 Chronicles so interwoven by them as if one pen had 
 written the whole books." He added that he had 
 often spoken to his chaplains about such a work, but 
 that they had excused themselves on the ground of 
 its difficulty. 
 
 Cosin informed the family of his Majesty's wish,
 
 I90 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 and in a year's time a Harmony of the Books of Kings 
 and Chronicles, arranged with great care and skill, 
 was ready for the king's use. 
 
 It was presented by John Ferrar, who gives a most 
 graphic account of its reception, though with charac- 
 teristic reticence he omits all mention of himself in 
 the relation. 
 
 The book was first shown to Laud, who viewed it 
 with great admiration, saying that the name of 
 Gidding, where such works were produced, should 
 be changed from Parva to Magna. He then in- 
 troduced John Ferrar into the royal presence. The 
 interview must be given in Ferrar's own words. 
 
 " At their coming into the room where the king 
 was, he, seeing my lord of Canterbury to have a 
 stately gi'eat book in his two hands, presently rose 
 out of his chair where he was sitting, many lords then 
 standing round about him. 
 
 '* What, said he, shall I now enjoy this rich jewel I 
 have thus long desired ? Have you, my lord, brought 
 me my book ? 
 
 " Yea, sir, replied the Bishop of Canterbury. Give 
 it me, give it me, said the king. Your expectations, 
 sir, said he, are not only performed, but out of doubt 
 many ways surpassed. For my own part, I wonder at 
 the work and all the parts of it. 
 
 " Let vie have it, said the king. So, smiling, he took 
 it and carried it to the table.
 
 THE CONCORDANCES MADE AT GIDDING. 191 
 
 "Then, first seriously viewing the outside of the 
 book, which was bound in purple velvet, and that also 
 most artificially gilt upon the velvet in an extraordinary 
 manner, he said, My lords, iJie outside thus glorious, 
 what think you will be the inside and matter of it? 
 Then, untying the stately string, he opening it read 
 the frontispiece and contents of the book. Then, 
 turning to my lord of Canterbury, he said, You have 
 given me a right character of the tuork, truly it passeth 
 what I could have wished. . . . I will not part with 
 this diamond for all those in my jewel-house. For it is 
 so delightful to me, and I know tJie virtues of it will 
 pass all the precious stones in the world. It is a most 
 rare crystal glass, and most useful and needful and 
 profitable for me ajid all kings. It shows and represents 
 to the life God's exceeding high and great jnercies to all 
 pious and virtuous kings, and likeivise his severe justice 
 to all ill and bad. It shall, I assure you, be my 
 co7npanion in the daytime, and the sweetest perfumed 
 bags that can lay under my head at night. 
 
 " He then sent his hearty thanks to the makers of 
 the book. I know, he said, that they look for none, 
 neither will they receive any reward. Yet let them 
 know, as occasion shall be, I will not forget them, 
 and God bless them in their good intentions. And so, 
 after some more talk the lords had of Gidding, the king 
 took the book, and went away with it in his arms." 
 
 This Concordance is also in the British Museum,
 
 192 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 having been sent, like the first, from Windsor. 
 It bears the date 1637, the last year of Nicholas 
 Ferrar's life. 
 
 "Some while after," says John Ferrar, "Dr. Cosin 
 gave notice that the king, the more he perused both 
 books given him the more he liked them ; and had con- 
 ference with him about the printing of them, that, as 
 he said, all his people might have the benefit of them. 
 And Dr. Cosin told the king it was a kingly notion, 
 and by his Majesty's favour they should be put out, 
 as at his command, and the latter as done by his 
 directions." 
 
 The coming troubles, no doubt, caused this project 
 to be laid aside, and these Harmonies have never 
 been printed. 
 
 V. 
 
 Another Concordance, dated 1635, seems to have 
 been made originally for Sir R. Cotton, founder of 
 the Cottonian Library,^ from whom it came by 
 marriage into the possession of the Bowdler family. 
 It was presented by the Rev. Thos. Bowdler to the 
 late Arthur Acland Troyte, Esq., of Huntsham Court, 
 Devon. His son relates in the Archceologia, that the 
 gift was made because, in the pious ordering of his 
 family, the master of Huntsham recalled to mind the 
 founder of Little Gidding. 
 
 * The Cotton family lived in the neighbouring parish of 
 Denton.
 
 THE CONCORDANCES MADE AT GIDDING. 193 
 
 This book is now in possession of Captain Acland, 
 and is in daily use for the instruction of his children. 
 
 After the death of Nicholas Ferrar in 1637, the 
 work was carried on by his favourite nephew and 
 godson, Nicholas Ferrar the younger, who had long 
 been his assistant. The story of this young scholar 
 belongs to a later chapter, but it will be convenient to 
 give here the list of his works. 
 
 VI. 
 
 " The Monotessaron ; or, The Four Evangelists," in 
 English, Latin, French, and Italian, "to which are, 
 in all the pages of the book, added sundry of the best 
 pictures that could be gotten, expressing the facts 
 themselves, or their types, figures, or other matters 
 pertaining thereto." 
 
 This was presented to Charles Prince of Wales, it 
 having been made at his request. 
 
 It is now in possession of the Earl of Normanton, 
 and is a magnificent book, 2 ft. i in. in height, richly 
 bound in green velvet stamped with fleur-de-lis and 
 sprays of oak. 
 
 VII. 
 
 " The Holy Gospels " in eight languages. 
 
 VIII. 
 The same in twenty-four languages.
 
 194 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 IX. 
 
 "The Gospel of St. John " in twenty-one languages, 
 each several language being accompanied by a Latin 
 or English translation. 
 
 These three books were presented to the king, in 
 the hope, probably, that he would assist in getting 
 them printed. 
 
 Their subsequent history is unknown. 
 
 X. 
 
 " Acts of the Apostles and Revelation of St. John," 
 bound in leather gilt. The title-page curiously deco- 
 rated with pictures. Presented to the king, and re- 
 mained in royal library at Windsor till lent by 
 George II. to the British Museum. 
 
 XI. 
 
 A square folio, illustrated throughout, containing 
 the Five Books of Moses. Presented by Arch- 
 bishop Laud to St. John's College, Oxford, dated 
 1640 ; and now in the library of St. John's College. 
 
 After the death of the younger Nicholas, the sur- 
 viving members of the family still continued the 
 v^ork.
 
 THE CONCORDANCES MADE AT GIDDING. 195 
 
 XII. 
 
 "The Four Gospels," bound in purple velvet, 
 stamped with a pattern of acorn sprigs of oak and 
 fleur-de-lis. No date. Probably the volume made 
 for the Duke of York, and never presented owing to 
 the outbreak of the civil war. 
 
 It is now in possession of the Marquis of Salisbury. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 " The Pentateuch," a splendid volume 2 ft. 4^ in. by 
 I ft. 8 in., bound in purple velvet stamped in patterns 
 of small crowns. Profusely illustrated. No date. 
 Contents : the Five Books of Moses, corresponding 
 passages from the New Testament, also long extracts 
 from a work entitled " Moses Unveiled," and papers 
 on a variety of other subjects, including holy men, 
 types of our Lord, etc. Evidently the second book 
 made for Prince Charles, and seen by the King at 
 Gidding in 1642, but never presented. 
 
 In 1776 this book belonged to Jacques Bourdillon, 
 who bought it from the Harleian Library. It was 
 found at the beginning of the present century, walled 
 up at Brookman's Park, and is now in the library of 
 Captain Gaussen, Brookman's Park, Hatfield.
 
 196 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 XIV. 
 
 " Four Gospels," bound in light brown leather, 
 illustrated throughout, dated 1640. On the title- 
 page is written — 
 
 "This book was the work of two ladies, nieces of 
 Mr. Ferrar of L. Gidding, who, according to Ward's 
 account in the Gresham professors, devoted them- 
 selves to a single life. , . . 
 
 " The said Mr. Ferrar was great-uncle to Dr. John 
 Mapletoft, some time Phisic professor of Gresham 
 College, and afterwards Vicar of St. Laurence JewTy, 
 London ; which Dr. Mapletoft was great-uncle to the 
 present possessor of this book. 
 
 " J. Mapletoft, M.A., 
 "Chaplain to the Right Hon. John, Lord St. John 
 
 " of Bletsoe. 
 
 "July 16, 1764." 
 
 Now in possession of Miss Heming, Hillingdon 
 Hill, Uxbridge. 
 
 XV. 
 
 The Concordance " of an inferior kind and sort " 
 sold to Lord Wharton for ;^37, mentioned by John 
 Ferrar in letter to Dr. Basire ; of which the history is 
 unknown. 
 
 These, with (XVL) the volume already mentioned
 
 THE CONCORDANCES MADE AT GIDDING. 197 
 
 as belonging to the Hervey family, and the unfinished 
 Concordance in the treasure trove at Magdalene 
 College, are the whole of the works known ^ to have 
 been executed at Gidding. All are bound by the 
 hands of the family, who were also in the habit of 
 binding other books ^ for their own use, for friends, 
 and possibly for sale with a view to provide funds to 
 carry on their costly work. Their friend Dr. Isaac 
 Basire, sending to his betrothed a copy of St. Francis 
 de Sale's " Devout Life," tells her that " it was bound 
 by those devout virgins I told you of. Who knows 
 but the prayers they may have bestowed on the 
 binding may do you good in the reading thereof," 
 
 Note. 
 
 A specimen of the arrangement of these Harmonies may be 
 found interesting j it is taken from the great Concordance made 
 for Charles I., now in the King's Library, British Museum. The 
 words in italics are written, the rest printed, the slips of paper, 
 often exceedingly small, being ritted together and pasted down 
 on large folio paper with the utmost neatness. The words of 
 the Evangelists are distinguished in the "Composition" by 
 their initials, in the " Collection " by the marginal letters 
 A, B, C, D. I have given only a portion of the " Comparison" 
 and ' ' Composition " of the passage chosen, which is selected on 
 
 ' Others are said to have been made for Herbert and Dr. 
 Jackson. 
 
 ^ A Bible, bound at Gidding for Charles I., is in the library 
 at Cardiff Castle.
 
 198 
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 account of the close interweaving of the three sacred narratives 
 in the compass of a few verses. The whole occupies a single 
 page of the folio. 
 
 The Rubbing of the Ears of Com. 
 COMPARISON. 
 
 ST. MATTHEW. 
 
 At that time, Jesus 
 went on the Sabbath 
 day through the corn ; 
 and his Disciples were 
 an hungred, and began 
 to pluck the ears of 
 corn, and to eat. 
 
 But when the Phari- 
 sees saw it, they said 
 unto him, Behold, thy 
 Disciples do that which 
 is not lawfull to do upon 
 the Sabbath day. 
 
 ST. MARK. 
 
 And it came to pass, 
 that He went through 
 the corn fields on the 
 Sabbath day ; and his 
 disciples began as they 
 went to pluck the ears 
 of com. 
 
 And the Pharisees 
 said unto him, Behold, 
 why do they on the 
 Sabbath day that which 
 is r.ot lawfull ? 
 
 COMPOSITION. 
 
 ST. LUKE. 
 
 And it came to pass 
 on the second Sabbath 
 after the first, that He 
 went through the corn 
 fields; and his disciples 
 plucked the ears of 
 corn, and did eat, rub- 
 bing them in their 
 hands. 
 
 And certain of the 
 Pharisees said unto 
 them. Why do ye that 
 which is not lawfull to 
 do on the S.abbath 
 days 
 
 M KnA it came to passe Mk2_i that time Mk ihaX ^/ Jesus 
 Mk went through the cornfields on the Sabbath day, L the second 
 Sabbath after the first, ^/and his disciples were an hungred 
 Mt and began as they went to pluck the ears of corn, L and did 
 eat, rubbing them in their hands. M But when L certain of the 
 Pharisees Afsaw it, they -^ said unto them, Why do ye that 
 which is not lawfull to do on the Sabbath dayes ? Mk And the 
 Pharisees said unto him. Behold, why do they on the Sabbath 
 day that which is not lawfull ? M Behold Thy disciples do that 
 which is not lawfull to do on the Sabbath day. 
 
 COLLECTION. 
 
 A. 12, I. ^t tijat time Brsiis" Junit an tijr ^abbatij 
 UflH fljnrntDC tljr rnnir, and his disciples were an himgred 
 and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat.
 
 THE CONCORDANCES MADE AT GIDDING. 199 
 
 B. 6, I. ^nif it came to ^^iit on tijr ^craitlf *a66at1j 
 aftrr ^t fir^t tijat Ijc tocnt rt)oraUJc ti)C contfidiiiS, snir 
 Ijt^ iit^rtjplr^ pturfert ti^c rarr^ of cnrix auH iiiU rate, 
 ruftiins t!jcm i\\ tl)rtr Ibanif^- 
 
 2. ^niJ trrtatn of tf)c ^fjariiScc^ iSatlf unto t^on, 
 €2aT)B ijoc i)c ti^at tol^td) tiS not latofitll to iroc on t^c 
 ^aftbat!) iranoS? 
 
 ^. 2. 2i)iit iDljm tijc laijartsfc^ ^ato it, tljrg ^atlf unto 
 ]^tm, ir^oHf tIjM IBtStifilr^ ifoc t]^at iuljirl) tS not latoful 
 \a Ifoc upon ti)r ^abliatl^ Ifag. 
 
 3. But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did 
 when he was an hungred and they that were with him ? 
 
 4. How he entered into the house of God and did eate the 
 shewbread, which was not lawful! for him to eate, neither for 
 them which were with him, but only for the priests ? 
 
 C 2. Sfnlr %ti\\^ anStocrtng unto tijrm, ^ailf, Have ye 
 not read so much as this, what David did when himself was an 
 hungred and they that were with him ? 
 
 4. How he went into the house of God, and did take and 
 eat the shewbread, and gave also to them that went with him, 
 which is not lawful to eat but for the priest alone ? 
 
 5. And he said unto them. That the Son of Man is Lord also 
 of the Sabbath. 
 
 B. n. 23. And it came to pass as he went through the 
 cornfields on the Sabbath day, and his disciples began as they 
 went to pluck the ears of corn. 
 
 24. And the Pharisees said unto hini, Behold, why do they on 
 the Sabbath day that which 
 
 25. Is not lawfull ? And he said unto them, |^a6c J)C nr6rr 
 rcaii Joljat ©afaiii itilf iuljrn I)c ]^aU ncrirc anil toa^ an 
 ijungvra I;c anlr tTjrn t!)at tocre tntti^ Ijtm? 
 
 26. ?|?otp ^c iMcnt into tlje ?§ou^0 of ©oU iw tijc iran^ 
 of ^fiiatlbar t!)C i)ig!) priest anii Uilf rat tIjr sljrtobirair, 
 Juljirf) i^ not latofull to ratr 6ut for tIjr iJrirst/5", antJ 
 jjabr al^o in tijrin tljat tonr toiti^ ^im.
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 A. 5- <9r Ija&c t)E MOt rralr tn t^c lafae ijDio tfjat on 
 ti^E ^abfiatlb itan?^ fs^t Prtrst^ tn tf)e temple jrofanc 
 tijE ^a66at^ anlf art |jIamrIrs)Sc ? 
 
 6. 3But 3t ^ay uitta you tl^at tn ^xi jila« tiS one 
 jrtatcr tijan tl)c tcmplr. 
 
 7. 3Sut if at Ibatf ]fcnotocn toljat tIjtiS mcancHj, 5 tnill 
 ijabc mcrcg anir not ^acrifirr, ye toouKr not i)abc ron* 
 Urmnrlr tl^c flutltlr^^c. 
 
 8. For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day. 
 
 B. 27. ^nlf ijc satif tmto tijem, Cfjc 5'alibatlj toa^ 
 male for man, antr not man for t^c ^aiiatlj. 
 
 28. C^creforc t|)0 ^on of Jttan t^ Horlr al^o of tfjc
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 restoration of leighton church — nicholas 
 ferrar's work as a translator. 
 
 " No longer shall our churches frighted stones 
 Lie scattered like the dead and martyred bones 
 Of dead devotion, nor faint marbles weep, 
 For their sad ruins." 
 
 R. Crashaw, Lines prefixed to 
 
 Shelford's ^^ Five Discourses," 1635. 
 
 A.D, — 1628-1633. 
 
 Though Nicholas Ferrar's chosen work lay in his 
 own family, his interests were not wholly confined 
 within its bounds. 
 
 George Herbert, while yet a layman, was presented 
 by Bishop Williams to a prebend at Lincoln, which 
 carried with it the patronage of Leighton Ecclesia, a 
 parish about six miles from Gidding. This living he 
 earnestly pressed on his friend. Ferrar was firm 
 in his resolve to remain a deacon, and to accept of 
 no preferment; but though he would not undertake 
 the charge of the parish, he became much interested 
 in its condition. Leighton had shared in the neglect
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 which fell on so many parishes in the close of the 
 sixteenth and beginning of the seventeenth centuries. 
 Its " fair church " was in ruins. It " was fallen down 
 a long time, and lay in the dust, the vicar and parish 
 fain to use my lord duke's ^ great hall for their prayers 
 and preaching." 
 
 The parishioners had collected some money for the 
 restoration of their church, but they could not get 
 together enough to begin building. Ferrar described 
 the state of things to Herbert, and " earnestly 
 assaulted " him to do what he could towards so good 
 a work. He did not confine himself to exhortations, 
 but gave liberally, and also undertook that " his 
 brother John Ferrar should very carefully prosecute 
 the business, if once began, by three times a week 
 attending the workmen, and providing all materials." 
 It is only in this incidental way that John lets us 
 know how fully he entered into his brother's interests. 
 
 Ferrar's representations roused Herbert to active 
 exertion. He " set upon it to solicit his friends, and 
 spared not his own purse." Between them the 
 church was rebuilt, " not only to the parishioners 
 much comfort and joy, but to the admiration of all 
 men." A steeple was afterwards added by the Duke 
 of Lenox, " to the memorial of his honour," 
 
 Among those who assisted in the restoration, both 
 with money and personal trouble, was Mr. Arthur 
 ' James, fourth Duke of Lenox.
 
 RESTORATION OF LEIGHTON CHURCH. 203 
 
 Woodnoth. His name occurs so frequently in the 
 history of the Ferrars, that Walton's short account 
 of him,^ though well-known, may not be out of place 
 here. 
 
 "He was a man that had considered overgrown 
 estates do often require more care and watchfulness 
 to preserve than get them, and considered that there 
 be many discontents that riches cure not, and did 
 therefore set hmits to himself, as to desire of wealth. 
 And having attained so much as to be able to show 
 some mercy to the poor, and preserve a competence 
 for himself, he dedicated the remaining part of his 
 life to the service of God, and to be useful to his 
 friends." 
 
 This excellent man undertook to manage the 
 accounts of the building, and paid many visits to 
 Gidding during its progress. 
 
 The following letter was addressed to Ferrar by 
 Herbert during the progress of the work : — 
 
 "My exceeding dear Brother, 
 
 "Although you have a much better pay- 
 master than myself, even Him whom we both serve, 
 yet I shall ever put your care of Leighton upon my 
 account, and give you myself for it, to be yours for 
 ever. God knows I have desired a long time to do 
 the place good, and have endeavoured many ways to 
 ' Walton's " Life of George Herbert."
 
 204 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 find out a man for it. And now my gracious Lord 
 God is pleased to give me you for the man I desired, 
 for which I humbly thank Him, and am so far from 
 giving you cause to apology about your counselling 
 me herein, that I take it exceeding kindly of you. I 
 refuse not advice from the meanest that creeps upon 
 God's earth, no, not though the advice step so far as 
 to be reproof: much less can I disesteem it from you, 
 whom I esteem to be God's faithful and diligent 
 servant, not considering you any other ways, as 
 neither I myself desire to be considered. Particu- 
 larly I like all your addresses, and, for aught I see, 
 they are ever to be liked." (Here follow particulars as 
 to the building of the church, in such form as Nicholas 
 Ferrar advised, and the collecting of the money.) 
 "You write very lovingly, that all your things are 
 mine. If so, let this of Leighton Church the care 
 be among the chiefest also ; so also have I requested 
 Mr. W.i for his part. Now God, the Father of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, bless you more and more, and so 
 turn you all, in your several ways, one to the other, 
 that ye may be a heavenly comfort, to His praise, and 
 the great joy of 
 
 "Your brother and servant in Christ Jesus, 
 
 " George Herbert. 
 
 " Postscript. — As I had written thus much I re- 
 * Mr. Arthur Woodnoth.
 
 RESTORATION OF LEIGHTON CHURCH. 205 
 
 ceived a letter from my brother, Sir Henry H., of 
 the blessed success that God had given us by moving 
 the duchess's heart ^ to an exceeding cheerfulness, in 
 signing ;^ioo with her own hands, and promising to 
 get her son to do as much, with some little apology 
 that she had done nothing in it (as my brother writes) 
 hitherto. She referred it also to my brother to name 
 at first what the sum should be ; but he told her Grace 
 that he would by no means do so, urging that charity 
 must be free. She liked our book well, and has given 
 order to the tenants at Leighton to make payment of 
 it. God Almighty prosper the work. Amen." 2 
 
 John Ferrar gtives a fragment of another letter from 
 Herbert on the same subject. 
 
 " My dear Brother, — 
 
 "I thank you heartily for Leighton, your 
 care, your counsel, and your cost. And as I am 
 glad for the thing, so no less for the heart that God 
 has given you and yours to pious works. Blessed be 
 my God and dear Master, the Spring and Fountain 
 of all goodness. As for my assistance, doubt not 
 through God's blessing, but it shall be to the full • 
 and for my power, I have sent my letters to your 
 brother, investing him in all that I have." 
 
 ' The Dowager Duchess of Lenox. 
 
 * "Life of Nicholas Ferrar," by his brother, p. 72.
 
 206 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 Nicholas himself wrote a short account of the 
 restoration of Leighton, in his preface to Herbert's 
 "Temple," but not even his natural wish to link his 
 name with that of his beloved and honoured friend 
 could induce him to mention his own share in the 
 work. He only tells us that the reparation was 
 successfully effected by Herbert with the aid of 
 "some few others' private freewill offerings." 
 
 From this time there seems to have been a constant 
 interchange of letters between the friends, and it is 
 said that Herbert contemplated exchanging his living 
 of Bemerton for one in the neighbourhood of Gidding, 
 " merely for the situation, as being nearer to his dear 
 brother, though in value much inferior to his own ; 
 but he said that he valued Mr. Ferrars near neigh- 
 bourhood more than any living. And truly there was 
 no loss of affection between them ; Nicholas Ferrar 
 prizing him as a most precious friend, and with whom 
 he could live and die, if God saw it so good for both. 
 And as Nicholas Ferrar communicated his heart to 
 him so he made him the peruser, and desired the 
 approbation of what he did, as in those three trans- 
 lations of Valdesso, Lessius, and Carbo." ^ 
 
 Though Ferrar seems to have written much, the 
 greater part of his work was intended solely for the 
 use of his own family, and the translations above 
 * " Life of Nicholas Ferrar," by his brother.
 
 TRANSLATIONS OF VALDESSO AND LESSIUS. 207 
 
 named are the only writings which he prepared for 
 the press. 
 
 One of these, a treatise "On the Instruction of 
 Children in the Christian Doctrine," by Ludovico 
 Carbone/ was "well approved" by Herbert, but 
 when it was sent to Cambridge to be licensed the 
 authorities, for some unexplained reason, took a 
 different view, and, as Oley says quaintly, "would 
 not suffer that Egyptian jewel to be published." 
 
 The works of Juan de Valdes, whose Spanish name 
 Ferrar translates as "John Valdesso," and Lessius, 
 met with more favour. 
 
 The " Hundred and Ten Considerations " of Juan 
 de Valdes have been already mentioned."^ The book, 
 though written in Spanish, was first printed in an 
 Italian translation, published at Bale in 1550, and this 
 was soon followed by translations in French' and Dutch. 
 
 • The manuscripts have disappeared. The title is given in 
 the Middle Hill manuscripts, 9527, among a list of books and 
 manuscripts belonging to Mr. John Mapletoft. It is described 
 as "a work very profitable and necessary for every Christian. 
 Printed at Venice by John Guarigli, 1596." And the transla- 
 tion is said to have been finished in June, 1634, at the request 
 of Edmund Duncon, so that the rough draft only can have been 
 shown to Herbert. — Rev. J. E. B. Mayor, "Two Lives," 
 Appendix. 
 
 2 See Chap. II. 
 
 ^ A French translation of Valde's, dated 1563, is now in the 
 Bodleian. It contains the following inscriptions : "Thisbooke 
 was the Right Reverend Father in God, Austin, Lord Bishop
 
 2o8 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 ''John Valdesso," says the Italian editor (the 
 English is Ferrar's), " was by nation a Spaniard, of 
 noble kindred, of honourable degree, and a resplen- 
 dent chevalier of the Emperour,^ but a much more 
 honourable and resplendent chevalier of Christ. True 
 it is he did not much follow the Court after Christ 
 had revealed Himself to him, but abode in Italy, 
 spending the greatest part of his life at Naples, 
 where, with the sweetnesse of his doctrine and 
 sanctity of his life, he gained many disciples unto 
 Christ; and especially among the gentlemen and 
 cavaliers, and some ladies ; he was very eminent and 
 praiseworthy in all kinds of praise ; it seemed that he 
 was appointed by God for a teacher and pastour of 
 noble and illustrious personages ; although he was of 
 such benignitie and charity that he accounted himself 
 debtour of his talent to every mean and rude person, 
 and became all things to all men that he might gain 
 all to Christ. And not this alone, but he gave light 
 to some of the most famous preachers of Italy, which 
 I very well know, having conversed with them them- 
 selves." 
 
 Among the distinguished persons who gathered 
 
 of Hereford ; " and below, *' Given to the Publique Library in 
 Oxford by Mr. John Farrar, of Huntingdonshire. September 8, 
 1642." — "Two Lives," Appendix. 
 
 * He was Chamberlain to Pope Adrian VI., and brother to 
 Alonzo de Valdes, Latin Secretaiy to the Emperor Charles V. 
 — See " Life of Valdes," by Benjamin WifTen, Esq.
 
 TRANSLATIONS OF VALDESSO AND LESSIUS. 209 
 
 round Valdes in his Neapolitan retreat, we find the 
 names of Bernardino Ochino, the great Capuchin 
 preacher, and Peter Martyr VermigHo, afterwards 
 Dean of Christchurch, of Marc Antonio Flaminio, of 
 Giulia Gonzaga, and Vittoria Colonna, the friend of 
 Michael Angelo. 
 
 A letter has been preserved, written soon after his 
 death, in 1540, which shows how highly these friends 
 regarded him. 
 
 " If you were now at the window of that turret so 
 often praised by us," wrote Jacomo Bonfadio to his 
 friend Monsignor Carnesecchi, secretary to Clement 
 VII., "while the eyes were cast by turns all round 
 those sunny gardens, and then stretched along the 
 spacious bosom of that shining sea,^ a thousand vital 
 spirits would multiply about the heart. I remember 
 your lordship said many times before leaving, that 
 you wished to return, and as often invited me there. 
 May it please God that we may return. Yet, think- 
 ing on the other side, where shall we go now that 
 Signor Valdes is dead ? This truly has been a great 
 loss for us and the world, for Signor Valde's was one 
 of the rare men of Europe, and those writings he has 
 left on the Epistles of Paul and the Psalms of David 
 most amply show it. He was, without doubt, in his 
 actions, his speech, and in all his conduct, a perfect 
 man. With a particle of his soul he governed his 
 ' The Bay of Naples, 
 
 P
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 frail and spare body ; with the larger part, and with 
 his pure understanding, as though almost out of the 
 body, he was always raised in the contemplation of 
 truth and of divine things." ^ 
 
 Valdes has been called a Protestant, and some of 
 those who came under his influence, notably Ochiro 
 and Vermiglio, afterwards left Italy and openly joined 
 the Reformers ; but he himself never separated from 
 the Roman Church. 
 
 Much of his teaching is said to be based on the 
 "Christian Institutes" of Tauler.^ Its merits and 
 defects are brought out in the letter which George 
 Herbert, after careful study of the translation, 
 addressed to Ferrar, and in the notes that follow 
 
 "My dear and deserving Brother, 
 
 *' Your * Valdesso ' I now return with many 
 thanks, and some notes, in which perhaps you will 
 discover some care, which I forbare not in the midst 
 
 ' Quoted in "Life of Valdes" by Benjamin Wiffen, Esq. 
 Carnesecchi was burnt by the Holy Office on suspicion of 
 heresy, in 1567. Both he and Flaminio were friends of Cardinal 
 Pole. Mr. Wiffen gives a letter of Pole, in which he says " the 
 remainder of the day was spent in the holy and profitable society 
 of Signor Carnesecchi and our Marc Antonio Plaminio. I call 
 it profitable because in th-; evening Marc Antonio gave me and 
 most of my family a supper of that bread which perishes not, 
 in such a manner that I know not when I have felt greater con- 
 solation or greater edification." 
 
 « IMcCrie, "Reformation in Italy."
 
 TRANSLATIONS OF VALDESSO AND LESSIUS. 211 
 
 of my griefes ; first, for your sake, because I would 
 do nothing negligently which you commit unto mee ; 
 secondly, for the author's sake, whom I conceive to 
 have been a true servant of God ; and to such, and 
 all that is theirs, I owe diligence; thirdly, for the 
 Church's sake, to whom, by printing it, I would have 
 you consecrate it. You owe the Church a debt, and 
 God hath put this into your hands (as He sent the 
 fish with money to S. Peter) to discharge it ; happily 
 also with this (as His thoughts are fruitful), intending 
 the honour of His servant the author, who, being 
 obscured in his own country, He would have to flourish 
 in this land of light and region of the Gospel among 
 His chosen. It is true there are some things which 
 I like not in him, as my fragments will express, when 
 you read them; neverthelesse I wish you by all 
 means to publish it, for these three eminent things 
 observable therein : First, that God in the midst of 
 Popery should open the eyes of one to understand 
 and express so clearly and excellently the intent of 
 the Gospel in the acceptation of Christ's righteousness 
 (as he sheweth through all his Considerations) a thing 
 strangely buried and darkened by the Adversaries, 
 and their great stumbling-block. Secondly, the great 
 honour and reverence which he everywhere beares 
 towards our deare Master and Lord, concluding every 
 Consideration almost with His holy Name, and setting 
 His merit forth so piously; for which I doe so love
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 him, that were there nothing else, I would print it, 
 that with it the honour of my Lord might be published. 
 Thirdly, the many pious rules of ordering our life, 
 about mortification, and observation of God's kingdom 
 within us, and the working thereof, of which he was a 
 very diligent observer. These three things are very 
 eminent in the author, and overweigh the defects (as 
 I conceive) towards the publishing thereof 
 
 " From his Parsonage of Bemmorton, near Salisbury, 
 " September 29, 1632." 
 
 "A copy of a letter written by Mr. George Herbert 
 to his friend the translator of this book." 
 
 Though Ferrar thought with Herbert that the book 
 contained expressions "at which not only the weak 
 reader may stumble, and the curious quarrel, but also 
 the wise and charitable reader may justly blame," it 
 was contrary to his scrupulous sense of the duty of a 
 translator to omit or alter the offensive passages ; the 
 altering of ancient authors is an "ill example," and 
 one of the " greatest causes of the corruption of truth 
 and learning," he says, in his preface to the Con- 
 siderations. 
 
 He was equally unwilling to make the needful 
 corrections himself He placed Herbert's letter in 
 the beginning of the book, and his notes in the 
 margin of the passages to which they refer, and, thus 
 recommended and safeguarded the " Hundred and
 
 TRANSLATIONS OF VALDESSO AND LESSIUS. 213 
 
 Ten Considerations of Signior John Valdesso . . , 
 translated out of the ItaHan copy into English, with 
 notes," was made ready for the press. His own 
 name nowhere appears. 
 
 It was perhaps the death of Herbert which caused 
 the finished book to be laid aside till 1638, when it 
 was published at Oxford. It was reprinted at Cam- 
 bridge in 1646. In this second edition the text is 
 somewhat altered, and some of Herbert's notes 
 omitted. The book is now so rare that those who 
 would like to know something of an author whom 
 Herbert loved, and Ferrar felt profitable to his soul, 
 will pardon the length of the following extracts. 
 
 The two first treat of Mortification, and of the 
 demands made by God on the soul of man. 
 
 "Consideration XLIV. 
 
 " In what manner a man shall know what fruit he 
 hath made in Mortification, and what is the cause 
 that they who apply themselves to piety, are tempted 
 by affections and appetites with which they were 
 never before tempted. 
 
 " I consider that when a person would understand 
 the profit that he hath made in Mortification, that is, 
 what affections and appetites he hath mortified, he 
 shall know it by examining himself thoroughly what 
 affections and appetites he hath found alive in him- 
 self, having been tempted by them. And considering
 
 214 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 what, and which of them, are now dead and mortified, 
 he shall understand what profit he hath made in 
 mortification. 
 
 " For I understand that he who hath never felt the 
 shame to speak of the Justice of Christ, hath not 
 mortified the affection of shame, which is proper and 
 natural! unto man ; and he that hath felt the shame, 
 and now no more feels it, he it is that hath mortified 
 it ; as St. Paul had mortified it, as he shows, saying 
 that he was not ashamed to preach the gospel, and I 
 understand that if he had never been ashamed, he 
 would never have gloried in not being ashamed. In 
 like manner I understand the affection of the honour 
 of the world, and of his own proper esteem, that he 
 that having been tempted thereunto, and having con- 
 cluded with it, is now no more tempted. . . . Under- 
 standing that he only may say that he is mortified in 
 these appetites when having been tempted and 
 molested by them, and having combated with them, 
 is now reduced to such terms, that either he feels 
 them not, or is so much master of them, that with 
 ease he overcomes them whenever they molest him. 
 And because none dies but he that hath lived, it 
 being necessary that, in them who are to be quickened, 
 all that which is according to the flesh should die, 
 as well touching affections as appetites, I understand 
 that all this being to die in the regenerated, it is the 
 work of God that presently when a man sets himself
 
 TRANSLATIONS OF VALDESSO AND LESS! US. 215 
 
 to pietie, he should be molested and tempted, not 
 only from those affections and appetites with which 
 he was formerly tempted, but moreover with others, 
 which he never before felt, being different, yea, and 
 very strange ones ; to the intent that feeling them 
 alive he may kill them, and killing them, his regenera- 
 tion should be made perfect, as appertains to them 
 that are members of the Sonne of God, Jesus Christ 
 our Lord." 
 
 " Consideration LXXX. 
 
 " What God's intent is in demanding of men that 
 which of themselves alone they cannot give Him ; 
 and why He gives them not at once all that which 
 He will give them. 
 
 Extract. — " From the knowledge which the Spirit 
 of God hath of God's being, it comes to passe that 
 not judging of Him as one of the Princes of the 
 world, it knows, that He demanding of men that 
 which they cannot give Him, He doth it not to 
 condemn them, but to save them; and that from 
 the knowledge which the Holy Spirit hath of the 
 being of man it proceeds, that knowing that man in 
 himself is so arrogant, that if God should demand of 
 him for his salvation things that he could easily give 
 of himself, he would enter into such pride when he 
 had given them, that by the selfsame way whereby he 
 thought to obtain salvation, he would get condemna-
 
 2i6 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 tion. By this he comes to know, that the intent with 
 which God demands of men that which of themselves 
 they cannot give Him, is not to condemn them, as 
 human wisdom judgeth, which hereupon holds God 
 for unjust, and for cruell ; but it is to save them, and 
 to further their salvation ; God doing this to the 
 intent that men assaying and trying to love God with 
 all their heart, and to believe in Him, and finding 
 themselves altogether unable thus to love and believe, 
 they should have recoarse unto God, and beg those 
 graces of Him, and by those gifts and graces of His 
 they may obtain that felicity which they desire, not 
 for that which they are of themselves, but for that 
 which they are through God. . . . 
 
 "I would say, that as He demands of them that 
 which they cannot give Him, to the intent they 
 should not grow proud, as they would if He should 
 demand of them that which they could give Him, 
 and so their salvation would be hindred ; so He doth 
 not let them entirely comprehend spiritual things, 
 which He sometimes makes them feel, to the end 
 they should not pride themselves, and so hinder their 
 salvation. 
 
 " God knows our evil lump, and desiring our salva- 
 tion He deals with us, as He sees it convenient we 
 should be dealt with ; herein doing that with us, 
 which we do with a child, when we would have him 
 to love us and depend on us, as I would say, that
 
 TRANSLATIONS OF VALDESSO AND LESSIVS. 217 
 
 as we give not the child at one time all that which 
 he would have from us, and which we mean to give 
 him ; nay, rather some things we give him altogether, 
 others in part, and others we only show unto him, 
 so much as to breed in him a desire to them, and to 
 enamour him of them, to the end he may go en- 
 amouring himself in us, may follow and depend on 
 us, knowing that if we gave him at once all that we 
 have to give him, he would grow proud, and would 
 not love us, nor depend on us. So God giveth not 
 unto us at once all that which we would have from 
 Him, not that which He will give us, but some things 
 He gives altogether, and others in part, and others 
 He lets us see so much as sufficieth to breed a longing 
 in us for them, and to enamour us of them ; to the 
 intent we may follow Him, love Him, and depend on 
 Him. This He doth, because He knows us to be 
 such that if He should give us at once all that which 
 He hath to give us, we should become proud, and 
 so He should not have from us what He would, that 
 is, that we should love Him with all oier hearts, and 
 that for the obtaining of eternall life, firmly believing 
 we may make ours the justice of his only begotten 
 Sonne Jesus Christ our Lord." 
 
 The three passages which follow are among those 
 condemned by Herbert. The first and last of his 
 notes here given, only appear in the first edition of
 
 2i8 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 Valdesso, and are not to be found in Pickering's 
 edition of " Herbert's Remains," in which the notes 
 are reprinted from the second, or Cambridge edition. 
 
 "Consideration III. 
 
 " In what the sonnes of God differ from the sonnes 
 of Adam. 
 
 " Extract. — In the purity and holinesse, which is 
 the health of the soul, the sonnes of God growing 
 daily in grace, and perfecting themselves in holinesse, 
 as they of Samaria (John iv. 42) said unto the woman. 
 Now we believe, twt because, of thy saying : for we have 
 heard Him ourselves; so they say of the Holy Scrip- 
 tures, Now we live and grow in spiritual strength, 
 not by the letter or outward relation of the Scriptures, 
 but by the inward teaching and anointing of the 
 Heavenly Spirit of truth, this is that which ruleth and 
 govemeth us in the ways of holinesse and righteous- 
 ness, and so long as He abideth in us and we in 
 Him, we need no other guide, because we are hereby 
 led unto God our Father in Heaven." ^ The sons of 
 
 • Compare "The Imitation of Christ," book iii. ch. ii., 
 "That the Truth speaketh inwardly without noise of words," 
 and Tauler's " Sermon for Whit-Sundaj-," "In the school of the 
 Spirit, man does not learn through books, which teach through 
 outward im^e addressed to the senses, but here the truth, 
 which of its nature does not speak by means of images, is 
 spoken into the soul itself." — ' ■ Life of the Reverend Dr. John 
 Tauler, with Twenty-five of his Sermons," translated by 
 Susannah Winkworth.
 
 TRANSLATIONS OF VALDESSO AND LESSIUS. 219 
 
 God likewise " make use of some rules to preserve 
 the health of their soules. This they do rather to 
 conform themselves outwardly with the sonnes of 
 Adam, than because they feel themselves to stand 
 in need of such observations, forasmuch as they being 
 governed by God alone, observe the will of God and 
 wholly depend on it." 
 
 Marginal Note by G. Herbert. — " I like none 
 of it, for it slights the Scriptures too much. Holy 
 Scriptures have not only an elementary use, but a 
 use of perfection, and are able to make the man of 
 God perfect. And David (though David) studied all 
 the day long upon it; and Joshua was to meditate 
 therein day and night. 
 
 " All the saints of God may be said in some sense 
 to have put confidence in Scripture; but not as a 
 naked word severed from God, but as the Word of 
 God, and in so doing they do not sever their trust 
 from God. But by trusting in the Word of God, they 
 trust in God." 
 
 Again, in Consideration XXXII., " On the abuse 
 and the right use of the Holy Scriptures," Valdesso 
 writes: 'The unlearned man that hath the Spirit 
 serveth himself with images, as with an alphabet of 
 Christian piety; for as much as he so much serves 
 himself with the picture of Christ crucified, as serves 
 to imprint on his mind that which Christ suffered,
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 and to taste and feel the benefit of Christ. And 
 when he hath imprinted Him, and tasteth and feeleth 
 Him, he cares no more for the picture^ leaving it to 
 serve for an alphabet to other beginners. ... In like 
 manner, a learned man that hath the Spirit, serveth 
 himself of Holy Scriptures, as of an alphabet of 
 Christian piety . . . until such time as it penetrates 
 into his mind, . . , afterwards leaves them to serve 
 for the same effect to other beginners, he attending 
 to the inward inspiration.' . . . And so as well in 
 the unlearned with the Spirit as in the learned with 
 the Spirit, is fulfilled that which was prophesied of 
 the time of the Gospel, where it is said, They shall all 
 be taught of God." 
 
 Note in Margin, G. Herbert. — " I much mislike 
 the comparison of images and Holy Scriptures, as if 
 they were both but alphabets, and after a time to be 
 left. The Holy Scriptures have not only an elementary 
 use, but a use of perfection ; neither can they ever be 
 exhausted (as pictures may by a plenary circum- 
 spection), but still, even to the most learned and 
 perfect in them, there is somewhat to be learnt more, 
 therefore David desireth God, in the 119th Psalme, to 
 open his eyes that he might see the wondrous things of 
 His law, and that he would make them his study ; 
 although, by other words of the same Psalme, it is 
 evident that he was not meanly conversant in them. 
 Indeed, he that shall so attend to the back of the
 
 TRANSLATIONS OF VALDESSO AND LESSIUS. 221 
 
 letter as to neglect the consideration of God's work 
 in his heart through the Word, doth amisse ; both are 
 to be done, the Scripture still used, and God's work 
 within us still observed, who works by His Word, and 
 ever in the reading of it. As for the text, They shall 
 all be taught of God, it being Scripture, cannot be 
 spoken to the disparagement of Scripture ; but the 
 meaning is this ; that God in the dayes of the Gospel 
 will not give an outward law of ceremonies as of old ; 
 but such an one as shall stiU have the assistance of 
 the Holy Spirit applying it to our hearts, and ever 
 out-running the teacher, as it did when Peter taught 
 Cornelius. There the case is plain, Cornelius had 
 revelation, yet Peter was to be sent for; and those 
 that have inspirations must still use Peter — God's Word. 
 If we make another sense of the text, we shall overthrow 
 all means, save catechising, and set up enthusiasmes." 
 
 " Consideration VI. 
 
 *' Two depravations of man, the one Naturall, the 
 other Acquisite. 
 
 " Of these two depravations I understand that the 
 naturall cannot be repaired but by grace, and that 
 they only are free from it who enter into the Kingdom 
 of God by faith, and come to be the sonnes of God 
 by the Holy Spirit, which abideth in them ; in such 
 sort that in them, who knowing Christ by Revelation, 
 and accepting the covenant which He made between
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 God and man, believe and because they believe, are 
 baptised ; the natural depravation is repaired, and 
 they remain only with that which is acquisite ; from 
 which they go on freeing themselves by little and 
 little, the Spirit of God helping them therein, and 
 whilst they go on freeing themselves of it, that wherein 
 they offend is not put to their acccmnt of sin ; because 
 they be incorporated in Christ Jesus : for St Paul 
 sayeth. There is no condemnation to them which are in 
 Christ Jesus'' 
 
 Note in Margin, G. Herbert. — "The doctrine 
 of this passage must be warily understood : First, 
 that it is not to be understood of actual sins but 
 habitual, for I can no more free myself from actual 
 sins, after baptisme, than I could of originall, before 
 and without baptisme ; the exemption from both 
 is by the grace of God. Secondly, among Habits, 
 some oppose Theological virtues, as Vncharitablenesse 
 opposes Charity ; Infidelity, Faith ; Distrust, Hope : of 
 these, none can free themselves of themselves, but 
 only by the grace of God. Other habits oppose 
 moral virtues, as Prodigality opposes Moderation, 
 and Pusillanimity, Magnanimity. Of these the 
 heathen freed themselves only by the general Provi- 
 dence of God, as Socrates and Aristides, etc." 
 
 The second work of these two friends was not com- 
 pleted till after Herbert's death. The preface of
 
 TRANSLATIONS OF VALDESSO AND LESS! US. 223 
 
 "The Temperate Man" bears date December 7, 
 1633. It consists of three treatises "On the right 
 way of preserving life and health, together with 
 soundness of the senses, judgement, and memory 
 unto extream old age." The first of these is 
 Ferrar's translation of the " Hygieasticon," published 
 in 16 13 by Leonard Lessius, a Jesuit of Louvain ; 
 the other two are translated by Herbert from the 
 Italian of Ludovico Cornaro and another author un- 
 named. 
 
 Complimentary verses, in the fashion of the day, 
 are prefixed to the little book, written by young Cam- 
 bridge friends of the Ferrars, some of whom became 
 noted mea in their day. Among these are Barnabas 
 Oley, afterwards well-known as the editor of "The 
 Country Parson," a Fellow and tutor of Clare ; ^ Peter 
 
 ' Oley was ejected from his fellowship in 1644. After the 
 Restoration he became Vicar of Great Grandsden, Huntingdon- 
 shire. He left an endowment of ;^20 a year to the school, 
 which was built during his incumbency. His recollections of 
 Ferrar are to be found in his " Life of George Herbert," published 
 as a preface to the first edition of the "Country Parson" in 
 1652. He was much beloved and respected. "I'm told that 
 this day your friend, Mr. Barnabas Oley, is to be buried. His 
 parishioners are already extreme sensible of their loss of that 
 reverend and eminently worthy good man." — Letter to Dean 
 Granville, quoted by Rev. J. H. Overton, "Life in the Church 
 of England, 1660 — I7I4." Oley was also Prebendary of 
 Worcester, and was the means of establishing a weekly Celebra- 
 tion in the Cathedral.
 
 224 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 Gunning, the future Bishop of Ely, then a youth of 
 twenty, who had just taken his degree ; and Richard 
 Crashaw, the poet, still an undergraduate at Pembroke. 
 Crashaw's verses are to be found among his collected 
 poems, but they are more interesting when read in 
 connection with the book to which they refer : — 
 
 •' Haste hither, reader, wouldst thou see 
 Nature her own physician be ? 
 Wouldst see a man all his own wealth, 
 His own music, his own health ? 
 A man whose sober soul can tell 
 How to wear her garments well ; 
 Her garments that upon her sit 
 (As garments should do), close and fit ; 
 A well-clothed soul, that's not opprest. 
 Nor chokt with what she should be drest ? 
 Whose soul, sheathed in a crystal shrine, 
 Through which all her bright features shine. 
 As when a piece of wanton lawn 
 A thin serial veil is drawn 
 O'er beauty's face ; seeming to hide, 
 More sweetly shows the blushing bride ? 
 A soul, whose intellectual beams. 
 No mists do mask, no lazy steams ? 
 A happy soul, that all the way 
 To heaven rides in a summer's day ? 
 Wouldst see a man whose well- warmed blood. 
 Bathes him in a genuine flood ; 
 A man whose tuned humours be 
 A set of rarest harmony ? 
 Wouldst see blithe looks, fresh cheeks beguile 
 Ase ? Wouldst see December smile ?
 
 TRANSLATIONS OF VALDESSO AND LESSIUS. 225 
 
 Wouldst see a nest of roses grow 
 
 In a bed of reverend snow ? 
 
 Warm thoughts, free spirits, flattering 
 
 Winter's self into a spring ? — 
 
 In sum, wouldst see a man that can 
 
 Live to be old, and still a man ; 
 
 Whose latest and most leaden hours 
 
 Fall with soft wings, stuck with soft flowers, 
 
 And when life's sweet fable ends. 
 
 His soul and body part like friends ; 
 
 No quarrels, murmurs, no delay ; 
 
 A kiss, a sigh, and so away? 
 
 This rare one, reader, wouldst thou see ? 
 
 Haste hither, and thyself be he." 
 
 Crashaw is said by the editor of his poems to 
 have himself practised " an almost Lessian temper- 
 ance," and Ferrar's preface bears witness that the 
 severe rules prescribed in these treatises spurred on 
 his little community to greater austerities than they 
 had at first attempted. 
 
 " Master George Herbert of blessed memory," he 
 says, '* having at the request of a noble personage 
 translated it" (Cornaro on Temperance) " into English, 
 sent a copy thereof, not many months before his death, 
 unto some friends of his, who a good while before had 
 given an attempt at regulating themselves in matter 
 of diet ; which, although it was after a very imperfect 
 manner, in regard of that exact course therein pre- 
 scribed, yet was of great advantage to them, inasmuch 
 as they were enabled, through the good example that 
 
 Q
 
 226 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 they had thus made, to go immediately to the practise 
 of that pattern which Cornarus had set them and so 
 have reaped the benefit thereof in a larger and emi- 
 nenter manner than could otherwise possibly have 
 been imagined in so short a space. 
 
 " Not long after, Lessius his book, by happy chance, 
 or, to speak better, by gracious providence of the 
 Author of health and all other good things, came to 
 their hands ; whereby receiving much instruction and 
 confirmation, they requested from me the translation 
 of it into English. Whereupon hath ensued what you 
 shall now receive. ... As for the practitioners they 
 forbid any more to be spoken of them than this, that 
 as they find all the benefits which are promised by 
 Cornarus and Lessius most true and real, so by God's 
 mercy they had no difficulty at all in the observation 
 of this course. They are sufficient witnesses in their 
 own affairs, and I hold them to be faithful, and there- 
 fore making no doubt of the tioith of the latter part of 
 their statement, as I can abundantly give testimony to 
 the verities of the former, I commend both to thy belief 
 and consideration, and so commit thee to God's grace." 
 
 Herbert's translations have been reprinted in his 
 " Remains." The work of Lessius is now to be found 
 only in the edition of " The Temperate Man," pub- 
 lished in 1678.^ 
 
 ' A copy of this edition is in the Library of Pembroke College, 
 from which, by the kindness of the librarian, the following ex-
 
 TRANSLATIONS OF VALDESSO AND LESSIUS. 227 
 
 The author begins his work with an apology for the 
 subject which he has chosen. " The search into and 
 consideration of this business," he writes, " is not 
 altogether physical, but in great part appertains to 
 divinity and moral philosophy. 
 
 " And over and above, the end which I aim at herein, 
 is indeed most befitting a Divine. For that which I 
 principally intend, is to furnish religious persons and 
 those who give themselves to piety, with such a way 
 and manner of living, as they may with more ease, 
 cheerfulness and fervency apply themselves to the 
 faithful service of the great God, and our Saviour the 
 Lord Jesus Christ." 
 
 The author then proceeds to give a graphic picture 
 of the evil effects of intemperate eating, and of the 
 gain to mind and body of a strict rule of temperance, 
 illustrated by examples from the lives of the Fathers 
 of the Desert, and other ascetics. 
 
 The gluttony which he denounces, and the abstin- 
 ence which he recommends, are both on a scale too 
 heroic for our feebler times ; yet since the spirit of an 
 ordered life is the same in all ages, a few paragraphs 
 from his " Seven Commodities of Temperance," may 
 be worth inserting. 
 
 " The Fourth Commodity is the vigour oif the wit 
 
 tracts have been taken. It is not marked on the title-page as a 
 second edition, and it is possible that the Ferrars may have cir- 
 culated the work in manuscript only.
 
 228 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 in excogitating, reasoning, finding out, and judging of 
 things, and the aptitude and fitness that it hath for 
 the receiving of Divine illuminations. And hence it 
 comes to pass, that men given to abstinence are 
 watchful, circumspect, provident, of good forecast, 
 able to give counsel, and of sound judgement, and for 
 matters of learning, they do easily grow to excellency 
 in these things whereunto they apply themselves. As 
 for prayer, meditation, and contemplation, they do 
 perform them with great facility, pleasure, and spiritual 
 delight. 
 
 " The ancient Fathers and those that lived in the 
 deserts prove this by their example, who being most 
 abstinent, were always fresh in their minds, and spent 
 whole nights in prayer, and in search and study of 
 divine matters, with so great solace of mind, that they 
 deemed themselves to be in Paradise as it were, and 
 perceived not the passage of the time. And by this 
 means they came to that great measure of holinesse, 
 and familiarity with God, and were adorned with the 
 gifts of prophesie and miracles, and became admirable 
 to all the world. . . . There are very many also now- 
 adays, who tend unto the highest pitches of wisdom 
 and vertue by the selfsame way of abstinence, whereof 
 some are very admirable in all men's eyes through 
 the abundance of their writings, and their surpassing 
 learning. But no man without the assistance of 
 sobriety can perform any such matter, and if he obstin-
 
 TRANSLATIONS OF VALDESSO AND LESSIUS. 229 
 
 ately attempt it, be shall kill himself long before his 
 time. . . . All the Saints who have gone about the 
 building up the High Tower of Evangelical Perfection, 
 have made their beginnings from this vertue, as from 
 the foundation of their spiritual fabrick." 
 
 Besides these works, Nicholas Ferrar translated 
 from the Spanish the " Life of Tho. Sanquay of Cor- 
 dova, a gentleman by birth, and very learned in law 
 and divinity, one who led a very holy and strict life. 
 He died in 1612."^ This translation was never pub- 
 lished. 
 
 > Peckard.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 DEATH OF GEORGE HERBERT — PUBLICATION OF " THE 
 temple" — ACQUAINTANCE WITH CRASHAW. 
 
 A.D. 1633. 
 
 " The day is spent and hath his will on mee : 
 I and the sunn have run our races, 
 I went y* slower, yet more paces : 
 For I decay, not hee. 
 
 O let my soule, whose keys I must deliver 
 Into the hands of senceless dreames, 
 W<^'» know not Thee, suck in Thy beames, 
 And wake with Thee for ever." 
 
 G. Herbert, p-tuUd dy Dr. Grosart, /^^/« 
 
 t/ie " Williams' Manuscript.^' 
 
 The griefs of which Herbert speaks in the letter pre- 
 fixed to the " Considerations " are perhaps the trials 
 of his failing health. Through the winter of 1632-33 
 he became increasingly feeble. 
 
 His friends at Gidding prayed constantly for him 
 during those weary months when he was obliged to 
 forego the public services of the Church which he loved 
 so much.
 
 DEATH OF HERBERT. 231 
 
 " O most mighty God," so runs their supplication, 
 " merciful Father, we most humbly beseech Thee if it 
 be Thy good pleasure to continue to us that singular 
 benefit which Thou hast given us in the friendship of 
 Thy servant, our dear brother, who now lieth on the 
 bed of sickness. Let him abide with us yet awhile 
 for the furtherance of our faith. . . . Lord, Thou hast 
 mlled that our delights should be in the saints on 
 earth, and in such as excel in virtue ; how then should 
 we not be afflicted and mourn when Thou takest them 
 away from us ! Thou hast made him a great help, 
 and furtherance of the best things amongst us. . . . If 
 it be Thy good pleasure restore unto us our dear 
 brother." ^ 
 
 This affectionate and tender desire was not granted. 
 The time had come for fulfilment of the longing of 
 Herbert's fervent soul — 
 
 *' O that I now past changing were, 
 Safe in Thy Paradise, where no flower can wither." 
 
 On a certain Friday, of which the date is not given, 
 but which must have been at the end of January 
 or February, 1633, Mr. Mapletoft, arriving at Gidding 
 on a visit to his wife's relations, brought the grievous 
 news that Herbert was ill past hope of recovery. The 
 blow was unexpected, they had not realized that the 
 danger was so pressing. 
 
 ' " Life of Nicholas Ferrar," by his brother, p. 74.
 
 232 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 It was now, probably, that Nicholas Ferrar sent Mr. 
 Edmund Duncon to Bemerton to learn how his friend 
 did, and to bear him loving assurances of prayer and 
 sympathy. 
 
 The history of that holy death-bed is too well known 
 for repetition, yet since Herbert's last gift to the 
 Church was made through Ferrar's hands, it must be 
 told, how " with so sweet a humility as seemed to 
 exalt him," he bowed down to Mr. Duncon, saying, 
 with a thoughtful and contented look, " Sir, I pray 
 deliver this little book to my dear brother Ferrar, and 
 tell him he shall find in it a picture of the many 
 spiritual conflicts that have passed between God and 
 my soul, before I could subject mine to the will of 
 Jesus my Master, in Whose service I have now found 
 perfect freedom ; desire him to read it, and then, if he 
 can think it may turn to the advantage of any de- 
 jected poor soul ; let it be made public, if not, let hirr 
 burn it ; for I and it are less than the least of God's 
 mercies." ^ 
 
 The book so humbly given was the manuscript of 
 « The Temple." 
 
 When the precious legacy was brought to Ferrar, 
 lie read it many times over, kissing again and again 
 the pages on which his beloved friend had poured 
 out his inmost soul. " He could not," he said, 
 "sufficiently admire it, as a rich jewel and most 
 ' Walton, " Life of Herbert."
 
 THE TEMPLE." 233 
 
 worthy to be in the hands and hearts of all true 
 Christians that feared God and loved the Church of 
 England." ^ 
 
 His prompt action with regard to his friend's poems 
 is a great contrast to the tardiness with which his 
 own works were brought out. Within three weeks of 
 Herbert's death a few copies of "The Temple" were 
 printed, apparently for private distribution. A little 
 delay in publication was caused by the Chancellor's 
 refusal to license the book ^ unless the lines 
 
 "Religion stands on tip-toe in our land, 
 Readie to pass to the American strand," 
 
 were omitted. Ferrar stoutly refused to alter a line 
 or word of the work entrusted to his charge, but the 
 difficulty was got over in some way, and two editions, 
 in neither of which any license appears, were brought 
 out in the course of the year. They came out with 
 no dedication, and unaccompanied by the com- 
 
 ' " Life of Nicholas Ferrar," by his brother, p. 51. 
 
 ' The manuscript copy sent to Cambridge for license is now 
 in the Bodleian. Herbert's original manuscript is lost, destroyed 
 probably in the plunder of Gidding, but a very interesting 
 manuscript, partly in his handwriting, containing about one- 
 third of "The Temple," with some additional poems, is in the 
 Williams' Library. It is in a Gidding binding, and was once the 
 property of one of the Mapletofts, who probably received it from 
 Nicholas Ferrar. See "Diet. Nat. Biog.," article "Herbert," 
 and Dr. Grosart's preface to the collected edition of " Herbert's 
 Poems," published by Messrs. G. Bell and Sons.
 
 234 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 plimentary verses so often prefixed to books of the 
 period. 
 
 " The dedication of this work," Ferrar wrote in the 
 preface, which has been retained in each succeeding 
 edition, "having been made by the authour to the 
 Divine Majestic only, how should we now presume 
 to interest any mortall man in the patronage of it ! 
 Much lesse think we it meet to seek the recommenda- 
 tion of the Muses, for that which himself was con- 
 fident to have been inspired by a diviner breath than 
 flows from Helicon. The world therefore shall 
 receive it in that naked simplicitie with which he left 
 it, without any addition either of support or ornament 
 more than is included in itself. We leave it free and 
 unforestalled to every man's judgement, and to the 
 benefit that he shall find by perusall." 
 
 No such record of spiritual experience had yet 
 appeared in the English language, and the book at 
 once took a place only to be compared to that of the 
 "Christian Year." It was reprinted in 1634, in 1635, 
 again in 1638, and six more editions followed in the 
 course of the century. It was the treasured companion 
 of the most dissimilar people. It was among the 
 books from which Charles I. sought consolation in 
 his prison. " Next to the Scripture poems " Richard 
 Baxter found " none so savoury " as these. It brought 
 comfort and light to the sick-bed of Henry Vaughan, 
 who in the preface to his " Silex Scintillans " speaks
 
 CRASHA W. 235 
 
 of "the blessed man, Mr. George Herbert, whose 
 holy life and verse gained many pious converts, of 
 whom I am the least" Crashaw wrote in a copy 
 which he sent to a friend the Unes beginning — 
 
 " When your hands untie these strings, 
 Think you've an angel by the wings." 
 
 And he named his own poems "Steps to the Temple."* 
 It was probably at Gidding that the younger poet 
 first learnt to know and admire the works of the 
 elder. Crashaw came up to Pembroke a boy about 
 sixteen, the year before Herbert's death. He soon 
 became acquainted with the Ferrars, for we find him 
 writing the verses prefixed to the " Temperate Man," 
 in 1633 ; and it is evident that his tender, affectionate, 
 enthusiastic spirit was at once attracted by their life 
 of devotion. At Gidding he found his ideal, "Religious 
 House," in a visible shape. 
 
 " Walks and unshorn woods, and souls, just so 
 Unforced and genuine ; but not shady tho' ; 
 
 Our lodging hard, and homely as our fare. 
 
 That chaste and cheap as the few clothes we wear. 
 
 A hasty portion of prescribed sleep, 
 Obedient slumbers that can wake and weep, 
 And sing, and sigh, and work, and sleep again. 
 Still rowling a round sphear of still returning pain. 
 Hands full of hearty labours. . . . 
 
 * See Dr. Grosart's preface to " Herbert's Poems."
 
 236 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 Reverent Discipline, and religious fear, 
 And soft obedience find sweet hiding here. 
 Silence and sacred rest ; peace and pure joys. 
 
 The self-remembering soul sweetly recovers 
 
 Her kindred with the stars, nor basely hovers 
 
 Below, but meditates her immortal way 
 
 Home to the original source of light and intellectual day." 
 
 There seems to be an allusion to the employments 
 of Gidding in another poem, sufficiently marked to 
 warrant the conjecture that the " Lines on a Prayer- 
 book " may have been originally addressed to one of 
 the Ferrar family. 
 
 ' ' Lo, here a little volume, but greate booke, 
 A neste of new-borne swedes. 
 
 Whose native fires disdaining 
 To lie thus folded and complaining 
 
 Of these ignoble sheetes. 
 Affect more comely bands 
 Fair one from thy kinde handes. 
 And confidently looke 
 To find the reste 
 Of a rich binding in your breste} 
 
 " It is an armoury of light ; 
 Let constant use but keep it bright, 
 
 You'll find it yields 
 To holy hands and humble hearts, 
 
 * The lines printed in italics do not occur in the first edition 
 of the poems, printed in 1646, but they are found in those of 
 1648 and 1652.— Dr. Grosart, "Fuller Worthies," ed. of 
 Crashaw.
 
 CRASHA W. 2?7 
 
 More swordes and shields, 
 Than sinne hath snares, or hell hath dartes. 
 
 " Only be sure 
 
 The hands be pure 
 That hold these weapons, and the eyes 
 Those of turtles, chast and true, 
 
 Wakeful and wise ; 
 Here is a friend shall fight for you ; 
 Hold but this book before your heart, 
 Let prayer alone to play its part. 
 
 " But, oh ! the heart 
 That studies this high art 
 
 Must be a sure housekeeper. 
 And yet no sleeper. 
 
 " Dear soule, be strong. 
 Mercy will come ere long, 
 And bring its bosome full of blessings, 
 Flowers of never-fading graces. 
 To make immortal dressings, 
 For worthy soules, whose wise embraces. 
 Store up themselves for Him who is alone 
 The spouse of virgins and the Virgin's Son." 
 
 If we may suppose that lines five to ten in the 
 above ode refer to the work done at Gidding, it seems 
 to follow that a companion poem, " Counsel to a 
 Young Lady Concerning her Choice," addressed to 
 the same lady, "Mistress M. R.,"^ is an exhortation 
 to follow the path already marked out by Mary and 
 Anna Collett. 
 
 * May not this unknown "M. R." be MaRgaret Collett or 
 MaRy Mapletoft ?
 
 238 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 " 'Tis time you listen to a braver love 
 Which from above 
 Calls you up higher, 
 And bids you come 
 And choose your roome 
 Among His own fair sons of fire. 
 
 " It was His heavenly art 
 
 Kindly to cross you 
 
 In your mistaken love, 
 
 That at the next remove 
 
 Thence he might toss you, 
 
 And strike your troubled heart 
 Home to Himself, to hide it on His brest. 
 
 The bright ambrosial nest 
 Of love, of life, and everlasting rest." 
 
 Crashaw's sympathy with the life of Gidding was 
 not expressed in words alone. He was himself often 
 to be found among those 
 
 " Holy hands and humble hearts" 
 
 of whom he sings ; delighting to join in their prayers 
 and watchings, and when in Cambridge his leisure 
 time was spent " in the temple of God, under His 
 wing " in *' St. Marie's Church near St. Peter's College ; 
 there he lodged under TertuUian's roof of angels, 
 there he made his rest more gladly than David's 
 swallow near the house of God, where, like a 
 primitive saint, he offered more prayers in the night 
 than others in the day." ^ 
 
 • Preface to first edition of "Steps to the Temple."
 
 CRASHA W. 
 
 239 
 
 When Crashaw was made Fellow and Tutor of 
 Peterhouse, Ferrar CoUett, one of the "towardly 
 youths " who loved to share the watch-nights of their 
 Uncle Nicholas, became his pupil, and the friendly 
 intercourse continued till Crashaw, with two hundred 
 other resident Fellows, was ejected by Cromwell for 
 refusing to sign the Covenant. 
 
 There were many who, like Crashaw, loved to 
 withdraw themselves for a while from the world and 
 refresh their souls in the peaceful atmosphere of 
 Gidding, so that it became a house of retreat, to 
 which " many of the clergy that were more inclined 
 to practical piety and devotion than to doubtful and 
 needless disputation, did often come," ^ not to disturb 
 the strict order of the household, but to make them- 
 selves for a time "a part of that happy society," 
 sharing in the daily hours of prayer, and often 
 assisting Mr. Ferrar and his family in keeping up the 
 night watch. 
 
 ' Walton's "Life of Herbert.''
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 UNFRIENDLY CRITICISM — MRS. FERRAR RESTORES THE 
 GLEBE LAND — BISHOP WILLIAMS AT GIDDING — 
 FERRAR's visit to WILLIAMS IN PRISON. 
 
 A.D. 1633-1637. 
 
 "Our all is from Thy gracious throne, 
 We nought can style our own, 
 And when to Thee we offerings bring, 
 They drops are of Thy boundless spring." 
 
 Bishop Ken, 1637-1711, 
 
 Many visitors came to Gidding besides the sympa- 
 thetic friends who looked upon it as an oasis of 
 peace and refreshment. The pecuharities of the 
 family life attracted attention from all kinds of 
 people ; and, the house, being easy of access from the 
 Huntingdon high-road, a visit to Gidding seems to 
 have become a favourite amusement with leisurely 
 travellers, mildly interested in Church matters, who 
 happened to find themselves in the neighbourhood. 
 One such self-invited guest, a lawyer from Gray's Inn, 
 named Lenton, chronicled his experience in an
 
 UNFRIENDLY CRITICISM. 241 
 
 extremely interesting and amusing letter/ which has 
 already been referred to in these pages. He was 
 received by Nicholas Ferrar with great courtesy, 
 presented to his mother and sister, and hospitably 
 offered "a glass of sack, a sugar-cake, and a fine 
 napkin, brought by a mannerly maid." 
 
 On the strength of this kind reception, Mr. Lenton 
 catechised his host with an unabashed curiosity, which 
 proves that the "interviewer" is not of modern 
 growth. He inquired how long a time they spent 
 in prayers, and what they did besides, whether it was 
 true that some of the young ladies were vowed to 
 celibacy, at what hour they rose in the morning, 
 how they furnished their chapel, and if they did not 
 consider that their habits and customs savoured of 
 popery and superstition. All these remarks and 
 many more Nicholas Ferrar heard " very civilly and 
 with much humility," and answered them " with mild- 
 ness and moderation," as Lenton, who seems quite 
 unconscious that he had been making himself ex- 
 tremely disagreeable, assures his correspondent. 
 
 After accompanying his host to the morning 
 service, he asked for his horse, hoping inwardly that 
 he would be invited to remain and dine with the 
 family, "that he might have gained more time to 
 
 ' Lenton to ITetley, 1634. This letter is to be found in 
 Peckarcl's "Life of Nicholas Ferrar" and JMr. Mayor's Preface 
 to "Two Lives," p, xxvi. 
 
 k
 
 242 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 have seen and observed more of their fashions ; " but 
 Ferrar, whose patience must have been somewhat 
 outworn, instead of making him stay, helped him in 
 calUng for his horse, and the inquisitive gentleman 
 rode away musing on the "many more questions" 
 which he "thought on when it was too late." 
 
 Some persons pushed their curiosity so far that they 
 left their horses and servants at a neighbouring inn, 
 and wandered in the dark to Gidding, pretending to 
 have lost their way, and begging for a night's lodging, 
 merely that they might see something of the customs 
 of the house. 
 
 Nicholas Ferrar treated all who came with kind- 
 ness, never refusing to see them, however busy he 
 might be. "He well hoped," he would say, when 
 called from his study to receive some uninvited guest, 
 "they came for his good or their own, and the whole 
 design of his life was to make himself or others 
 better." Often, we may believe, his grave and kindly 
 words were blest to these chance comers, who carried 
 away with them the lasting recollection of a home in 
 which the service of God was visibly set before all 
 other objects and duties ; but there were some whose 
 dislike and contempt for what they considered Roman 
 ways, blinded them to the beauty of a life of piety 
 and charity. Such persons were not appeased by the 
 declaration with which Ferrar had silenced Lenton, 
 that he " believed the Pope to be Antichrist, as firmly
 
 UNFRIENDLY CRITICISM. 243 
 
 as any article in his creed." They pointed to the 
 " I.H.S." constantly used in the letters and papers of 
 Gidding, and asked if that sacred monogram were not 
 the symbol of the Jesuits ; they found fault with the 
 cross on the altar, and with the lengthy devotions of 
 the family. The Ferrars "rose at midnight for 
 prayer," writes Fuller, "and other people much 
 complained of it, whose heads, I dare say, never ached 
 for want of sleep." ^ 
 
 The critics even accused Nicholas of harshness to 
 his family, of overbearing ways, and the enforcement 
 of a severe rule — ridiculous accusations enough, since 
 John Ferrar and Mr. Collett were free agents, and 
 could have broken up the joint household at any 
 time, if they had been so minded. So much was 
 said that Mrs. Collett actually felt compelled to write 
 a letter to her brother exculpating him from these 
 charges, and also replying to some objections which 
 seem to have been made to the " Conversations" with 
 which her daughters amused themselves. 
 
 The letter is written from Gidding, and undated. 
 
 " My most dear Brother, 
 
 "As you desire a free, so I make no doubt 
 but a brief, declaration will give you satisfaction in 
 those two things wherein you require an answer. 
 And first for letters, those you have been pleased to 
 
 ' Fuller, " Worthies of Huntingdonshire."
 
 244 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 give me any assistance in, I think myself much 
 beholden, and if hereafter upon entreaty and occasion 
 you shall afford me your help, I shall thankfully 
 acknowledge it for a great favour. Then, for the 
 matter of storying, I have accounted the most part 
 of them to be delivered by way of relation of the 
 actions and opinions of good and virtuous men and 
 women, and such as for the substance ought to be 
 taken for patterns of imitation, and so for all other 
 passages that are intermingled with them, and do 
 heartily desire that whatever is contained in them, 
 that is the will and command of God, that we in our 
 own particular should do, we may both consent 
 and conform unto all points. For any corporal 
 exercise, there is none imposed, nor (as I conceive) 
 expected from me, but what I both may and do 
 willingly perform, and therefore I shall not need to 
 say any more to that, nor, I hope, at all in these 
 matters, but humbly beseech God that whatever shall 
 be done or said further may prove to His glory and 
 our comforts. 
 
 " Your loving Sister, 
 
 "S. C."^ 
 
 Nicholas was painfully sensitive to these unkindly 
 criticisms. He told his friend Barnabas Oley " that 
 to fry a faggot was not more martyrdom than con- 
 ' "Two Lives," Appendix.
 
 BISHOP WILLIAMS. 245 
 
 tinual obloquy."^ The thirst for battle was not in 
 him, and, were it but possible, he would fain have 
 lived at peace with all men, though he could hold 
 his own with spirit when a controversy was forced 
 on him, as happened occasionally when Roman 
 mission ers, thinking perhaps that a man who was 
 so obnoxious to the Puritans must be ripe for sub- 
 mission to the Pope, found their way to Gidding. 
 
 Meanwhile the practices of the family found firm 
 support in a quarter where such help could hardly 
 have been looked for. In the same year in which 
 Nicholas Ferrar, with joy and thankfulness, began 
 that retired course of life for which he had long 
 prepared, his old acquaintance Williams, the late 
 Lord Keeper, came, a most unwilling exile, to take 
 up his abode at Buckden, the countr)' house of the 
 Bishops of Lincoln, distant only a few miles from 
 Gidding. When the Great Seal was taken from him, 
 he "having now no more to do with civil distractions, 
 bethought him instantly of the Duty of his Pastoral 
 Staff," ^ and paid his first visit to the diocese over 
 which he had already presided four years. He 
 comforted himself for the loss of court favour by 
 
 > '« Life of G. Herbert." Oley adds that his friend was 
 " torn asunder as with mad horses, or crushed betwixt the under 
 and upper millstone of contrary reports ; that he was a Papist, 
 and that he was a Puritan." 
 
 * Hacket's *' Life of Archbishop Williams."
 
 246 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 laying out the neglected grounds of Buckden with 
 a lavish magnificence which recalls the visionary 
 gardens of Bacon's essay, and there lived with splendid 
 hospitality, making all comers welcome, and re- 
 ceiving with equal kindness the nobles and rich 
 gentry, the clergy, of whom he had "commonly a 
 coovy" abou*- him, the neighbouring townsmen, and 
 the poor. 
 
 Nicholas Ferrar must have known his future 
 diocesan at least by sight as one of the proctors at 
 Cambridge, and he may have formed one of the 
 crowd of gownsmen in St. Mary's on the occasion 
 when, in his examination for the degree of Bachelor 
 of Divinity, Williams defended the characteristic 
 thesis that, "though the end of Theology is to gain 
 souls, the end of the Theologue, subject to the first 
 and Architectonical end, is for an honest maintenance 
 and sustentation : " but his real acquaintance with 
 him began during the long debates held at the 
 council board on the Virginian affairs, while Williams 
 was Lord Keeper. 
 
 This acquaintance was continued in Huntingdon- 
 shire; and one of the most amiable points in the 
 character of the world-loving bishop is the uniform 
 kindness and consideration which he showed to the 
 unworldly family at Gidding, through good and evil 
 days. He could admire the strict life, which he had 
 no wish to imitate, and he seems to have felt for these
 
 BISHOP WILLIAMS. 247 
 
 simple and single-hearted people a regard which was 
 almost affection. He made himself acquainted with 
 their rule of prayer and discipline, and gave it his full 
 approval, undisturbed by the plain-spoken opinion of 
 the Huntingdonshire Puritans, that a house so con- 
 ducted could be none other than " a convent packed 
 together of some superstitious order beyond seas, or 
 a nunnery, and that the sufferance of it looked 
 towards a change in religion." His friend and 
 biographer, Hacket, shared his admiration for Gid- 
 ding ; " Let this history," ^ he says, " give glory to 
 God in their behalf, showing in a touch on what 
 religious grounds their policy was founded. ... All 
 their practice was heavenly; a great deal of it had 
 some singularity, by the custom of our corrupt ways, 
 who do not strive to enter in at the strait gate to 
 come to Blessedness," and he indignantly repudiates 
 the idea that their rule was in any respect alien to the 
 spirit of the English Church. " Speak, Sir Censurer," 
 he cries, "we, the true children of the Church of 
 England, were we not, without departing from our 
 own Station, capable of Mortification ? of vowing 
 ourselves to God? of renouncing the World? of 
 Fasting? of Vigils? of prayer limited to Canons, and 
 Hours, as any that say, and do not, that call them- 
 selves from St. Basil, St. Bennet, or such other insti- 
 tution ? Not our Reformation, but our slothfulness 
 ' " Life of Archbishop Williams," part ii. p. 51.
 
 248 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 doth indispose us, that we let others run faster than 
 we in Temperance, in Chastity, in Scleragogy, as it 
 was called." 
 
 Some little time after her arrival at Gidding, Mrs. 
 Ferrar discovered that a portion of the estate had 
 formerly been glebe, which had been enclosed for 
 pasture by a former lord of the manor, he having 
 compounded with the vicar for a payment of ;^2o a 
 year, to be paid for ever, in lieu of glebe and tithes. 
 She felt this arrangement insuflticient, and having with 
 some trouble made out the extent of the ancient 
 glebe, in 1633 she restored the whole to the Church. 
 Racket gives extracts from the letter in which she 
 announced her intention to the bishop. 
 
 *' Right reverend Father in God — the expectation 
 of opportunities, having some years whealed me off 
 from the Performance of this Business, I now think it 
 necessary to break through all Impediments, and 
 humbly to present to your Lordship the Desires and 
 the Intentions, of my Heart. Beseeching you, on 
 God's behalf, to take them into your Fatherly Con- 
 sideration, and to give a speedy accomplishment to 
 them, by the Direction of your Wisdom, and the 
 Assistance of your authority. . . ." 
 
 The paper ends with the prayer subjoined. 
 
 " Be graciously pleased. Lord, now to accept from 
 Thy Handmaid the Restitution of that, which has 
 been unduly heretofore taken from Thy Ministers.
 
 BISHOP WILLIAMS. 249 
 
 And as an earnest and pledge of the total Resignation 
 of herself and hers to Thy Service, vouchsafe to 
 receive to the use of Thy Church this small portion of 
 that large Estate, which Thou hast bestowed on her, 
 the unworthiest of Thy Servants. Lord, redeem Thy 
 right, whereof Thou hast been too long disseized by 
 the world, both in the Possessions, and in the Person 
 of Thy Handmaid. And let this outward seizure of 
 Earth be accompanied by an inward Surprizal of the 
 Heart and Spirit into Thine own Hands ; So that the 
 Restorer, as well as that which is restored, may 
 become and be confirmed Thine inheritance. . . ." 
 
 Williams, who was not himself in the habit o 
 voluntarily resigning any possession which he had 
 once acquired, and who held so many and various 
 preferments that he was said to be "a whole diocese 
 in his own person," prized this generous gift at its 
 fullest worth. " It was the joy of his heart," he said, 
 " to live to see such an act done, in honour of God 
 and the Church of England. Many had taken from 
 it, and the coal from the altar had consumed many of 
 their inheritances ; yet the rest feared not But to 
 restore, as is now done, the glebe land to the Church 
 of their own accord, request, and seeking, which was 
 no less than to give so much to it! Here's an 
 example to all the gentiy of England." 
 
 To do honour to this liberality, and to give a 
 public mark of his approval to the family, the bishop,
 
 250 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 at his next visitation, administered Confirmation and 
 preached in the church at Gidding. 
 
 It was a great day at Gidding, and the family 
 spared no pains to show their respect for the bishop, 
 and to give him pleasure. Williams loved music, and 
 the choir of Peterborough Cathedral, where Ferrar's 
 old friend Augustine Lindsell was now bishop, and his 
 successor. Dr. Towers, dean, came over that the 
 musical part of the service might be worthy of the 
 occasion. The little church was crowded with the 
 neighbouring gentry and villagers, many of whom 
 brought their children to be confirmed together with 
 the younger Ferrars and Colletts. In the midst of the 
 press the bishop, scarce raised above their heads in 
 the low pulpit, spoke, in words which must have 
 sounded strangely from his lips, of the contempt of 
 the world, of the cutting off of the right hand and the 
 right eye, and all fleshly contentments, that so they 
 might enter into life eternal.^ The sermon was 
 meant, and understood, as an eulogium of the Ferrars, 
 and must have been a little trying to the venerable 
 lady who sat by, in the midst of her children, listening 
 to these veiled praises, but it may be hoped that it 
 had at least some temporary effect in silencing the 
 criticism of the neighbourhood. 
 
 After the service the bishop dined at the house, and 
 went over it, noticing and approving all the arrange- 
 ' " Life of Archbishop Williams," part ii. p. 51.
 
 BISHOP WILLIAMS. 251 
 
 ments, and before his departure he gave his solemn 
 benediction to the assembled family. A crowd of 
 people gathered about the gates to see him ride away, 
 and before them all he embraced Nicholas Ferrar 
 with the words, '■''Dens tibi animum istiini et animo 
 isti tempus lotigissimnm conceded (" God keep you in 
 that mind, and grant that mind of yours a long con- 
 tinuance here on earth ").^ 
 
 Williams paid several visits to Gidding. He took 
 great delight in the conversation of Nicholas Ferrar ; 
 and John, with evident pleasure in the recollection, 
 tells how on one occasion it seemed good to the 
 bishop "to enter into the pleasantness of telling 
 stories," and "he would have Nicholas Ferrar to 
 parallel them with some of the like nature, and so the 
 time passed away to the great delight of the present 
 company." " I must confess," said the bishop after- 
 wards to a mutual friend, " I thought myself pretty 
 good at storying, but never met with my match till 
 then. . . . Commend me to him, and tell him, the 
 next time I come, we will have another game at 
 storying " 
 
 The opportunity never came. In July, 1637, 
 Williams was committed to the Tower. He was per- 
 mitted to receive his friends freely, keeping open house 
 in the prison rooms, and here, mindful of old kind- 
 ness, Nicholas Ferrar came to see him. This time 
 ' "Life of Nicholas Ferrar," by his brother, p. 63,
 
 252 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 there was no gay encounter of wits. The bishop was 
 conscious of some change in the countenance and 
 manner of his visitor, some marks of infirmity, or a 
 look more withdrawn and spiritual ; his farewell 
 words had the ring of prophecy. 
 
 They talked long together, and then Nicholas asked 
 the bishop's blessing and took his leave gravely, with 
 a sad foreboding in his heart. "Your brother made 
 me much to wonder," said Williams afterwards, de- 
 scribing the interview to John Ferrar, " for he said to 
 me, that I should come out of this place, and rise to 
 greater dignity, but the times would be dangerous. I 
 thought, when he was gone, the more upon them, as 
 from a dying man's words, for so he seemed to me, 
 and I feared I never should see him again." ^ 
 
 * ' ' Life of Nicholas Ferrar," by his brother, p. 58.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 DEATH OF MRS. FERRAR — LAST YEARS, ILLNESS, 
 AND DEATH OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 A.D. 1634-1637. 
 
 " Since I am coming to that holy room, 
 
 Where with Thy quire of saints for evermore 
 I shall be made Thy music, as I come 
 I tune my instrument here at the doors 
 And what I must do then, think here before." 
 
 Donne (1573-1630). 
 
 In the spring of 1634 a heavy blow fell on the house- 
 hold of Gidding. Mrs. Ferrar had always been the 
 prop and centre of her family. Her daughter's letters 
 are full of tender allusions to her. Mrs. CoUett speaks 
 of " God's mercy to us all in that which is so great 
 a pillar of our comforts, the health of our dearest 
 mother, which I beseech Him still to continue, and 
 make us truly thankful for it ; " and again, in writing 
 to a cousin, she dwells on *^ the perfect health, and (I 
 may well say and bless God for it) the great strength 
 and ability both of body and mind, of my dearest
 
 254 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 mother." Early in 1634 Lenton saw her, "tall, 
 straight, and clear complexioned," going on her son's 
 arm to the daily prayer, at the head of her children 
 and grandchildren, but in the May of that year her 
 strength failed, and she was taken from the home 
 which she had founded and guided, going before her 
 children to the perpetual worship of Paradise, as she 
 had so often gone before them to the sanctuary which 
 she had prepared for their constant prayers on earth. 
 
 " Though of so great age, at her dying day she had 
 no infirmity, and scarce any sign of old age upon her. 
 Her hearing, sight, and all her senses were very 
 good. She had never lost a tooth ; she walked very 
 upright, and with great agility. Nor was she troubled 
 with any pains or uneasiness of body. While she 
 lived at Gidding, she rose, summer and winter, at 
 five o'clock, and sometimes sooner. In her person 
 she was of a comely presence, and had a countenance, 
 so full of gravity that it drew respect from all who 
 beheld her. In her words she was courteous, in her 
 actions obliging. In her diet always very temperate ; 
 saying she did not live to eat and drink, but ate and 
 drank to live. She was a pattern of piety, benevolence, 
 and charity. And thus she lived and died, esteemed, 
 revered, and beloved of all who knew her." ^ 
 
 After his mother's death Nicholas Ferrar increased 
 his austerities. He would no longer go to bed, but 
 * John Ferrar, quoted by Peckard.
 
 HIS LAST YEARS. 255 
 
 lay, wrapped ** in a great shag black freize gown," on 
 a bearskin on the floor, for the few hours sleep which 
 he allowed himself; and in the coldest weather he 
 would scarce ever sit by the fire. His faithful old 
 friend, Bishop Lindsell, remonstrated with him in 
 vain. Nicholas answered by reminding his former 
 tutor of his lessons on the ascetic lives of the ancient 
 fathers. To other friends he declared " that he knew 
 that whosoever, upon what pretence so ever did by 
 these means infringe their healths, did sore amiss 
 and sin; for that it is found by daily experience that 
 sickly, infirm, and weak healths make men subject 
 to many ill passions and distempers, and the pains 
 of the body disquiet the mind not a little, and make 
 us not so apt and fit, neither to perform our duties 
 to God in that station He hath appointed us, nor to 
 execute our duty to our neighbour." 
 
 But he seems to have found by experience that, 
 however little such a way of life might appear suited 
 to the powers of ordinary men, to him at least it was 
 not injurious, for his brother affirms that " it is known 
 to all, that he never had so much health, together 
 with ability of bodily strength and mind, as in the 
 last seven years of his life, when he was as they 
 thought most strictest in these things." 
 
 Nicholas Ferrar wrote much during this period, 
 and often on his knees. The whole of the manuscripts 
 thus composed — to the number it is said of five
 
 256 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 folio volumes — are lost; destroyed probably in the 
 plunder of Gidding. The result of those last years 
 of prayer and fasting can be traced only in the tender 
 memories of his friends, and the life lived by the 
 children of his training. Bishop Lindsell never ceased 
 to regret that he had shrunk from the priesthood. 
 He was a better scholar and an abler divine than 
 himself, he would say, and of all men he knew he 
 would have chosen him to be his confessor. The 
 venerable bishop willingly accepted reproof from his 
 old pupil, who "never heard his tutor say or do 
 amiss at any time, but he would before they parted, 
 in some sweet good way, let him know his mind, 
 which was commonly by way of story." ^ And many 
 other friends long remembered the affectionate pains 
 with which he would advise them in their spiritual 
 distresses, until he had, " as it were, begotten them 
 anew to God." 
 
 Meanwhile the shadows deepened on his own spirit, 
 and his last year of life was passed in sad and bitter 
 forebodings. The time was one of great outward 
 prosperity both in Church and State. " What a 
 halcyonian calm, a blessed time of peace, this Church 
 of England had for many years, above all the churches 
 in the world beside, when the King, St. Charles of 
 blessed memory, and the good Archbishop of Canter- 
 bury, with others, were endeavouring to perfect the 
 ' " Life of Nicholas Ferrnr," by his brother, p. 76.
 
 HIS LAST YEARS. 257 
 
 clergy in regularity of life, uniformity of officiating, 
 and all variety of learning ! " So wrote Barnabas Oley 
 in his old age, looking back across forty troubled 
 years to the prosperous days of youth. ^ But already 
 below the fair and shining surface a listening ear 
 might catch the murmur of the rising storm. 
 
 Gidding lay within the bounds of the most Puritan 
 region of England, the counties which afterwards 
 formed the " Eastern Association," ^ " the Torres 
 Vedras lines of the early Civil War." In the fen-lands 
 about Huntingdon and Peterborough, Cromwell, now 
 peacefully employed in farming at St. Ives, afterwards 
 found and formed his famous Ironsides. The flame 
 which was to break forth so soon, was already 
 smouldering, and it is easy to imagine with what a 
 troubled heart the pupil of Lindsell and White, the 
 friend of Sandys, the once eager member of the 
 " country party," must have watched the signs of 
 coming strife, all his keen sympathies, his early 
 associations going with the cause of liberty, while yet 
 he felt that the religion which was dearer than all, 
 would be dragged in the dust by the men who were 
 ranged on the popular side. 
 
 As early as 1636 he perceived that trouble was at 
 
 ■ Preface to second edition of the "Country Parson," pub- 
 lished 167 1. 
 
 ^ The Associated Counties were Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, 
 Sufifoll<, Essex, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Lincohi 
 
 s
 
 i258 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 hand. Some of his tenants applied for leases of 
 fifteen years at the old rent. John Ferrar objected 
 to the proposed arrangement, saying that the land 
 was under rented, and the leases much too long. 
 " Content yourself, I pray," said Nicholas. " Let the 
 men have ten years time, and a good pennyworth, 
 so that they may be contented, and pay you honestly 
 at your day of payment, for I tell you that before those 
 times come out, you will see other days, and think 
 yourself happy that you may receive, and they pay 
 you, that rent in quiet." 
 
 In the following year, 1637, Nicholas had the inter- 
 view with Williams in the Tower which has been 
 already mentioned. From that visit he returned to 
 Gidding weighed down by sadness, the depression 
 of failing health adding to his prophetic sorrow for 
 the coming troubles of his country. 
 
 John Ferrar remembered and wrote down long after 
 the words in which he gave expression to these feelings. 
 
 The brothers were walking up and do^vn in the 
 great parlour, when Nicholas told John that he felt 
 the hand of death drawing near. " My dear brother," 
 lie said, *' I am now shortly to appear before our good 
 Lord God, to whom I must give account of what I 
 have said and taught you all of this family in the ways 
 and service of God. I have, I tell you, delivered 
 unto you all nothing but what is agreeable to His 
 holy law, will, and word, that you should love Him,
 
 HIS LAST YEARS. 259 
 
 serve Him, and have showed you the right good way 
 ... it is the right old good way you are in ; keep in 
 it. God will be worshipped in spirit and truth, in 
 soul and in body ; He will have both inward love and 
 fear, and outward reverence of body and gesture. . . . 
 There will be sad times come, and very sad ; you 
 will live to see them, but be courageous, and hold 
 you fast to God with humility and patience, rely upon 
 His mercy and power ; you will suffer much . . . and 
 you will be sifted, but be you steadfast and call upon 
 God. Keep to your daily prayers, and let all be done 
 in sincerity, setting God always before your eyes." 
 
 And then, " weeping and grasping his brother by 
 the hand," he went on, " Ah, brother, my brother, I 
 pity you, I pity your care and what you may live to 
 see, even great alterations. God will bring punishments 
 upon this land, but I trust not to the utter ruin of it, 
 but in judgment He will remember mercy, and will 
 yet spare this sinful and unthankful land and nation. 
 But if you should live to see the Divine service and 
 worship of God by supreme authority brought to 
 nought and suppressed, then look and fear that deso- 
 lation is at hand, and cry mightily to God : His wrath 
 will be then hot against the land. God in His infinite 
 mercy, whose mercy is above all, divert such a judg- 
 ment" ^ 
 
 Nicholas had been engaged on some work, the 
 ' " Life of Nicholas Ferrar," by his brother.
 
 26o LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 subject of which we are not told. He now laid it 
 aside, and began to write a meditation on death, of 
 which the following fragment has been preserved : — 
 
 " The remembrance of death is very powerful to 
 restrain us from sinning. For he who shall well 
 consider that the day will come (and he knoweth not 
 how soon) when he shall be laid on a sick-bed, weak 
 and famt, without care and almost without strength, 
 encompassed with melancholy thoughts and over- 
 whelmed with auguish ; when, on one side, his dis- 
 temper increasing upon him, the physician tells him 
 that he is past all hope of life, and, on the other, his 
 friends urge him to dispose of his worldly goods and 
 share his wealth among them, that wealth which he 
 procured with trouble and preserved with anxiety, 
 that wealth which he now parts from with sorrow; 
 when again the priest calls on him to take the prepa- 
 ratory measures for his departure ; when he himself 
 now begins to be assured that here he hath no abiding 
 city, that this is no longer a world for him, that no 
 more suns will rise and set upon him, that for him 
 there will be no more seeing, no more hearing, no 
 more speaking, no more touching, no more tasting, 
 no more fancying, no more understanding, no more 
 remembering, no more desiring, no more loving, no 
 more delights of any sort to be enjoyed by him ; but 
 that death will at one stroke deprive him of all these 
 things, that he will speedily be carried out of that
 
 ins ILLNESS AND DEATH. 261 
 
 house which he had called his own, and is now 
 become another's, that he will be put into a cold 
 narrow grave, that earth will be consigned to earth, 
 ashes to ashes, dust to dust j — let any man duly and 
 daily ponder these things, and how could it be that 
 he should dare " * 
 
 The paper here breaks off unfinished, and these 
 solemn words seem to be the last that ever fell from 
 the pen of Nicholas Ferrar. On Friday, November 3, 
 he went to church and said the service, according to 
 his custom, but on coming home he sat down and 
 complained of faintness. He rested awhile by the 
 fire and took some broth which was brought to him, 
 but felt no better, and when some one expressed a 
 hope that in God's mercy the weakness would pass, 
 replied " that he thought not so," and presently desired 
 that Mr. Groose, the Vicar of Great Gidding, might 
 be sent for. He was an old friend, having already 
 held the living for seventeen years, and Nicholas now 
 begged of him that he would keep up the daily services 
 at Little Gidding, 
 
 " It is my first care," he said, " that the service of 
 my God be not one day neglected by those that can 
 go to church. We owe much more than any our 
 continual serving God ; for his favours to us are 
 above what we can express, and the performances 
 of our dutiful thankfulness can have no end. I shall 
 ' " Life of Nicliolas Ferrar," by his brother, p. 88.
 
 262 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 not, I know, be any more able to perform my duty 
 to Him at church, but come I pray you daily, and 
 perform there my part." 
 
 The next morning Nicholas rose again, but felt 
 unable to go out, and had prayers in his chamber, 
 sending the family to church at their usual hours. 
 That evening he moved into another room, larger per- 
 haps and more suitable to a sick man than his own, 
 and there took to his bed, where he remained for two 
 or three days, and then "he willed a pallet to be 
 made on the floor, unto which he removed, and came 
 no more off it." On this lowly couch he lay for 
 nearly a month, feeling no pain, but a constant 
 faintness and decay of strength. 
 
 From the first he felt an inward conviction that 
 this illness was his last. " In all former sickness I 
 have had a strong desire to live," he said to the 
 troubled friends who watched him, " and an earnest- 
 ness to pray to my God to spare me, which He hath 
 to this day done, and I may further say, to the gloiy 
 of His great Name, that I never earnestly set myself 
 to beg of God anything, but He fulfilled the petition 
 of His most unworthy servant. But now, and of late, 
 I do not find in my heart any inclination to beg longer 
 life of God. Nay, I rather desire to be dissolved 
 with St. Paul, and to leave this life for one eternal in 
 heaven, through the merits of my Saviour Jesus 
 Christ, now wholly and fully submitting myself to the
 
 HIS ILLNESS AND DEATH. 263 
 
 blessed will of my good Lord, to do with me for life 
 or death as He sees best for me." 
 
 Sunday, November 5, Mr. Groose gave him the 
 Holy Communion. Before receiving it he " made a 
 most solemn and comfortable confession of his faith," 
 according to the Church of England, acknowledging 
 his salvation to depend only -upon the sweet and 
 infinite mercies and sufferings of his most dear Lord 
 and Saviour Jesus Christ; renouncing all other depen- 
 dencies, "saying when men had done all they could, 
 they must wholly acknowledge and confess themselves 
 most unworthy servants," and so " with great desire 
 and devotion, he received the Blessed Sacrament with 
 much joy." 
 
 Throughout his illness he constantly exhorted his 
 family whom he had so carefully taught and trained, 
 to continue in '* the good old way " which he had 
 pointed out. "Be constant, be steadfast, do not 
 shrink." These are the constant tenor of his last in- 
 structions ; the fear of coming trouble is always before 
 his dying eyes. " Adhere to the doctrine of the 
 Church of England," he repeats, with prophetic con- 
 sciousness of the evil days to come. 
 
 He recommended the young people to continue 
 working at the Concordances, as he had taught them. 
 "I hope God will send you ways and means and 
 helps to go forward with them," he said. '* You may 
 grow to perfection of something, by such helps as
 
 264 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 God will send. Leave not the thought of them, 
 though I be gone." 
 
 The care of the little Community was constantly in 
 his thoughts. He would send for them all from time 
 to time, down to the little ones, ten-year-old Virginia 
 and her brother John, and the Mapletoft children, and 
 bid them remember all he had taught them, and keep 
 in heart diligently the Psalms and Gospels which they 
 had learnt, and remember ever that the fear of God 
 is the beginning of wisdom, and then would dismiss 
 them with his blessing, kissing them tenderly, and 
 calling on God to protect them, for he only was safe 
 whom God kept. 
 
 His most earnest advice and special care was for 
 his brother's eldest son, his own godson, Nicholas. 
 " This youth he loved dearly, and looked upon as 
 him to whom Gidding, by God's blessing, would in the 
 end descend ; and desirous he was, that he might 
 continue in that virtuous and pious course he had by 
 his love and care been trained up in from his cradle." 
 
 He shrank with horror from anything that implied 
 praise ; all the eager vehemence of his youth breaks 
 forth in the sick man if he hears any utterance of 
 overmuch sorrow, of too great regret for the loss 
 of his guiding hand. He reproved his brother for 
 saying " in his exuberance of grief," " What shall 
 become of us poor sheep, if the shepherd be now 
 thus taken from us ? " " Do you know what you
 
 HIS ILLNESS AND DEATH. 265 
 
 say?" he asked with startling severity. "Go, I pray 
 you, go to church and fast this day, and beg of God 
 to forgive you your undue speeches and expressions ; 
 it much grieveth me to hear them. God forgive you 
 them, I beseech Him." 
 
 He was '' much offended and displeased " when Mr. 
 Groose spoke of his sickness as a punishment to his 
 family, as well as a trial to his own patience, and, 
 "with great vehemency and a loud voice," begged 
 " that he would not let such a word proceed out of his 
 mouth ; " and to another clergyman who spoke to him 
 of the comfort he must now feel in his alms-deeds, 
 he replied, " Mass, I am to ask my God forgiveness 
 for my great neglect in that my duty. It had been 
 but my part to have given all that I had, and not to 
 have scattered a few crumbs of alms here and there. 
 The Lord God forgive, I most humbly beseech Him, 
 my too much carnal love to my friends in this 
 kind." 
 
 Thus, growing more and more feeble in body, but 
 still lively and vigorous in mind, he spent the month 
 of November on his pallet bed on the floor, advising, 
 exhorting, planning for the continuance of the life 
 of work and devotion which he had built up round 
 him, preparing with passionate self-humiliation for 
 the account which he was soon to render. 
 
 He had still one possession which had once, per- 
 haps, been a source of temptation to him— -the col-
 
 266 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 lection of plays and poems, which he had packed 
 away before quitting London. They had remained 
 at Gidding unopened. Early in the winter morning 
 (it was about the first of December) he called his 
 brother and sister and his nieces to him. " Brother," 
 he said, "I would have you go to the church, and 
 measure seven foot to the westward from the door 
 where we go into church, and at the end of that 
 seven foot let my grave be made ; " his brother, 
 looking very sadly at him, with his eyes full of tears, 
 (and so all the standers-by did). He went on saying, 
 *' Brother, that iirst place of the length of seven foot 
 I leave for your own burying-place, for you are my 
 elder ; God, I hope, will let you there take up your 
 resting-place till we all rise again in joy." And then, 
 speaking with some vehemency and passion of indig- 
 nation, he bade that the great hampers of books, 
 which he had kept so long, should be carried to the 
 place of his grave and there burnt. " Go," he cried, 
 " let it be done, let it be done, and then come again, 
 all of you, to me." 
 
 The smoke of this strange bonfire rose high above 
 the leafless trees, visible to all the hamlets round, 
 and men left their work in the fields and came 
 running to see what was the matter at Gidding Hall. 
 The burning of so many books created a not un- 
 natural awe among the simple villagers, and it was 
 told through all the country-side that Mr. Nicholas
 
 HIS ILLNESS AND DEATH. 267 
 
 Ferrar lay dying, but could not die till he had burnt 
 his conjuring books. 
 
 He had destroyed the last relics of tlie worldly life 
 which he had never loved, and had long since re- 
 nounced; and for three days more he lay tranquil, 
 calmly awaiting the end. 
 
 On the morning of Advent Sunday he found his 
 strength declining. "This Sunday was the first 
 Sunday in the month, the constant usual day for their 
 monthly Communion. He acquainted the minister 
 that, after he had celebrated it at the church, he would 
 come home and give It to him ; for now it was that 
 heavenly food was his only stay, strength, and joy to 
 receive. As for earthly food, he had now done with 
 it ; God would ere long hear his prayers, and the 
 humble requests of his poor soul. To this end and 
 like effect he spake, but in far better expressions. 
 When the minister came to give it him, he desired 
 absolution, having made again a most full and lively 
 expression of his faith. The minister said, 'Shall 
 I give it you in the words of the book ? ' ' Ay, 
 ay,' said he, 'nothing better, nothing better.' Then 
 he received, in most devout manner, the Sacrament ; 
 which done, gave Almighty God most humble and 
 hearty thanks for this inestimable benefit and favour, 
 and used very effectual words to that purpose, and so 
 awhile lay very silent and still. 
 
 "And afterwards being demanded, 'how he felt
 
 268 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 himself? ' he would say he was very well, blessed 
 be God, but hoped to be better ere long. As his 
 friends, brother, sister, nieces, etc., stood about him 
 with sad looks, he would bid them ' be cheerful, for 
 part we all must. It was the common portion for all 
 men to die. Be of good comfort, be of good courage ; 
 we shall meet again in heaven at last, I doubt it not 
 (and some of you ere long). It will be the best 
 wisdom and only happiness to prepare all for it ; for 
 who can be too ready for death ? ' He more par- 
 ticularly directed his speeches to his dearly beloved 
 two nieces, Mary and Anna (whom, as formerly 
 related, he most entirely loved ; who had both stead- 
 fastly, by the help of God's assistance, taken long 
 ago resolutions of living in virginity, and in such and 
 such ways and course of life as they had chosen, with 
 the advice and assistance of their good uncle Nicholas 
 Ferrar, whom he most tenderly affected, and highly 
 esteemed of), that ' they should be steadfast, and 
 commit themselves to the good guidance of their 
 gracious Lord God and Master, Jesus Christ, to 
 whom they had, more than in an ordinary manner, 
 given themselves, each in their station ; ' assuring 
 them that 'they should in the end have cause to 
 rejoice in their good resolutions.' 
 
 '"' Being demanded, ' if the ministers should be 
 called,' who not long before were gone out of the 
 chamber, all supposing he had been asleep, he said
 
 HIS ILLNESS AND DEATH. 269 
 
 * Entreat them to come in and pray together.' Which 
 being done, he desired them to say that prayer for 
 a dying man; which ended, he being by them 
 demanded, * how he did,' said, *' Pretty well, I thank 
 my God and you ; and I shall be better.' And 
 then he lay very still half an hour and more, all 
 standing by him, supposing him to be in a fine 
 slumber. But afterwards he, on a sudden, casting 
 his hands out of the bed with great strength, and 
 looking up and about, with a strong voice and 
 cheerful, said, ' Oh, what a blessed change is here ! 
 What do I see ? Oh, let us come and sing unto the 
 Lord, and magnify His holy Name together. I have 
 been at a great feast : Oh, magnify the Lord with 
 me.' One of his nieces said presently, 'At a feast, 
 dear father ? ' * Ay,' replied he ; 'at a great feast, 
 the great King's feast.' And this he uttered with as 
 sound and perfect voice as in time of his health. 
 While all stood somewhat amazed and loth to inter- 
 rupt him, if he should say more, he laid himself down 
 most quietly, putting his hands into the bed, laid 
 them by his side, and then shut his eyes, and m this 
 posture laid, his legs stretched out, most sweetly and 
 still. The ministers went again presently to prayers 
 and after awhile they said that prayer again (that God 
 would be pleased to send His angels to carry his soul 
 to heaven), all kneeling round about his pallet. 
 While these words were saying, he opened his lips
 
 270 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 and gave one gasp ; and so, not once moving or 
 stirring hand, foot, or eyes, he rendered up his soul, 
 to be carried in their hands unto his Lord Jesus 
 Christ's bosom, which was that he so often prayed for. 
 And at that instant the clock struck one, the hour that 
 he constantly rose up every morning to praise God 
 and to pray unto Him. That very hour and time 
 God, you see, called him to His heavenly kingdom, to 
 praise Him everlastingly with the blessed angels and 
 saints above, and, as one of the company said, ' he 
 ended the sabbath here on earth, to begin the ever- 
 lasting sabbath in heaven.' " ^ 
 
 No word can be changed or added to this history 
 of a saintly death-bed, told by the brother who 
 stood by. 
 
 Till the Thursday following his body rested in the 
 care of his loving friends — a most fair and sweet 
 corpse. It was observed that the right hand and 
 fingers remained " lithe and flexible, as if they were 
 of a living man." "Well," said one who saw it, 
 " may that hand not grow stiff, that was so often, day 
 and night, lifted up to God ; and was so liberal in 
 continual giving alms to the poor and needy in 
 several kinds ! " 
 
 On December 7, 1637, he was laid in a vault of 
 brick, made, as he had desired, in the midst of the 
 path, a few feet from the west door of the church. 
 • "Life of Nicholas Fenar," by his brother, pp. 78-92.
 
 HIS ILLNESS AND DEATH. 271 
 
 The funeral service was said by his cousin, Robert 
 Mapletoft,^ afterwards Master of Pembroke and Dean 
 of Ely, " whom he loved exceeding well, who often 
 came to Gidding, and was most welcome to him." 
 
 A short notice of Nicholas Ferrar was published in 
 1652, in the anonymous preface to the first edition of 
 the " Country Parson." He is there commemorated, 
 together with its author, George Herbert, and their 
 common friend, Dr. Jackson, the president of Corpus. 
 *' All three holy in their lives, eminent in their gifts, 
 signal Protestants for their religion, painful in their 
 several stations, precious in their deaths, and sweet 
 in their memories." " Methinks Dr. J. had some- 
 what like the spirit of Jeremy, Saint James, and 
 Salvian ; Master Herbert like David, and other 
 Psalm-men, Saint John and Pnidentius ; Master F. 
 like Esay, Saint Luke, and Saint Chrysostom." 
 
 " What is so well compiled by that worthy learned 
 man (whoever he be)," says John Ferrar, " it's but my 
 poor pains to write it out of the book, that can never 
 too often read or meditate upon that discourse, that 
 so nearly concerns me, as of such a brother, whom 
 the world never could show a better brother to any 
 brother, nor a more true lover, and one that did more 
 for his family than he did, in all kinds and ways — 
 for their temporal welfare, in preservation, augnienta- 
 
 ' Brother to Joshua and Solomon Mapletofl, who married two 
 of his nieces.
 
 272 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 tion, and maintenance of their civil estates and affairs, 
 and that, which is the superlative of all goodness and 
 benefit, his never-ceasing care and pains for their 
 spiritual well-being, everlasting happiness, and bliss." 
 
 The unknown writer was their old friend Barnabas 
 Oley, and in his hyperbolic phrase he expresses 
 Ferrar's warmth of sympathetic affection, his tender 
 charity, and his ready and persuasive speech. He 
 tells us also that Ferrar was no controversialist ; " he 
 would scarcely opine." He carried his respect for 
 authority, for the established order of things, to an 
 extent which seems extreme. He would not allow 
 his nieces to teach the Catechism in their Sunday 
 school, because this would trench on the prerogatives 
 of the parents and the parish priest. And when 
 Dr. Morison, the Chancellor of Lincoln, told him 
 that the only thing wanting in his chapel was a 
 painted window with the crucifix, he replied, that 
 had he found such a thing, he would have preserved 
 it, but he would not set one up where none had been 
 before." 
 
 He must have inherited this conservative turn of 
 mind from the good old merchant, his father. He 
 inherited also his straiglitforward sincerity and 
 honesty of purpose, together with some touch of his 
 choleric temper, for (as we may gather from some of 
 his utterances) Nicholas could be overbearing and 
 very hot on occasion. He was affectionate, home-
 
 HIS ILLNESS AND DEATH. 273 
 
 loving, dutiful, simple and sober in his tastes. 
 He had all the making of an excellent man of busi- 
 ness ; he was acute, clear-headed, prompt, observant, 
 with a gift for organization, and a great power of 
 adopting and assimilating new ideas, whenever his 
 respect for precedent did not come in the way. 
 
 From his mother he inherited a strong will, and that 
 faculty of ruling others which he was tempted to use 
 at times, perhaps too absolutely. His portrait shows 
 that he also inherited her delicate and refined features, 
 and suggests that to her he owed the graceful speech 
 and manner which won him so much popularity. 
 The picture is at Magdalene College, near those of 
 his parents. The likeness to Mrs. Ferrar is in 
 feature only ; the serene calm of her fair countenance 
 is replaced in that of her son by an expression of 
 deep and almost melancholy gravity. 
 
 He had a vivid, bright, restless intellect, practical, 
 not speculative ; he does not seem to have indulged 
 in any flight of original thought ; but everything he 
 reads or sees is remembered and turned to account, 
 whether it be the ascetic example of the Fathers of 
 the Desert, the skill of German artificers, or the 
 admirable provision made in Holland for the neces- 
 sities of the poor. 
 
 His practical law-abiding spirit is shown in his 
 religion. He was thoroughly English, a dutiful son 
 of the Reformed Church as it was understood by the 
 
 T
 
 274 LIFE OF AUCHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 school of Andrewes. In this way of thinking he had 
 always been brought up, and his mind took the mould 
 and kept it. He w-as not insular; his acquaint- 
 ance with foreign devotional writings appears to 
 have been extensive, but so far as the objects of 
 his study were Roman rather than Catholic, he does 
 not seem to have been even transiently influenced 
 by them. 
 
 His extreme austerity grew out of this dutiful nature. 
 He had been taught to study the lives of the saintly 
 ascetics of primitive times. To these times the 
 Church of England appealed for its standards of 
 doctrine ; and if of doctrine, then surely of life also. 
 For what purpose had these models been set before 
 him, if not that he might copy them ? And he did 
 copy them, so far as circumstances permitted, with 
 the eager warmth with which he did everything. 
 
 He was a firm Protestant, as his friends, nettled by 
 the frequent accusations of Romanizing, were never 
 tired of repeating. He hated popery with the solid 
 hatred which was nourished by Foxe's "Book of 
 Martyrs." He believed that the Pope was Antichrist ; 
 when asked what he would do if by any chance the 
 Mass was celebrated in his house, he is said to have 
 replied that he would pull that room down and build 
 another. 
 
 This is strong language ; but Churchmen were 
 accustomed to use strong language on the subject in
 
 HIS ILLNESS AND DEATH. 275 
 
 those days. To them the supremacy of Rome meant 
 the destruction of all their liberties, civil and religious; 
 it meant foreign invasion and the Holy Office. Laud 
 dreaded the "grim wolf" who, "with privy paw, daily 
 devours apace," as much as Milton, and put down all 
 leaning to distinctive Roman doctrine with as firm a 
 hand as he used to the recalcitrant Puritans. When 
 he heard of the publication of an English trans- 
 lation of St. Francis de Sales's "Introduction to 
 the Devout Life," which had not received his sanc- 
 tion, a translation which had not been "adapted," 
 he "gave present orders to seize upon all the 
 copies and burn them publicly in Smithfield,"^ and 
 eleven or twelve hundred copies were destroyed 
 accordingly. 
 
 It must not be supposed from the startling language 
 which Ferrar is reported to have used with regard to 
 the Mass, that he denied the holy and awful Presence 
 in the Eucharist. It is from the material view of 
 the mystery that his mind revolts — the view which 
 shaped such legends as that of the Miracle of Bolsena. 
 For the positive side of his faith, in the absence of 
 any writings of his own, it is perhaps not unfair to 
 quote those of the friend whose name is most closely 
 entwined with his. Herbert's view is clearly ex- 
 pressed in the poem entitled, "The Priesthood." 
 
 ' Archbishop Laud to the Vice-Chancellor of Oxford, "Auto- 
 biography," p. 228.
 
 276 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 " When God vouchsafeth to become our fare, 
 Their hands convey Him who conveys their hands : 
 Oh what pure things, most pure, must those things be 
 Who bring my God to me ! " 
 
 It seems the more permissible to take Herbert's 
 words as showing Fen-ar's thought, because, where 
 Ferrar wants doctrine clearly laid down (as in the 
 notes to Valdesso) he appeals to Herbert to do it 
 for him. 
 
 His own cast of mind was mystical and devotional, 
 rather than theological. Throughout his life, under- 
 neath his busy, practical nature, lay the keenest sense 
 of the supernatural. He is ever conscious of a 
 mission, a call, of some special vocation. He goes 
 through an agony of doubt and ecstasy in his child- 
 hood, of which the memory never leaves him. He 
 has moments of sharp struggle through his boyish 
 days at Cambridge. He rushes away impulsively 
 from Leipzig or Padua, to bury himself for weeks 
 together in lonely villages. In the hurry and strain 
 of London life, he retires for prayer and fasting so 
 often that his family cease to notice it. 
 
 As the spiritual element in him gained full sway, 
 it conquered alike the desire of action and the love 
 of learning. Thenceforth he had no wish, no aim, 
 no ambition, but to offer himself wholly to the 
 worship of God, and to teach those around him to 
 do the same.

 
 HIS ILLNESS AND DEATH. 277 
 
 It was this entire singleness of purpose, rather 
 than his intellectual vigour, which gave him so great 
 a mastery over those with whom he came in contact. 
 They felt themselves in the presence of one, every 
 fibre of whose soul was purified and spiritualized by 
 the flame of Divine Love. 
 
 The value of his life and work is not of a kind that 
 can be tested by visible results, 
 
 "Think'st thou the spires that glow so bright 
 
 In front of yonder setting sun, 
 Stand by their own unshaken might ? 
 
 No ; where the upholding grace is won 
 We dare not ask, nor Heaven would tell, 
 But sure from many a hidden dell, 
 From many a rural nook unthought of there, 
 Rises for that proud world the saints' prevailing prayer." 
 
 The grass grows over the site of Gidding Hall, 
 and sheep feed on the slopes which once were 
 covered with orchards and gardens. The oft-trodden 
 path which led to the churchyard gate is now only a 
 green ridge across the meadow ; but the church itself, 
 and the churchyard, are not greatly altered. In 
 the centre of the path, a little way from the west 
 door, under a plain altar tomb, without name or date, 
 Nicholas Ferrar lies in the place of his choice, at the 
 feet of his elder brother.
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 NICHOLAS FERRAR, JUNIOR — PUBLICATION OF "THE 
 ARMINIAN nunnery" — BISHOP WILLIAMS's VISI- 
 TATION — THE KING AT GIDDING. 
 
 A.D. 1637 — 1642. 
 
 " Dear, beauteous Death ; the Jewel of the Just ! 
 Shining nowhere but in the dark ; 
 What mysteries do lie beyond thy dust, 
 Could man outlook that mark ! 
 
 '■ He that hath found some fledged bird's nest may know 
 At first sight if the bird be flown ; 
 But what fair dell or grove he sings in now, 
 That is to him unknown." 
 
 H. Vaughan (1621-1695). 
 
 The Community, if so it may be called, at Gidding 
 appears to have suffered little change from the death 
 of the founder. The same charitable works were 
 carried on. We know that the aged widows were 
 still cared for. The poor, no doubt, were relieved, 
 and the Psalm-children taught, as before. The Har-
 
 NICHOLAS FERRAR, JUNIOR. 279 
 
 monies were continued, with even increased zeal, 
 under the charge of young Nicholas.^ 
 
 His cousin, Ferrar Collett, was already at Peter- 
 house, under Crashaw's tutorship, and it seems strange 
 that Nicholas, with his remarkable abilities, should 
 not have enjoyed the same advantage. Perhaps the 
 delicacy of his constitution made his father unwilling 
 that he should change the invigorating breezes of 
 Gidding for the damp Cambridge air. 
 
 This same deHcacy of health, combined with an 
 impediment in his speech, which seems to have been 
 sufficiently marked to be a hindrance in any pursuit 
 which required much intercourse with his fellows, 
 doubtless conduced to the boy's extraordinary devotion 
 to learning. 
 
 He possessed the great powers of attention and 
 application which had distinguished his uncle, but he 
 does not seem to have shared his restless and versatile 
 temper. The elder Nicholas divided his attention 
 among a multiplicity of studies; the younger seems 
 to have given his mind wholly to one branch of learn- 
 ing — the knowledge of languages. His acquisitions in 
 this way are amazing, and his aims far-reaching and 
 noble. Among the papers found in his study after 
 
 ' This chapter is taken from a memoir by John Ferrar, pub- 
 lished in Wordsworth's " Ecclesiastical Biography," and again 
 by Rev. J. E. B. Mayor, in the "Two Lives of Ferrar." The 
 original manuscript is in the Lambeth Library.
 
 28o LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 his premature death is a scheme for translating the 
 New Testament into fifty languages ; and underneath 
 the list of these languages he had written, " This, by 
 the help of God, I intend to effect, and also to trans- 
 late the Church Catechism into these languages, so 
 likewise the 117th Psalm, 'Praise the Lord, all ye 
 heathen : praise Him, all ye nations,' and present 
 them to the king, that he may print them and send 
 them to all nations." 
 
 The amount of work of this kind which he actually 
 executed is truly astonishing. 
 
 In 1640, at the age of twenty-one, he went, accom- 
 panied by his father, to London, taking with him no 
 fewer than six Concordances, all arranged and carried 
 out by himself, with the help of the ladies of the 
 family. Of these books, one was a " Harmony of the 
 New Testament in Twenty-four Languages." ^ On 
 the way they stayed at Cambridge, where the books 
 were shown to many learned persons, and were greatly 
 admired. The father and son arrived in London 
 shortly before Easter, and were received with great 
 kindness by Laud, to whom they presented them- 
 selves. When Nicholas knelt to ask his blessing, the 
 archbishop " embraced him very lovingly," and, having 
 examined the books, was warm in his commendations. 
 "They were truly jewels for princes," he said; and 
 
 ' For a fuller account of these Concordances see Chapter 
 VIII., where they are numbered vi., vii., viii., ix., X., XI.
 
 NICHOLAS FERRAR, JUNIOR. 281 
 
 he desired Nicholas to attend at Whitehall on the 
 following day, Maundy Thursday, that he might 
 present him to the king. 
 
 At the time appointed the youth came with his 
 father to the palace, and took his place among other 
 applicants for royal favour, waiting the archbishop's 
 leisure. 
 
 The great man came in. " Follow me," he said to 
 Nicholas, and led the way into the next room, where 
 the king stood by the fire, with many nobles about 
 him. 
 
 We have here a glimpse of one of the last peaceful 
 days of that stately Court, the home of art and of 
 learning. Laud led the young scholar by the hand 
 into the royal presence, and Charles received him 
 with the kindliest grace. The book, made for the 
 prince, was first exhibited — a splendid volume, bound 
 in green velvet. 
 
 " Here," said the king, " is a fine book for Charles 
 indeed. I hope it will soon make him in love with 
 what is within it, for I know it is good. I like it 
 in all respects exceedingly well, and find Charles 
 will have a double benefit by the contrivement of 
 it, and not only obtain by the daily reading of it a 
 full information of our blessed Saviour's life, doctrine, 
 and actions, but the knowledge of four languages. 
 A couple of better things a prince cannot desire, 
 nor the world recommend to him."
 
 282 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 Nicholas then begged his Majesty's permission to 
 carry the book to the prince. " My learned and 
 religious wise uncle," he said, "under whose wings 
 I was covered, gave me among other rules, this one, 
 that I should never give anything, though never so 
 good and fitting, to any person whatever that had a 
 superior over him, without his consent and approba- 
 tion first obtained." 
 
 " I like the rule well," said the king ; and then, 
 turning to the archbishop, he desired that the young 
 gentleman should carry the book next day to the 
 prince, then staying at Richmond, adding, "It is a 
 good day, and a good work should be done on it." 
 
 Nicholas then produced, one after the other, three 
 more books, one being the New Testament in twenty- 
 four languages. The king turned them over with 
 delighted interest, happy no doubt to forget for a few 
 moments his troubles with the rebellious Scotch, and 
 his anxiety as to the conduct of the short-lived parlia- 
 ment which he had unwillingly summoned at the 
 advice of Strafford, while he examined these efforts 
 of precocious scholarship. " Here we have more and 
 more rarities," he exclaimed. The great Polyglott 
 was surely "the emperor of all books." He called 
 the nobles round him to look and wonder, and 
 appealed to Laud if it were possible that a young 
 man of twenty-one could have acquired the know- 
 ledge of so many languages.
 
 NICHOLAS FERRAR, JUNIOR. 283 
 
 Nicholas had prepared a Httle surprise as an 
 answer to this expected question. He took from 
 the bottom of the box in which he had brought his 
 great works a fifth book, in which he had written 
 out the Gospel of St. John in twenty-one languages, 
 each verse being accompanied by a Latin or English 
 translation made by himself. 
 
 "Lo," said his Majesty, "here is ample proof, and 
 I am fully satisfied in all things." 
 
 He then dismissed Nicholas " with a cheerful royal 
 look," desiring him to attend the prince next morning, 
 and afterwards to wait on the archbishop, who would 
 acquaint him with his further pleasure. 
 
 On the next morning. Good Friday, provided with 
 a letter to Bishop Duppa, the prince's tutor, Nicholas 
 and his father repaired to Richmond. Prince Charles 
 received the book with many expressions of pleasure, 
 and the little Duke of York, delighted with the 
 pictures and the fine binding, begged earnestly that 
 such another might be made for him. " How soon 
 will it be ready ? " he cried, with royal and boyish 
 impatience. " Pray tell the gentlewomen at Gidding 
 I will heartily thank theui if they will despatch it." 
 
 Nicholas dined with Bishop Duppa, and some of 
 the young lords, the prince's companions, among 
 whom was the boy Duke of Buckingham, receiving 
 compliments enough to turn an older head ; it must 
 have been a strange Good Friday for a youth bred at
 
 284 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 Gidding. After dinner the prince somewhat discon- 
 certed him by offering him a handful of gold pieces. 
 The scholar stepped back, perhaps a little affronted, 
 but Charles, with graceful courtesy inherited from his 
 father, assured him that it was not meant as a recom- 
 pense for the work, which he prized far above gold, 
 but only as a testimony of his esteem ; and so, amid 
 many kind words, Nicholas took his leave, attended 
 to his coach by my lord bishop's own secretary. 
 
 On the following morning, Easter Eve, he went 
 to Lambeth, by the archbishop's order, to let him 
 know what had passed at Richmond. The interview 
 is worth transcribing at length as a picture of the 
 great archbishop on his gentler side. Laud, who 
 could be so hasty and sharp of speech, who took so 
 little pains to court popularity, that "few excellent 
 men ever had fewer friends to their persons," ^ had 
 yet an under-current of tender feeling which breaks 
 out in frequent entries in his diaries and private letters. 
 He treated Nicholas with fatherly kindness. He had 
 " much longed to know what entertainment was given 
 to the book and person, and was right glad that 
 things went as he hoped ; he should acquaint the 
 king with all." 
 
 "Then, taking Nicholas Ferrar's father aside, he 
 said, ' Let your care now cease for your hopeful son, 
 or for his future preferment, or estate, or present main- 
 ' Clarendon.
 
 NICHOLAS FERRAR, JUNIOR. 285 
 
 tenance. God hath so inclined the king's heart, and 
 his hking to your son, and the gifts God hath endued 
 him with ; and having been informed of his virtuous, 
 pious education, and singular industry and Christian 
 deportment, and of his sober inclination, that he will 
 take him from you into his own protection and care, 
 and make him his scholar and servant; and hath 
 given me order, that, after the holidays being past, 
 I should send him to Oxford, and that there he shall 
 be maintained in all things needful to him at the 
 king's proper charge, and shall not need what he can 
 desire, to further him in the prosecution of those 
 works he hath begun in matter of languages, and 
 what help of books or heads or hands he shall require 
 he shall not be unfurnished with ; for the king would 
 have this work of the New Testament in twenty-four 
 languages to be accomplished by his own care and 
 assistance ; and to have the help of all the learned 
 men that can be had to that end. Assure yourself 
 he shall want for nothing. In a word, the king is 
 greatly in love with him, and you will, and have cause 
 to, bless and praise God for such a son.' 
 
 "So John Ferrar, being ravished with joy, in all 
 humble manner gave thanks to my lord's grace. And 
 they, returning to Nicholas Ferrar, my lord embraced 
 him, and gave him his benediction. Nicholas Ferrar, 
 kneeling down, took the bishop by the hand and kissed 
 it He took him up in his arms, and laid his hand on
 
 286 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 his cheek, and earnestly besought God Almighty to 
 bless him and increase all grace in him, and fit him 
 every day more and more for an instrument of His 
 glory here upon earth and a saint in heaven, ' which,' 
 said he, ' is the only happiness that can be desired, 
 and ought to be our chief end in all our actions. 
 God bless you ! God bless you ! I have told your 
 father what is to be done for you after the holidays. 
 God will provide for you better than your father can. 
 God bless you, and keep you ! ' So they parted from 
 his grace." 
 
 The archbishop's words were fulfilled, but not in 
 the sense in which they were spoken. Nicholas 
 Ferrar was never to become the king's young scholar 
 and servant. At the moment when his hopes were 
 at the flood, a summons came which could not be 
 put by. His name lives in no roll of famous scholars ; 
 it is inscribed on the forgotten list of the " inheritors 
 of unfulfilled renown." 
 
 Happy they if their thread of life, in the quaintly 
 beautiful phrase of Herbert, is "wound up and laid 
 ready for work in the New Jerusalem." 
 
 It may be that the eager brain of the young student, 
 "like a sharp penknife in a narrow sheath," had 
 worn his strength away, and that excitement and 
 over-fatigue made him an easy prey to the foul air 
 of the narrow London streets, so different to the 
 fresh breezes on the heights of Gidding. On the
 
 NICHOLAS FERRAR, JUNIOR. 287 
 
 same afternoon on which he received the king's 
 promise of protection, the Saturday in Holy Week, 
 he felt unwell, but he rose early on the Easter morn- 
 ing, and received the Holy Communion at St. Paul's 
 Cathedral. On his return he could scarce eat any- 
 thing, and by the following day he became so ill that 
 the anxious father called in two physicians. Nicholas 
 grew worse and worse, but bore his sickness with 
 brave submission and cheerfulness. 
 
 Bishop Williams was still in the Tower, but their 
 old friend Dr. Towers, first Dean and then Bishop of 
 Peterborough, who had known Nicholas from his 
 childhood, and loved him dearly, was in London, 
 and came to minister to him. He confessed and 
 absolved him, and bade his father be of good comfort, 
 for the instructions of his pious uncle had taken 
 mighty root in his soul, and now sprang up not " only 
 with leaves and fair blossoms, but with good and ripe 
 fruit." " He is too good, he is too good," said he, 
 " to live longer in these ill-approaching times. For 
 there is much fear now that the glory of Church and 
 State is at the highest." 
 
 Nicholas prepared himself to resign his young life, 
 and the bright future which seemed opening before 
 him, with touching submission. " I am too young to 
 be mine own judge what is best for me," he said to a 
 friend who asked if he were not grieved to leave the 
 world in the flower of his youth ; " let all be, as God's
 
 288 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 will is. If I live, I desire it may be to His further 
 glory, and mine own soul's good, and the comfort 
 and service that I intend to be to my father, that 
 loves me so dearly, and in his old age to be his 
 servant. If I die I hope my father will submit all to 
 God's will and pleasure, and rejoice at my happiness 
 in heaven, where, by the merits of my blessed Lord 
 and Saviour, I know I shall go out of this wretched 
 life." 
 
 Had he lived he would have met with bitter dis- 
 appointment. The peace of this calm sick-room 
 seems the deeper for its contrast to the growing 
 storm without. On the Monday after I^w Sunday 
 the " Short Parliament " began its sittings. On May 6 
 the king dissolved it in hot indignation at its refusal 
 to aid him against the Scotch. " Things must go 
 worse before they go better," was the ominous com- 
 ment of Cromwell's cousin, Oliver St. John, when he 
 found himself thus abruptly unseated. 
 
 Placards were posted inciting the mob to sack 
 Lambeth Palace. On May ii it was attacked by 
 a mob of Anabaptists, Brownists, and other sectaries, 
 five hundred strong. Laud had notice, and fortified 
 his house as well as he could, and the rabble, finding 
 itself unable to make any impression on the solid 
 walls of Lambeth, turned its attention to Convoca- 
 tion, which was still sitting, and the trainbands had 
 to be called out to protect the bishops. Several
 
 NICHOLAS FERRAR, JUNIOR. 289 
 
 arrests were made, but the prisons were broken open 
 in broad daylight, and the rioters set free. 
 
 The news of these outrages disturbed even the 
 stillness of the sick-chamber. The dying youth was 
 deeply moved. "Alas! alas!" he said, "God help 
 His Church and poor England ! I now fear, indeed, 
 what my dear uncle said before he died, that evil days 
 were coming, and happy were they that went to 
 heaven before they came. . . . God amend all ! 
 Truly, truly, it troubles me." 
 
 By this time it drew towards Ascensiontide. He 
 lingered yet a few days longer. Bishop Towers came 
 again, and found him " most cheerful to die and to 
 be with God." He " gave him absolution, and with 
 many tears departed, saying to his father, ' God give 
 you consolation, and prepare yourself to part with 
 your good son ; ... be of good com.fort ; you give 
 him back again to Him that gave him you for a 
 season.' " 
 
 On the Tuesday before Whit-Sunday, May 19, 
 1640, at the age of twenty-one, Nicholas Ferrar the 
 younger was taken away from the evil to come. 
 
 The stricken father comforted himself by writing 
 a short memoir of these closing days. He says no 
 word of his own sorrow. He forgot himself in his 
 promising son, as completely as he had forgotten 
 himself in his distinguished brother. It is only from 
 a word here and there, from the entry, very touching 
 
 u
 
 290 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 in the light of what was to follow, that he was 
 " ravished with joy " when Laud told him of the 
 king's proposed care of young Nicholas, that we 
 learn that John Ferrar was present throughout ; but 
 the tender pride with which he chronicles every detail 
 of his son's brief success, and the careful treasuring 
 of his last sayings, tell the tale of the father's love 
 and grief more clearly than any words. 
 
 Mr. Ferrar went sadly home along the ways which 
 he had travelled so joyfully but a few wetks before 
 in company with his son, and bravely began the old 
 life afresh. He found consolation and pleasure, no 
 doubt, in watching his little daughter's industrious 
 fingers, as she learnt to take her share in the family 
 work. The book belonging to the Bishop of Bath 
 and Wells, made by " Virginia Ferrar, aged twelve," 
 is dated 1642, and must have been begun about this 
 time. The Concordance which Nicholas had pro- 
 mised to the little Duke of York was also taken in 
 hand. 
 
 The miserable winter of 1640-41 brought new 
 trouble to Gidding. The enemies of the Church were 
 not satisfied with attacking the Archbishop. They 
 desired to give battle all along the line, and even this 
 peaceful family, carrying on their quiet pursuits in the 
 midst of their own fields and woods, were not safe 
 from annoyance. A tract was published called " The
 
 ''THE ARMINIAN NUNNERY." 291 
 
 Arminian Nunnery," ^ containing a scandalous attack 
 on Gidding, "such stories told as the devil himself 
 would be ashamed to utter." A false air of truth was 
 thrown round this publication by the free use of 
 passages in the letter written seven years earlier by 
 Lenton to his friend Sergeant Hetley, describing his 
 visit to Gidding, which letter seems to have been 
 shown about. 
 
 John Ferrar wrote at once to Mr. Lenton, 
 apparently (for his letter is not forthcoming), inquiring 
 if he had taken any share in putting forth the 
 pamphlet. 
 
 Lenton indignantly disclaimed all responsibility, 
 and was evidently extremely annoyed at finding that 
 his kindly gossip had been turned to such malicious 
 use. 
 
 " I should much degenerate," he writes, " from my 
 birth (being a gentleman), my breeding (well known to 
 the world), and the religion I profess, if having, upon 
 something a bold visit, been entertained in your 
 family with kind and civil respects, I should requite 
 it with such scorn and calumny as this libellous 
 
 * " The Arminian Nunnery, or a Brief Description and 
 Relation of the late erected Monasticall Place called the Armi- 
 nian Nunnery at Little Gidding in Huntingdonshire, humbly 
 recommended to the wise consideration of this present Parlia- 
 ment. The Foundation is by a Company of Ferrars at Giddino-. 
 Printed for Thomas Underhill, 1641, London."
 
 292 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 pamphlet seems to insinuate. ... I am so far from 
 being the author, infuser, or countenancer of this 
 fable, that by it I take myself to be as much abused, 
 and that there is as much aspersion cast upon me 
 as upon your family, by a sly and cunning intima- 
 tion (my letter being his groundwork), to make me 
 thought (by such as know me not well) to be the 
 author and divulger of his lies and scandals, which 
 (by God's mercy) my soul abhors." ^ 
 
 But, however groundless, the pamphlet was spread 
 abroad in all directions; copies were put into the 
 hands of members of parliament as they went into the 
 House, and dispersed among the soldiery who passed 
 near Gidding on their way to the army in the north, 
 apparently with the hope of stirring the Puritans to 
 attempt some violence ; but, for the present, no actual 
 injury was done to the family or their property. 
 
 In the midst of this annoyance they were cheered 
 by a visit from Bishop Williams. That time-serving 
 but kindly prelate had been released from the Tower 
 in the autumn of 1640, and for a short time his star 
 was again in the ascendant. 
 
 "The Bishop of Lincoln rides his visitation, and 
 begins in October, and for security he hath an order 
 from the Lords at his own motion," wrote Dr. Busby, 
 the famous and loyal head-master of Westminster, to 
 
 ' Lenton to Ferrar, Oct. 27, 1641. Preface to "Two Lives," 
 p. 23, printed also by Hearne and Peckard.
 
 "THE ARMINIAN NUNNERY." 293 
 
 a friend in the country. " The bishop hath not yet 
 left us at Westminster, remaining alone of all the 
 bishops ; a stout defender of his order and discipline ; 
 not without the envy and broad censures of the 
 people. Pray for the Church, as it concerns us all, 
 and pray for me." ^ 
 
 The bishop went the round of his diocese, diplo- 
 matizing, persuading, preaching to congregations of 
 " ignoble sectaries and high-shone clowns," as 
 Hacket uncivilly calls the Puritans of Lincolnshire 
 and Huntingdonshire; doing his best '4o heal the 
 maladies of brainsick distempers," and draw his 
 people to attend the ministrations of their lawful 
 pastors, instead of following after "coachman- 
 preachers, watchmaking-preachers, barber-preachers, 
 and such addle-headed companions," with very limited 
 success. " So long as he was in place, and for a while 
 that his words were remembered," says the admiring 
 Hacket, he " brought those counties to a handsome 
 state of quietness ; " ^ but the bishop himself confided 
 to John Ferrar that he " was used but coarsely " by the 
 people of Boston, from which place he came to Gidding. 
 
 * Dr. Busby to Dr. Isaac Basire, Vicar of Egglescliffe, and one 
 of the royal chaplains. — " Life and Correspondence of I. B." 
 (Isaac Basire). Twelve bishops, including the Ferrars' friend, 
 Dr. Towers, had spent a considerable portion of this year in 
 prison, for protesting against their exclusion from the House of 
 Lords. 
 
 * •' Life of Archbishop "Williams," part ii. p, 156.
 
 294 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 From his prison in the Tower, Williams had 
 inquired with much interest for Mary and Anna 
 Collett, after their uncle's death; telling Ferrar that 
 he " had now well studied the case of his virgin 
 nieces," and was " armed to maintain their good reso- 
 lutions," which he prayed God to keep them in.^ 
 
 He now exerted himself to vindicate the household 
 from the charge of Popery, saying publicly that "they 
 were of his flock," and he "knew they did practise 
 nothing but what was according to the law of the 
 Church of England," but to the family he counselled 
 prudence, and an avoidance of all that might give 
 offence " seeing whither the stream is turning." He 
 advised them to take down the tablet which Mrs. 
 Ferrar set up in the parlour, and which one would 
 think was harmless enough. " Not that I dislike it," 
 said the bishop, but " the times, as you see, grow 
 high and turbulent ; I counsel as your friend only." 
 
 His advice was taken, " and the old gentlewoman's 
 tablet taken down out of the common parlour, where- 
 into, indeed, not very long after, came men of another 
 garb than the bishop, and of other minds." 
 
 We have one more record of Gidding in its peaceful 
 days ; a memorable and touching incident. 
 
 In March, 1642, on his way from Newmarket to 
 York, the king slept at Huntingdon. Next morning, 
 as, accompanied by his son, his nephew the Elector 
 ' " Life of Nicholas Ferrar," by his brother.
 
 THE KING AT GIDDING. 295 
 
 Palatine, and a train of nobles and county gentlemen, 
 he rode towards Stamford, he observed the roof of a 
 great house among the still leafless trees. " What 
 house is that," he asked, " that stands so pleasingly ? " 
 And on hearing that it was Little Gidding, he ex- 
 pressed a desire to visit the place again. 
 
 The family having heard that he was passing, came 
 loyally down to a litde bridge, near the place where 
 the way to Gidding turned out of the main road, and 
 on his approach, "they all knelt down and prayed 
 God to bless and preserve his Majesty, and protect 
 him from the fury of his enemies." Then one by one 
 they came up to the king, and kissed his hand as he 
 sat on his horse. Prince Charles then came gallop- 
 ing up, and gave his hand likewise to be kissed, and 
 he and the Palsgrave, who was in the company, pro- 
 posed that the ladies should mount their horses, and 
 ride behind them up the hill. This invitation was 
 declined, and the ladies hastened up the steep fields 
 as quickly as they could, the king courteously keeping 
 his horse at a foot pace, as he rode beside them up 
 the grassy track toward the house. 
 
 Before entering the house, he went to look at the 
 church ; the accusations of Popery put forth in " The 
 Arminian Nunnery " had probably reached his ears. 
 
 " Where," he said, " are those images so much talked 
 of?" He was told that everything had always been 
 as his Majesty now saw it. " I knew it full well that
 
 296 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 never any were in it," he answered, smiling; "but 
 what will not malice invent ? " 
 
 One of the lords present said that he had been told 
 there was in one of the windows a cross in painted 
 glass. 
 
 " The lion that supported the king's arms (in the 
 west window) had on the crown he wore on his head 
 a little cross," was the answer. There was no other 
 painted glass or picture in the church. 
 
 " Envy is quick-sighted," said the Duke of Lenox. 
 
 "Nay, it can see what is not," the Palsgrave 
 answered. 
 
 From the church they went past Nicholas Ferrar's 
 grave, across the garden to the house, and the king 
 asked to see the book which was being made for 
 Prince Charles. It was brought, the tallest of tall 
 folios, more than two feet high, magnificent in purple 
 velvet.^ 
 
 "Sir," said the Duke of Lenox, "one of your 
 strongest guard will be but able to carry this book." 
 
 It was laid on the table before the king. He read 
 over the title and frontispiece " very deliberately," 
 and then proceeded carefully to examine the book. 
 "Charles," he said to the prince, who stood by, 
 "here is a book that contains excellent things; this 
 will make you both wise and good." He was much 
 
 ' Probably the one now in possession of Captain Gaussen. 
 See Chap. VIII., No. xiii.
 
 THE KING AT GIDDING. 297 
 
 interested in the engravings with which the book was 
 illustrated, and pointed them out to his nephew, who 
 seems to have had some share of his brother Rupert's 
 knowledge of such matters, naming the engravers. 
 
 The king sat for hours turning over the book, 
 reading and asking questions, while the younger 
 members of his suite roved about the house, winding 
 up with a visit to the buttery, whence they emerged 
 with their hands full of apple-pie and cheesecakes. 
 They were full of gaiety and laughter, as was natural, 
 the Prince of Wales the gayest of them all. To 
 them the ride to York was no doubt a holiday ex- 
 pedition, and the struggle with the Parliament a 
 matter which would soon be put to rights, scarce 
 worth a moment's serious thought; but to Charles 
 what thoughts must have come as he sat turning the 
 leaves of the great Pentateuch, glad, no doubt, of 
 leisure and quiet, of the calm unworldly atmosphere 
 of the devout house. How much he had passed 
 through since, two years before, with Laud at his 
 side, he had received John Ferrar and his lost son at 
 Whitehall. Now Laud was in the Tower, and he 
 himself had quitted his palace, never again to return 
 as king. He had broken with his Parliament ; only 
 a few days before he came to Gidding he had ridden 
 along the cliffs of Dover to watch, as long as the sails 
 remained in sight, the ship that bore his beloved wife 
 to her refuge in France.
 
 298 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 He was roused at last by the Palsgrave, who 
 begged him to come and see the alms widows' rooms, 
 which he said he would like well. Charles went 
 through them, "looking well about him." "Truly," 
 he said, " this is worth the sight. I did not think to 
 have seen a thing in this kind that so well pleaseth 
 me. God's blessing be upon the founders thereof," 
 and taking from his pocket five pieces of gold, he 
 directed that they should be given to the poor widows, 
 adding, " and will them to pray for me." 
 
 Before his departure, he looked round on the 
 peaceful landscape — the house set deep in budding 
 orchards, the sheep feeding in the meadows. " Gidding 
 is a happy place in many respects ; I am glad I have 
 seen it," he said. 
 
 The sun got low, and Stamford, their destination 
 for the night, was still far away. The horses were 
 brought to the door, and, while the king mounted, all 
 the family, men and women, knelt down and prayed 
 God to bless and defend him, and give him a long 
 and happy reign. He, lifting his hand to his hat, 
 replied, " Pray, pray for my speedy and safe return." ^ 
 
 He rode away through the gathering twilight with 
 the young princes and his attendant nobles, a gallant 
 train, making a splendid appearance in the country 
 lanes j away to Stamford and the North; to be 
 
 ' "Life of Nicholas Fenar," by his brother, pp. 130-136; 
 and Appendix, p. 253.
 
 THE KING AT GIDDING. 299 
 
 repulsed from the gates of Hull ; to gather a loyal 
 remnant of his Parliament at York ; to raise, before 
 the summer was out, his standard at Nottingham ; to 
 meet his rebellious subjects in open field at Edgehill. 
 Once again, after four weary years, he came to 
 Gidding, disguised, almost alone, in the shadows of 
 night and failure.
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 GIDDING DURING THE CIVIL WAR — JOHN FERRAR 
 PLANS ANOTHER POLYGLOTT — THE KING's LAST 
 VISIT — SACK OF GIDDING — RETURN OF THE 
 FAMILY— DEATHS OF JOHN FERRAR AND MR. AND 
 MRS. COLLETT. 
 
 A.D. 1642 — 1660. 
 
 " We can see 
 The Church thrive in her misery, 
 And like her Head at Bethlehem, rise. 
 When she oppressed with trouble lies. 
 Rise ? Should all fall, we cannot be 
 In more extremities than He. 
 
 " But stay ! what light is that doth stream 
 And drop here in a gilded beam ? 
 It is Thy star runs page, and brings 
 The tributary Eastern kings. 
 Lord, grant some light to us, that we 
 May find with them the way to Thee I 
 
 " Behold what mists eclipse the day ! 
 How dark it is ! Shed down one ray, 
 To guide us out of this dark night, 
 And say once more, ' Let there be light. ' " 
 
 H. Vaughan, from " Verses on the Nativity 
 0/ our Lord, written in 1656."
 
 GIDDING DURING THE CIVIL WAR. 301 
 
 The chronicles of Gidding end with the outbreak of 
 the Civil War. We have only scattered notices, a 
 brief note on the margin of a manuscript, an occasional 
 sentence in a letter, to show how the Ferrars and 
 Colletts lived through these years of distress and 
 disaster. 
 
 Through the summer of 1642 armed men were 
 passing continually along the lanes which lie below 
 the Gidding fields. The distant tramp of horse, the 
 flash of arms among the trees, must have become 
 familiar sounds and sights to the inhabitants of 
 Gidding from the earliest period of the war. The 
 house stood alone on its green hill, an unwarlike 
 stronghold of loyalty and Churchmanship, in the 
 midst of a hostile countr}'. 
 
 Here, perhaps, Barnabas Oley came for shelter 
 when the college tutor, roused from his steady work 
 at Clare by the excitement of the hour, rode, with a 
 few trusty friends, " through bypaths in the night," to 
 carry a contribution of plate from loyal Cambridge 
 to the aid of the king at Nottingham,^ slipping 
 triumphantly, in the darkness, past Oliver Cromwell 
 himself, who, "with a train of townsmen and 
 rustics," lay in wait to intercept him not far from 
 Huntingdon. 
 
 Except for such chance visitors as may have taken 
 
 * Dr. Worthington's Diary, quoted by Mr. Mullinger, "Cam- 
 bridge in the Seventeenth Century."
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 Gidding in their way to join the Royalist armies, or to 
 exchange secretly a few words of sympathy on the 
 troubles which came thicker every year, the lives of 
 John Ferrar and his family must have become more 
 and more isolated. Their school was apparently 
 broken up, for little John Mapletoft was sent to be 
 educated at Westminster, where Dr. Busby calmly 
 carried on his work throughout the turmoil, with un- 
 diminished energy, and a special regard for the 
 children of Royalists. He seems to have been 
 personally acquainted with the Ferrars. "Certify 
 me when and how I may pay my respects to your 
 friends in Huntingdonshire," he writes to Basire, in 
 September, 1642. 
 
 The wreck of Peterborough Cathedral, in 1643, 
 must have struck all lovers of the Church — it might 
 almost be said, all true lovers of the worship of God — 
 with heart-sickness. Such outrages soon became too 
 common ; but the beautiful church which rises among 
 the waters of the Nen valley was the first to suffer. 
 
 "In this place," says Gunton, "began that strange 
 kind of deformed Reformation which afterwards 
 passed over most places in the land, by robbing, 
 rifling, and defacing churches." 
 
 The troopers (they were under the command of 
 Cromwell's son) dragged down the altar screen, and 
 being unable to reach the painting of our Saviour in 
 glory, which hung above, fired at it until it was
 
 GIDDING DURING THE CIVIL WAR. 303 
 
 riddled by shot. They carried off the silver candle- 
 sticks from the altar, tore up all the Common Prayer- 
 books that could be found, pulled out the Apocrypha 
 from the great Bible, and destroyed the whole of the 
 carved decoration of the choir stalls. 
 
 Their wrath was specially hot against the organs, 
 of which there were two pair. These were *' stamped, 
 trampled on, and broken in pieces, with such a 
 strange, furious, and frantic zeal, as cannot be well 
 conceived but by them that saw it." 
 
 When a " well-disposed person " who was present 
 offered some protest against this fearfiil sacrilege, the 
 officer in command merely remarked, " See how these 
 poor people are concerned to see their idols pulled 
 down." 
 
 The soldiers stayed a fortnight in Peterborough, 
 and " went to church daily to do mischief." ^ 
 
 In December of the same year the storm broke on 
 Cambridge. "We went to Peterhouse," writes one 
 of the spoilers, evidently rejoicing in his work, " and 
 pulled down two mighty great angels with wings, 
 and divers other angels, and the four Evangelists, and 
 Peter, with his keies, over the chapell dore, and about 
 a hundred cherubims and angels, and divers supersti- 
 tious letters in gold." '^ At Little St. Mary's, close 
 
 ' Gunton's " Peterborough." 
 
 * Quoted in Dr. Grosart's introduction to " Fuller Worthies," 
 edition of Crashaw.
 
 304 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 by, the church in which Crashaw spent so many 
 hours in prayer, "sixty superstitious pictures" were 
 destroyed. 
 
 Next year the heads and fellows of colleges were 
 required to sign the Covenant. Upwards of two 
 hundred refused compliance, and were ejected in 
 consequence. 
 
 Among those who went out was Crashaw. His 
 tender and sensitive spirit was well-nigh broken by 
 the desolation of the holy places he had loved so 
 well, the ruin which seemed falling on the University 
 and the Church. His version of the 137th Psalm 
 is perhaps an expression of his feelings during this 
 time of bitter pain. 
 
 " Sing ! play ! to whom, ah ! shall we sing or play 
 If not, Jerusalem, to thee ? 
 Ah ! thee, Jerusalem, ah ! sooner may 
 This hand forget the mastery 
 Of music's dainty touch, than I 
 The music of thy memory. 
 
 •' Which when I lose, oh ! may at once my tongue 
 Lose this same busy-speaking art ; 
 Unperched, her vocal arteries unstr*ing. 
 No more acquainted with my heart, 
 On my dry pallat's roof to rest, 
 A withered leaf, an idle guest." 
 
 He lacked the courage and patience to wait for better 
 days. " Upon an infallible foresight that the Church
 
 GIDDING DURING THE CIVIL WAR. 305 
 
 of England would be quite ruinated by the untimely 
 fury of the Presbyterians," ^ he left England, joined 
 the Roman Church, and, after long wandering and 
 much poverty, died in 1650, at the age of thirty-five, 
 having enjoyed for a few weeks some small office at 
 Loretto. There, in the great church which encloses 
 the "holy house," he lies buried, far from his early 
 friends.^ 
 
 Through loneliness, and loss, and anxiety, the 
 Ferrars kept bravely on with their life of prayer, of 
 charity, and steady industry. The labours of the 
 Concordance room were continued as before, and 
 John Ferrar, with courage unabated by bereavement 
 and straitened circumstances, still cherished the hope 
 of carrying out some of the lofty designs of his dead 
 son. 
 
 He formed a scheme, probably with the assistance 
 of Ferrar CoUett, for a Polyglott on a still more 
 extensive scale than those presented to the king. It 
 was to consist of the New Testament in twenty-six 
 languages, Chaldee and Samaritan being added to the 
 twenty-four employed by young Nicholas. To these 
 were to be added twelve several English translations, 
 twenty various Latin translations, three in Italian, 
 etc., besides a comparison between the authorized 
 and the Rhemish versions of the English Testament, 
 
 ' Preface to first edition of " Poems." 
 
 * See Dr. Grosart, "Fuller Worthies," ed, of Crasliaw's Poems. 
 
 X
 
 3o6 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 the two being placed side by side; together with a 
 defence of the Authorized Version against the 
 slanders of one Gregory Martin. 
 
 The following letters relate to the preparation of 
 materials for this gigantic undertaking. They are 
 undated, but the mention of the "stately Bible of the 
 King of France," as lately printed, seems to prove 
 that they were written some time in 1645, in which 
 year a magnificent Bible in Hebrew, Samaritan, 
 Chaldee, Greek, Syriac, Latin, and Arabic, was 
 published in Paris in nine folio volumes. 
 
 John Ferrar to Dr. Basire. 
 
 "At your best leisure. 
 
 "Worthy Sir, 
 
 " That you will please to favour me with your 
 help and advice, how and where to procure these 
 ensuing things, by your own and friends' assistance. 
 
 " I. All the several translations that have been 
 since Henry VIH.'s time of the Holy Bible in the 
 English tongue." 
 
 (Here follows a list of translations.) 
 
 " 2. And all the several translations of the New 
 Testament." 
 
 (Here follows a list of desiderata in various 
 languages.) 
 
 " 3. To inquire if the great and stately Bible of
 
 G ID DING DURING THE CIVIL WAR. 307 
 
 the King of France in the seven several languages, 
 be come yet into England, and the price of it ; if not, 
 how it is at Paris sold, and if the New Testament is 
 not to be had single. I suppose the French preachers 
 in London can inform you at full of it." 
 
 (Here follows an inquiry for further translations, 
 among others Armenian and Persian, which " are to 
 be had at Venice, so that Signior Burlamac, the 
 Postmaster at London, spoken to by any friend, 
 would easily send for them to come in the first ship 
 that comes from Venice.") 
 
 " If so be our dear brother Thristcross ^ should 
 desire, or you so think good, that he take a copy of 
 the titles of these books in the other paper, which 
 were done at Gidding, he may. For it may be some 
 of his acquaintance of noble personages, may desire 
 some of them to be made for them ; yea, some rich 
 divines, as deans, or prebends, etc. And it may be 
 there may be more occasion to show them, upon this 
 libel,^ which makes as if there were no work done at 
 Gidding, but all the time spent in contemplation, as 
 it would make the world believe : that they may see 
 this cost hath time and much labour every way ; and 
 it may do us much right in that thing." 
 
 ' Chaplain to the Duke of Lenox. 
 ■ "The Arminian Nunnery."
 
 3o8 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 Second Letter. 
 "At your best and spare leisure, and when there 
 is fitting time and opportunity for it. 
 
 '•'Sir, 
 
 " I have now further taken the presumption to 
 send you herein enclosed the titles or frontispieces 
 of some of those works and books done at Gidding ; 
 the inventions and patterns left us by our dearest 
 brother. 
 
 " The intent and end I have in it (submitting all 
 this and other my desires to your better judgement) 
 is, that if you think so good to show them to my lord 
 of Durham,^ or to some other worthy noble person- 
 ages ; if his lordship or they might desire to have any 
 of these made for their uses, and would bestow their 
 money upon them, if not for their own use, yet it may 
 be for some library, as rarities in their kinds and the 
 handiwork of women (for their manufacture, I mean, 
 and labour of putting together by way of pasting, etc.), 
 we should be glad of the employment for our younger 
 and elder people ; and it may be if noble personages 
 and learned knew of them, they would be casting 
 away money upon them as well as upon other things. 
 My Lord Wharton, upon the sight of King's Con- 
 cordance, desired to have one in an inferior kind and 
 
 ' Dr. Morion, Bishop of Durham.
 
 GIDDING DURING THE CIVIL WAR. 309 
 
 sort, for the king's stands us in above ;^ioo ; but my 
 lord Wharton's cost him but ;^37 ; and so much he 
 gave us for it willingly ; but it was deemed of all that 
 saw it to be of more worth. 
 
 " Well, sir, I know you love us, and would be glad 
 in any good way to promote our affairs and employ- 
 ments; if shall find that the times settle, and men 
 grow out of these fears and doubts ; I hope in God, 
 if the bishops and Book of Common Prayer be 
 established, all will settle shortly in a good end; 
 which God Almighty grant, unto whom I recommend 
 this and yourself, and am 
 
 "Yours, 
 
 "J. F. 
 
 " To Dr. Easier at his best leisure and fitting time." ^ 
 
 The answers to these letters are not given, and 
 we do not know whether Dr. Basire took any steps 
 to procure the books. Probably not, for " the sad 
 times coming on amain, gave an obstruction to these 
 proceedings." In the following year, Basire was a 
 prisoner for his loyalty in Stockton Castle, and on his 
 release, his living of Egglescliff being sequestrated, 
 he thought "that it was better to turn his steps 
 towards Italy than towards Newgate," and went 
 abroad to seek subsistence as tutor to the sons of 
 some royalist gentlemen. Finding, after a time, 
 * Rev. J. E. B. Mayor, Appendix to "Two Lives of Ferrar."
 
 3IO LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 employment in Eastern Europe, he did not return 
 to England till after the Restoration. 
 
 After the crushing defeat at Naseby, the fall of one 
 royalist stronghold after another, the surrender of 
 Astley and of Hopton, the most sanguine of royalists 
 could hardly dare to hope that bishops or other noble 
 personages could soon be in a condition to assist in 
 the production of costly and learned works. 
 
 John Ferrar had other reasons, besides the im- 
 prisonment of Dr. Basire, and the difficulty of pro- 
 curing the rare and costly books he needed, for 
 postponing his grand project. He had already seen 
 most of his friends driven from their homes. His 
 own turn was now close at hand. 
 
 On April 27, 1646, the king, in despair, left Oxford 
 secretly. He wandered from place to place in dis- 
 guise, attended only by his trusty chaplain, Dr. 
 Hudson, and Mr. Ashburnham. At length he came 
 to Downham, in Norfolk. In his desolation, the 
 remembrance of the religious house in which he had 
 spent some peaceful hours on the eve of the war 
 recurred to liis mind. Very privately, in the darkness 
 of night, he came once more to Gidding. The steep 
 field, to the southwest of the church, up which he is 
 said to have come, is still called the King's Close. 
 " Having an entire confidence in the family, he made 
 himself known to Mr. John Ferrar, who received his 
 Majesty with all possible duty and respect. But
 
 C ID DING DURING THE CIVIL WAR. 311 
 
 fearing that Gidding, from the known loyalty of the 
 family, might be a suspected place, for better conceal- 
 ment he conducted his Majesty to a private house at 
 Coppingford, an obscure village at a small distance from 
 .Gidding, and not far from Stilton. Here the king slept, 
 and went from thence. May 3, to Stamford, where he 
 lodged one night, stayed till eleven the next night, and 
 from thence went, on May 5, to join the Scotch army." ^ 
 
 On the i6th, Charles wrote from Newcastle, to Sir 
 Edward Nicholas at Oxford, the despairing words, 
 " Know that you are not to expect releefe, so that I 
 give you leave to treate on good condic'ons." ^ 
 
 Perhaps, in spite of all precautions, the king's visit 
 to Gidding became known to some parliamentary 
 ofificer in the neighbourhood, for the blow which had 
 long been threatened fell on Gidding at this crisis. 
 
 "Not long before the real tragedy of King Charles 
 was perpetrated, active soldiers of the Parliament 
 party resolved to plunder the house at Gidding. 
 The family being informed of their intended approach, 
 thought it prudent to fly, and, as to their persons, 
 endeavour to escape the intended violence. 
 
 * Peckard, on authority of a manuscript account by J. Ferrar. 
 No mention of Charles's visit to Gidding at this time is made in 
 the inquiry instituted by the Commonwealth into the particulars 
 of his journey, but Dr. Peckard considers that it took place 
 during an evening which that inquiry leaves unaccounted for. 
 
 * The king to Sir E. Nicholas, "Diary and Correspondence of 
 John Evelyn."
 
 SI2 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 " These military zealots, in the rage of what they 
 called reformation, ransacked both the church and 
 the house. In doing which they expressed a par- 
 ticular spite against the organ. This they broke in 
 pieces, of which they made a large fire, and thereat 
 roasted several of Mr. Ferrar's sheep, which they 
 had killed in his grounds. This done, they seized all 
 the plate, furniture, and provision which they could 
 conveniently carry away. And in this general devasta- 
 tion perished those works of Mr. Nicholas Ferrar 
 which merited a better fate." ^ 
 
 It does not appear whether the ejection of Ferrar 
 Collett from his fellowship at Peterhouse had any 
 connection with this attack on Gidding, but it took 
 place in the same year — on November 6, 1646. 
 
 Where the Ferrars took shelter in their trouble 
 we are not informed, no letters or journals belonging 
 to this time of distress having come to light. We 
 may be sure that they suffered much. The universal 
 poverty which overwhelmed the royalist party had 
 touched its lowest point, and out of all their many 
 friends few indeed could have been in a position to 
 offer them shelter or help in their need. Mrs. Basire's 
 letters to her husband give a pathetic description of 
 her efforts to bring up her children on the scanty and 
 ill-paid "fifths," which were allowed for the main- 
 tenance of the families of the sequestered clergy. 
 * Peckard.
 
 GIDDING DURING THE CIVIL WAR. 313 
 
 She writes to say that her " frend busbe " (Dr. Busby) 
 had offered to educate their eldest boy free of cost, 
 if she could pay for his board, but even this she 
 cannot manage. Dr. Basire, now at Rouen with his 
 pupils, can do little to help her. " I advise every one 
 interessed in the English desolation, to read the Book 
 of Lamentations," he writes to her, apparently by way 
 of consolation. 
 
 In the following summer the hopes of the royalists 
 began to revive. On July 7, 1647, Sir Edward 
 Nicholas wrote, full of hope in the pending negotiations 
 between Charles and the parliament, " I hope it will 
 not now be long before we heare that peace in England 
 is in soe good forwardness as that honnest men may 
 return with comfort to their homes. Dr. Hammond 
 preached, Sunday was se'ennight, before the king, when 
 service was said according to the English Liturgy. 
 God will, I trust, finish the good work which he hath 
 so wonderfully begun for the peace and good of 
 England." ^ 
 
 During this breathing space, Mr. Ferrar brought 
 his family back to Gidding. 
 
 On July 27 Dr. Busby communicates the news to 
 their mutual friend, Basire : " A dead numnes hath 
 these many years fall'n on my spirits, as upon the 
 nation; join with me in the versicle, 'O Lord my 
 
 * Sir E. Nicholas to Dr. Basire, "Life and Correspondence 
 of Isaac Basire."
 
 314 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR 
 
 God, lighten mine eyes tliat I sleep not in death ! ' 
 All things at this time are in so dubious a calme, that 
 the fear is greatest when the danger is less. . . . 
 Mr. Thuscrosse is again settled in Yorkshire, Mr. 
 Ferrar with his family at Gidden, long since Mr, 
 Mapletoft hath a good living. All remember you, the 
 Joseph in affliction." 
 
 The calm lasted a few months longer. In October, 
 Nicholas could still write, with unconquerable hope- 
 fulness, " I do not despair but before the spring, 
 the king may yet be resetled on his throane. . . . All 
 now expect to heare whether his Ma'ts pious over- 
 ture for a personall treaty for an accomodation 
 wil be yielded unto, and then what will be the 
 yssue of that treaty, which I trust wil be a happy 
 peace." 
 
 The king's flight from Hampton Court, his re- 
 capture, the renewed outbreak of civil war, dashed 
 all these hopes to the ground. 
 
 We know nothing of the Ferrars during the sad days 
 that followed. They must have shared fully in the 
 awestruck and amazed horror with which the country 
 heard of the king's death sentence, " that horrid act 
 of which noe age ever heard the like." " I look for 
 nothing after this but the destruction of the kingdom," 
 wrote the Dean of Bristol to his brother, Sir E. 
 Nicholas.^ " The sad news," says Basire, " had almost 
 ' " Nicholas Papers," edited by Mr. Warner.
 
 GIDDING DURING THE CIVIL WAR. 315 
 
 spoyled my life ; yet his blood lives, and cries loud I 
 fear." 
 
 In one respect, the Ferrars were more fortunate 
 than most of their friends. They were never deprived 
 of the services of the faithful friend and pastor, who 
 had ministered to them ever since the first years of 
 their coming to Gidding. 
 
 The living of Great Gidding was very poor, and 
 was perhaps not considered worth sequestrating, for 
 Mr. Groose held it undisturbed throughout the Civil 
 War, and into the first years of the Restoration.^ 
 
 It may surely be viewed as a special blessing, granted 
 to their continual prayer, that even in the darkest 
 years of the Commonwealth the family of Gidding 
 were never deprived of the Sacraments of the Church. 
 
 "Where shall we now receive the Viaticum with 
 safety ? How shall we be baptized ? * For to this pass 
 is it come, sir," wrote John Evelyn, in 1655, to his 
 "ghostly father," Jeremy Taylor. "The shepherds 
 are smitten, and the sheep must of a necessity be 
 scattered, unlesse the greate Shephearde of Soules 
 oppose, or some of His delegates reduce and direct 
 
 » This appears from the registers of Gidding Church, See 
 Mr. Mayor, Appendix. 
 
 * Sir Ralph Verney writes to his wife in 1647, " Now for 
 the christening. I pray give noe offence to the State ; should 
 it bee donn in the old way perhapps it may bring more trouble 
 uppon you then you can immagen."—" Memoirs of the Verney 
 Family."
 
 3i6 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 US. Deare Sir, we are now preparing to take our last 
 sad farewell (as they threaten) of God's service in 
 this citty or anywhere else in publique. I must con- 
 fesse it is a sad consideration, but it is what God sees 
 best, and to what we must submitt. My comfort is, 
 Deus providebit^'' ^ 
 
 In the tiny church at Gidding, hidden by its 
 sheltering woods, the edict of " Julianus Redivivus," 
 as Evelyn terms Cromwell, could perhaps be safely 
 disregarded ; if it were not so, at least in the great 
 parlour, or the oratories sanctified by years of nightly 
 intercession, the holy Mysteries might still be celebrated 
 by the faithful friend who for so many years had fed 
 that little flock with the Bread of Life. 
 
 The remaining members of the family still clung 
 together. 
 
 " My dear Swete Sister," writes Susannah Chedley 
 (formerly Susannah Mapletoft) to Virginia Ferrar, in 
 1650, "the blessed Psalm saith, it is a joyful thing 
 when brethren dwell together in unity, as I am sure 
 you do." 
 
 Virginia, now gro^^^l to womanhood, seems to have 
 been a great joy and delight to her family, " making a 
 sunshine in the shady place." Among the Magdalene 
 College manuscripts are numerous letters to her from 
 Susannah Chedley, and from Jane CoUett, wife to her 
 
 >John Evelyn to Dr. Taylor, London, March 18, 1655, 
 " Diary and Correspondence."
 
 GIDDING DURING THE CIVIL WAR. 317 
 
 cousin Richard, " Your noble and free sperrit . . . 
 hath satisfide me beyond expression," writes Jane in 
 one of her affectionate ill-spelt epistles, which present 
 a great contrast to Susannah's careful writing. 
 
 It is pleasant to think that John Ferrar's declining 
 years were brightened by the presence of this beloved 
 child. He occupied himself in writing the Memoirs 
 from which this book is drawn — and still the vision of 
 his great Bible flitted before his eyes. 
 
 " It hath lain still till this year, 165 — " ^ (they are 
 the closing words of "Observations on the Works 
 done at Gidding ") ; " and now it hath so fallen out, 
 that (to the honour of those worthy learned men 
 that have, by their great care and diligence, set it on 
 foot) the printing of the Holy Bible in eight several 
 languages is designed here in England ; ^ the which 
 work in many respects is like to pass that Bible both 
 of the King of Spain's, and the aforenamed King of 
 France's : in which regard it is now thought fitting to 
 defer this model and intended work, till that our Bible 
 be finished. And then, by the good blessing of God, 
 and the help of some of those active hands, that are 
 yet alive, who were instruments of the other many 
 precedent works, as you have heard, this may in a 
 good hour be begun, and by the help of God and good 
 
 ' Year omitted or illegible in manuscripts. 
 '^ The printing of Bishop Walton's Polyglott was begun in 
 1653, and completed 1657.
 
 3i8 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 friends brought to light and finished. ... A book it 
 will be that hath not its parallel or match in the whole 
 world, and may well become, as many learned men 
 say that have seen the model of it, the best library in 
 the Christian world, and a jewel not unbeseeming the 
 greatest potentate's study. God Almighty give both 
 means and heads and hands to effect it : to whom must 
 be the glory, praise, and honour ! Amen, amen, 
 amen." ^ 
 
 In the September of the year in which the English 
 Polyglott was published — 1657 — the earthly remains 
 of John Ferrar were laid in Gidding churchyard, and 
 his noble conception was left a dream unrealized. 
 
 On the memorial brass, which still remains in 
 Gidding church, is inscribed, beneath his name and 
 arms, the same text which, on his first coming to 
 Gidding, was engraved over the door of the house : 
 *' Flee from evil, and do ye the thing y' is right, and 
 dwell for ever-more." 
 
 His sister, Mrs. Collett, survived him little more 
 than a week, dying on the 9th of October, at the age 
 of seventy-six. She had been a widow seven years, 
 Mr. Collett having ended his quiet life in 1650. Both 
 husband and wife lie in the churchyard at Gidding, 
 and near them rests their daughter, Susannah Chedley, 
 " who exchanged this Hfe for a better on the 31st day 
 
 ' " Observations on Works done at Gidding," printed with 
 '• Two Lives," by Mr. Mayor.
 
 GIDDING DURING THE CIVIL WAR. 319 
 
 of October, in the year of our Lord 1657, and of her 
 pilgrimage fifty and five," ^ but three weeks after her 
 mother. 
 
 The inhabitants of Gidding Hall were by this time 
 but few. The family now consisted of John Ferrar's 
 only surviving son, also named John, with his wife 
 and children, and his sister Virginia, Mary and Anna 
 Collett, their brother Ferrar, and the young Maple- 
 tofts — the children of Susannah Chedley by her first 
 marriage. Mrs. Collett's younger daughters were all 
 married, and the sons long since established in their 
 various trades and professions. The great house 
 must have been far too large for the diminished 
 numbers and lessened means of the household. At 
 what time they removed from it, and suffered it to 
 fall into decay, is not known. A note from Ferrar 
 Collett to his brother Nicholas in town,^ containing 
 a list of small commissions for their sister Mary,, 
 proves that they were still at Gidding in i66o. At 
 some later date John Ferrar, with his wife and sister, 
 removed to Old Park, but the connection with 
 Gidding remained unbroken, for the brother and sister 
 were both buried among their kindred. Virginia died 
 in 1668. John survived till 17 15, when he passed 
 away at the age of eighty-nine. Two small brasses 
 in Gidding church preserve his memory and that of 
 
 ' Inscription on her tomb in Gidding churchyard. 
 
 ' Mnfjjdrilcnc College Manuscripts.
 
 320 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 his wife. He left a large family, of whom some 
 descendants yet remain. His grandson, Thomas, was 
 buried at Gidding in 1748, and the baptism of the 
 litde daughter of a cousin, Henry Ferrar, is noted in 
 the Gidding Register in 1753. After this date the 
 estate seems to have passed out of the hands of the 
 Ferrars.^ 
 
 • For these dates the writer is indebted to Mr. Mayor's 
 
 Appendix.
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 LAST NOTICES OF MARY COLLETT — SOME ACCOUNT 
 OF HER NEPHEW AND ADOPTED SON_, DR. JOHN 
 MAPLETOFT — THE END. 
 
 A.D. 1 660- 1 720. 
 
 " Hqw brave a prospect is a traversed plain, 
 Where flowers and palms refresh the eye, 
 And days well spent like the glad East remain, 
 Whose morning glories cannot die." 
 
 H. Vaughan. 
 
 When the home at Gidding was broken up, Mary and 
 Anna CoUett seem to have left the neighbourhood, 
 for their names are not to be found among those who 
 sleep in that peaceful churchyard. Of Anna, indeed, 
 we have no further knowledge except such as is con- 
 tained in the few words written by John Mapletoft 
 under the sisters' names in the " Conversation Book." 
 
 "Who both died Virgins, resolving (so) to live 
 v/hen they were young, by the grace of God." ^ 
 
 A slight and uncertain glimpse of the surroundings 
 
 ' Chap. YII.
 
 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 of Mary in her later years, may be gathered from a 
 few words written in a copy of the Eikon Basilike^ 
 given by her to a friend. 
 
 "This book was bound at litle Giding in Hunting- 
 donshire by ye much celebrated Mrs. Mary Colet, ye 
 beloved Neece of ye famous Mr. Nicolas Farar, who 
 honoured her with ye title of Chief of his most pious 
 Society. 
 
 " I leave ye Book as a valuable jewel to my Son, 
 who in his childhood was very dear to ye S' who 
 presented me ye book and who bound it with her own 
 hands. 
 
 *' Anne Grigg, March, 
 
 " 1678." » 
 
 Anne Grigg is probably the Mrs. Grigge to whom 
 Bishop Ken addressed, in 1691, an interesting letter 
 (given in Dean Plumptre's Life of Ken), written in 
 terms which imply friendship and confidence. 
 
 "God of His infinite goodnesse," it concludes, 
 "multiply His blessings on yourself and on my good 
 friends with you, and enable us to doe, and to suffer, 
 His most Holy Will. 
 
 " Your very affectionate friend, 
 
 " Thos. Bath and Wells." 
 
 ' Rev. J. E. B. Mayor, Appendix. The book belonged, in 
 1858, to the Rev. T. H. Tooke, who showed it to Mr. Mayor.
 
 DR. JOHN MAPLETOFT. 323 
 
 The " good friends " were Francis Turner, the 
 nonjuring Bishop of Ely, and his mother, in whose 
 family Mrs. Grigge was living, apparently as governess 
 to the bishop's daughter. 
 
 We may suppose, therefore, that it was through 
 this lady, or perhaps direct from Mary Collett herself, 
 that Bishop Turner obtained the materials for his life 
 of Nicholas Ferrar. 
 
 The link between Mrs. Grigge and Mary Collett 
 is easily found. Mrs. Grigge was cousin to the 
 celebrated John Locke, to whose constant kindness 
 she and her son (she was early left a widow) seem 
 to have been much indebted; and one of Locke's 
 earliest and closest friends was John Mapletoft. The 
 friendship extended to the members of their respec- 
 tive families. "And now I come to you, beloved, 
 first, with a word of information, that your cousin 
 Collett is well," Locke writes to Mapletoft in 1672,1 
 and Mapletoft in return sends messages of remem- 
 brance to Mrs. Grigge. 
 
 A short account of Mary Collett's adopted son 
 may form a not unfitting close to this imperfect sketch 
 of the family to which he owed his training. 
 
 John Mapletoft^ was originally mtended for Holy 
 Orders, but the troublous times in which he grew up 
 
 ' Fox Bournes' " Life of Lccke." 
 
 * See "Life of Dr. Mapletoft" in Ward's "Gresham Pro- 
 fessors," and Rev. R. F. Secretan's "Life of Robert Nelson."
 
 324 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 long prevented the fulfilment of his desire. Follow- 
 ing the footsteps of his great-uncle Nicholas, he 
 proceeded, after graduating at Trinity College, Cam- 
 bridge, to Italy, and there devoted himself to the 
 study of medicine. On his return to England he 
 settled as a physician in London. He still cherished 
 a desire for ordination, but when all diflftculties were 
 removed by the Restoration, he was long withheld 
 from carrying out his wish by a sensitive dread lest 
 his change of profession should seem to be actuated 
 by worldly views. It was not until 1678, when he 
 had attained to high distinction as a physician, and 
 had become Professor of Medicine at Gresham College, 
 that he gave up practice, quitted London, and retired 
 into the country to prepare himself in quiet for Holy 
 Orders. 
 
 "I cannot tell how to blame your design, but I 
 must confess to you, I like our calling the worse since 
 you have quitted it," Locke writes, on hearing his 
 friend's decision. 
 
 Two letters from Robert Nelson, then a youth of 
 twenty-three, with whom the physician of eight and 
 forty had already formed a friendship that lasted 
 through their lives, show that part of this season of 
 retirement was spent at Hemel Hempstead, in Hert- 
 fordshire. 
 
 "Dear and honoured Sir," writes Nelson in 1679, 
 "as soon as I came to town, which was about ten
 
 DR. JOHN MAPLETOFT. V-l 
 
 days ago, I made a strict inquiry concerning your 
 welfare, which I counted myself not a little concerned 
 in, by reason your many favours and obligations, 
 besides the just value of your person, have engaged 
 me in a particular respect and esteem to yourself." 
 
 Mary Collett seems to have lived just long enough 
 to rejoice in her nephew's ordination. We learn from 
 the " Conversation Book " that " My much honoured 
 Aunt Mary, who took care of me and my brother 
 Peter and sister Mary, after the death of our reverend 
 and pious father, Mr. Joshua Mapletoft, died in the 
 8oth year of her age." 
 
 As she was thirty-two in 1634,^ this would place 
 her death in 1682, the year in which Dr. Mapletoft 
 was appointed to the living of Braybrooke, in North- 
 amptonshire. At Braybrooke he remained only three 
 years, but in that space of time he effected much 
 good. He prevailed on his parishioners to repair 
 their fine old church, and to furnish the altar with 
 suitable Communion plate. He brought many of 
 the people to their religious duties, and took pains 
 to supply them with good books ; he was also careful 
 to provide employment for the poor (often setting 
 them to work at his own expense), and instruction 
 for the children. To this day the schools at Bray- 
 brooke benefit by his generosity. 
 
 • " His nieces had lived, one thirty, the other thirty-two 
 years, virgins." — Lenton's Letter. 
 
 Y3
 
 326 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 In 1685, at the request of several of the London 
 clergy, he was appointed to the living of St. Lawrence 
 Jewry, " but would never advance farther, to avoid 
 the suspicion of having left one profession and taken 
 up another, to enrich himself and his family." ^ 
 
 It was a time of reviving life in the Church. Under 
 the Commonwealth a generation had grown up with- 
 out teaching and without sacraments \ such a popula- 
 tion formed an evil soil in which the wild license of 
 the Restoration spread and flourished ; but a strong 
 reaction had now set in. In 1678 a few young lay- 
 men formed themselves into a society, bound to meet 
 frequently for prayer, for religious conferences, and 
 for the reception of the Holy Communion ; in a few 
 years similar societies were spread throughout London, 
 and had been founded in many provincial towns. 
 These religious societies strengthened the hands of 
 the parochial clergy, they supported daily services, 
 they collected alms among themselves for various 
 charitable purposes, and by their exertions and ex- 
 ample did much to purify and reform the neighbour- 
 hoods where they lived and worked. 
 
 Dr. Mapletoft entered zealously into the work 
 which was going on round his new cure, showing 
 a special interest in the increase of Church services 
 and the spread of Christian education. 
 
 The Holy Communion was celebrated in St. Law- 
 ' Ward, " Lives of Gresham Professors."
 
 DR. JOHN MAPLETOFT. 327 
 
 rence Jewry at six o'clock every Sunday morning. | 
 He took much pains with the religious instruction 
 of his people, seeing that every house in the parish 
 was supplied with good books. He assisted in Dr. 
 Bray's schemes for the establishment of parochial 
 libraries, and was an early member of the Christian 
 Knowledge Society. " I depend upon your usual 
 goodwill for some considerable encouragement," 
 Nelson writes, when announcing that the society pro- 
 poses to set up at once fifty libraries. His interest 
 in the cause of foreign missions must have been first 
 awakened in his childish days, when he was taught 
 no doubt to join in the intercessions of his family 
 for the cause of the Church in Virginia. When the 
 desolate state of the American missions began once 
 more to engage the attention of Churchmen in 
 England, Dr. Mapletoft came forward at once. He 
 joined in the foundation of the Society for the Propa- 
 gation of the Gospel, and was one of its first vice- 
 presidents. His interest in it continued when he had 
 become too infirm to attend its meetings. 
 
 " I will to-morrow communicate your letter to the 
 society, who are very much disposed to encourage 
 the mission in the East," writes Robert Nelson to him 
 in 1 7 10. "I despair of finding any of that sort of 
 zeal among us as will carry our clergy to such distant 
 places, where they are exposed to so many hardships ; 
 the business of party takes up all our zeal."
 
 328 LIFE OF NICHOLAS lERRAR. 
 
 The "business of party" had indeed made sad 
 havoc in the Church ; but though Dr. Mapletoft did 
 not join the ranks of the Nonjurors, the difference of 
 opinion led to no breach with those of his friends 
 whose conscience compelled them to take a different 
 line. Nelson writes to him in 1701, suggesting that 
 he should visit Lord Weymouth ; " you will find him 
 (Dr. Bray) and Bishop Ken both there." 
 
 In 1 7 10, after an illness which seems to have 
 occasioned much anxiety to his friends, Dr. Maple- 
 toft resigned his living. As a farewell to his 
 parishioners, he gave to each householder a book 
 which he had written specially for that purpose — 
 " The Principles and Duties of the Christian Religion 
 Considered and Explained, in order to Retrieve and 
 Promote the Christian Life, and that Holiness without 
 which no man shall see the Lord." 
 
 The book contains a clear and practical exposition 
 of the Creed, and the duties of the Christian life as 
 taught in the Beatitudes, wth instructions on self- 
 examination, prayer, and the Holy Communion. 
 A few paragraphs from the "Short Discourse on 
 Prayer " will show its tone. 
 
 "Prayer is that homage we owe and pay to our 
 Creator for having made us men in His own image " 
 , . . it " will unlock our souls from that clod of earth 
 to which they now grow, and in which they lose 
 themselves ; it will raise our thoughts, and desires.
 
 DR. JOHN MAPLETOFT. 329 
 
 and aims above the smoak and dust, the petty cares, 
 and worthless trifling designs of this lower world. . . . 
 They therefore that have any, though but the least, 
 trace of that image of God in which man was first 
 created, remaining in their souls, and who understand 
 anything of that religion which chiefly distinguishes 
 man from the beasts that perish, will never pass any 
 one day of their life without making devout and 
 solemn application to the Father of their spirits, the 
 God of all grace, and the only Giver of all good 
 things. . . . Nor can he be presumed to have any 
 great desire or to be in any measure fit to enjoy God 
 in heaven to eternal ages, who can be usually hindred 
 by any vain amusements, or business at that time 
 unnecessary, from employing an hour or two in each 
 day in attendance upon and doing open honour to 
 his Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier, in those as- 
 semblies and performances which make the best 
 representation and performance of the heavenly 
 state, which we are now capable of. , . . We ought, 
 whenever we are about to pray, to labour to possess 
 our minds with an actual awful apprehension of the 
 great and tremendous Majesty we approach to, with 
 a deep sense of the importance of those things we 
 ask, which are of no less consequence to us than the 
 life of our immortal souls, with that humility which 
 becomes sinners, and yet with that faith and trust in 
 God which becomes His children."
 
 330 LIFE OF NICHOLAS FERRAR. 
 
 "Such truly pious and Christian discourses must 
 particularly affect your friends and acquaintances, 
 because your own example preaches to them at the 
 same time," Nelson writes, in acknowledging a copy 
 sent to him. " This a very acceptable legacy to your 
 friends and parishioners." 
 
 Dr. Mapletoft spent his last years under the roof 
 of his daughter and her husband, Dr. Gastrell, Bishop 
 of Chester. He had, as Nelson wrote, " a soft and 
 gentle old age," preserving to the last the gaiety and 
 cheerfulness of his temper, seeming always desirous 
 " to gain the affections of those about him that he 
 might engage them to virtue and religion." 
 
 " His body decayed gently, but his mind not at 
 all." ^ He clung affectionately to the recollections 
 of his early years. " I desire that it may be pre- 
 served in my family as long as may be," he writes in 
 1 715, in a Gidding Concordance, which he gives to 
 his son.^ 
 
 In 1720, in the ninetieth year of his age, the 
 latest survivor of the household of Nicholas Ferrar 
 entered into " the rest that remaineth to the people 
 of God." 
 
 His life covers an era in the history of the English 
 Church. In his youth he saw it trodden down by the 
 Commonwealth, He lived through the time of its 
 
 ' Ward. 
 
 * See Chap. VIII., No. II.
 
 DR. JOHN MAPLE TOFT. 331 
 
 revival, with energies quickened and renewed by 
 suffering. When he passed away, it was already 
 sinking into the strange sleep of the eighteenth 
 century, the sleep of the chrysalis, full of unknown 
 forces and unconscious growth. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 ?R1NTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED. 
 LONDON AND 8ECCLES.
 
 A Selection of Works 
 
 IN 
 
 THEOLOGICAL LITERATURE 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 
 Messrs. LONGMANS, GREEN, d^^ CO. 
 
 39 Paternoster Row, London, E.C. 
 Abbey and Overton.— THE ENGLISH CHURCH IN THE 
 
 EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. By Charles J. Abbey, M.A., Rector 
 of Checkendon, Reading, and John H. Overton, M.A., Rector of 
 Epworth ; Rural Dean of Isle of Axholme. Crown Zvo. ys. 6d. 
 
 Adams.— SACRED ALLEGORIES. The Shadow of the Cross 
 —The Distant Hills— The Old Man's Home— The King's Messengers. 
 By the Rev. William Adams, M.A. Crown ?,vo. 3J. 6d. 
 
 The Four Allegories may be had separately, with Illustrations. 
 i6mo. IS. each. 
 
 Aids to the Inner Life. 
 
 Edited by the Rev. W. H. Hutchings, M.A., Rector of Kirkby 
 Misperton, Yorkshire. Five Vols, jy^mo, clolh limp, 6d. each; orclotk 
 extra, is. each. 
 
 With red borders, 2s. each. Sold separately. 
 OF THE IMITATION OF CHRIST. By Thomas a Kempis. 
 THE CHRISTIAN YEAR. 
 
 THE DEVOUT LIFE. By St. Francis de Sales. 
 THE HIDDEN LIFE OF THE SOUL. 
 THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT. By Laurence Scupoli. 
 
 Allen.— THE CHURCH CATECHISM : its History and 
 
 Contents. A Manual for Teachers and Students. By the Rev. 
 A. J. C. Allen, M.A., formerly Principal of the Chester Diocesan 
 Training College. Crown 8vo. y. 6d. 
 
 Barry.— SOME LIGHTS OF SCIENCE ON THE FAITH. 
 Being the Bampton Lectures for 1892. By the Right Rev. Alfred 
 Barry, D.D., Canon of Windsor, formerly Bishop of Sydney, Metro- 
 politan of New South Wales, and Primate of AustraHa. 8vo. 12s. 6d.
 
 A CATALOGUE OF WORKS 
 
 Bathe.— Works by the Rev. Anthony Bathe, M.A. 
 
 A LENT WITH JESUS. A Plain Guide for Churchmen. Containing 
 Readings for Lent and Easter Week, and on the Holy Eucharist. 
 •3fim.o, \s. ; or in paper cover, 6d. 
 
 AN ADVENT WITH JESUS. ■i2mo, v.; or in paper cover, 6d. 
 
 WHAT I SHOULD BELIEVE. A Simple Manual of Self-Instruction 
 for Church People. Crown 8vo. 3.?. 6d. 
 
 Bickersteth.— YESTERDAY, TO-DAY, AND FOR EVER: 
 
 a Poem in Twelve Books. By Edward Henry Bickersteth, D.D., 
 Bishop of Exeter. One Shilling Edition, i8mo. Witk red borders, 
 i6mo, 2s. 6d. 
 
 The Crown Zvo Edition (5^.) fnay still be had. 
 
 Blunt.— Works by the Rev. John Henry Blunt, D.D. 
 
 THE ANNOTATED BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER: Being an 
 Historical, Ritual, and Theological Commentary on the Devotional 
 System of the Church of England, i^to. 21J. 
 
 THE COMPENDIOUS EDITION OF THE ANNOTATED BOOK. 
 OF COMMON PRAYER : Forming a concise Commentary on the 
 Devotional System of the Church of England. Crown Zvo. 10s. 6d. 
 
 DICTIONARY OF DOCTRINAL AND HISTORICAL THEOLOGY. 
 By various Writers, hnperial 8vo. 21s. 
 
 DICTIONARY OF SECTS, HERESIES, ECCLESIASTICAL PAR- 
 TIES AND SCHOOLS OF RELIGIOUS THOUGHT. By various 
 Writers, hnperial Zvo. 215. 
 
 THE BOOK OF CHURCH LAW. Being an Exposition of the Legal 
 Rights and Duties of the Parochial Clergy and the Laity of the Church 
 of England. Revised by Sir WALTER G. F. Phillimore, Bart., 
 D.C.L. Crown 8vo. ys. 6d. 
 
 A COMPANION TO THE BIBLE: Being a Plain Commentary on 
 Scripture History, to the end of the Apostolic Age. Two vols, small 
 8vo. Sold separately. 
 The Old Testament. 3^. 6d. The New Testament. 3.?. 6d. 
 
 HOUSEHOLD THEOLOGY : a Handbook of Religious Information 
 respecting the Holy Bible, the Prayer Book, the Church, etc. etc. 
 Paper cover, i6mo. is. Also the Larger Edition, 3^. 6d. 
 
 Body. — Works by the Rev. George Body, D.D., Canon of 
 Durhani. 
 THE LIFE OF LOVE: A Course of Lent Lectures. Crown 8vo. 4s. 6d. 
 THE SCHOOL OF CALVARY ; or, Laws of Christian Life revealed 
 
 from the Cross. Small 8vfl. y. 6d. 
 THE LIFE OF JUSTIFICATION. i6mo. zs. 6d. 
 THE LIFE OF TEMPTATION. i6mo. zs. 6d. 
 
 Bonney.— CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES AND MODERN 
 THOUGHT: being the Boyle Lectures for 1891. By the Rev. T. G. 
 Bonney, D.Sc, Hon. Canon of Manchester. CrownSvo. 55.
 
 IN THEOLOGICAL LITERATURE. 3 
 
 Boultbee— A COMMENTARY ON THE THIRTY-NINE 
 
 ARTICLES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. By the Rev. 
 T. P. Boultbee, formerly Principal of the London College of Divinity, 
 St. John's Hall, Highbury. Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 
 Bright. — Works by William Bright, D.D., Canon of Christ 
 Church Oxford. 
 MORALITY IN DOCTRINE. Crown 8vo. 7s. 6d. 
 LESSONS FROM THE LIVES OF THREE GREAT FATHERS : 
 
 St. Athanasius, St. Chrysostom, and St. Augustine. Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 THE INCARNATION AS A MOTIVE POWER. Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 
 Bright and Medd.— LIBER PRECUM PUBLICARUM EC- 
 CLESI^ ANGLICANS. A Gulielmo Bright, S.T.P., et Petro 
 Goldsmith Medd, A.M., Latine redditus. [In hac Editione con- 
 tinentur Versiones Latinae — i. Libri Precura Pubiicaruni Ecclesias 
 Anglicanae ; 2. Liturgias Primae Reformatse ; 3. Liturgise Scoticanoe ; 
 4. Liturgiae Americanae.] Small 8vo. ys. 6d. 
 
 Browne.— AN EXPOSITION OF THE THIRTY-NINE 
 ARTICLES, Historical and Doctrinal. By E. H. Browne, D.D., 
 fortnerly Bishop of Winchester. 8vo. 16s. 
 
 Campion and Beamont.— THE PRAYER BOOK INTER- 
 
 LEAVED. With Historical Illustrations and Explanatory Notes 
 arranged parallel to the Text. By W. M. CAMPION, D.D., and W. J. 
 Beamont, M.A. Small 8vo. js. 6d. 
 
 Carter.— Works edited by the Rev. T. T. Carter, M.A., Hon. 
 Canon of Christ Church, Oxford. 
 THE TREASURY OF DEVOTION : a Manual of Prayer for General 
 and Daily Use. Compiled by a Priest. i8?no. 2s. 6d. ; cloth limp, 
 2S. ; or bound with the Book of Comtnon Prayer, y. 6d. Large- Type 
 Edition. Crown 8vo. y. 6d. 
 THE WAY OF LIFE : A Book of Prayers and Instruction for the Young 
 at School, with a Preparation for Confirmation. Compiled by a Priest. 
 \8mo. IS. 6d. 
 
 THE PATH OF HOLINESS: a First Book of Prayers, with the 
 Service of the Holy Communion, for the Young. Compiled by a 
 Priest. With Illustrations. i6mo. is. 6d. ; cloth limp, is. 
 
 THE GUIDE TO HEAVEN : a Book of Prayers for every Want. (For 
 the Working Classes.) Compiled by a Priest. i8mo. is. 6d. ; 
 cloth limp, IS. Large-Type Edition. Crown 8vo. is, 6d. ; cloth 
 limp, IS. 
 
 [^confinued.
 
 A CATALOGUE OF WORKS 
 
 Carter.— Works edited by the Rev. T. T. Carter, M.A., Hon. 
 Canon of Christ Church, Oxford — co?itinued. 
 SELF-RENUNCIATION. \6mo. 2s. 6d. 
 
 THE STAR OF CHILDHOOD : a First Book of Prayers and Instruc- 
 tion for Children. Compiled by a Priest. With Illustrations. i6»/o. 
 2j. 6d. 
 NICHOLAS FERRAR : his Household and his Friends. With Portrait 
 engraved after a Picture by CORNELIUS Janssen at Magdalene 
 College, Cambridge, Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 
 Carter.— MAXIMS AND GLEANINGS FROM THE 
 WRITINGS OF T. T. CARTER, M.A. Selected and arranged for 
 Daily Use. Crown iSmo. is. 
 
 Chandler.— THE SPIRIT OF MAN: An Essay in Christian 
 Philosophy. By the Rev. A. Chandler, M.A., Rector of Poplar, E., 
 
 Crowji Zvo. '-^s. 
 
 Conybeare and Howson.— THE LIFE AND EPISTLES OF 
 
 ST. PAUL. By the Rev. W. J. Conybeare, M.A., and the Very 
 Rev. J. S. HowsoN, D.D. With numerous Maps and Illustrations. 
 
 Library Edition. Two Vols. 8vo. 21s. 
 
 Student's Edition. 0?te Vol. Crown ivo. ds. 
 
 Popular Edition. Owe Vol. Crown Zvo. 3^^. dd. 
 Copleston.— BUDDHISM— PRIMITIVE AND PRESENT IN 
 MAGADHA AND IN CEYLON. By Reginald Stephen Cople- 
 ston, D.D. , Bishop of Colombo. 8vo. i6j. 
 
 Devotional Series, 16mo, Red Borders. Each 2s. 6d. 
 
 BICKERSTETH'S YESTERDAY, TO-DAY, AND FOR EVER. 
 CHILCOT'S TREATISE ON EVIL THOUGHTS. 
 THE CHRISTIAN YEAR. 
 
 FRANCIS DE SALES' (ST.) THE DEVOUT LIFE. 
 HERBERT'S POEMS AND PROVERBS. 
 KEMPIS' (A) OF THE IMITATION OF CHRIST. 
 WILSON'S THE LORD'S SUPPER. Large type. 
 ♦TAYLOR'S (JEREMY) HOLY LIVING. 
 
 » HOLY DYING. 
 
 * These two in one Volutne. y. 
 
 Devotional Series, 18mo, without Red Borders. Each \s. 
 
 BICKERSTETH'S YESTERDAY, TO-DAY, AND FOR EVER. 
 THE CHRISTIAN YEAR. 
 
 FRANCIS DE SALES' (ST.) THE DEVOUT LIFE. 
 HERBERT'S POEMS AND PROVERBS. 
 KEMPIS' (A) OF THE IMITATION OF CHRIST. 
 WILSON'S THE LORD'S SUPPER. Large type. 
 ♦TAYLOR'S (JEREMY) HOLY LIVING. 
 ♦ HOLY DYING. 
 
 'These two in one Volu7>:e. is. 6d.
 
 IN THEOLOGICAL LITERATURE. 
 
 Edersheim. — Works by Alfred Edersheim, M.A., D.D., Ph.D., 
 sometime Grinfield Lecturer on the Septuagint Oxford. 
 
 THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS THE MESSIAH. Two Vols. 
 8vo. 24s. 
 
 JESUS THE MESSIAH : being an Abridged Edition of ' The Life and 
 Times of Jesus the Messiah.' Crown %vo. js. 6d. 
 
 PROPHECY AND HISTORY IN RELATION TO THE MESSIAH : 
 The Warburton Lectures, 1880-1884. 8vo. 12s. 
 
 EUicott. — Works by C. J. Ellicott, D.D., Bishop of Gloucester 
 and Bristol. 
 
 A CRITICAL AND GRAMMATICAL COMMENTARY ON ST. 
 PAUL'S EPISTLES. Greek Text, with a Critical and Grammatical 
 Commentary, and a Revised English Translation. 8vo. 
 
 I Corinthians. 16s. ^ Philippians, Colossians, and 
 
 Galatians. 8s. 6d. I Philemon, los. 6d. 
 
 Ephesians. 8^. 6d. I Thessalonians. 7s. 6d. 
 
 Pastoral Epistles. 10s. 6d. 
 
 HISTORICAL LECTURES ON THE LIFE OF 
 JESUS CHRIST. 8vo. 12s. 
 
 OUR LORD 
 
 Epochs of Church History. Edited by Mandell Creighton, 
 D.D., LL.D., Bishop of Peterborough. Fcap.Zvo. is. dd. each. 
 
 THE ENGLISH CHURCH IN 
 OTHER LANDS. By the Rev. H . W. 
 Tucker, M.A. 
 
 THE HISTORY OF THE RE- 
 FORMATION IN ENGLAND. By 
 the Rev. Geo. G. Perry, M.A. 
 
 THE CHURCH OF THE EARLY 
 FATHERS. By the Rev. Alfred 
 Plummer, D.D. 
 
 THE EVANGELICAL REVIVAL IN 
 THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 
 By the Rev. J. H. Overton, M.A, 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD. 
 By the Hon. G. C. Brodrick, D.C.L. 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY OF CAM- 
 BRIDGE. By J. Bass Mullinger, 
 M.A. 
 
 THE ENGLISH CHURCH IN THE 
 MIDDLE AGES. By the Rev. W. 
 Hunt, M.A. 
 
 THE CHURCH AND THE 
 EASTERN EMPIRE. By the Rev. 
 H. F. TozER, M.A. 
 
 THE CHURCH AND THE ROMAN 
 EMPIRE. By the Rev. A. Carr. 
 
 THE CHURCH AND THE PURI- 
 TANS, 1570-1660. By Henry Offlky 
 
 Wakeman, M.A. 
 
 HILDEBRAND AND HIS TIMES. 
 By the Rev. W. R. W. Stephens, M.A. 
 
 THE POPES AND THE HOHEN- 
 STAUFEN. By Ugo Balzani. 
 
 THE COUNTER-REFORMATION. 
 By Adolphus William Ward, Litt. D. 
 
 WYCLIFFE AND MOVEMENTS 
 FOR REFORM. By Reginald L. 
 
 Poole, M.A. 
 
 THE ARIAN CONTROVERSY. By 
 H. M. Gwatkin, M.A.
 
 A CATALOGUE OF WORKS 
 
 Fosbery.— Works edited by the Rev. Thomas Vincent Fosbery, 
 M.A., sometime Vicar of St. Giles's, Reading. 
 
 VOICES OF COMFORT. Cheap Edition. Small Zvd. 3^. 6d. 
 
 The Larger Edition {ys. 6d.) may still be had. 
 HYMNS AND POEMS FOR THE SICK AND SUFFERING. In 
 
 connection with the Service for the Visitation of the Sick. Selected 
 
 from Various Authors. Small 8vo. y. 6d. 
 
 Garland.— THE PRACTICAL TEACHING OF THE APO- 
 CALYPSE. By the Rev. G. V. Garland, M.A. Svo. i6s. 
 
 (jore.— Works by the Rev. Charles Gore, M.A., Principal of the 
 Pusey House ; Fellow of Trinity College, Oxford. 
 THE MINISTRY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Svo. 10s. 6d. 
 ROMAN CATHOLIC CLAIMS. Crown Svo. y. 6d. 
 
 d-oulburn.— Works by Edward Meyrick Goulburn, D.D., 
 D.C.L., sometime Dean of Norwich. 
 
 THOUGHTS ON PERSONAL RELIGION. Small Svo, 6s. 6d.\ 
 Cheap Edition, y. 6d. ; Presentation Edition, 2 vols, small Svo, los. 6d. 
 
 THE PURSUIT OF HOLINESS : a Sequel to ' Thoughts on Personal 
 Religion.' Small Svo. 55. Cheap Edition, y. 6d. 
 
 THE CHILD S.A.MUEL : a Practical and Devotional Commentary on 
 the Birth and Childhood of the Prophet Samuel, as recorded in 
 I Sam. i., ii. 1-27, iii. Small Svo. 2s. 6d. 
 
 THE GOSPEL OF THE CHILDHOOD : a Practical and Devotional 
 Commentary on the Single Incident of our Blessed Lord's Childhood 
 (St. Luke ii. 41 to the end.) Crown Svo. is. 6d. 
 
 THE COLLECTS OF THE DAY : an E.xposition, Critical and Devo- 
 tional, of the Collects appointed at the Communion. With Preliminary 
 Essays on their Structure, Sources, etc. 2 vols. Crown Svo. Ss. each. 
 
 THOUGHTS UPON THE LITURGIC-A.L GOSPELS for the Sundays, 
 one for each dav in the year. With an Introduction on their Origin, 
 History, the Modifications made in them by the Reformers and by the 
 Revisers of the Prayer Book. 2 vols. Crown Svo. i6j. 
 
 MEDITATIONS UPON THE LITURGICAL GOSPELS for the 
 Minor Festivals of Christ, the two first Week-days of the Easter and 
 Whitsun Festivals, and the Red-letter Saints' Days. Crown Svo. Ss. 6d. 
 
 FAMILY PRAYERS compiled from various sources (chiefly from Bishop 
 Hamilton's Manual), and arranged on the Liturgical Principle. Crown 
 Svo. y. 6d. Cheap Edition. i6mo. is. 
 
 Harrison.— Works by the Rev. Alexander J. Harrison, B.D., 
 Lecturer of the Christian Evidence Society. 
 PROBLEMS OF CHRISTIANITY AND SCEPTICISM; Lessons 
 from Twenty Years' Experience in the Field of Christian Evidence. 
 Crown Svo. js. 6d. 
 THE CHURCH IN RELATION TO SCEPTICS: a Conversational 
 Guide to Evidential Work. Croivn Svo. -js. 6d.
 
 IN THEOLOGICAL LITERATURE. 
 
 Holland. — Works by the Rev. Henry Scott Holland, M.A., 
 
 Canon and Precentor of St. Paul's. 
 PLEAS AND CLAIMS FOR CHRIST. Crown Zvo. ys. 6d. 
 CREED AND CHARACTER : Sermons. Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d. 
 ON BEHALE OF BELIEF. Sermons preached in St. Paul's Cathedral. 
 
 Crown 8vo. 3s. bd. 
 
 CHRIST OR ECCLESIASTES. Sermons preached in St. Paul's 
 
 Cathedral. Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d. 
 LOGIC AND LIFE, with other Sermons. Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d. 
 
 Hopkins.— CHRIST THE CONSOLER. A Book of Comfort 
 for the Sick. By Ellice Hopkins. Small 8vo. zs. 6d. 
 
 Howard.-THE SCHISM BETWEEN THE ORIENTAL 
 
 AND WESTERN CHURCHES. With special reference to the 
 addition of the Filioque to the Creed. By the Rev. G. B. Howard, 
 B.A., sometime Scholar of St. John's College, Cambridge. Crown 8vo. 
 3s. 6d. 
 
 Ingram.— HAPPINESS IN THE SPIRITUAL LIFE; or, 'The 
 
 Secret of the Lord.' A Series of Practical Considerations. By W. 
 Clavell Ingram, D.D., Dean of Peterborough. Crown 8vo. 7s. 6d. 
 
 INHERITANCE OF THE SAINTS ; or, Thoughts on the 
 Communion of Saints and the Life of the World to come. Col- 
 lected chiefly from English Writers by L. P. With a Preface by the 
 Rev. Henry Scott Holland, M.A. Crown 8vo. 7s. 6d. 
 
 Jameson. — Works by Mrs. Jameson. 
 
 SACRED AND LEGENDARY ART, containing Legends of the Angels 
 and Archangels, the Evangelists, the Apostles. With 19 etchings and 
 187 Woodcuts. Two Vols. Cloth, gilt top, 2.0s. net. 
 
 LEGENDS OF THE MONASTIC ORDERS, as represented in the 
 Fine Arts. With 11 etchings and 88 Woodcuts. One Vol. Cloth, 
 gilt top, \os. net. 
 
 LEGENDS OF THE MADONNA, OR BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 
 
 With 27 Etchings and 165 Woodcuts. One Vol. Cloth, gilt top, los. net. 
 THE HISTORY OF OUR LORD, as exemplified in Works of Art, 
 
 Commenced by the late Mrs. Jameson ; continued and completed by 
 
 Lady Eastlake. With 31 Etchings and 281 Woodcuts. Two Vols. 
 
 8vo. 20s. net. 
 
 Jennings.— ECCLESIA ANGLICANA. A History of the 
 Church of Christ in England from the Earliest to the Present Times. 
 By the Rev. Arthur Charles Jennings, M.A. Crown 8vo. ys. 6d.
 
 A CATALOGUE OF WORKS 
 
 Jukes.— Works by Andrew Jukes. 
 
 THE NEW MAN AND THE ETERNAL LIFE. Not«s on the 
 Reiterated Amens of the Son of God. Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 
 THE NAMES OF GOD IN HOLY SCRIPTURE: a Revelation of 
 His Nature and Relationships. Crown 8vo. 4s. 6d. 
 
 THE TYPES OF GENESIS. Crown 8vo. 7s. 6d. 
 
 THE SECOND DEATH AND THE RESTITUTION OF ALL 
 THINGS. Crown Zvo. y. 6d. 
 
 THE MYSTERY OF THE KINGDOM. Crown 2,vo. as. 6d. 
 
 Keble.— MAXIMS AND GLEANINGS FROM THE WRIT- 
 INGS OF JOHN KEBLE, M.A. Selected and Arranged for Daily 
 Use. By C. M. S. Crown i6mo. is. 
 SELECTIONS FROM THE WRITINGS OF JOHN KEBLE, M.A. 
 Crown 8vo. 3^. 6d. 
 
 King.— DR. LIDDON'S TOUR IN EGYPT AND PALES- 
 TINE IN 1886. Being Letters descriptive of the Tour, written by his 
 Sister, Mrs. King. Croiun 8vo. 55. 
 
 Knowling.— THE WITNESS OF THE EPISTLES : a Study 
 in Modern Criticism. By the Rev. R. J. Knowling, M.A., Vice- 
 Principal of King's College, London. 8vo. i^s. 
 
 Knox Little.— Works by W. J. Knox Little, M.A., Canon 
 
 Residentiary of Worcester, and Vicar of Hoar Cross. 
 
 SKETCHES IN SUNSHINE AND STORM: a Collection of Mis- 
 cellaneous Essays and Notes of Travel. Crown 8vo. 7s. 6d. 
 
 THE CHRISTIAN HOME. Crown 8vo. 6s. 6d. 
 
 THE HOPES AND DECISIONS OF THE. PASSION OF OUR 
 
 MOST HOLY REDEEMER. Crown 8vo. y. 6d. 
 CHARACTERISTICS AND MOTIVES OF THE CHRISTIAN 
 
 LIFE. Ten Sermons preached in Manchester Cathedral, in Lent 
 
 and Advent. Crown 8vo. 35. 6d. 
 SERMONS PREACHED FOR THE MOST PART IN MANCHES- 
 
 TER. Crown 8vo. y. 6d. 
 THE MYSTERY OF THE PASSION OF OUR MOST HOLY 
 
 REDEEMER. Croivn 8vo. y. 6d. 
 THE WITNESS OF THE PASSION OF OUR MOST HOLY 
 
 REDEEMER. Crown 8vo. 35. 6d. 
 
 THE LIGHT OF LIFE. Sermons preached on Various Occasions. 
 
 Crown 8vo. y. 6d. 
 SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. 
 
 Sermons preached for the most part in America. Crown 8vo. y. 6d.
 
 IN THEOLOGICAL LITERATURE. 
 
 Lear.— Works by, ahd Edited by, H. L. Sidney Lear. 
 
 FOR DAYS AND YEARS. A Book containing a Text, Short Reading, 
 
 and Hymn for Every Day in the Church's Year. x6mo. 2s. 6d. Also a 
 
 Cheap Edition, jfinio. I5. ; or cloth gilt, \s. 6d. 
 FIVE MINUTES. Daily Readings of Poetry. i6»?a 3J. 6d. Also a 
 
 Cheap Edition, ^■zmo. is. ; or cloth gilt, xs. 6d. 
 WEARINESS. A Book for the Languid and Lonely, Large Type. 
 
 Small 8vo. 5^. 
 THE LIGHT OF THE CONSCIENCE. i6mo. zs. bd. 32mo. is. ; 
 
 cloth limp, 6d. 
 
 CHRISTIAN BIOGRAPHIES. 
 
 Madame Louise de France, 
 Daughter of Louis XV., known 
 also as the Mother Teresa de 
 St. Augustin. 
 
 A Dominican Artist: a Sketch of 
 the Life of the Rev. P6re Besson, 
 of the Order of St. Dominic. 
 
 Henri Perreyve. ByA. Gratry. 
 
 St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and 
 Prince of Geneva. 
 
 Nine Vols. Croivn 8vo. y. 6d. each. 
 
 The Revival of Priestly Life 
 IN the Seventeenth Century 
 IN France. 
 
 A Christian Painter of the 
 Nineteenth Century. 
 
 BossuET and his Contempora- 
 ries. 
 
 Fenelon, Archbishop of Cam- 
 
 BRAI. 
 
 Henri Dominique Lacordaire. 
 
 DEVOTIONAL WORKS. Edited 
 Uniform Editions. Nine Vols. 
 
 Fenelon's Spiritual Letters 
 TO Men. 
 
 1 enelon's Spiritual Letters 
 TO Women. 
 
 A Selection from the Spiri- 
 tual Letters of St. Francis 
 DE Sales. 
 The Spirit of St. Francis de 
 Sales. 
 
 by H. L. Sidney Lear. New and 
 lotno. 2S. 6d. each. 
 
 The Hidden Life of the Soul. 
 
 The Light of the Conscience. 
 
 Self- Renunciation. From the 
 French. 
 
 St. Frances de Sales' Of the 
 Love of God. 
 
 Selections from Pascal's 
 Thoughts. 
 
 Library of Spiritual Works for English CathoUcs. Original 
 
 Edition. With Red Borders. Small 8vo. ^^.each. New atid Cheaper 
 Editions, idmo. 2s. 6d. each. 
 
 OF THE IMITATION OF 
 
 CHRIST. 
 THE SPIRITUAL COMBAT. 
 
 By Laurence Scupoli. 
 THE DEVOUT LIFE. By St. 
 
 Francis de Sales. 
 
 OF THE LOVE OF GOD. By 
 
 St. Francis de Sales. 
 THE CONFESSIONS OF ST. 
 
 AUGUSTINE. In Ten Books. 
 THE CHRISTIAN YEAR. 5^. 
 
 Edition only.
 
 lo A CATALOGUE OF WORKS 
 
 Liddon.— Works by Henry Parry Liddon, D.D., D.C.L., LL.D,, 
 late Canon Residentiary and Chancellor of St. Paul's. 
 
 ESSAYS AND ADDRESSES: Lectures on Baddhism— Lectures on the 
 
 Life of St. Paul — Papers on Dante. Crown 8vo. ^s. 
 THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS. 8vo. [In the press. 
 
 SERMONS ON OLD TESTAMENT SUBJECTS. Crown Svo. 5^. 
 SERMONS ON SOME WORDS OF CHRIST. Crown 8vo. 5^. 
 
 THE DIVINITY OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. 
 Being the Bampton Lectures for 1866. Crmvn 8vo. 5J. 
 
 ADVENT IN ST. PAUL'S. Sermons bearing chiefly on the Two 
 Comings of our Lord. Two Vols. Crown 8vo. y. 6d. each. Cheap 
 Edition in one Volume. Crown 8vo. 5J. 
 
 CHRISTMASTIDE IN ST. PAUL'S. Sermons bearing chiefly on the 
 Birth of our Lord and the End of the Year. Crown 8vo. ^s. 
 
 PASSIONTIDE SERMONS. Crown 8vo. 5s. 
 
 EASTER IN ST. PAUL'S. Sermons bearing chiefly on the Resurrec- 
 tion of our Lord. Two Vols. Crown 8vo. 35-. 6d. each. Cheap 
 Edition in one Volume. Crown 8vo. 5^. 
 
 SERMONS PREACHED BEFORE THE UNIVERSITY OF 
 OXFORD. Two Vols. Crown 8vo. 31. 6d. each. Cheap Edition in 
 one Volume. Crown 8vo. ^s. 
 
 THE MAGNIFICAT. Sermons in St. Paul's. Crown 8vo. is. 6d, 
 
 SOME ELEMENTS OF RELIGION. Lent Lectures. Small 8vo. 
 zs. bd. ; or in paper cover, is. 6d. 
 
 The Cro^vn Svo Edition (5^'.) ^nay still be had. 
 
 SELECTIONS FROM THE WRITINGS OF H. P. LIDDON, D.D. 
 Crown 8vo. 35. dd. 
 
 MAXIMS AND GLEANINGS FROM THE WRITINGS OF H. P. 
 LIDDON, D.D. Selected and arranged by C. M. S. Crown \6mo. is. 
 
 DR. LIDDON'S TOUR IN EGYPT AND PALESTINE IN i886. 
 Being Letters descriptive of the Tour, written by his Sister, Mrs. King. 
 Crown 8vo. ^s. 
 
 LuckOCk. — Works by HERBERT MORTIMER LUCKOCK, D.D., 
 Dean of Lichfield. 
 AFTER DEATH. An Examination of the Testimony of Primitive 
 Times respecting the State of the Faithful Dead, and their Relationship 
 to the Living. Crown 8vo. 65. 
 
 {continued.
 
 IN THEOLOGICAL LITERATURE, ii 
 
 Luckock. — Works by Herbert Mortimer Luckock, D.D., 
 Dean of Lichfield — continued. 
 
 THE INTERMEDIATE STATE BETV/EEN DEATH AND 
 JUDGMENT. Being a Sequel to After Death. Crown Zvo. 6s. 
 
 FOOTPRINTS OF THE SON OF MAN, as traced by St. Mark. Being 
 Eighty Portions for Private Study, Family Reading, and Instruc- 
 tions in Church. Two Vols. Crown 8vo. 12s. Cheap Edition in one 
 Vol. Crown ?>vo. 5^. 
 
 THE DIVINE LITURGY. Being the Order for Holy Communion, 
 Historically, Doctrinally, and Devotionally set forth, in Fifty Portions. 
 Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 
 STUDIES IN THE HISTORY OF THE BOOK OF COMMON 
 PRAYER. The Anglican Reform — The Puritan Innovations — The 
 Elizabethan Reaction — The Caroline Settlement. With Appendices. 
 Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 
 THE BISHOPS IN THE TOWER. A Record of Stirring Events 
 affecting the Church and Nonconformists from the Restoration to the 
 Revolution. Crown Zvo. 6s. 
 
 LYRA GERMAN I CA. Hymns translated from the German by 
 Catherine Winkworth. Small 8vo. y. 
 
 MacColl.— CHRISTIANITY IN RELATION TO SCIENCE 
 
 AND MORALS. By the Rev. Malcolm MacColl, M.A., Canon 
 Residentiary of Ripon. Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 
 Mason.— Works by A. J. Mason, D.D., Canon of Truro, formerly 
 Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. 
 
 THE FAITH OF THE GOSPEL. A Manual of Christian Doctrine. 
 Crown 8vo. y. 6d. Also a Large-Paper Edition for Marginal Notes, 
 ^to. 12s. 6d. 
 
 THE RELATION OF CONFIRMATION TO BAPTISM. As taught 
 in Holy Scripture and the Fathers. Crown 8vo. 75. 6d. 
 
 Mercier.— OUR MOTHER CHURCH : Being Simple Talk 
 on High Topics. By Mrs. Jerome Mercier. Small 8vo. 3^. 6d. 
 
 Molesworth.— STORIES OF THE SAINTS FOR CHIL- 
 DREN : The Black Letter Saints. By Mrs. Molesworth, Author 
 of ' The Palace in the Garden, ' etc. etc. With Illustrations. Hoyal 
 i6mo. ^s.
 
 A CATALOGUE OF WORKS 
 
 Mozley.— Works by J. B. MOZLEY, D.D., late Canon of Christ 
 Church, and Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford. 
 ESSAYS, HISTORICAL AND THEOLOGICAL. Two Vols. Zvo. 2+s. 
 
 EIGHT LECTURES ON MIRACLES. Being the Bampton Lectures 
 for 1865. Crown 8vo. ys. 6d. 
 
 RULING IDEAS IN EARLY AGES AND THEIR RELATION TO 
 OLD TESTAMENT FAITH. Lectures delivered to Graduates of 
 the University of Oxford. 8vo. los. 6d. 
 
 SERMONS PREACHED BEFORE THE UNIVERSITY OF 
 OXFORD, and on Various Occasions. Crown 8vo. 7s. 6d. 
 
 SERMONS, PAROCHIAL AND OCCASIONAL. Crown 8vo. 7s. 6d. 
 
 Mozley. — Works by the Rev. T. Mozley, M.A., Author 
 of ' Reminiscences of Oriel College and the Oxford 
 Movement.' 
 THE CREED OR A PHILOSOPHY. Crown 8vo. 7s. 6d. 
 . THE WORD. C)vwn 8vo. 7s. 6d. 
 THE SON. Crown 8vo. 7s. 6d. 
 
 LETTERS FROM ROME ON THE OCCASION OF THE 
 CECUMENICAL COUNCIL 1869-1870. Two Vols. Cr. 8vo. i8s. 
 
 Newbolt. — Works by the Rev. W. C. E. Newbolt, M.A., Canon 
 and Chancellor of St. Paul's. 
 
 THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT. Being Ten Addresses bearing on 
 
 the Spiritual Life. Crown 8vo. 2S. 6d. 
 THE MAN OF GOD. Being Si.x Addresses delivered during Lent at 
 
 the Primary Ordination of the Right Rev. the Lord Alwyne Compton, 
 
 D.D. , Bishop of Ely. Sma/l 8vo. is. 6d. 
 
 THE PRAYER BOOK : Its Voice and Teaching. Being Spiritual Ad- 
 dresses bearing on the Book of Common Prayer. Crown 8vo. is. 6d. 
 
 Newnham. — THE ALL-FATHER: Sermons preached in a 
 Village Church. By the Rev. H. P. Newnham. With Preface by 
 Edna Lyall. Crown 8vo. 4J-. 6d. 
 
 Newnham.— ALRESFORD ESSAYS FOR THE TIMES. By 
 Rev. W. O. Newnham, M.A. , sometime Rector of Alresford. Con- 
 tents : — Bible Story of Creation — Bible Story of Eden — Bible Story of 
 the Deluge — After Death — Miracles : A Conversation— Eternal Pimish- 
 ment — The Resurrection of the Body. Crown 8vo. 6s.
 
 IN THEOLOGICAL LITERATURE. 13 
 
 Newman,— Works by John Henry Newman, B.D., sometime 
 Vicar of St. Mary's, Oxford. 
 
 PAROCHIAL AND PLAIN SERMONS. Eight Vols. Cabinet Edition. 
 Crown 8vo. 55. eacA. Popular Edition. 3^. 6d. each. 
 
 SELECTION, ADAPTED TO THE SEASONS OF THE ECCLE- 
 SIASTICAL YEAR, from the 'Parochial and Plain Sermons." 
 Cabinet Edition. Crown 8vo. 5^. Popular Edition, y. 6d. 
 
 FIFTEEN SERMONS PREACHED BEFORE THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF OXFORD. Cabitiet Edition. Crown 8vo. Ss. Popular Edition. 
 IS. 6d. 
 
 SERMONS BEARING UPON SUBJECTS OF THE DAY. Cabinet 
 Edition, Crown 8vo. 55. Popular Edition. Crow?i 8vo, 35. 6d. 
 
 LECTURES ON THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION. Cabinet 
 Edition. Crown 8vo. 5^. Popular Edition. 33-. 6d. 
 
 •»* For other Works by Cardinal Newman, see Messrs. Longmans & Co.'s Catalogue 
 of Works in General Literature. 
 
 Osborne. — Works by Edward Osborne, Mission Priest of the 
 Society of St. John the Evangelist, Cowley, Oxford. 
 
 THE CHILDREN'S SAVIOUR. Instructions to Children on the Life 
 of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Illustrated. i6mo. 2s. 6d. 
 
 THE SAVIOUR-KING. Instructions to Children on Old Testament 
 Types and Illustrations ofthe Life of Christ. Illustrated. x6mo. 2s. 6d. 
 
 THE CHILDREN'S FAITH. Instructions to Children on the Apostles' 
 Creed. Illustrated. j67no. 2s. 6d. 
 
 Oxenden.— Works by the Right Rev. Ashton Oxenden, for- 
 merly Bishop of Montreal. 
 PLAIN SERMONS. Crown 8vo. 
 
 THE HISTORY OF MY LIFE : An Autobiography. Crown 8vo. 55. 
 PEACE AND ITS HINDRANCES. Crown 8vo. is. ; sewed, 2s., cloth. 
 THE PATHWAY OF SAFETY ; or, Counsel to the Awakened. Fcap. 
 
 8vo, large type. 2S. 6d. Cheap Edition. Small type, limp. \s. 
 THE EARNEST COMMUNICANT. New Red Rubric Edition. 2,'2mo, 
 
 cloth. 2s. Common Edition. ■3>'^7no. \s. 
 OUR CHURCH AND HER SERVICES. Fcap. 8vo. 2s. 6d. 
 
 [cojitinued-
 
 14 A CATALOGUE OF WORKS 
 
 Oxenden.— Works by the Right Rev. Ashton Oxenden, 
 formerly Bishop of Montreal — continued. 
 FAMILY PRAYERS FOR FOUR WEEKS. First Series. Fcap. Zvo. 
 2s. 6d. Second Series. Fcap. 8vo. zs. 6d. 
 Large Type Edition. Two Series in one Volume. Crown ^vo. 6s. 
 COTTAGE SERMONS ; or, Plain Words to the Poor. Fcap. 8vo. 2s. 6d. 
 THOUGHTS FOR HOLY WEEK. i6mo, cloth, is. 6d. 
 DECISION. \2,tno. is. 6d. 
 
 THE HOME BEYOND ; or, A Happy Old Age. Fcap. Svo. is. td. 
 THE LABOURING MAN'S BOOK. \%mo, large type, cloth. \s. 6d. 
 
 Paget.— Works by Francis Paget, D.D., Dean of Christ Church, 
 Oxford. 
 THE SPIRIT OF DISCIPLINE : Sermons. Crown 8vo. 6s. 6d. 
 
 FACULTIES AND DIFFICULTIES FOR BELIEF AND DIS- 
 BELIEF. Crown 8vo. 6s. 6d. 
 
 THE HALLOWING OF WORK. Addresses given at Eton, January 
 16-18, i888. Small8vo. ss. 
 
 PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS. By a Clergyman. With 
 Prefaces by H. P. Liddon, D.D., D.C.L., and the Bishop of Lincoln. 
 Crown 8vo. 
 
 The Holy Gospels. 45. 6d. I The Psalms. 5^. 
 
 Acts to Revelation. 6s. \ The Book of Genesis. 4^. 6d. 
 
 PRIEST (THE) TO THE ALTAR ; or, Aids to the Devout 
 
 Celebration of Holy Communion, chiefly after the Ancient English 
 Use of Sarum. Royal 8vo. 12s. 
 
 Pusey.— Works by the Rev. E. B. PUSEV, D.D. 
 
 PRIVATE PRAYERS. With Preface by H. P. Liddon, D.D. 32tno. is. 
 PRAYERS FOR A YOUNG SCHOOLBOY. With a Preface by 
 
 H. P. Liddon, D.D. 24^0. is. 
 SELECTIONS FROM THE WRITINGS OF EDWARD BOUVERIE 
 
 PUSEY, D.D. Crown 8vo. 3s. 6d. 
 MAXIMS AND GLEANINGS FROM THE WRITINGS OF 
 
 EDWARD BOUVERIE PUSEY, D.D. Selected and Arranged for 
 
 Daily Use. By C. M. S. Crown i6mo. xs. 
 
 Reynolds.— The NATURAL HISTORY of IMMORTALITY. 
 
 By the Rev. J. W. Reynolds, M.A., Prebendary of St. Paul's. 
 Crown 8vo. js. 6d.
 
 IN THEOLOGICAL LITERATURE. 15 
 
 Sanday.— THE ORACLES OF GOD : Nine Lectures on the 
 
 Nature and Extent of Biblical Inspiration and the Special Significance 
 of the Old Testament Scriptures at the Present Time. By W. 
 Sanday, M.A., D.D., LL.D,, Dean Ireland's Professor of Exegesis 
 and Fellow of Exeter College. Crown 8vo. 41. 
 
 Seebohm.— THE OXFORD REFORMERS— JOHN COLET, 
 
 ERASMUS, AND THOMAS MORE : A History of their Fellow- 
 Work. By Frederic Seebohm. 8vo. 14J. 
 
 Stanton.— THE PLACE OF AUTHORITY IN MATTERS 
 OF RELIGIOUS BELIEF. By Vincent Henry Stanton, D.D., 
 Fellow of Trinity Coll. , Ely Prof, of Divinity, Cambridge. Cr. 8vo. 6s. 
 
 Stephen.— ESSAYS IN ECCLESIASTICAL BIOGRAPHY. 
 
 By the Right Hon. Sir J. Stephen. Crown Zvo. js. 6d. 
 
 Swayne.— THE BLESSED DEAD IN PARADISE. Four 
 All Saints' Day Sermons, preached in Salisbury Cathedral. By R. 
 G. Swayne, M.A. Crown Zvo. 35. 6d. 
 
 Tweddell.— THE SOUL IN CONFLICT. A Practical Exami- 
 nation of some Difficulties and Duties of the Spiritual Life. By 
 Marshall Tweddell, M.A., Vicar of St. Saviour, Paddington. 
 Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 
 Twells.— COLLOQUIES ON PREACHING. By Henry 
 
 TvvELLS, M.A., Honorary Canon of Peterborough. Crown 8vo. zs. 6d. 
 
 Welldon. — THE FUTURE AND THE PAST. Sermons 
 preached to Harrow Boys. By the Rev. J. E. C. Welldon, M.A., 
 Head Master of Harrow School. Crown 8vo. -js. 6d. 
 
 Williams.— Works by the Rev. Isaac Williams, B.D. 
 
 A DEVOTIONAL COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL NARRA- 
 TIVE. Eight Vols. Crown 8vo. ^s. each. Sold separately. 
 
 Thoughts on the Study of the i Our Lord's Ministry (Third Year) 
 Holy Gospels. 
 
 A Harmony of the Four Gospels. 
 
 Our Lord's Nativity. 
 
 Our Lord's MiNisTRY(Second Year). 
 
 The Holy Week. 
 Our Lord's Passion. 
 Our Lord's Resurrection. 
 FEMALE CHARACTERS OF HOLY SCRIPTURE. A Series of 
 
 Sermons. Crown 8vo. ^s. 
 THE CHARACTERS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. Crown 8vo. 5^. 
 THE APOCALYPSE. With Notes and Reflections. Crown 8vo. 5J. 
 SERMONS ON THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS FOR THE SUN- 
 DAYS AND HOLY DAYS. Two Vols. Crown 8vo. 5^. each. 
 
 [continued.
 
 i6 A CATALOGUE OF WORKS 
 
 Williams.— Works by the Rev. Isaac Williams, B.D. — continued. 
 
 PLAIN SERMONS ON CATECHISM. Two Vols. Cr. ivo. 5^. each. 
 
 SELECTIONS FROM ISAAC WILLIAMS' WRITINGS. Cr. &vo. 
 35. 6d. 
 
 THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ISAAC WILLIAMS, B.D., Author of 
 several of the ' Tracts for the Times. ' Edited by the Venerable Sir 
 George Prevost, as throwing further light on the history of the 
 Oxford Movement. Crown 8vo. ^s. 
 
 Woodford. — Works by J. R. Woodford, D.D., Bishop of Ely. 
 
 THE GREAT COMMISSION. Addresses on the Ordinal. Edited, 
 with an Introduction, by H. M. LuCKOCK, D.D. Crown 8vo. 5-r. 
 
 SERMONS ON OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT SUBJECTS. 
 Edited by H. M. Luckock, D.D. Two Vols. Crown Zvo. 5^. each. 
 
 Woodruflf. — THE CHILDREN'S YEAR. Verses for the 
 
 Sundays and Holy Days throughout the Year. By C. H. WOODRUFF, 
 B.C.L. With an Introduction by the Lord Bishop of Southwell. 
 
 Fcap. 8vo. 3J. 6d. 
 
 Wordsworth. 
 
 For List of Works by the late Christopher Wordsworth, D.D., Bishop of 
 Lincoln, see Messrs. Longmans & Co. 's Catalogue of Theological Works, 
 32 pp. Sent post free on application. 
 
 Wordsworth. — Works by Elizabeth Wordsworth, Principal 
 of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE CREED. Crown 8vo. 5^. 
 THE DECALOGUE. Crown 8vo. 4s. 6d. 
 
 ST. CHRISTOPHER AND OTHER POEMS. Crown 8vo. 6s. 
 Wordsworth. — Works by CHARLES WORDSWORTH, D.D., D.C.L., 
 Lord Bishop of St. Andrews, and Fellow of Winchester 
 College. 
 ANNALS OF MY EARLY LIFE, 1806-1846. 8vo. 15J. 
 PRIMARY WITNESS TO THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL, to 
 which is added a Charge oij Modern Teaching on the Canon of the 
 Old Testament. Crow// 8vo. js. 6d. 
 
 Younghushand. — Works by Frances Younghusband. 
 
 THE STORY OF OUR LORD, told in Simple Language for Children. 
 ■ With 25 Illustrations from Pictures by the Old Masters, Crown 8-jo. 
 
 2s. 6d. 
 THE STORY OF GENESIS, told in Simple Language for Children. 
 
 Crown 8vo. is. 6d. 
 THE STORY OF THE EXODUS, told in Simple Language for 
 
 Children. With Map and 29 Illustrations. Crown 8vo. 2s. 6d. 
 
 Printed by T. and A. Constable, Printers to Her Majesty, 
 at the Edinburgh University Press. 
 10,000/3/93.