was to purge his house of any that would sweare, swagger, be drunke, and such, like; it is well knowne to his friends and neighbours. So that I may truely affirm of him as Hierome doth of Nepotian; Domus eius & conversatio magistra erat publica disciplina; his house and conversation was a mistresse of public discipline.

"His liberalitie to the poore, their backes and bellies that did often blesse him can well witnesse. He was munerarius pauperum, and in Saint Ambrose his sense, the hand of Christ to the poore, who received his daily almes, and his weekely allowance. These were the hounds which hee kept, with which, as Amedeus, a good Duke of Savoy, was wont to say, hee did hunt for the kingdome of heaven. Neyther did hee onely looke upon their misery and neede, but also looke into it. And to the end to know it the better, he would enter into the poore mens houses, and learne of them what they got by their weekely labour, what number of children they had, and inquire how so small meanes could maintain so many he would see the bread that they did eate in the time of dearth; and thus finding out the great want of labouring men, that shaming to begge, lived more miserably than ordinary beggers: he would often give them good summes of money, making them beleeve that he did but lend it them; and causing some about him to pass their words for the repayment, when he never meant to receive it againe but did that, as himselfe was wont to tell us, in policie to make them continue their labour, and to be good husbands, and when he came home he would seriously thanke God that had provided for him so plentifully, when his poore brethren, deserving, as he said, better then himselfe, sustayned so much misery.

'If I should speak of his hospitalitie, and of the extraordinary love which his noble behavior, joined with true gentlenesse, did purchase among his neighbours: his affabilitie, courtesie, taking notice of the qualities of all his neighbours, and his ever doing good to the well deserving, and his good admonitions to the evill, if occasion served him to talke with them, and of his care to encourage all in goodnesse, and to do good to all and hurt to none, the time would faile me. One thing let mee tell, he was ever a benefactor to some captaines or poore gentlemen. And his liberalitie to such, did never come out at the foregate; he would send it, or give it, most secretly ever, upon my knowledge, pulling their names out of their letters written to him, and sending money to be paid to such a one at his lodging, as if it had

beene a debt, rather than a gift. Thus, as Appolinaris speakes, Mallet precationibus potius in cœlum ferre, quâm plausibus: He had rather be lifted up towards heaven with their prayers for him, then their prayses of him. O that all noble men and others of the better sort, would imitate this best Lord herein; and would with Nazianzene, have this noble consideration, that the poore are nothing else but a more unnoble part of the like noble nature: verily they would not then despise their owne flesh so unchristianly as they now do. And albeit they would not, with Zaccheus, share their estate with the poore, yet would they willingly part with some part of it for their reliefe; and readily afford them the bowels of compassion, whom now they pass by with scorne and contempt.

"How farre short of this come our great men, who do spend more upon pictures in their houses, then they doe upon the poore, the images of God: whose madnesse one paints out excellently in this manner: They must have (saith he) their chambers adorned with rich pictures, and the poor must go by them without eyther apparell for their backs, or meate for their bellies. A proper delight, when their wals must carry the Troians cloathed in purple and gold, and the poore cannot get a ragge from them to cover their nakedness. Hector must have a golden shield put into his hand in their galleries, and Christ's starving members cannot get a crumme of bread at their gates. Nay, to say truth of some of these, Spoliantur sæpe pauperes, vt vestiantur lapides: their chambers are hanged with the spoiles of the poor. Thus farre my author. Neyther do I speake this, to condemne all having of pictures; for wee may use the creatures of God for delight sometime as well as for use: but the excessive abuse thereof in men of cruell mindes, that purchase their pleasures with the robberies and spoyle of the poore, of whom they make less account then of their pictures, mispending all upon their owne pleasures, and sparing nothing, or nothing so much, for Christ's poore members.

"It were infinite to recapitulate the severall worthy parts of this vertuous Lord, of whom I may faithfully speake in saint Hierome's words: He was so eminent in every virtue, as if he had but that one: whereas commonly, Homo cum multa facere desiderat, magna facere non potest: when a man covets to do many things, he can doe no great matters. "And this worthy Lord, though he was high in christian conversation, yet was hee alwayes humble in his owne conceit, and did hold with Ignatius, That those that did loade

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him with prayses, did lash him with whips. Such a pendent to this rich jewell, beautified with so many faire stones of inestimable worth, was this precious pearle of humble modestie.

"Thus do wee see some foote-steppes of his honourable and christian life, by which we may ghesse at his worth, worthy of due respect in his life, and of perpetuall remembrance after his death.

'And though hee held many honourable places in his life, yet did hee ever as much honour the places with his worth, as the places honoured him with their height: whereas ever bad men doe debase great places when they get into them: and therefore Tully tolde Cæsar, setting up base men in honourable places, that hee did not so much grace their persons with the places, as disgrace the places with such

persons.

"And if any shall yet aske, why a man so absolutely honourable, was not more honoured among men; I must answer him as Cato Censorius did one, who demanded the cause why himselfe so well deserving had no statue, when many of meane merit did obtain statues: I had rather that good men should marvell why I had none, then that any should mutter for that I got one.

"But because, as Solon truely said, None is happy before his end give mee now leave to relate unto you the manner of his end, which was indeed the upshot of his happinesse.

"Divers dayes before hee departed this life, hee received in himselfe the sentence of death; and did resolutely conclude against us all, that his glasse was run. And all the time of his sicknesse he was willing to dye, and did often and earnestly repeate these words, I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ. Yea, he did most christianly imploy the whole of his weaknesse in making himselfe ready to entertayne the bridegroome; dedicating the day to almost continuall prayer, conference, or discourse of heavenly things. How fervently, and with what feeling, he poured out his sighes and prayers many times a day, wee praying with him and for him; how joyfully he discoursed of the joyes of heaven; with what chearefulnesse hee spake of the benefits of death to God's children; and how heartiley he bewayled the miseries of this life, and with what affection hee desired to be dissolved; all that were about him, doe rejoyce to remember together with myselfe, whom he would not suffer to depart from him, untill (as hee said, and as it fell out,) death parted us.

"The third day before his death hee received the sacra ment, with admirable comfort, having exceedingly longed and hungered after it; insomuch that hee rose out of his bed that day before sunne-rising, albeit he was very weake, and caused himselfe to be apparalled, and then did we pray together all of us, that were about him, some two or three times before he did communicate; and spent some three or foure houres, in continuall eyther prayer or speech about the sacrament, and touching the danger of unworthy, and the benefits and duties of worthy receivers: so carefull he was to be rightly prepared. I may not here omit how heartily be craved forgivenesse of God, and all the world; and how earnestly hee protested in these very words, that hee did as sincerely forgive all his enemies, as hee himselfe did desire to have forgivenesse of Almightie God. When hee came to communicate, at his taking of the bread into his hand, hee did with a strong loud voyce, in a weake body, testifie, that as verely as hee received the bread and wine into his body, so verely did he beleeve, that by the hand of faith hee did receive and apply Christ with all his merits, to be wholly his, desiring God to increase his faith and the feeling of his union and communion with Christ, and to give him grace that hee might thankefully remember the Lords death. Which, or the like words in effect, thus uttered, with eyes and hands lifted up to heaven, moved teares for joy and passion in some honourable persons and others of us who did communicate with him.

"After this, the Lord did for a time suffer him to have a conflict with a spirituall desertion, a temptation familiar to God's deare children: Satan comming upon him, like a roaring lion in his greatest weaknesse, knowing that now or never hee must doe him hurt: he settes before him now the fearefullest sight that ever he saw, to wit, the grievousnesse of his sinnes, and the greatnesse of God's judgementes, thereby to drive him to despaire of God's mercy, a greater sinne, then all his other offences; when he would make him beleeve that man can be more sinfull, then God can be merciful.

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Yea, God suffered him for awhile to have an eclipse of his favour, hiding his face from him, and leaving him without the feeling of his love, and of that joye and assurance which he had enjoyed before. So that now he beganne to doubt, whether his faith was true, his repentance syncere, and whether God did love him or no, sith he had left him, as hee said, heavie, discontent, and without comfort. Yet hee al

wayes poured out continuall groanes, sighes, and earnest prayers, with incredible hungering and thirsting for the grace and mercie of God in Christ.

"He protested that he so hated sinne, that he would not to gaine the greatest monarchie in the earth, commit againe one of the least sinnes, that in his youth he had made small reckoning of. And these verie words hee repeated often and earnestly. And yet said hee, I am afraid I doe not repent truely as I should doe. I desired him, if any special sinne did, above the rest, trouble his conscience, or any other worldly thing lay upon his minde, that he would make choice of some speciall friend to impart it unto, who might helpe him with his counsell, comfort, and prayers unto God, by which I told him that I did not doubt but that hee should receive much ease and comforte. And to effect this the sooner, we caused all his servants to depart out of his chamber, and when he would confesse no particulars to his sonne or me, I left him to his sonne alone, and went out from him into a gallerie not farre off, where after I had walked a good pretie while I might heare his worthie son telling him with a mournfull voyce, how Christ's mercy was more able to save us, then all our sinnes were to condemne us: and that Christ came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance, and those that laboured and were heavie loden under the burden of their sins, those he called to come unto him, those he promised to ease and refresh, &c. whereupon I came againe into his chamber, talked and prayed with him, together with his servants that came in also againe : neyther did I heare, or ever could perceive, that any one speciall thing or sinne did above the rest trouble his minde. When I urged him to confesse before God his particular sinnes, and those or that darling sinne that he had most delighted in; and to pray to God for repentance and pardon: he acknowledged before us all, that he had often and fearefully offended God in swaggering, in fighting, in swearing, in too high prizing of himselfe, and prophaning the Sabbath in his yonger daies, and by his many other sinnes. And then he cried out with wonderfull passion, Lord, Lord, forgive mee all my sinnes for Christ his sake: for thy Christ's sake Lord give me true, true repentance! I feel a wonderfull dulnesse and deadnesse of heart, that doth not repent as it should do. Then I assured him that this feeling of his owne weaknesse, was not weaknesse, but strength. For it comes not from our corruption, that we feele our corruption, but from God's grace. But that we feele our sinnes with such desire