was the most acceptable mode of serving him." In extreme grief, he rose at midnight and went down to a grass plat in the garden, where he stood a long time sad and pensive; reflecting seriously upon the great doubts which thus extremely perplexed him. At length, throw ing himself upon his hands and face to the ground, and spreading out his hands, he cried aloud-" Yes; there is, there must be a God: and he, no question, if I duly and earnestly seek it of him, will teach me not only how to know but how to serve him acceptably. He will be with me all my life here, and at the end will make me happy hereafter." His doubts now vanished, and he returned to his apartment in tranquillity; but the recollection of the circumstance made him ever after commiserate persons in distress of mind on religious accounts, to many of whom in future life his advice and persuasions became eminently consolatory and instructive. The early promises of his infancy began very soon to be realized at college. His tutor, Mr. Lindsell, wishing to elicit and exhibit his talents, or, as he himself expressed it," to see his inside as well as his outside," made such trials of his abilities as the Fellows thought quite unreasonable, urging that "it was a shame to spur a fleet horse; which already outwent the rider's desire, and won every race he put him to." In all these examinations young Ferrar succeeded beyond the highest expectations; and being anxious to continue the course of mental cultivation which he had thus auspiciously begun, he gave himself unintermittingly to his studies, so that it became a common remark, that his chamber might be known by the candle that was last extinguished at night and first lighted in the morning. His piety was equal to his learning, nor was any pursuit, however interesting, ever suffered to interfere with the regularity of his attend ance at the college chapel-an example worthy of imitation by many junior members of our universities in the present day, who, with much clearer ideas, perhaps, of the general nature of Christianity, than were possessed by young Ferrar, might yet find in his scrupulous strictness of conduct and susceptibility of conscience, no unworthy subject of Christian emulation. In his second year Ferrar became a Fellow-commoner, his parents having deferred this privilege till he had proved that he deserved it; and in 1610 he took his first degree in Arts, and the same year was elected a Fellow of his college. His literary acquisitions, as well as his personal character and influence among his friends, had by this time become so conspicuous that Mr. Lindsell was accustomed to exclaim, "May God keep him in a right mind; for if he should turn schismatic, or heretic, he would make work for all the world. Such a head! Such power of argument! Such a tongue, and such a pen! Such a memory withal he hath, with such indefatigable pains, that all these joined together, I know not who would be able to contend with him." But the rising genius and virtues of Ferrar could not exempt him from the ordinary afflictions of humanity; among which he had to enumerate a feminine and sickly temperament of body, visibly aggravated by his severe studies, and which, though it could not abate his own courage, began greatly to excite the alarm of his friends. His faithful and affectionate physician being apprehensive that his valua ble life was near its close, and his friends in general thinking it impossible for him to survive another winter in England, he was prevailed upon to retire to the Continent; where by the course recommended for his adoption, his medical adviser predicted that his life might possibly last to thirty-five years, beyond which he had no hopes that it count of the moral contagion which is known to exist in various parts of the Continent, in conjunction with the unfavourable effects lately produced, or supposed to have been produced, upon the agriculture, manufactures, and general prosperity of our own country, by concentrating into the space of a single summer the ordinary portion of travelling allotted to several years. The mischiefs, however, of the practice would not so often have preponderated over the benefits, had all our junior travellers commenced their expeditions with the same enlightened and religious views as the subject of the present remarks. The above-mentioned Lindsell expressly declared, that "he knew that in all virtue Nicholas Ferrar was an old man; and that the stock of learning, wisdom, and religion, which he carried out with him would be increased at his return." It should also be remembered that Ferrar was fully aware of the moral danger to which he might be exposed; but he believed it to be his duty to take the step, so that, to use the words of his biographer, "he was armed beforehand against whatever might occur, and relied humbly upon the mercy of God to protect him." By the kind attention of Dr. Scot, who had succeeded to the mastership of Clare Hall, Ferrar was presented at court, and, having changed the gravity of his scholastic dress for a garb more suited to his new appointment, set sail with the courtiers for Flushing, where on his arrival he found that the sea air, as his physician predicted, had removed his intermittent fever, and produced the most favourable effect upon his constitution. Accompanying the princess Elizabeth from city to city, he minutely investigated and recorded the manners, religion, manufactures, government, and charitable institutions, of the Dutch, paying especial attention to their modes of preaching, their rites and ceremonies, and whatever else seemed worthy of observation in an age when theology was scarcely less the study of a politieian than of a divine. The princess not intending to travel by the route which Mr. Ferrar had proposed for himself, he declined a liberal appointment which he might have obtained in her service, and pursued bis journey alone from Amsterdam to Hamburgh, thence to the university of Leipsic, thence to Bohemia, and thence to the Italian States. In each of these places he remained a sufficient time to gain an intimate acquaintance with whatever appeared worthy of his attention, studying the history, the language, and general literature of every country at which he arrived. At Leipsic, in particular, he procured tutors in the various arts and sciences taught in that university; and while, on the one hand, his company was eagerly sought by the literary re sidents, the English merchants and factors also, on the other, who were equally delighted with his abilities, his integrity, and his suavity of manners, were transmitting with admiration his fame and character to his native country. M To detail the particulars of his long residence upon the Continent would exceed the limits of this brief narrative. His desire to procure useful information continued unabated; so that his biographer remarks, that "there was scarcely any trade, art, skill, or science concerning which he could not discourse, to the astonishment even of the professors themselves in their several professions." More than once during his travels he was apparently at the point of death, especially when at Marseilles, where he was attacked by a malignant fever, from which he with difficulty recovered. He was affec tionately attended in his illness by an English gentleman whom he met with in his travels, and to whom bis religious counsel had been highly beneficial. This gentleman had fted from his native country on account of having slain his antagonist in a duel, and was the victim of a secret remorse and despair, which at length yielded, in a considerable measure, to the arguments of Mr. Ferrar; so that the unhappy sufferer became more composed, and began even to feel a rising hope of Divine pity and forgiveness. With this friend Ferrar returned from Marseilles to Venice, whence he set sail for Spain, and narrowly escaped being captured during his voyage by a pirate. On this, as on numerous other occasions, he exhibited great personal courage; for the ship's company being divided respecting the propriety of yielding or fighting, and referring the matter to his decision, he resolutely advised them to commit their eause to God, and to die rather than fall into the hands of the Turks. Just, however, as they were preparing to shew their confidence by firing the first shot, the pirate, perceiving a richer prize, changed its course, and was heard of no more. Upon his landing in Spain, Nicholas Ferrar proceeded to Madrid, where the usual remittances from his father not having arrived, he sold his cloke and some of his jewels, and proceeded with a valuable rapier in his hand for the seaside, at which, after a long and dangerous journey of five hundred miles on foot, he at length arrived, and set sail from St. Sebastian's for Dover, in his twenty-sixth year, having been absent from England about five years. Hitherto we have regarded Mr. Ferrar as a religious young man of talents and leisure in a private station, and with no fixed employment; we ought now to consider him under a new and higher character-as an important member of society, employing his great endow ments and capacities in the arduous avocations of a public life. This part, however, of his memoirs, though very interesting, must, for the sake of brevity, be reluctantly passed over with a few slight remarks. His chief occupation in London was with the affairs of the Virginia Company; which the king, under the influence of the Spanish ambassador, Gondomar, had determined to suppress. The skill, intrepidity, and perseverance of Fer rar, in the whole of this most difficult and protracted business, exceeded even all that the sanguine hopes of his friends had anticipated, and extorted the highest admiration and encomiums from the very persons appointed by the king for carrying the design of the court into execution. By his eloquence and firmness of character, combin. ed with an intimate acquaintance with the affairs of the Company, and of the arts employed for its ruin, Ferrar was able to suspend, for a considerable time, the suppression of the charter; and even when the blow at length arrived, and the papers were seized, he had, unknown to the Company, made such prudent arrangements, particularly by procuring attested copies of all their books, and similar precautions, that it still remain. ed in the power of the Directors to vindicate their proceedings, and possibly, when the ferment should have a little subsided, to procure a reversal of the dissolution.-The following circumstance may be reJated as a specimen not only of his talents and his character, but of his zealous endeavours, in his connection with an important commercial company, for the welfare of the natives and colony under their direction: indeed, his wish to promote Christian knowledge among the heathen was so conspicuous, that his friends confidently predicted、 that he was designed by Providence to become a missionary. The circumstance just alluded to will appear best in the words of the original biographer. "When the council was met, the deputy, Mr. Ferrar, was commanded to come to the upper end of the table. Then the accusers of the Company desired of the lords that one of the clerks of the council might read such and such letters and instructions written in such and such months. Some of which being read, the lords of the council looked upon one another with evident marks of astonishment; observing that there was nothing of that dangerous consequence in those papers which the accusers had informed them they would discover, but, on the contrary, much matter of high commendation. Point out,' said one lord, 'where is the fault or error in these letters and instructions; for my own part, I must say that I cannot see any?' The enemies of the Company then prayed their lordships to hear them all read out; and then they said it would soon appear where the faults lay. 'Yea, yea,' said the lord treasurer with vehemence; read on, read on: we shall anon find them.' So they still persisted to read. And, in a word, so much patience had the lords, or rather so much pleasure, that many of them said they thought their time had been well spent. All these letters and instructions being in the end thus read out, and nothing at all appearing which was any ways disadvantageous to the Company, but, on the contrary, very much to their credit and honour; the marquis of Hamilton stood up, and said, That there was one letter which he prayed might be read over again, on which he should desire to make a few observations,' Which being accordingly done, Well,' said he, my lords, we have spent many hours here, in hearing all these letters and instructions, and yet I could not help requesting to hear this one letter over again: because I think that all your lordships must agree with me that it is absolutely a master-piece. And indeed they are all in a high degree excellent. Truly, my lords, we have this day lost no time at all. For I do assure you, that if our attendance here were for many days, I for my part would willingly sit them out to hear so pious, so wise, and indeed politic instructions as these are. They are papers as admirably well penned as any I ever heard. And I believe, if the truth were known, your lordships are all of the same opinion.' "The earl of Pembroke said, There is not one thing in them all, which, as far as I can see, deserves in the least degree to be excepted against. On the contrary, they all deserve the highest commendation: containing advices far more excellent than I could have expected to have met with in the letters of a trading company. For they abound with soundness of good matter, and profitable instruction with respect both to religion and policy; and they possess uncommon elegance of language.' Many other lords concurred in these commendations, and at length one, addressing himself to Mr. Ferrar, said, Mr. Deputy, I pray you tell us who penned these letters and instructions: we have some reason to think it was yourself.' "Mr. Ferrar, whose modesty and humility were not inferior to his other rare accomplishments, replied, My lord, these are the letters and instructions of the Company, and the Council of the Company. For in all weighty affairs they order several committees to make each a rough draught of what they judge proper to be done in these matters: which rough draughts are afterwards all put together, and presented first to the Council, and then to the Company to receive all proper alteration, as they shall please. And thus every thing is drawn up and concluded upon the advice of many. After due commendation of his modesty as well as his ability, it was replied to him; Mr. Deputy, that these papers before us are the production of one pen, is very plainly discernible: they are jewels that all come out of one rich cabinet, of which we have undoubted reason to believe that you are the true possessor.'" At the suppression of the Virginia Company's charter, Mr. Ferrar determined to put into effect a resolution which he had formed long before of retiring from public life, and devoting himself exclusively to the immediate service of God. That this determination was not a sudden idea, consequent upon the disappointments which he had experienced in conducting the Company's concerns, may be inferred from various circumstances in his previous conduct. He had repeatedly declined the acceptance of any public office, though solicited both by the government and his immediate connexions in life; and had con fidentially stated to his friends, as a reason for this conduct, that he had resolved, as soon as he had discharged the duties of his present station, to enter upon a course of religious retirement. The same intention was again expressed on a more peculiar occasion. A citizen of the first class for affluence and respectability was anxious for an alliance with Ferrar, and offered him the hand of his daughter, whose pecuniary expectations were known to be very large, and of whose extraordinary beauty, talents, and virtues, Ferrar had expressed the highest admiration, He, however, steadily refused this inviting and in every respect beneficial proposal; and from a general review of the circumstances of this and other transactions of his life, there appears reason to conclude that he had formed his resolution of retirement several years before, and probably on his recovery from one of his sicknesses while abroad. The unreasonable and superstitious notion of the superior advantages of a single life for the service of God seems in the early part of the seventeenth century to have still lingered in the minds of many members of the Protestant Church; and as Ferrar's devo tion, in various particulars, received |