back to Bemerton to view the church, and repair the chancel, and, indeed, to rebuild almost three parts of his house, which was fallen down or decayed. At which time of his coming alone to Bemerton, there came to him a poor old woman, with intent to acquaint him with her necessitous condition, as also with some troubles of her mind; but after she had spoken some few words to him, she was surprised with a fear that begot a shortness of breath, so that her spirits and speech failed her; which, he perceiving, did so compassionate her, and was so humble that he took her by the hand, and said, "Speak, good mother; be not afraid to speak to me, for I am a man that will hear you with patience, and will relieve your necessities, too, if I be able; and this I will do willingly; therefore, mother, be not afraid to acquaint me with what you desire."

After which comfortable speech he took her again by the hand, made her sit down by him, and understanding she was of his parish, told her he would be acquainted with her, and take her into his care. And having with patience heard and understood her wants (and it is some relief to a poor body to be but heard with patience), he, like a Christian gentleman, comforted her by his meek behaviour and counsel; and because that cost him nothing, he relieved her with money, and so sent her home with a cheerful heart, praising God and praying for him. Thus worthy and, like David's blessed man, thus lowly, was Mr. George Herbert in his own eyes, and thus lovely in the eyes of others.

FROM THE "COMPLETE ANGLER."

BUT turn out of the way a little towards yonder high honey-suckle hedge; there we'll sit and sing, while this shower falls so gently on the teeming earth, and gives yet a sweeter smell to the lovely flowers that adorn these verdant meadows. Look! under that broad beech tree I sat down when I was last this way a-fishing. And the birds in the adjoining grove seemed to have a friendly

contention with an echo, whose dead voice seemed to live in a hollow tree near to the brow of that primrose hill. There I sat viewing the silver streams glide silently towards their centre, the tempestuous sea; yet sometimes opposed by rugged roots and pebble stones, which broke their waves, and turned them into foam; and sometimes I beguiled time by viewing the harmless lambs, some leaping securely in the cool shade, while others disported themselves in the cheerful sun, and saw others craving comfort from the swollen udders of their bleating dams.

As I thus sat, these and other sights had so fully possessed my soul with content, that I thought, as the poet has happily expressed it,

"I was for that time lifted above earth,

And possessed joys not promised on my birth."

As I left this place and entered into the next field, a second pleasure entertained me. It was a handsome milkmaid that had not yet attained so much age and wisdom as to load her mind with any fears of many things that will never be, as too many men often do; but she cast away all care, and sang like a nightingale; her voice was good, and the ditty fitted for it. It was that smooth song which was made by Kit Marlow, now at least fifty years ago; and the milkmaid's mother sung an answer to it, which was made by Sir Walter Raleigh in his younger days. They were old-fashioned poetry, but choicely good; and I think much better than the strong lines that are now in fashion in this critical age.

EDWARD HYDE.

EDWARD HYDE, Lord Chancellor under Charles II., and created Earl of Clarendon, was born A.D. 1608, and died in exile in 1674. Besides his great work, the History of the Rebellion, he wrote several political and philosophical treatises, one in particular on An Active and a Contemplative Life, and why the one should be preferred to the other, from which the first extract is taken.

APPLYING THE HEART UNTO WISDOM.

WE think it a commendable thing (and value ourselves much upon it) to take great pains, to use much industry, so to make ourselves fine gentlemen, to get languages, to learn arts; it may be some for which we are the worse and we acknowledge that that is not to be done, nay, any exercise of the body to be learned, or the most mechanic trade, without great pains and industry; but to make ourselves Christians, to know God, and what he expects from us, and what will be acceptable to him, we take not the least pains, use not the least industry.

I am persuaded, if many of us who have lived to good years, did faithfully compute in what particular meditations and actions we have spent our time, we should not be able amongst the years we have spent in pursuing our pleasures, our profits, our ambition, the days and nights we have dedicated to our lusts, our excesses, the importunities and solicitations we have used to mend our fortunes; we should not be able to set down one hour for our whole life, which we have solemnly spent to amend our Christianity; in which we have devoutly considered the majesty and providence and goodness of God, or the reason and end of our creation; or that there is such a place as a heaven for those who do well, or hell for the punishment of the wicked; for if we had spent but one hour in the contemplation of these particulars, it is not possible but that we should be started out of our lethargic laziness, and should make some progress in the practice

of Christianity, as well as in those paths that lead to pleasure or profit.

What is this inadvertency and cogitancy but to believe that, as we have received the badge of Christianity in our infancy when we knew not of it, so it will grow and increase upon us in our sleep and hours of leisure without our taking notice of it? that the little water thrown on our face in baptism was enough to preserve the image of God's beauty upon us, without any addition from ourselves either by the tears of repentance, or so much as by the sweat of our labour? and to declare to all the world that we hold the life of a Christian to be nothing else but spending so many days in a climate where the gospel of Christ is suffered to be preached, how little soever it be practised?

If we would so number our days, that is, so consider of them as to order and dispose some part of our time, one hour in a day, one day in ten, but to think of God and what he hath done for us; to remember that we are Christians, and the obligation that thereby lies on us; that there will be a day of judgment, and that we must appear at that day. Though it might be a difficult thing at the first in that set time to apply our unexercised and uninformed thoughts to so devout and religious an exercise as we should; yet, I say, if we would but so set apart a time for that purpose, as to resolve at that time constantly to do nothing else, how perfunctorily soever we did it, we should by degrees bring ourselves from sober and humble thoughts to pious and godly thoughts, till we found ourselves so growing to perfect Christians as to confess we were not worthy of the name before.

How few men are there who, since they were able to think and could choose for themselves, whether they would or no, ever seriously spent two hours by themselves in thinking what would make them wiser, but sleep, and eat, and play, which makes the whole circle of their lives, and are not in seven years together, except asleep, one hour by themselves.

CARE FOR THE MIND.

IT is a strange thing to see the care and solicitude that is used to strengthen and cherish the body; the study, and industry, and skill, to form and shape every member and limb to beauty and comeliness; to teach the hands, and feet, and eyes the order and gracefulness of motion; to cure any defects of nature or accident, with any hazard or pain, insomuch as we oftentimes see even those of the weaker sex willingly endure the breaking of a bone that cannot otherwise be made straight; and all this ado but to make a handsome and beautiful person, which at best is but the picture of a man or woman without a wise soul; when to the improvement of that jewel, which is the essence of man (and which, unconsidered, even that which we labour for, and are proud of, our beauty and handsomeness, is by many degrees inferior to that of a thousand beasts and other creatures), to the cultivating, and shaping, and directing of the mind we give scarce a thought, not an hour of our life; never suppress a passion, never reform an affection; insomuch as we may justly wonder we are not all fools or idiots when we consider how little we have contributed to make ourselves other; and doubtless if nature, whom we are ready to accuse of all our weakness and perverseness, had not out of her store bountifully supplied us, our own art and industry would never have kept up our faculties to that little vile height they are at. Neither, in truth, do many believe or understand that there needs any other diligence or art to be applied to the health of the mind, than the sober ordering and disposing of the body; and it is well if we can bring ourselves to that reasonable conclusion.

Whereas when we prescribe ourselves a wholesome and orderly course of diet for the strengthening of our natures, and confirming our healths, if we would consider what diet to give our minds, what books to read for the informing and strengthening our understandings, and conclude that it is as impossible for the mind to be improved without these supplies, as for the body to subsist without