commanding Providence in the manner of it. Perhaps I do as fincerely with your thoughts at eafe as any friend you have, but I think you may purchafe that too dear; and if you fhould come to think fo too, they would then be as reftlefs as before. Sir, I believe you would be as much a common good as you can: confider how few of ability and integrity this age produces. Pray do not turn this matter too much in your head; when one has once turned it every way, you know that more does but perplex, and one never fees the clearer for it. Be not fiff if it be fill urged to you. Conform to the Divine Will, which has fet it fo ftrongly into the other's mind, and be content to endure; it is God calls you to it. I believe it was wifely faid, that when there is no remedy they will give over, and make the beft of it, and fo I hope no ill will terminate on the King; and they will lay up their arrows, when they perceive they are fhot in vain at him or you, upon whom no reflection that I can think of can be made that is ingenious; and what is pure malice you are above being affected with. I wish, for many reafons, my prayers were more worthy; but fuch as they are, I offer them with a fincere zeal to the Throne of Grace for you, in this ftrait, that you may be led out of it, as fhall beft ferve the great ends and defigns of God's glory. I LETTER XXI. Dean Tilletfon to Lady Rufell. Honoured Madam, October 25, 1690 *. AM obliged to your Ladyfhip beyond all expreflion, for taking my cafe fo feriously into your confideration, and giving me your mature thoughts upon it. Nothing ever came more feafonably to me than your letter, which I received on Wednesday fe'nnight, the very night before I was to have given my final anfwer to the King the next morning. I thank you for it it helped very much to fettle and determine my wavering mind. I weighed all you wrote, both your advice and your arguments, having not only an : affurance of your true friendship and good-will for me, but a very great regard and deference for your judgment and opinion. I cannot but own the weight of that confideration which you are pleafed to urge me withal; I mean, the vifible marks of a more than ordinary providence of God in this thing; that the King, who likes not either to importune or to be denied, should, after fo obitinate a declining of the thing on my part, fill perfift to prefs it upon me with lo much kindnefs, and with that earnestnefs of perfuafion which it does not become me to mention. I wish I could think the King had a fuperior direction in this, as I verily believe he hath in fome other things of much greater importance. The next morning I went to Kenfing. ton full of fear, but yet determined what was fit for me to do. I met the King coming out of his clofet, and asking if his coach was ready. He took me afide, and I told him, that, in obedience to his Majefty's command, I had confidered of the thing as well as I could, and came to give him my answer. I perceived his Majefty was going out, and therefore defired him to appoint me another time, which he did on the Saturday morning after. Then I came again, and he took me into his clofet, where I told him, that I could not but have a deep fense of his Majefty's great grace and favour to me, not only to offer me the best thing he had to give, but to prefs it fo earnestly upon me. I faid, I would not prefume to argue the matter any farther, but I hoped he would give me leave to be fill his humble and earnett petitioner to fpare me in that thing. He answered, he would do fo if he could, but he knew not what to do if I refufed it. Upon that I told him, that I tendered my life to him, and did humbly devote it to be difpofed of as he thought fit. He was graciously pleafed to fay, it was the best news had come to him this great while. I did not kneel down to kifs his hand, for without that I doubt I am too fure of it; but requefted of him, that he would defer the declaration of it, and let it be a fecret for fome time. He faid he thought it might not be amifs to defer it till the Parliament was up. I begged farther of him, that he would not make me a wedge to drive out the prefent Archbishop: that that fome time before I was nominated, his Majesty would be pleafed to declare in council, that fince his lenity had not had any better effect, he would wait no more, but would difpofe of their places. This I told him I humbly defired, that I might not be thought to do any thing harth, or which might reflect upon me; for now that his Majefly had thought fit to advance me to this ftation, my reputation was become his intereft. He faid, he was fenfible of it, and thought it reafonable to do as I defired. I craved leave of him to mention one thing more, which in justice to my family, efpecially to my wife, I ought to do; that I fhould be more than undone by the great and neceflary charge of coming into this place; and must therefore be an humble petitioner to his Majefty, that if it thould pleafe God to take me out of the world, that I must unavoidably leave my wife a beggar, he would not fuffer her to be so; and that he would graciously be pleafed to confider, that the widow of an Archbifhop of Canterbury (which would now be an odd figure in England *) could not decently be fupported by fo little as would have contented her very well if I had died a Dean. To this he gave a very gracious anfwer, I promise you to take care of her t Just as I had finished the last fentence, another very kind letter from your Ladyfhip was brought to me, wherein I find your tender concern for me, which I can never fufficiently acknowledge. But you fay the dye is now caft, and I muft now make the best I can of what I lately thought was the worst that could have happened to me. I thank God I am more cheerful than I expected, and comfort myself as I can with this hope, that the Providence of God, to which I have fubmitted my own will in this matter, will graciously affift me to discharge, in fome measure, the duty he hath called me to. I did not acquaint my good friend, who wrote to you, with all that had paffed, because it was intended to be a fecret, which I am fure is fafe in your hands. Only two who had filled the fee of Canterbury had been married, Cranmer and Parker. King William granted Tillotfon's widow an annuity of 600l. and forgave the first fruits; for the Archbishop left nothing to his family but the copy of his pofthumous Sermons, which was afterwards fold for 2,500 guineas. She died zoth JaDuary 1701-2. I only told him, that his Majefty did not intend, as yet, to difpofe of this place; but when he did it, I was afraid it would be hard for me to escape. The King, I believe, has only acquainted the Queen with it, who, as the came out of the clofet on Sunday last, commanded me to wait upon her after dinner, which I did; and after the had difcourfed about other business (which was to defire my opinion of a treatise fent her in manufcript out of Holland, tending to the reconciliation of our differences in England), the told me, that the King had with great joy acquainted her with a fecret concerning me, whereof he was no lefs glad; uling many gracious expreffions, and confirming his Majefty's promifes concerning my wife. But I am fenfible this is an intolerable letter, efpecially concerning one'sfelf. I had almost forgot to mention Mr. Vaughan's bufinefs: as foon as he brought your Ladyfhip's letter hither to me, I wrote immediately to Whitehall, and got the business stopt. The Bishop of St. David's || had written up for fome minister of a great town, but a fmall living in that diocefe, that it might be bestowed on him for his pains in that great town. The pretence is fair, but if the minifter is no better a man than the bishop, I am fure he is not worthy of it. I have been twice to wait on my Lord Nottingham about it, but miffed of him. When I have inquired farther into it, if the thing be fit to be done, I will do my best for Mr. Vaughan. And I beg of your Ladyfhip to make no dificulty of commanding my poor fervice upon any occafion, for I am always truly glad of the opportunity. I cannot forbear to repeat my humble thanks for your great concernment for me in this affair §. Probably a relation of Lady Ruffell, whofe first husband was Lord Vaughan, eldest fon to the Earl of Carberry. Watfon, Bishop of St. David's, was deprived for fimony, 199, by Archbishop Tennifon. He took the caths to King William, yet continued attached to King James. § Archbishop Sancroft was deprived February 1, 1690-1; Tillotion nominated in council to the Archbishopric, 1691, and confecrated 31st of May. He died Nov. 23, 1694. King William declared that he was the best man whom he ever knew, and the best friend whom he ever had. The Queen for many years fpoke of him in the tendereft man. ner, and not without tears. Burnet. That God would multiply his beft bleffings upon your Ladyfhip and your children, and make them great blefings and comforts to you, is the daily prayer of, Madam, your moft obliged humble fervant. LETTER XXII. I 16th October 1690. HAVE, my Lord, fo upright an heart to my friends, that though your great weight of bufinefs had forced you to a filence of this kind, yet I fhould have had no doubt, but that one I fo diftinguifh in that little number God has yet left me, does join with me to lament my late loffes the one was a juft fincere man, and the only fon of a fifter and a friend I loved with too much paffion; the other my last fifter, and I ever loved her tenderly. It pleases me to think that the deferves to be remembered by all those that knew her. But after above forty years acquaintance with fo amiable a creature, one muft needs, in reflecting, bring to remembrance fo many engaging endearments as are yet at prefent imbittering and painful; and indeed we may be fure, that when any thing below God is the object of our love, at one time or another it will be matter of our forrow. But a little time will put me again into my fettled ftate of mourning; for a mourner I muit be all my days upon carth, and there is no need I fhould be other. My glafs runs low. The world does not want me, nor I want that: my bufinefs is at home, and within a narrow compafs. I muft not deny, as there was fomething fo glorious in the object of my biggest forrow, I believe that, in fome measure, kept me from being then overwhelmed. So now it affords me, together with the remembrance how many eafy years we lived together, thoughts that are joy enough for one who looks no higher than a quiet fubmiffion to her lot; and fuch pleasures in educating my young folks as furmount the cares that it wifl afford. If I shall be spared the trial, where I have moft thought of being prepared to bear the pain, I hope I fhall be thankful, and I think I afk it faithfully, that it may be in mercy not in judgment. A troubled mind has a multitude of thefe thoughts. Yet I hope I mafter all very your, &c. From the fame to Lord Cavendish. 29th October 1690. HOUGH I know my letters do Lord T Cavendish no fervice, yet, as a refpect I love to pay him, and to thank him alfo for his last from Limbeck: I had not been fo long filent, if the death of two perfons both very near and dear to me had not made me fo uncomfortable to myfelf, that I knew I was utterly unfit to converfe where I would never be ill com pany. The feparation of friends is grievous. My fifter Mountague was one I loved tenderly; my Lord Gainsborough was the only fon of a fifter I loved with too much paffion: they both deferved to be remembered kindly by all that knew them. They both began their race long after me, and I hoped thould have ended it fo too; but the great and wife Difpofer of all things, and who knows where it is beft to place his creatures, either in this or in the other world, has ordered it otherwife. otherwife. The best improvement we can make in thefe cafes, and you, my dear Lord, rather than I, whofe glafs runs low, while you are young, and I hope have many happy years to come, is, I fay, that we should all reflect there is no paffing through this to a better world, without fome croffes; and the scene fometimes fhifts fo faft, our courfe of life may be ended, before we think we have gone half way; and that an happy eternity depends on our spending well or ill that time allotted us here for probation. Live virtuously, my Lord, and you cannot die too foon, nor live too long. I hope the last shall be your lot, with many bleffings attending it. Your, &c. LETTER XXIV. Archbishop Tillotson to Lady Ruffell. Honoured Madam, June 23, 1691*. RECEIVED your Ladyfhip's letter, together with that to Mr. Fox, which I fhall return to him on Wednesday morning, when I have defired Mr. Kemp to fend him to me. I I entreat you to give my very humble fervice to my Lord of Bedford, and to let his Lordship know how far I have been concerned in this affair. I had notice firft from Mr. Attorney-General and Mr. Solicitor, and then from my Lord -, that feveral perfons, upon the account of publishing and difperfing feveral libels against me, were fecured in order to profecution. Upon which I went to wait upon them feverally, and earnestly defired of them, that nobody might be punished upon my account: that this was not the first time I had experience of this kind of malice, which, how unpleafant foever to me, I thought it the wifeft way to neglect, and the beft to forgive it t None of them faid any thing to me of my Lord Ruffell, nor did it ever come have aggravated it by difperfing more copies; and, as I find by the letter to Mr. Fox, are supported in their infolence by a ftrong combination, I cannot but think it very fit for my Lord Bedford to bring them to condign punishment. Twice laft week I had my pen in my hand to have provoked you to a letter; and that I might once in my life have been before-hand with in this you way of kindnefs. I was both times hindered by the breaking in of company upon me. The errand of it would have been to have told you, that, whether it be from ftupidity, or from a prefent astonishment at the danger of my condition, or from fome other caufe, I find, that I bear the burden I dreaded fo much, a good deal better than I could have hoped. David's acknowledgment to God runs in my mind, "Who am I, O Lord God, or "what is my houfe, that thou haft brought me hitherto; and haft regarded me according to the eftate of "a man of high degree, O Lord Godt?" I hope that the fame providence of God which hath once over-ruled me in this thing, will fome way or other turn it to good. The Queen's extraordinary favour to me, to a degree much beyond my expectation, is no small fupport to me; and I flatter myfelf with hopes, that my friends will continue their kindness to me; efpecially that the best friend I ever had will not be the lefs fo to me now that I need friends most. I pray to God continually to preferve you and yours, and particularly at this time to give my Lady Cavendish a happy meeting with her Lord, and to grant them both a long and happy life together. I am, Madam, your most faithful and humble fervant. LETTER XXV. into my thought to hinder any profecu- Lady Ruffell to (fuppofed Archbishop tion upon his account, whofe reputation, I can truly fay, is much dearer to me than mine own; and I was much more troubled at the barbarous ufage done to his memory, and efpecially fince they From his draught in thort-hand. Upon a bundle of libels found among his papers after his death he put no other infcription than this: "Thefe are libels; I pray God forSherlock. "give the authors: I do." IN Tillotson). 24th July 1691. wants and diftreffes of all kinds one naturally flies to a fure friend, if one is bleffed with any fuch. This is the reafon of the prefent addrefs to you, which is burthened with this requeft, if Lab Refell to 71 مونه کاره nove, my Lone, & me in my friends, that 155.27 weight of bubnele not fores Alence of this bind you no doubt, but that on that httle number Go does join with me 12 Τ a it for we will put me again into Voce one who looks no a song the cares that it not been it = se di two perfons starter and tera me had not mos me & moral myself, that I knew I was interly unit 3 converfe where I would never be pany. The deparation of friends is grievous. My her Montague was one I loved tenderly, my Lord Ganboroug was the only in or a fer I loved with too much paffion: they both deferved to be remembered kindly by all that knew them. They both began their race kag after me, and I hoped thould have ended it fo too; but the great and wife Difpofer of all things, and who knows where it is beft to place his creatures, either in this or in the other world, has ordered it otherwife. |