rus and Jerom shewed too much credulity in the lives they writ, and raised Martin and Hilarian 'beyond what can be reasonably believed: after, them, Socrates, Theodoret, Sozomen, and Pal

ladius, took a pleasure to tell uncouth stories of 'the monks of Thebais and Nitra ; and those who 'came after them scorned to fall short of them, 'but raised their saints above those of former ages, 'so that one would have thought that undecent way of writing could rise no higher; and this humour infected even those who had otherwise a 'good sense of things, and a just apprehension of 'mankind, as may appear in Matthew Paris, who, though he was a writer of great judgment and fidelity, yet he has corrupted his history with much of that alloy : but when emulation and envy 'rose among the several orders or houses, then they 'improved in that art of making romances, instead

of writing lives, to that pitch, that the world became generally much scandalized with them.The Franciscans and Dominicians tried who 'could say the most extravagant things of the founders, or other saints of their orders; and the Benedictines, who thought themselves possest of 'the belief of the world, as well as of its wealth, ' endeavoured ́all that was possible still to keep up the dignity of their order, by out-lying the ' others all they could; and whereas here or there, a miracle, a vision, or trance, might have occurred ' in the lives of former saints, now every page was 'full of those wonderful things.

'Nor has the humour of writing in such a man'ner been quite laid down in this age, though

more awakened and better enlightened, as appears in the life of Philip Nerius, and a great many

more and the Jesuits at Antwerp are now taking care to load the world with a vast and voluminous * collection of all those lives, that has already swelled to eleven volumes in folio, in a small print, and yet being digested according to the calendar, they have yet but ended the month of April.The life of Monsieur Renty is writ in another manner, where there are so many excellent pas

sages, that he is justly to be reckoned amongst the greatest patterns that France has afforded in 'this

age.

But while some have nourished infidelity, and a scorn of all sacred things, by writing of those good men in such a strain, as makes not only what is so related to be disbelieved, but creates a distrust of the authentical writings of our most 'holy faith; others have fallen into another ex'treme, in writing lives too jejunely, swelling them

up with trifling accounts of the childhood and 'education, and the domestic and private affairs of 'those persons of whom they writ, in which the 'world is little concerned: by these they become 'so flat, that few care to read them; for certainly 'those transactions are only fit to be delivered to 'posterity, that may carry with them some useful 'piece of knowledge to after times.

I have now an argument before me, which 'will afford indeed only a short history, but will 'contain in it as great a character as perhaps can of any in this age; since there are few

⚫ be given

'instances of more knowledge and greater virtues meeting in one person. I am upon one account (besides many more) unfit to undertake it, because I was not at all known to him, so I can say nothing from my own observation; but upon second thoughts I do not know whether this may not qualify me to write more impartially, though I perhaps more defectively, for the knowledge of ́extraordinary persons does most commonly bias those who were much wrought on by the tender

ness of their friendship for them, to raise their 'style a little too high, when they write concerning 'them: I confess I knew, him as much as the 'looking often on him could amount to. The last year of his being in London, he came always

6

on Sundays (when he could go abroad) to the chapel of the Rolls, where I then preached: in 'my life I never saw so much gravity, tempered 'with that sweetness, and set of with so much vivacity, as appeared in his looks and behaviour, ' which disposed me to a veneration for him, which I never had for any with whom I was not ac'quainted: I was seeking an opportunity of being ' admitted to his conversation; but I understood, that between a great want of health, and a mul◄ tiplicity of business, which his employment 'brought upon him, he was master of so little of

his time, that I stood in doubt whether I might 'presume to rob him of any of it; and so he left 'the town before I could resolve on desiring to be 'known to him.

'My ignorance of the law of England made me

also unfit to write of a man, a great part of whose

'character, as to his learning, is to be taken from his skill in the common Law, and his performance <in that. But I shall leave that to those of the 'same robe; since if I engaged much in it, I must needs commit many errors, writing of a subject < that is foreign to me.

The occasion of my undertaking this, was 'given me first by the earnest desires of some that have great power over me, who having been much obliged by him, and holding his memory in high estimation, thought I might do it some right by writing his life; I was then engaged in 'the History of the Reformation, so I promised that as soon as that was over, I should make the best I could of such informations and memorials as should be brought to me.

use

This I have now performed in the best man‹ner I could, and have brought into method all the parcels of his life, or the branches of his charac'ter, which I could either gather from the infor'mations that were brought to me, or from those 'that were familiarly acquainted with him, or from

his writings. I have not applied any of the false <colours with which art, or some forced eloquence, might furnish me, in writing concerning him; but have endeavoured to set him out in the same"simplicity in which he lived. I have said little of his domestic concerns, since though in these he、 'was a great example, yet it signifies nothing to the world to know any particular exercises that might be given to his patience; and therefore I "shall draw a veil over all these, and shall avoid

saying any thing of him, but what may afford the reader some profitable instruction. I am under no temptation of saying any thing, but what I am 'persuaded is exactly true, for where there is so 'much excellent truth to be told, it were an inex

cusable fault to corrupt that, or prejudice the 'reader against it, by the mixture of falsehoods ⚫ with it.

In short, as he was a great example while he lived, so I wish the setting him thus out to posterity in his own true and native colours, may have its due influence on all persons, but more particularly on those of that profession whom it more immediately concerns, whether on the benchi or at the bar.'