young; and he often mentioned, with thankfulness to God, his great happiness in having such a mother, who was to him as Lois and Eunice were to Timothy, acquainting him with the Scriptures from his childhood; and there appearing in him early inclinations both to learning and piety, she devoted him in his tender years to the service of God, in the work of the ministry. She died of a consumption, March 6, 1645, leaving behind her only this son and five daughters. A little before she died, she had this saying, "my head is in heaven, and my heart is in heaven; it is but one step more, and I shall be there too.”

His susceptors in baptism, were Philip, earl of Pembroke, (who gave him his name, and was kind to him as long as he lived, as was also his son Philip after him) James earl of Carlisle, and the countess of Salisbury.

Prince Charles and the duke of York being somewhat near of an age to him, he was in his childhood very much an attendant upon them in their play, and they were often with him at his father's house, and were wont to tell him what preferment he should have at court, as soon as he was fit for it. He kept a book to his dying day, which the duke of York gave him; and I have heard him bewail the loss of two curious pictures, which he gave him likewise. Archbishop Laud took a particular kindness to him when he was a child, because he would be very officious to attend at the water-gate (which was part of his father's charge in Whitehall) to let the archbishop through when he came late from council, to cross the water to Lambeth.

These circumstances of his childhood he would sometimes speak of among his friends, not as glorying in them, but taking occasion from thence to

bless

bless God for his deliverance from the snares of the court; in the midst of which it is so very hard to maintain a good conscience and the power of religion, that it hath been said (though blessed be God, it is not a rule without exception) ereat ex aulâ qui velit esse pius. The breaking up and scattering of the court, by the calamities of 1641, as it dashed the expectations of his court preferments, so it prevented the danger of court entanglements: and though it was not, like Moses's, a choice of his own, when come to years, to quit the court; yet when he was come to years, he always expressed a great satisfaction in his removal from it, and blessed God, who chose his inheritance so much better for him.

Yet it may not be improper to observe here what was obvious, as well as amiable, to all who conversed with him; viz. that he had the most sweet and obliging air of courtesy and civility that could be; which some attributed in part to his early education at court. His mien and carriage was always so very decent and respectful, that it could not but win the hearts of all he had to do with. Never was any man further from that rudeness and moroseness which some scholars, and too many that profess religion, either wilfully affect, or carelessly allow themselves in, sometimes to the reproach of their profession. It is one of the laws of our holy religion, exemplified in the conversation of this good man, to honour all men. Sanctified civility is a great ornament to Christianity. It was a saying he often used, "religion doth not destroy good manners;" and yet he was very far from any thing of vanity in apparel, or formality of compliment in address; but his conversation was all natural and easy to himself and others, and nothing appeared in him, which even a severe

critic could justly call affected. This temper of his tended very much to the adorning of the doctrine of God our Saviour; and the general transcript of such an excellent copy, would do much towards the healing of those wounds which religion hath received in the house of her friends by the contrary. But to return to his story.

The

The first Latin school he went to was at St. Martin's church, under the teaching of one Mr. Bonner. Afterwards he was removed to Battersea, where one Mr. Wells was his school-master. grateful mention which in some of his papers he makes of these that were the guides and instructors of his childhood and youth, brings to mind that French proverb to this purpose: "to father, teacher, and God all-sufficient, none can render equivalent."

But in the year 1643, when he was about twelve years old, he was admitted into Westminster-school, in the fourth form, under Mr. Thomas Vincent, then usher, whom he would often speak of, as a most able diligent school-master; and one who grieved so much at the dulness and non-proficiency of any of his scholars, that falling into a consumption, I have heard Mr. Henry say of him, "that he even killed himself with false Latin."

Awhile after he was taken into the upper school, under Mr. Richard Busby, (afterwards Dr. Busby) and in October, 1645, he was admitted king's scholar, and was first of the election, partly by his own merit, and partly by the interest of the earl of Pembroke.

Here he profited greatly in school-learning, and all his days retained his improvements therein to admiration. When he was in years, he would readily in discourse quote passages out of the classic authors that were not common, and had them að

unguem,

unguem, and yet rarely used any such things in his preaching, (though sometimes, if very apposite, he inserted them in his notes.) He was very ready. and exact in the Greek accents, the quantities of words, and all the several kinds of Latin verse; and often pressed it upon young scholars, in the midst of their university-learning, not to forget their school-authors.

Here and before, his usual recreation at vacant times was, either reading the printed accounts of public occurrences, or or attending the courts at Westminster Hall, to hear the trials and arguments there, which I have heard him say, he hath often done to the loss of his dinner, and oftener of his play.

But paulo majora canamus. Soon after those unhappy wars began, there was a daily morninglecture set up at the abbey-church, between six and eight of the clock, and preached by seven worthy members of the assembly of divines in course, viz. Mr. Marshal, Mr. Palmer, Mr. Herl, Dr. Staunton, Mr. Nye, Mr. Whitaker, and Mr. Hill. It was the request of his pious mother to Mr. Busby, that he would give her son leave to attend that lecture daily, which he did, not abating any thing of his school-exercise, in which he kept pace with the rest; but only dispensing with his absence for that hour and the Lord was pleased to make good impressions on his soul, by the sermons he heard there. His mother also took him with her every Thursday to Mr. Case's lecture at St. Martin's. On the Lord's days he sat under the powerful ministry of Mr. Stephen Marshal, in the morning, at New Chapel; in the afternoon, at St. Margaret's, Westminster, (which was their parish church.) In the former place, Mr. Marshal preached long from Phil. ii. 5, 6. &c. in the latter

from

from John viii. 36. of our freedom by Christ. This minister, and this ministry, he would to his last speak of with great respect, and thankfulness to God, as that by which he was, through grace, in the beginning of his days begotten again to a lively hope. I have heard him speak of it, as the saying of some wise men at that time, "that if all the presbyterians had been like Mr. Stephen Marshal, and all the independents like Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs, and all the episcopal men like archbishop Usher, the breaches of the church would soon have been healed." He also attended constantly upon the monthly fasts at St. Margaret's, where the best and ablest ministers of England preached before the then house of commons; and the service of the day was carried on with great strictness and solemnity, from eight in the morning till four in the evening. It was his constant practice, from eleven or twelve years old, to write (as he could) all the sermons he heard, which he kept very carefully, transcribed many of them fair over after, and notwithstanding his many removes they are yet forth coming.

At these monthly fasts (as he himself hath recorded it) he had often sweet meltings of soul in prayer, and confession of sin, (particularly once with special remark, when Mr. William Bridge, of Yarmouth, prayed) and many warm and lively truths came home to his heart, and he daily increased in that wisdom and knowledge which is to salvation. Read his reflections upon this, which he wrote many years after: "if ever any child," saith he, "such as I then was, between the tenth and fifteenth years of my age, enjoyed line upon line, precept upon precept, I did. And was it in vain? I trust not altogether in vain. My soul rejoiceth and is glad at the remeinbrance of it:

the