malignity of which he was never recovered; for after that time till his death he was never free from thoughtful days and restless nights. But a submission to His will that makes the sick man's bed easy by giving rest to his soul, made his very languishment comfortable: and yet all this time he was solicitous in his study, and said often to Dr. Saravia, (who saw him daily, and was the chief comfort of his life,) "that he did not beg a long life of God for any other reason but to live to finish his three remaining books of Ecclesiastical Polity, and then, Lord, let thy servant depart in peace, " which was his usual expression. And God heard his prayers, though he denied the Church the benefit of those books, as completed by himself; and it is thought he hastened his own death, by hastening to give life to his own books: but this is certain, that the nearer he was to his death, the more he grew in humility, in holy thoughts and resolutions.

About a month before his death, this good man, that never knew, or at least that never considered the pleasures of the palate, began first to lose his appetite, and then to have an averseness to all food, insomuch that he seemed to live some intermitted weeks by the smell of food only, and yet still studied and writ. And now his guardian angel seemed to foretell him that the day of his dissolution drew near, for which his vigorous soul appeared to thirst. In this time of his sickness, and not many days before his death, his house was robbed; of which he having notice, his question was, "Are my books and written papers safe?" and being answered "that they were," his reply was, "Then it matters not; for no other loss can trouble me."

About one day before his death, Dr. Saravia, who

knew the very secrets of his soul, came to him, and after a conference of the benefit, the necessity, and safety of the Church's absolution, it was resolved that the doctor should give him both that and the sacrament of the Lord's Supper on the following day. To which end the doctor came, and after a short retirement and privacy, they two returned to the company; and then the doctor gave him and some of those friends which were with him, the blessed sacrament of the body and blood of Jesus. Which being performed, the doctor thought he saw a reverend gaiety and joy in his face. But it lasted not long; for his bodily infirmities did return suddenly, and became more visible, insomuch that the doctor apprehended death ready to seize him; yet after some amendment, left him at night, with a promise to return early the day following, which he did; and then found him better in appearance, deep in contemplation, and not inclinable to discourse, which gave the doctor occasion to require his present thoughts, to the which he replied, that "he was meditating the number and nature of angels, and their blessed obedience and order, without which peace could not be in heaven; and, oh, that it might be so on earth!"

After which words he said, "I have lived to see this world is made up of perturbations, and I have long been preparing to leave it, and gathering comfort for the dreadful hour of making my account with God, which I now apprehend to be near. And though I have, by his grace, loved Him in my youth, and feared Him in my age, and laboured to have a conscience void of offence to Him and to all men, yet if Thou, O Lord, be extreme to mark what I have done amiss, who can abide it? and therefore, where I have failed, Lord, show

mercy unto me; for I plead not my righteousness, but the forgiveness of my unrighteousness, for His merits who died to purchase pardon for penitent sinners; and since I owe Thee a death, Lord, let it not be terrible, and then take thine own; I submit to it. Let not mine, O Lord, but let thy will be done," with which expression he fell into a dangerous slumber,-dangerous as to his recovery. Yet recover he did, but it was to speak only these few words, "Good doctor, God hath heard my daily petitions; for I am at peace with all men, and He is at peace with me; and from that blessed assurance, I feel that inward joy which this world can neither give nor take from me: my conscience beareth me this witness, and this witness makes the thoughts of death joyful. I could wish to live to do the Church more service, but cannot hope for it; for my days are past as a shadow that returns not."

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More he would have spoken, but his spirits failed him, and after a short conflict betwixt nature and death, a quiet sigh put a period to his last breath, and so he fell asleep. And now he seems to rest like Lazarus in Abraham's bosom. Let me here draw his curtain, till with the most glorious company of the patriarchs and apostles, and the most noble army of martyrs and confessors, this most learned, most humble, holy man, shall also awake to receive an eternal tranquillity, and with it a greater degree of glory than common Christians. shall be made partakers of. In the mean time, bless, O Lord, bless his brethren the clergy of this nation, with effectual endeavours to attain, if not to his great learning, yet to his remarkable meekness, his godly simplicity, and his Christian moderation; for these will bring peace at the last: and, Lord! let his most excellent writings be

blest with what he designed when he undertook them, which was glory to Thee, O God on high, peace in thy Church, and good will to mankind! Amen, Amen1.

The following are some of Richard Hooker's Precepts and Meditations concerning sickness and death, selected from his writings:

1. Our good or evil estate after death dependeth most upon the quality of our lives. 2. Concerning the ways of death, the choice thereof is only in His hands who alone hath power over all flesh, and unto whose appointment we ought with patience meekly to submit ourselves. 3. Let us, which know what it is to die as Absalom, or Ananias and Sapphira, died, let us beg of God, that when the hour of our rest is come, the patterns of our dissolution may be Jacob, Moses, Joshua, and David. 4. Wisdom so far prevaileth with men as to make them content to endure the longer grief and bodily pain, that the soul may have time to call itself to a just account of all things past, by means whereof repentance is perfected, there is wherein to exercise patience, the joys of the kingdom of heaven have leisure to present themselves, the pleasures of sin and this world's vanities are censured with uncorrupt judgment, charity is free to make advised choice of the soil wherein her last seed may most fruitfully be bestowed, the mind is at liberty to have due regard of that disposition of worldly things which it can never afterwards alter; and because the nearer we draw unto God the more we are oftentimes enlightened with the shining beams of his

1 Izaak Walton's Life of Richard Hooker, in Wordsworth's Eccl. Biog.

most glorious presence, as being then even almost in sight, a leisurable departure may in that case bring forth, for the good of such as are present, that which shall cause them for ever after, from the bottom of their hearts to pray, Oh, let us die the death of the righteous, and let our last end be like theirs!

HE was president of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and selected by King James, with other learned men of his time, to translate the Scriptures from the original Hebrew into the English language. Fuller, in his "Abel Redivivus," gives us the following interesting account of the part taken by Dr. Reynolds in this important work just before his decease.

"After the conference at Hampton Court, it pleased his majesty to set some learned men on work, to translate the Bible into the English tongue; among others, Dr. Reynolds was thought upon, to whom, for his great skill in the original