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holy and devout men have thought the foul of Prudentius to be moft refined, when not many days before his death. "he charged it to prefent his God each "morning and evening with a new and "fpiritual fong;" juftified by the example of King David and the good King Hezekiah, who upon the renovation of his years paid his thankful vows to Almighty God in a royal hymn, which he concludes in these words; "The Lord "was ready to fave; therefore I will fing "my fongs to the ftringed inftruments all "the days of my life in the temple of "my God."

The latter part of his life may be faid to be a continued ftudy; for as he usually preached once a week, if not oftener, fo after his fermon he never gave his eyes reft, till he had chofen out a new text, and that night caft his sermon into a form, and his text into divifions; and the next day betook himself to confult the fathers, and fo commit his meditations to his memory, which was excellent. But upon Saturday he usually gave himself and his mind

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mind a rest from the weary burthen of his week's meditations, and usually spent that day in vifitation of friends, or fome other diverfions of his thoughts; and would say, that "he gave both his body and mind "that refreshment, that he might be en"abled to do the work of the day follow❝ing, not faintly, but with courage and "cheerfulness."

Nor was his age only fo induftrious, but in the most unfettled days of his youth his bed was not able to detain him beyond the hour of four in a morning; and it was no common business that drew him out of his chamber till paft ten: all which time was employed in study; though he took great liberty after it. And if this feem ftrange, it may gain a belief by the vifible fruits of his labours; fome of which remain as teftimonies of what is here written; for he left the refultance of 1400 authors, most of them abridged and analyfed with his own hand: he left alfo fix fcore of his fermons, all written with his own hand; also an exact and laborious treatife concerning felfmurder,

murder, called Biathanatos; wherein all the laws violated by that act are diligently furveyed, and judiciously cenfured: a treatise written in his younger days, which alone might declare him then not only perfect in the civil and canon law, but in many other fuch ftudies and arguments, as enter not into the confideration of many that labour to be thought great clerks, and pretend to know all things.

Nor were these only found in his study, but all bufineffes that paffed of any public confequence, either in this or any of our neighbour-nations, he abbreviated either in Latin, or in the language of that nation, and kept them by him for useful memorials. So he did the copies of divers letters and cafes of confcience that had concerned his friends, with his obfervations and folutions of them; and divers other bufineffes of importance, all particularly and methodically digested by himfelf.

He did prepare to leave the world before life left him, making his will when no faculty of his foul was damped or made de

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defective by pain or fickness, or he furprised by a fudden apprehenfion of death; but it was made with mature deliberation, expreffing himself an impartial father, by making his children's portions equal; and a lover of his friends, whom he remembered with legacies fitly and discreetly chofen and bequeathed. I cannot forbear a nomination of fome of them; for methinks they be perfons that feem to challenge a recordation in this place; as namely, to his brother-in-law, Sir Thomas Grimes, he gave that striking clock, which he had long worn in his pocket; to his dear friend and executor, Dr. King, (late Bishop of Chichefter) that model of gold of the Synod of Dort, with which the States presented him at his last being at the Hague; and the two pictures of Padre Paolo and Fulgentio, men of his acquaintance when he travelled Italy, and of great note in that nation for their remarkable learning.-To his ancient friend Dr. Brook, (that married him) Mafter of Trinity College in Cambridge, he gave the picture of the blessed Virgin and Jo

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feph. To Dr. Winniff (who fucceeded him in the deanery) he gave a picture called the "Skeleton."-To the fucceeding Dean, who was not then known, he gave many neceffaries of worth, and useful for his houfe; and also feveral pictures and ornaments for the chapel, with a defire that they might be registered, and remain as a legacy to his fucceffors.-To the Earls of Dorfet and Carlisle he gave feveral pictures; and fo he did to many other friends; legacies, given rather to exprefs his affection, than to make any addition to their eftates. But unto the poor he was full of charity, and unto many others, who by his conftant and long continued bounty might entitle themfelves to be his alms-people: for all these he made provifion, and fo largely, as, having then fix children living, might to fome appear more than proportionable to his estate. I forbear to mention any more, left the reader may think I trespass upon his patience but I will beg his favour, to prefent him with the beginning and end of his will.

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