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paft I have entertained myself with many thoughts of feveral friends, that have " left me here, and are gone to that place 66 from which they shall not return; and "that within a few days I alfo fball go "hence, and be no more seen. And my

preparation for this change is become "my nightly meditation upon my bed, "which my infirmities have now made "restless to me. But at this present time "I was in a serious contemplation of the "providence and goodnefs of God to me; "to me, who am less than the least of his "mercies and looking back upon my "life past, I now plainly fee it was his "hand that prevented me from all tem"poral employment; and that it was his "will I fhould never fettle nor thrive till "I entered into the miniftry; in which I "have now lived almost twenty years (I "hope to his glory), and by which, I "most humbly thank him, I have been "enabled to requite most of those friends "which thewed me kindnefs when my "fortune was very low, as God knows "it was; and (as it hath occafioned the

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"expreffion of my gratitude) I thank God "moft of them have stood in need of my "requital. I have lived to be useful and "comfortable to my good father-in-law, "Sir George Moore, whofe patience God "hath been pleased to exercise with many "temporal croffes; I have maintained my

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own mother, whom it hath pleased God, "after a plentiful fortune in her younger "days, to bring to a great decay in her very "old age. I have quieted the confciences “of many, that have groaned under the "burthen of a wounded fpirit, whose "prayers I hope are available for me. I "cannot plead innocency of life, efpe"cially of my youth; but I am to be 66 judged by a merciful God, who is not willing to fee what I have done amifs. "And though of myself I have nothing "to prefent to him but fins and mifery,

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yet I know he looks not upon me now "as I am of myself, but as I am in my "Saviour, and hath given me even at this "prefent time fome teftimonies by his "Holy Spirit, that I am of the number of "his

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"his elect: I am therefore full of inexpreffible joy, and fhall die in peace."

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I must here look fo far back, as to tell the reader, that at his firft return out of Effex, to preach his last fermon, his old friend and phyfician, Dr. Fox (a man of great worth) came to him to confult his health; and that after a fight of him, and fome queries concerning his diftempers, he told him," That by cordials, and drink"ing milk twenty days together, there "was a probability of his reftoration to "health;" but he paffionately denied to drink it. Nevertheless, Dr. Fox, who loved him most entirely, wearied him with folicitations, till he yielded to take it for ten days; at the end of which time' he told Dr. Fox, " He had drunk it more "to fatisfy him, than to recover his "health; and that he would not drink it "ten days longer, upon the best moral "affurance of having twenty years added "to his life; for he loved it not; and 66 was fo far from fearing death, which "to others is the King of Terrors, that

"he

"he longed for the day of his diffolu"tion."

It is obferved, that a defire of glory or commendation is rooted in the very nature of man; and that those of the feverest and most mortified lives, though they may become fo humble as to banish self-flattery, and fuch weeds as naturally grow there; yet they have not been able to kill this defire of glory, but that, like our radical heat, it will both live and die with us; and many think it fhould do fo; and we want not facred examples to juftify the defire of having our memory to outlive our lives: which I mention, because Dr. Donne, by the perfuafion of Dr. Fox, eafily yielded at this very time to have a monument made for him; but Dr. Fox undertook not to persuade him how, or what monument it should be; that was left to Dr. Donne himself.

A monument being refolved upon, Dr. Donne fent for a carver to make for him in wood the figure of an urn, giving him directions for the compass and height of it; and to bring with it a board, of the

juft height of his body. These being got, then without delay a choice painter was got to be in readiness to draw his picture, which was taken as followeth.- -Several charcoal fires being firft made in his large ftudy, he brought with him into that place his winding-fheet in his hand, and having put off all his clothes, had this fheet put on him, and fo tied with knots at his head and feet, and his hands fo placed as dead bodies are usually fitted, to be fhrowded and put into their coffin, or grave. Upon this urn he thus ftood, with his eyes fhut, and with fo much of the fheet turned afide as might fhew his lean, pale, and death-like face, which was purposely turned toward the east, from whence he expected the second coming of his and our Saviour Jefus. In this pofture he was drawn at his just height; and when the picture was fully finished, he caused it to be fet by his bed-fide, where it continued, and became his hourly object till his death, and was then given to his dearest friend and executor Dr. Henry King, then chief Refidentiary of St. Paul's, who caufed him

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