than all the precious mines which the vast world can boast of. It is the book, my only best and best beloved sister, of the law of the Lord it is the testament and last will which he bequeathed unto us wretches and wretched sinners, which shall lead you to the path of eternal joy

and if you with a good mind read it, and with an earnest desire to follow it, no doubt it shall bring you to an immortal and everlasting life. It will teach

you to live, and learn you to die. It shall win you more, and endow you with greater felicity than you should have gained by the possession of our woful father's lands. For as if God had prospered him, you should have inherited his honours and manors, so if you apply diligently this book, seeking to direct your life according to the rule of the same, you shall be an inheritor of such riches, as neither the covetous shall withdraw from you, neither the thief shall steal, neither yet the moths corrupt. Desire with David, my best sister, to understand the law of the Lord your God. Live still to die, that you by death may purchase eternal life. And trust not that the tenderness of your age shall lengthen your life for unto God, when he calleth, all hours, times, and seasons are alike. And blessed are those whose lamps are furnished when he cometh for as soon will the Lord be glorified in the young as in the old.

My good sister, once again let me entreat thee to learn to die; deny the world, defy the devil, and despise the flesh, and delight yourself only in the Lord; be penitent for your sins, and yet despair not; be strong in faith, yet presume not; and desire with St. Paul, to be dissolved, and to

be with Christ, with whom even in death there is life. Be like the good servant, and even at midnight be waking, lest when death cometh and stealeth upon you, like a thief in the night, you be with the servants of darkness found sleeping; and lest for lack of oil you be found like the five foolish virgins, or like him that hath not the wedding garment, and then you be cast into darkness, or banished from the marriage. Rejoice in Christ, as I trust you do; and seeing that you have the name of a Christian, as near as you can follow the steps, and be a true imitator of your master Christ Jesus; and take up your cross, lay your sins on his back, and always embrace him. Now as touching my death, rejoice, as I do, my dearest sister, that I shall be delivered of this corruption, and put on incorruption; for I am assured that I shall, for losing of a mortal life, win one that is immortal, joyful, and everlasting; the which I pray God grant you in his most blessed hour, and send you his all-saving grace to live in his fear, and to die in the true Christian faith. From which, in God's name, I exhort you, that you never swerve, neither for hope of life, nor fear of death. For if you will deny his truth, to give length to a weary and corrupt breath, God himself will deny you, and by vengeance make short what you by your soul's loss would prolong; but if you will cleave to him, he will stretch forth your days to an uncircumscribed comfort and to his own glory. To the which glory God bring me now, and you hereafter, when it shall please him to call you.

Farewell once again, my beloved sister, and put your only trust in God, who only must help you. Amen. Your loving sister,

JANE DUDLEY.

ROGER ASCHAM TO MR. ASTELEY. WHEN you and I read Livy together (if you do remember) after some reasoning, we concluded both what was in our opinion to be looked for at his hand, that would well and advisedly write an history. First point was, to write nothing false; next, to be bold to say any truth: whereby is avoided two great faults, flattery and hatred. For which two points, Cæsar is read to his great praise; and Jovius, the Italian, to his just reproach. Then to mark diligently the cause, counsels, acts, and issues in all great attempts; and in causes, what is just or unjust; in counsels, what is purposed wisely or rashly; in acts, what is done courageously or fairly; and of every issue, to note some general lesson of wisdom and warnings for like matters in time to come; wherein Polybius, in Greek, and Philip Comines, in French, have done the duties of wise and worthy writers. Diligence, also, must be used in keeping truly the order of time, and describing lively both the site of places and nature of persons; not only for the outward shape of the body, but also for the inward disposition of the mind; as Thucydides doth in many places very trimly, and Homer everywhere, and that always most excellently, which observation

is chiefly to be marked in him. And our Chaucer doth the same, very praiseworthily: mark him well, and confer him with any other that writeth in our time in their proudest tongue, whosoever liest. The style must be always plain and open: yet sometime higher and lower, as matters do rise and fall. For if proper and natural words in well joined sentences do lively express the matter-be it troublesome, quiet, angry, or pleasant-a man shall think not to be reading, but present in doing of the same. And herein Livy of all other in any tongue, by my opinion, carrieth away the praise.

BERNARD GILPIN TO BISHOP TONSTAL.

RIGHT honourable, and my singular good lord, my duty remembered in most humble manner, pleaseth it your lordship to be informed, that of late my brother wrote to me, that in any wise I must meet him at Mechlin; for he must debate with me urgent affairs, such as could not be dispatched by writing. When we met, I perceived it was nothing else but to see if he could persuade me to take a benefice, and to continue in study at the university: which if I had known to be the cause of his sending for me, I should not have needed to interrupt my study to meet him; for I have so long debated that matter with learned men, especially with the prophets, and most ancient and godly writers since Christ's time, that I trust, so long as I have to live,

never to burden my conscience with having a benefice and lying from it. My brother said, that your lordship had written to him, that you would gladly bestow one on me; and that your lordship thought (and so did other of my friends, of which he was one) that I was much too scrupulous in that point. Whereunto I always say, if I be too scrupulous (as I cannot think that I am), that I had rather my conscience were therein a great deal too strait, than a little too large : for I am seriously persuaded, that I shall never offend God by refusing to have a benefice, and lie from it, so long as I judge not evil of others; which I trust I shall not, but rather pray God daily, that all who have cures may discharge their office in his sight, as may tend most to his glory and the profit of his church. He replied against me, that your lordship would give me no benefice but what you would see discharged in my absence, as well or better than I could discharge it myself. Whereunto I answered, that I would be sorry, if I thought not there were many thousands in England more able to discharge a cure than I find myself; and therefore I desire they may both take the cure and the profit also, that they may be able to feed the body and the soul both, as I think all pastors are bounden. As for me, I can never persuade myself to take the profit and let another take the pains for if he should teach and preach as faithfully as ever St. Austin did, yet should I not think myself discharged. And if I should strain my conscience herein, I strive with it to remain here, or in any other university, with