volumes; he is a member of the academy of sciences, and pretty good to read. I have read too an octavo volume of Shenstone's Letters: poor man, he was always wishing for money, for fame, and other distinctions; and his whole philosophy consisted in living against his will in retirement, and in a place which his taste had adorned; but which he only enjoyed when people of note came to see and commend it his correspondence is about nothing else but this place and his own writings, with two or three neighbouring clergymen who wrote verses, too.

I have just found the beginning of a letter, which somebody had dropped: I should rather call it first thoughts for the beginning of a letter; for there are many scratches and corrections. As I cannot use it myself (having got a beginning already of my own) I send it for your use on some great occasion.

DEAR SIR,-After so long silence, the hopes of pardon and prospect of forgiveness might seem entirely extinct, or at least very remote, was I not truly sensible of your goodness and candour, which is the only asylum that my negligence can fly to, since every apology would prove insufficient to counterbalance it, or alleviate my fault: how then shall my deficiency presume to make so bold an attempt, or be able to suffer the hardships of so rough a campaign? etc. etc. etc.

DEA

GILBERT WHITE OF SELBORNE

SELBORNE, Dec. 12th, 1775.

EAR SIR,-We had in this village more than twenty years ago an idiot boy, whom I well remember, who, from a child, showed a strong propensity to bees; they were his food, his amusement, his sole object. And as people of this caste have seldom more than one point in view, so this lad exerted all his few faculties on this one pursuit. In the winter he dozed away his time, within his father's house, by the fireside,

in a kind of torpid state, seldom departing from the chimneycorner; but in the summer he was all alert, and in quest of his game in the fields, and on sunny banks. Honey-bees, humble-bees, and wasps, were his prey wherever he found them; he had no apprehensions from their stings, but would seize them nudis manibus, and at once disarm them of their weapons, and suck their bodies for the sake of their honeybags. Sometimes he would fill his bosom between his shirt and his skin with a number of these captives, and sometimes would confine them in bottles. He was a very merops apiaster, or bee-bird, and very injurious to men that kept bees; for he would slide into their bee-gardens, and, sitting down before the stools, would rap with his finger on the hives, and so take the bees as they came out. He has been known to overturn hives for the sake of honey, of which he was passionately fond. Where metheglin was making he would linger round the tubs and vessels, begging a draught of what he called bee-wine. As he ran about he used to make a humming noise with his lips, resembling the buzzing of bees. This lad was lean and sallow, and of a cadaverous complexion; and, except in his favourite pursuit, in which he was wonderfully adroit, discovered no manner of understanding. Had his capacity been better, and directed to the same object, he had perhaps abated much of our wonder at the feats of a more modern exhibitor of bees; and we may justly say of him now,—

Thou,

Had thy presiding star propitious shone,

Shouldst Wildman be

When a tall youth he was removed from hence to a distant village, where he died, as I understand, before he arrived at manhood.

I am, etc.

DIVINES

HUGH LATIMER

A SERMON

HAT should it mean that God would have us so diligent

WHAT

and earnest in prayer? Hath he pleasure in our works? Many talk of prayer, and make it a lip labouring.

Praying is not babbling, nor praying is not monkery. It is to miserable folk a comfort, solace and remedy. But what maketh our prayer to be acceptable to God? It lieth not in our power, we must have it by another mean. Remember what God said of his son, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. This is my dear son in whom I delight. He hath pleasure in nothing but in him. How cometh it to pass that our prayers pleaseth God? Our prayer pleaseth God, because Christ pleaseth God. When we pray we come unto him, in the confidence of Christ's merits, and thus offering up our prayers, they shall be heard for Christ's sake. Yea, Christ will offer them up for us, that offered up once his sacrifice to God, which was acceptable; and he that cometh with any other mean than this, God knoweth him not. This is not the Missal Sacrifice, the Popish sacrifice to stand at the altar, and offer up Christ again. . . This sacrifice a woman can offer as well as a man: yea, a poor woman in the belfry hath as good authority to offer up this sacrifice, as the Bishop in his pontificalibus, with his Mitre on his head, his rings on his fingers, and sandals on his feet. And whosoever cometh asking the Father remedy in his necessity for Christ's sake, he offereth up as acceptable a sacrifice as any Bishop can do. And so make an end. This must be done with a constant

faith, and a sure confidence in Christ. Faith, Faith, Faith. We are undone for lack of faith. Christ nameth Faith here, Faith is altogether. When the Son of Man shall come, shall he find faith on the Earth? Why speaketh he so much of Faith? Because it is hard to find a true Faith. He speaketh not of a politic Faith, a Faith set up for a time, but constant, a permanent, a durable Faith, as durable as God's word. He came many times. First in the time of Noe, when he preached, but he found little Faith. He came also when Lot preached, when he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, but he found no Faith. And to be short, he shall come at the latter day, when he shall find a little faith. And I think the day is not far off. When he was here casually, did he find any Faith? Many speak of Faith, but few there be that hath it. Christ mourneth the lack of it. He complaineth that when he came, he found no faith.

In the time of Noe, they were eating and drinking, building and planting, and suddenly the water came upon them, and drowned them. In the time of Lot also, they were eating and drinking, and suddenly the fire came upon them, and devoured them. And now we are eating and drinking. There was never such building then, as is now, planting, nor marrying. And thus it shall be even when Christ shall come to judgment. Is eating and drinking and marrying reproved in Scripture? Is it not? Nay, he reproveth not all kind of eating and drinking, he must be otherwise understood. If the Scripture be not truly expounded what is more erroneous? And though there be complainings of some eating or drinking in the Scriptures, yet he speaketh not as though all were naught. They may be well ordered, they are God's allowance; but to eat and drink as they did in Noe's time, and as they did in Lot's time: this eating, and drinking, and marrying, is spoken against. To eat and drink in the forgetfulness of God's Commandments, voluptuously, in excess, and gluttony; this kind of eating and drinking is naught, when it is not done moderately, soberly, and with all circumspection. And likewise to marry, for fleshly lust, and for their own

fantasy. There was never such marrying in England, as is now. I hear tell of stealing of wards to marry their children to. This is a strange kind of stealing, but it is not the ward, it is the lands that they steal. . . . And many parents constrain their sons and daughters to marry where they love not, and some are beaten and compelled. And they that marry thus, marry in forgetfulness and obliviousness of God's commandments. But as in the time of Noe, suddenly a clap fell in their bosoms: so shall it be with us in the latter day, when Christ shall come. We have as little conscience as may be, and when he shall come we shall lack Lady faith: Well is them that shall be of that little flock, that shall be set on the right hand.

MILES COVERDALE

A SPIRITUAL AND MOST PRECIOUS PEARL

As long as we have no manner of need, no man can

hinder nor restrain our wickedness.

For an example, imagine two sundry houses, whereof in the one is celebrate and kept a marriage, where there is mirth, joy, and good cheer; and in the other is one sick on his death-bed. In the bride-house, where is dancing, is used all manner of lightness and dissoluteness, gross and filthy words, bawdy songs and ballads, shameless behaviour and manners, and wanton and light apparel. One leapeth and winceth like a horse, another stampeth like an ass, the third drinketh himself drunk, and the fourth doeth nothing that honest is; so that a man might say the people were become very brute beasts. But by him that lieth on his dead-bed is all still, not a word spoken but honest and seemly. All things are done sadly, demurely and discreetly. And at that time not only the men, but also the women and children, and all that are in the house, are godly occupied: they pray, they comfort, and