267*

APPENDIX, II.:

LETTERS BY ANNE, COUNTESS DOWAGER OF
ROCHESTER.

THE credit of the doctor's book, and the sincerity of the earl's repentance, would be fully established, if they wanted any additional evidence, by the publication of five letters, still extant, by his mother, ANNE, countess dowager of Rochester, and sister of sir WALTER ST. JOHN of Battersea, bart.; to that gentleman's lady, JOHANNA, daughter of the lord-chief-justice ST. JOHN. These letters were written during her son's last illness; and show him to have been, during the course of it, fully possessed of his understanding. One particular in them deserves to be mentioned here; that, when one of the earl's physicians, thinking to please him, told him that the king drank his health some days before, he looked earnestly upon him, and said never a word, but turned his face from him.'.. BIRCH. Life of Tillotson, p. 73.

The above passage, (strangely omitted in the edition prefixed to Tillotson's works, Lond. 1820.)

* Gilbert Burnet, D.D., Life and death of John, earl of Rochester.' '

has been transcribed from the second edition of Birch's Life of Tillotson, London, 1753.

The editor is happy to add, that he has access to a transcript of Lady Rochester's 'five letters ;' which, after the lapse of above a century and a half, it will not be accounted any breach of delicacy to publish.

They were copied by Mrs. Chapone, mother-inlaw of the celebrated authoress, from the original autograph letters, in the possession of Mrs. Meredith, grand-daughter to lady St. John; and came by descent, into the possession of Mrs. Chapone's grand-daughter, the present Miss Boyd. To this lady's unsolicited kindness, it is, that the editor, and, as he thinks, the public, are indebted, for this valuable accession of testimony, to bishop Burnet's

narrative.

LETTER I.

SWEET SISTER,

[June, 1680.]

It has pleas'd God to lay his afflictive hand upon my poor son, in visiting of him with a sore sickness; and whether for life or death, we cannot guess: but he is reduc'd to great weakness, in the outward man. But, in the midst of punishment, HE has remember'd mercy, and strengthen'd him in the inward man, to the comfort of me, his poor mother. For, never all the former sicknesses he has had, did, in the least measure, work so much

upon him, to the knowledge and acknowledgment of God, and to repentance of his former life, and the sense how he has gone astray, as this doth.

I am not able to write you a long letter: I can only say this, that, tho' he lies under as much misery, almost, as human man can bear, yet he bears his sufferings with so much patience, and resignation to God's will, that, I confess, I take more comfort in him, under this visitation, than ever I did in all my life before; and tho' the Lord has been pleas'd, not to work this work upon him till the last hour, yet, I have great reason to believe, he will find mercy, thro' the merits and satisfaction of Christ, on whom he throws himself, for the favour of God.

O sister, I am sure, had you heard the heavenly prayers he has made, since this sickness; the extraordinary things he has said, to the wonder of all that has heard him, you would wonder, and think that God alone must teach him; for no man could put into him such things as he says. He has, I must tell you too, converted his wife to be a protestant again. Pray, pray for his perseverance, dear sister; and pardon me, that I can say no more, but to rest, madam,

Your affectionate servant,

ANN ROCHESTER.

To the Lady St. John, at her house,

at Battersea.

[T 3] 2

LETTER II.

MY DEAR SISTER,

[June, 1680.]

Mr. Blaakert did not deliver me your letter, till this Monday morning; and just now I am going to Ashurbery, where I have not been these five weeks; but intend to return to my son in a day. The account I can give you of him, is much as my last he continues weak; but is sometimes better than he is others. The greatest comfort he enjoys, is his sleep; and that he does much. He has a kind of a hectick fever upon him, as the doctors call it; which is not at all times; for, sometimes, his temper is good outwardly, but, the doctor says, he is hot inwardly; yet I cannot think it, because he is seldom dry. He drinks asses' milk, and it digests well with him; and some other spoon-meats; but he takes no broaths made with meat, for fear of heat. He spits mightily, within these two days; which some say is good for him : but I find all evacuations weaken him. I confess, I cannot discern amendment in him yet; but, as as long as life is, we have hopes. I thank God, his sense continues very well, and when his strength will give him leave, * expresses himself with great devotion, both † upon account of his former ill-life, with great humility. He lays himself low, before

* [he.]

+ More probably but.

the throne of Grace; begging favour & pardon from God, upon the account of the merits of Christ alone; acknowledging himself the greatest of sinners. Truly, sister, I think I may say, without partiality, that he has been never heard say, when he speaks of religion, an insensible word, nor of any thing else; but one night, of which I writ you word, he was disordered in his head; but then, he said no hurt; only some little ribble-rabble, which had no hurt in it. But it was observed by his wife and I * particularly, that, whenever he spoke of God, that night, he spoke well & with great sense; which we wonder'd at. Since that night, he has never had a minute of disorder in his head; that was almost a fortnight ago. This last night, if you had heard him pray, I am sure, you wou'd not have took his words, for the words of a madman; but such as came from a better spirit, than the mind of mere man. But, let the wicked of the world say what they please of him, the reproaches of them are an honour to him: and I take comfort, that the devil rages against my son; it shows, his power over him is subdued in him, & that he has no share in him. Many messages and compliments his old acquaintance send him but he is so far from receiving of them, that still his answer is, 'Let me see none of them; & I would to God, I had never conversed with some of them.' One of his physicians, thinking to please him, told him the

me.

[T 3] 3