after me my mother had a daughter that she nurst at her owne brest, and was infinitely fond of above all the rest, and I being of too serious a temper was not so pleasing to my

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[Great care being taken to follow the orthography of the writer, the reader need be under no appre hension as to the correctness of the print, though he should find the same word spelt differently even in the same line: as unperfect, imperfect; son, sonne, &c. The only deviation we have made from the MS. is in putting the U and V in their proper places; they being written promiscuously.]

We shall add to this her affectionate and impressive address to her children, concerning their father.

"Mrs. Hutchinson to her Children, Concerning their Father."

TO MY CHILDREN." "They who dote on mortall excellencies, when by the inevitable fate of all things fraile, their adored idolls are taken from them, may lett loose the winds of passion to bring in a flood of sorrow; whose ebbing tides carry away the deare memory of what they have lost; and when comfort is assay'd to such mourners, commonly all obiects are remoov'd out of their view, which may with their remembrance renew their griefe; and in time these remedies succeed, when oblivions curtaine is by degrees drawn over the dead face, and things lesse lovely are liked, while they are not view'd together with that which

was most excellent: but I that am under a command not to grieve att the common rate of desolate woe men, while I am studying which way to moderate my woe, and if it were possible to augment my love, can for the present find out none more iust to your deare father nor consolatory to myselfe then the pre servation of his memory, which I need not guild with such flattring commendations as the hired preachers doe equally give to the truly and titularly honourable; a naked un. drest narrative, speaking the simple truth of him, wili deck him with more substantiall glorie, then all the panegyricks the best pens could ever consecrate to the vertues of the best men.

"Indeed that resplendant body of light, which the beginning and ending of his life made up, to discover the deformities of this wicked age, and to instruct the erring chil dren of this generation, will through my apprehension and expression shine as under a very thick clowd, which will obscure much of their lustre ; but there is need of this medium to this world's weake eies, which I feare hath but few people in it so vertuous

as can believe, because they find themselves so short, any other could make so large a progresse in the race of piety, honor, and vertue: but I am allmost stopt before I sett forth to trace his steps; finding the number of them by which he still outwent himselfe more then my un perfect arithmetick can count, and the exact figure of them such as my unskillfull pen can not describe. I feare to iniure that memory which I would honor, and

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to disgrace his name with a poore monument! but when I have beforehand lay'd this necessary caution, and ingenuously confess'd that through my inabillity either to receive or administer much of that wealthy stock of his glory that I was entrusted with for the benefitt of all, and particularly his owne posterity, I must withold a greate part from them, I hope I shall be pardon'd for drawing an imperfect image of him, especially when even the rudest draught that endeavours to counterfeit him, will have much delightfull lovelienesse in it.

"Let not excesse of love and delight in the streame make us forgett the fountaine, he and all his excellencies came from God, and flow'd back into their owne spring; there lett us seeke them, thither lett us hasten after him; there having found him, lett us cease to bewaile among the dead that which is risen, or rather was immortall; his soule converst with God so much when he was here, that it reioyces to be now eternally freed from interruption in that blessed exercise; his vertues were recorded in heaven's annalls, and can never perish, by them he yett teaches us and all those to whose knowledge they shall arrive : 'tis only his fetters, his sins, his infirmities, his diseases, that are dead never to revive againe, nor would wee have them; they were his enemies and ours; by faith in Christ he vanquisht them our coniunction, if wee had any with him, was undis

soluble, if wee were knitt together by one spiritt into one body of Christ, wee are so still, if wee were mutually united in one love of God, good men, and goodnesse, wee are so still; what is it then we waile in his remoove? the distance? faithlesse fooles! sorrow only makes it; let us but ascend to God in holy ioy for the greate grace given his poore servant, and he is there with us. He is only remoov'd from the mallice of his enemies, for which wee should not expresse love to him in being aflicted, wee may mourne for ourselves that wee come so tardily after him, that, wee want his guide and assistance in our way, and yet if our teares did not putt out our eies wee should see him even in heaven, holding forth his flaming lamp of vertuous examples and precepts to light us through the darke world. It is time that I lett in to your knowledge that splendour which while it cheares and enlightens your heavy senses, let us remember to give all his and all our glorie to God alone, who is the father and fountaine of all light and excellence.

"Desiring, if my treacherous memory have not lost the dearest treasure that ever I committed to its trust, to relate to you his holy, vertuous, honorable life, I would put his picture in the front of his booke, but my unskillfull hand will iniure him. Yet to such of you as have not seene him to remember his person, I leave this—

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HIS DESCRIPTION.

"He was of a middle stature, of a slender and exactly well-proportion'd shape in all parts, his complexion fair, his hayre of a light browne, very thick sett in his youth, softer then he finest silke, curling into loose greate rings att the ends, his eies of a lively grey, well-shaped and full of life and vigour, graced with many becoming motions, his, visage thinne, his mouth well made, and his lipps very ruddy and gracefull, allthough the nether chap shut over the upper, yett it was in such a manner as was not unbecoming, his teeth were even and white as the purest ivory, his chin was something long, and the mold of his face, his forehead was not very high, his nose was rays'd and sharpe, but withall he had a most amiable countenance, which carried in it some thing of magnanimity and maiesty mixt with sweetenesse, that at the same time bespoke love and awe in all that saw him; his skin was smooth and white, his legs and feete excellently well made, he was quick in his pace and turnes, nimble and active and gracefull in all his motions, he was apt for any bodily exercise, and any that he did became him, he could dance admirably well, but neither in youth nor riper yeares made any practise of it, he had skill in fencing such as became a gentleman, he had a greate love to musick, and often diverted himselfe with a violl, on which he play'd masterly, he had an exact

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eare and judgement in other mu sick, he shott excellently in bowes and gunns, and much us'd them for his exercise, he had greate iudgment in paintings, graving, sculpture, and all liberal arts, and had many curiosities of value in all kinds, he tooke greate delight in perspective glasses, and for his other rarities was not so much affected with the antiquity as the merit of the worke-he tooke much pleasure in emproovement of grounds, in planting groves and walkes, and fruite-trees, in opening springs and making fish-ponds; † of country recreations, he lov'd none but hawking, and in that was very eager and much delighted for the time he us'd it, but soone left it of; he was wonderful ncate, cleauly and gentile in his habitt, and had a very good fancy in it, but he left off very carly the wearing of aniething that was costly, yett in his plainest negligent habitt appear'd very much a gentleman; he had more addresse than force of body, yet the courage of his soule so supplied his members that he never wanted strength when he found occasion to employ it; his conversation was very pleasant for he was naturally chearfull, had a ready witt and apprehension; he was eager in every thing he did, earnest in dispute, but withall very rationall, so that he was seldome overcome, every thing that it was necessary for him to doe he did with delight, free and unconstrein'd, he hated cerimonious complement, but yett had a naturall civility and complaisance

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