1669. And with thy Battle-Ax may cleave the Head
Of him, who bites that part whereon I tread.
Then being from Domeftick Foes fet free,
The Cruelties of Men I fhall not fear;
But in thy Quarrel, Lord, undaunted be:

And, for thy fake, the Lofs of all things bear.
Yea, tho' in Dungeon lock'd, with Joy will fing
An ODE of Praife to thee, my God, my King.
T. E.

Suffex, 11th Mo.
1669.

As foon as I had difpatch't the Business I went about, I returned; home without delay; and to my great Comfort, found my Wife well, and my felf very welcome to her: both which I elteemed as great Favours.

1670. Towards the latter part of the Summer following, I went into Kent again; and in my Paffage through London, received the unwelcome News of the Lofs of a very hopeful Youth, who had formerly been under my Care for Education. It was Ifaac Penington (the fecond Son of my worthy Friends Ifaac and Mary Penington) a Child of excellent natural Parts; whofe great Abilities befpake him likely to be a great Man, had he lived to be a Man. He was defigned to be bred a Merchant; and before he was thought ripe enough to be entred thereunto, his Parents, at fome-bodies Requeft, gave leave that he

might go a Voyage to Barbadoes, only to spend 1670a little time, fee the Place, and be fomewhat acquainted with the Sea, under the Care and Conduct of a choice Friend and Sailor, John Grove of London, who was Master of a Veffel, and Traded to that Ifland: and a little Venture he had with him, made up by divers of his Friends; and by me among the reft. He made the Voyage thither very well; found the wat'ry Element agreeable; had his Health there; liked the Place; was much pleafed with his Entertainment there; and was returning home, with his little Cargo, in Return for the Goods he carried out; when on a fuddain, through Unwarinefs, he drop't over Board; and (the Veffel being under Sail, with a brisk Gale) was irrecoverably loft, notwithstanding the utmost Labour, Care and Diligence of the Master, and Sailors to have faved him.

This unhappy Accident took from the afflicted Mafter all the Pleasure of his Voyage; and he mourn'd for the Lofs of this Youth, as if it had been his own, yea, only Son: for as he was in himself a Man of a worthy Mind; fo the Boy, by his witty and hanfome Behaviour in general, and obfequious Carriage towards him in particular, had very much wrought himfelf into his Favour.

As for me, I thought it one of the sharpeft Strokes I had met with: for I both loved the Child very well, and had conceived great hopes of general Good from him; and it pierced me the deeper to think how deeply it would pierce his afflicted Parents.

S 3

Sorrow

1670. Sorrow for this Difafter was my Companion in this Journey, and I travelled the Roads under great Exercise of Mind, revolving in my Thoughts the manifold Accidents, which the LIFE of Man was attended with, and fubject to, and the great Uncertainty of all Humane Things; I could find no Center, no firm Bafis for the Mind of Man to fix upon, but the Divine Power and Will of the Almighty. This Confideration wrought in my Spirit a fort of Contempt of what fuppofed Happineß or Pleasure this World, or the things that are in and of it, can of themselves yield; and raifed my Contemplation higher which, as it ripened, and came to fome degree of Digeftion, I breathed forth in mournful Accents, thus.

Solitary THOUGHTS.

On the Uncertainty of Humane Things.
Occafioned by the fuddain Lofs of an
HOPEFUL YOUTH.

Tranfibunt citò, que vos manfura putatis.
Those things foon will pass away,
Which ye think will always ftay.

W

HAT ground, alas, has any Man

To fet his Heart on things below:

Which, when they seem most like to stand,
Fly, like an Arrow from a Bow!

Things fubject to exterior Senfe

1670. w

Are to mutation moft propence.

If stately Houses we Erect,

And therein think to take Delight: On what a fuddain are we Check't,

And all our Hopes made groundless quite !
One little Spark in Ashes lays

What we were building half our Days.
If on Estate an Eye we caft,

And Pleasure there expect to find

A fecret Providential Blaft

Gives Disapointment to our Mind.
Who now's on Top, e're long may feel
The circling Motion of the Wheel:
If we our tender Babes embrace,
And Comfort hope in them to have:
Alas, in what a little Space,

Is Hope, with them, laid in the Grave!
Whatever promiseth Content

Is, in a Moment, from us rent.
This World cannot afford a thing,
Which, to a well-compofed Mind,

Can any lafting Pleasure bring;

But in its Womb its Grave will find.

1670. All things unto their Center tend: 3

* Under

fand this of Natural Things.

*

What had Beginning will have End.

But is there nothing then that's fure,

For Man to fix his Heart upon?

Nothing that always will endure;

When all these transient things are gone;
Sad State! where Man, with Grief oppreft,
Finds nought whereon his Mind may rest.
O yes! There is a God above,

Who unto Men is also nigh:
On whofe unalterable Love

We may with Confidence rely.
No Disappointment can befall
Us, having him that's All in All.
If unto him we Faithful be
It is impoffible to miss

Of whatsoever he fhall fee

Conducible unto our Bliss.

What can of Pleasure him prevent,
Who hath the Fountain of Content?
In Him alone if we delight,

And in his Precepts Pleasure take;
We shall be sure to do aright,

'Tis not his Nature to forfake.

A