difficulty and pain, a journey and voyage from Westminster to Bourdeaux and Toulouse, where Dr. Atterbury refided. Mr. J. Evans accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Morice on their voyage from Dover to Bourdeaux, and from thence to Toulouse; and being prefent at Mrs. Morice's death, in a letter to his brother, dated Montpelier, November 30, 1729, gives the following very pathe. tic narrative of that event: "On Sunday the 6th inftant, N. S. in the evening, we reached Blagnac, a village not above half a league by land from Toulouse; but by water (by reason of a very strong current, and the windings of the river) it takes three hours to get up to the town. So it was refolved, rather than expofe Mrs. Morice too much to the fatigue (of which fhe had undergone an infinite deal, and bore it with incredible patience), or keep her late on the water, to reft at Blagnac that night, where fhe was put to bed in the same weak condition she usually had been, but not feemingly worse. About midnight the women came to Mr. Morice and me, and told us they thought they faw her changed. We rofe and came to her chamber, where we found her fo very ill, that we thought fit to call up the boatmen, and order them to prepare the boat to depart immediately, fearing much, from the change we faw, that near as she was to it, fhe would scarce live to reach Toulouse, which we all earnestly defired to do, fince no physician, or other help, could be had in the poor place where we then were. She herself preffed this matter; and we well knew that all her defires and wishes were conftantly bent upon fecing her father, whom she hoped to find at Toulouse. She was taken out of bed at her own defire, and carried to the boat with great difficulty, not being able to fit in the chair which Mr. Morice had brought from Bourdeaux, with two chairmen, purely for the carrying her in and out of the boat more at her eafe; and fo we parted thence about two o'clock in the morning, fending two fervants by land to procure a litter to meet her at the landing-place. About five we arrived there; and foon after fix the litter came, which carried Mrs. Morice to the house in Toulouse, where her father was expecting her arrival, and not knowing, till then, how near or how far off fhe was, though he had dispatched a man and horfe to get intelligence of us, who happened to mifs us. When the fervants who had been fent for the litter returned, she was informed of the Bishop's being at Touloufe, and feemed to take new spirits upon it, which no doubt were of great ufe to enable her to bear going in the litter, which otherwife fhe could fcarce have done, even for fo fhort a way. After she had been put into her bed (where, as I told you, the never flept till fhe flept her laft) and had a little recovered the fatigue fhe underwent in the conveyance from the boat, which was about a mile, her father, whom the immediately inquired after, came into her room, and was startled to find her in fo very low a condition. After mutual expreffions of concern and tenderness, the particularly acknowledged the great blefling that was granted her, of meeting her dear Papa; and exerted all the little life that was in her, in grafing his hands with her utmofl force, as the often did; and told him, "that meeting was the chief thing that she had ardently defired." "The Eifhop fome time after left her chamber, that she might compofe herself, and that he might himfelf give vent to the juft grief he was filled with, to fee his beloved child in a manner expiring. But we found she took no reft; so he foon returned, and then faid prayers by her, and proposed to her, receiving the holy Sacrament the next morning, when he hoped the might have been a little refreshed in order to it: fhe embraced the offer with much fatisfaction. He then asked her, for fear of any accident, if the was not defirous to have the abfolution of the church? She declared fhe was, and begged to have it. After fome little private difcourfe with her, he gave it her, in the form prescribed in "the Vifitation of the Sick," and the expreffed great comfort upon receiving it. A phyfician had been fent for immediately upon her arrival When he came, he gave little hopes, but faid all depended upon the manner of her paffing that night. "She once mentioned Dr. Wyntle, who you know had been her phyfician; and who had fo neglected her before fhe left England, as never to come near her, according to his appointment, nor give the leaft direction for her management in the long voyage she was about to make. She faid to the Bishop, "Dear Papa, has Mr. Morice told you how Dr. Wyntle has ferved us?" Who anf wered, " Yes, my dear, I know it all; but do not let that trouble you now." She replied, "O no, Papa, I do not trouble myself about that: I have other things to think of at this time; but I did not know whether Mr. Morice had told you.” Hoping by this time fhe might incline to take a little reft, her father and husband retired, it being between eleven and twelve at night; but about two in the morning the fent one of her women to me, (who lay on the fame floor, in the next room to her,) to defire to speak to me; and when I came, she said, not seemingly with much pain, but with such a shortnefs of breath that she was forced to breathe after every two or three words, "Mr. Evans, I have been waking- these three hours—and would fain—have the facrament." I wondered at her fending for me on that account, her husband and father being both near at hand; but I found afterwards it was her unwillingness, by a direct meffage from herself, too much to alarm either of them. However, being then not apprifed of her reafon for it, I doubted a little of her being in her right fenfes, and said, "Madam, would you now receive the facrament?" She faid, "Yes, I would-if poffible - presently." Of which the Bishop being immediately advised, as was Mr. Morice, and every thing prepared, he came, and administered to her, and to all present, the facrament; and afterwards, at her defire, continued repeating the prayers of the church, till fhe began to draw very near her end, and then he used and continued the recommendatory prayer only; fhe all the while holding her hands in a posture of prayer, and fometimes joining in a low voice with him. "After this, her father being gone from the bed-fide, she called for him (as fhe had frequently done) and again faid to him, "Dear Papa-what a bleffing is it-that after-such a longtroublefome-journey-we have-the comfort-of this meeting!" "And indeed, when I reflect on it, and confider the weak condition fhe was in upon the road, the many accidents that happened to retard the voyage, and the last effort she made, when she was at the worst, towards finishing it, I cannot but think that that meeting feemed granted by Heaven to her continual fervent prayers for it. "About this time fhe called for her husband (who was always in near attendance upon her), and faid, "Dear Mr. Moricetake care of the children-I know you will.-Remember me-to the Dutchess of Buckingham." "She also in a proper place recommended her fervants to Mr. Morice. "She now found her feet cold, and ordered them to be rubbed, at the fame time calling for her broth; but when it came, not being able to fwallow it, fhe turned herself on her left fide, and refted her head on her left hand, which she doubled, extending VOL. II. FE her her right hand and arm over the bed-clothes; and in this pofture continued drawing her breath shorter and shorter, but with the leaft emotion that poffibly could be, till she at last expired, a quarter before four o'clock on Tuesday morning, November 8, N.S." Bp. Atterbury's Mifcellaneous Works by Nichols, vol. iii. p. 79-84. XIV. ON EDMUND DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM. WHO DIED IN THE NINETEENTH YEAR OF HIS AGE, 1735. IF VER. 1. With cool Reflection crown'd,] To crown with reflection, is furely a mode of fpeech approaching to nonfenfe. Opening virtues, blooming round, is fomething like tautology; the fix following lines are poor and profaic. JOHNSON. The Duchefs of Buckingham was in league with the Pretender and Atterbury's party. This will explain Pope's use of the word Patriot. |