LETTER XXXIX. DEARE BROTHER, PARDON mee that I come last to the monument, who am cleerely ignorante of that arte of easinge your greifs by tellinge my owne. This duty of condolinge I understand not. That devine soule of hers wch hated earth was not fitt to possesse it longe. Shee hath left you ye fruit of those olive branches wch must adorne your table; for my particular, I thinke I may more justly pray to her for them; and so shall ye memory of my love to her ever doe. Deere brother fare well from your most affectionat frind and servant, WILL. PERSALL.* * Sir William Persall, of Canwell, near Lichfield, who married Frances, eldest daughter of Sir W. Aston, the ambassador. H 2 TIXALL LETTERS. PART THE THIRD. AN ACCOUNT OF THE DEATH OF THE HONBLE HERBERT ASTON appears to have been inconsolable for the death of his wife; but when his grief had a little subsided, he endeavoured to sooth his sorrows by composing a detailed account of her last sickness, and death; and by a poetical effusion to her departed spirit. These two compositions have been preserved, and, I trust, the reader will not be displeased to find the series of these letters interrupted by the insertion of them in this place. They contribute to set the character of Herbert Aston in a very amiable light; and the verses, in particular, are composed in an exalted strain of piety, and in a numerous flow of verse, such as is not often found in pieces of devotional poetry. A perticular accompt of ye most remarkable passages at ye happy end of Mrs Ca. Aston, and et past 7 dayes before, wth some reflection on ye vertues and suffrings of her preceedent life. I intende not hereby to give you a character of yt blessed soule now in Heaven, whilst she lived here on earth, yt being already performed, nor relate to you in perticular ye practice and vertues of her meritorious life: should I enlarge my selfe therein according to my knowledge, and as my affection would fayne leade me, should I set forth to her merrit, wt a firme fayth, and right christian assurance she had in God in all occurreneyes, yt were absolutely improbable and dispayring to human sence; wt a perpetual ardency of affection to God, and to every creature of ys world, as a reflex of his goodnes, wth a constant contempt of ys world, and every thing in it; wt an invincible patience, how infategable a devotion, how profound a humility, how sweet an affability; what a knowing innocency, how stupen dious and incredible a modesty and chastity: in fine, how violent an aversion to all yt was ill, and how setled and establish't a fixure to all that was good, I should then write a large treatise, instead of this short momento, I now only intende to God's glory, ye honour of her memory, and ye benefit of my owne. Let it then suffice in generall to tell you, yt she had alwayes a most intent advertency, and right understanding of her being but a pilgrim in ys transitory world, wth so perfect an obedience and adherency to our Saviours advice to us, in yt condition, of having our loynes girt, and our lights burning, as much as to say, promptitude in ye exersise of charity, and fervency in ye act of love, yt her whole life served for nothing else but ye joyd practice of ye one, and in it's owne willing consumption to maintayne ye other; and in a word to sume up all: if you will believe ye most observant astrologer of the motions and beautyes of ys celestiall minde, it was a serene Heaven full of stars all replenish't with vertues, and charity and chastity, ye 2 great luminaryes ther. Yet I canot but perticularise some of her suffrings in this life, they were so extraordinary and so re |