A Christians Acquiescence in Divine Providence, Postscript – Errata
A POSTSCRIPT.
SInce the finiſhing of this Narrative, there came to my hands an excellent Character of this incomparable Lady; being part of a Letter written by him whoſe learned Pen copied her from his heart; of whom it may be verified, which was by the Greek Epigrammatiſt once ſaid of the Statue of Love, ſo curiouſly cut by Praxiteles.
—foreign.
foreign.
No wonder Love is thus to Life expreſt,
The Graver, had th' Original in his breaſt:
Of this Treaſure, being unwilling to defraud the Reader, partly, becauſe of its own accurate elegancy; and partly, becauſe it contains a compendious Abſtract of all the foregoing Relation, from him who beſt underſtood her worth: I thought fit to ſubjoin it here.
Believe it, Sir, (ſaith he to his Friend) it is not more my Affection, than my Judgment, that eſteems that happy Lady ſo much above the rate of thoſe that enjoy the common Title with her of being Wives; that it is ſtill the reaſon of my thanks to God, that I once enjoyed ſo matchleſs a Perſon, and withal a juſtification of a Grief of an extraordinary ſize, that I have loſt what is not comforted with the leaſt hopes of a repair. Not that I am ignoraut of the omnipotency of God who is alwaies able to equal himſelf by doing that again whenſoever he pleaſeth, which at any time before he hath done. But becauſe I know ſuch an excellency was ornament enough to illuſtrate a whole age, and humane things are more checquer'd, than that ſuch an unuſual happineſs, as I have twice enjoyed ſhould the third time fall to my ſhare. That the ſuperiorities of her Birth ſhould deſcend to the privacy of my condition, without the being ſo troubleſome to it as to tax my living up to any other Rate than what my own pleaſure admitted, was that humble Prudence, of which few in that Order, before her ſelf, ever gave an example. To comply in all thoſe obediences to me as an Husband, by which inferiour Wives pay for the kindneſs of taking them up into a condition which their Birth and Fortunes deſpaired of, was ſo much to my admiration, that I could not but raviſhedly wonder at it; and bleſs God for that happineſs of mine, in the contemplations whereof, I was ſo buſie, as not to have the leiſure of expreſſing it to others, but by over-joyed looks. And perhaps, I did not imprudently with ſilence poſſeſs my comforts, whiles ſpeaking might have wanted belief, or created too much Envy. How matchleſs a commendation of hers was it, in ſo many years, amidſt the variety of humane things to be without the guilt of Word or Action, that needed a Recall, or feared a Cenſure? what the Laws require of others, ſhe taxed her ſelf at: what others promiſed, ſhe performed; in whom a moſt ſweet Temper was ſubjected to ſo informed a mind, that her compliance with her Duty, was as perfect as Humanity admits, without noiſe or reluctancy. And (would Divinity allow the expreſſion) it might be ſaid, that ſhe had alwaies in her power ſomething of ſupererogation, which ſhe added, after ſhe had paid the exactneſs of juſtice and expectation. She delighted to ſhew thoſe children of mine, which others would have concealed, as the Allay of their Marriage; lengthened their lives by prayer and care; made them better than ſhe found them by inſtruction and example; and was ſo conſtant in her kindneſſes, that there was not an intermiſſion through which to ſuſpect the leaſt ſimulation. She not only bore, but delighted in the Relations of my firſt Wives Vertue: and did ſo ſatisfie me in all the appetites of my ſoul, that nothing made me ſollicitous in my conjugality whiles I enjoyed her, but either the fear an extraordinary happineſs would not be long; or deſire that I might obtain the ioies of another Life hereafter, who had the greateſt meaſure of thoſe here, which that ſtate knows without which even Paradiſe was by God himſelf judged to want ſomething of Compleatneſs. I could with ſafety truſt my deepeſt Counſels with that Heart, that did not eaſily part with any thing; leave the charge of my Children with that ſincerity and prudence, which no intereſt could tempt awry, nor diſguiſe eaſily deceive. Methinks I could juſtifie my ſelf in an unſpeakable Love, whiles the Reaſon of it was an unuſual plentiful meaſure of rare Grace: in the Honour of an illuſtrious Birth, the moſt ſubmiſſive Humility; in the knowledge of the Pomps of the world a pious neglect of them: the moſt expreſs Characters that I ever ſaw of God, in that, or the other Sex. In whom Religion ſeemed pardonable if not beautiful even to the Enemies of it, from thoſe good qualities that accompanied it, viz. a Readineſs to Oblige, an Eaſineſs to Pardon, Reſpects to Superiours, Kindneſs to Equals, Regards and Compaſſions to Inferiours. Such an One have I loſt, ſuch an One do I bewail.
And then he piouſly concludes thus (with which I conclude alſo) But he, whoſe Right it is, to do what he pleaſeth, and whoſe Priviledge it is, that he cannot be unjuſt, hath recalled what was his own from me who had no claim to that Grace; and although I grieve, I murmur not, who know her Happineſs whiles I feel my own Calamity.
REader, notwithſtanding the great care of a watchful Corrector; the diſtance of the Author, hath (beſides divers literal miſtakes, and miſ-punctations, which it is hoped thou wilt indulge) occaſioned theſe groſſer eſcapes of the Preſs, which it is deſired, thou wilt before thou readeſt correct.
PAge 15. line 13. from the top, read or intereſts, p. 14. l. 4. r. humoured, p. 19. l. 12. r. wiſeſt, p. 45. l. 9. r. perfection, p. 55. l. 6. r. exerted, p. 70. l. 12. r. foreign, p. 104. l. 25. r. ſo much, p 109. l. 2. r. this, p. 110. l. 19. r. rigidly ſevere, p. 116. l. 20. r. have filled, p. 129. l. 27. r. is.