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WILL OF KING HENRY THE FOURTH OF ENGLAND.

IN the name of God, Fdir, and Son, and Holy Gost, thre Persons and one God, I, Henry, sinful wretch, be the grace of God, kyng of Englond, and of Fraunce, and lord of Irlond, being in myne hole mynd, mak my testament in manere and forme, that sayth, first, I bequeth to Almyghty God, my sinful soul; the whiche had never been worthye to be man, but trough his mercy, and his grace, whiche lyffe I have mispendyd, whereof I put me whollily in hys grace, and hys mercy, with all myn herte. And what tym hit liketh hym, of hys mercy, for to tak me to hym, the body for to be buried in the church of Canterbury, after the discrecion of my cousin, the archbysheoppe of Canterbury. And, also, I thank all my lordes, and trewe people, for the trewe service that theye have done to me, and y ask hem forgiveness, if I have missentreted hem in any wyse. And also, fur as they have offendyd me in wordis, or in dedis, in any wyse, y prey God forgeve hem hit, and y do. Also, y devyse and ordeyn, that ther be a chantre perpettuall of twey preestis, for to sing and prey for my soul in the aforseyd chirch of Canterbury, in soche plase, and aftyr soch ordinanse as hit semeth best to my aforseyd cousin of Canterbury. Also, I ordeyn, and devyse, that of my goodis restitution be made to all hem that y hev wrongfully greived, or any good had of theirs, without any iust tytle. Also, y will and ordeyn, that of my goodis, all my debtis be all paied in all hast possible; and that my servants be rewardyd aftyr ther nede, and desert of servise; and especyal Wilken, Iohn Warren, and William Thorpe, gromes of my chambre. Also, y will, that all those that be bond in eny debt that y owe in eny wyse, or have undertake to eny man for eny debt that I owe, or that they can dwlye shewe hit, that all soch persons be kept harmlysse. Also, y will, that all fees and wages that are not paied, to be paied; and especyal to my seruants of houshold, befor eny oder. And also, that all myn annuityes, fees, and donacions, grauntyd by me, befor this tym, be my lettres patents; and yn especiall to all hem that have been trewe servants to me, and toward me, alway. Also, y will and prey, that my son, that he have recommendyd Thomas de Crois, that hath well and trewly servyd me, and also Jacob Raysh and Halley. Also, y will, that the queen be endowyed of the duche of Lancastre. Also, y will, that all my officers, both of houshold and other, the which nedeth to have pardon for eny thing that touch theyr offices, both of losse and oder thing, they have pardon thereof, in semblable manere, as y of my

grase have be wont to do befor this tym. And for to execute this testimony well and trulich, for grete trust that I have on my son, the prince, y ordeyn and mak hym my executor of my testiment forseyd, kalling to hym soche as hym thinkyth in his discrecion, that can and will labor to the sonnest spede of my will comprehendyd in this myn testament. And to fulfill trwly all things forseyd, y charge my forseyd son upon my blessying. Wetnessying my well belouyd cousins, Thomas, archbysheoppe of Canterbury forseyde, and Edward, duke of York; Thomas, bisheoppe of Duresme; Richard, the lord Grey, my chamberlaine; John Tiptost, myn treasurer of England; John Propbete, wardeine of my priuie seale; Thomas Erpingham; John Nobery; Robert Waterton, and meny oder, being present. In wettnessying whereof, my priuie seale, to my commandement, is set to this my testament. I geve at my manere of Grenwich, the xxi dey of the moneth Januer, the yere of our Lord, M.CCCC.VIII. and of our reigne the tenth.

HOUSEHOLD OF HENRY THE EIGHTH.

THE following extract from a curious old MS. contains some very singular directions for regulating the household of Henry the Eighth.

"His highness's baker shall not put alums in the bread, or mix rye, oaten, or bean flour with the same, and if detected, he shall be put in the stocks. His highness's attendants are not to steal any lock or keys, tables, forms, cupboards, or other furniture, out of nobleman's or gentleman's houses, where they go to visit. Master cooks shall not employ such scullions as go about naked, or lie all night on the ground, before the kitchen fire. No dogs to be kept in the court, but only a few spaniels for the ladies. Dinners to be at ten, suppers at four. The officers of his privy chamber shall be loving together, no grudging nor grumbling, nor talking of the king's pastime. The king's barber is enjoined to be cleanly, not to frequent the company of misguided women, for fear of danger to the king's royal person. There shall be no romping with maids on the staircase, by which dishes and other things are often broken!! Care shall be taken of the pewter spoons, and that the wooden ones used in the kitchen be not broken or stolen. The pages shall not interrupt the kitchen maids!

The grooms shall not steal his highnesse's straw for beds, sufficient being allowed for them. Coal only to be allowed to the king's, queen's, and lady Mary's chambers. The brewers are not to put any brimstone in the ale." Among the fishes for the table, is mentioned the porpoise; if too big for a horse-load, an extra allowance to purveyor. Twenty-four loaves a-day allowed for his royal highness's greyhounds. "Ordered, That all noblemen and gentlemen at the end of the sessions of the parliament, depart to their several counties, on pain of the royal displeasure!!!"

OWEN FELTHAM ON PULPIT ORATORY.

"THE excess which is in the defect of preaching, has made the pulpit slighted; I mean, the much bad oratory we find it guilty of. Tis a wonder to me how men can preach so little, and so long so long a time, and so little matter: as if they thought to please, by the inculcation of their vain tautologies. I see no reason, that so high a princess as Divinity is, should be presented to the people in the sordid rags of the tongue : nor that he which speaks from the Father of languages, should deliver his embassage in an ill one. A man can never speak too well. Long and distended clauses are both tedious to the ear, and difficult for their retaining. A sentence well couch'd takes both the sense and the understanding. I love not those cart-rope speeches, that are longer than the memory of man can fathom. I see not, but that divinity, put into apt significants, might ravish as well as poetry. The weighty lines men find upon the stage, I am persuaded, have been the lures to draw away the pulpit's followers. We complain of drowsiness at a sermon; when a play of a double length, leads us on still with alacrity. But the fault is not all in ourselves. If we saw divinity acted, the gesture and variety would as much invigilate. But it is too high to be personated by humanity. The stage feeds both the ear and the eye: and through this latter sense, the soul drinks deeper draughts. Things acted possess us more, and are, too, more attainable, than the passable tones of the tongue. Besides, here we meet with most composed language,-the dulcia sermonis,-moulded into curious phrases; though 'tis to be lamented, such wits are not set to the right tune, and consorted to divinity; who, without doubt, well deck'd, will cast a far more radiant lustre, than those

obscene scurrilities, that the stage presents us with, though drest and spangled in their gaudiest attire. At a sermon well dress'd, what understander can have a motion to sleep? Divinity well ordered, casts forth a bait, which angles the soul into the ear: and how can that close, when such a guest sits in it? They are sermons, but of baser metal, which lead the eyes to slumber. And should we hear a continued oration, upon such a subject as the stage treats on, in such words as we hear some sermons, I am confident, it would not only be far more tedious, but nauseous and contemptful. The most advantage they have of other places, is, in their good lives and actions; for 'tis certain, Cicero and Roscius are most compleat, when they both make but one man. He answered well, that after often asking, said still, that action was the chiefest part of an orator. Surely, the oration is most powerful, where the tongue is diffusive, and speaks in a native decency, even in every limb. A good orator should pierce the ear, allure the eye, and invade the mind of his hearer. And this is Seneca's opinion: fit words are better than fine ones. I like not those that are injudiciously made; but such as be expressively significant: that lead the mind to something, beside the naked term. And he that speaks thus, must not look to speak thus every day. A kemb'd* oration will cost both sweat, and the rubbing of the brain. A kemb'd I wish it, not frizled nor curl'd: divinity should not lasciviate. Unwormwooded jests I like well; but they are fitter for the tavern, than the majesty of a temple. Christ taught the people with authority. Gravity becomes the pulpit. Demosthenes confest he became an orator, by spending more oyl than wine. This is too fluid an element to beget substantials. Wit procur'd by wine, is, for the most part, like the sparklings in the cup, when 'tis filling: they brisk it for a moment, but die immediately. I admire the valour of some men, that, before their studies, dare ascend the pulpit; and do there take more pains, than they have done in their library. But, having done this, I wonder not, that they there spend sometimes three hours, but to weary the people into sleep. And this makes some such fugitive divines, that, like cowards, they run away from their text. Words are not all, nor matter is not all; nor gesture: yet, together, they are. 'Tis much moving in an orator, when the soul seems to speak, as well as the tongue. St. Augustin says, Tully was admired more for his tongue, than his mind; Aristotle more for his mind, than his tongue; but Plato for both. And surely, nothing decks an oration more, than a judgment able well to conceive and

* Dressed.

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RELICS OF LITERATURE.

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utter. I know God hath chosen by weak things to confound the wise; yet I see not but in all times, a washed language hath much prevailed. And even the Scriptures, (though I know not the Hebrew) yet I believe they are pen'd in a tongue of deep expression; wherein almost every word hath a metaphorical sense, which does illustrate by some allusion. How political is Moses in his Pentateuch! How philosophical Job! How massie and sententious is Solomon in his Proverbs! How quaint, and flamingly amorous, in the Canticles! How grave and solemn in his Ecclesiastes! That in the world there is not such another dissection of the world as it. How were the Jews astonished at Christ's doctrine! How eloquent a pleader is Paul at the bar! In disputation, how subtle! And he that reads the Fathers, shall find them, as if written with a crisped pen. Nor is it such a fault as some would make it, now and then, to let a philosopher or a poet come in and wait, and give a trencher to this banquet. St. Paul is precedent for it. I wish no man to be too dark, and full of shadow. There is a way to be pleasingly plain, and some have found it. Nor wish I any man to a total neglect of his hearers. Some stomachs rise at sweetmeats. He prodigals a mine of excellency, that lavishes a terse oration to an apron'd auditory. Mercury himself may move his tongue in vain, if he has none to hear him but a non-intelligent. They that speak to children, assume a pretty lisping. Birds are caught by the counterfeit of their own shrill notes. There is a magic in the tongue, can charm the wild man's motions. Eloquence is a bridle, wherewith a wise man rides the monster of the world-the people. He that hears, has only those affections that my tongue will give him.

Thou mayst give smiles or tears, which joys do blot:
Or wrath to judges, which themselves have not.

You may see it in Lucan's words:

Flet si flere jubes, gaudet, gaudere coactus :

Et te dante, capit judex, quam non habet iram.

I grieve, that any thing so excellent as divinity is should fall into a sluttish handling. Sure, though other interposers do eclipse her, yet this is a principal. I never yet knew a good tongue, that wanted ears to hear it. I will honour her in her plain trim: but I will wish to meet her in her graceful jewels: not that they give addition to her goodness; but that she is more persuasive in working on the soul she meets with.

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