A compleat history of the most remarkable providences both of judgment and mercy, which have hapned in this present age extracted from the best writers, the author's own observations, and the numerous relations sent him from divers parts of the three kingdoms : to which is added, whatever is curious in the works of nature and art / the whole digested into one volume, under proper heads, being a work set on foot thirty years ago, by the Reverend Mr. Pool, author of the Synopsis criticorum ; and since undertaken and finish'd, by William Turner...

CHAP. XXXVIII. Remarkable Hospitality.

BY a Hospitality I mean a Charitable Disposition of Soul to entertain and relieve such as are in real Distress: And the Apostle enforceth this as a Duty upon Christians with a good Argument, when he bids us, Not to be forgerful to entertain Strangers; because that some by so doing formerly had received Angels into their Houses unawares: And who knows, till after some time of Conversation with them, what Graces may be lodged in the Breasts, or what Commissions may be put into the Hands of those Persons that, Lazarus-like, wait at our Gates?

1. A religious and rich Matron at Anticch entertained Origen, together with his Mother and his Brethren, after the Death of his Father, and the Confiscation of his Goods.

2. Gregory the Great was much given to Hospitality; so that when many Inhabitants from divers parts fled from the barbarous Cruelty of the Longobards, and came to him, he entertained and re∣lieved them, inviting daily to his House many of those Exiles: He made also large Distributions un∣to others, giving them Corn, Wine, Flesh, Cheese, and many other Refreshments in their several Seasons; he sent often also large Relief to the Sick, Lame and Impotent, not only in Rome, but in many other Towns and Villages round about; insomuch that all that he had seemed to be a common Granary. Clark's Marr. of Eccl. Hist. p. 98.

3. Mrs. Margaret Corbet was eminent for a charitable and bountiful Spirit. She was another Dor∣cas, Full of Good-Works, and Alms-Deeds. That high Elogium that Solomon gives to a vertuous Wo∣man, may properly be applied unto her; Many Daughters have done vertuously, but she excelled them all, Prov. 31.19. Many there are that come far short of her; but very few that went beyond her in Acts of Charity. God gave her a liberal and plentiful Estate, and that was a great Mercy: But it was a far greater Mercy, that he gave her a free and liberal Heart to do good, and to distribute. To cast her Bread on the Waters and to honour God with her Substance. That Protestation which Job makes for his own Vindication. Job 31.16, 19. may fitly be applied unto her. He would not with∣hold the poor from their desire, nor cause the eyes of the Widow to fail: He would not see any to perish for want of Clothing, nor any poor without Covering. The whole Countrey, round about where she dwelt, will bear her Witness, that she visited and relieved the Sick, and cloathed the Naked: She fed the Hungry, and healed the Wounded. Her Purse, her Hand, her Heart, were all open for their Relief. She bought many Precious Drugs, and Cordial Waters: She made several precious Salves, and gave them all away to such as stood in need of them. She spared not her best Pains, being never weary of well-doing; insomuch that in the extremity of her great Sickness (such bowels of Compassion yearned in her) she compounded several Medicines with her own Hands, and applied them. Thus will her Works praise her in the Gate, and being dead she yet speaks, Prov. 31.31. Heb. 11.14. for her pre∣cious Name lives. The Lord will have the Name of the Righteous to be in everlasting Remembrance, Psalm 112.6. and the Memory of the Just is blessed. Clark's Examp. Vol. 2. c. 15.

4. Mr. John Bruen of Bruen-Stapleford, for three years together whilst he lived in Chester, main∣tained the Poor of his own Parish in the County, allowing them all the Profit of his two Mills: He relieved the Poor in Chester both daily at his Gate, and otherwise, Weekly, as he was rated. Ibid.

5. Mr. John Dod, though his Means was very small, yet was much given to Hospitality: Scarce any Sabbath in the year, but he dined both Poor and Rich; commonly three or four Poor, besides Stran∣gers, that came to hear him. He had so large a Heart, that, upon occasion, he hath given to some three Shillings, to some five Shillings, to some ten Shillings, yea to some twenty Shillings; and when the Poor came to buy Butter or Cheese, he would command his Maid to take no Money of them. Ibid.

6. Mr. Samuel Crook, of Wrington in Sommersetshire, was very bountiful to his Kindred that needed it, and then he shewed it most when their Necessities swelled highest. He was very charitable and open-handed to the poor Members of Jesus Christ. And albeit his Charity shined most to those of his own Flock, yet was it not shut up from Strangers; but he was very liberal to them also upon good Occa∣sions: Yea when he went abroad to bestow the Gospel freely upon other Congregations adjacent, such Poor as he found to be Hearers (unless they were known to him to take up Hearing as a Cloak to cover their Idleness, and Neglect of their Callings) never went home empty-handed; but he always warmed and cheered them with his Bounty, as well as instructed them with his Doctrine. Ibid.

7. Mr. John Carter, sometime Minister of Delstead, was very diligent in Visiting the Sick, especi∣ly the poorer sort; and he never went to the House of any poor Creature, but he lest a Purse-Alms

as well as a Spiritual-Alms of good and heavenly Advice and Prayer. No poor body ever came to his Door that went away unhanded; his Wife also looking unto that as well as himself. Ibid.

8. Dr. William Gouge was very charitable, especially to the Houshold of Faith. He maintained some poor Schollars in the University, wholly at his own Charge, and contributed liberally towards the Maintenance of others. He set a-part a Sacred Stock, (as he called it) a Portion for the Poor, pro∣portionable to his Encoms, which also he faithfully distributed. Ibid.

9. Dr. Harris, in his Works of Charity to the Poor, was no less discreet than private. When he met with fit Objects, his Hand was more ready to give then his Tongue to proclaim it. Indeed he was no Friend to idle, lazy, canting Persons, who live on the Sweat of other Mens Brows. Whosoever shall survey his Large Bills of Weekly and Quarterly Allowances (besides considerable Sums given to poor Ministers, and especially to poor Widows and Orphans, who never knew whence it came) and shall add thereunto his Legacies bequeathed in his Will, to charitable Uses, cannot but judge that his Cha∣rity exceeded the ordinary Proportions of his Revenues. Ibid.

10. Mr. Ignatius Jordan of Exeter, was famous for his Charity both in his Life and at his Death. In his Life he was a free-hearted and open-handed Man. He was a great Patron of the Poor; ano∣ther Job in that respect. He could truly say with him, as Job 30.25. Was not my Soul grieved for the Poor? No doubt it was, and did earnestly plead for them; and especially for God's Poor, honest poor Persons, whose Hearts and Faces were set God-ward and Heaven-ward, and his Hands were very open to relieve them. He did that for them which many that had far greater Estates had not Hearts to do. Ibid.

He would often say, That he wondred what rich Men meant, that they gave so little to the Poor, and raked so much together for their Children. Do you not see (quoth he) what comes of it? And hereupon he would reckon up divers Examples of such as heaped up much for their Children, who, within a short time, had scattered and consumed all. And, on the Morth-side, he often spake of such as had small beginnings, and afterwards became rich, or of a competent Estate; giving a particular Instance in himself: I came (said he) but with a Groat or Six pence in my Purse, Had I had a Shilling in my Purse, I had never been Mayor of Exeter. Therefore leave Children but a little, and they (by God's Bles∣sing upon their Labours and Industry) may become Rich; but leave them a great deal, and they are in dan∣ger to become Beggars.

His Care for the Poor was most remarkable, in the time of a great Plague in that City, which was Anno Christi, 1625. For in the absence of the Mayor he was chosen his Deputy; and he, seeing the sad and deplorable Condition of the City, accepted of it, and wrote his Letters to divers Towns in Devonshire, and to some in Dorcet and Somersetshire, by which means he procured several Sums of Money, for the Supplial of the Wants of many Hundred of Poor, that in that time were in a di∣stressed Condition. One that was an Eye-witness Related, that he had seen Morning after Morning, coming to his Door, sometimes Thirty, sometimes Forty, yea Fifty, Sixty or more, wringing their Hands: Some crying that their Husbands are Dead; others, that their Wives were Dead; others that their Children are Dead; and all, that they had not wherewith to Bury them: Some again cry∣ed, that their Families are Sick, and they had not wherewithal to Relieve them; others, that they had divers Children, but had neither Bread nor Money to Buy it for them. Some cryed for Bread, some for Physick, others for Shrouds for their Dead; and he not only heard them patiently, but his Bowels yearned towards them, and his Hands were stretched out for their Relief. For, standing in his Shop, with his own Hands he ministred Supplies unto them all, and so dismissed them for the present. The next Morning, when there was a renewal of their sad Complaints, his charitable Care of them was renewed also. And thus he continued, Morning by Morning, even for the space of near three Months, till the return of the Mayor into the City.

Besides his great Care to supply the Want of such as came to him for Relief, he had a special Re∣spect to poor House-keepers and Trades-men; such as were unwilling and ashamed to make their sad and necessious Considition known.

He bequeathed thus his Will; I give to all the Poor of this City and Country, that receive Pay of Pa∣rishes, and also to those that dwell in Alms-houses, five Shillings to each of them, to be paid at my Burial. I give to one hundred more of poor People ten Shillings apiece, to be given to such as my Overseers shall think to have most need, the honest Poor to be chiefly regarded. I give to the Poor of Lime, where I was born, and to tho Poor of Guernsey, where I was new-born, five Pounds to each place. I forgive all the Monies owing to me, if it be under the Value of twenty Shillings to each. I give more to fifty poor People of this City and County, twenty Shillings each, to be appointed by my Overseers. Ibid.

11. Mr. Richard Greenham was eminent for his Charity to the Poor. In a time of Scarcity, when Barley was at ten Groats the Bushel, (which in those days was an extraordinary Price) he, by his Prudence brought it to pass, that the Poor had it sold to them for four Groats the Bushel by every Husbandman in the Town; and thus he effected it. There were about twenty Plough-holders in the Town, all whom he drew to Agreement among themselves, to hire a common Granary, and therein to lay up Corn for the Poor, some more, some less: So that some laid up one Coom, some a quarter, some three Cooms, and himself laid in five Cooms; all which was delivered out to the Poor at a Groat a Peck. One day in the Week was appointed for all the Poor to come, and served in, at which time every one received according to their Charge. Where there were but two in a Fa∣mily, they received one Peck a Week, and so more according to that Proportion: Only no Family had above three Pecks a Week. He kept but two Beasts himself, that the Poor might have his Straw: and when other Men sold their Straw for two Shillings a days thresh, he sold his for ten Pence: Tho' his Bushel was bigger than other Mens, yet he would often charge his Man not to strike off all the Corn. Yea, his Charity was not only extended to the Poor of his own Parish, but to others also. As he rode abroad, if he had seen a poor Boy at a distance from him, he would send him some Mo∣ney by his Man. Whensoever he rode by the Castle of Cambridge, the Prisoners would never ask him for any thing; for if he had any Money in his Purse, they were sure to have part of it.

12. The Right Honourable Mary Countess Dowager of Warwick as a Neighbour, was so kind and courteous, it advanced the Rent of adjacent Houses to be so near situated to her, nor only her House and Table, but her Countenance and very Heart were open to all Persons of Quality in a considera∣ble Circuit; and for the inferiour sort, if they were sick, or tempted, or in any distress of Body or Mind, whither should they go but to the good Countess, whose Closet and Still-house was their Shop for Chyrurgery and Physick, and her Self, (for she would visit the meanest of them personally) and Ministers whom she would send to them, their Spiritual Physicians.

But as her Love to God was the Soul of her Religion, so the Exuberancy of her Charity towards those who needed her abundant Liberality, was the conspicuous Crown which beautifie•• all her Sweetness and Goodness towards Men: for in this she was forward, I bear her Record, to her Power, yea and beyond her Power; for she would even anticipate her Revenue and Encoms, rather than want wherewith to be liberal. S. Jerom placed in the highest rank of the Praises of his admired Paula, that she not only made her self poor to relieve, but died in magno Aere alieno: And I am sure it used to be said of our Excellent Lady; That was the Lady that would borrow Money to give away. She would not live poor (in good Works) to die rich; yea, though she had chosen Executors, in whom her Heart could trust as safely as ever her Husband's did in her; yet she would make her own Hands her Execu∣tors, and they were very faithful, to her inlarged Heart.

But to be more particular, When she had in her Lord and Husband's life-time, a separate Main∣tenance or Allowance, settled by Marriage-Articles, she was pleased to ask me my Opinion concern∣ing the quota part: What Proportion one is obliged to consecrate to God of our Estates: And when I told her it was hard, if not impossible, to fix a Rule which might hold universally; but the Circum∣stances must be considered in which Persons stood, their Qualities, their Encoms, their Dependences, necessary and emergent Occasions, inevitably occurring. But she persisting to urge a more particular Answer as to her self, what would be fit and becoming her to do, I not being ignorant of her Cir∣cumstances, (I must bear my own Shame in acknowledging the Straitness of my own Heart, told her) I supposed a seventh part: But before I could suggest the Reasons; she preventingly replied, She would never give less than the third part: And she kept her Resolution to the full, and with Advantage; lay∣ing aside constantly the third part for charitable uses, and would sometimes borrow of that which re∣mained to add to it, but never defaulk from that to serve her own Occasions, though sometimes pressing enough.

When she came to the Possession of so large an Estate as her Lord bequeathed her for her Life, she in good measure made it true, what a great Person was reported to say; That the Earl of Warwick had gave all his Estate to pious Ʋses: Meaning thereby, that he had given it to this Noble Lady, who would so convert it.

And 'tis a great Truth, which I have had from her own Mouth, that all the Satisfaction she took in it, was the Opportunity it afforded her of doing Good. And I have heard her earnestly aver, that she should not accept of, or be incumbred with the greatest Estate in England, if it should be of∣fered her, clog'd with this Condition, not to do Good to others with it.

But some may say, were her Eyes as open as her Hands; did she not scatter it as carelesly as prosuse∣ly? Nothing less, her liberal Soul devised liberal Things: I will point at some few of many.

There are some Objects of real Charity, which are not so to vulgar Eyes or Purses; on whom she would confer, and whom she would surprize, with noble and suitable Assistances; thus she struck deep, drew an whole Bag at once, but made no noise.

Some scarcely to any but my self; and it may be had not been to me but to ask my Judgment, whether it might be reduced to the account of Charity, to give to such and such, being in such Cir∣cumstances: For she was never less tender of their Modesty than compassionate of their Necessity, and was more sollicitous for their Pardon, than their Thanks for helping them.

Foreigners who fled either to preserve their Religion, or to embrace what they were convinced of to be the Truth.

A great many young Scholars of hopeful promising Parts, whom she wholly, or in good measure, edu∣cated at the University, allowing some thirty, some twenty, some ten, some eight, many five Pounds per Annum, and some others who had more assistance, less.

Abundance of young Children which she put to School in the Neighbouring Towns, I cannot say how many, but a very great number, all that were poor and willing to learn: Nay, that could be perswaded to it, whose Schooling she did not only pay for, but gave them both Books, and often Cloathing; and not only near home, but as far as Wales, contributing nobly to that pious Design, of that good old Man and indefatigable Promoter of it, Mr. Gouge, so amply attested by a Cloud of Witnesses, beyond Exception, to rescue Wales from its remaining Ignorance and Demi-Barba∣rism.

Many Ministers of both Denominations, as well Conformists whose Livings were so small as not to yield them a Subsistance, as those who had none at all.

Many occasional Objects of Charity, which you may surely conclude, failed not to ply at those Stairs where 'twas seldom Low-water: And though she was sometimes imposed upon, and deceived by those that neither needed nor deserved that she gave, yet this did not discourage her from giving again; for she said, She had rather relieve ten that only appeared meet Objects and were not, than let one go unre∣lieved that was so indeed: For though they deceived her in her giving, God would not deceive her in accepting, what was sincerely done for his Name sake.

Lastly, the Poor which she fed in great numbers, not only with Fragments and broken Meat, but with liberal Provision purposely made for them. She was a great Pitier, yea a great Lover of the Poor, and she built a covenient House on purpose for them at her London-Seat, (as they had one at Leez) to sheluer them from Rain and Heat whilst they received their Dole; and when she was at Lon∣don with her Family, had in her absence, whilst no House was kept at Leez, a kind of House kept for their sakes alone: That is, twice a Week good Beef and Bread provided for the Poor of four adja∣cent Parishes; and hath taken order in her Will to have the same continued three Months after her

decease; and by the same Will hath given an hundred Pounds to be distributed to the Poor of Brain∣tree, Felsted, Little-leez and Much-Walthan, at or shortly after her Funeral. Dr.Walker, in her Life, p. 108.

13 Sir Matthew Hale (as we have said already) gave the tenth Penny of all he got to the Poor; but besides that, he took great care to be well-informed of Proper Objects for Charitities: And af∣ter he was a Judge, many of the Perquisities of his place, as his Dividend of the Rule and Box-mo∣ney, were sent by him to the Goals, to discharge poor Prisoners, who never knew from whose hands their Relief came. It is also a Custom for the Marshal of the King's-Bench, to present the Judges of that Court with a piece of Plate for a New-years-Gift, that for the Chief-Justice being larger than the rest: This he intended to have refused, but the other Justice told him it belonged to his Office, and the refusing it would be a Prejudice to his Successors; so he was perswaded to take it: But he sent word to the Marshal, That instead of Plate, he should bring him the Value of it in Money. And when he received it, he immediately sent it to the Prisons, for the Relief and Discharge of the Poor there. He usually invited his poor Neighbours to Dine with him, and made them sit at Table with himself: And if any of them were sick, so that they could not come, he would send Meat warm to them from his Table: And he did not only relieve the Poor in his own Parish, but sent Supplies to the Neigh∣bouring Parishes, as there was occasion for it. And he treated them all with the Tenderness and Fa∣miliarity that became one, who considered they were of the same Nature with himself, and were re∣duced to no other Necessities but such as he himself might be brought to: But for common Beggars, if any of these came to him, as he was in his Walks, when he lived in the Country, he would ask such as were capable of Working, Why they went about so idly? If they answered, It was because they could find no Work; he often sent them to some Field, to gather all the Stones in it, and lay them on a heap, and then would pay them liberally for their Pains: This being done, he used to send his Carts, and caused them to be carried to such places of the High-way as needed mending.

But when he was in Town, he dealt his Charities very liberally, even among the Street-Beggars; and when some told him, That he thereby encouraged Idleness, and that most of these were notorious Cheats: He used to answer, That he believed most of them were such; but among them there were some that were great Objects of Charity, and prest with grievous Necessities; and that he had rather give his Alms to Twen∣ty, who might be perhaps Rogues, than that One of the other sort, should perish for want of that small Relief which he gave them.

He loved Building much, which he affected chiefly, because it imployed many poor People. Dr. Burnet in the Life of Sir Matthew Hale, p. 90.