This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. Searching, reading, printing, or downloading EEBO-TCP texts is reserved for the authorized users of these project partner institutions. Permission must be granted for subsequent distribution, in print or electronically, of this text, in whole or in part. Please contact project staff at eebotcp-info@umich.edu for further information or permissions.
WHile Father Vincent was setling a live∣lihood for these poor Artificers, who through their age were not able to gain their living, his compassion was called upon to assist others who are scarce worthy to live. These
were the Gally-slaves, whose double misery he eyed with much pitty. Comfort of consci∣ence he supposed they could have little, being burdened with crimes: nor comfort of body, being loaden with chains, and excess of want and misery. And yet he knew too, that to comfort the comfortless, be the person what he will, never ceased to be a work of mercy. He doubted not but that their crimes well de∣served what they suffered, and that a just ver∣dict had condemned them to no more than a condigne punishment in sending them to the Gallies. Yet he conceived withal, that it was not the judges sense that they should perish at Paris who were sentenced to suffer at Mar∣seilles; and that judgment without mercy is to those that shew not mercy. He takes then their sad and comfortless condition seriously to heart. He instantly applies his most hum∣ble submission and sutes to King Lewis the thir∣teenth, and the Magistrates, in their behalf: and obtains the old tower of St. Bernard's Gate for their habitation, till they amount to a competent number, to be sent away accord∣ing to custome. Thus by his care are they provided of lodgings. But where must food be found for body and soul? Food for their bodies for a while issues out of his own and Mrs. Le Gras's small stock. And for their Souls the pious Priests of St. Nicholas de Chardennet, and his own Missioners plentifully furnish.
But soon after the divine providence abun∣dantly provides: For a person of Paris of a
vast fortune, left by his last Will and Testa∣ment six thousand pounds a year forever, for the relief of those miserable creatures, whose deserts could lay claim to nothing.
This plentiful fund is left under the admini∣stration of the Procurator general of the Parlia∣ment for perpetuity. And whereas the said place of their abode was in the parish of St. Nicholas de Chardennet, the Curate thereof was liable to administer the Sacraments unto them, and to bury their dead corps: which being a great burthen for that poor little parish, Mr. Vincent prevailed with the Administrators to allow the said Priests thirty Pistols per annum out of the Fund, upon condition that they should be obliged to say their Mass, to exhort, catechise them, and perform other spiritual functions requisite; which they discharge most worthily, and with very great care and charity.
Thus were the poor Gallerians well provided-for during their stay at Paris. And that they might likewise be so after their departure thence to Marseilles, He (who also himself had formerly been taken upon the Mediterra∣nean Sea, and carryed Slave into Barbary) forth∣with applies himself to the most eminent Car∣dinal of Richlieu, who was then General of the Gallies; and to Madam La Duchesse of Ayguillon, his vertuous Neece: represents to them the miserable State of the Gally-slaves, and the extream want of an Hospital for them, where they might be assisted in the time of their sickness. Their piety procured that such an
Hospial was built. Here again was a house, but other helps were as yet wanting. Where∣upon Mr. Vincent had recourse to the bounty of that most constantly religious Queen Regent (Mother to King Lewis the fourteenth, who now happily reigns) whose memory is in eter∣nal benediction, to deal with him to become the Founder of this Hospital: which was done accordingly by his Letters Patents in the year 1645. and was indowed by his Majesty with twelve hundred Pistols.
The blessed effects of this royal Charity you may partly know by a Letter written to Mr. Vincent by a most charitable Gentleman of Provence, called Mr. de la Coste, who had much contributed to that work: His Letter was as follows.
These are to give you an account of the Progress of the Hospital, which was especially established by your procurement. You have understood by my last, how, after much resist∣ance, by the help of our Lord and Master they gave us up those that were sick in the Gallies. Certes, I am not able to express the joy which those poor Slaves received, when they saw themselves transported from that Hell to the said Hospital, which they term a Paradise; where at their very Entry they seem cured of half their sickness, when they are free'd from their vermine, whereof they are full; their feet are first washed, and then they are laid in a bed, a little softer than the board
whereon they were wont to lye. And they are quite over-joyed to find themselves lodg∣ed, served, and treated with a little more charity than they were in the Gally; whe∣ther we have sent back a number of Conva∣lescents, who had been dead if they had re∣mained there. Truly Sir. We may well say, that God hath blessed this work; which ap∣pears not only in the conversion of bad Christians, but even of the very Turks, who cry out for holy Baptisme.