The History of Thomas Ellwood Written By HimselfEllwood, Thomas
History
The History of Thomas Ellwood Written By Himself
Ellwood, Thomas
Ellwood, Thomas, 1639-1713; Quakers -- Biography
B old was he in his Master’s quarrel, and
U ndaunted; faithful to his Lord’s command.
R equiting good for ill; directing all
R ight in the way that leads out of the fall.
O pen and free to ev’ry thirsty lamb;
U nspotted, pure, clean, holy, without blame.
G lory, light, splendour, lustre, was his crown,
H appy his change to him: the loss our own.
Unica post cineres virtus veneranda beatos
Efficit.
_Virtue alone_, _which reverence ought to have_,
_Doth make men happy_, _e’en beyond the grave_.
While I had thus been breathing forth my grief,
In hopes thereby to get me some relief,
I heard, methought, his voice say, “Cease to mourn:
I live; and though the veil of flesh once worn
Be now stript off, dissolved, and laid aside,
My spirit’s with thee, and shall so abide.”
This satisfied me; down I shrew my quill,
Willing to be resigned to God’s pure will.
Having discharged this duty to the memory of my deceased friend, I went
on in my new province, instructing my little pupils in the rudiments of
the Latin tongue, to the mutual satisfaction of both their parents and
myself. As soon as I had gotten a little money in my pocket, which as a
premium without compact I received from them, I took the first
opportunity to return to my friend William Penington the money which he
had so kindly furnished me with in my need, at the time of my
imprisonment in Bridewell, with a due acknowledgment of my obligation to
him for it. He was not at all forward to receive it, so that I was fain
to press it upon him.
While thus I remained in this family various suspicions arose in the
minds of some concerning me with respect to Mary Penington’s fair
daughter Guli; for she having now arrived at a marriageable age, and
being in all respects a very desirable woman—whether regard was had to
her outward person, which wanted nothing to render her completely comely;
or to the endowments of her mind, which were every way extraordinary and
highly obliging; or to her outward fortune, which was fair, and which
with some hath not the last nor the least place in consideration—she was
openly and secretly sought and solicited by many, and some of them almost
of every rank and condition, good and bad, rich and poor, friend and foe.
To whom, in their respective turns, till he at length came for whom she
was reserved, she carried herself with so much evenness of temper, such
courteous freedom, guarded with the strictest modesty, that as it gave
encouragement or ground of hopes to none, so neither did it administer
any matter of offence or just cause of complaint to any.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account