“I find it is some happiness to have been miserable, for my mind has been so blunted with former misfortunes, that this scarce made any impression upon me. I shall go on, by God’s assistance, to take my tithe; and, when that is in, to rebuild my house, having, at last, crowded my family into what is left, and not missing many of my goods. “I humbly ask your Grace’s pardon for this long, melancholy story, and leave to subscribe myself your Grace’s ever obliged and most humble servant, S. WESLEY.” It is a somewhat singular circumstance that the sheet of paper on which this letter was written, was one on which he had begun a letter to the archbishop six days before the fire broke out. About four square inches of the lower corner of the fly-leaf was burnt, and the whole was stained by the water that helped to put out the flames. The good archbishop, to whom this account was sent, came forward both with his purse and influence; and this produced the following touching and characteristic letter:— “EPWORTH, _March 20, 1703_. “MY LORD,—I have heard that all great men have the art of forgetfulness, but never found it in such perfection as in your lordship: only it is in a different way from others; for most forget their _promises_, but your Grace those _benefits_ you have conferred. I am pretty confident your Grace neither reflects on, nor imagines how much you have done for me; nor what sums I have received by your lordship’s bounty and favour; without which I had been, ere this, moulding in a jail, and sunk a thousand fathoms below nothing. “Will your Grace permit me to show you an account of some of them? “From the Marchioness of Normanby, £20 0 0 The Lady Northampton (I think), 20 0 0 Duke of Buckingham and Duchess, 2 years since, 26 17 6 The Queen, 43 0 0 The Bishop of Sarum (Bishop Burnett), 40 0 0 The Archbishop of York, at least 10 0 0 Besides lent to (almost) a desperate debtor, 25 0 0 —————— £184 17 6