He thought he had procured himself a great benefit or treasure, as often as he could by his counsel or otherwise, pleasure and ease the mind of any man in any difficult matter, either ghostly or bodily; or if he could pacify any that were at variance and debate. would before he was chancellor go by obscure places and lanes, and give his alms very liberally, not by the penny or half-penny, but sometimes five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty shillings, according to every one's necessity. He often invited his poor neighbours to his table, and would be merry and pleasant with them. But those that were rich and wealthy seldom were invited. In Chelsea he hired a house for lame, poor, and old men, and kept them at bed and at board, at his own cost and charges. If he be If he be ill, Sir Thomas was of a mild, gentle and patient nature. He never hated any. For he would say, "Either he whom I hate is good or bad. good, then am I naught to hate him. either he will amend, and so be saved; or else persevere ill, and so everlastingly perish. If he shall be saved, why should I hate him whom eternally I must love, like, and delight in? If he shall be damned, his torments and pains shall be so great and intolerable, that rather we have cause to pity and have compassion for his misery, than to add affliction to affliction, in hating and envying him." Mr. William Roper, for sixteen years space he lived in his house, never saw him so much as once in any fume or choler. On a time, when he was lord chancellor of England, the water bailiff of London, sometime his servant, having heard, where he was at dinner, certain merchants falsely to slander and rail against his old master, waxed so discontented therewith, that he came hastily to Sir Thomas, and told him what he had heard. "And were I,, sir," quoth he, "in that authority and place that your lordship is, surely such men should not be suffered, so villainously and falsely to misreport me: wherefore I would wish that they were called to CHRISTIAN MAGAZINE, No. XXVI. VOL II-U their answer, and accordingly punished for their ill tongues." Sir Thomas smiling upon him said, "Why, Mr. Water-bailey, will you have me punish those, by whom I receive more benefit, than by you all that be my friends? Let them, in God's name, speak as lewdly of me as they list, and shoot never so many arrows at me; so none hit me, what am I the worse for that? But if they should hit me, then it would not a little trouble me. I have more cause, I assure you, Mr. Water-bailey, to pity, than to be angry with them and I pray you, do you the like." He would never sinisterly or suspiciously take any thing written, done, or spoken against him, perverting and wringing it to the worst, but make always the best of every matter: and when the thing could not be defended, he would defend the intent, except it were too apparent evil. If it happened any learned man to resort to him from Oxford, Cambridge, or elsewhere, as divers did, some for desire of his acquaintance, some for the famous report of his wisdom and learning, some for his counsel in law matters, and to fall into argument and dispute with him: he would gladly accept of such discourses, and therein he would shew such skill that few were found comparable unto him. And at length, if he perceived they could not hold further disputation without some inconvenience, lest he should discourage or make them blush, he would, as one that sought not his own glory, seem to be conquered: and to animate them in their studies, he would seem more desirous to learn of them than to teach. Towards his father he gave many proofs of his natural affection and lowly mind. Whensoever he passed through Westminster Hall to his place in the chancery by the court of the King's Bench, if his father who sat there as judge, had been set down ere he came, he would go to him, and reverently kneeling down in sight of all ask him blessing. This virtuous custom he always solemnly observed; though then men after their marriages thought themselves not bound to these duties of younger folks. If they had at readings at Lincolns-inn or elsewhere chanced to have met together, he would offer in arguments and other observances the pre-eminence to his father, though for his office the father would not accept of it. These respects of an obedient child he kept whilst his father lived; and after he never forgot, both by hearty prayers, and many tender remembrances of his virtue. In his death-bed he often came to visit him, and gave him most comfortable words, and procured all helps both for body and soul, that in such cases be requisite. After his departure out of this world, with sighs and tears taking him by the neck he kissed and embraced him, and commending his soul into the hands of his Creator caused many good prayers to be said for his soul's s ease. -Wordsworth's Ecclesiastical Biography. THE CHURCH IN THE ALPS. [The following interesting passage forms part of a speech lately delivered at Leamington, during the proceedings consequent upon laying the first stone of the handsome tower of the parish church.j Rev. HENRY WM. WILBERFORCE, (of East Farleigh, Maidstone,) then rose and said :- We have had sad experience of late, that a place may increase in population, may accumulate wealth, and grow in splendour, while discontent and disunion are spreading like a subtle venom through the hearts of that population, ready to burst on the slightest occasion into riot and bloodshed. Is this prosperity? On the other hand, perhaps, you will allow me to mention a little anecdote which shows how a place may be truly prosperous without any of these. I saw a few days ago a letter from an English clergyman, who has been travelling in a remote part of the Alps, and who chanced to visit a poor and solitary village just after a great calamity - had befallen it by the fall of an avalanche. Except the loss of many lives, there was hardly any worse calamity that could have happened; the houses were some overturned · some standing half-ruined - roofs everywhere broken in-walls overthrown ;-the building which had fared the best was the village church, and yet even this had suffered so much as to threaten its fall. When the stranger approached the village, Sir, he found all bustle and activity;-it was a scene like that of a hive of bees which has been disturbed, 66 every man was busy, some bringing stones, some timber, some preparing them, and some putting them in their places. Nay, the women and children were bringing lime which had to be carried some distance, over tracks which precluded the passage of wheels.But all this time there was not one of the ruined houses on which any repairs were begun ;- the whole village was busy in restoring their parish church! Sir, the stranger stood looking on at this busy scene, and (having had some little experience in church repairs and church rates in England), was curious to know how these were managed among the Alps; he engaged one of the labourers in conversation about the work, and enquired who paid the men employed on it? Pay, sir," said the peasant, "why should they be paid!" Why," said the stranger, "there is their labour." Well, sir; and who should repair our church but ourselves! Is it not our own church, and the church of our children!" The stranger, most unexpectedly, sir, found himself driven to apologise for supposing that the men would need payment, for doing their own work; and he said something about their ruined houses which stood all round. Well, sir," said the poor man, “and would you have us repair our own houses while the house of GOD is in ruins?" went on to say, the only person to be paid would perhaps be the architect who came from a distance, and perhaps the bishop would pay him; or if it fell on the inhabitants to do it, no doubt GOD would send them 66 He an abundant season to meet it. Now, sir, I say that, in spite of barren soil and avalanches, this Alpine village had true prosperity while its inhabitants were thus of one heart and one soul;- and I say, that come what might, this town of Leamington would be prosperous as long as there was a like spirit here; for the true prosperity of a town is in the contentment, and Christian love and union of those who dwell there, be they many or few; and, bearing this in mind, there is no circumstance in the present general restoration of old English Church principles and practice which I hail with greater thankfulness than the spreading desire to be rid of our exclusive and miserable church pews. Gentlemen, (said the speaker,) I thank GOD that you feel with me ;- - away with them, then; the sooner the better! For, above all things, I desire to see the day when our labourers shall look up to the parish church and say - "Is it not my own, and my children's." And how can they feel it their own, when they are fenced off everywhere by high partitions, which separate it into portions, each the property of some richer man? How could the poor of Leamington feel that the parish church was their own, when they knew that the place where their fathers freely knelt and worshipped GOD, was fenced off that it might be let for money to strangers from a distance; and when they were either altogether excluded or shut off out of the way, where no one else was willing to go? No, sir, what we have gained by our pew system I know not; but I know well that we have lost the noblest possession which GOD ever gave to any Church; we have lost the hearts of men, and, more too, English hearts, and never will the poor feel, "It is my own church, and the church of my children," till we enable each man and his children, rich and poor alike, to kneel down and worship God in it without distinctions of rich and poor. Sir, we have much to do towards this, and there is one circumstance which I would beg leave to impress on all my kind |