in White Fryers; which burnt down the house of Mr. Bowyer, a printer, and damaged the next to it."

The worthy man received on this occasion, from the kind-hearted Dean Stanhope, one of the most excellent and affecting letters that so melancholy an event could be supposed to have suggested. It was written in haste; but it evidently came from the heart, and deserves to be transcribed in letters of gold.

66 GOOD MR. BOWYER, Lewisham, Jan. 31, 1712. "It is with very great concern that I heard of the sad disaster befallen you. You and your family have been in great part the subject not only of my waking, but even of my sleeping thoughts, from the moment the ill news reached me. You are

a person of understanding and religion, enough, I persuade myself, thoroughly to believe, that second causes have a wise Director, and that none of our calamities are the effect of chance. This thought, I doubt not, you pursue through all its just consequences; such as may work in you a true Christian resignation to God's afflicting Providence, and render you contented under your loss, nay even thankful for it, not only on account of the lives which have been saved, but also of the excellent fruits this affliction may, and I hope will produce, by your improvement of it: for, surely, humbling one's self under the Almighty's hand; such a dread of his power and justice as may increase the fear of offending him; less affection for, and no manner of trust in, the enjoyments of this world; and a more eager desire and endeavour after those in a better state, of which we may rest secure that they cannot be taken from us; are very natural and becoming consequences of so sad and sudden a calamity. You, God be praised! have the comfort of being far from the condition of those wretches, whom the

that learned and revered Judge, his successor in the same line, and a thorough judge of its merits; who styles the author one of those. who have "laboured" to reduce our Laws to a system. See Noble's Continuation of Granger, vol. II. p. 136; vol. III. p. 127.

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world

ance.

world have reason to think marked out for vengeBut each of us, who looks into himself, will find more than enough there, to justify the severest dispensations toward him. Or, if it were not so, which yet always will be so, the best are not above the improvement of their virtues, of which great adversities are an eminent exercise and proof.

The post waits; and I must hasten. My heart bleeds for your poor wife. God sanctify this trouble to you both; and give you the piety and the reward of those saints, who take joyfully the spoiling of their goods, knowing in themselves that they have a better and more enduring substance in Heaven! "I am your sincere friend and servant,

GEO. STANHOPE." At the same time Mr. Bowyer received the following letter from the Reverend Robert Orme *.

CC DEAR SIR,

Jan. 31, 1712.

"I MOURN for your misfortune; I hope our loving God will sanctify it to you, and that your great loss will in the end be your great gain. I don't question but you are more a Christian than not to bear this, or any other worldly loss, with such pa

* A very antient Nonjuring clergyman; whose mistaken zeal led him into some difficulties in the reign of King George I. but he possessed the confidence of those of his own persuasion to a great degree. He was one of the clergymen who was much about James Shephard, a youth of eighteen, who suffered for high treason; and was very earnest in keeping up his spirits and resolution to the last, in which he succeeded; and prevailed over every friendly intimation that was given by Government to save the young enthusiast from his fate. For this offence Mr. Orme was taken into a messenger's custody, March 21, 1718. The whole story, too long to be here detailed, may be seen in the Political State, vol. XV. pp. 114, 344-371. On this occasion a pamphlet was published, intituled, "Observations on the Conspiracies of the Nonjurors; and their spiriting up Assassins and Murtherers; particularly James Shepherd, lately executed at Tyburn. With Remarks on his Behaviour and last Speech, 1718;" and another, intituled, "A general Claim to Allegiance, Atheists and Tories excluded; with Arguments and Reflections upon the late Conduct of Mr. Orme, a Nonjuring Parson, absolving Mr. Shepherd from the Crime of Murder unrepented."-Mr. Orme died at a very advanced age, Jan. 14, 1733. There is a small mezzotinto print of him in his canonicals.

tience as becomes our holy profession, and the disciples of our blessed Lord and Redeemer. I pray God bless you and your family; and blessed be his holy name, who saved you from perishing! The bearer, Mr. Brydon, is my good friend and benefactor; and knowing him to be a real honest man, I recommend him to you, to serve you in what he proposes, which I hope will be for your advantage. My wife and I give our humble service to you and your worthy spouse. I pray God comfort you both. Ia am, upon your account, dear sir, your sorrowful, but sincerely loving friend and humble servant,

�

R. ORME." One more consolatory letter shall be given:

DEAR SIR,

"I cannot express how sorry I am for your loss. I do assure you, I am mightily concerned for you and Mrs. Bowyer, and do sympathize with you as with my own brother and sister. I heard that your loss happened on King Charles the Martyr's day; and therefore I hope you will bear it with the same Christian fortitude and magnanimity as he did his great losses. In him you see that the greatest of kings and best of men are not exempted from worldly loss and crosses. Job was a very good, man; for he had that character from Him who is the best Judge of men, that there was none like him in all the earth, a perfect and an upright one that feared God, and eschewed evil. Yet, you know, he lost not only all his great riches, but all his children too by violent deaths (which, blessed be God! you now enjoy safe). He lost his health also, being afflicted with a most loathsome disease; and one of his greatest trials was, that his friends endeavoured to rob him of his integrity and innocence, and fix the odious character of hypocrite upon him. Now pray observe his deportment under all these great losses, crosses, and trials: Naked came I out of my mother's womb,' said he, and naked shall I return thither. The

man;

Lord

Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, and blessed be the name of the Lord! What a wonderful pattern is this of resignation of our wills to God's will, under the greatest losses that can befall us in this world! And you know how God rewarded his patient suffering even in this life, for he made him twice as rich as ever he was before; which I hope in God he will so bless you, as he did many who lost all in the great Fire of London. I verily believe that your friends will readily send you what money you have occasion for. For my own part, if I had money, I would as freely send it you as any man in London; I am so well satisfied of your integrity and honesty, of your principles, your diligence, and faithfulness in your employment; and I do assure you, that when God blesses me with money, neither you nor yours shall ever want as long as I have. I cannot comprise the half I have to say to you in a letter, but will come and see you next week. In the mean time I beg and pray you not to be dejected under your sufferings; but to stir up and exercise all your graces of faith, hope, patience, meekness, self-denial, and resignation, &c. according to the example of the Prophet Habbakuk, chap. iii. ver. 17. Although the figtree shall not blossom, &c, yet will I rejoice in the Lord, and joy in the God of my salvation.' But, above all, I recommend to your imitation the example of our blessed Lord and Saviour, and his Apostles, and the primitive Christians and Martyrs, and those Saints recorded in the eleventh chapter to the Hebrews, of whom the world was not worthy; yet, they wandered about in sheep-skins and goat-skins, being destitute, afflicted, and tormented; wherefore, seeing we are encompassed with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us run with patience the road that is set before us; and so to the end of the twelfth chapter; and pray make a collection of God's promises recorded in Scripture, and meditate often on them; they will support and comfort you wonderfully; as that Rom. viii. 28.

that

that all things shall work together for good to them that love God.' This is infallibly certain, and never fails; and so of the rest. In the great Dean of Worcester's excellent Devotions, there is an admirable prayer for the assistance of the Holy Spirit, to support us under all trials and sufferings, which I pray you both to make use of frequently, and get it by heart; and pray visit that great and good man often, whom God preserve long a great ornament and blessing to the Church of England! I am sure you will reap great comfort and benefit from his conversation. Now, dear Sir, my prayers shall be as frequent for you both as for myself, that God would support you under your great trial, and grant you a happy issue out of all your sufferings, and prosper you with all happiness; which shall be the daily prayer of, dear Sir, your affectionate and sympathising friend, R. MONTGOMERY."

Among the articles which perished by this sudden and aweful visitation, was by far the greater number of Sir Robert Atkyns's valuable "History of Gloucestershire;" a few copies only of it having been snatched from the flames, of which they stil! retain indelible marks.

A considerable part of the impression of Bp. Bull's "Important Points of Primitive Christianity" was destroyed; and several other works then printing; as appears by the note inserted below; and by the

* Dr. George Hickes, of whom see an account in p. 17.

"Whereas by the violence of a sudden fire, on Friday the 29th of January last, the printing-office of Mr. W. Bowyer, in White Fryars, was burned to the ground; This is to acquaint the world, that part of the impression of Bp. Bull's Important Points of Primitive Christianity maintained and defended, in several Sermons and other Discourses, to which is prefixed, the History of his Life, by Robert Nelson, esq.' was consumed in the flames. By which misfortune, we are obliged to defer the publication of Bp. Bull's Important Points,' till the lost sheets are reprinted, which we hope will be effected in a fortnight's time. London, printed for Richard Smith, at the sign of Bishop Beveridge's Head, in Pater Noster Row, near Cheapside; and in the Fore-walk of Exeter Change, in the Strand." "Evening Post, Feb. 13, 1712-13.

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