often say, "They should neither have a prece"dency or priority of the other; but that prayer " and preaching, being equally useful, might agree "like brethren, and have an equal honour and " estimation '." Before I proceed farther, I must look back to the time of Mr. Herbert's being made Prebendary, chiefly paved with bricks: the roofs both of the church and chancel are tyled, and not under-drawn or ceiled. There are no communion-rails; but, as you advance to the communion-table, you ascend three steps. The windows are large and handsome, with some small remnants of painted glass. The seats and pews both in the nave, the cross-aisle, and the chancel, somewhat resemble the stalls in cathedrals, but are very simple, with little or no ornament, nearly alike, and formed of oak. It was evidently the intention of Mr. Herbert that in his church there should be no distinction between the seats of the rich and those of the poor. During Divine Service the men have from time immemorial been accustomed to sit on the south-side of the nave, and the women on the north-side. In the cross-aisle, the male-servants sit on the south-side, and the female-servants on the north-side. The strongest and best part of the church is the tower, which is of most durable and excellent stone, dug out of the quarries of Barnock in Northamptonshire. It is considered as a fine _specimen of good architecture. Mr. Walton seems to have been misinformed when he writes, that the workmanship of the church was a costly Mosaic, and that Mr. Herbert lived to see it wainscotted. No traces of either are discoverable. The church is now, in 1795, dilapidated in several parts. An ill custom prevailed at Court after the accession of James I.; whenever the King came to the Chapel, Divine Service was suddenly broke off, and an anthem sung to make immediate way for the sermon. This custom, as implying a contempt E 4 and tell the reader, that not long after, his mother being informed of his intentions to rebuild that church, and apprehending the great trouble and charge that he was likely to draw upon himself, his relations, and friends, before it could be finished, sent for him from London to Chelsea (where she then dwelt), and at his coming said, "George. I " sent for you, to persuade you to commit Simony, " by giving your patron as good a gift as he has "given you; namely, that you give him back his "Prebend: For, George, it is not for your weak " body and empty purse to undertake to build "churches." Of which he desired he might have a day to consider, and then make her an answer : And at his return to her the next day, when he had first desired her blessing, and she given it him, his next request was, "That she would at the age of thirty-three years allow him to become an " undutiful son; for he had made a vow to God, contempt of the liturgy, or at least a preference of preaching to prayer, was set aside by Dr. Laud, while he was Dean of the Chapel. "Resort to sermons, but to prayers most: (Mr. George Herbert's CHURCH PORCH.) " In the church of Little Gidding the pulpit was fixed on the "north, the reading-desk over against it on the south-side of "the church, and both on the same level; it being thought im"proper that a higher place should be appointed for preaching "than that which was allotted for prayer." (Memoirs of the Life of Mr. Nicholas Ferrar, p. 178.) "that if he were able, he would rebuild that "church:" And then showed her such reasons for his resolution, that she presently subscribed to be one of his benefactors; and undertook to solicit William Earl of Pembroke to become another, who subscribed for fifty pounds; and not long after, by a witty and persuasive letter from Mr. Herbert, made it fifty pounds more. And in this nomination of some of his benefactors, James Duke of Lenox, and his brother Sir Henry Herbert, ought to be remembered; as also the bounty of Mr. Nicholas Farrer, and Mr. Arthur Woodnot; the one a gentleman in the neighbourhood of Layton, and the other a goldsmith in Foster-lane, London, ought not to be forgotten : For the memory of such men ought to outlive their lives. Of Mr. Farrer I shall hereafter 2 He was the son of Esme Stuart, Duke of Richmond, and brother to Lodowick the last Duke, who was the particular friend of Mr. Herbert. This great and excellent man, as Echard calls him, who had never once deviated from his honour and loyalty, and had seen three of his brothers die in the royal cause, died in the beginning of 1675, having never had his health nor yet his spirits, since the deplorable murder of his beloved Master; for the saving of whose life he had the honour to offer his own. See "Echard's Hist. of England," Vol. II. p. 782. • Or rather FERRAR, from the Latin word ferrarius. The arms of this family have three horse shoes on a bend, as appears from a brass-plate in the chapel of Little Gidding, affixed to the tomb-stone of John Ferrar, Esq. "late Lord of this manour, " who departed this life the 28th of September, 1657." and tell the reader, that not long after, his mother being informed of his intentions to rebuild that church, and apprehending the great trouble and charge that he was likely to draw upon himself, his relations, and friends, before it could be finished, sent for him from London to Chelsea (where she then dwelt), and at his coming said, "George. I " sent for you, to persuade you to commit Simony, " by giving your patron as good a gift as he has "given you; namely, that you give him back his "Prebend: For, George, it is not for your weak " body and empty purse to undertake to build "churches." Of which he desired he might have a day to consider, and then make her an answer: And at his return to her the next day, when he had first desired her blessing, and she given it him, his next request was, "That she would at the age of thirty-three years allow him to become an "undutiful son; for he had made a vow to God, contempt of the liturgy, or at least a preference of preaching to prayer, was set aside by Dr. Laud, while he was Dean of the Chapel. "Resort to sermons, but to prayers most: (Mr. George Herbert's CHURCH POкси.) " In the church of Little Gidding the pulpit was fixed on the "north, the reading-desk over against it on the south-side of "the church, and both on the same level; it being thought improper that a higher place should be appointed for preaching " than that which was allotted for prayer." (Memoirs of the Life of Mr. Nicholas Ferrar, p. 178.) |