according to the words of our great Master, who said, "A new commandment give I unto you, that ye love one another." If there is still a great portion of evil existing in the world; yet whoever reads history must see, that by true religion and virtue, and more extensive knowledge, human nature is advancing to greater and greater perfection. We have great reason to be thankful for the superior happiness of Great Britain; let us proceed in the path of life with good faith, hope, and patience, always glad to say with the Apostle, Fear God, and honour the King. We are all like travellers who are drawing near to the end of our journey, with glorious hopes before us of a new life and a new world.

Every past century of time has made progress towards the grand conclusion so positively declared in Scripture. We know also this truth, that frequently nothing can differ more from the end of some things than their beginning. Behold the great oak in the forest, which sprang from the small acorn! the experience or knowledge which we derive from the history of above four thousand years past, ought to enlarge our cheerful hopes, and diminish our fears. We cannot determine to what degree of perfection mankind may arrive. But we may be fully assured of this, that the Almighty will never permit vice and wickedness to gain that mastery in the world, which they formerly held. The wisdom and goodness of God will be

made more and more manifest to mankind, and let every good Christian trust in God, and pray

Father of all, to thee I raise

My early prayer and hymns of praise;
It is thy great Almighty hand,
Can raise me up or make me stand,
It is thy Providence divine

Which still around me seems to shine.
Each day I rise, each passing hour,
I feel thy wisdom and thy power;
To thee from death my soul shall rise,
And see thy glory in the skies,
Thy hand shall smooth my rugged way,
And bless me with immortal day.

SIR MATTHEW HALE,

LORD CHIEF JUSTICE OF ENGLAND'.

HISTORY has recorded the distinguished merits and talents of this great man: he was a model of superior excellence, whether in private life, or in his various public employments, either at the bar, or on the bench, equally remarkable as a good Christian and a learned, just judge.

He was born at Alderley in Gloucestershire, in November, 1609, where his family had lived for many years; his grandfather was an eminent clothier in that county, who had also a good estate, and had given small farms on a long lease to the poor, which are enjoyed by many of them to this day. This mode of charity is the most sure way of doing good and checking the increase of poverty: If many great landed proprietors had done so these hundred years in Britain, the happiness of the poor would have been remarkable in the Island, and poor-rates more and more reduced.

1

This Memoir of Sir Matthew Hale, Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench, is abstracted from his Life written by Gilbert, Lord Bishop of Salisbury, and printed in London, by William Shrosbury, at the Bible in Duke Lane, A. D. 1700.

Robert Hale, Esq. was a barrister of Lincoln's Inn; he married Joan, the daughter of Matthew Poyntz of Alderley, Esq. who was descended from the noble family of the Poyntz's of Acton. By this marriage there was only one son, afterwards Sir Matthew Hale, the subject of this memoir. Great care was taken of his education; he had a private tutor, and was next sent to Oxford to Magdalen College, which was famous at that time, where the eminent Mr. Sedgewick was his tutor. Young Hale was soon seen to be a remarkable student, of great memory, and quick perception, but with the vivacity of youth he had been charmed by the stage. The playhouse had such great attractions for him that he almost wholly forsook his studies. By this he not only lost much time, but his head was so fully occupied with dramatic ideas, and the giddy set of friends who had carried him to the theatre at Oxford, that any grave studies were wholly forgotten; often did Mr. Hale mention this period of his life with deep regret; he lamented the time he had lost, he often began to be a new man, but again did idle companions lead him to vanity. But when he came to London he formed a fixed resolution to visit the theatre no more this resolution he never violated.

He was fond of poetry, and soon began to write verses. He was very much in company with the witty men of his own age. He was at this time only eighteen years old, was an only child, and was greatly indulged by his parents: he was in gay

society in London, where his vivacity and his poetry made him sought for; yet he still preserved purity of mind, with great integrity. He was fond of fine clothes, which was the taste and fashion of that period with the Royalists particularly. Mr. Hale also learned to fence, and had got the character of being eminent in the use of his sword; he was strong and active, full of courage and ambition to excel. His fencing-master told him that he was now better at his trade than he himself was; this Mr. Hale considered as flattery, which from love of truth he always disliked, even in his most gay and youthful years: he was determined, therefore, to discover if his master was sincere, and promised to give him the property of the house he lived in, (which belonged to Mr. Hale), if,-in fencing together, the master was able to give his scholar a blow on the head, and bade the master do his best, as he would thereby be sure of a good house; so, after a smart engagement, the master did give a blow to the scholar on the head, which however was not dangerous. Mr. Hale gave him the house freely; and from that day was more and more ardent to distinguish flattery from truth. The master was an able proficient in his trade, and had been long in the army. Mr. Hale himself began soon after to resolve to enter upon a military life, instead of devoting himself to learning law or divinity. He met his Oxford tutor in London, Obadiah Sedgewick, A. B., who was going to Holland as Chaplain to the gallant Lord Vere. Mr. Hale re