now, but look into my Bible, for fome promise to fupport me, and live upon that.". On feeling any temptations to complain, he would remark, "The bufinefs of a Chriftian is, to bear the will of God, as well as to do it. If I were in health, I could only be doing that; and that I may do now. The best thing in obedience is, a regard to the will of God; and the way to that, is to get our inclinations and averfions as much mortified as we can." The following little incident, I lately had from a person of quality *, who has long fhone (and much longer may fhe continue to fhine) the principal ornament of the great and of the religious world. The anecdote, though not important in itself, is worthy of being preferved from oblivion, as a small monument of the refined politenefs which diftinguished the mind and manners of another elegant and devout female long fince with God. The firstmentioned of thefe ladies, being on a vifit to Dr. Watts, at Stoke-Newington, the doctor accofted her thus: "Madam, your ladyfhip is come to fee me, on a very remarkable day." Why is this day fo remarkable? anfwered the countess. This very day thirty years," replied the doctor, "I came hither, to the house of my good friend fir Thomas Abney, intending to spend but one fingle week under this friendly roof: and I have extended my visit 'to the length of exactly thirty years." Lady Abney, who was prefent, immediately faid to the doctor, "Sir, what you term a long thirty years vifit, I confider as the fhorteft vifit my family ever received." * The late countefs of Huntingdon, who deferves the highest panegyric that can be given to a woman. She clofed a life of the moft extenfive usefulness, unbounded intrepidity, and intrinfic excellence in the caufe of Chrift, on Friday, June 17, 1791. Unequivocally may it be faid, that her character has never been furpaffed or equalled in any age, or in any nation. EDITOR. VOL. IV. (18.) Ι SOME SOME ACCOUNT OF MRS. ELIZABETH ROWE. THIS HIS elegant and devout female was the daughter of Mr. Walter Singer, a diffenting minifter, of good family, and poffeffed a competent eftate, near Frome, in Somerfetfhire: who being imprifoned, at Ilchefter, for non-conformity, in the reign of Charles II, was there vifited by Mrs. Elizabeth Portnel, of that town, from principles of mere benevolence and compaffion. The acquaintance, thus commenced, terminated, however, in marriage: and the lady, a fummary of whofe memoirs we are now going to give, was the first fruit of the alliance; being born, September 11, 1674, at Ilchefter, in which town her father continued to refide, until the death of his wife induced him to return into the neighbourhood of Frome. On his re-fettlement there, his piety, prudence, integrity, and good fenfe, recommended him to the friendflip of lord Weymouth; and to that of Dr. Ken, the deprived bishop of Bath and Wells, who (after the Revolution) lived with that nobleman at Long Leat. Though the bishop was, in principle, a very high churchman; and Mr. Singer, a radicated diffenter; ftill, fuch were the candour and moderation of these excellent men, that they cordially efteemed, and conftantly vifited each other. Dr. Ken would fometimes ride, to fee his worthy and valued non-conforming neighbour, fo frequently as once a week. * Biogr. Britann. vol. v. p. 3523. Mr. Mr. Singer's chief happiness, however, lay within the pale of his own family. Befide our authorefs, he had two daughters: one of whom died in her childhood, and the other furvived to her twentieth year. The latter feemed to be the very counterpart of her elder fister, in devotion, virtue, accomplishments, and amiableness of temper. She had the fame invincible thirst for knowledge; and confequently, the fame extreme paffion for books. The lovely fifters frequently prolonged their studies, in concert, until midnight. But it was Mifs Elizabeth, whom Providence reserved to be an ornament, not only to her family and to her fex, but to the human fpecies. Her uncom. mon talents, and exalted piety, which dawned even in her infant years, gave her religious father a fatisfaction not to be expreffed. He himself had received his firft effectual convictions, in about the tenth year of his age: from which time, he was remarkable for having never neglected prayer. God was pleased to visit our poetefs with strong impreffions of grace, at a ftill lefs advanced period. My infant hands (fays fhe, in her manual, entitled, "Devout Exercises of the Heart") were early lifted up to thee; and I foon learned to know and acknowledge the God of my fathers. Her relative affections were fo lively and delicate, that we find them mingling even with her most folemn addreffes to the Deity. In particular, her love and veneration for her father resembled the veftal fires, which were ftrong, bright, and in-extinguishable. As a fpeci- . men of her fine feelings, in this refpect, we may recur to the following paffage: Thou art my God, and the God of my religious ancestors; the God of my mother, the God of my pious father. Dying, and breathing out his foul, he gave me to thy care. He put me into thy gracious arms, and delivered me up to thy protection. He told me, Thou wouldst never leave me, nor forfake me. He triumphed in thy long experienced faithfulness and truth; and gave his teftimony for thee, with his latest breath. At twelve years of age, fhe began to write poetry: and it is no wonder, the fame elegant turn of mind was connected with a fondness for mufic and painting; in the former of which, the particularly delighted, and became a very able proficient. But that walk in mufic, which she chiefly cultivated, was of the moft ferious and folemn kind; fuch as beft comported with the grandeur of her fentiments, and the fublimity of her devotion.-As to painting she was more than an admirer of that beautiful art. She took up the pencil, when the had hardly fufficient ftrength and fteadiness of hand to guide it: and, almoft in her infancy, would prefs out the juices of herbs, to ferve her in lieu of colours. Her father, perceiving her propenfity to this accomplishment, provided a mafter to inftruct her in it: and it never failed to be her occasional amusement, to the end of her life. It was her excellence in poetry, which first introduced her to the attention of the noble family at Long Leat. She had written a fmall copy of verfes, with which they were fo highly charmed, that they conceived a strong curiofity to fee the authorefs: and, in this vifit, there commenced a friendship, which fubfifted ever after. She was not, then, twenty. Her paraphrase of the 38th chapter of Job, was wrote at the request of bishop Ken: and added to the reputation fhe had already acquired. She had no lefs a tutor for the French and Italian languages, than the Hon. Mr. Thynne, fon to lord Weymouth, who voluntarily took that office upon himself; and had the pleasure to fee his fair fcholar improve fo faft under his leffons, that, in a few months, fhe was able to read Taffo, with great facility. She feems to have been entirely unacquainted with the learned languages. Her father, indeed, took the greatest care care of her education: but he confined it to the acquifition of thofe accomplishments only, which he confidered as falling moft properly within the sphere of female improvement. In the year 1696, which was the 22d of her age, a collection of her poems on various occafions was published, at the request of two distinguished friends. ad Her fhining merit, and the charms of her perfon and conversation, had procured her a great many mirers. Among others, the celebrated Mr. Matthew Prior is faid to have been a candidate for her heart: and, from feveral tender paffages, relative to this lady, in his printed poems, it plainly enough appears, that he had the deepeft intereft in his affections. But Mr. Thomas Rowe was the perfon, deftined by heaven to make happy, and to be made happy by, the most amiable female then exifting. This gentleman had a fine genius, adorned with an uncommon share of profound and polite learning. His talent in poetry, though not invariably equal to his wife's, was yet very confiderable. He was the fon of Mr. Benoni Rowe, a diffenting minifter, eminent as a preacher and a scholar; and defcended of the fame family, from which Mr. Nicolas Rowe, the dramatic poet, derived his pedigree: viz. the Rowes, of Lamberton, in Devonshire.-Our Mr. Thomas Rowe was born, at London, April 25, 1687; and was married to Mifs Singer, in 1710. On which occafion, a friend of Mr. Rowe wrote the beautiful Latin epigram inserted * below. Mrs. * In nuptias THOME ROWE et ELIZABETHA SINGER. Quid doctum par ufque tuum, fociofque labores, Par majus gens Angla dedit, juvenem atque puellam, Namque ea, quæ noftri Phabo cecinere docente, |