LITTLE GIDDINGAND ITS INMATESIN THE TIME OF KING CHARLES I. 

 WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE HARMONIES DESIGNED AND CONSTRUCTED BY NICHOLAS FERRAR. 

 BY J. E. ACLAND, M. A. 

 LONDON: SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE, NORTHUMBERLAND AVENUE, W. C. ; 43, QUEEN VICTORIA STREET, E. C. BRIGHTON: 129, NORTH STREET. 1903. 

 [PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE TRACT COMMITTEE. ]

CHAPTER I. {1}

"How happy a king were I, if I had many more such workmen and workwomenin my kingdom! Their art and ability is excellent. Let them know I willnot forget them. God's blessing on their hearts, and painful hands. "

Such were the words and opinions of King Charles I. , when speaking of thehappy and industrious family whose life and labours at Little Gidding aredescribed in the following pages, a family entirely devoted to goodworks, under the able direction of Mr. Nicholas Ferrar, whose history hashappily been preserved for us with great accuracy, and which can hardlyfail to be attractive. 

Although Nicholas Ferrar and Little Gidding are names that are invariablyassociated with one another, it must not be imagined that he spent hiswhole life there. It was not, indeed, till he was thirty-three years oldthat he left the busy and stirring scenes for which he seemed so suited;and before describing the twelve years of seclusion with which he endedhis life, it is necessary to say something about his more activeemployments as a young man. They prove beyond doubt that he was enduedwith abilities of the highest order, which might have led him topositions of great public importance had his inclinations so promptedhim. 

Nicholas Ferrar was born in the year 1592, his parents being conspicuousfor their piety and charity, their conscientious discharge of every duty, and their careful training of a numerous family in every point of virtueand religion, special attention being paid to the study of the Bible, large portions of which were committed to memory. 

Mr. Ferrar was a merchant, connected with all the great centres ofcommerce, especially with the East and West Indies; and being given tomost generous hospitality, he was on friendly terms with many persons ofeminence, such as Drake, Raleigh, and Hawkins. 

Nicholas was the third son, and his talents began to develop themselvesvery early. His memory, which was naturally very retentive, wascarefully cultivated, and he was at all times eager and diligent in hisstudies. At the age of fourteen he was admitted to Clare Hall, Cambridge; four years later he took his degree, and was before longelected to a Fellowship. But his health now broke down, and it wasconsidered that the only chance of his recovery lay in a complete change, and in leaving England. Just at this time the Princess Elizabeth wasstarting for the Palatinate, after her marriage with the ElectorFrederick, and Ferrar was fortunate in obtaining permission to beincluded in her suite. They first went to Holland, but before longFerrar left the Royal party, as he had resolved on seeing some places notincluded in the Royal programme. 

We must, however, hurry over this part of Ferrar's life, very interestingas it is, and it must suffice to say that in the course of five years hevisited many parts of Germany and Italy, then went to the south ofFrance, by sea to Spain, where he had several startling adventures, andafter travelling five hundred miles alone, and on foot, reached SaintSebastian, from which port he took ship to England. 

The advantage of these travels to Ferrar was great in many ways. Hethoroughly mastered the languages of the various countries; he studiedclosely their forms of government, trade, and commerce, and acquired aninsight even into the handicrafts of the people. He made himselfacquainted with the doctrines and discipline of the Churches andreligious sects, and procured, whenever he could do so, the assistance ofthe ablest scholars to instruct him. Being well supplied with money byhis father, he was enabled to collect, besides other things, a greatnumber of prints and engravings by all the best masters; in fact, it isstated that he let nothing of this sort escape him that was valuable; andbeing all relative to, or illustrative of, passages in the Bible, theywere utilized to great advantage when in his later years he compiled "TheHarmonies. "

On his return home, his natural inclination was to settle at Cambridgeand resume his work at Clare Hall; but, partly owing to his father'sadvanced age, and partly on account of his elder brother having importantwork in London in connection with the Virginia Plantation Company, Nicholas Ferrar determined to settle there with them. Here he soonattracted much attention for his many eminent qualities, reports of whichhad, indeed, been received from abroad, and before long Sir Edwyn Sandysand Lord Southampton, both of them governors of the Virginia Company, having discovered for themselves his great worth, proposed him as King'sCounsel for the Plantation. He thus became deeply engaged in publicbusiness; and as his work was continually produced in open court, hisreputation increased more and more. Two or three years later his powerswere still further tested, for the Spanish party exerted all theirinfluence to overthrow the Company; and as Nicholas Ferrar was at thistime the deputy-governor, the chief burden of the defence fell on hisshoulders. His efforts were, however, all in vain, and before long thepatent or charter was withdrawn, and the Company was dissolved, owing tothe false accusations brought against the managers and directors. 

Ferrar was now elected Member of Parliament, and was able to bring beforethe House and the public more fully the iniquity of these proceedings, and by his skilful management cleared the directors, and brought theiropponents to justice and punishment. 

This was the concluding act of Ferrar's public life, and we shall nowturn to a scene of a vastly different nature. But it has been necessaryto say thus much to exhibit in its true light the force of character, thewonderful diligence and activity of the man, who (as we shall now see)decided on devoting the rest of his life to religious exercises, to worksof charity and usefulness, but living apart and without interruption fromthe busy world. 

There is evidence to show that this had long been his wish, in fact, thatfrom his earliest years some such ideas had been in his mind; but untilnow he had not seen his way to carry them out. 

The first and most necessary step was to find a place suitable for hispurpose, and hearing that the lordship of Little Gidding was for sale, hewent to inspect it. 

It was in an obscure part of the county of Huntingdon, a large manorhouse and a cottage for shepherds the only buildings, with the exceptionof a dilapidated church used as a barn. The air was healthy, and thewhole estate lay in pasture. 

The spot seemed admirably adapted to his designs, and was accordinglybought; and after settling his own business and also his brother's, hemoved to Little Gidding in the year 1625. 

He now gathered round him a very large family party. His father wasdead, but his mother, his brother, and his sister, who was married to aMr. Collett, with the children of both families, all joined under the oneroof. When the establishment was completed and in proper working order, it is said that they numbered forty persons, including schoolmasters andservants. 

The meeting between Nicholas Ferrar and his mother, who was now 73 yearsold, is so characteristic that it must be related. Within three or fourdays of his arrival, and before the necessary repairs had been carriedout, Mrs. Ferrar rides to Gidding from her daughter's home, no greatdistance off. Nicholas Ferrar meets her outside the manor house, andkneeling on the ground, asks and receives her blessing. He then entreatsher to enter his dwelling and repose herself after the journey. 

"Not so, " she says; "yonder I see the church, let us first go there andgive thanks to God. "

She is told she cannot even get inside the door, for there had been notime as yet to clear out the hay which was in it. But she persists inher resolve, and thrusting herself in a little way, she kneels and prays. Then sending for the workmen employed in the house, the hay is flung outof the windows, and the church is cleansed as well as might be for thepresent, and till this is done she will not set foot in her new home. 

The following year, 1626, Nicholas Ferrar returned to London for a shortwhile to dispose of his house and bid good-bye to his friends. He nowwas able to carry out a resolution, which it is believed he had made longbefore, and was ordained Deacon by Dr. Laud, the future Archbishop ofCanterbury. Many people imagined that this was to enable him to seekecclesiastical preferments, and several valuable livings were soonoffered to him; but his sole object was that he might have the necessaryauthority to carry on the spiritual work of his own home, and thus be ofgreater use to his family. 

He had doubtless by now worked out the general plan of life, and put hishouse and the church into proper order. Certain glebe lands and titheswhich had been alienated from their rightful owners were restored; and toprove the honesty of his purpose he even pulled down a very largedovecote upon the premises, which contained a great number of pigeons. The reason for this was that all his property was laid out as pasture, and therefore the pigeons fed on his neighbours' corn-fields. In theplace of the dovecote he made a school-house, and permission was given tothe people of the towns and villages within reach to send their childrento be instructed under his supervision, and without payment or expense. For this purpose he provided three resident masters; one was to teachEnglish to the poor children and Latin to his nephews and nieces, anothersuperintended the writing and arithmetic, while the third was forinstruction in the theory and practice of music. 

There was also especial inducement held out to all children of theneighbourhood to learn the Psalms by heart. Each one was given aPsalter, and had to go to Gidding on Sunday mornings to repeat hisportion learnt during the week. There were sometimes more than a hundredchildren, and they were given a penny for each Psalm learnt, and a dinnerserved in the great hall. 

It will be as well now to describe in detail the "particular and morepunctual actions of each day in the week, " which we get with greatexactness from the records left us by John Ferrar. To begin withSunday--early rising was encouraged on this day, as throughout the week, namely, five o'clock in winter and four o'clock in summer. The youngerchildren first assembled in the great hall, where was always a good warmfire in the winter. Here they found Nicholas Ferrar awaiting them, towhom they repeated such chapters or Psalms as they had been given tolearn. After this they returned to their rooms to make themselves "morecomely in their best attires. " Breakfast, and private reading orconversation in their own rooms, went on till nine o'clock, when the bellcalled them together again. They all met in the great hall, and, havingsung a hymn, proceeded in decent order to the church. 

The three schoolmasters led the way, wearing their black gowns, theyouths (also in gowns) following two and two, John Ferrar and Mr. Collettcame next, and then Nicholas Ferrar leading his aged mother; immediatelybehind her came Mrs. Collett and the daughters, and the procession closedwith all the servants. 

Each as they came into church made a low obeisance, and took up theirallotted places; Nicholas Ferrar, in surplice and hood, saying theservice. This over, the "Psalm children" went to the manor house andrepeated their Psalms. 

At half-past ten they went to the church again, when the minister of theneighbouring parish came for the Communion Service and to preach. Thatdone, dinner was served in the house, first for the "Psalm children"--oldMrs. Ferrar herself very often bringing in the first dish--and afterwardsfor the rest of the family. 

Recreation or walking in the garden was permitted till two o'clock, whenthe bell called them together again for evening service at the nearestparish church. Supper-time was five or six o'clock, and while it wasbeing prepared the organ was played in the great hall and an anthem wassung. After supper each one could occupy himself as he wished, indoorsor walking abroad, or "passing the time with good discourse. " At eighto'clock there was more singing to the organ, followed by prayers, andthen the children, after asking the "old gentlewoman's" blessing, all bideach good night. 

Mr. Ferrar also made it his special care that no work in the house shouldprevent the servants attending church; there were none left behind; andon the Sundays when the Holy Communion was administered, "the servantsthat had feasted with them in the church were not thought unworthy to eatwith them in the parlour, " sitting at the end of the same table. 

It would be tedious and uninteresting to attempt to follow the week-dayemployments in the exact order in which they were carried out, but thegeneral plan may be given with advantage, as illustrating the principlesinculcated at Gidding. 

The day began early--at four or five o'clock--by the children repeatingto Mr. Ferrar what they had learnt by heart the day before. At sixo'clock the recitation of the Psalms began, and it was so planned that"certain members of the family repeated certain Psalms at every hour ofthe day, every one knowing his turn and hour of attendance; and thus, without undue interruption of other work, the whole book of Psalms wasrepeated once in the twenty-four hours. " In addition to this, thechildren had to say one of the chapters of the Concordance, or Harmony ofthe Four Evangelists, which was arranged purposely by Nicholas Ferrar, sothat it might be gone through once in every month. 

Three times during the day the bell rang to summon them for a shortservice in the church, on each occasion the proceeding being as describedfor Sunday. 

Every hour of the day had some special employment, some of the childrensitting in the great hall watched by Mrs. Ferrar, some in the newschool-house with the masters. Their occupations were as varied aspossible: English, Latin, and other languages, writing and ciphering, andlearning by heart being interspersed with singing, playing the organ, andother instruments, making the Concordances, bookbinding and gilding, andembroidery. At stated times the boys were encouraged in active outdoorexercises, running, leaping, and archery. As the girls grew up they weremade to perfect themselves in good housewifery. A month at a time eachone had control of the housekeeping, all expenditure being carefullybooked; at the end of the month her accounts were looked over, and herduties handed on to the next in rotation. 

A room was set apart as an infirmary for any member of the family whomight require nursing, and another room for the reception of any poorperson who might be brought in sick or hurt. The ladies were taught todress their wounds, and to do all things necessary for their relief, butthe prescribing of medicines Mr. Ferrar kept for himself, as he had manyyears studied this science. They distilled "cordial waters, " and kept inthe dispensary a good supply of balsams, oils, and all things needful forthe cure of their patients. 

At meal times the custom prevailed of reading aloud, the person whoseturn it might be, first having some light food, and after the reading wasfinished, "in regard of his forbearance, always having the advantage ofsome more food than his fellows!"

The reading was to be something "delightful and easy, such as stories ofsea voyages, descriptions of foreign countries, their rise and fall, andillustrated by the particular actions of eminent persons. " And in orderthat these stories might not be forgotten, it was further arranged thatnotes (or "a summary collection") should be taken of everything worthy ofattention, and that these notes should afterwards be transcribed, and putinto language fitted to the capacity of the children, who then had, inturn, to recite the stories. This practice brought the boys into a habitof delivering any speech with assurance and good manner, and ofexpressing themselves in a becoming and elegant style. 

They also became thoroughly acquainted with ancient and modern history, and knew and understood the great affairs of life better than many wholived more in the world. 

Analogous to this, and no doubt a development of it, were "Themaiden-sisters exercises. " These were conversations or dialogues recitedby the Miss Colletts, illustrative of some special virtue, and alwaysenforced by examples taken from history. 

The sisters, for this purpose, were known by such titles as The Patient, The Cheerful, The Affectionate, etc. , and formed themselves into whatthey called "The Little Academy, " of which Mary Collett was "The Chief, "Mrs. Collett was called "The Moderator, " John Ferrar "The Guardian, " andNicholas Ferrar "The Visitor. "

The subjects and the substance of the exercises were supplied by NicholasFerrar himself, but the sisters were left to compile them in their ownwords. They were prepared some time beforehand, and after they had beenrecited were transcribed into books kept for the purpose. 

Four folio volumes of these "conversations" are still in existence, andare, no doubt, in the handwriting of Mary and Ann Collett. They arebound in black leather, stamped with gilt lines, and with gilt edges, andhave been passed on from one member of the family to another to thepresent owner, a Mr. Mapletoft Davis, living in Australia. {20}

Some idea of the general plan of these "exercises" may be gathered fromthe following notes taken from the manuscripts. 

The first meeting of the "Little Academy" was on Ash Wednesday, 1630, when the subject was "The Folly of Delaying Repentance. " The nextmeeting was on Easter Monday, a speech being made on "Happiness, "illustrated by stories of King Philip of Spain, King Henry IV. Of France, and Popes Marcellus and Adrian. On other occasions the followingsubjects were selected: "Humility towards God, and moderation to equalsand enemies is most beneficial, " illustrated by stories of Charles V. ;"We must overcome evil with good, " illustration, John of Alexandria, etc. , etc. 

At first it seems that the recitations were given on five festivals, which days naturally provided suitable subjects, and afterwards it wasdecided to increase the number to twelve days, and they pass thefollowing resolution: "Every day must handle a new matter, that's theinjunction; and because the days afford not any special occasion, theparticular names imposed on us shall be the subjects successively of ourseveral exercises. " The titles were (1) "The Chief" (who chose for hersubject "Humility"); (2) The Patient; (3) The Affectionate; (4) TheCheerful; (5) The Submiss; (6) The Obedient; (7) The Moderate. Generallythe conversations were enlivened by music and singing, but when thesubject was "Patience" this was omitted, and there was much lessanecdote. The discourse was also somewhat longer, so that the virtuewhich was being illustrated was at the same time practically enforced. It is not quite clear how long the exercises were continued, but in thesecond volume of the manuscripts it is stated that many home troubles hadhelped to break up the "Little Academy, " especially old Mrs. Ferrar'sdeath, which was in the year 1634, and that the actors were reduced tothree, when their cousin, young Nicholas Ferrar, "took upon himself torevive their antient practises. " But after this the actors all appearwith fresh names. 

Not content with the most careful and minute regulations for theemployment of every hour of the day in some secular or religious matter, (for we read that "every hour had its company for the performance of somespecial duty, ") Nicholas Ferrar further arranged that those so inclinedshould pursue their devotional exercises also at night. Two were towatch together in a room set apart for the purpose; the womankind had aroom at one side of the house, and the men had one on the other side. The watching lasted from 9 p. M. Till 1 a. M. , and during those four hoursthe whole of the Book of Psalms was said over carefully, verse by verse, alternately. 

Mr. Ferrar himself generally watched twice in the week, the others nevermore than once; and in the winter special precautions were taken toprevent them suffering from cold. 

At one o'clock, when the watch was finished, they lay down till sixo'clock, but did not actually go to bed at all, as on other nights. 

It was apparently some account of the "Harmonies of the Four Evangelists"which first attracted King Charles' attention to the family living atGidding, and about the year 1631, being not far off with his Court, hesent a gentleman to ask for the loan of the book. This was conceded withsome hesitation, and the King, having once got it into his hands, wouldnot part with it again, until he had obtained a promise that anothersimilar volume should be made for him. The work was promptly executed, and may now be seen in the British Museum. 

The careful study of the Harmonies or Concordances is most interesting, and even in these modern times one at least is used daily as a means ofinstruction for the children of the family where the book has an honouredhome, in much the same manner as the children at Little Gidding used ittwo hundred and fifty years ago. 

No more need be said about the Harmonies here, as a full account of themanner of their construction and the history and resting-place of all thespecimens that can be heard of at the present time will be related inanother chapter. 

But in close connection with the making of the Concordances must bementioned the art of bookbinding, and embroidered covers for books, aswell as embroidery for other purposes. 

The Concordances are all bound in velvet or leather, and are nearly allstamped with designs in gold, on much the same plan. The stamps chieflyused are _fleurs-de-lis_, acorns, sprigs of oak, etc. , and the amount ofornamentation appears to depend upon the rank of the person for whom thebook was intended, and also partly upon the date when the book was made, the earlier copies being much less elaborate than the later volumes. 

It is also evident that books printed in the ordinary way were bound, orre-bound, at Gidding. One of the most remarkable of which there is anyauthentic account is a large folio Bible, printed by Barker, of London, in the year 1639. It now belongs to the Marquis of Bute, and, as a rule, is in his library at Cardiff; but he is most kind in allowing it to beexhibited, and it has recently been shown at Bath, and before that atGlasgow. The binding is of blue silk, elaborately decorated with designsin gilt and silver thread, and in the centre are the royal arms andinitials C. R. , which prove clearly enough for whom the work wasoriginally done. A competent authority, one of the great professionalconnoisseurs, has declared the binding to be one of the most magnificentspecimens with which he is acquainted. 

It would ill-befit one of the ruder sex to attempt to write criticallyabout the needlework of the maidens of Gidding, but we may sing theirpraises for the skill, the industry, and the artistic results exhibitedby this branch of their daily occupations. 

The specimen most easily examined by any one wishing to do so, is a coverfor a dressing-case in the South Kensington Museum; another similar pieceof work was lent by a gentleman in London to an exhibition in Dublin afew years ago; he kindly supplied the information afterwards that he hadbeen for many years a collector and admirer of the Gidding needlework, and had one or two Bible covers and some other pieces of their embroideryin his possession. 

A gentleman at Brighton has also a small 32mo New Testament, printed byR. Barker, of London, A. D. 1640, which has a Gidding embroidered cover. The design is a simple floral pattern worked in fine close stitches onwhite silk, with a foundation of coarse canvas or holland, which wasperhaps glued on to the original boards. He has also a portrait ofCharles I. Made in the same kind of stitch on a satin ground, but it isnot certain whether this was worked at Gidding or not. A great deal ofneedlework of that date is wrongly attributed to the Miss Collets. 

An altar cloth, shown at Dublin in 1888, was also stated to be theirwork, and it is extremely probable that they would have done such things, for it is mentioned "that they were expert with their needles, and madethem serve the altar and the poor. "

In making the embroidery it would appear as if the pattern was firstdrawn on paper, then cut out, and finally worked over, the designs beingfor the most part in somewhat high relief. 

It is worthy of remark that, almost invariably, whenever this embroideryis put up for sale or is exhibited, it is marked as the work of the "Nunsof Little Gidding. " Now, it may be said that all those who at thepresent day take any interest in the life, methods, or work of NicholasFerrar and his nieces, do so with feelings of admiration, and are, atleast, not to be numbered amongst their detractors. Yet it is curioushow the one name which helped more than anything else to work their ruinis even now, as a rule, attached to them. Within a few years of NicholasFerrar's death, some of his enemies had a pamphlet printed anddistributed "not by hundreds, but by thousands, and given into the handsof the parliament men as they went daily to the House of Commons. " Thetitle was, "The Arminian Nunnery; a description of the newly erectedMonastical Place, or the Arminian Nunnery at Little Gidding. " The bookswere also given to the Puritan soldiers when near Gidding to excite themto offer violence to the family. But why should the title "Nuns ofLittle Gidding" be still the name most often given to the Miss Colletts?Few persons can realize that it is the name invented by their enemies, earnestly repudiated by themselves, and entirely devoid of truth. 

This may be proved in several ways. The house at Little Giddingcontained two _married_ families, the boys and girls all growing uptogether. The girls were purposely trained in such domestic matters aswould fit them for _good wives_, and five of them did eventually marry. The two eldest alone, having reached the ages of thirty and thirty-two, resolved to remain unmarried, but in no way took vows. Nicholas Ferrarhimself was once taxed with having started a "nunnery, " and replied thatthe name of "nuns" was odious, and declared himself against such vows ofsingle life with great earnestness. 

Again, a visitor to Little Gidding, describing the place and the family, says, "I saluted the mother and daughter _not like nuns_, but as wesalute other women. "

Probably when the phrase "Nuns of Little Gidding" is used at the presenttime, it is used in no reproachful sense; but the name is misleading, andshould be avoided, if for no other reason, because it was invented by theenemies of Mr. Ferrar's family and objected to by themselves. 

The family, as a matter of fact, were by no means recluses; they wentabout amongst their neighbours, and were "very well reported of by allwho knew them. " They purposely selected a quiet part of the country tolive in, that they might not be interrupted in their manifoldemployments; but they appear to have been always ready to receivevisitors, and to treat them with hospitality. 

Ferrar's rules for his own life were certainly somewhat austere, and astime went on he increased its rigour, more especially after his mother'sdeath; but he never enforced on others what he did himself, and everyhour of the day appears to have been spent usefully and happily. 

It may be interesting to give here the opinions of some of his morenotable friends. Mention has already been made of the important personshe lived amongst in his public life, and besides them at this time therewas Dr. Laud the Archbishop, who was so delighted to ordain "such a manas he never had before nor believed he ever should again. " There was Dr. Williams the Bishop of the Diocese, who often went to Gidding and "muchmagnified all that Nicholas and Mrs. Ferrar had done;" and not to mentionothers, there was George Herbert, "his very dear brother, " who, "seeinghe could not draw Gidding any nearer to him, he would draw nearer to hisbrother Ferrar, " and was endeavouring to exchange his living merely tocarry out this wish. These two good men were indeed very similar intheir religious views; they "loved and trusted one another most entirely, and drove a large stock of Christian intelligence together, " and whenGeorge Herbert died, he sent his manuscripts to Ferrar to publish or towithhold, as he thought right. Chief amongst them were the poems nowsuch favourites in many a house. These, when Ferrar had many and many atime read over, he kissed and embraced them again and again, saying, "they were most worthy to be in the hands and hearts of all trueChristians that feared God and loved the Church of England. "

The words of the Royal Friend who once or twice visited Gidding in personstand at the commencement of this sketch, and sufficiently prove what washis estimate of Ferrar and his works. 

It may be easily conjectured, however, that this unusual life, conductedby a man so well known as Ferrar, attracted a great deal ofattention--and that in the days when religious differences prevailed to asad extent, there were many persons eager enough not only to find fault, but to misrepresent what was done by this family; who, to say the least, did a great deal of good to their poorer neighbours, and did harm to noone. But a closer acquaintance with Mr. Ferrar generally dispelled thecalumnies which report had spread of him and his ways. And one gentlemanwho went to Gidding purposely to make out their case as bad as possible, came away full of their praises. 

In the end, however, their enemies prevailed; for the Puritan soldiers(about the time of King Charles's death) did drive the family away, ransacked the church, plundered the house, and destroyed many veryvaluable books and manuscripts, and, in fact, everything that had beenleft behind in a somewhat hasty flight. It is related that the organexcited their anger more than anything, and that they relieved theirfeelings by breaking it up, setting it on fire, and then roasting some ofMr. Ferrar's sheep over it. 

But he was not spared to see these distressful times himself, as he diedin December, 1637, having lived at Gidding about twelve years. Theaccounts of his last illness are very interesting, as throwing a stronglight on his intensely religious character. In November, 1637, on hisreturn from the little church, he had an attack of faintness, and neverafterwards left the house. He knew from the first that he would notrecover, and said to those around him, "In former sickness I have had astrong desire to live, and an earnestness to pray to my God to spare me, which He hath to this day done, when all hopes of life were past by thejudgments of the most skilful physicians; and I may further say to theGlory of His great name, I never earnestly set myself to beg of Godanything, but He fulfilled the petition of His most unworthy servant. But now and of late, I have not, nor do not find in my heart anyinclination to beg longer life. "

During his illness he continually exhorted the family that they should"constantly adhere to the doctrine of the Church of England, and tocontinue in the good old way;" he forewarned them of coming oppositionsand of danger and trouble, and urged them to shrink not to rely on God, to serve Him with soul and body, for "He made both, and both must worshipHim in sincerity of devotion. " "He will have both inward love, andoutward reverence of body and gesture. "

About three days before his death, he made John Ferrar mark out the placefor his grave seven feet from the west end of the church, leaving spacefor his elder brother's grave nearest the church. He then directed thatall the books of comedies, tragedies, love-hymns, etc. (three greathampers full, which had been locked up for many years), should be burnton the place marked for his grave. There were many hundreds in variouslanguages, which he had collected when a young man, but which he hadabjured as dangerous, full of idolatry, and apt to undermine theChristian religion. 

He retained full power of mind, and suffered no pain throughout the wholeillness, and passed away at one o'clock on the Sunday night, the veryhour that he constantly rose up every morning to praise God, and to prayunto Him. 

The family carried on all the good works in the which they had beeninstructed, until they were driven away by the military zealots of thePuritan party; but in later and more peaceful times they again assembledin the old home, though there is no authentic account of the date, nor ofthe particular members of the family that returned; but their exile doesnot appear to have been of long duration, as there are entries in theregister of Gidding church, and inscriptions on brasses or tombstones, which record events in the family history of the Ferrars and Collets(such as baptisms and burials) as early as the year 1650--and at frequentdates afterwards. The Gidding estate, which had originally been boughtby old Mrs. Ferrar, passed to her eldest son John, which is proved by hisbeing described on his tombstone as "Lord of this Manor, " and he wassucceeded by his eldest son, who was resident there in the year 1715, asstated by Dr. Mapletoft in one of the Concordances. 

CHAPTER II. THE CONCORDANCES OR HARMONIES. 

Of all the work carried on at Gidding, nothing attracted more favourablenotice at the time, than the Concordances of the Four Evangelists, and ofother portions of the Bible, and at the present day they are also highlyvalued by those who possess them, partly no doubt from a feeling ofadmiration for Nicholas Ferrar himself, who designed them, but no lessfor their intrinsic worth, and for the skill and industry employed intheir making. 

Even in the books which treat of Ferrar's life with the greatestexactness, reference is made to some six or seven Harmonies, but severalof these have been either lost or destroyed, or cannot now be traced;while within the last few years, several not mentioned in the printedbiographies have been discovered, and in the following pages muchinteresting matter will be brought forward about them, and the historiesof the various volumes will be given. {35}

The notoriety attaching to the Concordances can be easily accounted forby the great interest shown in the work by King Charles I. There doesnot appear to be any evidence to show that the King knew Nicholas Ferrarpersonally, before he first heard of the Concordance which was in dailyuse at Gidding. The family had settled there the very year King CharlesI. Began to reign, but in Ferrar's early life, as already stated, he wasa distinguished public servant and Member of Parliament, and had, moreover, travelled in the suite of the King's sister; so that in allprobability Ferrar's name and character were not unknown to him. 

But in order to prove the real value of the work, not only as a clevercontrivance, but as an aid to religious instruction, and to the study ofthe Gospel history, it is necessary to put on one side the prestige ofthe royal patronage, and to give an accurate description of some onevolume. 

The Harmony selected for this purpose is one of the earliest, and leastelaborate; it was made for a private friend of the Ferrars, and is nodoubt almost an exact reproduction of the volume which was used every dayby the children at Little Gidding; for it was a part of their daily dutyto repeat portions of the Harmony to Mr. Ferrar--the book being sodivided that "beginning still at the first day of the month, and endingat the last day of the month, all the heads or chapters were said over inevery month's time. "

The principle of the work was this--to make one continuous history of allthe actions and discourses of our Lord wherever related, and this to beso arranged that the Gospel of any one Evangelist could be read straightthrough from first to last. 

To do this without confusion was no easy task, for every word of all fourEvangelists is in the Harmony, and yet in reading them as one connectedstory there is no repetition. The whole of the Gospel history is dividedfor this purpose into one hundred and fifty heads or chapters, eachchapter containing some special subject, and being made complete by thebringing together the words of each Evangelist treating of that subject. 

The following selection will show the manner in which the subjects werechosen--

54. Christ's second going about Galilee and sending the Apostles. 

55. John's beheading. 

56. The five loaves. 

57. Jesus walking on the sea. 

58. Discourse of the Bread from Heaven. 

The method adopted throughout the work was very simple and ingenious. Itwas this: the words of each Evangelist were marked in the margin by adistinguishing letter, viz. St. Matthew, by A; St. Mark, by B; St. Luke, by C. ; St. John by D, so that to read any one Gospel straight through, itwas only necessary to read all the passages marked by the same initialletter, omitting all the others. But when, as often happens, two or morewriters use identical language, the words which had been inserted before, were put in different type. The body of the work was given in ordinaryRoman type, but the words which occurred a second time and were, therefore, unnecessary for the continuous history were given in oldEnglish lettering. 

To make this contrivance quite clear the following directions werewritten at the beginning of the concordance--

"If you would read the Evangelical History keepe on still from one of themarking letters to another, reading onely that which is in the Romanletter. But if you would read the Evangelists severally, then you mustkeepe still from section to section in the same letter with which youbegin, reading both context and supplement, that is the Roman letter andthe Inglish letter annexed. Where you find any one word or more streakedunder, you are to omit it in the reading of the context to make theclearer sence; but it is necessarily left remaining for the reading ofthe Evangelist severally. "

To carry out this scheme in the first instance required a completeacquaintance with the text, a clear idea of the sequence of events, aningenious head to plot out the work, and no small amount of purelymechanical skill to bring it to a successful result. 

Nicholas Ferrar himself planned the whole Concordance, and alsosuperintended his nephews and nieces while they did the work; but thesystem adopted may well be given in the words of the old manuscripts. Alarge room was set apart purposely for the work, and called "theConcordance room, " which was all coloured over with green, pleasantcolour, varnished for the more pleasure to their eyes, and round theupper part of the walls were sentences written, suggested by each personof the family and some good friends, such as "Glory be to God on high, ""Prosper Thou, O Lord, the work of our hands, " "Innocency is never betterlodged than at the sign of labour, " "The industrious man hath no leisureto sin; and the idle man hath no power to avoid sin. "

In this room Mr. Ferrar "every day spent one hour in contriving theConcordance, and directed his nieces that attended him in what mannerthey should cut the pieces out of the Evangelist, and so, and so, to laythem together as to make and perfect such a head or chapter. When theyhad first cut out those pieces with their knives or scissors, then theydid neatly and exactly fit each verse that was so cut out, to be pasteddown on sheets of paper; and so artificially they performed it, that itlooked like a new kind of printing, when it was finished; so finely wereall the pieces joined together, and with great presses for that purpose, pressed down upon the white sheets of paper. "

Even this description scarcely conveys an adequate impression of thelabour involved, for in many cases only two or three words are taken outof one Evangelist, and added to the account given by another. 

And, besides the letterpress, every page is supplied with engravings, relating to the subject in hand; and when, as often happened, they couldnot find an engraving to suit exactly, parts of different prints werecombined, so as to make a suitable illustration; and so cleverly is this"splicing" carried out, that it is almost impossible to be sure where thepictures join. 

It will give some idea of the work if a few details are given from thevolume under consideration. In one place the narrative is composed offive verses from St. Matthew, seven from St. Mark, and four from St. Luke; but there are forty-four separate cuttings pasted in; in anothercase seventeen verses required fifty-three cuttings, and in another, fifteen verses from the four Evangelists are inserted with thirty-fourcuttings. 

But even when whole verses, or perhaps whole chapters, could have beenput in entire (as would occur in the discourses related only by St. John), the Miss Collets did not save themselves trouble if the appearanceof the page could be improved. Some of the most attractive sheets arethose where each line has been cut out, and pasted in again in theoriginal sequence, but with open spacing, so as to occupy the full page. In one case fifty-six lines have been treated thus, in anotherfifty-eight, in another fifty-one, where each passage might have beeninserted entire. 

 * * * * *

Some instances may now be given to show the clever compilation ofconnected sentences out of the accounts of different Evangelists, _e. G. _--

 "And came into the coasts of Judea, beyond Jordan, into the place where John at first baptized, and there He abode, and great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there, and as He was wont He taught them again" (_vide_ St. Matt. Xix. 1; St. John x. 40; St. Mark x. 1), which reads as if it was one sentence, but is in reality four extractsfrom three Evangelists. 

Again--At the supper at Bethany--

 "She annointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair, and she brake the box, and poured it on His head, and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment" (_vide_ St. John xii. 3; St. Mark xiv. 3). 

Or this:

 "Ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her, whereon never man sat; loose them and bring them unto me" (_vide_ St. Matt. Xxi. 2; St. Mark xi. 2). 

In both these extracts a little incident supplied by St. Mark isintroduced into the main narrative of another Evangelist, who had notmentioned it. 

The following also is interesting, taken from the gospels of St. Matthew, St. Mark, and St. Luke--

 "Is not this Joseph's son?" "Is not this the carpenter's son?" "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?" (_vide_ St. Luke iv. 23; St. Matt. Xiii. 55; St. Mark vi. 3). 

It must not be thought that in the Concordance these extracts are printedstraight off, as they read here. If that were the case, it would be opento objection that something like a new Gospel history was being compiled;but in every case, without exception, wherever words are introduced fromanother Evangelist, a space is left, a fresh line commenced, and thedistinguishing letter placed in the margin. One short extract, printedas in the original, will make this quite clear. 

C. 8. 23. But as they sailed He fell asleep. A. 8. 24. And behold there arose a great tempest in the sea. C. And there came down a storm of wind on the lake. B. 4. 37. And the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. C. And they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. 

Thus far the instances have been given to illustrate the plan of makingthe Gospel history continuous. One or two examples may now be selectedto show how the two distinct types of print were used, which becamenecessary for the reading of any one Evangelist alone. 

 THE TRANSFIGURATION. 

C. 9. 28. And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James. A. 17. 1. And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart. B. 9. 2. And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter and James and John, And leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves, C. And went up into a mountain to pray. 

 THE TEMPEST STILLED. 

A. 8. 25. And his disciples came to Him, and awoke Him sayingB. 4. Unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish. A. Lord save us, we perish. 26. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith. Then he arose and rebukes the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. C. 8. Then he arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they ceased and there was a calm. 25. And he said unto themB. 39. And he arose and rebuked the wind and said unto the sea, Peace, be still; and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?C. Where is your faith? And they being afraid, wondered, saying one to another, what manner of man is this?A. 27. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this that even the winds and the sea obey him?B. 41. And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this that even the winds and the sea obey him?C. For he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him. 

It is interesting to read these passages in the various ways intended bythe compiler, first taking the Evangelists separately, and reading allthe verses marked with the proper letter, in both sorts of type, and thenreading only the common type, straight on, irrespective of the markingletters. 

There is still another way in which the value of the Harmony may betested. It is of course well-known that the historical sequence ofevents varies greatly in the records of the different Evangelists. Toreconcile these discrepancies, is often a very difficult matter, and whencombined with the other principles on which the Harmonies wereconstructed must have caused a great deal of trouble, and required muchskilful adaptation. This part of the work can be tested by examiningsome one chapter of the Authorized Version, and we can then discover howthe subjects are treated. The eighth chapter of St. Luke's Gospel willbe a good example--

Vers. 1-3: "A general account of Christ's ministry and followers, " appearon p. 102 of the Harmony. 

Vers. 4-15: "Parable of the Sower, and explanation, " come on pp. 90-93, being composed of the narratives of the other two Evangelistsinterpolated with St. Luke's. 

Vers. 16-18 follow in natural order, but

Vers. 19-21: "Christ's mother and brethren, " are found on p. 90, _before_the Parable of the Sower; while

Vers. 22-25: "The Storm on the Lake, " come still earlier in the Harmony, on p. 45. 

Vers. 26-39: "The herd of swine drowned, " following on p. 47. 

Ver. 40. Stands by itself on p. 50, preceeding the events recorded inSt. Luke's fifth chapter. 

Vers. 41-56: "The raising of Jairus' daughter, " come prior to the eventsnarrated in St. Luke's sixth and seventh chapters, and appear on p. 56 ofthe Harmony. 

If we may take Nicholas Ferrar's chronology to be correct, it is clearlyseen that the Harmony is a most valuable aid to the study of the Gospels. 

Mention has been made already of the engravings with which theConcordances are nearly all supplied. On the title-page, afterdescribing the contents of the book, these words always occur: "to whichare added sundry pictures, expressing either the facts themselves ortheir types and figures, or other matters appertaining thereunto. "

These "pictures" are in many cases delightfully quaint, and are probablyof considerable value, having been collected by Nicholas Ferrar on hisjourney through Holland, Germany, Italy, and Spain in the years 1613 to1618, it being expressly stated that they were by the best masters ofthat time, and that he let nothing valuable of this sort escape him. 

Unfortunately, many of these prints have been cut, to make them fit intothe pages, but on others there are the names or monograms of the artistand engraver. On one the date 1564 appears after the name M. Heern, invent. Other names occurring are M. De Vos, Joannes Strada, Th. Galle, Phl. Galle, Crispin Van de Passe, Brvegel, etc. , etc. 

The most usual arrangement is for the engraving to occupy the upper halfof the page, and the letterpress to be put in two columns underneath; butoccasionally there are two or three prints in the same page. In the copyunder consideration now, being one of the smaller volumes, there are 138folio pages, and about 220 prints, varying in size from 12 inches by 8, to small delicate engravings of about 2. 5 inches by 1 inch. 

It would be useless to attempt to describe the pictures, so as to give anadequate idea of their interest, but some of the subjects may bementioned. 

There is a series of small engravings of the eleven Apostles (a blankspace being left in a conspicuous manner for Judas), which represent eachone with his proper emblem, and in the background of each picture a verysmall illustration of the manner of his death; for instance, St. Peter ona cross, upside down; St. Thomas being killed by the spears of savages;St. Simon being sawn asunder. Near the beginning of the volume is aprint of the Blessed Virgin with a sword piercing her body, andsurrounded by seven medallions, showing "the seven griefs. " The parableof "The mote and the beam" is quaintly depicted by two men standing neartogether, one with an enormous log of wood, equal in length to a third ofhis height, projecting unsupported from his own eye, attempting to pull asmall bit of straw from the eye of the other. 

In the pictures of the Resurrection is one with a small representation inthe background of our Blessed Lord appearing to his mother, "who hadremained at her own home. "

 * * * * *

Perhaps enough has now been said to give a general description of thedesign of the Concordances. They were all made on one plan, but no twowere exactly alike. The actual sizes vary considerably, and the numberof pages also, from sixty-five up to four hundred. By far the greaternumber deal with the Gospels of the four Evangelists, but in addition tothese there are Concordances of the Books of Kings and Chronicles, andthe five Books of Moses. 

Some slight account may now be given of all the volumes known to be inexistence at the present time. With the exception of the original book, made for the instruction of the home family, which was in daily use atGidding, the splendid copy made for Charles I. Is the earliest of whichthere is any authentic history. 

As stated on a previous page, it was at the King's urgent request thatthis was put in hand, and, after twelve months' hard work, was safelydelivered to his Majesty, who declared it to be a "rich and rare jewel, and that there was no defect in the skill, care, and cost used in it, buta superlative diligence in all about it. "

This fine volume is now in the British Museum, having been sent therefrom Windsor by George II. It is a large square folio, measuring 1 foot7 inches by I foot 2 inches, and has 287 pages, bound in leather, with agreat deal of gilding on the sides; the date on the title-page is 1635. 

The Concordance described on pp. 36-47, and from which the extracts weretaken, has the same date on the title-page, and the words "done at LittleGidding" added also. It is much smaller than the Royal copy, with lessthan half the number of pages. Its history is not quite so clear, but onthe inside of the cover appear the arms of Sir R. Cotton, who commencedthe library given by his grandson to the nation. The Cottons were nearneighbours of the Ferrars, and nothing is more likely than that a loverof books should have procured one of the earliest of the works which wererapidly becoming famous. From the Cottons it passed to the family ofBowdlers, one of whom married a daughter of the last baronet; and thegrandson of this Mr. Bowdler left the book to the father of the writer ofthis sketch, now living in Dorchester, who still makes use of the book inthe religious instruction of his children. 

The next volume made was a Harmony of the Kings and Chronicles, the ideabeing originated by Charles himself. He is reported to have asked for itat the very time he received his first Harmony, saying, "I would gladlyhave these skilful persons to make me another book that might be soordered, that I might read these stories of Kings and Chronicles, sointerwoven by them, as if one pen had written the whole book, and to makeit a complete history; yet so ordering the matter that I may also readthem severally and apart. "

This was faithfully carried out. The date on the title-page is 1637, andthe book is now at the British Museum. It is bound in leather, curiouslygilt, rather smaller than the first volume, and without anyillustrations; but a great deal of care was taken in its compilation, especially in the construction of three tables relating to the contentsand to the various passages related in the Books of Kings and Chronicles"severally or jointly. "

A third volume was also sent to the British Museum by George II. , asbeing a Little Gidding work; but it is not, strictly speaking, aConcordance, being in many ways different to all the other Gidding works. 

It contains merely the Acts of the Apostles and the Revelations of St. John. The title-page is very fully and curiously decorated; there is nodate, and the form of title which occurs with very little alteration inevery other specimen is also absent. 

As the King took so much interest in these works, and valued them sohighly, it followed as a very natural result that the young Princesshould demand similar volumes for themselves; though it is perhapsdoubtful if they would have appreciated a Concordance without anypictures. 

Prince Charles asked the King to give him the first Harmony, but was metwith the reply "that he might not part with it, as he used it daily. " Arequest was therefore sent to Gidding that a Harmony might be preparedfor the Prince, and Mr. Ferrar being dead, the Miss Colletts and theircousin, Nicholas Ferrar (junior), decided to complete a Concordancesimilar to the first, but in four languages, English, Latin, French, andItalian. The book was ready and taken to London by young Ferrar justbefore Easter, 1640, which date is affixed to the title-page. It wasfirst submitted for the King's approval, and, being greatly admired, wasthen taken to Prince Charles at Richmond, who was intensely delightedwith his new acquisition. It is, indeed, a splendid volume, containingover 200 pages, bound in green velvet, with designs of _fleurs de lis_and sprigs of oak stamped in gold. The book measured 2 feet by 1 foot 5inches, and has "a store of rare pictures to delight the eye. " The fourlanguages are arranged in four parallel columns in each page. 

It is now in Lord Normanton's library at Somerley. The name by which itis commonly known is "Monotessaron, " which word, in Greek characters, stands at the head of the title-page. 

One work led on to another; and no sooner had Prince Charles become thehappy owner of an illustrated Harmony, than the young Duke of York, whowas with his brother at Richmond, must needs want one for himself. Nicholas Ferrar assured him that he should have one "with all goodspeed. " "But how long will that be?" said the Prince. "I pray you tellthe gentlewomen at Gidding I will heartily thank them if they willdispatch it. "

And, in accordance with the promise, another work was no doubt taken inhand; but young Ferrar did not live to see it completed, dying (as hedid) at the early age of 21, within a very few weeks of his visit toRichmond, and it is almost certain that the Duke of York never had itgiven to him. But the Marquis of Salisbury has at Hatfield a Harmony ofthe Four Gospels, there being no record of the person for whom it wasmade. Now the appearance of the binding and the evidence of considerablecare being taken in its preparation would lead to the conclusion that itwas originally intended for a member of the Royal family. It is bound inpurple velvet, sprigs of oak and _fleurs de lis_ being prominent in thedecoration of the outside. There is no date on the title-page, and theearliest authority as to the owner is the book-plate of "the Right HonJames Cecill, 1704. " In all essential points it is identical with thecopy made for Charles I. , and may be considered as the book intended forthe Duke of York. 

The King and his suite visited Gidding in the year 1642, and while therewas shown another splendid Concordance, which he had heard was being madefor Prince Charles' use, but which was not quite ready for presentationat the time. If the conjecture is correct (and there seems very littledoubt that it is so), that this is the volume now in the possession ofCaptain Gaussen, of Brookmans Park--near Hatfield, it is no wonder thatseveral years were occupied in its completion. One of the King'sattendants remarked at the time, it was the "gallantest greatest book inthe world, " adding, "I never saw such paper before. I believe there isno book of this largeness to be seen in Christendom, " and as the Royalparty were at this time making a somewhat hasty journey northwards onaccount of the disorders prevalent in the country, the book would havebeen a very unsuitable addition to their baggage. The writer can vouchfor the fact that it is quite as much as a man can do to carry itcomfortably across a room. It is magnificently bound in purple velvet, with the usual gilt stamping, chiefly in patterns made of small crowns. The measurements are 2 feet 5 inches by 1 foot 8 inches, and there arenearly 450 pages of the thickest paper, besides which every page isprofusely illustrated by the pasting on of engravings, in the same manneras the other Gidding works. 

The contents of this volume are, however, different to any yet mentioned. The first part deals with "the whole law of God as it is delivered in thefive Books of Moses" methodically distributed into three greatclasses--moral, ceremonial, and political--and each of these againsubdivided into several heads, etc. There follows an "harmonicalparallel between the types of the Old Testament and the Four Evangelists'relations of our Lord and Saviour;" also a "discourse of the estate ofthe Jews, " by Dr. Jackson, "The destruction of Jerusalem, " and longextracts from a work entitled "Moses unveiled, " besides other matter. 

The history of this book is very obscure. The account from which theabove is taken concludes with these words, "This book hath been preservedat Gidding, and attends the happy hour to be delivered into the rightowner's hands. " This was probably written about 1653. The next piece ofevidence is a note made in the book itself, that the Rev. J. Bourdillonbought it in the year 1776, but did not then know who had compiled it. There is then another break in its history, until the beginning of thenineteenth century, when it was found walled up in a cupboard at thehouse now belonging to Captain Gaussen. But within the last few yearsthe "gallant book" has had another interesting and dangerous experience, as its home was burnt to the ground. The Concordance was, however, rescued from an untimely fate. 

A somewhat similar volume, but much smaller, is to be seen in the libraryof St. John's College, Oxford. It is dated 1640, and contains only the"Five Books of Moses, " treated in the same manner as that last described. There is good reason for saying that it was made for the Archbishop ofCanterbury (Laud), and sent by him to Oxford. It is illustratedthroughout, and is handsomely bound in purple velvet. 

The late Bishop of Bath and Wells, Lord Arthur Hervey, had anotherspecimen of Gidding handywork. It is one of the smaller volumes, containing only 66 pages, bound in leather, and with the usual style ofengravings. It is a Harmony of the Four Gospels, and the differentnames, or book-plates, of the various owners show that it has been in theHervey family from the first. The last line of the title page is asfollows: "Done at Little Gidding, A. D. 1640, by Virginia Ferrar, age 12. "It would be interesting to know how much was actually "done" by thisyoung lady. She was daughter of John Ferrar, and sister of NicholasFerrar, junior, and was given her name "out of affection to theremembrance of the plantation of Virginia, and that they might daily havethe memorial of it, as not to cease praying for the prosperity of it, andthat looking upon her they might think upon both at once. " This book isnow in the possession of Lord Bristol, at Ickworth, Bury St. Edmunds. 

Mention has now been made of nine Concordances; and of the two that stillremain to be noticed there is this interesting fact to be stated--that inall probability they were originally made for members of the family, andthat until a few years ago they belonged to their descendants, who, forthis very reason, regarded them with special affection. They are bothHarmonies of the Four Gospels; one, dated 1640, is a small work, andbelonged to Miss Heming, of Hillingdon, a descendant of a Mr. Mapletoft, who married one of the Miss Colletts, it is now in the possession ofColonel Garrat, Bishop's Court, Exeter. The other is a somewhat largerbook, now in the British Museum, recently in the possession of a Mr. Mapletoft Davis, living in New South Wales, who also had the four volumesof the "Exercises of the Little Academy" previously described; all theseworks, and some other relics of the Ferrars, having passed on throughdifferent branches of the family to the late owner. An inscription inthis Concordance is worthy of reproduction here; it runs as follows:"This was the book of my honoured aunt, Mrs. Mary Collet, compiled atLittle Gidding by the direction of her uncle, Mr. N. Ferrar, and bound, Ibelieve, by herself. It was given to me by my good and dear cousin, Mrs. Elizabeth Kestian. I give it to my son, and if he dies without issue, tomy daughter Eliz. Gastrell, and I desire it may be preserved in my familyas long as may be. There were never above two more of the form that Iever heard of--one was presented to Charles the First . . . The other toKing Charles II. , 1660, by John Ferrar, who is now owner of LittleGidding. --John Mapletoft, Jan. , 1715. "

It is certainly a curious fact that this Dr. Mapletoft should havethought that there were only three Concordances made; and the samemistaken idea was entertained by the owner of Colonel Garratt's copy, words almost identical being written in that work by another Dr. Mapletoft in the year 1764. The John Ferrar referred to as giving theConcordance to Charles II. Must have been the son of John Ferrar, brotherof Nicholas; so it is evident that the estates of Gidding were enjoyed bythe family for many years after their return from the flight caused bythe Parliamentary soldiers. 

It is not known how long the business of making Concordances wascontinued at Gidding. There is a letter from John Ferrar printed, inwhich occurs a remark that perhaps if "noble or learned personages knewof them, they would desire to have some made for their own use, or forsome library, as rarities in their kind. " He also says that this work, "which costs much time and labour, might be an answer to the libel thatno work was done at Gidding, but all the time spent in contemplation, asit would make the world believe. " There is also a request to a Dr. Basire for two copies each of various editions and translations of theNew Testament in many different languages, so it is certain that the workwas to be carried on and developed as far as possible; and in allprobability it only ceased when the "handy workwomen" went away fromtheir united home to marry, and devote themselves to more serious, andperhaps less pleasant, occupations. 

In the library of Magdalen College, Cambridge, may be seen all thematerials for a Concordance similar to that at St. John's, Oxford, viz. "The Five Books of Moses. " There are two big bundles of folio sheets, designed and plotted out for engravings and letterpress; but no progresshad been made with the work, except (curiously enough) the title-page, which was completed, and finishes with the words, "Done at LittleGidding, A. D. 1641. "

This method of bookmaking is not exactly in accordance with modern ideas, but it may throw a little light on the fact that although we know theKing's Concordance took a whole year to complete, there are no less thanfour volumes dated 1640, and one of these is the great Harmony in fourlanguages. Until this unfinished Concordance was brought to light, itwas always difficult to explain why four works were dated the same year. 

Before we leave this subject, a few words must be said on some wonderfulproductions of the younger Nicholas Ferrar, which are reported to havebeen shown to the King when "the Monotessaron" was presented to PrinceCharles; but they were afterwards taken back to Gidding. 

There was, first, "The Gospel according to the holy Evangelists in eightlanguages, viz. Hebrew, Greek, Latin, French, Spanish, High Dutch, Saxon, and Welsh, interpreted with Latin or English, word for word, and at oneview to be seen and read. "

Second: "The New Testament in twenty-four languages, " each languagewritten in its proper characters;

Third: "The Gospel of St. John in as many languages as there are chapters(_i. E. _ each chapter in a different language), and interpreted word forword into Latin or English. "

These were not printed books, but all in the handwriting of young Ferrar, who at the early age of twenty-one had apparently mastered twenty-fourlanguages. 

This brief sketch must now be brought to a close, with the hope that itmay prove interesting to some who are unable to peruse the longernarratives on the same subject, and which are, indeed, very scarce at thepresent time. Should the writer's hopes be fulfilled, it will surely beto them, as it is to him, a matter of great satisfaction that at least apart of the work carried on at Little Gidding should have been of such apermanent nature that, after 250 years, the result can still be seen andenjoyed almost in its original freshness, and can, indeed, be actuallyused for its original purpose. 

The workmanship of the Concordances was so excellent in every detail, even to the paste used for their construction, that the volumes may welllast for another period of 250 years. And as we turn over their pagesand admire the method, the neatness, and the skilful design thereinexhibited, our thoughts are carried back to the days and the scenes oftheir creation, and we picture to ourselves more vividly the happy andreligious family which day by day met in the great Concordance room, thewell-ordered procession wending its way to the little church at theirgate, the meals in the great hall, enlivened only by the "historicalanecdote, easy and delightful, " the daily repetition of David's Psalms, and the frequent singing to the organ, which was tuned so low as to be adisturbance to no one, and the words of the hymn which was frequentlysung every day--

 "So angels sing, and so sing we, To God on high all glory be, Let Him on earth His peace bestow, And unto men His favour show. "

But though our fancy naturally dwells on the younger and more activemembers, we must by no means forget the mother of the family, the sourceof all the virtues exhibited in her children and grandchildren. 

Living to the age of seventy-nine, Mrs. Ferrar "at her dying day had noinfirmity and scarce any sign of old age upon her. " "There were fewwomen, as all that knew her can testify, that exceeded her in comelinessof body and excellent beauty; of fair, modest, and sober deportment, grave in her looks, humble in her carriage towards all people, superlative in discretion; of few words but when she spoke (as occasionoffered itself) no woman passed her in eloquence, in judgement, andwisdom. Great was her devotion to God, and her love to God's word, constant her reading of the Scriptures, and her singing of the Psalms, when she sat at work with her children and maids about her. "

An inscription in the great parlour, written by her in the last year ofher life, may well be given here as a fitting conclusion to thisimperfect narrative:--

 I. H. S. 

He who by reproof of And He who, by a cheerfulour errors, and participation andremonstrance of that approbation of that whichwhich is more perfect is good, confirms us inseeks to make us the same is welcome as abetter, is welcome as Christian Friend. An Angel of God. ButHe who any ways goes And He who faults us inabout to disturb us absence, for that whichin that which is and in presence he made showought to be amongst to approve of, doth by aChristians (tho' it double guilt of flatterybe not usual in the and slander, violate theworld) is a burden bands both of friendshipwhilst he stays, and and charity. Shall bear hisjudgement, whosoeverhe be. Mary Ferrar, Widow, Mother of this family, and aged about fourscore years, who bids adieu to all fears and hopes of this world and only desires to serve God, set up this Table. 

 PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED, LONDON AND BECCLES. 

Footnotes:

{1} The details of the life at Little Gidding contained in the followingpages are derived chiefly from "Two lives of Nicholas Ferrar, by hisbrother John, and by Dr. Jebb, " Baker's MSS. , edited by Dr. Mayor, ofCambridge, and from "Life of Nicholas Ferrar, by Dr. Turner, " Bishop ofEly. Both these works are now out of print. The accounts of the variousHarmonies or Concordances are derived entirely from personal examinationof the separate volumes, or from direct communication with their owners. 

{20} Three of these volumes are now in the British Museum. 

{35} The most accurate accounts are those in "Nicholas Ferrar, " editedby Canon Carter, published 1892, and in a paper by the present Author, prepared for the Society of Antiquaries, and printed in _Archaeologia_for 1888. Even these accounts are not quite accurate at the presenttime, some of the volumes having changed hands in the last few years. --J. E. A.