folved upon his coming to London, (where he knew the Opportunities of fuch fights would be more frequent and inviting) never to fee a play again, to which he constantly adhered.

The corruption of a young man's mind in one particular generally draws on a great many more after it, fo he being now taken off from following his ftudies, and from the gravity of his deportment, that was formerly eminent in him, far beyond his years, fet himself to many of the vanities incident to youth, but ftill preserved his purity, and a great probity of mind. He loved fine clothes, and delighted much in company and being of a strong and robust body, he was a great master at all those exercises, that required much strength. He also learned to fence, and handled his weapons, in which he became fo expert, that he worsted many of the mafters of those arts: but as he was exercifing himself in them, an instance appeared, that fhewed a good judgment, and gave fome hopes of better things. One of his masters told him he could teach him no more, for he was now better at his own trade than himfelf was. This Mr. Hale looked on as flattery: fo to make the mafter discover himself, he promifed him the house he lived in, for he was his tenant, if he could hit him a blow on the head; and bad him do his best, for he would be as good as his word: fo after a little engagement, his mafter being really fuperior to him, hit him on the head, and he performed his promise; for he gave him the house freely: and was not unwilling at that rate to learn fo early, to distinguish flattery from plain and fimple truth.

He was now so taken up with martial matters, that inftead of going on in his defign of being a scholar, or a divine, he refolved to be a soldier; and his tutor Sedgwick going into the low countries, chaplain to the renowned lord Vere, he refolved to go along with him, and to trail a pike in the prince of Orange's army; but a happy stop was put to this refolution, which might have proved fo fatal to himself, and have deprived the age of the great example he gave, and the useful fervices he afterwards did his country. He was engaged in a fuit of law with Sir Will. Whitmore, who laid claim to fome part of his eftate, and his guardian being a man of a retired temper,

and

and not made for bufinefs, he was forced to leave the uni verfity, after he had been three years in it, and go to London to folicite his own business. Being recommended to ferjeant Glanvil for his councellor, and he observing in him a clear apprehenfion of things, and a folid judgment, and a great fitnefs for the ftudy of the law, took pains upon him to perfuade him to forfake his thoughts of being a foldier, and to apply himself to the study of the law and this had fo good an effect on him, that on the eighth of November, 1629. when he was past the twentieth year of his age, he was admitted into Lincolns-Inn: and then being deeply fenfible how much time he had loit, and that idle and vain things had over-run and almolt corrupted his mind, he refolved to redeem the time he had loft, and followed his ftudies with a diligence that could fcarce be believed, if the fignal effects of it did not gain it credit. He studied for many years at the rate of fixteen hours a day: he threw afide all fine clothes, and betook himself to a plain fashion, which he continued to ufe in many points to his dying day.

But fince the honour of reclaiming him from the idlenefs of his former courfe of life, is due to the memory of that eminent lawyer, ferjeant Glanvil, and fince my defign in writing is to purpose a pattern of heroick virtue to the world, I fhall mention one paffage of the ferjeant which ought never to be forgotten. His father had a fair eftate which he intended to fettle on his elder brother, but he being a vicious young man, and there appearing no hopes of his recovery, he fettled it on him, that was his fecond fon. Upon his death, his eldeft fon finding that what he had before looked on, as the threatnings of an angry father, was now but too certain, became melancholy, and that by degrees wrought fo great a change on him, that what his father could not prevail in while he fived, was now effected by the feverity of his last will, fo that it was now too late for him to change in hopes of an estate that was gone from him. But his brother obferving the reality of the change, refolved within himfelf what to do: fo he called him, with many of his friends together to a feaft, and after other difhes had been ferved up to the dinner, he ordered one that was covered to be fet before his brother, and desired him to uncover

it; which he doing, the company was furprized to find it full of writings. So he told them that he was now to do, what he was fure his father would have done, if he had lived to see that happy change, which they now all saw in his brother: and therefore he freely restored to him the whole eftate. This is fo great an inftance of a generous and juft difpofition, that I hope the reader will eafily pardon this digreffion, and that the rather, fince that worthy ferjeant was fo inftrumental in the happy change that followed in the course of Mr. Hale's life.

Yea he did not at first break off from keeping too much company with fome vain people, till a fad accident drove him from it; for he with fome other young ftudents, being invited to be merry out of town, one of the company called for fo much wine, that notwithstanding all that Mr. Hale could do to prevent it, he went on in his excess till he fell down as dead before them, fo that all that were prefent, were not a little affrighted at it, who did what they could to bring him to himself again: this did particularly affect Mr. Hale, who thereupon went into another room, and shutting the door, fell on his knees, and prayed earnestly to God, both for his friend, that he might be restored to life again; and that himself might be forgiven for giving fuch countenance to fo much excess: and he vowed to God, that he would never again keep company in that manner, nor drink a health while he lived: his friend recovered, and he most religiously obferved his vow, till his dying day. And tho' he was afterwards preffed to drink healths, particularly the king's, which was fet up by too many as a diftinguithing mark of loyalty, and drew many into great excefs after his majesty's happy restoration; yet he would never dispense with his vow, though he was fometimes roughly treated for this, which some hot and indifcreet men called obftinacy.

This wrought an entire change on him: now he forfook all vain company, and divided himself between the duties of religion, and the ftudies of his profeffion; in the former he was fo regular, that for fix and thirty years time, he never once failed going to church on the Lord'sday this obfervation he made when an ague first interrupted that conftant course, and he reflected on it, as

:

B

an

an acknowlegement of God's great goodness to him, in fo long a continuance of his health.

He took a ftrict account of his time, of which the reader will beft judge, by the fcheme he drew for a diary. which I fhall infert, copied from the original, but I am not certain when he made it; it is fet down in the fame fimplicity in which he writ it for his own private ufe.

MORNING.

I. To lift up the heart to God in thankfulness for renewing my life.

H. To renew my covenant with God in Chrift.

1. By renewed acts of faith receiving Chrift, and rejoicing in the height of that relation.

2. Resolution of being one of his people doing him allegiance.

III. Adoption and prayer.

IV. Setting a watch over my own infirmities and paffions, over the fnares laid in our way. Perimus licitis. DAY IMPLOYMENT.

There must be an imployment, two kinds.

1. Our ordinary calling, to ferve God in it. It is a fervice to Chrit though never fo mean. Col. ii. Here faithfulness, diligence, chearfulne's. Not to over-lay myfelf with more business than I can bear.

II. Our fpiritual imployments: mingle fomewhat of God's immediate fervice in this day.

REFRESHMENTS.

1. Meat and drink, moderation seasoned with somewhat of God.

II Recreations. 1. Not qur-bufinefs. 2. Suitable. No games, if given to covetoufnefs or paffion.

IF ALONE.

1. Beware of wandering, vain, luftful thoughts; fly from thyfelf rather than entertain these.

II. Let thy folitary thoughts be profitable, view the evidences of thy falvation, the state of thy foul, the coming of Christ, thy own mortality, it will make thee hnmble and watchful.

COMPANY.

Do good to them. Use God's name reverently.

Beware

of leaving an ill impreflion of ill example. Receive good from them if more knowing.

EVENING.

Caft up the accounts of the day. If ought be amifs beg pardon. Gather refolution of more vigilance. If well, blefs the mercy and grace of God that hath fupported

thee.

These notes have an imperfection in the wording of them, which fhews they were only intended for his privacies. No wonder a man who fet fuch rules to himself, became quickly very eminent and remarkable.

Noy the attorney-general, being then one of the greateft men of the profeflion, took early notice of him, and called eften for him, and directed him in his ftudy, and grew to have fuch friendship for him, that he came to be called young Noy. He paffing from the extream of vanity in his apparel, to that of neglecting himself too much, was once taken when there was a prefs for the king's fervice, as a fit perfon for it; for he was a strong and well built man; but fome that knew him coming by, and giving notice who he was, the prefs-men let him go. This made him return to more decency in his cloaths, but never to any fuperfluity or vanity in them..

Once as he was buying fome cloth for a new fuit, the draper, with whom he differed about the price, told him he fhould have it for nothing, if he would promife him an hundred pound when he came to be lord chief justice of England; to which he answered, that he could not with a good confcience wear any man's cloth, unless he payed for it; fo he fatisfied the draper, and carried away the cloth. Yet that fame draper lived to fee him advanced to the fame dignity.

While he was thus improving himself in the study of the law, he not only kept the hours of the hall conftantly in term-time, but feldom put himself out of commons in vacation-time, and continued then to follow his ftudies with an unwearied diligence; and not being fatisfied with the books writ about it, or to take things upon truft, was very diligent in fearching all records: then did he make divers collectiens out of the books he had read, and mixing them with his own obfervations, digefted them into a common place book; which he did with fo much industry and judgment, that an eminent judge of the king'sbench borrowed it of him when he was lord chief baron: