and I think a gurdle, steel, and apron, and my heire being thin, I was particulerly observ'd.

The great man's words where to ye effect following viz.," How now, Butcher, I heare you are a thriving man. What money have you?"

"And like your Honour, about six score pound."

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But how much will drive yr trade?”

"And like your Honour (bowing as above), about £20.”

"Then bring the rest when you come ye next time with venison, and you shall buy East India Stock." At which I was very much surpriz'd, and Answered (bowing as above), "And like your Honour. I had rather Buy fat sheepe," taking East India Stock to be such Ireon Backs as are sett against Chimneys. But I made another Bow as above, with "And like your hon'r, I will bring up my money," and departed from ye Parlor Dore pleased at my being at liberty.

Returning home, according to promise, I brought up my £100 with ye venison in two Hampers as usual, in each Hamper £50. As soone as ye great man heard I was come, I was sent for to attend him in his Parlor, but could not bee persuaded to advance further [than] the door, in the same manner as above.

"How now, Butcher, have you brought your money?"

"Yes, and like your Honour."

After ye delivery of it, I had his note with orders to goe to London to Mr. John Sewell, his agent, in Butle Lane, by ye Monument, which very much startled me, not having been ever there before, but was not willing to seem concerned, but with his hors sett forward with ye said note between my glove and my hand.

I inquired for the signe of the three Colts at Mile End, having heard my honerd father mention yt to bee a good place of entertaynment (as I truly found it. Inquireing the way to ye said Buttalf Lane, the kind landlady (viz.) Mrs. Grimley, of ye said house, provided me a trusty servant to direct me to ye place and see me safe back againe, which he did. As soon as I left London I concluded I had lost my money between these two gentlemen. The said Mr. Sewel, being a lusty, black, morose-countenanst man, in long lanck haire, received my note, and gave me another without speaking one word. Therefore [I] never designed to see London any more.

Three or four months after, Sir Josiah came to see his estate at Halsted, in which time he had ordered me buckles to my shooes, a Stenkirk* neckloth, and a Wigg, and talkt very kindley to me and comanded me to sitt downe in his parlor, and shew'd me to hold my hatt in an other manner, and not stand at ye door, and show d me how to attend him att his Table, when he came to Halsted, which I did with much pleasure. Att his coming thither several gentlemen dyned with him, one of which was a graduate physishan, called Dr. Ingram. (This ended the 9th). ATT THE CROWN INN, AT HOCKERILL.

About dinner time, ye said Dr. Ingram desired to know what proffitt a hundred pounds would yielde for one yeare in ye East India Company? The answer was to ye effect following:- Dr., Dr., noe person can tel what it will yield for one day to come. But I can tell you what it hath done for (16) years past, and the Butcher can tell you what it hath don for (4) or (5) months past, he haveing put in one hundred pounds and its now worth £160."

Ye heareing this gave me much pleasure, beleeving my money was not lost. *Steenkirk, a word much in fashion after the battle of Steenkirke, Belgium, in 1692, and used to denote various articles of dress, but chiefly a lace cravat loosely knotted, one end of which was sometimes drawn through a button-hole.-ED.

Soone after, ye said Dr. Ingram told me he would give me five guynees more for halfe of my East India Stock than it would sell for at London, which proposal I acquainted Sir Josea with. He advised me to comply, telling me he would send me to George Pepillion to buy ye same for me. He would lend me a horse to London, and I might get ye five guyneyes for my journey, which I readyly comply'd with and thought it would be better than 3s. a journey for my carrying venison as before mentioned.

Soone after, I waited on Mr. Edward Ingram, the son of the Dr. Ingram, to the East India House in Leden Hall Street, with letters from the said Sir Josiah Child to severall persons, and the business was done to sattisfaction. I soone came acquainted at ye East India House, being several times sent from Wansted on messedges and bought and sold stock untill I had gotten the 100 I first put in to the said Company, and had ye same stock I bought at first, which 100 I brought home and desir'd my wife to lay it aside, assuring her I would not venture yt any more.

But I went on, with good success, with the little stock I had, having Sir Josias Child's kind advice. But had no occasion for my 100 which had layne by for severall months, not knowing how to make ye least improvement of it, haveing sufficcient to carry on my trade. But frequently having conversation of my neighbors at my shop, especielly in the summer season, two of which one morning were ernest about buying and selling a House near ye Towne Bridge, in ye said parish of Halsted, called the Guild Hail* or Yeild Hall, and then in the occupation of Christopher Carnall alias Cardinal, a curryer by trade, afterwards of Nathl Gibson, and now of ye widdow of Thomas Cleyden, tallowchandler, deceased, or her Assignes, the one askt fifty pounds, the other offer'd forty-five. this was talk't over several houres without coming to any agreement. The next morning I went to ye person yt offered ye £45 and desired to know if [it] was designed to buy ye said House (thinking it not just to attempt the buying it without knowing his mind.) He ask't me ye reason of my asking such a question. I told him if he did not buy it, I did not know but a friend of mine might have it. He told me my friend might have it, his mind was alter'd. [In] a very short time, (viz.) the same morning, I apply'd myselfe to ye seller, who then insisted vppon sumthing above £50, which I agreed to, and gave him 2s. 6d. in part of ye purchase, and was by agreement to advise with Mr. Nicholas Jekyl, a reputable attorney at Hedingham Castle, about the title (who had, as I understood look't over the writeings some time before) on ye same day. Which I did, and told him I was to say, Ay or "Noe" that day. His answer was "Goe home and say, 'Aye,' John. It is a good title." This was the greater sattisfaction that I was to be master of Yeild Hall or Guild Hall, which I believed was a greater title then ordinary, it being ye same name with yt great place at upper end of Kings Street in London.

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After having this honourable house for 3 or 4 months, I sold it to great advantage, and by agreement was to pay for the purchassers writeings; the said Mr. Jekyl having made the same, I waited on him with ye money according to agreement. The said Mr. Jekyle having at ye same time a parcell of land in the said parish of Halsted, which he had formerly agreed with the said Dr. Ingram for, but ye said Dr. did not think fitt to proceed in the said agreement, I desired

*The Guild Hall still remains and is used by Mr. R. Nash as a butcher's shop and dwelling house. The deeds show that John Morley held it in 1687. As his signature is written in a good firm hand, it seems likely that Sir J. Child taught him to "write-and-keep-accounts and not the art of writing.

to know of the said Mr. Jekyll ye price of the said land. He told me he would have ten pounds more for it then the said Dr. was to give, but he would be a the charge of the old copyes, which would be abɔut (40s.) But diswaded me from buying it. Being a young man, it might be thought I had given too much, and that he had over-reached me in the agreement, which was eleven score pounds. I told him I would pay him six score pounds downe, and would tye the land for the rest (not understanding either a mortgage or bond. When he mentioned a surrender, I noe more understood yt sort of conveyance, nor copyhold from freehold land, than I now understand the Hebrew languidge). But I went on with ye agreement, and concluded within myself that I could sell ye land to advantage in three or four months, as I had done ye said house, not knowing as it was copyhold, I was to pay a fine to the lord of the manor, which was ye Sir Josiah Child, and being informed by ye bailif of ye mannor, yt collected ye lord's rents, that ye fine for yt land would be £17, so that if I sold it to any person, upon such sale the purchasyr must pay 17 more, which consideration made me wish I could sel the said land, although with the loss of ye money I gayned by ye said house, and for ye future would inform myself of the difference between freehold and copyhold land. About (4) or (5) months after I sold the said land for the money I paid, including the 17 for ye fine and about twenty pounds profit to myselfe. It was soe good a bargain yt I would now give (£50) more than I sold it for. This success I acquainted Sir Josia Child with, at which he seemed well pleased, and told me he would imploy me to buy land for him, which he did to greatest part of twenty thousand pounds vallue. He taking great paynes to instruct me therein, as also in teaching me to write and keeping plaine accounts by Dr. and Credditor, both persons signing the same book when ye account was made up, giving of me much freedom in conversing with him, allowing me to ask him questions in ye plainest manner, his answers being very informing.

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I have observed several times, if there were any money charg'd in any of his Bayliff's or my, own accounts yt did not (by any omission) seeme so cleere as ye other perticulers in ye account, his question was, Did you expend this sum on my account? Then I allow it freely, and observe to make ye perticulers more plaine in your next account." And this with all the mildness of temper yt could bee desired. He was a great incuridger of Industrey, and delighted to imploye the poore in the most needful

times. He incuridg'd me not to be discuridg'd by reason of my

being a butcher, adding that noe wise man yt imployed me in business would ask wither I was a baker, a butcher, a brewer, a tanner, a turner, a taylor, or a sayler, but wither his business were don. He frequently told me I would meet with great difficulties from my friends by their requesting favors not in my power to grant or doe, and upon my refusal, to have their reply in the following words, viz., “I know you can doe it if you will," which he gave me a perticuler instance of from an intimate friend of his. And I have many times found it true.

I always found he keept his word in all agreements in the most strict sense, and incouridged others to doe ye same. He was a true lover of his countrey, and a promoter of trade, much to ye advantage of it. He esteemd the arrivale of ye Prince of Oringe a perticuler providence for the good of this nation and ye preservation of it in Church and State. I have frequently heard him mention ye late King James the 'Seconde's misfortunes in being in ill hands and having soe vile a chancellor and other ministers and officers of state about him, he beleeving

ye said King James himselfe was an honest man. Many other things which I am under obligation to his memory for hath slipt my memory, it being neare (40) years since I first waited on him, and could I doe anything more for any of his ofspring then I have done, it would bee as agreeable as my drinking tea att six in ye morning and Dyning att noone on ye same day.

As wittness my hand at ye Crowne Inn at Hockerell, by Bishopstorford.— Dbr. 10th, 1725.

JOHN MORLEY.

How much of the old man's character appears in these reminiscences ! Beneath his gratitude to a wealthy patron lurks an exaggeration of fulsome humility. Yet one cannot help admiring his entire absence of false shame at his ignorance and early calling. On the contrary, he appears rather to have gloried in it, for tradition says that every year until his death, he killed a pig in Halstead market, to prove that he had never forgotten his trade, and duly paid the fee of one groat for so doing.

At an age verging on seventy we must not be hard on his little inaccuracy of date. At the beginning of his account Morley places the events as " above thirty years ago "; later it is "neare forty." We have seen (ante p. 150, note) that he became the owner of Guild Hall in 1687. "At that time I was married and had several children." True, for our worthy butcher must have married about 1677, when he was little more than twenty-one. His eldest son, the third John Morley, is described at his death on July 27, 1749, as aged seventy, so he must have been born in 1678 or 1679.

Of the antecedents, abode, or name of Morley's wife, the mother of his three sons and five daughters, we have no information whatsoever. The sole mention of her, beyond the tribute to her thrifty disposition contained in the above autobiography, is the allusion in Prior's amusing "Ballad of Down Hall." The poet, whose first impressions of that mansion as a desirable purchase were by no means favourable, is advised by his land agent Morley that he must take it "for better, for worse as I took my dame Betty."

After his marriage, Morley appears to have lived at Little Maplestead, possibly at the old Starch House. The dwelling was in possession of his descendants until 1766. It has now become ruinous. A relic of his residence at Maplestead remains.

in a register book of the parish, bound in vellum, and bearing on the cover in capital letters, gilt, the inscription :

"The Gift of John Morley, a butcher, to the parish of LittleMaplestead, in Essex, December the 22nd, 1692."

On the first page is the following entry :

"An. Dom. 1690. Baptised at Maplestead Parva. Edward son of John Morley; the Donour of this booke, was babt April 20th."