By W. W. Ravenhill, Esq. 3 
to fold the note in the good old-fashioned three-cornered shape of a 
true billet doux, and it appears to have been marked by tears. Are 
they those of John and Arundel Penruddock ? 
In proceeding with our narrative, we unfortunately come upon a 
difficulty, for copies of two answers of his to it are extant, the 
originals of which, I have been unable to discover. The first is in 
the pamphlet of July 2nd, 1655:— 
‘¢ My dearest heart, 
I even now received thy farewell letter ; each word whereof represents 
unto me a most lively emblem of your affection drawn with thy own hand in 
water colour, to the figure of a death’s head. My dear, I embrace it as coming 
first from God, and then from man: for what is there done in the City that the Lord 
hath not permitted? I look upon every line of thine as so many threads 
twisted together into that of my life, which being now woven, my meditations 
tell me will make a fit remnant for my winding sheet. Upon the reading th’of 
I say with the Prophet, I should have utterly fainted, but that I verily believe 
to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living. 
As this is mine my dear, so let it be thy consolation. When I think what a 
wife and what children I go from and look no further, I begin to ery, O! 
wretched map that I am! But when my thoughts soar higher, and fix them- 
selves upon those things which are above, where J shall find God my Creatour, 
to my Father, and his Son my Redeemer to my Brother (for so they have vouch- 
safed to term themselves) then I lay aside those relations and do of all love, my 
dear, desire thee not to look towards my Grave, where my Body lies, but toward 
the heaven, where I hope my soul shall gain a mansion in my Father’s 
house. I do steadfastly believe that God hath heard the prayer of my friends 
and thine and mine, and how knowest thou, woman, whether thou hast not 
saved thy husband? Let those considerations raise thy spirits, I beseech thee, 
and that for God's sake and mine though I ly among the children of men, that 
are set on fire against me; yet under the shadow of the Almightie’s wing I will 
hide myself till this tyranny be overpast. The greatest conflicte I have had in 
this extremetie was my parting with thee; the next encounter is to be with Death, 
and my Saviour hath so pulled out the sting thereof, that I hope to assault it 
without fear, Though the armies of men have been too hard for me, yet am I 
now lifting myself under the conduct of my Sovereign, and an army of a 
that the gates of hell cannot prevail against. 
My dear, I have now another subject to think on, therefore you must excuse the 
imperfections you find here. I have formerly given you directions concerning my 
ehildren, to which I shall referre you. May the blessing of Almighty God be 
upon thee and them, and may there not want a man of my name to be ready to be 
a sacrifice in this cause of God and his Church so long as the sun and moon shall 
endure. I now shal] close up all with desiring you to give a testimony for me to 
the world that I die with so much charity as to forgive myenemies. I will joyne 
them in my last prayers for my friends ; amongst which you and my children are 
for my sake obliged to pay a perpetual acknowledgment. To Mr. Rolles* and 
*Mr. Rolles—Lord Chief Justice Rolles, no doubt, 

B 2 
