Communicated by ‘Mr. James Waylen. 103 
“JT am in ‘health enough of body, and through the mercy of God in Jesus 
Christ well disposed in mind. This I premise—that what I write proceeds not 
from any fancying terror of mind, but from a sober resolution of what concerns 
myself, and an earnest desire to do you more good after my death than my 
example (God of his mercy pardon the badness of it) in my lifetime, may do you 
harm. I will not speak aught of the vanity of this world. Your own age and 
experience will save that labour. But there is a certain thing that goeth up and 
down the world, called Religion, dressed and pretended fantastically, and to 
purposes bad enough, which yet by such evil dealing loseth not its being. The 
great good God hath not left it without a witness more or less, sooner or later, 
in every man’s bosom, to direct us in the pursuit of it, and for the avoiding 
those inextricable'disquisitions and entanglements our own frail reasons do perplex 
us withal. God in his infinite mercy hath given us his holy Words ; in which, 
as there are many things hard to be understood, so there is enough plain and 
easy to quiet our minds and direct us concerning our future being. I confess to 
God and to you I have been a great neglecter and I fear despiser of it. God of 
his infinite mercy pardon me the dreadful fault. But when I retired myself 
from the noise and deceitful vanity of the world, I found no true comfort in any 
other resolution than what I had from thence. I commend from the bottom of 
my heart the same your, I hope, happy issue. Dear Sir Hugh, let us be more 
generous than to believe we die as the beasts that perish ; but with a Christian, 
_ manly, brave resolution look to what is eternal. I will not trouble you further. 
The only great and holy God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, direct you to a 
happy end of your life, and send us a joyful resurrection. 
“ So prays your true friend, 
‘¢ MARLBOROUGH.” 
**T beseech you commend my love to all mine acquaintance ; particularly I 
pray you that my cousin Glascock may have a sight of this letter ; and as many 
of my friends besides as you will; or any else that desire it. I pray grant this 
_ my request.” 
The third Earl of Marlborough died unmarried. In the testa- 
_ mentary disposal of his landed property at Westbury and Bratton 
_ he appointed Colonel Wancklyn as his trustee ; from which it may 
be inferred that his mother’s second marriage had the approval of 
the family. Let it be finally remarked that he deservedly ranks 
among the naval celebrities of the county of Wilts. 
