158 HISTORY OF HARTING. 



Carroll, evidently an Irishwoman, wrote from the Mar- 

 shalsea Debtors' Prison that " she was a gentelwoman 

 and well born, lying upon the Cold Boards." " Great 

 and all knowing God, that knows the secrets of all 

 hearts, knows that I am a gentelwoman and worthy of 

 your Lordship's favours," &c. 



The Squire never seems to have saved money, or 

 perhaps to have been able to do so. It is certainly 

 suspicious that though he kept a careful register of 

 his accounts, he never added up a page ; and such 

 entries as .50 for a raffle are not to be defended. 

 But these ventures were the fashion of his day. There 

 are some touching lines of his, written on the back 

 of a page of one of his account books, in which two 

 voices are heard, and of which the conclusion is 

 characteristic. 



" 1724. A serious Thought of my own Concern in 

 Rhyme : 



" Born in an Isle (so hard has been my fate !) 

 Where rich I never dar'd to be, nor great ; 

 Yet sixty years of life I've nearly run, 

 Submitting still to see myself undon ! 

 But my good God unto my lott has cast 

 Joys more refin'd and of sublimer taste. 

 He blest me first in those that gave me birth, 

 A pair more worthy never breath'd on earth. 

 Next in a wife (the pattern of her state) 

 That well deserves a more deserving mate : 

 Then with such children from her vertuous womb 

 As ne're cause grief, but when layd in their tomb. 

 Next farther yett, by an united stock 

 The fairest yeild of great Mackenzy's flock : 

 And hence an offspring that such charms display 

 As speak the glorys of a future day. 

 Whilst grandsire pleas'd, exults with joy to see 

 His youth renew'd in a third progeny. 

 Then, gracious God, let me still grateful prove 

 For all these tokens of Thy wondrous love : 

 And Thy great mercyes lett me still adore, 

 Since heaven is all that I can wish for more." * 



The last thought is in the vein of Addison. 

 * Caryll's Account Book, 1724, p. 218. 



