OF SAMUEL HARTLIB. 31 



Lord, liow I am necessitated to make my humble and 

 hopeful application to your so often experimented 

 kindness, that your honour would not leave nor forsake 

 me at this time, but rather enlarge the bowels of 

 your love by joining with some other honourable 

 worthies (I mean chiefly the Eight Honourable Earl of 

 Manchester, and the forenamed, Lord Annesley) to 

 make up such an assistance, as may save your and their 

 most devoted servant from utter perishing, 'till some 

 other means of public love and encouragement may be 

 (if it may be) determined. I durst not have expressed 

 myself so boldly, but that I know your honour hath 

 been always a person of solid honour and faithfulness 

 unto me, and that I really believe, that when the time 

 of refreshing shall come, such deeds of compassion will 

 certainly be honoured and rewarded with exceeding 



joy." 



The letter affords much interesting information. We 

 find that the Parliament of the Commonwealth had 

 suffered Hartlib's pension to remain unpaid for twa 

 or more years ; and it is not probable that under the 

 new order of things he would have any chance of 

 recovering his claim. Indeed he must have keenly 

 felt, that notwithstanding his unblemished character, 

 the violence of political partizans was such, as ta 

 promise him small hope of success in the principal 

 object of his petition. It is a lamentable plaint of 

 his, " my present most distressed and forsaken condition." 



