To
the
Reader
.
THis
following
Letter
(
being
a
true
Copy
of
the
Original
)
coming
accidentally
to
my
view
,
and
considering
with
my self
,
that
it
came
from
a
dying
man
,
[
at
least
so
in
his
apprehension
,
]
when
commonly
the
Heart
,
and
not
the
Mouth
,
speaketh
;
I
held
it
my
Duty
as
a
Christian
,
as
well
as
a
Friend
that
honours
his
Memory
that
writ
it
,
to
present
it
to
publick
view
.
First
,
That
the
Example
of
his
Piety
,
in
examining
himself
before
the
Day
of
Battel
,
Whether
he
was
prepared
for
death
,
(
considering
that
upon
this
moment
of
Man's
life
Eternity
doth
depend
)
might
be
imitated
by
others
.
Secondly
,
That
the
Foundation
he
hath
laid
in
his
Letter
for
every
Christian
to
build
upon
in
order
to
eternal
Salvation
,
viz.
Christ
Jesus
in
his
Word
,
might
not
for
the
future
(
as
he
saith
)
be
either
neglected
,
or
despised
.
Thirdly
,
That
his
Memory
may
never
be
forgotten
,
who
lost
his
life
in
Battel
against
the
Dutch
,
June
3.
1665.
when
the
Honour
of
his
Prince
and
Countrey
lay
at
stake
;
dying
not
onely
as
a
valiant
Souldier
and
English-man
,
but
as
a
pious
and
good
Christian
.
And
lastly
,
now
that
Gods
destroying
Angel
is
walking
abroad
,
cutting
off
many
daily
by
his
dreadfull
Judgment
of
the
Plague
;
let
the
good
Counsel
and
Advice
given
by
this
Noble
Person
,
to
prepare
for
Eternity
,
take
deep
root
and
impression
in
your
hearts
.
The
LETTER
.
SIR
,
I
Believe
the
goodness
of
your
Nature
,
and
the
Friendship
you
have
alwayes
borne
me
,
will
receive
with
kindness
this
last
office
of
your
Friend
.
I
am
in
health
enough
in
body
,
and
through
the
Mercy
of
God
in
Jesus
Christ
well-disposed
in
mind
.
This
I
premise
,
that
you
may
be
satisfied
that
what
I
write
proceeds
not
from
any
phantasying
terror
of
mind
,
but
from
a
sober
resolution
of
what
concerns
my self
,
and
earnest
desire
to
do
you
more
good
after
my
death
,
then
by
mine
example
(
God
of
his
Mercy
pardon
the
badness
of
it
)
in
my
life-time
I
may
have
done
you
harm
.
I
will
not
speak
of
the
Vanities
of
this
World
;
your
own
Age
and
Experience
will
save
that
labour
:
But
there
is
a
certain
thing
that
goes
up
and
down
in
the
World
,
called
Religion
,
dressed
and
pretended
phantastically
,
and
to
purposes
bad
enough
;
which
yet
by
such
evil
dealing
loseth
not
it
's
Being
:
The
great
and
good
God
hath
not
left
it
without
a
Witness
,
more
or
less
,
sooner
or
later
,
in
every
man's
bosome
,
to
direct
us
in
the
pursuit
of
it
,
and
for
the
avoiding
those
inextricable
disquisitions
and
intanglements
our
own
frail
Reason
would
perplex
us
withal
:
God
in
his
infinite
Mercy
hath
given
us
his
holy
Word
;
in
which
,
as
there
are
many
things
hard
to
be
understood
,
so
there
is
enough
plain
and
easie
to
be
understood
,
to
quiet
our
minds
,
and
direct
us
concerning
our
future
being
.
I
confess
to
God
and
you
,
I
have
been
a
great
Neglecter
,
and
I
fear
Despiser
of
it
;
God
of
his
infinite
Mercy
pardon
me
that
dreadful
fault
:
But
when
I
retire
my self
from
the
noise
and
deceitful
Vanities
of
the
World
,
I
find
no
true
comfort
in
any
other
resolution
then
what
I
did
derive
from
thence
.
I
commend
,
from
the
bottom
of
my
heart
,
the
same
to
your
(
I
hope
)
happy
use
.
Dear
Sir
Hugh
,
Let
us
be
more
generous
then
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
onely
great
God
,
and
holy
God
,
Father
,
Son
,
and
Holy
Ghost
,
direct
you
to
a
happy
end
of
your
life
,
and
send
us
a
joyful
Resurrection
;
so
prayeth
your
true
Friend
,
Aboard
the
Old
James
,
near
the
the
Coast
of
Holland
,
April
24.
1665.
MARLEBOROUGH
.
I
beseech
you
commend
my
love
to
all
mine
Acquaintance
:
Particularly
,
I
pray
that
my
Cousin
Glascock
may
have
a
fight
of
this
Letter
,
and
as
many
of
my
Friends
as
you
will
,
or
any
else
that
desireth
it
.
I
pray
you
grant
this
my
request
,