soon after cut off by unnatural deaths; of which he himself gave an account in a letter to a friend, dated Penrin, Sept. 16, 1670. Among other instances was that of one Dennis, who had expressed great joy at the surprisal of this conventicle, and whose wife had bitterly exclaimed, when Mr. Tregoss was taken, "Hang the rogue; hang him on the sign post, or the next tree." This unhappy man soon after hung himself in his own study, and his estate was forfeited.

About this time Mr. Tregoss's mind was much taken up in conversing with the state of the saints departed, who were martyred for the testimony of Jesus, which he expressed in a letter to a friend: a prophetic intimation of his own approaching dissolution. He still proceeded however in his unwearied labours. He hired a place for a meeting in the parish of Mabe, where he went on without interruption till May, 1670, when two debauched persons turned informers. This frightened away most of his hearers, especially those of property, and fines were laid to the amount of 220/. yet none of his effects were seized. He then resolved to preach the oftener, to only the statute-number; which he did five times every Lord's-day, and repeated a part of what he had delivered in the evening, besides two or three week-day services. His friends advised him to favour himself, but his zeal was such that he persisted till he had compleatly worn himself out. On the 18th of Jan. 1671, perceiving the time of his departure to be at hand, he took his farewell of his friends, his wife and children, in a long and most affecting speech, though somewhat broken, and perhaps not accurately written. After having spoken some time concerning his past life and ministerial course, &c. he added, "I hope you will not think it tedious, if I drop a few words upon my grave;" when his physician desired him to desist, lest he should spend his spirits too much. Upon which he said, "Give me leave to speak, for I am upon the borders of eternity, and I think you all look upon me as a dying man: you may therefore suffer me to speak as much as I can. I am going to my dear father, my best friend: his face I hope to see this day."Having related the sweet experience which he had lately en

*Though the principle by which Mr. Tregoss was actuated, was highly commendable, his want of discretion is to be lamented; since by his extraordinary exertions, beyond his strength, he defeated his own end, in cutting short a valuable life, which humanly speaking might, by prudence, have been protracted to far greater advantage to the world, as well as to his own family. ED.

joyed

joyed of the divine manifestations to him, he addressed some faithful exhortations to those present, and commended them and his family to God." And now friends, (said he,) flesh and blood will say, 'tis hard to part with dear friends, with a dear wife, and with dear children; but as the Lord hath given them to me, so I now leave them with him. I call you to witness that I leave this dear wife, and these dear children of mine, with the Lord, to be protected and maintained by him, and to be kept blameless to the day of his appearance. Though men may prove unkind to them, (as I suppose they will,) yet the Lord I know will not.-Í must into eternity. I have been but a young branch, and you see the Lord is cutting me down this morning. Oblessed God, shall there not be a meeting in paradise? shall not thy servant see thee, and love thee, and embrace thee, and be embraced by thee? Hast thou not given him tokens of thy free grace and eternal love in Christ? And now, Lord God, thy servant must away, and be about other work. Thy servant must away to holy angels, and to the spirits of the just made perfect.And now, O friends, one thing I tell you: I shall come again with my Lord in most excellent glory, and you must then come before him. But I fear, I fear, some of you will then be in a poor miserable condition. Well, I commend you to the love and grace of God, the eternal Father in Jesus Christ. I pray you get your hearts full of the love of God, and of the Holy Ghost. Think on these things that I have delivered unto you in the name of the Lord. I must go and deliver up my accounts to God.-And now I commit myself, my wife and children to the Lord. I I commit my spirit to thee, O Father of spirits. I commit my soul to thee, O dearest Lord: Keep these that do believe on thee.". -These last words he spoke with a more audible voice than he commonly used in preaching; and in about an hour and a half after he had ended this speech (which is here abridged) his voice became silent in death, at a premature period; for, though his age is not mentioned, it appears that he had not been engaged in the ministry more than fourteen years.-To Mr. Clark's account of this excellent man, are subjoined his character at length, and a number of his Letters. But our limits do not admit the insertion of either. His life was printed in a separate volume, but this as well as Clark's Lives, is become very scarce, and difficult even to be borrowed.

MULLYON [V.] Mr. JOHN ASHWOOD.

Little PETHERICK [S.] Mr. OTHо WHITEHORN. This was a sequestered living, to which Dr. Walker says Mr. Betty returned at the Restoration. Mr. Whitehorn was probably the person intended by O. IV. in the Conformist's 4th Plea for the Nonconf. p. 43, as being forced to cut tobacco for his livelihood. A correspondent rather thinks it was Obadiah Walker. His name is not in our list.

PENRYN. Mr. JOSEPH ALLEN. He was esteemed a good man, but very poor. He had a wife and several chil dren, and received his subsistence from charitable friends; principally from the Hon. Hugh Boscawen, Esq.

PROBUS [V.] Mr. RICHARD BATTEN.

REDNOCK [C.] Mr. WILLIAM TRIGG. He was an excellent scholar, which is all that is known of him.

SALTASH. Mr. JOHN HICKES. Of Trin. Col. Dublin. Born, 1633, at Moorhouse, Kirklywick, near Thirsk in Yorkshire. He descended from the Hickes of Nunnington near York, formerly a considerable family, and was elder brother of Dr. George Hickes, the nonjuror, who was turned out of Alhallows Barking in London, and the deanry of Worcester, for not taking the oaths to K. William and Q. Mary. He was at first minister of Stoke Damarel, Devonshire, which living being in the gift of the crown, he was obliged to quit it at the Restoration; when he removed to Saltash in Cornwall, where he was ejected in 1662, by the Bartholomew-act. A person asking him, about that time, What he would do if he did not conform, having a family likely to be growing? His answer was, "Should I have as many children as that hen has chickens, (pointing to one that had a good number of them) I should not question but God would provide for them all."-He removed to Kingsbridge in this county, where he had a meeting, and took all opportunities that offered for preaching; but for many years together he met with a great deal of trouble, and was harrassed by the bishop's court, so as to be forced to hide himself; but his great spirit carried him through all with chearfulness. An apparitor, being once sent to him with a citation, was advised before-hand by some that knew him, to take heed how he meddled with Mr. Hickes, for he was a stout man. He came however to his house, and asked for him. Mr. Hickes coming down with his cane in his hand, looked briskly upon him. The man told him he came to enquire

for

John Hickes

from a curions & valuable old Drawing in the possession of. W. Fimico.