peace which attends the end of the perfect and upright man, leaving behind him the character sometimes given of a greater, though not a better man, (Vespasian) Bonis Legibus multa correxit, sed exemplo probæ vitæ plus effecit apud populum.*

§ 3. Near twenty ships from Europe visited New-England in the year 1635, and in one of them was Mr. Henry Vane, (afterwards Sir Henry Vane,) an accomplished young gentleman, whose father was much against his coming to New-England; but the King, upon information of his disposition, commanded him to allow his son's voyage hither, with a consent for his continuing three years in this part of the world. Although his business had some relation to the plantation of Connecticut, yet in the year 1636, the Massachuset colony chose him their governour. And now, reader, I am as much a seeker for his character as many have taken him to be a seeker in religion, while no less persons than Dr. Manton have not been to seek for the censure of a wicked book, with which they have noted the Mystical Divinity, in the book of this knight, entituled, "The retired man's Meditations." There has been a strange variety of translations bestowed upon the Hebrew names of some animals mentioned in the Bible: Kippod, for instance, which we translate a bittern, R. Salomon will have to be an owl, but Luther will have it be an eagle, while Paynin will have it be an hedge-hog, but R. Kimchi will have it a snail; such a variety of opinions and resentments has the name of this gentleman fallen under; while some have counted him an eminent Christian, and others have counted him almost an heretick; some have counted him a renowned patriot, and others an infamous traitor. If Barak signifie both to bless and to curse; and Ευλογειν† be of the same significancy with Βλασφερειν, in such philology as that of Suidas and Hesychias; the usage which the memory of this gentleman has met withal, seems to have been accommodated unto that indifferency of signification in the terms for such an usage.

On the one side, I find an old New-English manuscript thus reflecting: "His election will remain as a blemish to their judgments who did elect him, while NewEngland remains a nation; for he coming from Old-England, a young unexperienced gentleman, (and as young in judgment as he was in years,) by the industry of some that could do much, and thought by him to play their own game, was presently elected governour; and before he was scarce warm in his seat, began to broach new tenets; and these were agitated with as much violence, as if the welfare of New-England must have been sacrificed rather than these not take place. But the wisdom of the state put a period to his government; necessity caused them to undo the works of their own hands, and leave us a caveat, that all good men are not fit for government."

But on the other side, the historian who has printed, "The Trial of Sir Henry Vane, Knt. at the King's Bench, Westminster, June 2, and 6, 1662, with other Occasional Speeches; also his Speech and Prayer on the scaf

• Reformed many abuses by means of wise laws, but accomplished much more for his people by setting them an example of extraordinary virtue.

To eulogize.

To malign.