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him that sells me wine in our galley, and I am very well fed; I lie in his chamber, and we have each of us our bed. You afford me the greatest satisfaction in the world, by informing me, that your aunt has put your business of Versailles in a good forwardness, and that your mother is, by God's assistance, in continued hopes of finishing it. Fail not to let me know what she has done upon your first knowledge of it. I beseech God, with all the powers of my soul, to grant you a happy issue to this affair:" [that is to their safe removal from the kingdom of France.]

In another letter to his wife, dated from La Tiere, October the twenty-fourth, 1686, he says, "You must not disturb and disquiet yourself for me. I am at present, in perfect health; but, in order fully to persuade you that I conceal nothing of my condition from you, I will inform you, that Mr. Le Fevre and myself, are not any more let loose from the chain, neither day nor night; nor are we any longer allowed the liberty of going on shore; nor suffered to receive letters, nor indeed, to write any letter which is not inspected: wherefore, if you do not meet with any more trifles of mine, by which I endeavour to divert thee in thy trouble, be not afflicted at it, nor impute any blame to me on that account."

"Mr. Le Fevre had the honor to appear before the bishop of Marseilles, exactly at the time when the orders were come down from the court

to

to reduce us to the condition we are now in. I have often passed from one condition to another, and must, within a little while, pass again into dif ferent conditions. I have changed my galley thrice in one week; from La Grand S. Jean, to La Petit, and from thence to La Grand Royale, from which I was conducted, with several other galley slaves, to the Parc; a place where they divide such slaves as they think proper: afterwards, I was put on board an armed galley, called La Fierce. The intendant told me, I must prepare myself for the second embarkment for America, which is to be about the middle of November. If I happen to be one of the number, let not that afflict you, my dear child. Let us resign ourselves to the providence of God, who does all things with infinite wisdom, and with a most noble end for his children. We are not able to make a good choice for ourselves, because we know not what is best for us. Let us, therefore, leave it to him, who knows how to bring light out of darkness, and to call things that are not, as though they were; and let us be persuaded, that he will do nothing but what will be for his own glory, and for our salvation. Let us not oppose his will by our impatience, or by our fruitless tears. We cannot be wholly ignorant of his divine will; it evidently appears to us by its effects. Our separation, to consider it in itself, is the most hard and bitter thing in the world for us; but, it is not so, if we consider it, as being the will of God; and from thence it does proceed. Since the judgment of

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men doth only pronounce the decrees of providence, let us lay our hand upon our mouths; let us, with profound submission and obedience, adore the hand which smites us; let us say with Eli, "It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good." Let us not doubt but he will shew us, by a happy experience, that all things worketh together for the good of those that love and fear him. Let us profit by his discipline; let us not regard our state with the eyes of the body; let us not confine our sight to the miseries of this life; let us carry it to the glorious recompenses which God promises his children; let us be persuaded, that if we weep and mourn now, there will come a day when we shall be comforted. These are the considerations, my dear wife, that support me, and which make me swallow and digest all my misery without much trouble. Believe what I am going to tell you, and practice it: Do not disquiet yourself for me; for all my changes are for the better. I protest to you, that I have never yet been so well as I now am. There are too little cabins at the head of the galley, of which I have one. This favor was procured me by a young officer, whom I teach algebra. It is four or five days since I was visited by a certain head of the squadron, called Mr. de I. Perhaps, I should have received as much civility from the chief head of that squadron, if he were not absent. This makes me to be considered by the inferior officers of our galley. Let this comfort thee."

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As he was now deprived of the liberty of write ing, with that ease he formerly did, we find no Letter from him for the space of a month. It appears, that his good friend, who was to present a petition for him to the king, did it without success. He found, however, some opportunity of writing to his wife, and to congratulate her on her escape out of the kingdom. On this subject, he says, "I daily pour out my soul before my God, to thank him for all the mercies and favors, which he has bestowed upon us all."

Another letter, about this time, was written to his wife, in which, speaking of that pastor who had desired Mr. Marolles to send him his famous problem, he says, "I wish I were able to send him an answer, and to return all the thanks which so many marks of his precious friendship deserve; but I dare not undertake it, and you must acquit me of that duty, and assure him, and all his family, of the sincerity of my affection; and let him know, that his good Letter afforded me great consolation; for it strengthened my faith, and settled my hopes, and produced excellent fruits in my soul. Desire him always to grant me the assistance of his fervent prayers. My support, perhaps, is owing to the supplications of so many good souls who pray for me, both in private and public; for of myself, I am nothing else but weakness and infirmity; yet, by the grace of my God, I still stand, and hope, I shall be found faithful to HIM, even unto death; and that, in the promised recom

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pence, he will give me the crown of life. Whatsoever hazard I run to write to thee, I will not forbear to write as often as God shall give me an opportunity: it is the only happiness which is left us in our sorrowful separation, to be thus able to confer with and comfort one another: but I shall confine myself to write only to thyself in future."

"Acquaint our intimate friend [Jurieu] in particular with this, and desire him not to take it ill if I use him thus. Let him also know, that I received his last and first Letters at the same time; for which I return him thanks, and desire that he will always assist me with his prayers. If the Letters that I shall write to you are intercepted, and should be, by my adversaries, imputed to me as a crime, it will be a crime which I shall always delight to confess, when I am questioned about it. I do not think that person is of a just and equitable temper, who can think ill of a husband, and blame him for endeavouring to comfort his wife, in such sorrowful conjunctures as these are, to which it has pleased God to reduce us. This, my dear heart, is my judgment and resolution on that point. Yet, let both of us, do all things with christian prudence, so that we may give no handle to those who only wait for an opportunity to find. fault; and as to the rest, let us rely upon the providence of God, the singular favours and mercies of which, we daily experience. Let us offer up our bodies and souls to HIM, as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, which is our reasonable ser

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