fhould fay, she was a great wicked woman : for all that is great and good in her, seems to be owing to a true magnanimity of fpirit, and a fincere defire to fer ve the intereft of GOD and all mankind; and all that is otherwise, to wrong principle's, early and ftrongly imbibed by a temperament of body, (fhall I call it?) or a turn of mind, to the laft degree enthufiaftic and vifio nary. It is owing to this, that fhe never hears of any action of any perfon, but fhe immediately mingles with it her own fentiments and judgment of the perfon, and the action, in fo lively a manner, that it is almost impoffible for her to feparate them after;' which fentiments therefore, and judgment, fhe will relate thence forwards with the iame affurance that the relates the action itself. If fhe questions the lawfulness or expediency of any great, hazardous, and doubtful undertaking, fhe purfues the method, which, as fhe fays, her grandfather always employed . employed with, fuccefs; that is, fhe fhuts herself up in her closet, till by fafting and prayer the vapours are raifed, and the animal fpirits wrought up to a peculiar ferment, by an over-intenseness and strain of thinking and whatever portion of fcripture comes into her head at fuch a season, which the apprehends to be fuitable to the prefent occafion, (and whatever comes in fuch circumftances, is fure to come with a power and evidence, which, to fuch a heated imagination, will appear to be divine and fupernatural,) thence forward no intreaties nor perfuafions, no force of reason, nor plainest evidence of the fame fcriptures alledged against it; no conviction of the impropriety, injuftice, impiety, or almost impoffibility of the thing can turn her from it; which creates in her a confidence and industry that generally attains its end, and hardens her in the fame practice for ever. "She will truft a friend that never deceived "her." This was the very answer the made me, when, upon her receiving a confiderable legacy at the death of a noble relation, I urged her to fufpend her ufual acts acts of piety, generofity, and charity, upon fuch occafions, till fhe had been just to the demands of a poor woman, and had heard the cries of a family too long kept out of their money; for," how," said I, "if you fhould die, and leave fuch a debt "undifcharged, which no one will think "himself obliged to pay, after the decease "of a perfon from whom they have no expectations?" She affured me fhe would never die in any one's debt.---" But how "is it poffible you should be affured of "that, who are for ever in debt to fo many perfons, and have fo many other "occafions for your money than difchar'ging of your debts, and are refolved to "have fo many as long as you live?" Her anfwer was as before mentioned. [ADDED AFTER HER DEATH.] And the event juftified her condu&t; if any thing could juftify a conduct, which reafon and revelation muft condemn. Such Such was this grand-daughter of Oliver, who inherited more of his conftitution of body, and complection of mind, than any other of his defcendants and relations with whom I have happened to be acquainted. And I have had fome acquaintance with many others of his grand-children; and have feen his fon Richard, and Richard's fon Oliver, who had fomething indeed of the spirit of his grandfather; but all his other diftinguishing qualifications feemed vastly inferior to the lady, whose character I have fincerely reprefented as it has long appeared to S. S. Richard died at Chefhunt in Hertfordshire, July 13, 1712, aged 86. +He died, unmarried, fome years before his father. Since the first publication of this work, the following particulars of this extraordinary lady have been communicated to the Editor by another ingenious friend. VOL, II. b MRS. MRS. Bendyfh had two fons. The eldest, Thomas, an expensive, loose liver, married Catherine Smith, of Colkirk, near Fakenham, in Norfolk, with whom (as I suppose) part of that estate came into the family. The extravagances of this Thomas drove him to one of the West India islands, where there was a family-eftate, and there he died, leaving a fon, Ireton, who died young. Henry, her fecond fon, married Mifs Martha Shute, a fifter of the late lord Barrington. He left a fon, Henry, who died a batchelor, about twenty years ago, at the Salt-pans near Yarmouth. He had a place fuppofed patent under the lord-chancellor, and had a house at Chingford on Epping-foreft. Mrs. B. had alfo two daughters; one married Mr. Berners, of Hanover-fquare, who left, or (if living) has, two fons, one a clergyman. The other married Mr. Hagar, of Weafely, in Huntingdonshire. As to the old lady herfelf, fhe was a very extraordinary character, and there was fomething |