dying monarch. Hogarth has a ring incident
nearly as terrible. The letter continues:—

"Since this, every night, about the hours of
twelve or one, he found an alteration, something
of cold sweat, and some shivering; on
Thursday the doctor thought it would
conclude in an intermitting fever, and gave him
the Jesuit's powder four times; afterwards
he found his nose stopped, that he could not
breathe at it, nor scarce at his throat, yet fell
asleep and slept two hours at least, and
waked and asked what o'clock, and said he
was much refreshed with that sleep. It was
either that day or Wednesday that he was
let blood in one jugular vein; and Pierce
missed (for the King's are not the best
chirurgeons), then he struck the other, which
bled well, they had done it there the first
day, but the convulsions were so strong and
sudden, that they could not; yet then they
gave him, after his vomit had wrought, a
purge or two, which worked mighty well,
and the second day he prescribed himself a
purge or erapiora, which did the best in the
world, as did everything he took, so that it
was a wonder he died; but it was
abundance of blood, and a transport of it to his
head, and it discharged itself as it could,
partly on his lungs, which were full of it, and
partly, as I guess, at the ends of the arteries
(if any are in the head), for it fell down
between the thick skin and the flesh, on his
right shoulder and arm, in which he
complained of pain two days before his death,
and after the settling of the blood was there
even in the fore-part of his shoulder, which
is only usual in the hips, and that behind.
Doubtless many things were prejudicial that
were done, had his disease been known, but
he had ever laughed at physicians, and would
never come under their hands; so none knew
his constitution since Fraiser died, who told
him, the last time he saw him, that if he
would be let blood spring and fall, and take
a purge or two in those seasons, he might live
to a great age; but he never would do it."

Pearse, or Pierce, was Chirurgeon-General
to the King's person, and is the Pearse so
often mentioned by Pepys. Fraiser had been
Physician to the King: of his Court skill,
Pepys has given an amusing account. The
letter-writer now says something about
herself, or rather her husband:—

"My husband being there, with many
others, he said, 'Gentlemen, I have suffered
very much and more than any of you can
imagine,' but not with impatience. At eleven
o'clock a Thursday night he asked the hour,
and when they told him, he answered, 'Then,
at half-an-hour after twelve, I shall depart;'
but lived till Friday, about that time in the
morning. My husband was there with a sad
heart, and heard him say, 'I have waited for
this change, and desire to be dissolved.' He
was then let blood by order of Council, though
the physician despaired of life; he then died
as peaceable as a lamb, and had his sense,
though not his speech, to the very last. He
had with him, waiting without (when he
was not well enough to pray), the Bishops of
London and Durham, Deans of the Closet
and Chapel, and was visited by his Grace of
Canterbury, but none took so much pains as
Bath and Wells [Ken,] nor were so well versed
in that sort of Divinity; but, oh! I tremble
to tell you, would never be persuaded to
receive the Communion, though he seemed to
join in prayer, and audibly said 'Amen.' I
have heard he was once private, with only
three in the room (except some one waited
privately in another hard by till that vacancy).
What passed then, none can tell that will.
He recommended all his relations that he
considered to his brother. When he saw he
should die, he first asked his pardon for all
he had done to him which looked unkind, and
said he was forced to it; then desired him to
be kind to the Queen, and to his four
children by the Duchess of Cleveland, and made
them kneel down, and desired him to
embrace them; the like he did to the rest; and
the King named them, but could not bring
out Bur.'s name, but put him into his hand,
and desired him to take care of his education,
for he will be spoiled else; he desired him to
be well to Portsmouth, and not let poor Nelly
starve. The King that now is repeated over
all the children, except Monmouth, whom his
father had not named. He recommended
neither Church, nor State, nor servants,
nor debts. This King [James the Second]
behaved himself from the beginning to
the end the best in the world; he
wept bitterly, and without affectation; he
watched and kneeled by him till he could
scarce rise or stand, and paid duty and
respect to the very last moment. They left
the corpse in bed, covered with a sheet till
next day, that he was opened—I think it was
till Sunday—and in that time any one might
see him. They say he looked then as in
health; his blisters having made him raw,
and the covering made him stink without,
but his inwards were all good and sound, and
might have lasted many years, though one
little part of one side of his lungs was tainted
or perished. The twelfth he will be removed
to the painted chamber, and then the Lords
ordered to attend his funeral, which will be
performed without cost; the whole family to
be dismissed; and the King will live as
privately as when he was Duke till he sees
what the Parliament will do to establish his
house; so that there will not be such a thing
as a Green Cloth, though established by Act
of Parliament. Some talk of resuming Crown
lands, &c."

The name contracted by the writer, and
which the King could not "bring out," is sup-
posed to be Burford, the King's son, by
Eleanor Gwyn.

"Sir Scroop How made his peace for
desperate words of scandal against the Duke of
York, sworn by two witnesses two days before