Project Canterbury
The Life of Ambrose Bonwicke,
by his Father.Cambridge: Deighton, Bell, and Co. 1870.
Such examples as this which I am now communicating to posterity being very rare, or, through a faulty neglect, sometimes buried in silence; I think it my duty to prevent the loss of one, and to endeavour to perpetuate the memory of a young man, who in this degenerate age is scarce to be parallel’d. The works of God ought always to be remembered, especially those of his grace; and a victory obtained by his favour over the world, the flesh and the devil, is more worthy to be recorded and celebrated than a victory over an enemy in the field, where the carnage of bodies, and the worse havock of souls, must needs create horror to the mind of a good man when he seriously contemplates them.
Ambrose Bonwicke, whose short life I endeavour thus to lengthen as far as I can, was the first-born child of Ambrose Bonwicke, and Elizabeth his wife, daughter of Philip Stubbs, citizen of London, and several years inhabitant of the parish of St. Peter Cornhill, where she had the happiness of improving her piety by her constant attendance on the service, sermons and sacraments, under the most regular administration of the pious and learned Doctor Beveridge; which piety she early instill’d into this her son, and had the comfort to see it increase to a very great degree. He was born at the master’s house adjoining to Merchant-Taylors’ school in London, on Wednesday, September 30, 1691. and being weakly and in danger of death, he was baptized privately that day sevennight, October 7. Afterwards when he grew stronger, and able to bear it, he was carried to the parish church on St. Luke’s day, October 18. being Sunday; and there received into the congregation of Christ’s flock, by the reverend Doctor Whincup then rector. His father being obliged within a quarter of a year after his birth to leave that house, he was carried from thence to Headley in Surrey, where he continued till he was eleven years of age, and laid the rudiments of learning under his father.
Jan. 11, 1702-3. he was admitted into Merchant-Taylors’ school, and boarded with his uncle Mr. Henry Bonwicke, a bookseller in St. Paul’s Churchyard, a man of great piety and probity; by which he had the advantages of being the more acquainted with books, and influenc’d by a very good example. Here he followed his studies regularly, and gained the affection of his master, and all he conversed with: and being pretty well established in piety and virtue, was the better able to proceed in both, even after he had lost his dear uncle’s example, which it pleased God to deprive him of, by taking him to himself, after he had enjoyed it somewhat more than three years. He was constant to his morning and evening private prayers, and to the public also, as far as the necessary attendance on his studies would permit. And having been confirmed in due time, and now arrived to the age of seventeen years, tho’ he was yet a schoolboy, he would no longer defer his reception of the holy sacrament; but thus address’d himself to his father in his letter of February 25, 1708-9.
"You have told me, sir, I should not want any helps for my learning (and I do not know that I do want any) and I doubt not but you will assist me in my devotions also, and therefore desire you would lend me a book or two to employ my spare time in the ensuing Lent; for I think I cannot employ too much time in the preparing my self for the most holy sacrament you intend I shall, and I desire to receive. If you cannot well spare me a book or two, I shall be very glad to buy my self one, if you would but please to send (when you have an opportunity, and can spare time) a line or two of your advice about the properest books and means, for I have no books that are particularly relating to that great affair."
In this part of a long letter (such as his generally were, as knowing that upon that account they were the more grateful) are evident marks of great piety, modesty and respect for his father. He carefully kept what letters he received, and in one of them I find this answer from his father:
"I approve of your whole conduct in the school-affair you mention, as you imagined I would; and would have you comply with every body, especially your master, in all things you can with a safe conscience. If Mr. H. had gone, as he had some thoughts, you should have had Doctor Patrick’s Christian Sacrifice to assist you in your preparation, according to your pious design; but I must wait for some other convenience of sending it. In the mean time the The Whole Duty of Man (which I think you have) and your Winchester Manual, will very well supply that defect."
According as his custom was at all breakings up, he went to his father’s this Easter, 1709. and there spent the holy week in attending the daily service, and completing his preparation for the holy eucharist. An especial part of which according to the apostle, I Cor. xi. 28, is examination, in which he was extraordinary exact from the very first to the day of his death. Having thus begun to communicate at this great festival, he resolved to omit no opportunity of repeating it; and upon his return to London, waited on Doctor Mandevil, the rector of the parish he then lived in, for his approbation, which he readily obtained. He had Doctor Lake’s Officium Eucharisticum handsomely bound up, (which he paid for out of his own stock) with spare leaves at each end, into which he transcribed prayers and meditations out of Doctor Beveridge, Mr. Nelson, and The Whole Duty of Man, chiefly for his use at the time of receiving. There was in this, as in all his other devotional books, this distich:
O Jesu, mea sola fames, mea sola voluptas!
Quam sapis ipse, tui si sapit ipsa fames!To which in this was subjoyn’d the following hexastich:
Fide Deo, dic saepe preces, peccare caveto,
Sis humilis, pacem dilige, magna fuge.
Multa audi, dic pauca, tace abdita, scito minori
Parcere, maiori cedere, ferre parem.
Propria fac, persolve fidem, sis aequus egenis,
Parta tuere, pati disce, memento mori.At the latter end of July this year 1709. he removed nearer to the school, and became a parishioner of Doctor Whincup’s, who first received him into the congregation of Christ’s flock; and having obtained his approbation, as before he had Doctor Mandevil’s,. we was for near a twelvemonth, that is to say, all the time he continued at Merchant-Taylor’s school, a constant communicant, binding himself by repeated sacraments to the Captain of his salvation, in the same church where he was first listed under his banner. He made the Saturday his ordinary day of preparation, as having then most time at his own disposal, and was concerned when necessary business robb’d him of any part of it. Thus March 4, 1709-10. while Doctor Sacheverel’s trial was pending, he concludes a letter to his father, "I have heard some few particulars, but must beg pardon for any more at this time, having already, I am afraid, intruded too far upon a time I had set apart for a better purpose."
Tho’ afterwards when he had more leisure, he gave his father a very large account of that trial in two long letters. So upon another preparation day, June 3, 1710, he writes thus:
"Going to so many places I have but little time to spare, and therefore can’t be longer; hoping at the same time, that having been about necessary business, and so lately at the communion, (that is to say, the Sunday before being Whitsunday) a shorter preparation for tomorrow will be accepted."
He never was concerned for the loss of those sports and diversions which those of his years generally set their hearts so much upon, but his delight was in devotion, and in doing his duty; and he very rarely miss’d the seven o’ th’ clock evening prayers, and was as constant on holy days at those of eleven in the morning, at a church in the neighbourhood.
One of his strongest natural inclinations was to his dear relations, and he was always forward and earnest to visit them upon all vacations: yet he made even this submit to religion, and moved, in a letter to his mother, that he might stay in town beyond the usual time, for the sake of a sacrament the first Sunday in April this year, though the very next was Easter day.
He had been left captain of the school at the last election 1709. and in October following was congratulated from St. John’s with the news of a vacancy there, it being presume he would reap the benefit of it. However, not long after he began to be somewhat dubious of success, his not reading prayers was taken notice of by the master of the company, alderman Ward, who, it was supposed, came to the knowledge of it by the means of some one of the head-scholars, that hoped by putting by Bonwicke to succeed himself. ’Tis the custom of that school for the head-scholars in their turns to read the prayers there; and among other prayers for the morning, the first collect for the king at the communion service of our liturgy is appointed to be read. This our conscientious lad stuck at, it being indeed one of the most improper prayers in the whole liturgy to be used for a governor whom he thought was not so de iure, as well as de facto. On this account he was frequently attack’d by most of his friends in London, who endeavoured not only to convince him with arguments, but to affright him with the consequences of his not complying. But the heroic youth stood firm against all their assaults, resolving to sacrifice everything rather than his conscience. In a letter to his father, dated February 22, 1709-10. wherein he gave him a large account of what two of his uncles had said to him on this point, he thus expresses himself:
"Now tho’ I am very well convinced in my own breast that these arguments are very false, yet I cannot so well answer to them, because I do not know whether you would have me open my self so much as I must of necessity do, if I go to refute these arguments; therefore I hear all and say little: but if you would have me do otherwise, pray let me know it."
And in another place thus:
"I am stedfastly resolved to keep to your opinion, which I take to be the right and my duty; and i hope God will give me grace and courage to suffer for the same, whenever it shall please him to call me to it."
To support and comfort him in this trial, he received two days after the following letter from his mother.
"Dear Ambrose, we are afraid by your letter that came by your uncle, that you trouble your self too much; and had that come time enough for us to send you orders to come down on Tuesday, I believe it had been done, though your father thought it would be too great a fatigue to return so soon, now the ways are so bad. I pity you, supposing you have not one friend at London to encourage you, but that all blame us and you: I hope notwithstanding, you will take courage and bear up, when you consider you had the same fate which you now fear, before you were a month old, and it has pleased God you have wanted for nothing since that time; and therefore you have great reason to hope, if you do your duty, God will still provide for you some way or other; we don’t in the least doubt of it. And if you are put by going to Oxford, and don’t like Cambridge so well, you may assure yourself we shall not desire you to go thither, nor think you a burthen to us here, where you have a good friend to direct you in your studies: in the mean time God may raise us and you up friends, as he has done to a worthy person, which he never knew nor heard of before his troubles. So praying God in all things to direct and rule your heart, I leave you to his protection, who am,
Your Loving Mother,
E.B.At length the election for this year 1710 came on, and St. Barnabas being on a Sunday, the orations, examinations, and other exercises were performed the day before: in all which our youth came off with a reputation answerable to his post and standing. Particularly his extempore translation of Livy (which was truly so, for he declared he had never read that part of the history before) was so much admired, that Doctor Delaune, the president of St. John’s in Oxford, told the master of the school ’twas fit to be printed. On Sunday in the evening they proceeded to the election, and the captain being called in, the master of the company spoke to him in these, or words to this effect:
"Mr. Bonwicke, the president and gentlemen who have examined you as a candidate for this election, declare that you have performed your duty very well, and are every way capable of being elected. But the company who are the electors have received information that you have not read the prayers of the school, whether enjoin’d by the statutes or your master I can’t tell. The company therefore desire to know of you the reason why you did not read them. You may make what excuse you please, I do not put any thing to you to say, but only the reason why you did not read them."
To which he in short answered: "Sir, I could not do it."
Upon which the master and several other persons there present, said, It was very honestly said, a very honest answer, the best answer he could give; and one, that he was very sorry for him. Within a little while after, the second and fourth boys were elected, the third being set aside for having been absent some considerable time from the school since the last election.
Our young confessor bore this defeat serenely and chearfully, and after he had served a long apprenticeship at the school, having been near seven years and a half there, and above six of them in the head-form, he laid down all his hopes of going to the same university and college of which his father had been, and of which he had heard so much, (and once had viewed from an adjacent hill) with an evenness of mind becoming the title here given him; and retired to his father’s in the country, where he patiently and industriously assisted him in his business, till the Bartholomew vacation afforded them leisure for a journey to Cambridge; where he was admitted into St. John’s college Aug. 25, and had another mortification in seeing several that had been below him at school, superior to him in the university. But this and some others he scarce regarded, being on many account so well pleased with his condition.
It pleased God to raise him up many friends, and among them one especially, over whom his chamber was, who was all along like a father to him in care and kindness, and whose favours were so many, that there was scarce any letter of the many he wrote home, .but mention’d some of them. He had an agreeable chamber-fellow, a very good scholar, a sober and innocent yet chearful companion. But the greatest happiness of all, and what he valued above the honours and profits he lost with his election to the other St. John’s, was the frequent returns of the holy sacrament, which he would have miss’d of there, and could not, I think, have enjoyed at any other house in either of the universities, except Christ-Church in Oxford, which being a cathedral as well as a college, is under a double obligation of conforming it self to the fourth rubric after the communion service. Accordingly the second Sunday after his admission, as soon as he was tolerably settled, he address’d himself again to this holy duty, having had no opportunity of communicating since he left London; and ’tis certain from that time he miss’d but for sacraments all the while he was there, two of which happened on state-festivals, and the other two when he was confined to his chamber for the sake of his health.