where was such sweet
departing; and at his departing his last words were, "NOW I MUST GO,"
and turned his head to me and said, "THOMAS, THIS DEATH I MUST DIE,"
and further said, "O THOMAS, I HAVE SEEN GREAT THINGS," and bade me
that I should not hold him, but let him go, and said it over again,
"WILL YOU NOT HOLD ME?" And then said Anne, "Dear Heart, we will not
hold thee." And he said, "NOW I GO," and stretched out himself, and
fell into a sweet sleep and slept about an hour (as he often said,
that one hour's sleep would cure him of all), and so drew breath no
more.'

* * * * *

Little James was free at last. He had left his frail, weary body
behind and had departed on the longest, shortest journey of all. A
journey this, ending in no noisome den in Carlisle Castle, as when he
first saw the earthly teacher he had loved so long, but leading
straight and swift to the heavenly abiding-places: to the welcome of
his unseen yet Everlasting Friend.

'How know I that it looms lovely, that land I have never seen,
With morning-glory and heartsease, and unexampled green?
All souls singing, seeing, rejoicing everywhere,
Yea, much more than this I know, for I know that Christ
is there.'[31]

FOOTNOTES:

[28] _James Parnell_, by C. Fell Smith.

[29] 'Lamb's Defence against Lyes.'

[30] _First Publishers of Truth_.

[31] Christina Rossetti.

XIX. THE CHILDREN OF READING MEETING

_'And all must be meeke, sober and
jentell and quiet and loving, and
not give one another bad word noe
time in the skouell, nor out of it
... all is to mind their lessons
and be digelent in their
rightings, and to lay up their
boukes when they go from the
skouell and ther pens and
inkonerns and to keep them sow,
else they must be louk'd upon as
carles and slovenes; and soe you
must keep all things clean, suet
and neat and hanson.'--G. FOX.
Advice to Schoolmasters._

_'Dear and tender little Babes, as
well as strong men, ... let not
anything straiten you, when God
moves: And thou, faithful Babe,
though thou stutter and stammer
forth a few words in the drea