eturned to do any further
mischief." This account given by Mr. Hall of his antagonist, reflects
no great honour upon himself: it is conceived in a spirit of
bitterness, and there is more of spite against Lilly's person in it,
than any tenderness or pity for his errors. He calls him a witty
Atheist, when in all probability, what he terms atheism, was no more
than a freedom of thinking, and facetious conversation, which to the
pious churchman, had the appearance of denying the existence of God;
besides, had Hall dealt candidly, he should have given his readers
some more particulars of a man whom he was bold enough to denominate
an Atheist, a character so very singular, that it should never be
imputed to any man, without the strongest grounds. Hall in his usual
spirit of enthusiasm, in order to remove this antagonist of his, has
recourse to a miracle: He tells us, he went up to London and died of
the Plague, which he would have us to understand was by the immediate
interpolition of God, as if it were not ridiculous to suppose our
author of so great importance, as that the Supreme Being should work
a miracle in his favour; but as it is with natural so is it with
spiritual pride, those who are possessed by either, never fail to
over-rate their own significance, and justly expose themselves to the
contempt of the sober part of mankind.

Our author has also given us some account of his marriage, with the
daughter of Mr. George Winniff, of Bretenham; he says of her, that
much modesty, piety, and good disposition were lodged in her seemly
presence. She was recommended to him, by the Rev. Mr. Grandig his
friend, and he says, he listened to the recommendation, as from the
Lord, whom he frequently consulted by prayer, before he entered into
the matrimonial state. She lived with him 49 years.

Not long after Mr. Hall's settlement at Halsted, he was sollicited by
Sir Edmund Bacon to accompany him in a journey to the Spa in Ardenna,
at the time when the Earl of Hertford went ambassador to the archduke
Albert of Brussels. This request Mr. Hall complied with, as it
furnished him with an opportunity of feeing more of the world, and
gratified a desire he had of conversing with the Romish Jesuits.
The particulars of his journey, which he has preserved in his
Specialities, are too trifling to be here inserted: When he came to
Brussels, he was introduced by an English gentleman, who practiced
physic there, to the acquaintance of father Cos