ether
with your lordship's and Sir James's also: for it is necessary he or you in
his stead should do something, _now the great ship is come safe in, and by
giving some of the first-fruits of your great bay, or new plantation, to
our school, the rest will be blessed the better_." The scheme seems to have
offered attractions to the Highgate gentry:--"The great ladies do allow
their house-keeper," he continues, "one bottle of wine, three of ale, half
a dozen of rolls, and two dishes of meat a-day; who is to see the
wilderness, orchard, great prospects, walks, and gardens, all well kept and
rolled for their honours' families; and to give them small treats according
to discretion when they please to take the air, which is undoubtedly the
best round London." Notwithstanding the eloquent pleadings of Mr. Blake for
their assistance and support, it is to be feared that the _noble ladies_
allowed the predictions of his friends to be verified, and _did_ "suffer
such an inferiour meane and little person (to use his own phraseology) to
sink under the burden of so good and great a work:" for we find that Gough,
in allusion thereto, says (_Topographical Anecdotes_, vol. i. p. 644.):--

"This Hospital at Highgate, called the Ladies' Charity School, was
erected by one W. Blake, a woollen-draper in Covent Garden; who having
purchased Dorchester House, and having fooled away his estate in
building, was thrown into prison."

Even here, and under such circumstances, our subject was nothing daunted;
for the same authority informs us, that, still full of his philanthropic
projects, he took the opportunity his leisure there admitted to write
another work upon his favourite topic of educating and caring for the {71}
poor; its title is, _The State and Case of a Design for the better
Education of Thousands of Parish Children successively in the vast Northern
Suburbs of London vindicated, &c._ Besides the above, there is another
remarkable little piece which I have seen, beginning abruptly, "Here
followeth a briefe exhortation which I gave in my owne house at my wife's
funerall to our friends then present," by Blake, with the MS. date, 1650;
and exhibits this original character in another not less amiable light:--"I
was brought up," says he, "by my parents to learne _Hail Mary_,
paternoster, the Beliefe, and learne to reade; and where I served my
apprenticeship little more was to be found." He attributes it to God's
grace that he