ABEY. IV.]

ST. JOHN OH JERUSALEM.

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when he uttered “not instantly,” he little dreamed,or any other mortal else either, that his instants werealready counted, and were to be few indeed. For inless than a week on my returning from a journey, Ifound a letter on my table announcing his decease.They were tumultuous times, and people were un-willing to believe that one so full of life and healthshould so quickly die of a natural death. But how-ever it be, this is sure, that fever can carry off themost able-bodied person in three days and less.

“ What would have been so easy for him, wasvery hard for any one else ; and for an insignificantperson like me quite impossible,” said the gentle-man. Nevertheless, contrary to his own surmises,and the injunction of his best friends, upon findingnobody offering to take the burden on his shoulders,he resolved to set to work and do all he could towardsthe restoration of the order. So after having madehimself a bore by writing to personages whom hehad not the honour to be in the least acquaintedwith, in France, Italy, England, and Germany andother countries, he is at length utterly convinced ofthe impossibility to him; and therefore gives his pro-ject to be put into my book. “Whilst I nourishedthe faintest hopes,” said he, “I kept it secret; per-suaded that secrecy is necessary to the simultaneous-ness which was a characteristic of the order from