"'See the wretch that long was toss'd
On the stormy bed of pain,
At once regain his vigour lost,
And breathe and walk again.
The meanest note that swells the gale,
The simplest flower that scents the dale,
The common sun, the air, the skies,
To him are opening Paradise—'
he was much affected, and said he had not heard them since his sister, Lady Lyttelton, repeated them to him after recovering from an illness when he was young. There was, also, a song he sang occasionally at our house, because she liked it, and had taught it to him. He sang it with such feeling that it always moved me to tears, and as soon as I heard of his death I began to sing it, and it kept recurring to me all day. I seemed to rejoice for him in the song. These are the words: they are Moore's:—
"'The bird, let loose in Eastern skies,
When hastening fondly home,
Ne'er stoops to earth her wing, nor flies
Where idle warblers roam.
But high she shoots through air and light,
Above all low delay:
Where nothing earthly bounds her flight,
Nor shadow dims her way.
So grant me, Lord, from ev'ry care,
And stain of passion free,
Aloft through virtue's nobler air,
To wing my course to thee.
No sin to cloud, no lure to stay,
My soul as home she springs,
Thy sunshine on her joyful way,
Thy freedom on her wings.'
He was always very much moved when speaking of Lady Lyttelton."
It was no small sacrifice to submit with cheerfulness to the circumstances which prevented him visiting this sister, now that she had become a widow and had need of a consoler to help herself and children to bear their affliction. He simply says: "I find all my crosses and vexations to be blessings; and directly I made the sacrifice of feeling to duty, God sent me the best set of catechumens I have had yet. Among others, a man and wife who have been male and female preachers, among the Primitive Methodists, or Ranters."
His great friend and director, the Rev. Mr. Martyn, was the next of whose death he heard. This good and virtuous priest was more than a friend to Father Spencer. He served his novitiate to the work of the English mission, under his direction in Walsall, for three months before he came to West Bromwich. He had been his confessor and guide in all his practices of piety until now. He managed his affairs with as much interest as if they were his own; he was ever ready with his counsel and assistance, and seems to have taken the Dudley mission as soon as Father Spencer had built the church there. Father Spencer preached his funeral oration, and paid the last tribute of respect to his mortal remains in the very spot where he so often profited by his counsels. Here there was no cause of regret, except for the good priest's widowed flock, for his saintly life gave strong hopes of a blessed eternity.
It was said, in a former chapter, that he gave all his money to the Bishop, and had sums given him now and again, of which he returned an account at stated times, to see if the way in which he spent them would be approved of. It may be interesting to know how he kept these accounts. Fortunately a few leaves of the book in which they were noted have been found among his papers, and from them we make the following extract:—
| 1838. | £ | s | d. | ||
| Dec. | 1. | Mrs. Nicholl's rent paid up to Nov. 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Advanced to Mr. Elves | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| Mr. Davis, for a walk to Walsall | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2. | Letter to Paris | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| 3. | Omnibus to and from Birmingham | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Given to Bridget Cullinge | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Shoe-string | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| Mrs. Cooper. | |||||
| Housekeeping | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| Washing | 0 | 5 | 8 | ||
| Postage | 1 | 1 | 9½ | ||
| Watchman | 0 | 0 | 9 | ||
| Mr. Elves | 0 | 3 | 6 | ||
| Betsy Hawkins, quarter's wages | 0 | 15 | 0 | ||
| Mrs. Cooper, towards wages | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Advanced to Mr. Elves | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 4. | Mrs. Whelan | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| John and Barney White, for a message | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Elizabeth Morley | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 5. | Armytage, 6d.; Mrs. Brown, 1s. | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| Coals, paid Mr. Pearse | 1 | 6 | 3 | ||
| 6. | P. O'Brien, 2s.; Peggy, 1s. | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Boy who brought horse | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Gordon, butcher's bill | 5 | 19 | 0 | ||
| Sealing-wax | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| Letter to Dr. Wiseman | 0 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 7. | Mrs. Cottril, 1s. 6d.; Mrs. Gale, 1s. | 0 | 2 | 6 | |
| Turnpike, 8d.; Chs. Gordon, 6d. | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 8. | Gig-whip, 2s. 6d.; turnpike, 8d. | 0 | 3 | 2 | |
| Morris, for Mrs. Callaghan's rent | 0 | 15 | 0 | ||
| Shenton, for holding the mare | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Clothes-brush | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 9. | Conway, 7s.6d.; school-window mended, 6d | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
| 10. | Turnpike, 4d.; horse at Dudley, 6s. | 0 | 6 | 4 | |
| Hat at Domely's | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Mrs. Brown, tailor's | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Gloves | 0 | 1 | 10 | ||
| Armytage, 6d.; lucifers, 2d. | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 11. | Stuff to make a collar, &c. | 0 | 3 | 9 | |
| Two dozen Douay Catechisms | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Carriage of parcel to Dr. Fletcher | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 12. | John Collinge, 1s.; P. O'Brien, 2s. | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Adv. to Mr. Elves | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 13. | Adv. to Mrs. Cooper, for wages | 6 | 0 | 0 | |
| Housekeeping | 0 | 17 | 10 | ||
| Ribbon for stole | 0 | 5 | 2 | ||
| Parcel, 8s. 2d.; postage, 3s. 8d. | 0 | 11 | 10 | ||
| Washing, 4s. 9d.; Mr. Elves, 8d. | 0 | 5 | 5 |
To this may be added, that on the credit side he puts his instalments from the Bishop, and every single penny he gets in the shape of offerings, seat-rents, alms, &c., &c. There have also remained, between some of the leaves of this account-book, a few little slips of paper, on which he pencilled whatever he paid or received when away from home, so as to be able to note it down when he came back. It may be well to remark that the extract given above cannot be taken as an average of his expenditure, as December is a month when bills come in thicker than in other months of the year.