might take up the song of the Psalmist: "The Lord doth build up
Jerusalem; he gathereth the outcasts of Israel; he healeth the broken in
heart. Praise thy God, O Zion I For he strengtheneth the bars of thy
gates, he maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest
of wheat." Oh! a sweet supper we had, albeit little was eaten, for we
were filled fall of joy, and needed not other food. When the company
had gone, my dear cousin and her betrothed went a little apart, and
talked of all that had happened unto them during their long separation.
I left them sitting lovingly together in the light of the moon, and a
measure of their unspeakable happiness did go with me to my pillow.

This morning, Thankful came to my bedside to pour out her heart to me.
The poor girl is like a new creature. The shade of her heavy sorrow,
which did formerly rest upon her countenance, hath passed off like a
morning cloud, and her eye hath the light of a deep and quiet joy.

"I now know," said she, "what David meant when he said, 'We are like
them that dream; our mouth is filled with laughter, and our tongue with
singing; the Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad!'"



October 18.

A cloudy wet day. Goody Nowell brought me this morning a little parcel
of papers, which she found in the corner of a closet. They are much
stained and smoked, and the mice have eaten them sadly, so that I can
make little of them. They seem to be letters, and some fragments of
what did take place in the life of a young woman of quality from the
North of England. I find frequent mention made of Cousin Christopher,