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THE LIVES OF
MRS. ANN H. JUDSON
AND
MRS. SARAH B, JUBSON,
WITH A
BIOGRAPIICAL SKETC11 OF,RI', EMILY C. JUDSON,
MISSIONARIES TO BURMAI
IN TiREE PA TS.
BY ARABELLA W. STUART.
A self-denying band,-who counted not
Life dear unto them, so they might fulfil
Their ministry, and save the heathen soul.
AUBURN:
DERBY AND MILLER.
1 8 51




Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1851,
BY   DERBY     &   MILLER,
In the Clerk' Office of the Northern District of New York.
STEREOTYPED BY THOMAS B. SMITH)
216 WILLIAM STREET, N. Y.




PR EFACE.
AMONG the many benefits which modern missions have conferred on the world, not the least, perhaps, is the field they have
afforded for the development of the highest excellence of female
character. The limited range of avocations allotted to woman,
and her consequent inability to gain an elevated rank in the higher
walks of life, has been a theme of complaint with many modern
reformers, especially with the party who are loud in their advocacy
of woman's rights. That few of the sex have risen to eminence
in any path but that of literature, is too well known to admit of
denial, and might be proved by the scantiness offemale biography.
How few of the memoirs and biographical sketches which load
the shelves of our libraries, record the lives of women!
The missionary enterprise opens to the female world a sphere
of activity, usefulness and distinction, not, under the present constitution of society, to be found elsewhere. Here she may exhibit whatever she possesses of skill in the mastery of unknown
and difficult dialects; of tact in dealing with the varieties of human character; of ardor and perseverance in the pursuit of a
noble end under the most trying discouragements; and of exalted
Christian heroism and fortitude, that braves appalling dangers,
and even death in its most dreadful forms, in its affectionate devotion to earthly friends, and the service of a Heavenly Master.
Compared with the true independence, the noble energy, the almost superhuman intrepidity of the Mrs. Judsons, how weak and
despicable seem the struggles of many misguided women in our
day, who seek to gain a reluctant acknowledgment of equality
with the other sex, by a noisy assertion of their rights, and in
some instances, by an imitation of their attire! Who would not
turn from a female advocate at the bar, or judge upon the bench,
surrounded by the usual scenes of a court-house, even if she filled
these offices with ability and talent, to render honor rather to her,
who laying on the altar of sacrifice whatever of genius, or acquirement, or loveliness she may possess, goes forth to cheer and to
share the labors and cares of the husband of her youth, in his
errand of love to the heathen?
And it seems peculiarly appropriate that woman, who doubtless




iv                       PREFACE.
owes to Christianity most of the domestic consideration and social
advantages, which in enlightened countries she regards as her
birthright, should be the bearer of these blessings to her less favored sisters in heathen lands. If the Christian religion was a
GOSPEL to the poor, it was no less emphatically so to woman,
whom it redeemed from social inferiority and deg'radation, the
fruit for ages of that transgression which " brought death into the
world, and all our woe."  Never until on the morning of the resurrection " she came early unto the sepulchre," was she made one
in Christ Jesus (ill whom " there is neither male nor female") with
him who had hitheito been her superior. and her master. Nor
does she seem then to have misunderstood her high mission, or to
have been wanting to it.'The " sisters" in the infant churches
rivalled the brethren in attachient, and fidelity to the cause; and
to their " ministry" the new religion vwas indeb-ted in no small degree for its unparalleled success.
Perhaps an apology may be deemed necessary for another memoir of the distinguished females whose names adorn our title-page.
With regard to the fist Mrs. Judson, it has been thought that a
simple narrative of her life, uhincuLimberecd with details of the history of the mission, would be more attractive to youthful readers
than the excellent biography by   r. Knowles. Of the second,
though we cannot hope or wish to rival the graceful and spirited
sketch by Fanny Forrester, still it is believed'that a plain, unembellished story of a life which was in itself so exceedingly interesting, may also find favor with the public. As to the last of
these three Christian heroines, olur sket ch of her is necessarily so
imperfect, that we should hesitate to admit it at all, but for a desire to enrich our work with some of the priceless productions of
her genius; and also a wish to embialm in one urn-perhaps a fragile one-the memories of all thoe whose virtues and affection
have contributed so largely to the happiness and usefulness of
one of the noblest and most successful of modern missionaries,
the Rev. Adoniram Judson.
The approval of several of the friends of the subjects of these
memoirs, has encouraged us in our undertaking; and it is our
sincere desire that the manner of its execution may be found acceptable, not only to them, but to the friends of missions in general. And should the work gain i  evor with our youthful readers,
especially with fenmale members of Sunday-schools and Bibleclasses, and prompt them to a noble emulation of so illustrious
examples, the author's fondest hopes will be more than realized
Caanndaigua, October, 1851.




0CONTE N' TS,
PART I.
THE LIFE OF THE FIRST MRS. JUDSON.
CHAPTER I.
Page
Mrs. Judson's Birth.-Education and Conversion,.          13
CHAPTER I1,
Her Marriage and Voyage to India,...               21
CHAPTER      III.
Her Arrival at Calcutta.-Difficulties with the Bengal Government.
— Voyage to the Isle of France.-Death of Mrs. Newell.Change of Sentiments.-Voyage to Rangoon,.      28
CHAPTER IV.
Description of Burmah, its boundaries, rivers, climate, soil, fruits
and flowers.-Burman People, their dress, houses, food, government and religion,... 83
CHAPTER V.
Rangoon.-Letters from  irs. Judson,.                     2. O 2




Vi                         CONTENTS.
CHAPTER VI.
Page
Learning the Language. —Mrs. J. visits the Wife of the Viceroy.Her Sickness.-Her Voyage to Madras.-Her Return to Rangoon.-Birth of a Son,..... 60
CHAPTER VII.
Difficulty of inculcating the Gospel.-Death of her Son.-Failure
of Mrs. Judson's Health.-Arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Hough at
Rangoon,.......... 66
CHAPTER VIII.
Missionary Labors.-Female Intellect in Burmah.-Description of
a Pagoda.-Burman Worship, and Offerings,.   o. 74
CHAPTER IX.
Distressing Events.-Mr. Judson's Absence fiom Rangoon.-Persecution of Mr. Hough.-His Departure for Bengal.-Mrs. Judson's
heroic Fortitude.-Mr. Judson's Return,...       82
CHAPTER X.
Intolerance of the Burman Government.-First Edifice for Chris~tian Worship erected.-Instruction of Natives.-Conversion of
a Native.-His Baptism.-That of two timid Disciples.-Messrs.
Judson and Colman visit Ava,....                8.
CHAPTER XI.
Reception of Messrs. Colman and Judson at Ava.-Their Return to
Rangoon.-Their Resolution to leave Rangoon.-Opposition of
Disciples to this Measure.-Increase of Disciples.-Their Steadfastness.-Failure of Mrs. Judson's Health,.              95




CONTENTS..                         Vi
CHAPTER XII.
Page
Mr. and Mrs. Judson visit Bengal and return.-Mrs. Judson's Health
again fails.-Her Resolution to visit America.-Her Voyage to
England and Visit there,.....104
CHAPTER XIII.
Mrs. Judson's Arrival in America.-Influence of her Visit.-Hostile
Opinions.-Her Person and Manners.-Extracts from her Letters, 110
CHAPTER XIV.
Further Extracts from her Letters.-Her Illness.-Her History of
the Burman Mission.-Her Departure from America with Mr.
and Mrs. Wade,......      118
CHAPTER XV.
Messrs. Judson and Price visit Ava.-Their Reception at Court.Their Return to Rangoon.-Mrs. Judson's Return.-A Letter to
her Parents describing their Removal to Ava.-Description of
Ava,........... 12
CHAPTER XVI.
War with the British.-Narrative of the Sufferings of the Missionaries during the War,....                 186
CHAPTER XVII.
Narrative continued and concluded.-Their deliverance from Burman Tyranny, and Protection by British Government,. o 148




Vlii                      CONTENTS.
CHAPTER      XVIII.
Page
Influence of these Disasters on the Missionary Enterprise.-Testimonials to Mrs. Judson's Heroic Conduct.-Letter from Mr. Judson.-His Acceptance of the Post of Interpreter to Crawford's
Embassy.-Mrs. Judson's Residence at Amherst.-Her Illness
and Death.-Death of her Infant,....     166
PART II.
THE LIFE OF THE SECOND MRS. JUDSON.
CHAPTER      I.
Birth and Education.-Poetical Talent,..... 183
CHAPTER II.
Conversion.-Bias toward a Missionary Life.-Acquaintance with
Boardman,...... 193
CHAPTER      III.
Account of George Dana Boardman,...              198
CHAPTER IV,
Marriage of Miss Hall and Mr. Boardman.-They sail for India.Letter from Mr. B.-Letters from Mrs. B.-Another Letter from
Mr. B.,.......... 204
CHAPTER V.
Stationed at Maulmain.-Attack of Banditti.-Missionary Operations,-Danger from Fire,.. 222




CONTENTS.                          iX
CHAPTER VI.
Page
Removal to Tavoy.-Idolatry of the People.-Letter from Mrs.
B.-Baptism of a Karen Disciple.-Some Account of the Karens, 230
CHAPTER VII.
Letter from Mrs. B.-Mr. B's. Visit to the Karens in their Villages.
— Defection of Disciples.-Its Effect on Mr. and Mrs. B.,.. 239
CHAPTER      VIII.
Death of their First-born.-Letters from Mrs. B.,. 246
CHAPTER IX.
Revolt of Tavoy. —Letter from Mr. B.,..          252
CHAPTER X.
Missionary Labors of Mr. Boardman.-His ill Health.-Letter from
Mrs. R-Death of a second. Child.-Letters from Mrs. B.,. 262
CHAPTER XI.
Letter from Mrs. Boardman.-Illness and Death of George Dana
Boardman,........269
CHAPTER XII.
Letters from Mrs. B.-Her Decision to remain in Burmah.-Her
Missionary Labors.-Her Trials.-Schools,.... 286
CHAPTER XITI.
Correspondence between Mrs. Boardman and the Superintendent.
-Her Tours among the Karens.-Her Personal Appearance.Her Acquaintance with the Burman Language.-Dr. Judson's
Translation of the Bible,.... 296




X                          CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XIV.
Page
Mrs. Boardman's Second Marriage.-Removal to Maulmain.-Letter from Mrs. Judson.-H-er Son sent to America. —-er Husband's Illness,.... 304
CHAPTER XV.
Illness of her Children.-Death of one of them.-Her Missionary
Labors, and Family Cares.-Her Declining Health.-Poem.Her last Illness and Death,... 311
PART III.
SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF MRS. E. C. JUDSON.
Remarks on her Genius —Her Early Life.-Conversion.-Employments.-Tales and Poems.-Acquaintance with Dr. Judson. —
Marriage.-Voyage to India.-Biography of Mrs. S. B. Judson,
-Poem written off St. Helenat.-Poem on the Birth of an Infiant
-Lines addressed to a Bereaved Friend.-Letter to her Chil
dren.-Prayer for dear Papa. —Poem addressed to her Mother.
-Her Account of Dr. Judson's last Illness and Death,. 321




PART I.
LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSO N,
FIRST WIFE OF
REV. ADONIRAM JUDSON, D.D.








LIFE    OF MRS. ANN       H. JUDSON.
CHAPTER     I.
M RS. JUDSON'S BIRTH, EDUCATION, AND CONVERSION.
WHEN an individual attains a position of eminence
which commands the admiration of the world, we naturally seek to learn his early history, to ascertain what
indications were given in childhood of qualities destined to shine with such resplendent lustre, and to discover the kind of discipline which has developed powers so extraordinary. But in no researches are we
more apt to be baffled than in these. Few children
are so remarkable as to make it worth while, even to
a parent, to chronicle their little sayings and doings;
and of infant prodigies-though there is a superstitious belief that most of them die early, which is expressed in the adage"Whom the Gods love, die young,"
those that live commonly disappoint the hopes of par



14        LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
tial friends, who watched their infancy with wonder and
expectation.
There are certain qualities, however, which we shall
rarely miss even in the childhood of those who attain
eminence by a wise employment of their talents and
acquirements. These are, firmness of purpose, industry, and application, and an ardent, and sometimes enthusiastic temperament.  These qualities were possessed in no common degree by Ann Hasseltine, the subject of this memoir. She was born in Bradford, Massachusetts, on the 22d of December, 1789. In a sketch
which she has given of her life, between twelve and
seventeen years of age, we find evidence of an active,
ardent, and social disposition, gay and buoyant spirits,
persevering industry, and great decision of character,
Whatever engaged hler attention, whether study or
amusement, was pursued with an ardor that excited
the sympathy and love both of her teachers and schoolfellows. Though little of her writing at this period is
preserved, and the generation that knew her personally
is mostly passed away, yet her whole subsequent career
gives evidence of an intellect of a very high order,
carefully cultivated by study and reflection.
She seems scarcely to have been the subject of serious impressions before her seventeenth year.. Until
that time she enjoyed the pleasures of the world with
few misgivings, and with a keenness of relish which




LIFE OF MRS. ANN I. JUDSON.         15
led her to think herself, as she says, s the happiest creature on earth." She adds, " I so far surpassed my friends
in gayety and mirth, that some of them were apprehensive I had but a short time to continue in my career of folly, and should be suddenly cut off. Thus
passed the last winter of my gay life."
During the spring of 1806, she began regularly to
attend a series of conference meetings in Bradford, her
native town. She soon felt that the Spirit of God was
operating on her mind. Amusements lost their relish;
she felt that she must have a new heart or peiish forever; and she often sought solitude, that she might,
unseen by others, weep over her deplorable state. Soon,
however, her fears that he r distress might be noticed
by her companions, were merged in hl grate r eterrors
Of conscience, and she " as Vw- illing' the wholle universe
should know that she felt herself to be a lost and perishing sinner."  HIer distress increased as she became
more and more sensible of the depravity of her heart,
and the holiness and sovereignty of God. Her mind
rose in rebellion against a Being, who after all her
prayers and tears of self-denial, still withheld from her
the blessing of pardon and peace. She says, "In this
state I longed for annihilation, and if I could have destroyed the existence of my soul with as much ease as
that of my body, I should quickly have done it. But
that glorious Being who is kinder to his creatures than




16          LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
they are to themselves, did not leave me to remain in
this distressing state."  The plan of salvation through
a crucified Redeemer, gradually unfolded itself before
her; she began to take delight in those attributes of
God which before had filled her with abhorrence; and
although she did not at first imagine that this was the
new heart for which she had sought so earnestly, yet
she was constrained to commit all her interests for time
and eternity unreservedly to that Saviour, who now
seemed infinitely worthy of the service of her whole
existence.+
The change in her from      extreme worldliness to a
life of piety and prayer was deep and permanent. Hers
was no half-way character. While she was of the
world, she pursued its follies with entire devotion of
heart; and when she once renounced it as unsatisfying,
and unworthy of her immortal aspirations, she renounced it solemnly and finally. Her ardor for learning
did not abate, but instead of being inspired, as formerly,
* She thus describes more particularly the exercises of her mind, in
an entry in her Journal a year later.
" July 6. It is just a year this day since I entertained a hope in
Christ. About this time in the evening, when reflecting on the words
of the lepers,'If woe enter into the city, then the famine is in the city,
and we shall die there, and if we sit still here we die also,'-I felt that if
I returned to the world, I should surely perish; if I stayed where I then
was I should perish; and I could but perish if I threw myself on the
mercy of Christ. Then came light, and relief, and comfort, such as I
never knew before."




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. J UDSON.        17
by a thirst for human applause and distinction, it was
now prompted by her sense of responsibility to God
for the cultivation of the talents he had given her, and
her desire to make herself increasingly useful. In the
sketch referred to she remarks, " I attended my studies
in school with far different feelings and different motives from what I had ever done before. I felt mv obligation to improve all I had to the glory of God; and
since he in his providence had favored me with advantages for improving my mind, I felt that I should be
like the slothful servant if I neglected them. I therefore diligently employed all my hours in school in acquiring useful knowledge, and spent my evenings and
part of the night in spiritual enjoyments."  "Such was
my thirst for religious knowledge, that I frequently
spent a great part of the night in      reading  ligious
books."  A friend says of her: " She thirsted for the
knowledge of gospel truth in all its relations and dependencies. Besides the daily study of the scripture
with Guise, Orton, and Scott before her, she perused
with deep interest the works of Edwards, Hopkins,
Belamy, Doddridge, &c. With Edwards on Redemption, she was instructed, quickened, strengthened. Well
do I remember the elevated smile that beamed on her
countenance when she first spoke to me of its precious
contents. When reading scripture, sermons, or other
works, if she met with anything dark or intricate, she




18        LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
would mark the passage, and beg the first clergyman
who called at her father's to elucidate and explain it."
How evidently to us, though unconsciously to herself, was her Heavenly Father thus fitting her for the
work he was preparing for her. Had she known that
she was to spend her days in instructing bigoted and
captious idolaters in religious knowledge, she could not
have trained herself for the task more wisely than she
was thus led to do.
While, under the guidance of the Spirit of truth, she
was thus cultivating her intellect, that same Spirit was
also sanctifying and purifying her heart. She loathed
sin both in herself and others, and strove to avoid it,
not from the fear of hell, but from fear of displeasing
her Father in heaven.
In one place she writes: " Were it left to myself
whether to follow the vanities of the world, and go to
heaven at last, or to live a religious life, have trials
with sin and temptation, and sometimes enjoy the light
of God's reconciled countenance, I should not hesitate a
moment in choosing the latter, for there is no real satisfaction in the enjoyments of time and sense."
On the fourteenth of August, 1806, she made a publie profession of religion, and united with the Congregational church at Bradford, being in her seventeenth
year.
Very early in her religious life she became sensible




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.        19
that if unusual advantages for acquiring knowledge
had fallen to her lot, she was the more bound to use
her talents and acquirements for the benefit of others
less favored than herself. Actuated by such motives,
she opened a small school in her native place, and subsequently taught in several neighboring villages. Her
example in this respect is surely worthy of imitation.
Perhaps no person is more admirable than a young
lady fitted like Miss Hasseltine by a cultivated mind
and engaging manners to shine in society, who having
the choice between a life of ease and one of personal
exertion, chooses voluntarily, or only in obedience to
the dictates of conscience, the weary and self-denying
path of the teacher.  And probably such a course
would oftener be chosen, were young persons aware
of the unquestionable fact, that the school in which
we make the most solid and rapid improvement, is that
in which we teach others.
An extract from her journal will sustain what we
have said of her conscientiousness and purity of motive in endeavoring to instruct the young:
"May 12, 1809.-Have taken charge of a few scholars. Ever since I have had a comfortable hope in
Christ, I have desired to devote myself to him in such
a way as to be useful to my fellow-creatures. As
Providence has placed me in a situation in life where
I have an opportunity of getting as good an education




20        LIFE OF MRS. ANN I H. JUDSON.
as I desire, I feel it would be highly criminal in me not
to improve it. I feel, also, that it would be equally
criminal to desire to be well educated and accomplished,
from selfish motives, with a view merely to gratify my
taste and relish for improvement, or my pride in being
qualified to shine. I therefore resolved last winter to
attend the academy from no other motive than to improve the talents bestowed by God, so as to be more
extensively devoted to his glory, and the benefit of my
fellow-creatures. On being lately requested to take a
small school for a few months, I felt very unqualified
to have the charge of little immortals; but the hope of
doing themgood by endeavoring to impress their young
and tender minds with divine truth, and the obligation
I feel to try to be useful, have induced me to comply.
I was enabled to open the school with prayer. Though
the cross was very great, I felt constrained by a sense
of duty to take it up. 0 may I have grace to be faithful in instructing these children in such a way as shall
be pleasing to my heavenly Father."
Such being the principles by which she was actuated in commencing the work of instruction, we cannot doubt that her efforts to be useful were blessed not
only by the temporal, but the spiritual advancement of
her pupils, some of whom may appear, with children
from distant Burmah, as crowns of her rejoicing in the
last great day.




CHAPTER IIo
HER MARRIAGE, AND VOYAGE TO INDIA.
IN 1810, the calm current of Miss Hasseltine's life
was disturbed by circumstances which were to change
all her prospects, and color her whole future destiny.
From the quiet and seclusion of her New England
homs, she was called to go to the ends of the earth, on
a mission of mercy to the dark browed and darker
minded heathen.
It is perhaps impossible for us to realize now what
was then the magnitude of such an enterprise. Our
wonderful facilities/for intercourse w7ith the most distant nations, and the consequent vast amount of travel,
were entirely unknown forty years ago. A journey of
two hundred miles then involved greater perplexity,
and'required nearly as much preparation, and was certainly attended with more fatigue. than a voyage to
England at the present day. The subject of evangelizing the heathen in foreign countries had scarcely
received any attention in Europe, and in this country
there was not even a Missionary Society. That a




22        LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
female should renounce the refinements of her enlightened and Christian home, and go thousands of miles
across unknown oceans
"to the farthest verge
Of the green earth, to distant barbarous climes,"
to spend her life in an unhealthy climate, among a race
whose language was strange to her ear, whose customs
were revolting to her delicacy, and who might moreover make her a speedy victim to her zeal in their behalf,-a thing so common now as to excite no surprise
and little interest —was then hardly deemed possible, if,
indeed, the idea of it entered the imagination.  To
decide the question of such an undertaking as this, as
well as another question affecting her individual happiness through life, was Miss Hasseltine now summoned.
Mr. Judson, a graduate of Brown University, "an
ardent and aspiring scholar," was one of four or five
young men in the then newly founded Theological
Seminary at Andover, whose minds had become deeply
impressed with the wants of the heathen, and a desire
to go and labor among them. By their earnestness and
perseverance, they so far awakened an interest in their
project, that a Board of Commissioners for Foreign
Missions was appointed, and the young men were set
apart as missionaries. During the two years in which




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.        23
Mr. Judson and his associates were employed in efforts
to accomplish this result, he had formed an acquaintance with Miss Hasseltine, and made her an offer of
his hand. That he had no wish to blind her to the
extent of the sacrifices she would make in accepting
him, his manly and eloquent letter to her father, asking
his daughter in marriage, abundantly proves. He says:
" I have now to ask whether you can consent to part
with your daughter early next spring, to see her no
more in this world; whether you can consent to her
departure for a heathen land, and her subjection to the
hardships and sufferings of a missionary life; whether
you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the
ocean; to the fatal influence of the southern climate
of India; to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death?
Can you consent to all this for the sake of Him who
left his heavenly home, and died for her and for you;
for the sake of perishing immortal souls; for the sake
of Zion and the glory of God? Can you consent to all
this in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world
of glory, with a crown of righteousness, brightened by
the acclamations of praise which shall redound to her
Saviour from heathens saved, through her means, from
eternal woe and despair?"
The writer of this letter, who, after nearly forty years
of missionary labor in which he endured all and more




24        LIFE OF MiRS. ANN IH. JUDSON.
than all he has thus almost prophetically described, has
just gone to join " the noble army of martyrs" and
"those who came out of great tribulation," in his final
home,-as he looks back on the hour when he thus
gave up his life and what was more precious than life
to the service of those souls, dear as he believed to the
Redeemer, though perishing for lack of vision,-with
what deep and serene joy must he contemplate the
sacrifice! And she"Not lost, but gone before,"
who was there to meet and welcome him to
" happier bowers than Eden knew,"
where they rest from their labors, does she now regret
that to his solemn appeal, she answered, " I will go?"
Mr. and Mrs. Judson were married at Bradford on
the fifth of February, 1812, and on the nineteenth of
the same month embarked on the brig Caravan, bound
for Calcutta. Mr. and Mirs. Newell, also missionaries,
sailed in the same vessel.  We will here give some
extracts from letters written by Mrs. Judson to her
friends at home, dated " at sea."
To her sister she writes, " I find DMr. Judson one of
the kindest, most faithful and affectionate of husbands.
His conversation frequently dissipates the gloomy
clouds of spiritual darkness which hang over my mind,




LIFE OF MRS. ANN Ho JUDSON.        25
and brightens my hope of a happy eternity. I hope
God will make us instrumental of preparing each other
for usefulness in this world, and greater happiness in
a future world."
"June 16. —Day before yesterday, we came in sight
of land, after having been out only one hundred
and twelve days. We could distinguish nothing but
the towering mountains of Golconda. Yesterday we
were nearer land... and the scene was truly delightful, reminding nie of the descriptions I have
read of the fertile shores of India-the groves of
orange and palm trees. Yesterday we saw two vessels.... You have no idea how interesting the
sight-a vessel at the side of us, so near we could
hear the captain speak-for he was the first person we
have heard speak since we sailed, except what belong
to our ship.
" Tuesday.-Last night was the most dangerous,
and to me, by far the most unpleasant we have
nad.... To-day the scene is truly delightful. We
are sailing up the river Hoogly, a branch of the Ganges, and so near the land that we can distinctly discover objects. On one side of us are the Sunderbunds,
(islands at the mouth of the Ganges.)  The smell which
proceeds from them is fragrant beyond description.
"a Wednesday.... On each side of the Hoogly,
are the Hindoo cottages, as thick together as the




26        LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
houses in our seaports.  They are very small, and
in the form of hay-stacks, without either chimneys or
windows. They are situated in the midst of trees
which hang over them and appear truly romantic. The
grass and fields of rice are perfectly green, and herds
of cattle are everywhere feeding on the banks of
the river, and the natives are scattered about,. 
some fishing, some driving the team, and some sitting
indolently on the bank of the river. The pagodas we
have passed are much handsomer and larger. than
the houses. There are many English seats near the
shore...  Oh, what reason we have to be thankful
for so pleasant and prosperous a voyage....
" Well, sister, we are safe in Calcutta harbor, and
almost stunned with the noise of the natives. Mr.
Judson has gone on shore to find a place for us to go.
The city is by far the most elegant of any I have ever
seen. Many ships are lying at anchor, and hundreds
of natives all around. They are dressed very curiously —their white garments hanging loosely over their
shoulders. But I have not time to describe anything
at present.
" Thursday. — arriet and I are yet on board the
vessel, and have not been on land.  Mr. Judson
has not yet gained permission for us to live in
the country. He and Mr. Newell are gone again today, and what will be their success I know not. The




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.        27
East India Company are violently opposed to missions,
and have barely given permission to their own countrymen to settle here as preachers. We have nothing
to expect from man, and everything from God... 
If God has anything for us to do here, he will doubtless open a door for our entrance, if not he will send
us to some other place "




CHAPTER III.
HER ARRIVAL AT CALCUTTA.-DIFFICULTIES VITH THE BENGAL GOVERNMENT.-VOYAGE TO THE ISLE OF FRANCE. —DEATH OF MRS. NEWELL.CHANGE OF SENTIMENTS.-VOYAGE TO RANGOON.
MR. and Mrs. Judson landed at Calcutta on the 18th
of June, 1812, and were hospitably received by the
venerable Dr. Carey, who immediately conducted them
to his home in Serampore. There they found a delightful mission family, consisting of Messrs. Carey,
Marshman and Ward, with their wives and children,
who welcomed them most cordially, and invited them
to remain until the arrival of their brother missionaries. Of the arrangements in this truly Christian family
-the schools, the religious exercises, the cultivation
of the gardens belonging to the establishment, and the
instruction communicated to the natives, they express
themselves in the highest terms of eulogy.
Hitherto the course of our missionaries in their enterprise had indeed run smooth, and they had begun
to flatter themselves that they had over-estimated the
trials and dangers of the life they had chosen; but sad
reverses awaited them. They had been in Serampore




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.        29
but ten days, when Messrs. Judson and Newell were
summoned to Calcutta, where an order from government was read to them, commanding them immediately
to leave the country, and return to America. The
British East India Company were at that time unfriendly to missions, and especially intolerant to missionavies from America. The idea of returning, without effecting the object for which they had left their
native land, was too painful to be endured by the missionaries, and they immediately attempted to gain permission to go to some country not under the company's
jurisdiction.-Burmah, the field to which they had been
assigned by their brethren at home, seemed, for various
reasons, utterly inaccessible; but they finally got leave
to take passage in a ship bound for the Isle of France.
The vessel would, however, accommodate but two
passengers, and the health of TMrs. Newell requiring
that she should be in a place of quiet, it was agreed
that she and her husband should embark in it. For
three months the rest of their company remained in
Calcutta, watched with jealousy by the British Government, but unable to find a vessel to convey them
away. At length they had peremptory orders to embark in a vessel bound to England. All hope of escape
seemed now cut off, when Mr. Judson accidentally
learned that a ship was about sailing for the Isle of
France. They applied for a passport to go on board




80        LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
of her, but were refused. They informed the captain
of the vessel of their circumstances, and were allowed
to go on board without a pass. They had got but a
few miles down the river, however, when a government despatch overtook them, commanding the pilot
to conduct the ship no further, as there were persons on board who had been ordered to England.
By advice of the captain, the missionaries left the
ship, and went on shore, while the pilot wrote a certificate that no such persons were on board. The captain being angry at the detention of his vessel, ordered
them to take their baggage from it immediately, but at
length consented to let it remain on board until he
should reach a tavern sixteen miles further down the
river. Mrs. Judson also remained in the ship until it
came opposite the tavern," where," she says, "the pilot
kindly lent me his boat and a servant to go on shore.
I immediately procured a large boat to send to the ship
for our baggage. I entered the tavern a stranger, a
female and unprotected. I called for a room and sat
down to reflect on my disconsolate situation. I had
nothing with me but a few rupees. I did not know
that the boat which I had sent after the vessel would
overtake it, and if it did, whether it would ever return
with our baggage; neither did I know where Mr. Judson was, or when he would come, or with what treatment I should meet at the tavern. I thought of home.




LIFE OF MRS. ANN I. JUDSON.        81
and said to myself, These are some of the trials attendant upon a missionary life, and which I have anticipated. In a few hours Mr. J. arrived, and toward
night our baggage."
After two or three days of great perplexity and distress, and when they had given up all hope of being
able to proceed to the Isle of France, they unexpectedly received from an unknown friend a magistrate's
pass to go on board the Creole, the vessel they had left.
Their only difficulty now was that she had probably
got out to sea, as it was three days since they had left
her. However they hastened down the river seventy
miles, to Saugur, where, among many ships at anchor,
they had the inexpressible happiness to find the Creole,
on which they embarked for the Isle of France, their
first destination.
Their dangers on the passage to the Isle of France
were great, the vessel being old and leaky; and when
they reached there, they found little encouragement to
remain. While on the island, Mrs. J. had a severe
attack of illness, as well as much depression of spirits
from the uncertainties of their situation. After much
deliberation they determined to establish themselves on
an island near Malacca, to reach which they must first
go to Madras, and they accordingly sailed for that
place. War having broken out between England and
America, the hostility of the East India Directors to




32        LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
American missionaries was of course much increased,
so that it would be impossible for them to make any stop
at all in Madras, without incurring the danger of being
sent back to America. What, then, was their distress
on their arrival there, to find no ship bound for the
island they wished to visit! Their way seemed entirely hedged up, for the only vessel in Madras harbor
ready for sea, was destined to Burmah, a country pronounced by all their friends in India, utterly inaccessible.
In her journal, at this time, Mrs. J. writes: "Oh,
our heavenly Father, direct us aright! Where wilt
thou have us to go? What wilt thou have us to do?
Our only hope is in thee, and to thee only do we look
for protection. Oh, let this mission live before thee!"
6 To-morrow," she adds, at a somewhat later date, "we
expect to embark for Rangoon, (in Burmah.) Adieu
to polished, refined, Christian society. Our lot is not
cast among you, but among pagans, among barbarians,
whose tender mercies are cruel. Indeed, we voluntarily forsake you, and for Jesus' sake choose the latter
for our associates. 0 may we be prepared for the
pure and polished society of heaven, composed of the
followers of the Lamb, whose robes have been washed
in his blood!"
Everything combined to render the passage to Rangoon unpleasant and perilous;-sickness, threatened




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.        33
shipwreck, and the want of all comforts;-but at length
on the 14th of July, 1813, about eighteen months from
the time they left Salem, in Massachusetts, they set
their'weary, wandering feet' on that shore which was
to be their future home.
Among the depressing circumstances that had occurred in this gloomy period, not the least painful was
the death of Mrs. Judson's early friend, and companion in her eastern voyage, Mrs. Harriet Newell. Of
less mental and physical vigor than Mrs. Judson, this
amiable and ardent Christian had gladly relinquished
all other objects in life, for that of sharing the privations and soothing the cares of a husband to whom
she was tenderly attached, in his labors among the
heathen. But this privilege was denied her; she was
not even permitted to reach a scene of missionary
labor.  Her heart-broken husband was compelled to
bury her in a far distant isle of the ocean, and finish
his short earthly course alone. But he lived to see the
grave of that young martyr missionary visited by
many pilgrim feet, and her name embalmed in many
admiring hearts.
How keenly Mrs. Judson felt her loss, may be learned from  a letter written from  the Isle of France,
whither she and her husband went on being driven
from Calcutta: —( Have at last arrived in port; but
oh, what news, what distressing news!  Harriet is
3




34        LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
dead. Harriet, my dear friend, my earliest associate
in the mission, is no more. Oh death, could not this
wide world afford thee victims enough, but thou must
enter the family of a solitary few whose comfort and
happiness depended so much on the society of each
other?  Could not this infant mission be shielded
from thy shafts!"  "But be still, my heart, and know
that God has done it. Just and true are thy ways, oh
thou King of saints!"
Another heavy trial, was the separation of herself
and husband from the church in which they were both
educated, from the missionary association on. which
they depended for support, and from the sympathies
of those Christians in their native land who had
hitherto given them the most cordial encouragement
in their enterprise. This separation was in consequence of a change in their sentiments in regard to
baptism. So liberal has the church become at this
day, that all now look upon this change as having decidedly advanced the cause of missions by enlisting a
large and respectable body of Christians in this country, not hitherto engaged in it. But in 1813, a step
like this on the part of beneficiaries of the Board,
could not but be regarded with much disfavor and
prejudice, render those who had taken it highly unpopular, and even subject their motives to unworthy
imputations. Whatever may be thought of the sound



LIFE OF MRS. ANN. H. JUDSON'.      8
mess of their new views, therefore, there is not the
shadow of a reason to doubt their conscientiousness in
adopting them. That they did it in the face of every
worldly motive, their letters and journals abundantly
prove. Mrs. Judson writes: "It is extremely trying
to reflect on the consequences of our becoming Baptists. We must make some very painful sacrifices."
"We must be separated from our dear missionary associates, and labor alone in some isolated spot. We
must expect to be treated with contempt, and to be
cast off by many of our American friends-forfeit the
character we have in our native land, and probably
have to labor for our own support wherever we are
stationed."  "These things are very trying to us, and
cause our hearts to bleed for anguish-we feel that
we have no home in this world, and no friend but each
other."  " A renunciation of our former sentiments
has caused us more pain than anything which ever
happened to us through our lives."
Thus " perplexed. but not in despair, cast down but
not destroyed," they reached Rangoon, then the capital of the Burman Empire, and established themselves
i'i what they regarded as their future home. Here,
remote, unfriended" and solitary-" ref of every
stay but Heaven"-they were destined to pass nearly
two years, before their hearts could be cheered by the
intelligence from America, of the general interest




36       LIFE OF, MRS. ANN HI. JUDSON.
awakened for them there in the denomination with
which they had connected themselves; and the formation of a Baptist Board of Missions, which had appointed them its Missionaries. Of one thing, however,
they must have felt sure, that they were conducted
there by the special providence of God. The honor
of commencing the Burman Mission, says Prof. Gammell, "is to be ascribed rather to the Divine Head of
the Church, than to any leading movement or agency
of the Baptist denomination. The way was prepared
and the field was opened by God alone, and it only
remained for true-hearted laborers to enter in and
prosecute the noble work to which they had been sum
inoned."




CHAPTER IV.
DESCRIPTION OF BURMAH. —ITS BOUNDARIES, RIVERS, CLIMATE, SOIL, FRUITS
AND FLOWERS.-BURMAN PEOPLE.-THEIR DRESS, HOUSES, FOOD, GOVERNMENT AND RELIGION.
THE Burman Empire being thus the place to which
the feet of the first "bringers of good tidings" from
America were so signally directed, and having been
now, for nearly forty years, missionary ground of the
most interesting character, it is proper to pause here,
and give something more than a passing glance at its
natural features, its government and religion, and the
character of its population. For information on these
points we are indebted chiefly to the researches of the
Rev. Howard Malcom.
Burmah, or the Burman Empire, lies between the
Salwen river on the east, and the Burrampooter on the
northwest and north, while its western and southern
shores are washed by the great bay of Bengal, which
separates it from the peninsula of Hindustan. Besides
the noble rivers which form its eastern and northwestern boundaries, its entire length from north to south
is traversed by the Irrawaddy, which after a course of




38        LIFE OF MRS. ANN I. JUDSON.
1200 miles, empties by many mouths into the Bay of
Bengal. Its territory is generally so much elevated
above the level of the sea, that it enjoys, though in the
torrid zone, a comparatively salubrious and temperate
climate. The heat is rarely excessive; while winter,
in our sense of the word, is unknown.
" The general features of a country so extensive,
are, of course, widely diversified. It may be said of it
as a whole, in the language of Dr. Hamilton, that in
fertility, beauty and grandeur of scenery, and in the
variety, value, and elegance of its natural productions,
it is equalled by few on earth."
In the parts of the country lying near the sea there
are two seasons, the wet and the dry. About the 10th
of May showers commence, and increase in frequency,
until, in the latter part of June, it begins to rain almost
daily, and this continues until the middle of September.
Heavy rains then cease, but showers continue, diminishing in frequency until the middle of October, when
" the air is cool, the country verdant, fruits innumerable, and everything in nature gives delight." Even
in the rainy season, the sun shines out a part of the
day, so that the rankest vegetation covers everything;
even walls and buildings, unless smoothly coated with
plaster, are not exempt from grass and weeds. Of the
climate during the warmest portion of the year, Dr.
Malcom thus writes: "I have now passed the ordeal




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.        39
of the entire hot season, and of nothing am I more
convinced, both from experience and observation, than
that the climate is as salubrious and pleasant as any
other in the world. I have suffered much more from
heat in Italy, and even in Philadelphia, than I have
ever done here; and have never found a moment
when I could not be perfectly comfortable by sitting
still. To go abroad at mid-day, is, however, for any
but natives, eminently hazardous."
The soil, in the maritime provinces, is represented
as unsurpassed in fertility, and under the imperfect
cultivation of the natives, yields from eighty to a hundred fold, and sometimes more.
The heights are crowned with forests, while the low
lands are jungle, that is, " a region of many trees, but
scattered; with much undergrowth;" and the haunt
of tigers and other wild animals.
The fruit-trees are numerous, and of names and
kinds unknown in America. There is found the mangosteen, with a fruit said by travellers to be the most
delicious in the world; the noble mango, growing to
the height of one hundred feet, and of vast diameter,
and bearing as great a variety of delicious fruit as
the apple-tree does with us; the cocoa-nut, whose
fruit we are acquainted with, and whose husk is formed
into excellent cordage; the plantain, that invaluable
blessing to the natives of the torrid zone, as it supplies




40        LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
them bread without much labor; a circumstance of
importance in countries where hard labor is oppressive
oy reason of heat; the splendid tamarind, with widespreading limbs, and a dense foliage of vivid greeni,
among which appear clusters of beautiful yellow flowers, delicately veined with red, and the long shining
pods which contain the fruit; the custard-apple, with
its pulpy fruit contained in a husk resembling the pineapple in shape; and the curious palmyra, whose leaves
furnish the natives with paper, while its trunk yields a
liquor much prized by them as drink, and capable of
being boiled down into sugar, like the juice of our
maple.
Hundreds of other trees might be named, many valuable for their ftuit, others for their timber, and some
for both. Most of the trees are evergreen, that is,
few of them shed their leaves annually and at once;
but a constant succession of leaves makes the forest
always verdant.
Besides the fruits which grow upon trees, there is a
variety of others; such as berries, tomatoes, pineapples, &c.; and among roots are found the ginger,
licorice, arrow-root, sweet-potatoe, Irish potatoe, asparagus, ground-nut, &c. The country abounds in
flowers of most splendid colors, but generally deficient
in fragrance; though some have a fine perfume.
The favorite food of the country being rice, this




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.         41
is, of course, the grain most extensively cultivated.
There are no farms as with us; cultivators of the
soil always reside in villages, for mutual protection
against wild beasts and robbers. Each family cultivates a patch of the neighboring jungle, and brings the
produce into the village, where the cattle are also
brought for security.  Besides rice, they cultivate
wheat, Indian-corn, sugar-cane, millet and indigo; but
generally in a slovenly and unskilful manner. In the
dry season, the land is watered by artificial means,
some of which are quite ingenious.
Of animals there is, of course, a vast: variety, one
of the most useful of which is the buffalo, which is
used to draw their carriages, as well as to perform the
labor that the ox does with us. Elephants are the
property of the king, but great men are allowed to
keep them.
The biids in Burmah, though of gay plumage, have
little melody in their song; splendid as they are, we
would scarce exchange for them our cheerful robin
and merry bobolink.
Reptiles and insects, though numerous, are not so
troublesome or so venomous as in many parts of the
torrid zone. The white ant is perhaps as destructive
as any other insect, and the greatest precaution hardly
preserves one from its intrusion.




42        LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
The Burmans are, as a race, superior to the Hindoos, being more athletic and vigorous, and more
lively and industrious. They are less tall than Americans, their complexions dark, their noses flat, and
their lips thick and full. The hair is very abundant,
black and glossy, but generally rather coarse. " Men
tie it in a knot on the top of the head, and intertwine
it with the turban. Women turn it all back, and
without a comb, form it into a graceful knot behind,
frequently adding chaplets of fragrant natural flowers
strung on a thread. Both sexes take great pains with
their hair, frequently washing it with a substance which
has the properties of soap, and keeping it anointed
with sweet oil."
" The custom of blacking the teeth is almost universal. When asked the reason of this custom, the answer is,: " What! should we have white teeth like a
dog or a monkey?"
Smoking and chewing are also universal. Malcom
says, " I have seen little creatures of two or three
years, stark naked, tottering about with a lighted cigar
in their mouth."  Tobacco is not used alone for these
purposes, but mixed with several other substances.
The dress of the men is a cotton cloth about four
and a half yards long, covering, when the man is not
at work, nearly the whole body in a graceful manner.
A jacket, with sleeves generally of white muslin, but




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.         43
often of broadcloth or velvet, is sometimes added, especially among the higher classes. On the feet, when
dressed, are worn sandals of wood or cowhide, covered with cloth, and held on by straps, one of which
passes over the instep, the other over the great toe.
On entering a house, these are always left at the door.
Women wear a temine, or petticoat, of cotton or
silk, lined with muslin, extending from the arm-pits to
the ankles. Over this is sometimes worn a jacket,
open in front with close, long sleeves.  Both sexes
wear ornaments in the ears. Men wear mustachios,
but pluck out the beard with tweezers.  Women, in
order to render their complexions more fair, rub over
the face a delicate yellow powder; and they occasionally stain the nails of the fingers and toes with a scarlet pigment. All ranks are exceedingly fond of flowers, and display great taste in arranging them.
The houses are made of timbers, or bamboos, set in
the earth, with lighter pieces fastened transversely
The sides are covered, some with mats, more or less
substantial and costly, others with thatch, fastened
with split ratans. The roof is very ingeniously made
and fastened on, and is a perfect security against wind
and rain. The floor is of split cane, elevated a few
feet from the earth, which secures ventilation and
cleanliness.  The windows and doors are of mat,
strengthened with a frame of bamboo, and strongly




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
fastened at the top. When open they are propped up
with a bamboo, and form a shade. Of course, there
are no chimneys. Cooking is done on a shallow box
a yard square, filled with earth.
We must not judge of the architectural skill of the
people by their private houses. A Burman conceals
his wealth with as much care as we exhibit ours, for a
display of it only subjects him to extortion from the
officers of government. Malcom describes some of
their zayats, pagodas and bridges, especially in and
near Ava, as truly noble.
Rice may be said to be the universal food. It is
generally eaten with a nice curry, and sauces of various vegetables are added. Wheat is not made into
bread by the natives, but boiled like rice. Its name
in Burmah is " foreigner's rice," which shows it is not
native to the country.
The natural good traits of the Burman character
are almost rendered nugatory by their religion, and
the oppressive nature of their government. The latter
is an absolute despotism. The king has a nominal
council with whom he may advise, but whose advice
he may, if he chooses, treat with utter contempt. It is
not, however, the direct oppression of the monarch
that causes most suffering among his subjects. It is
rather that of the inferior officers of government




LIFE OF MRS. ANN HI JUDSON,        45
whose rapacity and extortion renders property, liberty,
and life itself insecure. Deceit, fraud and lying are
the natural, if not necessary consequences of a system
which leaves the people entirely at the mercy of those
who bear rule over them.
The religion is Buddhism, one of the most ancient
and wide-spread superstitions existing on the face of
the earth. Its sacred Divinity, or Buddh, is Gaudama,
who has passed into a state of eternal and unconscious repose, which they consider the summit of felicity; but which seems to us to differ little from annihilation. Images of this god are the chief objects of
worship.  These are found in every house, and are
enshrined in pagodas and temples, and in sacred caves
which appear to have been used from time immemorial for religious purposes. The wealth and labor bestowed on the latter show how great the population
must have been in former ages.   Dr. Malcom describes one cave on the Salwen, which is wholly filled
with images of every size, while the whole face of the
mountain for ninety feet above the cave is incrusted
with them. "On every jutting crag stands some marble image covered with gold, and spreading its uncouth
proportions to the setting sun. Every recess is converted into shrines for others. But imposing as is this
spectacle, it shrinks into insignificance compared with
the scene presented on entering the cavern itself. It




46        LIFE OF MRS, ANN H. JUDSON.
is of vast size, and needs no human art to render it
sublime. The eye is confused and the heart appalled
at the prodigious exhibition of infatuation and folly.
Everywhere — on the floor, over head and on every
jutting point, are crowded together images of Gaudama-the offerings of successive ages. A ship of five
hundred tons could not carry away the half of them."
Pagodas are innumerable. In the inhabited parts
there is scarcely a peak, bank, or swelling hill, uncrowned by one of these structures. In general, they
are almost solid, without door or window, and contain
some supposed relic of Gaudama.
The religious system of the Burmans contains many
excellent moral precepts and maxims, which, however,
being without sanction or example, are utterly powerless to mould the character of the people to wisdom or
virtue.
A curious feature of Buddhism is, that one of the
highest motives it presents to its followers is the "obtaining of merit."  Merit is obtained by avoiding sins,
such as theft, lying, intoxication, and the like; and by
practising virtues and doing good works. The most
meritorious of all good works is to make an idol; the
next to build a pagoda. It confers high merit, also, to
build a zayat, to transcribe the sacred books, to erect
any useful public edifice, to dig public wells, or to plant
shade or fruit-trees by the wayside.  If they give




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.        47
alms, or treat animals kindly, or repeat prayers, or do
any other good deed, they do it entirely with this mercenary view of obtaining merit. This " merit" is not
so much to procure them happiness in another world,
as to secure them from suffering in their future transmigrations in this; for they believe that the soul of
one who dies without having laid up any merit, will
have to pass into the body of some mean reptile or
insect, and from that to another, through hundreds of
changes, perhaps, before it will be allowed again to
take the form of man.
This reliance on'merit,' and certainty of obtaining
it through prescribed methods, fosters their conceit, so
that ignorant and debased as they are, "there is
scarcely a nation more offensively proud." It also
renders them entirely incapable of doing or appreciating a disinterested action, or of feeling such a sentiment as gratitude. If you do them a favor, they suppose you do it to obtain merit for yourself, and of
course feel no obligation to you; the simple phrase,
"I thank you," is unknown in their language.
Like the ancient Romans, the Burmans believe in
dreams, omens, and unlucky days; observe the flight
and feeding of fowls, the howl of dogs, and the aspect
of the stars; they regard the lines in the hand, the
knots in trees, and a thousand other fortuitous cir



48        LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
cumstances, and by these allow their actions to be
governed.
The priesthood in Burmah is arranged into a regular hierarchy. The highest functionary is a kind of
archbishop, who presides over all the other priests in
the empire, and appoints the presidents of the monasteries. He resides at the imperial court, where he
has a high rank, and is considered one of the greatest
men in the kingdom. Below him are various ranks
of priests, each having his appointed sphere and appropriate duties, and all supported by the so-called voluntary contributions of the people. The number of
priests is exceedingly great, and their sway over the
minds of the people almost unlimited.
"But great and potent as the priests of Buddh are,"
says a writer in the Foreign Quarterly Review, " there
is a kind of sacred personage still greater than the
highest of them, and next in rank to the sovereign;
this is no other than that diseased animal, the White
Elephant, far more highly venerated here than in
Siam. The creature is supposed by the Burmans to
lodge within its carcass a blessed soul of some human
being, which has arrived at the last stage of the many
millions of transmigtations it was doomed to undergo,
and which, when it escapes, will be absorbed into the
essence of the Deity."  This most sacred personage
has a regular cabinet composed of a prime minister,




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.        49
secretary of state, transmitter of intelligence, &c.,
possesses estates in various parts of the country, and
receives handsome presents from foreign ambassadors.
His residence is contiguous to the royal palace, and
connected with it by a long open gallery, at the further end of which a curtain of black velvet embossed
with gold, conceals his august person from vulgar
eyes. His dwelling is a lofty hall splendidly gilded,
and supported by sixty-four pillars, to four of which
he is chained with massive silver chains. His bed is
a thick mattress, covered with blue cloth, over which
is a softer one of crimson silk. His trappings are
magnificent, being gold, studded with diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and other precious stones; his betel-box,
spittoon, and the vessel out of which he feeds, are of
gold inlaid with precious stones. His attendants, according to Hamilton, from whom we take a part of
this description, amount to over a thousand persons.
" Buddhism in its moral precepts is perhaps the best
religion ever invented by man. The difficulty is, its
entire basis is false. It is a religion of Atheism. Instead of a Heavenly Father forgiving sin, and filial
service from a pure heart, as the effect of love-it presents nothing to love, for its Deity is dead; nothing as
the ultimate object of action but self; and nothing for
man's highest and holiest ambition but annihilation."
"Their doctrine of merit, leaves no place for holi4




50        LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
ness, and destroys gratitude either to God or man." It
also ministers to the grossest pride, for the very fact
of his being now a man, assures the Buddhist that in
numberless former unremembered transmigrations, he
must have acquired incalculable merit, or he would
not now occupy so distinguished a rank in the scale of
being.
Their system of balancing evil with good, reduces
all sin to a thing of little importance. " If any man sin"
in Burmah, his religion tells him of no " advocate with
the Father," on whose altar he may lay the tribute of
a believing, penitent, obedient and grateful heart; but
instead, it tells him he may repeat a form of words, he
may feed a priest, he may build a pagoda, he may
carve an idol, and thus balance his iniquity with merit.
If any man suffer in Burmah, his religion points him
to no place where " the wicked cease from troubling,
and the weary are at rest," and where " God himself
will wipe away all tears from all faces;" but it dictates
a proud submission to unalterable fate, and flatters him
that his sufferings here may purchase immunity from
torment in some unknown future existence; and finally
if any man die, in Burmah, his religion tells him of no
Saviour who has "passed through the grave and
blessed the bed," and " swallowed up death in victory;"
but it threatens degradation, perhaps into a soulless
brute; or at best, a place of expiatory misery;-in




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.       51
short, "living or dying," the Burman may be said
emphatically to be " without hope, and without God in
the world."
Such was the stupendous system of superstition and
ignorance, which two feeble missionaries armed like
David when he met the Philistine with " trust in the
Lord their God" ventured to attack, and hoped to
subdue.




CHAPTER V.
RANGOON; LETTERS FROM MRS. JUDSON.
RANGOON, one of the chief seaports of the Burman
Empire, situated on one of the numerous mouths of
the Irrawaddy, and having a splendid harbor, is yet one
of the meanest, and most uninteresting cities that can
well be imagined. It is situated in a flat, marshy plain,
and is merely a vast collection of bamboo huts, with
narrow streets, and here and there an ugly building of
brick or wood, and would give a stranger a most unfavorable impression of the noble country to which it
is the entrance.
On their arrival at this city, Mr. and Mrs. Judson
took up their abode in a deserted mission-house just
outside the wall, which had formerly been occupied by
some Baptist missionaries from Serampore. The house
was large and not unsuited to the climate, but unfinished and comfortless. However, it had a garden full
of flowers and fruit-trees, and the scenery around it
was rural and pleasant. Here they found one Christian
female, the only person remaining of the former mis



LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.       53
sion family, and she was a native of the country.
Mrs. Judson's peculiar trials and encouragements at
this time will be best learned by extracts from her letters and journal.
July 30, 1813, she writes: " We felt very gloomy
and dejected the first night we arrived, in view of our
prospects; but we were enabled to lean on God, and
to feel that he was able to support us under the most
discouraging circumstances.
"' The next morning I prepared to go on shore, but
hardly knew how I should get to Mr. Carey's house;
it was, however, concluded that I should be carried in
an arm-chair; consequently, when I landed one was
provided, through which were put two bamboos, and
four of the natives took me on their shoulders. When
they had carried me a little way into the town, they
set me down under a shade, when great numbers of
the natives gathered round, having seldom seen an
English female. Being sick and weak, I held my head
down, which induced many of the native females to
come very near, and look under my bonnet. At this
I looked up and smiled, on which they set up a loud
laugh. They again took me up to carry, and the multitude of natives gave a shout which much diverted
us. They next carried me to a place they call the
custom-house. It was a small open shed, in which
were seated on mats, several natives, who were the




54        LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
custom-house officers.  After searching Mr. Judson
very closely, they asked liberty for a native female to
search me, to which I readily consented. I was then
brought to the mission-house, where I have nearly
recovered my health."
"July 22.-It is now a week since we arrived here.
My health is quite restored, and I feel much more contented and happy than I ever expected to be in such a
situation. I think I enjoy the promises of God in a
higher degree than ever before, and have attained
more true peace of mind and trust in the Saviour.
When I look back to my late situation in that wretched
old vessel, without any accommodations-scarcely the
necessaries of life-no physician-no female attendants-so weak that I could not move-I hope I am
deeply sensible of the kind care of my heavenly Father
in carrying me safely through the peculiar dangers of
the voyage, and giving me once more a resting-place
on land.
"Still, were it not for the support we derive from the
gospel of Jesus, we should be ready to sink down in
despondency in view of the dark and gloomy scenes
around us. But when we recollect that Jesus has
commanded his disciples to carry the gospel to the
heathen, and promised to be with them to the end of
the world; that God has promised to give the heathen
to his Son for an inheritance, we are encouraged to




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.        55
make a beginning, though in the midst of discouragement, and leave it to Him to grant success in his own
time and way."
"I find here no female friends with whom I can
unite in social prayer, nor even one with whom I can
converse. I have, indeed, no society at all except that
of Mr. Judson, yet I feel happy in thinking that I gave
up this source of pleasure, as well as most others, for
the sake of the poor heathen."
In her journal we find the following sentiment:
"Though we find ourselves almost destitute of all
those sources of enjoyment to which we have been
accustomed, and are in the midst of a people who are
at present almost destitute on account of the scarcity
of provisions; though we are exposed to robbers by
night and invaders by day, yet we both unite in saying
that we never were happier, never more contented in
any situation than the present. We feel that this is
the post to which God hath appointed us; that we
are in the path of duty; and though surrounded with
danger and death, we feel that God can with infinite
ease, preserve and support us under the most heavy
sufferings.
"Oh, if it may please the dear Redeemer to make
me instrumental of leading some of the females of
Burmah to a saving acquaintance with Him, my great
* The war had almost produced a famine.




56        LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
object will be accomplished, my highest desires gratified, I shall rejoice to have relinquished my comforts,
my country and my home."   "Oh Lord, here I am;
thou hast brought me to this heathen land, and given
me desires to labor for thee. Do with me what pleaseth thee. Make me useful or not as seemeth good in
thy sight. But oh, let my soul live before thee; let
me serve none but thee; let me have no object in life
but the promotion of thy glory."
"Aug. 15.-I have begun to study the language.
Find it very hard and difficult, having none of the
usual helps in acquiring a language, except a small
part of a grammar, and six chapters of St. Matthew's
Gospel by Mr. Carey, now at Ava."
" Aug. 28.-Have been writing letters this week to
my dear friends in America. Found that a recollection of former enjoyments in my own native country,
made my situation here appear less tolerable. The
thought that I had parents, sisters, and beloved
friends still in existence, and at such a distance that it
was impossible to obtain one look or exchange a word,
was truly painful. While they are still in possession
of the comforts I once enjoyed, I am an exile from my
country and my father's house, deprived of all society
and every friend but one, and with scarcely the necessaries of life. These privations would not be endured
with patience in any other cause but that in which we




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.        57
are engaged. But since it is thy cause, blessed Jesus,
we rejoice that thou didst give us so many enjoyments
to sacrifice, and madest it so plainly our duty to forsake all in order to bring thy truth to the benighted
heathen. We would not resign our work, but live
contented with our lot, and live to Thee."
"Sept. 5.-Yes, I do feel thankful that God has
brought me to this heathen land, and placed me in a
situation peculiarly calculated to make me feel my dependence on him and my constant need of the influences of the Holy Spirit. I enjoy more in reading the
Scriptures, and in secret prayer than for years before;
and the prosperity of this mission, and the conversion
of this people, lie with weight on my mind, and draw
forth my heart in constant intercession. And I do
confidently believe that God will visit this land with
Gospel light, that these idol temples will be demolished,
and temples for the worship of the living God be
erected in their stead."
Let us here pause for a moment and contemplate
the picture brought by these words before our imagination. Let us survey the scene in which the lonely
missionary penned this prediction. A vast country,
not waste and uninhabited, but enriched by the partial sun with every natural gift to cheer the sense and
gratify the taste of man; swarming with human
beings endowed with capacities for advancement in




68        LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
knowledge, and virtue, and temporal enjoyment, as
well as for immortal happiness; yet who, having said
in their heart there is no God'that minds the affairs of
men,' have built up for themselves a fabric of absurd
superstitions, and unmeaning rites, and senseless formalities, to which they cling with a stubbornness that
nothing but the power of God can subdue; on such a
shore are cast by the providence of God two'pilgrim
strangers,' not endowed with apostolic gifts; not able
to control disease, or raise the dead, or even to speak
in a foreign tongue without long and patient and assiduous study to acquire it; and yet with a simple and
sublime faith in the clear and sure word of their master, " Go-preach my Gospel-lo, I am with you,"
these pilgrim strangers can CONFIDENTLY BELIEVE that
God will visit this land with gospel light, and that
those gilded fanes which now glisten in the morning
and evening sun, on every hill-top, will fall, and those
poor idolaters will say, " What have we to do any
more with idols?" " our trust is in the name of the
Lord that made heaven and earth."
In one of the last paragraphs of her private journal
which has been preserved, dated Oct. 8th of the same
year, she says: " To-day I have been into the town,
and I was surprised at the multitude of people with
which the streets are filled. Their countenances are
intelligent; and they appear to be capable, under the




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSOT.       59
influence of the Gospel, of becoming a valuable and
respectable people. But at present their situation is
truly deplorable, for they are given to every sin. Lying
is so universal among them that they say, I we cannot
live without telling lies.' They believe the most absurd notions imaginable. My teacher told me the
other day, that when he died he would go to my country; I shook my head, and told him he would not; but
he laughed, and said he would. I did not understand
the language sufficiently to tell him where he would
go, or how he could be saved. Oh thou Light of the
world, dissipate the thick darkness that covers Burmah.
Display thy grace and power among the Burmanssubdue them to thyself, and make them thy chosen
people."




CHAPTER VI.
LEARNING THE LANGUAGE. —MRS. JUDSON VISITS THE WIFE OF THE VICEROY. —HER SICKNESS. —HER VOYAGE TO MADRAS.-HER RETURN TO RANGOON. —BIRTH OF A SON.
THOSE who have acquired a modern European language with the aid of grammars, dictionaries, and other
suitable books, can scarcely estimate the labor of
learning without such aids, such a language as the
Burman. In fact Mr. Judson thinks more progress
can be made in the French in a few months, than in
the Burman in two years. Mrs. Judson took the
whole management of family affairs on herself, in order
to leave her husband at liberty to prosecute his studies;
and the consequence was, that being obliged constantly
to use all the Bnrman she knew\, in her intercourse
with servants, traders, and others, her progress was
more rapid than his.
One cause of dificulty in learning their language
was that their books were made of palm-leaves, marked
or engraved with an iron style or pen, without ink.
We who are accustomed to clear characters on paper,




LIFE OF MIRS. ANN H. JUDSON.        61
can hardly imagine the difficulty of tracing out these
obscure scratches on the dried palm-leaves. Another
was that in writing, "their words are not fairly divided
like ours by breaks, and points, and capitals, but run
together in a long continuous line, a sentence or paragraph seeming like one long word."  Another difficulty was, that in their idiom, a great variety of verbs
must be used to express one action, either as performed
by persons of different rank, or as done under different
circumstances. Thus there are three or four ways to
speak of eating rice, sleeping, dying, &c. one of which
is always used of the king, another of priests, another
of rulers, and another of common persons, and it would
be an insult to use a phrase lower than one is entitled
to. Again, for our term to zoash, for instance, there
are many words; one is used for to zwash the face,
another, the hands, another, linen, another, dishes, &c.
They have in their language eleven vowels and thirtythree consonants, but of these there are so many combinations, that about one thousand characters must be
used in printing. Pointing, however, was unknown to
l-the Burmans until our missionaries introduced it.
As no progress at all could be made in their missionary labors until the language was mastered, they
applied themselves cheerfully and diligently to its
acquisition.
An interesting incident is related by Mrs. Judson




62        LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
under date of Dec. 11th, 18i3, her first visit to the wife
of a man in power. " To-day for the first time I have
visited the wife of the Viceroy. I was introduced to
her by a French lady who has frequently visited her.
When we first arrived at the government house, she
was not up, consequently we had to wait some time.
But the inferior wives of the Viceroy diverted us much
by their curiosity, in minutely examining everything
we had on, and by trying on our gloves, bonnets, &c.
At last her Highness made her appearance, richly
dressed in the Burman fashion, with a long silver pipe
in her mouth, smoking. At her appearance all the
other wives took their seats at a respectful distance,
and sat in a crouching posture without speaking. She
received me very politely, took me by the hand, seated
me upon a mat and herself by me. One of the women
brought her a bunch of flowers, of which she took
several and ornamented my cap. She was very inquisitive whether I had a husband and children, whether
I was my husband's first wife,-meaning by this
whether I was the highest among them, supposing that
Mr. Judson, like the Burmans, had many wives; and
whether I intended tarrying long in the country.
When the Viceroy came in I really trembled, for I
never before beheld such a savage-looking creature.
H-is long robe and enormous spear not a little increased
my dread. He spoke to me, however, very conde



LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.        63
scendingly, and asked whether I would drink some
rum or wine. When I arose to go, her highness took
my hand again, told me she was happy to see me, and
that I must come to see her every day. She led me to
the door, I made my salam and departed.
" My object in visiting her was, that if we should get
into any difficulty with the Burmans, I could have
access to her, when perhaps it would not be possible
for Mir. Judson to have an audience with the Viceroy."
In pursuing his study of the language, Mr. Judson
had fortunately secured as a teacher a Burman of more
than ordinary intelligence, and who had a perfect
knowledge of the grammatical construction of the
Burman dialect, and also of the Pali, or language of
the sacred books. Day after day he sat with his
teacher in the open verandah which surrounded their
dwelling, reading, writing, and talking, joined by Mrs.
Judson in every interval she could spare from family
cares, and thus were they fitting themselves to teach
to the poor idolaters the new religion. Nor did they
neglect such opportunities of doing good as presented
themselves even then; but every effort to inculcate
their sentiments was met with the objection, "Your
religion is good for you, ours for us."  "You will be
rewarded for your good deeds in your way, we in our
way."  They found they had to deal with one of the
proudest and most conceited races on earth. Their




64        LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
very religion, as we have before said, encourages this
conceit, by leading them constantly to make "a merit"
of their good actions, or what they suppose such; while
it inculcates neither contrition nor penitence. The
peculiar doctrines of Christianity, its justification through
the merits of another, its humility and charity, were in
the last degree opposed to the character of the Burman
race. The missionaries were made daily more sensible
that the Spirit of God must come " with power," before
the truth could ever enter those darkened understandings. Prayer was therefore their only reliance, as it
was their only comfort.
But even this enjoyment, as far as it was social, was
soon broken in upon by the increasing illness of Mrs.
Judson, which obliged her to try the effect of a change
of scene and climate. She could not think of taking
Mr. Judson from his labors, and therefore embarked
alone in January, 1815, for Madras. We may imagine
the joy experienced by the missionary, thus left behind,
on receiving during her absence letters from this country, containing an account of the general movement in
America in favor of the Mission, and the formation of
the Baptist General Convention. His heart overflowed
with gratitude, and the thought that though he had no
friend near him, there were yet hundreds in his native
land praying and laboring in the same cause, inspired
him with new zeal in his beloved enterprise.




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.        65
Mrs. Judson's journey, though solitary, was prosperous and successful. Friends appeared for her where
she least expected them. The influence of her engaging person and winning manners is observable in the
obliging attention she received even from strangers.
The Viceroy appointed a woman to accompany her,
free of expense; the captain refused money for her
passage; and the physician at Madras, from whom
she had received visits for six weeks, returned the fee
which she sent him, saying he was happy if he had
been of service to her. Her health being perfectly
restored she returned to Rangoon after an absence of
three months, and "on the 11th of September, was
made the happy mother of a little son." She soon resumed her studies, and though she saw little other result of her labors, was cheered by noticing that she
and her husband were gradually gaining the confidence of the natives, who, as she says, would say to
each other " that they need not be afraid to trust us,
for we do not tell falsehoods as the Burmans do." The
indolent and deceitful Burmans saw with surprise that
these two Christians always kept themselves busily
employed, and paid every debt they contracted with
strict punctuality. Thus was laid the foundation of
respect for the new religion.
5




CHAPTER VII.
DIFFICULTY OF INCULCATING THE GOSPEL.-DEATH OF HER SON.-FAILURE
OF MR. JUDSON'S HEALTH.-ARRIVAL OF MR. AND MRS. HOUGH AT BANGOON.
IN a letter which Mrs. Judson wrote to her sisters
in December, 1815, she says: " Doubtless you expect
by this time that some of the Burmans have embraced
the Christian religion, or at least are seriously inquiring respecting it."  "But you cannot imagine how
very difficult it is to give them any idea of the true
God and the way of salvation by Christ, since their
present ideas of Deity are so very low." " They have
not the least idea of a Divinity who is eternal, without
beginning or end. All their deities have been through
the several grades of creatures, from a fowl to a God.."  " They know of no other atonement for sin,
than offerings to their priests or their pagodas."
She goes on to mention some instances of serious
inquiry among the people, which from time to time
had raised their hopes, only to dash them again by the
relapse of the inquirers into indifference; but adds:




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.       67
"These things do not discourage us. It is God alone
who can effectually impress the mind with divine
truths; and though seed may lie buried long in the
dust, yet at some future period it may spring up and
bear fruit to the glory of God."
In this letter she gives an account of the recall of
the Viceroy from Rangoon to Ava, the imperial residence, and the consequent confusion of the people, ten
thousand of whom accompanied him to Ava. She regretted his departure, as both he and his lady had ever
treated her with civility and kindness. The newly
appointed Viceroy was a stranger, and might not be
equally kind to them.
She says, "Oh how I long to visit Bradford; to
spend a few evenings by your firesides, in telling you
what I have seen and heard. Alas! we have no fireside,
no social circle. We are still alone in this miserable
country, surrounded by thousands ignorant of the true
God.".. "But we still feel happy in our employment, and have reason to thank God that he has
brought us here. We do hope to live to see the Scriptures translated into the Burman language, and a
church formed from among these idolaters."
Her next letter details " with all the pathos of a
mother's sorrow," a new trial to which they were
called by Him, who though "clouds and darkness are
about him," yet "doeth all things well."




68        LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
" May 7th, 1816.-My dear Parents,-Little did I
think when I wrote you last, that my next letter would
be filled with the melancholy subject upon which I
must now write. Death, regardless of our lonely situation has entered our dwelling, and made one of the
happiest of families wretched. Our little Roger Williams, our only little darling boy, was three days ago
laid in the silent grave.  Eight months we enjoyed
the precious little gift, in which time he had so completely entwined himself around his parents' hearts
that his existence seemed necessary to their own. But
God has taught us by affliction, what we would not
learn by mercies —that our hearts are his exclusive
property, and whatever rival intrudes, he will tear it
away."
" He was a remarkably pleasant child-never cried
except when in pain, and what we often observed to
each other was the most singular, he never during his
little existence manifested the least anger or resentment at anything. This was not owing to the want
of intellect, for his tender feelings of sensibility were
very conspicuous. Whenever I or his father, passed
his cradle without taking him, he would follow us with
his eyes to the door, when they would fill with tears,
his countenance so expfessive of grief, though perfectly
silent, that it would force us back to him, which
would cause his little heart to be as joyful as it had




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.        69
before been sorrowful. He would lie hours on a mat
by his papa's study-table, or by the side of his chair on
the floor, if he could only see his face. When we had
finished study or the business of the day, it was our
exercise and amusement to carry him round the house
or garden, and though we were alone, we felt not our
solitude when he was with us."...
Her account of his last sickness and death follows,
and she adds: " Thus died our little Roger:'Short pain, short grief, dear babe, was thineNow joys eternal and divine.'
We buried him in the afternoon of the same day, in
a little enclosure, the other side of the garden. Forty
or fifty Burmans and Portuguese followed with his
afflicted parents the last remains to the silent grave.
All the Burmans who were acquainted with us, tried
to sympathize with us and console us under our loss."... c; We do not feel a disposition to murmur, or
inquire of our Sovereign why he has done this. We
wish rather to sit down submissively under the rod and
bear the smart, till the end for which the affliction was
sent shall be accomplished. Our hearts were bound
up in this child; we felt he was our earthly all, our
only source of innocent recreation in this heathen land.
But God saw it was necessary to remind us of our
error and strip us of our. little all. Oh may it not be




70        LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
in vain that he has done it. May we so improve it
that he will stay his hand and say,' It is enough.'"  A
while after this she writes: "Since worship I have
stolen away to a much loved spot, where I love to sit
and pay the tribute of affection to my lost, darling child.
It is a little enclosure of mango-trees, in the centre of
which is erected a small bamboo house, on a rising
spot of ground, which looks down on the new-made
grave of our infant boy. Here I now sit, and though
all nature around wears a most delightful, and romantic
appearance, yet my heart is sad, and my tears frequently
stop my pen. You, my dear Mrs. L. who are a mother,
may imagine my sensations, but if you have never lost
a first born, an only son, you can never know my pain.
Had you even buried your little boy, you are in a
Christian country, surrounded by friends and relatives,
who could soothe your anguish and direct your attention to other objects. But behold us, solitary and
alone, with this one source of recreation! Yet this is
denied us, this must be removed, to show us that we
need no other source of enjoyment but God himself.
"Do not think though I write thus, that I repine at
the dealings of Providence. No! though he slay me
yet will I trust in him!... Though I say with the
Prophet, Behold and see if there be any sorrow like
unto my sorrow, yet I would also say, It is of the Lord's
mercies that we are not consumed because his com



LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.                  71
passions fail not. God is the same when he afflicts, as
when he is merciful, just as worthy of our entire trust
and confidence now, as when he entrusted us with the
precious little gift. There is a bright side even to this
heavy affliction."
The following tender and beautiful effusion was
written by the Rev. J. Lawson of the Serampore Mission and presented to Mrs. Judson on this occasion.
As it has not been published in former notices of Mrs.
J. we take pleasure in inserting it here.
" Hush'd be the murmuring thought! Thy will be done,
0 Arbiter of life and death. I bow
To thy command-I yield the precious gift
So late bestowed; and to the silent grave
Move sorrowing, yet submissive. O sweet babe!
I lay thee down to rest-the cold, cold earth
A pillow for thy little head. Sleep on,
Serene in death. No care shall trouble thee.
All undisturbed thou slumberest; far more still
Than when I lulled thee in my lap, and sooth'd
Thy little sorrows till they ceased........
Then felt thy mother peace; her heart was light
As the sweet sigh that'scaped thy placid lips,
And joyous as the dimpled smile that played
Across thy countenance.-O I must weep
To think of thee, dear infant, on my knees
Untroubled sleeping. Bending o'er thy form,
I watch'd with eager hope to catch the laugh
First waking from thy sparkling eye, a beam
Lovely to me as the blue light of heaven.
Dimm'd in death's agony, it beams no more!
Oh yet once more I kiss thy marble lips,
Sweet babe! and press with mine thy whitened cheeks.




72         LIFE OF MRS. ANN II. JUDSON.
Farewell, a long farewell!-Yet visit me
In dreams, my darling; though the visioned joy
Wake bitter pangs, still be thou in my thoughts,
And I will cherish the dear dream, and think
I still possess thee. Peace, my bursting heart!
O I submit. Again I lay thee down,
Dear relic of a mother's hope. Thy spirit,
Now mingled with cherubic hosts, adores
That grace that ransomed it, and lodg'd it safe
Above the stormy scene."
She then gives an interesting account of a visit paid
them by the wife of the Viceroy, who on hearing of
the death of the'little white child' as she called him,
came to condole with his parents. She was attended
by about two hundred of her officers of state and members of her household, expressed great sympathy in
Mrs. Judson's affliction, and reproached her for not
having sent her word that she might have come to the
funeral. Mrs. Judson says, "I regaled her with tea,
sweetmeats, and cakes, with which she seemed much
pleased."  She adds, " I sometimes have good opportunities of communicating religious truths to the women
in the government-house, and hope I shall have an
opportunity of conversing with the wife of the Viceroy
herself."... "Oh that she might become a real disciple of Jesus!"
In the same melancholy letter she relates another
affliction-Mr. Judson, who had frequently been asked
by the natives,'Where are your religious books?' had




LIFE OF MRS. ANN tIL JUDSONo       73
been diligently employed in preparing a Tract in the
Burman language called'A Summary of Christian
Truth;' when his nervous system, and especially his
head became so afflicted, that he was obliged to lay
aside all study, and seriously think of a voyage to Calcutta as his only means of restoration. But he was
prevented from executing his design by the joyful news
that two additional missionaries were about to join
them. Mr. and Mrs. Hough, from America, arrived
in Rangoon in October, 1816; and brought with them
as a present from the Mission at Serampore, a p rinting
press, with a fount of types in the Burmnan character,
than which nothing could have been more acceptable.
Can we wonder that after laboring in loneliness and
sorrow three years, such an event as this should fill
their hearts with joy and consolation?
The Burmans are very generally taught to read,
though having little that is attractive in their own literature, and books being scarce and dear, they could not
at the time of which we write, be said to be a reading
people. Still the fact that numbers were able to read,
was a strong encouragement to print tracts and books
for them. On the occasion of printing the tract abovementioned, and a catechism, Mr. Hough writes thus:
"These two little tracts are the first printing ever
done in Burmah; and it is a fact grateful to every
Christian feeling, that God has reserved the introduction
of this art here, for his own use."




CHAPTER VIIl
MISSIONARY LABORS.-FEMALE INTELLECT IN BURMAH. —DESCRIPTION OP
A PAGODA, OF BURIIMAN WORSHIP AND OFFERINGS,
A CIRCUMSTANCE still more cheering to the hearts of
the missionaries than even the arrival of companions
from their beloved native land, was a visit of a Burman
who having read the " two little books" from the press
of Mr. Hough, came to inquire further into the new.
religion. When Mr. Judson first heard from the lips
of an idolater the confession that "God is a Being'without beginning or end, not subject to old age or
death, but who always is,"-his feelings were indescribable and overpowering. Here at length was a
germination of that seed they had so long been sowing
in tears! For if one heathen heart could be thus led
by the Spirit to investigate the truth, why not more,why not many? and why might not thei same Spirit
lead them to him who is not only the truth, but the
way,-the way to Heaven?
They soon received visits from other Burmans who
had seen the tracts issued by them; and who seemed
desirous of learning the truth, but still very fearful of




LIFE OF MRS. ANN I. JUDSON.        75
being known as inquirers. It became necessary therefore to seek the patronage of the government, and Mr,
Judson determined, so soon as he should have finished
his dictionary of the language, to proceed to Ava, the
residence of the emperor.
Mrs. Judson met every Sabbath a society of fifteen
or twenty females, to whom she read the Scriptures,
and talked about God. They were attentive, and
willing to ask and answer questions, but for a long
time experienced no abiding convictions of sin or of
duty. Some were willing to serve Christ if they could
do it without renouncing dependence on their own
merits. Others would serve God, if they might serve
Gaudama also.
As there is a tendency in enlightened minds to feel
a contempt for the intellect of barbarians; and as some
have even felt that time spent as Mrs. Judson's was
with those native females, was thrown away, we will
here record her testimony to the intelligence of the
Burmese women. "The females of this country are
lively, inquisitive, strong and energetic, susceptible of
friendship and the warmest attachment, and possess
minds capable of rising to the highest state of cultivation and refinement.... This is evident from their
mode of conversing," and may be illustrated by some
particulars in the experience of one of them, named
May-Meulah.




76        LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
Previous to the arrival of the missionaries in her
country, her active mind was led to inquire the origin
of all things. Who created all that her eyes beheld?
She inquired of all she met, and visited priests and
teachers in vain; and such was her anxiety, that her
friends feared for her reason. She resolved to learn
to read, that she might consult the sacred books. Her
husband, willing to gratify her curiosity, taught her to
read himself. In their sacred literature she found
nothing satisfactory. For ten years she prosecuted
her inquiries, when God in his providence brought to
her notice a tract written by Mr. Judson in the Burmese language, which so far solved her difficulties, that
she was led to seek out its author. From him she
learned the truths of the gospel, and by the Holy Spirit
those truths were made the means of her conversion.
"She became an ornament to her profession, and her
daily walk and conversation would shame many professors in Christian countries."
Christians in America, was MSrs. Judson's time
thrown away, when she was leading Burmese females
to the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus?
One of the most splendid buildings in the empire is
a pagoda at Rangoon, in which is enshrined a relic of
Gaudama. At this pagoda, a yearly feast is celebrated
which lasts three days, and draws people together from
all parts of the country.




LIFE OF MIRS. ANN H. JUDSON.       77
Mrs. Judson says —"(If Dr. Young could have seen
the devotion of this people to their idolatry, he might
well have exclaimed,'0 for a heathen zeal in Christian
hearts!' Even while I am writing my ears are stunned
with the noise and confusion of preparation for an
approaching festival. Could you, my dear sir, but once
witness this annual feast, could you behold the enthusiasm of their devotions, you would readily admit that
nothing short of an Almighty arm could break down
these strong barriers, and cause the introduction of the
gospel."
The pagoda itself is thus described by Dr. Malcom.
"Two miles from Rangoon stands the celebrated
pagoda called Shooda-gon. It stands upon a small
hill, surmounted by many smaller pagodas, and many
noble trees. The hill has been graduated into successive terraces, sustained by brick walls; and the
summit, which is completely leveled, contains about
two acres.
" The two principal approaches from the city are lined
on each side, for a mile, with fine pagodas, some almost
vieing for size with Shoodagon itself. Passing these,
on your way from the city, you come to a flight of
time-worn steps, covered by a curious arcade of little
houses of various forms and sizes, some in partial decay,
others truly beautiful. After crossing some terraces,
covered in the same manner, you reach the top, and




78        LIFE OF MRS. ANN II. JUPSON.
passing a great gate, enter at once this sad but imposing theatre of Gaudama's glory. One's first impressions are, what terrible grandeur; what sickening
magnificence; what absurd imagery; what extravagant expenditure; what long successions of devotees
to procure this throng of buildings of such various
dates; what a poor religion which makes such labors
its chief meritoriousness! Before you, stands the huge
Shoodagon, its top among the clouds, and its golden
sides blazing in the glories of an eastern sun. Around
are pompous zayats, noble pavements, Gothic mausoleums, uncouth colossal lions, curious stone umbrellas,
graceful cylindrical banners of gold-embroidered muslin
hanging from lofty pillars, enormous stone jars in rows
to receive offerings, tapers burning before the images,
exquisite flowers displayed on every side filling the air
with fragrance, and a multitude of carved figures of
idols, grifins, guardians, &c.
" Always in the morning, men and women are seen
in every direction kneeling behind their gift, and
with uplifted hands reciting their devotions, often
with a string of beads counting over each repetition; aged persons sweep out every place, or pick
out the grass from  the crevices; dogs and crows
struggle around the altars, and devour the recent
offerings; the great bells utter their frequent tones;




LIFE OFP ME, ArNN H. JUDSON.o      79
and the mutter of praying voices makes a hum like
the buzzing of an exchange.
" Every worshipper brings a present, often a bunch
of flowers or a few green twigs plucked on the way;
but generally the nicest eatables ready cooked, beautiful bunches of flowers, articles of raiment, &c. The
amount of offerings here is very great. Stone vases,
some of which will hold fifty or sixty gallons, stand
round the pagoda, into which the devotees carefully
lay their leafy plates of rice, plantain, cakes, &c. As
these are successively filled, appointed persons empty
them into their vessels, carefully assorting the various
kinds. The beautiful flowers remain all night and are
swept out in the morning. No one ever objected
however to my gathering them at pleasure. A gift
once deposited is no more regarded by the worshipper."," I could not but feel as I gazed upon the rich
landscape and bright heavens, and marked the joy of
the young men and maidens as they passed on,.that he
who has so long forborne with them, will in his abundant mercy, give them pastors after his own heart,
who shall feed them with knowledge and understanding."
After reading this description, who can wonder at
the difficulty of turning this semi-barbarous people,
from a religion of such a gorgeous and imposing ceremonia!, and of such perfect congeniality with the un



80        LIFE OF MRS. ANN }I. JUDSON,
humbled heart, to the spiritual, self-denying, prideabasing doctrines of the cross?'iMrs. Judson in a letter to a friend, mentions the
splendor and costliness of some of the religious offerings, one of wvhich cost three thousand tickals, or
twelve hundred dollars. After a description of the
pagoda and its worshippers, she says: "The ground
on which the pagoda is situated, commands a view of
the surrounding country, which presents one of the
most beautiful landscapes in nature.  The polished
spires of the pagodas, glistening among the trees at a
distance, appear like the steeples of meeting-houses in
our American seaports. The verdant appearance of
the country, the hills and valleys, ponds and rivers,
the banks of which are covered with cattle and fields
of rice; each in turn attract the eye, and cause the
beholder to exclaim, "Was this delightful country
made to be the residence of idolaters?"... Oh my
friend, scenes like these, productive of feelings so various and so opposite, do notwithstanding, fire the soul
with an unconquerabl e desire to rescue this people
from destruction, and lead them to the Rock that is
higher than they."
Under date of January 18, 1818, IMrs. Judson writes
that they still live quietly, unmolested by government,
and that they receive much respect and affection




LIFE OF MRS. ANN I. JUDSON.        81
from  the Viceroy and his family.  She had some
opportunities of private religious conversation with
the Vicereine, to whom she presented a translation of
Matthew's Gospel and a catechism. Still the heart of
the lady appeared unaffected, though she ordered her
daughters to be instructed in the new catechism.
The inquirer who was mentioned as having afforded
Mr. Judson such lively satisfaction, had been appointed to a government in a distant province, so that they
saw little of him, but were gratified to learn that his
interest in religious books still continued.




CHAPTER IX.
DISTRESSING EVENTS. —IR. JUDSON S ABSENCE FROM RANGOON.-PERSECUTION OF MIR. HOUGII.-HIS DEPARTURE FOR BENGAL. —MRS. JUDSON'S
HEROIC FORTITUDE.-MR. JUDSON'S RETURN.
WE have now to relate some distressing events connected with the mission, which for a time threatened
its very existence.
Mr. Judson having decided to commence a course
of public preaching to the natives, thought best to secure the assistance of a native convert from the province of Arracan, who spoke the Burman language, to
assist him in his first public efforts. He therefore embarked for that province, leaving Mrs. Judson to continue her efforts with the females under her instruction; while Mr. and Mrs. Hough were to prosecute
the study of the language.  He intended to be gone
but three months, but at the end of that period, when
his return was daily expected, a vessel from Chittagong, the port to which he had sailed, arrived at
Rangoon, bringing the distressing tidings, that neither
he, nor the vessel he sailed in had been heard of at




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.        83
that port.  Letters received by Mrs. Judson from
Bengal, also brought similar intelligence.
While the missionaries left in Rangoon were in this
state of fearful alarm and suspense, Mr. Hough received an order to repair instantly to the Court House
with a threat, that " if he did not tell all the truth in
relation to the foreigners, they would write with his
heart's blood." This message spread consternation
among the native teachers, domestics and adherents,
some of whom heard that a royal order had arrived
for the banishment of all foreign teachers. Mr. Hough
was detained at the court-house from day to day on
the most flimsy pretences, ignorant of the language,
and with no one to intercede with the government in
his behalf, for it was contrary to etiquette for a woman
to appear before the Viceroy, his family being absent.
Mrs. Judson being at length convinced that the petty
officers of government were acting in this matter without authority, and for the purpose of extorting money
from Mr. Hough, with the intrepidity that always
marked her character, " taking her life in her hand",
went boldly to the palace with a petition for his release. The Viceroy immediately granted it, and commanded that M~r. Hough should receive no further
molestation.
To add to the distresses of the missionaries, the
cholera now raged around them with fearful violence,




84        LIFE OF MRS, ANN H. JUDSON.
and there were rumors of war between England and
Burmah. Six months had passed, and still the fate of
Mr. Judson was a fearful mystery. The English vessels were hastening their departure from the harbor,
and soon they would have no means of leaving the
country, whatever might occur. Mrs. Judson writes:
" Mr. Hough has been for some time past desirous to
have Mrs. Hough, his children and myself go to Bengal. But I have ever felt resolved not to make any
movement till I hear from Mr. Judson. Within a few
days, however, some circumstances have occurred
which have induced me to make preparations for a
voyage. There is but one remaining ship in the river;
and if an embargo is laid on English ships it will be
impossible for Mr. Judson (if he is yet alive) to return
to this place. But the uncertainty of meeting him in
Bengal, and the possibility of his arriving in my absence, cause me to make preparations with a heavy
heart. Sometimes I feel inclined to remain here, alone,
and hazard the consequences. I should certainly conclude on this step, if any probability existed of Mr.
Judson's return. This mission has never appeared in
so low a state as at the present time. It seems now
entirely destroyed, as we all expect to embark for
Bengal in a day or two. Alas! how changed are our
prospects since Mr. Judson left us! How dark, how
intricate the providence that now surrounds us! Yet




LIFE OF MRS. ANN. H. JUDSON.       85
it becomes us to be still, and know that he is God who
has thus ordered our circumstances."'
A fortnight later, she writes: "Alone, my dear
friends, in this great house,.... I take my pen to
record the strange vicissitudes through which I have
passed within a few days.
On the 5th of this month, I embarked with  ir.
Hough and family for Bengal, having previously disposed of what I could not take with me.... My
disinclination to proceed had increased to such a degree that I was on the point of giving up the voyage;
but my passage was paid, my baggage on board, and I
knew not how to separate myself from the rest of the
mission family. The vessel however was several days
in going down the river; and "before putting out to
sea was to be detained a day or two longer at its
mouth."  "I immediately resolved on giving up the
voyage and returning to town. Accordingly the captain sent up a boat with me, and agreed to forward my
baggage the next day. I reached town in the evening,spent the night at the house of the only remaining Englishman in the place, and to-day have come out to the
mission-house, to the great joy of all the Burmans left on
our premises. Mr. Hough and his family will proceed,
and they kindly and affectionately urge my return. I
know I am surrounded by dangers on every hand, and
expect to see much anxiety and distress; but at present




86        LIFE OF MRS. ANN Hi. JUDSON.
I am tranquil, and intend to make an effort to pursue
my studies as formerly, and leave the event with God."
Thus did this heroic woman, with that divine "instinct that seems to guide the noblest natures in great
emergencies, decide to return alone to the missionhouse, there to await the return of her husband, or the
confirmation of her worst fears concerning his fate."
It was a wonderful exhibition of courage and constancy; "and gave assurance of all the distinguished
qualities, which at a later period, and amid dangers
still more appalling, shone with such brightness around
the character of this remarkable woman. The event
justified her determination; and within a week after
her decision was taken, Mr. Judson arrived at Rangoon,
having been driven from place to place by contrary
winds, and having entirely failed of the object for
which he undertook the voyage.
"Mr. and Mrs. Hough, after long delays, reached
Bengal, carrying with them the press and all the implements of the printing-house. Their removal was subsequently productive of many embarrassments to the
Mission, and seems never to have been fully justified
either by Mr. Judson or the Board of Managers in
America."*
* Gammel.




CHAPTER X.
INTOLERANCE OF THE BURIJAN GOVERNMENT.-FIRST EDIFICE FOR CORISTIAN WORSHIP ERECTED.-INSTRUCTION OF NATIVES.-CONVERSION OF A
NATIVE.-HIS BAPTISA. —THAT OF TWO TIMID DISCIPLES. —ESSRS. JUDSON AND COLMAN VISIT AVA.
A FEW weeks after the return of Mr. Judson, the
prospects of the Mission were still further brightened
by the arrival of Messrs. Colman and Wheelock, who,
with their wives, had been appointed by the Board in
America, Missionaries to Burmah. They were young
men of good talents, fervent piety, and extraordinary
devotion to the object of evangelizing the heathen.
Mr. Judson, considering himself sufficiently master
of the language to preach publicly, decided to build a
small zayat, on a much frequented road, where he could
preach the gospel, and converse with any native who
might desire it, and where Mrs. Judson could meet
female inquirers, and hold a school for religious and
other instruction. He knew that this might draw
upon them the displeasure of the higher powers, which
had hitherto favored them because of the privacy of
their life, and their small influence with the natives;




88        LIFE OF MRS. ATNN ILS JUDSON.
for this government, as they afterwards discovered,
though remarkably tolerant to foreigners, is highly
intolerant to its own subjects in religious matters.
Dr. Malcom remarks: " Foreigners of every description are allowed the fullest exercise of their religion.
They may build places of worship in any place, and
have their public festivals and processions without
molestation. But no Burman may join any of these
religions, under the severest penalties. In nothing
does the government more thoroughly display its despotism, than in its measures for suppressing all religious
innovation, and supporting the established system..
The whole population is thus held in chains, as ironlike as caste itself; and to become a Christian openly,
is to hazard everything, even life itself."  But the
Missionaries not being at this time at all aware of the
rigor of this intolerance, resolved to make the attempt,
and trust in the Lord for protection.
In April, 1819, Mr. Judson preached in his new
zayat to a congregation of fifteen or twenty persons,
most of them entirely inattentive and disorderly. But
feeble as was this beginning, it was regarded by the
missionaries as an event of no ordinary importance.
Here was the first altar ever erected for the worship
of the true God in that country over which century
after century had rolled, each sweeping its millions of
idolaters into eternity; and rude and lowly as were its




LIFE OF IRS. ANN H. JUDSON.        89
walls,- compared with the magnificent temples that
surrounded it, it was perhaps the fitter emblem of that
spiritual religion which delights not in temples made
with hands, but in the service of the heart,'which is
in the sight of God of great price.'
The building, which they called a zayat from its
similarity to the public buildings of that name in Burmah, had three apartments; the first a mere verandah
thatched with bamboo, open to the road, and the place
where Mr. Judson received all occasional visitors and
inquirers; the second or middle one, a large airy room,
occupied on Sundays for preaching and on week days
as a school-room; and the last division, a mere entry
opening into the garden leading to the mission-house.
During the week Mrs. Judson occupied the middle
room, giving instruction in reading, &c., to a class of
males and females; and also in conversing with female
inquirers. Here she also studied the Siamese language, much spoken in Rangoon, and translated into
that language a catechism, and the Gospel of Matthew.
The 30th of April, 1819, was made memorable by
the first visit of an inquirer who became a CONVERT to
the Christian faith. On the 5th of May MIr. Judson
says in his journal, "It seems almost too much to
believe that God has begun to manifest his grace to
the Burmans, but this day I could not resist the de



90        LIFE OF MBRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
lightful conviction that this is really the case, PRAISE
AND GLORY TO HIS NAME FOR EVERMORE. Amen."
From this time we learn from Mr. Judson's journal,
that the verandah of the zayat where he sat to receive
visitors, was constantly thronged with natives, who,
impelled, some by curiosity and idleness, and some by
better motives, came to talk about the new religion.
So much however was to be dreaded, in the opinion
of most of these, from the "lord of life and death," as
they called the emperor, that few dared follow out their
convictions. MIoung Nau, however, the convert above
mentioned, adhered steadfastly to his new faith, and
desired baptism. Not having any doubt of the reality
of his conversion, Mr. Judson administered the ordinance to him on1 Sunday, June 21. On the following
Lord's day, the missionaries had the unspeakable satisfaction of sitting' down at the Lord's table for the first
time with a converted Burman; and as Mr. Judson
writes, he had the privilege to which he had been looking forward many years, of administering the comnmunion in two languages.
[Many of the expressions of this young convert are
very interesting. We- find them in a letter from Mrs.
Judson. "In our religion there is no way to escape
the punishment due to sin; but according to the religion of Christ, he himself has died in order to deliver
his disciples. How great are my thanks to Jesus




LIFE OF MES. ANN HI. JUDSON,        91
Christ for sending teachers to this country! and how
great are my thanks to the teachers for coming!" On
hearing the fifth chapter of MLatthew read, he said:
"These words take hold on my very heart, they make
me tremble. Here God commands us to do everything that is good in secret, and not to be seen of
men. How unlike our religion is this! When Burmans make offerings to the pagodas they make a great
noise with drums and musical instruments that others
may see how good they are. But this religion makes the
mind fear God; it makes it of its own accord fear sin."
In the same letter she mentions a very interesting
meeting with the females before mentioned, fifteen in
number, who had for some time received from her religious instruction. Their love for, and confidence in
their own religion seemed to be taken away; the truth
seemed to have forced itself upon their understandings;
but the sinfulness of their hearts, which among heathen
as well as Christian nations is the great obstacle to salvation, could only be removed by the Holy Spirit, and
oh how earnest and fervent were the prayers of their
teacher for the presence of that heavenly agent!. Mr. Wheelock, one of the recently arrived missionaries, was obliged on account of his failing health to
try a sea-voyage; but during the passage to Bengal,
in a paroxysm of fever. and delirium, he threw himself
overboard and was drowned.




92        LIFE OF MIRS. ANT I-I. JUDSON.
Some of the inquirers at the zayat had no inconsiderable powers of reasoning and argument; one in
particular, named Moung-Shwa-gnong; who would
spend whole days at the zayat, and engage Mr. Judson
in endless discussions.-Not satisfied with the Buddhist faith he had become a confirmed skeptic, and disputed every Gospel truth before he received it with
much subtilty and ingenuity. But after a while he
found that his visits at the zayat had attracted the
notice of Government, that the viceroy on being told
he had renounced the religion of his country, had said,' Inquire further about him,' and the missionaries for a
time saw him no more.
The two candidates that next presented themselves
for baptism, were urgent that the ordinance should be
performed, not absolutely in private, but at sunset and
away from public observation. The missionaries discussed their case long with them and with each other.
IMr. Judson's remarks on the subject, as well as his description of the baptism, are so full of that tenderness
and pathos which is eminently a'fruit of the Spirit,'
that we must give them in his own words.
We felt satisfied that they were humble disciples
of Jesus, and were desirous of receiving this ordinance
purely out of regard to his command, and their own
spiritual welfare; we felt that we were all equally exposed to danger, and needed a spirit of mutual candor,




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.        93
and forbearance, and sympathy; we were convinced,
that they were influenced rather by desires of avoiding
unnecessary exposure, than by that sinful fear which
would plunge them into apostasy in the hour of trial;
and when they assured us that if actually brought before government, they could not think of denying their
Saviour, we could not conscientiously refuse their request, and therefore agreed to have them baptized
to-morrow at sunset."  "7. Lord's day. We had worship as usual and the people dispersed. About half an
hour before sunset the two candidates came to the
zayat, accompanied by three or four of their friends;
and after a short prayer we proceeded to the spot
where Moung-Nau was formerly baptized. The sun
was not allowed to look on the humble, timid profession. No wondering crowd crowned the overshadowing hill. No hymn of praise expressed the exulting
feeling of joyous hearts.  Stillness and solemnity
pervaded the scene. We felt, on the banks of the
water, as a little, feeble, solitary band. But perhaps
some hovering angels took note of the event with
more interest than they witnessed the late coronation;
perhaps Jesus looked down on us, pitied and forgave
our weaknesses, and marked us for his own; perhaps
if we deny him not, he will acknowledge us another
day, more publicly than we venture at present to
acknowledge him."




94        LIFE OF MRS, ANN I-. JUDSON,
There was a great falling off in the attendance at
the zayat after Moung-shwa-gnong's defection. None
dared call to inquire from religious principle, and curiosity respecting the religion had been fully gratified.
It became highly desirable to take some measures to
secure the favor of the emperor. If he could be made
propitious, the converts and the missionaries would
have nothing to fear. Messrs. Judson and Colman,
therefore, leaving their families at Rangoon, set out on
their visit to Ava, to lay their case-as a Burman
would express it-before the golden feet.' They carried with them, as presents to his majesty, the BIBLE,
in six volumes, covered with gold leaf in the Burman
style, each volume enclosed in a rich wrapper; and
many. other articles as presents to the different members of the government.




CHAPTER XI.
AEOEPTION OF MESSRS. COLMAN AND JUDSON AT AVA. —TIEIR RETTURN TO
RANGOON.-THEIR RESOLUTION TO. LEAVE RANGOON.-OPI'OSITION OF
DISCIPLES TO THIS MEASURE. —INCREASE OF DISCIPLES. —THEIR STEADFASTNESS.-FAILUREE OF MRS. JUDSON'S HEALTH.
THE passage up the Irrawaddy to Ava, or rather
Amerapoora, which was then the capital, was made
in safety in a little more than thirty days. They soon
found the house of their old friend the former viceroy
of Rangoon, who now enjoyed a high post under
government.   Here they were kindly received, and
promised a speedy presentation to the " golden face,"
i. e. the emperor.
The next day, I'Moung Yo, a favorite officer of the
viceroy, came to take them to the imperial palace.
He first introduced them to the private minister of
state, who met them very pleasantly, received their
presents, and a petition they had prepared to the emperor, which latter he was examining when some one
announced that the'golden foot' was about to advance; when the minister hastily rose up, put on his
state-robes, and prepared to present them to the em



96        LIFE OF MRS. ANN II. JUDSON.
peror. They were conducted through various splendor
and parade, up a flight of steps into a magnificent hall.
Mr. Judson says, " The scene to which we were now
introduced, really surpassed our expectation.  The
spacious extent of the hall, the number and magnitude
of the pillars, the height of the dome, the whole completely covered with gold, presented a most grand and
imposing spectacle. Very few were present, and those
evidently great officers of state. Our situation prevented us from seeing the further avenue of the hall,
but the end where we sat opened into the parade which
the emperor was about to inspect.
G' We remained about five minutes, when every one
put himself into the most respectful attitude, and Moung
Yo whispered that his majesty had entered. We
looked through the hall as far as the pillars vwould allow,
and presently caught sight of this modern Ahasuerus.
He came forward, unattended-in solitary grandeurexhibiting the proud gait and majesty of an eastern
monarch. His dress was rich but not distinctive, and
he carried in his hand the gold-sheathed sword, which
seems to have taken the place of the sceptre of ancient
times. But it was his high aspect and commanding
eye, that chiefly rivetted our attention. He strided on.
Every head excepting ours, was now in the dust. We
remained kneeling, our hands folded, our eyes fixed on
the Monarch.'When he drew near, we caught his




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.        97
attention. He stopped, partly turned towards usWho are these?''The teachers, great King,' I replied.' What, you speak Burman?-the priests that I
heard of last night? When did you arrive? Are you
teachers of religion?  Are you married?  Why do
you dress so?' These and other similar questions we
answered; when he appeared to be pleased with us,
and sat down on an elevated seat-his hand resting on
the hilt of his sword, and his eyes intently fixed on
us."
Moung Zah now read their petition, which set forth
that they were teachers of the religion of their country,
and begged the royal permission to teach the same in
his dominions; and also prayed that no Burman might
be subjected to molestation from government for listening to or embracing that religion; and the emperor
after hearing it, took it himself, read it through and
handed it back without saying a word.. In the meantime Mr. Judson had given Moung Zah an abridged
copy of the tract called a "Summary of Christian
Doctrine," which had been got up in the richest style
and dress possible.  The emperor took the tract.
" Our hearts," says Mr. J., " now rose to God for a display of his grace. Oh have mercy on Burmah! Have
mercy on her king!" But alas! the time had not yet
come. He held the tract long enough to read ihe two
first sentences, which assert that there is one eternal




98        LIFE OF MIRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
God, who is independent of the incidents of mortality,
and that besides him, there is no God; and then with
an air of indifference, perhaps disdain, he dashed it
down to the ground! Moung Zah stooped forward,
picked it up and handed it to us. Moung Yo made a
slight attempt to save us by unfolding one of the
volumes which composed our present and displaying
its beauty, but his majesty took no notice. Our fate
was decided. After a few moments Moung Zah interpreted his royal master's will in the following terms:
" In regard to the objects of your petition, his majesty
gives no order. In regard to your sacred books, his
majesty has no use for them-take them away.".. 
" He then rose from his seat, strode on to the end of
the hall, and there, after having dashed to the ground
the first intelligence he had ever received of the eternal
God, his Maker, Preserver, his Judge, he threw himself down on a cushion, and lay listening to the music,
and gazing at the parade spread out before him."
They and their presents were then hurried away
with little ceremony. The next day they " ascertained
beyond a doubt, that the policy of the Burrnan government is precisely the same as the Chinese; that it is
quite out of the question whether any subjects of the
emperor who embrace a religion different from his
own, will be exempt fromn punishment; and that we,
in presenting a petition to that effect, had been guilty




LIFE OF.MRS. ANN I-. JUDSOINr      99
of a most egregious blunder,-an unpardonable offence."
We cannot prevail on ourselves to give the sequel
of this narrative in any other than the beautiful and
picturesque language of Mr. Judson which we have so
often quoted.
"It was now evening. We had four miles to walk
by moonlight. Two of our disciples only followed us.
They had pressed as near as they ventured to the door
of the hall of audience, and listened to words which
sealed the extinction of their hopes and ours. For
some time we spoke not.'Some natural tears we dropped, but wiped them soon.
The world was all before us, where to choose
Our place of rest, and Providence our guide.'
And as our first parents took their solitary way through
Eden, so we took our way through this great city.
"Arrived at the boat, we threw ourselves down, exhausted in body alid mind. For three days we. had
walked eight miles a day, the most of the way in the
heat of the sun, which in the interior of these countries
is exceedingly oppressive; and the result of our toils
and travels has been —the wisest and best possible-a
result, which, if we could see the end from the beginning, would call forth our highest praise. 0 slow of
heart to believe and trust in the over-ruling agency of
our own Almighty Saviour!"




100       LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
They returned to Rangoon by an easy and rapid
passage down the river, and calling the few disciples
together frankly disclosed to them the result of their
mission. To their surprise and delight it only increased
their zeal and attachment for the religion they had professed. They became in turn the comforters of the
missionaries, vieing with each other in trying to convince them that the cause was not yet desperate.
Above all were they solicitous that the missionaries
should not carry out a design they had formed to leave
them, and try to find a field more favorable for their
labors. One assured them he would follow them to
the end of the world. Another, who having an unconverted wife, could not follow them, declared that if left
there alone, he would perform no other duties but those
of Christ's religion.
But what had most weight with Mr. and Mrs. Judson
in inducing them to remain, was the fact that inquiry
seemed to be spreading in the neighborhood, and that
there seemed a further prospect of usefulness, in spite
of the fear of persecution. They therefore concluded
to remain for the present at Rangoon; while Mr. and
Mrs. Colman should proceed to Arracan and form a
station there.
Thus again were Mr. and Mrs. J. alone; but noc
now exclusively among heathen idolaters. The affectionate zeal of the disciples rejoiced their hearts; and




LIFE OF MRS. ANN-. JUDSON.       101
others, and among them the old disputant, MoungShwa-gnong, seemed sincere and hopeful inquirers.
Three women, induced by him, also visited Mrs. Judson
to learn the way of life. One of these (the one we
have before alluded to) was characterized by superior
discernment and mental power, but exceedingly timid
through fear of persecution. In one of her conversations she expressed her surprise that the effect of the
religion of Christ upon her mind was to make her love
his disciples more than her dearest natural relations.
This showed that she was a real disciple, though a
timid one. But surely it is not for us who sit under
our own vine with none to make us afraid, to be severe
on these poor heathen, for not at once overcoming the
dread of suffering, so natural to the human heart!
Before we judge them, let us be very sure that our
faith would endure the fires of persecution and even
of martyrdom which threatened them. They knew
of instances where their countrymen who had embraced the Roman Catholic faith, had been subjected
to the punishment of the iron-mail, an instrument of
torture more dreadful than any employed against the
Scottish Covenanters, in the times of their bitterest
persecution.  Sudden execution they might have
braved, though that will appal almost any heart; but
lingering torture was what they might fear, to which




102       LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
death should succeed only when nature could bear no
more.
Females in Christian countries, who think much of
your self-denials and sacrifices, when
A moment's piin, a passing shower,
Is all the grief ye share,'
how could your hearts endure if called to such trials,
as might at any moment befall your poor sisters in
Burmah!
iMrs. Judson's health had for some time been failing,
and at length after having gone through two courses
of salivation for the liver-complaint, she was obliged
to try a sea-voyage. Her situation was too critical
for her to think of going alone, and Mr. Judson concluded to accompany her to Bengal. Two converts
expressed the strongest desire to profess Christ, before
the missionaries should leave them. They were accordingly baptized.  The ship being detained, the
speculative, hesitating, but now  sincere disciple,
Moung Shwa-gnong, casting aside his fears and
scruples, boldly avowed his faith, and desired baptism.
Of course he was joyfully received. The scene at his
baptism  had such an effect upon Mah lMeulah, the
female who has been before mentioned, that she too
could no longer delay a publicprofession of faith in
Christ. On returning to the house after receiving the




LIFE OF MRS. ANN I. JUDSON.       103
rite, she said, ""Now I have taken the oath of allegiance to Jesus Christ, and I have nothing to do but to
commit myself, soul and body,.into the hands of my
Lord, assured that he will never suffer me to fall
away!"
Surely if no other proof existed of the power of
gospel truth to renew the heart of men, a sufficient
one would be furnished here. In the face of threatened
persecution not only were old converts strengthened
in their faith in, and attachment to Christ, but new
ones eagerly pressed forward to unite themselves with
the despised and humble flock.
Nine males and one female had now been baptized
at the hazard of their lives; a grammar and dictionary
had been compiled and printed; a portion of the Scriptures translated and printed; tracts had been issued;
and so greatly had the missionaries gained in favor
with the people, that as they went down to the ship
which was to carry them to Bengal, more than a hundred natives followed them, testifying sincere grief at
their departure.




CHAPTER XII.
MR, AND MRS. JUDSON VISIT BENGAL AND RETURN.-MRS. JUDSON S HEALTH
AGAIN FAILS. —HER RESOLUTION TO VISIT AMERICA. —HER VOYAGE TO
ENGLAND AND VISIT THERE.
THEY arrived in Calcutta on the 8th of August, 1820.
The voyage was of no essential benefit to Mrs. J.'s
health, neither was her visit to Calcutta; but at Serampore she so far'recovered as to make them desirous
to return to Rangoon, where they arrived on the 5th
of January, 1821. The converts received them with
the utmost affection; their old friend the vicereine
again occupied her former palace and welcomed Mrs.
Judson with friendly familiarity, and new inquirers
presented themselves at the zayat. In translating the
Scriptures, the acute and fertile mind of Moung Shwagnong was an invaluable assistance, while another
convert of cultivated intellect was equally useful in
other missionary labors.  Though through fear of
being subjected to extortion, some of them had been
obliged to flee to the woods, not one disciple had disgraced or dishonored his profession. A violent effort
had been made by some of Moung Shwa-gnong's ene



LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.       105
mies, to ruin him in the opinion of the viceroy, by
complaining of him that he was making every endeavor "to turn the priests' rice-pot bottom upwards."
"V What consequence?" said the viceroy, "let the
priests turn it back again."  All the disciples from
that time felt sure of toleration under Mya-day-men,
(the name of the viceroy.)
The history of the next few months presents nothing
novel in the life of this little Christian community, to
which there were however some accessions. But Mrs.
Judson was gradually sinking under the disease which
had so long troubled her, until at length it was found essential to her life even, that she should seek some more
propitious climate. After much anxious deliberation it
was resolved that she should sail for Bengal, and thence
to America. Her feelings on leaving the'home of
her heart,' and the husband of her youth, as well as the
spiritual children that God had given them in that
heathen land-to try alone the perils of a long and
tedious voyage, in a state of health which rendered it
doubtful whether she would ever reach the land of her
nativity, or return to that of her adoption-can
scarcely be conceived, much less described. Her own
words are:
"C Those only who have been through a variety of
toil and privation to obtain a darling object, can realize how entirely every fibre of the heart adheres to




106       LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
that object when secured. Had we encountered no
difficulties, and suffered no privations in our attempts
to form a Church of Christ, under the government of
a heathen despot, we should have been warmly attached to the individuals composing it, but should not have
felt that tender solicitude and anxious affection, as in
the present case.
"Rangoon, firom having been the theatre in which so
much of the power, faithfulness and mercy of God
have been exhibited; from having been considered for
ten years past as my home for life, and from a thousand interesting associations, had become the dearest
spot on earth. Hence you will readily imagine, that
no ordinary consideration would have induced my
departure."
She arrived in Calcutta Sept. 22d, 1821. Finding
when she reached there that the American captains
of vessels declined taking passengers, without an exorbitant price, she decided not to take passage to
America. On mentioning her circumstances to a lady
in Calcutta, the latter strongly recommended the advantages of a voyage to England, on account of the
superior accommodations, medical advice, and female
passengers in English ships. A pious captain offered
to take her for about one third of the price demanded
for a voyage to America, provided she would share a
cabin with three children, who were going to England,




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.      107
an offer which she immediately accepted. The father
of the children subsequently arrived in Calcutta, and
generously paid the whole price of the cabin, which
enabled her to go without any expense to the Board.
She writes: " If the pain in my side is entirely removed while on my passage to Europe, I shall return
to India in the same ship, and proceed immediately to
Rangoon. But if not I shall go over to America, and
spend one winter in my dear native country.
"Ardently as I desire to see my beloved friends in
America, I cannot prevail on myself to be any longer
from Rangoon than is absolutely necessary for the preservation of my life. I have had a severe struggle
relative to my immediate return to Rangoon instead
of going to England. But I did not venture to go contrary to the convictions of reason, to the opinion of an
eminent and skilful physician, and the repeated injunctions of Mr. Judson.
"My last letter from Rangoon was dated Oct. 26.
Moung Shwa-gnong had been accused before the viceroy, and had disappeared. Mr. Judson had felt much
anxiety and distress on his account, fearing he had
done something in the way of retraction, which prevented his visiting him. But in a fortnight he was
agreeably surprised at seeing him enter. He informed
Mr. J. that having been accused, he had thought it the
wisest way to keep out of sight; that he had put all his




108       LIFE OF MRS. ANN ]H. JUDSON.
family on board a boat, and was going up the country
among the sect of heretics with whom he once associated, and had now come to take leave, obtain tracts,
gospels, &c. AMr. Judson furnished him with what
was necessary, and bid him God speed. He will no
doubt do much good among that class of people, for it
is impossible for him to be any time with his friends
without conversing on the subject of religion. MoungIng had returned, as steadfalst and as much devoted to
the cause as ever. Ie and Moung Shwa-ba spend
every evening in reading the Scriptures, and finding
the places where the apostles preached, on a map which
Mr. Judson has made for them. Another Burman has
been baptized, who gives decided evidence of being a
true Christian. Have we not, my dear sir, every reason
to trust God in future, when we see what he has done
in Rangoon. Could you see at once the difficulties in
the way of the conversion of the Burmans, the grace
of God would appear ten times as conspicuous as it
now does. When we hardly ventured to hope that we
should ever see one of them truly converted, how great
is our joy to see a little church rise up in the midst of
that wilderness, consisting of thirteen converted Burmans."
On her passage to England, her old enemy, the livercomplaint, again attacked her; but bodily illness did
not prevent her from endeavoring to benefit the souls




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.        109
of her fellow-passengers; and with regard to two of
them, her efforts did not seem unsuccessful.
On arriving in England, she was cordially invited
by the Hon. Joseph Butterworth, M. P., to make his
house her home. He afterward, at a public meeting,
referred to her visit as "reminding him of the apostolic
admonition,'Be not forgetful to entertain strangers,
for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.'"
At his house she met many persons, distingu-ished
for literature and piety, among whom were Sumner,
Babington and Wilberforce.
After spending some time at Cheltenhllam, to which
place she had been sent for the benefit of its waters,
she accepted a pressing invitation to visit Scotland,
where, as in England, she received valuable presents
and innumerable acts of kindness. The piety of her
English friends seemed to her of the most high-toned
character, and their ardeent fiiendship called forth her
warlmest affections. Though oin h  xer way to a still
dearer country, the land of her birth, she could not
part with them without the tenderest regret.




CHAPTER XIII.
MRS. JUDSON'S ARRIVAL IN AMERICA.-INFLUENCE OF HER VISIT.-HOSTILE
OPINIONS.-HER PERSON AND MANNERS.-EXTRACTS FROM HER LETTERS.
IN the meanwhile events of some interest were
transpiring in Burmah. In consequence of the persecution against Moung Shwa-gnong which had obliged
him to flee for his life, and the new vigilance of priests
and officers in respect to converts,-the inquirers
withdrew altogether from the mission-house, and Mr.
Judson was obliged to close the zayat, and suspend
public preaching on the Sabbath, though still the converts visited him privately, for instruction and consolation.
Mr. J.'s solitary condition was however soon relieved
by the arrival of Dr. and Mrs. Price, who. came to
share his labors among the heathen; and also by the
return of Mr. and Mrs. Hough from Serampore, bringing with them the printing press, whose absence had
occasioned no small delay and inconvenience to Mr.
Judson in his labors.




LIFE OF MIRS. ANN H. JUDSON.     111
On the 25th of September, 1822, Mrs. J. arrived in
America. Her feelings on revisiting her native land,
are best learned from a letter to Mr. Judson's parents,
dated Sept. 27.
" With mingled sensations of joy and sorrow, I address a few lines to the parents of my beloved husband,joy, that I once more find myself in my own native
country, and with the prospect of meeting with loved
relatives and friends-sorrow, that he who has been a
participator in all my concerns for the last ten years,
is not now at hand to partake with me in the joyful
anticipations of meeting those he so much loves.
"I left Liverpool on the 16th of August, and arrived
at New York harbor day before yesterday.. On account of the prevalence of yellow fever, prudence
forbade my landing.  Accordingly I embarked on
board the steamboat for this place, where I arrived a
few hours ago. It was my intention to pass a week
in Philadelphia and then go to Providence, and thence
to you in Woburn, as it would be on my way to Bradford, where I shall spend the winter. But Dr. Stoughton wishes me to go to Washington, which will detain
me in this part of the country a week longer. However I hope to be with you in a fortnight from this
time. My health is much improved since I left England, and I begin to hope the disorder is entirely eradi
cated."




112       LIFE OF MIRS. ANN II. JUDSON.
Of this visit of Mrs. Judson to America, Professor
Gamnmel remarks in general, as follows:
" Her visit to the United States forms an epoch of no
inconsiderable importance in the progress of interest
in missions among the churches of various denominations in this country. She visited several of the leading cities of the Union; met a large number of associations of ladies; attended the session of the Triennial
Convention at Washington; and in a multitude of social
circles, alike in the South and in the North, recited the
thrilling narrative of what she had seen and experienced
during the eventful years in which she had dwelt in a
heathen land.
"But relaxation and travelling for health and interviews with religious fiiends, were not her only occupation. - In her retirement, in addition to maintaining an
extensive correspondence, she found time to prepare
the history of the mission in Burmah which was published in her name, in a series of letters addressed to
Mr. Butterworth, the gentleman beneath whose roof
she had been a guest during her residence in England.
These records, which were principally compiled from
documents which had been published before, contained
the first continuous account of the Burman mission
ever given to the public. The work was widely read in
England and America, and received the favorable notice
of several of the leading organs of public criticism.




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.       113
"The influence which she exerted in favor of the
cause of missions during her brief residence of eight or
nine months in the United States, it is hardly possible
now to estimate. She enlisted more fully in the cause
not a few leading minds who have since rendered it
signal service both by eloquent vindications and.by
judicious counsels; and by the appeals which she
addressed to Christians of her own sex, and her fervid
conversations with persons of all classes and denominations in America, as well as by the views which she
submitted to the managers of the mission, a new zeal
for its prosecution was everywhere created, and the
missionary enterprise, instead of being regarded with
doubt and misgiving, as it had been by many, even
among Christians, began to be understood in its higher
relations to all the hopes of man, and to be contemplated in its true grandeur, and ennobling moral
dignity."
Such is the opinion of her visit expressed by an elegant and enlightened scholar, now that more than a
quarter of a century has passed, bringing triumph to
the missionary cause, and honor to its first founders
and advocates; but such we regret to say was not the
universal sentiment of her contemporaries.  Many
persons well remember the unfounded stories put in
circulation respecting her, by some whose motives we
will not inquire into, as they would scarcely bear
o
o




114       LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
investigation, in regard to her actions, her intentions,
and even her apparel. As her biographer remarks in
introducing some of her letters at this period:. " It was
said that her health was not seriously impaired, and
that she visited the South with a view to excite attention and applause. To persons who would put forth
or circulate such calumnies, a perusal of her letters, in
which she utters her feelings to her friends without
reserve, will, it is hoped, minister a rebuke sufficiently
severe to awaken shame and penitence; and to those
who may unwarily have been led to form unfavorable
opinions respecting Mrs. Judson, we cannot doubt that
these letters will afford welcome evidence of her modest
and amiable disposition, consistent and exemplary demeanor, ardent piety, and steady, irrepressible devotion
to the interests of the mission."
The person and manners of Mrs. Judson at this
time, were, according to the testimony of some who
well recollect her, engaging and attractive in no common degree. Her sweet and ready smile, her dark
expressive eye, the animation and sprightliness of her
conversation, and her refined taste and manners, made
her a favorite in all circles. Her dress, for which she
was indebted to the liberality of British friends, was
more rich and showy than she would have chosen for
herself, and as has been said, excited unkind remarks




LIFE OF MtRS. ANNH. IL JIDSON.     115
from some who did not care to investigate her reasons
for wearing it. Elegant as it was said to be, it was
certainly far better she should wear it, even at the risk
of seeming inconsistency, than to put her friends to the
expense of other and plainer clothing.
As to the imputation that she preferred the eclat of
life in a southern city, to the retirement of her New
England home,-it is sufficient to answer, that a constitution relaxed and enfeebled by ten years' residence
in a tropical climate, was ill-fitted to bear the rigors of
a New England winter, and as her whole object in her
visit, was the restoration of her health, she conceived
it her duty to choose such a place of sojourn as should
seem most favorable to it.
After a stay of six weeks with her parents in Bradford, Mrs. J. found it necessary to seek a milder
climate, and was advised to try that of Baltimore.
She had a pleasant journey to that city, stopping one
day with friends in New York, and arrived there on
the 5th of December. From her letters written about
this time we proceed to give some extracts.
"My journey to this place was pleasant, though
fatiguing. I passed one night only in New York, and
spent a most pleasant evening in the society of a large
party of good people who were collected for the purpose
of prayer. Many fervent petitions were presented in




116      LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
behalf of the perishing Burmnans, and the little church
established in that country. It was an evening to me
full of interest; but I found at the conclusion, that my
strength was quite exhausted, and I began to fear
whether I should be able to continue my journey."... " How much of heaven might Christians enjoy
even here on earth if they would keep in view what
ought to be their great object in life. If they would
but make the enjoyment of God their main pursuit,
how much more consistent' their profession would be
with their conduct, how much more useful their lives,
and how much more rapidly they would ripen for
eternal glory."
"Christians do not sufficiently assist one another in
their spiritual walk. They are not enough in the
habit of conversing familiarly and affectionately on the
state of each others' souls, and kindly encouraging
each other to persevere and get near to heaven. One
degree of grace attained in this world, is worth more
than every earthly enjoyment."
"I ought to have mentioned that I found much of
the true missionary spirit existing in New York.
"I began this letter some days ago, but a violent
cold has prevented my finishing it. I am very thankful that I am no farther north than Baltimore, for I feel
confident the cold would soon destroy me. I have not
been out of the house since I arrived, and hardly out




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.      117
of my chamber. My health is certainly better than
when I left Boston, though I have a heavy cold and
some cough.
"What can be done to excite a missionary spirit in
this country? I dare not engage in the subject till I
am better. It would take up my whole soul, and retard
my recovery. A little while, and we are in eternity;
before we find ourselves there, let us do much for
Christ."




CHA PTER XIV.
FURTHER EXTRACTS FROMI HER LETTERS.-HER ILLNESS.-HEER HISTORY
OF THE BURMAN MISSION.-HER DEPARTURE FROM AMERICA WITH M1R.
AND MRS. /WADE.
IN a letter to a friend at Waterville, Mrs. Judson
gives a full account of the reasons that determined her
to pass the winter at the south. She says: "I had
never fully counted the cost of a visit to my native
country and beloved relatives. I did not expect that
a scene which I had anticipated as so joyous, was
destined to give my health and constitution a shock
which would require months to repair.'" During my passage from England my health was
most perfect, not the least symptom of my original
disorder remained. But from the day of my arrival,
the idea that I was once more on American ground
banished all peace and quiet fiom my mind, and for
the first four days and nights I never closed my eyes
to sleep! This circumstance, together with dwelling
on the anticipated meeting with my friends, occasioned
the most alarming apprehensions.
"I reached my father's about a fortnight after my arrival in the country-and had not then been able to




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.        119
procure a single night's sleep. The scene which ensued brought my feelings to a crisis, nature was quite
exhausted, and I began to fear would sink. To be
concise, my health began to decline in a most alarming
manner, and the pain in my side and cough returned.
I was kept in a state of constant excitement by daily
meeting my old friends and acquaintances; and during
the whole six weeks of my residence at my father's, I
had not one night's quiet rest. I felt the cold most
severely, and found, as that increased, my cough increased."
She goes on to say that under these circumstances,
she was strongly urged by Dr. Judson, a brother of
her husband, who was then in Baltimore, to remove to
the south, and take up her residence for the winter
with him at his boarding-house. She says that painful
as it was to leave her dear family, yet as she knew
that freedom from company and excitement, as well as
a milder climate, were absolutely essential to her recovery, she was induced to go. She adds that her
health is so far re-established that she is able to give
five hours a day to study and to the compilation of
her History of the Burman Mission, a work she had
very much at heart.
The next passage in the letter is of touching interest,
as showing the meekness of the Christian spirit in receiving a rebuke, whether merited or not.




120       LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
" Your kind hint relative to my being injured by the
lavish attention of our dear friends in this country, has
much endeared you to my heart. I am well aware
that human applause has a tendency to elate the soul,
and render it less anxious about spiritual enjoyments,
particularly if the individual is conscious of deserving
it. But I must say, that since my return to this country, I have often been affected to tears, in hearing the
undeserved praises of my friends, feeling that I was far,
very far from being what they imagined: and that
there are thousands of poor obscure Christians, whose
excellences will never be known in this world, who
are a thousand times more deserving of the tender regard of their fellow-Christians than I am.
" Yet I trust I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for
inclining the hearts of his children to look on me with
a friendly eye. The retired life I now lead is much
more congenial to my feelings, and much more favorable to religious enjoyment, than when I was kept in a
continual bustle of company. Yes, it is in retirement
that our affections are raised to God, and our souls refreshed and quickened by the influences of the Holy
Spirit. If we would live near the threshold of Heaven,
and daily take a glance at our promised inheritance,
we must avoid not only worldly, but religious dissipation. Strange as it may seem, I do believe there
is something like religious dissipation, in a Christian's




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.       121
being so entirely engrossed in religious company, as to
prevent his spiritual enjoyments."
In Baltimore, through the influence of Dr. Judson,
she had the best medical advice and attendance the
city could give; and was put upon a course of mercury in order to produce salivation. She denied herself to company, and thus secured time for writing, in
which employment she was assisted by " a pious excellent young lady," whom she engaged as a copyist.
Her correspondence was extensive, and occupied much
of her time. One interesting letter from England informed her that Mr. Butterworth had put at interest
for her Burman school ~100 sterling, and that a larger
sum had been collected. Her English physicians insisted that she could not live in India, and urged her
and her husband to come to England, but her determination to return to Burmah was unalterable.
On the 19th of February she writes to her friend in
Waterville: "Your kind and affectionate letter found
me in bed, so weak that I was obliged to read it at intervals; but it afforded heartfelt consolation. Thanks
to our Heavenly Father whose guardian care and love
I have so largely experienced. I am now much better,
and once more enjoy the prospect of gaining that degree of health which will allow my return to Burmah,
there to spend my remaining days, few or many, in
endeavoring to guide immortal souls to that dear Re



122       LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
deemer, whose presence can make joyful a sick chamber, a dying bed.
"For the last month I have been very ill. The disease seemed to be removed from the liver to the lungs.
I have raised blood twice, which the physicians
thought proceeded from the lungs, though I am inclined to think it was from the throat. I was however bled so frequently and so largely that my strength
was quite reduced. At present I am free from every
unfavorable symptom, but am still weak.
"I am rejoiced to hear that Mr. Boardman has offer.
ed himself to supply dear Colman's place. If actuated
by motives of love to God, and concern for precious
souls, tell him he will never regret the sacrifice, but
will find those spiritual consolations which will more
than compensate him for every privation. I shall rejoice to afford him every assistance in the acquisition
of the language which my health will allow, though I
fear he will not be ready to sail so early as I hope to
embark.
"This is the third day I have been writing this letter,
on account of my weakness. But I am gaining a little
every day. Yesterday I had a little female prayermeeting in my chamber-trust the blessed Saviour
was near us. Oh it is good to get near to God, and feel
whether in life or death, we are His.
" Let us, my dear sister, so live, that our union to




LIFE OF- MB.S. ANTN H. JUDSON.     123
Christ may not only be satisfactory to ourselves but to
all around us. On earth we serve God-in heaven
enjoy him-is a motto I have long wished to adopt.
When in heaven we can do nothing towards saving
immortal souls."
In a subsequent letter she mentions receiving a journal kept by her husband, with the joyful intelligence
of the accession of five more converts to the little
church there, three of whom were females, and members
of her Wednesday meeting. " They have," she says,
"set up of their own accord a female prayer-meeting.
Is not this encouraging?"  Dr. Price had been ordered to Ava on account of his medical skill, and Mr.
Judson was about to accompany him to make a further effort for toleration.
In March, Mrs. Judson went to VWashington to superintend the printing of her History of the Mission, and
here she was detained contrary-to her wishes until the
last of April. However, this detention gave her an
opportunity of meeting the Baptist General Convention
which held its session there at that time. A committee was appointed to confer with her respecting the
Burman Mission, and at her suggestion several important measures were adopted.
When the printing of her work was completed, she
presented the copy-right to the convention. The work
was favorably noticed in several leading journals of




124       LIFE OF MRS, ANN H. JUDSON.
the day, and has circulated extensively both in Europe
and this country. It was of great service not only to
the cause of the particular field of which it was the
history, but to the cause of missions generally, in
awaking the public mind from that strange apathy in
regard to our Saviour's parting command in which for
seventeen centuries it had for the most part quietly
slumbered. We sayfor the most part, for we do not
forget the self-denying labors of the Roman Catholics
in propagating their doctrines in various parts of the
world; indeed this has always been the bright redeeming feature of that system of semi-pagan Christianity.
Well would it be if protestant Christians would imitate their zeal and self-devotion! How strange that
centuries passed, even after the Reformation, before
Christians began to recognize as binding that solemn
injunction, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the
Gospel to every creature, with its encouraging promise,
Lo I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS EVEN UNTO THE END OF
THE WORLD!
This apathy in respect to the cause nearest her
heart, was a great source of grief to Mrs. J. In a
letter to Dr. Wayland, written in Washington, after
stating that she had found that her strength was not
sufficiently restored to undertake a journey to the
North, she says, " This, together with the hope of exciting more attention to the subject of missions among




LIFE OF MnRS. ANN H.o JUDSON.      125
the members of the General Convention which will
soon meet here," has induced me to remain,.. " Oh
my brother, my heart sickens at the apathy and unconcern relative to the subject of missions which are in
many places exhibited. I sometimes say to myself,
Will not the missionary flame become entirely extinct,
and the mission already established in Burmah, die for
want of support?. o. Where are our young men,
fired with the love of Christ and compassion for immortal souls, who are desirous to leave their comforts
and their homes for a few years, to serve their Redeemer in foreign lands? Who is willing to obey this
last, this most benevolent command of our Lord, Go
ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature? But I must stop. Loss of sleep for this
night will be the consequence of indulging myself thus
far.
At the above-mentioned Convention, Mr. Jonathan
Wade of New York, and Mr. George D. Boardman of
Maine, had offered themselves as Missionaries to the
East. Mr. Wade was soon after regularly appointed
by the Board, and with his wife, was directed to take
passage for India with Mrs. Judson. The latter writes
to her sister from Boston, upon her arrival there from
the South, " We arrived in safety at six o'clock on
Thursday. We were immediately informed that Mr.
and Mrs. Wade would sail with me to India. This




126       LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSOi,.
was animating intelligence, and I felt that the hand of
God was in it, for he had heard my prayers.
" Yesterday we went on board the ship, chose my
cabin, and agreed with the captain to take us all for
twelve hundred dollars.  The accommodations are
excellent, clean and airy. It is a most beautiful ship,
and the captain seems disposed to do all in his power
for our comfort.... I am now making preparations
for my passage. Monday we have a prayer-meeting,
and on Tuesday we go to Plymouth. I am doubting
whether I ought to go to Bradford again or. not. My
nerves are in such a state that I have to make every
possible exertion to k!eep them quiet. It will only
increase my agitation to take a formal leave of my
friends and home."
On the 22d of June, 1823, they sailed from Boston
amidst every demonstration of personal attachment
and Christian sympathy. -They carried with them a
valuable present and a letter from the Convention to
the Burman emperor, sent in the hope of conciliating
hisfavor toward the missionaries.




CHAPTER XV.
MESSRS. JUDSON AND PRICE VISIT AVA.-THEIR RECEPTION AT COURT.THEIR RETURN TO RANGOON.-MRS. JUDSON S RETURN.-A LETTER TO
HER PARENTS DESCRIBING THEIR REMOVAL TO AVA.-DESCRIPTION OF
AVA.
IT was mentioned that during Mrs. Judson's absence
from Burmah, Dr. Price, the fame of whose medical
skill had reached the'golden ears,' had been ordered
to Ava, and that Mr. Judson had determined to make
another attempt to procure toleration for the Christians
by a second visit to the capital. In a boat furnished
by government, they left Rangoon, embarked for Ava,
then the capital, and were immediately introduced to
the king. Dr. Price was graciously received, but at
the first interview Mr. Judson was scarcely noticed.
Of the second interview, we will give the account
in Mr. Judson's own words.
"To-day the king noticed me for the first time..
After some time he said,'And you, in black, what
are you? a medical man too?''Not a medical man,
but a teacher of religion, your Majesty.! He proceeded to make a few inquiries about my religion, and then
put the alarming inquiry whether any had embraced




128       LIFE OF MRS. ANN IH. JUDSON.
it. I evaded by saying'Not here.' He persisted.'Are there any in Rangoon?''There are a few.''Are they foreigners?'  I trembled for the consex
quence of an answer which might involve the little
church in ruin; but the truth must be sacrificed or
the consequences hazarded; and I therefore replied,' There are some foreigners and some Burmans.' He
remained silent a few moments, but presently showed
he was not displeased, by asking a great variety of
questions on religion, and geography and astronomy,
some of which were answered in such a satisfactory
manner, as to occasion a general expression of satisfaction in all the court present.
" After his Majesty retired, a royal secretary entered
into conversation, and allowed me to expatiate on
several topics of religion in my usual way. And all
this took place in the presence of the very man, now
an Atwenwoon, (one of the highest officers) who many
years ago, caused his uncle to be tortured under the
iron mall, for renouncing Buddhism and embracing the
Romish religion!. 
"< Thanks to God for the encouragement of this day!
The monarch of the empire has distinctly understood,
that some of his subjects have embraced the Christian
religion, and his wrath has been restrained."
He afterwards had another interview, in which the
king inquired much about America, and authorized




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.       129
him to invite her ships to his dominions, assuring them
of protection and facilities for trade.
He mentions much flattering attention paid him by
a prince of the empire and his wife who was the king's
sister, both of whom urged him not to return to Rangoon, but to bring his wife and reside in Ava. In fact
several dignitaries of the empire were so far attracted
by the new theories in religion and science, as to enter
into animated discussions with the missionaries respecting them. The prince above mentioned was an
interesting character. * Mr. Judson went so far as
boldly to urge upon him the duty of making personal
religion his immediate care. For a moment he was
moved, but soon replied, that he was young, only
twenty-eight. That he was desirous of enlarging his
mind by an acquaintance with all foreign science, and
then he could judge whether Christianity was worthy
of his adoption or not. But, said M r. Judson, suppose
you change worlds in the meantime? His countenance fell, and he said sadly, " It is true, I do not know
when I shall die."
LHow true it is that "as in water face answereth to
face, so doth the heart of man to man."  Left without
excuse, this poor impenitent Burman, like thousands in
America, almost, but not altogether persuaded to be
Christians, postponed what he could not but purpose,
to a more convenient season.
9




130       LIFE OF MRS. ANIN HI JUDSON
On another occasion, so many persons of high rank
expressed themselves favorably to the Christian faith
that one who had not hitherto ventured to defend the
missionaries in the presence of the king was bold
enough to say, "Nearly all the world, your Majesty,
believe in an eternal God; all but Burmah and Siam
these little spots!" His Majesty remained silent, and
soon abruptly rose and retired.
Before returning to Rangoon Mr. Judson had an
interesting interview with the king. " Why," asked the
latter, "G does the teacher return to Rangoon? let him
and Price stay together. If one goes, the other must
remain alone, and will be unhappy." Some one present explained that he was going for his wife and
goods, and would soon return.  His Majesty said,
" Will you then come again?" and expressed a wish
that he should do so and remain permanently. He
and Dr. Price had previously erected a house near Ava
on some land granted them by the king, which house
was to be occupied by Dr. P. until Mr. Judson's
return.
The following letter from Mr. Judson dated Dec. 7,
1823, announces the arrival of his wife in Rangoon.
"1 I had the inexpressible happiness of welcoming Mrs.
Judson once more to the shores of Burmah, on the 5th
instant. We are now on the eve of departure for
Ava.




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.       131
" My last letter from brother Price mentions that the
king has inquired many times about my delay, and the
queen has expressed a strong desire to see Mrs. Judson in her foreign dress.  We sincerely hope her
majesty's curiosity will not be confined to dress.
"' Mr. and Mrs. Wade appear to be in fine health and
spirits, and I am heartily rejoiced at their arrival just
at the present time."
Rumors of a war between the British and Burmans
were growing more and more prevalent, and alas,
proved but too well founded.  From the very last
letter written by Mrs. Judson before this most unhappy and disastrous war, we shall now make some
extracts.
"Ava, February, 10, 1824.
"s M  DEAR PARENTS AND SISTERS,
After nearly two years and a half wandering, you
will be pleased to hear that I have at last arrived at
home, so far as this life is concerned, and am once
more quietly and happily settled with Mr. Judson.
When I retrace the scenes through which I have passed, the immense space 1 have traversed, and the various
dangers, seen and unseen, from which I have been preserved, my heart is filled with gratitude and praise to
that Being, who has at all times been my protector
and marked out all my way before me...
WVe had a quick and pleasant passage from Calcutta




132       LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON
to Rangoon, and in seven days after our arrival there,
we were on our way to this place. Our progress up
the river was slow indeed. The season however is
cool and delightful, we were preserved from dangers
by day and robbers by night, and arrived in safety in
six weeks. The Irrawaddy is a noble river; we often
walked through the villages on its banks, and though
we never received the least insult, we always attracted
universal attention.  A foreign female was a sight
never before beheld, and all were anxious that their
friends and relations should have a view. Crowds
followed us through the villages, and some less civil
ized than the others, would run some way before us,
in order to have a long look as we approached them."... After relating a conversation with the natives on
the subject of religion, and a narrow escape from
drowning; she comes to their arrival at Ava, where
they had difficulties such as she had never before experienced. Dr. Price urged their going immediately
to the house he had just erected; but it was of brick,
and the walls still so damp that they did not dare occupy it. She says,g " We had but one alternative, and
that was to remain in the boat till they could build a
small house on the piece of ground which the king
gave to Mr. J. last year. And you will hardly bes
lieve it possible, for I almost doubt my senses, that in
just a fortnight from our arrival, we moved into a




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.       133
house built in that time, which is large enough to
make us comfortable. It is in a most delightful situation, out of the dust of the town and on the bank of
the river.... Our house is in a healthy situation, is
raised four feet from the ground, and consists of three
small rooms and a verandah.
We hardly know how we shall bear the hot season
which is just commencing, for our house is built of
boards, and before night is heated like an oven.
Nothing but brick is a shelter from the heat at Ava,
where the thermometer even in the shade fiequently
rises to 108 degrees. VWe have worship every evening
in Burman, when a number of the natives assemble,
and every Sabbath IMr. Judson preaches the other side
of the river in Dr. Price's house. We feel it an inestimable privilege that amid all our discouragements we
have the language, and are able constantly to communicate truths which can save the soul."
She then mentions that she has commenced a female
school with three little girls, two of them given her by
their parents, fine children, who improve very rapidly,
and that she has a prospect of more pupils. They did
not immediately visit the palace, as the royal family
were absent on a visit at Amarapoora, their old capital,
where they were to remain until the new palace in
Ava should be finished. She found her old friend the
viceroy's wife, now degraded by the death of her hus



134       LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
band to a low rank, but a sensible woman, and more
capable, Mrs. J. thought, of receiving religious truth
than when in public life. She adds that in consequence
of war with the Bengal government, foreigners are not
in as much esteem at court as formerly-even Americans shared the same disfavor as Englishmen, for being
similar in features, dress, language and religion, it is
not surprising that the Burmans should have confounded them as subjects of one government. From
the circumstance of money being remitted to them
through English residents in Ava, they were even
suspected of being paid spies of the East India Company-but this was at a somewhat later period.
The capital of Burmah is not fixed, but changes
with the caprice of the monarch, for wherever he fixes
his imperial residence, there, for the time, is the capital.
Ava, the former capital, having been forsaken during
the reign of the old king for Amarapoora, was again
to be the royal residence, and for this purpose a magnificent palace had been there erected, of which the
emperor was now to take possession. On these occasions, all the gorgeousness of oriental magnificence
has its full display. Such a scene the missionaries
witnessed soon after their arrival at Ava. Mrs. Judson gives an animated description of that splendid day,
when majesty with all its attendant glory entered the




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.       135
gates of the golden city, and amid the acclamations of
millions, took possession of the palace. The numerous
horses, the immense variety of vehicles, the vast number and size of richly caparisoned elephants, the myriads
of people in their gala dresses, the highest officers in
the kingdom drawn from the most distant as well as
the nearer provinces to grace the occasion, each in his
robes of state, the magnificent white elephant, caparisoned with silk and velvet, and blazing with jewels, the
king and queen, in simple majesty, alone unadorned
amid the gaudy throng, surpassed any pageant ever
exhibited in the western world. Alas! this pomp and
pride were soon to receive a disastrous humiliation.




CHAPTER XVI.
NWAR WITH THE BRITISH. —NARRATIVE OF THE SUFFERINGS OF THE MISSIONARIES DURING THE -WAR.
IN 1824 news reached America of the breaking out
of war between Burmah and British India. This of
course excited the most anxious interest for the fate
of the Americans in that country. At length anxiety
was somewhat relieved by the intelligence that Messrs.
Wade and Hough with their families, who had remained at Rangoon, were, after dreadful sufferings, safe
under British protection. But over the fate of Mfr.
and Mrs. Judson hung the silence of death, or of a
suspense worse than death, for more than two years,
until hope itself died in the hearts of their friends and
kindred.
But although in this long period of doubt and darkness, busy fancy had pictured many scenes of terror,
and many forms of violent death, as the possible lot of
the missionaries; yet in her wildest flights she never
could have conceived of the terrible reality which
they endured, not for days and weeks only, but for




LIFE OF AMRS. ANN I. JUDSON.      137
eighteen weary months. The wildest tale of fiction
has never depicted more cruel anguish, more appalling
suffering borne with more heroic energy, and more
sublime fortitude —the wildest fiction would not dare
to portray woman's love and faith and Christian hope,
so long triumphant over insult and outrage, and torture
and death itself. Who after reading the following
narrative of an heroic female's unparalleled endurance,
will ever say that woman's is a feeble nature, incapable of withstanding the rude shocks of adverse fortune? Nay, who will not rather say, that in woman,
hope and faith, and fortitude and energy, make evcd
the frail body immortal, till her labor of love is accomplished, and its cherished object is rescued from peril?
" The war which now broke out between the Burman government and that of the English in Bengal,
forms an important era in the history of the mission.
" Its first effect was to put an end-to the labors of the
missionaries, and involve them in unspeakable sufferings, yet in accordance with a mysterious though beneficent law of human affairs, its ultimate issues have
proved favorable not only to the interests of that particular mission, but also to the further extension of
Christian civilization among the thickly peopled countries of Eastern India. The war had its origin in
feuds which had long existed on the frontiers of Chit



1388   LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
tagong."  Some Burman criminals had escaped to
that territory, where as it was alleged they were protected by British power. The Burman monarch determined to chastise the English by making war on
their government, and had raised thirty thousand
troops under the command of his greatest warrior
Bandula; but the East India Company anticipated his
movements, and landed their forces at Rangoon so
suddenly and unexpectedly, that the city fell into their
hands with scarcely a show of resistance. This was
the first news that reached Ava of the commencement
of hostilities. -It surprised the court there, but by no
means alarmed them. Never having come into collision with the English, and having the most extravagant
conceit of their own invincibility, they did not for a
moment doubt their power to drive the invaders from
their country; and even sent by one of their generals
a pair of golden fetters with which to chain the governor-general, and bring him captive to Ava.
The first effect of the intelligence of the war upon
the situation of the missionaries, was an order that no
man wearing a hat should enter the palace. This was
somewhat startling, still nothing of importance occurred for several weeks, during which Mrs. J. continued
her school, while her husband went on building a house.
But at length suspicion having been excited that the
Englishmen who resided in Ava were spies, they were




LIFE OF MRS. ANN HI. JUDSONo      139
seized and put in confinement. Dr. Price and Mr.
Judson were strictly examined also, but nothing being
proved against them, they were left at liberty. They
might probably have escaped further molestation, had
it not been found in examining the accounts of one of
the Englishmen, that he had paid over considerable
money to the missionaries. Ignorant of money transactions as carried on by foreigners, this was an evidence to the natives, that the teachers were in the pay
of the British, and probably spies. This being represented to the king, he gave an angry order for their
arrest.
On the 8th of June, Mr. Judson's house was rudely
entered by an officer, followed by eight or ten men,
one of whom, by the hideous tattooing on his face,
they knew to be the executioner, or'son of the prison.'
On seeing M4r. Judson-" You are called by the king,"
said the officer, the usual form of arrest. In an instant
the spotted-faced man threw him on the floor, and
drew forth that instrument of torture, the small cord.
Mrs. Judson tried in vain to bribe him with money.
c" Take her too," said the officer, "she also is a
foreigner."  But this order Mr. Judson prevailed on
them to disregard. All was now confusion and dismay, the children crying, the neighbors collecting
around and in the house, while the executioner bound
Mr. Judson with the cords, and took a fiendish pleas



140       LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
ure in making them as tight as possible. Mrs. Judson
gave Moung Ing money that he might follow and procure a mitigation of this torture, instead of which, Mr.
Judson was again thrown down, and the cords so
tightened as almost to prevent respiration. Then he
was hurried on to the court-house, thence to "the
death prison," into. which he was hurled, and Moung
Ing saw him no more.
i We may imagine the intolerable agony of Mrs. Judson when the faithful disciple returned with the sad
news of his master's fate.  Retiring to her room,
she tried to find consolation in casting her dreadful
burden of fear and suspense on her covenant God.
But soon her retirement was invaded by the magistrate of the place, who ordered her to come out
and submit to an examination. Of course she was
obliged to obey, but before doing so she destroyed
every writing she possessed, letters, journals, everything, lest her correspondence with her British friends
should confirm the suspicions of their persecutors.
When the magistrate had satisfied himself with the examination, he placed a guard of ten ruffians about
the house, with orders that no one should enter or leave
it on pain of death.
Taking her four little Burman girls into an inner
room she barred the door, and obstinately refused to
come out, althouah the guard, bent on tormenting her,




LIFE OF MRS. ANN  I. JUDSON.      141
threatened to break the door down if she did not. She
prevented this outrage by a threat to complain of their
conduct in the morning to higher authorities, but in
revenge they bound her two Bengalee servants fast in
the stocks in a most painful posture. By bribes and
promises she at length induced them to release the
servants; but their dreadful carousings, and horrid
language, combined with her suspense in regard to her
husband's fate, rendered that long night one of unmitigated wretchedness.
In the morning, Moung Ing, whom she had sent to
the prison, returned with the intelligence that all the
white foreigners were in the death-prison chained with
three pairs of fetters each to a pole, to prevent their
moving! " The point of anguish now was," she says,
"that I was a prisoner myself, and could make no
efforts for their relief."  She earnestly but vainly begged the magistrate to allow her to go and state the
case to some government officer; she even wrote a
letter to the queen's sister, who was civil, but afraid to
interfere in their behalf. " The day," she says, "wore
heavily away, and another dreadful night was before
me. I endeavored to soften the feelings of the guard,
by giving them tea and segars for the night; so that
they allowed me to remain inside my room, without
threatening as they did the night before." But, haunted
by the idea of her dear husband's tortures, which she




142       LIFE OF MRS. ANN Hf. JUDSON.
was neither permitted to share nor alleviate, she of
course passed another night of anguish.
The next day she sent a message to the governor
of the city, to allow her to visit him with a present.
This was successful, and the guards had orders to
permit her to go into town. She was pleasantly received, stated the situation of the teachers, and assured
the governor that being not Englishmen but Americans, they had nothing to do with the war. She was
referred to a head officer with whom she might consult as to the means of making the prisoners more
comfortable; but their release was out of the question.
The first sight of this officer, whose face exhibited the
working of every evil passion, inspired her with dread;
but he was the only one who could assist her. "He
took me aside, and endeavored to convince me that
myself, as well as the prisoners, was entirely at his disposal-that our future comfort must depend on my
liberality in regard to presents-and that these must
be made in a private way, and unknown to any officer
of government! What must I do, said I, to obtain a
mitigation of the sufferings of the two teachers?'Pay to me,' said he,'two hundred tickals, (about a
hundred dollars,) two pieces of fine cloth, and two
pieces of handkerchiefs.' At length however he consented to take what money she had about her, which
was a considerable sum, and promised to relieve the




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.       143
teachers from their most painful situation. She goes
on:
"I then procured an order from the governor for
my admittance into the prison, but the sensation produced by meeting my husband in that zretched, horrid
situation, and the scene that ensued, I shall not attempt to describe. He crawled to the door of the
prison-for I was never allowed to enter-gave me
some directions relative to his release; but before we
could make any arrangement, 1 was ordered to depart
by those iron-hearted jailers, who could not endure to
see us enjoy the poor consolation of meeting in that
miserable place. In vain I pleaded the order of the
governor for my admittance; they again harshly repeated,'Depart, or we will pull you out.' " The same
evening all the foreigners succeeded, by the payment
of money, in being removed from the common prison
to an open shed, where Mrs. Judson was allowed to
send them food, and mats to sleep on, but for some
days was not permitted to see them.
Nothing but her own eloquent words can do justice
to the transactions that followed. We copy as before
from her letter, written two years subsequent to these
events, to her brother-in-law, Dr. Judson.
"My next object was to get a petition presented to
the queen, but no person being admitted into the
palace who was in disgrace with his majesty, I sought




144       LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
to present it through the medium of her brother's wife.
I had visited her in better days, and received particular marks of her favor.  But now, times were
altered, Mr. Judson was in prison, and I in distress,
which was a sufficient reason for giving me a cold
reception.  I took a present of considerable value.
She was lolling on her carpet as I entered, with her
attendants around her. I waited not for the usual
question to a suppliant,' What do you want?' but in a
bold, earnest yet respectful manner, stated our distresses and our wrongs, and begged her assistance.
She partly raised her head, opened the present I had
brought, and coolly replied, Your case is not singular;
all the foreigners are treated alike.' But it is singular,
said I, the teachers are Americans; they are ministers of religion, have nothing to do with war or
politics, and came to Ava in obedience to the king's
command. They have never done anything to deserve
such treatment; and is it right they should be treated
thus?' The king does as he pleases,' said she,' I am
not the king, what can I do?' You can state their
case to the queen and obtain their release, replied I.
Place yourself in my situation-were you in America,
your husband, innocent of crime, thrown into prison,
in irons, and you a solitary, unprotected female-what
would you do? With a slight degree of feeling, she
said,' I will present your petition; come again to



LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.        145
morrow    I returned to the house, with considerable
hope >-,at the speedy release of the missionaries was at
hanc. But the next day, the property of Mr. Gouger,
(one of the Englishmen,) amounting to 25,000 dollars,
was seized and carried to the palace. The officers on
their return, politely informed me, that they should
visit our house on the morrow. I felt obliged for this
information, and accordingly made preparations to
receive them by secreting as many little articles as
possible; together with considerable silver; as I knew
if the war should be protracted, we should be in a
state of starvation without it. But my mind was in a
dreadful state of agitation, lest it should be discovered,
and cause my being thrown into prison. And had it
been possible to procure money fiom any other quarter,
I should not have ventured on such a step.
" The following morning, the royal treasurer, the
governor of the north gate of the palace, who was in
future our steady friend, and another nobleman, attended by forty or fifty followers, came to take possession of all we had. I treated them civilly, gave them
seats, and tea and sweetmeats for their refreshment;
and justice obliges me to say, that they conducted the
business of confiscation, with more regard to my feelings than I should have thought it possible for Burmese officers to exhibit. The three officers with one
of the royal secretaries alone entered the house their
10




146       LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
attendants were ordered to remain outside. They saw
I was deeply affected, and apologized for what they
were about to do, by saying that it was painful for
them to take possession of property not their own, but
they were compelled thus to do by order of the king.
"Where is your silver, gold, and jewels?" said the
royal treasurer. I have no gold or jewels, but here is
the key of a trunk which contains the silver-do with
it as you please. The trunk was produced, and the
silver weighed. This money, said I, was collected in
America by the disciples of Christ, and sent here for
the purpose of building a kyoung, (the name of a
priest's dwelling;) and for our support while teaching
the religion of Christ. Is it suitable that you should
take it? (The Burmans are averse to taking religious
offerings, which was the cause of my making the inquiry.) " We will state this circumstance to the king,"
said one of them, "and perhaps he will restore it. But
is this all the silver you have?"  I could not tell a
falsehood. The house is in your possession, I replied,
search for yourselves.  " Have you not deposited
silver with some person of your acquaintance?"  My
acquaintances are all in prison, with whom should I
deposit silver? They next ordered my trunk and
drawers to be examined. The secretary only was
allowed to accompany me in this search. Everything
nice or curious which met his view, was presented to




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.       147
the officers for their decision whether it should be
taken or retained. I begged they would not take our
wearing apparel, as it would be disgraceful to take
clothes partly -worn into the possession of his majesty,
and to us they were of unspeakable value. They assented, and took a list only; and did the same with
the books, medicines, &c. My little work-table and
rocking-chair, presents from my beloved brother, I
rescued from their grasp, partly by artifice, and partly
through their ignorance. They left also many articles
which were of inestimable value during our long imprisonment."




CHAPTER XVII.
NARRATIVE CONTINUED, AND CONCLUDED.-THEIR DELIVERANCE FROM
BURMAN TYRANNY, AND PROTECTION BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT.
As soon as the search was completed, Mrs. Judson
hastened to the wife of the queen's brother, in hopes
of having a favorable answer to her petition; but to
her heavy disappointment she learned that the queen
had refused to interfere. With a sad heart she turned
her steps to the prison-gate, but here she was denied
admittance, and for ten days she found the prison-door
closed against her.
"The officers who had taken possession of our
property," continues Mrs. Judson, "presented it to his
majesty, saying,' Judson is a true teacher; we found
nothing in his house but what belongs to priests. In
addition to this money, there are an immense number
of books, medicines, trunks of wearing apparel, &c., of
which we have only taken a list. Shall we take them
or let them remain?'' Let them remain,' said the
king,' and put this property by itself, for it shall be
restored to him again, if he be found innocent.' This
was in allusion to the idea of his being a spy."




LIFE OF MRS. ANN HI JUDSON.       149
While the officers were at MAr. J.'s house, they had
insisted on knowing the sum that had been paid to
bribe the governor to allow the prisoners more liberty.
This sum they afterwards demanded of the governor,
which so enraged him that he threatened to thrust
them back into the inner prison. When Mrs. J. waited
on him the next morning, his first words were, " You
are very bad; why did you tell the royal treasurer you
had given me so much money?" " The treasurer inquired, what could I say?" she replied. " Say that
you had given me nothing," said he, "and I would
have made the teachers comfortable in prison; but
now I know not what will be their fate."  " But I cannot tell a falsehood," she replied; "my religion differs
from yours; it forbids prevarication, and had you stood
by me with your knife raised, I could not have said
what you suggest."
This answer so pleased the wife of the governor,
who sat by, that she ever afterwards was a firm
friend to Mrs. Judson. The latter then by the present of a beautiful opera-glass, a gift from her English friends, and by promises of future presents, induced the governor to let her husband remain where
he was; but poor Dr. Price was confined as at first,
and was only relieved at the end of ten days, by
his promising a piece of broadcloth, and handsome
presents from Mrs. Judson.




160       LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
Sometimes she was summoned before the authorities to answer the most absurd charges, and daily
she was subjected to the most harassing annoyance,
from the desire of each petty officer to get money
through their misfortunes. Notwithstanding her repulse in her application to the queen, hardly a day
passed for seven months that she did not visit some
one of the members of government, or branches of
the royal family, in order to gain their influence in
behalf of the teachers, though the only benefit was,
that their encouraging promises preserved her from
despair. She did however in this manner gain friends,
who sometimes assisted her with food, and who tried
to destroy the impression that they were concerned
in the war.
The extortions and oppressions to which the prioners were subject were also indescribable. Sometimes Mrs. Judson was forbidden to have any intercourse with them during the day; and therefore she
would have two miles to walk after dark, in returning to her house.. She says, " Oh how many, many
times have I returned from  that dreary prison at
nine o'clock at night, solitary and worn out with
fatigue and anxiety, and thrown myself down in that
same rocking-chair you and Deacon S. provided for
me in Boston, and endeavored to invent some new
scheme for the release of the prisoners. Sometimes,




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.       151
for a moment or two, my thoughts would glance toward America and my beloved friends there, but for
nearly a year and a half, so entirely engrossed
was every thought with present scenes and sufferings,
that I seldom reflected on a single occurrence of my
former life, or recollected that I had a friend in existence out of Ava.
"( You my dear brother, who know my strong attachment to my friends, and how much pleasure I
have hitherto experienced from retrospect, can judge
from the above circumstance, how intense were my
sufferings. But the point, the acme of my distress,
consisted in the awful uncertainty of our final fate.
My prevailing opinion was, that my husband would
suffer violent death; and that I should of course become a slave, and languish out a miserable though
short existence, in the tyrannic hands of some unfeeling monster. But the consolations of religion in these
trying circumstances, were neither few nor small. It
taught me to look beyond this world, to that rest, that
peaceful, happy rest, where Jesus reigns, and oppression never enters."
In the meantime, the Burmese government was
sending army after army down the river to fight the
English; and constantly receiving news of their defeat and destruction. One of its officers, however,
named Bandoola, having been more successful, the king




152       LIFE Of M1:iRS. ANN  I. JUDSON.
sent for him to Ava, and conferred on him the command of a very large army, destined against Rangoon.
As he was receiving every demonstration of court
favor, iMrs. Judson resolved to wait on him with a
petition for the release of the prisoners. She was received in an obliging manner, and directed to call
again when he should have deliberated on the subject.
W/ith the joyful news of her flattering reception,
she flew to the prison, and both she and her husband
thought deliverance was at hand. But on going again
with a handsome present to hear his decision, she was
informed by his lady-her lord being absent-that he
was now very busy, making preparations for Rangoon,
but that when he had retaken that city, and expelled
the English, he would return and release all the prisoners.
This was her last application for their enlargement;
though she constantly visited the various officials with
presents in order to make the situation of the prisoners
more tolerable. The governor of the palace used to
be so much gratified with her accounts of the manners,
customs and government of America, that he required
her' to spend many hours of every other day at his
house.
Iirs. Judcson had been permitted to make for her
husband a little bamboo room in the prison enclosure,
far more comfortable than the shed he had occupied,




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON,        153
and where she sometimes was allowed to spend a few
hours in his society. But her visits both to the prison and to the governor were interrupted by the
birth of a little daughter-truly' A child of misery, baptized in tears!'
About this time the Burmese court was thrown into
consternation by newrs of the disastrous defeat of Bandoola, the vain-glorious chief who was to expel the
English from the kingdom; and the rapid advance of
the British troops towards Ava.  The first consequence of such intelligence would of course be increased rigor towards the white prisoners; and accordingly, before she had regained her strength after
her confinement, Mrs. Judson learned that her husband
had been put into the inner prison, in five pairs of
fetters, that the room she had made for him had been
torn down, and all his little comforts taken away by his
jailers. All the prisoners had been similarly treated.
Mrs. Judson, feeble as she was, hastened to the governor's house. But in her long absence she had lost
favor; and she'was told that she must not ask to have
the fetters taken off, or the prisoners released, for it
could not be doe. She made a pathetic appeal to the
governor, who was an old man, reminding him of all
his former kindness to them, and begging to know why
his conduct was so changed to them now. His hard




154       LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
heart melted and he even " wept like a child."  He
then confessed to her that he had often been ordered
to assassinate the prisoners privately, but that he would
not do it; and that, come what would, he would never
put Mr. Judson to death. At the same time he was
resolute in refusing to attempt any mitigation of his
sufferings.
The situation of the prisoners was now horrible in
the extreme. There were more than one hundred of
them shut up in one room, with no air but what came
through cracks in the boards, and this in the hot season. Mrs. Judson was sometimes permitted to spend
five minutes at the door, but the sight was almost too
horrible to be borne. By incessant intreaties, she obtained permission for them to eat their food outside,
but even this was soon forbidden. After a month
passed in this way, Mr. Judson was seized with fever,
and nothing but death was before him unless he could
have more air. Mrs. Judson at length succeeded in
putting up another bamboo hut in the prison enclosure,
and by wearing out the governor with her entreaties,
she got her husband removed into it, and though too
low for them to stand upright, it seemed to them a
palace in comparison with the prison.
Disastrous news of the war continued to arrive, and
at length the death of Bandoola seemed to be the
climax of misfortune. Who could be found to take




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.       155
his place? A government officer, who had for some
time been in disgrace with the king, now came forward with a proposal to conquer the English and put
an end to the war, provided an army was raised on a
new plan.  His offers were accepted, and he was
clothed with full powers. He was a man of talent and
enterprise, and a violent enemy to foreigners.  The
missionaries feared everything from his malignancy;
and their fears were but too well founded.
They had been in their comfortable hut but a few
days, when Mrs. J. was suddenly summoned before
the governor, and detained by trifling pretexts for
some time, in order-as she afterwards found-to
spare her the dreadful scene that was enacted at the
prison in her absence. On leaving him she met a
servant running to tell her that all the white prisoners
were carried away he knew not whither. She ran
from street to street inquiring for them, until at length
she was informed they were carried to Amarapoora.
She hastened to the governor, who professed his ignorance, but promised to send off a man to inquire their
fate; and said significantly, " You can do nothing
more for your husband; take care of yourself"  She
returned to her room, and sank down almost in despair.
This was the most insupportable day she had passed.
She resolved to go to Amarapoora; packed up some
valuables in trunks to leave with the governor; and.




156       LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSONo
took leave of Ava, as she supposed, forever. She ob~
tained a pass for herself aznd infant, her two Burman
girls and cook, and got on board a boat, which conveyed them within two miles of Amarapoora. There
she procured a cart, but the heat and dust, with the
fatigue of carryiing  her infant, almost deprived her of
reason. Butt on Ieachng. tle court-.house, her distress
was further aggralval-ted, by finding thant she must go
four miles farther to a pi,ace called Onunge-pen-la.
There in an old shattered building, without a roof,
under the burning sun, sat the poorT pisoners, chained
two and two, and almost in a dying condition. She
prevailed on the jailer to give her a sheltter i a
wretched little room half filled with grain, and in that
filthy place, without bed, chair, table, or any other
comfort, she spent th- next csix.on, ths of' wretchedness.
The account given her 1y Mr. Judson0  o his sufferings since she hlad seen him was almost too dreadihlt to
repeat. Draagged from th- prison, aind stripped of their
clothing, they were driven under a broiling sun, over
the hot sand aan gravel until their nakted fet were- all
one wound, and thley ear'nestly longed for d eath to put
an end to their tortures.  When nicght came on, finding that one of the prisoners had dropped dead, and
that the others were utterly unable to walk, their
driver had halted till the next morning, and then con



LIFE OF MRS. ANN II. JUDSON,       157
veyed them the remainder of the distance in carts.
On arriving and seeing the dilapidated condition of the
prison, they confidently thought they had beenrought
here for execution, and tried to prepare themselves to
meet a dreadful and perhaps lingering death. From
this apprehension they were relieved by seeing preparations made to repair the prison,
/Irs. Judson had brought fr'om Ava all the money
she couldc command, secreted about her person. And
she records her thankfulness to her Heavenly Father
i'hat she never suffered from waint of money, though
frequently from want of pro 0viio.ns..H itherto her
health and that of her chiidren hIad been g.ood. But
now cormmenced her personl, bo l'y s1l ringse  One
of the little Burman gils who' she has  dop adoted, and
wh.om she had named s ary Ha;seltine, was attac ed
on the morning after her a rrival with salli-p -o. She
had bee1 Mrs. Judsoiis o ly assistant in the care of
her infant. But now she requit cc all the time that
could be spared fi'om,. Judson, whoe  mangled feet
rendered him utterly unable to move. M1,r.s. Judson's
vwhlole time was spent in goinr back and forth fioml tle
prison to the house withi her little -lar ia in her arms.
Knowting that the other children must have the disease, she inoculated both, and those of the jailer, all
of whonm had it lightly except her poor babe, with
whom the inoculation did not take. and nwho had it the




158    -LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
natural way. Before this she had been a healthy child,
but it was more than three months before she recovered from the dreadful disorder.
The beneficial effects of inoculation in the case of
the jailer's children, caused Mrs. Judson to be called
upon to perform the operation upon all the children in
the village.  Mr. Judson gradually recovered, and
found his situation much more comfortable than at
Ava.   But iMrs. Judson, overcome by watchings,
fatigue, miserable food, and still more miserable lodgings, was attacked by one of the disorders of the country; and though much debilitated, was obliged to set
off in a cart for Ava to procure medicines and suitable
food. While there, her disorder increased so fearfully
in violence, that she gave up all hope of recovery, and
was only anxious to return and die near the prison.
By the use of laudanum she so far checked the disease,
that she was able to get back to Oung-pen-la, but in
such a state that the cook whom she had left to supply
her place, and who came to help her out of the
wretched cart in which she had made part of the
journey, was so overwhelmed by her altered and
emaciated appearance that he burst into tears. To
this poor cook she was indebted, during the next two
months for everything, and even for her life and that
of those dearest to her. He would walk miles to procure and carry food for the prisoners, then return to




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.        159
do everything he could for Mrs. J. Though a Bengalee, he forgot his caste, and hesitated not at any
office or service which was required of him. It was
afterwards in their power amply to reward him for his
labor of love, and they never forgot their debt of
gratitude.
At this time poor little Maria was the greatest sufferer, and her mother's anguish at seeing her distress
while she was unable to relieve it, was indescribable.
Deprived of her natural food by her mother's illness,
while not a drop of milk could be procured in the village, her cries were heart-rending. Sometimes Mr.
Judson would prevail on his keepers to let him carry
the emaciated little creature around in his arms, to
beg nourishment from those mothers in the village
who had young children. Now indeed was the cup
of misery full.  While in health, the active, ardent
mind of Mrs. Judson bore up under trials, every new
one suggesting some ingenious expedient to lighten or
avert it; but now to see those cherished ones suffering,
and be herself confined by sickness, was almost too
much to bear.
It was about this time they learned the death of
their enemy, whose elevation to power was the cause
of their removal from Ava, and whose purpose in
sending them to Oung-pen-la, was indeed their destruction. Suspected of high-treason, and of embezzling




160       LIFE OF MES. ANN II. JUDSON.
Dublic money, he was executed without a moment's
delay. Another officer was appointed to command
the army, but with far less sanguine expectations of
success. After his death, the prisoners were released
from the prison, and conducted to Ava. The cause
of this change was soon evident. /Ir. Judson was
wanted to act as interpreter between the Burmese
government and the advancing army of the British.
For six weeks he was kept in iMaloun, steadily at work
in translating, and suffering as much a.s when in prison
except that he was not in irons. Mrs. Judson, who
had remained at Ava, was seized soon after he left
her with spotted fever of the most maligonant character. She lost her reason, and for a long time was insensible to everything around her. But she records
with lively gratitude, that just before her senses left
her, a Portuguese woman had unexpectedly come and
offsred herself as nurse to her little dughter; and
about the same time, Dr. Price, being released from
prison, visited her. He represenits her situation to
have been the most distressing he ever witnessed, and
he had no idea she could- survive niany hours. At one
time a Burmese neighbor, who had come in with
others to see her die, said, "She is dead; and if the
King of angels were to come in, he could not recover
her."  Her head was shaved, blisters were applied to
it and to her feet, and she gradually revived; although




LIFE OF MRS. ANN II. JUDSON.      161
the fever having run seventeen days, she was of
course a long time in recovering.
While in this debilitated state, she learned through
her servant that his master had arrived in town, under
the charge of several Burmans, and that it was reported that he was to be sent back to the Oung-pen-la
prison. Being too weak to bear ill tidings, the shock
had well nigh destroyed her. When she had in some
measure recovered her composure, she sent Moung
Ing to her old friend, the governor of the north gate,
begging him to make one more effort for Mr. Judson.
Moung Ing then went in search of' the teacher,' and
at length found him in an obscure prison. Her feelings while he was gone, Mrs. Judson thus describes:
- If ever I felt the value and efficacy of prayer, I
did at this time. I could not rise from my couch; I
could make no efforts to secure my husband; I could
only plead with that great and powerful Being who
has said, Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will
hear, and thou shalt glorify me;' and who made me
at this time feel so powerfully this promise, that I became quite composed, feeling assured that my prayers
would be answered."
She afterwards learned that as soon as Mr. Judson
was found of no farther use at Maloun as interpreter,
he was transferred without ceremony to Ava, where
happening to meet no one who knew him, he was or11




162       LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
dered to be taken whence he came, when he went to
Maloun, viz: Oung-pen-la. But at the instance of,
Mrs. Judson's faithful messenger, Moung Ing, the governor of the north gate presented a petition to the
high court of the empire, became security for Mr. J.,
obtained his release, took him to his house, and removed AMrs. Judson thither also as soon as her health
permitted.
The English army, which had all along offered peace
on condition of tie payment of a certain sum of
money, offers which the Burmans had constantly rejected, had now advanced so far as to threaten the
golden city itself. The Burmans were thus compelled
to negotiate, and all their negotiations from beginning
to end, " were conducted by Drs. Judson and Price,
though they were often interrupted or entirely broken
off by the caprice and jealousy of the Burman monarch and his officers." The king placing no confidence
in the English, and having the most absurd ideas of his
power to force them to his own terms, sent messengers
at every stage of their advance to induce Sir Archibald Camnpbell to abate his demands and alter his conditions. No pains was spared to fortify the golden
city, even while Dr. Price and other English prisoners
were engaged in the business of negotiation. Mrs.
Judson had the pain of seeing their house with its




LIFE OF MRS. ANN. H. JUDSON.      163
beautiful enclosure of fruits and flowers, entirely destroyed, to make a place for the erection of cannon.
A new message now airived fiom Sir Archibaldo
No smaller sum than the one stipulated, (about five
million dollars) would be received, but it might be
paid at four different times; the first payment to be
made within twelve days, or the army would continue
its march. In addition, the prisoners were to be given
up immediately.  The king, who had learned the
value of Mr. Judson's services, declared that those
foreigners who were not English, were his people, and
should not go. The missionaries were ordered to go
again to the English camp, to propose to them to take
a third of the money and give up their demand for the
missionaries; and threatened that if unsuccessful in
their embassy, they and their families should suffer.
Their situation was now truly perilous, for the Burman arrogance was at this time heightened by the
boast of one of their generals, that he would so fortify
the ancient city of Pugan, which lay in the route of
the British toward Ava, that they could never advance beyond it; and that in fact he would destroy or
drive them from the country. The invincible English
took the city, however, with perfect ease; and the
king being enraged that he had listened for a moment
to the braggart, and thus provoked the British officers,
had him executed without ceremony, and gave out




164       LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
that it was to punish him for violating his command
6not to fight the English.' The same night, Dr. Price
was sent with part of the money, and some of the
prisoners, but returned with the alarming intelligence,
that the general was angry, would not communicate
with him, and was marching upon Ava,
All was now confusion in the palace; gold and
silver vessels were melted up, and the money weighed
out; and Mr. Judson was hurried into a boat, and sent
to the British camp. He was instructed by the English
general that every foreigner who wished to leave the'
country, must be permitted to go, or peace would not
be made. The members of government now had recourse to solicitation, and promised to make Mr. Judson a great man if he would remain. To avoid the
oduim of expressing a wish to leave his majesty's service, he told them that Sir Archibald had ordered that
all who desired it, should go; that his wife had often
expressed that desire, that she therefore must be given
up, and that he must follow. The prisoners were then
all released, and on a cool moonlight evening, with
hearts overflowing with gratitude and joy, they took
their passage down the Irrawady, bidding a final adieu
to the scene of their sufferings, the golden city of
Ava.
With what delight did they the next morning hail
the sight of the steamboat that was to conduct them




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSONo        165
to the British camp. " With what unspeakable satisfaction did they again find themselves surrounded by
the comforts and refinements of civilized life."  The
kindness of General Campbell was more like that of a
father to his own family, than that of a stranger to
persons of another country. Indeed it was to him
they owed their final release from Ava, and the recovery of all their confiscated property. Mrs. Judson
thinks no people on earth were ever happier than they
were at that time; the very idea that they were free
from Burman treachery and tyranny, and under British protection, filling them with gratitude and joy too
exquisite for expression. " What shall we render to
the Lord for all his benefits to us," was the constant
utterance of their hearts.  Peace was soon settled;
they left the camp, and after an absence of two years
and three months were again in Rangoon.




CHAPTER XVIII.
INFLUENCE OF THESE DISASTERS ON THE MISSIONARY ENTERPRISE.-TESTIMONIALS TO MRS. JUDSON'S HEROIC CONDUCT.-LETTER FROM MR. JUDSON.
-HIS ACCEPTANCE OF THE POST OF INTERPRETER TO CRAWFORD'S EMBASSY.-MRS. JUDSON'S RESIDENCE AT AMEHERST. —HER ILLNESS AND
DEATH.-DEATH OE HER INFANT.
MRs. JUDSON concludes her long, melancholy, but
most interesting letter to her brother, as follows: "A
review of our trip to and adventures in Ava, suggests
the inquiry, Why were we permitted to go?     What
good has been effected? Why did I not listen to the
advice of friends in Bengal and remain till the war
was concluded? But all that we can say is-It is not
in man that walketh to direct his steps.-So far as my
going round to Rangoon at the time I did, was instrumental in bringing those heavy afflictions upon us, I
can only state that if ever I acted from a sense of duty
in my life, it was at that time; for my conscience
would not allow me any peace, when I thought of
sending for your brother to Calcutta, in prospect of
the approaching war. Our society at home have lost
no property on account of our difficulties; but two
years of precious time have been lost to the mission,




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.       167
unless some future advantage may be gained, in consequence of the severe discipline to which we ourselves have been subject. We are sometimes induced
to think that the lesson we have found so very hard
to learn will have a beneficial effect through our lives;
and that the mission may in the end, be advanced
rather than retarded."
In reference to this timid and hesitating hope of
some benefit which might possibly accrue to the cause
of missions, from her terrible experience, the remarks
of Dr. Dowling in a recent work, are so appropriate,
that we will introduce them here. " Previous to the
commencement of these sufferings, though a few
American Baptists were partially awake to the salvation of the heathen,... yet the contributions for the
mission were meagre, and the interest it had excited
was comparatively small.  Something of a thrilling,
exciting character was needed to arouse the churches
from their indifference and lethargy; something that
should touch their hearts, by showing them somewhat
of the nature and extent of the sacrifices made by
those devoted missionaries whom they were called
upon to sustain by their benefactions and their prayers.
" Such a stimulus was afforded, when after two years
of painful suspense, during which it was not known
whether the missionaries were dead or alive, the




168       LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
touching recital of their unparalleled sufferings for
Christ's sake, and of their wonderful deliverance, at
length burst like an electric shock upon the American
churches. And that shock has not yet spent its force,
as we have recently seen in the effect produced by the
simple, silent presence, in the assemblies of the saints,
of the venerated man of God, who can say with an
Apostle-' I bear in my body the scars of the Lord
Jesus!' " 
That worn veteran had but to arise in a Christian
assembly, and a thrill of sympathy was sent through
the audience, and thousands upon thousands of dollars
were pledged on the spot to that cause which his
silent presence so powerfully advocated.
Another consequence of the war, was to secure
British toleration and protection to a large territory,
hitherto almost inaccessible to the missionaries. Of
this we shall speak more fully hereafter.
Mrs. Judson- proceeds: "' We should have had no
hesitation about remaining at Ava, if no part of the
Burman empire had been ceded to the British. But
as it was, we felt that it would be unnecessary exposure, besides the missionary field being more limited
in consequence of intoleration. We now consider our
future missionary prospects as bright indeed, and our
only anxiety is to be once more in that situation when
* Alluding to Dr. Judson's visit to America.




LIFE OF MIRS. ANN H. JUDSON.      169
our time will be exclusively- devoted to the instruction
of the heathen..."This letter, dreadful as are the scenes herein
described, gives you but a faint idea of the awful reality. The anguish, the agony of mind, resulting from
a thousand little circumstances impossible to delineate
on paper, can be known by those only who have been
in similar situations. Pray for us, my dear brother
and sister, that these heavy afflictions may not be in
vain, but may be blessed to our spiritual good, and the
advancement of Christ's Church among the heathen."
The following is extracted from a tribute to frs.
Judson which appeared in a Calcutta paper, after the
war. It was written by a fellow-prisoner of Mr. J.' Mrs. Judson was the author of those eloquent and
forcible appeals to the government, which prepared
them by degrees for submission to terms of peace,
never expected by any who knew the haughtiness and
inflexible pride of the Burtnan court.
" And while on this subject, the overflowings of
grateful feelings on behalf of myself and fellow-prisoners, compel me to add a tribute of public thanks to
that amiable and humane female, who, though living
at a distance of two miles from our prison, without
any means of conveyance, and very feeble in health,
forgot her own comfort and infirmity, and almost




170       LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
every day visited us, sought out and administered to
our wants, and contributed in every way to alleviate
our misery.
"When we were all left by the government destitute of food, she, with unwearied perseverance by
some means or other, obtained for us a constant
supply.
a.. " When the unfeeling avarice of our keepers
confined us inside, or made our feet fast in the stocks,
she, like a ministering angel, never ceased her applications to the government, until she was authorized to
communicate to us the grateful news of our enlargement, or of a respite from our galling oppressions.
"' Besides all this, it was unquestionably owing, in a
chief degree, to the repeated eloquence and forcible
appeals of Mrs. Judson, that the untutored Burman
was finally made willing to secure the welfare of his
country by a sincere peace."
Well may Professor Garmmel write of her: " History
has not recorded, poetry itself has seldom portrayed a
more affecting exhibition of Christian fortitude, of
female heroism, and of all the noble and generous
qualities which constitute the dignity and glory of
woman. In the midst of sickness and danger, and
every calamity which can crush the human heart,
she presented a character equal to the sternest trial,
and an address and a fertility of resources which gave




LIFE OF MRS, ANN H, JUDSON. 1i7
her an ascendency over the minds of her most cruel
enemies, and alone saved the missionaries and their
fellow-captives from the terrible doom which constantly
awaited them."
We will conclude this account of the terrible two
years, by an extract from a letter of Mr. Judson dated
Rangoon, Mfarch 25, 1826. " Through the kind interposition of our Heavenly Father, we have been preserved in the most inminent danger, from the hand of
the executioner, and in repeated instances of most
alarming illness, during my protracted imprisonment
of one year and seven months, nine months in three
pairs of fetters, two months in five, six months in one,
and two months a prisoner at large...  The disciples and inquirers have been dispersed in all directions.
Several are dead; Mioung-Shwa-ba has been in the
mission-house through the whole, and Moung Ing
with Mrs. Judson at Ava.      I.  long for the time
when we shall enjoy once more the stated worship
and ordinances of the Lord's house."
"One result of the Burman war, was the acquisition
by the British of several provinces previously under
the government of the King of Burmah. Thus a safe
asylum was provided for the missionaries, and for the
Christian natives where they might worship God in
peace, under the shelter of the English government."




172       LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
One of these provinces was fixed upon as the seat of
the mission, and the new town of Amherst was to be
the residence of the missionaries. Native Christian
families began to assemble there, and Mrs. Judson
made vigorous preparations to open a school. Mr.
Crawford of the British Embassy after long solicitation, succeeded in persuading Mr. Judson, that by
accompanying him in the capacity of interpreter to
the court of Ava he might secure to the mission certain advantages he had long had greatly at heart, and
he reluctantly consented to go. Leaving Mrs. Judson
and her infant daughter in the house of the civil
superintendent at Amherst, he proceeded to the Burman capital. The journey was every way unfortunate; attended with long delays, and in its result, as
far as Mr. Judson was concerned, quite unsuccessful.
But it was chiefly disastrous because it detained him
from the sick and dying bed of that devoted wife to
whom he was bound by every tie that can attach
human hearts to each other; and compelled her to
end her troubled pilgrimage alone. That God who
" moves in a mysterious way," had ordered it that she
who had lived through appalling dangers and threatening deaths until her mission of love toward those she
had cherished so fondly was accomplished, was-now
that her trials seemed nearly ended, and the hopes of
her heart seemingly in a train of accomplishment



LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.       173
suddenly called from the scene of her labors to that
of her "exceeding great reward."  It was as if a
noble ship after encountering storms and tempests,
after being often nearly wrecked, and as often saved
almost by miracle, should when already in port and in
sight of anxious spectators, suddenly sink forever.
In a letter to the corresponding secretary, dated
Ava, Dec. 7, 1826, Mr. Judson writes: " The news
of the death of my beloved wife, has not only thrown
a gloom over all my future prospects, but has forever
embittered the recollection of the present journey,
in consequence of which I have been absent from her
dying bed, and prevented from affording the spiritual
comfort which her lonely circumstances peculiarly re~
quired, and of contributing to avert the fatal catastroo
phe, which has deprived me of one of the first of
women, and best of wives. I commend myself and
motherless child to your sympathy and prayers."
From a letter from Mr. Judson to Mrs. Hasseltine
we learn, that when he parted from his wife, she was
in good health and comfortably situated, with happy
prospects of a new field of missionary labor, and the
expectation of seeing her husband again in three or
four months at farthest. His last letter from her was
dated the 14th of September. She says, " I have this
day moved into the new house, and for the first time
since we were broken up at Ava, feel myself at home.




174       LIFE OF MRS. ANNTI H JUDSON.
The house is large and convenient, and if you were
here I should feel quite happy...  Poor little Maria
is still feeble...  W-hen I ask -her where Papa is, she
always starts up and points toward the sea. The servants behave very well, and I have no trouble about
anything except you and Maria.  Pray take care of
yourselfi... Mo ay God preserve and bless you, and
restore you again to your new and old home is the
praLyer of your affectionate Ann."  Another letter
from a friend confirmed the statement with regard to
his wife's health, thouogh it spoke unfvorably of that
of the child.  " But," continues Mr. Judson, " my
next comnmunication was a letter with a black seal,
handed me by a person, saying he was sorry to inform
me of the death of the child. I know not whether
this wvas a mistalke on his part, or k1indly intended to
prepare my mind for the real intelligence. I went to
my room, and opened the letter with a feeling of gratitude and joy, that at any rate the mother was spared.
It began thus:'My dear Sir,-To one who has suffered so much and with such exemplary fortitude, there
needs but little preface to tell a tale of distress. It
were cruel indeed to torture you with doubt and suspense.  To sum up the unhappy tidings in a few
cwords-Mrsf. Judcson is no more.' At iUtervals, continues fr. Judson, "I got through1 theL dreadful letter,
and proceed to give you the substance, as indelibly




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.       175
engraven on my heart." After adding that her disease was a violent fever, which baffled the skill of the
physicians and after eighteen days carried her to the
grave, he continues: " You perceive I have no ac~
count whatever of the state of her mind in view of
death and eternity, or of her wishes concerning her
darling babe, whom  she loved most intensely. I
will not trouble you, my dear mother, with an account
of my own private feelings —the bitter, heart-rending
anguish, which for some days would not admit of mitigation; and the comfort which the Gospel subsequently afforded, the Gospel of Jesus Christ which
brings life and immortality to light."
After his return to Amherst, Mr. Judson writes:
"Amid the desolation that death has made, I take up
my pen to address once more the mother of my be.
loved Ann. I am sitting in the house she built-in the
room where she breathed her last —and at a window
from which I see the tree that stands at the head of
her grave.... Mr. and Mrs. Wade are living in the
house, having arrived here about a month after Ann's
death, and Mrs. W. has taken charge of my poor
mnotherless Maria.... When I arrived Mr. Wade
met me at the landing-place, and as I passed on to the
house, one and another of the native Christians came
out, and when they saw me they began to weep. At
length we reached the house; and I almost expected




176       LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
to see my love coming out to meet me as usual, but
no, I only saw in the arms of MBrs. Wade, a poor puny
child, who could not recognize her father, and from
whose infant mind had long been erased all recollection of the mother who loved her so much. She turned away from me in alarm, and I, obliged to seek comfort elsewhere, found my way to the grave, but who
ever obtained comfort there? Thence I went to the
house in which I left her; and looked at the spot
where last we knelt in prayer, and where we exchanged the parting kiss...
It seems that her head was much affected and she
said but little. She sometimes complained thus:' The
teacher is long in coming, and the missionaries are
long in coming, I must die alone and leave my little
one, but as it is the will of God, I acquiesce in his will.
I am not afraid of death, but I am afraid I shall not be
able to bear these pains. Tell the teacher that the
disease was most violent, arid I could not write; tell
him how I suffered and died; tell him all you see.. 
When she could not notice anything else, she would
still call the child to her, and charge the nurse to be
kind to it, and indulge it in everything till its father
should return. The last day or two she lay almost
senseless and motionless, on one side, her head reclining on her arm, her eyes closed, and at eight in the




LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON'.      177
evening, with one exclamation of distress in the Burman language, she ceased to breathe."
From the physician who attended her he afterwards
learned that the fatal termination of her disease, was
chiefly owing to the weakness of her constitution occasioned by the severe privations, and long-protracted
sufferings which she endured at Ava. " And oh!"
adds her husband, " With what meekness, patience,
magnanimity and Christian fortitude, she bore those
sufferings; and can I wish they had been less? Can I
sacriligiously wish to rob her crown of a single gem?
Much she saw and suffered of the evils of this evil
world; and eminently was she qualified to relish and
enjoy the pure and holy rest into which she has entered. True she has been taken from a sphere in which
she was singularly qualified, by her natural disposition,
her winning manners, her devoted zeal, and her perfect acquaintance with the language, to be extensively
serviceable to the cause of Christ; true she has been
torn from her husband's bleeding heart and from her
darling babe; but infinite wisdom and love have presided, as ever, in this most afflicting dispensation.
Faith decides that all is right."
To show that Mrs. Judson was already appreciated
as she deserved by the European society in Amherst,
we will subjoin part of a letter from Captain F. of that
place to a friend in Rangoon: " I shall not attempt to
12




178       LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.
give you an account of the gloom which the death of
this amiable woman has thrown over our little society,
you who were so well acquainted with her, will feel
her loss more deeply; but we had just known her long
enough to value her acquaintance as a blessing in this
remote corner. I dread the efect it will have on poor
Judson, I am sure you will take every care that this
mournful intelligence may be opened to him as carefully as possible."
in the Calcutta ]Rfeview of 1848, we find this noble
tribute to her memory: "Of Mrs. Judson little is
known in the noisy world. Few comparatively are
acquainted with her name, few with her actions, but
if any'woman since the first arrival of the white
strangers on the shores of India, has on that great
theatre of war, stretching between the mouth of the
Irrawady and the borders of the Hindoo Kush, rightly
earned for herself the title of a heroine, Mrs, Judson
has, by her doings and sufferings, fairly earned the distinction-a distinction, be it said, which her true
woman's nature would have very little appreciated.
Still it is right that she should be honored by the
world. Her sufferings were far more unendurable,
her heroism far more noble, than any which in more
recent times have been so much pitied and so much
applauded; but she was a simple missionary's wife, an
American by birth, and she told her tale with an art



LIFE OF MRS. ANN H. JUDSON.       179
less modesty-writing only what it became her to
write, treating only of matters that became a woman.
Her captivity, if so it can be called, was voluntarily
endured. She of her own free will shared the sufferings of her husband, taking to herself no credit for
anything she did; putting her trust in God, and praying to him to strengthen her human weakness. She
was spared to breathe once again the free air of
liberty, but her troubles had done the work of death on
her delicate frame, and she was soon translated to
heaven. She was the real heroine. The annals in
the East present us with no parallel."
On the 26th of April, Mr. Judson writes, " My
sweet little Maria lies by the side of her fond mother.
Her complaint proved incurable. The work of death
went forward, and after the usual process, excruciating
to a parent's feelings, she ceased to breathe on the
24th inst., at 3 o'clock P.M., aged 2 years and 3
months. We then closed her faded eyes, and bound
up her discolored lips, and folded her little hands-the
exact pattern of her mother's-on her cold breast.
The next morning we made her last bed, under the
hope tree, (1opia,) in the small enclosure which surrounds her mother's lonely grave."
Many months later, he wrote; "You ask many
questions about our sufferings at Ava, but how can I
answer them now? There would be some pleasure in




180      LIFE OF MIRS. ANN H. JUDSONo
reviewing those scenes if she were alive; now I cannot. The only reflection that assuages the anguish
of retrospection is, that she now rests far away, where
no spotted-faced executioner can fill her heart with
terror; where no unfeeling magistrate can extort the
scanty pittance which she had preserved through
every risk to sustain her fettered husband and famishing babe; no more exposed to lie on a bed of languishment, stung with the uncertainty what would become
of her poor husband and child when she was gone.
No, she has her little ones around her, I trust, and has
taught them to praise the source whence their deliverance flowed.  Her little son, his soul enlarged to
angel's size, was perhaps first to meet her at heaven's
portals, and welcome his mother to his own abode-and
her daughter followed her in six short months.".
"And when we all meet in Heaven-when all have
arrived, and we find all safe, forever safe, and our
Saviour ever safe and glorious, and in him all his beloved-oh shall we not be happy, and ever praise him
who has endured the cross to wear and confer such a
crown!"




PART II,
THE LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
SECOND WIFE OF
REV. ADONIRAM JUDSON, D.D.




(Extract of a Letter from ir. Jeclsom.)
" I exceedingly regret that there is no portrait of the second as of
the first Mrs. Judson. Her soft blue eyes, her mild aspect, her lovely
face and elegant form, have never been delineated on canvass. They
miust soon pass awfaty from the memory even of her children, but they
will re-main forever enshrined in her husbanld's heart."




LIFE    OF  SARAH      B. JUDSON.
CHAPTER L
BIRTH AND EDUCATION.-POETICAL TALENT.
IN an article in the North American Rueview of 1835,
we find the following admirable sentiments: "It is
impossible to peruse the written life of any man or
woman who has manifested great intellectual or moral
power, whether in a holy cause or an unholy one,
without a strong admiration and a deep sympathy, and
a powerful imppulse toward imitation.  The soul is
awakened, the active powers are roused, the contemplation of high achievement kindles emulation; and
well would ii be were the character of those leading
minds, which thus draw after them the mass of mankind, always virtuous and noble. But in the vast majority of instances, the leaders of mankind, are individuals whose principles and motives the Christian
must condemn, as hostile to the spirit of the gospel.
More precious therefore, is the example of that pious




184        LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
few who have devoted themselves with pure hearts
fervently, to the glory of God, and the good of man,
and whose energy of purpose, and firmness of principle,
and magnanimity in despising difficulty and danger,
and suffering and death, in the accomplishment of a
noble end, rouse into active admiration all who contemplate their glorious career."
Such a'glorious career' was that of the honored
missionary whose life has been sketched in the former
part of this volume; and such too was hers who forms
the subject of the present memoir. Sarah B. Hall was
the eldest of thirteen children.  Her parents were
Ralph and Abiah Hall, who removed during her infancy from Alstead, New Hampshire, the place of her
birth, to Salem, in the State of Massachusetts. Her
parents not being wealthy, she was early trained to
those habits of industry, thoughtfulness and self-denial
which distinguished her through life.  Children so
situated are sometimes pitied by those who consider
childhood as the proper season for careless mirth and
reckless glee; but they often form characters of solid
excellence rarely possessed by those to whom fortune
has been more indulgent. Their struggle with obstacles in the way of improvement, and final triumph
over them, is an invaluable preparation for the rude
conflicts of life; their ingenuity is quickened by the
hourly necessity of expedients to meet emergencies;




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.         185
and the many trials which are unavoidable in their
circumstances, and which must be met with energy
and resolution, give habits of patient endurance, and
noble courage.
From all the accounts which we have of her,
Sarah must have been a most engaging child. Gentle
and affectionate in disposition, and persuasive and
winning in manners, there was yet an ardor and enthusiasm in her character, combined with a quiet
firmness and perseverance, that ensured success in
whatever she attempted, and gave promise of the lofty
excellence to which she afterwards attained. All who
have sketched her character notice one peculiarityand it is one which commonly attends high merit-her
modest unobtrusiveness.
She was very fond of little children, and easily
won their affections; but showed little disposition
even in childhood, to mingle in the sports of those of
her own age. This arose from no want of cheerfulness in her bosom; but from a certain thoughtfulness,
and fondness for intellectual exercises which were
early developed in her character.
Her principle, as well as her fondness for her
mother, led her never to shrink from what are termed
domestic duties, but her heart was not in them as it
was in study and meditation. An illustration of this.rait was recently related by her brother. Sarah was




186        LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSONo
repeating some lines on the death of Nancy Cornelius,
which attracted the attention of her mother, who
asked her where she had learned them. With some
hesitation the child confessed that she had composed
them the day before, while engaged in some domestic
avocation, during which her unusual abstracedness
had been noticed. Her early poetical attempts evince
uncommon facility in versification; and talent, that if
cultivated might have placed her high in the ranks of
those who have trod the flowery paths of literature;
but hers was a higher vocation; and poetry, which
was the delightful recreation of her childhood, and
never utterly neglected in her riper years, was never
to her anything Szore than a recreation.
Her effusions at the age of thirteen are truly remarkable, when we consider the circumstances under
which they were written. One, which is given by
her biographer as it was probably amended by the
6 cultivated taste of later years,' now lies before me as
it was first written; and the improved copy, though
greatly superior in beauty to the first, seems to me to
lack the vigor and energy, which more than atone for
the many blemishes of the other. Our readers shall
judge. We insert the childish composition; the other
is to be found in her graceful memoir by' Fanny Forrester.' She calls it "a Versification of David's lament
over Saul and Jonatlhan."




LIFE OF SAIMAH      B. JUDSON.             187
The'beauty of Israel' forever is fled,
And low lie the noble and strong;
Ye daughters of music encircle the dead,
And chant the funereal song.
O never let Gath know their sorrowful doom,
Nor Askelon hear of their fate;
Their daughters would scoff while we lay in the tomb,
The relics of Israel's great.
As strong as young lions were they in the fielu,
Like eagles they never knew fear;
As dark autumn clouds were the studs of their shield,
And swifter than wind flew their spear.
My brother, my friend, must I bid thee adieu'
Al yes, I behold thy deep woundThy bosom, once warm as my tears that fast flow,
Is colder than yonder clay mound.
Ye mountains of Gilboa, never may dew
Descend on your verdure so green;
Loud thunder may roar, and fierce lightning may glow,
But never let showers be seen.
Your verdure may scorch in the bright blazing sun,
The nighlt-blast may level your wood;
For beneath it, unhallowed, were broken and thrown
The arms of the chosen of God.
Ye da-ughters of Israel, snatch fromr your brow
Those gralands of eglantine fair;
Let cypress and nig'htshade, the ermblems of woe,
Be wreathed in your beau!tiful hlair.
Approach, and withl sadnless encircle the dead,
And chant the funereal song —
The'beauty of Israel' forever is fled,
And low lie the noble and strong.




188            LIFE OF SARAH      B. JUDSON.
Some other effusions, probably of a later date, we
will here insert, not only for their merit, but to show
what those powers were which she sacrificed, when
she turned from the cultivation of her fancy, to that
of her higher and nobler faculties.
ENCAMPMENT OF ISRAELITES AT ELIM.
"Slowly and sadly, through the desert waste,
The fainting tribes their dreary pathway traced;
Far as the eye could reach th' horizon round,
Did one vast sea of sand the vision bound.
No verdant shrub, nor murmuring brook was near,
The weary eye and sinking soul to cheer;
No fanning zephyr lent its cooling breath,
But all was silent as the sleep of death;
Their very footsteps fell all noiseless there
As stifled by the moveless, burning air;
And hope expired in many a fainting breast,
And many a tongue e'en Egypt's bondage blest.
Hark! through the silent waste, what murmur breaks?
What scene of beauty'mid the desert wakes?
Oh!'tis a fountain! shading trees are there,
And their cool freshness steals out on the air!
With eager haste the fainting pilgrims rush,
Where Elim's cool and sacred waters gush;
Prone on the bank, where murmuring fountains flow,
Their wearied, fainting, listless forms they throw;
Deep of the vivifying waters drink,
Then rest in peace and coolness on the brink,
While the soft zephyrs, and the fountain's flow,
Breathe their sweet lullaby in cadence low.
Oh! to the way-worn pilgrim's closing eyes,
How rare the beauty that about him lies!
Each leaf that quivers on the waving trees,
Each wave that swells and murmurs in the breeze,




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.                  189
Brings to his grateful heart a thrill of bliss,
And wakes each nerve to life and happiness.
When day's last flush had faded from the sky,
And night's calm glories rose upon the eye,
Sweet hymns of rapture through the palm-trees broke,
And the loud timbrels deep response awoke;
Rich, full of melody the concert ran,
Of praise to God, of gratitude in man,
While, as at intervals, the music fell,
Was heard, monotonous, the fountain's swell,
That, in their rocky shrines, flowed murmuring there,
And song and coolness shed along the air;
Night mantled deeper, voices died away,
The deep-toned timbrel ceased its thrilling sway;
And there, beside, no other music gushing,
Were heard the solitary fountains rushing,
In melody their song around was shed,
And lulled the sleepers on their verdant bed."
" COME OVER AND HELP US."
" Ye, on whom the glorious gospel,
Shines with beams serenely bright,
Pity the deluded nations,
Wrapped in shades of dismal night;
Ye, whose bosoms glow with rapture,
At the precious hopes they bear;
Ye, who know a Saviour's mercy,
Listen to our earnest prayer!
See that race, deluded, blinded,
Bending at yon horrid shrine;
Madness pictured in their faces,
Emblems of the frantic mind;
They have never heard of Jesus,
Never to th' Eternal prayed;
Paths of death and woe they're treading,
Christian! Christian! come and aid!




190            LILFE OF SARAI- BE JUDSON.
By that rendin shriek of horror,
Issuing fromrl the flaming pile,
By the bursts of mirth that follow,,
By that Blrahmin's fiend-like smile;
By the infmat's piercing cry,
Drownetd in Gang-,es' rolling wave;
By the motlher's tearful eye,
Friends of Jesus, comlle and save V
By that pilgrim, wenak and hoary,
Wanderintg fir from fiiends and home,
Vainly seeking endless glory
At the false Mallorhmet's tomb;
By that blicnd,'erided, nation,
Murdcer ers of the Son of G-od,
Christians, grant us our petition,
Ere we lie beneath the sod I
By the Afric's hopes so wretched,
Which at death's approach shall fly;
By te scalding tears theat trickle
From the slave's wild sunken eye;
By the terrors of that judgment,
Which shall fix our final doom;
Listen to our cry so earnest;Friends of Jesus, comee, oh, come!
By the martyrs' toils and sufferings,
By their patience, zeal, and love;
By the promise of the Mighty,
Bending fi rom His thr one above;
By the last command so precious,
Issued by the risen G-od;
Christians! Christians 1 come and help us,
Ere we lie beneath the sod 1"
Sarah, from     her earliest years took great delight
in reading.    At four years, says her brother, she could




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON,         191
read readily in any commnon book. Her rank in her
classes in school was always high, and her teachers
felt a pleasure in instructing her. On one occasion,
when about thirteen, she was compelled to signify to
the principal of a female seminary, that her circumstances would no longer permit her to enjoy its advantages. The teacher, unwilling to lose a pupil who
was an honor to the school, and who so highly appreciated its privileges, remonstrated with her upon her
intention, and finally prevailed on her to remain. Soon
after she commenced instructing a class of small children, and was thus enabled to keep her situation in
the seminary, without sacrificing her feelings of independence.
Her earliest journals, fragmentary as they are, disclose a zeal and ardor in self-improvement exceedingly
unusual. " My mother cannot spare me to attend
school this winter, but I have begun to pursue my
studies at home."  Again:'" ly parents are not in a
situation to send me to school this summer, so I must
make every exertion in my power to improve at
home." Again, in a note to a little friend, " feel very
anxious to adopt some plan for our mutual improvement."  How touching are these simple expressions!
How severely do they rebuke the apathy of thousands
of young persons, who allow golden opportunities of
improvement to slip away from them forever-oppor



192        LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
tunities which to Sarah Hall and such as she, were of
priceless value! Yet it is not one of the least of the
compensations with which the providence of God
abounds, that the very lack of favorable circumstances
is sometimes most favorable to the development of
latent resources.  Thus it was with Sarah.   Her
whole career shows that her mind had been early
trained and disciplined in that noblest of all schools,
the school of adverse fortune.




CHAPTER II
CONVERSION.-JBIAS TOWARD A MIISSIONARY LIFE.-ACQUAINTANCE WITH
MR. BOARDMAN.
AMIABLE as she was, and conscientious in a degree
not usual, Sarah knew that " yet one thing she lacked;"
and this knowledge often disquieted her. But her first
deep and decided convictions of sin, seem to have
been produced, about the year 18b0, under the preaching of Mr. Cornelius. Her struggles of mind were fearful, and she sunk almost to the verge of despair; but
hope dawned at last, and she was enabled to consecrate her whole being to the service of her Silaker.
She soon after united with the first Baptist church
in Salem, under the care of Dr. Bolles.
The missionary spirit wcas early developed in her
heart. Even before her conversion, her mind was
often exercised with sentiments of commiseration for
the situation of ignorant heathen and idolaters; and
after that event it was the leading idea of her life.
The cause of this early bias is unknown, but it was
shown in her conversations, her letters and notes to
friends, and in her early poetical effusions. She even
13




194         LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
tremblingly investigated her own fitness to become a
vessel of mercy to the far off, perishing heathen; and
then, shrinking from what seemed to her the presumptuous thought, she gave herself with new zeal to the
work of benefitting those immediately around her.
" Shortly after her conversion," says her brother, "she
observed the destitute condition of the children in the
neighborhood in which she resided. With the assistance of some young friends as teachers, she organized,
and continued through the favorable portions of the
year, a Sunday-school, of which she assumed the
responsibility of superintendent; and at the usual annual celebrations, she with her teachers and scholars,
joined in the exercises which accompany that festival."
"It is my ardent desire," she writes to a friend,
"that the glorious work of reformation may extend till
every knee shall bow to the living God. For this expected, this promised era, let us pray earnestly, unceasingly, and with faith. How can I be so inactive,
when I know that thousands are perishing in this land
of grace; and millions in other lands are at this very
moment kneeling before senseless idols!"
And in her journal-" Sinners perishing all around
me, and I almost panting to tell the far heathen of
Christ! Surely this is wrong. I will no longer indulge the vain foolish wish, but endeavor to be useful




LIFE OF SAlAH B. JUDSON.        195
in the position where Providence has placed me. I
can pray for deluded idolaters, and for those who
labor among them, and this is a privilege indeed."
This strong bias of her mind toward a missionary
life, was well known to her mother, who still remembers with a tender interest an incident connected with
it. Sarah had been deeply affected by the death of
Colman, who in the midst of his labors among the
heathen, had suddenly been called to his reward.
Some time afterward she returned from an evening
meeting, and with a countenance radiant with joy, announced-what her pastor had mentioned in the meeting-that a successor to Colman had been found; a
young man in lMaine named Boardman had determined to raise and bear to pagan Burmah the standard
which had fallen from his dying hand. With that
maternal instinct which sometimes forebodes a future
calamity however improbable, her mother turned away
from her daughter's joyous face, for the thought flashed involuntarily through her mind, that the young
missionary would seek as a companion of his toils, a
kindred spirit; and where would he find one so congenial as the lovely being before her?
Her fears were realized. Some lines written by
"the enthusiastic Sarah" on the death of Colman, met
the eye of the "young man in Maine," who was
touched and interested by the spirit which breathes in




196            LIFE OF SARAH      B. JUDSON.
them, and did not rest till he had formed an acquaintance with their author. This acquaintance was followed by an engagement; and in about two years,
Sarah's ardent aspirations were gratified-she was a
missionary to the heathen.
But we are anticipating events; and will close this
chapter with extracts from the (" Lines on the death of
Colman," of which we have spoken.
"'Tis the voice of deep sorrow from India's shore,
The flower of our churches is withered, is dead,
The gem that shone brightly will sparkle no more,
And the tears of the Christian profusely are shed.
Two youths of Columbia, with hearts glowing warm,
Embarked on the billows far distant to rove,
To bear to the nations all wrapp'd in thick gloom,
The lamp of the gospel-the message of love.
But Wheelock now slumbers beneath the cold wave,
And Colman lies low in the dark cheerless grave.
Mourn, daughters of India, mourn!
The rays of that star, clear and bright,
That so sweetly on Arracan shone
Are shrouded in black clouds of night,
For Colman is gone!
Oh Colman! thy father weeps not o'er thy grave;
Thy heart-riven mother ne'er sighs o'er thy dust;
But the long Indian grass o'er thy far tomb shall wave,
And the drops of the evening descend on the just.
Cold, silent and dark is thy narrow abodeBut not long wilt thou sleep in that dwelling of gloom,
For soon shall be heard the great trump of our God,
To summon all nations to hear their last doom;




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSONo                  197
A garland of amaranth then shall be thine,
And thy name on the martyrs' bright register shine.
0 what glory will burst/on thy view
When are placed by the Judge of the earth,
The flowers that in India grew
By thy care, in the never-pale wreath
Encircling thy brow!




CHAPTER       III.
ACCOUNT OF GEORGE DANA BOARDBAN.
WEr need offer no apology for turning aside from the
immediate subject of our narrative, in order to introduce to our readers one, who must henceforth share
with her our sympathy and our affection; we mean
George Dana Boardman-the successor to Colman
spoken of in the last chapter.
Ie was the son of a Baptist clergyman in Livermore, Maine, and was born in 1801. Though feeble
in body, he had an ardent thirst for knowledge, which
often made him conceal illness for fear of being detained from school. At a suitable age, he was sent to an
academy in North Yarmouth, where he became distinguished for ardor in the pursuit of learning, and fine
mental powers. It is related, that he went through
the Latin grammar with surprising rapidity, and then
expected to be allowed to use the Lexicon, but was
told he must go through the grammar once or twice
more. "Disappointed, he returned to his seat, and
in an hour or two was called up to recite, when he




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.         199
repeated verbatim sixteen pages of the grammar.
His preceptor inquired if he had got more; he answered yes; and on being asked how much, replied, I can
recite the whole book, sir, if you wish!"  He afterwards manifested equal power in mathematics. At
sixteen, he engaged in school-teaching, in order to
obtain means for a collegiate course-the great object
of his ambition-and in this employment he manifested a knowledge of human nature and of the influences which control it, truly wonderful. The most
turbulent and disorderly schools, became, in his hands,
models of system and regularity.
In 1819, when 18 years old, he entered Waterville
College, Maine. He was at this time a youth of good
principles, inflexible purpose, strong affections, and independent opinions, but had hitherto given no evidence
of piety. " But in this institution his thoughts were
directed by a variety of circumstances, to a consideration of the vast and important topics of evangelical
religion. His room-mate was a very pious and most
warm-hearted man. The officers of the college did
all in their power to elevate his thoughts and affections. In short, every external influence with which
a young man could be surrounded, was calculated to
lead his mind heavenward. Under the operation of
these causes, he was by the Spirit of God, induced to
consecrate himself, soul, body, and spirit, to religion;




1200        LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSONo
and in 1820, he made a public profession of his belief;
and was baptized."'
From his letters and journals, we find that he soon
turned his thoughts to the subject of missions. " In
the winter of 1820," he says, " the thought occurred to
me that I could take my Bible, and travel through
new settlements where the Gospel was seldom or never
heard, and without sustaining the name of a preacher,
could visit from hut to hut, and tell the story of Jesus'
dying love. Then in imagination, I could welcome
fatigue, hunger, cold, solitude, sickness and death, if I
could only win a few cottagers to my beloved Saviour."
When the news of the death of M3/r. Judson's fellowmissionary, Colman, reached America, his soul was
filled with desire to supply the place of that beloved
laborer in the Burman field. Still his chief aim was
to leave the place of his labors entirely to the guidance
of Providence. On graduating at college, he accepted
the office of tutor in it for one year, and so great was
the promise of his future eminence, that the good
president predicted that he would, at a -future day, preside over the institution. But his heart was fixed on
other labor, and as soon as his engagement was completed, he hastened to offer his services to the Board
of Foreign Missions, and was at once accepted as a
missionary.
W North American Review,




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.        201
The parting scene between Boardman and his religious friends in Waterville, who had assembled to
bid him farewell, is said by one present on that occasion, to have been exceedingly touching. "The eye
of Boardman was alone undimmed by a tear. In a
tender and yet unfaltering tone he addressed a few
words to his brethren. We all knelt down in prayer
together for the last time.  On arising, Boardman
passed round the room, and gave to each his hand for
the last time. His countenance was serene, his mild
blue eye beamed with benignity, and though there was
in his manner a tenderness which showed he had a
heart to feel, yet there was no visible emotion till he
came to his room-mate. As he took him by the hand,
his whole frame became convulsed, his eye filled, and
the tears fell fast, as if all the tender feelings of his
spirit, till now imprisoned, had at this moment broken
forth-' farewell!' he faltered; and then smiling through
his tears, said, as he left the room, we shall meet
again in Heaven.''
He had expected immediately to leave America for
Burmah, in the same ship which was to take Mrs.
Judson back to that country, but the Board decided
to detain him some time in this country for further
preparation. In June, 1823, he entered on theological
studies in the seminary at Andover, and employed all
his leisure hours in reading those books in the library




202         LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
which treated of the manners, customs, and religions
of heathen countries.
In the spring of 1825 he was called to bid his country farewell. Natural affection was strong, but the
call of duty was stronger still. In a letter he says, " If
tenderness of feeling-if ardor of affection-if attachment to friends, to Christian society and Christian privileges-if apprehension of toil and danger in a missionary life-if an overwhelming sense of responsibility
could detain me in America, I should never go to Burmah."  And in his journal-" Welcome separations
and farewells; welcome tears; welcome last sad embraces; welcome pangs and griefs; only let me go
where my Saviour calls and goes himself; welcome
toils, disappointments, fatigues and sorrows; WELCOME
AN EARLY GRAVE!"
It is easy to imagine that the sympathy and affection between two souls constituted like Miss Hall's
and Mr. Boardman's, both of whom were warmed by
the same zeal for the cause of Christ and the welfare
of the heathen, would be unusually strong; and indeed
there is every evidence, that from the time they became fully acquainted, the most tender attachment
subsisted between them.  "You know," she wrote
long afterward to her mother, " how tenderly I loved
him;" and to an intimate friend, he said in a private




LIFE OF SARAI B. JUDSON.         203
conversation, " It was not the superiority of her personal charms, though these were by no means small,
but it was her intrinsic excellence, heightened by her
modest, unobtrusive spirit, that endeared her to my
heart."




CHAPTER IV.
IARRIAGE OF MISS HALL AND BIR. BOARDMAN. —THEY SAIL F'OR INDIA,
-LETTERS FROM MRI. B.-LETTEI S FROM MRS. B.-ANOTHER LETTER
FROM MR. B.
IT was to no slight sacrifice that the parents of
Sarah Hall were summoned, when called to consent
to her departure for Burmah. The eldest of a large
famrily-arrived at an age when she could not only
share her mother's duties and labors, but be to her a
sympathizing friend-possessed of every quality which
could endear her to her parents' hearts-emphatically
their joy and pride-how could they resign her-especially how could they consent to her life-long exile
from her native land; to end perchance in a cruel martyrdom on a heathen shore? Can ve wonder that the
mother clinging to her daughter's neck, exclaimed, " I
cannot, cannot part with you!" or that the moment
of departure must arrive, before she could falter, " My
child, I hope I am willing?"
Her own feelings on leaving the home of her youth,
with him who was henceforth to supply to her the




LIFE OF SARAH       B. JUDSON.             205
place of all other friends, are breathed in these graceful lines.
"When far from those whose tender care
Protected me from ills when young;
And far from those who love to hear
Affiction from a sister's tongue;:When on a distant heathen shore,
Tle deep blue ocean I shall see;
And know the waves which hitlher bore
Our bark, have left me none but thee;
Perhaps a thought of childhood's days
Will cause a tear to dim my eye;
And fragments of forgotten lays
hMay wake the echo of a sigh.
Oh! wilt thou then forgive the, tear?
Forgive the throbbings of my heart?
And point to those blest regions, where
Friends meet, and never, never part?
And whlen shall come affliction's storm,
When some deep, unexpect.ed grief
Shall pale my cheek, and waste my form,
Then wilt thou point to sweet relief?
And wilt thou, then, with soothing voice,
Of Jesus' painful conflicts tell?
And bid my aching heart rejoice,
In these kind accents —' All i's sell'
When blooming health and strength shall fly,
And I the prey of sickness prove,
Oh! wilt thou watch with wakeful eye,
The dying pillow of thy love?
And when the chilling hand of death
Shall lead me to my house in heaven,
And to the damp, repulsive earth,
In cold embrace, this form be given;




206            LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
Oh, need I ask thee, wilt thou then,
Upon each bright and pleasant eve,
Seek out the solitary glen,
To muse beside my lonely grave?
And while fond memory back shall steal,
To scenes and days forever fled;
Oh, let the veil of love conceal
The frailties of the sleeping dead.
And thou may'st weep and thou may'st joy,
For'pleasant is the joy of grief;'
And when thou look'st with tearful eye
To heaven, thy God will give relief.
Wilt thou, then, kneel beside the sod
Of her who kneels with thee no more,
And give thy heart anew to God,
Who griefs unnumbered for thee bore 
And while on earth thy feet shall rove,
To scenes of bliss oft raise thine eye,
Where, all-absorbed in holy love,
I wait to hail thee to the sky."
On the 3d of July, 1825, the marriage took place;
Miss Hall being then 21 years old, and Mr. Boardman
24.   His slender figure, and transparent complexion,
even then seemed to indicate that his mission on earth
might soon be fulfilled, but both he and his bride were
young and sanguine, and no misgivings for the future
disturbed their happiness in each other. Indeed the
grief of parting with all they had ever loved and
cherished, though chastened by submission to what
they believed the Divine call, was sufficient to merge
all lighter causes of anxiety.




LIFE OF SARAHI B. JUJDSO'N.      207
On the day following their marriage they left Salem
for the place of embarkation. They were to sail first
to Calcutta, and if on reaching there the troubles in
Burmah should prevent their going at once to that
country, they were to remain in Calcutta, and apply
themselves to the acquisition of the Burman language.
In expectation of their speedy departure, meetings
for special prayer were held at Boston, Salem, New
York, and Philadelphia. The spirit which animated
these meetings, and breathed in all the supplications
offered, was indicative of deep interest in the mission,
and of united and determined resolution, by the grace
of God to support it. {Mr. and Mrs. B. were everywhere received with the utmost kindness, and nothing
was withheld which could contribute to animate them
in their arduous undertaking, and render their future
voyage pleasant and healthful. The captain and other
officers of the ship Asia in which they were to sail,
made the most ample provision for their comfort and
accommodation, and rendered them every attention
in a manner most grateful to their feelings. At a concert of prayer in Philadelphia, Mr. Boardman was
called upon to give a brief account to the audience of
the motives which had induced him to devote his life
to the missionary service. In his reply, he took occasion in the first place to acknowledge the goodness of
God to him through his whole lifeo  When he entered




208         LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
Waterville College-the first student ever admitted
there not hopefully pious-his fellow-students, impressed with this fact, solemnly engaged with each
other, unknown to him, to remember him in their supplications, until their prayers for his conversion should
be answered. Six months from that time he found
peace in believing, and his first prayer was that God
would make him useful. His mind was so impressed
with the condition of our Indian tribes, that he felt inclined to carry to them the message of salvation. But
his venerable father, whom he consulted as to his duty,
advised him " to wait on God, and He would conduct
him in the right way." After some time, his choice
was decided in favor of the Burman mission by such
indications, that he considered his call to this service
distinctly and plainly marked. Hie adverted in a very
tender manner to some peculiar indications of Providence, especially to the manner in which his parents
received the knowledge of his determination. Their
remark was, It has long been ozur desire to do something for the mission; and if God will accept our
son, we malte the surrender with cheerftzlness.'
In reading this account, do we not feel emotions of
moral sublimity in contemplating these tender and
aged parents, who, " moved with love for a benevolent
God, and for their fellow-creatures, surrender their son,
* Baptist Magazine, 1825.




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.         209
bright with talents and virtues, rich in learning and in
the respect of all who knew him, but feeble and sickly
in body, to the missionary labor —whose certain and
speedy end is death?"'5
Mrs. Boardman with her husband took her final
leave of her beloved native land on the 16th of July,
1825. To her sister, when two weeks out at sea, she
writes: " We think we never enjoyed better health.
That beneficent Parent, who is ever doing us good,
has bestowed upon us, in the officers of the ship, obliging and affectionate friends... Everything regarding our table, is convenient and agreeable as we could
enjoy on shore. Our family consists of the captain,
two mates, two supercargoes, a physician, Mrs. Fowler, and ourselves. Mr. Blaikie, the chief supercargo,
is not only a gentleman, but is decidedly pious, and
strictly evangelical in his sentiments....  It is a
great comfort to each of us to find one who is ever
ready to converse upon those subjects which relate to
the extension of the Redeemer's kingdom. It is most
grateful to my own feelings, but I am even more rejoiced for the sake of Mr. B. Religious society has
ever been to him a source of much real gratification.
You know very well the love he has ever manifested
for social intercourse. When in America amidst our
beloved friends, as I have seen him enter with all his'" North Amercan Review,
if



210         LIFE OF SARAII B. JUDSON.
heart into conversation-have seen joy beam from his
eyes when engaged in this delightful employment-I
would sigh, and say to myself, dear Mr. B. how sad
you will be when far removed from those whose words
now so often cheer your heart. What will you do
when this favorite rill of pleasure ceases to flow? But
God is infinitely good, he is far better to us than our
fears. H-e bestows upon us every blessing essential
to our happiness and usefulness. It is not the want of
privileges that I need lament, but the rnisimprovement
of them."
In another letter, she expresses her mature conviction that the missionary life if entered upon with right
feelings may be more favorable than any other to the
promotion of spiritual growth. And certain it is, that
trials, and even persecution often develop the power
of Christian principle, and the strength of religious
faith; while ease and outward prosperity seem to lull
the souls of believers into an unwvorthy sloth and a
sinfiul conformity with the world around them. The
soldier of Christ -must maintain a warfare; and when
will he be more likely to be constantly awake to his
duty, than vwhen surrounded by the open and avowed
enenies of his Master?
From Chitpore four miles above Calcutta, Mr. Boardman writes: "' t gives me much pleasure to write you
from the shores of India. Through the goodness of




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSONo        211
God we arrived at-Sand-Heads on the 23d ult., after a
voyage of 127 days.  We were slow in our passage
up the Hoogly, and did not arrive in Calcutta until
the 2d inst.  We had a very agreeable voyage,-religious service at meals, evening prayers in the cabin,
and when the weather allowed, public worship in the
steerage on Lord's day morning... allow me to add
that we entertain a hope that one of the sailors was
converted on the passage.
" The report of our being at Sand-HIeads reached
Calcutta several days before we did, and our friends
had made kind preparations to receive us. Soon after
coming in sight of the city, we had the pleasure of
welcoming on board the Asia, the Rev. Mr. Hough.
-le informed us, that the Burmese war was renewed
after an armistice of several weeks, and that no wellauthenticated accounts had been received from our
dear friends Judson and Price at Ava. It is generally
supposed that they are imprisoned with other foreigners, and have not the means of sending round to
Bengal.
At noon, Dec. 2d, we came on shore,... and were
received very kindly by the English Missionaries.
We found,/Irs. Colman waiting with a carriage to
bring us out to this place. The cottage we occupy
was formerlv the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Eustace
Carey. Mr. and Mrs. Wade, iMrs. Colman, Mrs. Board



212        LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
man and myself, compose a very happy American family.... But we long to be laboring in Burmah. We
are not yet discouraged by the dark cloud that hangs
over our prospects there. We still hope and trust, we
firmly believe, that eventually this war will tend to
advance the cause of Christ in Burmah. We hope
our friends at home will not be discouraged, but will
continue to pray for us."
In another letter he says, "And now, my dear parents, I wish you could make a visit at Chitpore. You
would find your two fond children sitting together very
happily, and engaged in writing letters to their beloved
American fiiends. Our mansion, to be sure, is but a
bamboo cottage, with a thatched roof, but is a palace
compared with most of the native huts around us.
But you know a large house is by no means essential
to happiness. Food and clothing sufficient, with the
presence of God, are all that is absolutely necessary.
Could a man have in addition, one confidential friend,
who sympathized in all his joys and sorrows, and with
whom he could enjoy all the endearments of social
life, he might be happy indeed-and such a friend,
such a wife I have, in my beloved Sarah.  I fear I
shall never be able to discharge the obligations I feel
toward you for conferring on me so great a blessing."
Mrs. B. also writes to some acquaintances, "U nite
with me, my respected friends, in gratitude to God, that




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.        213
he has preserved us through the dangers of a long
voyage; and permitted us to land upon a heathen shore.
Oh may this renewed assurance of his kind care, teach
me confidence in his promises, and fill me with ardent
desires to be constantly employed in his service.
"Our voyage was remarkably pleasant, our suffering
from sea-sickness was much lighter than we had anticipated; our accommodations, though by no means
handsome, convenient and comfortable as we could
desire. Our table was well furnished with the necessaries, and many of the luxuries of life. Capt. Sheed,
and the other gentlemen on board, treated us with the
greatest kindness, and appeared solicitous to make our
situation agreeable. In the society of Mr. Blaikie, the
supercargo, we took much delight.  He is a gentleman of eminent piety, belonging to the Presbyterian
denomination.  We had evening devotions in the
cabin,... when the weather allowed we had divine
service between decks on the Sabbath. A precious
privilege!
" While at sea, my time was spent in a very agreeable, and I hope not unprofitable manner...  The
principal books I read besides the Bible, were the life
of Parsons, Lowth's lectures on Hebrew poetry, part
of Fuller's works, and of Jones' Church History. Supposing the study of the word of God well calculated
to prepare my mind for the missionary work, I directed




21 4       LIFE OF SARAI B. JUDSONo
my chief attention to that. We had one very interesting
exercise,-during the week several of us collected as
many passages of scripture as we were able, upon a
subject previously named; and. on Sabbath eve, we
compared our separate lists, and conversed freely upon
the doctrine or duty concerning which we had written.
In this manner we discussed many of the most important doctrines and duties contained in Scripture.
As we drew near Calcutta, our anxiety respecting
the fate of our dear missionaries at Ava, increased.
WMe trembled when we thought of the disturbances in
Burmah, and there was only one spot where we could
find peace and serenity of mind. That sweet spot
was the throne of grace.  Thither we would often
repair and lose all anxiety and fear respecting our dear
friends, our owi~ future prospects, and the Missionary
cause in Burmah.  It was sweet to commit all into
the hands of God. If not deceived, vwe felt the importance of constantly pleading for a suitable frame of
mind, to receive whatever intelligence was for us;
and for a disposition to engage in the service of God,
at any time, and in any place he might direct. WVe
considered it our duty to supplicate for grace to support us in the hour of trial, and for direction in time
of perplexity, rather than to employ our minds in anticipating the nature of future difficulties, and in fancy



LIFE OF SARAH B. JUIDSON.       215
ing how we should conduct in an imagined perplexity,
This is still our opinion."
Then follows an account of their arrival, which we
have already given in Mr. Boardman's letter, and she
adds: " Imagine, dear Mrs. B. our joy at meeting those
with whom we hope to be employed in labors of love
among the poor Burmans.  I shall not attempt to describe the emotions of my heart when I entered the
little bamboo cottage we now   occupy.  Were I
skilled in perspective drawing, I would send you a
picture of the charming landscape seen from our verandah.  In a little hut near us reside two Christian
converts from heathenism. Oh, how your bosom would
glow with grateful rapture to hear their songs of
praise, and listen to their fervent prayers. We prefer
living in this retired spot with dear Mr. and Mrs.
Wade and Mrs. Colman, to a situation in Calcutta; we
can pursue our studies with less interruption, and also
have the advantage of Mr. Wade's assistance.
The war in Burmah still continues, and there is at
present very little prospect of our going to Rangoon
soon. We still look to Burmah as our earthly home, and
daily pray that we may be permitted ere long to enter
that field of labor. We rejoice that we can commence
the study of the language here. We have not for an instant regretted that we embarked in the undertaking."
In another letter of a later date she writes from Cal



216        LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
cutta: "In compliance with the advice of our friends,
we are now residing in a pleasant little house in Calcutta. I regretted exceedingly to leave the peaceful,
retired shades of Chitpore for the noise and commotion
of a city, but duty appeared to require it"-(the
climate at Chitpore is insalubrious in the hot months)
"and we all cheerfully submitted.  I feel, my dear
friend, that we are wanderers. I can look to no place
as my earthly home, but Burmah.... We have not
yet heard from the brethren at Ava.  Oh that our
Father in Heaven may prepare our hearts for whatever
intelligence we may receive.
" On Monday last, I attended the examination of
Mrs. Colman's schools. Imagine my feelings at seeing
ninety-two little Bengallee girls, (whose mothers are
kept in the most degraded ignorance and superstition,)
taught to read the Scriptures.... This was only one
division of the schools. The whole number belonging
to this Society is nearly four hundred. There are also
many other interesting schools in Calcutta.
" Mr. and Mrs. Wrade with Mr. B. and myself still
compose our family; we are very happy in each other,
are blessed with excellent health, enjoy facilities for
learning the language, and in short, possess all we
could desire. We feel our want of ardent piety. 
Pray for us, for we are weak and sinful."
A letter to one of her own family of about the same




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.         217
date, shows that her zeal for the conversion of the
heathen, did not at all weaken her desire that her own
kindred might be true followers of Jesus. After mentioning that a Burman teacher had been procured for
them, &c., she says, " I often imagine myself in the
midst of that dear family, where the happy hours of
childhood flew away. Sometimes I fancy myself entering the room in the morning, and seeing you all kneeling around the family altar. aMy brother, have you a
heart to pray to God? Have you repented and turned
to him? Or are you all careless and indifferent respecting your precious soul?  No, I cannot believe
this is the case. Indulged as you are with hearing the
gospel and other means of grace, you cannot be indifferent. The time is coming when the religion of
Jesus will be indispensable to your peace of mind.
You must pass through the valley of death. How can
you endure that gloom without the light of God's
countenance? you must stand before a righteous God
at the judgment day. What will be the state of your
soul if-Jesus is not your friend?  Tfhinkc of this."
A letter from Mrs.'Wade written in the spring following, speaks with enthusiasm  of the pleasure they
have enjoyed in the society of Mr. and Mrs. B., and,
like theirs, breathes ardent wishes to be able to go to
Burmah. These wishes were soon to be realized. A
letter from MIr. Boardman dated Calcutta, April 12th,




218         LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSONo
1826, commences: "My dear Brother,-The joyful news
of peace with Ava, and of the safety of our friends
Dr. and Mrs. Judson, and Dr. Price, you will doubtless receive from other sources. We can only say,
that the preservation of our friends both at Rangoon
and at Ava, seems to us one of the most striking and
gracious displays of God's special care of his people
and his cause, which has been experienced in modern
times.
" Brother Wade and myself, with our beloved companions, expect to leave Calcutta in six or eight weeks,
to join brother Judson. As Rangoon is not retained
by the British, we do not think it best to recommence
the work there, but rather to settle in some of the
towns which are by treaty ceded to the British... 
The members of the church in Rangoon are collecting
and will probably go with us.   se need divine
direction.
" We have great reason to be thankful for the health
we enjoy. We long to proceed to Burmah and engage in the delightful work before us. May God's
strength be made perfect in our weakness."
But his cherished enterprise was still longer delayed.
By the solicitation of the English missionaries, and the
appointment of the American Board, he was induced
to remain in Calcutta a while, and preach in Circular
Road Chapel, recently vacated by the death of Mro




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.         219
Lawson. IMr. Wade and his wife reached Rangoon
on the 9th of November, and found there the desolate
and heart-stricken Air. Judson, and his feeble babe, to
whom iMrs. Wade was able for a brief period to supply
the place of a mother,
The place fixed upon as the seat of government in
the newly acquired British territory in Burmah, was
Amherst, on the U[artaban river, about 75 miles eastward of Rangoon. This place had been laid out by
British engineers under Mr. Judson's direction, and in
an incredibly short time, became a city numbering its
thousands of houses. In southern India, houses are
built almost in a day, and the population fluctuates
from place to place with a facility surprising to Europeans.'It is only necessary to mlake a clearing in
the jungle, and erect barracks for a few soldiers, and
-as water rushes at once into hollows scooped in the
damp sea-sand-so do the natives of India swarm into
the clearing, and create a city.' To this new city of
Amherst 2Mr. and tMrs. Boardman came in the spring
of 1827, and joined BMr. and Mlrs. Wade and Mr. Judson. It was bitterly painful to them to learn that the
wife of the latter, that noble and beloved woman
whose life had been preserved as if by miracle in a
thousand dangers, and from whose society and intercourse they had hoped and expected the greatest
pleasure and profit, was the tenant of a lowly grave




220          LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
beneath the hopia-tree; and even more immediately
distressing to find that her heart-broken husband was
just about to consign to the same dreary bed the only
relic remaining to him of his once lovely family,'the
sweet little Maria.'  One of Mr. Boardman's first
labors in Burmah was to make a coffin for the child
with his own hands! and to assist in its burial. Poor
babe!'so closed its brief, eventful history.' An innocent sharer in the terrible sufferings of its parents, in
the midst of which indeed it came into the world; like
its mother, it had survived through countless threatening deaths, and reached what seemed a haven of
security, only to wring its father's heart with an intenser pang, by its unexpected and untimely death.
Truly the ways of God'are past finding out,' and
his judgments are a great deep!'
From a short poem full of sympathy and pious sentiment which was written by Mrs. Boardman on this
occasion, we select some passages.
"Ah this is death, my innocent!'tis he
Whose chilling hand has touched thy tender frame.
*'-   *. -Xs-   *  *
Thou heed'st us not; not e'en the bursting sob
Of thy dear father, now can pierce thine ear.
*     i-    *   *        *
Thy mother's tale replete with varied scenes,
Exceeds my powers to tell; but other harps
And other voices, sweeter far than mine,




LIFE   OF SARAHI B. JUDSON.                221
Shall sing her matchless worth, her deeds of love,
Her zeal, her toil, her sufferings and her death.
But all is over now. She sweetly sleeps
In yonder new-made grave; and thou, sweet babe,
Shalt soon be pillowed on her quiet breast.
Yes, ere to-morrow's sun shall gild the west,
Thy father shall have said a long adieu
To the last lingering hope of earthly joy;
For thou, Maria, wilt have found thy rest.
Thy flesh shall rest in hope, till that great day
When He who once endured far greater woes
Than mortal man can know; who when on earth
Received such little children in his arms,
Graciously blessing them, shall come again;
Then like the glorious body of thy L9rd
Who wakes thy dust, this fragile frame shall be.
Then shalt thou mount with him on angels' wings,
Be freed from sorrow, sickness, sin and death,
And in his presence find eternal bliss."




CHAPTER V.
STATIONED AT MAULM'AIN.-ATTACK OF BANDITTI. —MISSIONARY OPERA~
TIONS.-DANGER FROM FIRE.
ON consultation it was determined that Mr. and
Mrs. Wade should remain in Amherst, and that Mr.
and Mrs.: Boardman should proceed to Maulmain, a
town 25 miles up the river, which had sprung into
being in the same manner as Amherst, and was nearly
as populous; and that Mr. Judson should divide his
time between the two stations.
In pursuance of this plan Mr. Boardman removed
his family, which had been increased by the addition
of a lovely daughter, now about five months old, to the
new city of iMaulmain. On the evening of May 28th
Mr. Boardman makes this entry in his journal. " After
nearly two years of wanderings without any certain
dwelling-place, we have to-day become inhabitants of
a little spot of earth, and have entered a house which
we call our earthly home. None but those who have
been in similar circumstances can conceive the satisfaction we now enjoy.".. " The population of the




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.        223
town is supposed to be 20,000. One year ago it was
all a thick jung-le, without an inhabitant!"
While at Amherst, Mrs. Boardman had experienced
an alarming attack of a disease incident to the climate,
and had to be carried to the boat which conveyed her
to her new home on a litter. On her arrival there,
although she shared her husband's joy that at length
they had a home on the long promised land of Burmah, still her woman's nature, enfeebled by suffering,
could not but have trembled at the idea of living in a
lonely spot, (for the mission-house was nearly a mile
from the barracks,) with the neighboring jungle swarming with " serpents that hiss, and beasts of prey that
howl." In addition to this cause of alarm, there was
opposite them, on the Burman side of the river, the
old decayed city of Martaban; which was the refuge
of a horde of banditti, who, armed with knives and
swords, would often sally forth in bands of 30 or 40,
urge their light and noiseless boats across the river,
satiate themselves with plunder and murder in the
British town, and return with their spoils to their own
territory, where they were secure from British retaliation. The English general, knowing the insecurity
of the mission-house, had urged Mr. B. to remove
with his family to the protection of the fort; but his
object was to benefit the Burzmans, and to do that, he
imust live among them.




224        LIFE OF SARAHI B. JJUDSON.
In their little bamboo hut, therefore, so frail that it
could be cut open, as Mrs. Boardman says, with a pair
of scissors, they prosecuted their study of the language
under a native teacher, and even ventured to talk a
little with the half-wild natives around them, and for
a few weeks were unmolested.  Their courage and
confidence had revived, and with Mrs. B., restored
health brought happiness. June 20th she writes, " We
are in excellent health, and as happy as it is possible
for human beings to be upon earth. It is our earnest
desire to live, labor and die among this people." With
such feelings, they had probably retired to rest on the
night of the 24th of June, but awaking towards morning, and perceiving that the lamp which they always
kept burning through the night was extinguished, they
suspected mischief; and on relighting it, they found
to their consternation that their house had been entered
by the lawless plunderers mentioned above, and robbed
of nearly every valuable article it contained; but how
was their horror increased, by finding two large cuts
in the moscheto curtains about their bed, through
which the murderers had watched their slumbers,
ready to stab them to the heart had they ofiered the
slightest resistance, or even had they waked to consciousness. But He who " giveth his beloved sleep,"
had kindly steeped their senses in slumbers so profound
and peaceful, that not even the infant stirred, or opened




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.        225
its eyes which would have instantly been sealed again,
-in death.-Every trunk, box and bureau was rifled,
looking-glass, watch, spoons, keys, were gone; and
yet as the parents gazed at those rent curtains, and
thought how the death-angel had grazed them with
his wing as he passed by, their hearts rose in gratitude
and praise to their Heavenly deliverer.  But Mrs.
Boardman's feelings are best told in her own expressive words.  She says, "After the first amazement
had a little subsided, I raised my eyes to the curtains
surrounding our bed. and to my indescribable emotion
saw two large holes cut, the one at the head, and the
other at the foot of the place where my dear husband
had been sleeping. From that moment, I quite forgot
the stolen goods, and thought only of the treasure that
was spared. In imagination I saw the assassins with
their horrid weapons standing by our bedside, ready
to do their worst had we been permitted to wake. Oh
how merciful was that watchful Providence which
prolonged those powerful slumbers of that night, not
allowing even the infant at my bosom to open its eyes
at so critical a moment. If ever gratitude glowed in
my bosom, if ever the world appeared to me worthless
as vanity, and if ever I wished to dedicate myself, my
husband, my babe, my all, to our great Redeemer, it
was at that time.
"To this day not a trace of our goods has been
15




226        LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSONo
found; leaving no doubt that they were taken immediately over the river to Martaban. Since our loss,
we have received many kind presents from our friends,
so that we now find ourselves comfortable, and we are
contented and happy. Yes, my beloved friend, I think
I can say, that notwithstanding our alarms, never did
five months of my life pass as pleasantly as the last
five have done.  The thought of being among this
people whom we have so long desired to see, and the
hope that God would enable me to do some little good
to the poor heathen, has rejoiced and encouraged my
heart. I confess that once or twice my natural timidity has for a mzoment gained ascendancy over my
better feelings,-and at the hour of midnight, when
the howlings of wild beasts have been silenced by the
report of a musket near us, we would say to each
other, perhaps the next attack will be made upon us,
and the next charge may be aimed at our bosoms.
Then I have been almost ready to exclaim, Oh for one
little, little room of such materials, that we could, as
far as human means go, sleep in safety. But these
fears have been transitory, and we have generally
been enabled to place our confidence in the Great
Shepherd of Israel who never slumbers or sleeps, assured that he would protect us.... And we have
also felt a sweet composure in the reflection that God
has marked out our way; and if it best accord with




LIFE OF SARAI B. JUDSON.        227
his designs that we fall a prey to these blood-thirsty
monsters, all will be right.
The English, hearing of this robbery, stationed a
guard at the Mission-house of two sepoys or native
soldiers. As one of these was sitting in the verandah,
a wild beast from the jungle sprang furiously upon
him, but he was frightened away before the man was
much injured. Such occurrences however were rare,
and did not make Mrs. Boardman desire, all things
considered, to change her residence. She was in the
place of her choice, the country of her adoption, she
had a faithful and loving husband, and a lovely and
almost idolized babe; their house, though small and
insecure, was beautifully situated with everything in
the natural landscape around to charm her cultivated
eye and taste,-these were her earthly comforts. Besides, even the insecurity of their habitation was daily
diminishing; for houses were constantly springing
up around them, and more and more of the jungle was
cleared and cultivated. But what gave its chief zest
to her life and that of her spiritually minded husband,
was the fact that they found here a field of usefulness
in the only work that seemed to them worth living for.
From various motives the natives began to visit them
constantly, and in increasing numbers, to inquire concerning the new religion.  Mr. B. held a religious
service on the Sabbath, and opened a school for boys;




228         LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSONo
Mrs. Boardman, one for girls, and both conversed as
well as they were able with their numerous visitors,
and employed all their leisure in mastering the language. On the 22d of July they commemorated together the Saviour's dying love, in the sacrament of
the Lord's supper,-a solitary pair-yet not so, for the
Master of the feast was there to bless the " two" who
thus "gathered together in his name."
The population at Maulmain was now increasing,
and that at Amherst diminishing so rapidly, that Mr.
Judson and Mr. and Mrs. Wade thought best to remove from the latter station to the former, and arrived
at Maulmain in October.   Two houses of public
worship were erected during the year, where Messrs.
Judson and Wade were daily employed in proclaiming
religious truth, and such wvas their success, that within
a few months they admitted to the church several
native members. As many native converts with their
families had removed with the Missionairies from Amherst to Maulmain, Mrs. Wade and Mrrs. Boardman
united their schools into one, which was attended with
the most gratifying success.  Moung Shwaba and
Moung Ing, who have often been mentioned in the
former memoir, read the Scriptures and other religious
books to all who would hear, at a sort of reading
zayat, built for the purpose.
In March, 1828, our friends were delivered from a




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.         229
danger not unknown in our own country. One evening, they were startled by a roaring like that of flame,
and on going to the door, discovered the whole jungle
to the eastward of them enveloped in sheets of flame,
which was rapidly approaching their frail cottage.
Seeing no hope that their house could escape, they
rapidly collected a few valuables, and with their infant
prepared to flee towards the river, though in much
terror lest their path should be beset by leopards,
tigers, and other animals, driven from their haunts by
the fire. But when within a few feet of the houses,
the flames were arrested by a sudden change of the
wind, and the dwellings were unhurt. "Thus again
are we preserved," says Mir. B. " when no human arm
could have saved us 1' Truly,
"The hosts of God encamp around
The dwellings of the just."
Truly, " the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly."




CHAPTER VI.
BEMOVAL TO TAVOY.-IDOLATRY OF THE PEOPLE.-LETTER FROM MRS. B.
— BAPTISMI OF A KAREN DISCIPLE. —SOME ACCOUNT OF THE KARENS.
TrEI permanent collection of so many Missionaries
at a single station was not approved by the Board, nor
was it deemed desirable by the Missionaries themselves.  In accordance, therefore, with instructions
received from America, it was decided that Mr. and
Mrs. Boardman should remove to Tavoy. This city
is situated on the river Tavoy, 150 miles south of
Maulmain, and had at that time a population of 6000
Burmans and 3000 foreigners.
The city was the stronghold of the religion of Gaudama, and the residence of two hundred priests.
On every eligible point stood an emblem or image
of idolatry. Tall pagodas crowned every eminence,
and humbler ones clustered around them, while thickly
set groves of banyan and other sacred trees, sheltered
shrines and images of Gaudama, and on festival days
were crowded with devotees, kneeling in the gloomy
pathways, or festooning the sacred trees with the




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.         231
rarest flowers.  The tops of some of the thousand
pagodas in the city, are hung with innumerable little
bells, which, moved by the wind, chime sweetly their
calls to devotion, reminding one of a passage in
Moore's description of an eastern city:
"But hark! the vesper call to prayer,
-As slow the orb of daylight sets,Is rising sweetly on thel air
From Syria's thousand minarets."
This change in their place of abode could not fail to
be a severe trial to our missionaries.  To Maulmain
they were bound by many ties,-the sweet companionship of fellow-Christians, and the love which attaches
the missionary to those spiritual children which the
Lord has given him; —moreover it was their first
home, sanctified by signal deliverances and countless
mercies;-nevertheless, like Abraham who at the call
of Jehovah, " went out, not knowing whither he went,"
-these "followers of them who through faith inherit
the promises," obeyed the voice of duty, and feeling
themselves "'strangers and pilgrims on the earth,"
went without murmuring to their new sphere of labor.
"One thing is certain," says Mr. B. in a subsequent
letter "we were brought here by the guidance of
Providence. It was no favorite scheme of ours."
On arriving at Tavoy, they were kindly received
by Mr. Burney the English resident, and within ten




232         LIFE OF SARAII B. JUDSON.
days from their arrival, had procured a' house, and
begun to teach inquirers in the way of salvation.
Much as there was to discourage them in this city of
pagodas, "s the missionary looked out on the strange
magnificence of shrines and temples that lay around
him,-upon the monuments that had perpetuated for
many ages this idolatrous worship,-upon the priests
who taught it, and the countless devotees who practised it; and as he prepared to strike the first blow at
the hoary superstition which they all enshrined, he felt
to the full the sublimity and greatness of the undertaking.  Iie stood alone, the herald of truth, before
this mighty array of ancient error; but he trusted
implicitly in the promises of revelation, and felt assured
that the day was at hand when all this empty adoration of Gaudama would give place to the worship of
the living God!":
A new difficulty occurred here, which however was
speedily surmounted by the diligence and zeal of the
missionaries; the dialect of Tavoy was so different
from pure Burmese as to be almost unintelligible to
those who knew only the latter, but both, fortunately,
employed the same written characters. TMrs. Boardman's employments at this time are enumerated in
their letters. After unwearied toil, and repeated repulses and discouragements, she succeeded in establish* Gn-ammell.




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.         233
ing a girls' school, in which she employed a woman who
could read, as an assistant. She describes a visit to
her school thus: " I am just returned from one of the
day-schools. The sun had not risen when I arrived,
but the little girls were in the house ready for instruction. My walk to this school is through a retired
road, shaded on one side by the old wall of the city,
which is overgrown with wild creepers and poleflowers, and on the other by large fruit-trees. While
going and returning, I find it sweet and profitable to
think on the shortness of time, the vanity of this delusive world,-and oh I have had some precious views
of that world where the weary are at rest; and where
sin, that enemy of God, and now constant disturber of
my peace, will no more afflict me."
In another letter of a later date, she describes herself as sitting at her table in a back porch, from which
she can see her " dear husband," in a room before her,
teaching nine little heathen boys; while in one of the
long verandahs on each side of the house, the native
Christians are holding a prayer-meeting in their own
language, and in the other, a Chinese convert is urging three or four of his deluded countrymen to turn
from  their stupid superstitions to the service of
Jehovah.
She mentions also the baptism of a Karen, (the
name of a tribe in Burmah,) "a poor mzan, who had




234         LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
been converted while in the service of Mir. Judson;"
little knowing the importance of the fact thus recorded. This " poor man," in fact formerly a slave,
and whom the writer of an article in a former number
of the Quarterly Review would have sneered at as
he did at the "fisherman," the wonderful trophy of
divine grace, mentioned in Mrs. Judson's history of
the mission, was the famous Ko-thay-byu, whose life
has been written by Mr. 3Mason, and who, by his zeal
and success in missionary labor, obtained the name of
"the Karlen Apostle."  He was the first to introduce
to the notice of the missionaries, the tribe to which he
belonged, a people so remarkable, that we are unwilling, even in our brief sketch, to pass them over without notice.
The Karens, according to a writer in the North
Americatn Review, are a savage and ignorant race of
men, (their naze in the Burman language signifying
wi/d mens,) scattered in vast numbers over the wilds
of Farther India, and inhabiting almost inaccessible
tracts, among the mountains and forests. Their peculiar physiognomy, strange traditions, and some of their
customs have led to the opinion that they were of
Hebrew origin, though some think they are of the
Caucasian variety of the human species. They differ
much fiom the Burmans, by whom they are heavily
taxed and grievously oppressed, and in every way




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.               235
treated as inferiors.' "Their traditions have been
preserved, like the poems of Ossian, by fond memories
delighting to revive the recollections of former glory
and prosperity; repeated by grandsires at even-tide to
their listening descendants, and sung by mourners
over the graves of their elders.
" They believe in a God who is denominated Yuwah," a name certainly similar to the Hebrew Jehovah. Some of their traditional songs are curious and
interesting.  For instance,
" God created us in ancient time,
And has a perfect knowledge of all things;
When men call his name, he hears!"
And again
"The sons of heaven are holy,
They sit by the seat of God,
The sons of heaven are righteous,
They dwell together with God;
They lean against his silver seat."
The following stanza, says the writer above referred
to, might be mistaken for the production of David or
Isaiah.
" Satan in days of old was holy,
But he transgressed God's law;
Satan of old was righteous,
But he departed from the law of God,
And God drove him away."' See Gammell.




236         LIFE OF SARAIH B. JUDSON.
They say that God formerly loved their nation, but
on account of their wickedness he punished it, and
made them the degraded creatures they now are. But
they say " God will again have mercy upon us, God
will save us again." One verse of one of their songs is,
"When the Karen king arrives
Everything will be happy;
When Karens have a king
W;ild beasts will lose their savageness."
Professor Gammell says, in substance, that they present the extraordinary phenomenon of a people without any form of religion or established priesthood,
yet believing in God, and in future retribution, and
cherishing and transmitting from age to age a set of
traditions of unusual purity, and containing bright predictions of future prosperity and glory.
When Io-thay-byu, the poor convert already mentioned, was baptized, he naturally carried to his countrymen " the thrilling news, that a teacher from a far
distant land had come to preach a new religion, a religion answering to the religion of their fathers."
Others came to listen, and to carry back to their secluded hamlets the joyful tidings; until " from distant
hills and remote valleys and forests, Karen inquirers
flocked to Tavoy, and thronged around the teacher;"
listening to the new doctrines with childlike simplicity
and uncommon sensibility.   Among other singula.




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON,        237
stories that they related to the wondering "teacher,"
one was, that more than ten years before, a book in a
strange tongue had been left among them by a
foreigner, who commanded them to worship it; which
command they had faithfully obeyed. Mr. Boardman
felt the strongest curiosity to see this dei/ied book, but
owing to the prevalence of the rains, he was not
gratified till the following September. H-le was then
waited on by a large deputation of Karens, bringing
with them in a covered basket, the mysterious volume,
wrapped in fold after fold of muslin; on removing
which it proved to be an Oxford edition of the Common Prayer Book in the English language! With the
greatest simplicity they asked Mr. B. if this book contained the doctrines of the new religion, and if so, requested to be taught its contents.  Mr. B. assured
them that the book was good, but should by no means
be made an object of worship; and accepting it from
them, he gave them in its stead, portions of the Scriptures, translated into a language they could understand. They entreated him to visit them in their own
villages, assuring him of the readiness of their tribe to
welcome him, and to receive the gospel; and, struck
with their earnestness and candor, he promised at
some future time to yield.to their request.
The sorcerer who had preserved the book, and prescribed to the simple heathen the forms of its worship,




238         LIFE OF SARAHI B. JUDSON.
threw away his cudgel, or wand of office, and laid
aside his fantastic dress; and Mr. Boardman sent the
mysterious volume to America, to be deposited in the
museum of the Baptist Missionary Society.
Who the "foreigner" may have been, that thus supplied an ignorant people with a Divinity, or object of
worship; or what were his motives in so doing, will
probably always remain a mystery.
If we have devoted considerable space to this notice
of the Karens, their subsequent history will prove that
they are not unworthy of such notice.




CHAPTER VII.
LETTER FROM MRS. B. —IR. B. S VISIT TO THE KARENS IN THEIR VILLAGES.
-DEFECTION OF DISCIPLES.-ITS EFFECT ON IPR. AND MRS. B.
EXTRACT Of a letter from Mrs. Boardman to a "beloved sister," dated Tavoy, 1828. —'" Nothing especial
has occurred since I last wrote. We are still in good
health, and happy in our work. We are now destitute
of all religious society, and feel that our responsibilities are great indeed.... We have to suffer many
little inconveniences in this country, but have no disposition to complain.  We rejoice in the kind providence that has directed our steps, and would not exchange our condition. Our desire is to labor among
the poor heathen until called to our eternal home."
She then, with characteristic earnestness and affection,
inquires after her sister's spiritual state. "Oh if you are
a child of God, how great is your happiness; you can
think of death without fear. The troubles and griefs
of life do not distress you as they do the poor worldling, who looks only to the enjoyments of this life for
comfort. If a Christian, you have sweet foretastes of
that joy which is unspeakable and inconceivable by




240        LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
mortals. rThIough a sinner still, you feel that your
sins are pardoned, and that through the merits of a
crucified Saviour you will at last be accepted of God.
I would fondly hope, my dear sister, that this is your
happy case. But if not, oh who can tell your dreadful
danger? Who can paint the alarming prospect before you? Every moment exposed to death, and yet
without hope. Subject to disappointments and afflictions in this world, and yet no refuge for your anguished spirit. The weight of sins daily accumulating,
and every day less prospect of obtaining pardon. The
awful prospect of eternal banishment from all that is
holy, oh my sister, reflect.... If you have not yet
turned to the Saviour, delay no longer... Oh may
you, and all my beloved brothers and sisters, be early
brought to a knowledge of the truth. I cannot express
the anxiety I feel for every one of you. I also feel
the solicitude of a tender sister for your temporal
good. Write me particulars of the health of my dear
parents, grand-parents, and each of my brothers and
sisters. Though separated fiom you, I always wish
to share your joys and sorrows.
"Your little niece is in charming health. She sends
many kisses to you all, and I shall teach her to love
vou, though she cannot see you."
We have inserted this letter, which in its spirit is a
specimen of all her letters, not only for its intrinsic




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.           241
excellence, but to show that even in distant Burmah,
and surrounded by cares and duties which would have
diminished in a less affectionate breast her interest in
her distant relatives,
"Her heart untravelled fondly turned to" them,
"And dragged at each remove a lengthening chain."
While laboring for the conversion of pagans, she felt
more than she had ever felt before, the awful danger
of those who under the full blaze of gospel light, choose
to walk in darkness; and for her family, her dear
brothers and sisters, her burden was almost like that
of the apostle who was, as it were, willing to give up
his own title to the heavenly inheritance, if by so
doing he could save his "kindred according to the
flesh."+  All her letters which we have been privileged
to see, bear evidence of this.
In December of the year 1828, Mrs. Boardman was
called to a trial which of all others was most fitted to
make her feel that every earthly dependence is at best
but a broken reed, and that
"The spider's most attenuated thread
Is cord, is cable, to our strongest hold
On earthly bliss; it breaks with every breeze."
Her almost idolized husband, her guide, her only human support, protector, and companion, was attacked
* Romans ix. 3,
16




242         LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON'
by that insidious and incurable malady which was
destined at no distant day to close his career of usefulness on earth, and send him early to his rewardo
A copious hemorrhage from the lungs warned him
that his time for earthly labor was short, and seemed
to increase his desire to work while his day lasted.
As soon as his strength was sufficiently restored after
his first attacl, namely, in February 1829, he resolved
to fulfil his long-cherished intention to visit the Karens
in their native villages. He took with him two Karens,
two of his scholars, and a servant. Females, who in
this country of order and security, tremble at the idea
of being left for one night alone in their strong and
guarded dwellings, may perhaps conceive the feelings
of MVirs.s Boardman on being thus left by her protector.
-Heer own health scarce re-established after a four
months' illness,-her mind agitated by fears for her
stricken husband, who under burning suns, and amid
unknown wilds, exposed to the fury of the sudden thunder-gust, and the wild beast of the jungles, must be
absent from her, perhaps, two or three dreary weeks,
in which time not one " cordial, endearing report"
from him, would reach her;-in her frail hut, and with
two little ones dearer to her than life, exposed to the
same dangers as herself,-what could support her in
such circumstances but her faith in that arm whose
strength is shown to be "perfect, in weakness?"  A




LIFE OF SAARAH B. JUDSON.       243
poor Karen woman, seeing her distress, tried to console
her: " Weep not, mama," she said; " the teacher has
gone on an errand of compassion to my poor perishing
countrymen. They have never heard of the true God,
and the love of his Son Jesus Christ, who died upon
the cross to save sinners. They know nothing of the
true religion, mama; and when they die they cannot
go to the golden country of the blessed. God will take
care of the teacher; do not weep, mama." Blessed.
faith in an omnipresent Heavenly Father! It gives
even the unlettered Karen disciple, an eloquence in
consolation, to which worldly philosophy is a stranger.
Mr. Boardman's journey, though perilous from the
causes above mentioned, and tedious from being performed on foot, was highly interesting on account of
the eager welcome, and abundant hospitality of the
simple-minded Karen villagers whom he visited. On
entering a village, he and his little caravan were
overwhelmed with presents of provisions and fruits;
and the inhabitants would exclaim, while their countenances beamed with delight, " Ah, you have come at
last; we have long wanted to see you!" He travelled
more than one hundred miles, often through unfrequented and toilsome paths among the mountains, and
was three times drenched with powerful rains, from
which he had no sufficient shelter; but by the aid of
an interpreter he preached seventeen sermons, and was




244         LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
cheered by finding the readiness of the people' to receive his doctrines far exceed his most sanguine expectations. On his return, both he and Mrs. Boardman
had to experience an affliction extremely trying to the
heart of a missionary; the defection of some of the
Christian converts.  Their sensitive spirits led Mr.
and Mrs. B. to fear that their own unfaithfulness
might have been the cause of the fall of their disciples.
Mrs. Boardman's self-upbraidings were bitter; her
humiliation deep and sincere. "Our hearts," she says,
"have bled with anguish, and mine has sunk lower
than the grave, for I have felt that my unworthiness
has been the cause of all our calamities."
So keen were her self-rebukes at this time, that
they break out even in her letters to her friends. In
one of them she writes: "Some of these poor Burmans, who are daily carried to the grave, may at last
reproach me and say, you came, it is true, to the city
where we dwelt, to tell of heaven and hell, but wasted
much, much of your precious time in indolence while
learning our language. And when you were able to
speak, why were you not incessantly telling us of this
day of doom, when we visited you?  Why, oh why
did you ever speak of any other thing, while we were
ignorant of this most momentous of all truths? How
could you think on anything but our salvation?.. 
You told us you knew of a Being that heard your




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.        245
lowest whispers, and most secret sighs-why then, did
you not, day and night, entreat him in our behalf?"
Mr. Boardman in his journal says, "My dear wife
became at this time so deeply impressed with divine
things, and particularly with a sense of her own sinfulness, that she had no rest night or day. We both
endeavored to return to the Lord from whom we had
strayed; but our path, especially that of Mrs. B. led
hard by the borders of despair.... We confessed
our sins to the Lord and to one another. We considered ourselves worthy to be trodden under foot of
men, and were astonished to think of our pride and
selfishness.... We were filled with the most distressing views of our utter sinfulness in the sight of a holy
God."
Thus was this affliction, though "grievous," beginning to work out in her heart its "peaceable fruit of
righteousness," by deepening her humility, quickening
her zeal, and leading her to a more thorough consecration of herself to the work she had undertaken.




CHAPTER       VIII.
DEATH OF THEIR FIRST-BORN. —LETTERS FROM nIRS. B.
IN the spring of 1829 Mr. Boardman and his family
made a short sea-voyage for the benefit of their health,
Mrs. Boardman having experienced another attack of
illness, and their little George being frail and puny. Indeed none of the family seemed to have been healthy
but the "plump, rosy-cheeked" first-born, the darling
Sarah, her mother's joy and pride, and-as her Heavenly Father saw — her idol too!  Terrible was the
stroke that shattered that lovely idol; but it came-so
faith assured her-from a father's hand. Sometime
afterward sle writes, "My ever dear Sister, I think I
have not written you since the death of our beloved
Sarah, which is nearly eight months ago.  I have
never delayed writing to you so long before. For
some time after her death, little George was apparently
near the grave, and I was confined to my bed for a
number of weeks. As soon as my health was a little
improved, the rebellion at Tavoy took place, which
threw us all into confusion, and this lasted until I was




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.         247
taken ill again about three months since. From this
illness I am but just recovering. So you see, my beloved sister, my outward circumstances have been
sufficient to prevent my writing. Nor is this all-for
some time after little Sarah's departure, I was too
much distressed to write; I felt assured that God had
taken her away from us in love, and was also assured,
that she is a happy angel in heaven; but oh the
thought that we should see her no more on earth,
filled me with indescribable sorrow. By degrees my
mind became calmer; not that I forgot her, but I feel,
my dear Harriet, that the dearest and sweetest pleasures of this life are empty and altogether unsatisfying. I do not look for comfort from these sources as
I formerly did. We have a fine, healthy boy, but I do
not allow myself to idolize him as I did his dear departed sister. In her dissolution, we saw such a wreck
of what was most lovely and beautiful, that it seems
as if we should be kept in future from'worshipping
the creature.'"
Particulars respecting the child's illness ana djeath
are given in another letter of nearly the same date.
"' Our little Sarah left us July 8th of last year-aged
2 years and 8 months....She was a singularly
lovely child. Her bright blue eyes, yellow hair, and
rosy cheeks, formed a striking contrast to the dark
little faces around her.... From the time she began




248         LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
to notice anything, we were the objects of her fondest
love. If she thought she had incurred our displeasure,
her tender heart seemed ready to burst; and she could
not rest for a moment until she had said she was'sorry,' and obtained the kiss of forgiveness. She had
learned to obey us implicitly.... If either of us were
ill, she would stroke our foreheads with her little soft
hand, and kiss us so affectionately! Her love to her
little brother George was unlimited. From the day
of his birth till the day but one before she died, he
was her idol.... Three days before she died, she
was lying uneasily in a large swing cradle, and George
was in the same room crying. We thought it might
soothe the little sufferer, for he also was very ill, to lay
him down beside Sarah. The proposal delighted her;
with smiles she threw open her little arms, and for the
last time held her darling brother in her fond embrace.
So great was her gratification at this privilege, that
she seemed to forget her own pains.
" Little Sarah spoke English remarkably well for so
young a child, and Burmese like a native; she could
also say some things in the Hindostanee and Karen,
and, what seems a little singular, she never confounded
two languages, but always spoke pure English to us,
and pure Burmese to Burmans. This discrimination
continued as long as she had the powers of speech.
She had learned the Lord's prayer and several little




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.        249
hymns.   Dr. Judson's lines on the death of Mee
Shawayee she knew by heart in Burmese, and used
to chant them for half an hour at a time.... These
things may seem very trivial to you, but I muse upon
them by the hour together; and it is only when I call
my cooler judgment into action, that I can make myself believe they are uninteresting to any person on
earth. I love to think of my sweet bud of immortality
expanding so beautifully in my own presence; and
fancy I can judge in some small degree of the brilliancy of the perfect flower, from these little developments.
" A few hours before she died, she called us to her,
kissed us, and passed. her dear hand, still full and
dimpled as in health, softly over our faces. The pupils
of her eyes were so dilated that she could not see us
distinctly, and once, for a moment or two, her mind
seemed to be wandering; then looking anxiously into
my face, she said: I friightened, mamma! I frightened!'.. Oh with what feelings did I wash and dress her
lovely form for the last time, and compose her perfect
little limbs; and then see her-the dear child that had
so long lain in my bosom-borne away to her newlymade grave. My heart grew faint when I thought
that I had performed for her my last offce of love;
that she would never need a mother's hand again.
"My dear husband performed the funeral service




250        LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
with an aching, though not desponding heart. The
grave is in our own enclosure, about fifteen rods from
the house-a beautiful retired spot, in a grove of Gangau-trees. Near it is a little Bethel, erected for private devotion. Thither we have often repaired; and
we trust that God, who in his infinite wisdom has
taken our treasure to himself, often meets us there."
The biographer of Mrs. Boardman-since her successor in the mission-mentions that a single speculative error had crept into her religious faith, on the
subject of God's particular providence-that while
contemplating the vastness of that agency
" That ever busy wheels the silent spheres,
she had almost thought it derogatory to the "' Majesty
of heaven and earth" to conceive of him as occupied
with our mean affairs, numbering the hairs of our
heads, and guiding the sparrow's fall. But the blow
which crushed her heart, destroyed its skepticism. She
saw so clearly in this dispensation, the hand of a
Father chastening his erring child; she felt so keenly
that she deserved the rod, for having in a measure
worshipped the gift more than the giver, that she
believed, with all the strength of an irresistible conviction, that even so lowly a thing as her own heart was
indeed a theatre for the constant display of her Maker's
guiding and controlling power, not less than the starry




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.         251
heavens; that her own sanctification, and the providential means to effect it, even in their minutest details, were ordered by sovereign grace and wisdom;
and from this time forth she never doubted again.
But it is time to detail the spirit-stirring scenes that
occurred a few months after the death of the child;
to which scenes allusion was made in the first of her
two letters.




CHAPTER IX.
REVOLT OF TAVOY.-LETTERS FROM MRS. B,
THE revolt of Tavoy from the British government,
and its consequences to the missionaries and other
foreigners in the city, are so well described in a letter
from Mr. Boardman to a friend in America, that we
will give it nearly entire.
"REV. AND DEAR SIR,
"The province of Tavoy has engaged in an open
revolt against the British government.  On Lord's
day morning, the 9th inst. at 4 o'clock, wle were
aroused from our quiet slumbers by the cry of'Teacher,
master, Tavoy rebels,' and ringing at all our doors and
windows. We were soon awake to our extreme danger, as we heard not only a continual report of muiusketry within the town, but the balls were frequently
passing over our heads and through our house; and in
a few moments, a large company of Tavoyans collected
near our gate, and gave us reason to suspect they
were consulting what to do with us. We lifted our
hearts to God for protection, and Mrs. Boardman and




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.        253
little George were hurried away through a back door,
to a retired building in the rear. I lay down in the
house, (to escape the bullets,) with a single Burman
boy, to watch and communicate the first intelligence.
After an hour of the greatest anxiety and uncertainty,
I had the happiness of seeing the sepoys (troops in
the British service) in possession of the city gates in
front of our house. We soon ascertained that a party
of about 250 men had in the first instance attacked
the powder magazine and gun-shed, which were very
near our house, but a guard of sepoys had repelled
them. This was a great mercy, for had the insurgents
obtained the arms and ammunition, our situation would
have been most deplorable. A second party of 60 had
attacked the house of the principal native officer of the
town, while a third party had fallen upon the guard
of the prison, and let loose all the prisoners, one hundred in number, who, as soon as their irons were
knocked off, became the most desperate of all the
insurgents."..
The commissioner of the province was absent at
Maulmain, but his lady, Mirs. Burney, urged their immediate removal to the government house.  They
hesitated at first, thinking the rebellion might soon be
quelled; but hearing from a rebel prisoner that the
whole province was engaged in the insurrection, and
that large reinforcements might be hourly expected to




254        LIFE OF SARAII B. JUDSON.
join the rebels, and finding that the Mission premises,
from their situation, were likely to be the very battleground of the contending parties,-after seeking Divine direction, they concluded to abandon them. lHe
continues his narrative, "We caught up a few light
articles on which we could lay our hands, and with
the native Christians, fled as if for our lives. I visited
the house once or twice after this, and saved a few
clothes and papers, but the firing being near, rendered
it hazardous to remain, and the last time I went, I
found the house had been plundered. A large part of
our books, furniture and clothes, which had remained
behind were either taken away or destroyed.
"We had been at the government house but a short
time, when it was agreed to evacuate the town and
retire to the wharf. In the hurry of our second removal, many things which we had brought from our
house, were necessarily left, to fall into the hands of
the plunderers.  We soon found ourselves at the
wharf,-a large wooden building of six rooms, into
which, besides the Europeans, were huddled all the
sepoys with their baggage and durs, and several
hundreds of women and children belonging to Portuguese and others, who looked to the English for protection. Our greatest danger at this time arose from
having in one of the rooms where many were to sleep,
and all of us were continually passing, several hundred




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON,         255
barrels of gunpowder, to which if fire should be communicated accidentally by ourselves, or mischievously
by others, we should all perish at once. The next
danger was from the rebels, who if they could either
rush upon us, or take us by surprise or stratagem,
would doubtless massacre us all on the spot.  We
lifted up our hearts to God, and he heard us from his
holy habitation. We were preserved in safety through
the night, though anxious and sleepless.  All our
attempts to communicate intelligence of our situation
to the people in Maulmain and Mergui were defeated,
and the heavy rains soon affected the health of the
sepoys.  We had but a small supply of rice in the
granary near the wharf, and that was continually in
danger of being destroyed or burnt. But through the
kind care of our Heavenly Father, we were preserved
alive, and nothing of great importance occurred until
the morning of Thursday, a little before day-break,
when a party of 500 advanced upon us from the town,
and set fire to several houses and vessels near the
wharf. But God interposed in our behalf, and sent a
heavy shower of rain, which extinguished the fire,
while the sepoys repelled the assailants.
"At breakfast the same morning we had the happiness of seeing the Diana steam-vessel coming up the
river, with Major Burney on board.   Our hearts
bounded with gratitude to God. It was soon agreed




256        LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
that the Diana should return immediately to Maulmain
for a reinforcement of troops, and Major Burney had
the kindness to offer a passage for Mrs. Boardman and
our family together with his own. After looking to
God for direction, I concluded to remain behind, partly
in compliance with Major Burney's advice and desire,
but particularly in the hope of being useful as an
interpreter and negotiator, and a preventer of bloodshed.  With painful pleasure I took a hasty leave of
my dear family, and in the evening the Diana left us,
not however without having several shots fiom cannon or jinjals fired at her from the people on the city
wall. The English forces, small and weak and sick
as they were, were now throwing up breast-works;
and on Saturday the 15th inst. it was agreed to make
an attack on the town, in order if possible to take from
the walls the large guns that bore upon us, and to try
the strength of the rebel party. I stood at the post of
observation with a spy-glass to watch and give the
earliest notice of the event, and soon had the pleasure
of announcing that the officers and sepoys had scaled
the walls, and were pitching down outside the large
guns, that were mounted there, while friendly Chinese
were employed in carrying them to the wharf. The
success was complete, and nothing remained but to
rescue the prisoners (60 in number) whom the rebels
had caught and confined. After a short cessation and




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON,        257
a little refreshment, a second attack was made, during
which the prisoners escaped and the rebels evacuated
the city. A second battery of guns was also taken and
brought to the wharf. In the morning we walked at
large through' the town; but what desolation, what
barbarous destruction was everywhere exhibited!
everything that could not be carried away, had been
cut and destroyed in the most wanton manner. Our
own house was cut to pieces, our books cut, scattered,
torn and destroyed; our furniture either carried off, or
cut, or broken in pieces, and the house itself and zayat
converted into cook-houses and barracks. During the
last three days, we have been picking up the scattered
fragments of our furniture, books, &c. and repairing
our house.
"Nga-Dah, the ringleader of the rebellion, and eleven
of his principal adherents, have been caught. The inhabitants are coming in with white flags and occupying
their houses. The bazaar is open, and the work of
repairs is going on.
"Yesterday morning the Diana arrived with a reinforcement of European soldiers; and to-day I have
come on board, expecting to proceed to Maulmain
immediately. My present plan is, if my brethren approve, to return with my family, and resume our missionary labors as before.  The native members of
our church, now scattered, will probably come into
It




258        LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
town as soon as they hear of our return. Of the
boarding scholars, all are with us except three Karens.
"J Ay letter is already protracted to so great a
length, that I can only add that our preservation and
deliverance from such imminent danger, should awaken in our hearts the warmest gratitude to our Heavenly Father, and the most unwavering confidence in
his kind care; and that the foregoing account should
revive and deepen the impression made by previous
events in the history of this mission, that we stand in
need of the continual and fervent prayers of Christians
in America, not only for our preservation, but for
divine guidance in all our affairs.
"I remain, yours,
"G. D. BOARDMAN.
"P.S. SatiLT'day Lorning, August 22d.-" I have just
arrived at Maulmain, and have the happiness to find
my family and missionary friends in comfortable
health. Praised be the Lord for his goodness.
"AuLgg. 29th.-After much deliberation, it is thought
best that I should leave my family here, till affairs are
more settled.... I expect to embark for Tavoy tomorrow morning. May the spirit of all grace go with
me!" 
This is a "plain unvarnished" account of the terrible scene through which the missionaries were so
wonderfully preserved, but to understand more fully




LIFE OF SARAH B. J UDSON.       259
their imminent peril we should know, that the town,
at the time of the revolt, was almost defenceless. The
English civil and military chief absent; the officer in
command on his death-bed; no English troops in the
town, and but about a hundred sepoys, who though
trained to British modes of warfare are by no means
equal in skill or valor to British troops; and the chief
engineer disabled by sickness;-the Tavoyans had
well chosen the time of their attack, and they were
sufficiently numerous to have carried all their plans
into execution; but the result, like that of all conflicts
between civilized and barbarous men, shows how
greatly superior a few troops, well disciplined, are to
the most numerous bodies of men, unacquainted with
the art of war.
But what could be more appalling to the stoutest
heart, than the situation of Mrs. Boardman and her
helpless family! Forced to flee from her frail hut,
by bullets actually whizzing through it, and to pass
through the town amid the yells of an infuriated
rabble, her path sometimes impeded by the dead bodies
of men who had fallen in the conflict: driven from the
shelter of the government house, again to fly through
the streets to the wharf-house; and there, with three
or four hundred fugitives crowded together, to await
death which. threatened them in every form,-hearing
over their heads the rush of cannon balls, and seeing




260         LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
from burning buildings showers of sparks falling, one
of which, if it reached the magazines under their roof,
was sufficient to tear the building from its foundations
and whelm them all in one common ruin,-or if they
escaped this danger, to know that hundreds of merciless barbarians with knives and cutlasses might at any
moment rush into the building and destroy them;can the female heart, we are ready to ask, endure such
fearful trial?
"Perchance her reason stoops, or reels;
Perchance a courage not her own
Braces her mind to desperate tone."
Yes, her mind was stayed by a "courage not her
own," but it was "braced" to no "desperate tone;"
rather its calmness was that of a child, who, in its own
utter helplessness, clings to its father's arm, and feels
secure. Neither must we forget that a painful diversion of her thoughts from  the terrors around her,
was afforded by the necessities of her suffering babe,
to whom the foul air of the wharf-house, and the want
of all comforts, had nearly proved fatal. It was only
her sleepless, vigilant care, that, under Providence,
prevented the poor child from sharing the fate of Mrs.
Burney's little infant, which did not survive the dreadful scene.
And with what transports of joy did this suffering
company hail the sight of the thin blue smoke that




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.        261
heralded the arrival of a steamer from Maulmain!
Amid what distracting fears for her husband, left in
the revolted city, her infant and herself, did Mrs.
Boardman decide to go on board the steamer returning to Maulmain! And with what gratitude and joy
did she, after several days of painful suspense, welcome to the same city, her husband, and hear the tidings
of the triumph of British power, and the restoration
of tranquillity! In her happiness at meeting him alive,
she noticed not that his late exposure and sufferings
had increased to an alarming degree the symptoms of
his dreadful malady. Inspired with something of his
own enthusiasm, she saw him depart, to return to
his beloved labors in Tavoy, whither she hoped and
expected soon to follow him.




CHAPTER X.
MISSIONARY LABORS OF IMR. BOARDMAN. — HIS ILL HEALTH. — LETTER
FROM 1 MRS, B.-DEATH OF A SECOND CHILD.-LETTERS FROM MRS. B.
Fno,  i Mr. Boardman's journal we learn that he remained through the summer and part of the autumn
at Tavoy, diligently prosecuting his labors among the
Burmese, Chinese, Karens, and Europeans, among
all which classes he had singular success. In the
meantime M't:rs. Boardman continued at Maulmain,
part of the time suffering from illness, and when able,
assisting the missionaries there, until October, when
she returned again to Tavoy.  The animated and
even glowing recital, given by lIMr. Boardman in his
journals and letters of this year, of the spread of
gospel truth among the natives; his records of preaching, travelling, teaching and baptisms, would lead one
to suppose that he was in the enjoyment of the most
vigorous health, and that his frame was insensible to
fatigue.  But careless as he was of his own bodily
ease, there was an eye that watched him with the
intensest solicitude; a heart that was pierced with




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.         268
anxiety, knowing that though " the inner man was
renewed day by day," the outer man was too surely
"perishing," and would soon be laid aside, forever.
On the 29th of July, 1830, iMrs. Boardman writes
to her sister fiom Maulmain, whither they had gone
for the benefit of her children's health: "' We must
look beyond this frail fleeting world for our true peace.
Alas, I know by most bitter experience, that it is in
vain to seek for true happiness here below. My fondest earthly hopes have again and again been dashed.
Torn from the bosom of my dear father's family, my
heart was almost broken; and when I stood by the
death-bed of my sweet, my lovely Sarah, I felt indeed
that earthly hopes and joys are but a dream. But a
darker cloud hangs over me. Oh what desolation and
anguish of spirit do I feel, when I think it is possible
that in a few more months, my earthly guide, supporter, and delight, may be no more!... ie has a
cough which has been hanging about him a year, and
he is very much reduced by it.... Oh my sister,
let us see to it that our affections are set on things
above."
Such "desolation and anguish of spirit" as she here
describes, had her husband felt for her in the preceding year, when for some months before and after the
birth of her second son she lay struggling with a dangerous disease, which he thought would surely termi



264         LIFE OF SARAII B. JUDSON.
nate her life.  At that time he wrote: " She still
grows weaker, and her case is now more alarming.
Should our friends for whom I have sent to Maulmain
come even immediately, I can scarcely hope for their
arrival before the crisis, or probably, fatal termination
of my dear partner's disorder. My comfort in my
present affliction is the thought, that if to our former
trials, the Lord sees fit to add that of removing my beloved companion, he does it with a perfect knowledge
of all the blessedness which death will confer on her,
and of all the sorrows and distresses which her loss
will occasion her bereaved husband and orphan children, in our present peculiar condition. It affords me
great relief to have been assured by her that the bitterness of death is past, and that heavenly glories have
been unfolded in a wonderful and unexpected manner
to her view."  And again he says, seemingly losing
for a moment his strong confidence, " What will become of my children, what will become of the schools
-of the poor native women-what will become of
me, if she die?"  But she recovered, and " his thankfulness knew no bounds, his letters are eloquent in
their utterance of joy and praise."
In a letter of Dec. 2, 1830, Mrs. Boardman records
another affliction. " God has come very near to us
and wounded our hearts afresh. Our youngest child,
aged 8 months, went from us to meet his sainted




lFiiFi OF SAR.IL B. JUPSONi',    265
sister', in 2Septetiber last. We mourn, but not without
hope; for we shadll sooni be in that blissful world-be
pure and lovely like our departed ones in lgory." And
Mr. Boardman says: " Our hearts have been pierced
anew by t'he loss of iOur dear babe.... I e was 8
months old, and though generally feeble, one of the
most lovely and interestilg of babes. The Lord has
dealt with us severely, but not unkindly. He gave
and he hath t akn aw ay."
Both these devoted mi`ssionaries knew, however,
that the best defence againstl, such trials as they. endured, is - found in a steady peirflormance of duty..n.
trouble a,s well is i joy. thge devoted themnselves to
their great- object —sainc.-'- ow d-ifv lereni fiom
those w',ho m'n  a s.o-i of me-it of' " ilnulging the
luxury of gr.ie) f; and show their regard for tive tmmory of the dead* by negectiing t hei duties to the
living! Christianity, while it ineclcates and fosters
the tenderest sensibility to the chastisements of our
heavenly Pa-ent., never allows us in any calamity, to
fold our hands in inactive despair. Our pathway is
filled with duties; and,
" Heart within, and God o'er head,"
we must, like our Master,  go about doing good,"
though we may feel " cast down, pressed out of measure," by afliction.




266        LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
Speaking of a severe illness about this time, Mr.
Boardman says: " Death seemed near,. o. but had
no alarms, no terrors... My beloved family and the
perishing heathen, were all that made me in the least
degree unwilling to die. And even them I could resign to the hands of a gracious and covenant-keeping
God." In one of the last letters he ever wrote, he thus
records his testimony to the devotedness of his beloved wife. " During my present protracted illness, and
when I was at the worst stage, she was the tenderest,
most assiduous, attentive and affectionate of nurses.
Without her, I think I should have finished my career
in a few days. And even when our lamented, darling
babe lay struggling in the very arms of death, though
she was with him constantly, night and day, she did
not allow me to suffer one moment, for lack of her attentionso I cannot write what I feel on this tender
subject.  But oh what kindness in our Heavenly
Father, that when her services were so much needed,
her health was preserved, and she had strength given
her to perform her arduous labors."
Mr. Boardman's life was now fast ebbing away. In
September, 1830, he had written a sort of farewell to
his parents, brothers and sisters, from which it appears
that even then he was daily looking for the summons
-" Come up hither."  He says of this letter that it is
his last farewello He thanks God that he has his corn




LIFE Oi SARAH- BJ. JUISOi'.    2 67
plaint —consumption —in its mildest form.  He enu,
merates many circumstances of mercy with which he
is favored; and adds: "But nmost of all for outward
comfort, I have mny beloved wife, whose most untiring
assiduity has mitigated many of my pains, and who is
ever prompt to render all the services that the purest
affection can dictate, or the greatest sufferings require.
And it deserves to be mentioned that she has never
been so free from missionary and family cares, or from
attacks of illness, as during the last three months, while
I have most needed her kind and soothing attentions,
Bless the Lord oh my soul, and praise his name!"
"In thinking," he adds, " on the probability of dying
soon, two or three things occasion considerable unwillingness to meet the solemn event. One is, the sore
affliction I know it will occasion to my dear family,
especially my fond, too fond wife. Her heart will be
well-nigh riven. But I must leave her with Him who
is anointed to heal the broken-hearted and to bind up
their wounds. My dear little son is too young to remember me long, or to realize his loss. I have prayed
for him many times, and can leave him in my Heavenly Father's hands.... Then there are the perishing heathens around me....   During the last ten
years, I have studied with more or less reference to
being useful to the heathen. And now, if just as I am
beginning to be qualified to labor a little among thene




268        LIFEP OF SAtRAH I JUDLSON.
my days are cut short, mruch of my study and preparation seems to be in vain. But I chide myself for saying so or thinking so. If I had done no good whatever
here in Bnurmah, I ought to submit and be still under
the hand of God,.. but I trust He has made nme of
some service to a few poor benighted souls, especially
among the Karens, who shall be my glory and joy in
the day of the Lord Jesus."  " As to my hope and my
confidence of acceptance with God, if any man has
reason to renounce all his own. righteousness,,. 
and to trust entirely and solely to grace, sovereign
grace, flowing through an atoning Saviour, I am that
man. A perfectly right action, with. perfectly right
motives, I never performed, and never shall perform,
till freed from this body of sin. AN UNPROFITABLE
SERVANT, is the most appropriate epitaph for my tombstone."
Thus appeared a life of self-denying sacrifices for
Christ, when shone upon by the pure light of eternity.
H-appy then that the dying man could say, " NOT by
works of righteousness which we have done, but by
his MERCY he saves us!"




CHAPTER3 XId
LETTER FROM MS, BOARD-M'AN.T —=ILLN.ESS AND DEATTH OF GEOESGE DANA
BOARD AIA N.
Tavoy, March'1, 1831,
"MY BELOVED PAREITES,
With ia heart glowinxe with joy, and  t the same
time rent with anguish uniuttlirable, I l'ake my pen to
address you. You, too, will rejoice whe n you hear
what God has wrougiht through the insstrumentaii'cy of
yourw beloved sone.`'es, yo'u wll bless God tIat you
were en aIabledA t  e to devo t hi o t his blessed service
among the h     i eaten, when I tell you tl. Iat within the
last tTo mntohs,'ifty-seven have beena baptized, ail
Karens, xcn3epting o ne, a little boy of the school and
son of the native governor. Twenty-three were bapti-Zed n. this city by IoRun  Ing, ng,and tri;y-fJo-ur in
t       ei r native wilSerness by TD,  s0ini
" r. i0a0son narnived Ja. 23d, and on the 3s, hne,
witnh Jrh. Boa-rdman, myself and George, set out on a
long~praom:sedo toulr among lthe Karens. i Mr. Boardeman
wasT, vey fbie, buWt Iw hoped the change of air and
sc-,ne'or woulr:  be b, a.nefiiraL  Oompan o'f a'IKare.ns




270        LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
had come to convey us out, Mr. Boards-an on his bed,
and me in a chair. We reached thea place on the
third day, and found they had erected a bamboo chapel
on a beautiful stream at the base o- a range of mountains. The place was central, and nearly one hundred persons had assemnbled, more than half of them
applicants for baptism. Oh it was a sioht calculated
to call forth hele liveliest joy of which human nature is
susceptible, and made me, for a moment, forget my
bitter griefs-a siagt far surpassiun  all I had ever anticipated, even in my most sanguine hours.  The
Karens cooked, ate and slept on the ground, by the
river-side, with no other shelter than the trees of the
forest. Three years ago they were sunk in the lowest
depths of ignorance and superstition. Now the glad
tidings of meircy had reached them, and they were
willing to live in the open air, away -from their homes,
for the sake of enjoying the privileges of the Gopel.
"' My dear husband had borne the journey better
than we had feared, though he suffr'ed -fiom exhaustion and pain in his side, which. however, was much
relieved by a little attention.  lis spirits were unusually good, and we fondly hoped that a few days'
residence in that delightful, airy spot, surrounded by
his loved Karens, would recruit and invigorate his
weakened frame. But I soon perceived lie was failing,
and. tenderly urged his return to town, where he could




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.        271
enjoy the quiet of home, and the benefit of medical
advice. But he repelled the thought at once, saying
he confidently expected improvement from the change,
and that the disappointment would be worse for him
than staying.' And even,' added he,' should my poor,
unprofitable life be somewhat shortened by staying,
ought I, on that account merely, to leave this interesting field?  Should I not rather stay and assist in
gathering in these dear scattered lambs of the fold?
You know, Sarah, that coming on a foreign mission
involves the probability of a shorter life, than staying
in one's native country. And yet obedience to our
Lord, and compassion for the perishing heathen, induced us to make this sacrifice. And have we ever
repented that we came? No; I trust we can both
say that we bless God for bringing us to Burmah, for
directing our footsteps to Tavoy, and even for leading
us hither. You already know, my love,' he continued,
with a look of tenderness never to be forgotten,' that
I cannot live long, I must sink under this disease; and
should we go home now, the all-important business
which brought us out, must be given up, and I might
linger out a few days of suffering, stung with the reflection, that I had preferred a few idle days, to my
M1 aster's service. Do not, therefore, ask me to go, till
these poor Karens have been baptized.' I saw he was
right, but my feelings revolted. Nothing seemed so




272         LIFE OF SARAHI B. JUDSOiT9
valuable as his life, and I fiet tt It cou; d make any
act f1c  to pro ong  t  ou, t gu  wre but for one
thiour. Still a desire to gratiiy himl, if no highr mlotive,
mac mle silent, itougi, -myn heart ached to see him so
ill in such n s wretched piaice, deprived of many of
thie co:mforts of Ii, to savy noth in of ti  a' A indi:ien ces
desirable in sickness.
The cha.pel was' l,', but open on, a si, excepting a smn- l ol  butilt up for tr. Maso n a o nd a
1roomn about fiie 1Iet wide a;td ten r  s at ong, for the
a ccommodation of MTpr. Boardman a nad myself with
our little boy.  The roof was so ow, tat I co uld
not stand upright,; and it -was but poortly enclosed,
so t hat he was expose_ o t.he bur ng rn 9ays of the
sun by day, and to th   cold I winds faod r.amp E og
by night.  But his mind -hwas!':aSpy, and h-x, would
often say, v  If  J to sei  t   D e i  - a t hi onle iathern  1
may x well exclaim, -it h ha ppy Sim.'on, Lord, now
Il[test thou thy servant dpart in pea ce, acording
to thy word, for mine eyes have seen thy saulvationu:-Tow many ministers  hiae wished th'Iy  gt'   di in
his, be even  -ore blessed  ian dyiin) in a pulpit at
hose? 1 eel alt it w oulid9
Nor ws it s    rely le pleaas ing state of things
atooun  hin t;at fi tleid hS mind wi!th comfort. He
\7wol-d sometimes dwe! on the  fints compassion of




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON,         273
God, and his own unworthiness, till his strength was
quite exhausted.; and though he told 3BMr. Mason that
he had not the rapture which he had sometimes enjoyed, yet his mind was calm and peaceful; and it
was plainly perceptible, that earthly passions had died
away, and that he was enjoying sweet foretastes of
that rest into which he was so soon to enter. File
would often say to me,' My meditations are very
sweet, though my mind seems as much weakened as
my body. I have not had that liveliness of feeling,
which It have sometimes enjoyed, owing to my great
wveaokness, but I shall soon be released fromz, shlackles,
and be where i can praise God continually, without
weariness. i My thoughts sdelight to dwell on these
words, Thee res n o n ig, /t here'I lfelt theat the itimn e of sepalration was fast approaching, and said to himT,' 1g'i dea.r, I have one re~
quest to make; it is, that you would pray much for
George, during your f'ew rneaini.lg daygs. I shall soon
be left alone, almosi the only 1ne on earth to pray for
iim, and I have great confidence. in your dying prayers.'  FHe looked earnestly at the little boy, and said,'I will try to pray rfor nhii; but i trust very many
prayers will ascend for the dear child from our friends
at homne, who will be induced to supplicate the more
earnestly for him, when they hear that he is left fatherless in a heathen land.'
18




274         LIFE OF S ARAi rB. JUDSON.
" On W ednesday, while looking in the glass, he
seemled t once t o see smptos or f his approaching
dissolution, and said, without emotion,' I have altered
greatly —I am sinking into tihe grave very fast-just
on the verog'           n Mr. MH-ason said to him,' Is there
nothinii  e canw do fior; y? 1Had  e vnot better call
the piysician' Or shall w-w tvT to remove you into
town i m necdiately?' Af ter a few moments' delibera
tion, it was concluided to dcefir the baptism of the male
applicants, and set out [or home-n early the next mornimg. Ilearly all the ierai  candid1ates had been examlined, and as it is dicit'l fort:en to come to t own,
it was lthouh'- t:est tas t. 1 Ma- l on should baptize
themn in the eveni        elt, aknd Mr.!M.ason having prayed forb a blessing on th1e acision, we sat down
to breakfast with sl orrow -fl ihearts.
"' \V-ile         LI were at ~''  /
il  we were  t the table, my beloved husband
said,' I shall soon be thrown away for this world; but
I hope the Lord Jesus will take me up. That merciful Eeing, who is resre-anted as passing by, and having co0nmpassion lon the poor cast-out infalnt, will not
suffer me to perish. 0, I have no hope but in the wonderful, condescenditi, nfinnite nmercy o- God, throulgh
his dear Son. I cast my poor perishing soul, loaded
with sin, as it is, upon his compassionate arms, assured
that all will be forever safe.' On seeing my tears, he
said, Are you not reconciled to the will of God, my




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSOI.         275
love?  When I told him I hoped I did not feel unreconciled, he continued, I have long ago, and many
times, committed you and our little one into the hands
of our covenant God.   He is the husband of the
widow and the father of the fatherless. Leave thy
fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and
let thy zidotows trust in me, saith the Lord. He will
be your stay and support, when I am gone. The separation will be but short, 0, how happy I shall be to
welcome you to heaven.'   He then addressed Mr.
Mason, as follows:-' Brother, I am heartily rejoiced,
and bless God that you have arrived, and especially
am I gratified, that you are so much interested for the
poor Karens. You will, I am assured, watch over
them, and take care of them; and if some of them
turn back, you will still care for them. As to my dear
wife and child, I know you will do all in your power to
make them comfortable. Mrs. B. will probably spend
the ensuing rains in Tavoy. She will be happy with
you and Mrs. [Mason; that is, as happy as she can be
in her state of loneliness. She will mourn for me, and
a widow's state is desolate and sorrowful at best. But
God will be infinitely better to her, than I have ever
been.' On the same day, he wished me to read some
hymns on affliction, sickness, death, &c. I took Wesley's Hymn Book, the only one we had with us, and




276         LIFE OF SARAHT B. JUDSOr.
read several, among others, the one beginning, Ah,
lovely appearance of death.'
"On Wiednesda y evening, thirty-fo u r p.rsons were
baptized. T.ar. Boardeman  2as carried to the wvaterside, though so vweak Pthat he could hardly breathe
wtlhout the ontinual use o th       and the smell-:''g- ot!;,, n. ood...'           noo m, i uch
ing-bottleJ  The joyfu sight w as alost too much
for his feeble'.hen we re ached the chapel,
he said he wold ikeI i  to) sit up an2d take tea with
us. We placed'is ct et.eea t-. tabil, and lhaving
bo stered  i 1,m up, we took tea.toge ther.  asked
the blessing, a-nd:,at'; wit'  i r h' i. 1 and} u  rai e d,
and in a tone Lhat:st.uck me to te heart  It was the
same tremulous, yett uge-et.,,n and I'cad almo st sad, unearthly voice, w ith which my aea  g;ran at.-her used
to prayv. We         n b n  notice i.tha brtigl ening
of the mental tcuils, w.ivli  I. a. te3ald  s c'iCoen of,
in persons ncear ih.e-ir ei-d
Alfter t ea, -,  i 1iemov.ed, al the disciples present,
aboult  fify in'num4er, g t.eired ar:n d Ihi, in  he
-ddressed ti..e  frn  a lw' moments in languag e hie
ite foll  f -  L.gowi"  f  i~ 1ng'; ith  yout  i'ill Cafer
Lord's-day i, and a-dminist  to you on tce mor:: o  tVhe
Lord's Supper,   But God is ca ling me a iwa  f'eom
you. i am i  about to die, and shall soon be incoPncei
ably happy in heaven.  tfhen I   cam gone, orasemeber
what I have taught you; and 0, be careful io perse



LIFE OF SARAH B, JUDSON,         277
7ere unto the end, that when you die, we may meet
one another in the presence of God, never more to
part. Listen to the word of the new teacher and the
teacheress as you have done to mine. The teacheress
will be very much distressed. Strive to lighten her
burdens, and comfort her by your good conduct. Do
nt neglect prayer. T he eternal God, to whom you
pray, is unchangeable. Earthly teachers sicken and
die, but God remains foreve th  am    Love Jesus
Christ with all your hearts, and you will be forever
sale.'   This address I gathered fi'om the Karens, as I
was absent prepariin  g i  is t  or the night. Having rested a -  w minuaes, i:l-e off'red a short prayer,
and thlen with  Mr. Maison's assis-tance, dis tribted
tracts and portions of Scripture to them all. Early
le nczext morningl wi 1u t f  home, aclcopan.ied by
nearly all the males and some of the f nles, th re
mainder returning   to -teinr homes in the wvildernaess.
I'Mr. Boardman was freoe froi pain dar-intg i1.he day, and
there was no ui nf 1voiraole change, except t lhat his
mouth grew sore.  But at four o'cc  in the after
noon, w   ere w ore overtaken by a violent showier of r-ain,
accompanied by lightnng and. thuntide. There was
no house in sight, anid  e were obliged to remain in
the open air, exposed to the mlerciless st'or~m. We
covered him w7ith mats n and b a.it, and h-ld our umbrellas over him, all to no purpose. I was obliged to




278         LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
stand and see the storm beating upon him, till his
mattress and pillows were drenched with rain. We
hastened on, and soon came to a Tavoy house. The
inhabitants at first refused us admittance, and we
ran for shelter into the out-houses. The shed I happened to enter, proved to be the'house of their gods,'
and thus I committed an almost unpardonable offence.
After some persuasion they admitted us into the house,
or rather verandah, for they would not allow us to
sleep inside, though I begged the privilege for my sick
husband with tears. In ordinary cases, perhaps, they
would have been hospitable; but they knew that MIr.
Boardman was a teacher of a foreign religion, and
that the Karens in our company had embraced that
religion.
"At evening worship, Mr. Boardman requested Mr.
Miason to read the thirty-fourth Psalm. He seemed
almost spent, and said,' This poor perishing dust will
soon be laid in the grave; but God can employ other
lumps of clay to perform his will, as easily as he has
this poor unworthy one.' I told him, I should like to
sit up and watch by him, but he objected, and said in
a tender supplicating tone,'Cannot we sleep together?'
The rain still continued, and his cot was wet, so that
he was obliged to lie on the bamboo floor. Having
found a place where our little boy could sleep without
danger of falling through openings in the floor, I threw




LIFE OF SAARII B. JUDSON.       279
myself down, without undressing, beside my beloved
husband. I spoke to him often during the night, and
he said he felt well, excepting an uncomfortable feeling in his moutlh and throat. This was somewhat
relieved by frequent washings with cold water. Miserably wretched as his situation was, he did not complain; on the contrary, his heart seemed overflowing
with gratitude.'0,' said he,' how kind and good our
Father in heaven is to me; how many are racked with
pain-, while I, though near the grave, am almost free
from distress of body. I suier nothing, nothing to
wvhat you, my dear Sarah, had to endure last year,
when I thought I must lose you.. And then I have
you to move me so tenderly.' should have sunk
into the grave ere this, but for your assiduous attention. And brother Masona is as kind to rn as if he
were my own brother. And then how many, in addition to pain of body, have anguish of soul, while
my mind is sweetly stayed on God.' On my saying,
I holpe we shall be at home to-morrow night, where
you can lie on your comfortable bed, and I can nurse
you as I wish,' he said,' I want nothing that the world
can atlbord, but my wife and friends; earthly conveniences and comnforts are of little consequence to one so
near heaven. I only want them for your sake.' In
the morning we thought him a little better, though I
perceived, when I gave him his sago, that his breath




280        LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
was very short.  He, however, took rather more
nourishment than usual, and spoke about the manner
of his conveyance home. We ascertained that by
waiting until twelve o'clock, we could go the greater
part of the way by water.
At about nine o'clock, his hands and feet grew
cold, and the arnctionate Karens rubbed them all the
forenoon, excepting a few moments when he requested to be left alone. At ten o'clock, he was much distressed for breath, and I thought the long dreaded moment had arrived. I asked him, if he felt as if he was
going homoe-' not just yet,' he replied. On giving
him a little  ine and water, he revived. Shortly
after, he said,'You were alarmned without cause just
now, dear —I know the reason of the distress I felt,
but ami too wea!k to explain it to you.' In a f 1w momrents he said to me,' Since you spoke to me about
George, i have prayed for him almost incessantly-=
more than in all my lif- before.'
It drew near twelve, the tim-e jar us to go to the
boat. We were distressed at the thou-goht of remToving
him, when evidently so near the last struggle, though
we did not think it so near as it really was. But there
was no alternative. The chilling frown of the ironfaced Tavoyan was to us as if he was continually
saying,' be gone.' I wanted a little broth for my expiring husband, but on asking them for a fowl they




LIFE O' SA.AH1A B. JJDSON.       281
said they had none, though at that instant, on glancing
my eye through an opening in the floor, I saw three
or four under the house.  KJy heart was well nigh
breaking.' We hastened to the boat, which was only a few
steps from the house. The Karens carried Air. Board
man first, and as the shore w as muddy, 1 was obliged
to wait till they could return for me. They took me
immediately t him; but 0, the agony of' my soul,
when I saw tLhe hand of death'was o  h;i1  He was
looking me f:ull in the face, but his eys were changed,
not dimmed, but bri- lghtened, and the p-upis so dilated,
that I feared he could not see me. I spoke to himkissed him-but he made no return, though I fanied
that he tried to -move is ips.  pvre-sed his hand,
knowing that if he could, heI'  woud relt-n the pressure; but, alas! for the first time, 1  wast in:sensible to
my love, and forevoer, I'  ad broulght a p l. of wine'
and water alreadvy mi ed, and a smc-,lln g-'botle, but
neither was of any avail tom no.  A greealy to a
previous request, I called tthe -aithful  tnoPs, who
~loved himl so much, and whojm h     ie had loved eunto
death, to come and watch h1s last gentle br-eathings,
for there was no struggo'i' Never, my dear parents, did one of our p3oor fallen
race have less to contend with, in the last enemy,
Little George was brought to see his dying fater,,aut




282        LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
he was too young to know there was cause for grief.
When Saral died, her father said to George,'Poor
little boy, you will not know to-morrow what you
have lost to-day.' A deep pang rent my bosom at the
recollection of this, and a still deeper one succeeded
when the thought struck me, that though my little boy
mnay not know to-morrow what he has lost to-day,
yet when years have rolled by, and he shall have felt
the unkindness of a deceitful, selfish world, he will
" 1,Mr. JMason wept, and the sorrowing Karens knelt
doiwn in prayer to God —that God, of whom their expiring teacher had taught them —that God, into whose
presence the emancipated spirit was just entering —
that God, with whom they hope and expect to be happy
forever. r. y own feelings I will not attempt to describe.
y'1o may have some faint idea of them, when you recollect xwhat he was to me, how tenderly I loved him,
and, at the same tinme, bear in mind the precious
promises to the afflicted.
"We came in silence down the river, and landed
abi:ut three miles from our house. The Karens placed
his precious remains on his little bed, and with feelings
Vwhlich you can better imagine than I describe, we proceededl homewards.  The mournful intelligence had
reached town before us, and we were soon met by,.oung ing, the Burman preacher. At the sight of




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSONT         283
us, he burst into a flood of tears. Next, we met the
two native Christian sisters, who lived with us. But
the moment of most bitter anguish was yet to come
on our arrival at the house. They took him into the
sleeping-room, and when I uncovered his face, for a
few moments, nothing was heard but reiterated sobs.
He had not altered —the same sweet smile, with which
he was wont to welcome me, sat on his countenance.
H1is eyes had opened in bringing him, and all present
seemed expecting to hear his voice; when the thought,
that it was silent forever, rushed upon us, and filled
us with anguish sudden and unutterable. There were
the Burman Christians, who had listened so long, with
edification and delight, to his preaching-there were
the Karens, who looked to him as their guide, their
earthly all-there were the scholars whom  he had
taught the way to heaven, and the Christian sisters,
whose privilege it had been to wash, as it were, his
feet.
"' Early next morning, his funeral was attended, and
all the Europeans in the place, with many natives,
were present. It may be some consolation to you to
know that everything was performed in as decent a
manner, as if he had been buried in our own dear native land. By his own request, he was interred on the
south side of our darling first-born. It is a pleasant
circumstance to me, that they sleep side by side. But




284         LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSONl
it is infinitely more consoling to think, that their glorified spirits have met in that blissful world, where sin
and death never enter, and sorrow is unknown.
" Praying tlhat we may be abundantly prepared to
enter into our glorious rest, tI reraina, my dear parents,
your deeply afflicted, but rost afi-ectionate child,
A1" SAAH. BOARDMAN."
Well might Mr. Judson say, " One of the brightest
luminaries of Burmah is extinguied, dear brother
Boardman is gone to his eternal rest. He fell gloriously
at the.head 0o hs troops, in the'rms of victory, thirty.seven w,    e   s havin been.brou-'t into the camp
of our king, since the beg linning o: the year, besides
the thirty-two- that were brourght inl during the two
preceding yearsD Disabled by wounds, he was obliged
through the whole of his labst expedition, to be carried
on a litter but his presence wa s a foosP, and the Holy
Spirit accompanied his dying whispers; ith almighty
influence. Such a death, next to hat of mnartyrdom,
must be glorious in -the eyes of seav-en. Well may
we rest assured, that a triunmphal., crown awaits himl on
the gre at day, and' Well done, good Cand Jaitlhful servant, enter thou intoL the joy of thy L-ord!' " This is in
thle spiit of,i;ont,c ery's noble hymn, with an extract finns which  we lrl close the account of G-eorge
)-ana BPoardman-i




LIFE OF SARAH:i B. JUDSOI.                285
"Soldier of Christ, well done I
Rest from thy loved employ:
The battle fought, the victory won,
Enter thy Master's joy.
At midnight came the cry,
To meet thy God prepare!
IHe woke, and caught his Captain's eye;
Then, stlong in faith and prayer,
His spirit, with a bound,
Left its encumbering clay;
IHis tent, at sunrise, on the ground,
A darkened ruin lay."




CHAPTER X-II
LETTERES'iFROM MRSI. B.-HER DECISION TO REMIAIN IN BURMAH. —IIER
MISSIO2NARY LABORS.-IER TRIALS.-SCHOOLS.
MIs. BOARDAIAr found the society of ir. and Mrs.
MLAason a sweet solace to her sad heart. They joined
her at Tavoy in the spring of 1831, and assisted her in
her school, besides studying the language. Her letters
to her sister show a spirit chastened and saddened, but
not crushed by sorrow, and still tenderly solicitous for
the spiritual welfare of her dear brothers and sisters
in America. She urges them by every motive, to embrace that Saviour she had found so precious. After
telling them  of the "glorious revival among the
Karens," and of the baptism of seventy-three of them,
she asks how they feel when they hear of the conversion of these poor children of the wilderness? " Some,"
she says, " indeed most of those who have been baptized, were impressed with the infinite importance of
religion at the first time of hearing the gospel, and
gave themselves no rest till they found it in the
Saviour. 0, I tremble and can scarcely hold my pen
while I think of the awful account you must render to




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.        287
God, if after all your privileges, you fall short of
Heaven at last.... How can you resist any longer?
You cannot, you will not-something tells me you will
give yourself immediately, unreservedly to that compassionate Saviour whose love was stronger than
death." 
Her confidence was justified; for some months later,
she says, " Dearly beloved brother and sister, a parcel
of letters from America has reached us, which we
eagerly opened,... and received the delightful, heartcheering intelligence that you have both become followers of Jesus, and have openly professed his name,
and that two others of the dear children are serious.... Oh I have wept hours at the thought of God's
goodness in giving me such joyful news in the midst
of my sorrows. And is it indeed true that my own
dear Harriet and my dearly loved brother are adopted
into the family of God's chosen ones? Are your names
really written in the Lamb's book of life?... And
do each of you when alone in your closet before your
Heavenly Father, feel that he draws near to you, and
that sweeter than all the pleasures of the world is communion with him? 0 I know that you do; and now
do I feel a union with you unknown before.  How
sweet to feel, that while wandering, a lonely desolate
widow, some of those whom I most love, remember
me every day before a throne of grace. Now when




&2    o    L~FE,'1 OF SARAt1- B. JUDSOhNT.
kneel in prayer the voice of praise is on my lips. At
each thought of home, mly heart leaps for joy, and I
feel as if relieved of a heavv burden which continually
weighed down my spirits while thinking of my absent
brothers and sisters. T..  he accounts of the glorious
revivals in different parts of our dear native land have
greatly refreshed our hearts, and we are ready to exclaim, surely the millennium has dawned'for happy
America. Perhaps you think such irntelligence makes
me wish to return. But no, my dear brothers- and
sisters, it maaes me feel just the reverse. I do most
ardently long to labor in this dark. land till the day
dawns upon us,.. rather I should say till the Sun
of Righteousness reaches t;he nmeridic,'an, of Burmah, for
the day has already dawned, and the eastern Karen
mountains, enveloped for ages past in midnight gloom,
are rejoicing in his bright beams.
"Our schools are very flourishing....  We have
sixty scholars in town, and about fifty among the Karens in the jungles. I feel desolate, lonely, and sometimes deeply distressed at my great and irreparable loss,
-butL I bless God I am not in despair. My darling
George is in good health, and is a source of much
comfort, though of deep anxiety to me. l-e is learning
to read, but is not so forward as children at home.
How it comforts my heart to be able to ask you to
pray for him!"




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.        289
In a hurried postscript she adds: "There are more
than eighty Karens at our house, upwards of twenty
of them applicants for baptism."
In another letter: " Death now seems nearer to me,
and Heaven dearer than before I was afflicted; 
my afflictions are precisely the kind my soul needed..  I receive from my dear friends the Masons, every
possible kindness. But alas! the hours of loneliness
and bitter weeping I endure, are known only to God.
But still Jesus has sweetened the cup, and I would not
that it should have passed my lip."
Three courses of life were now open to Mrs. Boardman. Either to devote herself to her domestic duties,
manage her household, educate her darling boy, and
in quiet seclusion pass the weary days of her widowhood; or-looking abroad on the spiritual wants of
the people around her, knowing that if one devoted
laborer was gone there was the more need of activity
in those that remained,-she might continue to employ
her time and faculties in instructing and elevating
those in whose service her husband had worn out his
life; or, thirdly, she might take her child, her "only
one," and return to the land of her birth, where she
still had dear parents, brothers and sisters, who would
welcome her with open arms, and where she could give
her son those advantages which he never could have
in a heathen lando To adopt either the first or the
19




290         LIFE OF SARAH B. J UDSON
last of these courses, she was urged by her natural
disposition, which was singularly modest and retiring,
her feeble health, the enervating influence of the climate, and above all by the strong tendency to self-indulgence which always accompanies a heart-rending
sorrow. "But oh," she says in a letter to a friend,
"these poor, inquiring and Christian Karens, and the
school-boys, and the Burmese Christians".... and
the thought of these made her more than willing to
adopt the second course; for she says, "My beloved
husband wore out his life in this glorious cause; and
that remembrance makes me more than ever attached
to the work and the people for whose salvation he
labored till death."
During her husband's life-time, Mrs. Boardman had
of course little to perform of what could properly be
called missionary labor; even her teaching in the
schools was very often interrupted by sickness, and
the schools themselves were often broken up by untoward events which the Missionaries could not control.
Now, however, new circumstances called her to new
and untried duties.  Yet there was no sudden or
violent change in her mode of life. The honored lips
that had instructed, and guided, and comforted the
ignorant natives, were sealed in death; yet still those
natives continued to turn their eyes and their steps to
the loved residence of their teacher whenever they




LIFE OF SARAit  B. JUDSON,      291
found themselves oppressed with difficulty or distress;
and could the widow of that venerated teacher refuse
to those poor disciples any guidance or consolation it
was in her power to bestow? No; quietly and meekly
she instructed the ignorant, consoled the afflicted, led
inquirers to her Saviour, and warned the impenitent
to flee to him; and if insensibly she thus came to fill
a place from which her nature would instinctively
have shrunk, there wvas still about her such a modest
and womanly grace, combined with such a serious and
dignified purpose of soul, that the most fastidious could
have found nothing to censure, while lovers of the
cause she bad espoused, found everything to commend.
" I rejoice," writes a friend in this country to her, on
hearing of her self-sacrificing labors, " that your husband's mantle has fallen upon you... and that more
than ever before, it is in your heart to benefit the
heathen."
That her duties were arduous, her letters fully prove.
In one of them she says, "Every moment of my time
is occupied Jfroi) szunrise tfi'l ten inz the evening. It
is late-bed time, and I am surrounded by five Karen
women, three of whom arrived this afternoon from the
jungle, after being separated fiom us nearly five
months by the heavy rains. The Karens are beginning to come to us in companies; and with them, and
our scholars in the town, and the care of my darling




292        LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
boy, you will scarce think I have much leisure for
letter-writing."
Thus she toiled on, cheered by the consciousness
that she was in the path of duty: that her husband if
permitted from his home in heaven to watch over the
spot he most loved on earth, would smile approvingly
on her labors; and encouraged by the affection of
many of the disciples, and the interest awakened
among some new inquirers.
But it cannot be doubted that her trials were at
least equal to her encouragements. Long before, Mr.
Boardman had written, "the thoughts of this people,"
the Burmans, "run in channels entirely different from
ours. Their whole system has a tendency to cramp
their intellectual powers;-professedly divine in its
origin, it demands credence without evidence; it
spurns improvement, disdains the suggestions of experience, and flatly denies the testimony of the external
senses. What a man sees with his own eyes he is not
to believe, because his Scriptures teach otherwise...
There is no fellowship of thought between them and
us on any subject. Everything appears to them in a
different light, they attribute everything to a different
cause, seek a remedy of evils from a different quarter,
and entertain, in fine, a set of thoughts and imaginations totally different from ours."  The Karens, it is
true, had fewer prejudices to be eradicated, and more




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSONY        295
easily sympathized with the missionaries than the
haughty, self-sufficient Burmans; but then their very
docility made them liable to another danger, that of
holding their new faith lightly, and parting with it
easily. All these difficulties sometimes so pressed
upon Mrs. Boardman, that she was ready to say, "It
requires the patience of a Job and the wisdom of a
Solomon to get on with this people; much as I love
them, and good as I think they are."  She then spoke
of the converts; in whom was implanted that grace
which, so far as it operates on the heart, makes all, in
a sense, one in Christ Jesus; how then must she have
been tried with those who would not repent and embrace the only principles that could give her the least
fellowship or communion with them?
Jan. 19, 1832.-Mrs. Boardman writes of herself
and her fellow-missionaries, Mr. and Mrs. Mason, "We
meet with much encouragement in our schools, and
our number of day-scholars is now about eighty.
These, with the boarding schools, two village schools,
and about fifty persons who learn during the rainy
season in the Karen jungle, make upwards of one
hundred and seventy under our instruction.  The
scholars in the jungle cannot of course visit us often;
but a great many have come to be examined in their
lessons, and we are surprised and delighted at the progress they have made."




294         LIFE OF SARAAH B. JUDSON.
Of course they had to employ, as teachers of these
schools, natives, who needed consta.nt supervision and
superintendence.  Some of these teachers swere exceedingly interesting persons. Of the death of one of
them she writes, "Thah-oung continued in his school
till two days beore his death, although for a long time
he had been very ill. He felt, then, that he must die,
and said to his scholars,'I can do no more-God is
calling me away from you,-I go into His presencebe not dismayed.' He was then carried to the house
of his father, a few miles distant, and there he continued exhorting and praying to the very last moment.
His widow, who is not yet fifteen, is one of the loveliest
of our desert blossoms."  And afterwards in alluding
to the same event, she says, "One of our best Karen
teachers came to see us, and through him we heard
that the disciples were well; that they were living in
love, in the enjoyment of religion, arnd had nothing to
distress them, but the death of their beloved teacher.
Poor Moung Quay was obliged to turn away his face
to weep several times while answering my inquiries.
Oh how they feel the stroke that has fallen upon them!
And well they may, for he was to them a father and a
guide."'The superintendenc      e of the food and clothing of
both the boarding schools,"9 she afterwards writes, "together with the care of five day-schools under native




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.        295
teachers, devolves wholly on me.  Our day-schools
are growing every week more and more interesting.
We cannot, it is true, expect to see among them so
much progress, especially in Christianity, as our boarders make; but they are constantly gaining religious
knowledge, and will grow up with comparatively correct ideas. They with their teachers attend worship
regularly on Lord's-day. The day-schools are entirely
supported at present by the Honorable Company's allowance, and the civil commissioner, Mr. Maingy,
appears much interested in their success."




CHAPTER XIII.
CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN MRS. BOARDMAN AND THE SUPERINTENDENT.
-HER TOURS AMONG THE KARENS.-HER PERSONAL APPEARANCE. —
HER ACQUAINTANCE WITH THE BURMAN LANGUAGE.-DR. JUDSON'S
TRANSLATION OF THE BIBLE,
AN interesting letter from the gentleman mentioned
at the close of the last chapter, with Mrs. Boardman's
reply, we will give entire, as they exhibit at once her
firmness of principle, and the high respect she commanded from the European residents in the country,
" Tavoy, Aug. 24, 1833.
" MY DEAR SIR,
" Mr. Mason has handed me for perusal, the extract
from your letter to Government, which you kindly
sent him. I apprehend I have hitherto had wrong impressions in reference to the ground on which the
Honorable Company patronize schools in their territories; and I hope you will allow me to say, that it
would not accord with my feelings and sentiments, to
banish religious instruction from the schools under my
care.  I think it desirable for the rising generation of
this Province, to become acquainted with useful scia




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.         297
ence; and the male part of the population, with the
English language. But it is infinitely more important
that they receive into their hearts our holy religion,
which is the source of so much happiness in this state,
and imparts the hope of a glorious immortality in the
world to come. Parents and guardians must know,
that there is more or less danger of their children
deserting the faith of their ancestors, if placed under
the care of a Foreign Missionary; and the example of
some of the pupils is calculated to increase such apprehensions. Mr. Boardman baptized into the Christian
religion several of his scholars. One of the number is
now a devoted preacher; and notwithstanding the
decease of their beloved and revered teacher, they all,
with one unhappy exception, remain firm in the Christian faith.
" The success of the Hindoo College, where religious
instruction was interdicted, may perhaps be urged in
favor of pursuing a similar course in schools here.
But it strikes me, that the case is different here, even
admitting their course to be right. The overthrow of
a system so replete with cruel and impure rites, as the
Hindoo, or so degrading as the ifahometan, might be
matter of joy, though no better religion were introduced in its stead. But the IBurman system of morality is superior to that of the nations round them,
and to the heathen of ancient times, and is surpassed




298        LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
only by the divine precepts of our blessed Saviour.
Like all other merely zhuzman institutions, it is destitute
of saving power; but its influence on the people, so
far as it is felt, is salutary, and their moral character
will, I should think, bear a comparison with that of
any heathen nation in the world.  The person who
should spend his days in teaching them mere human
science, (though he might undermine their false tenets,)
by neglecting to set before them brighter hopes and
purer principles, would, I imagine, live to very little
purpose. For myself, sure I am, I should at last suffer
the overwhelming conviction of having labored in
vain.
"With this view of things, you will not, my dear
sir, be surprised at my saying, it is impossible for me
to pursue a course so utterly repugnant to mny feelings,
and so contrary to my judgment, as to banish religious
instruction from the schools in my charge. It is what
I am confident you yourself would not wish; but I
infer from a remark in your letter that such are the
terms on which Government afords patronage.  It
would be wrong to deceive the patrons of the schools;
and if my supposition is correct, I can do no otherwise
than request, that the monthly allowance be withdrawn. It will assist in establishing schools at Maulmain, on a plan more consonant with the wishes of
Government than mine has ever been. Meanwhile,
1 83




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.        299
I trust, I shall be able to represent the claims of my
pupils in such a manner, as to obtain support and
countenance from those, who would wish the children
to be taught the principles of the Christian faith.
"Allow me, my dear sir, to subscribe myself,
"Yours, most respectfully,
"SARAH H. BOARDMAN."
"MY DEAR MADAM,
"I cannot do otherwise than honor and respect the
sentiments conveyed in your letter, now received.
You will, I hope, give me credit for sincerity, when I
assure you, that in alluding to the system of instruction pursued by you, it has ever been a source of pride
to me, to point out the quiet way, in which your
scholars have been made acquainted with the Christian
religion. My own Government in no way proscribes
the teaching of Christianity. The observations in my
official letter are intended to support what I have
before brought to the notice of Government, that all
are received, who present themselves for instruction
at your schools, without any stipulation as to their
becoming members of the Christian faith.
I cannot express to you how much your letter has
distressed me.  It has been a subject of consideration with me, for some months past, how I could best
succeed in establishing a college here, the scholars of




300        LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSONV
which were to have been instructed in the same system,
which you have so successfully pursued. Believe me,
"Yours very faithfully,
"A. D. MAINGY.
Saturday."
Appropriations were afterward made by the British
government for schools throughout the Provinces "to
be conducted on the plan of' Mrs. Boardman's schools
at Tavoy;" and although the propagation of Christianity in the other schools was subsequently prohibited, yet in her own, she always taught as her conscience
dictated.
It had been one of Mr. Boardman's practices to
make frequent tours among the Karen villages, to
preach the gospel, and strengthen the disciples and
the feeble churches. Even from this duty, as far as
the visitation was concerned, his widow did not shrink,
although she did shrink fiom writing or speaking much
on the subject; dloultle...ss always regarding it as a
cross, which although she might bear with patience, she
would willingly lay down as soon as duty should permit. Attended by her faithful Karens, and her little
boy borne in their arms,-leaving Mr. Mason to his
indispensable task of acquiring the language, she
would thread the wild passes of the mountains, and the
obscure paths of the jungle, fording the smaller streams




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSONo         301
and carried over the larger in a chair borne on bamboo
poles by her followers,-carrying joy and gladness to
the hearts of the simple-minded villagers, and cheering
her own by witnessing their constancy and fidelity.
In her own inimitable style "Fanny Forrester" gives
an account of an adventure of Mrs. Boardman during
one of these excursions; in which the impression she
made upon an English officer who encountered her
far fiom civilized habitations, so unexpectedly that he
almost mistook her for an angel visitant from a better
sphere, was sufficiently pleasant to form the basis of a
lasting friendship between them.  Indeed there are
many testimonials to Mrs. Boardman's personal loveliness and grace of manner. In Calcutta, where she
resided nearly two years, she was regarded as a
"finished lady;" and in a well-written tribute to her
memory, published in the Mother's Journal, she is described as "of about middle stature, agreeable in personal appearance, and winning in manners. The first
impression of an observer respecting her in her youth,
would be of a gentle, confiding, persuasive being, who
would sweeten the cup of life to those who drank it
with her.  But further acquaintance would develop
strength as well as loveliness of character. It would
be seen that she could do and endure, as well as love
and please.  Sweetness and strength, gentleness and
firmness, were in her character most happily blended.




802         LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
Her mind was both poetical and practical. She had
a refined taste, and a love for the beautiful as well as
the excellent."  But all these fine gifts and endowments were consecrated; the offering she had made
on her Saviour's altar was unreserved; nor do we find
that she ever cast back to the world where she might
have shone so brilliantly, "one longing, lingering look."
She is said by her fellow Missionaries to have made
wonderfiul proficiency in the Burman language, and
indeed she translated into it Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress.  She loved the language much; and used to
read the Scriptures in it in preference to reading them
in English. She once said to Mrs. Mason, "I should
be willing to learn Burmese, for the sake of reading
the Scriptures in that language."
The translation of the Scriptures into Burmese is a
work for which Burmah is indebted to Dr. Judson.
For many years this devoted servant of Christ employed on this great work every moment lie could
spare from pastoral labor; and there is something truly
sublime in the record he has left of the completion
of it, in his Journal under date of Jan. 31, 1834:
"THANKS BE TO GOD, I CAN NOW SAY, I HAVE ATTAINED!
I have knelt down before him, with the last leaf in my
hand, and imploring his forgiveness for all the sins
which have polluted my labors in this department, and
his aid in fiture efforts to remove the errors and im



LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSONo         303
perfections which necessarily cleave to the work, I
have commended it to his mercy and grace; I have
dedicated it to his glory. May he make his own inspired word, now complete in the Burman tongue, the
grand instrument of filling all Burmah with songs and
praises to our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ!
Amen."




CHAPTER XIV.
MRS. BOARDMAN'S SECOND MARRIAGE.-REMOVAL TO MAULMAIN.-LETTER
FROM MRS. JUDSON. —HER SON SENT TO AMERICA.-HER HUSBAND S
ILLNESS.
ON the tenth of April, 1834, Mrs. Boardman was
married to one whose character she afterwards declared to be "a complete assemblage of all that woman
could wish to love and honor," the Rev. Dr. Judson.
With him she removed to her new home in Miaulmain,
which had undergone wonderful changes since she
left it in 1828. Then, the only church there had three
native members; now she found there three churches
numbering two hundred members! Her duties now
were different from what they had been, but not less
important; and in a letter written to a very intimate
friend one year after her marriage, we find her thus
expressing herself: " can truly say that the mission
cause, and missionary labor is increasingly dear to me,
every month of my life. I am now united with one
whose heavenly spirit and example is deeply calculated
to make me more devoted to the cause than I ever
have been before. 0 that I may profit by such precious advantages."




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.         305
Many Missionaries had arrived from America and
established themselves in different places; several resided at Maulmain; so that Mrs. Judson, as we must
now call her, could enjoy much Christian society besides that of the natives.  But neither she nor her
fellow-laborers had much time to devote exclusively to
social intercourse. Beside schools to superintend, and
Bibls-classes to conduct, and prayer-meetings to attend, societies were to be formed among the half-educated native females in which they could be instructed
in maternal and social duties.  In addition to these
cares, Mrs. Judson took upon herself the task of acquiring a new language, in order to instruct the Peguans, a people who had put themselves under the
protection of the British, after revolting against the
Burmans. This people were so numerous in Maulmain,
that the missionaries felt constrained to furnish them
with instruction.
Under these labors, Mrs. Judson's health again failed,
but after some weeks of suffering, she began to recover,
and for many subsequent years her health was uninterrupted.  In a letter written some time after, she
accounts for her enjoyment of health, in the following
manner:"' When I first came up from Tavoy, I was thin and
pale; and though I called myself pretty well, I had no
appetite for food. and was scarce able to walk half a
20




306        LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
mile. Soon after, I was called to endure a long and
severe attack of illness, which brought me to the brink
of the grave. I was never so low in any former
illness, and the doctor who attended me, has since told
me, that he had no hope of my recovery; and that
when he came to prescribe medicine for me, it was
more out of regard to the feelings of my husband, than
from any prospect of its affording me relief. I lay
confined to my bed, week after week, unable to move,
except as Mr. Judson sometimes carried me in his
arms fiom the bed to the couch for a change; and
even this once brought on a return of the disease,
which very nearly cost me my life. - ~ I never shall
forget the precious seasons enjoyed on that sick bed.
Little George will tell you about it, if you should ever
see him.   I think he will always remember some
sweet conversations I had with him, on the state of
his soul, at that time. Dear child! his mind was very
tender, and he would weep on account of his sins, and
would kneel down and pray with all the fervor and
simplicity of childhood. -He used to read the Bible to
me e-very day, and commit little hymns to memory by
my bedside. " " It pleased my Heavenly Father to
raise mte up again, although I was for a long time very
iw;eak. As soon as I rwas able, I commenced riding
on horsebacl, and used to take a long ride every
morningc b efore sunrise. After a patient trial, I found




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSONi.        07
that riding improved my health; though many times
I should have become discouraged and given it up,
but for the perseverance of my husband. After riding
almost every day, for four or five months, I found my
health so much improved, and gained strength so fast,
that I began to think walking might be substituted.
About this time, my nice little pony died, and we comn
menced a regular system of exercise on foot, walking
at a rapid pace, far over the hills beyond the town,
before the sun was up, every morning.  We have
continued this perseveringly up to the present time;
and, during these years, my health has been better
than at any time previous, since my arrival in India;
and my constitution seems to have undergone an entire renovation."
In "Burmah proper," that is, that part of Burmah
not under British government, the native Christians
enjoyed no toleration from the Government, and often
suffered bitterly; but in Maulmain, and other places
in British Burmah, religion flourished, and converts
were multiplied.  Mr. Vinton, (a new missionary,)
preached with great power in the Karen churches, and
that people, says irs. Judson, "flocked into the kingdom by scores." Mr. Judson was revising his translation of the Bible,-a task of five years' duration,and preaching to the Burmese church; while Mrs. J
instructed in the schools and translated into Peguan




308        LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
such tracts as were thought most calculated to acquaint that people with Christian doctrine. She afterwards translated into that language the New Testament and the Life of Christ; but on the arrival of
Mr. Haswell, she gave up to him all her books and
papers in this language, and only attended to it in
future so far as to assist him in his studies.
Of the severest trial to which Mrs. Judson was
called during the remainder of her life she gives an
account in the following eloquent words: " After deliberation, accompanied with tears, and agony and
prayers, I came to the conviction that it was my duty
to send away my only child, my darling George, and
yesterday he bade me a long farewell.... Oh I shall
never forget his looks, as he stood by the door, and
gazed at me for the last time. His eyes were filling
with tears, and his little face red with suppressed
emotion.  But he subdued his feelings, and it was
not till he had turned away, and was going down
the steps that he burst into a flood of tears. I hurried to my room; and on my knees, with my whole
heart gave him up to God; and my bursting heart
was comforted from above.... My reason and judgment tell me that the good of my child requires that
he should be sent to America; and this of itself would
support me in some little degree; but when I view it
as a sacrifice, made for the sake of Jesus, it becomes a




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.        309
delightful privilege.... I cannot but hope he will
one day return to Burmah, a missionary of the cross,
as his dear father was.... This is in some respects
the severest trial I ever met with."
It would be delightful to accompany the dear boy
in his perilous journey to the Father-land, and to
transcribe the yearning and affectionate letters of his
mother, both to him, and to those to whose charge
he was entrusted-they could not but heighten our
opinion of her excellence in the maternal relation,
as well as of the great sensibility of her heart; but
we are warned that our pages are swelling to too
great a number. Ours is but a sketch, an outline;
those who would see the full length portrait of our
heroine, must consult the glowing canvass of her biographer and successor, " Fanny Forrester."
Her next trial was, to see her beloved husband
suffering with a severe cough, which she feared would
end in pulmonary consumption. To avert this dreaded
result, he was obliged to leave her and try a long seavoyage. The account of their.parting, and her touching letters during his absence would greatly enrich
our little sketch, had we room to copy them. We
must find a place for one short extract from the
letters.
" Your little daughter and I have been praying for
you this evening.... At times the sweet hope that




310        LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
you will soon return, restored to perfect health, buoys
up lly spirit, but perhaps you will find it necessary to
go farther, a necessity from which I cannot but shrink
with doubt and dread; or you may come back only to
die with me. This last agonizing thought crushes me
down in overwhelming sorrow. I hope I do not feel
unwilling that our Heavenly Father should do as he
thinks best with us; but my heart shrinks from the
prospect of living in this dark, sinful, friendless world,
without you.... But the most satisfactory view is
to look away to that blissful world, where separations
are unknown. There, my beloved Judson, we shall
surely meet each other; and we shall also meet many
loved ones who have gone before us to that haven of
rest."
Hler fears were not realized; in a few months Mr.
Judson was restored to her and the suffering mission
cause, in greatly improved health.




CHAPTER XV.
ILLNESS OF HERl CHILDBEN. —DEATI-I OF ONE OF THEfM.-IERI MISSIONARY
LABORS, AND FAMILY CARES.-HER DECLINING HEALTI.-POEM. —HER,
LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH.
THE seventh year of her marriage with.Mr. Judson,
was a year of peculiar trial to Mrs. J. All her four
children were attacked by whooping-cough followed
by one of the diseases of the climate, with which she
also was so violently afflicted that her life was for a
time despaired of.  She felt sure, as she afterwards
said, that her hour of release was come, that her
master was calling her; and she blessed God that she
was entirely willing to leave all, and go to him. The
only hope of recovery for any of them was a seavoyage, and they embarked for Bengal, but their
passage was stormy, and they derived little benefitfrom their stay at Serampore, where they had taken
up their residence. A voyage to the Mauritius was
recommended, and the alarming situation of three of
the children, as well as Mrs. Judson's feeble state, determined them to try it. But before they embarked, it
was her melancholy lot to lay one of her darlings in




312        LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
the grave, and he, the very one about whose health
she had felt the least uneasiness. He sleeps, says his
mother, in the mission burial-ground, where moulders
the dust of Carey, Marshman and Ward. Her tears at
his burial flowed not only for him that was dead, but
for another who she expected would soon follow him.
To avert this calamity she hastened her voyage;
which though fearfully tempestuous, proved beneficial
to the sufferers, and after a short sojourn in the soft
climate of the Isle of France, the family returned to
their home in Maulmain, restored, with the exception
of one son, to sound health. This son, who bore the
name of his father, was called by the natives Pwen,
which signifies "a flower," a name adopted by his
parents. After a long illness he too was restored to
health.
Mrs. Judson's labors during the latter part of her
life, are recorded by her husband; and it may well excite the wonder of those women who consider the
care of their own families a sufficient task, that she
could find time and strength for such an amount of
labor. It has been said that her translation of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress is a work worth living for.
Her husband says, " It is one of the best pieces of
composition we have published." She also translated
a tract written by her husband; edited a "Chapel
hymn book," and furnished for it twenty of its best




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.         313
hymns; and published four volumes of Scripture Questions for use in the Sabbath Schools. When we consider that she was the mother of a rapidly increasing
family; and the head of an establishment, which like
all in the East require constant and vigilant superintendence; and that she was exemplary in the discharge of her maternal and domestic duties, we are
led to fancy she must have possessed some secret
charm by which she could stay the hurrying feet of
time; and "hold the fleet angel fast until he blessed
her."  Such a secret was her untiring zeal, which
prompted an incessant industry. The sands of time
are indeed numerous, and when each is valued as
a sparkling treasure, they form a rich hoard, laid up
where neither moth nor rust corrupt; but if we let
them escape unheeded, or sit and idly watch their
flow, and even shake the glass to hasten it, they will
gather into a millstone weight to sink us in endless,
unavailing regret. Though she is dead, Mrs. Judson's
works still live; and generation after generation of
Burmans will associate her name with that of her
honored husband, as benefactors to their race.
In December, 1844, the health of Mrs. Judson began
to decline. Her anxious husband, determined to leave
no means untried, to save a life so precious to the
mission and so invaluable to himself and his family,
decided to quit for a while his loved labors in Burmah




314           LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.
and accompany his wife to America. They accordingly sailed, and on reaching the Isle of France, she
found herself so far restored that she could no longer
conscientiously detain her husband from      his duties in
India, and she resolved to let him      go back to their
home there, while she with her children, should complete the journey that still seemed necessary for her
entire restoration.   One of the sweetest of her poems
was occasioned by this resolution.
" We part on this green islet, Love,
Thou for the Eastern main,
I, for the setting sun, Love —
Oh, when to meet again?
My heart is sad for thee, Love,
For lone thy way will be;
And oft thy tears will fall, Love,
For thy children and for me.
The music of thy daughter's voice
Thou'lt miss for many a year;
And the merry shout of thine elder boys,
Thou'lt list in vain to hear.
When we hkelt to see our Henry die,
And heard his last faint moan,
Each wiped the tear from other's eyeNow, each must weep alone.
My tears fall fast for thee, Love,How can I say farewell 
But go;-thy God be with thee, Love,
Thy heart's deep grief to quell!




LIFE OF. SARAH B. JUDSON,              315
-Yet my spirit clings to thine, Love,
Thy soul remains with me,
And oft we'll hold communion sweet,
O'er the dark and distant sea.
And who can paint our mutual joy,
When, all our wanderings o'er,
We both shall clasp our infants three,
At home, on Burmah's shore.
But higher shall our raptures glow,
On yon celestial plain,
When the loved and parted here below
Meet, ne'er to part again.
Then gird thine armor on, Love,
Nor faint thou by the way,
Till Boodh shall fall, and Burmah's sons
Shall own Messiah's sway."
But her health still sinking, her husband could not
leave her, and she was borne back to the ship.     Her
life ebbed away so rapidly, that he feared he must
consign her to an ocean grave.       But a kind Providence ordered it, that her death did not occur till the
ship anchored at St. Helena.    Her end was as peaceful as her life had been consistent and exemplary.
" No shade of doubt or fear, or anxiety crossed her
mind."   So writes her husband: "She had a prevailing preference to depart and be with Christ.      I am
longing to depart! she would say; and then the thought
of her dear native land, to which she was approaching
after an absence of twenty years, and a longing desire




316         LIFE OF SARAHI B. JUDSON.
to see her son George, her parents, and the friends of
her youth, would draw down her ascending soul, and
constrain her to say,'Iam in a strait betwixt two; the
will of the Lord be done.'
" In regard to her children she ever manifested the
most surprising composure and resignation, so much
so that I was once constrained to say, you seem to
have forgotten the dear little ones we have left behind.'Can a mother forget'-she replied, and was unable to
proceed. During her last days she spent much time
in praying for the early conversion of her children.
"On the evening of the 31st of August,... I sat
alone by the side of her bed, endeavoring to administer
relief to the distressed body, and consolation to the
departing soul. At two o'clock in the morning, wishing to obtain one more token of recognition, I roused
her attention and said,'Do you still love the Saviour?''0 yes,' she replied,'I ever love the Lord Jesus Christ.'
I said again,'Do you still love me?' She replied in
the affirmative, by a peculiar expression of her own.'Then give me one more kiss;' and we exchanged
that token of love for the last time. Another hour
passed,-and she ceased to breathe."
"So fades the summer cloud away;
So sinks the gale when storms are o'er;
So gently shuts the eye of day;
So dies the wave along the shore."




LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.         317
Arrangements were made to carry the body on
shore. The Rev. Mr. Bertram from the Island came on
board, and was led into the state-room where lay all
that was mortal of Mrs. Judson. " Pleasant," he says,
"she was even in death. A sweet smile of love beamed
on her countenance, as if heavenly grace had stamped
it there.  The bereaved husband and three weeping
children fastened their eyes upon the loved remains,
as if they could have looked forever."
The coffin was borne to the shore; the boats forming a kind of procession, their oars beating the waves
at measured intervals, as a sort of funeral knell.-The
earth received her dust, and her bereaved husband
turned back to his Indian home, a solitary mourner.








PART IIIt
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETICH
OF MRS. EMILY C. JUDSON.
THIRD WIFE OF
REV. ADONIRAA. JUDSON, D.D.








BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
OF   MRS. EbMILY         C. JUDSON.
REMdARKS ON HER GENIUS. —ER EARLY LIFE.-CONVERSION.-EMPLOYMENTS.-TALES AND POEMS.-ACQUAINTANCE WITH DR. JUDSON. —ARtIAGE.-VOYAGE TO INDIA.-BIOGRtNAPIY OF MRS. S. B. JUDSON.-POEM
WRITTEN OFF ST. tELENA.-POEiI ON TIHE BIRTH OF AN INFANT.LINES ADDRESSED TO A BEREAVED FRIEND.-LETTER TO IIER CHILDREN.-" PRAYER FOR DEAR PAPA."-POEM ADDRESSED TO HER MOTHER.-HER ACCOUNT OF DR. JUDSON'S LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH.
OuR labor of sketching the lives of the three distinguished women who were permiitted to share the
happiness and lighten the cares of one of the most
worthy and venerated of missionaries, now brings us
on delicate ground.    The last wife of Dr. Judson,
happily for her numerous friends and for his and her
children, survives him.  Long may she be spared to
train those children in the ways of lofty piety, to gladden the wide circle of friends and relatives now
anxiously expecting her return to her native land, and
to gratify the admirers of her genius with the graceful
and eloquent effusions of her pen. Graceful and eloquent they have always been, but of late-touched by
21




822         BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF
a coal from that altar on which she has laid her best
sacrifice, herself-they have gained a higher and purer
flow, awakened by a holier inspiration. The world
admired the brilliancy of " Fanny Forrester."  Christians love the exalted tenderness, the sanctified enthusiasm of Emily C. Judson.
Miuch as it would gratify us, and her friends to give
an extended account of her life, delicacy forbids us to
do more than merely to sketch those features in it,
which are already the property of much of the reading
public. Our outline will necessarily be meagre, but
we will enrich it by several of her poems written in
India, hitherto scarce published except in perishable
newspapers and periodicals. We might' indeed make
it more interesting by incidents and anecdotes, drawn
fiom those of her early associates who love to dwell
on the rich promise of her childhood and youth; but
by doing so, we should incur the risk of intruding on
the sacredness of the family circle; and we forbear.
She was born in Miorrisville, a town near the centre
of the state of New York. In her childhood she exhibited an exuberance of imagination that enabled her
to delight her young associates with tales, which, according to one of them, she would sit up in bed in the
morning to write, and then read aloud to them. She
would, even then, write verses also, but in this gift she
was perhaps inferior to a sister, who died in early life,




EMILY C. JUDSON.            323
and whose numerous poems were unfortunately, and
to the grief of her family, accidentally lost. At an
early period she embraced religion and was baptized
by the Rev. Mr. Dean, a missionary to China, then in
this country. Her interest was awakened in the heathen, even at that time, and she indulged in many ardent longings to go as a missionary to them. The
late Dr. Kendrick judiciously advised her to pursue
the path of duty at home, and quietly wait the leadings and openings of Providence.  This advice she
followed, and as a means of improving the straitened
circumstances of her family, she left home and engaged as a teacher in a seminary in Utica.
Desirous to increase still farther her mother's limited
resources, she determined to employ her pen; and published some short religious tales, which, however,
brought her little fame, and small pecuniary emolument. But in 1844, by a skilful and happy letter to
the conductor of the New York Miirror, she so attracted the attention of the fastidious and brilliant editor
of that maigazine, that he engaged her as a constant
contributor. This arrangement, though of great pecuniary advantage, was, in a religious view, a snare to
her. As a writer of light, graceful stories of a purely
worldly character, she had in this country, few rivals,
and her name, attached to a tale or a poem, became a
passport to popular favor.  In a letter to her aged




324         BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF
pastor, written a year after her marriage, she laments
her extreme worldliness at that period, which she says,
even led her to be ashamed of her former desire to be
a missionary. Yet her writings ar e mnarked by purity,
and generally inculcated nothing unfriendly either to
virtue or religion. But it was the religion of sentimnent, and the virtue of the natural heart; of which
it must be confessed we find far more in fictitious
tales, than in real life.'When we consider the nobleness of the mdtive that led her to seek a popular path
to favor and emOlument-to increase the comforts of
her excellent and honored mother-our censure1, wvere
we disposed to indulge any, is disarmed and almost
changed to admiration,
In 1847 Dir Judson's failing health obliged him to
visit America..  wtiigin' in a public conveyance with
Mlr. C,, who was escorting him to his hlome n i Philadelphia, a story written by  -anny Fiorrester," fell
into the hands f.    He    d it wt satisfaction,
e   i.arl.in j hat ha should.li e to.inowv its author,
" You will soon have that "pleasure,  sraid Mar G.,' for
she is n ow visiting at my house."  An acquaint-snce
then commenced between them, which, notwithstanding the disparity in their years, soon ripened into a
warm. attachment, and after a severe struggle, she
broke, as she says, the innmerableties tesha.t bound her
ito the fascinating worldlly!ife s.he had adopted, and




EMILY C. JUDSON.             325
consented to become, what in her early religious zeal
she had so longed to be-a missionary.
And now the spell of worldliness was indeed broken.
With mingled shame and penitence she reviewed her
spiritual declensions, and with an humbled, self-distrusting spirit renewed her neglected covenant with
the God and guide of her youth. In D3r Judson, to
whom she was married on the 2d of June, 1846, she
found a wise and faithful friend and counsellor, as well
as a devoted husband. In his tried and experienced
piety, she gained the support and encouragement she
needed in her Christian li e. Conscious that she had
given to the world's service too many of her noble
gifts, she commenced a work of an exclusively religious character and tendency, the biography of her predecessor, the second IIrs. Judson. In one year it was
completed, and in speaking of it in a letter from India,
whither she had accompanied Dr. J. immediately after
their marriage, she playfully remarked that her husband was pleased with it, and she cared little whether
any one else liked it or not.
On her passage to India, JMrs. Judson passed in
sight of that island which must ever attract the gaze
of men of every clime and nation,-the rocky prison
and tomb of the conqueror of nations, Napoleon Bonaparte. But to her the island had more tender associations; awakened more touching recollections. I




326             BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH        OF
was as the grave of Sarah Judson, that her successor
gazed long and tearfully on the Isle of St. Helena; and
she thus embodied her feelings in song.
LINES WRITTEN      OFF ST. HELENA.
Blow softly, gales! a tender sigh
Is flung upon your -wing;
Lose not the treasure as ye fly,
Bear it where love and beauty lie,
Silent and withering.
Flow gently, waves! a tear is laid
Upon your heaving breast;
Leave it within yon dark rock's shade
Or weave it in an iris braid,
To crown the Christian's rest.
Bloom, ocean isle, lone ocean isle!
Thou keep'st a jewel rare;
Let rugged rock, and dalrk defile,
Above the slumbering stranger smile,
And deck her couch with care.
Weep, ye bereaved! a dearer head,
Ne'er left the pillowing breast:
The good, the pure, the lovely fled,
When mingling with the shadowy dead,
She meekly went to rest.
Mourn, Burmah, mourn 1 a bow which spanned
Thy cloud has passed away;
A flower has withered on thy sand,
A pitying spirit left thy strand,
A saint has ceased to pray.
Angels rejoice, another string
Has caught the strains above;




EMILY C. JUDSON.                    327
Rejoice, rejoice! a new-fledged wing
Around the Throne is hovering,
In sweet, glad, wondering love.
Blow, blow, ye gales! wild billows roll!
Unfurl the canvas wide!
O! where she labored lies our goal:
Weak, timid, frail, yet would my soul
Fain be to hers allied.
Ship Faneuil Hall, Sept. 1846.
On the birth of an infant, she expressed her firs'
maternal feelings, in verses of such exquisite beauty,
that they can never be omitted in any collection of
the gems of poetry-least of all in any collection of
her poems.
The following are the verses alluded to:
MY   BIRD.
Ere last year's moon had left the sky,
A birdling sought my Indian nest
And folded, oh so lovingly!
Her tiny wings upon my breast.
From morn till evening's purple tinge,
In winsome helplessness she lies;
Two rose leaves, with a silken fiinge,
Shut softly on her starry eyes.
There's not in Ind a lovelier bird;
Bieoad earth owns not a happier nest;
O God, thou hast a fountain stirred,
Whose waters never more shall rest!




328             BCBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH       OF
This beautiful, mysterious thing',
This seeming visitant from heaven,
This bird vwith the immortal wing,
To lme-to me, thy hand has given.
The pulse first caught its tiny stroke,
The blood its crimson hue, from mine;This life, which I have dared invoke,
Henceforth is parallel with thine.
A silent awe is in my roomI tremble with delicious fear;
The future with its light and gloom,
Time and Eternity are here.
Doubts-hopes, in eager tumult rise;
Hiear, 0 my God! one earnest prayer:Room for my bird in Paradise,
And give her angel plumage there!
Maulznain, January, 1848.
The following touching lines show          that she could
skilfully employ her ready pen in consoling those on
whom had fallen the stroke of bereavement:
L INES
kddr'essed to a sissionary friend  u ri'iBn'riah ont the cdeath of her little
boy, thirteen months old, in whzich allusion is matde to the previous
death of his little brother.
A mound is in the graveyard,
A short and narrow bed;
lNo grass is growing on it,
And no marble at its head:
Ye may go and weep beside it,
Ye may kneel and kiss the sod,
But ye'll find no balm for sorrow,
In the cold and silent clod.




EMILY    C. JUDSON.                   329
There is anguish in the household,
It is desolate and lone,
For a fondly cherished nursling
From the parent nest has flown;
A little form is missing;
A heart has ceased to beat;
And the chain of love lies shattered
At the desolator's feet.
Remove the empty cradle,
His clothing put away,
And all his little playthings
With your choicest treasures lay;
Strive not to check the tear drops,
That fall like summer rain,
For the sun of hope shines thro' themYe shall see his face again.
Oh! think where rests your darling,Not in his cradle bed;
Not in the distant graveyard,
With the still and mouldering dead 
But in a heavenly mansion,
Upon the Saviour's breast,
With his brother's arms about him,
He takes his sainted rest.
He has put on robes of glory
For the little robes ye wrought;
And he fingers golden harp-strings
For the toys his sisters brought.
Oh, weep! but with rejoicing;
A heart gem have ye given,
And behold its glorious setting
In the diadem of H-eaven.
The following letter and beautiful poems need little
explanation.     The letter is addressed to some of Dr.




330         BIOGRAPHICAL SKiETCH OF
Judson's children, who resided in Worcester, Massachusetts, having been sent home from India to be
educated in America. His health having failed, Dr.
J. had sailed for the Isle of Bourbon for its restoration,
and it was during his absence that these effusions
were penned.
Maulmain, April 11, 1850.
MY VERY DEAR CHILDRETN,
I have painful news to tell you-news that I am
sure will make your hearts ache; but I hope our
heavenly Father will help you to bear it.  Your dear
papa is very, very ill indeed; so much so -that the best
judges fear that he will never be any better. He
began to fail about five months ago, and has declined
so gradually that we were not fully aware of his danger until lately; but within a few weeks those who
love him have become very much alarmed.
In January we went down to Mergui by the steamer,
and when we returned, thought he was a little better,
but he soon failed again. We spent a month at Amherst, but he received little if any benefit. Next, the
doctors pronounced our house (the one you used to
live in) unhealthy, and we moved to another.  But
all was of no use. Your dear papa continued to fail,
till suddenly, one evening, his muscular strength gave
way and he was prostrated on the bed, unable to help
himself. This occurred about two weeks ago. The




EMILY C. JUDSON.            331
doctor now became alarmed, and said the only hope
for him was in a long voyage. It was very hard to
think of such a thing in his reduced state, particularly
as I could not go with him; but after we had wept
and prayed over it one day and night, we concluded
that it was our duty to use the only means which God
had left us, however painful.
We immediately engaged his passage on board a
French barque, bound for the Isle of Bourbon; but
before it sailed he had become so very low that no one
thought it right for him to go alone. They therefore
called a meeting of the mission and appointed Mi'r.
Ranney. It was a great relief to me, for he is a very
kind man, and loves your dear papa very much; and
he will do everything that can be done for his comfort.
The officers of the vessel too, seemed greatly interested for him, as did every one else. 1-He was carried on
board a week ago yesterday, in a litter, and placed on
a nice easy cot made purposely for him. I stayed with
him all day, and at dark carne home to stay with the
children.
The next day I found that the vessel had only
dropped down a little distance, and so I took a boat
and followed. I expected this would certainly be the
last day with him, but it was not. On Friday I went
again, and though he did not appear as well as on the
previous days, I was forced to take, as I then supposed,




332         BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF
a final leave of him. But when morning came, I felt
as though I could not live through the day without
knowing how he was. So I took a boat again, and
reached the vessel about 2 o'clock P.M.  He could
only speak in whispers, but seemed very glad that I
came. The natives I had sent to fan him till he should
get out of the river, came to me and begged to have him
taken on shore again: and so small was my hope of his
recovery, that my heart pleaded on their side, though
I still thought it a duty to do as the doctor had ordered.
I came away at dark, and though his lips moved to
say some word of farewell, they made no sound.
I hope that you, my dear boys, will never have
cause to know what a heavy heart I bore back to my
desolate home that night. The vessel got out to sea
about 4 o'clock on Monday, and last night the natives
returned, bringing a letter from Mr. Ranney. Your
precious papa has revived again-spoke aloud-took
a little tea and toast-said there was something animnating in the touch of the sea breeze, and directed
Mr. Ranney to write to me that he had a strong belief
it was the will of God to restore him again to health.
I feel somewhat encouraged, but dare notshope too
much.
And now, my dear boys, it will be three, perhaps
four long months before we can hear from our beloved
one again, and we shall all be very anxious. All we




EMILY C. JUDSON.                    333
can do is to commit him to the care of our heavenly
Father, and, if we never see him      again in this world,
pray that we may be prepared to meet him in heaven.
Your most affectionate mother,
EMILY C. JUDSONo
PRAYER   FOR DEAR PAPA.
Poor and needy little children,
Saviour, God, we come to Thee,
For our hearts are full of sorrow,
And no other hope have we.
Out, upon the restless ocean,
There is one we dearly love,Fold him in thine arms of pity,
Spread thy guardian wings above.
When the winds are howling round him,
When the angry waves are high,
When black, heavy, midnight shadows,
On his trackless pathway lie,
Guide and guard him, blessed Saviour.
Bid the hurrying tempests stay;
Plant thy foot upon the waters,
Send thy smile to light his way.
When he lies, all pale, and suffering,
Stretched upon his narrow bed,
With no loving face bent o'er him,
No soft hand about his head,
0, let kind and pitying angels,
Their bright forms around him bow;
Let them kiss his heavy eyelids,
Let them fan his fevered brow.




334             BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH        OF
Poor and needy little children,
Still we raise our cry to Thee;
We have nestled in his bosom,
We have sported on his knee;
Dearly, dearly do we love him,
-We, who on his breast have lainPity now our desolation!
Bring him back to us again!
If it please thee, Heavenly Father,
We would see himn come once more,
With his olden step of vigor,
With the love-lit smile he wore;
But if we must tread Life's valley,
Orphaned, guideless, and alone,
Let us lose not,'mid the shadows,
His dear footprints to thy Throne.
Jcaulmait, April, 1850.
SWEET    MOTHER.
The wild, south-west Monsoon has risen,
With broad, gray wings of gloom,
While here, from out mzy dreary prison,
I look, as from a tomb-Alas!
My heart another tomb.
Upon the low-thatched roof the rain,
With ceaseless patter, falls;
My choicest treasures bear its stainMould gathers on the walls-Would Heaven'Twere only on the walls!
Sweet Mother! I am here alone,
In sorrow and in pain;
The sunshine from my heart has flown,
It feels the driving rain —Ah, me!
The chill, and mould, and rain.




EMILY    C. JUDSON.                  335
Four laggard months have wheeled their round,
Since love upon it smiled;
And everything of earth has frowned
On thy poor, stricken child-sweet friend,
Thy weary, suffering child.
I'd watched my loved one, night and day,
Scarce breathing when he slept;
And as my hopes were swept away,
I'd on his bosom wept-O God!
How had I prayed and wept!
They bore him fiom me to the ship,
As bearers bear the dead;
I kissed his speechless, quivering lip,
And left him on his bed-Alas!
It seemed a coffin-bed I
When from my gentle sister's tomb,
In all our grief, we came,
Rememberest thou her vacant room?
Well, his was just the same, that day,
The very, very same.
Then, mother, little Charley came —
Our beautiful fair boy,
With my own father's cherished nameBut oh, he brought no joy!-My child
Brought mourning, and no joy.
His little grave I cannot see,
Though weary months have sped
Since pitying lips bent over me,
And whispered, " He is dead!"-Alas!'Tis dreadful to be dead!
I do not mean for one like me,
-So weary, worn, and weak,Death's shadowy paleness seems to be,
Even now, upon my cheek-his seal
On form, and brow, and cheek.




86          BBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH        OF
But for a bright-winged bird like him,
To hush his joyous song,
And, prisoned in a coffin dim,
Join Death's pale, phantom throng-Mily boy
To join that grisly throng!
Oh, Mother, I can scarcely bear
To think of this to-day!
It was so exquisitely fair,
-That little form of clay-my heart
Still lingers by his clay.
And when for one loved far, far more,
Come thickly gathering tears;
My star of faith is clouded o'er,
I sink beneath my fears-sweet friend,
My heavy weight of fears.
Oh, should he not return to me,
Drear, drear must be life's night!
And, mother, I can almost see
Even now the gathering blight —my soul
Faints, stricken by the blight.
Oh, but to feel thy fond arms twine
Around me, once again!
It almost seems those lips of thine
Might kiss away the pain-might soothe
This dull, cold, heavy pain.
But, gentle Mother, through life's storms,
I may not lean on thee,
For helpless, cowering little forms
Cling trustingly to me-Poor babes!
To have no guide but me!
With weary foot, and broken wing,
With bleeding heart, and sore,
Thy Dove looks backward, sorrowing,
But seeks the ark no more-thy breast
Seeks never, never more.




EMILY C. JUDSONN.             337
Sweet Mother, for this wanderer pray,
That loftier faith be given;
Her broken reeds all swept away,
That she may lean on Heaven-her soul
Grow strong on Christ and Heaven.
All fearfully, all tearfully,
Alone and sorrowing,
My dim eye lifted to the sky,
Fast to the cross I cling — Christ!
To thy dear cross I cling.
iazulstaisn, August 8th, 1850.
From  the sad voyage which drew forth the most
touching poem Dr. Judson never returned. He died
on board the ship which was bearing him to more
healthful climes; and his body was committed to the
ocean. One of the most excellent of Mrs. Judson's
productions is her account of the closing scenes in her
husband's life, contained in a letter to his sister. Long
as it is, we cannot bring ourselves to abridge it. It
will convince our readers that if' the THREE whose
lives we have sketched, have been among the first of
women, they were united to one who knew and appreciated their excellence, and who was worthy to share
their affection.
CLOSI NG SCENES IN' THE LIFE OF DR. JUDSON.
BY HIS WIDOW.
Last month I could do no more than announce to
you our painful bereavement, which though not alto22




338         BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF
gether unexpected, will, I very well know, fall upon
your heart with overwhelming weight. You will find
the account of your brother's last days on board the
Aristide Marie, in a letter written by Mr. Ranney firom
Mauritius, to the Secretary of the Board; and I can
add nothing to it, with the exception of a few unimportant particulars, gleaned in conversation wxith IMr,
R. and the Coringa servant. I grieve that it should be
so-that I was not permitted to watch beside him
during those days of terrible suffering; but the pain,
which I at first felt, is gradually yielding to gratitude
for the inestimable privileges which had previously
been granted me.
There was something exceedingly beautiful in the
decline of your brother's life —more beautiful than I
can describe, though the impression will remain with
me as a sacred legacy, until I go to meet him where
suns shall never set, and life shall never end. He had
been, from my first acquaintance with him, an uncommonly spiritual Christian, exhibiting his richest graces
in the unguarded intercourse of private life; but during
his last year, it seemed as though the light of the
world on which he was entering, had been sent to
brighten his upward pathway.  Every subject on
which we conversed, every book we read, every incident that occurred, whether trivial or important, had a
tendency to suggest some peculiarly spiritual train of




EMILY C. JUDSOo             3889
thought, till it seemed to me that more than ever before, "Christ was all his theme."  Something of the
same nature was also noted in his preaching, to which
I then had not the privilege of listening. He was in
the habit, however, of studying his subject for the Sabbath, audibly, and in my presence, at which time he
was frequently so much affected as to weep, and sometimes so overwhelmed with the vastness of his conceptions, as to be obliged to abandon his theme and
choose another. My own illness at the commencement of the year had brought eternity very near to
us, and rendered death, the grave, and the bright
heaven beyond it, familiar subjects of conversation.
Gladly would I give you, my dear sister, some idea of
the share borne by him in those memorable conversations; but it would be impossible to convey, even to
those who knew hini best, the most distant conception.
I believe he has sometimes been thought eloquent,
both in conversation and in the sacred desk; but the
fervid, burning eloquence, the deep pathos, the touching tenderness, the elevation of thought, and intense
beauty of expression, which characterized those private teachings, were not only beyond what I had evei
heard before, but such as I felt sure arrested his own
attention, and surprised even himself.  About this
time he began to find unusual satisfaction and enjoyment in his private devotions; and seemed to have




840         BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF
new objects of interest continually rising in his mind,
each of which in turn became special subjects of
prayer.  Among these, one of the most prominent
was the conversion of his posterity. He remarked,
that he had always prayed for his children, but that
of late he hlad felt impressed with the duty of praying
for their children and their children's children down
to the latest generation. He also prayed most fervently, that his impressions on this particular subject
might be transferred to his sons and daughters, and
thence to their offspring, so that he should ultimately
meet a long unbroken line of descendants before the
throne of God, where all might join together in ascribing everlasting praises to their Redeemer.
Another subject, which occupied a large share of
his attention, was that of brotherly love. You are,
perhaps, aware, that like all persons of his ardent
temperament, he was subject to strong attachments
and aversions, which he sometimes had difficulty in
bringing under the controlling influence of divine
grace. He remarked that he had always felt more
or less of an affectionate interest in his brethren, as
brethren-and some of them he had loved very dearly
for their. personal qualities; but that he was now
aware he had never placed his standard of love high
enough. He spoke of them as children of God, redeemed by the Saviour's blood, watched over and




EMILY C. JUDSONH,            41
guarded by his love, dear to his heart, honored by him
in the election, and to be honored hereafter before the
assembled universe; and he said it was not sufficient
to be kind and obliging to such, to abstain from evil
speaking, and make a general mention of them in our
prayers; but our attachment to them should be of the
most ardent and exalted character-it would be so in
heaven, and we lost immeasurably by not beginning
now. " As I have loved you, so ought ye also to love
one another," was a precept continually in his mind,
and he would often murmur, as though unconsciously,
"'As I have loved you'-' as I have loved you' "then burst out with the exclamation, "Oh, the love of
Christ! the love of Christ!"
His prayers for the mission were marked by an
earnest, grateful enthusiasm, and in speaking of missionary operations in general, his tone was one of
elevated triumph, almost of exultation-for he not
only felt an unshaken confidence in their final success,
but would often exclaim, "What wonders-oh, what
wonders God has already wrought!"
I remarked, that during this year his literary labor,
which he had never liked, and upon which he had
entered unwillingly and from a feeling of necessity,
was growing daily more irksome to him; and he
always spoke of it as his " heavy work," his " tedious
work,"' that wearisome dictionary," &ec. though this




~342        BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF
feeling led to no relaxation of effort. He longed,
however, to find some more spiritual employment, to
be engaged in what he considered more legitimate
missionary labor, and drew delightful pictures of the
future, when his whole business would be but to
preach and to pray.
During all this time I had not observed any failure
in physical strength; and though his mental exercises
occupied a large share of my thoughts when alone, it
never once occurred to me that this might be the
brightening of the setting sun; my only feeling was
that of pleasure, that one so near to me was becoming
so pure and elevated in his sentiments, and so lovely
and Christ-like in his character.  In person he had
grown somewhat stouter than when in America, his
complexion had a healthful hue compared with that of
his associates generally; and though by no means a
person of uniformly firm health, he seemed to possess
such vigor and strength of constitution, that I thought
his life as likely to be extended twenty years longer,
as that of any member of the mission. He continued
his system of morning exercise, commenced when a
student at Andover, and was not satisfied with a common walk on level ground, but always chose an uphill path, and then frequently went bounding on his
way, with all the exuberant activity of boyhood.
He was of a singularly happy temperament, al



EMILY C. JUDSON.            343
though not of that even cast, which never rises above
a certain level, and is never depressed. Possessing
acute sensibilities, suffering with those who suffered,
and entering as readily into the joys of the prosperous
and happy, he was variable in his moods; but religion
formed such an essential element in his character, and
his trust in Providence was so implicit and habitual,
that he was never gloomy, and seldom more than mormentarily disheartened. On the other hand, being accustomed to regard all the events of this life, however
minute or painful, as ordered in wisdon, and tending
to one great and glorious end, he lived in almost constant obedience to the apostolic injunction, "Rejoice
evermore!" HTe often told me that although he had
endured much personal suffering, and passed through
many fearful trials in the course of his eventful life, a
kind Providence had also hedged him round with
precious, peculiar blessings, so that his joys had far
outnumbered his sorrows.
Toward the close of September of last year, he said
to me one evening, " What deep cause have we for
gratitude to God!-do you believe there are any other
two persons in the wide world so happy as we are?"
enumerating, in his own earnest manner, several
sources of happiness, in which our work as missionaries, and our eternal prospects, occupied a prominent
position. When he had finished his glowing picture, I




344         BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF
remarked (I scarcelvy know why, but there was a
heavy cloud upon my spirits that evening), "We are
certainly very happy now, but it cannot be so always
-I am thinking of the time when one of us must
stand beside the bed, and see the other die."
6 Yes," he said, " that will be a sad moment; I felt
it most deeply a little while ago, but now it would not
be strange if your life were prolonged beyond minethough I should wish if it were possible to spare you
that pain. It is the one left alone who suffers, not the
one who goes to be with Christ. If it should only be
the will of God that we might go together, like young
James and his wife. But he wvill order all things
well, and we can safely trust our future to his hands."
That same night we were roused from sleep by the
sudden illness of one of the children. There was an
unpleasant, chilling dampness in the air, as it came to
us through the openings in the sloats above the windows, which affected your brother very sensibly, and
he soon began to shiver so violently, that he was
obliged to return to his couch, where he remtained
under a warm covering until morning. In the morning he awoke with a severe cold, accompanied by
some degree of fever; but as it did not seem very
serious, and our three children were all suffering from
a similar cause, we failed to give it any especial attention. From that time he was never well, though in




EMILY G. JUDSON.            345
writing tO you before, I think I dated the commencement of his illness, from the month of November,
when he laid aside his studies. I know that he regarded this attack as trifling, and yet one evening he
spent a long time in advising me with regard to my
future course, if I should be deprived of his guidance;
saying that it is always wise to be prepared for exionces of this nature. After the month of November,
he tailed gradually, occasionally rallying in such a
manner as to deceive us all, but at each relapse sinking lower than at the previous one, though still fufll
of hope and courage, and yielding ground only, inch
by inch, as compelled by the triumphant progress of
disease. During some hours of every day he suffered
intense pain; but his naturally buoyant spirits and
uncomplaining disposition led him to speak so lightly
of it, that I used sometimes to fear the doctor, though
a very skilful man, would be fatally deceived.
As his health declined, his mental exercises at first
seemed deepened; and he gave still larger portions of
his time to prayer, conversing with the utmost freedom on his daily progress, and the extent of his selfconquest. Just before our trip to Mergui, which took
place in January, he looked up from his pillow one
day with sudden animation, and said to me earnestly,
" I have gained the victory at last. I love every one
of Christ's redeemed, as I believe he would have me




346         BIOGlRAPHICAL SKETC-I OF
love them-in the same manner, though not probably
to the same degree as we shall love one another in
heaven; and gladly would I prefer the meanest of his
creatures, who bears his name, before myself:"  This
he said in allusion to the text, " In honor preferring
one another," on which he had frequently dwelt with
great emphasis. After farther similar conversation he
concluded, "And now here I lie at peace with all the
world, and what is better still, at peace with my own
conscience. I know that I am a miserable sinner in
the sight of God, with no hope but in the blessed
Saviour's merits; but I cannot think of any particular
fault, any peculiarly besetting sin, which it is now my
duty to correct. Can you tell me of any?"
And truly, from this time no other word would so
well express his state of feeling, as that one of his own
choosing-peace.  He had no particular exercises
afterwards, but remained calm and serene, speaking
of himself daily as a great sinner, who had been
overwhelmed with benefits, and declaring, that he
had never in all his life before, had such delightful
views of the unfathomable love and infinite condescension of the Saviour, as were now daily opening
before him. "Oh, the love of Christ! the love of
Christ!" he would suddenly exclaim, while his eye
kindled, and the tears chased each other down his




EMILY c. JUDSON.             347
cheeks, "we cannot understand it now-but what a
beautiful study for eternity!"
After our return from Mergui, the doctor advised a
still farther trial of the effects of sea air and seabathing, and we accordingly proceeded to Amherst,
where we remained nearly a month. This to me was
the darkest period of his illness-no medical adviser,
no friend at hand, and he daily growing weaker and
weaker. He began to totter in walking, clinging to
the firniture and walls, when he thought he was unobserved (for he was not willing to acknowledge the
extent of his debility), and his wan face was of a
ghastly paleness. His sufferings too were sometimes
fearfully intense, so that in spite of his habitual selfcontrol, his groans would fill the house.  At other
times a kind of lethargy seemed to steal over him, and
he would sleep almost incessantly for twenty-four
hours, seeming annoyed if he were aroused or disturbed. Yet there were portions of the time, when
he was comparatively comfortable, and conversed intelligently; but his mind seemed to revert to former
scenes, and he tried to amuse me with stories of
his boyhood-his college days-his imprisonment in
France, and his early missionary life.  He had a
great deal also to say on his favorite theme. "The
love of Christ:" but his strength was too much impaired for any continuous mental effort. Even a short




348         BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF
prayer made audibly, exhausted him to such a degree,
that he was obliged to discontinue the practice.
At length I wrote to Maulmain, giving some expression of my anxieties and misgivings, and our kind
missionary friends, who had from the first evinced all
the tender interest and watchful sympathy of the
nearest kindred immediately sent for us-the doctor
advising a sea-voyage. But as there was no vessel in
the harbor bound for a port sufficiently distant, we
thought it best, in the meantime, to remove from our
old dwelling, which had long been condemned as unhealthy, to another mission-house, fortunately empty.
This change was at first attended with the most beneficial results, and our hopes revived so much, that we
looked forward to the approaching rainy season for
entire restoration. But it lasted only a little while,
and then both of us became convinced, that though a
voyage at sea involved much that was exceedingly
painful, it yet presented the only prospect of recovery,
and could not, therefore, without a breach of duty, be
neglected.
Oh, if it were only the will of God to take me now
-to let me die here!" he repeated over and over
again, in a tone of anguish, while we where considering the subject. "I cannot, cannot go!-this is almost
more than I can bear! was there ever suffering like
our suffering!" and the like broken expressions, were




EMILY C. JUDSON.            349
continually falling from his lips. But he soon gathered
more strength of purpose; and after the decision was
fairly made, he never hesitated for a moment, rather
regarding the prospect with pleasure.  I think the
struggle which this resolution cost, injured him very
materially; though probahly it had no share in bringing about the final result. God, who saw the end from
the beginning, had counted out his days, and they
were hastening to a close.  Until this time he had
been able to stand, and to walk slowly from room to
room; but as he one evening attempted to rise from
his chair, he was suddenly deprived of his small remnant of muscular strength, and would have fallen to
the floor, but for timely support.
From that moment his decline was rapid. As he
lay helplessly upon his couch, and watched the swelling of his feet, and other alarming symptoms, he became very anxious to commence his voyage, and I
felt equally anxious to have his wishes gratified. I
still hoped he might recover-the doctor said the
chances of life and death were in his opinion equally
balanced-and then he always loved the sea so dearly!
There was something exhilarating to him in the motion
of a vessel, and he spoke with animation of getting
free from the almost suffocating atmosphere incident
to the hot season, and drinking in the fresh sea breezes.
He talked but little more, however, than was necessary




350         BIOGERAPHICAL SKETCH OF
to indicate his wants, his bodily sufferings being too
great to allow of conversation; but several times he
looked up to me with a bright smile, and exclaimed,
as heretofore, "Oh, the love of Christ! the love of
Christ!"
I found it difficult to ascertain, from expressions
casually dropped, from time to time, his real opinion
with regard to his recovery; but I thought there was
some reason to doubt whether he was fully aware of
his critical situation. I did not suppose he had any
preparation to make at this late hour, and I felt sure
that if he should be called ever so unexpectedly, he
would not enter the presence of his Maker with a ruffled spirit; but I could not bear to have him go away,
without knowing how doubtful it was whether our
next meeting would not be in eternity; and perhaps
too, in my own distress, I might still have looked for
words of encouragement and sympathy, to a source
which liad never before failed.
It was late in the night, and I had been performing
some little sick-room offices, when suddenly he looked
up to me, and exclaimed, "This will never do! You
are killing yourself for me, and I will not permit it.
You must have some one to relieve you. If I had not
been made selfish by suffering, I should have insisted
upon it long ago."
He spoke so like himself-with the earnestness of




EMILY C. JUDSON.            351
health, and in a tone to which my ear had of late been
a stranger, that for a moment I felt almost bewildered
with sudden hope. He received my reply to what he
had said, with a half-pitying, half-gratified smile, but
in the meantime his expression had changed-the
marks of excessive debility were again apparent, and
I could not forbear adding, " It is only a little while,
you know."
" Only a little while," he repeated mournfully; " this
separation is a bitter thing, but it does not distress me
now as it did-I am too weak." "You have no reason
to be distressed," I answered, "with such glorious
prospects before you. You have often told me it is
the one left alone who suffers, not the- one who goes
to be with Christ."  He gave me a rapid, questioning
glance, then assumed for several moments an attitude
of deep thought. Finally, he slowly unclosed his eyes,
and fixing themi on me, said in a calm, earnest tone, "I
do not believe I am going to die. I think I know why
this illness has been sent upon me-I needed it-I feel
that it has done me good-and it is my impression,
that I shall now recover, and be a better and more
useful man."
" Then it is your wish to recover?" I inquired. "If
it should be the will of God, yes. I should like to
complete the dictionary, on which I have bestowed so
much labor, now that it is so nearly done; for though




852         BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF
it has not been a work that pleased my taste, or quite
satisfied my feelings, I have never underrated its importance. Then after that come all the plans we have
formed. Oh, I feel as though only just beginning to
be prepared for usefulness."
"It is the opinion of most of the mission," I remarked, " that you will not recover."  "I know it is,"
he replied; "' and I suppose they think me an old man,
and imagine that it is nothing for one like me to resign
a life so full of trials. But I am not old-at least in
that sense-you know I am not. Oh! no man ever
left this world with more inviting prospects, with
brighter hopes or warmer feelings-warmer feelings"
-he repeated, and burst into tears. His face was
perfectly placid, even while the tears broke away from
the closed lids, and rolled, one after another, down to
the pillow. There was no trace of agitation or pain
in his manner of weeping, but it was evidently the
result of acute sensibilities, combined with great physical weakness. To some suggestions which I ventured
to make, he replied, "It is not that-I knowi all that,
and feel it in my inmost heart. Lying here on my bed,
when I could not talk, I have had such views of the
loving condescension of Christ, and the glories of
heaven, as I believe are seldom granted to mortal man.
It is not because I shrink from death, that I wish to
live; neither is it because the ties that bind me here,




EMILY C. JUDSON.             353
though some of them are very sweet, bear any comparison with the drawings I at times feel towards
heaven; but a few years would not be missed from
my eternity of bliss, and I can well afford to spare
them, both for your sake and for the sake of the poor
Burmans. I am not tired of my work, neither am I
tired of the world; yet when Christ calls me home. I
shall go with the gladness of a boy bounding away
from his school.  Perhaps I feel something like the
young bride, when she contemplates resigning the
pleasant associations of her childhood, for a yet dearer
home-though only a very little like her-for there is
no doubt resting on my future."  " Then death would
not take you by surprise," I remarked, " if it should
come even before you could get on board ship." "Oh,
no," he said, "death will never take me by surprisedo not be afraid of that-I feel so strong in Christ.
He has not led me so tenderly thus far, to forsake me
at the very gate of heaven. No, no; I am willing to
live a few years longer, if it should be so ordered; and
if otherwise, I am willing and glad to die now. I leave
myself entirely in the hands of God, to be disposed of
according to his holy will."
The next day some one mentioned in his presence,
that the native Christians were greatly opposed to the
voyage, and that many other persons had a similar
feeling with regard to it. I thought he seemed tronw
23




354:     BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF
bled; and after the visitor had withdrawn, I inquired
if he still felt as when he conversed with me the night
previous. THe replied, " Oh yes; that was no evanescent feeling. It has been with me, to a greater or less
extent, for years, and will be with me, I trust, to the
end. I am ready to go to-day-if it should be the will
of God, this very hour; but I am not anxious to dieat least when I am not beside myself with pain."
"Then why are you so desirous to go to sea?  I
should think it would be a matter of indifference to
you." "No," he answered quietly, "my judgment tells
me it would be wrong not to go —the doctor says
criminal. I shall certainly die here-if I go away, I
may possibly recover. There is no question with regard to duty in such a case; and I do not like to see
any hesitation, even though it springs from affection."
He several times spoke of a burial at sea, and always
as though the prospect were agreeable. It brought,
he said, a sense of freedom and expansion and seemed
far pleasanter than the confined, dark, narrow grave,
to which he had committed so many that he loved.
And he added, that although his burial-place was a
matter of no real importance, yet he believed it was
not in human nature to be altogether without a choice.
I have already given you an account of the embarkation, of my visits to him while the vessel remained in the river, and of our last sad, silent parting; and




EMILY C. JUDSONM            355
Mr. Ranney has finished the picture. You will find
in this closing part, some dark shadows, that will give
you pain; but you must remember that his present
felicity is enhanced by those very sufferings; and we
should regret nothing that serves to brighten his crown
in glory. I ought also to add, that I have gained
pleasanter impressions in conversation with Mr. R.
than from his written account; but it would be difficult to convey them to you; and, as he whom they
concern was accustomed to say of similar things, "you
will learn it all in heaven."
During the last hour of your sainted brother's life,
Mr. Ranney bent over him and held his hand; while
poor Pinapah stood at a little distance weeping bitterly.
The table had been spread in the cuddy, as usual, and
the officers did not know what was passing in the
cabin, till summoned to dinner. Then they gathered
about the door, and watched the closing scene with
solemn reverence. Now-thanks to a merciful God!
his pains had left him, not a momentary spasm disturbed his placid face, nor did the contraction of a niuscle
denote the least degree of suffering; the agony of
death was passed, and his wearied spirit was turning
to its rest in the bosom of his Saviour. From time to
time, he pressed the hand in which his own was resting, his clasp losing in force at each successive pressure; while his shortened breath (though there was no




356   BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF EMILY C. JUDSON.
struggle, no gasping, as if it came and went with difficulty) gradually grew softer and fainter, until it died
upon the air-and he was gone. Mr. Ranney closed
the eyes, and composed the passive limbs,-the ship's
officers stole softly from the door, and the neglected
meal was left upon the board untasted.
They lowered him to his ocean-grave without a
prayer; for his freed spirit had soared above the reach
of earthly intercession, and to the foreigners who stood
around, it would have been a senseless form. And
there they left him in his unquiet sepulchre; but it
matters little, for we know that while the unconscious
clay is "drifting on the shifting currents of the restless
main," nothing can disturb the hallowed rest of the
immortal spirit. Neither could he have a more fitting
monument, than the blue waves which visit every
coast; for his warm sympathies went forth to the ends
of the earth, and included the whole family of man.
It is all as God would have it, and our duty is but to
bend meekly to his will, and wait, in faith and patience,
till we also shall be summoned home.
THE END.




BOOKS RECENTLY PUBLISHED          BY DERBY        MILLER.
History of the War with Mexico, from the com
mencement of hostilities with         the  United    States, to the
ratification of Peace; embracing detailed accounts of the
brilliant achievements of Generals Taylor, Scott, Worth,
Wool, Twiggs, Kearney, and others; by John S. Jenkins,
8vo., 20 illustrations, morocco gilt.                       2,50.
A History of the late war prepared for popular circulation,  The writer takes a
patriotic view of his subject. His narrative of the commencement of the war would,
we presume, not displease Mr. Polk. He follows the campaign throughout with
industry and spirit, drawing from public documents, diplomatic correspondence, and
the newspaper letter writers by the way. More facts, we believe, are brought
together than in any single publication of the kind. The narratives of adventure in
California, Col. Doniphan's march, and other passages, are told with interest; the
writer evidently seeking to make a useful book. The portraits and illustrations of
scenes are numerous; the mechanical execution of the whole work being highly
creditable to the Auburn publishers.- Literary World.
This is a volume of over 500 pages. The publishers have brought it out in excellent style. The paper, type, printing and binding, are admirable. The book has
been written with due regard to accuracy, and in a popular style. It is the most
elaborate, and probably the best History of the War yet published.- Albany
Evenings Jozrnal.
We have been unable to notice, until now, this new work from the pen of the
author of " The Generals of the last War with Great Britain, etc." In this volume
we have at last a complete and interesting history of the late collision between the
two Republics of the Continent. To a minute and detailed account of the position
and policy of Mexico, the origin and causes of War, are added soul-stirring descriptions of the brilliant and successful engagements of our army with the enemy. This
narrative is written after a careful examination of the diplomatic correspondence
and the various publications, of a public or private character, that have appeared
from time to time, calculated to throw light on the subject. To render the work
still more interesting and desirable, it has been illustrated with portraits of the most
distinguished officers of our own and the Mexican army, with views of the ever
memorable battle-fields of Buena Vista and Cerro Gordo. The reputation of the
author will insure for this history a very general circulation.-Albany Atlas.




BOOKS RTECENTLY      PUBLISHED     BY DERBY- & MILLER.
The Lifeo of Gen. Zaochary Taylor, 12th President
of the United      States, brought down       to  his inauguration.
Steel portrait, 12mo., muslin; a new          edition, by H. Mont
gomery.                                                     $1,25..  -  18,000 of the above work have been sold by us.
" TIE LIFE OF GEN. Z. TAYLOR.'" —I. Jloiotgoemery, Esq., editor of the Auburn
Daily Advertiser, has found leisure, amid the multitude of his engagements, to get
up the most respectable looking and carefully prepared biography of the old General
we have yet seen. It makes a neat volume, and is printed on excellent paper and
new type, and bound ill the very best style. It cannot fail to find a tremlendous sale;
a result due alike to the book itself, and the enterprise of its busy publishers.Ailbatoy LmEvenint Jefozurlnl.
" LIFE OF GENERAL ZACIIARY TAYLOR, by H. lfonitgomzery," is the latest and
most complete of the numerous volumes purporting to be'Lives' of the General.
The aut-hor of this work - likewise editor of the Auburn Journal - is already known
as a forcible and pleasing writer, halndling his subject with a masterly hand; these
characteristics are fully developed in the book before us. The stirring incidents of
General Taylor's life, and the recent battles on Mexican soil are well portrayedthe very fair and impartial style of narration being a rare quality in depicting battle
scenes. The book will repay an attentive perusal. —T. Y. TribuLze.
THE LIFE OF MtAJOR GENERAL ZACHARIY TAY-LOR. By H. Jllonfgoonery.Another and still another " illustrated " Life of the great American, (would that he
had as many lives as the publishers give him,) the American whomn Carlyle would
recognise as " a hero" worthy of his pen's most eloquent recognition; THE.IAN OP
DUTY in an age of Self. An American in everything; in valor, in strong musculai
sense; in simplicity and directness and cordiality of feeling; an American in everl
thing, save in devotion to our new political God of Expediency.
The volume before us is put forth in Auburn, by the editor of the Auburn Dailf
Advertiser, whose vigorous, fluent style, and skill in compressing his materials
must matke his elegant volume very generally acceptable. Many of the traits
ascribed to General Taylor have been assimilated by some of his admirers to the
leading military characteristics of Frederick the Great. But, unlike Frederick,
Taylor is anything but a imartinet in discipline; and, though his movements of small
bodies of troops against vast odds, are characterized by the vigorous will and iron
determination of Fredericl, the arbitrary disposition of the Prussian despot is wholly
alien to his tolerant and candid nature. Taylor's affectionate and almost parental
relation to his soldiers, perhaps, alone first suggested the parallel, as we find it
hinted in the following stanza of some verses upon one of his battles, quoted by MrJ
Montgomery:
"' OLD ZACH I' OLD ZACH!' the war cry rattles
Among those men of iron tread,
As rung L OLD FRITZ' in Europe's battles
When thus his host Great Frederick led."
Literary WorCd.




BOOKS RECENTLY        PUBLISHED     BY DERBY     &( MILLEl,
The American Fruit Culturist: By J. J. Thomasg
containing directions      for the   propagation     and   culture of
Fruit Trees, in the Nursery, Orchard, and Garden; with
descriptions of the principal American and Foreign varieties
cultivated in the United States; with 300 accurate illustrations.   1 volume, of over 400 pages, 12mo.                  $1,00.
A cheaper, but equally valuable book with Downing's was wanted by the great
mass. Just such a work has Mr. Thomas given us. We consider it an invaluable
addition to our agricultural libraries.- Wool Grower.
We predict for it a very rapid sale; it should be in the hands of every fiuit grower
and especially every nurseryman. It is a very cheap book for its price.- Ohio
Cultivator.
It is a most valuable work to all engaged in the culture of fruit trees.-Utice
Herald.
It is a book of great value.- Genesee Farmer.
Among all the writers on fruits, we do not know of one who is Mr. Thomas3
superior, if his equal, in condensing important matter. He gets right at the pith of
the thing - he gives you that which you wish to know at once; stripped of all useless talk and twattle. No man has a keener eye for the best ways of doing things.
Hence we always look into his writings with the assurance that we shall find something new, or some improvements on the old; and we are seldom disappointed.
This book is no exception. It is full. There is no vacant space in it. It is like a
fresh egg - all good, and packed to the shell full.- Prairie Farmer.
In the volume before us we have the result of the author's experience and observations, continued with untiring perseverance for many years, in language at once
concise and perspicuous.- Albany Cultivator.
We can say with confidence to our readers, that if you need a book to instruct you
in the modes of growing trees, &c., from the first start, the systems of pruning, etc.,
etc., you will find the American Fruit Culturist an extremely valuable work. The
million who purchase it, will find matter adapted to their wants, superior to any
work as yet published.- Cleveland HIerald.
For sale in New York by M. H. NEWMAN & CO. and C. M. SAXTON.
Boston, B. B. MUSSEY & CO. Philadelphia, THOMAS, COWPERTHWA1TE &
CO.
5    c Copies in paper covers sent by mail, free of expense, on receipt of $1,00
post paid.  Direct to                              DERBY & MILLER,
AubLurn, N. Y.




BOOKS RECENTLY        PUBLISHED    BY DE:RBY     & MILLERt
The Missionary               Offering, a memorial of Christ's
Messengers in Heathen         Lands, dedicated       to  Dr. Judson,
8 engravings, 12mo,, muslin.                                 $1,25.
We have seen no book of late which, upon a hasty examination, we could more
cheerfully and confidently recommend. The history of the labors of Missionaries
in foreign lands has always been one of unsurpassed interest to a great class of every
community, by whom such enterprizes are conducted, and in no similar work have
we seen this history more ably and truthfully set forth than in the one before us.BcBffalo Commercial Advertiser.
Here is a volume of about four hundred pages, neatly printed and illustrated,
made up of the most interesting matter, from the pens of the first writers. Such a
work cannot fail to interest. What a glorious band have cast aside the heart-clinging ties of home, country, and friends, and borne the peaceful emblem of Christianity to the darkest climes. Bloody rites have ceased, the funeral flame is
extinguished, the crushing car has ceased to roll, and mental and moral darkness
has given away before the silent labors of the missionary. The records of such a
history cannot but interest, revealing as they do, some of the sublimest features in
the character of man - sacrifices and toils and triumphs, before which the brightest
achievements of earth dwindle into folly.- Cayuga Chief.
THE MISSIONARY OFFERING is composed of poetical and prose writings of rare
excellence, reminiscences and incidents connected with foreign and home missions,
&c. We consider it a valuable and interesting book, especially to the Christian and
philanthropist. and all who look upon the missionary enterprise as an institution,
under the guidance of Providence, for the moral regeneration of the world.-Geneva
Gazette.
Rational Psychology, or the subjective idea and the
objective law    of all intelligence: by      Laurens     P. Hickok,
D. D., Professor of Christian Theology in the Theological
Seminary, Auburn.
The few, not the many, will find pleasure and improvement in the study of a
u-eatise like this, discussing with much ability and research, indicative of close and
1-atient thought, the abstruse science of mind, and reaching principles by a careful
induction of well arranged and considered facts. The author has favorably introduced himself, in this work, to the thinking portion of the religious public, ar.n will
calmly await the verdict of the learned world upon this elaborate performance. It
is a handsomely printed octavo of 700 pages. —N. Y. Observer.