the house at ST. Antony's.                   27

I which shee was ill provided, her purse ebbing low at pre-
^ sent by the discharge of an [some ?] hundred pound
debts contracted by her husband. Notwithstanding pa¬
tience granted without passion an assent; hope and con¬
fidence in God, who hitherto so mercifully assisted her,
gave courage to commence a new building, and charity,
which opens and dilates the heart to God and our neigh¬
bour, facilitated the work: first, because the place was
holy, dedicated in Catholick times to St. Antony, his pic¬
ture being decently plac'd in a tree near the river Tine,
for the comfort of seamen; secondly, for that it was more
private than Heton, and free to frequent her chappell. In
this juncture of sisters, charity, the mistress and sovereign
of ail virtues, so oversway'd, that shee presently put
hand to work, and bestow'd uppon the building above
five hundrc^d pound sterling, which because shee intend-
ded chiefly for spirituall uses, shee invited Mr. Holtby,
Superior of the Society, to lay the first stone. Att the
end of the house opposite to the water, shee caused to be
made the sacred name of Jesus, large in proportion, and
accurate for art, that it might serve the mariners instead
of St. Antony's picture: and when the fabric was ended,
shee dedicated the whole to St. Michael and St. Antony,
and each room (the chappell excepted, which was con¬
secrated to the Mother of God) was nominated and pub¬
licly known by the name of some particular saint.

This seat was most commodious for pleasure, and
pleasant for all commoditys; the rich and renownd river
Tine ebbing and flowing in such a proportionable distance
from the house, that neither the water is inconvenient to
it nor does it want the convenience of the water. The
vast confluence of ships which it brings to Newcastle for
coles (and this is looked uppon as one of the greatest sorts
of trafic in the kingdom) pass under the full view of the
house, and, notwithstanding, Catholicks may resort thither
with such privacy, that they are not expos'd to the aspect
of any. The name of Jesus shee caus'd to be drawn so
publick for two reasons.   The firsts her own safeguard and
 

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