Restoration & Augustan

Sir William Killigrew

1606–1695


Sir William Killigrew (1606–1695), of Kempton Park, Middlesex, was an English court official who served under both Charles I and Charles II. He was the brother of the dramatist Thomas Killigrew, and Anthony van Dyck painted his portrait in 1638.

In old age he published Mid-night and Daily Thoughts, in Prose and Verse (1694), a book of short devotional meditations, each followed or replaced by a rhymed poem on a Christian theme: repentance, faith, time, the Christian festivals and the fear of death. The poems collected here are the verse of that book.

  1. An Answer to my kind Friend's Preface in his Letter
  2. On my old Friend's Hieroglyphick Pictures of Enternity
  3. On Divine Ambition
  4. On the Five Senses
  5. On Man's Frailty
  6. On Humane Frailty
  7. On Repentance
  8. On Christmas-Day
  9. On Good-Friday
  10. On Easter-Day
  11. On the Lord's Supper on Easter-Day
  12. On the Fear of Death
  13. On God's wondrous Works
  14. To the Repiner
  15. On lost Time
  16. A Good Conscience is a continual Feast
  17. On Temptation
  18. To be Regenerate
  19. How to overcome Temptations by Meditation
  20. Queries
  21. A Pious Man fears no Danger
  22. The Power of Faith
  23. An Ejaculation
  24. On Prayer
  25. On Charity
  26. On Discontent for Poverty
  27. On Mercy
  28. On Despair
  29. Our Reason must unto our Faith Submit
  30. To the Ambitious, Envious Man
  31. To the Luxurious Man
  32. Love thy Neighbour as thy self
  33. My Yoke is easie, and my Burthen light
  34. To a strong young Man
  35. On Hypocrisie
  36. To GOD
  37. On a bold, profane Sinner
  38. On Eternal Life
  39. On Valour and Fear
  40. On Repentance
  41. On Easter-Day
  42. On late Repentance
  43. A Rapture
  44. On the Felicity of constant Health
  45. On lost Innocence
  46. To a young Man surpriz'd by Death
  47. The Dream of a reconciled Sinner
  48. On Happiness
  49. On Devotion
  50. On relapsing into Sin
  51. On Hope
  52. On Humane Weakness
  53. We must all die
  54. On Nineveh's Repentance
  55. On Dying daily
  56. On the desire of Variety
  57. On a covetous rich Man
  58. On Time mis-spent
  59. How to improve our Time
  60. On Dooms-Day
  61. On Sickness and Health
  62. All Men must die
  63. To my proud, rich Censurer
  64. On Gratitude
  65. On Faith, as the best Wedding-Garment
  66. On a Reprobate's Repentance
  67. The Hope of a true Penitent
  68. On Faith with Repentance
  69. On a good Man's desire to be in Heaven
  70. To a careless Sinner
  71. Some Caveats
  72. On Poverty
  73. On Pride
  74. On Pride's Kindred
  75. On this Day's Sacrament received
  76. On Heavenly Joy
  77. On taking heed of all our Ways
  78. Christ's Doctrine to suffer
  79. On Faith
  80. On God's Mercy
  81. On true Valour
  82. On Relapsed Man in Paradise
  83. On the Power of Divine Meditation
  84. A Dream of Heaven
  85. On a Dream of Hell
  86. On Death
  87. On our cold desire to go to Heaven
  88. To a Friend in a fit of the Gout
  89. On the Fear of Death
  90. On true Devotion
  91. On God's wondrous Works
  92. On vain Projectors
  93. To my Rich Friend become Poor
  94. On Injustice
  95. Against Momentary Ioys
  96. The Terror of Death, by Death is cured
  97. On the fear of Death
  98. On the Art of Meditation

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