'As for religion, I die in the profession of that faith and in the practice of such worship, as I find established by the law of my country, not being able to believe what I myself please, nor to worship God better than by doing as I would be done unto, and observing the laws of my country, and expressing my love and honour to Almighty God by such signs and tokens as are understood to be such by the people among whom I live, God knowing my heart even without any at all. And thus, begging the Divine Majesty to make me what he would have me to be, both as to faith and good works, I willingly resign my soul into his hands, relying only on his infinite mercy and the merits of my Saviour for my happiness after this life; where I expect to know and see God more clearly, than by the study of the Scriptures and of his works, I have been hitherto able to do.
'Grant me, Lord, an easy passage to thyself, that as I have lived in thy fear, I may be known to die in thy favour. Amen.'
It does not appear that the projected monument was ever set up after his death, and till a descendant in comparatively recent years raised a permanent record in the west end of the nave to the fame of his ancestor,[1] not even an inscription indicated that the founder of political economy lay in Rumsey Abbey; for the hand of the Church restorer had desecrated even the stone in the aisle which in a previous generation had marked the grave with the simple legend, 'Here layes Sir William Pety.'[2]
- ↑ In the present century, Henry, third Marquess of Lansdowne, erected a monument by Westmacott. It represents a full-length recumbent effigy of Sir William Petty.
- ↑ The original of the will is in the Registry Office of the Court of Probate in Ireland. There is a copy in the Egerton MSS. (2225), British Museum.
