Ulrich Middeldorf HOWELL, JAMES. S.PQ.V. A survay of the Signorie of Ve- nice, of her admired poHcy, and method of goverment, &c. With a cohortation to all Christian Princes to resent her dangerous condition at present. London, Richard Lowndes, 1651. In-fol. pice. (mm. 275 x 178). Pelle. Antip. inc. in rame da Vaughan, 4 ccnn., 1 ritr., 210 pp., 4 ccnn. Lowndes p. 1129. DMB. vol. X, pp, 109-114. Nomi al tit., carta lievemente brunita. Dorso rifatto e restauri alia rilegatura. Opera sco- nosciuta a Cicogna e Soranzo. In Italia, oltre al nostro, ve ne sono tre soli esemplari: 1 alia Biblioteca Nazionale di Firen- ze, 2 in mano privata. Manca alia Biblioteca Marciana. Mol- to raro, L. 260.000 I 4' HOWELL'S FAMILIAR LETTERS. BALI-ANTYNE, HANSON AND CO. EDINBURGH AND LONDON EPISTOL^ HO-ELIAN^ The Familiar Letters of James Howell Historiographer Royal to Charles II. EDITED, ANNOTATED, AND INDEXED BY JOSEPH JACOBS CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF HISTORY, MADRID LONDON: PUBLISHED BY DAVID NUTT IN THE STRAND MDCCCXC Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/familiarlettersoOOhowe To Mr. {now Dr.) JAMES GOIV, at Nottingham. My dear Go IV, JT is some years ago, you may remember, that you asked me to procure you a Howell, if I chanced upon another copy. Here then at last you have him, tricked out in braver apparel than he ever yet has known, and provided with such aids to the better understanding and enjoying of him as my poor skill could devise. You were probably attracted to Howell, as I was, by our Thackeray^ s perhaps too enthusiastic praise; but, once the ceremony of introduction is over, he wins us to him- self by his own merits. His wide range of experience and of i?iterest, his vicissitudes of travel and of fortune, the many cities he visited, the many men he knew, his fund of gossip and anecdote, his quaint yet earnest reflections on life, all combine to make his Letters a more varied literary repast than almost any other collectioji of the kind in our literature ; and with it all there goes his unabashed self- satisfaction in his own cleverness which gives an added piquancy to all he says. In short, he is first in point of time of the order of men to which Pepys, Boswell, and IValpole belong. I am hoping that he will take his place by their side as one of the perennial sources, instructive at once and amus- ing, of English Culturgeschichie.'^ Amid all his vanity and superficiality, there is one note of scntiinent vi sentiment which rings true. He could make friends and keep them. I have therefore thought it not inappropriate to connect this attempt to ivinfor him a secure place in English Letters with the name of one of my oldest and truest friends. I am, my dear Gow, Yours very sincerely, JOSEPH JACOBS. KiLBURN, this ist of October, iSgo. PREFACE. T is Strange that no new edition ^ of Howell's Letters has appeared . for the last 130 years. In the > century after their first appear- P ance, no less than a dozen edi- L tions testified to their continued vitality, and stray allusions prove that they have never passed beyond the ken of the true lovers of books. A work which Thackeray has praised so highly, and Scott, Browning, and Kingsley have used for some of their most popular effects, cannot be said to have ever lost its chances of revival. Perhaps the supply of the second-hand copies of twelve editions has hitherto been sufficient to satisfy the demand. But the avidity of our American cousins is fast causing this source to fail, and the vii time viii Preface. time seems opportune for Howell to make a fresh bid for the popularity he deserves. In order not to diminish his chances, I have selected for this reprint the so-called tenth edition of 1737, which is regarded as the best '*in the trade," or, in other words, has found most favour among readers hitherto. This is sufficiently archaic to give the old-world air which seems congenial to the book, and yet sufficiently free from the eccentri- cities of seventeenth century spelling, which repel so many readers. There is a special reason why we may more boldly depart from the spelling of the original copies in Howell's case than in that of most others. In his way, Howell was a spelling reformer, and attempted to carry out his reforms in his own books. But, then as now, authors had to reckon with compositors, and what with Howell's reforms and his printer's customs of the trade, a more confounded confusion could not well be ima- gined than the cacography of the early editions. And the punctuation — if punctuation it can be called — is in even a still worse state. It did not seem worth while to reproduce this. The history of English spelling is doubtless an instructive and exhilarating study, but the interests of English literature are paramount. In the Supplement, how- ever, I have reproduced the previously inedited Letters of Howell with diplomatic accuracy, from which the reader will be able to judge what he has lost Preface. ix lost, or gained, by my adoption of a middle course between entire modernisation and retention of the original spelling. In one point it seemed worth while reverting to Howell's original spelling. The proper names, personal and geographical, had suffered somewhat severely at the hands of successive reprinters. I have therefore restored these, I believe in every case, to the form in which they appeared in the first editions of the several parts. While doing this, I have corrected the few misprints, and here and there have restored the original spelling, either because it was more quaint or more modern than the orthography of 1737. JOSEPH JACOBS. TABLE OF CONTENTS. PAGE Dedication v Preface vii Testimonia xi Howell's Letters — The Vote, or a Poem- Royal . .... 5 Poetic Epistle on Familiar Letters . . -13 Book I. . -17 Book II 375 Book III 511 Book IV 555 Supplement of Letters and Documents of and about Howell, mainly from Unpublished Sources . . 649 TESTIMONIA. Not to know the Author of these Poems, were an ignorance beyond Barbarism . . . He may be called the prodigie of his Age, for the variety of his Volumes ; for from his AivdpoXoy/oc, or Bar/y of Trees [1640], to his QnioXoyia or Farly of Beasts [1660] (not inferior to the other), there hath pass'd the Press above forty of his Works on various subjects ; useful not only to the present times, but to all posterity. And 'tis observed that in all his Writings there is something still Nezu, either in the Matter^ Method or Fancy, and in an untrodden Tract. Moreover, one may dis- cover a kinde of Vein of Foesie to run through the body of his Frose, in the Continuity and succinctness thereof all along. He teacheth a new way of Epistolizing ; and that Familiar Letters may not only consist of Words and a bombast of Compliments, but that they are capable of the highest Speculations and solidest kind of Knowledge. Peter Fisher, Preface to Mr. HoiveVs Foe7us, 1664. He had a singular command of his pen whether in verse or in prose, and was well read in modern Histories, especially in those of the Countries wherein he had travelled, had a parabolical and allusive fancy, according to his motto Senesco non segnesco. But the Reader is to know that his writings, having been only to gain a livelihood, and by their dedications to flatter great and noble persons, are very trite and empty, stolen from other authors with- out acknowledgment, and fitted only to please the humours of novices. . . . Many of the said Letters were never written before the Author of them was in the Fleet, as he pretends they were, only xii Testimonia. only feigned (no time being kept with their dates) and purposely published to gain money to relieve his necessities, yet give a tolerable history of these times. Anthony a Wood, Athence Oxon (1691), iii. 744 (ed. 181 7). He was master of more modern languages and author of more books than any other Englishman of his time. J. Granger, Biogr. Hist, of Engl. (1769). I BELIEVE the second published correspondence of this kind and in our own language, at least of any importance after Hall, will be found to be Epistglte Hoelian/e, or the letters of James Howell, a great traveller, an intimate friend of Jonson, and the first who bore the office of historiographer, which dis- cover a variety of literature, and abound with much entertaining and useful information. T. Warton, Hist, of ETiglish Poetry (1781), § Ixiv. ad fin. Howell, the author of Familiar Letters., Szc, wrote the chief part of them, and almost all his other works, during his long con- finement in the Fleet Prison ; some say for debts which his irregular living had occasioned, and others for political reasons. This is certain, that he used his pen for subsistence in that im- prisonment, and there produced one of the most agreeable works in the English language. I. D'IsRAELi, Curiosities of Literature. A WORK containing numberless anecdotes and historical narratives, and forming one of the most amusing and instructive volumes of the seventeenth century. Sir Egerton Brydges, Censura Literaria (1808), vi. 232. The Epist. Ho-Eliance is one of the most amusing volumes extant. And I purpose, God willing, at some future time to give a new and corrected impression of this excellent book, with notes and an appendix, for which work I have for a long time past been making the necessary collections. Ph. Bliss, notes on Athen. Oxon. (181 7), iii. 747. Howell Testimonia. xiii Howell has no wit, but he has abundance of conceits, flat and commonplace enough. With all this he was a man of some sense and observation. His letters are entertaining. H. Hallam, Literaiiire of Europe (1839), iii. 393 (ed. 1872). What old English work, it might be asked, is there which gives so vivid a picture of the period to which it relates, in so amusing a style, and which so pleasantly varies its subjects, passing " from grave to gay, from lively to severe," as Howell's Leiiersl If Anthony Wood's statement is true that many of the letters were composed in prison for the press, and were never actually sent to the correspondents whose names are prefixed to them, the volume is entitled to a still higher place in a critical review of the literature of the time. None but a " master of the craft" could have given to a series prepared for such a purpose, so much of " the form and pressure " of the ordinary letters which pass in the social intercourse of life, without a view to any ulterior destination, between man and man. J. Crossley, Diary of Wo7'thmgtoii (1874), p. 349. Montaigne and " Howel's Letters'^ are my bedside books. If I wake at night, I have one or other of them to prattle me to sleep again. They talk about themselves for ever and don't weary me. I like to hear them tell their old stories over and over again. I read them in the dozy hours and only half remember them. I am informed that both of them tell coarse stories. I don't heed them. It was the custom of their time, as it is of Highlanders and Hottentots, to dispense with a part of dress which we all wear in cities. ... I love, I say, and scarcely ever tire of hearing, the artless prattle of those two dear old friends, the Perigourdin gentleman and the priggish little Clerk of King Charles's Council. W. M. Thackeray, Ronndaboiit Papers : On Tiva Children in Black, A THOROUGH Welshman, Howell became a celebrated English author in his day. He was past forty years of age. before his first book was published. Then for the remaining twenty odd years XIV Testimonia. years of his life, with an incessant and unwearying industry, he wrote, compiled, or translated book after book, each varying greatly in subject. Lastly, he is one of the earliest instances of a literary man successfully maintaining himself with the fruits of his pen. E. Arber, Pref. to Howell's Instructions (1869). To the list of writers w^hom it is impossible to use with con- fidence must, I am afraid, be added that agreeable letter-writer Howell. But there can be no doubt that many of his letters are mere products of the bookmaker's skill, drawn up from memory long afterwards \_E.g. I. ii. 12]. On the other hand, some of the letters have all the look of being what they purport to be, actually written at the time, but even then, the dates at the end are fre- quently incorrectly given. S. R. Gardiner. Howell had something of the versatile activity of Defoe ; like Defoe, he travelled on the Continent for commercial purposes, and like Defoe, he was often employed on political missions. Only Howell had less power than the later adventurer, and was less intensely political, observing men good-humouredly, and recording his observations with sparkling liveliness. W. MiNTO, Engl. Prose Lit. (1872), p. 351. He may be called the Father of Epistolary Literature, the first writer, that is to say, of letters which, addressed to individuals, were intended for publication. A style animated, racy, and picturesque ; keen powers of observation ; great literary skill ; an eager, restless, curious spirit; some humour and much wit, and a catholicity of sympathy very unusual with the writers of his age — are his chief claims to distinction. W. B, Scoones, English Letters (1880), p. 71. My Books. For the row that I prize is yonder, Away on the unglazed shelves, The bulged and the bruised octavos^ The dear and the dumpy twelves. Montaigne Testimonia. XV Montaigne with his sheepskin bHstered, And Howell the worse for wear, And the worm-drilled Jesuits' Horace, And the little old cropped Moliere, And the Burton I bought for a florin, And the Rabelais foxed and flea'd. For the others I never have opened, But those are the books I read. Austin Doeson, At the Sign of the Lyre (1885), p. 82. He wrote all manner of things, but has chiefly survived as the author of a large collection of Fajfiiliar Letters, which have been great favourites with some excellent judges. They have some- thing of the agreeable garrulousness of Walton. But Howell was not only much more of a gossip than Izaak ; he was also a good deal of a coxcomb, while Walton was destitute of even a trace of coxcombry. In one, however, as in the other, the attraction of matter completely outdoes the purely literary attraction. The reader is glad to hear at first hand what men thought of Raleigh's execution ; how Ben Jonson behaved in his cups ; how foreign parts looked to a genuine English traveller early in the seventeenth century, and so forth. Moreover, the book was long a very popular one, and an unusual number of anecdotes and scraps passed from it into the general literary stock of English writers. But Howell's manner of tefling his stories is not extraordinarily attractive, and has something self-conscious and artificial about it which detracts from its interest. G. Saintsbury, Elizabethan Literature (1887), p. 441. Epistolce Ho-Eliance : FAMILIAR LETTERS DoMESTicK and Foreign, Divided into Four BOOKS : r Historical, Partly \ Political, ( Philosophical: Upon Emergent Occasions. By JAMES HOWELL, Esq.; One of the Clerks of his late Majesty's most Honourable Privy Council. Vt clavis portam^ sic pandit Epistola pectus. LONDON: MDCC XXXVII TO HIS MAJESTY. SIR, HESE Letters address d (most of timn) to your best degrees of Subjects, do as so many Lines drawn from the Circum- ference to the Centre, all meet in your Majesty ; who as the Law styles you the Fountain of Honour and Grace, so you shotdd be the Centre of ottr Happiness. If your Majesty vouchsafe them a gracious Aspect, they may all prove Letters of Credit, if not Crede7itial Letters, which Sovereign Princes use only to authorize: They ventitre to go abroad into the vast Ocean of the World as Letters ^Mart, to try their Fortunes; and your Majesty being the greatest LordofS^di under Heaven, is fittest to protect them ; a7id then they will not fear any human Power, Moreover, as this Royal Protection secures them from all danger, so it will infinitely co7iduce to the pros- perity of their Voyage^ and bring them to safe Port with rich Retitrns. Nor 4 The Epistle Dedicatory. Nor would these Letters be so Familiar, as to pre- sume tipon so high a Patroitage^ were not 77tany of thein Records of your own Royal Ac\aov\s: A^id'tis well known, that Letters can treasure up, and trans- mit Matters of State to Posterity, with as much Faith, and be as authentick Registers, and safe Repositories of Truth, as any Story whatsoever, This brings theni to lie prostrate at your Feet, with their Author, who is, SIR, Your Majesty's most Loyal Subject and Servant, J, HOWELL. The The VotCy or a Poem-Royal, PRESENTED To His Majesty for a New-Year' s-Gift^ by way of Discourse betwixt the Poet and his Muse, Calendis fanuarii, 1641. P O E M A. HE World's bright Eye, Time's measurer, begun Through wat'ry Capricorn his Course to run ; Old Janiis hasten'd on, his Temples bound With Ivy, his grey Hairs with Holly crown'd : When in a serious quest my Thoughts did muse What Gift, as best becoming, I should chuse To Britain's Monarch (my dread Sov'reign) bring, Which might supply a New- Year's Offering. I rummag'd all my Stores, and search'd my Cells, Where nought appear'd, God-wot, but Bagatels : No far-fetch'd India7i Gem cut out of Rock, Or fish'd in Shells, were trusted under Lock ; No Piece which Angela's strong Fancy hit, Or Titian's Pencil or rare Hillyard^s Wit ; No Ermines, or black Sables, no such Skins, As the grim Tartar hunts or takes in Gins ; No 6 A Poem-Royal, No Medals, or rich Stuff of Tyriaii Dye ; No costly Bowls of frosted Argentry ; No curious Landskip, or some Marble Piece Digg'd up in Delphos, or elsewhere in Greece; No Roman Perfumes, Buffs, or Cordovans, Made drunk with Amber by Moreno's Hands \ No Arras or rich Carpets freighted o'er The surging Seas, from Asia's doubtful Shore ; No Lion's Cub, or Beast of strange Aspect, Which in Nuinidia's fiery Womb had slept ; No old Toledo Blades, or Damaskins ; No Pistols, or some rare-spring Carabines ; No Spanish Gennet, or choice Stallion sent From Naples, or hot Afrids Continent : In fine, I nothing found, I could descry Worthy the Hands of Ccesar, or his Eye. My Wits were at a stand, when, lo, my Muse (None of the Choir, but such as they do use For Laundresses or Handmaids of mean Rank, I knew sometimes on Po and Isis Bank) Did softly buz, MUSE, Then let me something bring, May handsel the New- Year to CHARLES my King, May usher in bifronted Janus POET, Thou fond fool-hardy Muse, thou silly Thing, Which 'mongst the Shrubs and Reeds do'st use to sing ; Dar'st thou perk up, and the tall Cedar climb, And venture on a King with gingling Rhyme ? The' all thy Words were Pearls, thy Letters Gold, And cut in Rubies, or cast in a Mould Presented by His Majesty. 7 Of Diamonds ; yet still thy Lines would be Too mean a Gift for such a Majesty. MUSE, I'll try and hope to pass without Disdain, In New- Year-Gifts^ the Mind stands for the Main. The Sophy, finding 'twas well meant, did deign Few Drops of running Water from a Swain : Then sure 'twill please my Liege, if I him bring Some gentle Drops from the Castalian Spring ; Tho' Rarities I want of such Account, Yet have I something on the forked Mount. 'Tis not the first, or third Access I made To Ccesai^s Feet, and thence departed glad. For as the Sun with his Male Heat doth render Nile's muddy Slime fruitful, and apt t' engender, And daily to produce new kind of Creatures, Of various Shapes, and thousand differing Features ; So is my Fancy quicken'd by the Glance Of his benign Aspect and Countenance ; It makes me pregnant and to superfete ; Such is the Vigor of his Beams and Heat. Once in a Vocal Forest I did sing, And made the Oak to stand for CHARLES my King : The best of Trees, whereof (it is no vaunt) The greatest Schools of Europe sing and chant. There you also shall find Dame * ARHETINE, Great Henry's Daughter, and Great Britain^ s Queen, Her Name engraved in a Laurel-Tree, And so transmitted to Eternity. For nov/ I hear that Grove speaks, besides mine, The language of the Loire ^ the Po and Rhine ; * Id est, Virtuous^ Anagram t?/ Henrietta. And 8 A Poem-Royal, And to my Prince (my sweet black Frhice) of late, I did a youthful Subject dedicate. Nor do I doubt but that in time my Trees Will yield me Fruit to pay Apollo's Fees ; To offer up whole Hecatombs of Praise To CcBsar, if on them he casts his Rays : And if my Lamp have Oil, I may compile The Moder?i Annals of Great AlbMs Isle ; To vindicate the Truth of CHARLES'S Reign, From scribling Pam.phleteers, who Story stain With loose imperfect passages, and thrust Lame things upon the World, ta'en up in trust. I have had Audience (in another Strain) Of Europe^ s greatest Kings ; when German Main, And the Cantabrian Waves I cross'd, I drank Of Tagus, Seine, and sat at Tyber's Bank : Thro' Scylla and Chary bdis I have steer'd, Where restless yEtna^s belching Flames appear'd. By Greece, once Pallas^ Garden, then I pass'd. Now all spread o'er with ignorance and waste ; Nor hath fair Europe, her vast Bounds throughout, An Academy of Note I found not out. But now I hope, in a successful prore, The Fates have fix'd me on sweet England's Shore ; And by these various Wandrings true I found. Earth is our common Mother, ev'ry Ground May be one's Country : For by Birth each Man Is in this World a Cosmopolitan, A free-born Burgess, and receives thereby His Denization from Nativity : Nor is this lower World but a huge Inn, And Men the rambling Passengers, wherein Some do warm Lodgings find, and that as soon As out of Nature's Closets they see Noon, And Presented by His Majesty. 9 And find the Table ready laid ; but some Must for their Commons trot, and trudge, for Room : With easy Pace some climb Promotion! s Hill, Some in the Dale, do what they can, stick still ; Some through false Glasses, Fortune smiling spy, Who still keeps off, tho' she appears hard by ; Some like the Ostrich with their Wings do flutter, But cannot fly or soar above the Gutter : Some quickly fetch, and double Good- Hopes Cape ; Some ne'er can do't, tho' the same course they shape. So that poor Mortals are so many Balls Toss'd some o'er Line, some under Fortune's Walls. And it is Heav'n's high Pleasure, Man should lie Obnoxious to his Partiality, That by industrious ways he should contend Nature's short pittance to improve and mend : Now, Industry ne'er fail'd at last t' advance Her patient Sons above the reach of Chance. POET. But whither rov'st thou thus ? Well ; since I see thou art so strongly bent, And of a gracious Look so confident, Go and throw down thyself at Ccesat^s Feet, And in thy best Attire thy Sov'reign greet. Go, an auspicious and most blissful Year Wish him, as e'er shin'd o'er this Hemisphere. Good may the Entrance, better the Middle be, And the Conclusion best of all the Three : Of Joy ungrudg'd may each Day be a Debtor, And ev'ry Morn still usher in a better ; May the soft gliding Nones, and ev'ry Ide, With all the Calends still some good betide ; May Cynthia with kind Looks, and Phoebus' Rays, One clear his Nights, the other gild his Days ; lO A Poem-Royal, Free Limbs, unphysick'd Health, due Appetite, Which no Sauce else but Hunger may excite : Sound Sleeps, green Dreams be his, which represent Symptoms of Health, and the next day's content ; Chearful and vacant Thoughts, not always bound To Counsel, or in deep Ideas drown'd, (Tho' such late Traverses, and Tumults might Turn to a Lump of Care, the airest Wight) And since while fragile Flesh doth us array, The Humours still are combating for sway, (Which were they free from this reluctancy, And counterpois'd, Man would immortal be) May Sanguine o'er the rest predominate In him, and their malignant Flux abate. May his great Queen, in whose imperious Eye Reigns such a world of winning Majesty, Like the rich Olive or Falernian Vine, Swell with more Gerjis of Cyons masculine : And as her Fruit sprung from the Rose and Luce, (The best of Stems Earth yet did e'er produce) Is tied already by a sanguine Lace, To all the Kings of Europe's high-born Race ; So may they shoot their youthful Branches o'er The surging Seas, and graff with every shore. May Home-commerce and Trade increase from far. Till both the Indies meet within his bar, And bring in Mounts of Coin his Mint to feed, And Banquers ( Traffi(^s chief supporters) breed, Which may enrich his Kingdom, Court, and Town, And ballast still the Coffers of the Crown \ For Kingdoms are as Ships, the Prince his Chests The Ballast, which if empty, when distress'd With Storms, their Holds are lightly trimm'd, the Keel Can run no steedy Course, but toss and reel : May Presented to His Majesty. ii May his Imperial Chamber always ply To his Desires her Wealth to multiply, That she may praise his Royal Favour more, Than all the Wares fetch'd from the Great Mogor. May the Grand Senate,"^ with the Subjects Right, Put in the counter-scale the Regal Might, The Flow'rs o' th' Crown, that they may prop each other, And like the Grecians Twin, live, love together. For the chief Glory of a People is. The Power of their King, as theirs is his : May he be still within himself at Home, That no just Passion make the Reason roam ; Yet Passions have their turns to rouse the Soul, And stir her slumb'ring Spirits, not controul : For as the Ocean, besides Ebb and Flood, (Which t Nature's greatest Clerk ne'er understood) Is not for Sail, if an impregning Wind Fill not the flagging Canvas ) so a Mind Too calm is not for Action, if Desire Heats not itself at Passion's quick'ning Fire : For Nature is allow'd sometimes to muster Her Passions, so they only blow, not bluster. May Justice still in her true Scales appear. And Honour fix'd in no unworthy Sphere ; Unto whose Palace all Access should have Through Virtue's Temple, not through Plutds Cave. May his true Subjects' Hearts be his chief Fort, Their Purse his Treasure, and their Love his Port, Their Prayers as sweet Incense, to draw down Myriads of Blessings on his Queen and Crown. And now that his glad Presence did asswage That fearful Tempest in the North did rage. * The Parliamenl. t Hippocrates. May 12 A Poem-Royal, Presented to His Majesty. May those Frog Vapours in the Irish Sky Be scatter'd by the Beams of Majesty ; That the Hyhernian Lyre give such a Sound, May on our Coasts with joyful Echoes bound. And when this fatal Planet leaves to lour, Which too too long on Monarchies doth pour His direful Influence, may Peace once more Descend from Heav'n upon our tottering Shore, And ride in Triumph both in Land and Main, And with her Milk-white Steeds draw Charles his Wain ; That so, for those Saturnian Times of old, An Age of Pearl may come in lieu of Gold. Virtue still guide his Course ; and if there be A Thing as Fortune, him accompany. May no ill Genius haunt him, but by's side The best protecting Angel ever bide. May he go on to Vindicate the Right Of holy Things, and make the Temple bright, To keep that Faith, that sacred Truth entire, Which he receiv'd from Solo?no?i * his Sire. And since we all must hence, by th' Iron Decree Stamp'd in the black Records of Destiny, Late may his Life, his Glory ne'er wear out, Till the great Year of Fiafo wheel about. So prayeih, The worst of Poets ^ to The best of Princes^ yet The most Loyal of His Votaries and Vassals^ James Howell. * King lames. To the knowing Reader touching Familiar Letters. OVE is the Life of Friendship, Letters are The Life of Love, the Loadstones that by rare Attraction make Souls meet, and melt, and mix, As when by Fire exalted Gold we fix. They are those wing'd Postilions that can fly From the Antarctick to the Arctic Sky, The Heralds and swift Harbingers that move From East to West, on Embassies of Love ; They can the Tropics cut, and cross the Line^ And swim from Ganges to the Rhone or Rhine, From Thames to Tagus, thence to Tyber run, And terminate their Journey with the Sun. They can the Cabinets of Kings unscrue, And hardest Intricacies of State undue ; They can the Tartar tell, what the Mogor, Or the Great TurJz doth on the Asian Shore : The Knez of them may know what Prester John Doth with his Camels in the torrid Zone ; Which made the Indian Inca think they were Spirits, who in white Sheets the Air did tear. The lucky Goose sav'd Jove's beleagred Hill, Once by her Noise, but oftner by her Quill : It twice prevented. Pome was not o'er-run By the tough Vandal, and the rough-hewn Hun. Letters can Plots, tho' moulder'd under Ground, Disclose, and their fell Complices confound ; Witness 14 To THE Knowing Reader Witness that fiery Pile^ which would have blown Up to the Clouds, Prince, People, Peers and Town, Tribunals, Church, and Chapel ; and had dry'd The Thames, tho' swelling in her highest Pride, And parboil'd the poor Fish, which from her Sands Had been toss'd up to the adjoining Lands. Lawyers, as Vultures, had soar'd up and down ; Prelates, like Magpies, in the Air had flown, Had not the Eagle's Letter brought to Light That subterranean horrid Work of Night. Credential Letters, States and Kingdoms tie, And Monarchs knit in Leagues of Amity ; They are those golden Links that do enchain Whole Nations, tho' discinded by the Main ; They are the Soul of Trade, they make Commerce Expand itself throughout the Universe. Letters may more than History inclose The choicest Learning both for Verse and Prose : They Knowledge can unto our Souls display. By a more gentle, and familiar way ; The highest Points of State and Policy, The most severe Parts of Philosophy May be their Subject, and their Themes enrich. As well as private Businesses, in which Friends use to correspond, and Kindred greet, Merchants negotiat, and the whole World meet. In Seneca's rich Letters is enshrin'd Whate'er the ancient Sages left behind : Tully makes his the secret Symptoms tell Of those Distempers which proud Fome befel ; When in her highest Flourish she would make Her Tyber from the Ocean Homage take. Great A?ito7iine the Emperor did gain More Glory by his Letters than his Reign : Touching Familiar Letters. 15 His Pen out-lasts his Pike^ each golden Line In his Epistles doth his Name enshrine. Aiirelius by his Letters did the same, And they in chief immortalise his Fame. Words vanish soon, and Vapour into Air, While Letters on Record stand fresh and fair ; And tell our Nephews who to us were dear. Who our choice Friends, who our Familiars were. The bashful Lover, when his stammering Lips Falter, and fear some unadvised Slips, May boldly court his Mistress with the Quill, And his hot Passions to her Breast instil : The Pen can furrow a fond Female's Heart, And pierce it more than Cupid'?, feigned Dart : Lette7's a kind of Magic Virtue have, And like strong Philtres human Souls enslave. Speech is the Lndex^ Letters Ideas are Of the informing Soul ; they can declare, And shew the inward Man, as we behold A Face reflecting in a Crystal Mould ; They serve the Dead and Living, they become Attorneys and Administers in some. Letters^ like Gordian Knots, do Nations tie, Else all Commerce, and Love, 'twixt Men would die. 7. H. Epistolae Ho-Elianae. jTamiUar ^ittttvs. Book i. — Section I. I. To Sir J. S. al Leeds- Castle. Sir, T was a quaint Difference the Ancients did put ^twixt a Letter and an Ora- tio?i ; that the one should be attired like a Woman, the other like a Man : the latter of the two is allowed large side Robes, as long Periods, Paren- theses, Similes, Examples, and other Parts of Rhetorical Flourishes: But a Letter or Epistle should be short-coated, and closely couched ; a Hungerlin becomes a Letter more hand- somely than a Gown : Indeed we should write as we speak ; and that's a true familiar Letter which expresseth one's Mind, as if he were discoursing with the Party to whom he writes, in succinct and short Terms. The Tongiie, and the Pen, are both of them Interpreters of the Mind ; but I hold the Pen to be the more faithful of the two : The Tongue in udo posita, being seated in a moist slippery Place, may fail and faulter in her sudden extemporal Expressions ; B but i8 Familiar Letters. Book L but the Fen having a greater advantage of Premeditation, is not so subject to error, and leaves things behind it upon firm and authentic record. Now, Letters^ tho' they be capable of any Subject, yet commonlv they are either Narratory, Ohjurgatory, Consolatory, Monitory, or Con- gratulatory. The first consists of Relations, the second of Reprehensions, the third of Comfort, the two last of Counsel and Joy : There are some, who in lieu of Letters, write Homilies; they preach, when they should epistolize: There are others that turn them to tedious Tractats : This is to make Letters degenerate from their true Nature. Some modern Authors there are who have exposed their Letters to the World, but most of them, I mean among your Latin Epistolizers, go freighted with mere Bartholomeiv Ware, with trite and trivial Phrases only, listed with pedantic Shreds of School-boy Verses. Others there are among our next transmarine Neighbours Eastward, who write in their own Language, but their Style is soft and easy, that their Letters may be said to be like Bodies of loose Flesh without Sinews, they have neither Joints of Art nor Arteries in them ; they have a kind of simpering and lank hectic Expressions made up of a Bombast of Words, and finical aflfected Com- pliments only: I cannot well away with such sleazy Stuff, with such Cobweb-compositions, where there is no Strength of Matter, nothing for the Reader to carry away u^ith him, that mav enlarge the Notions of his Soul. One shall hardly find an Apothegm, Example, Simile, or anything of Philo- sophy, History, or solid Knowledge, or as much as one new created Phrase, in a hundred of them : and to draw any Observations out of them, were as if one went about to distill Cream out of Froth ; insomuch, that it may be said of them, what was said of the Echo, That she is a mere Sound and nothing else. I return you your Balzac by this Bearer : and when I found those Letters, wherein he is so familiar with his King, so fiat ; and those to Richlieu, so puffed with pro- phane Hyperboles, and larded up and down with such gross Flatteries, Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 19 Flatteries, with others, besides, which he sends as Urinals up and down the World to look into his Water for discovery of the crazy Condition of his Body, T forbore him further. So I am — Your most most affectionate Servitor, J. H. West in in.^ 25 Jtily 1625. IT. To my Father upon my first going beyond Sea. Sir, I SHOULD be much wanting to myself, and to that Obli- gation of Duty, the Law of God, and his Handmaid Nature, hath imposed upon me, if I should not aquaint you with the Course and Quality of my Affairs and Fortunes, especially at this time, that I am upon point of crossing the Seas to eat my bread abroad. Nor is it the common Relation of a Son that only induced me hereunto, but that most indulgent and costly Care you have been pleased (in so extraordinary a manner) to have had of my Breeding (tho' but one Child of fifteen) by placing me in a choice methodi- cal School (so far distant from your Dwelling) under a learned (tho' lashing) Master ; and by transplanting me thence to Oxford, to be graduated; and so holding me still up by the Chin until I could swim without Bladders. This Patrimony of liberal Education you have been pleased to endow me withal, I now carry along with me abroad, as a sure inseparable Treasure; nor do I feel it any Burden or Incumbrance unto me at all : And what Danger soever, my Person, or other things I have about me, do incur, yet I do not fear the losing of this, either by Shipwreck, or Pirates at Sea, nor by Robbers, or Fire, or any other Casualty on shore : and at my Return to England, I hope at least-wise I shall do my endeavour, that you may find this Patrimony improved somewhat to your Comfort. The main of my Employment is from that gallant Knight Sir Robert Mansell, who, with my Lord of Pembroke, and divers others of the prime Lords of the Court, have got the sole Patent of making all sorts of Glass with Pit-coal, only 20 Familiar Letters. Book L only to save those huge Proportions of Wood which were consumed formerly in the Glass Furnaces : And this Business being of that nature, that the Workmen are to be had from Italy J and the chief Materials from Spain, France , and other foreign Countries ; there is need of an Agent abroad for this Use ; (and better than I have offered their service in this kind) so that I believe I shall have employment in all these Countries before I return. Had I continued still Steward of the Glass-house in Broad-street, where Captain Francis Bacon hath succeeded me, I should in a short time have melted away to nothing amongst those hot Venetians, finding my self too green for such a Charge ; therefore it hath pleased God to dispose of me now to a condition more suitable to my Years, and that will, I hope, prove more advantageous to my future Fortunes. In this my Peregrination, if I happen, by some accident, to be disappointed of that allowance I am to subsist by, I must make my address to you, for I have no other Rendez- vous to flee unto ; but it shall not be, unless in case of great indigence. Touching the News of the Time : Sir George Filliers, the new Favourite, tapers up apace, and grows strong at Court: His Predecessor the Earl of Somerset hath got a Lease of 90 years for his Life, and so hath his Articulate Lady, called so, for articling against the frigidity and impotence of her former Lord. She was afraid that Coke the Lord Chief Justice (who had used such extraordinary art and industry in discovering all the circumstances of the poisoning of Overbury) would have made white Broth of them, but that the Prerogative kept them from the Pot : yet the subservient Instruments, the lesser Flies could not break thorow, but lay entangled in the Cobweb ; amongst others Mistress Turner, the first inventress oi yellow Starch, was executed in a Cobweb Lawn RufF of that colour at Tyburn; and with her I believe that yellow Starch, which so much disfigured our Nation, and rendered them so ridicu- lous Sect, I. Familiar Letters. loiis and fantastic, will receive its Funeral. Sir Gervas Elways, Lieut, of the Tower, was made a notable Example of Justice and Terror to all Officers of Trust : for being accessory, and that in a passive way only, to the murder, yet he was hangM on Tower-hill : and the Caveat is very remarkable which he gave upon the Gallows, That People should be very cautious how they make Vows to Heaven, for the breach of them seldom passes without a Judgment, whereof he was a most ruthful Example; for being in the Low Countries, and much given to Gaming, he once made a solemn Vow, (which he brake afterwards) that if he played above such a Sum, he might he hanged. My Lord {William) of Pembroke did a most noble Act, like himself; for the King having given him all Sir Gervas Elways\s Estate, which came to above a thousand pound per An., he freely bestowed it on the Widow and her Children. The latter end of this Week I am to go a Ship-board, and first for the Low Countries. I humbly pray your Blessing may accompany me in these my Travels by Land and Sea, with a continuance of your Prayers, which will be as so many good Gales to blow me to safe Port ; for I have been taught. That the Parents^ Benedictions contribute very much, and have a kind of Prophetic Virtue to make the Child prosperous. Li this opinion I shall ever rest — Your dutiful Son, J. H. Broad Street^ London^ i March i6iS. III. To Dr. Francis Mansell, si?ice Principal of Jesus College in Oxford. Sir, BEING to take leave of England, and to launch out into the World abroad, to breathe foreign Air a while, I thought it very handsome, and an Act well becoming me, to take my leave also of you, and of my dearly honoured Mother Oxford: Otherwise both of you might have just grounds 22 Familiar Letters. Book I. grounds to exhibit a Bill of Complaint, or rather a Protest against me, and cry me up; You for a forgetful Friend; She for an ungrateful Son, if not some spurious Issue. To prevent this, I salute you both together: You with the best of my most candid affections; Her with my most dutiful observ^ance, and thankfulness for the Milk she pleased to give me in that Exuberance, had I taken it in that measure she offered it me while I slept in her lap : yet that little I have sucked, I carry with me now abroad, and hope that this course of Life will help to concoct it to a greater advantage, having opportunity, by the nature of my employ- ment, to study Men as well as Books. The small time I supervised the Glass-house, I got among those Fenetians some smatterings of the Italiau Tongue, which besides the little I have, you know, of School-language , is all the Preparatives I have made for travel. I am to go this week down to Gravesejidy and so embark for Holland. I have got a warrant from the Lords of the Council to travel for three years any where, Rome and St. Omers excepted. I pray let me retain some room, tho' never so little, in your thoughts, during the time of this our separation ; and let our Souls meet sometimes by intercourse of Letters: I promise you that yours shall receive the best entertainment I can make them, for I love you dearly, dearly well, and value your Friendship at a very high rate. So with appre- ciation of as much happiness to you at home, as I shall desire to accompany me abroad, I rest ever — Your friend to serve you, J. H. London^ 20 March 1618. IV. To Sir James Crofts, Knight, at St. Osith. Sir, I COULD not shake hands with Englarid, without kiss- ing your hands also; and because, in regard of your distance now from London, I cannot do it in person, I send this Paper for my Deputy. The Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 23 The news that keeps greatest noise here now, is the return of Sir Walter Raleigh from his Mine of Gold in Guiajia, the South parts of America^ which at first was hke to be such a hopeful boon Voyage, but it seems that that Golden Mine is proved a mere Chimera, an imaginary airy Mine ; and indeed his Majesty had never any other conceit of it : But what will not one in Captivity (as Sir Walter was) promise, to regain his Freedom? who would not promise, not only Mines, but Mountains of Gold, for Liberty ? and 'tis pity such a knowing well-weigh'd Knight had not had a better Fortune ; for the Destiny (I mean that brave Ship which he built himself of that name, that carry'd him thither) is like to prove a Fatal Destiny to him, and to some of the rest of those gallant Adventurers which con- tributed for the setting forth of thirteen Ships more, who were most of them his Kinsmen and younger Brothers, being led into the said Expedition by a general conceit the World had of the Wisdom of Sir Walter Raleigh; and many of these are like to make Shipwrack of their Estates by this Voyage. Sir Walter landed at Plymouth, whence he thought to make an escape ; and some say he hath tampered with his Body by Physick, to make him look sickly, that he may be the more pitied, and permitted to lie in his own House. Count Gondamar the Spanish Ambassador speaks high language; and sending lately to desire Audience of his Majesty, he said he had but one word to tell him: his Majesty wondring what might be delivered in one word, when he came before him, he said only. Pirates, Pirates, Pirates, and so departed. 'Tis true that he protested against this Voyage before, and that it could not be but for some predatory design : And that if it be as I hear, I fear it will go very ill with Sir Walter, and that Gondamar will never give him over, till he hath his head off his shoulders; which may quickly be done, without any new Arraignment, by virtue of the old Sentence that lies still dormant against him, which he could never get off by Pardon, notwithstanding that he mainly 24 Familiar Letters. Book I. mainly laboured in it before he went : but his Majesty could never be brought to it, for he said he would keep this as a Curb to hold him within the bounds of his Com- mission, and the good behaviour. Gojidainar cries out, that he hath broke the sacred Peace 'twixt the two Kingdoms; That he hath fired and plundered Santo Thoma, a Colony the Spaniards had planted with so much blood, near under the Line, which made it prove such hot service unto him, and where, besides others, he lost his eldest Son in the Action : And could they have preserv'd the Magazine of Tobacco only, besides other things in that Town, something might have been had to countervail the charge of the Voyage. Gondamar alledgeth farther, That the enterprize of the Mine failing, he pro- pounded to the rest of his Fleet to go and intercept some of the Plate Galeons, with other Designs which would have drawn after them apparent Acts of Hostility ; and so demands Justice : besides other Disasters which fell out upon the dashing of the first design. Captain Remish, who was the main instrument for discovery of the mine, pistoled himself in a desperate mood of discontent in his Cabin, in the Cojivertine. This Return of Sir Walter Raleigh from Guiana, puts me in mind of a facetious tale I read lately in Italian (for I have a little of that language already) how Alphonso King of Naples sent a Moor, who had been his Captive a long time, to Barbary, with a considerable sum of money to buy Horses, and return by such a time. Now there was about the King a kind of Buffoon or Jester, who had a Table-book or Journal, wherein he was used to register any absurdity, or impertinence, or merry passage that happened upon the Court. That day the Moor was dispatched for Barbary, the said Jester waiting upon the King at Supper, the King calPd for his Journal, and ask'd what he had observed that day; thereupon he produc'd his Table-book, and among other things, he read how Alphonso King of Naples had sent Beltram the Moor, who had been a long time his Prisoner Sect, I. Familiar Letters. 25 Prisoner^ to Morocco (his own Country) with so many thousand Crowns^ to buy Horses. The King asked him why he inserted that; Because_, said he, I think he will never come back to be a Prisoner again, and so you have lost both Man and Money. But if he do come, then your Jest is marr'd, quoth the King: No, Sir ; for if he return I will blot out your Name, and put him hi for a Fool. The Application is easy and obvious: But the World wonders extremely, that so great a wise Man as Sir Walter Raleigh would return to cast himself upon so inevitable a Rock, as I fear he will ; and much more, that such choice Men, and so great a power of Ships, should all come home and do nothing. The Letter you sent to my Father, I convey'd safely the last week to IVales. I am this v^eek, by God's help, for the Netherlands, and then I think for France. If in this my foreign employment I may be any way serviceable unto you, you know what power you have to dispose of me, for I honour you in a very high degree, and will live and die — Your humble and ready Servant, J. H. London, 28 March 16 18. V. To my Brother, after Dr. Howel, and now Bishop o/" Bristol ; from Amsterdam. Brother, I AM newly landed at Amsterdam, and it is the first foreign Earth I have ever set foot upon. I was pitifully sick all the Voyage, for the Weather was rough, and the Wind untowards ; and at the mouth of the Texel we were surpriz'd by a furious Tempest, so that the Ship v^as like to split upon some of those old stumps of trees vi^herewith that River is full; for in Ages past, as the Skipper told me, there grew a fair Forest in that Channel where the Texel makes now her Bed. Having been so rock'd and shaken at Sea, when I came a-shore, I began to incline 26 Familiar Letters. Book I. incline to Copernims his Opinion, which hath got such a sway lately in the World, viz. That the Earth, as well as the rest of her Fellow-Elements, is in perpetual Motion, for she seemed so to me a good while after I had landed. He that observes the Site and Position of this Country, will never hereafter doubt the Truth of that Philosophical Problem which keeps so great a noise in the Schools, viz. That the Sea is higher than the Earth, because, as I sailed along these Coasts, I visibly found it true; for the Ground here, which is all ^twixt Marsh and Moorish, lies not only level but to the apparent Sight of the Eye far lower than the Sea; which made the Duke of Alva say, That the Inhabitants of this Country were the nearest Neighbours to Hell (the greatest Abyss) of any People upon Earth, because they dwell lowest: Most of that ground they tread, is plucked, as it were, out of the very Jaws of Neptune^ who is afterwards penn'd out by high Dikes, which are preserved with incredible Charge; insomuch that the chief Dike- Grave here, is one of the greatest Officers of Trust in all the Province, it being in his pov/er to turn the whole Country into a Salt-lough when he list, and so to put Hans to swim for his Life; which makes it to be one of the chiefest Parts of his Litany, From the Sea, the Spaniard, and the Devil, the Lord deliver me. I need not tell you who preserves him from the last, but, from the Spaniards, his best Friend is the Sea itself, notwithstanding that he fears him as an Enemy another way : for the Sea stretching himself here into divers Arms, and meeting with some of those fresh Rivers that descend from Germany to disgorge themselves into him through these Provinces, most of their Towns are thereby incompassed with Water, which by Sluices they can con- tract or dilate as they list. This makes their Towns inaccessible, and out of the reach of Cannon; so that IVater mav be said to be one of their best Fences; other- wise I believe they had not been able to have borne up so ong against the gigantic Power of Spain. This City of Amsterdam, though she be a great Staple of News Sect, T. Familiar Letters. 27 News, yet I can impart none unto you at this time, I will defer that till I come to the Hague. I am lodged here at one Mons. de la Cluze, not far from the Exchange, to make an introduction into the French,: because I believe I shall steer my course hence next to the Country where that Language is spoken ; but I think I shall sojourn here about two Months longer, therefore I pray direct your Letters accordingly, or any other you have for me. One of the prime Comforts of a Traveller, is to receive Letters from his Friends ; they beget new Spirits in him, and present joyful Objects to his Fancy, when his Mind is clouded sometimes with Fogs of Melancholy : therefore I pray make me as happy as often as your Conveniency will serve with yours : you may send or deliver them to Captain Bacon at the Glass-House, who will see them safely sent. So, my dear Brother, I pray God bless us both, and send us after this large Distance, a joyful Meeting. — Your loving Brother, J. H. Aj7isterda?n, 1 April 161 7. VL To Dan. Caldwell, Esq. ; froin Amsterdam. My dear Dan, I HAVE made your Friendship so necessary unto me for the contentment of my Life, that Happiness itself would be but a kind of Infelicity without it : It is as need- ful to me, as Fire and Water, as the very Air I take in, and breathe out ; it is to me not only necessiludo, but necessitas: Therefore I pray let me enjoy it in that fair proportion, that I desire to return unto you, by way of correspondence and retaliation. Our first Ligue of Love, you know, was contracted among the Muses in Oxford ; for no sooner was I matriculated to her, but I was adopted to you ; I became her Son, and your Friend, at one time : You know I follow'd you then to London, where our Love receiv'd confirmation in the Temple, and elsewhere. We are now far 1- 28 Familiar Letters. Book 1. far asunder, for no less than a Sea severs us, and that no narrow one, but the German Ocean : Distance sometimes endears Friendship, and Alsence sweetneth it ; it much enhanceth the value of it, and makes it inore precious. Let this be verify'd in us ; let that Love which formerly us'd to be nourish'd by personal communication and the Lips, be now fed by Letters ; let the Pen supply the office of the Tongue : Letters have a strong operation, they have a kind of Art like Embraces to mingle Souls, and make them meet, tho' millions of Paces asunder ; by them we may con- verse, and know how it fares with each other as it were by intercourse of Spirits. Therefore among your civil Specu- lations, I pray let your Thoughts sometimes reflect on me (your absent self) and wrap those Thoughts in Paper, and so send them me over ; I promise you they shall be very welcome, I shall embrace and hug them with my best Affections. Commend me to Tom Bowyer, and enjoin him the like : I pray be no Niggard in distributing my Love plentifully among our Friends at the Inns of Court: Let Jack Tol- dervy have my kind Commends, with this Caveat, That the Pot ivhich goes often to the Water, comes home cracked at last : therefore I hope he will be careful how he makes the Fleece in Cornhill his Thorow-fare too often. So may my dear Daniel live happy and love his J. H. AfHslej'dam, lo April 1619. VII. To my Father, from Amsterdam. Sir, I AM lately arriv'd in Holland in a good plight of Health, and continue yet in this Town of Amsterdam, a Town I believe, that there are few her Fellows, being from a mean Fishing-Dorp, come in a short revolution of time, by a monstrous increase of Commerce and Navigation, to be one of the greatest Marts of Europe : 'Tis admirable to see what various sorts of Buildings, and new Fabricks are now here erecting Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 29 erecting everywhere; not in Houses only^ but in whole Streets and Suburbs; so that 'tis thought she will in a short time double her proportion in bigness. I am lodg'd in a Frenchman s House, who is one of the Deacons of our English Broivnists Church here ; 'tis not far from the Synagogue of Jews, who have free and open exercise of their Religion here : I believe in this Street where I lodge, there be well near as many Religions as there be Houses ; for one Neighbour knows not, nor cares not much what Religion the other is of, so that the number of Conventicles exceed the number of Churches here. And let this country call itself as long as it will, the United Provinces one way, I am persuaded in this point, there's no Place so Disunited. The Dog and Rag-Market is hard by, where every Sunday Morning there is a kind of publick Mart for those Commodities, notwithstanding their precise observance of the Sabbath. Upon Saturday last I happen'd to be in a Gentleman's Company, who shew'd me as I walk'd along in the Streets, a long-bearded old Jew of the Tribe of Aaron : when the other Jews m^t him, they fell down, and kissM his Foot: This was that Rabbi, with whom our Countryman Brough- ton had such a Dispute. This City, notwithstanding her huge Trade, is far inferior to London iov populousness ; and this I infer out of their weekly Bills of Mortality, which come not at most but to fifty or thereabout ; whereas in London, the ordinary number is betwixt two or three hundred, one Week with another : Nor are there such wealthy Men in this Town as in London; for by reason of the generality of Commerce, the Banks, Adventures, the common Shares and Stocks which most have in the Indian and other Companies, the Wealth doth diffuse itself here in a strange kind of Equality, not one of the Burghers being exceeding rich, or exceeding poor: Insomuch, that I believe our four and twenty Alder- men may buy a hundred of the richest Men in Amsterdam. It r 30 Familiar Letters. Book I. It is a rare thing to meet with a Beggar here, as rare as to see a Horse, they say, upon the Streets of Venice ; and this is held to be one of their best pieces of Government : for besides the strictness of their Laws against Mendicants, they have Hospitals of all sorts for young and old, both for the relief of the one, and the employment of the other; so that there is no Object here to exercise any Act of Charity upon. They are here very neat, tho' not so magnificent in their Buildings, especially in their Frontispieces and first Rooms ; and for Cleanliness, they may serve for a Pattern to all People. They will presently dress half a dozen Dishes of Meat, without any noise or shew at all : for if one goes to the Kitchen, there will be scarce appearance of anything but a few cover'd Pots upon a Turf Fire, which is their prime Fuel ; after Dinner they fall a scouring of those Pots, so that the outside will be as bright as the inside, and the Kitchen suddenly so clean, as if no Meat had been dress'd there a Month before. They have neither Well or Fountain, or any Spring of fresh Water, in or about all this City, but their fresh Water is brought to them by Boats; besides, they have Cisterns to receive the Rain-water, which they much use : so that my Landress bringing my Linen to me one dav, and I commending the whiteness of them, she answer'd, That they must needs be white and fair, for they were washed in Aqua Coelestis, meaning Sky-water. ^Twere cheap living here, were it not for the monstrous Excises which are impos'd upon all sorts of Commodities, both for Belly and Back ; for the Retailer pays the States almost the one Moiety as much as he paid for the Com- modity at first : nor doth any murmur at it, because it goes not to any Favourite or private Purse, but to preserve them from the Spaniard^ their common Enemy, as they term him ; so that the Saying is truly verifyM here. Defend me, and spend me. With this Excise principally, they maintain all their Armies by Sea and Land, with their Garisons at home and abroad, both here and in the Indies ; and defray all other publick Charges besides. I Sect. I. 31 I shall hence shortly for France, and in my way take most of the prime Towns of Holland and Zealand, especially Leyden (the University) where I shall sojourn some days. So humbly craving a continuance of your Blessing ""and Prayers, I rest — Your dutiful Son, J. H. I May 1619. VIII. To Br. Tho. Prichard, at Jesus College in Oxford ; from Leyden. Sir, IT is the Royal Prerogative of Love, not to be confin'd to that small local compass which circumscribes the Body, but to make his Sallies and Progresses abroad, to find out and enjoy his desir'd Object, under what Region soever : Nor is it the vast Gulph of Neptune, or any distance of Place, or difference of Clime, can bar him of this Privilege. I never found the Experiment hereof so sensibly, nor felt the Comfort of it so much, as since I shook hands with Ejigland: For tho' you be in Oxford, and I at Leyden; albeit you be upon an Island, and I now upon the Conti- nent, (tho' the lowest part of Europe) yet those swift Postilions, my Thoughts, find you out daily, and bring you unto me : I behold you often in my Chamber, and in my Bed; you eat, you drink, you sit down, and walk with me; and my Fantasy enjoys you often in my Sleep, when all my Senses are lock'd up, and my Soul wanders up and down the World, sometimes thro' pleasant Fields and Gardens, sometimes thro' odd uncouth Places, over Mountains and broken confus'd Buildings. As my love to you doth thus exercise his power, so I desire yours to me may not be idle, but rouz'd up sometimes to find me out, and summon me to attend you in Jesus College. I am now here in Leyden, the only Academy besides Franeker of all the United Provinces : Here are Nations of all sorts, but the Germans swarm more than any. To com- pare 32 Familiar Letters. Book I, pare their University to yours, were to cast New-Inn in coLinterscale with Christ-Church College, or the Alms- houses on Toiuer-hill to Sutto?is Hospital. Here are no Colleges at all, God-wot, (but one for the Dntch) nor scarce the face of an University, only there are general Schools where the Sciences are read by several Professors, but all the Students are Gppidanes: A small Time and less Learning will suffice to make one a Graduate; nor are those For- malities of Habits, and other Decencies here, as with you, much less those Exhibitions and Supports for Scholars, with other Encouragements ; insomuch, that the Oxonians and Cantahrigia7is Bona si sua norint, were they sensible of their own Felicity, are the happiest Jlcademians on Earth: yet Apollo hath a strong influence here; and as Cicero said of them of Athens, Athenis pingue caelum, tenuia inge?iia, The Athenians had a thick Air, and thin Wits; so I may say of these Lugdunensians , They have a gross Air, but thin subtle Wits, (some of them) witness also Heinsius, Grotius, Arminiiis, and Baudius. Of the two last I was told a Tale, that Armnims meeting Baudius one Day disguis'd with Drink (wherewith he would be often) he told him, Tu Baudi dedecoras nostram Academiam ; ^ tu Armini nostram Religionem : Thou Baudius disgracest our University, and thou Arminius our Religion. The Heaven here has always some Cloud in his Countenance, and from this grossness and spissitude of Air proceeds the slow nature of the Inhabi- tants ; yet this slowness is recompens'd with another Benefit, it makes them patient and constant, as in all other Actions, so in their Studies and Speculations, tho' they use Crassos transire Dies, lucemque paliistrem. I pray impart my Love liberally amongst my Friends in Oxford, and when you can make Truce with your more serious Meditations, bestow a Thought drawn into a few Lines upon — Yours, J. H. Ley den, 3 May 16 19. IX. Sect, I. Familiar Letters. 33 IX. To Mr. Richard Altham, at his Chamber in Grays-Inn. Dear Sir, THO' you be now a good way out of my Reach, yet you are not out of my Remembrance ; you are still within the Horizon of my Love. Now the Horizon of Love is large and spacious, it is as boundless as that of the Imagination ; and where the Imagination rangeth, the Memory is still busy to usher in, and present the desired Object it fixes upon : It is Love that sets them both on work, and may be said to be the highest Sphere whence they receive their motion. Thus you appear to me often in these foreign Travels; and that you may believe me the better, I send you these Lines as my Ambassadors (and Ambassadors must not lye) to inform you accordingly, and to salute you. I desire to know how you like Plowden : I heard it often said, that there's no Study requires Patience and Constancy more than the Common Law ; for it is a good while before one comes to any known Perfection in it, and consequently to any gainful Practice. This (I think) made Jack Chaundler throw away his Littleton^ like him that, when he could not catch the Hare, said, A pox upon her, she is hut dry tough Meat ; let her go : It is not so with you, for I know you are of that disposition, that when you mind a thing, nothing can frighten you in making constant pursuit after it, till you have obtain'd it : For if the Mathematics, with their crabbedness and intricacy^ could not deter you, but that you waded thro' the very midst of them, and arriv'd to so excellent a Perfection; I believe it is not in the power of Plowden to dastardize or cow your Spirits, until you have overcome him, at leastwise have so much of him as will serve your turn. I know you were always a quick and pressing Disputant in Logic and Philosophy ; which makes me think your Genius is fit for Law, (as the Baron your excellent Father was) for a good Logician makes always a c good 34 Familiar Letters. Book I. good Lawyer : And hereby one mav give a strong con- jecture of the aptness or inaptitude of one's capacity to that Study and Profession ; and you know as well as 1, that Logicians, who went under the name of Sophist ers, were the first Lawyers that ever were. I shall be upon uncertain removes hence^ until I come to Roue?i in France, and there I mean to cast Anchor a good while ; I shall expect your Letters there with im- patience. I pray present my Service to Sir James Altham, and to my good Lady your Mother, with the rest to whom it is due in Bisliopsgate-streel, and elsewhere: So I am — Yours in the best degree of friendship, J. H. Hague, 30 May 1619. X. To Sir James Crofts, /rom the Hague. Sir, THE same observance that a Father may challenge of his Child, the like you may claim of me, in regard of the extraordinary care you have been pleas'd to have always, since I had the happiness to know you, of the course of my Fortunes. I am now newly come to the Hague, the Court of the six (and almost seven) Confederated Provinces; the Council of State, with the Prince of Orange, makes his firm Re- sidence here, unless he be upon a March, and in motion for some design abroad. This Prince {Maurice) was cast in a Mould suitable to the temper of this People : He is slow and full of wariness, and not without a mixture of Fear; I do not mean a pusillanimous but politick Fear: he is the most constant in the quotidian course and carriage of his Life, of any that I have ever heard or read of ; for whosoever knows the customs of the Prince of Orange, may tell what he is doing here every hour of the day, tho' he be in Constantinople, In the Morning he awakes about six in Summer, and seven in Winter; the first thing he does, he sends one of his Grooms or Pages to see how the Wind sits. Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 35 sits^ and he wears or leaves off his Wastecoat accordingly ; then he is about an hour dressing himself, and about a quarter of an hour in his Closet: Then comes in the Secretary, and if he hath any private or public Letters to write, or any other Dispatches to make, he does it before he stirs from his Chamber; then comes he abroad, and goes to his Stables, if it be no Sermon-day, to see some of his Gentlemen or Pages (of whose Breeding he is very care- ful) ride the great Horse : He is very accessible to any that hath Business with him, and sheweth a winning kind of Familiarity, for he will shake Hands with the meanest Boor of the Country, and he seldom hears any Commander or Gentleman with his Hat on : He dines punctually about twelve, and his Table is free for all Comers, but none under the degree of a Captain uses to sit down at it : After Dinner he stays in the Room a good while, and then any one may accost him, and tell his Tale; then he retires to his Chamber, where he answers all Petitions that were deliver'd him in the Morning ; and towards the Evening, if he goes not to Council,, which is seldom, he goes either to make some Visits, or to take the Air abroad. And according to this constant Method he passes his Life. There are great stirs like to arise 'twixt the Bohemians and the elected King the Emperor ; and they are come already to that height, that they consult of deposing him, and to chuse some Protestant Prince to be their King. Some talk of the Duke of Saxony, others of the Palsgrave ; I believe the States here would rather be for the latter, in regard of conformity of Religion, the other being a Lutheran. I could not find in Amsterdam a large Ortelius in French to send you ; but from Antwerp I will not fail to serve you. So wishing you all happiness and health, and that the Sun may make many progresses thro' the Zodiac, before those comely gray Hairs of yours go to the Grave, I rest — Your very humble Servant, J. H. 3 June 1 619. xr. 36 Familiar Letters. Book I. XL To Captain Francis Bacon^ at the Glass-House in Broad-street. Sir, MY last to you was from Amsterdam, since which time I have travers'd the prime parts of the United Provinces ; and I am now in Zealand, being newly come to this Town of Middleborough, which is much crestfallen since the Staple of English Cloth was remov'd hence, as is Flishing also, her next Neighbour, since the departure of the English Garison. A good intelligent Gentleman told me the manner how Flishing and the Brill, our two cau- tionary Towns here, were redeemed, which were thus : The nine hundred and odd Soldiers at Flishing, and the Ram- makins hard by, being many Weeks without their Pay, they borrovv'd divers Sums of Money of the States of this Town, who finding no Hopes of Supplies from England, Advice was sent to the States- Ge?ieral at the Hague; they consulting with Sir Ralph JVinivood, our Ambassador (who was a favourable Instrument to them in this Business, as also in the Match with the Palsgrave) sent Instructions to the Lord Caroon, to acquaint the Earl of Suffolk (then Lord Treasurer) herewith ; and in ca?e they could find no Satis- faction there, to make his Address to the King himself, which Caroon did. His Majesty being much incens'd that his Subjects and Soldiers should starve for want of their Pay in a foreign Country, sent for the Lord Treasurer, who drawing his Majesty aside, and telling how empty his Exchegiier was, his Majesty told the Ambassador, that if his Masters the States would pay the Money they owM him upon those Towns, he would deliver them up. The Ambassador returning the next day, to know whether his Majesty persisted in the same Resolution, in regard that at his former Audience he perceived him to be a little transported ; his Majesty answered, that he knew the States of Holland to be his good Friends and Confederates, both in Sect. 1. Familiar Letters. 37 ill point of Religion and Policy ; therefore he apprehended not the least fear of any difference that should fall out between them_, in contemplation whereof, if they desired to have their Towns again, he would willingly surrender them. Hereupon the States made up the Sum presently, which came in convenient time, for it serv'd to defray the expenceful Progress he made to Scotland the Summer fol- lowing. When that Money was lent by Queen Elizabeth, it was articled, that Interest should be paid upon Interest ; and besides, that for every Gentleman who should lose his Life in the States Service, they should make good five Pounds to the Crown of England: All this his Majesty remitted, and only took the Principal ; and this was done in requital of that Princely Entertainment, and great Presents, which my Lady Elizaheth had receiv'd in divers of their Towns as she passM to Heidelberg, The Bearer hereof is Sig. Antonio Miotti, who was Master of a Crystal-Glass Furnace here a long time; and as I have it by good Intelligence, he is one of the ablest and most knowing Men for the guidance of a Glass- Work in Christendom : therefore, according to my Instructions, I send him over, and hope to have done Sir Robert good Service thereby. So with my kind Respects unto you, and my most humble Service where you know it is due, I rest — Your affectionate Servant, J. H. 6 June 1619. XII. To Sir James Crofts, yrom Antwerp. Sir, I PRESUME that my last to you from the Hague came safe to hand : I am now come to a more chearful Country, and amongst a People somewhat more vigorous and metal'd, being not so heavy as the Hollander, or homely as they of Zealand. This goodly ancient City methinks looks like a disconsolate Widow, or rather some super- annuated Virgin, that hath lost her Lover, being almost quite r 38 Familiar Letters. Book L quite bereft of that flourishing Commerce wherewith before the falling off the rest of the Provinces from Spain she abounded, to the envy of all other Cities and Marts of Europe. There are few Places this side the Alps better built and so well streeted as this; and none at all so well girt with Bastions and Ramparts, which in some places are so spacious, that they usually take the Air in Coaches upon the very Walls, which are beautified with divers rows of Trees and pleasant Walks. The Citadel here, tho' it be an addition to the stateliness and strength of the Town, yet it serves as a shrewd Curb unto her; which makes her chomp upon the Bit, and foam sometimes with anger, but she cannot help it. The Tumults in Bohemia now grow hotter and hotter; they write how the great Council at Prague {qW to such a hurliburly, that some of those Senators who adher'd to the Emperor were thrown out at the Win- dows, where some were maimM, some broke their Necks. I am shortly to bid farewell to the Netherlands, and to bend my course for France, where I shall be most ready to entertain any Commands of yours. So may all Health and Happiness attend you, according to the Wishes of — Your obliged Servant, J. H. S/^dy 1619. XHI. To Dr. Tho. Prichard, at Oxioxd,from Rouen. I HAVE now taken firm footing in France, and tho' France be one of the chiefest Climates of Compliment, yet I can use none towards you, but tell you in plain down- right Language, That in the List of those Friends I left behind me in England, you are one of the prime Rank, one whose Name I have markM with the whitest Stone : If you have gainM such a place amongst the choicest Friends of mine, I hope you will put me somewhere amongst yours, tho' I but fetch up the rear, being contented to be the injirma species, the lowest in the Predicament of your Friends. I Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 39 I shall sojourn a good while in this City of Rouen ; there- fore I pray make me happy with the comfort of your Letters^ which I shall expect with a longing impatience : I pray send me ample advertisement of your welfare, and of the rest of your Friends, as well upon the Banks of Is'is as amongst the British Mountains. I am but a Fresh-man yet in France, therefore I can send you no News but that all is here quiet, and ^Tis no ordinary News that the French should he quiet: But some think this Calm will not last long; for the Queen-Mother (late Regent) is discontented, being restrained from coming to the Court, or to the City of Paris; and the tragical death of her Favourite (and Foster-Brother), the late Marquis of Ancre, lieth yet in her Stomach undigested : She hath the Duke of Espernon, and divers other potent Princes^ that would be strongly at her devotion (as ^tis thought) if she would stir. I pray present my Service to Sir Eubule Theloal, and send me word with what pace Jesus-ColLege new Walls go up. I will borrow my Conclusion to you at this time of my Countryman Owen : Uno noil possu77i quantum te diligo versu Dicere^ si satis est Distichon^ ecce duos. I cantiot in One Verse my Love declare ; Jf Two will serve the turn, lo here they are. Whereunto I will add this Sirname Anagram — Yours whole, J. HowEL. 6 Aug. 1619. XIV. To Dan. Caldwall, Esq. ; from Rouen. MY dear T)an, when T came first to this Town, amongst other Objects of Contentment which I found here, whereof there are variety, a Letter of yours was brought to me, and ^twas a She-Letter, for two more were enwomb'd in her Body : she had an easy and quick deliverance of that Twin ; but, besides them, she was big and pregnant of divers sweet Pledges, and lively Evidences of your own Love towards I 40 Familiar Letters. Book 1. towards me^ whereof I am as fond as any Mother can be of her Child. I shall endeavour to cherish and foster this dear Lov^e of yours with all the tenderness that can be, and warm it at the fuel of my best Affections, to make it grow every day stronger and stronger, until it comes to the state of Perfection; because I know it is a true and real, it is no spurious or adulterated Love. If I intend to be so indulgent and careful of yours, I hope you will not suffer mine to starve with you ; my Love to you need not much tending, for it is a lusty strong Love, and will not easily miscarry. I pray, when you write next, to send me a dozen pair of the best white Kid-skin Gloves the Royal- Ex change can afford ; as also two pair of the purest white worsted Stock- ings you can get of Women's size, together with half a dozen of pair of Knives. I pray send your Man with them to Facandary, the French Post upon Tower-hill, who will bring them me safely. When I go to Paris, I shall send you some curiosities equivalent to these. I have here inclos'd return'd an answer to those two that came in yours; I pray see them safely deliver'd. My kind Respects to your Brother Sergeant at Court, to all at Battersay or anywhere else, where you think my Commendations may be placed. No more at this time, but that I recommend you to the never-failing Providence of God, desiring you to go on in nourishing still between us that Love, which, for my part, No Traverses - intends to make a Proo-ress to all the Frontier Towns of the Kingdom, to see how they are fortify'd. The Favourite Luines strengtheneth himself more and more in his Minionship; but he is much murmured at, in regard the access of Suitors to him is so difficult : which made a Lord of this Land say, That three of the hardest things in the World were. To quadrate a Circle, to find out the Philo- sopher s- stone, and to speak with the Duke of Luines. I have sent you by Facandary the Post, the French Bever and Tweeses you writ for: Bever-hats are grown dearer of late, because the Jesuits have got the Monopoly of them from the King. Farewel, dear Child of Virtue, and Minion of the Muses and continue to love — Yours, J. H. Paris, I May 1620. XVIIL To Sir James Crofts, yrom Paris. Sir, I AM to set forward this Week for Spain, and if I can find no Commodity of Lnbarkation at St. MaWs, I must Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 47 must be forcM to journey it all the way by Land, and clamber up the huge Pyreney-Hills ; but I could not bid Paris adieu, till I had convey'd my true and constant Re- spects to you by this Letter. I was yesterday to wait upon Sir Herbert Crofts at St. Germains, where I met with a French Gentleman, who, amongst other curiosities, which he pleas'd to shew me up and down Paris, brought me to that Place where the late King was slain, and to that where the Marquis of Ancre was shot; and so made me a punctual Relation of all the Circumstances of those two Acts, which in regard they were rare, and I believe two of the notablest Acci- dents that ever happen'd in France, I thought it worth the labour to make you partaker of some part of his Discourse. France, as all Christendom besides (for there was then a Truce betwixt Spain and the Hollanders) was in a profound Peace^ and had continued so twenty years together, when Henry IV. fell upon some great martial Design, the Bottom whereof is not known to this day ; and being rich (for he had heap'd up in the Bastile a Mount of Gold that was as high as a Lance) he levy'd a huge Army of 40,000 Men, whence came the Song, The King of France ivith forty thousand Men ; and upon a sudden he put this Army in per- fect Equipage, and some say he invited our Prince Henry to come to him to be a sharer in his Exploits. But going one Afternoon to the Bastile, to see his Treasure and Ammunition, his Coach stopp'd suddenly, by reason of some Colliers' and other Carts that were in that narrow Street ; whereupon one Ravillac, a Lay- Jesuit, (who had a whole twelvemonth watch'd an Opportunity to do the Act) put his Foot boldly upon one of the Wheels of the Coach, and with a long Knife stretch'd himself over their Shoulders who were in the Boot of the Coach, and reachM the King at the end, and stabb'd him right in the left side to the Heart, and pulling out the fatal Steel, he doubled his Thrust; the King with a ruthful Voice cry'd out, Je siiis lless^ (I am hurt), and suddenly the Blood issued out at his Mouth. The Regicide Villain was apprehended, and command 1 48 Familiar Letters. Book I. Command given that no Violence should be offer'd him^ that he might be reserved for the Law^ and some exquisite Torture. The Queen grew half distracted hereupon, who had been crown'd Queen of France the Day before in great Triumph ; but a few days after she had something to countervail, if not to overmatch her Sorrow : for according to St. Lewises Law, she was made Queen-Regent of France^ during the King's Minority, who was then but about ten years of Age. Many Consultations were held how to punish Ravillac, and there were some Italian Physicians that undertook to prescribe a Torment, that should last a con- stant Torment for three days; but he scap'd only with this, His Bodv was pull'd between four Horses, that one might hear his Bones crack, and after the Dislocation they were set again ; and so he was carry'd in a Cart standing half- naked, with a Torch in that Hand which had committed the Murder: And in the Place where the Act was done, it was cut off, and a Gauntlet of hot Oil was clap'd upon the Stump, to staunch the Blood ; whereat he gave a dole- ful Shriek. Then was he brought upon a Stage, where a new pair of Boots was provided for him, half filled with boiling Oil ; then his Body was pincer'd, and hot Oil pour'd into the Holes. In all the extremity of this Torture, he scarce shew'd any sense of Pain ; but when the Gauntlet was clap'd upon his Arm to staunch the Flux at that time of reeking Blood, he gave a Shriek only. He bore up against all these Torments about three hours before he died : All the Confession that could be drawn from him, was, That he thought to have done God good Service, to take away that King which would have embroiled all Christendom in an endless IVar. A fatal thing it was, that France should have three of her Kings come to such violent Deaths, in so short a revolution of time. Henry H. running at Tilt with M. Montgomery, was kilPd by a Splinter of a Lance that pierc'd his Eye : Henry HI., not long after, was kill'd by a young Friar, who, in lieu of a Letter which he pretended to have for him, puird Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 49 pull'd out of his long Sleeve a Knife, and thrust him into the bottom of the Belly, as he was coming from his Close- stool, and so dispatch'd him ; but that Regicide was hack'd to pieces in the Place by the Nobles. The same Destiny attended the King by Ravillac, which is become now a common Name of Reproach and Infamy in France. Never was King so much lamented as this; there are a world not only of his Pictures, but Statues up and down France; and there's scarce a Market-Town but hath him erected in the Market-place, or o'er some Gate, not upon Sign-posts, as our Henry VIII. ; and by a publick Act of Parliament, which was confirmed in the Consistory at Rome, he was entitled Henry the Great, and so plac'd in the Temple of Immortality, A notable Prince he was, and of an admirable Temper of Body and Mind; he had a graceful facetious way to gain both Love and Awe : He would be never transported beyond himself with Choler, but he would pass by anything with some Repartee, some witty Strain, wherein he was excellent. I will instance in a few which were told me from a good Hand. One Day he was charg'd by the Duke of Bouillon to have changed his Religion: He answer'd, No, Cousin, I have changed no Religion, hut an Opinion : And the Cardinal of Perron being by, he enjoin'd him to write a Treatise for his Vindi- cation ; the Cardinal was long about the Work, and when the King ask'd from time to time where his Book was, he would still answer him, That he expected some Manuscripts from Rome, before he could finish it. It happen'd, that one Day the King took the Cardinal along with him to look on his Workmen and New-buildings at the Louvre ; and pass- ing by one Corner which had been a long time begun, but left unfinishM, the King ask'd the chief Mason why that Corner was not all this while perfected ? Sir, it is because I want some choice Stones. No, no, said the King, looking upon the Cardinal, It is because thou wantest Manuscripts from Rome. Another time, the old Duke of Main, who was used to play the Droll with him, coming softly into his D Bedchamber, 1 50 Familiar Letters. Book I. Bedchamber, and thrusting in his bald Head, and long Neck, in a Posture to make the King merry, it happen'd the King was coming from doing his Ease ; and spying him, he took the round Cover of the Close-stool, and clap'd it on his bald Sconce, saying. Ah, Cousin, you thought once to have taken the Crown off of my Head, and wear it on your own; hut this of my Tail shall now serve your Turn, Another time, when at the Siege of Amiens, he having sent for the Count of Soissons (who had 100,000 Franks a Year Pension from the Crown) to assist him in those Wars, and that the Count excus'd himself, by reason of his Years and Poverty, having exhausted himself in the former Wars, and all that he could do now was to pray for his Majesty, which he would do heartily : This Answer being brought to the King, he reply'd, JVill my Cousin, the Count of Soissons, do nothing else but pray for me? Tell him that Prayer without Fasting is not available; therefore I will make my Cousin fast also from his Pension q/" 100,000 per An. He was once troubled with a Fit of the Gout; and the Spanish Ambassador coming then to visit him, and saying he was sorry to see his Majesty so lame ; he answer'd, As lame as I am, if there were Occasion, your Master the King of Spain should no sooner have his Foot in the Stirrup, but he should, find me on Horseback. By these few you may guess at the Genius of this spright- ful Prince : I could make many more Instances, but then I should exceed the bounds of a Letter. When I am in Spain, you shall hear further from me; and if you can think on anything wherein I may serve you, believe it. Sir, that any Employment from you shall be welcome to — Your much obliged Servant, J. H. Far is, 12 May, 1620. XIX. To my Brother, Dr. Howell. Brother, BEING to-morrow to part with Paris, and begin my Journey for Spain, I thought it not amiss to send you Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 51 you this, in regard I know not when I shall have Oppor- tunity to write to you again. This Kingdom, since the young King hath taken the Sceptre into his own hands, doth flourish very much with Quietness and Commerce; nor is there any Motion^ or the least tintamar of Trouble in any part of the Country, which is rare in France. ^Tis true, the Queen-Mother is discon- tented since she left her Regency, being confinM ; and I know not what it may come to in time, for she hath a strong Party ; and the murdering of her Marquis of Ancre will yet bleed, as some fear. I was lately in Society of a Gentleman, who was a Spectator of that Tragedy; and he was pleas'd to relate to me the Particulars of it, which was thus : When Henry IV. was slain, the Queen-Dowager took the Reins of the Government into her hands during the young King's Mi- nority ; and amongst others whom she advanc'd, Signior Conc/iino, a Florentine, and her Foster-Brother, was one : Her Countenance came to shine so strongly upon him, that he became her only Confident and Favourite, insomuch that she made him Marquis of Ancre, one of the twelve Mareschals of France, Governor of Normaiidy ; and con- ferred divers other Honours and Offices of Trust upon him; and who but he? The Princes of France could not endure the domineering of a Stranger ; therefore they leagu'd together to suppress him by Arms : The Queen-Regent having Intelligence hereof, surpriz'd the Prince of Conde, and clap'd him up in the Bastile ; the Duke of Mai/z fled hereupon to Peronne in Picardy, and other great Men put themselves in an armed Posture to stand upon their guard. The young King being told, that the Marquis of Ancre was the ground of this Discontentment, commanded M. de Fitry, Captain of his Guards, to arrest him, and in case of Resistance to kill him: This Business was carry'd very closely till the next Morning, that the said Marquis was coming to the Louvre with a ruffling Train of Gallants after him ; and passing over the Drawbridge at the Court- Gate, 52 Familiar Letters. Book I Gate^ Vitry stood there with the King's Guard about him ; and as the Marquis enter'd^ he told him, that he had a Commission from the King to apprehend him; therefore he demanded his Sword : The Marquis hereupon put his Hand upon his Sword, some thought to yield it up, others to make Opposition ; in the meantime Vitrij discharg'd a Pistol at him, and so dispatch'd him. The King being above in his Gallery, ask'd what Noise that was below. One smilingly answer'd. Nothing, Sir, but that the Mareschal of Ancre is slain. Who slew him ? The Captain of your Guard. Why ? Because he would have drawn his Sword at your Majesty's Royal Commission : Then the King reply'd, Vitry hath done well, and I will maintain the Act. Presently the Oueen-Mother had all her Guard taken from her, except six Men and sixteen Women, and so she was banish'd Paris, and commanded to retire to Blois : Ancre's Body was bury'd that Night in a Churchyard by the Court ; but the next Morning the Lacqueys and Pages (who are more unhappy here than the Apprentices in London) broke open his Grave, tore his Coffin to pieces, rip'd the Winding-sheet, and tied his Body to an Ass's Tail, and so dragg'd him up and down the Gutters of Paris, which are none of the sweetest; they then slic'd off his Ears, and nail'd them upon the Gates of the City ; they cut off his Genitories (and they say he was hung like an Ass) and sent them for a Present to the Duke of Main; the rest of his Body they carry'd to the New-bridge, and hung him his Heels upwards and Head downwards upon a new Gibbet, that had been set up a little before, to punish them who should speak ill of the present Government ; and it was his Chance to have the Maidenhead of it himself. His Wife was here- upon apprehended, imprison'd, and beheaded for a Witch some few days after, upon a Surmise that she had enchanted the Queen to dote so upon her Husband ; and they say the young King's Picture was found in her Closet in Virgin- wax, with one Leg melted away. A little after, a Process was form'd against the Marquis (her Husband) and so he was Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 53 was condemnd after death. This was a right Act of a French popular Fury, which like an angry Torrent is irre- sistible ; nor can any Banks, Boundaries, or Dikes, stop the impetuous Rage of it. How the young King will prosper after so high and an unexampled Act of Violence, by beginning his Reign, and embruing the Walls of his own Court with Blood in that manner, there are divers Censures. When I am settled in Spain, you shall hear from me; in the interim, I pray let your Prayers accompany me in this long Journey; and when you write to Wales, I pray acquaint our Friends with my Welfare. So I pray God bless us both, and send us a happy Interview. — Your loving Brother, J. H. Paris ^ 8 Sept. 1620. XX. To my Cousin, W. Vaughan, E^^^. ; from St. Malo. Cousin, I AM now in French Britany, I went back from Paris to Rouen, and so thro' all Low Normandy, to a little Port callM Granville, where I embarkM for this Town of St. Malo; but I did purge so violently at Sea, that it put me into a burning Fever for some few days, whereof (I thank God) I am newly recovered ; and finding no Opportunity of shipping here, I must be forc'd to turn my intended Sea- Voyage to a long Land-Journey. Since I came to this Province, I was curious to converse with some of the Lower Britons, who speak no other Lan- guage but our Welsh, for their radical Words are no other; but ^tis no wonder, for they were a Colony of Welsh at first, as the Name of this Province doth imply; as also the Latin Name Armorica, which, tho' it pass for Latin, yet it is pure Welsh, and signifies a Country bordering upon the Sea; as that Arch-Heretick was calFd Pelagius, d Pelago, his Name being Morgan. I was a little curious to peruse the 1 54 Familiar Letters. Book 1. the Annals of this Province; and during the time that it was a Kingdom, there were four Kings of the Name Hoell^ whereof one was call'd Hoell the Great. This Town of St. Malo hath one Rarity in it ; for there is here a perpetual Garison of English, but they are of English Dogs, which are let out in the Night to guard the Ships, and eat the Carrens up and down the Streets, and so they are shut up again in the Morning. It will be now a good while before I shall have Conveni- ency to send to you, or receive from you ; howsoever, let me retain still some little room in your Memory, and some- times in your Meditations, while I carry you about me per- petually, not only in my Head, but in Heart, and make you travel all along with me thus from Town to Country, from Hill to Dale, from Sea to Land, up and down the World; And you must be contented to be subject to these uncertain Removes and Perambulations, until it shall please God to fix me again in England: nor need you, while you are thus my Concomitant thro' new Places every Day, to fear any ill Usage, as long as I fare well. — Yours Xp»;Vet koL KTrjcrei, J- H. St. Malo, 25 Sepi. 1620. XXI. To Sir John North, Knight ; from Rochel. Sir, I AM newly come to Rochel, nor am I sorry that I went somewhat out of my way to see this Town, not (to tell you true) out of any extraordinary love I bear to the People ; for I do not find them so gentle and debonair to Strangers, nor so hospitable as the rest of France ; but I excuse them for it, in regard it is commonly so with all Republic and Hans Towns, whereof this smells very rank: nor indeed hath any Englishman much cause to love this Town, in regard, in Ages pass'd, she playM the most trea- cherous part with England of any other Place in France. For Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 55 For the Story tells us, That this Town having by a per- fidious Stratagem (by forging a Counterfeit Commission from England) induc'd the English Governor to make a general Muster of all his Forces out of the Town ; this being one Day done, they shut their Gates against him, and made him go shake his Ears, and to shift for his Lodging, and so render'd themselves to the French King, who sent them a Blank to write their own Conditions. I think they have the strongest Ramparts by Sea of any Place of Christendom ; nor have I seen the like in any Town of Holland, whose Safety depends upon Water. I am bound To-morrow for Boiirdeaux, then thro^ Gascogny to Tholouse, so thro' Languedoc o'er the Hills to Spain : I go in the best Season of the Year, for I make an Autumnal Journey of it. I pray let your Prayers accompany me all along; they are the best Offices of Love, and Fruits of Friendship : So God prosper you at home, as me abroad, and send us in good time a joyful Conjuncture. — Yours, J. H. jRochely 8 Octob. 1620. XXII. To Mr. Tho. Porter, after Capt. Porter ; from Barcelona. MY dear Tom, I had no sooner set foot upon this Soil^ and breath'd Spanish Air, but my Thoughts pre- sently reflected upon you: Of all my Friends in England, you were the first I met here ; you were the prime Object of my Speculation ; methought the very Winds in gentle Whispers did breathe out your Name, and blow it on me ; you seem'd to reverberate upon me with the Beams of the Sun, which you know hath such a powerful influence, and indeed too great a Stroke in this Country. And all this you must ascribe to the Operations of Love, which hath such a strong virtual Force, that when it fastneth upon a pleas- ing Subject, its sets the Imagination in a strange Fit of working, it employs all the Faculties of the Soul, so that not \ 56 Familiar Letters. Book I, not one Cell in the Brain is idle; it busieth the whole inward Man, it affects the Heart, amuseth the Understanding; it quickneth the Fancy, and leads the Will as it were by a silken Thread to co-operate with 'em all : I have felt these Motions often in me, especially at this time, that my Memory fixM upon you. But the reason that I fell first upon you in Spain was, that I remember'd I had heard you often discoursing how you have receiv'd part of your Educa- tion here, which brought you to speak the Language so exactly well. I think often of the Relations I have heard you make of this Country, and the good Instruction you pleas'd to give me. I am now in Barcelona^ but the next Week I intend to go on thro' your Town of Valencia to Alicant, and thence you shall be sure to hear from me farther, for I make account to winter there. The Duke of Ossuna pass'd by here lately, and having got leave of Grace to release some Slaves, he went aboard the Cape Gallies, and passing thro' the Churma of Slaves, he ask'd divers of them what their Offences were: Every one excus'd himself; one saying, That he was put in out of Malice, another by Bribery of the Judge, but all of them unjustly: Amongst the rest there was one little sturdy black Man, and the Duke asking him what he was in for. Sir, said he, I cannot deny hut I am justly put in JLere,for I wanted Money, and so took a Purse hard hy Tarragona, to keep me from starving. The Duke, with a little Staff he had in his hand, gave him two or three blows upon the Shoulders, saying, You Rogue, what do you do amongst so many honest innocent Men ? Get you gone out oj their Company : So he was freed, and the rest remained still in statu quo prius^ to tug at the Oar. I pray commend me to Signior Camillo, and Mazalao, with the rest of the Venetians with you ; and when you go aboard the Ship behind the Exchange, think upon — Yours, J. H. Barcelona, lo Nov. 1620. XXIII. Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 57 XXIII. To Sir James Crofts. Sir, 1AM now a good way within the Body of Spain, at Barcelo7iaj a proud wealthy City^ situated upon the Mediterranean, and is the Metropolis of the Kingdom of Catahmia, call'd of old Hispania Tarraconensis. I had much ado to reach hither; for besides the monstrous abrupt- ness of the way, these Parts of the Pyrenees that border upon the Mediterranean are never without Thieves by Land (called Bandoleros) and Pirates on the Sea-side, which lie sculking in the hollows of the Rocks, and often surprise Passengers unawares, and carry them Slaves to Barhary on the other side. The safest way to pass, is to take a Bordon in the Habit of a Pilgrim, whereof there are abundance that perform their Vows this way to the Lady of Monserrat, one of the prime Places of Pilgrimage in Christendom : It is a stupendous Monastery, built on the top of a huge Land-Rock, whither it is impossible to go up, or come down by a direct way, but a Path is cut out full of Windings and Turnings ; and on the Crown of this Craggy-hill there is a Flat, upon which the Monastery and Pilgrimage place is founded, where there is a Picture of the Virgin Mary Sun- burnt, and tann'd, it seems when she went to Egypt ; and to this Picture, a marvellous confluence of People, from all Parts of Europe, resort. As I pass'd between some of the Pyreney-Hills, I per- ceiv'd the poor Lahradors, some of the Country People, live no better than brute Animals, in point of Food ; for their ordinary Commons is Grass and Water, only they have always within their Houses a Bottle of Vinegar, and another of Oil; and when Dinner or Supper-time comes, they go abroad and gather their Herds, and so cast Vinegar and Oil upon them, and will pass thus two or three Days with- out Bread or Wine; yet they are strong lusty Men, and will stand stiffly under a Musket. There 1 58 Familiar Letters. Book L There is a Tradition, that there were divers Mines of Gold in Ages past amongst those Mountains : And the Shepherds that kept Goats then, having made a small Fire of Rosemary-stubs, with other combustible Stuff to warm themselves, this Fire graz'd along, and grew so outrageous, that it consum'd the very Entrails of the Earth, and melted those Mines; which, growing fluid by Liquefaction, ran down into the small Rivulets that were in the Vallies, and so carry'd all into the Sea, that monstrous Gulph which swal- loweth all, but seldom diss^oro-eth anvthino;: and in these Brooks to this Day some small Grains of Gold are found. The Viceroy of this Country hath taken much pains to clear these Hills of Robbers, and there hath been a notable Havock made of them this Year; for in divers Woods, as I passed, I might spy some Trees laden with dead Carcasses, a better Fruit far than Diogeness Tree bore, whereon a Woman had hang'd herself ; which the Cynic cry'd out to be the best bearing Tree that ever he saw. In this Place there lives neither ILv^lish Merchant or o Factor ; which I wonder at, considering that it is a mari- time Town, and one of the greatest in Spain, her chiefest Arsenal for Gallies, and the Scale by wliich she conveys her Monies to Italy : But I believe the Reason is, that there is no commodious Port here for Ships of any Burden, but a large Bay. I will enlarge mvself no farther at this time, but leave you to the Guard and Guidance of God, whose sweet Hand of Protection hath brought me thro' so many uncouth Places and Difficulties to this City. So, hoping to meet your Letters in Aticant, where I shall anchor a good while, I rest — Yours to dispose of, J. H. Barcelona^ 24 Nov. 1620. XXIV. To Dr. Fr. Mansel, y?'o?w Valentia. Sir, THO' it be the same glorious Sun that shines upon you in England which illuminates also this Part of the Hemisphere ; Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 59 Hemisphere ; tho' it be the Sun that ripeneth your Pippins, and our Pomgranets; your Hops, and our Vineyards here; yet he dispenseth his Heat in different Degrees of Strength: those Rays that do but warm you in England, do half roast us here; those Beams that irradiate only, and gild your Honeysuckle Fields, do scorch and parch this chinky gaping Soil, and so put too many Wrinkles upon the Face of our common Mother the Earth. O blessed Clime, O happy England, where there is such a rare temperature of Heat and Cold, and all the rest of elementary Qualities, that one may pass (and suffer little) all the year long, without either Shade in Summer, or Fire in Winter. I am now in Valentia, one of the noblest Cities in all Spain, situate in a large Vega or Valley, above sixty miles compass : here are the strongest Silks, the sweetest Wines, the excellentest Almonds, the best Oils, and beautifuFst Females of all Spain, for the prime Courtesans in Madrid and elsewhere are had hence. The very brute Animals make themselves Beds of Rosemary, and other fragrant Flowers hereabouts ; and when one is at Sea, if the Wind blow from the Shore, he may smell this Soil before he come in sight of it, many Leagues off, by the strong odoriferous Scent it casts. As it is the most pleasant, so it is also the temperat'st Clime of all Spain; and they commonly call it the second Italy, which made the Moors, whereof many thousands were disterr'd and banish'd hence to Barhary, to think that Paradise was in that part of the Heavens which hung over this City. Some twelve miles off is old Sagunto, calPd now Morviedre, thro' which I passM, and saw many Monuments of Roman Antiquities there; amongst others, there is the Temple dedicated to Venus, when the Snake came about her Neck, a little before Hanihal came thither. No more now, but that I heartily wish you were here with ine, and I believe you would not desire to be a good while in England. So I am — Yours, J. H. Valentia, i March 1620. XXV. \ 6o Familiar Letters. Book I. XXV. To Christopher Jones^ Esq., at Gray's-Inn. I AM now (thanks be to God) come to Alicant, the chief Rendezvouz I aim'd at in Spain; for I am to send hence a Commodity call'd Barillia to Sir Robert Mansel, for making of Crystal Glass; and I have treated with Signior Andr'iotti, a Genoa Merchant, for a good round parcel of it, to the value of 2000/. by Letters of Credit from Master Richant ; and upon his Credit, I might have taken many thousand Pounds more, he is so well known in the Kingdom of Valentia. This Barillia is a strange kind of Vegetable, and it grows nowhere upon the Surface of the Earth in that Perfection as here : The Venetians have it hence, and it is a Commodity whereby this Maritime Town doth partly subsist; for it is an Ligredient that goes to the making of the best Castile Soap. It grows thus, 'Tis a round thick earthy Shrub that bears Berries like Barberries, betwixt blue and green; it lies close to the Ground, and when it is ripe they dig it up by the Roots, and put it together in Cocks, where they leave it to dry many days like Hay; then they make a Pit of a Fathom deep in the Earth, and with an Listrument like one of our Prongs, they take the Tuffs and put fire to them, and when the Flame comes to the Berries, they melt and dissolve into an Azure Liquor, and fall down into the Pit till it be full; then they dam it up, and some days after they open it, and find this Barillia Juice turn'd to a blue Stone, so hard, that it is scarce malleable; it is sold at one hundred Crowns a Tun, but I had it for less. There is also a spurious Flower call'd Gaziill, that grows here, but the Glass that's made of that is not so resplendent and clear. I have been here now these three Months, and most of my Food hath been Grapes and Bread, with other Roots, which have made me so fat, that I think, if you saw me, you would hardly know me, such Nutriture this deep sanguine Alicant Grape gives. I Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 61 I have not received a Syllable from you since I was in Antwerp, which transforms me to wonder^ and engenders odd thoughts of Jealousy in me, that as my Body grows fatter, your Love grows lanker towards me. I pray take off these Scruples, and let me hear from you, else it will make a Schism in Friendship, which I hold to be a very holy League, and no less than a Piacle to infringe it; in which Opinion I rest — Your constant Friend, J. H. Alicant^ 27 Mar. 162 1. XXVI. To Sir John North, Knight. Sir, HAVING endur'd the Brunt of a whole Siuiimer in Spain, and tryM the Temper of all the other three Seasons of the Year, up and down the Kingdoms of Cata- lonia, Falentia, and Marcia, with some parts of Aragon, I am now to direct my course for Italy : I hop'd to have embark'd at Carthagena, the best Port upon the Mediter- ranean; for what Ships and Gallies get in thither, are shut up as it were in a Box from the violence and injury of all Weathers; which made Andrea Doria, being ask'd by Philip II. which were his best Harbours? he answer'd, June., July, and Carthagena ; meaning that any Port is good in those two Months, but Carthagena was good any time of the year. There was a most ruthful Accident had happen'd there a little before I came: For whereas five Ships had gone thence laden with Soldiers for Naples, amongst whom there was the Flower of the Gentry of the Kingdom of Mercia ; those Ships had hardly sail'd three Leagues, but they met with sixteen Sail of Algier Men of War, who had lay skulking in the Creeks thereabout; and they had the Winds and all things else so favourable, that of those five Ships they took one, sunk another, and burnt a third, and two fled back safe to Harbour. The Report hereof being bruited up and down the Country, the Gentle- women \ 62 Familiar Letters. Book I. women came from the Country to have Tidings_, some of their Children^ others of their Brothers and Kindred, and went tearing their Hair, and houling up and down the Streets in a most piteous Manner. The Admiral of those five Ships, as I heard afterwards, was sent for to Madrid ^ and hang'd at the Court-Gate, because he did not fight. Had I come time enough to have taken the Opportunity, I might have been made either Food for Haddocks, or turn'd to Cinders, or have been by this time a Slave in the Bannier at Jlgier, or tugging at an Oar; but I hope God hath reserved me for a better Destinv : So I came back to Alicant, where I lighted upon a lusty Dutchman, who hath carried me safe hither, but we were near upon forty Days in Voyage : we pass'd by Majorca and Minorca, the Baleares Insulce, by some Ports of Barhary, by Sardinia, Corsica, and all the Islands of the Mediterranean Sea. We were at the Mouth of Tyler, and thence fetch'd our Course for Sicily; we pass'd by those sulphureous fiery Islands, Mongibel and Stromholo ; and about the Dawn of the Day we shot thro' Scylla and Charyhdis, and so into the Phare of Messina; thence we touch'd upon some of the Greek Islands, and so came to our first intended Course, into the Venetian Gulph, and are now here at Malamocco, where we remain yet aboard, and must be content to be so, to make up the Month before we have pratic, that is, before any be permitted to go ashore, and negotiate, in regard we touch'd at some infected Places : For there are no People so fearful of the Plague as the Italians, especially the Venetians, tho' their Neighbours the Greeks hard by, and the Turks, have little or no Apprehension at all of the Danger of it ; for they will visit and commerce with the Sick without any Scruple, and will fix their longest Finger in the Midst of their Forehead, and say. Their Destiny and Manner of Death is pointed there. When we have gain'd yon Maiden Citv, which lieth before us, you shall hear farther from me : So leaving you to His holy Protection, who hath thus graciously vouchsafed to preserve this Ship Sect I. Familiar Letters. 63 Ship^ and me, in so long and dangerous a Voyage, I rest- Yours, ' J. H. Malamocco^ 30 April 1621. XXVIT. To my Brother, Dr. HowcW, from on Shlphoard before Venice. Brother, IF this Letter fail either in point of Orthography or Style, you must impute the first to the tumbling Posture my Body was in at the writing hereof, being a Shipboard ; the second the muddiness of my Brain, which, like Lees in a narrow Vessel, hath been shaken at Sea in divers Tempests near upon forty Davs — I mean natural Days, which include the Nights also, and are composed of twenty-four hours, by which number the Italian computes his Time, and tells the Clock ; for at the writing hereof, I heard one from Mala- mocco strike twenty-one hours. When I shall have saluted yonder Virgin City that stands before me, and hath tanta- lized me now this Sennight, I hope to cheer my Spirits, and settle my Pericranimn again. Li this Voyage we pass'd thro', at least touch'd, all those Seas which Horace and other Poets sing of so often, as the Ionian, the jEgean, the Icarian, the Tyrrhene, with others ; and now we are in the Adrian Sea, in the Mouth whereof Venice stands, like a gold Ring in a Bear's Muzzle. We pass'd also by JEtna, by the Inf antes Scopulos, Acroceraunia, and thro' Scylla and Charybdis, about which the ancient Poets, both Greek and Latin, keep such a Coil ; but they are nothing so horrid or dangerous as they make them to be ; they are two white keen-pointed Rocks that lie under Water diametrically oppos'd, and like two Dragons defying one another; and there are Pilots, that in small Shallops are ready to steer all Ships that pass. This, amongst divers others, may serve for an instance, that the old Poets used to heighten and hoise up things by their airy fancies, above the reality of truth, j^tna was very furious when we pass'd by, \ 64 Familiar Letters. Book L by, as she useth to be sometimes more than other, especially when the Wind is southward, for then she is more subject to belching out flakes of Fire (as Stutterers use to stammer more when the Wind is in that Hole). Some of the Sparkles fell aboard us ; but they would make us believe in Syracusa, now Messina, that ^tna in times past hath eructated such huge gobbets of Fire, that the sparks of them have burnt Houses in Malta above fifty miles oflT, transported thither by a direct strong Wind. We pass'd hard by Corinth, now Ragusa ; but I was not so happy as to touch there^ for you know : J\^on cuivis Iwmhii contino^ii adire Corinthum. T convers'd with many Greeks, but found none that could understand, much less practicallv speak, any of the old Dialects of the pristine Greek, it is so adulterated by the Vulgar, as a Bed of Flowers by Weeds ; nor is there any People, either in the Island or on the Continent, that speaks it conversably : yet there are in the Morea seven Parishes call'd Zacones, where the original Greek is not much degenerated, but they confound divers Letters of the Alphabet with one Sound ; for in point of Pronunciation, there is no difference betwixt Upsilon, Iota, and Eta. The last I receiv'd from you was in Latin, whereof I sent you an Answer from Spain in the same Language, tho' in a coarser Dialect. I shall be a Guest to Fenice a good while; therefore I desire a frequency of Correspondence between us by Letters, for there will be Conveniency every Week of receiving and sending. When you write to Wales, I pray send Advice that I am come safe to Italy, tho' not landed there yet. So, my dear Brother, I pray God bless us both, and all our Friends, and reserve me to see you again with Comfort, and you me, who am — Your loving Brother, J. H. 5 May 1621. xxvni. Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 65 XXVIIT. To the Honourable Sir Robert Mansell, Vice-Admiral of England ; from Venice. Sir, AS soon as I came to Venice^ I apply'd myself to dis- Xy. patch your Business according to Instructions^, and Mr. Seymor was ready to contribute his best furtherance. These two Italians, who are the Bearers hereof, by report here, are the best Gentlemen-workmen that ever blew Crystal ; one is ally'd to Antonio Miotti, the other is Cousin to Mazalao : for other things they shall be sent in the Ship Lion, which rides here at Malamocco, as I shall send you account by conveyance of Mr. Synnis. Herewith I have sent a Letter to you from Sir Henry JVotton, the Lord Ambassador here, of whom I have received some Favours : He wishM me to write, that you have now a double Interest in him ; for whereas before he was only your Servant, he is now your Kinsman by your late Marriage. I was lately to see the Arsenal of Venice, one of the worthiest things in Christendom ; they say there are as many Gallies and Galeasses of all sorts, belonging to S,t, Mark, either in Course, at Anchor, in Dock, or upon the Careen, as there be days in the year : here they can build a compleat Galley in half a day, and put her afloat in perfect Equipage, having all the Ingredients fitted before- hand ; as they did in three hours, when Henry III. pass'd this way to Fraiice from Poland, who wishM, that besides Paris, and his Parliament Towns, he had this Arsenal in ex- change for three of his chiefest Cities. There are 300 People perpetually here at work ; and if one comes young, and grows old in St. Mark's Service, he hath a Pension from the State during Life. Being brought to see one of the Clarissimos that govern this Arsenal, this huge Sea Store- house, among other matters reflecting upon England, he was saying, That if Cauaglier Don Roberto Mansel were E here, \ 66 Familiar Letters. Book I. here_, he thought verily the Republic would make a Proffer to him to be Admiral of that Fleet of Gallies and Galeons, which are now going against the Duke of Ossuna, and the Forces of Naples^ you are so well known here. I was, since I came hither, in Mura?io, a little Island about the distance of Lamhetk from Londo?i, where Crystal- Glass is made ; and ^tis a rare sight to see a whole Street, where on the one side there are twenty Furnaces together at work. They say here. That altho' one should transplant a Glass-Furnace from Murano to Venice herself, or to anv of the little Assembly of Islands about her, or to any other part of the Earth besides, and use the same Materials, the same Workmen, the same Fuel, the self-same Ingredients every way, yet they cannot make Crystal-Glass in that perfection, for beauty and lustre, as in Murano : Some im- pute it to the quality of the circumanibient Air that hangs o'er the Place, which is purify'd and attenuated by the concurrence of so manv Fires that are in those Furnaces Night and Day perpetually, for they are like the Vestal-fire, which never goes out. And it is well known, that some Airs make more qualifying Impressions than others; as a Greek told me in Sicily of the Air of EgT/pt, where there be huge common Furnaces to hatch Eggs by the thousands in Camels' Dung: for during the time of hatching, if the Air happen to come to be overcast, and grow cloudy, it spoils all; if the Sky continue still, serene and clear, not one Egg in an hundred will miscarry. I met with Camillo, your Consaorman, here lately ; and could he be sure of Entertainment, he would return to serve you again, and I believe for less Salary. I shall attend your Commands herein by the next, and touching other Particulars, whereof I have written to Capt. Bacon: So I rest — Your most humble and ready Servant, J. H. Venice, 30 May 1621. XXIX. Sect. 1. Familiar Letters. 67 XXIX. To my Brother^yrow Venice. Brother, I FOUND a Letter of yours that had lain dormant here a good while in Mr. Symns hands, to welcome me to Venice, and I thank you for the variety of News wherewith she went freighted ; for she was to me as a Ship richly laden from Londoji useth to be to our Merchants here^ and I esteem her Cargazon at no less a Value, for she enrich'd me with the Knowledge of my Father's Healthy and your own, with the rest of my Brothers and Sisters in the Country, with divers other Passages of Contentment : be- sides, she went also ballasted with your good Instructions, which as Merchants use to do of their Commodities, I will turn to the best Advantage, and Italy is no ill Market to improve anything. The only Procede (that I may use the Mercantile Term) you can expect is Thanks, and this way shall not be wanting to make you rich Returns. Since I came to this Town, I dispatched sundry Businesses of good value for Sir Robert Mansel, which I hope will give content. The Art of Glass-making here is very highly valued ; for whosoever be of that Profession are Gentlemen ipso facto, and it is not without reason, it being a rare kind of Knowledge and Chymistry to transmute Dust and Sand (for they are the only main Ingredients) to such a diaphanous pellucid dainty Body as you see a Crystal-Glass is, which hath this Property above Gold or Silver, or any other Mineral, to admit no Poison ; as also that it never wastes or loses a whit of its first weight, tho' you use it never so long. When I saw so many sorts of curious Glasses made here, I thought upon the Compliment which a Gentleman put upon a Lady m England, who having five or six comely Daughters, said. He never saw in his life such a dainty Cup- board of Crystal Glasses. The Compliment proceeds, it seems, from a Saying they have here, That the first hand- some Woman that ever was made, was made of Venice Glass ; \ 68 Familiar Letters. Book L Glass; which impHes Beauty , but Brittleness withal (and Venice is not unfurnish'd with some of that Mouldy for no place abounds more with Lasses and Glasses) ; but consider- ing the Brittleness of the Stuff, it was an odd kind of melancholy in him that could not be persuaded but he was an Urinal, surely he deserved to be piss'd in the Mouth. But when I pry'd into the Materials^ and observ'd the Furnaces and Calcinations, the Transubstantiations, the Liquefactions that are incident to this Art, my Thoughts were rais'd to a higher Speculation ; that if this small Furnace-fire hath vertue to convert such a small lump of dark Dust and Sand into such a precious clear Body as Crystal, surely that grand Universal Fire which shall happen at the Day of Judgment^ may by its violent ardor vitrify and turn to one lump of Crystal the whole Body of the Earth; nor am I the first that fell upon this Conceit. I will enlarge my self no further to you at this time, but conclude with this Tetrasiic, which my Brain ran upon in my Bed this Morning. Vitrea stmt nostras commissa negofia curce, Hoc oculis Speculum mittimus ergo tuis : Quod Speculum ? est ijistar Speculi mea litera, per quod Vivida fraterni cordis imago nitet. Adieu, my dear Brother, live happily, and love — Your Brother, J. H. Ve7i.^ I June 1621. XXX. To Mr, Richard Altham, at Gray's-Inn; from Venice. Gentle Sir, O dulcior illo Mille quod in ceris Attica ponit Apis. O thou that dost in sweetness far excel That Juice the Attic Bee stores i?i her Cell. My Dear Dick, I HAVE now a good while since taken footing in Venice, this admired Maiden-City, so call'd, because she was never Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 69 never defloured by any Enemy since she had a Being, not since her Rialto was first erected, which is now above twelve Ages ago. I protest to you, at my first landing I was for some days ravished with the high Beauty of this Maid, with her lovely Countenance. I admired her magnificent Buildings, her marvellous Situation, her dainty smooth neat Streets, whereon you may walk most days in the year in a Silk Stockin and Sattin-Slippers, without soiling them ; nor can the Streets of Paris be so foul as these are fair. This beau- teous Maid hath been often attempted to be vitiated; some have courted her, some bribed her, some would ha.v& forced her, yet she hath still preserv'd her Chastity entire : and tho' she hath lived so many Ages, and passed so many shrewd brunts, yet she continueth fresh to this very day without the least Wrinkle of old Age, or any symptoms of Decay, whereunto political Bodies, as well as natural, use to be liable. Beside, she hath wrestled with the greatest Poten- tates upon Earth ; the Emperor, the King of France^ and most of the other Princes of Christendom, in that famous League of Cambray, would have sunk her; but she bore up still within her Lakes, and broke that League to pieces by her Wit : The Grand Turk hath been often at her, and tho' he could not have his will of her, yet he took away the richest Jewel she wore in her Coronet, and put it in his Turban; I mean the Kingdom of Cyprus, the only Royal Gem she had ; he hath set upon her Skirts often since, and tho' she clos'd with him sometimes, yet she came off still with her Maidenhead ; tho' some that envy her happiness would brand her to be of late times a kind of Concubine to him, and that she gives him ready Money once a year to lie with her, which she minceth by the name of Present, tho' it be indeed rather a Tribute. I would I had you here with a wish, and you would not desire in haste to be at Grai/s-Inn, tho' I hold your Walks to be the pleasant'st place about London, and that you have there the choicest Society. I pray present my kind Com- mendations \ /O Familiar Letters. Book I. mendations to all there, and Service at Bisliopsgate-sireet, and let me hear from you by the next Post. So I am — Intirely yours, J. H. V^n., ^June 162 1. XXXI. To Dr. Ft. Mansell,yrom Venice. ^^IVE me leave to salute you first in these Sapphics: Insulam tende?is iter ad Britannam Charfa, de paiicis volo, siste gresstwz, Verba INIansello, bene noscis illum^ talia perfer. Fi7iibus longe patriis Hoellus Dimorans, quantis Veiietum siiperba Civiias leucis Dorober7iie7isi distat ab urbe ; Plurimam mentis tibi vult salute^n^ Pliiriitiwn cordis tibi vult vigorem, Flu7imwn sortis tibi vult favore)n Regis AulcB. These Wishes come to you from Venice, a place where there is nothing wanting that heart can wish : Renowned Venice, the admiredst City in the World ; a City that all Europe is bound unto, for she is her greatest Rampart against that huge Eastern Tyrant the Turk by Sea, else I believe he had over-run all Christendom by this time. Against him this City hath perform'd notable Exploits, and not only against him, but divers others. She hath restored Emperors to their Thrones, and Popes to their Chairs, and with her Gallies often preserv'd St. Peter^s Bark from sink- ing: for which, by way of Reward, one of her Successors espous'd her to the Sea; which Marriage is solemnly renew'd every year in solemn Procession by the Doge and all the Clarissimos, and a Gold Ring cast into the Sea out of the great Galeass call'd the Bucentoro, wherein the first Ceremony was perform'd by the Pope himself above three hundred Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 71 hundred years since; and they say it is the self-same Vessel still, tho' often put upon the Careen and trimm'd. This made me think on that famous Ship at Athens; nay, I fell upon an abstracted Notion in Philosophy, and a Speculation touching the Body of Man, which being in perpetual flux, and a kind of succession of decays, and consequently requir- ino; ever and anon a restoration of what it loseth of the virtue of the former aliment, and what was converted after the third concoction into blood and fleshly substance, which, as in all other sublunary Bodies that have internal Principles of heat, useth to transpire, breathe out, and waste away thro' invisible pores, by exercise, motion and sleep, to make room still for a supply of new Nouriture ; fell, I say, to con- sider whether our Bodies may be said to be of like condition with this Bucentoro ; which, tho' it be reputed still the same Vessel, yet I believe there's not a foot of that Timber re- maining which it had upon the first Dock, having been, as they tell me, so often plank'd and ribb'd, caulk'd and piec'd : In like manner, our Bodies may be said to be daily repair'd by new Sustenance, which begets new Blood, and conse- quently new Spirits, new Humours, and I may say new Flesh, the old by continual deperdition and insensible trans- pirations evaporating still out of us, and giving way to fresh ; so that I make a question, whether by reason of these perpetual preparations and accretions, the Body of Man may be said to be the same numerical Body in his old Age that he had in his Manhood, or the same in his Man- hood that he had in his Youth, the same in his Youth that he carried about him in his Childhood, or the same in his Childhood which he wore first in the Womb; I make a doubt, whether I had the same identical individually nume- rical Body, when I carried a Calf-leather Sachel to School in Hereford, as when I wore a Lambskin Hood in Oxford; or whether I have the same Mass of Blood in my Veins, and the same Flesh now in Venice, which I carry'd about me three years since up and down London Streets, having, in lieu of Beer and Ale, drunk Wine all this while, and fed upon \ 72 Familiar Letters. Book I. upon different Viands. Now the Stomach is like a Crucible, for it hath a chymical kind of Vertue to transmute one Body into another, to transubstantiate Fish and Fruits into Flesh within, and about us : but tho' it be questionable whether I wear the same Flesh which is fluxible, I am sure my Hair is not the same ; for you may remember I went flaxen-hair'd out of England, but you shall find me return'd with a very dark brown, which I impute not only to the Heat and Air of those hot Countries I have eaten my Bread in, but to the quality and difference of Food. But you will say that Hair is but an excrementitious thing, and makes not to this purpose ; moreover, methinks I hear you say, that this may be true, only in the blood and spirits of such fluid Parts, not in the solid and heterogeneal Parts. But I will press no further at this time this philosophical notion, which the fight of Bucentoro infus'd into me, for it hath already made me exceed the bounds of a Letter, and I fear to tres- pass too much upon your patience: I leave the further dis- quisition of this point to your own Contemplations, who are a far riper Philosopher than I, and have waded deeper into, and drank more of, Aristotle' sW^tW, But, to conclude^ tho' it be doubtful whether I carry about me the same Body or no in all points that I had in England, I am well assur'd I bear still the same Mind, and therein I verify the old Verse : C(jelu7n non afit?na??i ?nutant qui trans mare curriint. The Air but not the Mind they chajige, Who in Outlandish Countries range. For what Alterations soever happen in this Microcosm, in this little World, this small bulk and body of mine, you may be confident that nothing shall alter my Affections, specially towards you, but that I will persevere still the same — The very same, J. H. Ven., 25 /un. 162 1. XXXH. Sect, I. Familiar Letters. 73 XXXII. To Richard Altharrij 'Esq. Dear Sir, I WAS pliing'd ill a deep Fit of melancholy, Saturn had cast his black Influence o'er all my Intellectuals, me- thought I felt my heart as a lump of dough, and heavy as lead within my Breast; when a Letter of yours of the 3rd of this Month was brought me, which presently begot new Spirits within me, and made such strong Impressions upon my Intellectuals, that it turn'd and transform'd me into another Man. I have read of a Duke of Milan and others, who were poisoned by reading of a Letter; but yours pro- duced contrary Effects in me, it became an Antidote, or rather a most sovereign Cordial to me, more operative than Bezoar, of more Virtue than potable Gold, or the Elixir of Ambcr^ for it wrought a sudden Cure upon me: That fluent and rare Mixture of Love and Wit, which I found up and down therein, were the Ingredients of this Cordial ; they were as so many choice Flowers strew'd here and there, which did cast such an odoriferous Scent, that they reviv'd all my Senses and dispelled those dull Fumes which had formerly o'er-clouded my Brain : Such was the Operation of your most ingenious and affectionate Letter, and so sweet an Entertainment it gave me. If your Letter had that Virtue, what would your Person have done? and did you know all, you would wish your Person here a-while ; did you know the rare beauty of this Virgin City, you would quickly make love to her, and change your Royal Exchange for the Rialto, and your Gray'' s-Ijin-Walks for St. Marks- Place for a time. Farewell, dear Child of Vertue, and Minion of the Muses ; and love still — Yours, J. H. Ven.^ I Jjdy 162 1. XXXIII. \ 74 Familiar Letters. Book I. XXXIII. To my much honoured Friend, Sir John North_, Knight. Noble Sir, THE first Office of Gratitude is, to receive a good Turn civilly, then to retain it in Memory, and acknowledge it; thirdly, to endeavour a Requital; for this last Office, it is in vain for me to attempt it ; especially towards you, who have laden me with such a Variety of Courtesies and weighty Favours, that my poor Stock comes far short of any Retaliation : but for the other two, Reception and Retention, as I am not conscious to have been wanting in the first Act, so I shall never fail in the second, because both these are within the Compass of my Power; for if you could pry into my Memory, you should discover there a huge Magazine of your Favours you have been pleased to do me, present and absent, safely stored up and coacervated, to preserve them from mouldering away in Oblivion ; for Courtesies should he no perishable Commodity, Should I at- tempt any other Requital, I should extenuate your Favours, and derogate from the Worth of them ; yet if to this of the Memory I can contribute any other act of Body or Mind, to enlarge my acknowledgments towards you, you may be well assur'd that I shall be ever ready to court any Occasion whereby the World may know how much I am — Your thankful Servitor, J. H. Ven., I'^Jiily 1621. XXXIV. To Dan. Caldwall, Fsq. ; from Venice. My dear Dan, COULD Letters fly with the same Wings as Love useth to do, and cut the Air with the like swiftness of motion, this Letter of mine should work a Miracle, and be with you in an instant ; nor should she fear interception or any Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 75 any other casualty in the way^ or cost you one penny the Post, for she should pass invisibly : But 'tis not fitting, that Paper, which is made but of old Rags, wherewith Letters are swaddled, should have the same privilege as Love, which is a spiritual thing, having something of Divinity in it, and partakes in celerity with the Imaginatiojij than which there is not anything more swift, you know, no not the motion of the upper Sphere, the primum molilej which snatcheth all the other nine after, and indeed the whole Macrocosm, all the World besides, except our Earth (the Center), which upper Sphere the Astronomers would have to move so many degrees, so many thousand miles in a moment. Since then Letters are deny'd such a velocity, I allow this of mine twenty days, which is the ordinary time allow'd betwixt Venice and London, to come unto you, and thank you a thousand times over for your last of the tenth of June, and the rich Venison Feast you made, as I vmderstand not long since, to the remembrance of me, at the Ship Tavern : Believe it, Sir, you shall find that this Love of yours is not ill employ'd, for I esteem it at the highest degree, I value it more than the Treasury of St, Mark, which I lately saw, where among other things there is a huge Iron Chest as tall as myself that hath no Lock, but a Crevice thro' which they cast in the Gold that's bequeathed to St. Mark in Legacies, whereon there is engraven this proud Motto : Quando questo scrhiw S^apria, luttdl niiindo tremera. When this Chest shall open, the whole World shall tremble. The Duke of Ossuna, late Vice-Roy of Naples, did what he could to force them to open it, for he brought St. Mark to waste much of this Treasure in the late Wars, which he made purposely to that end ; which made them have recourse to us, and the Hollander, for Ships, not long since. Among the rest of Italy, this is call'd the Maiden City (notwithstanding 76 Familiar Letters. Book I. (notwithstanding her great number of Courtesans), and there is a Prophecy, That she should continue a Maid until her Hushand forsake her, meaning the Sea, to whom the Pope marry'd her long since ; and the Sea is observed not to love her so deeply as he did, for he begins to shrink, and grows shallower in some places about her : nor doth the Pope also, who was the Father that gave her to the Sea, affect her so much as he formerly did, specially since the extermination of the Jesuits : so that both Hushand and Father begin to abandon her. I am to be a Guest to this Hospital Maid a good while yet, and if you want any Commodity that she can afford (and what cannot she afford for human pleasure or delight?) do but write^ and it shall be sent you. Farewell, gentle soul, and correspond still in pure love with — Yours^ J. H. Ven., 29 July 162 1. XXXV. To Sir James Crofts, Knight ; from Venice. Sir, IRECEIV'D one of yours the last Week, that came in my Lord Ambassador Wotions Packet; and being now upon point of parting with Venice, I could not do it without acquainting you (as far as the extent of a Letter will permit) with her Power, her Policy, her Wealth and Pedigree. She was built out of the Ruins of Jquileia and Padua; for when those swarms of tough northern People over-ran Italy, under the Conduct of that Scourge of Heaven, Attila, with others, and that this soft voluptuous Nation, after so long a desuetude from Arms, could not repel their Fury, many of the ancient Nobility and Gentry fled into these Lakes and little Islands, amongst the Fishermen, for their Security; and finding the Air good and commodious for Habitation, they began to build upon those small Islands, whereof there are in all sixty; and in tract of time, they conjoin'd Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 77 conjoin'd and leagu'd them together by Bridges, whereof there are now above 800 ; and this makes up the City of Venice, who is now above twelve Ages old, and was contemporary with the Monarchy of France: But the Signory glorieth in one thing above the Monarchy, that she was born a Chris- tian, but the Monarchy not. Tho' this City be thus hemM in with the Sea, yet she spreads her Wings far and wide upon the Shore; she hath in Lombardy six considerable Towns, Padua, Verona, Vicenza, Brescia, Crema, and Bergamo ; she hath in the Marquisat, Bassan and Castelfranco ; she hath all Friuli and Istria ; she commands the Shores of Dahnatia and Sclavonia ; she keeps under the Power of St. Mark the Islands of Corfu (anciently Corcyra) Cephalonia, Zant, Cerigo, Lucerigo, and Candy [Jove's Cradle) ; she had a long time the Kingdom of Cyprus, but it was quite rent from her by the Turk : which made that high-spirited Bassa, being taken Prisoner at the Battle of Lepanto, where the Grand Signior lost above 200 Gallies, to say, That that Defeat to his great Master was hut like the shaving of his Beard, or the paring of his Nails ; hut the taking of Cyprus was like the cutting off of a Limh, which will never grow again. This mighty Potentate being so near a Neighbour to her, she is forced to comply with him, and give him an annual Present in Gold : She hath about 30 Gallies most part of the Year in course to scour and secure the Gulph ; she entertains by Land, in Lombardy, and other Parts, r25,ooo Foot, besides some of the Cantons of Suisses, whom she gives Pay to; she hath also in constant Pay 600 Men of Arms, and every of these must keep two Horses a-piece, for which they are allowed 120 Ducats a Year, and they are for the most part Gentlemen of Lombardy. When they have any great Expedition to make, they have always a Stranger for their General, but he is supervised by two Proveditors, without whom he cannot attempt anything. Her great Council consists of above 2000 Gentlemen, and some of them meet every Sunday and Holiday to chuse Officers and Magistrates; and every Gentleman being past 25 78 Familiar Letters. Book /. 25 Years of Age, is capable to sit in this Council. The Doge, or Duke (their Sovereign Magistrate), is chosen by Lots, which would be too tedious here to demonstrate; and com- monly he is an aged Man, who is created like that Course they hold in the Popedom. When he is dead, there be Inquisitors that examine his Actions, and his Misde- meanours are punishable in his Heirs : There is a Surinten- dent Council of Ten, and six of them may dispatch Business without the Doge : but the Doge never without some of them, not as much as open a Letter from any foreign State, tho' address'd to himself ; which makes him to be called by other Princes, Testa di legno, A Head of Wood, The Wealth of this Repuhlick hath been at a stand, or rather declining, since the Portugal found a Road to the East-Indies, by the Cape of Good-Hope ; for this City was used to fetch all those Spices and other hid ian Commodities from Grand Cairo down the Nile, being formerly carried to Cairo from the Red Sea upon Camels' and Dromedaries' Backs, sixty Days' Journey : And so Venice us'd to dispense those Commodities thro' all Christendom, which not only the Portugal, but the English and Hollander now transport, and are Masters of the Trade. Yet there is no outward Appear- ance at all of Poverty, or any Decay in this City; but she is still gay, flourishing, and fresh, and flowing with all kind of Bravery and Delight, which may be had at cheap Rates. Much more might be written of this antient wise Republic, which cannot be comprehended within the narrow Inclosure of a Letter. So, with my due and daily Prayers for a Con- tinuance of your Health, and Increase of Honour, I rest — Your most humble and ready Servitor, J. H. Ven., I Aug. 162 1. XXXVI. To Robert Brown, Esq., at the Middle-Temple ; from Venice. Robin, I HAVE now enough of the Maiden- City, and this Week am to go further into Italy : for tho' I have been a good while Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 79 while in Venice, yet I cannot say I have been hitherto upon the Continent of Italy ; for this City is nought else but a Knot of Islands in the Adriatic Sea, joinM in one Body by Bridges^ and a good way distant from the firm Land. I have lighted upon very choice Company, your Cousin Brown and Master Weh ; and we all take the Road of Lomhardy, but we made an Order among ourselves, that our Discourse be always in the Language of the Country, under Penalty of a Forfeiture, which is to be indispensably paid. Randal Symns made us a curious Feast lately, where, in a Cup of the richest Greek, we had your Health, and I could not tell whether the Wine or the Remembrance of you was sweeter; for it was naturally a kind of Aromatick Wine, which left a fragrant perfuming Kind of Farewel behind it. I have sent you a Runlet of it in the Ship Lion, and if it come safe, and unprick'd, I pray bestow some Bottles upon the Lady (you know) with my humble Service. When you write next to Mr. Symns, I pray acknowledge the good Hospitality and extraordinary Civilities I received from him. Before I con- clude^ I will acquaint you with a common Saying that is used of this dainty City of Venice: Venetia, Venetia, chi no?i te vede non te Fregia, Ma chi fha troppo veduto te Dispreggia. English'd and rhymM thus (tho' I know you need no Trans- lation, you understand so much of the Italian) : Venice, Venice, ?wne Thee unseen can prize ; Who hath seen too much tvill Thee despise. I will conclude with that famous Hexastic which San- iiazaro made of this great City, which pleaseth me much better : Viderat Hadriacis Venetam Neptunus in undis Stare Urbem., & toti po?iere jura Mari ; Nunc mihi Taipcias qiiantwn vis, Jupiter, Arces Objice 6^ ilia tui nicenia Martis ait, Sic Pelago Tibrim prcefers, Urhem aspice utranique, lllain honii?ies dices, hanc posuisse Deos. When 8o Familiar Letters. Book /. When Neptune sa7v in Adrian Surges stand Venice, and give the Sea Laws of Comfnand: Noiv Jove, said he, object thy Capitol, And yi^Ts'' proud Walls : this were for to extol Tiber beyond the Main ; both Tozuns behold ; Rome, Me7i thou' It say, Venice the Gods did mould. Sannazaro had given him by St. Mark a hundred Zecchins for every one of these Verses, which amounts to about 300Z. It would be long before the City of London would do the like ; witness that cold Reward, or rather those cold Drops of Water which were cast upon my Countryman, Sir Hugh Middleton, for bringing Ware River thro' her Streets, the most serviceable and wholesomest Benefit that ever she receiv'd. The Parcel of Italian Books that you write for, you shall receive from Mr. Leat, if it please God to send the Ship to safe Port; and I take it as a Favour, that you employ me in anything that may conduce to your Contentment, because — I am your serious Servitor, J. H. Ven., 12 Aug. 162 1. XXXVII. To Captain Thomas ^ovt^v, from Venice. My dear Captain, AS I was going a-Shipboard in Alicajit, a Letter of yours in Spanish came to hand : I discovered two Things in it, first, what a Master you are of that Language; then, how mindful you are of your Friend. For the first, I dare not correspond with you yet: for the second, I shall never come short of you, for I am as mindful of you as possibly you can be of me, and some Hours my Pulse doth not beat more often than my Memory runs on you, which is often enough in Conscience ; for the Physicians hold, that in every well-dispos'd Body there be above 4000 Pulsations every Hour, and some Pulses have been known to beat above 30,000 times an Hour in acute Fevers. I Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 8i I understand you are bound with a gallant Fleet for the Mediterranean ; if you come to Alicant, I pray commend me to Francisco Marco, my Landlord ; he is a merry Drole and good Company : One Night when I was there, he sent his Boy with a Borracha of Leather under his Cloak for Wine; the Boy coming back about Ten a Clock, and pass- ing by the Guard, one asked him whether he carried any Weapons about him (for none must wear any Weapons there after Ten at Night). No, quoth the Boy, being pleasant, I have but a little Dagger. The Watch came and searched him, and finding the Borracho full of good Wine, drunk it all up, saying, Sirrah, you know no Man must carry any Weapons so late; lut because ive hiow whose Servant you are, there's the Scahhard of your Dagger again; and so threw him the empty Borracho, But another Passage pleased me better of Don Beltran de Rosa, who being to marry a rich Labrador's (a Yeoman^s) Daughter hard-by, who was much importunM by her Parents to the Match, because their Family should thereby be ennobled, he being a Cavalier of St. /ago ; the young Maid having understood that Don Beltran had been in Naples, and had that Disease about him, answered wittily, En verdad por adobar me la Sangre, 7io quiero dannarmi la Came : Truly, Sir, To better my Blood, I will not hurt my Flesh. I doubt I shall not be in England before you set out to Sea; if not, I take my leave of you in this Paper, and wish you a prosperous Voyage, and an honourable Return. It is the hearty Prayer of — Yours, J. H. Fen., 21 Aug. 162 1. XXXVIIL To Sir William St. John, Knight, from Rome. Sir, HAVING seen Antenor's Tomb in Padua, and the Amphitheatre of Flaminius in Ferona, with other brave Towns in Lombardy, I am now come to Rofne ; and Rome, they say, is every Man's Country; she is called F Communis 82 Familiar Letters. Book L Communis Pati'ia ; for every one that is within the Com- pass of the Latin Church finds himself here, as it were, at home, and in his Mother's House, in regard of Interest in Relio-ion, which is the Cause that for one Native there be five Strangers that sojourn in this City; and without any Distinction or Mark of Strangeness, they come to Prefer- ments and Offices both in Church and State, according to Merit, which is more valued and sought after here than anywhere. But whereas I expected to have found Rome elevated upon seven Hills, I met her rather spreading upon a Flat, having humbled herself since she was made a Christian^ and descended from those Hills to Campus Martins, with Trasievere, and the Suburbs of St. Peter; she hath yet in compass about fourteen Miles, which is far short of that vast Circuit she had in Claudius's Time : for Fopiscus writes, she was then of fifty Miles circumference, and she had five hundred thousand free Citizens, in a famous Cense that was made ; which, allowing but six to every Family, in Women, Children, and Servants, came to three million of Souls: but she is now a Wilderness in comparison of that Number. The Pope is grown to be a great temporal Prince of late Years, for the State of the Church extends above 300 Miles in length, and 200 Miles in breadth ; it con- tains herrara, Bologna, Romagnia, the Marquisate of Ajicona, Umbria, Sahina, Perugia, with a Part of Tuscany, the Patrimony, Rome herself, and Latium : In these there are above fifty Bishopricks; the Pope hath also the Duchy of Spoleto, and the Exarchate of Rave/ma; he hath the Town of Benevento in the Kingdom of Naples, and the Country of Yenisse, call'd Avignon in France ; he hath title also good enough to Naples itself, but rather than offend his Champion the King of Spain, he is contented with a white Mule, and Purse of Pistoles about the Neck, which he receives every Year for a Herriot or Homage, or what you will call it : he pretends also to be Lord-Paramount of Sicily, Urhinj Parma, and Maseran, of Norway, Ireland, and Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 83 and England, since King John did prostrate our Crown at Pandulfo his Legate's Feet. The State of the Apostolic See here in Italy lies betwixt two Seas, the Adriatic and the Tyrrhene; and it runs thro' the midst of Italy, which makes the Pope powerful to do good or harm, and more capable than any other to be an Umpire or an Enemy. His Authority being mixM betwixt Temporal and Spiritual, disperseth itself into so many Members, that a young Man may grow old here before he can well understand the Form of Government. The Consistory of Cardinals meet but once a Week, and once a Week they solemnly wait all upon the Pope. I am told there are now in Christendom but sixty-eight Cardinals, whereof there are six Cardinal-Bishops, fifty-one Cardinal- Priests, and eleven Cardinal-Deacons : the Cardinal-Bishops attend and sit near the Pope, when he celebrates any Festival: the Cardinal-Priests assist him at Mass, and the Cardinal- Deacons attire him. A Cardinal is made by a short Breve or IVrit from the Pope, in these Words : Creamus te Socium Re gibus, superior em Ducibus, ^ fratrem nostrum : We create thee a Companion to Kings, superior to Dukes, and our Brother, If a Cardinal-Bishop should be questioned for any Offence, there must be twenty-four Witnesses produc'd against him. The Bishop of Ostia hath most Privilege of any other, for he consecrates and instals the Pope, and goes always next to him. All these Cardinals have the repute of Princes, and besides other Incomes, they have the Annats of Benefices to support their greatness. For point of Power, the Pope is able to put 50,000 Men in the Field, in case of necessity, besides his naval strength in Gallies. We read how Paul III. sent Charles III. 12,000 Foot and 500 Horse. Pius V. sent a greater Aid to Charles IX. and for Riches, besides the temporal Dominions, he hath in all the Countries before-nam'd, the Datary or dis- patching of Bulls. The Triennial Subsidies, Annats, and other Ecclesiastic Rights mount to an unknown Sum ; and it is a common Saying here. That as long as the Pope can finger 84 Familiar Letters. Book L finger a Pen, he can want no Pence. Plus V., notwithstand- ing his Expences in Buildings^ left four millions in the Castle of St. Angela, in less than five years, more I believe than this Gregory XV. will, for he hath many Nephews ; and better it is to be the Pope's Nephew than to be Favourite to any Prince in Christendom. Touching the Temporal Government of Rome, and Op- pidan Affairs, there is a Pretor and some choice Citizens, who sit in the Capitol. Among other pieces of Policy, there is a Synagogue of Jews permitted here (as in other places of Italy) under the Pope's Nose, but they go with a mark of distinction in their Hats; they are tolerated for advantage of Commerce, wherein the Jews are wonderful dexterous, tho' most of them be only Brokers and Lo7n- bardeers ; and they are held to be here, as the Cynic held Women to be, malum necessarium. There be few of the Romans that use to pray heartily for the Pope^s long Life, in regard the oftner the Change is, the more advantageous it is for the City, because commonly it brings Strangers and a recruit of new People. The Air of Rome is not so whol- some as of old ; and among other Reasons, one is, because of the burning of Stubble to fatten their Fields. For her Antiquities, it would take up a whole Volume to write them ; those which I hold the chiefest are, Fespas'uoi's Amphi- theatre, where eighty thousand People might sit; the Stoves of Anthony, divers rare Statues at Belveder and St. Peter s, especially that of Laocoon, the Obelisk; for the Genius of the Roman hath always been much taken with Imagery, Limning, and Sculptures, insomuch that as in former times, so now, I believe the Statues and Pictures in Rome exceed the number of living People. One Antiquity, among others, is very remarkable, because of the change of Language ; which is an ancient Column erected as a Trophy for Duillius the Consul, after a famous naval Victory obtain'd against the Carthaginians in the second Punic War, where these words are engraven, and remain legible to this day : Exemet leco-ines Macistrates Castreis exfociejit pugnandod cepet enque, navebos Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 85 navehos marid Consul, &c._, and half a dozen lines after, it is caird Columna rhtrata, having the Beaks and Prows of Ships engraven up and down ; whereby it appears^ that the Latin then spoken was much differing from that which was us'd in Cicero^ s time 150 years after. Since the dismem- bring of the Empire, Rome hath run thro' many vicissitudes and turns of Fortune : And had it not been for the Residence of the Pope, I believe she had become a heap of Stones, a mount of Rubbish by this time; and howsoever that she bears up indifferent well, yet one may say : Qui miserajida videt veteids vestigia Romae, llle potest merito dicere Roma fuit. They who the Ruins of first Rome behold^ May say, Rome is not noiu, but was of old. Present 'Rome may be said to be but the Monument of Rome past, when she was in that flourish that St. Austin desir'd to see her in: She who tam'd the World, tam'd her- self at last, and falling under her own weight, fell to be a Prey to Time; yet there is a Providence seems to have a care of her still ; for tho' her Air be not so good, nor her circumjacent Soil so kindly as it was, yet she hath where- with to keep Life and Soul together still, by her Ecclesias- tical Courts, which is the sole cause of her peopling now. So it may be said. When the Pope came to be her Head, she was reduc'd to her first Principles; for as a Shepherd was Founder, so a Shepherd is still her Governor and Preserver. But whereas the French have an odd Saying, That Jamais Cheval ny Homiiie, S'amenda pour aller a Rome ; Ne'er Horse or Man did mend, That unto Rome did wend. y Truly I must confess, that I find myself much better'd by it; for the sight of som^e of these Ruins did fill me with symptoms of Mortification, and made me more sensible of the frailty of all sublunary things, how all Bodies, as well I ^^-'^ c^-f ' ' , inanimate 86 Familiar Letters. Book I. inanimate as animate, are subject to dissolution and change, and everything else under the Moon, except the Love of — Your faithful Servitor, J. H. 13 Sept. 162 1. XXXIX. To Sir T. H. Knight, yVom Naples. Sir, I AM now in the gentle City of Naples, a City swelling with all Delight, Gallantry and Wealth ; and truly, in my opinion, the King of Spams Greatness appears here more eminently than in Spain itself. This is a delicate luxurious City, fuller of true-bred Cavaliers than any place I saw yet. The Clime is hot, and the Constitutions of the Lihabitants more hot. The Neapolitan is accounted the best Courtier of Ladies, and the greatest embracer of Pleasure of any other People: They say there are no less here than twenty thousand Cour- tesans registered in the Office of Savelli. This Kingdom, with Calahria, may be said to be the one moiety of Italy ; it extends itself 450 miles, and spreads in breadth 112; it contains 2700 Towns, it hath 20 Archbishops, 127 Bishops, 13 Princes, 24 Dukes, 25 Marquisses, and 800 Barons. There are three Presidial Castles in this City; and tho' the Kingdom abounds in rich staple Commodities, as Silks, Cottons, and Wine, and that there is a mighty Revenue comes to the Crown ; yet the King of Spain, when he casts up his account at the year's end, makes but little benefit thereof, for it is eaten up betwixt Governors, Garrisons, and Officers. He is forc'd to maintain 4000 Spanish Foot, call'd the Tercia oi Naples; in the Castles he hath 1600 in per- petual Garrison; he hath a thousand Men of Arms, 450 Light-Horse; besides, there are five Footmen enrollM for every hundred Fire : And he had need to do all this, to keep this voluptuous People in awe; for the Story musters up seven and twenty famous Rebellions of the Neapolitans in less than 300 years ; but now they pay soundly for it, for one Sect, 1. Familiar Letters. 87 one shall hear them groan up and down under the Spanish Yoke : And commonly the King of Spain sends some of his Grandees hither to repair their decay'd Fortunes ; whence the Saying sprung, That the Viceroy of Sicily gnaws, the Governor of Milan eats, hut the Viceroy q/" Naples devours. Our English Merchants here bear a considerable Trade, and their Factors live in better Equipage, and in a more splendid manner than in all Italy besides, than their Masters' and Principals in London; they ruffle in Silks and Sattins, and wear good Spanish Leather-shoes, while their Master's Shoes upon our Exchange in London shine with blacking. At PuzzoU, not far oif amongst the Grottes, there are so many strange stupendous things, that Nature herself seem'd to have study'd of purpose how to make herself there admir'd : I reserve the discoursing of them, with the nature of the Tarantola and Manna, which is gather'd here, and nowhere else, with other things, till I see you, for they are fitter for Discourses than a Letter. I will conclude with a Proverb they have in Italy for this People : NapoHtano Largo di bocca, stretto dijnano. The Neapolitans Have wide Mouths, but na7'row Hands. They make strong masculine Promises, but female Perfor- mances (ybr deeds are Men, hut luords are IVomen), and if in a whole Jlood of Compliments one find a drop of Reality, 'tis well. The first acceptance of a Courtesy is accounted the greatest Incivility that can be amongst them, and a ground for a Quarrel ; as I heard of a German Gentleman that was baffled for accepting only one Livitation to a Dinner. So, desiring to be preserv'd still in your good opinion, and in the rank of your Servants, I rest always most ready — At your disposing, , J, H. T Octob. 162 1. XL. 88 Familiar Letters. Book 1. XL. To Christopher Jones, Esq.; at Gray's-Inn ; from Naples. Honoured Father, I MUST still style you so_, since I was adopted your Son by so good a Mother as Oxford: My Mind lately prompted me, that I should commit a great Solecism, if among the rest of my Friends in England I should leave you unsaluted, whom I love so dearly well, specially having such a fair and pregnant opportunity as the hand of this worthy Gentleman your Cousin Morgan, who is now post- ing hence for E?igland. He will tell you how it fares with me; how any time these thirty odd Months I have been toss'd from shore to shore, and pass'd under various Meri- dians, and am now in this voluptuous and luxuriant City of Naples: And tho' these frequent removes and tumblings under Climes of differing Temper were not without some danger, yet the Delight which accompanied them was far greater ; and it is impossible for any Man to conceive the true pleasure of Peregrination but he who actually enjoys and puts it in practice. Believe it, Sir, that one year well emplovM abroad by one of mature judgment (which you know I want very much) advantageth more in point of useful and solid Knowledge than three in anv of our Uni- versities. You know running Waters are the purest, so they that traverse the World up and down have the clearest understanding; being faithful eye-witnesses of those things which others receive but in trust, whereunto they must yield an intuitive consent, and a kind of implicit Faith. When I pass'd thro' some parts of Lomhardy, among other things, I observ'd the Physiognomies and Complexions of the People, Men and Women ; and I thought I was in Wales, for divers of them have a cast of countenance and a nearer resem- blance with our Nation than any I ever saw yet : And the reason is obvious ; for the Romans having been near upon three hundred years among us, where they had four Legions (before Sect, I. Familiar Letters. 89 (before the English Nation or Language had any being) by so long a coalition and tract of time^ the two Nations must needs copulate and mix: insomuch that I believe there is yet remaining in Wales many of the Roman Race, and divers in Italy of the British. Among other resemblances, one was in their Prosody, and vein of Versifying or Rhym- ing, which is like our Bards, who hold Agnominations, and enforcing of consonant Words or Syllables one upon the other, to be the greatest Elegance. As, for Example, in IV elshj Tewgris, todyrris tyW derryn, gwillt, &c., so have I seen divers old Rhymes in Italian running so: Don?ie, danno, che Felo affronto affronta : In selva salvo a me : Piu caro cuore, &c. Being lately in Rome, among other Pasquils, I met with one that was against the Scots ; tho' it had some gaul in% yet it had a great deal of wit, especially towards the Con- clusion : so that I think if Y^, James saw it, he would but laugh at it. As I remember, some years since there was a very abusive Satire in Verse brought to our King; and as the passages were a-reading before him he often said. That if there were no more Men in England, the Rogue should hang for it : At last being come to the Conclusion, which was (after all his Railing) — Now God preserve the King^ the Queen, the Peers, And grant the Author long may wear his Ears ; this pleas'd his Majesty so well, that he broke into a laughter, and said. By my sol, so thou shalt for me : Thou art a bitter, but thou art a witty Knave. When you write to Monmouthshire, I pray send my respects to my Tutor, Master Moor Fortune, and my Service to Sir Charles IVilliams : And according to that Relation which was 'twixt us at Oxford, I rest — Your constant Son to serve you, J. H. 8 Octob. 162 1. - XLI. 90 Familiar Letters. Book I. XLT. To Sir ], C,from Florence. Sir, THIS Letter comes to kiss your Hands from fair Florence, a City so beautiful, that the great Emperor Charles V. said, That she was fitting to he shown and seen only upon Holidays: She marvailously flourisheth with Buildings, with Wealth and Artisans; for it is thought that in Serges, which is but one Connnodity, there are made two millions every year. All degrees of People live here not onlv well, but splendidly well, notwithstanding the manifold Exactions of the Duke upon all things: For none can buy here Lands or Houses, but he must pay eight in the hundred to the Duke; none can hire or build a House, but he must pav the tenth Penny; none can marry or commence a Suit in Law, but there is a Fee to the Duke; none can bring as much as an Egg or Sallet to the Market, but the Duke hath share therein. Moreover, Ligorn, which is the Key of Tuscany, being a Maritime and a great Mercantile Town, hath mightily cnrich'd this Country, by being a Frank Port to all Comers, and a safe Rendevouz to Pyrates as well as to Merchants. Add hereunto, that the Duke himself in some respect is a Merchant; for he sometimes ingrosseth all the Corn of the Country, and retails it at what rate he pleaseth. This enables the Duke to have perpetually 20,000 Men enrolFd, train'd up, and paid, and none but they can carry Arms; he hath 400 Light-Horse in constant pay, and 100 Men at Arms besides; and all these quartered in so narrow a compass, that he can command them all to Florence in twenty-fours hours. He hath twelve Gallies, two Galeons, and six Galeasses besides ; and his Gallies are call'd The Black Fleet, because they annoy the Turk more in the bottom of the Straits than any other. This State is bound to keep good quarter with the Pope more than ethers ; for all Tuscany is fenc'd by Nature her- self, I mean with Mountains, except towards the Territories of Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 91 of the Apostolic See, and the Sea itself : therefore it is call'd A Country of Iron. The Duke's Palace is so spacious, that it occupieth the room of fifty Houses at least; yet tho' his Court surpasseth the hounds of a Duke's, it reacheth not to the Magnificence of a King's. The Pope was sollicited to make the Grand Duke a King, and he answered. That he was content he should be King in Tuscany, not of Tuscany; whereupon one of his Counsellors reply'd, That it was a more glorious thing to be a grand Duke, than a petty King. Among other Cities which I desir'd to see in Italy^ Genoa was one, where I lately was, and found her to be the proud- est for Buildings of any I met withal ; yet the People go the plainest of any other, and are also most parsimonious in their Diet: they are the subtillest, T will not say the most subdolous Dealers : they are wonderful wealthy, specially in Money. In the year 1600, the King of Spain owed them eighteen Millions, and they say it is double as much now. From the time they began to finger the Indian Gold, and that this Town hath been the Scale by which he hath conveyed his Treasure to Flanders, since the Wars in the Netherlands, for the support of his Armies, and that she hath got some Privileges for the exportation of Wools and other Commodities (prohibited to others) out of Spain, she hath improv'd extremely in Riches, and made St. George^s Mount swell higher than St. Mark's in Venice. She hath been often ill-favouredly shaken by the Vene- tian, and hath had other Enemies, which have put her to hard shifts for her own defence, specially in the time of Leivis XI. of France ; at which time, when she would have given herself up to him for Protection, K. Lewis being told that Genoa was content to be his, he answer'd. She should not he his long, for he would give her up to the Devil, and rid his hands of her. Indeed the Genowaies have not the Fortune to be so well belov'd as other People in Italy ; which proceeds^ I believe, from their Cunningness and Over-reachings in bargaining, wherein 92 Familiar Letters. Book /. wherein they have something of the Jew, The Duke is there but Biennial, being chang'd every two years : He hath fifty Germans for his Guard. There be four Centurions that have two Men a-piece, which upon occasions attend the Signory abroad, in Velvet Coats ; there be eight Chief Governors, and four hundred Counsellors, among whom there be five Sovereign Syndics, who have authority to cen- sure the Duke himself, his time being expir'd, and punish any Governor else, tho' after Death, upon the Heir. Among other Customs they have in that Town, one is. That none must carry a pointed Knife about him; which makes the Hollander, who is us'd to Snik and Snee, to leave his Horn-sheath and Knife a Ship-board when he comes ashore. I met not with an Englis/wian in all the Town ; nor could I learn of any Factor of ours that ever resided here. There is a notable little active Republic towards the midst of Tiiscany, call'd Lucca, which in regard she is under the Emperor's Protection, he dares not meddle withal, tho' she lie as a Partridge under a Faulcon's Wings, in relation to the Grand Duke: besides, there is another reason of State, why he meddles not with her, because she is more beneficial to him now that she is free, and more industrious to support this freedom, than if she were become his Vassal ; for then it is probable she would grow more careless and idle, and so could not vent his Commodities so soon, which she buys for ready Money, wherein most of her Wealth consists. There is no State that winds the Penny more nimbly, and makes quicker Returns. She hath a Council call'd the Discoli, which pries into the profession and life of every one, and once a year they rid the State of all Vagabonds ; So that this petty pretty Republic may not be improperly parallel'd to a Hive of Bees, which have been always the emblems of Industry and Order. In this splendid City of Florence, there be many Rarities, which if I should insert in this Letter, it would make her swell too big; and indeed they are fitted for Parol Communication Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 93 Communication. Here is the prime Dialect of the Italian spoken, tho' the Pronunciation be a Httle more guttural than that of Sienna^ and that of the Court of Roiney which occa- sions the Proverb : Lifigua Toscana in hocca Roviana. The Tuscan Tongue sounds best in a Roman Mouth. The People here generally seem to be more generous, and of a higher comportment than elsewhere, very cautious and circumspect in their Negotiation ; whence ariseth the Proverb : Chi ha da far con Tosco, Non bisogna che sia Losco. Who dealeth with a Florentine, Must have the use of both his Efn. I shall bid Italy farewell now very shortly, and make my way o'er the Alps to France, and so home by God's Grace, to make a review of my Friends in England; among whom the sight of yourself will be as gladsome to me as of any other: for I profess myself, and purpose to be ever — Your thrice affectionate Servitor, J. H. I Nov. 1621. XLII. To Capt. Francis Bacon, yrom Turin. Sir, I AM now upon point of shaking hands with Italy ; for I am come to Turin, having already seen Venice the rich, Padua the Learned, Bologna the Fat, Rome the Holy, Naples the Gentle, Genoa the Proud, Florence the Fair, and Milan the Great; from this last I came hither, and in that City also appears the Grandeur of Spain's Monarchy very much : The Governor of Milan is always Captain-General of the Cavalry to the King of Spain throughout Italy. The Duke of Feria is now Governor; and being brought to kiss his Hands, he us'd me with extraordinary Respect, as he doth all of our Nation, by being by maternal Side a Dormer. The 94 Familiar Letters. Book I. The Spaniard entertains there also 3000 Foot, 1000 Light- Horse, and 600 Men at Arms in perpetual Pay ; so that I believe the Benefit of that Dutchy also, tho' seated in the richest Soil of Italy, hardly countervails the Charge. Three Things are admir'd in Milan, the Dome or great Church (built all of white Marble, within and without), the Hospital, and the Castle, by which the Citadel of Antwerp was traced, and is the best-con dition'd Fortress of Christendom; tho' Nova Palma, a late Fortress of the Venetian, would go beyond it; which is built according to the exact Rules of the most modern Enginry, being of a round Form, with nine Bastions, and a Street level to every Bastion. The Duke of Savoy, tho' he pass for one of the Princes of Italy, yet the least Part of his Territories lie there, being squander'd up and down amongst the Alps; but as much as he hath in Italy, which is Piedmont, is as well peopled, and passing good Country. The Duke of Savoy, Emanuel, is accounted to be of the antientest and purest Extraction of any Prince in Europe ; and his Knights also of the Annunciade to be one of the antientest Orders : tho' this present Duke be little in Stature, yet he is of a lofty Spirit, and one of the best Soldiers now living; and tho' he be valiant enough, yet he knows how to patch the Lion's Skin with the Fox's Tail. And whosoever is Duke of Savoy had need be cunning, and more than any other Prince ; in regard, that lying between two potent Neighbours, the French and the Spaniard, he must comply with both. Before I wean myself from Italy, a Word or two touching the Genius of the Nation. I find the Italian a Degree higher in Compliment than the French; he is longer and more grave in the Delivery of it, and more prodigal of Words; insomuch, that if one were to be worded to death, Italian is the fittest Language, in regard of the Fluency and Softness of it : for thro'out the whole Body of it, you have not a Word ends with a Consonant, except fome few mono- syllable Conjunctions and Prepositions, and this renders the Speech Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 95 Speech more smooth ; which made one say, That when the Confusion of Tongues happeji^d at the hidlding of the Tower of Babel, if the Italian had heen there, Nimrod had made him a Plaisterer. They are generally indulgent of them- selves^ and great Embracers of Pleasure, which may proceed from the luscious rich Wines, and luxurious Food, Fruits, and Roots, wherewith the Country abounds; insomuch, that in some Places, Nature may be said to be, Lena sui, A Bawd to herself. The Cardinal de Mediciss Rule is of much Authority among them, That there is no Religion under the Navel. And some of them are of the Opinion ot the Asia?is, who hold, that touching those natural Passions, Desires, and Motions, which run up and down in the Blood, God Almighty, and his Handmaid Nature, did not intend they should be a Torment to us, but be used with Comfort and Delight. To conclude, in Italy there be Virtutes magncB, nec minora Fitia; Great Virtues, and no less Vices. So, with a Tender of my most affectionate Respects unto you, I rest — Your humble Servitor, J. H. 30 Nov. 162 1. XLIII. To Sir J. H. J from Lions. Sir, I AM now got over the Alps, and return'd to France ; T had crossed and clambered up the Pyreneans to Spain before; they are not so high and hideous as the Alps ; but for our Mountains in Wales, as Eppint and Pe?iwinmaur, which are so much cryM up among us, they are Molehills in comparison of these ; they are but Pigmies compared to Giants, but Blisters compar'd to Imposthumes, or Pimples to IVarts. Besides, our Mountains in Wales bear alway something useful to Man or Beast, some Grass at least ; but these uncouth huge monstrous Excrescences of Nature bear nothing (most of them) but craggy Stones :_the Tops of some of them are blanched over all the Year long with Snows; and the People who dwell in the Valleys, drinking, for 96 Familiar Letters. Book L for want of other^ this Snow-Water, are subject to a strange Swelling in the Throat, called Goytre^ which is common among them. As I scaPd the Alps, my Thoughts reflected upon Hanni- bal, who with Vinegar and Strong Waters did eat out a Passage thro' those Hills ; but of late Years they have found a speedier Way to do it by Gunpowder, Being at Turin, I was by some Disaster brought to an extreme low Ebb in Money, so that I was forced to foot it along with some Pilgrims, and with gentle Pace and easy Journeys, to climb up those Hills, till I came to this Town of Lions, where a Countryman of ours, one Mr. Lewis, whom I knew in Alicant, lives Factor; so that now I want not anything for my Accommodation. This is a stately rich Town, and a renowned Mart for the Silks of Italy, and other Levantine Commodities, and a great Bank for Money, and indeed the greatest of France. Before this Bank was founded, which was by Henry I., France had but little Gold and Silver ; insomuch that we read how King John, their Captive King, could not in four Years raise sixty thousand Crowns to pay his Ransom to our King Edward : And St. Lewis was in the same Case when he was Prisoner in Egypt, where he had left the Sacrament for a Gage. But after this Bank was erected, it fill'd France full of Money; they of Lucca, Florence, and Genoa, with the Venetian, got quickly over the Hills, and brought their Moneys hither, to get Twelve in the Hundred Profit; which was the Interest at first, tho' it be now much lower. In this great mercantil Town there be two deep navi- gable Rivers, the Rhone and the Sone ; the one hath a swift rapid Course, the other slow and smooth : And one Day, as I walk'd upon their Banks, and observed so much Differ- ence in their Course, I fell into a Contemplation of the Humours of the French and Spaniard, how they might be not improperly compared to these Rivers ; the French to the swift, the Spaniard to the slow River. I Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 97 t shall write you no more Letters, until I present myself to you for a speaking Letter, which I shall do as soon as I may tread London Stones. — Your affectionate Servitor, J. H. 6 Nov. 1621.^ XLIV. To Mr. Tho. Bowyer,y7-om Lions. BEING so near the Lake of Geneva, Curiosity would carry any one to see it: The Inhabitants of that Town, methinks, are made of another Paste, differing from the affable Nature of those People I had convers'd withal formerly ; they have one Policy, lest that their petty Re- public should be pester'd with Fugitives; their Law is^ That what Stranger soever flies thither for Sanctuary, he is punish- able there in the same Degree as in the Country where he committed the Offence. Geneva is govern'd by four Syndics, and four hundred Senators: She lies like a Bone 'twixt three Mastiffs, the Emperor, the French King, and the Duke of Savoy: they all three look upon the Bone, but neither of them dare touch it singly, for fear the other two would fly upon him. But they say the Savoyard hath the justest Title ; for there are Imperial Records extant, That altho the Bishops of Geneva were Lords Spiritual and Temporal, yet they should acknow- ledge the DiLke of Savoy for their Superior. This Man's Ancestors went frequently to the Town, and the Keys were presently tender'd to them. But since Calvin s Time, who had been once banish'd, and then call'd in again, which made him to apply that Speech to himself, That the Stone ivhich the Builders refused is become the Head-stone of the Corner ; I say, since they were refin'd by Calvin, they seem to shun and scorn all the World besides, being cast, as it were, into another Mould, which hath quite alter'd their very natural Disposition in point of Moral Society. Before I part with this famous City of Liojis, I will relate to you a wonderful strange Accident that happen'd here G not 98 Familiar Letters. Book I. not many Years ago. There is an Officer callM he Cheva- lier du Guet, who is a kind of Night-guard here^ as well as in Paris ; and his Lieutenant, called Jaquette, having supp'd one Night in a rich Merchant's House, as he was passing the Round afterwards, he said, / wonder what I have eaten and drank at the Merchant's House, for I Jind myself so hot, that if I meet with the Devil's Dam to-night, I should not forbear using of her. Hereupon, a little after, he overtook a young Gentlewoman mask'd, whom he would needs usher to her Lodging, but discharged all his Watch, except two ; she brought him, to his thinking, to a little low Lodging hard by the City- Wall, where there were only two Rooms: and after he had enjoy'd her, he desir'd that, according to the Custom of French Gentlemen, his two Comrades might partake also of the same Pleasure ; so she admitted them one after the other: And when all this was done, as they sat together, she told them, if they knew who she was, none of them would have venturM upon her ; thereupon she whistled three times, and all vanish'd. The next Morning, the two Soldiers that had gone with Lieutenant Jaquette were found dead under the City-Wall, amongst the Ordure and Excrements, and Jaquette himself a little way off half- dead, who was taken up, and coming to himself again, con- fessM all this, but dy'd presently after. The next Week I am to go down the Loire towards Paris, and thence as soon as I can for England, where, among the rest of my Friends, whom I so much long to see after this triennial Separation, you are like to be one of my first Objects. In the meantime I wish the same Happiness may attend you at home as I desire to attend me homeward ; for I am — Truly yours^ J. H. 5 Dec. 162 1. Section Section II. I. To my Father. Sir, IT hath pleased God, after almost three years' Peregri- nation by Land and Sea, to bring me back safely to London; but altho' I am come safely, I am come sickly: For when I landed in Venice, after so long a Sea- Voyage from Spain, I was afraid the same Defluxion of salt Rheum which fell from my Temples into my Throat in Oxford, and distilling upon the Uvula impeach'd my Utterance a little to this day, had found the same channel again ; which caused me to have an Issue made in my Left Arm for the Diversion of the Humour. I was well ever after till T came to Rouen, and there I fell sick of a Pain in the Head, which, with the Issue, I have carry'd with me to England. Dr. Harvey, who is my Physician, tells me, that it may turn to a Consumption, therefore he hath stopped the Issue_, telling me there is no danger at all in it, in regard I have not worn it a full twelvemonth. My Brother, I thank him, hath been very careful of me in this my sickness, and hath come often to visit me : I thank God I have pass'd the brunt of it, and am recovering and picking up my Crums apace. There is a flaunting French Ambassador come over lately, and I believe his Errand is nought else but Compliment; for the King of France being lately at Calais, and so in sight of E?igland, he sent his Ambassador, M. Cadenet, expresly to visit our King: He had Audience two days since, where he, with his Train of ruffling long- haired Monsieurs, carryM himself in such a light Garb, that after the Audience the King askM my Lord Keeper Bacon what he thought of the French Ambassador : He answered. That he was a tall proper Man. Ay, his Majesty reply^d, but 100 Familiar Letters. Book I. but what think you of his Head-piece ? Is he a proper Man for the Office of an Ambassador? Sir, said Bacon, Tall Men are like high Houses of four or jive Stories, wherein commonly the uppermost Room is worst furnished. So, desiring my Brothers and Sisters_, with the rest of my Cousins and Friends in the Country, may be acquainted with my safe return to England, and that you would please to let me hear from you by the next Conveniency, I rest — Your dutiful Son, J. H. Lond.^ 2 Feb. 162 1. II. To Rich. Altham, Esq. ; at Norberry. C^ALFE pars animce dimidiata mece ; Hail, half my Soul, my dear Dick, &c. I was no sooner return'd to the sweet Bosom of England, and had breathM the Smoke of this Town, but my Memory ran suddenly on you ; the Idea of you hath almost ever since so filPd up and engrossed my Imagination, that I can think on nothing else ; the Love of you swells both in my Breast and Brain with such a pregnancy, that nothing can deliver me of this violent high Passion but the sight of you : Let me despair if I lye, there was never Female long'd more after anything by reason of her growing Emhryon than I do for your Presence. Therefore I pray you make haste to save my Longing, and tantalize me no longer ('tis but three hours' riding), for the sight of you will be more precious to me than any one Object I have seen (and I have seen many rare ones) in all my three years' Travel; and if you take this for a Com- pliment (because I am newly come from France) you are much mistaken in — Yours, J. H. Lond.y I Feb. 162 1. HI. To D. Caldwall, Esq. ; at Battersay. My dear Dan, I AM come at last to London, but not without some danger, and thro' divers difficulties ; for I fell sick in France, Sect. 2. Familiar Letters. lOI France, and came so over to Kent : And my Journey from the Seaside hither was more tedious to me than from Rome to Rouen, where I grew first indisposed ; and in good faith, I cannot remember anything to this hour how I came from Gravesend hither, I was so stupifyM, and had lost the knowledge of all things; but I am come to myself indifferently well since, I thank God for it, and you cannot imagine how much the Sight of you, much more your Society, would revive me : Your Presence would be a Cordial to me more restorative than exalted Gold, more precious than the Powder of Pearl ; whereas your Absence, if it continue long, will prove to me like the dust of Diamonds, which is incurable Poison. I pray be not accessary to my death, but hasten to comfort your so long weather-beaten Friend — Yours, J. H. Land., i Feb. 162 1. IV. To Sir James Crofts, at the Lord Darcy's in St. Osith. Sir, I AM got again safely to this side of the Sea, and tho' I was in a very sickly case when I first arrived, yet thanks be to God I am upon point of perfect recovery, whereunto the sucking in of Eiiglish Air, and the sight of some Friends, conduc'd not a little. There is fearful News come from Germany ; you know how the Bohemians shook off the Emperor's Yoke, and how the great Council of Prague fell to such a hurly-burly, that some of the Imperial Counsellors were hurl'd out at the Windows : You heard also, I doubt not, how they offer'd the Crown to the Duke of Saxony, and he waving it, they sent Ambassadors to the Palsgrave, whom they thought might prove par negotio, and to be able to go thro' stitch with the work, in regard of his powerful Alliance, the King of Great Britain being his Father-in-Law, the K. of Denmark, the Pr. of Orange, the Marq. of Brandenburg, the D. of Bouil- lon his Uncles, the States of Holland his Confederates, the French I02 Familiar Letters. Book 1. French King his Friend, and the D. of Brunswick his near Ally: The Prince Palsgrave made some difficulty at first, and most of his Counsellors opposed it ; others incited him to it, and among other hortatives, they told him, That if he had the Courage to venture upon a King of England's sole Daughter, he might very well venture upon a sovereign Crown when it was tenderd him. Add hereunto, that the States of HollaJiddid mainly advance the Work, and there was good reason in policy for it; for their twelve years' Truce being then upon point of expiring with Spain, and finding our King so wedded to Peace, that nothing could divorce him from it, they lighted upon this design to make him draw his Sword, and engage him against the House of Austria for the defence of his sole Daughter and his Grand- children. What his Majesty will do hereafter I will not presume to foretell; but hitherto he hath given little counte- nance to the business, nay he utterly mislikM it at first; for whereas Dr. Hall gave the Prince Palsgrave the title of K. of Bohemia in his Pulpit-Prayer, he had a check for his pains; for I heard his Majesty should say. That there is an implicit Tie among Kings^ which obligeth them, tho' there be no other interest or particular engagement, to stick to and right one another upon an insurrection of Subjects; therefore he had more reason to be as^ainst the Bohemians than to adhere to them in the deposition of their Sovereign Prince. The King of Denmark sings the same Note, nor will he also allow him the appellation of King. But the fearful News I told you of at the beginning of this Letter is, that there are fresh Tidings brought how the Prince Palsgrave had a well-appointed Army of about 25,000 Horse and Foot near Prague ; but the Duke of Bavaria came with scarce half the Number, and notwithstanding his long March, gave them a sudden Battle, and utterly routed them : Insomuch that the new King of Bohemia, having not worn the Crown a whole twelvemonth, was forcM to fly with his Queen and Children; and after many Difficulties, they write, that they are come to the Castle of Castrein, the Sect. 2. Familiar Letters. 103 the Duke of Brandenhurcr^s Country, his Uncle. This News affects both Court and City here with much heaviness. I send you my humble thanks for the noble Correspon- dence you were pleased to hold with me Abroad; and I desire to know by the next when you come to London, that I may have the comfort of the sight of you, after so long an Absence — Your true Servitor, J. H. I Mar. 162 1. V. To Dr. Fr. Mansell, at All-Souls' in Oxford. I AM return'd safe from my foreign Employment, from my three years^ Travel ; I did my best to make what Advantage I could of the time, tho' not so much as I should ; for I find that Peregrination (well us'd) is a very profitable School ; it is a running Academy, and nothing conduceth more to the building up and perfecting of a Man. Your honourable Uncle Sir Robert Mansel, who is now in the Mediterranean, hath been very notable to me, and I shall ever acknowledge a good part of my Education from him. He hath melted vast Sums of Money in the Glass- business, a Business indeed more proper for a Merchant than a Courtier. I heard the King should say, That he wonder'd Robin Mansel, being a Seaman, whereby he hath got so much Honour, should fall from IVater to tamper with Fire, which are two contrary Elements. My Father fears that this Glass-employment will be too brittle a Foundation for me to build a Fortune upon ; and Sir Robert being now at my coming back so far at Sea, and his Return uncertain, my Father hath advis'd me to hearken after some other Condition. I attempted to go Secretary to Sir John Ayres to Constantinople, but I came too late. You have got your- self a great deal of good Reputation by the voluntary Resignation you made of the Principality of Jesus College to Sir Eubule Theolall, in hope that he will be a consider- able Benefactor to it. I pray God he perform what he promiseth 104 Familiar Letters. Book I. promiseth, and that he be not over-partial to Nortli-Wales Men. Now that I give you the first Summon^ I pray you make nie happy with your Correspondence by Letters; there is no Excuse or Impediment at all left now^ for you are sure where to find me; whereas I was a Landloper, as the Dutchman saith, a wanderer, and subject to incertain removes, and short sojourns in divers places before. So, with Apprecation of all Happiness to you here and hereafter, I rest — At your friendly dispose, J. H. 5 Mar. 1618. VI. To Sir Eubule Theolall, Knight, and Principal of Jesus College in Oxford. Sir, I SEND you most due and humble thanks, that notwith- standing I have play'd the truant, and been absent so long from Oxford, you have been pleas'd latelv to make choice of me to be Fellow of your new Foundation in Jesus College, whereof I was once a Member. As the quality of my Fortunes^ and course of Life, run now, I cannot make present use of this your great Favour, or Promotion rather; yet I do highly value it, and humbly accept of it, and intend by your Permission to reserve and lay it by, as a good warm Garment, against rough Weather, if any fall on me. With this my expression of Thankfulness, I do congratulate the great honour you have purchas'd both by your own beneficence, and by your painful endeavour, besides, to perfect that national College, which hereafter is like to be a Monument of your Fame, as well as a Semin- ary of Learning, and will perpetuate your Memory to all Posterity. God Almighty prosper and perfect vour undertakings, and provide for you in Heaven those rewards which such publick works of Piety use to be crown'd withal ; it is the Appreca- tion of — Your truly devoted Servitor, J. H. London^ idibus Mar. 1621. VII. Sect. 2. Familiar Letters. vir. To my Father. Sir, ACCORDING to the Advice you sent ine in your last, while I sought after a new course of Employment, a new Employment hath lately sought after me; my Lord Savage hath two young Gentlemen to his Sons_, and I am to go travel with them : Sir James Crofts (who so much respects you) was the main Agent in this business, and I am to go shortly to Long-Melford in Suffolk, and thence to St. Osith in Essex to the Lord Darcy. Q. Anne is lately dead of a Dropsy in Denmark- House ; which is held to be one of the fatal Events that followed the last fearful Comet that rose in the Tail of the Constellation of Virgo; which some Ignorant Astronomers that write of it would fix in the Heavens^ and that as far above the Orb of the Moon as the Moon is from the Earth : but this is nothing in com- parison of those hideous Fires that are kindled in Germany j blown first by the Bohemians, which is like to be a War without end ; for the whole House of Austria is interested in the Quarrel, and it is not the custom of that House to set by any Affront, or forget it quickly. Q. Anne left a world of brave Jewels behind, but one Piero, an outlandish Man, who had the keeping of them, embezzled many, and is run awav ; she left all she had to Prince Charles, whom she ever lov'd best of all her Children ; nor do I hear of any Legacy she left at all to her Daughter in Germany : for that Match, some say, lessenM something of her Affec- tion towards her ever since, so that she would often call her Goody Palsgrave ; nor could she abide Secretary Win- wood ever after, who was one of the chiefest instruments to bring that Match about, as also for the rendition of the Cautionary Towns in the Low Countries, Flushjjig and Brill, with the Ra7nmakins, I was lately with Sir John Walter and others of your Counsel about Law-business; and some of them told me that Master J. Lloyd, your Adversary, io6 Familiar Letters. Book L Adversary, is one of the shrewdest Solicitors in all the thirteen Shires of Wales, being so habituated to Law-suits and Wrangling, that he knows any of the least starting- holes in every Court: I could wish you had made a fair end with him ; for besides the cumber and trouble, especially to those that dwell at such a huge distance from IVest- minster-Hall as you do, Law is a shrewd Pick-purse, and the Lawyer, as I heard one say wittily not long since, is like a Christmas-box, which is sure to get, whosoever loseth. So, with the continuance of my due and daily Prayers for your health ; with my love to my Brothers and Sisters, I rest — Your dutiful Son, J. H. 20 Mar. 1618. viir. To Dan. Caldwall, Esq.; from the Lord Savage's House in Long-Melford. My dear Dan, THO', considering my former condition of Life, I may now be calFd a Countryman, yet you cannot call me a Rustic (as you would imply in your Letter) as long as I live in so civil and noble a Family, as long as I lodge in so vertuous and regular a House as any I believe in the Land, both for oecouomicall Government, and the choice Company; for I never saw yet such a dainty Race of Children in all my life together; I never saw yet such an orderly and punctual attendance of Servants, nor a great House so neatly kept ; here one shall see no dog, nor a cat, nor cage to cause any nastiness within the body of the House. The Kitchen and Gutters and other Offices of noise and drudgery are at the fag-end ; there's a Back-gate for the Beggars and the meaner sort of Swains to come in at; the Stables butt upon the Park, which, for a chearful rising Ground, for Groves and Browsings for the Deer, for rivulets of Water, may compare with any for its highness in the whole Land ; it is opposite to the front of the great House, Sect. 2. Familiar Letters. 107 House, whence from the Gallery one may see much of the Game when they are a-hunting. Now for the Gardening and costly choice Flowers, for Ponds, for stately large Walks, green and gravelly, for Orchards and choice Fruits of all sorts, there are few the like in England: here you have your Bon Christian Pear and Bergamot in perfection, your Muscadell Grapes in such plenty, that there are some Bottles of Wine sent every year to the King ; and one Mr. Daniel, a worthy Gentleman hard by, who hath been long abroad, makes good store in his Vintage. Truly this House of Long-Melford, tho' it be not so great, yet it is so well compacted and contrivM with such dainty Conveniences every way, that if you saw the Landskip of it, you would be mightily taken with it, and it would serve for a choice Pattern to build and contrive a House by. If you come this Summer to your Manor of Sheriff in Essex, you will not be far off hence ; if your occasions will permit^ it will be worth your coming hither, tho' it be only to see him who would think it a short Journey to go from Si. David's- Head to Dover Cliffs to see and serve you, were there occa- sion : If you would know who the same is, ^tis — Yours, J. H. 20 May 1619. IX. To Robert Brown, Esq. Sir, ^Y^HJNKS for one Courtesy is a good Usher to bring on another; therefore it is my Policy at this time to thank you most heartily for your late copious Letter, to draw on a second : I say, I thank you a thousand times over for yours of the 3d of this present, which abounded with such variety of News, and ample well-couch'd Rela- tions, that I made many Friends by it; yet I am sorry for the quality of some of your News, that Sir Robert Mansel being now in the Mediterranean with a considerable naval strength of ours against the Moors, to do the Spaniard a pleasure. Marquis Spinola should, in a hogling way, change his io8 Familiar Letters. Book I. his Master for the time, and taking Commission from the Emperor, become his Servant for invading the Palatinate with the Forces of the King of Spain in the Netherlands, I am sorry also the Princes of the Union should be so stupid as to suffer him to take Oppenheim by a PartJiian kind of back Stratagem, in appearing before the Town, and making semblance afteru^ards to go to IVonns ; and then perceiving the Forces of the United Provinces, to go for succouring of that, to turn back and take the Town he intended first, whereby I fear he will be quickly master of the rest. Surely I believe there may be some treachery in't, and that the Marquis of Anspach, the General, was over- come by Pistols made of Indian Ingots, rather than of Steel ; else an Army of 40,000, which he had under his Command, might have made its Party good against Spinolas less than 20,000, tho' never such choice Veterans. But what will not Gold do ? It will make a Pigmy too hard for a Giant. There's no fence or fortress against an Ass laden with Gold. It was the saying, you know, of his Father, whom partial and ignorant Antiquity cries up to have conquer'd the World, and that he sighM there were no more Worlds to conquer, tho' he had never one of the three old parts of the then known World entirely to himself. I desire to know what is become of that handful of Men his Majesty sent to Germany under Sir Horace Vere, which he was bound to do, as he is one of the Protestant Princes of the Union ; and what's become of Sir Arthur Chichester, who is gone Ambassador to those Parts ? Dear Sir, I pray make me happy still with your Letters ; it is a mighty pleasure for us Country-folks to hear how- matters pass in London and Abroad : You know I have not the Opportunity to correspond with you in like kind, but may happily hereafter when the tables are turn'd, when I am in London, and you in the West. Whereas you are desirous to hear how it fares with me, I pray know that I live in one of the noblest Houses and best Air of England: There is a dainty Park adjoining, where I often wander up and Sect. 2. Familiar Letters. 109 and down, and I have my several Walks. I make one to represent the Royal Exchange, the other the middle Isle of PauVs, another IVestminister-fiall : and when I pass thro' the herd of Deer, methinks I am in Cheapside. So, with a ftdl return of the same measure of Love as you pleas'd to send me, I rest — Yours, J. H. 24 Afay 1622. X. To R. Altham, E^^^. ; from St. Osith, Sir, LIFE itself is not so dear to me as your Friendship, nor _v Virtue in her best Colours as precious as your Love, which was lately so lively pourtray'd unto me in yours of the 5th of this present. Methinks your Letter was like a piece of Tissue richly embroider'd with rare Flowers up and down, with curious Representations, and Landskips : Albeit I have as much stuff as you of this kind (I mean matter of Love), yet I want such a Loom to work it upon ; I cannot draw it to such a curious Web; therefore you must be content with homely Polldavie Ware from me, for you must not expect from us Country-folks such Urbanities and quaint Invention^ that you, who are daily conversant with the Wits of the Court, and of the Inns of Court, abound withal. Touching your Intention to travel beyond the Seas the next Spring, and the Intimation you make how happy you would be in my Company ; I let you know that I am glad of the one, and much thank you for the other, and will think upon it, but I cannot resolve yet upon anything. I am now here at the Earl Rivers', a noble and great-knowing Lord, who hath seen much of the World abroad ; my Lady Savage, his Daughter, is also here with divers of her Chil- dren : I hope this Hilary Term to be merry in London, and among other to re-enjoy your Conversation principally, for I esteem the society of no soul upon Earth more than yours : Till then I bid you farewell, and as the Season invites I lO Familiar Letters. Book I. invites me^ I wish you a merry Christmas, resting — Yours while J. Howell. 20 Dec. 1622. XL To Captain Tho. Porter^ upon his Return from Algier Voyage, Noble Captain, I CONGRATULATE your safe Return from the Straits, but am sorry you were so streightned in your Commis- sion, that you could not attempt what such a brave naval Powerof twenty Men of War,such agallant General, and other choice knowing Commanders might have performed, if they had had Line enough. I know the Lightness and Nimble- ness of Algier Ships ; when I liv'd lately in Alicant and other places upon the Mediterranean, we should every Week hear some of them chas'd, but very seldom taken ; for a great Ship following one of them, may be said to be as a Mastiff Dog running after a Hare. I wonder the Spaniard came short of the promis'd Supply for furtherance of that noble adventurous Design you had to fire the Ships and Gallies in Algiers Road : And according to the Rela- tion you pleas'd to send me, it was one of the bravest Enter- prizes, and had prov'd such a glorious Exploit that no Story could have parallel'd ; but it seems their Hoggies, Magi- cians, and Marihots were tampering with the ill Spirits of the Air all the while, which brought down such a still Cataract of Rain-waters suddenly upon you, to hinder the working of your Fire-works ; such a Disaster the Story tells us, befell Charles the Emperor, but far worse than yours, for he lost Ships and multitudes of Men, who were made Slaves^ but you came off with loss of eight Men only, and Algier is anotherghess thing now than she was then, being I believe an hundred degrees stronger by Land and Sea; and for the latter strength we may thank our Countryman JVard, and Danskey the Butterbag Hollander, who may be said to have been two of the fatalest and most infamous Men that ever Christendom Sect. 2. Familiar Letters. 1 1 1 Christendom bred ; for the one taking all Englishmeji^ and the other all Diitchmeii^ and bringing the Ships and Ord- nance to Algier, they may be said to have been the chief raisers of those Picaroons to be Pirates, who are now come to that height of strength^ that they daily endamage and affront all Christendom. When I consider all the circumstances and success of this your Voyage, when I consider the nar- rowness of your Commission, which was as lame as the Clerk that kept it; when I find that you secur'd the Seas and Traffick all the while, for I did not hear of one Ship taken while you were abroad ; when I hear how you brought back all the Fleet without the least disgrace or damage by Foe or foul Weather to any Ship; I conclude, and so do far better Judgments than mine, that you did what possibly could be done: let those that repine at the one in the hundred (which was impos'd upon all the L^i^a/z^ Merchants for the support of this Fleet) mutter what they will, that you went first to Gravesend, then to the Land^ s-end, and after to no end. I have sent you for your welcome home (in part) two Barrels of Colchester Oysters, which were provided for my Lord Colchester himself; therefore T presume they are good, and all green-finn'd ; I shall shortly follow, but not to stay long in England, for I think I must over again speedily to push on my Fortunes : So, my dear Tom, I am de todas mis entranas, from the center of my heart, I am — Yours, J. H. Sf. Osith, Dec. 1622. XII. To my Father, upon my second going to travel. Sir, I AM lately returned to London, having been all this while in a very noble Family in the Country, w^ere I found far greater Respects than I deserv'd ; I was to go with two of my Lord Savage^s Sons to travel, but finding myself too young for such a Charge, and our Religion differing, I have now made choice to go over Comrade to a I 12 Familiar Letters. Book I. a very worthy Gentleman, Baron ^Itham^s Son, whom I knew in Staines, when my Brother was there. Truly, I hold him to be one of the hopefulest young Men of this Kingdom for Parts and Person; he is full of excellent solid Knowledge, as the Mathematics, the Law, and other mate- rial Studies : besides, I should have been ty'd to have staid three years abroad in the other Employment at least, but I hope to get back from this by God's Grace before a Year be at an end, at which time I hope the Hand of Providence will settle me in some stable home-fortune. The News is, that the Prince Palsgrave, with his Lady and Children, are come to the Hague in Holland, having made a long Progress or rather a Pilgrimage about Germany from Prague. The old D. of Bavaria'^s Uncle is chosen Elec- tor and Arch-sewer of the Roman Empire in his place (but, as they say, in an imperfect Diet), and with this Proviso, that the transferring of this Election upon the Bavarian shall not prejudice the next Heir. There is one Count Mansfelt that begins to get a great Name in Germaiuj, and he, with the D. of Brunswick, who is a Temporal Bishop of Halverstade, have a considerable Army on foot for the Lady Elizabeth, who, in the Low Countries and some parts of Germany, is calFd the Queen of BoJieme, and for her winning princely comportment. The Queen of Hearts. Sir Arthur Chichester is come back from the Palatinate, much com- plaining of the small Army that was sent thither under Sir Horace Fere., which should have been greater, or none at all. My Lord of Buckingham, having been long since Master of the Horse at Court, is now made Master also of all the Wooden-horses in the Kingdom, which indeed are our best Horses, for he is to be High-Admiral of England; so he is become Dominus Equorum ^ Aquarum. The late Lord Treasurer Cranfeld grows also very powerful, but the City hates him for having betray'd their greatest Secrets, which he was capable to know more than another, having been formerly a Merchant. I Sect. 2. Familtar Letters. 113 I think I shall have no opportunity to write to you again till I be t'other side of the Sea; therefore I humbly take my leave^ and ask your Blessing, that I may the beter prosper in my Proceedings : So I am — Your dutiful Son, J. H. 19 Mar. 1622. XIII. To Sir John Smith, Knight. Sir, THE first ground I set foot upon after this my second transmarine Voyage was Trevere (the Scots Staple) in Zealand ; thence we sailM to Holland, in which Passage we might see divers Steeples and Turrets under Water, of Towns that we were told were swallow'd up by a Deluge within the Memory of Man : we went afterwards to the Hague, where there are hard by, tho' in several Places^ two wonderful things to be seen, the one of Art, the other of Nature ; that of Art is a Wagon, or Ship, or a Monster mix'd of both, like the H'lppocentaur, who was half Man and half Horse : This Engine hath Wheels and Sails that will hold above twenty People^ and goes with the Wind, being drawn or mov'd by nothing else, and will run, the Wind being good and the Sails hois'd up, above fifteen miles an hour upon the even hard Sands. They say this Invention was found out to entertain Spinola when he came hither to treat of the last Truce. That Wonder of Nature is a Church- monument, where an Earl and a Lady are engraven with 365 Children about them, which were all delivered at one Birth; they were half Male, half Female; the two Basons in which they were christned hang still in the Church, and the Bishop's Name who did it; and the story of this Miracle, with the year and the day of the month mention'd, which is not yet 200 years ago. And the Story is this ; That the Countess walking about her Door after dinner, there came a Beggar-woman with two Children upon her back, to beg Alms; the Countess asking whether those Children were her own^ she answer'd, She had them both at one Birth, H and 114 Familiar Letters. Book L and by one Father, who was her Husband. The Countess would not only not give her any Alms_, but revil'd her bit- terly, saying, It was impossible for one Man to get two Children at once. The Beggar-woman being thus provok'd with ill Words, and without Alms, fell to Imprecations, that it should please God to shew His Judgment upon her, and that she might bear at one Birth as many Children as there be days in the year, which she did before the same year's end, having never born Child before. We are now in 'North-Holland, where I never saw so many, among so few, sick of Leprosies ; and the reason is, because they com- monly eat abundance of fresh Fish. A Gentleman told me, that the Women of this Country, when they are deliver'd, there comes out of the Womb a living Creature besides the Child, caird Zucchie, likest a Bai of any other Creature, which the Midwives throw into the Fire, holding Sheets before the Chimney lest it should fly away. Mr. Altham desires his Service be presented to you and your Lady, to Sir John Franklin, and all at the Hill ; the like do I humbly crave at your Hands : The Italian and French Manuscripts you pleas'd to favour me withal I left at Mr. SciVs the Stationer, whence, if you have not them already, you may please to send for them. So in all Affection I kiss your hands, and am — Your humble Servitor, J. H. 2 revere, lo April 1623. XIV. To the Right Hononrahle the Lord Viscount Colchester, after Earl Rivers. Right Honourable, THE Commands your Lordship pleas'd to impose upon me when I left England, and those high Favours wherein I stand bound to your Lordship, call upon me at this time to send your Lordship some small fruits of my foreign Travel. Marquis Spinola is return'd from the Palatinate, where he was so fortunate, that (like Ccesar) he came, Sect. 2. Familiar Letters. came, saw, and overcame, notwithstanding that huge Army of the Princes of the Union, consisting of 40,000 Men ; whereas his was under 20,000, but made up of old tough Blades and Veteran Commanders. He hath now chang'd his Coat, and taken up his old Commission again from T)on Philippo, whereas during that Expedition he call'd himself Ccesars Servant. I hear the Emperor hath transmitted the upper Palatinate to the Duke of Bavaria, as caution for those Moneys he hath expended in those Wars. And the King of Spain is the Emperor's Commissary for the lower Pala- tinate : They both pretend that they were bound to obey the Imperial Summons to assist Ccesar in these Wars; the one as he was Duke of Burgundy, the other of Bavaria, both which Countries are feudatory to the Empire; else they had incur'd the Imperial Ban. It is fear'd this German War will be, as the Frenchman saith, de longue haleine, long- breath'd ; for there are great Powers on both sides, and they say the King of Denmark is arming. Having made a leisurely sojourn in this Town, I had yours to couch in writing a survey of these Countries, which I have now travers'd the second time; but in regard it would be a great bulk for a Letter, I send it your Lordship apart, and when I return to England I shall be bold to attend your Lordship for correction of my Faults. In the Interim I rest, my Lord, — Your thrice humble Servitor, J. H. Antwerp^ i May 1623. XV. A Survey of the seventeen Provinces. My Lord, TO attempt a precise description of each of the seven- teen Provinces, and of its Progression, Privileges; and primitive Government, were a task of no less confusion than labour : Let it suffice to know, that since Flanders and Holland were erected to Earldoms, and so left to be an Appendix to the Crown of France, some of them have had absolute ii6 Familiar Letters. Book L absolute and supreme Governors^ some subaltern and sub- ject to a superior Power. Among the rest, the Earls of Flanders and Holland were most considerable ; but of them two he of Holland being homageable to none, and having Friesland and Zealand added, was the more potent. In pro- cess of time all the seventeen met in one ; some by Conquest, others by Donation and Legacy, but most by Alliance. In the House of Burgundy this Union receiv'd most growth, but in the House of Austria it came to its full perfection ; for in Charles V. they all met as so many Lines drawn from the circumference to the centre; who, lording as supreme Head not only over the fifteen temporal^ but the two spiri- tual, Liege and Utrecht, had a Design to reduce them to a Kingdom, which his Son Philip II. attempted after him: But they could not bring their intents home to their Aim ; the cause is imputed to that multiplicity and difference of privileges which they are so eager to maintain, and whereof some cannot stand with a Monarchy without Incongruity. Philip II. at his Inauguration was sworn to observe them, and at his departure he oblig'd himself by an Oath to send still one of his own Blood to govern them: Moreover, at the Request of the Knights of the Golden Fleece, he promised that all foreign Soldiers should retire, and that he himself would come to visit them once every seventh year; but being once gone, and leaving in lieu of a Sword a Distaff, an unwieldly Woman to govern, he came not only short of his Promise, but procur'd a Dispensation from the Pope to be absolved of his Oath, and all this by the counsel of Cardinal Granvill, who, as the States Chronicler writes, v^as the first Firebrand that kindled that lamentable and longsome War wherein the Netherlands have traded above fifty years in Blood : For, intending to increase the Number of Bishops, to establish the Decrees of the Council of Trent, and to clip the Power of the Council of State compos'd of the Natives of the Land, by making it appealable to the Council of Spain, and by adding to the former Oath of Allegiance (all which conduc'd to settle the Inquisi- tion, Sect. 2. Familiar Letters. 117 tion and to curb the Conscience)^ the broils began ; to appease which Ambassadors were dispatch'd to Spain, whereof the two first came to violent deaths^ the one being beheaded^ the other poisonM. But the two last^ Egmond and Horn, were nourish'd still with Hopes, until Philip II. had prepared an Army under the conduct of the Duke of Alva, to compose the difference by Arms. For as soon as he came to the Government, he established the Bloetrad, as the Complainants termM it, a Coiincil of Blood, made up most of Spaniards : Egmond and Horn were appre- hended, and afterwards beheaded ; Citadels were erected, and the Oath of Allegiance, with the political Government of the Country, in divers things alter'd. This pour'd Oil on the Fire formerly kindled, and put all in combustion : The Prince of Orange retires; thereupon his eldest Son was surpriz'd, and sent as Hostage to Spain, and above 5000 Families quit the Country ; many Towns revolted, but were afterwards reduced to obedience : which made the Duke of Alva say, That the Netherlands appertain'd to the King of Spain not only by Descent, but Conquest ; and for cumble of his Vic- tories, when he attempted to impose the tenth Penny for maintenance of the Garrisons in the Citadels he had erected at Grave, Utrecht, and Antwerp (where he causM his Statue made of Cannon-hrass to be erected, trampling the Belgians under his feet), all the Towns withstood this Imposition : So that at last matters succeeding ill with him, and having had his Cousin Pacecio hang'd at Flushing-Ga.tts, after he had trac'd out the Platform of a Citadel in that Town also, he receiv'd Letters of Revocation from Spain. Him succeeded Don Luys de Requiluis, who came short of his Predecessor in Exploits ; and dying suddenly in the Field, the Govern- ment was invested for a time in the Council of State: The Spanish Soldiers being without a Head, gather'd together to the number of 1600, and committed such Outrages up and down, that they were proclaim'd Enemies to the State. Hereupon the Pacification of Ghent was transacted, whereof among other Articles one was, That all foreign Soldiers should Ii8 Familiar Letters. Book I, should quit the Country. This was ratified by the King, and observ'd by Don John of Austria, who succeeded in the Government ; yet Don John retain'd the Landskneghts at his devotion still for some secret Design, and, as some conjectur'd, for the Invasion of England; he kept the Spaniai-ds also still hovering about the frontiers ready upon all occasions. Certain Letters were intercepted that made a Discovery of some Projects, which made the War to bleed afresh ; Don John was proclaim'd Enemv to the State: So the Archduke Matthias was sent for, who, being a Man of small performance, and improper for the times, was dismiss'd, but upon honourable Terms. Don John a little after dies, and, as some gave out, of the Pox ; then comes in the Duke of Parma, a Man as of a different nation, being an Italian, so of a differing temper and more moderate spirit^ and of greater performance than all the rest; for, whereas all the Provinces except Luxevihurg and Hainault had revolted, he reduc'd Ghent, Tourney, Bruges, Malines, Brussels, yJntwerp (which three last he beleaguer'd at one time), and divers other great Towns to the Spanish obe- dience again. He had 60,000 Men in pay, and the choicest which Spain and Italy could afford. The French and Ejisflish Ambassadors, interceding: for a Peace, had a short Answer of Philip II., who said that he needed not the help of any to reconcile himself to his own Subjects and reduce them to Conformity; but the difference that was he would refer to his Cousin the Emperor : Hereupon the business was agitated at Colen, where the Spaniard stood as high a-tiptoe as ever, and notwithstanding the vast expence of treasure and blood he had been at for so many years, and that matters began to exasperate more and more, which were like to prolong the Wars in injinitum, he would abate nothing in point of Ecclesiastick Government. Hereupon the States perceiv'd that King Philip could not be vvrought either by the sollicitations of other Princes, or their own supplications so often reiterated, that they might enjoy the freedom of Religion, with other infranchisements ; and finding Sect. 2. Familiar Letters. 119 finding him inexorable_, being incited also by the Ban which was publish'd against the Prince of Orange, that whosoever kill'd him should have 5000 Crowns^ they at last absolutely renounc'd and abjur'd the King of Spain for their Sovereign : They broke his Seals, chang'd the Oath of Allegiance, and fled to France for shelter ; they inaugurated the Duke of Anjoii (recommended to them by the Queen of England, to whom he was a Suitor) for their Prince, who attempted to render himself absolute, and so thought to surprize jlnt- werp, where he received an ill-favour'd repulse ; yet neverthe- less the United Provinces^ for so they term'd themselves ever after, fearing to distaste their next great Neighbour France^ made a second Proffer of their Protection and Sovereignty to that King, who having too many irons in the fire at his own home, the League growing stronger and stronger, he answered 'em, That the Shirt was nearer to him than his Doublet. Then had they recourse to Queen Elizaheth, who, partly for her own security, partly for Interest in Religion, reachM them a supporting hand, and so sent them Men, Money, and a Governor, the Earl of Leicester^ who not symbolizing with their humour, was quickly revoke, yet without any outward dislike on the Queen^s side, for she left her Forces still with them, but upon their expence : she lent them afterwards some considerable sums of moneys, and she receiv'd Flushing and Brill for caution. Ever since the English have been the best sinews of their war, and achievers of the greatest exploits amongst them. Having thus made sure work with the English, they made young Count Maurice their Governor, who for twenty-five years together held task with the Spaniard, and during those traverses of War was very fortunate : an overture of peace was then propounded, which the States would not hearken to singly with the King of Spain, unless the Provinces that y^et re- main'd under him would engage themselves for the per- formance of what was articled; besides, they would not treat either of Peace or Truce, unless they were declar'd Free States, all which was granted : so by the intervention of the English I20 Familiar Letters. Book I. English and French Ambassadors, a Truce was concluded for twelve years. These Wars did so drain and discommodate the King of Spain, by reason of his distance (every Soldier that he sent either from Spain or Italy costing him near upon lOO Crowns before he could be rendered in Flanders), that not- withstanding his Mines of Mexico and Peru, it plung'd him so deeply in debt, that, having taken up Moneys in all the chief Banks of Christendom, he was forced to publish a Diploma, wherein he dispensed with himself (as the Holland Story hath it) from payment, alledging that he had employed those Moneys for the publick Peace of Christendom : this broke many great Bankers, and they say his credit was not current in Sevil or Lisbon, his own Towns ; and which was worse, while he stood wrestling thus with his own Subjects, the Turk took his opportunity to take from him Tunis and the Goletta, the Trophies of Charles V., his Father. So eager he was in this quarrel, that he employ'd the utmost of his strength and industry to reduce his People to his Will ; in regard he had an intent to make these Provinces his main Randevous and Magazine of Men of War ; which his Neighbours perceiving, and that he had a kind of aim to be West em Monarch, being led not so much for love as reasons of State, they stuck close to the revolted Provinces ; and this was the Bone that Secretary JValsingham told Q,. Elizabeth he would cast the K. of Spain, that should last him twenty years, and perhaps make his teeth shake in his head. But to return to my first discourse, whence this Digres- sion hath snatch'd me: The Netherlands, who had been formerly knit and concentred under one Sovereign Prince, were thus dismember'd ; and as they subsist now, they are a State and a Province: The Province, having ten of the seventeen at least, is far greater, more populous, better soiled, and more stor'd with Gentry. The State is the richer and stronger, the one proceeding from their vast Navigation and Commerce, the other from the quality of their Country, being Sect. 2. Familiar Letters. 12 1 being defensible by Rivers and Sluices_, by means whereof they can suddenly overwhelm all the whole Country : wit- ness that stupendous Siege of Leyden and Haerlem ; for most of their Towns^ the marks being taken away, are inaccessible, by reason of shelves of Sands. Touching the transaction of these Provinces, which the K. of Spain made as a Dowry to the Archduke Alhertus, upon marriage with the Infanta (who thereupon left his red Hat and Toledo Mitre, the chiefest spiritual Dignity in Christendom for revenue, after the Papacy), it was fringM with such cautelous restraints, that he was sure to keep the better end of the staff still to himself; for he was to have the tutele and ward of his Children, that they were to marry with one of the Austrian Family recommended by Spain, and in default of Issue, and in case Alhertus should survive the Infanta, he should be but Governor only : add hereunto, that K. Philip reserved still to himself all the Citadels and Castles, with the Order of the Golden Fleece, whereof he is Master, as he is Duke of Burgundy. The Archduke for the Time hath a very princelv Com- mand ; all Coins bear his Stamp, all Placarts or Edicts are published in his Name; he hath the Election of all civil Officers and Magistrates ; he nominates also Bishops and Abbots, for the Pope hath only the confirmation of them here; nor can he adjourn any out of the Country to answer anything, neither are his Bulls of any strength without the Prince's Placet, which makes him have always some Commissioners to execute his Authority. The People here grow hotter and hotter in the Roman Cause, by reason of the mixture with Spaniards and Italians ; and also by the example of the Archduke and the Infanta^ who are devout in an intense degree. There are two supreme Councils, the Privy-Council and that of the State; this tre^s of Confederations and Intelligence with foreign Princes, of Peace and War, of entertaining or of dismissing Colonels and Captains, of Fortifications ; and they have the Super- intendency of the highest Affairs that concern the Prince and 122 Familiar Letters. Book L and the Policy of the Provinces: The Primate hath the granting of all Patents and Requests, the publishing of all Edicts and Proclamations, the prizing of Coin, the looking to the Confines and Extent of the Provinces, and the enact- ing of all new Ordinances. Of these two Councils there is never a Spaniard, but in the actual Council of War their Voices are predominant: There is also a Court of Finances or Exchequer, whence all they that have the fingring of the King's Money must draw a Discharge. Touching matters of Justice, their Law is mix'd betwixt Civil and Common, with some Clauses of Canonical. The High Court of Parliament is at Malines, whither all civil Causes may be brought by Appeal from other Towns, except some that have municipal Privileges and are Sovereign in their own Jurisdictions, as Mons in Hainalt, and a few more. The prime Province for Dignity is Brahant, which, among many other Privileges it enjoys, hath this for one, not to appear upon any Summons out of its own Precinct; which is one of the reasons why the Prince makes his residence there : but the prime, for extent and fame, is Flanders, the chiefest Earldom in Christendom, which is three days' journey in length; Ghent, its Metropolis, is reputed the greatest Town of Europe, whence arose the Proverb, Les flamene tient un Gan, qui tiendra Paris dedans. But the beautifullest, richest, strongest, and most privileged City is Antwerp in Brahant, being the Marquisate of the Holy Empire, and drawing near to the nature of a Hans Town, for she pays the Prince no other Tax but the Impost. Before the Dissociation of the seventeen Provinces, this Town was one of the greatest Marts of Europe and greatest Bank this side the Alps ; most Princes having their Factors here, to take up or let out Moneys ; and here our Gresham got all his Wealth, and built our Royal Exchange by model of that here. The Merchandize brought hither from Germany, France, and Italy by Land, and from England, Spain, and the Hans-Towns bv Sea, was estimated at above twenty Millions of Crowns every year: but as no violent thing Sect, 2. Familiar Letters. 123 thing is long lasting, and as ^tis fatal to all Kingdoms, States, Towns, and Languages to have their period, so this renown'd Mart hath sufFer'd a shrewd Eclipse, yet no utter downfal ; the exchange of the King of Spahi^s Money and some small Land-traffic keeping still Life in her, tho' nothing so full of Vigor as it was. Therefore there is no Town under the Archduke where the States have more concealed Friends than in ylntwerp, who would willingly make them her Masters^ in hope to recover her former Com- merce; which after the last twelve years' Truce began to revive a little, the States permitting to pass by Lillo's Sconce, which commands the River Scheldt and lieth in the teeth of the Town, some small cross-sail'd Ships to pass hither : There is no place hath been more passive than this, and more often pillaged ; among other times she was once plun- dered most miserably by the Spaniards under the conduct of a Priest^ immediately on Don John of Austria^s death ; she had then her Stadt-house burnt, which had cost a few years before above 20,000 Crowns the building; and the spoils that were carried away thence amounted to forty tuns of gold : thus she was reduced not only to poverty, but a kind of captivity, being commanded by a Citadel, which she pre- ferred before a Garrison. This made the merchants retire and seek a more free Randevous, some in Zealand, some in Holland, especially in Amsterdam, which rose upon the fall of this Town, as Lisbon did from Venice upon the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope, tho^ Venice be not near so much crestfallen. I will now steer my discourse to the United Provinces, as they term themselves, which are six in number, viz., Hol- land, Zealand, Friesland, Overyssel, Gronnighen, and Utrecht, three parts of Gelderland, and some Frontier Towns and Places of contribution in Brabant and Flanders : In all^these there is no innovation at all introduced, notwithstanding this great change in point of Government, except that the College of States represent the Duke or Earl in times past ; which College consists of the chiefest Gentry of the Country, Superintendants Familiar Letters. Book /. Superintendants of Towns, and the principal Magistrates : Every Province and great Town chuse yearly certain De- puties, to whom they give plenary power to deliberate with the other States of all affairs touching the publick welfare of the whole Province ; and what they vote stands for Law. These being assembled, consult all matters of State, Justice, and War; the Advocate who is prime in the Assembly propounds the business, and after collects the suffrages, first of the Provinces, then of the Towns ; which being put in form, he delivers in pregnant and moving speeches; and in case there be a dissonance and reluctancy of opinions, he labours to accord and reconcile them ; con- cluding always with the major Voices. Touching the administration of Justice, the President, who is monthly chang'd, with the great Council, have the supreme Judicature ; from whose Decrees there is no appeal, but a revision ; and then some of the choicest Lawyers among them are appointed. For their Oppidan Government, they have variety of Officers, a Scout, Burgmasters, a Balue, and Vroetschoppens : The Scout is chosen by the States, who with the Balues have the judging of all criminal matters in last resort without appeal ; they have also the determining of civil Causes, but those are appealable to the Hague. Touching their chiefest Governor (or General rather now), having made proof of the Spaniard, German, French, and English, and agreeing with none of them, they alighted at last upon a Man of their own mould. Prince Maurice, now their General ; in whom concurr'd divers parts suitable to such a charge, having been train'd up in the Wars by his Father, who, with three of his Uncles and divers of his Kindred, sacrificed their Lives in the States Quarrel : he hath thriven well since he came to the Government; he clear'd Frieslandj Overysselj and Gro- ?iingen in less than eighteen months : He hath now continued their Governor and General by Sea and Land above thirty- three years; he hath the election of Magistrates, the pardoning of Malefactors, and divers other Prerogatives ; yet they are short Sect. 2. Familiar Letters. 125 short of the reach of Sovereignty, and of the Authority of the antient Counts of Holland: Tho' I cannot say 'tis a mercenary employment, yet he hath a Hmited allowance; nor hath he any implicit command when he goes to the field, for either the Council of War marcheth with him, or else he receives daily directions from them : moreover, the States themselves reserve the power of nominating all Com- manders in the Army, which being of sundry Nations, de- prive him of those advantages he might have to make him- self absolute. Martial Discipline is nowhere so regular as among the States; nowhere are there lesser insolences com- mitted upon the Burgher, nor robberies upon the Country Boors ; nor are the Officers permitted to insult over the common Soldier: When the Army marcheth, not one dares take so much as an apple off a tree or a root out of the earth in their Passage ; and the reason is, they are punctu- ally paid their Pay, or else I believe they would be insolent enough; and were not the Pay so certain, I think few or none would serve them. They speak of 60,000 they have in perpetual Pay by Land and Sea, at home, and in the Indies: The King of France was used to maintain a Regi- ment, but since Henry the Greafs death the Payment hath been neglected. The means they have to maintain these Forces, to pay their Governor, to discharge all other ex- pence, as the preservation of their Dikes, which comes to a vast expence yearly, is the antient revenue of the Counts of Holland, the impropriate Church-livings, Imposts upon all Merchandise, which is greater upon exported than imported Goods ; Excise upon all Commodities, as well for necessity as pleasure; Taxes upon every Acre of Ground, which is such, that the whole Country returns into their hands every three years : Add hereunto the Art they use in their Bank by the rise and fall of Money, the fishing upon our Coasts, whither they send every Autumn above 700 Hulks or Busses, which in the Voyages they make return above a Million in Herrings ; moreover, their fishing for green Fish and Salmon amounts to so much more ; and for their Cheese and Butter, 'tis 126 Familiar Letters. Book L ^tis thought they vent as much every year as Lishon doth Spices. This keeps the common Treasury always full, that upon any extraordinary service or design there is seldom any new Tax upon the People. Traffic is their general Pro- fession, being all either Merchants or Mariners; and having no Land to manure, they furrow the Sea for their living : and this universality of Trade, and their Banks of Adven- tures, distributes the Wealth so equally, that few among them are exceeding rich or exceeding poor ; Gentry among them is very thin, and as in all Democracies, little respected, and coming to dwell in Towns, they soon mingle with the Merchant, and so degenerate : Their Soil being all 'twixt Marsh and Meadow, is so fat in pasturage that one Cow will give eight Quarts of Milk a day; so that, as a Boor told me, in four little dorps near Harlem ^tis thought there is as much Milk milk'd in the year as there is Rhenish-Wine brought to Dort, which is the sole Staple of it. Their Towns are beautiful and neatly built, and with uniformity, that who sees one, sees all : In some Places, as in Amsterdam, the Foundation costs more than the Superstructure, for the Ground being soft, they are constrained to ram in huge Stakes of Timber (with Wool about it to preserve it from Putrefaction) till they come to a firm Basis ; so that, as one said. Whosoever could see Amsterdam under ground should see a huge Winter- Forest. Among all the confederate Provinces, Holland is most predominant, which, being but six hours' Journey in breadth, contains forty-nine wall'd Towns, and all these within a day's Journey one of another. Amsterdam for the present is one of the greatest mercantil Towns in Europe. To her is appropriated the East and West-India Trade, whither she sends yearly forty great Ships, with another Fleet to the Baltic Sea; but they send not near so many to the Mediterranean as England: Other Towns are passably rich, and stor'd with Shipping, but not one very poor; u^hich proceeds from the wholesome Policy they use, to assign every Town some firm Staple Commodity; as to (their Maiden-Town Sect, 2. Familiar Letters. 127 Maiden-Town) T)ort the German Wines and Corn, to Middehourgh the French and Spanish Wines, to Trevere (the Prince of Grangers Town) the Scots Trade : Leyden, in recompense of her long Siege, was erected to an University, which with Franiker in Friesland is all they have ; Harlem for Knitting and Weaving hath some Privilege ; Rotterdam hath the English Cloth: and this renders their Towns so equally rich and populous. They allow free harbour to all Nations, with liberty of Religion (the Roman only excepted) as far as the Jew, who hath two Synagogues allowed him, but only in Amsterdam ; which piece of Policy they borrow of the Venetian, with whom they have very intimate intelligence: only the Jews in Venice, in Rome, and other places go with some outward Mark of Distinc- tion, but here they wear none : and these two Republics, that in the East and this in the West, are the two Remoras, that stick to the great Vessel of Spain, that it cannot sail to the Western Monarchy. I have been long in the Survey of these Provinces, yet not long enough, for much more might be said, which is fitter for a Story than a Survey : I will conclude with a mot or two of the People, whereof some have been renownM in time past for Feats of War. Among the States, the Hollander or Batavian hath been most known, for some of the Roman Emperors have had a selected Guard of them about their Persons for their Fidelity and Valour, as now the King of France hath of the Swisse. The Frisians also have been famous for those large Privileges wherewith Charlemain endow'd them ; the Flemins also have been illustrious for the martial Exploits they achievM in the East, where two of the Earls of Flanders were crown'd Emperors. They have all a Genius inclined to Commerce, very intentive and witty in Manufactures, witness the Art of Printing, Painting, and Colouring in Glass ; those curious Quadrants, Chimes, and Dials, those kind of Waggons which are used up and down Christendom, were first used by them; and for the Mariner's Compass, tho' the matter be disputable ^twixt the 128 Familiar Letters. Book I, the Neapolitan, the Portugal, and them, yet there is a strong argument on their side, in regard they were the first that subdivided the four Cardinal Winds to two and thirty, others naming them in their Language. There is no part of Europe so haunted with all sorts of Foreigners as the Netherlands, which makes the Lihabitants, as well Women as Men, so well vers'd in all sorts of Lan- guages, so that in Exchange-time one may hear seven or eight sorts of Tongues spoken upon their Bourses : nor are the Men only expert herein, but the Women and Maids also in their common Hostries ; and in Holland the Wives are so well vers'd in Bargaining, Cyphering, and Writing, that in the absence of their Husbands in long Sea-voyages they beat the Trade at home, and their Words will pass in equal Credit : These Women are wonderfully sober, tho' their Husbands make commonly their Bargains in drink, and then are they more cautelous. This confluence of Strangers makes them very populous, which was the cause that Charles the Emperor said. That all the Netherlands seemM to him but as one continued Town. He and his Grandfather Maximilian, notwithstanding the choice of Kingdoms they had, kept their Courts most frequently in them, which shew'd how highly they esteemed them ; and I believe, if Philip H. had visited them sometimes, Matters had not gone so ill. There is no part of the Earth, considering the small Cir- cuit of Country, which is estimated to be but as big as the fifth part of Italy, where one may find more differing Cus- toms, Tempers and Humours of People than in the Nether- lands : The Walloon is quick and sprightful, accostable and full of Compliment, and gaudy in Apparel, like his next Neighbour the French: The Fleming and Brabanter, some- what more slow and more sparing of Speech : The Hollander slower than he, more surly and respectless of Gentry and Strangers, homely in his clothing, of very few words, and heavy in action ; which may be well imputed to the quality of the Soil, which works so strongly upon the Humours, that Sect. 2. Familiar Letters. 129 that when People of a more vivacious and nimble Temper come to mingle with them, their Children are observM to partake rather of the Soil than the Sire : and so it is in all Animals besides. Thus have I huddled up some Observations of the how- CountrieSy beseeching your Lordship would be pleased to pardon the Lnperfections, and correct the Errors of them; for I know none so capable to do it as your Lordship, to whom I am — A most humble and ready Servitor, J. H. Antwerp^ i May^ 1622. XVI. To my Brother, Mr. Hugh Penry, upon his Marriage, Sir, YOU have had a good while the Interest of a Friend in me, but you have me now in a straiter Tie, for I am your Brother by your late Marriage, which hath turn'd Friendship into an Alliance ; you have in your Arms one of my dearest Sisters, who I hope, nay I know will make a good Wife. I heartily congratulate this Marriage, and pray that a Blessing may descend upon it from that Place where all Marriages are made, which is from Heaven, the Fountain of all Felicity : to this Prayer, I think it no Pro- phaness to add the Saying of the Lyric Poet Horace^ in whom I know you delight much ; and I send it you as a kind of EpithalamiiLm, and wish it may be verify'd in you both : — Foelices ter 6^ ainplius Quos irriipta tenet copula, nec malis Divulsus querimoniis Suprema citius solvet amor die. Thus English'd : — That Couple's more than trebly blest, Which nuptial Bonds do so combine, That no distaste can them untwine, Till the last day send both to rest. So, my dear Brother, I much rejoice for this Alliance, I and I30 Familiar Letters. Book L and wish you may increase and multiply to your Heart's content. — Your affectionate Brother, J. H. 20 May 1622. XVII. To my Brother J Doctor }iov^t\\, from Brussels. Sir, I HAD yours in Latin at Rotterdam^ whence I cor- responded with you in the same Language ; I heard, tho' not from you, since I came to Brussels, that our Sister Anne is lately marry'd to Mr. Hugh Penry : I am heartily glad of it, and wish the rest of our Sisters were so well bestow'd; for I know Mr. Penry to be a Gentleman of a great deal of solid Worth and Integrity, and one that will prove a great Husband and a good Oeconomist. Here is News that Mansfelt hath received a foil lately in Germany J and that the Duke of Brunswick^ alias Bishop of Halverstadty hath lost one of his Arms: this makes them vapour here extremely, and the last Week I heard of a Play the Jesuits of Antwerp made, in derogation, or rather de- rision of the Proceedings of the Prince Palsgrave, where, among divers other Passages, they feign'd a Post to come puffing upon the Stage ; and being ask'd what news, he answered, how the Palsgrave was like to have shortly a huge formidable Army, for the King of Denmark was to send him 100,000, the Hollanders 100,000, and the King of Great Britain 100,000 ; but being askM thousands of what ? he replyM,The first would send 100,000 Red Herrings, the second 100,000 Cheeses, and the last 100,000 Ambassadors; allud- ing to Sir Richard Weston, and Sir Edward Conway, my Lord Carlisle, Sir Arthur Chichester, and lastly the Lord Dighy, who have been all employM in quality of Ambassadors in less than two years, since the beginning of these German Broils. Touching the last, having been with the Emperor and the Duke of Bavaria, and carry'd himself with such high Wisdom in his Negotiations with the one, and Stout- ness with the other, and having preservM Count MansfeWs Troops Sect, 2. Familiar Letters. Troops from disbanding, by pawning his own Argentry and Jewels, he pass'd this way, where they say the Arch- duke did esteem him more than any Ambassador that ever was in this Court; and the Report yet is very fresh of his high Abilities. We are to remove hence in Coach towards Varis the next week, where we intend to winter, or hard by. When you have opportunity to write to Wales, I pray present my duty to my Father, and my love to the rest ; and pray remember me also to all at the Hill and the Dale, especially to that most virtuous Gentleman, Sir John Franklin. So, my dear Brother, I pray God continue and improve His Bless- ings to us both, and bring us again together with comfort. — Your Brother, J. H. lo June 1622. XVIII. To Dr. Tho. Prichard, at Worcester-House. Sir, FRIENDSHIP is the great Chain of huinan Society, and intercourse of Letters is one of the chief est links of that Chain : you know this as well as I ; therefore I pray let our Friendship, let our Love, that nationality of British Love, that virtuous tie of Academic Love, be still strengthened (as heretofore) and receive daily more and more Vigor. I am now in Paris, and there is weekly opportunity to receive and send : and if you please to send, you shall be sure to receive, for I make it a kind of Religion to be punctual in this kind of Payment. I am heartily glad to hear that you are become a domestic Member to that most noble Family of the IVorcesters, and I hold it to be a very good Founda- tion for future Preferment; I wish you may be as happy in them, as I know they will be happy in you. France is now barren of News, only there was a shrewd Brush lately ^twixt the young King and his Mother, who having the Duke of Epernon and others for her Champions, met him in open Field about Pojit de C^, but she went away with the worst 132 Familiar Letters. Book /. worst; such was the rare dutifulness of the King, that he forgave her upon his Knees, and pardon'd all her Complices : and now there is an universal Peace in this Country, which 'tis thought will not last long, for there is a War intended against them of the Reformed Religion ; for this King, tho' he be slow in Speech, yet he is active in Spirit, and loves Motion. I am here comrade to a gallant young Gentle- man, my old Acquaintance, who is full of excellent Parts, which he hath acquired by a choice breeding, the Baron his Father gave him, both in the University, and in the Inns of Court; so that, for the time, I envy no Man's happiness. So, with my hearty Commends, and much endear'd Love unto you, I rest — Yours whiles ^ Jam. Howell. Fa?'is, 3 Aug. 162 1. XIX. To the Honourable ^Sir Tho. Savage {after Lord Savage), at his House itpon Tower-Hill. Honourable Sir, THOSE many undeserv'd Favours for which I stand obliged to your self and my noble Lady, since the time I had the happiness to come first under your roof, and the command you pleased to lay upon me at my departure thence, call upon me at this time to give you account how Matters pass in France. That which for the present affords most plenty of News, is Rochell, which the King threateneth to block up this Spring with an Army by Sea, under the Command of the Duke of Nevers, and by a Land Army under his own Con- duct: both sides prepare, he to assault, the Rochellers to defend. The King declares that he proceeds not against them for their Religion, which he is still contented to tolerate, but for holding an Assembly against his Declara- tions. They answer, That their Assembly is grounded upon His Majesty's Royal Warrant, given at the dissolution of the last Assembly at Lodun, where he solemnly gave his word, Sect. 2. Familiar Letters. 133 word^ to permit them to re-assemble when they would six months after^ if the Breaches of their Liberty and Grievances which they then propounded were not rcdress'd ; and they say, this being unperformed, it stands not with the sacred Person of a King to violate his Promise, being the first that ever he made them. The King is so incens'd against them, that their Deputies can have neither access to his Person, nor audience of his Council, as they stile themselves the Deputies of the Assembly at Rochell ; but if they say they come from the whole Body of them of tho, pretended Reform d Religion, he will hear them. The Breach between them is grown so wide, that the King resolves on a Siege. This Resolution of the King is much fomented by the Roman Clergy; especially by the Celestines, who have 200,000 Crowns of Gold in the Arsenal of Paris, which they would sacrifice all to this Service ; besides, the Pope sent him a Bull to levy what Sums he would of the GalUcan Church, for the advancement of his Design. This Resolution also is much pushed on by the Gentry, who, besides the particular Employments and Pay they shall receive hereby, are glad to have their young King trainM up in Arms, to make him a martial Man : but for the Merchant and poor Peasant, they tremble at the Name of this War, fearing their Teeth should be set on edge with those soure Grapes their Fathers tasted in the time of the League; for if the King begins with Rochell, ^tis fear'd all the four Corners of the Kingdom will be set on fire. Of all the Towns of surety which they of the Religion hold, Rochell is the chiefest, a Place strong by Nature, but stronger by Art. It is a maritime Town, and landward they can by Sluices drown a League's distance ; 'tis fortify'd with mighty thick Walls, Bastions, and Counterscarps, and those according to the modern Rules of Enginry. This, among other cautionary Towns, was granted by Henry IV. to them of the Religion for a certain term of years; which being expir'd, the King saith they are devolved again to the Crown, and so demands them. They of the Religion pretend 134 Familiar Letters. Book 1. pretend to have divers Grievances; first, they have not been paid these two years the 160,000 Crowns which the last King gave them annually, to maintain their Ministers and Garrisons: They complain of the King's Carriage lately at Beam {Henry the Greafs Country), which was merely Protestant, where he hath introduced two years since the publick Exercise of the Mass, which had not been sung there fifty years before; he alter'd also there the Govern- ment of the Country, and in lieu of a Viceroy, left a Governor only: And whereas Navarrin was formerly a Court of Parliament for the whole Kingdom of Navar (that's under France), he hath put it down and publish'd an Edict, That the Navai'rois should come to Toulouse, the chief Town of Languedoc ; and lastly, he left behind him a Garrison in the said Town of Navarrin. These and other Grievances they of the Religion proposed to the King lately, desiring His Majesty would let them enjoy still those Pri- vileges his Predecessor Henry III. and his Father Henry IV. afforded them by Act of Pacification: But he made them a short Answer, That what the one did in this Point, he did it out of fear ; what the other did, he did it out of love; but he would have them know, that he neither lov^d them nor feard them : so the business is like to bleed sore on both sides ; nor is there yet any appearance of prevention. There was a Scuffle lately here ^twixt the D. of Nevers and the Cardinal of Guise, who have had a long Suit in Law about an Abbey; and meeting the last Week about the Palace, from Words they fell to Blows, the Cardinal struck the Duke first, and so were parted ; but in the Afternoon there appear'd on both sides no less than 3000 Horse in a Field hard by, which shews the populousness and sudden strength of this huge City : but the Matter was taken up by the King himself^ and the Cardinal clapt up in the Bastile, where the King saith he shall abide to ripen ; for he is but young, and they speak of a Bull that is to come from Rome to decardinalize him. I fear to have trespass'd too much upon your Patience, therefore I will conclude Sect, 2. Familiar Letters. 135 conclude for the present^ but will never cease to profess my self — Your thrice humble and ready Servitor, J. H. Paris J 18 Aug. 1622. XX. To D. Caldwall, Esq., from Poissy. My dear D., TO be free from Evglishj and to have the more con- veniency to fall close to our business, Mr. Altham and I are lately retir'd from Paris to this Town of Poissy, a pretty genteel place at the Foot of the great Forest of St. Germain upon the River Sequana, and within a mile of one of the King's chiefest standing Houses, and about fifteen miles from Paris, Here is one of the prime Nunneries of all France. Lewis IX., who in the Catalogue of the French Kings, is call'd St. Lewis, which Title was confirm'd by the Pope, was baptiz'd in this little Town j and after his return from Egypt and other places against the Saracens, being ask'd by what Title he would be distinguish'd from the rest of his Predecessors after his death, he answered. That he desir'd to be callM Lewis of Poissy. Reply being made, that there were divers other Places and Cities of renown, where he had performed brave Exploits, and obtained famous Victories, therefore it was more fitting that some of those places should denominate him : No, said he, I desire to be call'd Lewis of Poissy, because there I got the most glorious Victory that ever I had, for there I overcame the Devil ; meaning he was christen'd there. I sent you from Antwerp a silver Dutch Table-book, I desire to hear of the receipt of it in your next: I must desire you (as I did once at Roue7i) to send me a dozen pair of the whitest Kidskin gloves for Women, and half a dozen pair of Knives, by the Merchant's Post ; and if you want anything that France can afford, I hope you know what Power you have to dispose of — Yours, J. H. 7 SeJ). 1622. XXI. 136 Familiar Letters. Book /. XXI. To my Father, yro?w Paris. SIR, I was afraid I should never have had AbiHty to write to you again, I had lately such a dangerous Fit of Sickness; but I have now pass'd the Brunt of it, God hath been pleas'd to reprieve me, and reserve me for more days, which I hope to have Grace to number better. Mr. Altliam and I having retirM to a small Town from Paris, for more privacy, and sole conversation with the nation, I ty'd myself to a task for the reading of so many books in such a compass of time; and thereupon, to make good my word to myself, I us'd to watch many nights together, tho' it was in the depth of Winter ; but returning to this Town, I took cold in the head, and so that mass of rheum which had gather'd by my former watching, returned to an impos- thume in my head, whereof I was sick above forty days : at the end they cauteriz'd and made an issue in my cheek, to make vent for the imposthume, and that sav'd my life. At first they let me blood, and I parted with above fifty ounces in less than a fortnight; for Phlebotomy is so much practis'd here, that if one's little finger ache, they presently open a vein ; and to balance the blood on both sides, they usually let blood in both arms. And the commonness of the thing seems to take away all fear, insomuch that the very Women, when they find themselves indisposed, will open a vein themselves; for they hold, that the blood, which hath a circulation, and fetcheth a round every twenty-four hours about the body, is quickly repair'd again. I was eighteen days and nights that I had no sleep, but short imperfect slumbers, and those too procur'd by potions : the tumor at last came so about the throat, that I had scarce vent left for respiration ; and my body was brought so low with all sorts of Physic, that I appear'd like a mere Skeleton. When I was indifferently well recovered, some of the Doctors and Chirurgeons that tended me, gave me a visit; Sect, 2. Familiar Letters. 137 visit; and among other things, they fell into discourse of Wines which was the best, and so by degrees they fell upon other beverages; and one Doctor in the company who had been in England, told me that we have a Drink in England calPd Ale, which he thought was the wholsomest liquor that could go into one's Guts; for whereas the body of Man is supported by two columns, viz., the natural heat and the radical moisture, he said, there is no Drink conduceth more to the preservation of the one, and the increase of the other, than Ale : for while the Englishmen drank only Ale, they were strong, brawny, able Men, and could draw an arrow an ell long; but when they fell to wine and beer, they are found to be much impaired in their strength and age : so the Ale bore away the bell among the Doctors. The next week we advance our course further into France, towards the river of Loire to Orleans, whence I shall continue to convey my duty to you. In the meantime I humbly crave your blessing, and your acknowledgment to God Almighty for my recovery; be pleas'd further to im- part my love among my brothers and sisters, with all my kinsmen and friends in the Country : So I rest — Your dutiful Son, J. H. 10 £>ce. 1622. XXII. To Sir Tho. Savage_, Knight and Baronet, Honourable Sir, THAT of the 5th of this present which you pleas'd to send me was receiv'd, and I begin to think myself something more than I was, that you value so much the slender endeavours of my pen to do you service : I shall continue to improve your good opinion of me as opportunity shall serve. Touching the great threats against Rochell, whereof I gave you an ample relation in my last, matters are become now more calm, and rather inclining to an accomrhodation, for 'tis thought a sum of money will make up the breach; and 138 Familiar Letters. Book I. and to this end some think all these bravado's were made. The D. of Luynes is at last made Ld. High Constable of France, the prime Officer of the Crown ; he hath a peculiar Court to himself, a guard of 100 Men in rich liveries, and 100^000 livres a year Pension. The old D. of Lesdiguieres^ one of the ancientest Soldiers in France, and a Protestant, is made his Lieutenant. But in regard all Christendom rings of this Favourite, being the greatest that ever was in France, since the Maires of the Palace^ who came to be Kings afterwards, I will send you herein this Legend : He was born in Provence, and is a Gentleman by descent, tho' of a petty Extraction ; in the last King's time he was preferred to be one of his Pages, who, finding him industrious, and a good waiter, allow'd him 300 Crowns Pension per an., which he husbanded so well, that he maintain'd himself and his two brothers in passable good fashion therewith. The King observing that, doubled his Pension, and taking notice that he was a serviceable Instrument and apt to please, he thought him fit to be about his Son, in whose service he hath continued above fifteen years ; and he hath flown so high into his Favour by singular dexterity and art he hath in Faulconry, and by shooting at birds flying, wherein the King took great pleasure, that he hath soared to this pitch of honour. He is a Man of a passable good understanding and forecast, of a mild comportment, humble and debonair to all, and of a winning conversation ; he hath about him choice and solid heads, who prescribe to him rules of Policy, by whose Com- pass he steers his course, which it's likely will make him subsist long : He is now come to that transcendent altitude, that he seems to have mounted above the reach of Envy, and made all hopes of supplanting him frustrate, both by the politic guidance of his own actions, and the powerful alliances he hath got for himself and his two brothers : He is marry'd to the Duke of Monthazon^s Daughter, one of the prime Peers of France; his second Brother Cadenet (who is reputed the wisest of the three) marry'd the Heiress of Sect. 2. Familiar Letters. 139 of Picardy, with whom he had ^9000 lands a year ; his third Brother Brajid to the great Heiress of Luxemhurgh, of which House there have been five Emperors: so that these three Brothers and their Allies would be able to counterbalance any one Faction in France, the eldest and youngest being made Dukes and Peers of France, the other Marshal. There are lately two Ambassadors extraordinary come hither from Venice about the Valtolin, but their negotiation is at a stand_, until the return of an Ambassador extraordinary who is gone to Spain. Ambassadors also are come from the Hague for payment of the French Regiment there_, which hath been neglected these ten years; and to know whether his Majesty will be pleas'd to continue their Pay any longer; but their Answer is yet suspended : They have brought news that the seven ships which were built for His Majesty in the Tessel are ready ; to this he answer'd^ that he desires to have ten more built ; for he intends to finish that design which his Father had a-foot a little before his Death, to establish a Royal Company of Merchants. This is all the News that France affords for the present, the relation whereof, if it proves as acceptable as my endea- vours to serve you herein are pleasing unto me, T shall esteem myself happy: so, wishing you and my noble Lady con- tinuance of health, and increase of Honour, I rest — Your humble Servitor, J. H. Paris ^ 15 Dec. 1622. xxni. To Sir John North, Knight. Sir, I CONFESS you have made a perfect conquest of me by your late Favours, and I yield myself your Captive : a day may come that will enable me to pay my ransom ; in the interim, let a most thankful acknowledgment be my Bail and Mainprise. I am now remov'd from off the Sein to the LoifCj to the fair Town of Orleans : there was here lately a mixt Proces- sion 140 Familiar Letters. Book I. sion 'twixt Military and Ecclesiastic for the Maid of Orleans, which is perform'd every year very solemnly ; her Statue stands upon the Bridge_, and her Clothes are preserved to this day, w^hich a young Man wore in the Procession; which makes me think that her Story, tho' it sound like a Romance, is very true. And I read it thus in two or three Chronicles : When the EjigUsh had made such firm In- vasions in France, that their Armies had march'd into the heart of the Country, besieged Orleans, and driven Charles VII. to Bourges in Berry, which made him to be call'd, for the time, King of Berry ; there came to his Army a Shep- herdess, one Anne de Arque, who with a confident look and language told the King, that she was design'd by Heaven to beat the English, and drive them out of France. Therefore she desired a Command in the Army, which by her extra- ordinary confidence and importunity she obtain'd ; and putting on Man's apparel, she prov'd so prosperous, that the Siege was rais'd from before Orleans, and the English were pursu'd to Paris, and forced to quit that, and driven to Normandy : She usM to go on with marvellous courage and resolution, and her word was Hai-a ha : but in Normandy she was taken Prisoner, and the English had a fair revenge upon her, for by an Arrest of the Parliament of Rouen she was burnt for a Witch. There is a great business now a-foot in Paris, call'd the Polette, which, if it take effect, will tend to correct, at leastwise to cover a great Error in the French Government : the custom is, that all the chief places of Justice thro'out all the eight Courts of Parliament in France, besides a great number of other Offices are set to sale by the King, and they return to him, unless the Buyer liveth forty days after his resignation to another. It is now propounded that these casual Offices shall be absolutely hereditary, provided that every Officer pay a yearly revenue to the King, according to the valuation of and perquisites of the Office: this business is now in hot agitation, but the issue is yet doubtful. The last you sent I receiv'd by Vacandary in Paris : So highly Sect. 2. Familiar Letters. 141 highly honouring your excellent Parts and Merit, I rest, now that I understand French indifferently well, no more your [she] Servant, but — Your most faithful Servitor, J. H. Orleans, 3 Mar. 1622. XXIV. To Sir James Crofts, K/iight. Sir, WERE I to freight a Letter with Compliments, this Country would furnish me with variety, but of News a small store at this present; and for Compliment, it is dangerous to use any to you, who have such a piercing Judgment to discern semblances from realities. The Queen-Mother is come at last to Paris, where she hath not been since Snore's death; the King is also return'd post from Bourdeaux, having travers'd most part of his King- dom : he settled Peace everywhere he pass'd, and quash'd divers Insurrections; and by his obedience to his Mother, and his lenity towards all his Partisans at Pont de Ce, v^here above 400 were slain, and notwithstanding that he was victorious, yet he gave a general Pardon ; he hath gain'd much upon the affections of his People. His Council of State went ambulatory always with him, and as they say here, never did Men manage things with more wisdom. There is a War questionless a fermenting against the Protestants ; the Duke of Epernoji, in a kind of a Rodomon- tado way, desir'd leave of the King to block up Rochell, and in six weeks he would undertake to deliver her to his hands ; but I believe he reckons without his Host. I was told a merry Passage of this little Gascon Duke, who is now the oldest Soldier in France; having come lately to Paris, he treated with a Pander to procure him a Courtesan, and if she was a Damoisel (a Gentlewoman) he would give so much, and if a Citizen, he would give so much : The Pander did his Office, but brought him a Citizen clad in DamoisePs apparel, so she and her Maquerel were paid accordingly. The 142 Familiar Letters. Book I. The next day after^ some of his Familiars having understood hereof, began to be pleasant with the Duke, and to jeer him, that he being a Vieil Routier, an old try'd Soldier, should suffer himself to be so cozen'd, as to pay for a Citizen after the rate of a Gentlewoman : The little Duke grew half wild hereupon, and commenced an Action of Fraud against the Pander; but what became of it I cannot tell you, but all Paris rang of it. I hope to return now very shortly to England, where, among the rest of my noble Friends, I shall much rejoice to see and serve you, whom I honour with no vulgar affection : So I am — Your true Servitor, J. H. Orleans ^ 5 Mar. 1622. XXV. To my Cousin^ Mr, Will. Martin, at Brussels. Dear Cousin, I FIND you are very punctual in your performances, and a precise observer of the promise you made here to cor- respond with Mr. Alt ham and me by Letters. I thank you for the variety of German News you imparted to me, which was so neatly couch'd and curiously knit together, that your Letter might serve for a pattern to the best Intelligencer. I am sorry the Affairs of the Prince Palsgrave go so un- towardly ; the wheel of War may turn, and that spoke which is now up may down again. For French Occurrences, there is a War certainly intended against them of the Religion here, and there are visible preparations a-foot already : Among others that shrink in the Shoulders at it, the King's Servants are not very well pleas'd with it, in regard, besides Scots and Swissers, there are divers of the King's Servants that are Protestants. If a Man go to ragion' di stato, to reason of State, the French King hath something to justify this design ; for the Protestants being so numerous, and having near upon fifty presidiary wallM Towns in their hands for caution, they have power to disturb France when they please^ and being abetted by a foreign Prince^ to give the King Sect. 2. Familiar Letters. 143 King Law ; and you know as well as I, how they have been made use of to kindle a Fire in France: Therefore rather than they should be utterly suppressed, I believe the Spaniard himself would reach them his Ragged-staff to defend them. I send you here inclos'd another from Master Altham, who respects you dearly, and we remember'd you lately at la pomme du pin in the best Liquor of the French Grape. I shall be shortly for London, where I shall not rejoice a little to meet you. The English air may confirm what foreign begun, I mean our Friendship and Affections; and in Me (that I may return you in English the Latin Verses You sent me) : — As soon a little Ant Shall bib the Ocean dry, A Snail shall creep about the Worlds E'er these Affections die. So, my dear Cousin, may Virtue be your Guide, and Fortune your Companion. — Yours while Jam. Howell. Paris ^ 18 Mar. 1622. Section Section III. I. To my Father. Sir, I AM safely return'd now the second time from beyond the Seas, but I have yet no Employment : God and good Friends, I hope, will shortly provide one for me. The Spanish Ambassador, Count Gondomar, doth strongly negotiate a Match 'twixt our Prince and the Infanta of Spain; but at his first Audience there happen'd an ill- favour'd accident (pray God it prove no ill augury), for my Lord of Arundel being sent to accompany him to Whitehall, upon a Sunday in the afternoon, as they were going over the Terrass, it broke under them, but only one was hurt in the Arm. Gondomar said, that he had not car'd to have dy'd in so good Company : He saith, there is no other way to regain the Palatinate but by this Match, and to settle an eternal Peace in Christendom. The Marquis of Buckingham continueth still in fulness of grace and favour; the Countess his Mother sways also much at Court: she brought Sir Henry Montague from delivering Law on the King's-Bench, to look to his Bags in the Exchequer, for she made him Lord High-Treasurer of England; but he parted with his white Staff before the year's end, tho' his Purse had bled deeply for it (above c3^20,ooo), which made a Lord of this Land to ask him at his return from Court, Whether he did not find that Wood was extreme dear at Newmarket, for there he received the white Staff, There is now a notable stirring Man in the Place, my Lord Cranfield, who, from walking about the Exchange, is come to sit Chief-Justice in the Chequer- Chamber, Sect. 3. Familiar Letters. 145 Chamher, and to have one of the highest Places at the Council-Table : He is marry'd to one of the Tribe of For- tune, a Kinswoman of the Marquis of Buck'mgham. Thus there is rising and falling at Court; and as in our natural pace one foot cannot be up till the other be down, so it is in the affairs of the World commonly, one Man riseth at the fall of another. I have no more to write at this time, but that with tender of my duty to you, I desire a continuance of your Blessing and Prayers. — Your dutiful Son, J. H. Lond., 22 Mar. 1622. II. To the Honourable Mr. John Savage {now Earl o/' Rivers) at Florence. Sir, MY love is not so short but it can reach as far as Florence to find you out, and farther too if occa- sion required ; nor are these affections I have to serve you so dull, but they can clamber o'er the Alps and jJppenin to wait upon you, as they have adventur'd to do now in this paper. I am sorry I was not in London to kiss your hands before you set to Sea, and much more sorry that I had not the happiness to meet you in Holland or Brahant, for we went the very same road, and lay in Dort and Ajitwerp, in the same lodgings you had lain in a fortnight before. I presume you have by this time tasted of the sweetness of Travel, and that you have wean'd your affections from England for a good while ; you must now think upon home, as (one said) good men think upon Heaven, aiming still to go thither, but not till they finish their course; and yours, I understand, will be three years : in the meantime you must not suffer any melting tenderness of thoughts, or longing desires, to distract or interrupt you in that fair road you are in to Virtue, and to beautify within that comely Edifice which Nature hath built without you. I K know 146 Familiar Letters. Book I. know your Reputation is precious to you, as it should be to every noble Mind ; you have expos'd it now to the hazard, therefore you must be careful it receive no taint at your return, by not answering that expectation which your Prince and noble Parents have of you. You are now under the chiefest clime of Wisdom, fair Italy, the Darling of Nature, the Nurse of Policy, the Theatre of Virtue : But tho^ Italy give milk to Virtue with one dug, she often suffers Vice to suck at the other; therefore you must take heed you mistake not the dug: for there is an ill-favour'd Saying, That Inglese Italionato ^ Diavolo incarnato ; an Englishman Italianate is a Devil incarnate. I fear no such thing of you, I have had such pregnant proofs of your in- genuity, and noble inclinations to virtue and honour: I know you have a mind to both, but I must tell you that you will hardlv get the good-will of the latter, unless the Jirst speak a good word for you. When you go to Rome, you may haply see the ruins of two Temples, one dedicated to Virtue, the other to Honour ; and there was no way to enter into the last but thro' the first. Noble Sir, I wish your good very seriously, and if you please to call to memory, and examine the circumstance of things, and my carriage towards you since I had the happiness to be known first to your honourable Family, I know you will conclude that I love and honour you m no vulgar way. My Lord, your Grandfather was complaining lately that he had not heard from you a good while: By the next Shipping to Leghorn, among other things, he intends to send you a whole Brawn in collars. I pray be pleased to remember my affectionate service to Mr. Thomas Savage, and my kind respects to Mr. Bold. For English News, I know this packet comes freighted to you, therefore I forbear at this time to send any. Farewell, noble Heir of Honour, and command always. — Your true Servitor, J. H. Lond., 24 Mar, 1622. HI. Sect, 3. Familiar Letters. III. To Sh' James Crofts, Kniglitj at St. Osith in Essex. Sir, I HAD yours upon Tuesday last, and whereas vou are desirous to know the proceedings of the Parliament I am sorry I must write to you that matters begin to grow boisterous ; the King retir'd not long since to Newmarkety not very well pleased, and this week there went thither twelve from the House of Commons, to whom Sir Richard Weston was the mouth : the King not liking the Message they brought, called them his Ambassadors, and in the large Answer which he hath sent to the Speaker, he saith, that he must apply to them a Speech of Queen Elizaheth's to an Ambassador of Poland, Legatum expectavlmus, Heraldum accepimus ; We expected an Ambassador , we have receivd a Herald: he takes it not well that they should meddle with the Match ^twixt his Son and the Infanta, alleging an example of one of the Kings of France, who would not marry his Son without the advice of his Parliament; but afterwards the King grew so despicable abroad, that no foreign State would treat with him about anything with- out his Parliament. Sundry other high passages there were as a caveat he gave them, not to touch the honour of the King of Spain, with whom he was so far engaged in a matri- monial Treaty, that he could not go back : he gave them also a check for taking cognisance of those things which had their motion in the ordinary Courts of Justice, and that Sir Edward Coke (tho' these words were not inserted in the Answer), whom he thought to be the fittest Instrument for a Tyrant that ever was in England, should be so bold as to call the Prerogative of the Crown a great Monster. The Parliament after this was not long-liv'd, but broke up in discontent ; and upon the point of dissolution, they made a Protest against divers particulars in the aforesaid Answer of His Majesty's. My Lord Dighy is preparing for Spain in quality of Ambassador Extraordinary, to perfect the Match ^twixt 148 Familiar Letters. Book I. ^twixt our Prince and the Lady Infanta; in which business Gondomar hath waded already very deep, and been very active, and ingratiated himself with divers Persons of Quality, Ladies especially : yet he could do no good upon the Lady Hatton, whom he desir'd lately, that in regard he was her next Neighbour (at Ely-House) he might have the Benefit of her Back-gate to go abroad into the Fields; but she put him off with a Compliment : whereupon in a private Audience lately with the King, among other passages of merriment, he told him, that my Lady Hatton was a strange Lady, for she would not suffer her Hushand, Sir Ed. Coke, to come in at her fore-door , nor him to go out at her lack- door ; and so related the whole business. He was also dis- patching a Post lately for Spain ; and the Post having re- ceiv'd his Packet, and kiss'd his hands, he call'd him back, and told him he had forgot one thing, which was, That when he came to Spain, he shoidd commend him to the Sun, for he had not seen him a great while, and in Spain he should he sure to find him. So, with my humble service to my Lord of Colchester, I rest — Your most humble Servitor, J. H. Lo7id., 24 Mar. 1622. IV. To my Brother, Mr. Hugh Penry. Sir, THE Welsh Nag you sent me was deliver'd me in a very good plight, and I give you a thousand thanks for him; I had occasion lately to try his mettle and his lungs, and every one tells me he is right, and of no mongrel Race, but a true Mountaineer ; for besides his toughness and strength of Lungs up a Hill, he is quickly curry'd, and content with short Commons : I believe he hath not been long a highway traveller; for whereas other Horses, when they pass by an Inn or Alehouse, use to make towards them to give them a friendly visit, this Nag roundly goes on, and scorns to cast as much as a glance upon any of them ; which I know not whether I shall impute it to his ignorance, or height Sect. 3. Familiar Letters. 149 height of Spirit ; but conversing with the soft Horses in England^ I believe he will quickly be brought to be more courteous. The greatest News we have now, is the return of the Lord Bishop of Landaff, Davena?it, IVard^ and Belcanqiiell, from the Synod of Dort, where the Bishop had precedence given him according to his episcopal dignity. ArminiiLS and Vorstius were sore baited there concerning Predestination, Election, and Reprobation ; as also touching Christ^ s Death, and Man's Redemption by it; then concerning Man's Cor- ruption and Conversion ; lastly, concerning the Persever- ance of the Saints. I shall have shortly the transaction of the Synod. The Jesuits have put out a jeering Libel against it, and these two Verses I remember in't : — Dordrecti Synodus 1 nodus; chorus integer 1 ceger ; Comientus ? venius ; Sessio strainen ? Amen. But I will confront this Distich with another I read in France of the Jesuits in the Town of Dole, towards Lorain ; they had a great House given them call'd Uarc [arcum) and upon the River of Loire, Henry IV. gave them La fleche, Sagittam in Latin, where they have two stately Convents, that is. Bow and Arrow ; whereupon one made these Verses : — Arcum Dola dedit, dedit illis alma sagitiaju Francia ; quis chordam^ quam meruere^ dabit ? Fair France the Arrotv^ Dole gave them the Bow ; Who shall the Stringy which they deserve, bestow ? No more now, but that with my dear Love to my Sister, I rest — Your most affectionate Brother, J. H. Loud., 16 Apr. 1622. V. To the Lord Viscount Colchester. My good Lord, I RECEIVED your Lordship's of the last Week, and according to your command I send here inclos'd the Venetian 150 Familiar Letters. Book I, Venetian Gazette : for foreign Aviso's they write that Mans- felt hath been beaten out of Germany, and is come to Sedan, and ^tis thought the Duke of Bovillon will set him up again with a new Army : Marquis Spinola hath newly sat down before Berghen op zoom; Your Lordship knows well what consequence that Town is of, therefore it is likely this will be a hot Summer in the Netherlands. The French King is in open War against them of the Religion; he hath already clear'd the Loire, by taking Jerseau and Saumur, where Monsieur Du Plessis sent him the Keys, which are promis'd to be deliver'd him again, but I think ad Grcecas Calendas. He hath been also before St. John d'ylngeli, where the young Cardinal of Guise died^ being struck down by the puff of a Cannon-bullet, which put him in a burning fever, and made an end of him. The last Town that's taken was Clerac, which was put to 50_,ooo Crowns ransom ; many were put to the Sword, and divers Gentlemen drown'd as they thought to scape; this is the fifteenth cautionary Town the King hath taken : And now they say hemarcheth towards Montauhan, and so to Montpellier and Nisines, and then have at Rochel. My Lord Hays is by this time, 'tis thought, with the Army ; for Sir Edward Herbert is re- turn'd, having had some clashings and counterbuffs with the Favourite Lziynes, wherein he comported himself gallantly. There is a fresh Report blown over, that Luynes is lately dead in the Army of the Plague, some say of the Purples, the next Cousen-german to it; which the Protestants give out to be the just Judgment of Heaven fallen upon him, because he incited his Master to these Wars against them. If he be not dead, let him die when he will, he will leave a fame behind him, to have been the greatest Favourite for the time that ever was in France, having from a simple Falconer come to be High Constable, and made himself and his younger Brother Grand Dukes and Peers; and his second Brother Cadenet Marshal ; and all three married to Princely Families. No more now, but that I most humbly kiss your Lord- ship's Sect. % Familiar Letters. ship's hands^ and shall be always most ready and chearful to receive your Commandments, because I am — Your Lord- ship^s obliged Servitor, J. H. Lond.^ 12 Aug. 1623. VI. To my Father, yro77z London. Sir, I WAS at a dead stand in the course of my Fortunes, u^hen it pleas'd God to provide me lately an Employ- ment to Spain, whence I hope there may arise both Repute and Profit. Some of the Cape Merchants of the Turky Company, among whom the chiefest were Sir Robert Nap- per and Captain Leat, proposed to me^ that they had a great business in the Court of Spain in Agitation many years^ nor was it now their business, but the King's, in whose name it is follow'd ; They could have Gentlemen of good Quality that would undertake it, yet if I would take it upon me, they would employ no other, and assured me that the Employment should tend both to my benefit and credit. Now the business is this : There was a great Turky Ship call'd the Vineyard, sailing thro' the Straits towards Con- stantinople, but by distress of weather she was forc'd to put into a little Port call'd Milo in Sardinia; the Searchers came aboard of her, and finding her richly laden, for her cargazon of broad-cloth was worth the first penny near upon ^30,000, they cavilPd at some small proportion of Lead and Tin which they had only for the use of the Ship; which the Searchers alledg'd to be ropa de contrahando, pro- hibited Goods ; for by Article of Peace, nothing is to be carry'd to Turky that may arm or victual. The Viceroy of Sardinia hereupon seized upon the whole Ship, and all her Goods, landed the Master and Men in Spain, who coming to Sir Charles Cornwallis, the Ambassador at that Court, Sir Charles could do them little good at present ; therefore they came to England, and complain'd to the King and Council : His Majesty was so sensible hereof, that he sent a particular Familiar Letters. Book 1. particular Commission in his own Royal Name, to demand a restitution of the Ship and Goods, and Justice upon the Viceroy of Sardinia, who had so apparently broke the Peace, and wrong'd his Subjects, Sir Charles (with Sir 'Paul Pindar a-while) labour'd in the business, and commenced a Suit in Law, but he was calPd home before he could do anything to purpose. After him Sir John Dighy (now Lord Dighy) went Ambassador to Spain, and among other things he had that particular Commission from His Majesty invested in him, to prosecute the Suit in his own Royal Name: There- upon he sent a well-qualify'd Gentleman, Mr. Walsingham Gresly, to Sardinia, who unfortunately meeting with some Men of War in the passage, was carry'd prisoner to Algier. My Lord Dighy being remanded home, left the business in Mr. Cottington^s hands, then Agent, but resum'd it at his return ; yet it prov'd such a tedious intricate Suit, that he returned again without finishing the work, in regard of the remoteness of the Island of Sardinia, whence the Witnesses and other Dispatches were to be fetch'd. The Lord Dighy is going now Ambassador Extraordinary to the Court of Spain, upon the business of the Match, the restitution of the Palatinate, and other high Affairs of State ; therefore he is desirous to transmit the King's Commission touching this particular business to any Gentleman that is capable to follow it, and promiseth to assist him with the utmost of his power; and iTaith he hath good reason to do so, in regard he hath now a good round share himself in it. About this business I am now preparing to go to Spain, in company of the Ambassador; and I shall kiss the King's hands as his Agent touching this particular Commission. I humbly intreat that your Blessing and Prayers may accompany me in this my new Employment, which I have undertaken upon very good terms, touching expences and reward : So, with my dear love to my brothers and sisters, with other kindred and friends in the Country, I rest — Your dutiful Son, J. H. 8 SeJ)t. 1622. VII. Sect, 3. Familiar Letters. ^53 VII. To Sir Tho. Savage^ Knight and Baronet j at his House in Long-Melford. Honourable Sir, IRECEIV'D your commands in a letter which you sent me by Sir John North, and I shall not fail to answer you in those particulars. It hath pleas'd God to dispose of me once more for Spain, upon a business which I hope will make me good returns : there have two Ambassadors and a Royal Agent followM it hitherto, and I am the fourth that is employM in it : I defer to trouble you with the parti- culars of it_, in regard I hope to have the happiness to kiss your hand at Tower-Hill before my departure, which will not be till my Lord Dighy sets forward. He goes in a gallant splendid Equipage, and one of the King's Ships is to take him in at Plymouth, and transport him to the Corunna or St. Anderas. Since that sad disaster which befel Archbishop Allot, to kill the man by the glancing of an arrow as he was shooting at a Deer (which kind of death befel one of our Kings once in New Forest) there hath been a Commission awarded to debate whether upon this fact, whereby he hath shed human blood, he be not to be deprivM of his Archbishoprick, and pronounced irregular: some were against him; but Bishop Andrews and Sir Henry Martin stood stiffly for him, that in regard it was no spontaneous act, but a mere contin- gency, and that there is no degree of men but is subject to misfortunes and casualties, they declared positively that he was not to fall from his dignity or function, but should still remain a Regular, and in statu quo prius. During this Debate, he petitioned the King that he might be permitted to retire to his Alms-house at Guilford where he was born, to pass the remainder of his life; but he is now come to be again rectus hi airia, absolutely quitted, and restored to all things : But for the wife of him who was kill'd, it was no misfortune to her, for he hath endowed herself, and her children 154 Familiar Letters. Book I. children with such an estate, that they say her husband could never have got. So I humbly kiss your hands, and rest — Your most obliged Servitor, J. H. Lond.^ 9 Nov. 1622. VIII. To Capt. Nich. Leat, at his House in London. Sir, I AM safely come to the Court of Spain; and altho' by reason of that misfortune which befel Mr. ^Itham and me, of wounding the Serjeants in Lombard- Street, we stay'd three weeks behind my Lord Ambassador, yet we came hither time enough to attend him to Court at his first Audience. The English Nation is better look'd on now in Spain than ordinary, because of the hopes there are of a Match, which the Merchants and Commonalty much desire, tho' the Nobility and Gentry be not so forward for it: So that in this point the pulse of Spain beats quite contrary to that of England, where the People are averse to this Match^ and the Nobility with most part of the Gentry inclinable. I have perus'd all the Papers I could get into my hands, touching the business of the Ship Fineyard, and I find that they are higher than I in bulk, tho' closely pressed together: I have cast up what is awarded by all the sentences of view, and review, by the Council of State and War; and I find the whole sum, as well principal as interest upon interest, all sorts of damages, and processal charges^ come to above two hundred and fifty thousand Crowns. The Conde del Real, quondam Viceroy of Sardinia, who is adjudg'd to pay most part of this money, is here j and he is Major-domo, Lord Steward to the Infanta Cardinal : If he hath where- with, I doubt not but to recover the money, for I hope to have come in a favourable conjuncture of time, and my Lord Ambassador, who is so highly esteem'd here, doth assure me of his best furtherance. So, praying I may prove as Sect. 3. Familiar Letters. 155 as successful as I shall be faithful in this great business^ I rest — Yours to dispose of, J. H. Madrid^ 28 Dec. 1622. IX. To Ml', Arthur Hopton,y?-om Madrid. Sir, SINCE I was made happy with your Acquaintance, I have received sundry strong evidences of your Love and good Wishes unto me, which have ty'd me to you in no common obligation of thanks : I am in despair ever to cancel this bond, nor would I do it, but rather endear the engagement more and more. The Treaty of the Match ^twixt our Prince and the Lady Infanta is now strongly a-foot : she is a very comely Lady, rather of a Flemis/i complexion than Spanish, fair- hair'd, and carrieth a most pure mixture of red and white in her Face : She is full and big-lipp'd ; which is held a Beauty rather than a Blemish, or any Excess, in the Austrian Family; it being a thing incident to most of that Race; she goes now upon sixteen, and is of a tallness agree- able to those years. The King is also of such a complexion, and is under twenty; he hath two Brothers, Don Carlos and Don Hernando, who, tho' a Youth of twelve, yet he is Cardinal and Archbishop of Toledo ; which, in regard it hath the Chancellorship of Castile annexed to it, is the greatest spiritual Dignity in Christendom after the Papacy, for it is valued at 300,000 Crowns per annum. Don Carlos is of a differing complexion from all the rest, for he is black-hair'd and of a Spanish hue; he hath neither Office, Command, Dignity, nor Title, but is an individual Com- panion to the King; and what Clothes soever are provided for the King, he hath [the very same, and as often, from top to toe : he is the better belovM of his People for his com- plexion ; for one shall hear the Spaniard sigh and lament, saying, O when shall we have a King again of bur own Colour ! I 156 Familiar Letters. Book I. I pray recommend me kindly to all at your House^ and send me word when the young Gentlemen return from Italy, So with my most affectionate Respects to yourself, I rest — Your true friend to serve you, J. H. 5 Jan. 1622. X. To Capt, Nic. Leat, /rom Madrid. Sir, YOURS of the loth of this present I receiv'd by Mr. Simon Digby, with the inclos'd to your Son in Ali- cant, which is safely sent. Since my last to you, I had access to Olivares, the Favourite that rules all; I had also audience of the King, to whom I deliver'd two Memorials since, in His Majesty's Name of Great Britain, that a particular Junta of some of the Council of State and War might be appointed to determine the business. The last Memorial had so good success, that the Referees are nominated, whereof the chiefest is the Duke of Infantado. Here it is not the stile to claw and compliment with the King, or idolize him by Sacred Sovereign, and Most Excellent Majesty ; but the Spaniard, when he petitions to his King, gives him no other Character but Sir, and so relating his business, at the end doth ask and demand Justice of him. When I have done with the Viceroy here, I shall hasten my dispatches for Sardinia. Since my last I went to liquidate the account more particularly, and I find that of the 250,000 Crowns, there are above forty thousand due to you ; which might serve for a good Alderman's Estate. Your Son in Alicant writes to me of another mischance that is befallen the Ship Amity about Majorca, whereof you were one of the Proprietaries ; I am very sorry to hear of it, and touching any dispatches that are to be had hence, I shall endeavour to procure you them according to in- structions. Your cousin Richard Altham remembers his kind respects to you, and sends you many Thanks for the pains you took in Sect. 3. Familiar Letters. 157 in freeing us from that trouble which the ScufBe with the Serjeants brought upon us. So I rest — Yours ready to serve you, J. H. SJan. 1622. XI. To the Lord Viscount Colchester,yrom Madrid. Right Honourable, THE grand business of the Match goes so fairly on, that a special Junta is appointed to treat of it, the Names whereof I send you here enclosed : they have proceeded so far, that most of the Articles are agreed upon. Mr. George Gage is lately come hither from Rome, a polite and prudent Gentleman, who hath negotiated some things in that Court for the advance of the business, with the Cardinals Bandino, Ludovisio and la Susanna, who are the main Men there, to whom the drawing of the Dispensation is referred. The late taking of Ormus by the Persian from the Crown of Portugal keeps a great noise here, and the rather be- cause the Exploit was done by the assistance of the English Ships that were then thereabouts. My Lord Dighy went to Court, and gave a round satisfaction in this point ; for it was no voluntary but a constraint act in the English, who being in the Persian's Port, were suddenly embargu'd for the Service : and the Persian herein did no more than what is usual among Christian Princes themselves, and which is oftener put in practice by the King of Spain and his Viceroys than by any other, viz., to make an Embargue of any stranger's ship that rides within his Ports upon all occasions. It was fear'd this surprisal of Ormus, which was the greatest Mart in all the Orient for all sorts of Jewels, would have bred ill blood, and prejudiced the proceedings of the Match ; but the Spaniard is a rational Man, and will be satisfy'd with Reason. Count OUvares is the main Man who sways all, and 'tis thought he is not so much affected to an Alliance with England as his Predecessor the Duke of Lerma was, who set it first a-foot twixt Prince Henry 158 Familiar Letters. Book /. Henry and this Queen of France : The Duke of Lerma was the greatest Privado, the greatest Favourite that ever wa.s in Spain, since Don Alvaro de Luna; he brought himself, the Duke of Uzeda his Son, and the Duke of Cea his Grandchild, to be all Grandees of Spain; which is the greatest Title that a Spanish Subject is capable of : they have a Privilege to stand covered before the King, and at their Election there's no other Ceremony but only these three words by the King, Cohrese por Grande, Cover your- self for a Grandee; and that's all. The Cardinal-Duke of Lerma lives at Falladolid, he officiates and sings Mass, and passes his old Age in Devotion and Exercises of Piety. It is a common, and indeed a commendable Custom among the Spaniards, when he hath passed his Grand Climacteric, and is grown decrepit, to make a voluntary resignation of Offices, be they never so great and profitable (tho' I cannot say Lerma did so), and sequestring and weaning themselves, as it were, from all mundan Negotiations and Incumbrances, to retire to some place of Devotion and spend the residue of their days in Meditation, and in preparing themselves for another World. Charles the Emperor shew'd them the way, who left the Empire to his Brother, and all the rest of his Dominions to his Son Philip II., and so taking with him his two Sisters, he retir'd into a Monastery, they into a Nunnery. This does not suit with the Genius of an Englishman, who loves not to pull off his Clothes till he goes to bed. I will conclude with some Verses I saw under a huge Rodomontado Picture of the Duke of Lerma, wherein he is painted like a Giant, bearing up the Monarchy of Spain, that of Frajice, and the Popedom upon his Shoulders, with this Stanza : Sobre los ombres d'csie Atlanta Yazeii 671 aquestos dias Estas ires Monarquias. Upon the Shoulders of this Atlas lies The Popedom, and two mighty Monaixhies. So Sect. 3. Familiar Letters. 159 So I most humbly kiss your Lordship's hands, and rest ever most ready — At your Lordship's Command, J, H. 3 Feb. 1622. XIL To my Father. Sir, ALL Affairs went on fairly here, 'specially that of the 1\. Match, when Master Endymion Poi'ter brought lately my Lord of Bristol a Dispatch from England of a high nature, wherein the Earl is commanded to represent to this King, how much His Majesty of Great Britain since the beginning of these German Wars hath laboured to merit well of this Crown, and of the whole House of Austria, by a long and lingring patience, grounded still upon assurances hence, that care should be had of his Honour, his Daugh- ter's Jointure, and Grand-children's Patrimony ; yet how crosly all things had proceeded in the Treaty at Brussels, managed by Sir Rich. JVeston, as also that in the Palatinate, by the Lord Chichester ; how in Treating-time the Town and Castle of Heidelberg were taken, Manheim besieged, and all Acts of Hostility used, notwithstanding the fair Pro- fessions made by this King, the Infanta at Brussels, and other his Ministers ; how merely out of respect to this King he had neglected all martial means, which probably might have preserv'd the Palatinate ; those thin Garrisons which he had sent thither, being rather for Honour's sake to keep a footing until a general accommodation, than that he rely'd any way upon their strength : And since that there are no other fruits of all this but reproach and scorn, and that those good Offices which he used towards the Emperor on the behalf of his Son-in-law, which he was so much en- couraged by Letters from hence should take effect, have not sorted to any other issue than to a plain Affront, and a high injuring of both their Majesties, tho' in a differing degree : The Earl is to tell him. That His Majesty of Great Britain hopes and desires, that out of a true apprehension of these wrongs i6o Familiar Letters. Book I. wrongs ofTer'd unto them both^ he will, as his dear and loving Brother, faithfully promise and undertake upon his Honour, confirming the same under his Hand and Seal, either that Heidelberg shall be within seventy days render'd into his hands ; as also that there shall be within the said term of seventy days a Suspension of Arms in the Palatinate, and that a Treaty shall recommence upon such terms as he propounded in Novemher last, which this King then held to be reasonable : And in case that this be not yielded to by the Emperor, that then this King join forces with His Majesty of England for the recovery of the Palatinate^ which upon this trust hath been lost ; or in case his Forces at this time be other- wise employ'd, that they cannot give His Majesty that Assistance he desires and deserves, that at least he will permit a free and friendly passage thro' his Territories, such Forces as His Majesty of Great Britain shall employ in Germany; Of all which, if the Earl of Bristol hath not from the King of Spain a direct Assurance under his Hand and Seal ten days after his Audience, that then he take his Leave, and return to England to His Maj sty's presence; also, to proceed in the negotiation of the Match, according to former instructions. This was the main substance of His Majesty's late Letter, yet there was a Postil added, that in case a rupture happen 'twixt the two Crowns, the Earl should not come instantly and abruptly away, but that he should send Advice first to England, and carry the Business so, that the World should not presently know of it. Notwithstanding all these Traverses, we are confident here that the Match will take, otherwise my Cake is Dow. There was a great difference in one of the Capitulations 'twixt the two Kings, how long the Children which should issue of this Marriage were to continue suh regimine Matris, under the tutele of the Mother. This King demanded four- teen years at first, then twelve; but now he is come to nine, which is newly condescended unto. I receiv'd yours of the first of Septemler, in another from Sir James Crofts, wherein it Sect. 3. Familiar Letters. 161 it was no small comfort to me to hear of your health. I am to go hence shortly for Sardinia, a dangerous Voyage, by reason of Algier Pirates. I humbly desire your prayers may accompany — Your dutiful Son, J. H. Madrid, 23 Feb. 1622. XIII. To Sir James Crofts, Knight, Sir, YOURS of the 2d of October came to safe hand with the inclos'd : You write that there came Dispatches lately from Rome, wherein the Pope seems to endeavour to insinuate himself into a direct Treaty with England, and to negotiate immediately with our King touching the Dispen- sation, which he not only labours to evade, but utterly dis- claims, it being by Article the task of this King to procure all Dispatches thence. I thank you for sending me this news. You shall understand there came lately an Express from Rome also to this Court, touching the business of the Match, which gave very good content ; but the Dispatch and new Instructions which Mr. Endymion Porter brought my Lord of Bristol lately from England touching the Prince Palatine^ fills us with apprehensions of fear : Our Ambas- sadors here have had audience of this King already about those Propositions, and we hope that Master Porter will carry back such thing as will satisfy. Touching the two points in the Treaty wherein the two Kings differed most, viz., about the education of the Children, and the exemption of the Infantas ecclesiastic servants from secular Jurisdic- tion ; both these Points are clear'd ; for the Spaniard is come from fourteen years to ten, and for so long time the Infant Princes shall remain under the Mother's Government. And for the other Point, the ecclesiastical Superior shall first take notice of the offence that shall be committed by any spiritual person belonging to the Infajitas family, and according to the merit thereof, either deliver him by degradation to the secular Justice^ or banish him the Kingdom, according to L the l62 Familiar Letters. Book I. the quality of the delict : and it is the same that is practis'd in this Kingdom, and other parts that adhere to Rome. The Conde de Mont err e goes Viceroy to Naples, the Mar- quis de Montesclaros being put by, the gallanter Man of the two. I was told of a witty saying of his, when the Duke of Lerma had the vogue in this Court : for going one morning to speak with the Duke, and having danc'd attend- ance a hmg time, he peep'd thro' a slit in the hanging, and spy'd Don Rodrigo Calderon, a great Man (who was lately beheaded here for poisoning the late Queen-Dowager), de- livering the Duke a paper upon his knees ; whereat the Marquis smil'd, and said, Voto a tal aquel homlre suhe mas a las rodillas, que yo no hago a los pies ; — I swear that Man climbs higher upon his knees, than I can upon my feet. Indeed I have read it to be a true Court Rule, that descendendo ascen- dendum est in Aula, descending is the way to ascend at Court. There is a kind of humility and compliance that is far from any servile baseness or sordid flattery, and may be term'd discretion rather than adulation. I intend, God willing, to go for Sardinia this Spring; I hope to have better luck than Master IValsingham Gresley had, who some few years since, in his passage thither upon the same business that I have in agitation, met with some Turks Men of War, and so was carried slave to Algier. So, with my due respects to you, I rest — Your faithful Servant, J. H. Madrid^ 12 March 1622. XIV. To Sir Francis Cottington, Secretary to His Highness the Prince 0/ Wales, at St. James's. Sir, I BELIEVE it will not be unpleasing to you to hear of the procedure and success of that business wherein yourself hath been so long vers'd, I mean the great Suit against the quondam Viceroy of Sardinia, the Conde del Real. Count Gondomar^s coming was a great Advantage unto me, who Sect. 3. Familiar Letters. 163 who hath done me many favours; besides a confirmation of the two Sentences of View and Review, and of the execution against the Viceroy^ I have procured a Royal Cedide which I caus'd to be printed, and whereof I send you here inclos'd a Copy, by which Cedide I have power to arrest his very Person; and my Lawyer tells me there was never such a Cedule granted before. I have also by virtue of it priority of all other his Creditors; he hath made an imperfect overture of a Composition, and show'd me some trivial old-fashion'd Jewels, but nothing equivalent to the debt. And now that I speak of Jewels, the late surprizal of Ormus by the Assistance of our Ships sinks deep in their stomachs here, and we were afraid it would have spoil'd all proceedings; but my Lord D'lgly, now Earl of Bristol (for Count Gondomar brought him o'er his Patent), hath calm'd all things at his last Audience. There were luminaries of joy lately here for the Victory that Don Gonzalez de Cordova got over Count Mansfelt in the Netherlands, with that Army which the D. of Bovillon had levied for him; but some say they have not much reason to rejoice, for tho' the Infantry suffer'd, yet Mansfelt got clear with all his Horse by a notable retreat ; and they say here it was the greatest piece of Service and Art he ever did ; it being a Maxim, That there is nothing so difficult in the Art of War as an honourable Retreat. Besides, the report of his coming to Breda caus'd Marquis Spinola to raise the Siege before Bergheji, to burn his tents, and to pack away suddenly, for which he is much censur'd here. Capt. Leat and others have written to me of the favour- able report you pleas'd to make of my Endeavours here, for which I return you humble thanks : And altho' you have left behind you a multitude of Servants in this Court, yet if occasion were offer'd, none should be more forward to go on your Errand than — Your humble and faithful Servitor, J. H. Madrid, 15 Mar. 1622. XV. 164 Familiar Letters. Book L XV. To the Honourahle Sir Tho. Savage, Kt. and Bar, Honourable Sir, THE great business of the Match was tending to a period, the Articles reflecting both upon Church and State being capitulated, and interchangeably accorded on both sides ; and there wanted nothing to consummate all Things, when, to the wonderment of the World, the Prince and the Marquis of Buckingham arriv'd at this Court on Friday last, upon the close of the Evening: They alighted at my Lord of BristoVs House, and the Marquis (Mr. Thojiias Smith) came in first with a Portmanteau under his Arm ; then (Mr. John Smith) the Prince was sent for, who stayed a while on t'other side of the Street in the dark. My Lord of Bristol, in a kind of Astonishment, brought him up to his Bed-chamber, where he presently callM for Pen and Ink, and dispatch'd a Post that night to England, to acquaint His Majesty how in less than sixteen days he was come safely to the Court of Spain; that Post went lightly laden, for he carried but three Letters. The next day came Sir Francis Cotiington and Mr. Porter, and dark rumours ran in every corner how some great Man was come from England; and some would not stick to say among the vulgar it was the King : but towards the evening on Saturday the Marquis went in a close Coach to Court, where he had private Audience of this King, who sent OUvares to accompany him back to the Prince, where he kneel'd and kiss'd his hands, and hugg'd his thighs, and deliver'd how unmeasurably glad his Catholick Majesty was of his coming, with other high Compliments, which Mr. Porter did interpret. About ten aclock that night the King himself came in a close Coach with intent to visit the Prince, who hearing of it, met him half-way ; and after salutations and divers embraces which pass'd in the first Interview, they parted late. I forgot to tell you that Count Gondomar being sworn Counsellor of State Sect, 3. Familiar Letters. 165 State that morning, having been before but one of the Council of War, he came in great haste to visit the Prince, saying he had strange news to tell him, which was, that an Englishman was sworn Privy Counsellor of Spain, meaning himself, who he said was an Englishman in his heart. On Sunday following the King in the Afternoon came abroad to take the Air, with the Queen, his two Brothers, and the Infanta, who were all in one Coach ; but the Infanta sat in the Boot with a blue ribbon about her Arm, of purpose that the Prince might distinguish her : There were above twenty Coaches besides, of Grandees, Noblemen, and Ladies, that attended them. And now it was publickly known among the vulgar, that it was the Prince of Wales who was come; and the confluence of People before my Lord of 'Bristol s House was so great and greedy to see the Prince, that to clear the way. Sir Leivis Dives went out and took coach, and all the crowd of People went after him : so the Prince himself a little after took coach, wherein there were the Earl oi Bristol, Sir Walter Ashton, and Count Gondomar; and so vv^ent to the Prado, a place hard by, of purpose to take the Air, where they stayed till the King pass'd by. As soon as the Infajita saw the Prince, her colour rose very high, which we hold to be an impression of Love and Affection; for the Face is oftentimes a true Index of the Heart. Upon Monday morning after, the King sent some of his prime Nobles, and other Gentlemen, to attend the Prince in quality of Officers, as one to be his Major-domo (his Steward), another to be Master of the Horse, and so to inferior Officers; so that there is a compleat Court now at my Lord of Bristol's House: but upon Sunday next the Prince is to remove to the King's Palace, where there is one of the chief Quarters of the House providing for him. By the next opportunity you shall hear more. In the interim I take my leave, and rest — Your most humble and ready Servitor, J. H. Madrid, 27 Mar. 1623. XVL i66 Familiar Letters. Book L XVI. To Sir Eubule Theolall, Knight, at Gray's-Inn. Sir, I KNOW the eyes of all England are earnestly fix'd now upon Spain, her best Jewel being here; but his journey was like to be spoiPd in France, for if he had staid but a little longer at Bayonne, the last Town of that Kingdom hitherwards, he had been discover'd ; for Mons. Gramond, the Governor, had notice of him not long after he had taken Post. The People here do mightily magnify the Gallantry of the Journey, and cry out that he deserved to have the Infanta thrown into his Arms the first night he came; he hath been entertain'd with all the magnificence that possibly could be devis'd. On Sunday last in the morning betimes he went to St. Hierom's Monastery, whence the Kings of Spain use to be fetch'd the day they are crown'd ; and thither the King came in person with his two Brothers, his eight Councils, and the flower of the Nobility; he rid upon the King's right hand thro' the heart of the Town under a great Canopy, and was brought so into his Lodgings in the King's Palace, and the King himself accompany'd him to his very Bedchamber. It was a very glorious sight to behold ; for the custom of the Spaniard is, tho' he go plain in his ordi- nary habit, yet upon some Festival or cause of Triumph there's none goes beyond him in gaudiness. We daily hope for the Pope's Breve or Dispensation to perfect the business, tho* there be dark whispers abroad that it is come already ; but that upon this unexpected coming of the Prince, it was sent back to Rome, and some new Clauses thrust in for their further advantage. Till this dispatch comes, matters are at a kind of stand ; yet His Highness makes account to be back in England about the latter end of May. God Almighty turn all to the best, and to what shall be most conducible to His Glory. So with my Sect, 3. Familiar Letters. 167 my due Respects unto you, I rest — Your much obliged Servitor, J. H. Aladrid^ i April 1623. XVII. To Captain Leat. Sir, HAVING brought up the Law to the highest point against the Viceroy of Sardinia^ and that in an extraordinary manner, as may appear unto you by that printed Cedule I sent you in my last, and finding an apparent disability in him to satisfy the debt, I thought upon a new- design, and framM a Memorial to the King, and wrought good strong means to have it seconded, that in regard that predatory act of seizing upon the Ship Vineyard in Sardinia^ with all her goods, was done by His Majesty's Viceroy, his Sovereign Minister of State, one that immediately represented his own Royal Person, and that the said Viceroy was in- solvent, I desir'd His Majesty would be pleas'd to grant a Warrant for the relief of both Parties, to lade so manv thousand Sterils, or measures of Corn, out of Sardinia and Sicily custom-free. I had gone far in the business, when Sir Francis Cottington sent for me, and required me in the Prince's Name to proceed no further herein till he was departed : so his Highness's presence here hath turn'd rather to my disadvantage than otherwise. Among other Grandezas which the King of Spain conferred upon our Prince, one was the releasement of Prisoners, and that all Petitions of grace should come to him for the first month ; but he hath been wonderfully sparing in receiving any, especially from any Englishj Irish, or Scot. Your Son Nicholas is come hither from AUcant about the Ship Amity, and I shall be ready to second him in getting satisfaction : so I rest — Yours ready to serve you, . J. H. Madrid, 3 /u?ie 1623. XVIII. i68 Familiar Letters. Book I. XVIII. To Captain Tho. Porter. Noble Captain, MY last to you was in Spanish^ in answer to one of yours in the same Language; and among that confluence of English Gallants who, upon the occasion of His Highness being here, are come to this Court^ I fed my- self with hopes a long while to have seen you; but I find now that those hopes were imp'd with false feathers. I know your heart is here^ and your best affections ; therefore I wonder what keeps back your Person : but I conceive the reason to be, that you intend to come like yourself, to come Commander-in-chief of one of the Castles of the Crown, one of the Ships Royal : If you come to this Shore-side, I hope you will have time to come to the Court ; I have at any time a good Lodging for you, and my Landlady is none of the meanest, and her Husband hath many good parts : I heard her setting him forth one day, and giving this Character of him : Mi marido es huen musico, luen esgrimidor, hien escrivajio, excellente arithmetico, salvo que no muUiplica ; — My Husband is a good Musician, a good Fencer, a good Horseman, a good Penman, and an excellent Arith- metician, only he cannot multiply. For outward usage, there is all industry used to give the Prince and his Servants all possible contentment; and some of the King's own Ser- vants wait upon them at Table in the Palace, where, I am sorry to hear, some of them jeer at the Spanish fare, and use other slighting speeches and demeanor. There are many excellent Poems made here since the Prince's arrival, which are too long to couch in a Letter; yet I will venture to send you this one Stanza of Lope de Vegas: — Carlos Estuardo Soy Que siendo Amor mi gtda, A I cielo d''Espana voy For ver mi Estrella Maria. There Sect, 3. Familiar Letters. 169 There are Comedians once a week come to the Palace, where, under a great Canopy, the Queen and the Infanta sit in the middle, our Prince and Don Carlos on the Queen's right hand, the King and the Httle Cardinal on the Infanta^ s left hand. I have seen the Prince have his Eyes immove- ably fix'd upon the Infanta half an hour together in a thoughtful speculative posture, which sure would needs be tedious, unless affection did sweeten it: it was no handsome comparison of OUvares, that he watch'd her as a cat doth a Mouse. Not long since the Prince, understanding that the Infanta was used to go some mornings to the Casa de Campo, a Summer-house the King hath on t'other side the River, to gather May-dew, he rose betimes and went thither, taking your Brother with him ; they were let into the House, and into the Garden, but the Lfanta was in the Orchard : and there being a high partition-wall between, and the door doubly bolted, the Prince got on the top of the wall, and sprung down a great height, and so made towards her; but she spying him first of all the rest, gave a shriek, and ran back : the old Marquis that was then her Guardian came towards the Prince, and fell on his knees, conjuring His Highness to retire, in regard he hazarded his Head if he admitted any to her company; so the door was open'd, and he came out under that wall over which he had got in. I have seen him watch a long hour together in a close Coach, in the open street, to see her as she went abroad : I cannot say that the Prince did ever talk with her privatly, yet publickly often, my Lord of Bristol being Interpreter; but the King always sat hard by to overhear all. Our Cousin ArcJuj hath more privilege than any, for he often goes with his Fool's-coat where the hfanta is with her Menina^s and Ladies of Honour, and keeps a-blowing and blustering among them, and flurts out what he lists. One day they were discoursing what a marvellous thing it was that the D. of Bavaria with less than 15,000 Men, after a long toilsome March, should dare to encounter the Palsgrave^s Army, consisting of above 25,000, and to give them 170 Familiar Letters. Book I, them an utter discomfiture, and take Prague presently after: Whereunto Archy answer'd, that he would tell them a stranger thing than that: Was it not a strange thing, quoth he, that in the Year 88 there should come a Fleet of 140 Sail from Spain to invade England, and that ten of these could not go back to tell what became of the rest ? By the next opportunity I will send you the Cordouan Pockets and Gloves you writ for of Francisco Moreno's per- fuming. So may my dear Captain live long, and love his — J. H. Madrid, 10 July 1623. XIX. To my CousiUy Tho. Guin, Fsq.y at his House at Trecastle. Cousin, IRECEIV'D lately one of yours, which I cannot compare more properly than to a Posie of curious flowers, there was therein such variety of sweet strains and dainty expres- sions of Love : and tho' it bore an old date, for it was forty days before it came safe to hand, yet the flowers were still fresh, and not a whit faded, but did cast as strong and fragrant a scent as when your hands bound them up first together, only there was one flower that did not savour so well, which was the undeserved Character you please to give of my small abilities, which in regard you look upon me thro' the prospective of affection, appear greater to you than they are of themselves; yet, as small as they are, I would be glad to employ them all to serve you upon any occasion. Whereas you desire to know how matters pass here, you shall understand that we are rather in assurance, than hopes, that the Match will take effect, when one dispatch more is brought from Borne, which we greedily expect. The Spaniards generally desire it ; they are much taken with our Prince, with the bravery of his journey, and his discreet comportment since; and they confess there was never Princess courted with more gallantry. The Wits of the Court here have made divers Encomiums of him, and of his affection Sect. 3. Familiar Letters. 171 aflfection to the L. Infanta. Among others, I send you a Latin Poem of one Marnierius, a Valencian, to which I add this ensuing Hexastic ; which, in regard of the difficulty of the Verse, consisting of all Ternaries (which is the hardest way of versifying), and of the exactness of the translation, I believe will give you content : — Fax grata est, gratum est vulnus, inihi grata catena est. Me quibus astringit, IcBdit iirit Amor ; Sed flaminam extingui, sanari vulnera, solvi Vi7ida, etiam ut possem non ego posse velim : Mirum equidein genus hoc morbi est, iitcendia dr^ ictus Vinclaque, vinctus adhuc, Icesus <5^' ustiis, a7no. Grateful's to me the fire, the wound, the chain. By which Love burns, Love binds and giveth pain ; But for to quench this fire, these bonds to lose, These wounds to heal, I would not could I choose : Strange sickness, where the wounds, the bonds, the fire That burns, that bind, that hurt, I must desire. In your next, I pray, send me your opinion of these Verses, for I know you are a Critic in Poetry. Mr. Vaughan of the Golden-Grove and I were Comrades and Bedfellows here many months together : his Father, Sir John Vaughan^ the Prince his Controller, is lately come to attend his Master. My Lord Carlisle, my Lord of Holland, my Lord of Rochfort, my Lord of Denbigh, and divers others are here ; so that we have a very flourishing Court, and I could wish you were here to make one of the number. So, my dear Cousin, I wish you all happiness, and our noble Prince a safe and successful return to England, — Your most affectionate Cousin, J. H. Madrid, 13 Aug. 1623. XX. To my noble Friend, Sir John North. Sir, THE long-look'd-for Dispensation is come from Rome, but I hear it is clogg'd with new Clauses ; and one is, 172 Familiar Letters. Book I. \s, That the Pope, who allegeth that the only aim of the Apostolicall See in granting this Dispensation was the ad- vantage and ease of the Catholics in the King of Great Britain s Dominions, therefore he desired a valuable Caution for the performance of those Articles which were stipulated in their favour; this hath much puzzled the business^ and Sir Francis Cottington comes now over about it : Besides, there is some distaste taken at the Duke of Buckingham here, and I heard this King should say he would treat no more with him, but with the Ambassadors, who, he saith, have a more plenary Commission, and understand the business better. As there is some darkness happen'd 'twixt the two Favourites, so matters stand not right 'twixt the Duke and the Earl of Bristol; but God forbid that a business of so high a consequence as this, which is likely to tend so much to the universal good of Christendom, to the restitution of the Palatinate and the composing those broils in Germajiy, should be ranvers'd by differences 'twixt a few private Sub- jects, though now public Ministers. Mr. Washington, the Prince his Page, is lately dead of a Calenture, and I was at his burial under a Fig-tree behind my Lord of Bristol's House. A little before his death one Ballard, an English Priest, went to tamper with him; and Sir Edmund Varney meeting him coming down the stairs, out of Washington's Chamber, they fell from words to blows, but they were parted. The business was like to gather very ill blood, and to come to a great height, had not Count Gondomar quash'd it, which I believe he could not have done, unless the times had been favourable ; for such is the reverence they bear to the Church here, and so holy a conceit they have of all Ecclesiastics, that the greatest Don in Spain will tremble to offer the meanest of them any outrage or affront. Count Gondomar hath also helped to free some English that were in the Inquisition in Toledo and Sevill ; and I could allege many instances how ready and chearful he is to assist any Englishman whatsoever, not- withstanding the base affronts he hath often received of the London Sect. 3. Familiar Letters. 173 London Buys, as he calls them. At his last return hither, I heard of a merry Saying of his to the Queen, who dis- coursing with him about the greatness of London, and whether it was as populous as Madrid ; Yes_, Madame, and more populous when I came away^ tho' I believe there's scarce a Man left there now but all Women and Children ; for all the Men both in Court and City were ready booted and spurred to go away. And I am sorry to hear how other Nations do much tax the English of their incivility to public Ministers of State_, and what Ballads and Pasquils, and Fopperies and Plays, were made against Gondomar for doing his Master's business. My Lord of Bristol coming from Ger- many to Brussels, notwithstanding that at his arrival thither the news was fresh that he had relieved Frankindale as he pass'd, yet he was not a whit the less welcome, but valued the more both by the Archdutchess her self and Spinola, with all the rest ; as also that they knew well that the said Earl had been the sole adviser of keeping Sir Rolert Mansel abroad with that Fleet upon the Coast of Spain, till the Palsgrave should be restor'd. I pray, Sir, when you go to London-Wall, and Tower-Hill, be pleased to remember my humble Service, where you know it is due. So I am — Your most faithful Servitor, J. H. Madrid, 15 Aug. 1623. XXI. To the Right Honourable the Lord Viscount Colchester. My very good Lord, I RECEIVED the Letter and Commands your Lordship pleased to send me by Mr. Walsingham Gresley ; and House of the West-Indies in Sevill, I cannot procure it for love or money, upon any terms ; tho' I have done all pos- sible diligence therein : And some tell me it is dangerous, and no less than Treason in him that gives the copy of them to 1/4 Familiar Letters. Book L to any, in regard 'tis counted the greatest Mystery of all the Spanish Government. That difficulty which happen'd in the business of the Match of giving caution to the Pope is now overcome : for whereas our King answer'd, That he could give no other caution than his Royal Word and his Son's, exemplify'd under the Great Seal of England, and confirmed by his Council of State, it being impossible to have it done by Parliament, in regard of the averseness the Common People have to the Alliance ; and whereas this gave no satisfaction to Rome, the King of Spain now offers himself for caution, for putting in execution what is stipulated in behalf of the Roman Catholics, thro'out His Majesty of Great Britain^s Dominions. But he desires to consult his Ghostly Fathers, to know whether he may do it without wronging his Con- science : hereupon there hath been a Junta form'd of Bishops and Jesuits, who have been already a good while about it; and the Bishop of Segovia, who is, as it were, Lord-Trea- surer, having written a Treatise lately against the Match, was outed of his Office, banish'd the Court, and confin'd to his Diocese. The Duke of Buckingham hath been ill-indis- pos'd a good while, and lies sick at Court, where the Prince hath no public exercise of Devotion, but only Bedchamber Prayers; and some think that his Lodging in the King's House is like to prove a disadvantage to the main business : for whereas most sorts of People here hardly hold us to be Christians, if the Prince had a Palace of his own, and been permitted to have used a room for an open Chapel to exer- cise the Liturgy of the Church of England, it would have brought them to have a better opinion of us ; and to this end there were some of our best Church-plate and Vest- ments brought hither, but never us'd. The slow pace of this Junta troubles us a little, and to the Divines there are some Civilians admitted lately : and the qucere is this. Whether the King of Spain may bind himself by Oath in the behalf of the King of England, to perform such and such Articles that are agreed on in favour of the Roman Catholicks Sect. 3. Familiar Letters. 175 Catholicks by virtue of this Match, whether the King may do this salvd conscientid. There was a great Show lately here of baiting of Bulls with Men, for the entertainment of the Prince; it is the chiefest of all Spanish Sports; commonly there are Men kill'd at it, therefore there are Priests appointed to be there ready to confess them. It hath happen'd oftentimes that a Bull hath taken up two men upon his horns with their guts dangling about them ; the horsemen run with lances and swords, the foot with goads. As I am told, the Pope hath sent divers Bulls against this sport of Bulling, yet it will not be left, the Nation hath taken such an habitual delight in it. There was an ill-favour'd accident like to have happened lately at the King's House, in that part where my Lord of Carlisle and my Lord Denbigh were lodg'd ; for my Lord Denbigh late at night taking a pipe of Tobacco in a Balcony, which hung over the King's Garden, he blew down the ashes, which falling upon some parch'd combustible matter, began to flame and spread : but Mr. Davis, my Lord of Carlisle's Barber, leap'd down a great height and quench'd it. So, with my continuance of my most humble Service, I rest ever ready — At your Lordship's Command, J. H. Madrid^ 16 Aug. 1623. XXIL To Sir James CrohSyfrom Madrid. Sir, THE Court of Spain affords now little news; for there is a Bemora sticks to the business of the Match, till the Junta of Divines give up their Opinion : But from Turky there came a Letter this week, wherein there is the strangest and almost tragical news, that in my small reading no Story can parallel, or shew with more pregnancy the instability and tottering estate of human Greatness, and the sandy Foundation whereon the vast Ottoman Empire is rear'd : for Sultan OsmaUj the Grand Turk, a Man according to the humour 176 Familiar Letters. Book I. humour of that Nation, warHke and fleshed in blood, and a violent hater of Christians, was in the flower of his years, in the heat and height of his courage, knockM in the head by one of his own Slaves, and one of the meanest of them, with a Battle-axe, and the Murderer never after proceeded against or questioned. The ground of this Tragedy was the late ill success he had against the Pole, wherein he lost about 100,000 Horse for want of forage, and 80,000 Men for want of fighting; which he imputed to the cowardice of his Janizaries, who rather than bear the brunt of the Battell, were more willing to return home to their Wives and merchandizing ; which they are now permitted to do, contrary to their first Institution, which makes them more worldly, and less venturous. This disgraceful return from Poland stuck in Osma?is stomach, and so he studied a way to be reveng'd of the Janizaries ; therefore by the Advice of his Grand Fisier (a stout gallant Man, who had been one of the chief Beglerhegs in the East), he intended to erect a new Soldiery in Asia about Damasco, of the Coords, a frontier People, and consequently hardv and inur'd to Arms. Of these he proposed to entertain 40,000 as a Lifeguard for his Person, tho' the main design was to suppress his lazy and lustful Janizaries, with Men of fresh new Spirits. To disguise this Plot, he pretended a Pilgrimage to Mecca, to visit Mahomet's Tomb, and reconcile himself to the Prophet, who he thought was angry with him, because of his late ill success in Poland; but this colour was not specious enough, in regard he might have performed this Pilgrimage with a smaller Train and Charge ; therefore it was propounded that the Emir of Sidon should be made to rise up in Arms, that so he might go with a greater Power and Treasure ; but this Plot was held disadvantageous to him, in regard his Janizaries must then have attended him : so he pretends and prepares only for the Pilgrimage, yet he makes ready as much Treasure as he could make, and to that end he melts his Plate, and furniture of Horses, with divers Sect. 3. Familiar Letters. 177 divers Church-lamps : this fomented some jealousy in the Janizaries, with certain words which should drop from him, that he would find Soldiers shortly should whip them. Here- upon he had sent over to Asia's side his Pavilions, many of his Servants, with his Jewels and Treasure, resolving upon the Voyage ; notwithstanding that divers Petitions were delivered him from the Clergy, the Civil Magistrate, and the Soldiery, that he should desist from the Voyage, but all would not do : thereupon, on the point of his departure, the Janizaries and Spahies came in a tumultuary manner to his Seraglio, and in a high insolent language dissuaded him from the Pilgrimage, and demanded of him his ill Coun- sellors. The first he granted, but for the second, he said that it stood not with his Honour to have his nearest Servants torn from him so, without any legal proceeding; but he assur'd them that they should appear in the Divan the next day, to answer for themselves : but this not satis- fying, they went away in a fury, and plunder'd the Grand Fisier^s Palace, with divers others. Osman hereupon was advised to go from his private Gardens that night to the Asian Shore, but his destiny kept him from it : so the next morning they came armM to the Court (but having made a Covenant not to violate the Imperial Throne) and cut in pieces the Grand Fisier, with divers other great Officers; and not finding Osman, who had hid himself in a small lodge in one of his Gardens, they cry'd out, they must have a Musulman Emperor : therefore they broke into a Dungeon, and brought out Mustapha, Osmanh Uncle, whom he had clapp'd there at the beginning of the Tumult, and who had been King before, but was deposed for his simplicity, being a kind of Santon, or holy Man, that is, 'twixt an Innocent and an Idiot ; this Mustapha they did reinthronize, and place in the Ottoman Empire. The next day they found out Osman, and brought him before Mustapha, who excused himself with Tears in his Eyes for his rash attempts, which wrought tenderness in some, but more scorn and fury in others; who fell upon M the 178 F'amiliar Letters. Book I. the Capi Aga, with other Officers, and cut them in pieces before his Eyes. Osman thence was carried to Prison, and as he was getting on horseback, a common Soldier took off his Turban, and clapp'd his upon Osman's Head, who in his passage begg'd a draught of Water at a Fountain. The next day, the new Fisier went with an Executioner to strangle him, in regard there were two younger Brothers more of his to preserve the Ottoman^ s Race; where, after they had rush'd in, he being newly awak'd, and staring upon them, and thinking to defend himself, a robust bois- terous Rogue knocked him down, and so the rest fell upon him, and strangled him with much ado. Thus fell one of the greatest Potentates upon Earth, by the hands of a contemptible Slave, for there is not a free- born Subject in all that vast Empire: Thus fell he that entitles himself Most Puissant and Highest Monarch of the Turks, King above all Kings, a King that dwelleth upon the earthly Paradise, Son of Mahomet, Keeper of the Grave of the Christian God, Lord of the Tree of Life, and of the River Flisky, Prior of the Earthly Paradise, Conqueror of the Macedonians^ the Seed of Great Alexander, Prince of the Kingdoms of Tartary, Mesopotamia, Media, and of the Martial Mammalucks, Anatolia, Bithynia, Asia, Armenia, Servia, Thracia, Morea, Valachia, Moldavia, and of all War- like Hungary, Sovereign Lord and Commander of all Greece, Persia, both the Arahias, the most noble Kingdom of Egypt, Tremisen, and African Empire of Trahesond, and the most glorious Constantinople, Lord of all the White and Black Seas, of the Holy City Mecca and Medina, shining with divine Glory; Commander of all things that are to be com- manded, and the strongest and mightiest Champion of the wide World ; a Warrior appointed by Heaven in the edge of the Sword, a Persecutor of his Enemies, a most perfect Jewel of the Blessed Tree, the Chiefest Keeper of the Crucify'd God, &c., with other such bombastical Titles. This Osman was a man of goodly constitution, an amiable aspect, and of excess of Courage, but sordidly covetous; which Sect. 3. Familiar Letters. 179 which drove him to violate the Church, and to melt the Lamps thereof, u'hich made the Mufti say, That this was a due judgment fallen upon him from Heaven for his Sacri- lege. He us'd also to make his Person too cheap, for he would go ordinarily in the night-time with two Men after him, like a Petty-constable, and peep into the Cauph-houses and Cabarets, and apprehend Soldiers there : And these two things, it seems, were the cause, that when he was so assaulted in the Seraglio, not one of his domestick Servants, whereof he had 3000, would lift up an arm to help him. Some few days before his death he had a strange dream, for he dreamed that he was mounted upon a great Camel, who w^ould not go neither by fair nor foul means ; and light- ing off him, and thinking to strike him with his Scimiter, the body of the Beast vanish'd, leaving the head and the bridle only in his hands. When the Mufti and the Hoggies could not interpret this dream, Mustapfia his Uncle did it; for he said, the Camel signify'd his Empire, his mounting of him his excess in Government, his lighting down his depos- ing. Another kind of prophetic Speech dropt from the Grand Fisier to Sir Tho. Roe, our Ambassador there, who having gone a little before this Tragedy to visit the said Visier, told him what whisperings and mutterings there were in every corner for this Asiatic Voyage, and what ill consequences might ensue from it : therefore it might well stand with his great wisdom to stay it; but if it held, he desir'd him to leave a charge with the Chimacham, his Deputy, that the English Nation in the Port should be free from outrages : whereunto the Grand Visier answered. Trouble not yourself about that, for I will not remove so far from Constantinople, but I will leave one of my Legs behind to serve you; which proved too true; for he was murder'd afterwards, and one of his Legs was hung up in the Hippodrome. This fresh Tragedy makes me give over wondering at any- thing that ever I heard or read, to shew the lubricity of mundan Greatness, as also the fury of the Vulgar, which, like i8o Familiar Letters. Book L like an impetuous Torrent, gathers strength by degrees as it meets with divers Dams, and being come to the height, cannot stop itself : for when this rage of the Soldiers began first, there was no design at all to violate or hurt the Emperor, but to take from him his ill Counsellors; but being once a-foot, it grew by insensible degrees to the utmost of outrages. The bringing out of Mustapha from the Dungeon where he was prisoner, to be Emperor of the Musulmans, put me in mind of what I read in Mr. Camden of our late Queen Elizaheth, how she was brought from the Scaffold to the English Throne. They who profess to be Criticks in Policy here, hope that this murdering of Osman may in time breed good blood, and prove advantageous to Christendom : for tho' this be the first Emperor of the Turks that was dispatch'd so, he is not like to be the last, now that the Soldiers have this Precedent : others think that if that design in Asia had taken, it had been very probable the ConstantinopoUtans had hois'd up another King, and so the Empire had been dis- membred, and by this division had lost strength, as the Roman Empire did, when it was broken into East and West. Excuse me that this my Letter is become such a Monster, I mean that it hath passM the size and ordinary proportion of a Letter; for the matter it treats of is monstrous; be- sides, it is a rule, that Historical Letters have more liberty to be long than others. In my next you shall hear how matters pass here; and in the meantime, and always, I rest — Your Honour's most devoted Servitor, J. H. 17 Aug. 1623. XXHL To the Right Honourable Sir Tho. Savage, Kt. and Bar. Honourable Sir, THE procedure of things in relation to the grand business of the Match was at a kind of stand, when the long winded Junta delivered their opinions, and fell at last upon this Sect, 3. Familiar Letters. 181 this result^ that his Catholick Majesty, for the satisfaction of St. Veter, might oblige himself in the behalf of England^ for the performance of those Capitulations which related to the Roman Catholicks in that Kingdom ; and in case of non-performance, then to right himself by war; since that the matrimonial Articles were solemnly sworn to by the K. of Spain and His Highness, the two Favourites, our two Ambassadors, the Duke of Infantado, and other Counsellors of State being present : Hereupon the 8th of Septemher next is appointed to be the day of Desposorios, the day of Jiffiance, or the Betrothing-day. There was much gladness expressed here, and Luminaries of Joy were in every great Street thro'out the City : But there is an unlucky Accident hath intervened, for the King gave the Prince a solemn visit since^ and told him Pope Gregory was dead, who was so great a friend to the Match ; but in regard the business was not yet come to perfection, he could not proceed further in it till the former Dispensation were ratified by the new Pope Urban, which to procure he would make it his own task^ and that all possible expedition should be us'd in't, and therefore desir'd his patience in the interim. The Prince answer'd, and press'd the necessity of his speedy return with divers reasons ; he said there was a general kind of murmuring in England for his so long Absence, that the King his Father was old and sickly, that the Fleet of his Ships were already, he thought, at Sea to fetch him, the winter drew on, and withal, that the Articles of the Match were sign'd in England with this Proviso, That if he be not come back by such a month, they should be of no validity. The King reply'd, That since His Highness was resolv'd upon so sudden a departure, he would please to leave a Proxy behind to finish the Marriage, and he would take it for a favour if he would depute Him to personate him ; and ten days after the Ratification shall come from Rome the business shall be done, and afterwards he might send for his Wife when he pleas'd. The Prince rejoinM, that among those multitudes of royal Favours which he had l82 Familiar Letters. Book I. had received from His Majesty, this transcended all the rest; therefore he would most willingly leave a Proxy for His Majesty^ and another for Don Carlos to this eflTect : So they parted for that Time without the least umbrage of discontent, nor do I hear of any engender'd since. The last month, ^tis true, the Junta of Divines dwelt so long upon the business, that there were whisperings that the Prince intended to go away disguisM as he came; and the Question being ask'd by a Person of Quality, there was a brave Answer made, That if Love brought him thither, it is not Fear shall drive him away. There are preparations already afoot for his return, and the two Proxies are drawn and left in my Lord of Bristol's hands. Notwithstanding this ill-favour'd stop, yet we are all here confident the business will take effect : In which hopes I rest — Your most humble and ready Servitor, J. H. Madrid, iS Aug. 1623. XXIV. To Capt. Nich. Leat, at his House in London. Sir, THIS Letter comes to you by Mr. Richard Altham; of whose sudden departure hence I am very sorry, it being the late death of his Brother Sir James Altham. I have been at a stand in the business a good while, for His Highness's coming hither was no Advantage to me in the Earth. He hath done the Spaniards divers courtesies, but he hath been very sparing in doing the English any. It may be, perhaps, because it may be a diminution of honour to be beholden to any foreign Prince to do his own Subjects favours; but my business requires no favour; all I desire is Justice, which I have not obtained yet in reality. The Prince is preparing for his Journey ; I shall to it again closely when he is gone, or make a shaft or a bolt of it. The Pope's death hath retarded the proceedings of the Match, but we are so far from despairing of it, that one may have wagers 30 to i it will take effect still. He that deals Sect. 3. 183 deals with this Nation must have a great deal of phlegm ; and if this grand business of State^ the Match, suffer such protractions and puttings off, you need not wonder that private Negotiations, as mine is, should be subject to the same inconveniences. There shall be no means left unat- tempted that my best industry can find out to put a period to it; and when His Highness is gone, I hope to find my Lord of Bristol more at leisure to continue his favour and furtherance, which hath been much already : So I rest — Yours ready to serve you, J. H. Madrid, 19 Aug. 1623. XXV. To Sir James Crofts. Sir, THE Prince is now upon his Journey to the Sea-side, where my Lord of Rutland attends for him with a Royal Fleet: There are many here shrink in their shoulders, and are very sensible of his departure, and the Lady Infanta resents it more than any ; she hath caus'd a Mass to be sung every day ever since for his good Voyage : The Spaniards themselves confess there was never Princess so bravely woo'd. The King and his two Brothers accom- pany'd His Highness to the Escurial, some twenty miles off, and would have brought him to the Sea-side^ but that the Queen is big, and hath not many days to go. When the King and he parted, there pass'd wonderful great Endear- ments and Embraces in divers postures between them a long Time ; and in that place there is a Pillar to be erected as a Monument to Posterity. There are some Grandees, and Count Gondomar with a great Train besides, gone with him to the Marine, to the Sea-side, which will be many days' journey, and must needs put the King of Spain to a mighty Expense, besides his seven months' Entertainment here. We hear that when he pass'd thro' Falladolid^ the D. of Lerma was retired thence for the Time by special command from the King^ lest he might have discourse with the Prince, whom Familiar Letters. Book L whom he extremely desired to see; this sunk deep into the old Duke_, insomuch that he said, that of all the Acts of Malice which Olivares had ever done him, he resented this more than any. He bears up yet under his Cardinal's Habit, which hath kept him from many a foul storm that might have fallen upon him else from the temporal Power. The Duke of Uzeda, his Son, finding himself decline in favour at Court, hath retir'd to the Country, and dy'd soon after of discontentment : during his sickness the Cardinal wrote this short weighty Letter unto him : Dizen me^ que Mareys de necio ; por mi, mas temo mis anos que mis Ene- migos. — Lerma. I shall not need to English it to you, who is so great a Master of the Language. Since I began this Letter we understand the Prince is safely embarkM, but not without some danger of being cast away, had not Sir Sackvil Trever taken him up ; I pray God send him a good Voyage, and us no ill news from Engla?id. My most humble Service at Tower-hill, so I am — Your humble Servitor, J. H. Madrid, 21 Aug. 1623. XXVL To my Brother, Dr. How el. My Brother, SINCE our Prince's departure hence the Lady Infanta studieth English apace, and one Mr. Wadsworth and Father Boniface, two Englishmen, are appointed her Teachers, and have Access to her every Day : We account her, as it were, our Princess now ; and as we give, so she takes that Title. Our Ambassadors, my Lord of Bristol and Sir Walter j4shton, will not stand now covered before her when they have Audience, because they hold her to be their Princess : She is preparing divers Suits of rich Clothes for His Highness of perfum'd Amber Leather, some em- broidered with Pearl, some with Gold, some with Silver : Her Family is a settling apace, and most of her Ladies and Officers are known already. We want nothing now but one Sect, 3. Familiar Letters. 185 one Dispatch more from RomCj and then the Marriage will be solemniz'd^ and all Things consummated : Yet there is one Mr. Clerk (with the lame Arm) that came hither from the Sea-side as soon as the Prince was gone ; he is one of the D. of Buckingham'' s Creatures, yet he lies at the E. of Bristol s House, which we wonder at, considering the dark- ness that happen'd ^twixt the Duke and the Earl : We fear that this Clerk hath brought something that may puzzle the business. Besides, having occasion to make my Address lately to the Venetian Ambassador, who is interested in some part of that great Business for which I am here, he told me confidently it would be no Match, nor did he think it was ever intended. But I want faith to believe him yet, for I know St. Mark is no friend to it, nor France, nor any other Prince or State besides the King of Denmark, whose Grandmother was of the House of Austria, being Sister to Charles the Emperor. Touching the Business of the Pala- tinate, our Ambassadors were lately assur'd by OUvares and all the Counsellors here, and that in this King's Name, that he would procure His Majesty of Great Britain entire satis- faction herein; and OUvares giving them the joy, intreated them to assure their King upon their honour, and upon their lives, of the reality hereof: For the Infanta herself (said he) hath stirr'd in it, and makes it now her own busi- ness; for it was a firm Peace and Amity (which he con- fess'd could never be without the Accommodation of Things in Germany) as much as an Alliance, which his Catholick Majesty aim'd at. But we shall know shortly now what to trust to, we shall walk no more in mists, tho' some give out yet that our Prince shall embrace a Cloud for Juno at last. I pray present my Service to Sir John Franklin and Sir John Smith, with all at the Hill and Dale ; and when you send to IVales I pray convey the inclos'd to my Father. So, my dear Brother, I pray God bless us both, and bring us again joyfully together — Your very loving Brother, . J.H. Madrid^ 12 Aug. 162^. XXVH. Familiar Letters. Book 1. XXVII. To my nolle Friend Sir John North, Knight. Sir, I RECEIVED lately one of yours, but it was of a very old date : We have our Eyes here now all fixM upon Rome, greedily expecting the Ratification; and lately a strong rumour ran it was come, insomuch that Mr. Clerk, who was sent hither from the Prince, being a-shipboard (and now lies sick at my Lord of Bristol's House of a Calenture), hearing of it, he desir'd to speak with him, for he had something to deliver him from the Prince; my Lord Am- bassador being come to him, Mr. Clerk deliver'd a Letter from the Prince, the contents whereof were. That whereas he had left certain Proxies in his hand to be deliver'd to the King of Spain after the Ratification was come^ he desir'd and requir'd him not to do it till he should receive further order from England. My Lord of Bristol hereupon went to Sir Walter Aston, who was in joint Commission with him for concluding the Match ; and shewing him the Letter, what my Lord Aston said I know not, but my Lord of Bristol told him. That they had a Commission-Royal under the Broad Seal of England to conclude the Match ; he knew as well as he how earnest the King their Master hath been any time these ten years to have it done, how there could not be a better pawn for the surrendry of the Palatinate, than the Infanta in the Prince's Arms, who could never rest till she did the work, to merit the love of our Nation : he told him also how their own particular Fortunes depended upon it; besides, if he should delay one moment to deliver the Proxy after the Ratification was come, according to agreement, the Infanta would hold herself so blemish'd in her honour, that it might overthrow all things. Lastly, he told him, That they incurr'd the hazard of their heads, if they should suspend the executing His Majesty's Commision upon any order but from that Power which gave it, who was the King himself. Hereupon both the Ambassadors proceeded Sect. 3. Familiar Letters. 187 proceeded still in preparing matters for the solemnizing of the Marriage ; the Earl of Bristol had caused above thirty rich Liveries to be made of watched Velvet, with silver Lace up to the very Capes of the Cloaks, the best sorts whereof were valued at .^80 a Livery : My Lord Aston had also provided new Liveries ; and a fortnight after the said politick Report was blown up, the Ratification came indeed complete and full ; so the Marriage-day was appointed, a Terras coverM all over with Tapestry was raised from the King's Palace to the next Church, which might be about the same extent as from IVhite-Hall to IVestminster-Ahhey ; and the King intended to make his Sister a JVife, and his Daughter (whereof the Queen was delivered a little before) a Christian upon the same day ; the Grandees and great Ladies had been invited to the Marriage, and order was sent to all the Port- Towns to discharge their great Ordnance, and sundry other things were prepared to honour the Solemnity : but when we were thus at the height of our hopes, a day or two before, there came Mr. Killegree, Gresley, IVood, and Davies, one upon the neck of another, with a new Commission to my Lord of Bristol immediately from His Majesty, counter- manding him to deliver the Proxy aforesaid, until a full and absolute satisfaction were had for the surrendry of the Palatinate under this King's Hand and Seal, in regard he desirM his Son should be marry'd to Spain, and his Son-in- law re-marryM to the Palatinate at one time. Hereupon all was dashM in pieces, and that frame which was rearing so many years was ruin'd in a moment. This News struck a damp in the hearts of all People here, and they wish'd that the Postilions that brought it had all broke their necks in the way. My Lord of Bristol hereupon went to Court to acquaint the King with his new Commission, and so proposed the restitution of the Palatinate : The King answered, 'Twas none of his to give ; 'tis true, he had a few Towns there, but he held them as Commissioner only for the Emperor, and he could not command an Emperor ; yet if His Majesty of i88 Familiar Letters. Book L of Great Britain would put a Treaty a-foot, he would send his own Ambassador to join. In the Interim the Earl was commanded not to deliver the aforesaid Proxy of the Prince, for the Desposorios or Espousal, until Christmas (and herein it seems His Majesty with you was not well informed, for those Powers of Proxies expir'd before). The King here said further, That if his Uncle the Emperor, or the Duke of Bavaria, would not be conformable to reason, he would raise as great an Army for the Prince Palsgrave as he did under Spinola, when he first invaded the Palatinate ; and to secure this, he would engage his Contratation-house of the West-Indies, with his Plate-Fleet, and give the most binding Instrument that could be under his Hand and Seal. But this gave no satisfaction ; therefore my Lord of Bristol , I believe, hath not long to stay here, for he is commanded to deliver no more Letters to the Infanta, nor demand any more audience, and that she should be no more stiled Prin- cess of England or Wales. The aforesaid Caution which this King oflfer'd to my Lord of Bristol made me think of what I read of his Grandfather Philip II., who having been marryM to our Q. Mary, and it being thought she was with child of him, and was accordingly prayM for at PauVs Cross, tho' it provM afterwards but a tympany, K. Philip proposed to our Parliament, that they would pass an Act that he might be Regent during his or her Minority that should be born, and would give good caution to surrender the Crown when he or she should come to age. The motion was hotly canvass'd in the House of Peers, and like to pass, when the Lord Paget rose up and said, /, hut who shall sue the King's Bond? So the business was dash'd. I have no more news to send you now, and I am sorry I have so much, unless it were better ; for we that have business to negotiate here are like to suffer much by this rupture : Welcome be the will of God, to whose benediction I commend you, and rest — Your most humble Servitor, J. H. Madrid^ 25 Aiig. 1623. XXVIII. Sect. 3. Familiar Letters. 189 XXVIII. To the Bight Honourahle the Lord Clifford. My good Lord, THO' this Court cannot afford now such comfortable news in relation to England as I could wish, yet such as it is^ you shall receive. My Lord of Bristol is preparing for England. I waited upon him lately when he went to take his leave at Court ; and the King washing his hands, took a ring from off his own finger, and put upon his, which was the greatest honour that ever he did any Ambassador, as they say here; he gave him also a Cupboard of Plate, valued at 20,000 Crowns : There were also large and high promises made him, that in case he feared to fall upon any rock in England^ by reason of the Power of those who malign^l him, if he would stay in any of his Dominions, he would give him means and honour equal to the highest of his Enemies. The Earl did not only wave, but disdain'd these Propositions made to him by Olivares, and said he was so confident of the King his Master's Justice and high Judgment, and of his own innocency, that he conceiv'd no Power could be able to do him hurt. There hath occurr'd nothing lately in this Court worth the Advertisement: They speak much of the strange carriage of that boisterous Bishop of Halverstadt (for so they term him here), that having taken a place where there were two Monasteries of Nuns and Friars, he caus'd divers Feather-beds to be ripp'd, and all the feathers to be thrown in a great Hall whither the Nuns and Friars were thrust naked with their bodies oiFd and pitch'd, and to tumble among these feathers ; which makes them here presage him an ill death. So I most affectionately kiss your hands, and rest — Your very humble Servitor, J. H. Madrid, 26 Aug. 1622,' XXIX. IQO Familiar Letters. Book I. XXIX. To Sir John North. Sir, I HAVE many thanks to render you for the favour you lately did to a Kinsman of mine, Mr. Vaughan, and for divers others, which I defer till I return to that Court, and that I hope will not be long. Touching the procedure of matters here, you shall understand, that my Lord Aston had special audience lately of the King of Spain, and after- wards presented a Memorial, wherein there was a high com- plaint against the miscarriage of the two Spanish Ambas- sadors now in England, the Marquis of Inojosa and Don Carlos Coloma; the substance of it was, That the said Ambassadors, in a private audience His Majesty of Great Britain had given them, inform'd him of a pernicious Plot against his Person and Royal Authority, which was. That at the beginning of your now Parliament the Duke of Buckingham, with other his complices, often met and con- sulted in a clandestine way, how to break the Treaty both of Match and Palatinate; and in case His Majesty was unwilling thereunto, he should have a Country-house or two to retire unto for his recreation and health, in regard the Prince is now of years and judgment fit to govern. His Majesty so resented this, that the next day he sent them many thanks for the care they had of him, and desir'd them to perfect the work, and now that they had detected the Treason, to discover also the Traitors ; but they were shy in that point. The King sent again, desiring them to send the names of the Conspirators in a paper sealed up by one of their own Confidents, which he should receive with his own hands and no soul should see it else ; advising them withal, that they should not prefer this discovery before their own honours, to be accounted false Accusers : they reply'd. That they had done enough already by instancing in the Duke of Buckingham, and it might easily be guess'd who were his Confidents and Creatures. Hereupon His Majesty put those whom Sect. 3. Familiar Letters. 191 whom he had any grounds to suspect to their Oaths : And afterwards sent my Lord Conway and Sir Francis Cotting- ton to tell the Ambassadors that he had left no means unessay'd to discover the Conspiration; that he had found upon Oath such a clearness of ingenuity in the Duke of Buckingham, that satisfy'd him of his innocency : Therefore he had just cause to conceive that this information of theirs proceeded rather from malice, and some political ends, than from truth; and in regard they would not produce the Authors of so dangerous a Treason, they made themselves to be justly thought the Authors of it: And therefore, tho^ he might by his own Royal Justice and the Law of Nations, punish this excess and insolence of theirs, and high wrong they had done to his best Servants, yea to the Prince his Son,, for thro' the sides of the Duke they wounded him, in regard it was impossible that such a design should be at- tempted without his privity, yet he would not be his own Judge herein, but would refer them to the King their Master, whom he conceived to be so just, that he doubted not but he would see him satisfyM ; and therefore he would send an Express to him thereabouts, to demand Justice and Repara- tion. This business is now in agitation, but we know not what will become of it. We are all here in a sad discon- solate condition, and the Merchants shake their heads up and down out of an apprehension of some fearful War to follow: So I most affectionately kiss your hands, and rest — Your very humble and ready Servitor, J. H. Madrid, 26 A i/g. 162^. XXX. To Sir Kenelme Digby, Knight. Sir, YOU have had knowledge (none better) of the progres- sion and growings of the Spanish Match from time to time; I must acquaint you now with the Rupture and utter Dissolution of it, which was not long a doing: for it was done in one Audience that my Lord of Bristol had lately at 192 Familiar Letters. Book I. at Court, whence it may be inferr'd, that ^tis far more easy to pull down than rear up; for that Structure which was so many years a rearing was dash'd, as it were, in a trice : Dissohition goeth a faster pace than Composition. And it may be said, that the civil actions of men, ^specially great affairs of Monarchs (as this was) have much analogy, in degrees of progression, with the natural production of man. To make man, there are many acts must precede ; first a meeting and copulation of the Sexes, then Conception, which requires a well-disposed Womb to retain the prolifical Seed, by the constriction and occlusion of the orifice of the Matrix ; which Seed being first, and afterwards Cream, is by a gentle ebullition coagulated, and turn'd to a crudded lump, which the Womb by virtue of its natural heat pre- pares to be capable to receive form, and to be organiz'd : whereupon Nature falls a-working to delineate all the Members, beginning with those that are most noble; as the Heart, the Brain, the Liver, whereof Galen would have the Liver, which is the shop and source of the blood, and Aris- totle the Heart, to be the first fram'd, in regard 'tis pr'imum vivens & ultimum moriens. Nature continues in this labour, until a perfect shape be introduced; and this is call'd For- mation, which is the third act, and is a production of an organical Body out of the spermatick Substance, caus'd by the plastick virtue of the vital Spirits: and sometimes this act is finished thirty days after the conception, sometimes fiFty^ but most commonly in forty-two or forty-five, and is sooner done in the Male. This being done, the Embryo is animated with three Souls; the first with that of Plants called the vegetable Soul, then with a sensitive, which all brute Animals have, and lastly the rational Soul is infus'd ; and these three in Man are like Trigonus in Tetragono ; the two first are generated ex Traduce, from the seed of the Parents, but the last is by immediate infusion from God: and ^tis controverted 'twixt Philosophers and Divines when this infusion is made. This is the fourth act that goeth to make a Man, and is called Sect. 3. Familiar Letters. 193 called Animation: and as the Naturalists allow Animation double the time that Formation had from the Conception, so they allow to the ripening of the Emhryo in the Womb, and to the birth thereof, treble the time which Animation had ; which happeneth sometimes in nine, sometimes in ten months. This Grand business of the Spanish Match may be said to have had such degrees of progression ; first there was a meeting and coupling on both sides, for ?i Junta in Spain, and some select Counsellors of State were appointed in England. After this Conjunction the business was con- ceiv'd, then it receiv'd form, then life (tho' the quickening was slow), but having had near upon ten years in lieu of ten months to be perfected, it was unfortunately strangled when it was ripe ready for birth; and I would they had never been born that did it, for it is like to be out of my way ^^3000. And as the Embryo in the Womb is wrapp'd in three membranes or tunicles, so this great business^ you know better than I, was involv'd in many difficulties, and died so entangled before it could break thro' them. There is a buzz here of a Match ^twixt Emland and o France ; I pray God send it a speedier Formation and Ani- mation than this had, and that it may not prove an abortive. I send you herewith a Letter from the Paragon of the Spanish Court, Donna Anna Maria Manrique, the Duke of Marquedas^s sister, who respects you in a high degree ; she told me this was the first Letter she ever writ to Man in her life, except the Duke her brother; she was much solicited to write to Mr. Thomas Cary, but she would not. I did also your Message to the Marquesa d^Inojosa, who put me to sit a good while with her upon Estrado, which was no simple favour : you are much in both these Ladies' books, and much spoken of by divers others in this Court. I could not recover your Diamond Hatband which the Picaroon snatch'd from you in the Coach, tho' I us'd all means pos- sible, as far as book, bell, and candle, in point of Excom- munication against the party in all the Churches of Madrid, by which means you know divers things are recover'd. So N I 194 Familiar Letters. Book /. I most affectionately kiss your hands, and rest — Your most faithful Servitor, J. H. Vost. — Yours of Mar. 2 came safe to hand. Madrid, XXXI. To my Cousin, Mr. J. Price [now Knight), at the Middle- Temple, y^-om Madrid. COUSIN, suffer my Letter to salute you first in this Distich : A Thamesi Tagus quof leucis flumine dtstaf, Osada tot manibus poj'to, Pricase ticis. As many miles Thames lies from Tagus Strands, I bring so many kisses to thy hands. My Dear Jack, IN the large Register or Almanack of my Friends in England, you are one of the chiefest Red Letters, you are one of my Festival Rubriques : for whenever you fall upon my Mind, or my Mind falls upon you, I keep Holiday all the while; and this happens so often, that you leave me but a few Working-days thro'out the whole year, fewer far than this Country affords; for in their Kalendar above five months of the twelve are dedicated to some Saint or other, and kept Festival ; a religion that the London Apprentices would like well. I thank you for yours of the third current, and the ample Relations you give me of London Occurrences, but princi- pally for the powerful and sweet assurances you give me of your Love, both in Verse and Prose. All businesses here are off the hinges; for one late Audience of my Lord of Bristol pull'd down what was so many years a raising. And as Thomas Aquinas told an Artist of a costly curious Statue in Rome, that by some accident while he was a trimming it, fell down, and so broke to pieces. Opus triginta annorum destruxisti. Thou hast destroy'd the work of thirty years ; so it may be said, that a work near upon ten years is now suddenly Sect. 3. Familiar Letters. 195 suddenly shatterM to peices. I hope by God's Grace to be now speedily in England, and to re-enjoy your most dear Society : In the meantime may all happiness attend you. Ad Litteram. Ocius ut grandire gradiis oratio, possis Pros a, tibi binos jU7igtmus ecce pedes : That in thy journey thou may'st be more fleet, To thy dull Prose I add these Metric feet. Resp. Ad mare cum venio, quid agam ? Repl. tu7n prcepete penna Te ferat^ est lator nam levis ignis, Amor. But when I come to Sea, how shall I shift ? Let Love transport thee then, for Fire is swift. — Your most affectionate Cousin^ J. H. 30 Mar. 1624. XXXII. To the Lord Viscount Colchester^ ^roTTz Madrid, Right Honourable, YOUR Lordship's of the third current came to safe hand, and being now upon point of parting with this Court, I thought it worth the labour to send your Lordship a short Survey of the Monarchy of Spain; a bold undertaking, your Lordship will say, to comprehend within the narrow bounds of a Letter such a huge bulk ; but as in the boss of a small Diamond-ring one may discern the image of a mighty Mountain, so I will endeavour that your Lord- ship may behold the power of this great King in this Paper. Spain hath been always esteem'd a Country of ancient renown ; and as it is incident to all other, she hath had her vicissitudes and turns of Fortune : She hath been thrice o'ercome; by the Romans, by the Goths, and by the Moors: The middle Conquest continueth to this day; for this King and most of the Nobility profess themselves to have descended of the Goths : The Moors kept here about 700 years ; and it is a remarkable Story how they got in first, which was thus 196 Familiar Letters. Book L thus upon good Record. There reign'd in Spain Don Rodrigo, who kept his Court then at Malaga; he employ'd the Conde Don Julian Ambassador to Barhary, who had a Daughter (a young beautiful Lady), that was Maid of Honour to the Queen : The King spying her one Day refreshing herself under an Arbor^ fell enamour'd with her, and never left till he had deflower'd her. She resenting much the dishonour, writ a Letter to her Father in Barhary under this Allegory, That there ivas a fair green Jpple upo?i the Table, and the King^s Poniard fell iLpont and cleft it in two. Don Julian, apprehending the meaning, got Letters of revocation and came back to Spain, where he so comply'd with the King, that he became his Favourite: Among other Things he advis'd the King, That in regard he was now in Peace with all the World, he would dismiss his Gallies and Garrisons that were up and down the Sea-coasts, because it was a superfluous charge. This being done, and the Country left open to any to invade, he prevail'd with the King to have leave to go with his Lady to see their friends in Tarragona, which was 300 miles off. Having been there a while, his Lady made semblance to be sick, and so sent to petition the King that her Daughter Donna Cava (whom they had left at Court to satiate the King's lust) might come to comfort her a while : Cava came, and the Gate thro' which she went forth is call'd after her name to this day in Malaga : Don Julian having all his chief Kindred there, he sail'd over to Barhary, and afterwards brought over the King of Morocco, and others with an Army, who suddenly invaded Spain, lying armless and open, and so conquer'd it. Don Rodrigo died gallantly in the Field, but what became of Don Julian, who for a particular Revenge betray'd his own Country, no Story makes mention. A few years before this happen'd, Rodrigo came to Toledo, where under the great Church there was a Vault with huge Iron-doors, and none of his Predecessors durst open it, because there was an old Prophecy, That when that Fault was opened Spain should he conquer d. Rodrigo, slighting the Prophecy, caus'd Sect. 3. Familiar Letters. 197 caus'd the doors to be broke open, hoping to find there some Treasure ; but when he enter'd, there was nothing found but the Pictures of Moors, of such Men that a little after fulfill'd the Prophecy. Yet this last Conquest of Spain was not perfect, for divers parts North-west kept still under Christian Kings, specially Biscay, which was never conquer'd, as Wales in Br it any ; and the Biscayners have much Analogy with the IVelsh in divers Things : They retain to this day the original Language of Spain, they are the most mountainous People, and they are reputed the ancientest Gentry ; so that when any is to take the Order of Knighthood, there are no Inquisitors appointed to find whether he be clear of the blood of the Moors, as in other places. The King, when he comes upon the confines, pulls off one shoe before he can tread upon any Biscay Ground : And he hath good reason to esteem that Province, in regard of divers Advantages he hath by it; for he hath his best Timber to build Ships, his best Marines, and all his Iron thence. There were divers bloody Battels 'twixt the remnant of Chistians and the Moors, for 700 years together; and the Spaniards getting ground more and more, drave them at last to Granada, and thence also, in the time of Ferdinand and Isabella, quite over to Barbary : Their last King was Cliico, who when he fled from Granada crying and weeping, the People upbraided him. That he might well weep like a Woman, who could not defend himself and them like a Man. This was that Ferdinand who obtain'd from Rome the Title of CathoUck, tho' some Stories say, that many Ages before Ricaredus, the first Orthodox King of the Goths, was stiPd Catholicus in a Provincial Synod held at Toledo, which was continued by Alphonsiis I., and then made hereditary by this Ferdinand. This absolute Conquest of the Moors happen'd about Henry VI I. 's Time, when the foresaid Ferdinand and Isabella had by Alliance join'd Castile and Aragon; which with the discovery of the West-Indies, which happen'd a little after, was the first foundation of that Greatness where- unto 198 Familiar Letters. Book L unto Spain is now mounted. Afterwards there was an Alliance with Burgundy and Austria; by the first House seventeen Provinces fell to Spain; by the second Charles V. came to be Emperor : And remarkable it is how the House of Austria came to that height from a mean Earl ; the Earl of Hapslurg in Germany, who having been one day a-hunt- ing, he overtook a Priest who had been with the Sacra- ment to visit a poor sick body ; the Priest being tir'd, the Earl lighted off his Horse, help'd up the Priest, and so waited upon him a-foot all the while, till he brought him to the Church : The Priest giving him his Benediction at his going away, told him, that for this great Act of humility and piety, His Grace should he one of the greatest that ever the world had; and ever since, which is some 240 years ago, the Empire hath continued in that house, which after- wards was call'd the House of Austria. In Philip n.^s Time the Spanish Monarchy came to its highest pitch, by the conquest of Portugal^ whereby the East-Indies, sundry Islands in the Atlantick Sea, and divers places in Barhary, were added to the Crown of Spain. By these steps this Crown came to this Grandeur; and truly, give the Spaniard his due, he is a mighty Monarch ; he hath Dominions in all parts of the World (which none of the four Monarchies had), both in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America (which he hath solely to himself), tho' our Henry VII. had the first proffer made him: So the Sun shines all the four-and-twenty hours of the natural day upon some part or other of his Countries, for part of the Antipodes are subject to him. He hath eight Viceroys in Europe, two in the East-Indies, two in the IVest, two in Africk, and about thirty Provincial Sovereign Commanders more; yet, as I was told lately, in a Discourse ^twixt him and our Prince at his being here, when the Prince fell to magnify his spacious Dominions, the King answer'd, Sir, His true, it hath pleased God to trust me with divers Nations and Countries, hut of all these there are hut two which yield me any clear revenues, viz., Spain and my West-Indies ; nor all Spain Sect. 3. Familiar Letters. 199 Spain neither y hut Castile only ; the rest do scarce quit cost, for all is drunk up Hwixt Governors and Garrisons : yet my advantage is to have the opportunity to propagate the Christian Religion, and to employ my Subjects, For the last, it must be granted that no Prince hath better means to breed brave Men, and more variety of Commands to heighten their Spirits with no petty but princely Employments. This King, besides, hath other means to oblige the Gentry to him, by such a huge number of Comme?idams, which he hath in his gift to bestow on whom he pleases of any of the three Orders of Knighthood ; which England and France want. Some Noblemen in Spain can spend .^^50,000, some forty, some thirty, and divers .3^20,000 per ann. The Church here is exceeding rich, both in revenues, plate, and build- ings; one cannot go to the meanest Country Chapel but he will find Chalices, Lamps, and Candlesticks of Silver. There are some Bishopricks of ^^30,000 per ami. and divers of ^10,000, and Toledo is ^100,000 yearly revenue. As the Church is rich, so it is mightily reverencM here, and very powerful ; which made Philip II. rather depend upon the Clergy than the secular Power. Therefore I do not see how Spain can be called a poor Country, considering the revenues aforesaid of Princes and Prelates ; nor is it so thin of People as the World makes it, and one reason may be that there are sixteen Universities in Spain, and in one of these there were 15,000 Students at one time when I was there, I mean Salamanca ; and in this Village of Madrid (for the King of Spain cannot keep his constant Court in any City) there are ordinarily 600,000 Souls. ^Tis true, that the Colonizing of the Indies and the Wars of Flanders have much drain'd this Country of People ; since the expulsion of the Moors it is also grown thinner, and not so full of Corn ; for those Moors would grub up Wheat out of the very Tops of the craggy Hills ; yet they us'd another Grain for their Bread: So that the Spaniard had nought else to do but to go with his Ass to the Market, and buy Corn of the Moors. There liv'd here also in Times past a 200 Familiar Letters. Book L a great number of Jews, till they were expell'd by Fer- d'mand ; and, as I have read in an old Spanish Legend, the cause was this : The King had a young Prince to his Son, who was us'd to play with a Jewish Doctor that was about the Court, who had a ball of gold in a string hanging down his breast: The little Prince one day snatch'd away the said golden ball, and carried it to the next room ; the ball being hollow, open'd, and within there was painted our Saviour kissing a Jew's tail. Hereupon they were all suddenly dis- terr'd and exterminated ; yet I believe in Portugal there lurks yet good store of them. For the Soil of Spain, the fruitfulness of their Vallies recompences the sterility of their Hills; Corn is their greatest want, and want of Rain is the cause of that, which makes them have need of their Neighbours : Yet as much as Spain bears is passing good, and so is everything else for the quality; nor hath any one a better horse under him, a better cloak on his back, a better sword by his side, better shoes on his feet, than the Spaniard: Nor doth any drink better wine, or eat better fruit than he, nor flesh for the quantity. Touching the People, the Spaniard looks as high, tho' not so big as a Germari ; his excess is in too much gravity, which some, who know him not well, hold to be pride; he cares not how little he labours, for poor Gascons and Morisco slaves do most of his work in field and vineyard : He can endure much in the war, yet he loves not to fight in the dark, but in open day, or upon a stage, that all the world might be witnesses of his valour; so that you shall seldom hear of Spaniards employ'd in Night-service, nor shall one hear of a Duel here in an Age. He hath one good quality, that he is wonderfully obedient to Government; for the proudest Don of Spain, when he is prancing upon his Ginnet in the street, if an Alguazil (a Sergeant) shew him his Fare, that is, a little white staff he carrieth as a badge of his Office, my Don will down presently off his horse, and yield himself his prisoner. He hath another commendable quality Sect. 3. Familiar Letters. 2or quality, that when he giveth Alms he pulls off his Hat, and puts it in the beggar's hand with a great deal of humility. His gravity is much lessen'd since the late Proclamation came out against ruffs, and the King himself shew'd the first example ; they were come to that height of excess herein, that twenty shillings were us'd to be paid for starching of a ruff : And some, tho' perhaps he had never a shirt to his back, yet he would have a toting huge swell- ing ruff about his neck. He is sparing in his ordinary diet, but when he makes a feast he is free and bountiful. As to temporal Authority, specially Martial, so is he very obedient to the Church, and believes all with an implicit faith. He is a great servant of Ladies, nor can he be blam'd, for, as I said before, he comes of a Goatish race; yet he never brags of, nor blazes abroad his doings that way, but is ex- ceedingly careful of the repute of any Woman (a Civility that we much want in England). He will speak high words of Don Philippo his King, but wiW not endure a stranger should do so: I have heard a Biscayner make a Rodomantado, that he was as good a Gentleman as Don Philippo himself, for Don Philippo was half a Spaniard, half a German, half an Italian, half a Frenchman, half I know not what, but he was a pure Biscayner without mixture. The Spaniard is not so smooth and oily in his Compliment as the Italian; and tho' he will make strong protestations, yet he will not swear out Compliments like the French and English : As I heard when my Lord of Carlisle wa.s Ambassador in France, there came a great Monsieur to see him, and having a long time banded, and sworn Compliments one to another who should go first out at a door, at last my Lord of Carlisle said, Monseigneur, ayez pitie de mon ame, O my Lord, have pity upon my soul. The Spaniard is generally given to gaming, and that in excess ; he will say his Prayers before, and if he win he will thank God for his good fortune after. Their common game at Cards (for they very seldom play at. Dice) is Primera, at which the King never shews his game, but throws 202 Familiar Letters. Book I, throws his cards with their faces down on the table. He is merchant of all the Cards and Dice thro' all the King- dom; he hath them made for a penny a pair, and he retails them for twelvepence; so that 'tis thought he hath ^30,000 a year by this trick at Cards. The Spaniard is very devout in his way, for I have seen him kneel in the very dirt when the Ave Mary bell rings ; and some, if they spy two straws or sticks lie cross-wise in the street, they will take them up and kiss them, and lay them down again. He walks as if he march'd, and seldom looks on the ground^ as if he contemn'd it. I was told of a Spaniard^ who having got a a fall by a stumble, and broke his nose^ rose up, and in a disdainful manner said, Voto a tal eslo es caminar por la tierra; This it is to walk upon earth. The Lahradors and Country Swains here are sturdy and Rational Men, nothing so simple or servile as the French Peasant who is born in chains. ^Tis true, the Spaniard is not so conversable as other Nations (unless he hath travelled), else he is like Mars among the Planets, impatient of Conjunction : Nor is he so free in his gifts and rewards ; as the last Summer it happen'd that Count Gondomar, with Sir Francis Cottington, went to see a curious House of the Constable of Castile Sy which had been newly built here; the Keeper of the House was very officious to shew him every room, with the Garden, Grottos, and Aqueducts, and presented him with some Fruit; Gondomar having been a long time in the House, coming out, put many Compliments of thanks upon the Man, and so was going away ; Sir Francis whisper'd him in the Ear, and askM him whether he would give the Man anything that took such pains: Oh, quoth Gondomar, well remember'd; Don Francisco, have you ever a double Pistole about you ? If you have, you may give it him, and then you pay him after the English manner ; I have paid him already after the Spanish. The Spaniard is much improved in Policy since he took footing in Italy, and there is no Nation agrees with him better. I will conclude this Character with a saying that he hath — No Sect, 3. Familiar Letters. 203 No ay hombre debaxo d'el Sol, Coma el Italianojj/ el EspanoL Whereunto a Frenchman answer'd — Dizes la verdad, y tienes razon, El uno es puto, el otro ladron. English'd thus — Beneath the Sun there's no such Man, As is the Spaniard and Italian. The Frenchman ansivers — Thou tell'st the truth, and reason hast, The first's a Thief, a Buggerei- the last. Touching their Women, Nature hath made a more visible distinction ^twixt the two Sexes here than elsewhere ; for the Men for the most part are swarthy and rough, but the Women are of a far finer mould ; they are commonly little : And whereas there is a Saying that makes a compleat Woman, let her be English to the neck, French to the waste, and Dutch below; I may add^ for hands and feet let her be Spanish, for they have the least of any. They have another Saying, A Frenchwoman in a dance, a Dutchwoman in the kitchen, an Italian in a window, an England-woman at board, and the Spanish a-bed. When they are married, they have a privilege to wear high shoes, and to paint, which is generally practised here ; and the Queen useth it herself. They are coy enough, but not so froward as our English; for if a Lady go along the street (and all Women going here veiPd, and their habit so generally alike, one can hardly distinguish a Countess from a Cobler's Wife), if one should cast out an odd ill-sounding word, and ask her a favour, she will not take it ill, but put it off, and answer you with some witty retort. After thirty they are commonly past Child-bearing, and I have seen Women in England look as youthful at fifty as some here at twenty-five. Money will do miracles here in purchasing the favour of Ladies, or anything else; tho' this be the Country of Money, for it furnisheth well near all the World besides, yea their very Enemies, as the 204 Familiar Letters. Book I. the Turk and Hollander ; insomuch that one may say, the Coin of Spain is as Catholic as her King. Yet tho' he be the greatest King of gold and silver Mines in the World (I think), yet the common current Coin here is Copper: And herein I believe the Hollander hath done him more mischief by counterfeiting his Copper Coins than by their Arms, bringing it in by strange surreptitious ways, as in hollow Sows of Tin and Lead, hollow Masts, in Pitch Buckets under water, and other ways. But I fear to be injurious to this great King, to speak of him in so narrow a compass; a great King indeed, tho' the French in a slighting way com- pare his Monarchy to a Beggar^ s Cloak made up of Patches : They are Patches indeed, but such as he hath not the like : The East-Indies is a Patch embroider'd with Pearls, Rubies, and Diamonds : Peru is a Patch embroider'd with massy Gold, Mexico with Silver, Naples and Milan are Patches of Cloth of Tissue; and if these Patches were in one piece, what would become of his Cloak embroider'd with Flower- de-luces ? So, desiring your Lordship to pardon this poor imperfect Paper, considering the high quality of the Subject, 1 rest — Your Lordship's most humble Servitor, J. H. Madrid^ i Feb. 1623. XXXIII. To Mr. Walsingham Gresley, yVom Madrid. Don Balchasar, I THANK you for your Letter in my Lord's last Packet, wherein, among other passages, you write to me the circumstances of Marquis SpinoWs raising his Leaguer, by flatting and firing his works before Berghen. He is much tax'd here, to have attempted it, and to have bury'd so much of the King's Treasure before that Town in such costly Trenches. A Gentleman came hither lately, who was at the Siege all the while, and he told me one strange Passage ; how Sir Ferdinando Cary, a huge corpulent Knight, was shot thro' his Body ; the Bullet entring at the Navel, and coming out Sect. 3. Familiar Letters. 205 out at his Back, kill'd his Man behind him ; yet he lives still_, and is Hke to recover. With this miraculous Accident, he told me also a merry one ; how a Captain that had a wooden Leg booted over, had it shattered to pieces by a Cannon-bullet : His Soldiers crying, A Surgeon, a Surgeon, for the Captain ; No, no, said he, A Carpenter, a Carpenter will serve the turn. To this pleasant Tale I'll add another that happen' d lately in Alcala hard by, of a Dominicaji Fryar, who in a solemn Procession which was held there upon Ascension-day last, had his Stones dangling under his habit cut off instead of his Pocket by a Cut-purse. Before you return hither, which I understand will be speedily, I pray bestow a visit on our Friends in Bishops^ gate-street. So I am — Your faithful Servitor, J. H. 3 Fel?. 1623. XXXIV. To Sir Robert Napier, Kt., at his House in Bishopsgate- street. Sir, THE late breach of the Match hath broke the neck of all businesses here, and mine suffers as much as any : I had Access lately to OUvares, once or twice ; I had Audience also of the King, to whom I presented a Memorial that intimated Letters of Mart, unless satisfaction were had from his Viceroij, the Conde del Real. The King gave me a gracious Answer, but OUvares a churlish one, viz., That when the Spaniards had justice in England, we should have justice here. So that notwithstanding I have brought it to the highest point and pitch of perfection in Law that could be, and procured some dispatches, the like whereof were never granted in this Court before, yet I am in despair now to do any good. I hope to be shortly in Engla?id, by God's grace, to give you and the rest of the Proprietaries a punctual Account of all things : And you may easily conceive how sorry I am that matters succeeded not according to your expectation 206 Familiar Letters. Book /. expectation, and my endeavours: But I hope you are none of those that measure things by the Event. The Earl of Bristol, Count Go7idomar, and my Lord Ambassador ^sto7i did not only do courtesies, but they did co-operate with me in it, and contribute their utmost endeavours. So I rest — Yours to serve you, J. H. Madrid, i8 Fed. 1623. XXXV. To Mr. A. S., i?i Alicant. MUCH endear'd Sir, Fire, you know, is the common Emblem of Love ; but without any disparagement to so noble a Passion, methinks it might be compared also to Tinder, and Letters are the properest matter whereof to make this Tinder: Letters again are fittest to kindle, and re-accend this Tinder ; they may serve both for Flint, Steel, and Match. This Letter of mine comes therefore of set pur- pose to strike some sparkles into yours^ that it may glow and burn, and receive ignition, and not lie dead, as it hath done a great while. I make my Pen to serve for an in- strument to stir the Cinders wherewith your old Love to me hath been cover'd a long time; therefore I pray let no Couvrez-feu-'SttW have power hereafter to rake up, and choke with the Ashes of Oblivion, that clear Flame wherewith our Affections did use to sparkle so long by correspondence of Letters, and other Offices of Love. I think I shall sojourn yet in this Court these three months ; for I will not give over this great business while there is the least breath of hope remaining. I know you have choice matters of Intelligence sometimes from thence; therefore I pray impart some unto us, and you shall not fail to know how matters pass here weekly. So, with my Besamanos to Francisco Imperial, I rest — Yours most affectionately to serve you, J. H. Madrid, 3 Mar. 1623. XXXVI. Sect. 3. Familiar Letters. 207 XXXVI. To the Honourable Sir T. S., at Tower-hill. Sir, I WAS yesterday at the Escurial to see the Monastery of St. Laurence, the eighth wonder of the World ; and truly^ considering the Site of the place, the State of the thing, and the Symmetry of the structure, with divers other rari- ties, it may be call'd so ; for what I have seen in Italy and other places are but baubles to it. It is built amongst a company of craggy barren hills, which makes the Air the hungrier and wholsomer: It is all built of Free-stone and Marble, and that with such solidity and moderate height, that surely Philip II.^s chief design was to make a sacrifice of it to Eternity, and to contest with the Meteors, and Time itself. It cost eight Millions, it was twenty-four years a building, and the Founder himself saw it finish'd, and en- joy'd it twelve years after, and carryM his Bones himself thither to be buried. The reason that mov'd King Philip to waste so much Treasure, was a vow he had made at the battel! of St. Quintin, where he was forced to batter a Monastery of St. Laurence Friers, and if he had the Victory, he would erect such a Monastery to St. Laurence, that the World had not the like; therefore the form of it is like a Gridiron, the handle is a huge Royal Palace, and the body a vast Monastery or Assembly of quadrangular Cloysters; for there are as many as there be months in the year. There be a hundred Monks, and every one hath his man and his mule, and a multitude of Officers. Besides, there are three Libraries there full of the choicest Books for all Sciences. It is beyond expression what Grots, Gardens, Walks, and Aqueducts there are there, and what curious Fountains in the upper Cloysters, for there be two stages of Cloysters : In fine, there is nothing that's vulgar there. To take a view of every Room in the House, one must make account to go ten miles; there is a Vault call'd the Pantheon under the highest 208 Familiar Letters. Book I. highest Altar, which is all pav'd, wall'd, and arch'd with Marble; there be a number of huge silver Candlesticks, taller than I am ; Lamps three yards' compass, and divers Chalices and Crosses of massy Gold : There is one Quire made all of burnish'd Brass, Pictures and Statues like Giants, and a world of glorious things, that purely ravish'd me. By this mighty Monument, it may be inferrM, that Philip II., tho' he was a little man, yet had he vast gigantick thoughts in him, to leave such a huge Pile for posterity to gaze upon, and admire his memory. No more now, but that I rest — Your humble Servitor, J. H. Madrid, g Mar. 1623. XXXVII. To the Lord Viscount Co\, from Madrid. My Lord, YOU writ to me not long since, to send you an Account of the Duke of Ossuna^s death, a little man, but of great fame and fortunes, and much cried up, and known up and down the World. He was revok'd from being Viceroy of Naples (the best employment the K. of Spain hath for a Subject) upon some disgust : And being come to this Court, when he was brought to give an Account of his Government, being troubled with the Gout, he carry'd his sword in his hand instead of a staff; the King misliking of the manner of his posture, turnM his back to him, and so went away : Thereupon he was overheard to mutter, Esto es para servir muchachos ; This it is to serve hoys. This coming to the King's ear, he was apprehended and com- mitted prisoner to a Monastery not far off, where he con- tinued some years, until his beard came to his girdle; then growing very ill, he was permitted to come to his house in this Town, being carry'd in a bed upon men's shoulders, and so died some years ago. There were divers Accusations against him ; amongst the rest, I remember these. That he had kept the Marquis de Campolataro^s wife, sending her husband Sect. 3. Familiar Letters. 209 husband out of the way upon employment: That he had got a bastard of a Turkish woman^ and sufferM the child to be brought up in the Mahometan religion : That being one day at High-Mass, when the Host was elevated, he drew out of his pocket a piece of Gold, and held it up, in- timating that that was his God : That he had invited some of the prime Courtesans of Naples to a Feast, and after dinner made a Banquet for them in his Garden, where he commanded them to strip themselves stark naked, and go up and down, while he shot Sugar-plums at them out of a Trunk, which they were to take up from off their high Chapins ; and such like extravagancies. One (among divers others) witty passage was told me of him, which was, that when he was Viceroy of Sicily^ there died a great rich Duke, who left but one Son, whom, with his whole estate, he bequeath'd to the Tutele of the Jesuits; and the words of the Will were. When he is passd his minority (Darete al miojigliuolo quel que voi volete), you shall give my Son what you will. It seems the Jesuits took to themselves two parts of three of the estate, and gave the rest to the heir. The young Duke complaining hereof to the Duke of Ossuna^ then Viceroy, he commanded the Jesuits to appear before him : He ask'd them how much of the Estate they would have; they answer'd, two parts of three, which they had almost employ'd already to build Monasteries and an Hospital, to erect particular Altars, and Masses, to sing Dirges, and Refrigeriums for the Soul of the deceased Duke. Hereupon the Duke of Ossiuia caus'd the Will to be produc'd, and found therein the words afore recited. When he is pass'd his minority , you shall give my Son of my Estate what you will. Then he told the Jesuits j You must, by vertue and tenor of these words, give what you will to the Son, which by your own confession is two parts of three. And so he determin'd the business. Thus have I in part satisfied your Lordship's desire, which I shall do more amply when I shall be made happy to attend you in Person, which I hope will be ere it be o long 2IO Familiar Letters. Book L long. In the interim, I take my leave of you from Spain, and rest — Your Lordship's most ready and humble Servitor, J. H. Madrid, 13 Mar. 1623. XXXVIII. To Simon Digby, Esq. Sir, I THANK you for the several sorts of Cyphers you sent me to write by, which were very choice ones, and curious. Crytology, or epistolizing in a clandestine way, is very ancient : I read in A. GelUus, that C. Ccesar in his Letters to Caius Oppiiis and Balhus Cornelius, who were two of his greatest Confidents in managing his private Affairs, did write in Cyphers by a various transportation of the Alphabet; whereof Proclus Grammaticus, de occulta litera- rum sigjiijicatione Epistolarum C. Ccesaris, writes a curious Commentarv. But methinks that certain kind of Hiero- glyphics, the celestial Signs, the seven Planets, and other Constellations, might make a curious kind of Cypher, as I will more particularly demonstrate to you in a Scheme, when I shall be happy with your Conversation. So I rest — Your assured Servitor, J. H. Madrid, 15 Mar. 1623. XXXIX. To Sir James Crohs, from Bilboa. Sir, BEING safely come to the Marine, in convoy of His Majesty's Jewels, and being to sojourn here some days, the conveniency of this Gentleman (who knows, and much honoureth you), he being to ride Post thro' France, invited me to send you this. We were but five Horsemen in all our sev^en days' jour- ney, from Madrid hither^ and the charge Mr. IViches had is valued Sect, 3. Familiar Letters. 211 valued at 400,000 Crowns ; but ^tis such safe travelling in Spain, that one may carry Gold in the palm of his hand_, the Government is so good. When we had gain'd Biscay Ground, we passM one day thro' a Forest; and lighting off our Mules to take a little Repast under a Tree, we took down our Alforjas, and some bottles of wine (and you know 'tis ordinary here to ride with one's victuals about him), but as we were eating, we spyM two huge Wolves, who stared upon us a while, but had the good manners to go away. It put me in mind of a pleasant Tale I heard Sir TIio, Fair- fax relate of a Soldier in Ireland^ who having got his Pass- port to go for England, as he pass'd thro^ the Wood with his Knapsack upon his back, being weary, he sat down under a Tree, where he open'd his Knapsack, and fell to some victuals he had ; but on a sudden he was surpriz'd with two or three Wolves, who coming towards him, he threw them scraps of bread and cheese, till all was gone ; then the Wolves making a nearer Approach to him, he knew not what shift to make, but by taking a pair of Bag-pipes which he had, and as soon as he began to play upon them the Wolves ran all away as if they had been scar'd out of their wits ; Whereupon the Soldier said, A pox take you all, if I had known you had lov'd Musick so well, you should have had it before dinner. If there be a Lodging void at the three Halhards-heads, I pray be pleas'd to cause it to be reserved for me. So I rest — Your humble Servitor, J. H. 6 Sepi. 1624. Section Section IV. I. To my Father_, y?'om London. Sir, I AM newly return'd from Spain. I came over in convoy of the Princess Jewels^ for which one of the Ships- Royal with the Catch were sent under the command of Captain Love: We landed at Plymouth, whence I came by Post to Theobalds in less than two nights and a day, to bring His Majesty news of their safe Arrival. The Prince had newly got a fall off a Horse, and kept his Chamber. The Jewels were valued at above .^100,000. Some of them a little before the Prince's departure had been presented to the Infanta, but she waving to receive them^ yet with a civil Compliment, they were left in the hands of one of the Secretaries of State for her use upon the Wedding-day ; and it was no unworthy thing in the Spaniard to deliver them back, notwithstanding that the Treaties both of Match and Palatinate had been dissolv'd a pretty while before by Act of Parliament, that a War was threaten'd, and Ambas- sadors revok'd. There were Jewels also among them to be presented to the King and Queen of Spain, to most of the Ladies of Honour, and the Grandees. There was a great Table-Diamond for 0/iz;ar^^ of eighteen Carrats weight ; but the richest of all was to the hifanta herself, which was a chain of great Orient Pearl, to the number of 276, weigh- ing nine Ounces. The Spaniards, notwithstanding they are the Masters of the Staple of Jewels, stood astonish'd at the beauty of these, and confess'd themselves to be put down. Touching the Employment upon which I went to Spain, I had my charges born all the while, and that was all ; had it taken effect, I had made a good business of it: But 'tis no wonder Sect. 4. Familiar Letters. 213 wonder (nor can it be, I hope^ any disrepute to me) that I could not bring to pass what three Ambassadors could not do before me. I am now casting about for another Fortune, and some hopes I have of Employment about the D. of Buckingham. He sways more than ever ; for whereas he was before a Favourite to the King, he is now a Favourite to Parliament, People, and City^ for breaking the Match with Spain. Touching his own Interest, he had reason to do it, for the Spaniards love him not: But whether the public Interest of the State will suffer in it or no, I dare not determine ; for my part, I hold the Spanish Match to be better than their Powder, and their Wares better than their Wars ; and I shall be ever of that mind. That 710 Country is able to do England less hurt, and more good than Spain, considering the large Trafic and Treasure that is to be got thereby. I shall continue to give you Account of my Courses when opportunity serves, and to dispose of matters so, that I may attend you this Summer in the country. So, desiring still your Blessing and Prayers, I rest — Your dutiful Son, J. H. 10 Dec. 1624. II. To R. Brown, Esq,, from London. Dear Sir, THERE is no Seed so fruitful as that of Love : I do not mean that gross carnal Love which propagates the World, but that which preserves it ; to wit. Seeds of Friend- ship, which hath little commerce with the Body, but is a thing divine and spiritual. There cannot be a more preg- nant proof hereof than those Seeds of Love, which I have long since cast into your Breast, which have thriven so well, and in that exuberance, that they have been more fruitful to me than that Field in Sicily callM Le trecente cariche, The Field of 300 Loads, so calPd because it returns the Sower 300 for one yearly; so plentiful hath your Love been to me. But among other sweet Fruits it hath born, those 214 Familiar Letters. Book I. those precious Letters which you have sent me from time to time, both at home and abroad, are not of the least vakie : I did always hug and highly esteem them, and you in them, for they yielded me both Profit and Pleasure. That Seed which you have also sown in me hath fructify'd something, but it hath not been able to make you such rich returns, or afford so plentiful a crop ; yet I dare say this crop, how thin soever, was pure and free from tares, from cockle or darnel, from flattery or falsehood, and what it shall produce hereafter shall be so; nor shall any injury of the Heavens, as Tempest, or Thunder and Lightning (I mean no cross or affliction whatsoever), be able to blast and smut it, or hinder it to grow up and fructify still. This is the third time God Almighty hath been pleas'd to bring me back to the sweet bosom of my dear Country from beyond the Seas; I have been already comforted with the sight of many of my choice Friends, but I miss you ex- tremely: Therefore I pray make haste, for London streets, which you and I have trod together so often, will prove tedious to me else. Among other things, Black-Friars will entertain you with a Play spick and span new, and the Cockpit with another; nor, I believe, after so long Absence, will it be an unpleasing object for you to see — Your J.H. 20 Jan. 1624. III. To the Lord Viscount Colchester. Right Honourable, MY last to your Lordship was in Italian, with the Venetian Gazetta inclos'd. Count Mansfelt is upon point of parting, having obtained, it seems, the sum of his desires : He was lodg'd all the while in the same Quarter of St. Jameses which was appointed for the Infanta: He supp'd yesternight with the Council of War, and he hath a grant of 12,000 Men English and Scots, whom he will have ready in the Body of an Army against the next Spring; and Sect, 4. Familiar Letters. 215 and they say that England, France, Venice, and Savoy do contribute for the maintenance thereof <^6o_,ooo a month. There can be no conjecture, much less any judgment^ made yet of his design ; most think it will be for relieving Breda, which is straitly begirt by Splnola, who gives out, that he hath her already as a bird in a cage, and will have her, maugre all the opposition in Christendom ; yet there is fresh news come over, that Prince Maurice hath got on the back of him, and hath beleaguered him, as he hath done the Town, which I want faith to believe yet, in regard of the huge cir- cuit of Spinolas Works, for his circumvallations are cry'd up to be near upon twenty miles. But while the Spaniard is spending Millions here for getting small Towns, the Hollander gets Kingdoms of him elsewhere; he hath invaded and taken lately from the Portugal part of Brazil, a rich Country for Sugars, Cottons, Balsams, Dying-wood, and divers Commodities besides. The Treaty of Marriage 'twixt our Prince and the youngest Daughter of France goes on apace, and my Lords of Carlisle and Holland are in Paris about it ; we shall see now what difference there is 'twixt the French and Spanish pace. The two Spanish Ambassadors have been gone hence long since; they say they are both in prison, one in Burgos in Spain, the other in Flanders, for the scandalous informa- tion they made here against the D. of Buckingham ; about which, the day before their departure hence, they desir'd to have one private Audience more, but His Majesty deny'd them. I believe they will not continue long in disgrace, for matters grow daily worse and worse ^twixt us and Spain : For divers Letters of Mart are granted our Merchants, and Letters of Mart are commonly the forerunners of a War. Yet they say Gondomar will be on his way hither again about the Palatinate ; for the K. of Denmark appears now in his Niece's quarrel, and arms apace. No more now, but that I kiss your Lordship's hands, and rest — Your most humble and ready Servitor, J. H. London^ 5 Feb. 1624. IV. 2l6 Familiar Letters. Book L IV. To my Cousin, Mr. Rowland Gwin. Cousin, I WAS lately sorry, and I was lately glad, that I heard you were ill, that I heard you are well. — Your affec- tionate Cousin, J. H. V. To Thomas Jones, Esq. Tom, IF you are in health 'tis well ; we are here all so ; and we should be better had we your company : Therefore I pray leave the smutty Air of London, and come hither to breathe sweeter, where you may pluck a Rose^ and drink a Cillibub.— Your faithful Friend, J. H. Kentis^ i June 1625. VI. To D. C. THE bearer hereof hath no other Errand but to know how you do in the Country^ and this Paper is his cre- dential Letter ; Therefore I pray hasten his dispatch, and, if you please, send him back, like the Man in the Moon, with a basket of your Fruit on his back. — Your true Friend, J. H. Lond.^ 10 Aug. 1625. VII. To my Father, ^rom London. Sir, IRECEIV'D yours of the third of Felruary, by the hands of my Cousin Thomas Gwin of Trecastle. It was my fortune to be on Sunday fortnight at Theo- halds, where his late Majesty K. James departed this life, and went to his last rest upon the day of rest, presently after Sermon was done. A little before break of day he sent for the Prince, who rose out of his Bed, and came in his Night- gown. Sect. 4. Familiar Letters. 217 gown. The King seem'd to have some earnest thing to say to him^ and so endeavour'd to raise himself upon his Pillow ; but his Spirits were so spent, that he had not strength to make his words audible. He died of a Fever which began with an Ague, and some Scotch Doctors mutter at a Plaister the Countess of Buckingham applied at the outside of his Stomach: ^Tis thought the last breach of the Match with Spain which for many years he had so vehemently desir'd, took too deep an impression in him ; and that he was forcM to rush into a War now in his declining Age, having liv'd in a continual uninterrupted Peace his whole life, except some collateral Aids he had sent his Son-in-law. As soon as he expir'd the Privy Council sat, and in less than a quarter of an hour King Charles was proclaim'd at Theobalds Court-gate, by Sir Edw. Zouch Knight Marshal, Mr. Secretary Conway dictating to him, That whereas it had pleased God to take to his mercy our most gracious Sovereign K. James of famous memory J We proclaim Prince Charles, his rightful and indu- hitahle Heir^ to he King of England, Scotland, France, a?id Ireland, &€. The Knight Marshal mistook, saying his right- ful and duhitahle Heir, but he was rectify'd by the Secretary. This being done, I took my Horse instantly, and came to London first except one, who was come a little before me, insomuch thati found the Gates shut. His now Majesty took Coach, and the D. of Buckingham with him, and came to St. Jameses ; in the evening he was proclaim'd at Whitehall-gate in Cheapside, and other places in a sad shower of Rain : And the Weather was suitable to the condition wherein he finds the Kingdom, which is cloudy : for he is left engag'd in a War with a potent Prince, the People by long desuetude unapt for Arms, the Fleet-Royal in quarter repair, himself without a Queen^ his Sister without a Country, the Crown pitifully laden with Debts, and the Purse of the State lightly bal- lasted, tho' it never had better opportunity to be rich than it had these last tvv^enty years. But God Almighty, I hope, will make him emerge, and pull this Island out of all the plunges, and preserve us from worser times. The 2l8 Familiar Letters. Book L The Plague is begun in White-chapel, and^ as they say, in the same house, on the same day of the month, with the same number that dy'd twenty-two years since, when Ql. EUzaheth departed. There are great Preparations for the Funeral, and there is a design to buy all the Cloth for Mourning white, and then to put it to the Dyers in gross, which is like to save the Crown a good deal of Money; the Drapers murmur ex- tremely at the Lord Cr airfield for it. I am not settled yet in any stable Condition, but I lie wind-bound at the Cape of good Hope, expecting some gentle gale to launch out into any Employment. So, with my Love to all my Brothers and Sisters at the Br7/?i, and near Brecknock, I humbly crave a continuance of your Prayers and Blessing to — Your dutiful Son, J. H. II Dec. 1625. VIII. To Di\ Prichard. Sir, SINCE I was beholden to you for your many Favours in Oxford I have not heard from you {?ie gry quidem) ; I pray let the wonted Correspondence be now revivM, and receive new vigour between us. My Lord Chancellor Bacon is lately dead of a long languishing weakness ; he died so poor that he scarce left money to bury him, which, tho' he had a great Wit, did argue no great Wisdom; it being one of the essential Properties of a wise Man, to provide for the main chance. I have read, that it had been the fortunes of all Poets commonly to die beggars ; but for an Orator, a Lawyer, and Philosopher, as he was, to die so, 'tis rare. It seems the same fate befel him that attended Demosthenes, Seneca, and Cicero (all great Men), of whom, the two first fell by Cor- ruption. The fairest Diamond may have a flaw in it, but I believe he died poor out of a contempt of the Pelf of Fortune^ as also out of an excess of Generosity, which appeared Sect. 4. Familiar Letters. 219 appear'd, as in divers other passages^ so once when the King had sent him a Stag, he sent up for the Under-keeper, and having drunk the King's health to him in a great Silver-gilt bowl, he gave it him for his Fee. He wrote a pitiful letter to Y^, James, not long before his death, and concludes, Help me, dear Sovereign Lord and Master, and pity me so far, that I, who have been born to a Bag, be not now in my Age forc'd in effect to bear a Wallet; nor that I, who desire to live to study, may be driven to study to live. Which words, in my opinion, argu'd a little Abjection of Spirit, as his former Letter to the Prince did of Profaneness ; wherein he hop'd, that as the Father was his Creator, the Son will be his Redeemer. I write not this to derogate from the noble worth of the Lord Viscount Verulam, who was a rare Man; a Man Reconditce scientice, ^ ad salutem literarum natus, and I think the eloquentest that was born in this Isle. They say he shall be the last Lord Chancellor, as Sir Edward Coke was the last Lord Chief Justice of England; for ever since they have been term'd Lord Chief Justices of the Kijigs- hench : So hereafter they shall be only Keepers oj the Great Seal, which, for Title and Office, are deposable; but they say the Lord Chancellor's Title is indelible. I was lately at Gray' s-Inn with Sir Eiihule, and he desir'd me to remember him to you, as I do also salute Meum Prichardum ex imis prsecordiis, Fale K€(j)aXrj [xol wpo(T(j)iX€' (TTdrrj. — Yours affectionately, while J. H. Lo7idon, 6 Jan. 1625. IX. To my IVell-heloved Cousin, Mr. T. V. Cousin, YOU have a great Work in hand, for you write to me, that you are upon a Treaty of Marriage ; a great work indeed, and a work of such consequence, that it may make you or mar you; it may make the whole remainder of your life uncouth, or comfortable to you : For all civil Actions 220 Familiar Letters. Book /. Actions that are incident to Man^ there's not any that tends more to his infeUcity or happiness; therefore it concerns you not to be over-hasty herein, nor to take the Ball hefore the Bound: You must be cautious how you thrust your neck into such a yoke, whence you will never have power to withdraw it again ; for the To?igue useth to tie so hard a knot, that the Teeth can never untie, no not Alexander s Sword can cut asunder amongst us Christians. If you are resolvM to marry, Choose where you love, and resolve to love your Choice ; let Love rather than Lucre be your guide in this Election, tho' a concurrence of both be good, yet for my part I had rather the latter should be wanting than the first : The one is the Pilot, the other but the Ballast of the Ship, which should carry us to the Harbour of a happy life. If you are bent to wed, I wish you anothergess Wife than Socrates had; who when she had scolded him out of doors, as he was going thro' the Portal, threw a Chamber-pot of stale Urine upon his Head ; whereat the Philosopher, having been silent all the while, smilingly said, / thought after so much Thunder we should have Rain. And as I wish you may not light upon such a Xantippe (as the wisest Men have had ill luck in this kind, as I could instance in two of our most eminent Lawyers, C. B.), so I pray that God may deliver you from a Wife of such a generation, that Strowd, our Cook here at IVestminster, said his Wife was of, who, when (out of a mislike of the Preacher) he had on Sunday, in the Afternoon, gone out of the Church to a Tavern, and return- ing towards the evening pretty well heated with Canary, to look to his Roast, and his Wife falling to read him a loud lesson in so furious a manner, as if she would have basted him instead of the Mutton, and among other revilings, tell- ing him often. That the Devil, the Devil would fetch him, at last he broke out of a long silence, and told her, I prithee, good Wife, hold thyself content ; for I know the Devil will do me no hurt, for I have marry'd his Kinswoman. If you light upon such a Wife (a Wife that hath more bone than flesh), I wish you may have the same measure of patience that Sect. 4. Familiar Letters. 221 that Socrates and Strowd had, to suffer the grey Mare some- times to be the letter Horse. I remember a French proverb : La Maison est miserabile et mechante^ Oil la Poule plus haul que le Cocq chante. That House doth every day more wretched grow, Where the Hen louder than the Cock doth crow. Yet we have another English Proverb almost counter to this, That it is better to marry a Shrew than a Sheep; for tho' silence be the dumb Orator of Beauty, and the best Ornament of a Woman, yet a phlegmatic dull Wife is fulsome and fastidious. Excuse me, Cousin, that I jest with you in so serious a business: I know you need no Counsel of mine herein: you are discreet enough of yourself; nor, I presume, do you want Advice of Parents^ which by all means must go along with you. So, wishing you all conjugal Joy, and an happy Confarreation, I rest — Your affectionate Cousin, J. H. London^ 5 Feb. 1625. X. To my nolle Lord, the Lord Clifford, from London. My Lord, THE Duke of Buckingham is lately return'd from Hol- land, having renew'd the Peace with the States, and articled with them for a continuation of some Naval Forces for an expedition against Spain, as also having taken up some money upon private Jewels (not any of the Crown's), and lastly, having comforted the Lady Elizaleth for the decease of his late Majesty her Father, and of Prince Frederick her eldest Son, whose disastrous manner of death, among the rest of her sad Afflictions, is not the least : For, passing over Haerlem Mere, a huge Insland Slough, in company of his Father^ who had been at Amsterdam, to look how his Bank of Money did thrive, and coming (for more 222 Familiar Letters. Book I. more frugality) in the common Boat, which was o'erset with Merchandize, and other Passengers, in a thick Fog, the Vessel turnM o'er, and so many perished ; the Prince Palsgrave sav'd himself by swimming, but the young Prince clinging to the Mast^ and being entangled among the Tacklings, was half drown'd, and half frozen to death : A sad destiny ! There is an open Rupture 'twixt us and the Spaniard, tho' he gives out that he never broke with us to this day. Count Gondomar was on his way to Flanders, and thence to England (as they say), with a large Commission to treat for a surrender of the Palatinate, and so to piece matters together again ; but he died in the Journey, at a place calFd Bu?molj of pure Apprehensions of Grief, it is given out. The Match ^twixt His Majesty and the Lady Henrietta Maria, youngest Daughter to Henry the Great (the eldest being married to the K. of Spain, and the second to the D. of Savoy), goes roundly on^ and is in a manner concluded ; whereat the Count of Soissons is much discontented, who gave himself hopes to have her, but the hand of Heaven had predestin'd her for a higher Condition. The French Ambassadors who were sent hither to con- clude the business, having private Audience of his late Majesty a little before his death, he told them pleasantly, that he would make war against the Lady Henrietta, be- cause she would not receive the two Letters which were sent her, one from himself, and the other from his Son, but sent them to her Mother; yet he thought he should easily make Peace with her, because he understood she had after- wards put the latter Letter in her Bosom, and the first in her Coshionet; whereby he gathered, that she intended to reserve his Son for her Affection, and him for Counsel. The Bishop of Lucon, now Cardinal de Richlieii, is grown to be the sole Favourite of the King of France, being brought in by the Queen-Mother, who hath been very active in ad- vancing the Match ; but 'tis thought the Wars will break out Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 223 out afresh against them of the Religion, notwithstanding the ill fortune the King had before Montauhan few years since, where he lost above 500 of his Nobles, whereof the great Duke of Main was one : And having lain in Person before the Town many months, and received some Affronts_, as that inscription upon their Gates shews, Roy sans Joy, ville sans peur ; A King without faithj a Town without fear ; yet he was forcM to raise his Works, and raise his Siege. The Letter which Mr. Ellis Hicks brought them of Mountauhan from Rochell, thro' so much danger, and with so much gallantry, was an infinite Advantage to them ; for whereas there was a politic report rais'd in the King's Armv, and blown into Mountauhan, that Rochell was yielded to the Count of Soissons, who lay then before her, this Letter did inform the contrary, and that Rochet was in as good a plight as ever : Whereupon they made a sally the next day upon the King's Forces, and did him a great deal of spoil. There be Summons out for a Parliament. I pray God it may prove more prosperous than the former. I have been lately recommended to the D. of Buckingham^ by some noble Friends of mine that have intimacy with him; about whom, tho^ he hath three Secretaries already, I hope to have some employment; for I am weary of walking up and down so idly upon London Streets. The Plague begins to rage mightily. God avert his Judg- ments, that menace so great a Mortality, and turn not away his Face from this poor Island : So I kiss your Lord- ship's hand, in quality of — Your Lordship's most humble Servitor, J. H. 25 Feb. 1625. XL To Rich. Altham, Esq. Sir, THE Echo wants but a Face, and the Looking-glass a Voice, to make them both living creatures, and to be- come the same bodies they represent; the one by repercus- sion of sound, the other by reflection of sight. Your most ingenious 224 Familiar Letters. Book L ingenious Letters to me from time to time do far more lively represent you than either 'Echo or Chrystal can do ; I mean^ they represent the better and nobler part of you, to wit, the inward Man ; they clearly set forth the notions of your mind, and the motions of your soul, with the strength of your imagination : For, as I know your exterior Person by your lineaments, so I know you as well inwardly by your lines, and by those lively expressions you give of yourself ; insomuch that I believe if the interior Man within you were as visible as the outward (as once Plato wish'd, that Virtue might be seen with the corporeal eyes), you would draw all the World after you ; or if your well-born thoughts, and the words of your Letters, were echo'd in any place, where they might rebound and be made audible, they are compos'd of such sweet and charming strains of Ingenuity and Elo- quence, that all the Nymphs of the Woods and the Valleys, the Dryades, yea, the Graces and Muses would pitch their Pavilions there ; nay, j4pollo himself would dwell longer in that place with Rays, and make them reverberate more strongly than either upon Pindus, or Parnassus, or Rhodes itself, whence he never removes his Eye, as long as he is above this Hemisphere. I confess my Letters to you, which I send by way of correspondence, come far short of such Virtue ; yet are they the true Ideas of my Mind, and that real and inbred Affection I bear you. One should never teach his Letter or his Lacquey to lye ; I observe that rule ; but besides my Letters, I wish there were a Crystal-case- ment in my Breast, thro' which you might behold the motions of my Heart. Utinamq. oculos in pectore posses incessere ; then should you clearly see without any deception of sight how truly I am, and how intirely — Yours, J. H. 27 Fel^. 1625. And to answer you in the same strain of verse you sent me: J^irsf, shall the Heavens' bright Lamp forget to shine, The Stars shall froin the azur'd Sky decline ; First, Sect. 4. Familiar Letters. 225 First, shall the Orient with the West shake hand, The Centre of the World shall cease to sta?id : First Wolves shall league with Lambs, the Dolphins Jl}\ The Lawyer and Physician Fees deny, The Thames with Tagus shall exchange her Bed, My Mistress* locks, 7vith mine, shall first turn red ; First, Heaven shall lie beloiu, a?id Hell above, Ere I inconstant to my Altham prove. XII. To the Right Hon. my Lord of Carlingford, after Earl of Carberry, at Golden-Grove, 28 May 1625. My Lord, WE have gallant news now abroad, for we are sure to have a new Queen ere it be long; both the Con- tract and Marriage was lately solemnized in France, the one the 2d of this Month in the Louvre, the other the iith day following in the great Church of Paris, by the Cardinal of Rochefoucault : there was some clashing 'twixt him and the Archbishop of Paris, who alleged 'twas his duty to offi- ciate in that Church ; but the dignity of Cardinal, and the Quality of his Office, being the King's great Almoner, which makes him chief Curate of the Court, gave him the Prerogative. I doubt not but your Lordship hath heard of the Capitulations ; but for better assurance, I will run them over briefly. The King of France obliged himself to procure the Dis- pensation; the Marriage should be celebrated in the same form as that of Queen Margaret, and of the Duchess of Bar ; her Dowry should be 40,000 Crowns, six Shillings a- piece, the one Moiety to be paid the day of the Contract, the other twelve months after. The Queen shall have a Chapel in all the King's Royal Houses, and anywhere else, where she shall reside within the Dominions of His Majesty of Great Britain, with free exercise of the Roman Religion, for herself, her Officers, and all her Household, for the Cele- bration of the Mass, the Predication of the Word, Adminis- p tration 226 Familiar Letters. Book /. tration of the Sacraments, and power to procure Indulgences from the Holy Father. To this end she shall be allowM twenty-eight Priests, or Ecclesiastics in her House, and a Bishop in quality of Almoner, who shall have jurisdiction over all the rest, and that none of the Kind's Officers shall have power over them, unless in case of Treason ; therefore all her Ecclesiastics shall take the Oath of Fidelity to His Majesty of Great Britain : there shall be a Cemetery or Church-yard clos'd about to bury those of her Family. That in consideration of this Marriage, all English Catho- licks, as well Ecclesiastics as Lay, who shall be in any Prison merely for Religion, since the last Edict, shall be set at liberty. This is the eighth Alliance we have had with France since the Conquest ; and as it is the best that could be made in Christendom, so I hope it will prove the happiest. So I kiss your hands, being — Your Lordship's most humble Servitor, J. H. London, i Mar. 1625. XHL To the Honourable Sir Tho. Sa. Sir, ICONVERS'D lately with a Gentleman that came from France, who among other things discoursed much of the Favourite Richelieu, who is like to be an active Man, and hath great designs. The two first things he did was to make sure of England, and the Hollander : he thinks to have us safe enough by this Marriage ; and Holland, by a late League, which was bought with a great Sum of Money; for he hath furnish'd the States with a Million of Livres, at two Shillings a-piece in present, and 600,000 Livres every year of these two that are to come; provided that the States repay these sums two years after they are in peace or truce. The King press'd much for Liberty of Conscience to Roman Catholicks among them, and the Deputies promised to do all they could with the States- General about it; they articled likewise for the French to be associated with them in the Trade to the Indies, Monsieur Sect. 4. Familiar Letters. 227 Monsieur is lately marry'd to Mary of Bourlon, the Duke of Montpensier^s Daughter ; he told her. That he would he a letter Husband than he had been a Suitor to her ; for he hung off a good while. This Marriage was made by the King, and Monsieur hath for his Appenage 100,000 Livres annual Rent from Chartres and Blois, 100,000 Livres Pension, and 50o_,ooo to be charged yearly upon the General Receipts of Orleans, in all about 70^,000 pounds. There was much ado before this Match could be brought about; for there were many Opposers, and there be dark whispers, that there was a deep Plot to confine the King to a Monastery, and that Monsieur should govern ; and divers great ones have suffer'd for it, and more are like to be discover'd. So I take my leave for the present, and rest — Your very humble and ready Servitor, J. H. Lond., 10 Mar. 1626. XIV. To the Lady Jane Savage, Marchioness of Winchester. Excellent Lady, I MAY say of your Grace, as it was said once of a rare Italian Princess, that you are the greatest Tyrant in the World, because you make all those that see you your slaves, much more them that know you, I mean those that are acquainted with your inward disposition, and with the Faculties of your Soul, as well as the Phisnomy of your Face; for Virtue took as much pains to adorn the one, as Nature did to perfect the other. I have had the happiness to know both, when your Grace took pleasure to learn Spanish: at which time, when my Betters far had offerM their service in this kind, I had the honour to be commanded by you often. He that hath as much experience of you as I have had will confess, that the Handmaid of God Almighty was never so prodigal of her Gifts to any, or labour'd more to frame an exact model of female Perfection : nor was Dame Nature only busied in this Work, but all the Graces did consult and co-operate with her; and they wasted so much 228 Familiar Letters. Book L much of their Treasure to enrich this one Piece^ that it may be a good reason why so many lame and defective fragments of Women-kind are daily thrust into the World. I return you here inclos'd the Sonnet your Grace pleas'd to send me lately, rendred into Spanish, and fitted for the same Air it had in English, both for cadence and number of feet. With it I send my most humble thanks, that your Grace would descend to command me in anything that might conduce to your contentment and service; for there is nothing I desire with a great Ambition (and herein I have all the World my Rival) than to be accounted, Madam — Your Grace's most humble and ready Servitor, J. H. Land., 15 Mar. 1626. XV. To the m. Hon, the Lord Clifford. My Lord, I PRAY be pleas'd to dispense with this slowness of mine in answering yours of the first of this present. Touching the domestick Occurrences, the Gentleman who is Bearer hereof, is more capable to give you Account by Discourse than I can in Paper. For foreign tidings, your Lordship may understand, that the Town of Breda hath been a good while making her last Will and Testament; but now there is certain news come, that she hath yielded up the ghost to Spinola's hands after a tough siege of thirteen months, and a circumvallation of near upon twenty miles' compass. My Lord of Southantpton and his eldest Son sicken'd at the siege, and died at Berghen ; the adventurous Earl Henry of Oxford, seeming to tax the Prince of Orange of slackness to fight, was set upon a desperate work, where he melted his grease, and so being carryM to the Hague, he died also. I doubt not but you have heard of Grave Mazirice's death, which happened when the Town was past cure, which was his more than the States; for he was Marquis of Breda, and had near upon 30,000 Dollars annual rent from her : There- fore Sect. 4. Familiar Letters. 229 fore he seemM in a kind of sympathy to sicken with this Town, and died before her. He had provided plentifully for his natural Children ; but could not, tho' much impor- tuned by Dr. Roseus, and other Divines, upon his Death- bed, be induc'd to make them legitimate by marrying the Mother of them : For the Law there is, that if one hath got Children of any Woman, tho' unmarry'd to her, yet if he marry her never so little before his death, he makes her honest and them all legitimate. But it seems the Prince postponed the love he bore to this Woman and Children, to that which he bore to his Brother Henry ; for had he made the Children legitimate, it had prejudicM the Brother in point of Command and Fortunes : Yet he had provided plentifully for them and the Mother. Grave Henry hath succeeded him in all things, and is a gallant Gentleman, of a French Education and Temper ; he charg'd him at his death to marry a young Lady, the Count of Solme's Daughter attending the Queen of Bohe- mia, whom he had long courted : which is thought will take speedy effect. When the Siege before Breda had grown hot. Sir Edw. Vere being one day attending Prince Maurice, he pointed at a rising Place calPd Terhay, where the Enemy had built a Fort (which might have been prevented). Sir Edw. told him, he fear'd that Fort would be the cause of the loss of the Town : the Grave spatter'd and shook his Head, saying, 'Twas the greatest error he had committed since he knew what belonged to a Soldier ; as also in managing the Plot for surprizing the Citadel of Antwerp ; for he repented that he had not employed English and French in lieu of the slow^ Dutch, who aim'd to have the sole honour of it, and were not so fit instruments for such a nimble piece of service. As soon as Sir Charles Morgan gave up the Town, Spinola caus'd a new Gate to be erected, with this inscription in great golden Characters ; Philippo quarto regnanie, Clara Eugenia Isabella gubernante, Ambrosio 230 Familiar Letters. Book I. Ambrosio Spinola obsidente, Qiiatuor Regibus contra conantibus, Breda capta fuH Idibus, &c. 'Tis thought Spinola, now that he hath recovered the Honour that he lost before Berghen op Zoom three years since, will not long stay in Flanders, but retire. No more now, but that I am resolv'd to continue ever — Your Lord- ship's most humble Servitor, J. H. Land., 19 Mar. 1626. XVL To Mr. R. Sc., at York. Sir, I SENT you one of the 3d current, but ^twas not answer'd ; I sent another of the 13th like a second Arrow, to find out the first, but I know not what's become of either : I send this to find out the other two; and if this fail, there shall go no more out of my Quiver. If you forget me, I have cause to complain, and more if you remember me : To forget, may proceed from the frailty of Memory; not to answer me when you mind me is pure neglect, and no less than a piacle. So I rest — Yours easily to be recover'd, J. H. Ira furor brevis, brevis est mea littera, cogor^ Ira correptus, corripiiisse stylum. Lond., 19 Jzdy, the 1st of the Dogdays, 1626. XVI r. To Dr. Field, Lord Bishop o/'Landaff. My Lord, I SEND youmy humble Thanks for those worthy hospi- table Favours you were pleased to give me at your Lodgings in Westminster. I had yours of the 5th of this present, by the hand of Mr. Jonath. Field. The News which fills every corner of the Town at this time, is the sorry and unsuccessful return that Wimbledon s Fleet hath made from Spain : it was a Fleet that deserved to have had a Sect. 4. Familiar Letters. 231 a better destiny, considering the strength of it, and the huge charge the Crown was at : for besides a Squadron of sixteen Hollanders, whereof Count WilUanij one of Prince Maur'ice^s natural Sons, was Admiral, there were above eighty of ours, the greatest joint naval Power (of ships with- out Gallies) that ever spread sail upon Salt-water; which makes the World abroad to stand astonished how so huge a Fleet could be so suddenly made ready. The sinking of the Long Robin with 170 Souls in her, in the Bay of Biscay , ere she had gone half the Voyage, was no good Augury : And the Critics of the Time say, there were many other things that promisM no good fortune to this Fleet ; besides, they would point at divers errors committed in the conduct of the main design : first, the odd choice that was made of the Admiral, who was a mere Landman ; which made the Seamen much slight him, it belonging properly to Sir Robert Mansel, Vice- Admiral of England, to have gone, in case the High- Admiral went not : then they speak of the uncertainty of the Enterprize, and that no place was pitchM upon to be invaded, till they came to the height of the South Cape, and in sight of shore, where the Lord Wimble- don first called a Council of War, where some would be for Malaga, others for St. Mary-Port, others for Gibraltar, but most for Cales ; and while they were thus consulting, the Country had an Alarm given them. Add hereunto the blazing abroad of this Expedition ere the Fleet went out of the Downs ; for Mercurius Gallobelgicus had it in print, that it was for the Str eights-Mouth : Now, 'tis a Rule, that great designs of State should be Mysteries till they coine to the very act of pe7formance, and then they should turn to Exploits. Moreover, when the local attempt was resolved on, there were seven Ships (by the advice of one Capt. Love) suffer'd to go up the River, which might have been easily taken ; and being rich, 'tis thought they would have defrayed well-near the charge of our Fleet ; which Ships did much infest us afterwards with their Ordnance, when we had taken the Fort of Puntall. Moreover, the dis- orderly 232 Familiar Letters. Book L orderly carriage and excess of our Landmen (whereof there were lo^ooo) when they were put ashore, who broke into the Fryars' Caves, and other Cellars of sweet Wines, where many hundreds of them being surprized, and found dead- drunk, the Spajiiards came and tore off their Ears and Noses, and pluck'd out their Eyes : And I was told of one merry Fellow escaping, that kill'd an Ass for a Buck. Lastly, it is laid to the Admiral's charge_, that my Lord De la Wares Ship being infected, he gave order that the sick Men should be scattered into divers Ships, which dispersed the Contagion exceedingly, so that some thousands died before the Fleet returned, which was done in a confused manner, without any observance of Sea-orders. Yet I do not hear of any that will be punished for these miscar- riages, which will make the dishonour fall more foully upon the State. But the most fortunate Passage of all was, that tho' we did nothing by Land that was considerable, yet if we had stayed but a day or two longer, and spent time at Sea, the whole Fleet of Galeons from Nova Hispania had fallen into our own mouths, which came presently in, close along the Coasts of Barhary ; and in all likelihood we might have had the opportunity to have taken the richest Prize that ever was taken on salt Water. Add hereunto, that while we were thus Masters of those Seas, a Fleet of fifty Sail of Brasil Men got safe into Lisbon, with four of the richest Caracks that ever came from the East-Indies. I hear my Lord of St. David's is to be remov'd to Bath and Wells, and it were worth your Lordship's coming up to endeavour the succeeding of him. So I humbly rest — Your Lordship's most ready Servitor, J. H. Lond.^ 20 Nov. 1626. XVIII. To my Lord D. of Buckingham's Grace at New-market. MAY it please your Grace to peruse and pardon these few Advertisements, which I would not dare to present ( Sect, 4. Familiar Letters. 233 present_, had I not hopes that the Goodness which is con- comitant with your Greatness would make them venial. My Lord, a Parliament is at hand ; the last was hoisterous ; God grant that this may prove more calm : A rumour runs that there are Clouds already ingendred, which will break out into a storm in the lower Region, and most of the drops are like to fall upon your Grace. This_, tho' it be but vulgar Astrology, is not altogether to be contemn'd ; tho' I believe that His Majesty^s Countenance reflecting so strongly upon your Grace, with the brightness of your own Innocency, may be able to dispel and scatter them to nothing. My Lord, you are a great Prince, and all Eyes are upon your Actions; this makes you more subject to envy, which like the Sun-beams beats always upon Rising-grounds. I know your Grace hath many sage and solid Heads about you; yet I trust it will prove no offence, if out of the late relation I have to your Grace by the recommendation of such noble Personages, I put in also my Mite. My Lord, under favour, it were not amiss if your Grace would be pleased to part with some of those Places you hold, which have least relation to the Court ; and it would take away the mutterings that run of multiplicity of Offices; and in my shallow apprehension, your Grace might stand more firm without an Anchor: The Office of High-Admiral, in these times of action, requires one whole Man to execute it; your Grace hath another Sea of business to wade thro', and the voluntary resigning of this Office would fill all Men, yea, even your Enemies, with admiration and aflfection, and make you more a Prince than detract from your Greatness. If any ill Successes happen at Sea (as that of the Lord Wimhledon'' s lately), or if there be any murmur for Pay, your Grace will be free from all imputations; besides, it will afford your Grace more leisure to look into your own affairs, which lie confus'd and unsettled. Lastly (which is not the least thing) this act will be so plausible, that it may much advantage His Majesty in point of Subsidy. Secondly, 234 Familiar Letters. Book I, Secondly, It were expedient (under correction) that your Grace would be pleased to allot some set Hours for audience and access of Suitors ; and it would be less cumber to your- self and your servants, and give more content to the World, which often mutters for difficulty of access. Lastly, It were not amiss that your Grace would settle a standing Mansion-house and Family, that Suitors may know whither to repair constantly, and that your Servants, every one in his Place, might know what belongs to his place, and attend accordingly : for tho' confusion in a great Family carry a kind of State with it, yet Order and Regu- larity gains a greater opinion of Virtue and Wisdom : I know your Grace doth not (nor needs not) affect Popularity. It is true that the People's love is the strongest Citadel of a sovereign Prince, but to a great Subject it hath often provM fatal ; for he who pulleth off his Hat to the People, giveth his Head to the Prince ; and it is remarkable what was said of a late unfortunate Earl, who, a little before Q. Elizahetli's death, had drawn the Axe upon his own neck, That he was grown so popular, that he was too dangerous for the Times, and the Times for him. My Lord, now that your Grace is threatened to be heavM at, it should behove every one that oweth you duty and good-will, to reach out his hand some way or other to serve you : Among these, I am one that presumes to do it, in this poor impertinent Paper; for which I implore pardon, be- cause I am, my Lord — Your Grace's most humble and faithful Servant, J. H. LoTidon, 13 Feb. 1626. XIX. To Sir J. S., Knight, Sir, THERE is a Saying which carries no little weight with it, that Parvus amor loquitur, ingens stupet ; Small love speaks, while great love stands astonished with silence : The one keeps a tattling, while the other is struck dumb with amazement Sect. 4. Familiar Letters. 235 amazement ; like deep Rivers, which to the eye of the be- holder seem to stand still, while small shallow Rivulets keep a noise ; or like empty Casks^ that make an obstreperous hollow sound, w^hich they would not do were they re- plenished and full of substance. ^Tis the condition of my love to you, which is so great, and of that profoundness, that it hath been silent all this while, being stupify'd with the contemplation of those high Favours, and sundry sorts of Civilities, wherewith I may say you have overwhelmed me. This deep Ford of my affection and gratitude to you, I in- tend to cut out hereafter into small currents (I mean into Letters), that the course of it may be heard, tho' it make but a small bubbling noise, as also that the clearness of it may appear more visible. I desire my service be presented to my noble Lady, whose fair hands I humbly kiss; and if she want anything that London can afford, she need but command her and — Your most faithful and ready Servitor, J. H. Lond.^ II Feb, 1626. XX. To the Right Honourable the Earl R. My Lord, ACCORDING to promise, and that portion of Obedience ^ I owe to your commands, I send your Lordship these few Avisos, some whereof I doubt not but you have receivM before, and that by abler Pens than mine; yet your Lord- ship may happily find herein something that was omitted by others, or the former news made clearer by circumstance. I hear Count Mansfelt is in Paris, having now receivM three routings in Germany ; 'tis thought the French King will piece him up again with new recruits. I was told, that as he was seeing the two Queens one day at dinner, the Queen-Mother said. They say, Count Mansfelt is here among this Crowd ; I do not believe it, quoth the young Queen, for whensoever he seeth a Spaniard, he runs away. Matters go untowardly on our side in Germany, but the King 236 Familiar Letters. Book I. King of Denmark will shortly be in the field in person ; and Bethlem Gabor hath been long expected to do some- thing, but some think he will prove but a Bugbear. Sir Ch. Morgan is to go to Germany with 6000 Auxiliaries to join with the Danish Army. The Parliament is adjourn'd to Oxford, by reason of the sickness, which increaseth exceedingly ; and before the King went out of Town, there dy'd 1500 that very week, and two out of Whitehall it self. There is high clashing again 'twixt my Lord Duke and the Earl of Bristol', they recriminate one another of divers things: the Earl accuseth him, among other matters, of certain Letters from Rome, of putting His Majesty upon that hazardous Journey to Spain, and of some miscarriages at his being in that Court. There be Articles also against the Lord Conway, which I send your Lordship here inclos'd. I am for Oxford the next week, and thence for Wales, to fetch my good old Father's Blessing: at my return, if it shall please God to reprieve me in these dangerous times of Contagion, I shall continue my wonted Service to your Lordship, if it may be done with safety. So I rest — Your Lordship's most humble Servitor, J. H. Lo7id., 15 Mar. 1626. XXL To the Right Honourable the Lord Viscount C. My Lord, SIR John North delivered me one lately from your Lord- ship, and I send my humble thanks for the Venison you intend me. I acquainted your Lordship, as oppor- tunity serv'd, with the nimble Pace the French Match went on, by the successful negotiation of the Earls of Carlisle and Holland (who out-went the Monsieurs themselves in Courtship), and how in less than nine Moons, this great Business was propos'd, pursu'd, and perfected ; whereas the Sun had leisure enough to finish his annual Progress from one end of the Zodiac to the other so many years, before that Sect, 4. Familiar Letters. 237 that of Spain could come to any shape of perfection. This may serve to shew the difference ^twixt the two Nations, the leaden-heeVd pace of the one, and the quicksilvered motions of the other : It shews also how the French is more generous in his proceedings, and not so full of scruples, reservations, and jealous as the Spariiard, but deals more frankly, and with a greater confidence and gallantry. The Lord D. of Buckingham is now in Paris, accompanied with the Earl of Montgomery, and he went in a very splen- did Equipage : The Venetian and Hollander, with other States that are no Friends to Spain, did some good offices to advance this Alliance ; and the new Pope propounded much towards it : But Richelieu, the new Favourite of France, was the Cardinal Instrument in it. This Pope Urban grows very active, not only in things present, but ripping up of old matters, for which there is a select Committee appointed to examine Accounts and Errors past, not only in the time of his immediate pre- decessor, but others. And one told me of a merry Pasquil lately in Rome; That whereas there are two great Statues, one of Peter, the other of Paul, opposite one to the other upon a Bridge, one had clapp'd a pair of Spurs upon St. Peter's heels; and St. Paul asking him whither he was bound, he answered, I apprehend some danger to stay now in Rome, because of this new Commission, for I fear they will question me for denying my Master. Truly, brother Peter, I shall not stay long after you, for I have as much cause to doubt that they will question me for persecuting the Christians before I was converted. So I take my leave, and rest — Your Lordship's most humble Servitor, J. H. Lond.^ 3 May 1626. XXIL To my Brother, Mr. Hugh Penry. Sir, I THANK you for your late Letter, and the several good Tidings sent me from Wales : In requital I can send you 238 Familiar Letters. Book I. you gallant news, for we have now a most noble new Queen of England, who in true Beauty is beyond the long-wooM Infanta ; for she was of a fading flaxen-hair^ big-lippM, and somewhat heavy-ey'd ; but this Daughter of France, this youngest Branch of Bourbon (being but in her Cradle when the great Henry her Father was put out of the world), is of a more lovely and lasting Complexion^ a dark brown ; she hath Eyes that sparkle like Stars; and for her Physiog- nomy, she may be said to be a Mirror of Perfection : She had a rough Passage in her transfretation to Dover Castle, and in Canterbury the King bedded first with her ; there were a goodly train of choice Ladies attended her coming upon the Bowling-green on Barham Downs upon the way, who divided themselves into two rows, and they appear'd like so many Constellations; but methought the Country Ladies out-shined the Courtiers. She brought over with her two hundred thousand Crowns in gold and silver, as half her Portion, and the other Moiety is to be paid at the year's end. Her first suit of Servants (by Article) are to be French, and as they die English are to succeed ; she is also allowed twenty-eight Ecclesiasticks of any Order, except Jesuits ; a Bishop for her Almoner, and to have private exercise of her Religion for her and her Servants. I pray convey the inclos'd to my Father by the next conveniency, and pray present my dear love to my Sister ; I hope to see you at Dyvinnock about Michaelmas, for I intend to wait upon my Father, and I will take my Mother in the way, I mean Oxford, In the interim I rest — Your most affectionate Brother, J. H. Lond.j 16 May 1626. xxiir. To my Uncle, Sir Sackvill Trevor, from Oxford. Sir, I AM sorry I must write to you the sad tidings of the dis- solution of the Parliament here, which was done suddenly. Sir John Elliot was in the heat of a high Speech against the Sect. I. Familiar Letters. 239 the D. of Buckingham, when the Usher of the Black Rod knock'd at the door, and signify'd the King's pleasure, which struck a kind of consternation in all the House. My Lord Keeper Williams hath parted with the Broad Seal, because, as some say, he went about to cut down the Scale by which he rose; for some, it seems, did ill offices ^twixt the Duke and him. Sir Thomas Coventry hath it now ; I pray God he be tender of the King's Conscience, whereof he is Keeper rather than of the Seal. I am bound to-morrow upon a journey towards the Mountains, to see some Friends in JVales, and to bring back my Father's blessing: For better Assurance of Lodging where I pass, in regard of the Plague, I have a Post-warrant as far as St, David's, which is far enough, you'll say, for the King hath no ground further on this Island. If the Sick- ness rage in such extremity at Lo?idon, the Term will be held at Reading, All your Friends here are well, but many look blank because of the sudden rupture of the Parliament. God Almighty turn all to the best, and stay the fury of this Contagion, and preserve us from further judgments. So I rest — Your most affectionate Nephew, J. H. Oxford, 6 Aug. 1626. XXIV. To my Father J from London. Sir, I WAS now the fourth time at a dead stand in the course of my Fortune: for tho' I was recommended to the Duke, and received many noble Respects from him; yet I was told by some who are nearest him, that somebody hath done me ill offices, by whispering in his ear that I was too much Dighijjied ; and so they told me positively, that I must never expect any Employment about him of any Trust. While I was in this suspense, Mr. Secretary Conway sent for me, and proposed to me that the King had occasion to send a Gentleman to Italy in nature of a moving Agent; and 240 Familiar Letters. Book I. and tho' he might have choice of Persons of good QuaHty that would willingly undertake this Employment^ yet understand- ing of my Breeding, he made the first proffer to me, and that I should go as the King's Servant, and have an Allowance accordingly. I humbly thank'd him for the good opinion he pleased to conceive of me, being a stranger to him, desir'd some time to consider of the proposition, and of the nature of the Employment; so he granted me four days to think upon't, and two of them are pass'd already. If I may have a Support accordingly, I intend by God's Grace (desiring your Consent and Blessing to go along) to apply myself to this Course, but before I part with England, I intend to send you further notice. The Sickness is miraculously decreased in this City and Suburbs; for from 5:200, which was the greatest number that dy'd in one Week, and that was some forty days since, they are now fallen to 300. It was the violent'st fit of Contagion that ever was for the time in this Island, and such as no Story can^ parallel : but the Ebb of it was more swift than the Tide. My Brother is well, and so are all your Friends here, for I do not know any of your Ac- quaintance that is dead of this furious Infection. Sir John Walter ask'd me lately how you did, and wish'd me to re- member him to you. So, with my love to all my Brothers and Sisters, and the rest of my Friends who made so much of me lately in the Country, I rest — Your dutiful Son, J. H. 7 Aug. 1626. XXV. To the Right Hon. the Lord Conway, Principal Secretary of State to His Majesty, at Hampton-Court. Right Honourable, SINCE I last attended your Lordship here, I summon'd my thoughts to Council, and convass'd to and fro within myself the business you pleasM to impart to me, for going upon the King's Service into Italy ; I considerM therein Sect. 4. Familiar Letters. 241 therein many particulars : First^ The weight of the Employ- mentj and what maturity of judgment, discretion, and parts are requir'd in him that will personate such a Man. Next, The difficulties of it; for one must send sometimes light out of darkness, and, like the Bee, suck Honey out of bad, as out of good Flowers. Thirdly, The danger which the Undertaker must converse withal, and which may fall upon him by interception of Letters, or other cross Casualties. Lastly, The great expence it will require, being not to re- main sedentary in one place as other Agents, but to be often in itinerary motion. Touching the first, I refer myself to your Honour^s favourable opinion, and the character which my Lord S. and others shall give of me : For the second, I hope to over- come it : For the third, I weigh it not, so I may merit of my King and Country: For the last, I crave leave to deal plainly with your Lordship, that I am a Cadet, and have no other patrimony or support but my Breeding; there- fore I must breathe by the Employment. And, my Lord, I shall not be able to perform what shall be expected at my hands under ^100 a quarter, and to have Bills of Credit accordingly. Upon these terms, my Lord, I shall apply myself to this Service, and by God^s blessing hope to answer all expectations. So, referring the premises to your noble consideration, I rest, my Lord — Your very humble and ready Servitor, J. H. Lond., 8 Sept 1626. XXVL To my Brother^ Dr. Howell, after Bishop 0/ Bristol. My Brother, NEXT to my Father, ^tis fitting you should have cogni- zance of my Affairs and Fortunes. You heard how I was in Agitation for an Employment in Itali/j but my Lord Conway demurred upon the Salary I propounded : I have now wav'd this course, yet I came off fairly with my a Lord ; 242 Familiar Letters. Book L Lord; for I have a stable Home Employment profFer'd me by my Lord Scroop, Lord President of the North^ who sent for me lately to Worcester-house, tho' I never saw him before ; and there the Bargain was quickly made that I should go down with him to York for Secretary, and his Lordship has promised me fairly. I will see you at your House in Horsley before I go, and leave the particular cir- cumstances of this business till then. The French that came over with Her Majesty, for their petulancy, and some misdemeanors, and imposing some odd penances upon the Queen, are all cashier'd this week, about a matter of sixscore, whereof the Bishop of Mende was one, who had stood to be Steward of Her Majesty's Courts, which Office my Lord of Holland hath. It was a thing suddenly done; for about one of the clock, as they were at dinner, my Lord Conway and Sir Thomas Edmonds came with an Order from the King, that they must instantly away to Somerset-house, for there were Barges and Coaches staying for them ; and there they should have all their wages paid them to a penny, and so they must be content to quit the Kingdom. This sudden undream'd-of Order struck an Astonishment into them all, both Men and Women ; and running to complain to the Queen, His Majesty had taken her before into his Bed-chamber, and lock'd the doors upon them until he had told her how matters stood : The Queen fell into a violent passion, broke the Glass-windows, and tore her Hair, but she was calm'd afterwards. Just such a destiny happened in France some years since to the Queen's Spanish Servants there, who were all dismissed in like manner for some miscarriages; the like was done in Spain to the French; therefore 'tis no new thing. They are all now on their way to Dover, but I fear this will breed ill blood 'twixt us and France, and may break out into an ill-favour'd Quarrel. Master Montague is preparing to go to Paris as a Mes- senger of Honour, to prepossess the King and Council there with Sect, 4. Familiar Letters. 243 with the truth of things. So, with my very kind Respects to my Sister, I rest — Your loving Brother, J. H. Lond.i 15 Mar. 1626. XXVII. To the Right Honourable the Lord S. My Lord, I AM bound shortly for York, where I am hopeful of a profitable Employment. There's fearful news come from Germany, that since Sir Charles Morgan went thither with 6000 Men for the Assistance of the King of Denmark, the King hath receiv'd an utter Overthrow by Tilly ; he had receiv'd a fall off a horse from a wall five yards high a little before, yet it did him little hurt. Tilly pursueth his victory strongly, and is got o'er the Elve to Holsteinland, insomuch that they write from Ham- lurgh, that Denmark is in danger to be utterly lost. The Danes and Germans seem to lay some fault upon our King, the King upon the Parliament, that would not supply him with Subsidies to assist his Uncle, and the Prince Pals- grave ; both which was promis'd upon the rupture of the Treaties with Spain, which was done by the Advice of both Houses. This is the ground that His Majesty hath lately sent out Privy Seals for Loan-moneys until a Parliament may be call'd, in regard that the K. of Denmark is distress'd, the Sound like to be lost, the Eastland Trade, and the Staple at Hamburgh, in danger to be destroy'd, and the English Garri- son under Sir Cha. Morgan at Stoad ready to be starv'd. These Loan-moneys keep a great noise, and they are im- prison'd that deny to conform themselves. I fear I shall have no more opportunity to send to your Lordship till I go to York ; therefore I humbly take leave, and kiss your hands, being ever, my Lord — Your obedient and ready Servitor, J. H. XXVIIL 244 Familiar Letters. Book I, XXVIII. To Mr. R. L., Merchant. I MET lately with J. Harris in London, and I had not seen him two years before; and then I took him, and knew him to be a Man of thirty, but now one would take him by his hair to be near sixty, for he is all turn'd grey. I wonder'd at such a Metamorphosis in so short a time; he told me, ^twas for the death of his Wife that Nature had thus ante- dated his years. ^Tis true, that a weighty settled Sorrow is of that force, that besides the contraction of the Spirits, it will work upon the radical moisture, and dry it up, so that the hair can have no moisture at the root. This made me re- member a Story that a Spanish Advocate told me, which is a thing very remarkable. When the D. of Alva went to Brussels, about the begin- ning of the Tumults in the Netherlands, he had sat down before Hulst in Flanders, and there was a Provost-Marshal in his Army, who was a Favourite of his; and this Provost had put some to death by secret Commission from the Duke. There was one Capt. Bolea in the Army, who was an inti- mate friend of the Provost, and one evening late he went to the said Captain's Tent, and brought with him a Confessor and an Executioner, as it was his custom ; he told the Captain that he was come to execute his Excellency's Commission and Martial-Law upon him : The Captain started up sud- denly, his hair standing at an end, and being struck with amazement, asked him wherein he had offended the Duke : The Provost answer'd, Sir, I come not to expostulate the business with you, but to execute my Commission; there- fore, I pray, prepare yourself, for there's your ghostly Father and Executioner : So he fell upon his knees before the Priest, and^ having done, the Hangman going to put the Halter about his neck, the Provost threw it away, and break- ing into a laughter, told him. There was no such thing, and that he had done this to try his Courage, how he could bear the terror of death. The Captain look'd ghastly upon him, and Sect. 4. Familiar Letters. 245 and said, Then, Sir, get you out of my Tent, for you have done me a very ill office. ' The next morning the said Cap- tain Bolea, tho' a young man of about thirty, had his hair all turn'd grey, to the Admiration of all the World, and the D. of Alva himself, who question'd him abont it, but he would confess nothing. The next year the Duke was revoked, and in his journey to the Court of Spain he was to pass by Saragossay and this Capt. Bolea and the Provost went along with him as his Domesticks. The Duke being to repose some days in Saragossa, the young-old Capt. Bolea told him that there was a thing in that Town worthy to be seen by his Excellency, which was a Casa de locos, a Bedlam- house, for there w^as not the like in Christendom : Well, said the Duke, go and tell the Warden I will be there To-morrow in the Afternoon, and wish him to be in the way. The Captain having obtain'd this, went to the Warden, and told him, that the Duke would come to visit the House the next day ; and the chiefest occasion that mov'd him to it was^ that he had an unruly Provost about him, who was subject oftentimes to Fits of Frenzy; and because he wisheth him well, he had tryM divers means to cure him, but all would not do; therefore he would try whether keeping him close in Bedlam for some days would do him any good. The next day the Duke came with a ruffling train of Captains after him, among whom was the said Provost very shining brave ; being enter'd into the House, about the Duke's Person, Capt. Bolea told the Warden (pointing at the Provost) that's the Man; so he took him aside into a dark Lobby, where he had placed some of his Men, who muffled him in his Cloak, seizM upon his gilt Sword with his Hat and Feather, and so hurry'd him down into a Dungeon. My Provost had lain there two nights and a day, and afterwards it happened that a Gentleman coming out of curiosity to see the House, peep'd in at a small grate where the Provost was : the Provost conjur'd him as he was a Christian, to go and tell the Duke of Alva his Provost was there clapp'd up, nor could he imagine why. The Gentleman did the Errand ; whereat 246 Familiar Letters. Book I, whereat the Duke being astonish'd, sent for the Warden with his Prisoner : so he brought my Provost en querpo^ Madman- like, full of straws and feathers, before the Duke, who at the sight of him breaking out into a laughter, asked the Warden why he had made him his prisoner. Sir, said the Warden, 'twas by virtue of your Excellency's Commission brought me by Capt. Bolea : Bolea stepp'd forth, and told the Duke, Sir, you have ask'd me oft how these hairs of mine grew so suddenly grey ; I have not revealed it yet to any Soul breath- ing, but now I'll tell your Excellency, and so fell a relating the Passage in Flanders: and. Sir, I have been ever since beating my Brains how to get an equal revenge of him, and I thought no revenge to be more equal or corresponding, now that you see he hath made me old before my time, than to make him mad if I could; and had he staled some days longer close Prisoner in the Bedlam-house ^ it might haply have wrought some impressions upon Pericranium. The Duke was so well pleased with the Story, and the wittiness of the revenge, that he made them both friends; and the Gentleman who told me this Passage said, that the said Capt. Bolea was yet alive, so that he could not be less than ninety years of age. I thank you a thousand times for the Cephalonia Muscadel and Botargo you sent me; I hope to be shortly quit with you for all courtesies : in the interim I am — Your obliged Friend to serve you, J. H. York, this i of May 1626. Postscript, I AM sorry to hear of the trick that Sir John Ayres put upon the Company by the Box of Hail-shot, sign'd with the Ambassador's Seal, that he had sent so solemnly from Constantinople J which he made the world believe to be full of Chequins and Turky Gold. Section Section V.. I. To Dan. Caldwall, Esq. ; from York. My dear D., THO' I may be term'd a right Northern Man, being a good way this side Trent , yet my love is as Southern as ever it was, I mean it continueth still in the same degree of heat; nor can this bleaker Air, or Boreas s chilling blasts, cool it a whit. I am the same to you this side Trent, as I was the last time we cross'd the Thames together to see Smug the Smith, and so back to the Still-yard: But I fear that your Love to me doth not continue in so constant and intense a degree, and I have good grounds for this fear, because I never receiv'd one syllable from you since I left London. If you rid me not of this scruple, and send to me speedily, I shall think, tho' you live under a hotter clime in the Southj that your former love is not only cool'd, but frozen. For this present condition of .life, I thank God I live well contented ; I have a fee from the King, diet for myself and two servants, livery for a horse, and a part of the King's house for my lodging, and other privileges which I am told no Secretary before me had ; but I must tell you, the per- quisites are nothing answerable to my expectation yet. I have built me a new study since I came, wherein I shall among others meditate sometimes on you, and whence this present Letter comes. So, with a thousand thanks for the plentiful hospitality and jovial farewell you gave me at your House in Essex, I rest — Yours, yours, yours, . J. H. York, I s July 1627. II. 248 Familiar Letters. Book I. II. To Mr, Richard Leat. CIGNOR mio, It is now a great while, methinks, since any Act of Friendship, or other interchangeable offices of love have pass'd between us, either by Letters, or other accustomM ways of correspondence; and as I will not ac- cuse, so I go not about to clear myself in this point : Let this long silence be term'd therefore a Cessation rather than Neglect on both sides. A Bow that lies a while unbent, and a Field that remains fallow for a time, grow never the worse, but afterwards the one sends forth an Arrow more strongly, the other yields a better Crop, being recultivated : Let this be also verifyM in us, let our Friendship grow more fruitful after this pause, let it be more active for the future : You see I begin and shoot the first shaft. I send you here- with a couple of red Deer Pies, the one Sir Arthur Ingram gave me, the other my Lord President's Cook; I could not tell where to bestow them better. In your next let me know which is the best seasoned; I pray let the Sydonian Merchant, Jo. Briickhurstj be at the eating of them, and then I know they will be well soak'd. If you please to send me a barrel or two of Oysters which we w^ant here, I promise you they shall be well eaten with a Cup of the best Claret, and the best Sherry (to which Wine this Town is altogether addicted) shall not be wanting. I understand the Lord JVeston is Lord Treasurer; we may say now, that we have Treasurers of all tenses, for there are four living, to wit, the Lords Manchester, Middle- sex, Marlborough, and the newly chosen. I hear also that the good old Man (the last) hath retir'd to his Lodgings in Lincoln* s- Inn, and so reducM himself to his first principles ; which makes me think that he cannot bear up long, now that the Staff is taken from him. I pray in your next send me the Venetian Gazetta. So, with my kind Respects to your Father, I rest — Yours, J. H. York^ 9 July 1627. III. Sect, 5. Familiar Letters. 249 III. To Sir Ed. Sa., Knight. Sir, "nr^WAS no great matter to be a Prophet, and to have X foretold this rupture 'twixt us and France upon the the sudden renvoi/ of Her Majesty^s Servants ; for many of them had sold their Estates in France, given Money for their Places_, and so thought to live and die in England in the Queen's Service, and so have pitifully complain'd to that King; thereupon he hath arrested above 100 of our Merchant-men that went to the Vintage at Bourdeaux. We also take some stragglers of theirs, for there are Letters of Mart given on both sides. There are Writs issued out for a Parliament, and the Town of Richmond in Richmondshire hath made choice of me for their Burgess, tho' Master Christopher Wandesford, and other powerful Men, and more deserving than I, stood for it. I pray God send me fair Weather in the House of Commons, for there is much murmuring about the restraint of those that would not conform to Loan Moneys, There is a great Fleet preparing, and an Army of Landmen ; but the design is uncertain, whether it be against Spain, or France, for we are now in enmity with both those Crowns. The French Cardinal hath been lately t'other side the Alps, and settled the Duke of Nevers in the Duchy of Mantua, notwithstanding the opposition of the King of Spain and the Emperor, who alleg'd. That he was to receive his In- vestiture from him, and that was the chief ground of the War; but the French Arms have done the work, and come triumphantly back over the Hills again. No more now, but that I am, as always — Your true Friend, J. H. 2 March 1627. IV. Familiar Letters. Book 1. IV. To the Worshipful Mr. Alderman of the Town of Richmond, and the rest of the worthy Members of that ancient Corporation, Sir, I RECEIVED a public Instrument from you lately, subscribed by yourself and divers others, wherein I find that you have made choice of me to be one of your Burgesses for this now approaching Parliament; I could have wish'd that you had not put by Master JVandesford, and other w^orthy Gentlemen that stood so earnestly for it, who being your Neighbours, had better means and more abilities to serve you. Yet since you have cast these high respects upon me, I will endeavour to acquit myself of the Trusty and to answer your expectation accordingly: And as I account this Election an honour to me, so I esteem it a greater advantage, that so worthy and well- experienced a Knight as Sir Talbot Bows is to be my Collegue and Fellow-Burgess; I shall steer by his compass, and follow his directions in anything that may concern the welfare of your Town, and the Precincts thereof, either for redress of any grievance, or by proposing some new thing that may conduce to the further benefit and advantage thereof ; and this I take to be the true duty of a Parlia- mentary Burgess, without roving at random to generals. I hope to learn of Sir Talbot what's fitting to be done, and I shall apply myself accordingly to join with him to serve you with my best Abilities. So I rest — Your most assured and ready Friend to do you Service, J. H. Lojid., 24 Mar. 1627. V. To the Right Hon. the Lord Clifford, at Knaresborough. My Lord, THE news that fills all mouths at present^ is the return of the Duke of Buckingham from the Isle of i^6'^,or,as some call Sect, 5. Familiar Letters. 251 call it, the Isle of Rue^ for the bitter success we had there ; for we had but a tart entertainment in that ^alt Island. Our first Invasion was maj^nanimous and brave, whereat near upon 200 French Gentlemen perish'd, and divers Barons of Quality. My Lord of Newport had ill luck to disorder our Cavalry with an unruly horse he had : His Brother Sir Charles Rich was slain, and divers more upon retreat; among others, great Col. Gray fell into a Salt-pit, and being ready to be drown'd, he cryM out, Cent mille escus pour ma ranqon ; A hundred thousand Crowns for my ransom : the Frenchmen hearing that, preserved him, tho' he was not worth a hundred thousand pence. A merry passage a Captain told me, that when they were rifling the dead Bodies of the French Gentlemen after the first Invasion, they found that many of them had their Mistresses' Favours ty'd about their Genitories. The French do much glory to have repell'd us thus, and they have reason ; for the truth is, they comported themselves gallantly : yet they confess our landing was a notable piece of Courage, and if our Retreat had been answerable to the Invasion, we had lost no Honour at all. A great number of gallant Gentlemen fell on our side, as Sir John Heydon, Sir Jo. Burrowes, Sir John Blundel, Sir Alex. Bret, with divers Veteran Commanders, who came from the Netherlands to this Service. God send us better success the next time, for there is another Fleet preparing to be sent under the command of the Lord Denbigh. So I kiss your hand, and am — Your humble Servitor, J. H. Lond., 24 Sept. 1627. VI. To theRt. Honourable the Lord Scroop, Earl o/* Sunderland, Lord President of the North. My Lord, MY Lord Denbigh is return'd from attempting to re- lieve Rochell, which is reduced to extreme exigence ; and now the Duke is preparing to go again, with as great Power 252 Familiar Letters. Book I. Power as was yet rais'd, notwithstanding that the Parlia- ment hath flown higher at him than ever : which makes the People here hardly wish any good success to the Expedition, because he is General. The Spaniard stands at a gaze all this while, hoping that we may do the work; otherwise I think he would find some way to relieve the Town ; for there is nothing conduceth more to the uniting and strength- ning of the French Monarchy, than the reduction of RochelL The King hath been there long in Person with his Cardinal ; and the stupendous works they have rais'd by Sea and Land are beyond belief, as they say. The Sea-works and Booms were tracM out by Marquis Spinola, as he was passing that way for Spain from Flanders. The Parliament is prorogued till Michaelmas Term ; there were five Subsidies granted, the greatest gift that ever Subjects gave their King at once; and it was in requital that His Majesty pass'd the Petition of Right, whereby the Liberty of the free born Subject is so strongly and clearly vindicated. So that there is a fair correspondence like to be ^twixt His Majesty and the two Houses. The Duke made a notable Speech at the Council-Table in joy hereof ; among other passages, one was. That hereafter His Majesty would please to make the Parliament his Favourite, and he to have the honour to remain still his Servant. No more now, but that I continue — Your Lordship's most dutiful Servant, J. H. Lond., 25 Sept. 1628. vn. To the Right Hon. the Lady Scroop, Countess 0/ Sunderland ; from Stamford. Madam, I LAY yesternight at the Post-house at Stilton, and this morning betimes the Post-master came to my Bed's-head and told me the D. of Buckingham was slain : My Faith was not then strong enough to believe it, till an hour ago I met in the way with my Lord of Rutland (your Brother) riding Post Sect. 5. Familiar Letters. 253 Post towards London; it pleas'd him to alight, and shew me a Letter, wherein there was an exact relation of all the circumstances of this sad Tragedy. Upon Saturday last, which was but next before yesterday, being Bartholomew Eve, the Duke did rise up in a well- dispos'd humour out of his bed, and cut a Caper or two, and being ready, and having been under the Barber's hand, (where the murderer had thought to have done the deed, for he was leaning upon the window all the while), he went to breakfast, attended by a great company of Commanders, where Mons. Souhize came to him, and whisper'd him in the ear that Rochel was reliev'd : The Duke seem'd to slis^ht the news, which made some think that Souhize went away discontented. After breakfast, the Duke going out. Col. Fryer stept before him, and stopping him upon some busi- ness, and Lieut. Felton being behind, made a thrust with a common tenpenny knife over Fryer's arm at the Duke, which lighted so fatally, that he slit his heart in two, leav- ing the knife sticking in the body. The Duke took out the knife, and threw it away; and laying his hand on his Sword, and drawn it half out, said, The Villain hath killM me (meaning, as some think. Col. Fryer), for there had been some difference 'twixt them ; so, reeling against a chimney, he fell down dead. The Dutchess being with Child, hearing the noise below, came in her night-geers from her Bed-chamber, which was in an upper room, to a kind of rail, and thence beheld him weltering in his own blood. Felton had lost his hat in the croud, wherein there was a Paper sow'd, wherein he declar'd, that the reason which mov'd him to this Act was no grudge of his own, tho' he had been far behind for his pay, and had been put by his Captain's place twice, but in regard he thought the Duke an Enemy to the State, because he was branded in Parliament; therefore what he did was for the publick'good of his Country. Yet he got clearly down, and so might have gone to his horse, which was tyM to a hedge hard by ; but he was so amaz'd that he miss'd his way, and so struck into 254 Familiar Letters. Book L into the pastry, where, altho' the cry went that some French- man had done't, he thinking the word was Felton, boldly confess'd, 'twas he that had done the deed, and so he was in their hands. Jack Stamford would have run at him, but he was kept off by Mr. Nicholas ; so being carry'd up to a Tower, Capt. Mince tore off his Spurs, and asking how he durst attempt such an Act, making him believe the Duke was not dead, he answer'd boldly, that he knew he was dispatched, for 'twas not he, but the hand of Heaven that gave the stroke ; and tho' his whole body had been cover'd over with Armour of Proof, he could not have avoided it. Capt. Cha. Price went post presently to the King four miles off, who being at prayers on his knees when it was told him, yet never stirrM, nor was he disturb'd a whit till all divine service was done. This was the relation, as far as my memory could bear, in my Lord of Rutland's Letter, who will'd me to remember him to your Ladyship, and tell you that he was going to comfort your niece (the Dutchess) as fast as he could. And so I have sent the truth of this sad story to your Ladyship, as fast as I could by this Post, because I cannot make that speed myself, in regard of some business I have to dispatch for my Lord in the way : So I humbly take my leave, and rest — Your Ladyship's most dutiful Servant, J. H. Stamford 5 Aug. 1628. VIIL To the Right Hon. Sir Peter Wichts, His Majesty's Ambassador at Constantinople. My Lord, YOURS of the 2d of fulij came to safe hand, and I did all those particular Recaudo's you enjoinM me to do to some of your Friends here. The Town of Rochell hath been fatal and unfortunate to England, for this is the third time that we have attempted to relieve her; but our Fleets and Forces return'd without doing anything. My Lord of Lindsey went thither with the SecL 5. Familiar Letters. 255 the same Fleet the Duke intended to go on, but is re- turned without doing any good ; he made some shots at the great Boom and other Barricadoes at Sea, but at such a distance, that they could do no hurt : insomuch that the Town is now given for lost, and to be past cure, and they cry out, we have betray'd them. At the return of this Fleet, two of the Whelps were cast away, and three Ships more, and some five Ships which had some of those great Stones that were brought to build Paul's^ for ballast and for other uses, within them ; which could promise no good success ; for I never heard of anything that prosper'd, which being once designed for the Honour of God, was alienated from that use. The Queen interposeth for the releasement of my Lord of Newport and others, who are Prisoners of War. I hear that all the Colours they took from us are hung up in the great Church of Nostre-Dame, as tropheys in Paris. Since I began this Letter, there is news brought that Rochell hath yielded, and that the King hath dismantled the Town, and razed all the Fortifications landward, but leaves those standing which are toward the Sea. It is a mighty exploit the Frejich King hath done, for Rochell was the chiefest propugnacle of the Protestants there ; and now, questionless, all the rest of their cautionary Towns which they kept for their own defence will yield ; so that they must depend hereafter upon the King's mere mercy. I hear of an overture of Peace 'twixt us and Spain, and that my Lord Cottington is to go thither, and Don Carlos Coloma to come to us. God grant it, for you know the Saying in Spanish, Nunca vi tan mala paz, que nofuera mejor, que la mejor guerra. It was a bold thing in England, to fall out with the two greatest Monarchs of Christendom, and to have them both Enemies at one time ; and as glorious a thing it was to bear up against them. God turn all to the best, and dispose of things to his Glory : so I rest — Your Lordship's ready Servitor, J. H. Lond.^ I Sept. 1628. IX. 256 Familiar Letters. Book I, IX. To my Cousin, Mr. St. Geon, at Christ-Church College in Oxford. COUSIN, Tho' you want no incitements to go on in that fair Road of Virtue where you are now running your course, yet being lately in your noble Father's Com- pany, he did intimate to me, that anything which came from me would take with you very much. I hear so well of your Proceedings, that I should rather commend than encourage you. I know you were removM to Oxford in full maturity, you were a good Orator, a good Poet, and a good Linguist for your time ; I would not have that fate light upon you, which useth to befal some, who from golden Students, become silver Bachelors, and leaden Masters : I am far from entertaining such thought of you, that Logic with her quiddities, and Quce la vel Hipps, can any way unpolish your humane Studies. As Logic is clubfisted and crabbed, so she is terrible at first sight; she is like a Gorgon^s head to a young Student, but after a twelve- month^s constancy and patience, this Gorgon's head will prove a mere bugbear; when you have devour'd the Organon, you will find Philosophy far more delightful and pleasing to your Palate. In feeding the Soul with Knowledge, the Understanding requireth the same consecutive Acts which Nature useth in nourishing the Body. To the nutrition of the Body, there are two essential conditions requir'd. Assumption and Retention; then there follows two more, Treyfrif; and 7rp6<;Ta'>\n^, Concoction and Agglutination, or AdhcEsion : So in feeding your Soul with Science, you must first assume and suck in the matter into your Apprehension, then must the memory retain and keep it in ; afterwards by disputation, discourse, and meditation, it must be well concocted; then must it be agglutinated, and converted to nutriment. All this may be reduc'd to these two heads, teneri jideliter, ^ uti fceliciter, which are two of the happiest properties in a Student. There is another Act requir'd Sect, 5. Familiar Letters. 257 requirM to good concoction, call'd the Act of Expulsion^ which puts off all that is unsound and noxious ; so in Study there must be an expulsive virtue to shun all that is erroneous ; and there is no Science but is full of such stuff, which by direction of Tutor, and choice of good Books, must be excern'd. Do not confound yourself with multiplicity of Authors; two is enough upon any Science, provided they be plenary and orthodox ; Philosophy should be your substan- tial food, Poetry your banqueting stuff ; Philosophy hath more of reality in it than any Knowledge, the Philosopher can fathom the deep, measure Mountains, reach the Stars with a staff, and bless Heaven with a girdle. But among these Studies you must not forget the uniciim necessarium ; on Sundays and Holidays, let Divinity be the sole object of your speculation, in comparison whereof all other Knowledge is but Cobweb-learning ; prcB qua quisqui- lice c cetera. When you can make truce with Study, I should be glad vou would employ some superfluous hour or other to write to me, for I much covet your good, because I am — Your affectionate Cousin, J. H. Lond.^ 25 Oct, 1627. X. To Sir Sackvil Trevor, Knight. Noble Uncle, I SEND you my humble thanks for the curious Sea-chest of Glasses you pleas'd to bestow on me, which I shall be very chary to keep as a Monument of your Love. I congratulate also the great honour you have got lately by taking away the Spirit of France, I mean by taking the third great Vessel of her Sea-Trinity, her Holy Spirit, which had been built in the mouth of the Texel for the service of her King. Without complimenting with you, it was one of the best Exploits that was performed since these Wars began ; and besides the Renown you have purchas'd, R I 258 Familiar Letters. Book L I hope your Reward will be accordingly from His Majesty, whom I remember you so happily preserv'd from drowning, in all probability, at St. Anderas road in Spain. Tho' Princes' Guerdons come slow, yet they come sure : And it is often- times the method of God Almighty himself, to be long both in his Rewards and Punishments. As you have bereft the French of their Saint Esprit, their Holy Spirit, so there is news that the Hollander have taken from Spain all her Saints ; I mean Todos los santos, which is one of the chiefest Staples of Sugar in Brazil. No more, but that I wish you all health, honour, and heart's desire. — Your much obliged Nephew and Servitor, J. H. Lond., 26 of Octoh. 1625. XI. To Captain Tho. 'B.yfrom York. NOBLE Captain, Yours of the 1st , of March was deliver'd me by Sir Rich. Scott, and I held it no pro- fanation of this Sunday-evening, considering the quality of my Subject, and having (I thank God for it) performM all Church-duties, to employ some hours to meditate on you, and send you this friendly salute, tho' I confess in an unusual monitory way. My dear Captain, I love you perfectly well ; I love both your Person and Parts, which are not vulgar ; I am in love with your Disposition, which is generous, and I verily think you were never guilty of any pusillanimous Act in your life : Nor is this Love of mine conferr'd upon you gratis, but you may challenge it as your due, and by way of correspondence, in regard of those thousand convincing Evidences you have given me of yours to me, which ascertain me, that you take me for a true Friend. Now I am of the number of those that had rather commend the Virtue of an Enemy, than sooth the Vices of a Friend ; for your own particular, if your parts of Virtue and your Infirmities were cast into a balance, I know the first would much out-poise the Sect. 5. Familiar Letters. 259 the other : Yet give me leave to tell you, that there is one frailty, or rather ill-favour'd custom, that reigns in you, which weighs much; it is a humour of Swearing in all your discourses ; and they are not slight, but deep, far-fetch'd Oaths that you are wont to rap out, which you use as flowers of Rhetoric to enforce a faith upon the hearers, who believe you never the more: And you use this in cold blood when you are not provok'd, which makes the humour far more dangerous. I know many (and I cannot say I myself am free from it, God forgive me) that being transported with choler, and as it were made drunk with passion by some sudden provoking Accident, or extreme ill Fortune at play, will let fall Oaths and deep protestations: But to Belch out, and send forth, as it were, whole volleys of Oaths and Curses in a calm humour, to verify every trivial Discourse, is a thing of horror. I knew a King, that being cross'd in his Game, would, among his Oaths, fall on the ground, and bite the very earth in the rough of his passion ; I heard of another King (Henry IV. of France) that in his highest dis- temper would swear by Ventre de St, Gris, hy the Belly of St, Gris: I heard of an Italian, that having been much accustom'd to blaspheme, was weanM from it by a pretty wile; for having been one night at play, and lost all his money, after many execrable Oaths, and having offered money to another to go out to face Heaven, and defy God, he threw himself upon a Bed hard by, and there fell asleep : The other Gamesters playM on still, and finding that he was fast asleep, they put out the Candles, and made semblance to play on still ; they fell a wrangling, and spoke so loud that he awakenM : He hearing them play on still, fell a rub- bing his eyes, and his Conscience presently prompted him that he was struck blind, and that God's Judgment had de- servedly fallen down upon him for his Blasphemies ; and so he fell to sigh and weep pitifully : A ghostly Father was sent for, who undertook to do some Acts of Penance for him, if he would make a Vow never to play again, or blaspheme ; which he did, and so the candles were lighted again, which he 26o Familiar Letters. Book I. he thought were burning all the while : So he became a per- fect Convert. I could wish this Letter might produce the same effect in you. There is a strong Text^ that the curse of Heaven hangs always over the dwelling of the Swearer ; and you have more fearful examples of miraculous Judgments in this particular, than of any other sin. There is a little Town in Languedoc in France, that hath a multitude of the Pictures of the Virgin Mary up and down ; but she is made to carry Christ in her right Arm_, contrary to the ordinary custom ; and the reason they told me was this, that two Gamesters being at play, and one having lost all his money, and bolted out many blasphemies, he gave a deep Oath, that that Whore upon the Wall, meaning the Picture of the blessed Virgin, was the cause of his ill luck ; hereupon the Child removed imperceptibly from the left Arm to the right, and the Man fell stark dumb ever after: Thus went the Tradition there. This makes me think of the Lady SouthwelPs news from Utopia, that he who sweareth when he playeth at dice, may challenge his damnation by way of purchase. This infandous custom of swearing, I observe, reigns in Engla?id Isiteiy more than any- where else ; tho' a German in highest puff of passion swears a hundred thousand Sacraments, the Italian by the Whore of God^ the French by his Death, the Spaniard by his Flesh, the Welshman by his Sweat, the Irishman by his Five Wounds^ tho' the Scot commonly bids the Devil hale his Soul ; yet for Variety of Oaths the English Roarers put down all. Consider well what a dangerous thing it is to tear in pieces that dreadful Name which makes the vast Fabrick of the World to tremble, that holy Name wherein the whole Hier- archy of Heaven doth triumph, that blissful Name, wherein consists the fulness of all felicity. I know this custom in you yet is but a light Disposition, 'tis no Hahit I hope ; let me therefore conjure you, by that power of Friendship, by that holy league of Love which is between us, that you would suppress it before it come to that; for I must tell you, that those who could find in their hearts to love you for Sect. 5. Familiar Letters. 261 for many other things, do disrespect you for this ; they hate your Company, and give no credit to whatever you say, it being one of the punishments of a Swearer, as well as of a Lyar, not to be believ'd when he speaks truth. Excuse me that I am so free with you, what I write pro- ceeds from the clear current of a pure Affection; and I shall heartily thank you, and take it for an Argument of love^ if you tell me of my weaknesses, which are (God wot) too too many; for my body is but a Cargazon of corrupt humours, and being not able to overcome them all at once, I do en- deavour to do it by degrees : Like Sertoriiiss Soldier, who when he could not cut off the Horse-tail with his Sword at one blow, fell to pull out the hairs one by one. And touch- ing this particular humour from which I disswade you, it hath rag'd in me too often by contingent fits ; but I thank God for it, I find it much abated and purged. Now the only Physic I used was a precedent Fast, and recourse to the holy Sacrament the next day, of purpose to implore pardon for what had passed, and power for the future to quell those exorbitant motions, those ravings and feverish fits of the Soul, in regard there are no infirmities more dangerous ; for at the same instant they have being, they become impieties. And the greatest symptom of Amend- ment I find in me is, because whenever I hear the holy Name of GOD blasphemed by any other, it makes my heart to tremble within my breast. Now it is a penitential Rule, That if Sins present do not please thee, Sins past ■will not hurt thee. All other Sins have their object, either pleasure or profit, or some Aim and Satisfaction to Body or Mind ; but this hath none at all : Therefore fye upon't, my dear Captain, try whether you can make a con- quest of yourself, in subduing this execrable custom. Alexander subdued the World, Ccesar his Enemies, H^r- Monsters ; but he that overcomes himself is the true valiant Captain. I have herewith sent you a Hymn, con- sonant to this subject, because I know you are musical, and a good Poet. A 262 Familiar Letters. Book L A Gradual Hymn of a double Cadence, tending to the honour of the holy Name of GOD. 1. T ET the vast Universe, ■i-^ And therein ev'ry thing The mighty Acts 7'ehearse Of their immortal Ki?tg, His Name extol what to Nadir f7'om Zenith stir 'Twixt Pole and Pole. 2. Ye Elejnents that move^ And alter ev^ry hour, Yet herei7i consta?it prove, symbolize all four ; His praise to tell, mix all i?t one for air aiid tone To sound this peal. 3. Earth, which the centre art, And only standest still, Yet move, and bear thy part ; Resound with Echoes shrill; Thy Mines of Gold, with precious Stones^ and Unions, His Fame uphold. 4. Let all thy f-agrant Flowers Grow sweeter by this air, Thy tallest Trees and Bowers Bud forth and blossom fair ; Beasts wild and tame whom lodgings yield house, dens, or fields Collaud his Name. 5. Ye Seas with Earth that make One Globe flow high, and swell, Exalt your Maker's Naine, hi deep his wonders tell ; Leviathan, and what doth swijn near bank or bri7n, His Glory scan. 6. Ye airy Regions all yoi7i i7i a sweet conse7it. Blow such a Madrigal May reach the Firmament ; Winds, Hail, Ice, Snow, a7id pearly Drops, that hang on crops^ His Wonders shew. 7. Pure Eleme7it ofYix^ With holy sparks i7tfla77ie This subluna7y Choir, That all one Co7isort fra77ie; Their spirits raise, To tru7npet forth Their Maker's worth. And sound his Praise. 8. Ye glorious Lamps that roll I 71 your celestial Spheres, All tmder his controul. Who you on Poles up bears ; Hi7n 77iagnify Ye Planets bright. And fixed Lights That deck the Sky. 9. O Heaven Chrystalline, Which by thy watry hue Dost te77tper a7id refi7ie The rest i7i azur'd blue ; His Glory soimd thou first Mobile, which 77tak^st all wheel In circle rotmd. 10. Ye glorious Souls who reign In se77ipiter7ial joy, Free fro7n those cares a7id pai7t Which here did you annoy, A7id hi77i behold i7t who77i all Bliss concentred is. His Laud tmfold. Sect. 5. Familiar Letters. 263 II. Blest Maid which dost sur- mount All Saijits and Seraphins^ And 7'eig7i!st as Paramount Aitd chief of Cho'ubijis^ Chaunt out his Praise^ who in thy womb nine months took roojn, Thd crowiid with rays. 12. O let my Soul atid Hearty My Mi7id and Memory Bear i7i this Hymn a part, And join with Earth and Sky; Let ev'ry Wight the world der laztd and adore The Lord of Light. All your Friends here are well, Tom Young excepted^ who I fear hath not Ions: to live amonff us. So I rest — Your true Friend, J. H. Yoi'k, the I of Aug. 1628. XII. Sir, To Will. Austin, E^^'. I HAVE many thanks to give you for that excellent Poem you sent me upon the Passion of Christ ; surely you were possess'd with a very strong Spirit when you penn'd it, you were become a true Enthusiast : for, let me despair, if I lie unto you, all the while I was perusing it, it committed holy rapes upon my Soul ; methought I felt my heart melt- ing within my breast, and my thoughts transported to a true Elysium all the while, there were such flexanimous strong ravishing strains thro'out it. To deal plainly with you, it were an injury to the public good, not to expose to open light such divine raptures, for they have an edifying power in them, and may be termM the very quintessence of Devotion : you discover in them what rich talent you have, which should not be bury'd within the walls of a private Study, or pass thro' a few particular hands, but appear in public view, and to the sight of the World, to the enriching of others, as they did me in reading them. Therefore I shall long to see them pass from the Bankside to Paul's- Churchy ard^ with other precious Pieces of yours, which you have pleased to impart unto me — Your affectionate Servitor, J. H. Oxford, 20 A tig. 1628. XIIL 264 Familiar Letters. Book I. XIII. To Sir I. S., Knight. Sir, YOU writ to me lately for a Footman, and I think this Bearer will fit you : I know he can run well, for he hath run away twice from me, but he knew the way back again. Yet tho' he hath a running head as well as running heels (and who will expect a Footman to be a stay'd man?), I would not part with him were I not to go Post to the North. There be some things in him that answer for his waggeries ; he will come when you call him, go when you bid him, and shut the door after him ; he is faithful and stout, and a lover of his Master : He is a great enemy to all dogs, if they bark at him in his running, for I have seen him confront a huge Mastiff, and knock him down; when you go a country journey, or have him run with you a hunting, you must spirit him with liquor; you must allow him also something extraordinary for Socks, else you must not have him to wait at your Table ; when his grease melts in running hard, 'tis subject to fall into his toes. I send him you but for a trial ; if he be not for your turn, turn him over to me ao^ain when I come back. The best News I can send you at this time is, that we are like to have Peace both with France and Spain ; so that Harwich Men, your Neighbours, shall not hereafter need to fear the Name of Spinola, who struck such an Apprehension into them lately, that I understand they began to fortify. I pray present my most humble Service to my good Lady, and at my return from the North, I will be bold to kiss her hands and yours. So I am — Your much obliged Servitor, J. H. Lond., 25 of May 1628. XIV. Sect. 5. Familiar Letters. 265 XIV. To my Father. Sir, OUR two younger Brothers, which you sent hither, are dispos'd of ; my Brother Doctor hath placed the elder of the two with Mr. Hawes, a Mercer in Cheapside, and he took much pains in't; and I had placed my Brother Ned with Mr. Barrington, a Silk-man in the same Street ; but afterwards for some inconveniences I removed him to one Mr. Smith at the Flower-de-luce in Lomhard- street, a Mercer also. Their Masters both of them are very well to pass, and of good repute ; I think it will prove some advan- tage to them hereafter, to be both of one trade ; because when they are out of their time, they may join Stocks together: so that I hope. Sir, they are as well placed as any two Youths in London, but you must not use to send them such large tokens in money, for that may corrupt them. When I went to bind my brother Ned apprentice in Drapers-Hall, casting my eyes upon the Chimney-piece of the great Room, I spy'd a picture of an ancient Gentleman, and underneath, Thomas Howell : I askM the Clerk about him ; and he told me, that he had been a Spanish Merchant in Henry VIII.'s time^ and coming home rich, and dying a Bachelor, he gave that Hall to the Company of Drapers, with other things, so that he is accounted one of the chieftest Benefactors. I told the Clerk, that one of the Sons of Thomas Howell came now thither to be bound ; he answer'd, that if he be a right Howell, he may have, when he is free, three hundred pounds to help to set up, and pay no Interest for five years. It may be hereafter we will make use of this. He told me also, that any Maid that can prove her Father to be a true Howell, may come and demand fifty pounds towards her portion of the said Hall. I am to go post towards York to-morrow, to my charge, but hope, God willing, to be here again the n ext 266 Book I. next term : So, with my love to my Brother Howell, and my Sister his wife, I rest — Your dutiful Son, J. H. Lond., 30 Sept. 1629. XV. To my Brother J Dr. Howell, at Jesus College w Oxon. Brother, I HAVE sent you here inclos'd. Warrants for four brace of Bucks and a Stag; the last Sir Arthur Manwaring procur'd of the King for you, towards the keeping of your Act. I have sent you also a Warrant for a brace of Bucks out of JVaddon Chace ; besides, you shall receive by this Carrier a great Wicker Hamper, with two Geoules of Sturgeon, six barrels of pickled Oysters, three barrels of Bologna Olives, with some other Spanish commodities. My Lord President of the North hath lately made me Patron of a Living hard by Henley, call'd Hamhledon ; it is worth ^500 a year communihus annis ; and the now Incum- bent, Dr. Pilkinton, is very aged, valetudinary, and corpulent: My Lord by legal instrument hath transmitted the next Ad- vowson to me for satisfaction of some Arrearages. Dr. Dommlaw and two or three more have been with me about it, but I always intended to make the first proffer to you ; therefore I pray think of it ; a sum of money must be had, but you shall be at no trouble for that, if you only will secure it (and desire one more who I know will do it for you), and it shall appear to you that you have it upon far better terms than any other. It is as finely situated as any Rectory can be, for it is about the mid-way ^twixt Oxford and London; it lies upon the Thames, and the Glebe-land House is very large and fair, and not dilapidated ; so that, considering all things, it is as good as some Bishopricks. I know His Majesty is gracious to you, and you may well expect some Preferment that way, but such Livings as these are not to be had everywhere. I thank you for inviting me to your Act; I will be with you the next week, God willing, and hope Sect. 5. Familiar Letters. 267 hope to find my Father there. So, with my kind love to Dr. Mansell, Mr. Watkins, Mr. Madocks, and Mr. Napier at All-Souls, I rest — Your loving Brother, J. H. Land., 20 Jime 1628. XVI. To my Father^ Mr. Ben. Johnson. FEATHER Ben. Nullum Jit magnum ingenium sine mix- tura dejuentice, there's no great Wit without some mixture of madness ; so saith the Philosopher : Nor was he a fool who answer'd, nec parvimi sine mixtura stultitice, nor small wit without some allay of foolishness. Touching the first, it is verify 'd in you, for I find that you have been often- times mad ; you were mad when you writ your Fox, and madder when you writ your Alchymist ; you were mad when you writ Catilin, and stark mad when you writ Sejanus ; but when you writ your Epigrams^ and the Magnetick Lady, you were not so mad : Insomuch that I perceive there be degrees of madness in you. Excuse me that I am so free with you. The madness I mean is that divine Fury, that heating and heightning Spirit which Ovid speaks of. Est Deus in nohis, agitante calescimus illo : That true En- thusiasm which transports, and elevates the souls of Poets above the middle Region of vulgar conceptions, and makes them soar up to Heaven to touch the Stars with their laurell'd heads, to walk in the Zodiac with Apollo himself, and command Mercury upon their errand. I cannot yet light upon Dr. Davies^s Welsh Grammar, before Christmas I am promis'd one : So, desiring you to look better hereafter to your Charcoal-fire and Chimmey, which I am glad to be one that preserved it from burning, this being the second time that Vulcan hath threaten'd you, it may be because you have spoken ill of his Wife, and been too busy with his Horns ; I rest — Your Son, and contiguous Neighbour, J. H. West7n., 27 June 1629. XVII. 268 Familiar Letters. Book I. XVII. To Sir Arthur Ingram, at his House in York. Sir, I HAVE sent you herewith a hamper of Melons, the best I could find in any of Tothill-Jield gardens, and with them my very humble service and thanks for all favours, and lately for inviting me to your new noble House at Temple Newsam^ when I return to Yorkshire: To this I may answer you, as my Lord Coke was answer'd by a Norfolk Countryman who had a Suit depending in the King's-Be?ich against some Neighbours touching a River that us'd to annoy him, and Sir Edw. Coke asking how he call'd the River, he answer'd. My Lord, I need not call her, for she is forward enough to come of herself . So I may say, that you need not call me to any House of yours, for I am forward enough to come without calling. My Lord President isstill indispos'd at Dr. Nappier^s, yet he writ to me lately, that he hopes to be at the next Sitting in York. So, with a tender of my most humble Service to my noble good Lady, I rest — Your most obliged Servant, J. H. Land., 2^ July 1629. XVIH. To R. S., Esq. Sir, I AM one of them who value not a Courtesy that hangs long betwixt the fingers. I love not those vis- cosa henejicia, those birdlim'd Kindnesses which Pliny speaks of; nor would I receive Money in a dirty Clout, if possibly I could be without it : Therefore I return you the Courtesy by the same hand that brought it; it might have pleasur'd me at first, but the expectation of it hath prejudicM me, and now perhaps you may have more need of it than — Your humble Servitor, J. H. Westfu., 3 Avg, 1629. XIX. Sect. 5. Familiar Letters. 269 XIX. To the Countess of Sunderland, at York. Madam, MY Lord continues still in a course of Phi/sick at Dr. Nappier's ; I writ to him lately, that his Lordship would please to come to his own House here in Martin's Lane, where there is a greater Accommodation for the recovery of his health. Dr. Mayeni being on the one side, and the King's Apothecary on the other: But I fear there be some Mountebanks that carry him away, and I hear he intends to remove to Wickham to one Atkinson, a mere Quacksalver, that was once Dr. Lopez his Man. The little Knight that useth to draw up his Breeches with a shooing-horn, I mean Sir Posthumus Hobby, flew high at him this Parliament, and would have inserted his Name in the Scrowl of Recusants, that's shortly to be presented to the King; but I producM a Certificate from Lindf or d under the Minister's hand, that he receiv'd the Communion at Easter last, and so got his Name out : Besides, the Deputy Lieutenants of Buckinghamshire would have charg'd Biggin- Farm with a Light- horse, but Sir WilL Alford and others joinM with me to get off. Sir Tho. Wentworth and Mr. JVansford are grown great Courtiers lately, and come from Westminster-Hall to White- Hall : (Sir Jo. Savill their Countryman having shewn them the way with his white Staff.) The Lord Weston tamper'd with the one, and my Lord Cottington took pains with the other, to bring them about from their violence against the Prerogative : And I am told the first of them is promised my Lord's Place at York, in case his sickness continue. We are like to have Peace with Spaiji and France : And for Germany, they say the Swedes are like to strike into her, to try whether they may have better fortune than the Danes. My Lady Scroop (my Lord's Mother) hath lain sick a good Familiar Letters. Book L good while, and is very weak. So I rest — Madam, your humble and dutiful Servitor, J. H. Westm., 5 Aug. 1629. XX. To Dr. H. W. Sir, IT is a Rule in Friendship, When distrust enters in at the Fore-gate, Love goes out at the Postern : It is as true a Rule, that rj airopla t% iTrcarij/Jbrj^ ^PXV} Dubitation is the be- ginning of all Knowledge ; I confess this is true in the first Election and Co-optation of a Friend, to come to the true knowledge of him by Queries and Doubts ; but when there's a perfect Contract made, confirmed by experience, and a long tract of time, distrust then is mere poison to Friend- ship : Therefore if it be as I am told, I am unfit to be your Friend, but — Your Servant, J. H. Westm. J 20 Oct. 1629. XXI. To Dr. H. W. Sir, THEY say in Itahj, that Deeds are Men, and Words are hut Women : I have had your Word often to give me a Visit ; I pray turn your female Promises to masculine Performances, else I shall think you have lost your being; for you know 'tis a Rule in Law, Idem est non esse &' non apparere. — Your faithful Servitor, J. H. Westm. ^ 25 Sept. 1629. To Mr. B. Chaworth : On my Valentine, Mrs. Francis Metcalf [now Lady Robinson), at York. A Sonnet. f^OULD I charm the Queen of Love ^ ^ To lend a quill of her white Dove ; Or Sect. 5. Familiar Letters. 271 Or one of Cupid's pointed Wings Dipt in the fair Castalian springs ; Then would I write the all-divine Perfections of my Valentine. As 'mongst all flowers the Rose excels, As Amber ^mongst the fragranfst smells, As ^mongst all mi?ierals the Gold, As Marble ^mongst the finest mould, As Diamonds ^7?iongst jewels bright, As Cynthia ^mongst the lesser lights. So ^mongst the Northern Beauties shine, So far excels my Valentine. In Rome and Naples / did view Faces of Celestial hue ; Venetian Daines I have see?! many, (/ only saw them, touched not any) (9/" Spanish Beauties, Dutch and French, / have beheld the Quintessence : Yet saw T none that could out-shine, Or parallel my Valentine. TK Italians they are coy and quaint. But they grosly daub and paint ; The Spanish kind, a7id apt to please, But sav' ring of the same disease : Of Dutch and French so7?te few are comely. The French are light, the Dutch are ho77iely. Let Tagus, Po, the Loire and Rhine The7i veil unto 77iy Valentine. Here 77iay be see7t pure white and red, Not by feigTid A rt, but Nature wed, No si77ipri7ig S7niles, no 77ii77iic face. Affected gesture, or f or c^ d grace, A fair smooth front, free fro7n least wrinkle, Her eyes {on me) like stars do twinkle : Thus all Perfections do co77ibine To beautify my Valentine. XXII. 272 Familiar Letters. Book I, XXII. To Mr. Tho. M. NOBLE Tom, You desir'd me lately to compose some lines upon your Mistress's black Eyes, her becoming Frowns, and upon her Mask. Tho' the least request of yours be a command unto me, the execution of it a con- tentment, yet I was hardly drawn to such a task at this time, in regard that many businesses puzzle my PericraJiium. — Aliena negotia centum per caput ^ circa saliunt latus. Yet lest your Clorinda might expect such a thing, and that you might incur the hazard of her smiles (for you say her frowns are favours), and that she may take off her Mask to you the next time you go to court her, I send you the inclos'd Verses Sonnet-wise, which haply may please her better, in regard I hear she hath some Skill in Musick. Upon Hack Eyes, ajid becoming Frowns. A Sonnet. LA CK Eyes J in your dark Orbs doth lie My ill or happy destiny. Jfwith clear looks you me behold^ You give me Mines and Mounts of Gold ; If you dart forth disdainful rays^ To your own ^y^you turn my days. Black Eyes, in your dark Orbs by changes dwell, My Bane or Bliss, my Paradise or Hell. That Lamp which all the Stars doth blind^ Yields to your lustre in some kind, Thd ye do wear to make you bright No other dress but that of nighty He glitters otily i?i the day, You i?i the dark your beams display. Black Eyes, in your two Orbs by changes dwell, My Bane or Bliss, my Paradise or Hell. The Sect, 5. Familiar Letters. 273 The cunning Thief that lurks for prize ^ At some dark corner watching lies ; So that heart-robbing God doth stand Jn your black lobbies^ shaft in hand^ To rifle me of what I hold More precious far than Indian Gold. Black Eyes, in your dark Orbs by changes dwell, My Bane or Bliss, my. Paradise or Hell. O pow''rful Necrojnantick eyes, Who in your circles strictly pries, Will find that Cupid with his dart In you doth practise the black art, And by tK enchantment Tm posse st, Tries his conclusions in my breast. Black Eyes, in your dark Orbs by changes dwell, My Bane or Bliss, my Paradise or Hell. Look on me, thd in frowning wise. Some kind of frowns become black eyes. As poitited Diamonds being set, Cast greater lustre out of jet : Those Pieces we esteemed most rare. Which in night-shadows postured are : Darkness in Churches coftgregafes the sight. Devotion strays in glaring light. Black Eyes, in your dark Orbs by changes dwell, My Bane or Bliss, my Paradise or Hell. Touching her Mask, I will not he long ah out it. Upon Clorindds Mask. 00 have I seen the Sun in his full pride. ^ Overcast with sullen clouds, and lose his light ; So have I seen the brightest Stars denfd To shew their lustre in some gloomy night , So Angels pictures have I seen veifd o'er, That more devoutly men should them adore ; So with a Mask saw I Clorinda hide Her face more bright than was the Lemnian Bride. s Whether Familiar Letters. Book I. Whether I have hit upon your fancy, or fitted your Mistress, I know not; I pray let me hear what success they have. So, wishing you your heart's desire, and if you have her, a happy confarreation, I rest in Verse and Prose — Yours, J. H. Wesfm.y 29 of Mar. 1629. XXIII. To the Rt. Hon, my Lady Scroop, Countess of Sunderland, at Lang^ar. Madam, I AM newly return'd from Himsdon, from giving the rites of burial to my Lord's Mother; she made my Lord sole Executor of all. I have all her plate and household- stuff in my custody, and unless I had gone as I did much bad been embezel'd. I have sent herewith the copy of a Letter the King writ to my Lord upon the resignation of his place, which is fitting to be preserv'd for posterity among the Records of jBo/^otz- Castle. His Majesty ex- presseth therein that he was never better serv'd, nor with more exactness of fidelity and justice by any, therefore he intends to set a special mark of his favour upon him, when his health will serve him to come to Court: My Lord Carleton delivered it me, and told me he never remember'd that the King writ a more gracious Letter. I have lately bought in fee-farm JVanless Park, of the King's Commis- sioners, for my Lord ; I got it for ^600, doubling the old Rent, and the next day I was offer'd .^500 for the Bargain ; there were divers that put in for't, and my Lord of Anglesey thought himself sure of it, but I found means to frustrate them all. I also compounded with Her Majesty's Commis- sioners for respite of Homage for 7?aZ'Z'i-Castle; there was j^i20 demanded, but I came off for 40^. My Lord IVent- worth is made Lord Deputy of Ireland, and carries a mighty stroke at Court; there have been some clashings 'twixt him and Sect 5. Familiar Letters. 275 and my Lord of Pembroke lately with others at Court, and divers in the North : and some, as Sir David Fowler with others, have been crushed. He pleas'd to give me the disposing of the next Attorney's place in York, and John Lister being lately dead, I went to make use of the Favour, and was oflfer'd ^^300 for it; but some got ^twixt me and home, so that I was forc'd to go away contented with 100 Pieces Mr. RatcUff delivered me in his Chamber at Grays-Inn, and so to part with the legal Instrument I had, which I did rather than contest. The Dutchess your Niece is well ; I did what your Lady- ship commanded me at York-house, So I rest. Madam — Your Ladyship's ready and faithful Servitor, J. H. Westm., I July 1629. XXIV. To D. C, Esq., at his House in Essex. My D. D., I THANK you for your last Society in London, but I am sorry to have found Jack T. in that pickle, and that he had so far transgressed the Fannian Law, which allows a chirping Cup to satiate, not to surfeit, to mirth, not to madness; and upon some extraordinary occasion of ren- counters, to give Nature a JilUp, but not a knock, as Jack did. I am afraid he hath taken such a habit of it, that nothing but death will mend him ; and I find that he is posting thither apace by this course. I have read of a King of Navarre {Charles le Mauvais) who perishM in strong waters ; and of a Duke of Clarence that was drown'd in a Butt of Malmsey: But Jack T, I fear will die in a Butt of Canary. Howsoever commend me to him, and desire him to have a care of the main chance. So I rest — > Yours, J. H. York^ 5 Jily 1629. XXV. 276 Familiar Letters. Book /. XXV. To Sir Thomas Lake, Knight. Sir, I HAVE shew'd Sir Kenelm Dighy both our Translations of MartiaVs Fitam quce faciunt heatiorem, ^c, and to tell you true, he adjudged yours the better; so I shall pay the wager in the place appointed, and try whether I can recov^er myself at Gioco d'amore, which the Italian saith is a Play to cozen the Devil. If your pulse beat accordingly, I will wait upon you on the River towards the evening, for a Jloundring fit to get some fish for our supper : So I rest — Your true Servitor, J. H. 2,/tdy 1629. XXVI. To Mr. Ben. Johnson. PATHER Ben, you desir'd me lately to procure you Dr. Davies's Welsh Grammar, to add to those many you have ; I have lighted upon one at last, and I am glad I have it in so seasonable a time that it may serve for a New- year's-gift, in which quality I send it you : And because ^twas not you, but your Muse, that desir'd it of me, for your Letter runs on feet, I thought it a good correspondence with you to accompany it with what follows. Upon Dr. Davies's British Grammar. > ^nr^ WAS a tough task, believe it, thus to tame A wild and wealthy Language, and to frame Grammatic toils to curb her, so that she Now speaks by Rules, and sings by Prosody : Such is the strength of Art rough things to shape, And of rude Comi7ions rich Inclosures make. Doubtless much oil a?td labour went to couch Into methodic Rules the rugged Dutch ; The Rabbles pass my reach, but judge 1 can Soniething of Clenard and Quintilian. Italian Sect. 5. Familiar Letters. 277 Italian, Ajid for those modern Dames, / find they three Spanish, Are only lops cut from the Latian Tree ; French, Afid easy Hwas to square thetn into parts, The Tree itself so blossoining with arts. I have been shown for Irish and Bascuence Imperfect Rules couch' d in an Accidence: But I find none of these can take the start Of Davies, or that prove more Men of Art, Who in exact er method and short way. The Idioms of a Language do display. This is the Tongue which Bards sung in of old, And Druids their dark Knoivledge did unfold ; Merlin in this his Prophecies did ve?it Which ihrd the world of fame bear such extent : Arthur. This spoke that Son of Mars, and Briton bold, Who first 'mongst Christian Worthies is cfiroWd, This Brennus, who to his desire and glut, The Mistress of the World did prostitute. This Arviragus, and brave Catarac Sole free, when all the World was on Rome's rack. This Lucius, 7vho on Angels' Wings did soar 2o Rome, ajid would wear Diadem no more ; And thousand Heroes more, which should I tell, This New-year scarce would serve me : So farewell. — Your Son and Servitor^ J. H. Cal. Apr. 1629. XXVII. To the Right Hon. the Earl 0/ Bristol, at Sherburn-Castle. My Lord, I ATTENDED my Lord Cottington before he went on his journey towards Spain, and put him in mind of the old business against the Viceroy of Sardinia, to see whether any good can be done, and to learn whether the Conde or his Son be solvent: He is to land at Lisbon; one of the King's Ships attends him, and some Merchant-men take the advantage of this Convoy. The 278 Familiar Letters. Book I. The News that keeps greatest noise now is, that the Emperor hath made a favourable Peace with the Dane ; for Tilly had cross'd the l^lve, and enterM deep into Holstein- land, and in all probability might have carry'd all before him : yet that King had honourable Terms given him, and a Peace is concluded, tho' without the privity of England. But I believe the King of Denmark far'd the better, because he is Grandchild to Charles the Emperor's Sister. Now it seems another Spirit is like to fall upon the Emperor; for they write that Gustavus King of Swethland is struck into Germany, and hath taken Meclenhurgh: the ground of his quarrel, as I hear, is, that the Emperor would not acknow- ledge, much less give audience to his Ambassador; he also gives out to come for the assistance of his Allies, the Dukes of Pomerland and Meclenhurgh ; nor do I hear that he speaks anything yet of the Prince Palsgrave^s business. Don Carlos Coloma is expected here from Flanders, about the same time that my Lord Cotiington shall be arriv'd at the Court of Spain, God send us an honourable Peace : for, as the Spaniard says, Nunca vi tan mala paz, que nefuesse mejor, que la rnejor guerra. — Your Lordship's most humble and ready Servant, J. H. Londofi, 20 May 1629. XXVIII. To my Cousin, I. P., at Mr. Conradus. Cousin, A LETTER of yours was lately delivered me; I made a shift to read the superscription, but within I wonder'd what Language it might be in which it was written; at first I thought 'twas Hebrew, or some other Dialect, and so went from the liver to the heart, from the right hand to the left to read it, but could make nothing of it : then I thought it might be the Chinese Language, and went to read the words perpendicular; and the lines were so crooked and distorted, that no coherence could be made. Greek I perceived it was not, nor Latin or English; so I gave it for mere Sect. 5. Familiar Letters. 279 mere Gihherishj and your Characters to be rather Hiero- glyphicks than Letters. The best is, you keep your lines at a good distance, like those in Chancery-Bills, who, as the Clerk said, were made so wide of purpose, because the Clients should have room enough to walk between them without justling one another; yet this wideness had been excusable, if your lines had been straight, but they were full of odd kind of Undulations and Windings. If you can write no otherwise, one may read your thoughts as soon as your characters. It is some excuse for you that you are but a young beginner : I pray let it appear in your next what a proficient you are, otherwise some blame may light on me that placed you there. Let me receive no more Gibberish or Hierogly plucks from you, but legible Letters, that I may acquaint your Friends accordingly of your good pro- ceedings. So I rest — Your very loving Cousin, J. H. Westm,, 20 Sept 1629. XXIX. To the Lord Viscount Wentworth, Lord President of York. My Lord, MY last was of the first current, since which I receivM one from your Lordship, and your commands there- in, which I shall ever entertain with a great deal of cheer- fulness. The greatest news from Abroad is, that the French King with his Cardinal are come again on this side the Hills, having done his business in Italy and Savoy, and reserv'd still Pignerol in his hands, which will serve him as a key to enter Italy at pleasure. Upon the highest Moun- tain 'mongst the Alps, he left this ostentous Inscription upon a great Marble Pillar: A la inemoire eiernelle de Loiiis Tretziesfne, Roy de France 6^ de Navarre, Tres-Auguste, tres- Victorieux^ tres-Heureux^ Conquerant^ ires-juste : Lequel 28o Familiar Letters. Book I. Lequel apres avoir vaincu toutes les Nations de /'Europe, // a encore triumphe les EIe??ients Du Ciel 6^ de la Terre^ Ayanl passe deux fois ces Mo?its au mois de Mars avec son Ar?nee Vidorieuse, pour remettre les Princes ^'Italic en leurs Estats, Defendre proteger ses Alliez, To the eternal Memory of Lewis XIII. King of France and Navarre, most gracious, most victorious, most happy, most just, a Conqueror; who having o'ercome all Nations of Europe, he hath also triumph'd over the Elements of Heaven and Earth, having twice pass'd o'er these Hills in the month of March with his victorious Army, to restore the Princes of Italy to their Estates, and to defend and protect his Allies. So I take my leave for the present, and rest — Your Lordship's most humble and ready Servitor, J. H, Wesfm., 5 A tig. 1629. XXX. To Sir Kenelm Digby, Knight, Sir, GIVE me leave to congratulate your happy return from the Levant, and the great honour you have acquir'd by your gallant comportment in Algier, in re-escating so many English Slaves ; by bearing up so bravely against the Fenetian Fleet in the Bay of Scanderoon, and making the Pantaloni to know themselves and You better. I do not remember to have read or heard that those huge Galleasses of St. Mark were beaten afore. I give you the joy also, that you have born up against the Venetian Ambassador here, and vindicated yourself of those foul scandals he had cast upon you in your Absence. Whereas you desire me to join with my Lord Cottingham and others, to make Affidavit touching Bartholomew Spinola, whether he be Vezino de Madrid, viz.. Free Denison of Spain ; I am ready to serve you Sect. 5. Familiar Letters. 281 you herein, or to do any other office that nriay right you, and tend to the making of your Prize good. Yet I am very sorry that our Aleppo Merchants suflfer'd so much. I shall be shortly in London, and I will make the greater speed, because I may serve you. So I humbly kiss my noble Lady's hand, and rest — Your thrice assured Servitor, J. H. Westni., 25 Nov. 1629. XXXL To the Rt. Hon. Sir Peter Wicht, Amlassador at Constantinople. Sir, MASTER Simon Dighy deliver'd me one from your Lordship of the first of June; and 1 was extremely glad to have it, for I had received nothing from your Lord- ship a twelvemonth before. Mr. Controuler Sir Tho, Edmonds is lately return'd from France, having renew'd the Peace which was made up to his hands before by the Venetian Ambassadors, who had much laboured in it, and had concluded all things beyond the Alps, when the K. of France was at Susa to relieve Casal. The Monsieur that was to fetch him from St. Dennis to Paris put a kind of jeering Compliment upon him, viz., that his Excellency should not think it stran2;e that he had so few French Gentlemen to attend in this Service to accompany him to the Court, in regard there were so many killed at the Isle of Rhee. The Marquis of Chateauneuf is here from France : And it was an odd Speech also from him, reflecting upon Mr. Controuler, that the King of Great Britain used to send for his Ambassadors from abroad to pluck Capons at home. Mr. Burlemach is to go shortly to Paris, to recover the other moiety of Her Majesty^s Portion ; whereof they say my Lord of Holland is to have a good share. The Lord Treasurer Weston is he who hath the greatest vogue now at Court, but many great ones have clash'd with him : He is 282 Familiar Letters. Book I. is so potent, that I hear his eldest Son is to marry one of the Blood-royal of Scotland^ the Duke of Lenoxes Sister, and that with His Majesty's consent. Bishop Laud of London is also powerful in his way, for he sits at the Helm of the Church, and doth more than any of the two Arch-Bishops, or all the rest of his two and twenty Brethren besides. In your next I should be glad your Lordship would do me the favour, as to write how the Grand Signior is like to speed before Bagdat, in this his Persian expedition. No more now, but that I always rest — Your Lordship's ready and most faithful Servitor, J. H. Wesfm.f I y^an. 1629. xxxn. To my Father. Sir, SIR Tho. Wentworth hath been a good while Lord Pre- sident of York, and since is sworn Privy Counsellor, and made Baron and Viscount ; the Duke of Buckingham himself flew not so high in so short a revolution of time : He was made Viscount with a great deal of high ceremony upon a Sunday in the Afternoon at White-kalL My Lord Powis (who affects him not so much) being told that the Heralds had fetchM his Pedigree from the Blood-royal, viz., from Jo/m of Gaunt, said, Dammy if ever he come to he King of England, I will turn Rebel. When I went first to give him jov, he pleas'd to give me the disposing of the next Attorney's place that falls void in York^ which is valued at ^300. I have no reason to leave my Lord of Sunderland, for I hope he will be noble unto me. The perquisites of my place, taking the King's fee away, came far short of what he promis'd me at my first coming to him, in regard of his non-residence at York ; therefore I hope he will con- sider it some other way. This languishing sickness still hangs on him, and I fear will make an end of him. There's none can tell what to make of it, but he voided lately a small Sect. 5. Familiar Letters. 283 small Worm at Wickliam : But I fear there's an impos- thume growing in him, for he told me a passage, how many years ago my Lord JVilloiighby, and he, with so many of their servants' {de gayete de coeiir), playM a match at foot- ball against such a number of Countrymen, where my Lord of Sujiderland being busy about the ball, got a bruise in the breast ; which put him in a swoon for the present, but did not trouble him till three Months after, when being at Bever-Q>?iSt\t (his brother-in-law's house) a qualm took him on a sudden, which made him retire to his Bed-chamber. My Lord of Rutland following him, put a Pipe full of To- bacco in his mouth ; he being not accustom'd to Tobacco, taking the smoak downwards, fell a casting and vomiting up divers little imposthumated bladders of congeaPd blood ; which sav'd his life then, and brought him to have a better conceit of Tobacco ever after : And I fear there is some of that clodded blood still in his body. Because Mr. Hawes of Cheapside is lately dead, I have removM my brother Griffitfi to the Hen and Chickens in Paternoster-Row to Mr. Taylor Sj as genteel a shop as any in the City; but I gave a piece of plate of twenty nobles price to his Wife. I wish the Yorkshire horse may be fit for your turn ; he was accounted the best saddle Gelding about York, when I bought him of Capt. Phillips the Muster-master : And when he carry'd me first to London, there was twenty pounds offer'd for him by my Lady Carlile. No more now, but desiring a continuance of your blessing and prayers, I rest — Your dutiful Son, J. H. Lond.^ 3 Dec, 1630. XXXIIL To the Lord Cottington, Ambassador Extraordinary for His Majesty of Great Britain in the Court of Spain. My Lord, I RECEIVED your Lordship's lately by Harry Davies the Correo Santo, and I return my humble thanks, that 284 Familiar Letters. Book 1. that you were pleas'd to be mindful (among so many high negotiations) of the old business touching the Vice-roy of Sardinia. I have acquainted my Lord of Bristol accord- ingly ; our eyes here look very greedily after your Lord- ship, and the success of your Embassy; and we are glad to hear the business is brought to so good a pass, and that the Capitulations are so honourable (the high effects of your wisdom). For news, the Sweds do notable feats in Gerrtiany ; and we hope they cutting the Emperor and Bavarian so much work to do, and the good offices we are to expect from Spain upon this redintegration of peace, will be an Advan- tage to the Prince Palatine, and facilitate matters for re- storing him to his Country. There is little news at our Court, but that there fell an ill- favour'd quarrel ^twixt Sir Kenelm Dighy, and Mr. Goring^ Mr. Jermin, and others at St. Jameses, lately, about Mrs. Baker the Maid of Honour; and Duels were like to grow of it, but that the business was taken up by the Lord Trea- surer, my Lord of Dorset, and others appointed by the King. My Lord Sunderland is still ill dispos'd ; he will'd me to remember his hearty service to your Lordship, and so did Sir Arthur Ingram, and my Lady; they all wish you a happy and honourable return, as doth — Your Lordship's most humble and ready Servitor, J. H. Loiid.^ I Mar. 1630. XXXIV. To my Lord Viscount Rocksavage. My Lord, SOME say. The Italian loves no favour, hut what'' s future; tho' I have convers'd much with that Nation, yet I am nothing infected with their humour in this point: For I love favours passed as well ; the remembrance of them joys my very heart, and makes it melt within me : When my thoughts reflect upon your Lordship, I have many of these fits of joy within me, by the pleasing speculation of so many most Sect. 5. Familiar Letters. 285 most noble favours and respects which I shall daily study to improve and merit. My Lord — Your Lordship's most humble and ready Servitor, J. H. Westm.., 22 Mar. 1630. XXXV. To the Earl 0/ Bristol. My Lord, I DOUBT not but your Lordship hath had intelligence from time to time what firm invasions the King of Siveds hath made into Germany^ and by what degrees he hath mounted to this height, having but 6000 foot, and 500 horse, when he enter'd first to MeclenLwg, and taking that Town while Commissioners stood treating on both sides in his Tent; how thereby his Army much increased, and so rush'd further into the heart of the Country; but passing near Magdenhurg, being diffident of his own strength, he suflfer'd Tilly to take that great Town with so much effusion of blood, because they would receive no quarter. Your Lordship hath also heard of the battel of Lelpsick, where Tilly, notwithstanding the Victory he had got o'er the D. of Saxony a few days before, receiv'd an utter discomfiture ; upon which Victory the King sent Sir Tho. Roe a present of j£;^2000, and in his letter calls him his strenuum consultorem, he being one of the first who had advis'd him to this German War, after he had made Peace ^twixt him and the Polander. I presume also, your Lordship heard how he met Tilly again near Auspurg, and made him go upon a wooden Leg, whereof he died ; and after soundly plundered the Bavarian, and made him flee from his own house at Munchen, and rifled his very Closets. Now your Lordship shall understand, that the said King is at Mentz, and keeps a Court there like an Emperor, there being above twelve Ambassadors with him. The K. of France sent a great Marquis for his Ambassador, to put him in mind of his Articles, and to tell him that His Christian Majesty 286 Familiar Letters. Book L Majesty wonder'd he would cross the Rhine without his privity, and wonder'd more that he would invade the Church-Lands, meaning the Archbishop of Mentz, who had put himself under the protection of France. The Swede an- swered, that he had not broke the least tittle of the Articles agreed on ; and touching the said Archbishop, he had not stood neutral as was promised, therefore he had justly set on his skirts. The Ambassador reply'd, in case of breach of Articles, his Master had 80,000 men to pierce Germany when he pleas'd. The King answered, that he had but 20,000, and those should be sooner at the Walls of Paris, than his 80,000 should be on the frontiers of Germany. If this new Conqueror goes on with this violence, I believe it will cast the Policy of all Christendom into another mould, and beget new Maxims of State, for none can foretell where his monstrous progress will terminate. Sir Henry Vane is still in Germany observing his motions, and they write that they do not agree well ; as I heard the King should tell him that he spoke nothing but Spanish to him. Sir Robert Anstruther is also at Vienna, being gone thither from the Diet at Batishon. I hear the Infante Cardinal is design'd to come Governor of the Netherlands, and passeth by way of Italy, and so thro' Germany : His brother Don Carlos is lately dead. So I humbly take my leave, and rest, my Lord — Your Lord- ship's most humble and ready Servitor, J. H. Westm.^ 2 7, Apr. 1630. XXXVI. To my nolle Lady, the Lady Cor. Madam, YOU spoke to me for a Cook who had seen the world Abroad, and I think the Bearer hereof will fit your Ladyship's turn. He can marinate fish, make gellies ; he is excellent for a piquant sauce, and the Haugou ; besides, Madam, he is passing good for an Ollia: He will tell your Ladyship Sect. 5. Familiar Letters. 287 Ladyship, that the reverend Matron the Olla podrida hath intellectuals and senses ; Mutton, Beef, and Bacon, are to her as the Will, Understanding, and Memory, are to the Soul : Cabbage, Turnips, Artichocks, Potatoes, and Dates, are her five Senses, and Pepper the Common-sense ; she must have Marrow to keep Life in her, and some Birds to make her light ; by all means she must go adorn'd with chains of Sausages. He is also good at larding of Meat after the Mode of France. Madam, you may make proof of him, and if your Ladyship find him too saucy or wasteful, you may return him whence you had him. So I rest, Madam — Your Ladyship's humble Servitor, J. H. Westm.j 2 fun. 1630. XXXVII. To Mr. E. D. Sir, YOU write to me, that T. B. intends to give Money for such a place; if he doth, I fear it will be verify'd in him, that A Fool and his money is soon parted; for I know he will be never able to execute it. I heard of a late Secretary of State, that could not read the next morning his own hand-writing ; and I have read of Caligula s Horse, that w^as made Consul : Therefore I pray tell him from me (for I wish him well), that if he thinks he is fit for that Office, he looks upon himself thro' a false Glass : A trotting Horse is fit for a Coach, but not for a Lady's Saddle; and an Ambler is proper for a Lady's Saddle, but not for a Coach. If Tom undertakes this place, he will be as an Ambler in a Coach, or a Trotter under a Lady's Saddle. When I come to Town, I will put him upon a far fitter and ' more feasable business for him ; and so commend me to him, for I am his and — Your true Friend, J. H. Westm.,^Jjm. 1630. XXXVIII. 288 Familiar Letters. Book L XXXVIII. To my Father. Sir, THERE are two Ambassadors Extraordinary to go Abroad shortly, the Earl of Leicester and the Lord Weston; this latter goes to France^ Savoy, Venice, and so returns by Florence, a pleasant Journey, for he carrieth Presents with him from King and Queen : The Earl of Leicester \s to go to the King Denmark, and other Princes of Gei^many ; the main of the Embassy is to condole the late death of the Lady Sophia, Queen Dowager of Denmark, our King's Grandmother: She was the Duke of Meclen- lurgh's Daughter, and her Husband Christian III. dying young, her Portion, which was .^40,000, was restor'd her : and living a Widow forty-four Years after, she grew to be so great a huswife, setting three or four hundred People at work, that she died worth near two millions of Dollars, so that she was reputed the richest Queen of Christendom. By the Constitutions of Denmark this Estate is divisible among her Children, whereof she had five, the K. of Denmark^ the Dutchess of Saxony, the Dutchess of Bntnswick, Q. Anne, and the Dutchess of Holstein ; the King being male, is to have two shares ; our King and the Lady Elizabeth are to have that which should have belong'd to Q. Anne. So he is to return by the Hague. It pleased my Lord of Leicester to send for me to Baynards-Castlt, and proffer me to go Secretary in this Ambassage, assuring me that the Journey shall tend to my Profit and Credit : So that I have accepted of it, for I hear very nobly of my Lord, so that I hope to make a boon voyage of it. I desire, as hitherto, your Prayers and Blessing may accompany me : So, with my love to my Brothers and Sisters, I rest — Your dutiful Son, J. H. Zond., 5 May 1632. XXXIX. Sect. 5. Familiar Letters. 289 XXXIX. To Mr, Alderman Moulson, Governor of the Merchant- Adventurers. Sir, THE Earl of Leicester is to go shortly Ambassador Ex- traordinary to the King of Denmark, and he is to pass by Hamburgh : I understand by Mr. Skinner that the Staple hath some grievances to be redress'd. If this Am- bassage may be an Advantage to the Company, I will solicit my Lord that he may do you all the favour that mav stand with his honour ; so I shall expect your instructions accordingly, and rest — Yours ready to serve you, J. H. Wesfin., I June 1632. XL To Mr, Alderman Clethero, Governor of the Eastland Company. Sir, I AM informed of some complaints that your Compamj hath against the K. of Denmark'' s Officers in the Sound. The E. of Leicester is nominated by His Majesty to go Ambassador Extraordinary to that King and other Princes of Germany : If this Embassy may be advantageous to you, you may send me your directions, and I will attend my Lord accordingly, to do you any favour that may stand with his honour, and conduce to your benefit, and redress of grievances. So I take my leave, and rest — Yours ready to do you Service, J. H. Westm., I of June 1632. XLI. To the Rt, Hon. the Earl 0/ Leicester, at Pettworth. My Lord, SIR John Pennington is appointed to carry your Lordship and your Company to Germany, and he intends to T take 290 Familiar Letters. Book I. take you up at Margets. I have been with Mr. BouriamacJi, and receiv'd a Bill of Exchange from him for 10,000 Dollars payable in Hamburgh. I have also receiv'd <^2000 of Sir Paul P'mdar for your Lordship's use, and he did me the favour to pay it me all in old Gold. Your Allowance hath begun since the 35th of July last at per diem, and is to continue so till your Lordship return to His Majesty. I understand by some Merchants to-day upon the Exchange, that the King of Denmark is at Luckstadt, and stays there all this Summer; if it be so, 'twill save half the Voyage of going to Copenhagen, for in lieu of the Sound, we need go no further than the River of Elve, So I rest — Your Lord- ship's most humble and faithful Servitor, J. H. Wesfm., 13 Az/g. 1632. XLII. To the Rt. Hon. the Lord Mohun. My Lord, THO' any Command from your Lordship be welcome to me at all times, yet that which you lately enjoined me in yours of the 12th of August, that I should inform your Lordship of what I know touching the Inquisition, is now a little unseasonable, because I have much to do to prepare myself for this Employment to Germany ; therefore I cannot satisfy you in that fulness as I could do otherwise. The very Name of the Inquisition is terrible all Christendom over, and the King of Spain himself, with the chiefest of his Grandees, tremble at it. It was founded first by the Catholic King Ferdinand (our Henry VIII.'s Father-in-law), for he having got Granada, and subdued all the Moors, who had firm footing in that Kingdom about seven hundred years, yet he suffered them to live peaceably a while in point of Con- science; but afterwards he sent a solemn Mandamus to the Jacohin-Y vydivs to endeavour the Conversion of them, by preaching and all other means. They finding that their pains did little good (and that those whom they had con- verted Sect. 5. Familiar Letters. 291 verted tiirn'd Apostates) obtainM power to make a research, which afterwards was call'd Inquisition, and it was ratifyM by Pope Sixtus, that if they would not conform themselves by fair means, they should be forc'd to it. The Jacobins being found too severe herein, and for other Abuses besides, this Inquisition was taken from them, and put into the hands of the most sufficient Ecclesiasticks. So a Council was establishM, and Officers appointed accordingly: Whosoever was found pendulous and brangling in his Religion, was brought by a Sergeant, calPd Familiar^ before the said Council of Liquisition; his Accuser or Delator stands be- hind a piece of Tapestry, to see whether he be the Party, and if he be, then they put divers subtill and entrapping Interrogatories to him; and whether he confess anything or no, he is sent to prison. When the said Familiar goes to any House, tho' it be in the dead of the night (and that's the time commonly they use to come, or in the dawn of the day), all doors, and trunks, and chests fly open to him ; and the first thing he doth, he seizeth the Party's breeches, searcheth his pockets, and taketh his keys, and so rum- mageth all his closets and trunks: And a Public Notary, w^hom he carrieth with him, takes an Inventory of every- thing, which is sequestred and depositated in the hands of some of his next neighbours. The Party being hurryM away in a close Coach, and clapt in prison, he is there eight days before he makes his Appearance, and then they present to him the Cross, and the Missal-Eook to swear upon ; if he refuseth to swear, he convicteth himself, and tho' he swear, yet he is remanded to prison : This Oath com- monly is presented before any Accusation be produced ; his Gaoler is strictly commanded to pry into his actions, his deportment, words and countenance, and to set spies upon him ; and whosoever of his fellow-prisoners, or others, can produce anything against him, he hath a reward for it. At last, after divers appearances, examinations, and scrutinies, the information against him is read, but the witnesses* names are conceal'd; then he is appointed a Proctor and an Advo- cate, 292 Familiar Letters. Book I. cate, but he must not confer or advise with them privately, but in the face of the Court: The King's Attorney is a party in't, and the Accusers commonly the sole Witnesses. Being to name his own Lawyers, oftentimes others are dis- cover'd, and fall into troubles; while he is thus in prison, he is so abhorr'd, and abandoned of all the world, that none will^ at least none dare visit him. Tho' one clear himself, yet he cannot be freed till an Act of Faith pass; which is done seldom, but very solemnly. There are few who have fallen into the gripes of the Inquisition, do scape the Rack, or the San-henito, which is a strait yellow Coat without Sleeves, having the pourtrait of the Devil painted up and down in black ; and upon their heads they carry a Mitre of Paper, with a man frying in the flames of hell upon't; they gag their mouths, and tie a great cord about their necks. The Judges meet in some uncouth dark dungeon, and the Executioner stands by, clad in a close dark garment, his head and face cover'd with a Chaperon, out of which there are but two holes to look thro', and a huge Link burning in his hand. When the Ecclesiastic Inquisitors have pro- nounc'd the Anathema against him^ they transmit him to the secular Judges to receive the sentence of death, for Church- men must not have their hands imbru'd in blood: The King can mitigate any punishment under death, nor is a Nobleman subject to the Rack. I pray be pleas'd to pardon this rambling imperfect rela- tion, and take in good part my Conformity to your Com- mands : I am — Your Lordship's most ready and faithful Servitor, J. H. Westifi.^ 2^0 Aug. 1632. Section Section VI. T. To P. W., Esq.; at the Signet Office, from the English House in Hamburgh. WE are safely come to Germany. Sir John Fenington took us aboard in one of His Majesty's Ships at Margets ; and the Wind stood so fair that we were at the Mouth of the Elve upon Monday following. It pleased my Lord I should land first with two Footmen, to make haste to Glukstad, to learn where the K. of Denmark was ; and he was at Renshurgh, some two days' journey o^, at a Rich- sadgh, an Assembly that corresponds to our Parliament. My Lord the next day landed at Glukstad, where I had provided an Accommodation for him, tho' he intended to have gone for Hamburgh ; but I was bold to tell him, that in regard there were some umbrages, and not only so, but open and actual differences 'twixt the King and that Town, it might be ill taken if he went thither first, before he had attended the King. So I left my Lord at Glukstad, and being come hither to take up 8000 rix dollars upon Mr. Burlamach^s Bills, and fetch'd Mr. y4very our Agent here, I return to-morrow to attend my Lord again. I find that matters are much off the hinges 'twixt the King of Denmark and this Town. The King of Sweden is advancing apace to find out IVal- ^ lestein and Wallestein him ; and in all Appearance they will be shortly engag'd. No more now, for I am interpelFd by many businesses; when you write, deliver your Letters to Mr. Railton, who will see them safely convey'd ; for a little before my de- parture I brought him acquainted with my Lord, that he might 294 Familiar Letters. Book L might negotiate some things at Court. So^ with my ser- vice and love to all at Westminster^ I rest — Your faithful Servitor^ J. H. Hamburgh^ 23 Oct. 1632. II. To my Lord Viscount S.,from Hamburgh. SINCE I w^as last in Town, my Lord of Leicester hath attended the K. of Denmark at Renslmrgh in Hoi- st einland ; he was brought thither from Glukstad, in dif- ferent good equipage, both for Coaches and Waggons, but he stay'd some days at Renshurgh for Audience : We made a comely gallant show in that kind, when we went to Court, for we were near upon a hundred all of one piece in mourning. It pleas'd my Lord to make me the Orator, and so I made a long Latin Speech, alta voce, to the King in Latin, of the occasion of this Embassy, and tending to the praise of the deceased Queen : And I had better luck than Secretary Naiinton had some thirty years since, with Roger Earl of Rutland : For at the beginning of his Speech, when he had pronounc'd Serenissime Rex, he was dash'd out of countenance, and so gravell'd that he could go no further. I made another to Christian V., his eldest Son, King elect of Denmark; for tho' that Crown be purelv elective, yet for these three last Kings, they wrought so with the people, that they got their eldest Sons chosen, and declar'd before their death, and to assume the Title of Kings elect. At the same Audience, I made another Speech to Pr. Frederick, Archbishop of Breme, the King's third Son : and he hath but one more (besides his natural issue), which is Prince Ulric, now in the Wars with the Duke of Sax; and they say there is an Alliance contracted already 'twixt Christian V. and the Duke of Sax his daughter. This cere- mony being performed, my Lord desir'd to find his own diet, and then he fell to divers businesses, which is not fitting for me to forestall, or impart to your Lordship now : So Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. So we stayed there near upon a month. The King feasted my Lord once, and it lasted from eleven of the clock till towards the evening; during which time the King began thirty-five healths ; the first to the Emperor, the second to his Nephew of England; and so went over all the Kings and Queens of Christendom^ but he never remember'd the Prince Palsgrave^ s health, or his Niece's, all the while. The King was taken away at last in his chair, but my Lord of Leicester bore up stoutly all the while ; so that when there came two of the King's Guard to take him by the Arms, as he was going down the stairs, my Lord shook them off, and went alone. The next morning I went to Court for some dispatches, but the King was gone a hunting at break of day ; but going to some other of his Officers, their servants told me without any Appearance of Shame, that their Masters were drunk over night, and so it would be late before they would rise. A few days after we went to Gothorp-Castle in Sleswick- land, to the Duke of Hoist ein^s Court, where, at my Lord^s first Audience, I made another Latin Speech to the Duke, touching his Grandmother's death : Our entertainment there was brave, tho' a little fulsome. My Lord was lodg'd in the Duke's Castle, and parted with Presents, which is more than the K. of Denmark did. Thence we went to Hiisem in Ditzmarsh, to the Dutchess of Hoist eins Court (our Q. Anne^s youngest Sister), where we had also very full entertainment. I made a Speech to her also, about her Mother s death, and when I nam'd the Lady Sophia the tears came down her cheeks. Thence we came back to Renshurghf and so to this Town of Hamburgh^ where my ' Lord intends to repose some days after an abrupt odd journey we had thro' Hoist einland ; but I believe it will not be long, in regard Sir John Pennington stays for him upon the River. We expect Sir Robert AnstriUher to come from Vienna hither, to take the Advantage of the King's Ship. We understand that the Imperial and Swedish Armies have 296 Familiar Letters. Book I. have made near Approaches one to the other, and that some skirmishes and blows have been already ^twixt them, which are the forerunners of a battle. So, my good Lord, I rest — Your most humble and faithful Servitor, J. H. Hamburgh^ 9 Oct. 1632. in. To the Rt. Hon. the Earl R.^from Hamburgh. My Lord, THO' your Lordship must needs think, that in the em- ployment I am in (which requires a whole man) my spirits must be distracted by multiplicity of businesses; yet because I would not recede from my old method, and first principles of travel, when I came to any great City, to couch in writing what's most observable, I sequestered myself from other Affairs, to send your Lordship what followeth touch- ing this great Hans-Town. The Hans, or Hansiatick Lig2ie, is very ancient; some would derive the word from Hand, because they of the Society plight their faith by that Action : Others derive it from Hansa, which in the Gothick Tongue is Counsel : Others would have it come from Han der see, which signi- fies near or upon the Sea; and this passeth for the best Etymology, because their Towns are all seated so, or upon some navigable River near the Sea^ The extent of the old Hans was from the Nerve in Livonia to the Rhine, and contain'd sixty-two great mercantile Towns, which were divided into four Precincts : The chiefest of the first Precinct was Luheck, where the Archives of their ancient Records, and their prime Chancery, is still, and this Town is within that Verge : Cullen is chief of the second Precinct, Brunswic of the third, and Dantzic of the fourth. The Kings of Poland and Sweden have sued to be their Protector, but they refus'd them because they were not Princes of the Empire ; they put off also the K. of Denmark with a Com- pliment, nor would they admit the K. of Spain when he was Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. 297 was most potent in the 'Netherlands, though afterwards, when ^twas too late, they desir'd the help of the Ragged- Staff; nor of the Duke of Anjon.j notwithstanding that the World thought he should have marry'd our Queen^ who interceded for him ; and so 'twas probable that thereby they might recover their privileges in England: So that I do not find they ever had any Protector but the great Master of Prussia; and their want of a Protector did do them some prejudice in that famous difference they had with our Queen. The old Hans had extraordinary Immunities given them by our Henry III. because they assisted him in his Wars with so many Ships; and, as they pretend, the King was not only to pay them for the service of the said Ships, but for the Vessels themselves, if they miscarry'd : Now it hap- pened that at their return to Germany, from serving Henry III., there was a great Fleet of them cast away; for which, according to Covenant, they demanded reparation. Our King in lieu of Money, among other Acts of Grace, gave them a Privilege to pay but i per Cent., which continued till Queen Marys Reign; and she by the Advice of King Philip her Husband, as 'twas conceiv'd, enhanc'd the one to 20 per Cent. The Hans not only complain'd, but clam- oured loudly for breach of their ancient Privileges,- con- firm'd to them time out of mind by thirteen successive Kings of England^ w^hich they pretended to have purchased with their Money. K. Philip undertook to accommodate the business ; but Q. Mary dying a little after, and he retiring, there could be nothing done. Complaint being made to Q. Elizabeth, she answer'd, That as she would not innovate any- thing, so she would maintain them still in the same condition she found them : Hereupon their Navigation and Traffic ceased a while. Wherefore the English try'd what they could do themselves, and they throve so well that they took the whole Trade into their own hands, and so divided themselves (tho' they be now but one) to Staplers, and Merchant-Ad- venturers, the one residing constant in one place, where they kept 298 Familiar Letters. Book /. kept their Magazine of Wool, the other stirring, and ad- venturing to divers places abroad with Cloth and other Manufactures ; which made the Hans endeavour to draw upon them all the malignancy they could from all Nations. Moreover, the HaTZ^-Towns being a Body-politic incorpo- rated in the Empire, complainM hereof to the Emperor, who sent over Persons of great Quality to mediate an Accommo- dation, but they could effect nothing. Then the Queen caused a Proclamation to be publish'd, That the Easterlings^ or Merchants of the Hans, should be treated and used as all other Strangers were within her Dominions, without any mark of difference, in point of Commerce. This nettled them more ; thereupon they bent their forces more eagerly, and in a Diet at Ratishon they procur'd, that the English Merchants who had associated themselves into Fraternities in Emhden and other places, should be declar'd Monopolists ; and so there was a Comitial-Edict published against them, that they should be exterminated, and banish'd out of all parts of the Empire ; And this was done by the Activity of one Suder- man, a great Civilian. There was there for the Queen Gilpin as nimble a Man as Suderman, and he had the Chancellor of Emhden to second and countenance him ; but they could not stop the said Edict, wherein the Society of English Mer- chant-Adventurers was pronounc'd to be a Monopoly : Yet Gilpin play'd his game so well, that he wrought under- hand, that the said Imperial-Ban should not be publish'd till after the dissolution of the Diet, and that in the interim the Emperor should send Ambassadors to England, to adver- tise the Queen of such a Ban against her Merchants. But this wrought so little impression upon the Queen, that the said Ban grew rather ridiculous than formidable ; for the Town of Emhden harbour'd our Merchants notwithstanding, and afterwards Stode ; but they not being able to protect them so well from the Imperial-Ban, they settled in this Town of Hamhurgh. After this the Queen commanded another Proclamation to be divulg'd. That the Easterlings, or Hansiatic Merchants should be allow'd to trade in Eng- land Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. 299 land upon the same Conditions and Payment of Duties as her own Subjects^ provided that the English Merchants might have interchangeable Privilege, to reside and trade peaceably in Stode or Hamhurgh, or any where else, within the precinct of the Hans. This incens'd them more : there- upon they resolv'd to cut off Stode and Hamburgh from being Members of the Hans, or of the Empire: But they sus- pended this Design till they saw what success the great Spanish Fleet should have, which was then preparing in the year 88: For they had not long before had recourse to the K. of Spain, and made him their own, and he had done them some material good offices : Wherefore to this day the Spanish Council is taxed of improvidence and impru- dence, that there was no use made of the Ha/z^-Towns in that Expedition. The Queen finding that they of the Hans would not be contented with that equality she had ofFer'd 'twixt them and her own Subjects, put out a Proclamation, that they should carry neither Corn, Victuals, Arms, Timber, Masts, Cables, Minerals, nor any other Materials or Men, to Spain or Portugal, And after the Queen growing more redoubtable and famous by the overthrow of the Fleet of Eighty-eight, the Easterlings fell to despair of doing any good. Add hereunto, another disaster that befell them, the taking of sixty Sails of their Ships about the mouth of Tagus in Portu- gal, by the Queen's Ships that were laden with Ropas de contrahando, viz.. Goods prohibited by her former Procla- mation into the Dominions of Spain : And as these Ships were upon point of being discharged, she had intelligence of a great Assembly at Luleck, which had met of purpose to consult of means to be reveng'd of her ; thereupon she stayM and seiz'd upon the said sixty Ships, only two were freed to bring news what became of the rest. Hereupon the Pole sent an Ambassador to her, who spake in a high tone, but he was answerM in a higher. Ever since our Merchants have beaten a peaceful and free uninterrupted Trade into this Town and elsewhere, within and 300 Familiar Letters. Book 1. and without the Sound, with their Manufactures of Wool, and found the way also to the White-Sea, to Archangel and Mosco : Insomuch that the Premises beino- well considered, it was a happy thing for England, that that clashing fell out ^twixt her and the Hans ; for it may be said to have been the chief ground of that Shipping and Merchandizing which she is now come to^ and wherewith she hath flourished ever since. But one thing is observable, that as that Imperial or Comitial Ban, pronounc'd in the Diet at RatisLon against our Merchants and Manufactures of Wool, incited them more to Industry; so our Proclamation upon Alderman Cockein^s Project of transporting no white Cloths but dyM, and in their full Manufacture, did cause both Dutch and German to turn necessity to a virtue, and made them far more ingenious to find ways not only to dye, but to make Cloth, which hath much impair'd our Markets ever since ; for there hath not been the third part of our Cloth sold since, either here or in Holland, My Lord, I pray be pleased to dispense with the prolixity of this Discourse, for I could not wind it up closer, nor on a lesser bottom : I shall be careful to bring with me those Furrs I had instructions for. So I rest — Your Lordship's most humble Servitor, J. H. Haj/iburgh, 20 Oct. 1632. IV. To Capt. J. Smith, at the Hague. Captain, HAVING so wishful an opportunity as this noble Gentleman Mr. James Crofts, who comes with a Packet for the Lady Elizabeth from my Lord of Leicester, I could not but send you this friendly Salute. We are like to make a speedier return than we expected from this Embassy ; for we found the K. of Denmark in Holstein^ which shortened our Voyage from going to the Sound: The King was in an advantageous posture to give Audience, for there was a Parliament then at Rhenshurgh, where all the Younkers Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. 301 Younkers met. Among other things, I put myself to mark the carriage of the Holstein Gentlemen, as they were going in and out at the Parliament-House ; and observing well their Physiognomies, their Complexions and Gate, I thought verily I was in England, for they resemble the English more than either JVelsh or Scot (tho' cohabiting upon the same Island) or any other People that ever I saw yet: Which makes me verily believe, that the English Nation came first from this lower Circuit of Saxony ; and there's one thing that strengthneth me in this belief, that there is an ancient Town hard by call'd Lunden, and an Island calFd Angles; whence it may well be that our Country came from Britannia to be AngUa. This Town of Hamburgh from a Society of Brewers is come to a huge wealthy place, and her new Town is almost as big as the old ; there is a shrewd jar 'twixt her and her Protector, the King of Denmark. My Lord of Leicester hath done some good offices to accommodate matters : She chomps extremely, that there should be such a Bit put lately in her mouth, as the Fort of Luckstadit, which commands her River of Elve, and makes her pay what toll he pleases. The King begins to fill his Chests apace, which were so emptied in his late Marches to Germany: He hath- set a new Toll upon all Ships that pass to this Town'; and in the Sound also there be some extraordinary duties imposed, where- at all Nations begin to murmur, specially the Holla?iders, who say, that the old primitive Toll of the Sound was but a Rose-noble for every Ship, but by a new Sophistry it is vnow interpreted for every Sail that should pass thro' ; inso- much that the Hollander, tho' he be a Low- Countryman, begins to speak High-Dutch in this point, a rough Lan- guage you know : Which made the Italian tell a German Gentleman once, that when God Almighty thrust Adam out of Paradise, he spake Dutch; but the German retorted wittily, Then, Sir, if God spake Dutch when Adam was ejected, Eve spake Italian when Adam was seduced, I 302 Familiar Letters. Book I, I could be larger^ but for a sudden Avocation to Busi- ness; so I most affectionately send my kind respects to you, desiring when I am rendered to London, I may hear from you : So I am — Your faithful Friend to serve yo"> J. H. Hamburgh^ 22 Oct. 1632. V. To the Rt. Hon. the Earl o/Br. My Lord, I AM newly return'd from Germany, whence there came lately two Ambassadors Extraordinary in one of the Ships Royal, the Earl of Leicester and Sir Robert Anstruther : The latter came from Vienna, and I know little of his nego- tiations ; but for my Lord of Leicester, I believe there was never so much business dispatch'd in so short a compass of time, by any Ambassador, as your Lordship, who is best able to judge, will find by this short relation. When my Lord was come to the K. of Denmark's Court, which was then at Rhenshergh, a good way within Holstein, the first thing he did was to condole the late Q.. Dowager^s death (our King's Grandmother), which was done in such an equi- page, that the Danes confess'd, there was never Queen of Denmark so mourn'd for. This ceremony being pass'd, my Lord fell to business; and the first thing which he pro- pounded was, that for preventing the further effusion of Christian blood in Germany, and for the facilitating a way to restore peace to all Christendom, His Majesty of Denmark would join with his Nephew of Great Britain, to send a solemn Embassy to the Emperor, and the K. of Sweden (the end of whose proceedings were doubtful), to mediate an Accommodation, and to appear for him who will be found most conformable to reason. To this, that King answered in writing (for that was the way of proceeding) that the Emperor and the Swede were come to that height and heat of war, and to such a violence, that it is no time yet to speak to them of peace; but when the fury is a little pass'd Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. 303 pass'd, and the times more proper, he would take it for an Honour to join with his Nephew, and contribute the best means he could to bring about so good a Work. Then there was computation made, what was due to the King of Great Bi-'dain, and the Lady Elizabeth, out of their Grandmother's estate, which was valued at near upon two millions of Dollars; and your Lordship must think it was a hard task to liquidate such an account. This being done, my Lord desir'd that part which was due to His Majesty (our King) and the Lady his Sister, which appear'd to amount to eightscore thousand pounds sterling. That King answerM, that he confess'd there was so much money due, but his Mother's estate was yet in the hands of Com- missioners; and neither he nor any of bis Sisters had re- ceived their portions yet; and that his Nephew of England^ and his Niece of Holland, should receive theirs with the first; but he did intimate besides, that there were some consider- able Accounts 'twixt him and the Crown of England^ for ready moneys he had lent his brother K. James, and for the c^30,ooo a month, that was by Covenant promis'd him for the support of his late Army in Germany, Then my Lord propounded, that His Majesty of Great Britain s Subjects were not well us'd by his Officers in the Sound: For tho' there was but a transitory passage into the Baltic- Sea, and that they neither bought nor sold anything upon the place, yet they were forc'd to stay there many days to take up money at high interest, to pay divers Tolls for their Mer- chandise, before they expos'd them to vent : Therefore it was desir'd, that for the future, what English Merchant soever should pass thro' the Sound, it should be sufficient for him to register an Invoice of his Cargazon in the Custom-house Book, and give his Bond to pay all duties at his return, when he had made his Market. To this my Lord had a fair Answer, and so procur'd a public Instru- ment under that King's Hand and Seal, and sign'd by his Counsellors, whom he had brought over, wherein the Proposition was granted ; which no Ambassador could obtain 304 Familiar Letters. Book /. obtain before. Then ^twas alledg'd^ that the English Merchant- Adventurers who trade into Hamburgh, have a new Toll lately impos'd upon them at Lucksiad, which was desir'd to be taken off. To this also, there was the like Instrument given, that the said Toll should be levied no more. Lastly, my Lord (in regard he was to pass by the Hague) desir'd that hereditary part, which belonged to the Lady Elizabeth out of her Grandmother's Estate, because His Majesty knew well what Crosses and Afflictions she had pass'd, and what a numerous Issue she had to maintain ; and my Lord of Leicester would engage his Honour, and all the Estate he hath in the World, that this should no way prejudice the Accounts he is to make with His Majesty of Great Britain. The K. of Denmark highly extoll'd the Nobleness of this motion ; but he protested, that he had been so drain'd in the late Wars, that his Chests are yet very empty. Hereupon my Lord was feasted, and so departed. He went then to the Duke of Holstein to Sleswick, where he found him at his Castle of Gothorp ; and truly I did not think to have found such a magnificent Building in these bleak parts. There also my Lord did condole the death of the late Queen, that Duke's Grandmother, and he received very princely entertainment. Then he went to Husem, where the like ceremony of Condolement was performed at the Dutchess of Holstein^ s Court, His Majesty's (our King's) Aunt. Then he came to Hamburgh; where that Instrument which my Lord had procur'd, for remitting of the new Toll at Gluckstadty was deliver'd the Company of our Merchants- Adventurers ; and some other good offices done for that Town, as matters stood 'twixt them and the King of Denmark. Then we came to St ode, where Lesly was Governor, who carry'd his foot in a Scarf for a wound he had receiv'd at Buckstoho, and he kept that place for the King of Sweden : And some business of consequence was done there also. So Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. 305 So we came to Broomsbottle, where we stay\l for a Wind some days : And in the midway of our voyage we met with a Holland Ship, who told us, the K. of Sweden was slain ; and so we returned to London in less than three months. And if this was not business enough for such a compass of time, I leave your Lordship to judge. So, craving your Lordship's pardon for this lame Account, I rest — Your Lordship's most humble and ready Servitor, J. H. Lo7td., I Oct. 1632. VL To my Brothei-j Di\ Howell, at his House in Horsley. My good Brother, I AM safely returned from Germany^ thanks be to God ; and the news which we heard at Sea by a Hutch Skipper, about the midst of our Voyage from Hamburgh, it seems, proves too true, which was of the fall of the K. of Sweden. One Jerhire, who says that he was in the very Action, brought the first news to this Town, and every corner rings of it; yet such is the extravagancy of some, that they will lay wagers he is not yet dead, and the Exchange is full of such People. He was slain at Lutzen field battle, having made the Imperial Army give ground the day before ; and being in pursuance of it, the next morning in a sudden Fog that fell, the Cavalry on both sides being engaged, he was kilPd in the midst of the Troops, and none knows who kill'd him, whether one of his own men, or the enemy; but finding himself mortally hurt, he told Saxen IVaymar, Cousin, I pray look to the Troops, for I think I have ejiough. His body was not only rescued, but his Forces had the better of the day ; Papenheim being kill'd before him, whom he esteem'd the greatest Captain of all his enemies; for he was us'd to say, that he had three men to deal withal, a Pultron, a Jesuit, and a Soldier : By the two first, he meant JValstein and the Duke of Bavaria; by the last, Papenheim, u Questionless 3o6 Familiar Letters. Book /. Questionless this Gustavus (whose Anagram is Augustus) was a great Captain, and a gallant man ; and had he survived that last victory, he would have put the Emperor to such a plunge, that some think he would hardly have been able to have made head against him to any purpose again. Yet his own Allies confess, that none knew the bottom of his designs. He was not much affected to the English ; witness the ill usage Marquis Hamilton had with his 6000 men, whereof there returnM not 600 ; the rest died of hunger and sickness, having never seen the face of an enemy : Witness also his harshness to our Ambassadors, and the rigid terms he would have tied the Prince Palsgrave to. So, with my most affectionate respects to Mr. Mouschamp, and kind commends to Mr. Bridger, I rest — Your loving Brother, J. H. Westm.^ Dec. 1632. VII. To the R. R. Dr, Field, Lord Bishop of St. Davids. My Lord, YOUR late Letter affected me with two contrary pas- sions, with gladness and sorrow : The beginning of it dilated my spirits with apprehensions of joy, that you are so well recovered of your late sickness, which I heartily congratulate ; but the conclusion of your Lordship's Letter contracted my spirits, and plung'd them in a deep sense of just sorrow, while you please to write me news of my dear Father's death. Permulsit initium, percussit Jinis. Truly, my Lord, it is the heaviest news that ever was sent me : But when I recollect myself, and consider the fairness and maturity of his Age, and that it was rather a gentle dis- solution than a death ; when I contemplate that infinite advantage he hath got by this change and transmigration, it much lightens the weight of my grief : For if ever human soul enter'd Heaven, surely he is there; such was his con- stant piety to God, his rare indulgence to his Children, his charity Sect, 6. Familiar Letters. 307 charity to his Neighbours, and his candor in reconciling difFerences ; such was the gentleness of his disposition, his unwearied course in actions of virtue, that I wish my soul no other felicity, when she hath shaken off these rags of Flesh, than to ascend to his, and co-enjoy the same bliss. Excuse me, my Lord, that I take my leave at this time so abruptly of you; when this sorrow is a little digested, you shall hear further from me, for I am — Your Lordship's most true and humble Servitor, J. H. Wesfm.f I of May 1632. VIIL To the Earl of Leicester, at Penshurst. My Lord, I HAVE delivered Mr. Secretary Coke an Account of the whole Legation, as your Lordship order'd me, which contained near upon twenty sheets; I attended him also with the Note of your Extraordinaries, wherein I find him something difficult and dilatory yet. The Governor of the Eastland Company, Mr. Alderman Cletheroj will attend your Lordship at your return to Court, to acknowledge your favour to them. I have deliverM him a Copy of the transactions of things that concerned their Company at Rhensherg, The news we heard at Sea of the K. of Sweden's death is confirm'd more and more; and by the computation I have been a little curious to make, I find that he was killM the same day your Lordship set out of Hamburgh. But there is other news come since of the death of the Prince Palatine, who, as they write, being return'd from visiting the Duke De deux Fonts to Mentz, was struck there with the Contagion ; yet by special ways of cure, the malignity was expell'd, and great hopes of recovery, when the news came of the death of the K. of Sweden, which made such impressions upon him, that he died few days after, having overcome all difficulties, concluding with the 3o8 Familiar Letters. Book I, the Swedes, and the Governor of Frankindall, and being ready to enter into a re-possession of this Country : A sad destiny ! The Swedes bear up still, being fomented and supported by the French, who will not suffer them to leave Germajiy yet. A Gentleman that came lately from Italy told me that there is no great joy in Rome for the death of the K. of Sweden. The Spaniards up and down will not stick to call this Pope Lutherano, and that he had intelligence with the Siuedes. 'Tis true that he hath not been so forward to assist the Emperor in this quarrel, and that in open Consis- tory, when there was such a Contrasto ' twixt the Cardinals for a supply from St. Feter, he declar'd that he was well satis- fy'd that this War in Germany was no War of Religion : Which made him dismiss the Imperial Ambassadors with'this short Answer, that the Emperor had drawn these mischiefs upon himself ; for at that time when he saw the Swedes upon the Frontiers of Germany, if he had employM those Men and Moneys which he consum'd to trouble the Peace of Italy in making War against the Duke of Mantua, against them he had not had now so potent an Enemy. So I take my leave for this time, being — Your Lordship's most humble and obedient Servitor, J. H. Westm., "^ijune 1632. IX. To Mr, E. D. Sir, I THANK you a thousand times for the noble Entertain- ment you gave me at Fury, and the pains you took in shewing me the Antiquities of that Place. In requital, I can tell you of a strange thing I saw lately here, and I believe 'tis true : As I pass'd by St. Dunstan^s in Fleet-street the last Saturday, I stepp'd into a Lapidary or Stone-cutter's shop, to treat with the Master for a Stone to be put upon my Father's Tomb; and casting my eyes up and down, I spied Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. 309 spied a huge Marble with a large Inscription upon't, which was thus^ to my best remembrance : Here lies John Oxenham, a goodly young Man, in whose Chmnber, as he was struggling with the pangs of death, a Bird with a white breast was seen fluttering about his bed, and so vanished. Here lies also Mary Oxenham, the Sister of the said John, who died the next day, and the same apparition was seen in the Room. Then another Sister is spoke of. Then, Here lies hard by James Oxenham, the Son of the said John, ic'ho died a Child i?i his Cradle a little after; and such a Bird was seen flutterifig about his head, a little before he expired, which vanished afterwards. At the bottom of the Stone there is : Here lies EUzabeth Oxenham, the Mother of the said John, who died sixtee?i years since, when such a Bird with a white breast was seen about her bed before her death. To all these there be divers witnesses, both Squires and Ladies, whose names are engraven upon the Stone : This Stone is to be sent to a Town hard by Exeter, where this happen'd. Were you here, I could raise a choice Discourse with you hereupon. So, hoping to see you the next Term, to requite some of your favours, I rest — Your true Friend to serve you, J. H. W '.stm. , 3 July 1632. X. To W. B., Esq, Sir, THE upbraiding of a Courtesy is as bad in the Giver, as Ingratitude in the Receiver ; tho' I (which you think I am loth to believe) be faulty in the first, I shall never offend in the second, while J. Howel. IVestm., 24 Oct. 1632. XI. Familiar Letters. Book I. XI. To Sir Arthur Ingram at York. Sir, OUR greatest news here now is^ that we have a new Attorney-General, which is news indeed, considering the humour of the Man, how he hath been always ready to entertain any Cause whereby he might clash with the Prerogative ; but now, as Judge Richardson told him, his head is full of Proclamations and Devices, how to bring Money into the Exchequer. He hath lately found out among the old Records of the Tower some Precedents for raising a Tax call'd Ship-money in all the Port-Towns when the Kingdom is in danger: Whether we are in danger or no at present, 'twere presumption in me to judge; that belongs to His Majesty and his Privy-Council, who have their choice Instruments abroad for Intelligence ; yet one with half an eye may see we cannot be secure while such huge Fleets of Men of War, both Spanish, French, Dutch, and Dunkirkers, some of them laden with Ammunition, Men, Arms, and Armies, do daily sail on our Seas, and confront the King's Chambers ; while we have only three or four Ships abroad to guard our Coasts and Kingdom, and preserve the fairest Flower of the Crown, the Dominion of the Narrow Seas which I hear the French Cardinal begins to question, and the Hollander lately would not veil to one of His Majesty's Ships that brought over the Duke oi Lenox, and my Lord IVeston, from Bull en ; and indeed we are jeer'd abroad, that we send no more Ships to guard our Seas. Touching my Lord Ambassador JVeston, he had a brave journey of it, tho' it cost dear: For ^tis thought 'twill stand His Majesty in ^2,^,000, which makes some Criticks of the times to censure the Lord Treasurer, that now the King wanting money so much, he should send his Son abroad to spend him such a sum, only for delivering of Presents and Compliments: But I believe they are deceived, for there were matters of State also in the Embassy. The Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. The Lord Weston passing by Paris, intercepted and open'd a Packet of my Lord of Holland's, wherein there were some Letters of Her Majesty^s ; this my Lord of H o lla?id ta.kes in that scorn, that he defy'd him since his coming, and demanded the Combat of him, for which he is confinM to his House at Kensington: So, with my humble Service to my noble Lady, I rest — Your most obliged Servitor, J. H. IVeslm., 30 /ari. 1633. XH. To the Lord Viscount Wentworth, Lord Deputy of Ireland and Lord President of York. My Lord, I WAS glad to apprehend the opportunity of this Packet, to convey my humble Service to your Lordship. There are old doings in France, and ^tis no new thing for the French to be always a doing, they have such a stirring Genius. The Queen-Mother hath made an escape to Brussels, and Monsieur to Lorain, where, they say, he courts very earnestly the Duke's Sister, a young Lady under twenty; they say a Contract is pass'd already, but the French Cardinal opposeth it; for they say that Lorain Milk seldom breeds good Blood in France : Not only the King, but the whole Gallican Church, hath protested against it in a solemn Synod, for the Heir apparent of the Crown of France cannot marry without the Royal Consent. This aggravates a grudge the French King hath to the Duke, for siding with the Imperialists, and for things reflecting upon the Dutchy of Bar ; for which he is homageable to the Crown of France, as he is to the Emperor for Lorain : A hard task it is to serve two Masters; and an unhappy situation it is to lie 'twixt two puissant Monarchs, as the Dukes of Savoy and Lorain do. So I kiss your Lordship^s Hands, and rest, my Lord — Your most humble and ready Servitor, J. H. Wesfm.f I of Ap7-il 1633. XHL 312 Familiar Letters. Book I. XIII. To my most nolle Lady, the Lady Cornwallis. Madam, IN conformity to your commands^ which sway with me as much as an Act of Parliament, I have sent your Ladyship this small Hymn for Christmas-dKY , now near approaching; if your Ladyship please to put an Air to it, I have my reward. 1. Hail holy Tyde, lVherez}i a Bride A Vi7'gi7i {which is more) Brought forth a Son^ The like was done Ne^er in the World before. 2. Hail spotless Maid ! Who thee upbraid To have bee7i born i7t sin^ Do little weighs What i7i thee lay^ • Before thou didst lie i7i. 3. Ni7te 77i07iths thy Wo77ib Was 7nade the Do77ie Of H'lm, who77z Earth 7ior Air^ Nor the vast Mould Of He av' 11 can hold ''Cause he's Ubiquitair. 4. O wou^d he deign To rest a7id reig7i P tin ce7iire of 77iy heart ; A7id fnake it still His doTnicil, A7id reside7ice i7i part ! 5. But in so foul a Cell Can he abide to dwell 1 Ves, whe7i he please to 7nove i/Zi- Harbinger to sweep the Roo7n^ A7idwith rich Odotirsitperfnne^ Of faiths of hope y of love. So I humbly kiss your hands, and thank your Ladyship, that you would command in anything that may con- duce to your contentment — Your Ladyship's most humble Servitor, J. H. West/n., 3 Feb. 1633. XIV. To the Lord Clifford at Knaresborough. My Lord, IRECEIVE'D your Lordship's of the last of June, and I return my most humble thanks for the choice Nag you pleas'd to send me, which came in very good plight. Your Lordship Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. 313 Lordship desires me to lay down what in my Travels Abroad I observM of the present condition of the Jews, once an Elect People, but now grown contemptible, and strangely squandered up and down the World: Tho' such a Discourse, exactly fram'd, might make up a Volume, yet I will twist up what I know in this point, upon as narrow a bottom as may be shut up within the compass of this Letter. The first Christian Country that expell'd the Jews was England; France followM our example next, then Spain, and afterwards Portugal: Nor were they exterminated these Countries for their Religion, but for Villainies and Cheatings, for clipping Coins, poisoning of Waters, and counterfeiting of Seals. Those Countries they are permitted to live now most in among Christians are Germany, Holland, Bohemia, and Italy; but not in those parts where the King of Spain hath to do. In the Levant and Turkey they swarm most, for the Grand Vizier, and all other great Bashaws, have commonly some Jew for their Counsellor or Spy, who informs them of the state of Christian Princes, possess them of a hatred of the Religion, and so incense them to a War against them. They are accounted the subtilest and most subdolous People upon Earth ; the reason why they are thus degener- ated from their primitive simplicity and innocence, is their often Captivities, their desperate Fortunes, the necessity and hatred to which they have been habituated ; for nothing depraves ingenuous Spirits, and corrupts clear Wits, more than want and indigence. By their Profession they are for the most part Brokers and Lomhardeers ; yet by that base and servile way of frippery Trade they grow rich whereso- ever they nest themselves: And this, with their multipli- cation of Children, they hold to be an Argument that an extraordinary Providence attends them still. Methinks that so clear accomplishments of the Prophecies of our Saviour touching that People should work upon them for their conversion, as the Destruction of the City and Temple ; that they should become despicable, and the tail of all Nations ; 314 Familiar Letters. Book L Nations ; that they should be Vagabonds, and have no firm habitation. Touching the first, they know it came punctually to pass, and so have the other two; for they are the most hateful race of men upon earth ; insomuch that in Turkey^ where they are most valued, if a Musulman come to any of their houses, and leave his shoes at the door, the Jew dares not come in all the while, till the Turk hath done what he would with his wife. For the last, ^tis wonderful to see in what considerable numbers they are dispers'd up and down the World; yet they can never reduce themselves to such a coalition and unity as may make a Republic, Princi- pality, or Kingdom. They hold that the Jews of Italy, Germany, and the Levant are of Benj amines Tribe : Ten of the Tribes at the destruction of Jeroboam^ s Kingdom were led captives beyond Euphrates, whence they never returned, nor do they know what became of them ever after, yet they believe they never became Apostates and Gentiles. But the Tribe of Judah, whence they expected their Messias, of whom one shall hear them discourse with so much confidence and self- pleasing conceit, they say is settled in Portugal; where they give out to have thousands of their race, whom they dispense withal to make a semblance of Christianity even to Church-degrees. This makes them breed up their Children in the Liisita- nian Language; which makes the Spaniard have an odd saying, that El Portuguez se crio del pedo de 2m Judio ; A Portuguese was engendered of a Jew's ; As the Mahome- tans have a passage in their Alchoran, that a Cat was made of a Lion^s breath. As they are the most contemptible people, and have a kind of fulsome scent, no better than a stink, that dis- tinguisheth them from others, so they are the most timorous people on earth, and so utterly incapable of Arms, for they are made neither Soldiers nor Slaves: And this their Pusillanimity and Cowardice, as well as their Cunning and Craft, Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. 315 Craft, may be imputed to their various thraldoms, con- tempt and poverty, which hath cow'd and dastardiz'd their courage. Besides these properties, they are light and giddy- headed, much symbolizing in spirit with our Apocalyptical Zealots and fiery Interpreters of Daniel and other Prophets, whereby they often sooth, or rather fool themselves into some illumination, which really proves but some egregious dotage. They much glory of their mysterious Cahal, wherein they make the reality of things to depend upon Letters and Words: But they say that Hebrew only hath this privilege. This Cabal, which is nought else but a Tradition, they say, being transmitted from one Age to another, was in some measure a reparation of our knowledge lost in Adam; and they say ^twas reveal'd four times : First to Adam, who being thrust out of Paradise, and sitting one day very sad, and sorrowing for the loss of the knowledge he had of that dependance the Creatures have on their Creator, the Angel Raguel was sent to comfort him, and instruct him, and repair his knowledge herein : And this they call the Cabal, which was lost a second time by the Flood and Babel; then God discovered it to Moses in the Bush; the third time to Solomon in a Dream, whereby he came to know the begin- ning, mediety, and consummation of times, and so wrote divers Books, which were lost in the grand Captivity. .The last time they hold that God restored the Cabal to Esdras (a Book they value extraordinarily), who by God's command withdrew to the Wilderness forty Days with five Scribes, who in that space wrote 304 Books : the first 134 were to be read by all, but the other 70 were to pass privately amongst the Levites ; and these they pretend to be caba- listick, and not yet all lost. There are at this Day three Sects of. Jews ; the Africans first, who besides the holy Scriptures embraced the Taknud also for authentick: The second receive only the Scriptures : The third, which "are calPd the Samaritans (whereof there are but few), admit only of the Pentateuch, the five B.ooks of Moses. The 3i6 Familiar Letters. Book 1. The Jews in general drink no Wine without a Dispensa- tion; when they kill any Creature, they turn his Face to the East, saying, Be it sanctified in the great Name of God; they cut the Throat with a Knife without a Gap, which they hold very profane. In their Synagogues they make one of the best sort to read a Chapter of Moses, then some mean Boy reads a piece of the Prophets ; in the midst there's a round place arch'd over, wherein one of their Rabbies walks up and down, and in Portuguese magnifies the Messias to come, comforts their Captivity, and rails at Christ, They have a kind of Cupboard to represent the Tabernacle, wherein they lay the Tables of the Law, which now and then they take out and kiss; they sing many Tunes, and Adonai they make the ordinary Name of God : Jehovah is pro- nounced at high Festivals ; at Circumcision Boys are put to sing some of David's Psalms so loud as drowns the Lifant's Cry. The Synagogue is hung about with Glass-Lamps burning; every one at his entrance puts on a Linen-Cope, first kissing it, else they use no manner of reverence all the while ; their Elders sometimes fall together by the Ears in the very Synagogue, and with the holy Utensils, as Candlesticks, Incense-pans, and such like, break one another's Pates. Women are not allow'd to enter the Synagogue, but they sit in a Gallery without; for they hold they have not so divine a Soul as Men, and are of a lower Creation, made only for sensual Pleasure and Propagation. Among the Mahometans there is no Jew capable of a Turkish habit, unless he acknowledge Christ as much as Turks do, which is, to have been a great Prophet, where- of they hold there are three only, Moses, Christ, and Mahomet. Thus, my Lord, to perform your commands, which are very prevalent with me, have I couch'd in this Letter what I could of the Condition of the Jews; and if it may give your Lordship any satisfaction, I have my reward abun- dantly Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. 317 dantly. So I rest — Your Lordship's most humble and ready Servant^ J. H. Westin.^ 3 of Jime 1633. XV. To Mr, Philip Warrick, at Paris. Sir, YOUR last to me was in French of the first current, and I am glad you are come so safe from Swisser- and to Paris ; as also that you are grown so great a Pro- ficient in the Language. I thank you for the variety of News you sent me so handsomely couch'd and knit together. To correspond with you, the greatest News we have here is, that we have a gallant Fleet-Royal ready to set to Sea, for the Security of our Coast and Commerce, and for the Sovereignty of our Seas. Hans said, the King of England was asleep all this while, but now he is awake ; nor do I hear doth your French Cardinal tamper any longer with our King's Title and Right to the Dominion of the Narrow- Seas. These are brave Fruits of the Ship- money. I hear that the J:^a?z^^- Cardinal having been long upon his way to Brussels, hath got a notable Victory of - the Swedes at Nordlinghen, where 8000 were slain, Gustavus Horn, and others of the prime Commanders taken Prisoners. They write also, that Monsieur's Marriage with Madame of Lorain was solemnly celebrated at Brussels; she had followed him from Nancy in Page's Apparel, because there were Forces in the way. It must needs be a mighty Charge to the King of Spain, to maintain Mother and Son in this manner. The Court affords little News at present, but that there is a Love call'd Platonick Love, which much sways there of late ; it is a Love abstracted from all corporeal gross Impres- sions and sensual Appetite, but consists in Contemplations and Ideas of the Mind, not in any carnal Fruition. This Love 3i8 Familiar Letters. Book L Love sets the Wits of the Town on work ; and they say there will be a Mask shortly of it^ whereof Her Majesty and her Maids of Honour will be part. All your Friends here in Westminster are well, and very mindful of you, but none more often than — Your most affectionate Servitor, J, H. Westm.j Zjune 1634. XVI. To my Brother, Mr. H. P. Brother, MY Brain was o'ercast with a thick Cloud of Melan- choly, I was become a Lump of I know not what, I could scarce find any palpitation within me on the left side, when yours of the ist of September was brought me; it had such a Virtue that it besrat new Motions in me, like the Loadstone, which by its attractive occult Quality moves the dull Body of Iron, and makes it active; so dull was I then, and such a magnetic Property your Letter had to quicken me. There is some murmuring against the Ship-money, because the Tax is indejinite ; as also by reason that it is levied upon the Country Towns, as well as Maritime; and for that they say, Noy himself cannot shew any Record. There are also divers Patents granted, which are mutter'd at, as being no better than Monopolies : Among others, a Scotchman got one lately upon the Statute of levying twelve Pence for every Oath, which the Justices of Peace and Constables had Power to raise, and have still ; but this new Patentee is to quicken and put more life in the Law, and see it executed. He hath power to nominate one, or two, or three in some Parishes, which are to have Commission from him for this publick Service, and so they are to be exempt from bearing Office, which must needs deserve a Gratuity: And I believe this was the main drift of the Scotch Patentee, so that he intends to keep his Office in the Temple, and certainly he is like to be a mighty Gainer by it; for who would Sect, 6. Familiar Letters. 319 would not give a good piece of Money to be freed from bearing all cumbersome Offices ? No more now, but that, with my dear love to my Sister, I rest — Your most affec- tionate Brother, J. H. Westin.^ I Aug. 1633. XVIL To the Right Honourable the Lord Viscount Savage, at Long-Melford. My Lord, THE old Steward of your Courts, Master Attorney- General Noy, is lately dead, nor could Tunbridge Waters do him any good : Tho' he had good matter in his brain, he had, it seems, ill materials in his body; for his heart was shrivelled like a leather penny-purse when he was dissected, nor were his lungs sound. Being such a Clerk in the Law^ all the World wonders he left such an odd Will, which is short, and in Latin : The substance of it is, that he having bequeathed a few Legacies, and left his second Son 100 Marks a year, and 500 Pounds in Money, enough to bring him up in his Father's Profes- sion, he concludes, Reliqua meorum omnia priynogenito meo Edoardo, dissipanda, nec melius imquam speravi ego : I leave the rest of all my Goods to my first-born Edward, .to be consum'd or scatter'd, for I never hoped better. A strange, and scarce a Christian Will, in my opinion, for it argues uncharitableness. Nor doth the World wonder less, that he should leave no Legacy to some of your Lordship's Children, considering what deep Obligations he had to your Lordship; for I am confident he had never been Attorney- General else. The Vintners drink Carouses of joy that he is gone, for now they are in hope to dress Meat again, and sell Tobacco, Beer, Sugar, and Faggots; which by a sullen Capricio of his, he would have restrain'd them from. He had his humour as other Men, but certainly he was a solid rational Man ; and tho' no great Orator, yet a profound Lawyer, 320 Familiar Letters. Book L Lawyer, and no Man better vers'd in the Records of the Tower. I heard your Lordship often say, with what infinite pains, and indefatigable study, he came to this knowledge: And I never heard a more pertinent Anagram than was made of his name, William Noy, I moil in Law, If an s be added, it may be applied to my Countryman Judge Jones, an excellent Lawyer too, and a far more genteel man, William Jones, I moil e i?i Laws. No more now, but that I rest — Your Lordship's most humble and obliged Servitor, J. H. TVesfm., i Oc^. 1635. XVIIL To the Right Hon. the Countess 0/ Sunderland. Madam, HERE inclos'd I send your Ladyship a Letter from the Lord Deputy of Ireland, wherein he declares, that the disposing of the Attorneyship in York, which he passed over to me, had no relation to my Lord at all ; but it was merely done out of a particular respect to me : Your Lady- ship may please to think of it accordingly, touching the Accounts. It is now a good while the two Nephew-Princes have been here, I mean the Prince Elector and Prince Robert. The King of Sweden^s death, and the late blow at Nor- Unghen, hath half blasted their hopes to do any good for recovery of the Palatinate by Land : Therefore I hear of some new designs by Sea; that the one shall go to Mada- gascar, a great Island 800 miles long in the East-Indies, never yet coloniz'd by any Christian, and Capt. Bond is to be his Lieutenant; the other is to go with a considerable Fleet to the West-Indies, to seize upon some place there that may countervail the Palatinate, and Sir Henry Mervin to go with him : But I hear my Lady Elizabeth opposeth it, saying, that she will have none of her Sons to be Knights- errant. There is now professed actual enmity 'twixt France and Spain, for there was a Herald at Arms sent lately from Paris Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. Var'is to Flanders, who by sound of Trumpet denouncM and proclaim'd open War against the King of Spain and all his Dominions ; this Herald left and fix'd up the Defiance in all the Towns as he pass'd : So that whereas before the War was but collateral and auxiliary, there is now pro- claimed Hostility between them, notwithstanding that they have one another's Sisters in their beds every night. What the reason of this War is, truly, Madam, I cannot tell, unless it be reason of State^ to prevent the further growth of the Spanish Monarchy : And there be multitude of examples how preventive IVars have been practised from all times. Howsoever, it is too sure that abundance of Christian blood will be spilt. So I humbly take my leave, and rest — Madam, your Ladyship's most obedient and faithful Servitor, J. H. Wesfm.f 4 June 1635. XIX. To the Earl of Leicester, at Penshurst. My Lord, I AM newly return'd out of France, from a flying Journey as far as Orleans, which I made at the request of Mr. Secretary Windehank, and I hope I shall receive some fruits of it hereafter. There is yet a great resentment in niany places in France, for the beheading of Montmorency, whom Henry IV. was us'd to say to be a better Gentleman than himself ; for in his Colours, he carried this Motto, Dieii ayde le premier Chevalier de France : God help the first Knight of France. He died upon a Scaffold in Tholouze, in the flower of his years, at thirty-four, and hath left no Issue behind; so that noble old Family extinguish'd in a snuff : His Treason was very foul, having receiv'd particular Commissions from the King to make an extraordinary Levy of Men and Money in Languedoc, which he turn'd after- wards directly against the King, against whose Person he appear'd arm'd in open field, and in a hostile posture, for fomenting of Monsieur'' s Rebellion. X The 322 Familiar Letters. The Infante Cardinal is come to Brussels at last thro' many difficulties ; and some few days before, Monsieur made semblance to go a Hawking, and so fled to France, but left his Mother behind, who since the Arch-Dutchess's death is not so well look'd on as formerly in that Country. Touching your Business in the Exchequer, Sir Robert Pye went with me this morning of purpose to my Lord Trea- surer about it, and told me with much earnestness and assurance, that there shall be a speedy course taken for your Lordship's satisfaction. I deliver'd my Lord of Lindsey the Manuscript he lent your Lordship of his Father's Embassy to Denmark : And herewith I present your Lordship with a compleat Diary of your own late Legation^ which hath cost me some toil and labour. So I rest always — Your Lordship's most humble and ready Servitor, J. H. Wes/m., 19 Jime 1635. XX. To my Honoured Friend and Fa., Mr. Ben. Johnson. Fa. Ben, BEING lately in France, and returning in a Coach from Faris to Rouen, I lighted upon the Society of a know- ing Gentleman, who related to me a choice Story, which peradventure you may make some use of in your way. Some hundred and odd years since, there was in France one Capt. Coney, a gallant Gentleman of an ancient ex- traction, and Keeper of Coucy-Castle, which is yet standing, and in good repair. He fell in love with a young Gentle- woman, and courted her for his Wife : There was reciprocal love between them, but her Parents understanding of it, by way of prevention, they shuffled up a forc'd Match 'twixt her and one Monsieur Faiel, who was a great Heir. Capt. Coucy hereupon quitted France in discontent, and went to the Wars in Hungary against the Turk, where he received a Sect, 6. Familiar Letters. a mortal Wound, not far from Buda. Being carried to his lodging, he languish'd some days ; but a little before his death he spoke to an ancient Servant of his, that he had many proofs of his fidelity and truth, but now he had a great business to intrust him with, which he conjur'd him by all means to do ; which was, that after his death he should get his body to be open'd, and then to take his heart out of his breast, and put it in an earthen pot to be baked to powder, then to put the powder into a handsome box, with that bracelet of hair he had worn long about his left wrist, which was a lock of Madamoiselle FaieVs Hair, and put it among the powder, together with a little note he had written with his own blood to her ; and after he had given him the rites of Burial, to make all the speed he could to France, and deliver the said box to Madamoiselle Faiel. The old Servant did as his Master had commanded him, and so went to Frajice ; and coming one day to Mons. FaieVs house, he suddenly met him with one of his Servants, and examin'd him, because he knew he was Capt. Coucy^s Servant ; and finding him timorous, and faltering in his speech, he search'd him, and found the said box in his pocket, with the Note which express'd what was therein : He dismiss'd the Bearer with menaces that he should come no more near his house. Mons. Faiel going in, sent for his Cook, and deliver'd him the powder, charging him to make a little well-relish'd dish of it, without losing a jot of it, for it was a very costly thing; and commanded him to bring it in himself, after the last course at Supper. The Cook bringing in the dish accordingly, Mons. Faiel com- manded all to avoid the room, and began a serious discourse with his Wife, how ever since he had married her, he observed she was always melancholy, and he fear'd she was inclining to a Consumption ; therefore he had provided for her a very precious Cordial, which he was well assur'd would cure her : Thereupon he made her eat up the whole dish; and afterwards much importuning him to know what it was, he told her at last she had eaten Coucy^s heart, and so 324 Familiar Letters. Book 1. so drew the box out of his pocket, and shewM her the Note and the Bracelet. In a sudden exultation of joy, she with a far-fetch'd sigh said^ This is a precious Cordial indeed ; and so lickM the dish, saying, It is so precious, that 'tis pity to put ever any meat upon't. So she went to bed, and in the morning she was found stone dead. This Gentleman told me that this sad story is painted in Coucy-Castle, and remains fresh to this day. In my opinion, which veils to yours, this is choice and rich stuff for you to put upon your Loom, and make a curious Web of. I thank you for the last regalo you gave me at your Musceum, and for the good company. I heard you cen- surM lately at Court, that you have lighted too foul upon Sir Inigo, and that you write with a Porcupine's quill dipt in too much gall. Excuse me that I am so free with you ; it is because I am, in no common way of Friendship — Yours, J. H. Westm.^ 3 of May 1635. XXL To Captain Thomas Porter. Noble Captain, YOU are well return'd from Brussels, from attending your Brother in that noble Employment of congratu- lating the Infante Cardinal's coming thither. It was well Monsieur went a Hawking away before to France, for I think those two young Spirits would not have agreed. A French- man told me lately, that was at your Audience, that he never saw so many complete Gentlemen in his life, for the number, and in a neater equipage. Before you go to Sea, I intend to wait on you, and give you a frolick. So I am, De todas mis entranas — Yours to dispose of, J. H. To this rU add the Duke of Ossuna's Compliment: Quisiere, Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. 325 Quisiere^ aitjique soy chico, Ser, enserville, Gigante. Tho' of the tallest I am none you see, Yet to serve you, I would a Giant be. Westm.^ I Nov. 1634. XXII. To my Cousin J Captain Saintgeon. Noble Cousin^ THE greatest news about the Town, is of a mighty Prize that was taken lately by Feier van Heyn of Holland, who had met some straggling Ships of the Plate- Fleet, and brought them to the Texel; they speak of a Million of Crowns. I could wish you had been there to have shar'd of the Booty, which was the greatest in Money that ever was taken. One sent me lately from Holland this Distich of Peter van Heyn, which savours a little of profaneness : Roma sui sileat posthac miracula Petri, Petrus apud Batavos plura siupenda facit. Let Rome no more her Peter^s Wonders tell \ For Wonders, Holland's Peter bears the bell. To this Distich was added this Anagram, which is a good one : PETRUS HAINUS, HISPANUS RUET. So I rest, Totus tuus — Yours whole, J. Howell. Westm., 10 J^uly. XXIII. To my Lord Viscount S. My Lord, HIS Majesty is lately return'd from Scotland, having given that Nation satisfaction to their long desires, to 326 Familiar Letters. Book I. to have come thither to be crown'd : I hear some mutter at Bishop Laud's carriage there, that it was too haughty and Pontifical. Since the death of the K. of Siveden, a great many Scotch Commanders are come over_, and make a shining shew at Court ; what Trade they will take hereafter I know not, having been so inur'd to the Wars : I pray God keep us from commotions at home, 'twixt the two Kingdoms, to find them work. I hear one Col. Lesley is gone away dis- contented, because the King would not Lord him. The old rotten D. of Bavaria, for he hath divers Issues about his body, hath married one of the Emperor's Sisters, a young Lady little above twenty, and he near upon four- score : There's another remaining, who, they say, is intended for the K. of Poland, notwithstanding his pretences to the young Lady Elizabeth; about which, Prince Radzevill and other Ambassadors have been here lately, but that King being elective, must marry as the Estates will have him : His Mother was the Emperor's Sister, therefore sure he will not offer to marry his Cousin-German ; but^tis no news for the House of Austria to do so, to strengthen their race. And if the Bavarian hath Male-Issue of this young Lady, the Son is to succeed him in the Electorship, which may conduce much to strengthen the continuance of the Empire in the Austrian Family. So, with a constant perseverance of my hearty desires to serve your Lordship, I rest, my Lord — Your most humble Servitor, J. H. Westm., 7 Sept. XXIV. To my Cousin, Mr. Will. Saintgeon, at St. Omer. Cousin, I WAS lately in your Father's company, and I found him much discontented at the course you take; which he not only protests against, but he vows never to give you his blessing, if you persevere in't. I would wish you to descend into Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. 327 into yourself, and seriously ponder what a weight a Father's blessing or curse carries with it ; for there is nothing con- duceth more to the happiness or infelicity of the Child. Among the ten Commandments in the Decalogue, that which enjoins obedience from Children to Parents hath only a benediction (of Longevity) added to it : There be Clouds of Examples for this, but one I will instance in : When I was in Valentia in Spain, a Gentleman told me of a miracle which happenM in that Town, which was, that a proper young man under twenty was executed there for a crime, and before he was taken down from off the Tree, there were many grey and white hairs had budded forth of his Chin, as if he had been a man of sixty. It struck Amazement in all Men, but this interpretation was made of it, that the said young man might have liv'd to such an age, if he had been dutiful to his Parents, to whom he had been barbarously disobedient all his life-time. There comes herewith a large Letter to you from your Father; let me advise you to conform your courses to his Counsel, otherwise it is an easy matter to be a Prophet what misfortunes will inevitably befall you, which by a timely obedience you may prevent, and I wish you may have grace to do it accordingly. So I rest — Your loving well-wishing Cousin, J. H. Lo7id.^ I of May 1634. XXV. To the Lord Deputy of Ireland. My Lord, THE Earl of Arundel is lately returnM from GermauT/y and his gallant comportment in that Embassy deserv'd to have had better success: He found the Emperor con- formable, but the old Bavarian fro ward, who wall not part with anything till he have moneys reimbursM which he spent in these wars, and for which he hath the upper Palatinate in deposito ; insomuch, that in all probability all hopes are cut off of ever recovering that Country, but by the same 328 Familiar Letters. Book I. same means that it was taken away, which was by the Sword : Therefore they write from Holland of a new Army, which the Prince Palatine is like to have shortly, to go up to Germany, and push on his fortunes with the Swedes. The French King hath taken Nancy, and almost all Lo- rain, lately ; but he was forc'd to put a Fox-tail to the Lion's skin, which his Cardinal help'd him to, before he could do the work. The quarrel is, that the Duke should marry his Sister to Monsieur, contrary to promise; that he sided with the Imperialists against his Confederates in Germany, that he neglected to do homage for the Dutchy of Bar, My Lord Viscount Savage is lately dead, who is very much lamented by all that knew him ; I could have wish'd, had it pleas'd God, that his Father-in-law, who is riper for the other world, had gone before him : So I rest — Your Lord- ship's most humble and ready Servitor, J. H. Wesim.^ 6 Apr. XXVI. To his honoured Friend, Mistress C, at her House in Essex. THERE was no sorrow sunk deeper into me a great while, than that which I conceiv'd upon the death of my dear Friend your Husband : The last office I could do him, was to put him in his grave ; and I am sorry to have met others there (who had better means to come in a Coach, with six horses than I) in so mean equipage, to perform the last act of respect to so worthy a Friend. I have sent you herewith an Elegy, which my melancholy Muse hath breathM out upon his Herse. I shall be very careful about the Tomb you intend him^ and will think upon an Epitaph. I pray present my respects to Mrs. June Mayne. So, wish- ing you all comfort and contentment, I rest — Yours most ready to be commanded, J. H. Zond., 5 March. XXVII. Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. 329 XXVII. To Mr. James Howard, upon his Banish'd Virgin, translated out of Italian. Sir, I RECEIVED the Manuscript you sent me, and being a little curious to compare it with the Original, I find the Version to be every exact and faithful : So according to your friendly request I have sent you this Decastich. Some hold Translations not unlike to be The wrong-side of a Turkey Tapistry ; Or Wine drawn off the Lees^ "which filPd in Flask, Lose sometvhat of their strength they had in Cask. ^Tis true, each Language hath an Idiom, Which in a?iother couched comes not so hofne : Yet I ne'er saw a Piece from Venice co7ne, Had fewer thrums set on our Country Loom. This Wine is still ufi-ear^d, and brisk, thd put Out of Italian Cask in English Butt. Upon your Eromena. Fair Eromena in her Toscan ty?'e I viewed, and liKd the fashion wondrous well ; But in this English habit I admire. That still in her the same good grace may dwell: So I have seen trans-hXyfm Cions grow, And bear rare fruit, removed to Thames from Po. — Your true Servitor and Compatriot^ J. H. Lo7id., 6 Oct. 1632. XXVIII. To Edward Nov, Esq. ; at Paris. Sir, I RECEIVED one of yours lately, and I am glad to find the delight that Travel begins to instil into you. My Lord Ambassador Aston reckons upon you, that you will be one of his Train at his first Audience in Madrid, to my knowledge he hath put by some Gentlemen of quality: Therefore I pray let not that dirty Town of Paris detain 330 Familiar Letters. Book I. detain you too long from your intended journey to Spain^ for I make account my Lord Aston will be there a matter of two months hence. So I rest — Your most affectionate Servitor, J. H. Lond., 5 Alay 1633. XXIX. To the Rt, Hon. Sir Peter Wichs, Lord Ambassador at Constantinople. My Lord, IT seems there is some angry Star that hath hung over this business of the Palatinate from the beginning of these German Wars to this very day, which will too evi- dently appear, if one should mark and deduce matters from their first rise. You may remember how poorly Prague was lost : The Bishop of Halverstadt and Count Mansfelt shuffled up and down a good while, and did great matters, but all came to nothing at last. You may remember how one of the Ships- Royal was cast away in carrying over the last ; and the 12,000 men he had hence perish'd many of them very miserably ; and he himself, as they write, died in a poor Hostrey with one Lacquey, as he was going to Venice to a Bank of Money he had stor'd up there for a dead lift. Your Lordship knows what success the K. of Denmark had (and our 6000 men under Sir Cha, Morgan), for while he thought to make new acquests, he was in hazard to lose all that he had, had not he had favourable Propositions tendred him. There were never poor Christians perish'd more lamentably than those 6000 we sent under M. Hamilton for the assist- ance of the K. of Sweden, who did much, but you know what became of him at last ; how disastrously the Prince Palatine himself fell, and in what an ill conjuncture of time, being upon the very point of being restored to his Country. But now we have as bad news as any we had yet ; for the young Prince Palatine, and his Brother Pr. Robert, having got a jolly considerable Army in Holland, to try their fortunes in Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. 331 in Germany with the Swedes, they had advanc'd as far as Munsterland and Westphalia, and having lain before Lengua, they were forc'd to raise the siege : And one General Hatz- Jield pursuing them, there was a sore battle fought, wherein Prince Robert, my Lord Craven, and others, were taken Prisoners. The Prince Palatine himself, with Major King, thinking to get over the Weser in a Coach, the water being deep, and not fordable, he savM himself by the help of a willow ; and so went a-foot all the way to Munden, the Coach and the Coachman being drownM in the River. There were near upon 2000 slain on the Palsgrave's side, and scarce the twentieth part so many on Hatzfield's. Major Gots, one of the chief Commanders, was kill'd. I am sorry I must write to you this sad story; yet to countervail it something, Saxen Weymar thrives well, and is like to get Brisac by help of the French forces. All your friends here are well, and remember your Lordship often, but none more oft than — Your most humble and ready Servitor, J. H, Lond., s/un. 1635. XXX. To Sir Sackvil C, Knight, Sir, I WAS as glad that you have lighted upon so excellent a Lady, as if an Astronomer by his Opticks had found out a new Star; and if a Wife be the best or worst fortune of a man, certainly you are one of the fortunatest men in this Island. The greatest news T can write to you is, of a bloody Banquet that was lately at Liege, where a great Faction was a fomenting ^twixt the Imperialists and those that were devoted to France, amongst whom one, Ruelle, a popular Burg-Master, was chief. The Count of Warfuzee, a Vassal of the K. of Spain's, having fled thither from Flanders for some offence, to ingratiate himself against the K. of Spain^s favour, invited the said Ruelle to a Feast, and after brought him 332 Familiar Letters. Book L him into a private Chamber^ where he had provided a ghostly Father to confess him ; and so some of the Soldiers whom he had provided before to guard the House, dispatchM the Burg-Master. The Town hearing this, broke into the house, cut to pieces the said Count, with some of his Soldiers, and dragg'd his body up and down the streets. You know such a fate befell Walstein in Germmiy of late years, who having got all the Emperor's Forces into his hands, was found to have intelligence with the Swedes; therefore the Imperial Ban was not only pronounced against him, but a reward promis'd to any that should dispatch him : Some of the Emperor's Soldiers at a great Wedding in Egra, of which Band of Soldiers Col. Buttler, an Irishman, was chief, broke into his lodging when he was at dinner, kill'd him, with three Commanders more that were at Table with him, and threw his body out at a window into the streets. I hear Buttler is made since Count of the Empire. So, humbly kissing your noble Lady's hand, I rest — Your faith- ful Servitor, J. H. Londj ^Jun. 1634. XXXI. To Dr. Duppa, L. B. of Chichester, His Highnesses Tutor at St. James. My Lord, IT is a well-becoming and very worthy work you are about, not to suffer Mr. Ben. Johnson to go so silently to his grave, or rot so suddenly : Being newly come to Town, and understanding that your Johnsonus Virhius was in the Press, upon the solicitation of Sir Thomas Hawkins, I suddenly fell upon the ensuing Decastic, which if your Lordship please, may have room among the rest. Upo?i my honoured Friend a?id F., Mr. Ben. lohnson. AND is thy Glass run out, is that oil spent Which light to such strong sinewy Labours lent ? Well Ben, I now perceive that all the JVi'ne, Tho' they their utmost forces should combine, Cannot Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. 33 00 Cannot prevail 'gainst Nighfs three daughters^ but One still must spin^ one wind^ the other cut. Yet in despite of distaff, clue, and knife. Thou in thy strenuous Lines hast got a Light, Which like thy Bays shall flourish ev'ry age, While sock or buskin shall attend the Stage. Sic vaticinatur Hoellus. So I rest, with many devoted respects to your Lordship^ as being — Your very humble Servitor, J. H. Lond., I of May 1636. XXXII. To Sir Ed. B., K?iight. Sir, I RECEIVED yours this Maundy -Thursday : And where- as among other passages, and high endearments of love, you desire to know what method I observe in the exercise of my devotions, I thank you for your request, which I have reason to believe doth proceed from an extra- ordinary respect to me; and I will deal with you herein, as one should do with his Confessor. ^Tis true, tho' there be Rules and Kubricks in our Liturgy sufficient to guide every one in the performance of all holy duties, yet I believe every one hath some mode and model or formulary of his own, specially for his private cubicular devotions. I will begin with the last day of the week, and with the latter end of that day, I mean Saturday evening, on which I have fasted ever since I was a youth in Venice, for being delivered from a very great danger. This year I use some extraordinary acts of devotion, to usher in the ensuing Sunday, in Hymns, and various Prayers of my own penning, before I go to bed. On Sunday morning I rise earlier than upon other days, to prepare myself for the sanctifying of it ; nor do I use Barber, Tailor, Shoe-maker, or any other Mechanick that morning; and whatsoever diversions or lets may hinder me the week before, I never miss, but in case 334 Familiar Letters. Book L case of sickness, to repair to God's holy House that day, where I come before prayers begin, to make myself fitter for the work by some previous meditations, and to take the whole Service along with me; nor do I love to mingle speech with any in the interim, about news or worldly negotiations in God's holy House. I prostrate myself in the humblest and decentest way of genuflection I can im- agine; nor do I believe there can be any excess of exterior humility in that place ; therefore I do not like those squat- ting unseemly bold postures upon one^s tail, or muffling the face in the hat, or thrusting it in some hole, or covering it with one's hand ; but with bended knee, and in open confident face, I fix my eyes on the east part of the Church, and Heaven. I endeavour to apply every tittle of the Service to my own Conscience and Occasions ; and I believe the want of this, with the huddling up and careless reading of some Ministers, with the Commoness of it, is the greatest cause that many do undervalue, and take a surfeit of our publick Service. For the reading and singing Psalms, whereas most of them are either Petitions or eucharistical Ejaculations, I listen to them more attentively, and make them my own. When I stand at the Creed, I think upon the custom they have in Poland, and elsewhere, for Gentlemen to draw their Swords all the while, intimating thereby, that they will de- fend it with their lives and blood. And for the Decalogue, whereas others use to rise, and sit, I ever kneel at it in the humblest and trembling'st posture of all, to crave remission for the breaches pass'd of any of God's holy Commandments (especially the week before), and future grace to observe them. I love a holy devout Sermon, that first checks, and then cheers the Conscience ; that begins with the Law, and ends with the Gospel : But I never prejudicate or censure any Preacher, taking him as I find him. And now that we are not only adulted but ancient ChrisiianSj I believe the most acceptable Sacrifice we can send Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. 335 send up to Heaven, is Vrayer and Praise ; and that Sermons are not so essential as either of them to the true practice of devotion. The rest of the holy Sabbath, I sequester my body and mind as much as I can from worldly affairs. Upon Monday morn, as soon as the C'nique-Ports are open, I have a particular prayer of thanks, that I am repriev'd to the beginning of that week ; and every day following I knock thrice at Heaven's-gate, in the Morning, in the Evening, and at Night ; besides prayers at meals, and some other occasional ejaculations, as upon the putting on of a clean Shirt, washing my hands, and at lighting of Candles ; which because they are sudden, I do in the third Person. " Tuesday morning I rise Winter and Summer as soon as I awake, and send up a more particular Sacrifice for some reasons ; and as I am disposed, or have business, I go to bed again. Upon Wednesday night I always fast, and perform also some extraordinary acts of devotion, as also upon Friday night ; and Saturday morning, as soon as my senses are unlockM, I get up. And in the Summer-time, I am often- times abroad in some private field, to attend the Sun- rising: And as I pray thrice every day, so I fast thrice every week ; at least I eat but one meal upon Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, in regard I am jealous with myself, to have more infirmities to answer for than others. Before I go to bed, I make a scrutiny what peccant humours have reignM in me that day ; and so I reconcile myself to my Creator, and strike a tally in the Exchequer of Heaven for my quietus est, ere I close my eyes, and leave no burden upon my Conscience. Before I presume to take the holy Sacrament, I use some extraordinary acts of humiliation to prepare myself some days before, and by doing some deeds of Charity ; and commonly I compose some new Prayers, and divers of them written in my own blood. I use not to rush rashly into prayer without a trembling precedent 33^ Familiar Letters. Book I. precedent Meditation j and if any odd thoughts intervene, and grow upon me, I check myself, and recommence : And this is incident to long Prayers, which are more sub- ject to Man's weakness, and the Devil's malice. I thank God I have this fruit of my foreign Travels, that I can pray to him every day of the week in a several Lan- guage, and uponSundayin seven, which in Oraisonsof myown I punctually perform in my private pomeridian devotions. Et sic ceternam contendo attinger'e vitam. By these steps I strive to climb up to Heaven, and my Soul prompts me I shall go thither; for there is no object in the world delights me more than to cast up my eyes that way, specially in a Star-light night : And if my mind be overcast with any odd clouds of melancholy, when I look up and behold that glorious Fabrick, which I hope shall be my Country hereafter, there are new spirits begot in me presently, which make me scorn the World, and the pleasures thereof, considering the vanity of the one, and the inanity of the other. Thus my Soul still moves Eastward, as all the heavenly Bodies do ; but I must tell you, that as those Bodies are over-master'd, and snatch'd away to the West, raptu primi mohilis, by the general motion of the tenth Sphere, so by those epidemical infirmities which are incident to man, I am often snatch'd away a clean contrary course, yet my Soul persists still in her own proper motion. I am often at variance, and angry with myself (nor do I hold this anger to be any breach of charity) when I consider, that whereas my Creator intended this Body of mine, tho' a lump of Clay, to be a Temple of his Holy Spirit, my affec- tions should turn it often to a Brothel-house^ my passions to a Bedlam, and my excesses to an Hospital, Being of a Lay-profession, I humbly conform to the Constitutions of the Church, and my spiritual Superiors ; and I hold this Obedience to be an acceptable Sacrifice to God. Difference Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. 337 Difference in opinion may work a disaffection in me, but not a detestation ; I rather pity than hate Turk or hifidel, for they are of the same metal, and bear the same stamp as I do, tho' the Inscriptions differ : If I hate any, 'tis those Schismaticks that puzzle the sweet peace of our Church, so that I could be content to see an Anahaptist go to Hell on a Brownist^s back. Noble Knight, now that I have thus eviscerated myself, and dealt so clearly with you, I desire by way of correspon- dence that you would tell me, what way you take in your journey to Heaven : For if my breast lie so open to you, 'tis not fitting yours should be shut up to me; therefore I pray let me hear from you when it may stand with your Convenience. So I wish you your heart's desire here, and Heaven hereafter, because I am — Yours in no vulgar way of friendship, J. H. Land., 2^ July 1635. XXXIII. To Simon Digby, 'Esq. ; at Mosco, the Emperor of Russia's Court. Sir, IRECEIV'D one of yours by Mr. Pickhurst, and I am glad to find that the rough clime of Russia agrees so well with you ; so well, as you write, as the Catholic Ayr of Madrid, or the Imperial Ayr of Vienna, where you had such honourable employments. The greatest news we have here is, that we have a Bishop Lord-Treasurer; and 'tis news indeed in these times, tho' 'twas no news you know in the times of old to have a Bishop Lord-Treasurer of England. I believe he was merely passive in this business ; the active instrument that put the white Staff in his hands was the Metropolitan at Lambeth. I have other news also to tell you ; we have a brave new Ship, a Royal Galeon, the like they say did never spread Sail upon salt Water, take her true and well-compacted Y Symmetry, 338 Familiar Letters. Book L Symmetry, with all dimensions together : For her burden, she hath as many Tuns as there were years since the In- carnation when she was built, which are 1636; she is in length 1:27 Foot, her greatest breadth within the Planks is 46 Foot, and 6 Inches; her depth from the breadth is 19 Foot, and 4 Inches : She carrieth 100 Pieces of Ordnance wanting four, whereof she hath three tyre ; half a score Men may stand in her Lantern ; the charges His Majesty hath been at in the building of her are computed to be ^^80,000, one whole year's Ship-money : Sir Rohert Mansel launched her, and by His Majesty's command calPd her The Sovereign of the Sea. Many would have had her to be nam'd the Edgar, who was one of the most famous Saxon Kings this Island had, and the most potent at Sea. Ranul- phus Cestrensis writes, that he had 400 Ships, which every year after Easter went out in four Fleets to scour the Coasts. Another Author writes, that he had four Kings to row him once upon the Dee. But the Title he gave him- self was a notable lofty one, which was this, Alti-tonantis Dei largifiua dementia qui est Rex Regum, Ego Edgarus Anglorum Basileus, omnium Regzim, Insularum^ Oceanique Britanniam circumjacent is, cunctarumque Nationum quce infra earn includunturj Imperator &' Domijius, ^c. I do not think your grand Emperor of Russia hath a loftier Title ; I con- fess the Sophy of Persia hath a higher one, tho' profane and ridiculous, in comparison of this ; for he calls himself The Star high and mighty, whose Head is covered with the Sun, whose motion is comparable to the ethereal Firmament, Lord of the Mountains Caucasus and Taurus, of the four Rivers Euphrates, Tygris, Araxis, and Indus ; Bud of Honour, the Mirror of Firtue, Rose of Delight, and Nutmeg of Comfort, It is a huge descent, methinks, to begin with a Star and end in a Nutmeg. All your Friends here in Court and City are well, and often mindful of you, with a world of good wishes; and you cannot be said to be out of England as long as you live in so many noble memories : Touching mine, you have a large Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. 339 large room in it, for you are one of my chief inmates. So, with my humble Service to your Lady, I rest — Your most faithful Servitor, v^hile J. H. Lond., I 'yuly 1635. XXXIV. To Dr, Tho : Prichard. Dear Dr., I HAVE now had too long a supersedeas from employment, having engag'd myself to a fatal Man at Court (by his ov/n seeking) who I hoped, and had reason to expect (for I wav'd all other ways) that he would have been a Scale towards my rising, but he hath rather prov'd an Instrument towards my ruin : It may be he will prosper accordingly. I am shortly bound for Ireland, and it may be the Stars will cast a more benign Aspect upon me in the IVest ; you know who got the Persian Empire by looking that way for the first beams of the Sun-rising, rather than towards the East, My Lord Deputy hath made often professions to do me a pleasure, and I intend now to put him upon't. I purpose to pass by the Bath for a Pain I have in my Arm, proceeding from a defluction of Rheum ; and then I will take Brecknock in my way, to comfort my Sister Penry, who I think hath lost one of the best Husbands in all the thirteen Shires of Wales. So, with apprecation of all happiness to you, I rest — Yours, while J. H. Lo7id.^ 10 Feb. 1637. XXXV. To Sir Kenelm Digby, Knight, from Bath. Sir, YOUR being then in the Country, when I began my Jour- ney for Ireland, was the cause I could not kiss your hands ; therefore I shall do now from Bath what I should have done at London, Being 340 Familiar Letters. Book L Being here for a distillation of Rheum that pains me in one of my Arms, and having had about three thousand strokes of a pump upon me in the Queen's Bath ; and having been here now divers days, and view'd the several quali- ties of these Waters, I fell to contemplate a little what should be the reason of such extraordinary actual heat, and medicinal Virtue in them. I have seen and read of divers Baths abroad, as those of Caldanel and Avinian in asro Senensi, the Grotta in Vierhio, those between Naples and Puteolum in Campania ; and I have been a little curious to know the reason of those rare lymphatical properties in them above other Waters. I find that some impute it to Wind, or Air, or some Exhalations shut up in the Bowels of the Earth, which either by their own nature, or by their violent motion and agitation, or attrition upon rocks, and narrow passages, do gather heat, and so impart it to the Waters. Others attribute this balneal heat to the Sun, whose all- searching Beams penetrating the pores of the Earth, do heat the Waters. Others think this heat to proceed from quick-lime, which by common experience we find to heat any Waters cast upon't, and also to kindle any combustible substance put upon it. Lastly, There are some that ascribe this heat to a subter- ranean fire kindled in the Bowels of the Earth, upon sulphury and bituminous matter. 'Tis true, all these may be general concurring causes, but not the adequate, proper, and peculiar reason of balneal heats ; and herein truly our learned Countryman 'Dv. Jordan hath got the start of any that ever writ of this subject, and goes to work like a solid Philosopher : For having treated of the generation of Minerals, he finds that they have their Seminaries in the Womb of the Earth replenishM with active spirits; which meeting with apt matter and adjuvant causes, do proceed to the generation of several species, according to the nature of the efficient, and fitness of the matter. Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. 341 matter. In this work of generation_, as there is generat 'io unius, so there is corruptio alterius ; and this cannot be done without a superior power, which by moisture dilateth itself, works upon the matter like a leav'ning and ferment, to bring it to its own purpose. This motion ^twixt the agent spirit and patient matter produceth an actual heat : For motion is the fountain of keat, which serves as an instrument to advance the work ; for as cold dulls, so heat quickeneth all things. Now for the nature of this heat, it is not a destructive violent heat, as that of fire, but a generative gentle heat joinM with moisture, nor needs it air for eventilation. This natural heat is daily observ'd by digging in the Mines; so then while Minerals are thus engendring, and in solutis principiis, in their liquid forms, and not consolidated into hard bodies (for then they have not that virtue), they impart heat to the neighbouring Waters. So then it may be concluded, that this Soil about the Bath is a mineral vein of Earth ; and the fermenting gentle temper of generative heat that goes to the production of the said Minerals, doth impart and actually communicate this balneal virtue and medicinal heat to these Waters. This subject of Mineral Waters would afford an Ocean of Matter, were one to compile a solid discourse of it : And I pray excuse me, that I have presumed in so narrow a com- pass as a Letter to comprehend so much, which is nothing, I think, in comparison of what you know already of this matter. So I take my leave, and humbly kiss your hands, being always — Your most faithful add ready servitor, J. H. Bath, 2>/^^y 1638. XXXVL To Sir Ed. Savage, Knight, at Tower-hill. Sir, I AM come safely to Duhlin, over an angry boisterous Sea; whether ^twas my voyage on salt Water, or change 342 Familiar Letters. Book L change of Air^ being now under another clime, which was the cause of it_, I know not, but I am suddenly freed of the pain in my Arm, when neither Bath nor Plaisters, and other Remedies, could do me good. I delivered your Letter to Mr. James Dillon, but nothing can be done in that business till your Brother Pain comes to Town : I met him with divers of my Northern Friends, whom I knew at York, Here is a most splendid Court kept at the Castle, and except that of the Vice-roy of Naples, I have not seen the like in Christendom ; and in one point of Grandeza, the Lord-Deputy here goes beyond him, for he can confer Honours, and dub Knights, which that Vice-roy cannot, or any other I know of. Traffick increaseth here wonderfully, with all kind of Bravery and Building. I made an humble motion to my Lord, that in regard businesses of all sorts did multiply here daily, and that there was but one Clerk of the Council (Sir Paid Davis) who was able to dispatch business (Sir JVill Usher, his Colleague, being very aged and bed-rid), his Lordship would please to think of me : My Lord gave me an Answer full of good respect, to succeed Sir William after his death. No more now, but with my most affectionate respects unto you, I rest — Your faithful Servitor, J. H. Dublin ^ 3 May 1639. XXXVH. To Dr. Usher, Lord Primate 0/ Ireland. MAY it please your Grace to accept of my most humble Acknowledgment for those noble Favours I received at Drogheda ; and that you pleas'd to communicate to me those rare Manuscripts in so many Languages, and divers choice Authors in your Library. Your learned Work, De primordiis Ecclesiarum Britan- nicarum, which you pleas'd to send me, I have sent to England; and so it shall be convey'd to Jesus-College in Oxford, as a gift from your Grace. I Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. 343 I hear that Cardinal Barler'ino, one of the Pope's Nephews, is setting forth the Works of Fastidius, a British Bishop, call'd De vita Christiana. It was written 300 years after our Saviour, and Holstenius hath the care of the Impression. I was lately looking for a word in Suidas, and I lighted upon a strange passage in the name 'Itjo-ov^, that in the Reign of Justinian the Emperor, one Theodosius, a Jew, a Man of great Authority, liv'd in Jerusalem, with whom a rich Goldsmith, who was a Christian, was much in favour, and very familiar ; The Goldsmith, in private discourse, told him one day that he ivonderd, he heing a Man of such a great understanding, did not turn Christian, considering how he found all the Prophecies of the Law so evidently accomplished in our Saviour, and our Saviour^s Prophecies accomplish' d since. Theodosius answer'd, that it did not stand with his security and continuance in Authority to turn Christian, hut he had a long time a good opinion of that Religion, and he would discover a secret to him which was not yet come to the know- ledge of any Christian. It was, that when the Temple was founded in Jerusalem, there were twenty-two Priests, accord- ing to the number of the Hehrew Letters, to officiate in the Temple ; and when any was chosen, his Name, with his Father and Mother^ s, were us'd to be registered in a fair Book. Li the time of Christ a Priest died, and he was chosen in his place; but when his name was to be enter'd, his father Joseph being dead, his Mother was sent for, who being ask'd who was his Father ? she answer'd, that she never knew Man, hut that she conceived by an Angel: So his name was register'd in these words, JESUS CHRIST THE SON OF GOD, AND OF THE VIRGIN MARY. This Record at the destruction of the Temple was preserved, and is to be seen in Tyherias to this day. I humbly desire your Grace's opinion hereof in your next. They write to me from England of rare news in France, which is, that the Queen is deliver'd of a Dauphin, the wonderfuFst thing of this kind that any Story can parallel ; for this is the three and twentieth year since she was married. 344 Familiar Letters. Book I. married, and hath continued childless all this while ; So that now Monsiezir^s cake is dough, and I believe he will be more quiet hereafter. So I rest, — Your Grace's most devoted Servitor, J. H. Dublin^ I Mar. 1639. XXXVIII. To my Lord Clifford, y?-om Edenburgh. My Lord, I HAVE seen now all the King of Great Britain^s Dominions ; and he is a good traveller that has seen all his Dominions. I was born in Wales, I have been in all the four corners of England, I have travers'd the Diameter of France more than once, and now I come thro' Ireland into this Kingdom of Scotland. This Town of Edinburgh is one of the fairest Streets that ever I saw (excepting that of Palermo in Sicily) ; it is about a Mile long, coming sloping down from the Castle (call'd of old the Castle of Virgins, and, by Pliny, Castrum alatum) to Holy -Rood- House, now the Royal Palace; and these two begin and terminate the Town. I am come hither in a very convenient time, for here's a National Assembly, and a Parliament, my Lord Traquair being His Majesty's Commissioner. The Bishops are all gone to wrack, and they have had but a sorry Funeral; the very Name is grown so contemptible, that a black Dog, if he hath any white marks about him, is call'd Bishop, Our Lord of Canterlury is grown here so odious, that they call him commonly in the Pulpit The Priest of Baal, and the *Sora of Belial. I'll tell your Lordship of a passage which happen'd lately in my Lodging, which is a Tavern : I had sent for a Shoe- maker to make me a pair of Boots, and my Landlord, who is a pert smart Man, brought up a choppin of White Wine (and, for this particular, there are better French Wines here than in England, and cheaper; for they are but a groat a quart, and it is a crime of a high nature to mingle or sophisticate any Wine here). Over this choppin of White Wine, Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. 345 Wine, my Vintner and Shoe-maker fell into a hot dispute about Bishops : The Shoe-maker grew very furious, and call'd them the Firebrands of Hell, the Panders of the Whore of Babylon, and the Instruments of the Devil; and that theTj were of his Institution, not of God's. My Vintner took him up smartly, and said, Hold, Neighhour, there : Do not you know as well as I that Titus and Timothy were Bishops? That our Saviour is entitled The Bishop of our Souls? That the word Bishop is as frequently mentioned in Scripture, as the name Pastor, Elder, or Deacon ? Then why do you inveigh so Utterly against them ? The Shoe-maker answer'd, I know the Name and Office to he good, hut they have abused it. Mv Vintner replies. Well then, you are a Shoe-maker by your profession; imagine that you, or a hundred, or a thousand, or a hundred thousand of your Trade, shall play the knaves, and sell Calfskin-leather Boots for Neats- leather, or do other cheats ; must we therefore go barefoot ? Must the gentle Craft of Shoe-makers fall therefore to the groimd? It is the fault of the Men, not of the Calling. The Shoe-maker was so graveled at this, that he was put to his Last ; for he had not a word more to say : So my Vintner got the day. There is a fair Parliament-House built here lately, and 'twas hoped His Majesty would have ta'en the Maiden-head of it, and come hither to sit in Person ; and they did ill who advis'd him otherwise. I am to go hence shortly back to Dublin, and so to London, where I hope to find your Lordship, that according to my accustomed boldness, I may attend you. In the interim I rest — Your Lordship's most humble Servitor, J. H. Edinburgh^ 1639. XXXIX. To Sir K. Digby, Knight. Sir, I THANK you for the good opinion you please to have of my fancy of Trees : It is a maiden one, and not blown 346 Familiar Letters. Book 1. blown upon by any one yet : But for the merits you please to ascribe to the Author, I utterly disclaim any, 'specially in that proportion you please to give them me. 'Tis you that have parts enough to complete a whole Jury of Men. Those small perquisites that I have, are thrust up into a little narrow Lohly ; but those Perfections that beautify your noble Soul, have a spacious Palace to walk in, more sumptuous than either the Louvre, Seralio, or Escurial. So I most affectionately kiss your hands, being always — Your most faithful Servitor, J. H. JVesfm., 3 Dec. 1639. XL. To Sir Sackvill Crow, His Majesty's Embassador at the Post of Constantinople. Right Honourable Sir, THE greatest News we have here now, is a notable naval Fight that was lately 'twixt the Spaniard and Hollander, in the Downs; but to make it more intelligible, I will deduce the Business from the beginning. The King of Spain had provided a great Fleet of Galeons, whereof the Vice-Admirals of Naples and Portugal were two (whereof he had sent advice to England long before). The design was to meet with the French Fleet, under the com- mand of the Archbishop of Bourdeaux; and in default of that, to land some Treasure at Dunkirk, with a recruit of Spaniards who were grown very thin in Flanders. These Recruits were got by an odd trick ; for some of the Fleet being at St. Anderas, a report was blown up of purpose, that the French were upon the Coasts : Hereupon all the young Men of the Country came to the Sea-side, and so a great number of them were tumbled a Shipboard, and so they set sail towards the Coasts of France ; but the Archbishop, it seems, had drawn in his Fleet. Then striking into the narrow Seas, they met with a Fleet of about sixteen Hol- landers, whereof they sunk and took two, and the rest got away Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. 347 away to Holland^ to give an alarm to the States^ who in less than a month got together a Fleet of about one hundred sail ; and the Wind being a long time Easterly, they came into the DownSy where Don Antonio Oquendo, the Spanish Admiral, had stay'd for them all the while. Sir John Penington was then abroad with seven of His Majesty's Ships: And Don Antonio being daily warn'd what Forces were preparing in Zealand and Holland^ and so advis'd to get over to the Flemish Coasts in the interim, with a haughty spirit he answer'dj Tengo de quedarme aqui para castigar estos Reheldes : I will stay here to chastise these Rebels. There were ten more of His Majesty's Ships appointed to go join with Sir John Fenington, to observe the motions of those Fleets ; but the Wind continuing still East, they could not get out of the River. The Spa?iish Fleet had fresh Water, Victuals, and other necessaries, from our Coasts, for their Money, according to the Capitulations of Peace, all this while; at last, being half surprized by a cloud of Hollanders consisting of 114 Ships, they launched out from our Coasts^ and a most furious fight began, our Ships having retir'd hard by all the while. The Vice-Admiral of Portugal, a famous Sea- Captain, Don Lope de Hozes, was engag'd in close fight with the Vice-Admiral of Holland, and after many tough Rencoun- ters they were both blown up, and burnt together. At last, night came and parted the rest; but six Spanish Ships were taken, and about twenty of the Hollanders perished. Oquen- do then cross'd over to Nardic, and so back to Spairi, where he died before he came to the Court : And 'tis thought, had he liv'd, he had been questioned for some Miscarriages; for if he had sufFer'd the Dunkirkers, who are nimbler, and more fit for fight, to have had the Kan, and dealt with the Hollander, 'tis thought Matters might have gone better with him; but his Ambition was, that the great Spanish Galeons should get the glory of the day. The Spaniards give out that they had the better, in regard 348 Familiar Letters. Book /. regard they did the main work ; for Oquendo had convey'd all his recruits and treasure to Flanders, while he lay hover- ing on our Coasts. One thing is herein very observable^ what a mighty navi- gable Power the Hollander is come to, that in so short a compass of time he could appear with such a numerous Fleet of 114 Sail of Men of War, in such a perfect equipage. The times afford no more at present; therefore, with a tender of my most humble Service to my noble Lady, and my thankful acknowledgment for those great Favours, which my Brother Edward writes to me he hath receiv'd from your Lordship in so singular a manner at that Port, desiring you would still oblige me with a continuance of them, I rest, among those multitudes you have left behind you in England — Your Lordship's most faithful Servitor, J. H. Land., 3 Aug. 1639. XLL To Sir J. M., Knight. Sir, I HEAR that you begin to How the Coal, and offer Sacrifice to Demogorgon, the God of Minerals: Be well advis'd before you engage yourself too deep; Chymistry I know, by a little experience, is wonderful pleasing for the trial of so many rare conclusions it carries with it, but withal, 'tis costly and an enchanting kind of thing ; for it hath melted many a fair Manor in Crucibles, and turn'd them to smoke. One presented Sixtus Quintus {Sice-cinq, as Q. Elizabeth call'd him) with a Book of Chymistry, and the Pope gave him an empty Purse for a Reward. There be few whom Mercury, the father of Miracles, doth favour: The Queen of Sheba and the King crown'd with Fire are not propitious to many : He that hath Water turn'd to Ashes, hath the Magistery, and the true Philoso- pher's Stone ; there be few of those : There be some that commit Sect. 6. Familiar Letters. 349 commit Fornication in Chymistry, by heterogeneous and so- phistical Citrinations ; but they never come to the Phoenix Nest. I know you have your share of Wisdom, therefore I con- fess it a presumption in me to give you Counsel. So I rest — Your most faithful Servitor, J. H. West7?i., I Feb. 1638. XLII. To Simon Digby, Esq, ; at the gran Mosco in Russia. Sir, I RETURN you many thanks for your last of the first of June, and that you acquaint me with the State of things in that Country. I doubt not but you have heard long since of the revolt of Catalonia from the K. of Spain; it seems the sparkles of those Fires are flown to Portugal, and put that Country also in combustion. The D. of Braganza, whom you may well remember about the Court of Spain, is now King of Portugal, by the Name of El Rey Don Juan; and he is generally obeyed, and quietly settled, as if he had been King these twenty years there; for the whole Country fell suddenly to him, not one Town standing out. When the K. of Spain told Olivares of it first, he slighted it, saying, that he was hut Rey de Havas, a Bean-cake King. But it seems strange to me, and so strange that it transforms me to wonder, that the Spaniard being accounted so politic a Nation, and so full of precaution, could not foresee this; especially there being divers intelligences given, and evident symptoms of the general discontentment of that Kingdom (because they could not be protected against the Hollander in Brasil), and of some designs a year before, when this D. of Braganza was at Madrid, I wonder, I say, they did not secure his Person, by engaging him to some employment out of the way : Truly I thought the Spaniard was better sighted, and could see further off than so. You know what a 350 Familiar Letters. Book I. a huge Limb the Crown of Portugal was to the Spanish Monarchy, by the Islands in the Atlantic Sea, the Towns in Jfricj and all the East-Indies, insomuch that the Spaniard hath nothing now left beyond the Line. There is no offensive War yet made by Spain against K. John; she only stands upon the defensive part, until the Catalan be reduced : And I believe that will be a long- winded business; for this French Cardinal stirs all the Devils of Hell against Spain, insomuch that most Men say, that these formidable Fires which are now raging in both these Countries, were kindled at first by a Granado hurl'd from his Brain : Nay, some will not stick to say, that this Breach ^twixt us and Scotland is a reach of his. There was a ruthful Disaster happen'd lately at Sea, which makes our Merchants upon the Exchange hang down their heads very sadly. The ship Swan, whereof one Limery was Master, having been four years abroad about the Streights, was sailing home with a Cargazon valued at c^8oo,ooo, whereof ,^450,000 was in Money, the rest in Jewels and Merchandise : But being in sight of shore, she sprung a Leak, and being ballasted with Salt, it choak'd the Pump, so that the Swan could swim no longer. Some sixteen were drown'd, and some of them with ropes of Pearl about their Necks ; the rest were savM by an Hamhurgher not far off. The K. of Spain loseth little by it (only his Affairs in Flanders may suffer), for his Money was insur'd ; and few of the Principals, but the Insurers only, who were most of them Genoese and Hollanders : A most unfortunate Chance ! for had she come to safe Port, she had been the richest Ship that ever came into the Thames ; so that Neptune never had such a Morsel at one bit. All your friends here are well, as you will understand more particularly by those Letters that go herewith. So I wish you all health and comfort in that cold Country, and desire that your love may continue still in the same degree of heat towards — Your faithful Servitor J. H. Lo7id., 5 of Mar. 1639. XLIII. Sect, 6. Familiar Letters. 351 XLIII. To Sir K. D., Knight, Sir, IT was my fortune to be in a late Communication, where a Gentleman spoke of a hideous thing that happened in High Holhorn ; how one John Pennant, a young Man of twenty-one, being dissected after his death, there was a kind of Serpent with divers tails found in the left Ventricle of his heart, which, you know, is the most defended part, being thrice thicker than the right, and is the Cell which holds the purest and most illustrious liquor, the arterial blood and the vital spirits. The Serpent was, it seems, three years ingendring, for so long time he found himself indisposM in the breast; and it was observM that his eye in the interim grew more sharp and fiery, like the eye of a Cock, which is next to a Serpent's eye in redness: So that the Symptom of his inward Disease might have been told by certain exterior rays and signatures. God preserve us from publick Calamities ; for serpentine Monsters have been often ill-favour'd presages. I remember in the Roman Story, to have read how, when Snakes or Serpents were found near the Statues of their Gods, as one time about Jiipiter^s Neck, another time about Minervas Thigh, there followed bloody civil Wars after it. I remember also, few years since, to have read the rela- tion and deposition of the Carrier of Tewxlury, who with divers of his Servants, passing a little before the dawn of the day with their Packs over Cots-hill, saw most sensibly and very perspicuously in the Air, Musketeers, harness'd Men, and Horsemen, moving in Battle-array, and assaulting one another in divers furious Postures. I doubt not but that you have heard of those fiery Meteors and Thunderbolts that have fallen upon sundry of our Churches, and done hurt. Unless God be pleas'd to make up these Ruptures ^twixt us and Scotland, we are like to have ill days. The Archbishop of 352 Familiar Letters. Book /. of Canterlury was lately outrag'd in his House by a pack of common People : And Capt. Mahun was pitifully massacred by his own Men lately; so that the common People, it seems, have strange Principles infus'd into them, which may prove dangerous : For I am not of that Lord's mind who said, that they who fear any popular Insurrection in England are like Boys and JVomen, that are afraid of a Turnip cut like a Death's-head with a Candle inH. I am shortly for France, and I will receive your Com- mands before I go. So I am — Your most humble Servitor, J. H. Zond., 2 May 1640. XLIV. To my Lord Herbert, of Cherberry,y?'om Paris. My Lord, I SEND herewith Dodonas Grove couch'd in French, and in the newest French; for tho' the main Version be mine, yet I got one of the Academic des leaux Esprits here to run it over, to correct and refine the Language, and reduce it to the most modern Dialect. It took so here, that the new Academy of Wits have given a public and far higher Elogium of it than it deserves. I was brought to the Cardinal at Ruelle, where I was a good while with him in his private Garden ; and it were a vanity in me to insert here what Propositions he made me. There be some Sycophants here that idolize him, and I blush to hear what profane Hyperboles are printed up and down of him; I will instance in a few. Cidtte Rich ell i mor tales, cedite Divi ; Ille ho7nines vtncit, vincit July 1646. XXXV. To Mr. R. Br. Gentle Sir, YOURS of the 4th current came safely to hand, and I acknowledge with much contentment the fair respects you please to shew me: You may be well assur'd, that the least grain of your Love to me is not lost, but counter- balanced with the like in full weight; for altho' I am as frail a piece, and as full of infirmities, as another man^ yet I like my own nature in one thing, that I could never endure to be in the Arrear to any for Love ; where my Hand came short, my Heart was bountiful, and helped to make an equal compensation. I hope you persist in your purpose for foreign Travel, to study a-while the World abroad : It is the way to perfect you, and I have already discover'd such choice ingredients and parts of ingenuity in you, that will quickly make a compleat Gentleman. No more now, but that I am seriously — Yours to dispose of, J. H. F/ee^, 2>J'^^y 1646. XXXVI. To Sir L. D., in the Tower. Sir, TO help the passing away of your weary Hours between those disconsolate Walls, I have sent you a King of your own Name to bear you company, Lewis XIII., who, tho' dead three years since, may peradventure afford you some entertainment ; and I think that dead Men of this nature Book II. Familiar Letters. 429 nature are the fittest companions for such that are buried alive, as you and I are. I doubt not but you, who have a Spirit to overcome all things, will overcome the sense of this hard condition, that you may survive these sad times, and see better days. I doubt not, as weak as I am, but I shall be able to do it myself ; in which confidence I style myself — Your most obliged and ever faithful Servitor, J. H. Fleets 15 Feb. 1646. My most humble Service to Sir /. St. and Sir H. V. XXXVII. To Master R. B. Gentle Sir, I HAD yours of the 2d current by Master Bloys, which obligeth me to send you double thanks, first, for your Letter, then for the choice Hand that brought it me. When I had gone thro' it, methought your Lines were as Leaves, or rather so many Branches, among which there sprouted divers sweet Blossoms of ingenuity, which I find may quickly come to a rare maturity. I confess this Clime (as matters go) is untoward to improve such buds of Virtue ; but the Times may mend, now that our King, with the Sun, makes his approach to us more and more : Yet I fear we shall not come yet a good while to our former serenity; therefore it were not amiss, in my judgment, if some foreign Air did blow upon the aforesaid Blossoms, to ripen them under some other Meridian ; in the interim, it is the opinion of — Your ever respectful Friend to dispose of, J. H. Fleet, 3 Aug. 1645. XXXVIII. To Mr. G. C, at Dublin. Sir, THE news of this Week have been like the. waves of that boisterous Sea, thro' which this Letter is to pass over 430 Familiar Letters. Book II. over to you. Divers reports for Peace have swoln high for the time, but they suddenly fell low and flat again. Our Relations here are like a Peal of Bells in windy blustring weather; sometimes the Sound is strong on this side, some- times on that side of the Steeple; so our Relations sound diversly, as the Air of Affection carries them ; and sometimes in a whole volley of News we shall not find one true report. There was, in a Dunkirk Ship, taken some months ago hard by Arundel Castle, among other things, a large Picture seizM upon, and carried to Westminster -Hall, and put in the Star-Chamher to be publickly seen: It was the Legend of ConanuSj a British Prince in the time of Gratian the Emperor, who having married Ursula, the King of CorniuaWs Daughter, was embark'd with ii,ooo Virgins for Britany in France, to colonize that part with Christians ; but being by distress of Weather beaten upon the Rhine, because they would not yield to the lust of the Infidels, after the example of Ursula, they were all slain, their Bodies were carried to Colen, where there stands to this day a stately Church built for them. This is the Story of that Picture ; yet the common People here take Conanus for our King, and Vrsula for the Queen, and the Bishop which stands hard by to be the Pope, and so stare upon it accordingly, notwithstanding that the Prince there represented hath Sandals on his feet, after the old fashion, that the Coronets on their heads resemble those of Dukes and Earls, as also that there are Rays about them which never use to be applied to living Persons, with divers other incongruities: Yet it cannot be beaten out of the belief of thousands here, but that it was intended to represent our King and Queen; which makes me conclude with this interjection of wonder. Oh the ignorance of the common People! — Your faithful Friend to command, J. H. Fleet, 12 Aug. 1644. XXXIX. Book II. Familiar Letters. 431 XXXIX. To Master End. Por._, at Paris. Sir, I MOST affectionately kiss your hands for the account (and candid opinion) you please to give of the History I sent Her Majesty of the late King her Brother's Reign. I return you also a thousand thanks for your comfortable Advice, that having been so long under hatches in this Fleet, I should fancy myself to be in a long voyage at Sea : ^Tis true, Opinion can do much, and indeed she is that great Lady which rules the World. There is a wise saying in that Country where you sojourn now, that Ce rHest pas la place mais la pensee qui fait la prison : 'Tis not the Place, but Opinion, that makes the Prison ; the Conceit is more than the Condition. You go on to prefer my captivity in this Fleet to that of a Voyager at Sea, in regard that he is subject to storms and springing of Leaks, to Pirates and Picaroons, with other casualties. You write, I have other Advantages also, to be free from plundering, and other Barbarisms, that reign now abroad. 'Tis true, I am secur'd from all these; yet touching the first, I could be content to expose myself to all those chances, so that this were a floating Fleet, that I might breathe free Air, for I have not been suffered to stir o'er the threshold of this House this four years. Whereas you say, I have a Book for my com- panion ; 'tis true, I converse sometimes with dead Men, and what fitter Associates can there be for one that is buried alive (as I am) than dead Men ? And now will I adventure to send you a kind of Epitaph I made of myself this morning, as I was lolling a-bed : Here lies intomb'd a walking things Whom Fortune {with the States) did fling Between these walls. Why ? ask 7iot that, That blind Whore doth she knozvs not what. 'Tis a strange World, you'll say, when Men make their own 432 Familiar Letters. Book 11. own Epitaphs in their Graves ; but we that are thus buried alive have one Advantage above others, that we are like to have a double Resurrection : I am sure of one ; but if these Times hold, I cannot ascertain myself of the other, for I may be suffered to rot here, for ought I know ; it being the hard destiny of some in these Times, when they are once clapp'd up, to be so forgotten, as if there were no such Men in the World. I humbly thank you for your Avisos ; I cannot correspond with you in that kind as freely as I would ; only in the general I must tell you, that we are come to such a pass, that the Posie which a young Couple did put upon their Wedding-ring may fit us in general, which was, God knows what will become of us. But I trust these bad Times will be recompensed with better; for my part, that which keeps me alive is your Motto there of the House of Bourbon, and 'tis but one word, U Sperance. So I pray God preserve you, and — Your most faithful humble Servitor, J. H. Fleet, 2 Jaji. 1646. XL. To Master J. H., at St. John's College in Cambridge. Master Hall, YOURS of the 13th of this instant came safely, tho' slowly, to hand ; for I had it not till the 20th of the same, and the next day your Essays were brought me. I entertained both with much respect; for I found therein many choice and ripe Notions, which I hope proceed from a pregnancy, rather than precocity of spirit in you. I perceive you have enter'd the Suburbs of Sparta already, and that you are in a fair way to get to the Town itself : I know you have wherewith to adorn her ; nay, you may in time gain Athens herself, with all the Knowledge she was ever Mistress of, if you go on in your Career with constancy. I find you have a genius for the most solid and severest sort of Studies; therefore when you have pass'd thro' Book II. Familiar Letters. 433 thro' the Briars of Logick, I could wish you to go strongly on in the fair fields of Philosophy and the Mathematicks, which are true Academical Studies, and they will afford rich matter of application for your inventive spirit to work upon. By all means understand Aristotle in his own Language, for it is the Language of Learning. Touching Poetry, History, and other humane Studies, they may serve you for your recreation, but let them not by any means allure your affections from the first. I shall delight some- times to hear of your proceeding; for I profess a great deal of good-will to you, which makes me rest — Your respectful Friend to serve you, J. H. Fleets 3 Dec. XLL To my B., the L. B. of B., in France. My Good Lord and Br., ALTHO' the sense of my own hard condition be enough to make me melancholy, yet when I contemplate yours (as I often do) and compare your kind of lanishment with my imprisonment, I find the apprehension of the first, wherein so many have a share, adds a double weight to my sufferings, tho' but single : Truly these Thoughts to me are as so many corrosives to one already in a Consumption. The World cries you up to be an excellent Divine and Philosopher ; now is the time for you to make an advantage of both : Of the first, by calling to mind, that Afflictions are the proportion of the best Theophiles ; of the other, by a well-weighed consideration, that Crosses and Troubles are entaiPd upon Mankind as much as any other inheritance. In this respect I am no Cadet, for vou know I have had a double, if not a triple share, and may be rather call'd the elder Brother ; but olareov koX iirtcrTeov, I hope I shall not sink under the burden, but that we shall be both reserved for better days, 'specially now that the King (with the Stm and the Spring) makes his approach more and more towards us from the North. 2 E God 434 Familiar Letters. Book IL God Almighty (the God of our good old Father) still guard you and guide you, that after so long a separation we may meet again with comfort, to confer Notes, and recount Matters past : For adverse Fortune, among other Properties, hath this for one, that her present pressures are not so irk- some, as the remembrance of them being past are delight- some. So I remain — Your most loving Brother, J. H. Fleet, I Maii 1645. XLII. To Sir L. Dives, in the Tower. Sir, AMONG divers other Properties that attend a long Cap- tivity, one is, that it purgeth the Humours, ^specially it correcteth Choler, and attempers it with Phlegm; which you know in Spanish is taken for Patience. It hath also a chymical kind of quality, to refine the dross and feculency of a corrupt Nature, as Fire useth to purify Metals, and to destroy that terram adamicam in them, as the Chymist calls it ; for Demogorgon with his Vegetables partakes of Adams Malediction, as well as other Creatures, which makes some of them so foul and imperfect ; Nature having design'd them all for Gold and Silver at first, and 'tis Fire can only rectify, and reduce them towards such a perfection. This Fleet hath been such a Furnace to me, it hath been a kind of Perillus Bull ; or rather, to use the Paracelsian phrase, I have been here in ventre equina, in this limbeck and crucible of Affliction. And whereas the Chymist commonly requires but 150 days antequam corvus in columham vertatur, before the Crow turns to a Dove ; I have been here five times so many days, and upward. I have been here time enough in conscience to pass all the degrees and effects of fire, as distillation, sublimation, mortification, calcination, solution, descension, dealbation, rubification, and fixation; for I have been fasten'd to the walls of this Prison any time these fifty-five months : I have been here long enough, if I were matter capable thereof, to be made the Philosopher's Stone, to Book II, Familiar Letters. 435 to be converted from Water to Powder, which is the whole Magistery : I have been, besides, so long upon the anvil, that methinks I am grown malleable, and hammer-proof; I am so habituated to hardship. But indeed you that are made of a choicer mould, are fitter to be turnM into the Elixir, than I who have so much dross and corruption in me, that it will require more pains, and much more expence, to be purg'd and defecated. God send us both patience to bear the brunt of this fiery trial, and grace to turn these decoc- tions into aqua vitce, to make sovereign Treacle of this Viper. The Trojan Prince was forc'd to pass over Phlegeton, and pay Charon his freight before he could get into the Elysian fields : You know the moral, that we must pass thro' Hell to Heaven ; and why not as well thro' a Prison to Paradise ? Such may the Tower prove to you, and the Fleet to me, who am — Your humble and hearty Servitor, J. H. J^rom the priso7t of the Fleet, 23 Feb. 1645. XLHI. To the Right Honour ahle the Lord R. My Lord, SURE there is some angry Planet hath lower'd long upon the Catholick King ; and tho' one of his Titles to Pagan Princes be, that he wears the Sun for his Helmet, because it never sets upon all his dominions, in regard some part of them lies on the t'other side of the Hemisphere among the Antipodes ; yet methinks that neither that great Star, or any of the rest, are now propitious unto him : They cast, it seems, more benign influxes upon the Flower-de luce, which thrives wonderfully ; but how long these favour- able Aspects will last, I will not presume to judge. This, among divers others of late, hath been a fatal year to the said King ; for Westward he hath lost Dunkirk : Dunkirk, which was the Terror of this part of the World, the Scourge of the occidental Seas, whose Name was grown to be a bug- bear for so many years, hath now changed her Master, and thrown 436 Familiar Letters. Book II. thrown away the ragged-siaff ; doubtless a great exploit it was to take this Town : But whether this be advantageous to Holland (as I am sure it is not to Ejiglarid) time will shew. It is more than probable that it may make him careless at Sea^ and in the building and arming of his Ships, having now no Enemy near him ; besides, I believe it cannot much benefit Hans to have the French so contiguous to him : the old saying was, Ayez le Frangois pour ton amy, non pas pour ton Voisin : Have the Frenchman for thy Friend, not for thy Neighbour. Touching England, I believe these distractions of ours have been one of the greatest advantages that could befall France; and they happen'd in the most favourable con- juncture of time that might be, else I believe he would never have as much as attempted Dunkirk : for England, in true reason of State, had reason to prevent nothing more, in regard no one place could have added more to the naval Power of France; this will make his Sails swell bigger, and I fear make him claim in time as much Regality in these narrow Seas as EnQ-land herself. In Italy the Spaniard hath also had ill successes at Piom- lino and Porto-longone : besides, they write that he hath lost il Prete, & il Medico, the Priest, and the Physician ; to wit^ the Pope, and the Duke of Florence (the House of Medici), who appear rather for the French than for him. Add to these disasters, that he hath lost within the revolu- tion of the same year the Prince of Spain his unic Son, in the very flower of his age, being but seventeen years old. These, with the falling off of Catalonia and Portugal, with the death of the Queen not above forty, are heavy losses to the Catholick King, and must needs much enfeeble the great bulk of his Monarchy, falling in so short a compass of time one upon the neck of another : and we are not to enter into the secret Counsels of God Almighty for a reason. I have read 'twas the sensuality of the flesh that drove the Kings out of Rome, the French out of Sicily, and brought the Moors into Spain, where they kept firm footing above seven Book 11. Familiar Letters. 437 seven hundred years. I could tell you how, not long before her death, the late Queen of Spain took oflF one of her Chapines, and clowted Olivares about the noddle with it, because he had accompany'd the King to a Lady of Plea- sure ; telling him, that he should know, she was Sister to a King of France, as well as Wife to a King of Spain, For nw part, Frayice and Spain is all one to me in point of affection ; I am one of those indifferent Men that would have the Scales of Power in Europe kept even : I am also a Philerenus, 2l lover of Peace, and I could wish the French were more inclinable to it, now that the common Enemy hath invaded the Territories of St. Mark. Nor can I but admire that at the same time the French should assail Italy at one side, when the Turk was doing it on the other. But had that great naval Power of Christians, which were this summer upon the coasts of Tuscany, gone against the Mahometan Fleet, which was the same time setting upon Candy, they might in all likelihood have achieved a glori- ous Exploit, and driven the Turk into the Hellespont. Nor is poor Christendom torn thus in pieces by the German, Spaniard, French, and Swedes, but our three Kingdoms have also most pitifully scratch'd her face, wasted her spirits, and let out some of her illustrious blood, by our late horrid distractions : Whereby it may be inferr'd, that the Mufti and the Pope seem to thrive in their devotion one way, a chief part of the prayers of the one being, that discord should still continue 'twixt Christian Princes ; of the other, that division should still increase between the Protestants. This poor Island is a woful ex- ample thereof. I hear the Peace 'twixt Spain and Holland is absolutely concluded by the Plenipotentiary Ministers at Munster, who have beat their heads so many years about it : But they write that the French and Swede do mainly endeavour, and set all the wheels of Policy a-going to puzzle and prevent it. If it take effect, I do not see how the Hollander in common honesty can evade it; I hope it will conduce much to an Universal 438 Familiar Letters. Book 11. Universal Peace, which God grant, for War is a Fire struck in the Devil's tinder-box. No more now, but that I am, my Lord — Your most humble Servitor, J. H. J^/eef, I Z)ec. 1643. XLIV. To Mr. E. O., Counsellor^ at Gray's-Inn. Sir, THE sad Tidings of my dear Friend Dr. Prichard^s Death sunk deep into me; and the more I ruminate upon't, the more I resent it : But when I contemplate the Order, and those Adamantine Laws which Nature puts into such strict execution thro'out this elementary World ; when I consider that up and down this frail Globe of Earth we are but Strangers and Sojourners at best, being design'd for an infinitely better Country ; when I think that our egress out of this life is as natural to us as our ingress (all which he knew as much as any), these Thoughts in a checking way turn my Melancholy to a counter-passion ; they beget another spirit within me. You know that in the disposition of all sublunary Things, Nature is God's Handmaid, Fate his Commissioner J Time his Instrument^ and Death his Execu- tioner. By the first we have Generation ; by the second Successes, good or bad; and the two last bring us to our End : Time with his vast Scythe mows down all Things, and Death sweeps away those Mowings. Well, he was a rare and a compleat judicious Scholar, as any that I have known born under our Meridian; he was both solid and acute; nor do I remember to have seen soundness and quaintness, with such sweet strains of morality, concur so in any. I should think that he fell sick of the Times, but that I knew him to be so good a Divine and Philosopher, and to have studied the Theory of this World so much, that nothing could take impression in him to hurt himself ; therefore I am content to believe, that his Glass ran out without any jogging- Book 11. Familiar Letters. 439 jogging. I know you lov'd him dearly well, which shall make me the more — Your most affectionate Servitor, J. H. Fleets 3 Aug. XLV. To I. W., l^sq. ; in Gray's-Tnn. Gentle Sir, I VALUE at a high rate the fair respects you shew me, by the late ingenious expressions of your Letter; but the merit you ascribe to me in the superlative, might have very well serv'd in the positive, and ^tis well if I deserve in that degree. You writ that you have singular contentment and profit in the perusal of some Things of mine : I am heartily glad they aff'orded any Entertainment to a Gentle- man of so choice a judgment as yourself. I have a foolish working Brain of mine own, in labour still with something; and I can hardly keep it from super- fetations, tho' oft-times it produce a Mouse, in lieu of a Mountain. I must confess its best productions are but homely and hard-favourM ; yet in regard they appear hand- some in your Eyes, I shall like them the better. So I am, Sir — Yours most obliged to serve you, J. H. Fleet, 3 Jan. 1 644. XLVI. To Mr. Tho. H. Sir, THO' the time abound with Schisms more than ever (the more is our misery), yet, I hope, you will not suffer any to creep into our Friendship; tho' I apprehend some fears thereof by your long silence, and cessation of literal correspondence. You know there is a peculiar Re- ligion attends Friendship; there is, according to the Ety- mology of the word, a ligation and solemn tie, the. rescind- ing whereof may be truly called a Schism, or a Piacle, which is 440 Familiar Letters. Book II, is more. There belong to this Religion of Friendship certain due rites^ and decent ceremonies, as Visits, Messages, and Missives. Tho' I am content to believe that you are firm in the fundamentals, yet I find, under favour, that you have lately fallen short of performing those exterior offices, as if the ceremonial Law were quite abrogated with you in all things. Friendship also allows of Merits, and works of Supererogation sometimes, to make her capable of Eternity. You know that Pair which were taken up into Heaven, and placed among the brightest Stars for their rare constancy and fidelity one to the other: you know also they are put among the fixed Stars, not the erratices, to shew there must be no inconstancy in love. Navigators steer their course by them, and they are the best friends in working Seas, dark nights, and distresses of weather; whence may be inferred, that true friends should shine clearest in adversity, in cloudy and doubtful times. On my part this ancient friendship is still pure, orthodox, and incorrupted ; and tho' I have not the opportunity (as you have) to perform all the rites thereof in regard of this recluse life, yet I shall never err in the Essentials : I am still yours KT^crei, tho' I cannot be 'xprjaec : for in statu quo nunc, I am grown useless and good for nothing, yet in point of possession I am as much as ever — Your firm inalterable Servitor, J. H. I'leet, 7 A'^ov. 1643. XLVIL To Mr. S. B., Merchant, at his House in the Old-Jury. Sir, I RETURN you those two famous speeches of the late Q. Elizabeth, with the addition of another from Baudius at an Embassy here from Holland, It is with Languages as ^tis with liquors, which by transfusion use to take wind from one vessel to another ; so things translated into another tongue lose of their primitive vigour and strength, unless a paraphrastical Version be permitted; and then the Traduct may Book II, Familiar Letters. 441 may exceed the Original ; not otherwise, tho^ the Version be never so punctual, ^specially in these Orations which are framM with such art, that, like Fitruv'ms^s Palace, there is no place left to add one stone more without defacing, or to take any out without hazard of destroying the whole Fabrick. Certainly she was a Princess of a rare endowment for Learning and Languages ; she was bless'd with a long Life and triumphant Reign, attended with various sorts of ad- mirable Successes, which will be taken for some Romance a thousand years hence, if the World last so long. She freed the Scot from the French^ and gave her Successor a royal pension to maintain his Court: she helped to settle the Crown on Henry the Great's head : she gave essence to the State of Holland : she civiliz'd Ireland, and suppress'd divers insurrections there : she preserved the dominion of the narrow Seas in greater glory than ever: she maintained open War against Spain, when Spain was in her highest flourish, for divers years together: yet she left a mighty Treasure behind, which shews that she was a notable good housewife. Yet I have read divers censures of her abroad ; that she was ingrateful to her Brother of Spain, who had been the chiefest instrument, nnder God, to preserve her from the Block, and had left her all Q. Marys Jewels with- out diminution; accusing her, that afterwards she should first infringe the Peace with him, by intercepting his trea- sure in the narrow Seas, by suffering her Drake to swim to his Indies, a.ncots have been utterly routed, rifled, and all taken prisoners, by less than 8000 English. I must confess ^twas a great Exploit, whereof I am not sorry, in regard that the English have regain'd hereby the Honour which they had lost abroad of late Years in the Opinion of the World, ever since the Pacification at Berwick, and divers Traverses of War since. What Hamilton^ s Design was, is a Mystery ; most think that he intended no Good either to King or Parliament. So, with my daily more and more en- deared Affections to you, I rest — Yours ever to love and serve you, J. H. Fleet J 7 May 1647. XVH. To Mr. R. Baron, at Paris. Gentle Sir, IRECEIV'D and presently ran over your Cyprian Aca- demy \N\th. much Greediness, and no vulgar Delight; and. Sir, I hold myself much honour'd for the Dedication you have been pleas'd to make thereof to me, for it deservM a far higher Patronage. Truly, I must tell you without any Compliment, that I have seldom met with such an ingenious mixture of Prose and Verse, interwoven with such varieties of Book III, Familiar Letters. 541 of Fancy and charming strains of amorous Passions, which have made all the Ladies of the Land in love with you. If you begin already to court the Muses so handsomely, and have got such footing on ParnassuSj you may in time be Lord of the whole Hill ; and those nice Girls, because Jpollo is now grown unwieldy and old, may make choice of you to officiate in his room, and preside over them. I much thank you for the punctual Narration you pleas'd to send me of those Commotions in Paris ; I believe France will never be in perfect repose while a Spaniard sits at the Stern, and an Italian steers the Rudder. In my opinion Mazarine should do wisely, now that he hath feather'd his nest so well, to truss up his Baggage, and make over the Alps to his own Country, lest the same fate betide him as did the Marquis of Ancre his Compatriot. I am glad the Treaty goes on ^twixt Spain and France ; for nothing can portend a greater good to Christendom than a Conjunction of those two great Luminaries ; which if it please God to bring about, I hope the Stars will change their Aspects, and we shall see better days. I send here inclosed a second Bill of Exchange, in case the first I sent you in my last hath miscarry'd : So, my dear Nephew, I embrace you with both my Arms, and rest — Yours most entirely to love and serve you, while J. H. I^leef^ 20 Jime 1647. XVIII. To Mr, Tho. More, at York. Sir, I HAVE often partak'd of that pleasure which Letters use to carry along with them ; but I do not remember to have found a greater proportion of delight than yours afford me. Your last of the 4th current came to safe hand, wherein methought each line, each word, each syllable breath'd out the Passions of a clear and candid Soul, of a virtuous and gentle Spirit. Truly, Sir, as I might, perceive by 542 Familiar Letters. Book II L by your ingenuous and pathetical expressions therein, that you were transported with the heat of true Affection towards me in the writings so was I in the reading, which wrought upon me with such an Energy that a kind of extasy pos- sessed me for the time. I pray, Sir, go on in this corre- spondence, and you shall find that your lines will not be ill bestowM upon me ; for I love and respect you dearly well : Nor is this Love grounded upon vulgar Principles, but upon those extraordinary parts of Virtue and Worth which I have discovered in you, and such a Love is the most permanent, as you shall find in — Your most affectionate Uncle, J. H. Fleet, I of Sep, 1647. XIX. To Mr, W. B., 3° Mali. Sir, YOUR last Lines to me were as delightful as the Season, they were as sweet as Flowers in May ; nay, they were far more fragrant than those fading Vegetables, they did cast a greater suavity than the Arabian Spices use to do in the Grand Cairo, where when the Wind is Southward, they say the Air is as sweet as a perfum'd Spanish Glove. The Air of this City is not so, specially in the heart of the City, in and about PauPs Church, where Horse-dung is a yard deep ; insomuch that to cleanse it would be as hard a task as it was for Hercules to cleanse the Augean Stable, by drawing a great River thro' it, which was accounted one of his twelve Labours. But it was a bitter taunt of the Italian, who pass- ing by PauVs Church, and seeing it full of horses. Now I perceive (said he) that in England Men and Beasts serve God alike. No more now, but that I am — Your most faithful Servant, J. H. XX. Book III. Familiar Letters. 543 XX. To Sir Paul Pindar, Kt., upon the Version of an Italian Piece into English, call'd St. PauFs Progress upon Earth ; a new and a notable kind of Satire, Sir, ST. PAUL having descended lately to view Italy and other places, as you may trace him in the following Discourse, he would not take wing back to Heaven before he had given you a special visit, who have so well deserv'd of his Church here, the goodliest pile of Stones in the Chris- tian World of that kind. Of all the Men of our times, you are one of the greatest examples of Piety and constant Integrity, which discovers a noble Soul to dwell within you, and that you are verv conversant with Heaven ; so that methinks I see St. Paul saluting and solacing you in these black times, assuring you that those pious works of Charity you have done and daily do (and that in such a manner, that the left hand knows not what the right doth) will be as a triumphant Chariot to carry you one day up to Heaven, to partake of the same Beatitude with him. Sir, among those that truly honour you, I am one, and have been so since I first knew you ; therefore as a small testimony hereof, I send you this fresh Fancy compos'd by a noble Personage in Italian, of which Language you are so great a Master. For the first part of the Discourse, which consists of a Dialogue ^twixt the two first Persons of the Holy Trinity, there are examples of that kind in some of the most ancient Fathers, as Apollinarius and Nazianzen ; and lately Grotius hath the like in his Tragedy of Christ'' s Passion : Which may serve to free it from all exceptions. So I most affectionately kiss your hands, and am, Sir — Your very humble and ready Servant, J. H. Fkef, 25 Martii 1646. XXI. 544 Familiar Letters. Book in. XXI. To Sir Paul Neale, Kt.^ ypon the same Subject, Sir, ST. PAUL cannot reascend to Heaven before he gives you also a salute; my Lord^ your Father, having been a Star of the greatest magnitude in the Firmament of the Church. If you please to observe the manner of his late progress upon earthy which you may do by the guidance of this discourse, you shall discover many things which are not vulgar, by a curious mixture of Church and State-Affairs : You shall feel herein the pulse of Italy, and how it beats at this time since the beginning of these late Wars ^twixt the Pope and the Duke of Parma, with the grounds, procedure, and success of the said War ; together with the Interest and Grievances, the Pretences and Quarrels that most Princes there have with Rome. I must confess, my Genius hath often prompted me that I was never cut out for a Translator, there being a kind of servility therein : For it must needs be somewhat tedious to one that hath any free-born thoughts within him, and genuine conceptions of his own (whereof I have some, tho' shallow ones) to enchain himself to a verbal servitude, and the sense of another. Moreover, Translations are but as turn-coated things at best, ^specially among Languages that have Advantages one of the other, as the Italian hath of the English, which may be said to differ one from the other as Silk doth from Cloth, the common wear of both Countries where they are spoken. And as Cloth is the more substantial, so the English Tongue, by reason ^tis so knotted with con- sonants, is the stronger and the more sinewy of the two : But Silk is more smooth and slick, and so is the Italian Tongue, compared to the English. Or I may say. Transla- tions are like the wrong side of a Turkey Carpet, which useth to be full of thrums and knots, and nothing so even as the right side : Or one may say (as I spake elsewhere), that Translations Book IIL Familiar Letters. 545 Translations are like Wines ta'en off the lees, and poured into other vessels, that must needs lose somewhat of their first strength and briskness, which in the pouring, or passage rather, evaporates into Air. Moreover, touching Translations, it is to be observ'd, that every Language hath certain Idioms, Proverbs, and peculiar Expressions of its own, which are not rendible in any other, but paraphrastically ; therefore he overacts the office of an Interpreter who doth enslave himself too strictly to Words or Phrases. I have heard of an excess among Limners, calPd too much to the Life, which happens when one aims at Similitude more than Skill : So in version of Languages, one may be so over-punctual in words, that he may mar the matter. The greatest fidelity that can be expected in a Translator, is to keep still a-foot and entire the true genuine sense of the Author, with the main design he drives at : And this was the principal thing which was observ'd in this Version. Furthermore, let it not be thought strange that there are some Italian words made free denizons of England in this discourse ; for by such means our Language hath grown from time to time to be copious, and still grows more rich, by adopting, or naturalizing rather, the choicest foreign words of other Nations; as a Nosegay is nothing else but a tuft of flowers gather'd from divers beds. Touching this present Version of Italian into English^ I may say, ^tis a thing I did when I had nothing to do : ^Twas to find something whereby to pass away the slow hours of this sad condition of Captivity. I pray be pleas'd to take this as a small Argument of the great respects I owe you for the sundry rare and high Virtues I have discover'd in you, as also for the obligations I have to your noble Lady, whose hands I humbly kiss, wishing you both, as the Season invites me, a good new Year (for it begins but now in Law) as also a holy Lent, and a healthful Spring. — Your most obliged and ready Servitor, J. H. Fleet ^ 25 Martij, 2 M XXII. 54^ Familiar Letters. Book III. XXII. To Dr. W. Turner. Sir, I RETURN you my most thankful Acknowledgments for that Collection, or farrago of Prophecies^ as you call them (and that very properly, in regard there is a mixture of good and bad), you pleas'd to send me lately ; ^specially that of Nostredamus, which I shall be very chary to preserve for you. I could requite you with divers Predictions more, and of some of the British Bards, which were they translated into English would transform the World to wonder. They sing of a Red Parliament and IVhite King, of a race of People which should be called Pengruns, of the fall of the Church, and divers other things which glance upon these times. But I am none of those that afford much faith to rambling Prophecies, which (as was said elsewhere) are like so many odd grains sown in the vast field of Time, whereof not one in a thousand comes up to grow again, and appear above ground. But that I may correspond with you in some part for the like courtesy, I send you these following prophetic Verses of Whitehall, which were made above twenty years ago to my knowledge, upon a Book call'd Balaam^s Ass. that consisted of some Invectives as^ainst K. James and the Court in statu quo tunc : It was compos'd by one Mr. Williams, a Counsellor of the Temple, but a Roman Catholic, who was hang'd, drawn, and quarter'd at Charing- Cross for it; and I believe there be hundreds that have Copies of these Verses ever since that time about Town yet living. They were these : Some seven years since Christ rid to Courts And there he left his Ass: The Courtiers kick'd him out of doors. Because they had 7io grass. The Ass went mourni7ig up and doivn, And thtis I heard him bray, grace. If Book II L Familiar Letters. 547 J f that they could ?iot give me grass ^ They might have given me hay ; But sixteen hundred forty three, Whosoever shall see that day, Will nothing find within that Court, But only grass and hay, &c. Which was found to happen true in Whitehall, till the Soldiers coming to quarter there, trampled it down. Truly, Sir, I find all things conspire to make strange mutations in this miserable Island; I fear we shall fall from under the Scepter to be under the Sivord : And since we speak of Prophecies, I am afraid among others that which was made since the Reformation will be verified, The Church- man was, the Lawyer is, the Soldier shall be. Welcome be the will of God, who transvolves Kingdoms and tumbles down Monarchies as Mole-hills at his pleasure. So I rest, my dear Doctor — Your most faithful Servant, J. H. jFleet, 9 Aug. 1648. XXIII. To the Hon. Sir Edward Spencer, Kt., at his House near Branceford. Sir, WE are not so bare of intelligence between these walls, but we can hear of your doings in Branceford: That so general applause whereby you were cried up Knight of the Shire for Middlesex, sounded round about us upon London Streets, and echo'd in every corner of the Town ; nor do I mingle speech with any, tho' half affected to you, but highly approve of and congratulate the Election, being glad that a Gentleman of such extraordinary parts and probity, as also of such a mature judgment, should be chosen to serve the Public. I return you the Manuscript you lent me of Dcsmonology, but the Author thereof and I are two in point of opinion that way ; for he seems to be on the negative part, and truly he writes as much as can be produced for his purpose. But 548 Familiar Letters. Book III. But there are some men that are of a mere negative genius, like Johannes ad oppositum, who will deny, or at least cross and puzzle anything, tho' never so clear in itself, with their hut, yet, if, &c. ; they will flap the lye in Truth's teeth, tho' she visibly stand before their face without any vizard : Such perverse cross-grainM spirits are not to be dealt withal by arguments, but palpable proofs; as if one should deny that the fire burns, or that he hath a nose on his face; there is no way to deal with him, but to pull him by the tip of the one, and put his finger into the other. I will not say that this Gentleman is so perverse ; but to deny there are any Witches, to deny that there are not ill Spirits which seduce, tamper, and converse in divers shapes with human Creatures, and impel them to actions of malice; I say, that he who denies there are such busy Spirits, and such poor passive Creatures upon whom they work, which commonly are callM Witches ; I say again, that he who denies there are such Spirits, shews that he himself hath a Spirit of Contradiction in him, opposing the current and consentient Opinion of all Antiquity. We read that both Jews and Romans, with all other Nations of Christendom, and our Ancestors here in England, enacted Laws against Witches ; sure they were not so silly as to waste their brains in making Laws against Chimeras, against non-entia, or such as Plato^s Kteriiisniata's were. The Judicial Law is apparent in the holy Codex, Thou shalt not suffer a Witch to live : The Roman Law, which the Decemviri made, is yet extant in the twelve Tables, Qui fruges incantassent, poenis danto : They who shall inchant the fruit of the Earth, let them be punish'd. The Imperial Law is known by every Civilian; Hi cum hostes naturce sint, supplicio afficiantur : These, meaning Witches, because they are enemies to Nature, let them be punish'd. And the Acts of Parliament in Eng- land are against those that invoke ill Spirits, that take up any dead man, woman, or child, to take the skin or hone of any dead body, to employ it to Sorcery or Charm, wherehy any one is lam^d or made to pine away, &c., such shall he guiliy Book IIL Familiar Letters. 549 guilty of flat Felony^ and not capable of Clergy or Sanc- tuary, &c. What a multitude of examples are there in good authentic Authors of divers kinds of Fascinations, Incantations, Pre- stigiations, of Philtres, Spells, Charms, Sorceries, Charac- ters, and such like ; as also of Magic, Necromancy, and Divinations? Surely the Witch of Endor is no fable; the burning of Joan d^Arc the Maid of Orleans in Rouen, and of the Marchioness of d'Ancre of late years in Paris, are no fables : The execution of Nostredamus for a kind of Witch, some fourscore years since, is but a modern story, who among other things foretold, Le Senat de Londres tuera son Roy, The Senate of London shall kill their King. The best historians have it upon record, how Charlemain^s Mis- tress enchanted him with a Ring, which as long as she had about her, he would not suffer her dead Carcase to be carryM out of his chamber to be buried ; and a Bishop taking it out of her mouth, the Emperor grew to be as much be- witched with the Bishop ; but he being cloy'd with his excess of favour, threw it into a Pond, where the Emperor's chiefest pleasure was to walk till his dying day. The story tells us, how the Waldenses in France were by solemn Arrest of Par- liament accused and condemnM of Witchcraft. The Malteses took St. Paul for a Witch, St. Augustin speaks of Women who could turn Men to Horses, and make them carry their burdens : Danceiis writes of an inchanted Staff, which the Devil, Summoner-like, was us'd to deliver some Market- women to ride upon. In some of the Northern Countries, ^tis as ordinary to buy and sell Winds as it is to do Wines in other parts ; and hereof I could instance in some examples of my own knowledge. Every one knows what Olaus Magnus writes of Erich^s (King of Sweethland^s) corner'd Cap, who could make the Wind shift to any point of the Compass, according as he turn'd it about. Touching Diviners of things to come, which is held a species of Witchcraft, we may read they were frequent among the Romans ; yea, they had Colleges for their Augurs and Aruspices, 550 Familiar Letters. Book II L Aruspices, who us'd to make their Predictions sometimes by Fire, sometimes by flying of Fowls^ sometimes by inspection into the Entrails of Beasts, or invoking the dead_, but most frequently by consulting with the Oracles, to whom all Nations hath recourse except the Jews. But you will say, that since Christianity d'isplay'd her Banner, the Cross hath scarM away the Devil and struck the Oracles dumb: As Plutarch reports a notable passage of Thamus, an Italian Pilot, who a little after the birth of Christy sailing along the Coasts of Calabria in a still silent night, all his Passengers being asleep, an airy cold Voice came to his ears, saying, Thamus, ThamuSy Thamus, The great God Pan is dead, who was the chiefest Oracle of that Country. Yet tho' the Light of the Gospel chas'd away those great Owls, there be some Bats and little Night-birds that fly still abroad, I mean petty Spirits, that by secret pactions, which are made always with- out witness, enable Men and Women to do evil. In such compacts beyond the Seas, the Party must Jlrst renounce Christ J and the extended IVoman^ meaning the blessed Virgin ; he must contemn the Sacrament^ tread on the Cross, spit at the Host J &c. There is a famous story of such a Paction, which Fryar Louis made some half a hundred years ago with the Devil in Marseilles, who appeared to him in shape of a Goat, and promised him the enjoyment of any Woman whom he fancied, with other Pleasures, for 41 years; but the Devil being too cunning for him, put the figure of i before, and made it 14 years in the Contract (which is to be seen to this day, with the Devil's claw to it), at which time the Fryar was detected for Witchcraft, and burnt ; and all those Children whom he had christned during that term of fourteen years were re-baptiz'd : The Gentlewomen whom he had abus'd put themselves into a Nunnery by them- selves. Hereunto may be added the great rich Widow that was burnM in Lions, because 'twas prov'd the Devil had lain with her ; as also the History of Lieutenant Jaquette, which stands upon record with the former: But if I should insert them here at laro-e, it w^ould make this Letter swell too much. But Book III. Familiar Letters. 551 But we need not cross the Sea for examples of this kind ; we have too too many (God wot) at home. King James a great while was loth to believe there were Witches ; but that which happen'd to my Lord Francis of Rutland's Children convinc'd him, who were bewitch'd by an old Woman that was servant at B elvoir- Castle ; but being dis- pleased, she contracted with the Devil (who convers'd with her in form of a Cat, whom she callM Rutierkin) to make away those Children, out of mere malignity and thirst of reveno:e. o But since the beginning of these unnatural Wars, there may be a cloud of Witnesses produced for the proof of this black Tenet: For within the compass of two years, near upon three hundred Witches were arraigned, and the major part executed in Essex and Suffolk only. Scotland swarms with them now more than ever, and Persons of good Quality executed daily. Thus, Sir, have I huddled together a few Arguments touching this Subject; because in my last communication with you, methought I found you somewhat unsatisfied, and staggering in your opinion touching the affirmative part of this Thesis, the discussing whereof is far fitter for an elaborate large Treatise than a loose Letter. Touching the new Commonwealth you intend to establish, now that you have assigned me my part among so many choice Legislators : Something I shall do to comply with your Desires, which shall be always to me as Commands, and your Commands as Laws ; because I love and honour you in a very high degree for those gallant free-born thoughts and sundry parts of virtue which I have discerned in you : Which makes me entitle myself — Your most humble and affectionate faithful Servant, J. H. J^/eef, 20 Feb, 1647. XXIV. 552 Familiar Letters. Book III, XXIV. To Sir William Boswel, at the Hague. Sir, THAT black Tragedy which was lately acted here, as it hath fill'd most hearts among us with consternation and horror, so I believe it hath been no less resented abroad. For my own particular, the more I ruminate upon it, the more it astonisheth my imagination, and shaketh all the cells of my Brain ; so that sometimes I struggle with my Faith, and have much ado to believe it yet. I shall give over wondring at anything hereafter, nothing shall seem strange unto me ; only I will attend with patience how England will thrive, now that she is let blood in the Basilical Vein, and cur'd, as they say, of the King's-Evil. I had one of yours by Mr. Jacob Boeue, and I much thank you for the Account you please to give me of what I sent you by his conveyance. Holland may now be proud, for there is a younger Commonwealth in Christendoju than herself. No more now but that I always rest. Sir — Your most humble Servitor, J. H. J^/eef, 20 Mar. 1648. XXV. To Mr. W. B., at Grundsburgh. Sir, NEVER credit me, if Liberty itself be as dear to me as your Letters, they come so full of choice and learned applications, with such free unforc'd strains of ingenuity ; insomuch that when I peruse them, methinks they cast such a kind of fragrancy, that I cannot more aptly compare them than to the Flowers which are now in their prime season, viz., to Roses in June. I had two of them lately, which methought were like Quivers full of barbM Arrows pointed with gold, that penetrated my breast. — Tah' quis nollet ab idu Ridendo treinulas mortis non ire sub umbras ? Your Book III, Familiar Letters. 553 Your expressions were like those Mucrones and Melliti Glohuli, which you so ingeniously apply mine unto ; but these Arrows of yours, tho' they have hit me_, they have not hurt me, they had no killing quality, but they were rather as so many cordials ; for you know Gold is restorative. I am suddenly surprizM by an unexpected occasion, therefore I must abruptly break off with you for this time : I will only add, my most dear Nephew, that I rest — Yours entirely to love and serve you, J. H. lune 3, 1648. XXVI. To R. K., Esq., at St. Giles's. Sir, DIFFERENCE in Opinion, no more than a differing Complexion, can be cause enough for me to hate any. A differing Fancy is no more to me than a differing Face, If another hath a fair Countenance, tho^ mine be black ; or if I have a fair Opinion, tho' another have a hard-f avowed one, yet it shall not break that common league of Humanity which should be betwixt rational creatures, provided he corresponds with me in the general offices of Morality and civil uprightness : This may admit him to my acquaintance and conversation, tho' I never concur with him in opinion : He bears the Image of Adam, and the Image of the Almighty, as well as I ; he had God for his Father, tho^ he hath not the same Church for his Mother. The omniscient Creator, as he is only Kar diagnostic, so he is the sole Lord of the whole inward Man : It is he who reigns o^er the faculties of the soul, and the affections of the Heart : 'Tis he who regulates the Will, and rectifies all obliquities in the Under- standing by special illuminations, and oftentimes reconciles Men as opposite in Opinions, as Meridians and Parallels are in point of extension, whereof the one draws from East to West, the other from North to South. Some of the Pagan Philosophers, 'specially Themistius, who 554 Familiar Letters. Book III. who was Praetor of Byzantium, maintained an opinion, that as the pulchritude and preservation of the World consisted in varieties and dissimilitudes (as also in eccentric and contrary motions), that as it was replenishM with such numberless sorts of several Species, and that the Individuals of those Species differed so much one from the other, 'speci- ally Mankind, amongst whom one shall hardly find two in ten thousand that hath exactly (tho' Twins) the same tone of Voice, similitude of Face, or ideas of Mind ; therefore, the God of Nature ordainM from the beginning, that he should be worshipped in various and sundry forms of Adorations, which nevertheless like so many Lines should tend all to the same Centre. But Christian Religion prescribes another Rule, viz., that there is but ujia via, una Veritas, there is but one true way to Heaven, and that but a narrow one ; whereas there be huge large roads that lead to Hell. God Almighty guide us in the firsts and guard us from the second, as also from all cross and uncouth by-paths, which use to lead such giddy brains that follow them to a confus'd labyrinth of Errors ; where being entangled, the Devil, as they stand gaping for new Lights to lead them out, takes his advantage to seize on them for their spiritual Pride, and insolriety in the search of more Knowledge. — Your most faithful Servant, J. H. 28 July 1648. Familiar Familiar Letters. BOOK IV. I. To Sir James Crofts, Knight^ near Lempster. PISTLES, or (according to the word in use) Familiar Letters, may be calFd the larum Bells of Love : I hope this will prove so to you, and have power to awaken you out of that silence wherein you have slept so long ; yet I would not have this larum make any harsh obstreperous sound, but gently summon you to our former correspondence. Your returns to me shall be more than larum Bells, they shall be like silver Trumpets to rouze up my spirits, and make me take pen in hand to meet you more than half-way in the old field of Friendship. It is recorded of Galen, one of Nature^s Cabinet- Clerks, that when he slept his Siesta (as the Spaniard calls it) or afternoon sleep, to avoid excess that way, he usM to sit in such a posture, that having a gold Ball in his hand, and a copper Vessel underneath, as soon as his Senses were shut, and the Phantasy began to work, the Ball would fall down, the 556 Familiar Letters. Book IV, the noise whereof would awake him^ and draw the Spring- lock back again to set the outward Senses at liberty. I have seen in Italy a Finger-ring, which in the boss thereof had a Watch ; and there was such a Trick of Art in it, that it might be so wound up, that it would make a small Pin to prick him who wore it, at such an hour as he pleasM in the night. Let the Pen between us have the virtue of that Pin : But the Pen hath a thousand virtues more. You know that Anser, Apis, VituluSj the Goose, the Bee, and the Calf, do rule the World ; the one affording Parchment, the other two Sealing-Wax, and Quills to write withal. You know also how the, gaggling of Geese did once preserve the Capitol from being surpriz'd by my Countryman Bren- nuSy which was the first foreign Force that Rome felt. But the Goose-quill doth daily greater things, it conserves Em- pires (and the feathers of it get Kingdoms, witness what Exploits the English performed by it in France), the Quill being the chiefest instrument of Intelligence, and the Ambassador's prime Tool : Nay, the Quill is the usefuVst thing which preserves that noble Virtue Friendships which else would perish among Men for want of practice. I shall make no more sallies out of London this Summer, therefore your Letters may be sure where to find me : Matters are still involved here in a strange confusion, but the Stars may let down milder influences; therefore chear up, and reprieve yourself against better times, for the World would be irksome to me if you were out of it. Hap what will, you shall be sure to find me — Your ready and real Servant^ J. H. IL To Mr. T. Morgan. Sir, I RECEIVED two of yours upon Tuesday last, one to your Brother, the other to me; but the Superscriptions were mistaken, which makes me think on that famous Civilian Doctor Dale, who being employM to Flanders by Q. Eliza- heth, Book IV. Familiar Letters. 557 leihj sent in a Packet to the Secretary of State two Lettters, one to the Queen, the other to his Wife; but that which was meant for the Queen was superscribed, To his dear Wife ; and that for his Wife^ To her most excellent Majesty : So that the Queen having openM his Letter, she found it be- ginning with Sweet Heart, and afterwards with my Dear, and Dear Love, with such expressions, acquainting her with the state of his body, and that he began to want money. You may easily guess what motions of mirth this Mistake raisM, but the Doctor by this oversight (or cunningness rather) got a supply of money. This perchance may be your policy, to endorse me your Brother, thereby to endear me the more to you: But you needed not to have done that, for the name Friend goes sometimes further than Brother ; and there be more examples of Friends that did sacrifice their lives for one another than of Brothers ; which the Writer doth think he should do for you, if the case requir'd. But since I am fallen upon Dr. Dale, who was a witty kind of Drole, I will tell you instead of news (for there is \\tt\c good stirring now) two other facetious Tales of his ; and Familiar Tales may become Familiar Letters well enough : When Q. Elizabeth did first propose to him that foreign employ- ment to Flanders, among other encouragements she told him, that he should have 20s. per diem for his expences: Then, Madam, said he, I will spend 195. a-day. What will you do with the odd shilling? the Queen reply^d. I will reserve that for my Kate, and for Tom and Dick; meaning his Wife and Children. This inducM the Queen to enlarge his Allowance. But this that comes last is the best of all, and may be call'd the superlative of the three, which was, when at the overture of the Treaty the other Ambassadors came to propose in what Language they should treat, the Spanish Ambassador answered, that the French was the most proper, because his Mistress entitled herself Queen of France : Nay, then, said Dr. Dale, let us treat in Hebrew, for your Master calls himself King of Jerusalem. I perform'd the civilities you enjoinM me to your Friends here. 558 Familiar Letters. Book IV. here_, who return you the like centuplicated^ and so doth — Your entire Friend, J. H. May 12. III. To the Right Honour all e the Lady E. D. Madam, THERE is a French saying, that Courtesies and Favours are like Flowers, which are sweet only while they are fresh, but afterwards they quickly fade and wither. I cannot deny but your favours to me might be comparM to some kind of Flowers (and they would make a thick Posie), but they should be to the flower calPd Life everlasting ; or that pretty Vermilion Flower which grows at the foot of the Mountain jEtna in Sicily, which never loses anything of its first colour and scent. Those favours you did me thirty years ago, in the lifetime of your incomparable Brother Mr. R. Altham (who left us in the flower of his age), methinks are as fresh to me as if they were done yesterday. Nor were it any danger to compare Courtesies done to me to other Flowers, as I use them ; for I distil them in the limbeck of my Memory, and so turn them to Essences, But, Madam, I honour you not so much for Favours, as for that precious brood of Virtues, which shine in you with that brightness, but 'specially for those high motions whereby your Soul soars up so often towards Heaven : Insomuch, Madam, that if it were safe to call any Mortal a Saint, you should have that title from me, and I would be one of your chiefest Notaries; howsoever, I may without smy superstition subscribe myself — Your truly devoted Servant, J. H. ^J>n7 8. IV. To my Lord Marquis of Hartford. My Lord, I RECEIVED your Lordship's of the nth current, with the Commands it carried, whereof I shall give an ac- count Book IV. Familiar Letters. 559 count in my next. Foreign Parts afford not much matter of intelligence, it being now the dead of Winter, and the season unfit for Action : But we need not go abroad for news, there is store enough at home. We see daily mighty things, and they are marvellous in our eyes ; but the greatest marvel is, that nothing should now be marvell'd at, for we are so habituated to wonders, that they are grown familiar unto us. Poor England may be said to be like a Ship tossM up and down the surges of a turbulent Sea, having lost her old Pilot ; and God knows when she can get into safe harbour again : Yet doubtless this Tempest^ according to the usual operations of Nature, and the succession of mundane effects by contrary agents, will turn at last into a calm, tho' many who are yet in their nonage may not live to see it. Your Lordship knows that the /cocr/xo?, this fair frame of the Universe, came out of a Chaos, an indigested Lump ; and that this elementary World was made of millions of In- gredients repugnant to themselves in nature; and the whole is still preserved by the reluctancy and restless combatings of these Principles. We see how the Shipwright doth make use of knee-timber, and other cross-grain'd pieces as well as of streight and even, for framing a goodly Vessel to ride on Neptune's back. The Printer useth many contrary Charac- ters in his Art, to put forth a fair Volume; as is a p revers'd, and tz is a turn'd upward, with other differing Letters, which yet concur all to the perfection of the whole Work. There go many and various dissonant Tones to make an harmonious Consort; this put me in mind of an excellent passage which a noble speculative Knight (Sir P. Herbert) hath in his late Conceptions to his Son : How a holy Anchorite being in a Wilderness, among other contem- plations, he fell to admire the method of Providence, how out of Causes which seem had to us he produceth oftentimes good Effects ; how he suffers virtuous, loyal, and religious Men to be oppress'd, and others to prosper. As he was transported with these Ideas, a goodly young Man appeared to 56o Familiar Letters. Book IV, to him, and told him, Father , I know your thoughts are dis- tracted, and I am sent to quiet them ; therefore if you ivill accompany me a few days, you shall return very well satisfied of those doubts that now encumber your mind. So going along with him, they were to pass over a deep River, whereon there was a narrow bridge ; and meeting there with another Passenger, the young Man justled him into the Water, and so drowned him. The old Anchorite being much astonished hereat, would have left him ; but his Guide said, Father, be not amazed, because I shall give you good reasons for what I do, and you shall see stranger things than this before you and I part ; but at last I shall settle your judgment^ and put your mind in full repose. So going that night to lodge in an Inn where there was a crew of Banditti and debauch'd Ruffians, the young Man struck into their company, and revell'd with them till the morning, while the Anchorite spent most of the night in numbring his Beads ; but as soon as they were departed thence, they met with some Officers who went to apprehend that crew of Banditti they had left behind them. The next day they came to a Gentleman's house which was a fair Palace, where they receivM all the courteous hospi- tality which could be ; but in the morning as they parted there was a Child in a cradle, which was the only Son of the Gentleman ; and the young Man spying his opportunity, strangled the Child, and so got away. The third day they came to another Inn, where the Man of the house treated them with all the civility that could be, and gratis ; yet the young Man imbezzl'd a Silver Goblet, and carried it away in his pocket, which still increasM the Amazement of the Anchorite. The fourth day in the evening they came to lodge at another Inn, where the Host was very sullen, and uncivil to him, exacting much more than the value of what they had spent; yet at parting, the young Man bestowed upon him the Silver Goblet he had stolen from that Host who had used them so kindly. The fifth day they made towards a great rich Town ; but some miles before they came at it, they met with a Merchant at the close of the day, Book IV. Familiar Letters. 561 day, who had a great charge of money about him ; and asking the next passage to the Town, the young Man put him in a clean contrary way. The Anchorite and his Guide being come to the Town, at the gate they spied a Devil, who lay as it were centinel, but he was asleep : They found also both Men and Women at sundry kinds of sports, some dancing, others singing, with divers sorts of revellings. They went afterwards to a Convent of Capuchins, where, about the gate, they found legions of Devils laying siege to that Monastery, yet they got in and lodged there that night. Being awaked the next morning, the young Man came to that Cell where the Anchorite was lodged, and told him, I know your heart is full of horror, and your head full of con- fusion, astonishments, and douhts,for what you have seen since the first time of our association* But know, I am an Angel sent from Heaven to rectify your judgment, as also to correct a little your curiosity in the researches of the ways and acts of Providence too far ; for tho' separately they seem strange to the shallow apprehension of Man, yet conjunctly they all tend to produce good effects. That Man which I tumbled into the River was an act of Providence ; for he was going upon a most mischievous design that would have damnified not only his own soul, hut destroyed the Party against whom it was intended ; therefore I pre- vented it. The cause why I cojivers^d all night with that Crew of Rogues, was also an act of Providence, for they intended to go a-rolhing all that night ; hut I kept them there piirposely till the next morning, that the hand of Justice might seize upon them. Touching the kind Host from whom I took the Silver Gohlet, and the clownish or knavish Host to whom I gave it, let this demonstrate to you, that good Men are liable to crosses and losses, whereof bad Men oftentimes reap the benefit : but it commonly produceth patience in the one, and pride in the other. Concerning that noble Gentleman whose Child I strangled 3 N after 562 Familiar Letters. Book IK after so courteous entertainment, know that that also was an act of Providence, for the Gentleman was so indulgent and doting on that Child, that it lessened his love to Heaven ; so I took away the cause. Touching the Merchant whom I misguided in his way, it was likewise an act of Providence, for had he gone the direct way to this Town, he had leen roWd, and his throat cut, therefore I preserved him hy that deviation. Now, concerning this great luxurious City, whereas we spied hut one Devil ivho lay asleep without the gate, there being so many about this poor Convent, you must consider, that Lucifer being already assured of that riotous Town by cor- rupting their manners every day more and more, he needs but one single Cenfmel to secure it: But for this holy Place of retirement, this Monastery inhabited by so many devout Souls, who spend their whole lives in acts of mortification, as exer- cises of Piety and Penance, he hath brought so many legions to beleaguer them; yet he can do no good upon them, for they bear up against him most undauntedly, maugre all his in- fernal power and stratagems. So the young Man, or divine Messenger, suddenly disappeared and vanish'd ; yet leaving his Fellow-traveller in good hands. My Lord, I crave your pardon for this extravagancy, and the tediousness thereof; but I hope the sublimity of the Matter will make some compensation, which, if I am not deceived, will well suit with your genius; for I know your Contemplations to be as high as your Condition, and as much above the Vulgar. This figurative story shews that the ways of Providence are inscrutable, his intention and method of operation not conformable oftentimes to human judgment, the Plummet and Line whereof is in- finitely too short to fathom the depth of his Designs; there- fore let us acquiesce in an humble admiration, and with this confidence, that all things co-operate to the best at last, as they relate to his glory, and the general good of his Crea- tures, tho' sometimes they appear to us by uncouth circum- stances and cross mediums. So Book IV, Familiar Letters. 563 So in a due distance and posture of humility I kiss your Lordship's hands, as being, my most highly honoured Lord — Your thrice-obedient and obliged Servitor, J.H. V. To Richard Baker, Esq. Sir, NOW that Lent and the Spring do make their approach, in my opinion Fasting would conduce much to the advantage of Soul and Body. Tho" our second Institution of observing Lent aim'd at civil respects, as to preserve the brood of Cattle, and advance the profession of Fishermen, yet it concurs with the first Institution, viz., a true spiritual End, which was to subdue the Flesh; and that being brought under, our other two spiritual Enemies, the World and the Devil, are the sooner overcome. The Naturalists observe, that morning-spittle kills Dragons, so fasting helps to destroy the Devil, provided it be accompanied with other acts of devotion. To fast for one day only from about nine in the morning to four in the afternoon, is but a mock-fast. The Turks do more than so in their Rami^ rams and Beirams ; and the Jew also, for he fasts from the dawn in the morning till the stars be up in the night, as you observe in the devout and delicate Poem you pleas'd to communicate to me lately. I was so taken with the sub- ject, that I presently lighted my Candle at your torch, and fell into these Stanzas : 1. Now Lent is come, let us 7'efrain Front carnal Creatures^ quick, or slain ; Let's fast, and macerate the Flesh, Impound, and keep it in distress, 2. For forty days, and then we shall Have a Replevin fro7n the thrall, By that bless' d Prince, tvho for this fast Will give us Angels' food at last. 3. But 564 Familiar Letters. Book IV. 3. But to abstain from Beef, Hog, Goose, And let our Appetites go loose To Lobsters, Crabs, Prawns, or such Fish, We do not fast, but feast in this. 4. Not to let down Lamb, Kid, or Veal Lien, Plover, Turkey-cock, or Teal, And eat Botargo, Caviar, Anchovies, Oysters, and like fare ; 5. Or to forbear from Flesh, Fowl, Fish, And eat Potatoes in a dish Done o'er with Amber, or a mess Of Ringd's in a Spanish dress : 6. Or to refrain from each hot thing Which Water, Earth, or Air doth bring, And lose a hundred pound at Gleek, Or be a Saint when we should sleep. 7. Or to leave play with all high dishes. And feed our thoughts with wanton wishes, Making the Soul, like a light Wench, Wear patches of Concupiscence : 8. This is not to keep Lent a-right. But play the juggling LLypocrite : Lie truly Lent observes, who makes the imvard Man To fast, as well as make the outward feed on bran. The French Reformists have an odd way of keeping Lent, for I have seen the walls of their Temples turn'd to shambles, and Flesh hanging upon them on Lent- Sundays ; insomuch that he who doth not know their practice would take their Churches to be Synagogues of Jews, and that the bloody Levitlcal Sacrifices were offer'd there. And now that my thoughts are in France, a witty passage of Henry the Great comes into my mind, who being himself in the field, sent to the old Count of Soissons to accompany him with what forces he could make. The Count answer'd. That he was grown decrepit and crazy ; besides, his Estate was so, being much exhausted in the former Wars, and all that Book IV, Familiar Letters. 565 that he could do now for His Majesty was to pray for him : Doth my Cousin of Soissoiis, said the King, answer me so ? They say, That Prayer without Fasting hath nothing of that efficacy, as when they are joind. Ventre de St. Gris, By the belly of St. Gris, I will make him fast, as well as pray ; for I will not pay him a penny of his ten thousand Crowns Pension, which he hath yearly, for these respects. The Christian Church hath a lonj^er and more solemn way of fasting than any other Religion, take Lent and Ember-weeks together. In some Churches the Christian useth the old way of mortification, by sackcloth and ashes, to this day ; which makes me think on a facetious tale of a Turkish Ambassador in Venice, who being return'd to Constantinople, and ask'd what he had observM most re- markable in that so rare a City , he answer'd, that among other things the Christian hath a kind of Ashes, which thrown upon the head doth perfectly cure madness; for in Venice I saw the People go up and down the streets (said he) in ugly antique strange disguises, as being in the eye of human reason stark mad ; but the next day (meaning Ash- IVednesday) they are suddenly cur'd of that madness by a sort of ashes which they cast upon their heads. If the said Ambassador were here among us, he would think our modern Gallants were also all mad, or subject to be mad, because they ashe and powder their Pericraniums all the year long. So, wishing you Meditations suitable to the season, and good Thoughts which are best when they are the offsprings of good Actions, I rest — Your ready and real Friend, J. H. Ash- Wednesday ^ 1654. VI. To Mr, R. Manwayring. My dear Dick, IF you are as well when you read this as I was when I wrote it, we are both well ; I am certain of the one, but 566 Familiar Letters. Book IV, but anxious of the other^ in regard of your so long silence ; I pray, at the return of this Post, let your Ven pull out this Thorn that hath got into my thoughts, and let me have often room in yours, for you know I am your perfect Friend, ' J. H. VII. To Sir Edward Spencer, Knight. Sir, I FIND by your last of the first current, that your thoughts are much busied in forming your new Com- monwealth ; and whereas the Province that is allotted to me is to treat of a right way to govern the Female Sex, I hold my lot to be fallen upon a fair ground, and I will endeavour to husband it accordingly. I find also that for the establishment of this new Republic, you have culFd out the choicest Wits in all Faculties ; therefore I account it an honour that you have put me in the List, tho' the least of them. In every species of Government, and indeed among all Societies of Mankind [Reclus^d Orders, and other Regulars excepted), there must be a special care had of the Female kind ; for nothing can conduce more to the propagation and perpetuity of a Republic, than the well managing of that gentle and useful Sex : for tho' they be accounted the weaker vessels, yet are they those in whom the whole Mass of Mankind is moulded ; therefore they must not be us'd like Saffron-bags, or Verde-bottles, which are thrown into some by-corner when the Wine and Spice are taken out of them. It was an opinion truly befitting a Jew to hold. That Woman is of an inferior creation to Man, being made only for Multiplication and Pleasure; therefore hath she no ad- mittance into the body of the Synagogue. Such another opinion was that of the Pagan Poet, who stutter'd out this verse, that there are but two good hours of any Woman : Tr]v jjLiav iv 6aXdjjL(o, rrjv filav iv OavaTcp : Unam in thalamo, alteram in tumulo ; One hour in Bed, the other in the Grave. Book IV. Familiar Letters. 567 Grave. Moreover, I hold also that of the Orator to be a wild extravagant speech, when he said, That if Women were not conterranean and mingled with Men, Angels would descend and dwell among us. But a far wilder speech was that of the Dog-Philosopher J who termed Women necessary Evils. Of this Cynical Sect, it seems, was he who would needs make Orcus to be the Anagram of Uxor, by contracting c s into an Uxor ^ Orcus — idem. Yet I confess, that among this Sex, as among Men, there are some good, some bad, some virtuous, some vicious, and some of an indifferent nature, in whom Virtue makes a com- pensation for Vice. If there was an Empress in Rome so cunning in her lust, that she would take in no passenger until the vessel was frieghted (for fear the resemblance of the Child might discover the true Father), there was a Zenohia in Asia who would not suffer her Husband to know her carnally any longer, when once she found herself quick. If there were a Queen of France that poisonM her King, there was a Queen in England who, when her Husband had been shot with an envenomed Arrow in the Holy Land, suck'd out the Poison with her own mouth, when none else would do it. If the Lady Barbara, wife to Sigismond the Emperor, being advis'd by her ghostly Father after his death to live like a Turtle, having lost such a Mate that the World had not the like, made this wanton answer, Father, since you would have me to lead the life of a Bird, why not of a Sparrow^ as well as of a Turtle ? which she did after- wards ; I say, if there were such a Lady Barbara, there was the Lady Beatrix, who, after Henry her Emperor's death, lived after like a Dove, and immur'd herself in a Monastic Cell. But what shall I say of Q. Artemisia, who had an Urnful of her Husband Mausoluss Ashes in her closet, whereof she would take down a dram every morning nex her heart, saying that her Body was the fittest place to be a Sepulchre to her dear Husband, notwithstanding that she had erected such a Tomb for the rest of his Body, that to this day is one of the wonders of the World ? / V ,■ X. „v . ■ Moreover, 568 Familiar Letters. Book IV. Moreover, it cannot be deny'd but some Females are of a high and harsh nature; witness those two that of our greatest Clerks for Law and Learning (Lord B, and C.) did meet withal, one of whom was said to have brought back her Husband to his horn-book again : As also Moses and Socrates^ s Wives, who were Zipporah and Xantippe : you may guess at the humour of one in the holy Code ; and for Xantippe, among many instances which might be produced, let this serve for one. After she had scolded her Husband one day out of doors, as the poor man was going out, she whippM up into an upper loft, and threw a piss- pot full upon his Sconce, which made the patient Philo- sopher (or Foolosopher) to break into this speech for the venting of his passion, / thought after so much thunder we should have rain. To this may be added my neighbour Strowd's Wife in IVestminster, who once ringing him a peal as she was basting his roast (for he was a Cook) after he had newly come from the Tavern upon Sunday Evening; she grew hotter and hotter against him, having Hell and the Devil in her mouth, to whom she often bequeathed him. The staring Husband having heard her a great while with silence, at last answer'd, I prithee, sweet-heart, do not talk so much to me of the Devil, because I know he will do me no hurt, for I have married his Kinswoman. I know there are many that wear horns, and ride daily upon Coltstaves ; but this proceeds not so often from the fault of the Female, as the silliness of the Husband who knows not how to manage a wife. But a thousand such instances are not able to make me a Misogenes, a Female-foe ; therefore towards the policying and perpetuating of this your new Republic, there must be some special rules for regulating of Marriage : for a Wife is the best or the worst fortune that can betide a man thro'out the whole train of his life. Plato's Promiscuus Concuhitus, or Copulation, is more proper for Beasts than rational Creatures. That incestuous custom they have in China, that one should marry his own Sister, and in default of one, the next akin, I Book IV. Familiar Letters. 569 I utterly dislike : Nor do I approve of that goatish latitude of Lust which the Alcoran allows^ for one Man to have eight Wives, and as many Concubines as he can well maintain ; nor of another branch of their Law, that a man should marry after such an age under pain of mortal sin (for then what would become of me?) No, I would have every man left at liberty in this point, for there are men enough besides to people the Earth. But that opinion of a poor shallow-brain'd Puppy, who upon any cause of disaffection would have men to have a privilege to change their Wives, or to repudiate them, deserves to be hiss'd at rather than confuted; for nothing can tend more to usher in all confusion and beggary thro'out the World : Therefore that Wiseacre deserves of all other to wear a toting horn. In this Republic one Man should be contented with one Wife, and he may have work enough to do with her ; but whereas in other Commonwealths Men use to wear invisible horns, it would be a wholesome constitution, that they who upon too much jealousy and restraint, or ill usage of their Wives, or indeed not knowing how to use and man them aright (which is one of the prime points of masculine discretion), as also they who according to that barbarous custom in Russia do use to beat their Wives duly once a week ; but specially they who in their absence coop them up, and secure their bodies with locks : I say, it would be a very fitting Ordinance in this new-moulded Commonwealth, that all such who impel their Wives by these means to change their Riders, should wear plain visible horns, that Passengers may beware of them as they go along, and give warning to others Coj'nuferit ille, Caveto. For indeed nothing doth incite the mass of blood, and muster up libidinous thoughts, more than diffidence and restraint. Moreover, in coupling Women by way of Matrimony, it would be a good Law, and consentaneous to Reason, if out of all Dowries exceeding c^ioo there should be two out of every Cent, deducted, and put into a common Treasury for putting off hard-favour'd and poor Maids. Touching Familiar Letters. Book IV. Touching Virginity and the Vestal Fire, I could wish 'twere the worst custom the Roman Church had, when gentle Souls, to endear themselves the more to their Creator, do immure their Bodies within perpetual bounds of Chastity^ dieting themselves and using austerities accordingly; whereby, bidding a farewel, and dying to the World, they bury them- selves alive, as it were, and so pass their time in constant exercises of Piety and Penance night and day, or in some other employments of Virtue, holding Idleness to be a mortal sin. Were this cloyster'd course of Life merely spontaneous and unforced, I could well be contented that it were practised in your new Republic. But there are other kind of Cloysters in some Common- wealths, and among those who are accounted the wisest and best policied, which Cloysters are of a clean contrary nature to the former: these they call the Courtesan Cloysters. And as in others, some Females shut up themselves to keep the sacred fire of Pudicity and Continence, so in these latter there are some of the handsom'st sorts of Females who are conniv'd at to quench the flames of irregular Lust, lest they should break into the lawful married bed. 'Tis true, Nature hath pour'd more active and hotter blood into the Veins of some Men, wherein there are stronger appetites and motions; which motions were not given by Nature to be a torment to Man, but to be turn'd into Delight, Health, and Propagation. Therefore they to whom the gift of Continence is deny'd, and have not the conveniency to have delita vasa, and law- ful Coolers of their own by way of Wedlock, use to extin- guish their fires in these Venerean Cloysters, rather than abuse their neighbours' Wives, and break into other men's inclosures. But whether such a custom may be conniv'd at in this your Republic, and that such a Common may be allow'd to them who have no Inclosures of their own, I leave to wiser Legislators than myself to determine, 'specially in South-East hot Countries where Venerean Titillation (which Scaliger held to be a fix'd outward sense, but ridiculously) is in a stronger degree ; I say, I leave others to judge whether such Book IV, Familiar Letters. 571 such a Rendezvous be to be conniv'd at in hotter Climes, where both Air and Food, and the blood of the Grape do all concur to make one more libidinous. But it is a vulgar error to think that the heat of the Clime is the cause of Lust: it proceeds rather from adust Choler and Melancholy that predominate, which humours carry with them a salt and sharp itching quality. The dull Hollander (with other North-West Nations, whose blood may he said to be as butter-milk in the veins) is not so frequently subject to such fits of Lust, therefore he hath no such Cloysters or Houses for Ladies of pleasure : Witness the tale of Hans Boohikin, a rich Boor's Son, whom his Father had sent abroad a Fryaring, that is, sh roving in our Language ; and so put him in an equipage accordingly, having a new Sword and Scarf, with a gold Hatband_, and money in his Purse to visit handsome Ladies : but Hans not knowing where to go else, went to his Grandmother's house, where he fell a courting and feasting of her. But his Father questioning him at his return where he had been a Fryaring, and he answering that he had been at his Grandmother's ; the Boor reply'd, God's Sacrament ! I hope thou hast not lain with my Mother : Yes, said Boobikin, Why should not I lie with your Mother, as you have lain with mine ? Thus in conformity to your desires, and the task impos'd upon me, have I scribbled out this piece of Drollery, which is the way, as I take it, that your design drives at ; I reserve some things till I see what others have done in the several Provinces they have undertaken towards the settlement of your new Republic. So, with a thousand thanks for your last hospitable favours, I rest, as I have reason, and as you know me to be — Your own true Servant, J. H. Loud. 2^ Jan. VIIL 572 Familiar Letters. Book IV, VIII. To Mr. T. v., Barrister, at his Chambers in the Temple. Cousin Tom, I DID not think it was in the power of Passion to have wrought upon you with that violence ; for I do not remember to have known any (of so seasoned a judgment as you are) lost so far after so frail a thing as a Female. But you will say, Hercules himself stoop'd hitherto; 'tis true he did, as appears by this Distich : Lenam non potuit^ potuit superare Leaenam ; Quern Fera non potuit vincere, vicit Hera. The saying also of the old Comic Poet makes for you, when he said, Qid in amorem cecidit, pejus agit quam si saxo saliat ; To be Tormented with Love, is worse than to dance upon hot stones. Therefore partly out of a sense of your suffering, as well as upon the seriousness of your re- quest, but specially understanding that the Gentlewoman hath Parts and Portion accordingly, I have done what you desir'd me in these lines, which tho' plain, short, and sudden, yet they display the manner how you were surpriz'd, and the depth of your Passion. To Mrs. E. B. ApelleSj Prince of Painters^ did All others in that Art exceed ; But you surpass him, for He took Some pains and time to draw a Look ; You in a trice and moment's space Have pourtrafd in my Heart your Face. I wish this Hexastic may have power to strike her as deep as I find her Eyes struck you. The Spaniard saith, there are four things requir'd in a Woer, viz., to be Savo, Secreto, Solo, and Sollicito ; that is, to be Sollicitous, Secret, Sole, and Sage. Observe these rules, and she may make herself your Client, and so employ you to open her Case, and Book IV. Familiar Letters. 573 and recover her portion, which I hear is in Hucksters' hands. So, my dear Cousin, I heartily wish you the accompHsh- ment of your desires, and rest upon all occasions — At your dispose, J. H. IX. To Sir R. Williams, Knight. Sir, I AM one among many who much rejoice at the fortunate Windfall that happened lately, which hath so fairly rais'd and recruited your fortunes. It is commonly seen, that Uhi est miiltum Phantasice (viz., ingenii) Hi est parum Fortunce; ^ uhi est midtum Fortunes, Hi est parum Phantasice. Where there is much of Fancy, there is little of Fortune ; and where there's much of Fortune, there's little of Fancy. It seems that Recorder Fleetwood reflected upon one part of this saying, when in his speech to the Londoners, among other passages whereby he soothM and stroak'd them, he said. When I consider your Wit, I admire your Wealth. But touching the Latin saying, it is quite evinc'd in you, for you have Fancy and Fortune (now) in abundance : And a strong argument may be drawn, that Fortune is not blind, by her carriage to you, for she saw well enough what she did, when she smil'd so lately upon you. Now, he is the really rich man who can make true use of his riches ; he makes not Nummum his Numen, Money his God, but makes himself Dominum Nummi, but becomes Master of his Penny. The first is the arrantest beggar and slave that is ; nay, he is worse than the Arcadian Ass, who, while he carrieth Gold on his back, eats thistles : He is baser than that sordid Italian Stationer, who would not allow himself brown Paper enough to wipe his Posteriors. Now, it is observM to be the nature of Covetousness, that when all other sins grow old, Covetousness in some sordid souls grows younger and younger; hence I believe sprung the City-Proverb, That the Son is happy whose Father went to 574 Familiar Letters. Book IV, to the Devil. Yet I like the saying Tom Waters hath often in his mouth, I had rather leave when I die than lack while I live. But why do I speak of these things to you, who have so noble a Soul, and so much above the vulgar ? Your Friend Mr. Watts is still troubled with coughing, and truly I believe he is not to be long among us ; for, as the Turk hath it, A dry Cough is the Trumpeter of Death : He presents his most affectionate respects to you, and so doth, my most noble Knight — Your ever obliged Servitor, J.H. X. To Sir R. Gary, Knight, Sir, I HAD yours of the 20th current on St. Thomases Eve, which was most welcome to me ; and (to make a seasonable comparison) yours are like Christmas, they come but once a year; yet I made very good cheer with your last, specially with that Seraphic Hymn which came in- closed therewith to usher in his holy Tyde : and to corre- spond with you in some measure that way, I have return'd you another of the same subject. For, as I have observ'd, two Lutes being tun'd alike, if one of them be play'd upon, the other, tho' being a good way distant, will sound of itself, and keep symphony with the first that's play'd upon (which, whether it proceeds from the mere motion of the Air, or the emanation of Atoms, I will not undertake to determine ;) so the sound of your Muse hath scrued up mine to the same key and tune in these Ternaries : Upon the Nativity of our Saviour. 1. Wonder of Wonders^ Earth a?id Sky, Time mingleth with Eternity, And Matter with Immensity. 2. The Sun becomes an Atom and a Star, Turns to a Candle, to light Kings from far To see a spectacle so wondrous rare, A Book IV. Familiar Letters. 575 3. A Virgin bears a Son, tJiat Son doth hear A World Owen was I caWd, Strong, tail, and comely, not inihralVd With honie-bred pleasure, hut for Fame Thro' Land and Sea 1 sought the same. This British Prince Madoc (as many Authors make men- tion) made two Voyages thither, and in the last left his bones there, upon which this Epitaph lay. There be other pregnant remarks that the British were there, for there is a Promontory not far from Mexico call'd Cape Britain; there is a creek calPd Gyjidwor, which is in Welsh, White- water ; with other words, as you shall find in Mr. Herbert and others : They had also the sign of the Cross in reverence among them. And now that I am upon British Observations, I will tell you something of this name Howel, which is your Jirst, and my second name : Passing lately by the Cloysters of the Abbey Book IV. Familiar Letters. 609 Abbey at Westminster, I stept up to the Library that Arch- bishop Williams erected there, and I lighted upon a French Historian, Bertrane a Argentre, Lord of Forges, who was President of the Court of Parliament in Renes, the chief Town of Little Britajiy in France j calPd Arynorica, which is a pure Welsh word, and signifies a Country bordering upon the Sea, as that doth, and was first colonized by the Britons of this Island in the reign of Theodosius the Emperor, An. 387^ whose Language they yet preserve in their radical words : In that Historian I found that there were four Kings of that Country of the name Howel, viz., Howel the First, Howel the Second, Howel the Great (who bore up so stoutly against ^tius the famous Roman General), and Howel the Fourth, that were all Kings of Armorica, or the Lesser Britany, which continued a Kingdom till the year 874, at which time the Title was chang'd to a Duchy, but Sovereign of itself, till it was reduc'd to the French Crown by Francis I. There are many Families of Quality of that name to this day in France : And one of them desired to be acquainted with me, by the mediation of Mons. Augier, who was there Agent for England. Touching the Castle of good K. Howel hard by you, and other ancient places of that name, you know them better than I ; but the best Title which England hath to Wales is by that Castle, as a great Antiquary told me. So in a true bond of Friendship, as well as of Blood, I rest — Your most affectionate Cousin, J. H. London, 8 Oct. XXXI. To Mr. W. Price, at Oxon. Mp precious Nephew, THERE could hardly better news be brought to me, than to understand that you are so great a Student, and that having passM through the briars of Logic, you fall so close to Philosophy : Yet I do not like your method in one thing, that you are so fond of new Authors, and neglect the 2 Q old. 6io Familiar Letters. Book IV, old, as I hear you do. It is the ingrateful Genius of this Age, that if any Sciolist can find a hole in an old Author's coat, he will endeavour to make it much more wide, thinking to make himself somebody thereby ; I am none of those ; but touching the Ancients, I hold this to be a good moral Rule, Laiidandum quod lene, ignoscendum quod aliter dixerunt : The older an Author is, commonly the more solid he is, and the greater teller of Truth. This makes me think on a Spanish Captain, who being invited to a Fish-dinner, and coming late, he sat at the lower end of the Table where the small Fish lay, the great ones being at the upper end ; there- upon he took one of the little Fish and held it to his Ear : His comrades ask'd him what he meant by that; he answer'd in a sad tone, Some thirty years since my Father passing from Spain to Barbary, was cast away in a Storm, and I am asking this little Fish whether he could tell any tidings of his body ; he answers me, that he is too young to tell me anything, hut those old Fish at your end of the table may say something to it : So by that trick of drollery he got his share of them. The application is easy, therefore I advise you not to neglect old Authors ; for tho' we be come as it were to the Meridian of Truth, yet there be many Neoterical Commentators and self-conceited Writers, that eclipse her in many things, and go from ohscurum to ohscurius. Give me leave to tell you. Cousin, that your Kindred and Friends, with all the world besides, expect much from you in regard of the pregnancy of your Spirit, and those Advan- tages you have of others, being now at the source of all Knowledge. I was told of a Countryman, who coming to Oxford, and being at the Towns-end, stood listning to a flock of Geese and a few Dogs that were hard by ; being ask'd the Reason, he answer'd, that he thought the Geese about Oxford did gaggle Greek, and the Dogs barked in Latin. If some in the world think so much of those irrational poor creatures that take in University Air, what will your Friends in the Country expect from you, who have the Instruments of Reason in such a perfection^ and so well strung with a tenacious Book IV. Familiar Letters. 6ii tenacious Memory, a quick Understanding, and rich Inven- tion ? All which I have discovered in you, and doubt not but you will employ them to the comfort of your Friends, your own credit, and the particular contentment of — Your truly affectionate Uncle, J. H. Lo7id. 3 Feb. XXXII. To Sir K. D., in Paris. Sir, I HAD been guilty of such an offence, whereof I should never have absolved myself, if I had omitted so hand- some an opportunity to quicken my old Devotions to you. Among those multitudes here who resent your hard condi- tion and the protractions of your Business, there is none who is more sensible that so gallant and sublime a Soul (so much renowned throughout the World) should meet with such harsh traverses of Fortune. For myself, I am like an Almanack out of date, I am grown an unprofitable thing, and good for nothing as the times run ; yet in your business I shall play the Whetstone, which tho' it be a dull thing of itself, and cannot cut, yet it can make other bodies to cut : So shall I quicken those who have the managing of your business, and power to do you good, whensoever I meet them. So I rest — Your thirty years Servant, J. H. Lo7td., 2 Sept XXXIII. To Mr. R. Lee, in Antwerp. Sir, AN Acre of Performance is worth the whole Land oj- Promise; besides, as the Italian hath it. Deeds are Men, and Words Women. You pleas'd to promise me, when you shook hands with England, to barter Letters with me ; but whereas I writ to you a good while since by Mr. Simons, I have not received a syllable from you ever since. The Times here frown more and more upon the Cava- liers, 6l2 Familiar Letters. Book IV. Hers, yet their minds are buoy'd up still with strong hopes ; some of them being lately in company of such whom the Times favour, and reporting some comfortable news on the Royalists' side, one of the other answer'd, Thus you Cava- liers still fool yourselves, and build always Castles in the Air : Thereupon a sudden reply was made, Where will you have us to build them else, for you have taken all our La?ids Jrom 2is F I know what you will say when your read this: A pox on those true Jests. This Tale puts me in mind of another : There was a Gentleman lately, who was ofFer'd by the Parliament a parcel of Church or Crown-Lands, equal to his Arrears ; and asking counsel of a Friend of his which he should take, he answer'd, Crown-Lands by all means, for if you take them, you run a hazard only to be hang'd ; but if you take Church-Land, you are sure to be damn'd. Whereunto the other made him a shrewd reply, Sir, Til tell you a Tale : There was an old Usurer not far from London, who had train'd up a Dog of his to bring his meat after him in a Hand-basket, so that in time the Shag-doo^ was so well bred, that his Master us'd to send him by himself to Smitlifield Shambles with a basket in his mouth, and a note in the bottom thereof to his Butcher, who accordingly would put in what joint of meat he writ for, and the Dog would carry it handsomely home. It happen'd one day, that as the Dog was carrying a good Shoulder of Mutton home to his Master, he was set upon by a Company of other huge Dogs, who snatch'd away the basket, and fell to the Mutton : The other Dog measuring his own single strength, and finding he was too weak to redeem his Master's Mutton, said within himself (as we read the like of Chrysippus's Dog), Nay, since there is no remedy, you shall be hang'd before you have all ; I will have also my share, and so fell a eating amongst them. I ?ieed not, said he, make the application to you, 'tis too obvious, there- fore I intend to have my share also of the Church-Lands. In that large List of Friends you have left behind you here, I am one who is very sensible that you have thus banish'd yourself ; Book IV. Familiar Letters. 613 yourself; it is the high Will of Heaven that matters should be thus. Therefore Quod diviiiitits accidit humiliter, quod ah hominihus viriliter ferendum; we must manfully bear what comes from Men, and humbly what comes from above. The Pagan Philosopher tells us, Quod divinitus contingit, homo a se nulla arte dispellet ; there is no fence against that which comes from Heaven, whose Decrees are irreversible. Your Friends in Fleet-street are all well, both long-coats and short-coats^ and so is — Your inalterable Friend to love and serve you, J. H. Lond., 9 Nov. XXXIV. To Sir J. Tho., Knight, Sir, THERE is no Request of yours but is equivalent to a Com- mand with me ; and whereas you crave my thoughts touching a late History published by one Mr. Wilson, which relates the Life of K. Jaines, tho' I know for many years your own judgment to be strong and clear enough of itself, yet to comply with your desires, and to oblige you that way another time to me, I will deliver you my opinion. I cannot deny but the thing is a painful Piece, and pro- ceeds after a handsome method, in drawing on the series and thread of the Story ; but it is easily discernible, that a partial Presbyterian Vein goes constantly throughout the whole Work, and you know it is the Genius of that People to pry more than they should into the Courts and Com- portments of Princes, and take any occasion to traduce and bespatter them : So doth this Writer, who endeavours all along (among other things) to make the world believe that K. James and his So7i after him were inclin'd to Popery, and to bring it into England; whereas I dare avouch, that neither of them entertain'd the least thought that way, they had as much design to bring in Prester-John as the Pope, or Mahomet as soon as the Mass. This Conceit made the Writer to be subject to many Mistakes and' Misrepre- sensations. 6i4 Familiar Letters. Book IV. sentations, which so short a circuit as a Letter cannot comprehend. Yet I will instance in one gross mistake he hath in relating a passage which concerns Sir Elias Hicks, a worthy Knight^ and a Fellow-servant of yours and mine. And he doth not only misrepresent the business, but he foully asperseth him with the terms of univorthbiess and infamy. The truth of that passage is as followeth, and I had it from very good hands. In the year 162 1, the French King making a general War against them of the Religion, beleaguer'd Montauhan in Person, while the Duke of Espernon blockM up Rochel. The King having lain a good while before the Town, a cunning report was rais'd that Rochel was surrender'd ; this report being blown into Mo?itauhan, must needs dishearten them of Rochel, being the prime and tenablest propugnacle they had : Mr. Hicks happenM to be then in Rochel, being commended by Sir George Goring to the Marquis de la Force, who was one of them that commanded in chief, and treated Mr. Hicks with much civility, so far as that he took him to be one of his domestic Attendants. The Rochellers had sent two or three special Envoys to Montauhan to ac- quaint them with their good condition, but it seems they all miscarried; and the Marquis being troubled in his thoughts one day, Mr. Hicks told him, that by God's favour he would undertake and perform the service to Montauhan : Hereupon he was put accordingly in equipage ; so after ten days' journey he came to a place call'd Moysak, where my Lord of Don- caster, afterwards Earl of Carlisle, was in quality of Ambas- sador from England, to observe the Freiich King's proceedings, and to mediate a Peace 'twixt him and the Protestants. At his first Arrival thither, it was his good hap to meet casually with Mr. Peregrin Fairfax, one of the Lord Ambassador's retinue, who had been a former Comrade of his : Among other Civilities he brought Mr. Hicks to wait upon the Ambassador, to whom he had credential Letters from the Assembly of Rochel, acquainting his Lordship with the good state they were in; Mr. Hicks told him besides, that he was ent^ao-'d D O Book IV, Familiar Letters. 615 engag'd to go to Montauhan as an Envoy from Eochel, to give them true information how matters stood. The Ambassador replied. That it was too great a trust to be put upon so young shoulders : So Mr. Hicks being upon going to the French Army which lay before Montauhan, Mr. Fairfax would needs accompany him thither to see the Trenches and Works ; being come thither, they met with one Mr. T/io. Wehh, that belong'd to the Marshal St. Gerand, who lodg'd them both in his own Hut that ni(2;ht: and bavins^ shewM them the Batteries and Trenches the day after, Mr. Hicks took notice of one place which lay most open for his design, resolving with himself to pass that way to the Town. He had told Fairfax of his purpose before, who discovering it to Well, IVebh ask'd him whether he came thither to be hang'd ; for divers were us'd so a little before. The next day Hicks taking his leave of IVehb, desir'd Fairfax to stay behind ; which he refusing, did ride along with him to the place which Hicks had pointed out the day before for his design, and there Fairfax left him : So having got betwixt the Corps de Gard and the Town, he put spurs to his horse, and waving his pistol above his head, got in, being pursued almost to the Walls of the Town by the King's Party. Being enter'd, old Marshal de la Force j who was then in Montauhan, having heard his relations of Rochel, fell on his neck and wept, saying. That he would give 1000 Crowns he were as safely got back to Rochel as he came thither : And having stay'd there three weeks, he, in a sallie that the Town made one Evening, got clear through the Leaguer before Montauhan, as he had formerly done before that of the Duke of Esper- non, and so recover'd Rochel again. But to return to Mr. Fairfax ; after he had parted with Mr. Hicks, he was taken prisoner, and threatened the rack ; but whether out of the Apprehension thereof, or otherwise, he died a little after of a Fever at Moysac ; tho' 'tis true that the Gazettes in Paris do publish that he died of the torture, with the French Mercury since. Mr. Hicks being return'd to London, was questioned by Sir 6i6 Familiar Letters. Book IV, Sir Ferdinando Fairfax for his Brother's death : Thereupon Mr. Wehb being also come back to London, who was upon the very place where these things happen'd in France, Mr. Hicks brought him along with him to Sir Ferdinand's Lodgings, who did positively affirm that Mr. Hicks had communicated his design to Mr. Peregrin Fairfax (and that he reveal'd it first to him) ; so he did fairly vindicate Mr. Hicks, wherewith Sir Ferdinand remained fully satisfied, and all his Kindred. Whosoever will observe the carriage and circumstance of this Action, will needs confess that Mr. Hicks (now Sir Elias Hicks) did comport himself like a worthy Gentleman from the beginning to the end thereof : The design was generous, the conduct of it discreet, and the conclusion very pros- perous, in regard it preserved both Montauhan and Rochec for that time from the fury of the Enemy ; for the King rais'd his siege a little after from before the one, and Esper- nan from before the other. Therefore it cannot be deny^d but that the said Writer (who so largely intitles his Book the History of Great Britain, tho' it be but the particular Reign of K. James only) was very much to blame for brand- ing so well a deserving Gentleman with infamy and un- worthiness, which are the words he pleaseth to bestow upon him ; and I think he would willingly recant and retract his rash censure were he now living, but Death pressed him away before the Press had done with his Book, whereof he may be said to have dy'd in Child-bed. So presenting herewith unto you my hearty respects and love, endear'd and strengthened by so long a tract of time, I rest — Your faithful true Servant, J. H. Lond.y 9 Nov. XXXV. To Mr, R. Lewis, in Amsterdam. Cousin, I FOUND yours of the first of Fehruary in the Post-house, as I casually had other business there, else it had mis- carry'd ; Book IV. Familiar Letters. 617 carryM ; I pray be more careful of your directions hereafter. I much thank you for the aviso's you sent me how matters pass thereabouts : Methinks that Amsterdam begins to smell rank of a Hans Town, as if she would be independent and paramount over the rest of the Confederate Provinces ; she hath some reason in one respect, because Holland contributes three parts of five, and Amsterdam herself near upon the one moiety of those three parts, to maintain the Land and Naval Forces of the States- General, That Town likewise, as I hear, begins to compare with Venice^ but let her stay there a while; yet she may in some kind do it, for their situation and beginning have been alike, being both in- dented with Waters, and both Fisher-Towns at first. But I wonder at one news you v^rite me, that Ainsterdam should fall on repairing and beautifying Churches, whereas the news here is clean contrary ; for while you adorn your Churches there, we destroy them here. Among other, poor Paul's looks like a great Skeleton, so pitifully handled, that you may tell her ribs thro* her skin ; her body looks like the Hulk of a huge Portugal Carake, that having cross'd the Line twelve times, and made three Voyages into the East-Indies, lies rotting upon the Strand. Truly I think not Turk or Tartar, or any Creature except the Devil him- self, would have us'd Paul's in that manner : You know that once a Stable was made a Temple, but now a Temple is become a Stable among us. Proh superi ! quantum mortalia pectora Ccecce Noctis habent. There are strange Heteroclites in Religion now-a-days ; among whom, some of them may be said to endeavour the exalting of the Kingdom of Christ, in lifting it upon Belze- bub's back, by bringing in so much Profaneness to avoid Superstition. God deliver us from Atheism, for we are within one step of it; and touching Judaism, some corners of our City smell as rank of it as yours doth there. I pray be punctual in your returns hereafter ; for, as you say well and wittily, Letters may be said to be the chief est Organs (tho' they have but Paper-pipes) through which Friendship 6i8 Familiar Letters. Book IV, Friendship doth use to breathe and operate. For my part, I shall not be wanting to set those Organs a working for the often conveyance of my best Affections unto you. Sir T, Williams, with his choice Lady, llow over through the same Fipe their kind respects unto you, and so do divers of your Friends besides ; but ^specially, my dear Cousin — Yours, J. H. Lond.^ 2, Jan. XXXVI. To J. Anderson, Esq. Sir, YOU have been often at me (tho' I know you to be a Protestant so in grain, that all the Water of the Tyler is not able to make you change colour) that I should impart to you in Writing what I observed commendable and discom- mendable in the Roma?i Church, because I had eaten my Bread often in those Countries where that Religion is pro- fess'd and practis'd in the greatest height. Touching the second part of your request, I need not say anything to it ; for there be Authors enough in our Church to inform you about the Positions and Tenets wherein we differ, and for which we blame them. Concerning the Jirst part, I will give you a short intimation what I noted to be praise-worthy and imitable in point of practice. The Goverjnnent of the Roman Church is admirable, being moulded with as much Policy as the Wit of Man can reach unto ; and there must be Civil Policy as well as Ecclesiasti- cal us'd to keep such a world of People of several Nations and Humours in one Religion : Tho' at first when the Church extended but to one Chamber, then to one House, after to one Parish, then to one Province, such Policy was not so requisite. For the Church of Christ may be compared to his Person in point of degrees of growing ; and as that Coat which serv'd him in his Childhood, could not fit him in his Youth, nor that of his Youth when he was come to his Manhood, no more would the same Government (which compared Book IV, Familiar Letters. 619 compar'd to the Fundamentals of Faith, that are still the same, are but as'outward garments) fit all Ages of the Church, in regard of those millions of Accidents that used to attend Time, and the mutable humours of Men. Insomuch that it was a wholesome caution of an ancient Father, Dist'inguas inter tempora, & concordahis cum Scriptura, This Govern- ment is like a great Fabric rear'd up with such exact rules of Art and Architecture, that the Foundation, the Roof, Sides, and Angles, with all the other parts, have such a dependence of mutual support by a rare contignation, con- cinnity, and intendings one in the other, that if you take out but one Stone, it hazards the downfall of the whole Edifice. This makes me think that the Church of Rome would be content to part with, and rectify some things, if it might not endanger the Ruin of the whole ; which puts the World in despair of an Oecumenical Council again. The Uniforinity of this Fabric is also to be admir'd, which is such as if it were but one entire continued homo- geneous Piece : For put case a Spaniard should go to Poland^ and a Pole should travel to the furthest part of Spain, whereas all other objects may seem ne'er so strange to them in point of Lodging, Language, and Diet, tho' the Com- plexion and Faces, the Behaviour, Garb, and Garments of Men, Women, and Children, be difTering, together with the very Air and Clime of the place; tho' all things seem strange unto them, and so somewhat uncouth and comfort- less; yet when they go to God's House in either Country, they may say they are there at home: For nothing differs there either in Language, Worship, Service, or Ceremony; which must needs be an unspeakable comfort to either of them. Thirdly, It must needs be a commendable thing that they keep their Churches so cleanly and amiable, for the Dwellings of the Lord of Hosts should be so : To which end your greatest Ladies will rise before day sometimes in their Night-clothes to fall a sweeping some part of the Church, and decking it with flowers, as I heard Count Gondomar^s Wife us'd to do here at Ely-House Chapel ; besides. 620 Familiar Letters. Book IV, besides, they keep them in constant repair, so that if but a quarry of glass chance to be broken, or the least stone be out of square, ^tis presently mended. Moreover, their Churches stand wide open early and late, inviting, as it were, all Comers ; so that a poor troubled soul may have Access thither at all hours to breathe out the Pantings of his Heart, and Ejaculations of his Soul either in Prayer or Praise : Nor is there any exception of persons in their Churches, for the Coller will kneel with the Count, and the Laimdr ess gig by geoul with her Lady; there being no Pews there to cause pride and envy, contentions and quarrels, which are so rife in our Churches. The comely prostrations of the body, with genuflection, and other Acts of Humility in time of divine Service, are very exemplary : Add hereunto, that the Reverence they shew to the holy Function of the Church is wonderful; Princes and Queens will not disdain to kiss a Capuchin's Sleeve, or the Surplice of a Priest. Besides, I have seen the greatest and beautifull'st young Ladies go to Hospitals, where they not only dress, but lick the sores of the sick. Furthermore, the conformity of Seculars, and resignment of their Judgments to the Governors of the Church, are remarkable. There are not such Scepticks and Cavillers there, as in other places; they humbly believe that Lazarus was three days in the grave, without questioning where his Soul was all the while ; nor will they expostulate how a Man who was born blind from his Nativity, should pre- sently know the shapes of Trees, whereunto he thought the first Men he ever saw were like, after he receiv'd sight. Add hereunto, that they esteem for Church-preferments most commonly a Man of a pious good disposition, of a meek spirit, and godly life, more than a Learned Man, that is either a great Linguist, Antiquary, or Philosopher; and the first is advanced sooner than the latter. Lastly, They think nothing too good or too much for God's House, or for his Ministers ; no Place too sweet, no Buildings too stately for them, being of the best Profession. The Book IV. Familiar Letters. The most curious Artists will employ the best of their Skill to compose Hymns and Anthems for God's House, &c. But methinks I hear you say, that you acknowledge all this to be commendable, were it not that it is accompanied with an odd opinion that they think to merit thereby, ac- counting them Works of Supererogation. Truly, Sir, I have discours'd with the greatest Magnifiers of meritorious Works, and the chiefest of them made me this Comparison, that the Blood of Christ is like a great Vessel of Wine, and all the Merits of Men, whether active or passive, were it possible, must be put into that great Vessel, and so must needs be made Wine ; not that the Water hath any inherent Virtue of itself, to make itself so, but as it receives it from the Wine. It is reported of Cosmo de Medici, that having built a goodly Church, with a Monastery thereunto annexed, and two Hospitals, with other Monuments of Piety, and endow'd 'em with large Revenues; as one did much magnify him for these extraordinary Works, for which doubtless he merited a high reward in Heaven, he answered, 'Tis true, I employed much Treasure that way, yet when I look over my Ledger- Book of Accounts, I do not find that God Ahiiighty is indebted to me one Penny, hut I am still in the arrear to him. Add hereunto the sundry ways of mortification they have by frequent long fastings, and macerations of the flesh by their retiredness, their abandoning the World, and sequestra- tions from all mundane Affairs ; their notable humility in the distribution of their Alms, which they do not use to hurl away in a kind of scorn as others do, but by putting it gently into the beggar's hand. Some shallow-pated Puritan, in reading this, will shoot his bolt, and presently cry me up to have a Pope in my belly ; but you know me otherwise, and there's none knows my intrinsecals better than you. We are come to such times, that if any would maintain those Decencies, and humble Postures, those Solemnities and Rites which should be practised in the holy House of God (and Holiness .hQcomes his 622 Familiar Letters. Book IV. his House for ever), nay, if one passing through a Church should put off his hat, there is a giddy and malignant race of People (for indeed they are the true Malignants) who will give out that he is running post to Rome ; notwithstanding that the Religion establish'd by the Laws of England did ever allow of them ever since the Refoi'mation began, yet you know how few have run thither Nay, the Lutherans, who use far more Ceremonies symbolizing with those of Rome, than the English Protestants ever did, keep still their dis- tance, and are as far from her now as they were at first. England had lately (tho' to me it seems a great while since) the Face and Form, the Government and Gravity, the Constitutions and Comeliness of a Church; for she had something to keep herself haridsome ; she had wherewith to be hospitable, and do Deeds of Charity, to build Alms-houses, Free-schools, and Colleges, which had been very few in this Island, had there been no Church-Benefactors : She had brave degrees of Promotion to incite industry, and certainly the conceit of Honour is a great encouragement to Virtue: Now, if all Professions have steps of Rising, why should Divinity, the best of all Professions, be without them ? The Apprentice doth not think it much to wipe his Master's shoes, and sweep the gutters, because he hopes one day to be an Alderman : The common Soldier carrieth hopes in his Knap- sack, to be one day a Captain or Colonel : The Stude?it in the Inns of Courts turns over Ploydon with more alacrity, and tugs with that crabbed study of the Law, because he hopes one day to be a Judge : So the Scholar thought his labour sweet, because he was buoy'd up with hopes that he might be one day a Bishop, Dean, or Canon. This comely subordination of Degrees we once had, and we had a visible conspicuous Church, to whom all other Reformists gave the upper hand ; but now she may be said to have crept into corners, and fallen to such a contempt, that she dares scarce shew her face. Add hereunto what various kinds of con- fusions she is involved in 3 so that it may be not improperly said. Book IV, Familiar Letters. 623 said, while she thought to run away so eagerly from Bahylon, she is fallen into a Babel of all Opinions: Insomuch that they who came lately from Italy say, how Rome gives out, that when Religion is lost in England^ she will be glad to come to Rome again to find one out, and that she danceth all this while in a circle. Thus have I endeavour'd to satisfy your Importunity as far as a sheet of paper could reach, to give you a touch what may be not only allowable but laudable, and consequently imitable in the Roman Church ; for Fas est ab Hoste doceri. But I desire you would expound all with the same sense wherewith I know you abound; otherwise I would not be so free with you upon this ticklish subject : Yet I have cause to question your Judgment in one thing, because you magnify so much my talent in your last. Alas, Sir, a small Handkerchief is enough to hold mine, whereas a large Table- Cloth can hardly contain that rich Talent which I find God and Nature hath intrusted you withal. In which opinion I rest always — Your ready and real Servant, J. H. Lond., 3 July. XXXVIT. To Doctor Harvey, at St, Lawrence Poultney. Sir, I REMEMBER well you pleas'd not only to pass a favour- able censure, but give a high character of the first part oi Do dona's Grove; which makes this Second to come and wait on you, which, I dare say, for variety of fancy, is nothing inferior to the first. It continueth an historical Account of the Occurrences of the Times in an allegorical way, under the shadow of Trees ; and I believe it omits not any material passage which happenM as far as it goes. If you please to spend some of the parings of your time, and fetch a walk in this Grove, you may haply find therein some recreation; And if it be true what the Ancients write of some 624 Familiar Letters. Book IV, some Trees, that they are fatidical, these come to foretell, at leastwise to wish you, as the season invites me, a good New- year, according to the Italian compliment, Buoii pri/icipio, 7nigHo?' mezzo, cd ottimo fine. With these wishes of happi- ness in all the three degrees of comparison, I rest — Your devoted Servant, J. H. Lond., 2 Jan. XXXVIII. To R. Bowyer, Fisq, Sir, IRECEIV'D yours of the tenth current, where I made a new Discovery, finding therein one Argument of your Friendship, which you never urg'd before ; for you give me a touch of my failings in point of literal corre- spondence with you. To this give me leave to answer. That he who hath glass-window^s of his own, should take care how he throws stones at those of his Neighbours. We have both of us our faiUngs that way, witness else yours of the last of May, to mine of the first of 'March before ; but it is never over-late to mend : Therefore I begin, and do penance in this white sheet for what is past; I hope you will do the like, and so we may absolve one another without a ghostly Father. The French and Spaniard are still at it like two Cocks of the game, both of them pitifully bloodied ; and 'tis thought they will never leave, till they peck out one another's eyes. Thev are daily seeking new Alliances to fortify themselves, and the quarrel is still so hot, that they would make a league with Lucifer to destroy one another. For home news, the freshest is, that whereas in former times there were complaints that Cliurchmen were Justices of Peace, now the clean contrary way. Justices of the Peace are become Churchmen ; for by a new ^ct of that Thing in Westminster call'd a Parliament, the power of giving in Marriage is pass'd over to them, which is an Ecclesiastical Rite evervwhere else throu<2:hout the World. A Book IV. Familiar Letters. 625 A Cavalier coming lately to a Bookseller's shop, desir'd to buy this Matrimojiial Jd, with the rest of that holy Parliament, but he would have them all bound in Calf's Leather, bought out of Mr Barhones Shop in Fleet-street. The soldiers have a great spleen to the Lawyers, insomuch that they threaten to hang up their Gowns among the Scots Colours in IVestminster-liall ; but their chiefest aim is at the regulation of the Chancery, for they would have the same Tribunal to have the power of Justice and Equity, as the same Apothecary's shop can afford us Purges and Cordials. So with my kind and cordial respects unto you, I rest — Your entire and truly affectionate Servant, J. H. Lo7id.^ 9 Nov. XXXIX. To Mr, J. B., at his House in St. Nicholas Lane. Sir, WHEN I exchang'd speeches with you last, I found (yet more by your discourse than countenance) that vour spirits were towards a kind of ebb, by reason of the interruption and stop which these confused Times have put to all mercantile Negotiations both at home and abroad. Truly Sir, when after a serious recollection I had ruminated upon what had dropp'd from you then, I extremely wonder' d, which I should not have done at another ; in regard since the first time I had the advantage of your Friendship, I discover'd that you were naturally of generous and freeborn thoughts. I have found also, that by a rare industry you have stor'd up a rich stock of Philosophy, and other parts of Prudence ; which induc'd me to think that no worldly Revolution, or any cross-winds, tho' never so violent, no not a Hurricane could trouble the Calm of your Mind. There- fore to deal freely with you^ you are not the same Man I took you for. I confess ^tis a passive Age, and the stoutness of the prudent'st and most philosophical Men were never put to 2 R such 626 Familiar Letters. Book IV, such a trial. I thank God, the School of Affliction hath brought me to such a habit of Patience, it hath caus'd in me such symptoms of Mortification, that I can value this World as it is. It is but a vale of Troubles, and we who are in it are like so many Ants trudging up and down about a Mole-hill. Nay, at best we are but as so manv Pilgrims, or Passengers travelling on still towards another Country : 'Tis true, that some do find the way thither more smooth and fair; they find it flowry, and tread upon Camomile all along : Such may be said to have their Paradise here, or to sail still in Fortune's sleeve, and to have the wind in the poop all the while, not knowing what a storm means ; yet both the Dwi?ie and Philosopher do rank these among the most unfortunate of men. Others there are who in their journey to their last home do meet with rocks and craggs, with ill-favour'd sloughs and bogs, and divers deep and dirty passages. For my part I have already pass'd through many such, and must expect to meet with more : Therefore you also by your various Adventures, and Negotiations in the world, must not think to escape them ; you must make account to meet with encumbrances and disasters, with mis- chances and crosses. Now ^twas a brave generous saying of a great Armenian Merchant, who having understood how a Vessel of his was cast away, wherein there was laden a rich Cargazon upon his sole Account, he struck his hand on his breast, and said, Mjj Heart, I thank God, is still afloat, my Spirits shall not sink with the Ship, nor go an Inch lower. But why do I write to you of Patience and Courage } In doing this, I do no otherwise than Phormio did, when he discoursed of War before Hannihal: I know you have Pru- dence enough to cheer up and instruct yourself; only let me tell you, that you superabound w^ith fancy, you have more of mind than of lody, and that sometimes you over- charge the Imagination, by musing too much upon the odd traverses of the World: Therefore I pray rouse up your Spirits, and reserve yourself for better times, that I may long enjoy the sweetness of your Friendship; for the Ele- ments Book IV. Familiar Letters. 627 ments are the more pleasing to me, because you live with me amongst them. So God send you such tranquillity of thoughts as I wish. — Your true Friend, J. H. 5 April. XL. To Major J. Walker, in Coventry. Sir, I HEARTILY congratulate your return to England, and that you so safely cross'd the Scythian Fale ; for so old Gildas calls the Irish Seas, in regard they are so boisterous and rough. I understand you have been in sundry hot and hazardous encounters, because of those many scars and cuts you wear about you ; and as Tom Dawson told me, it was no less than a miracle that none of them were mortal, being eleven in all. It makes me think on a witty compli- ment that Captain Miller put upon the Persian Ambassador when he was here, who showing him many Wounds that he had received in the Wars against the Turk, the Captain said, That his Lordship's skin after his death would yield little money, because it had so many holes in it. 1 find the same Fate hangs o'er the Irish, as befell the old Britons here; for as they were hemm'd in among the IVelsh Mountains, so the Irish are like now to be all kennelFd in Connaught. We see daily strange revolutions, and God knows what the issue will be at last ; howsoever, let us live and love one another, in which resolution I rest — Entirely yours, J. H. 2 May. XLI. To Mr. T. C, at his House upon Tower-hill. Sir, TO inaugurate a good and jovial New-year to you, I send you a morning's draught, viz., a Bottle of MethegUn, Neither S'u John Barly-corn or Bacchus had anything to do with it; but it is the pure juice of the Bee, the laborious Bee, 628 Familiar Letters. Book IV. Bee, and King of Insects. The Druids and old British Bards were wont to take a carouse hereof before they enter'd into their Speculations ; and if you do so when your Fancy labours with anything^ it will do you no hurt, and I know your fancy to be very good. But this Drink always carries a kind of state with it, for it must be attended with a brown toast ; nor will it admit but of one good draught, and that in the morning; if more, it will keep a humming in the head, and so speak too much of the House it comes from, I mean the Hive, as I gave a caution elsewhere : And because the bottle might make more hastCj I have made it go upon these poetick feet : J. H. T. C. Salutem, &= annum Platonicim, No7i Vitis, sed Apis siiccwn tibi mitto hihe7tdu7n^ Quern hgwius Bardos ohm potasse Britannos. Qicalihet in bacca Vitis Megera lafcscif, Qtialibet in gutta Mellis Aglaia nitet. The juice of Bees, 7iot Bacchus, he7-e behold^ Which British Bards were wo7it to quaff of old ; The Berries of the Grape with Furies swells But i7i the Ho7ieyco77ib the Graces dwell. This alludes to a saying which the Turks have, that there lurks a devil in every berry of the Vine. So I wish you as cordially as to myself an auspicious and joyful New-year, because you know I am — Your truly affectionate Servitor, J.H. XLH. To Sir E. S. Sir, AT my return to London, I found two of yours that lay in bank for me, which were as welcome to me as the New-year, and as pleasing as if two Pendants of Orient Pearl had been sent to a French Lady : But your Lines, methought, did cast a greater lustre than any such Muscle- heads ; for they displayM the whiteness of a comely and knowino; Book IV. Familiar Letters. 629 knowing Soul, which reflecting upon my Faculties did much enlighten them with the choice notions I found therein. I thank you for the Absolution you send me for what^s past, and for your other Invitation: But I have observed a civility they use in Itahj and Spain, not to visit a sick person too often, for fear of putting him to waste his spirits by talk, which they say spends much of the inward man. But when you have recover'd yourself, as I hope you will do with the season, I shall return to kiss your hands, and your feet also, could I ease you of that podagrical pain which afflicts you. I send you a thousand thanks for your kind Acceptance of that small New-year's Gift I sent, and that you concur with divers others in a good opinion of it. So I rest — Your own true Servant, J. H. LoTid., 18 Feb. XLTIT. To the truly honoured the Lady Sibylla Brown, at her House near Sherburn. Madam, WHEN I had the Happiness to wait upon you at your being in London, there was a Dispute rais'd about the ten Sibyls by one, who, your Ladyship knows, is no great Friend to Antiquity; and I was glad to apprehend this opportunity to perform the promise you drew from me then, to vent something upon this subject for your Lady- ship's satisfaction. Madam, in these peevish times, which may be call'd the Rust of the Iron Age, there is a race of cross-grain'd People, who are malevolent to all Antiquity. If they read an old Author, it is to quarrel with him, and find some hole in his coat; they sHght the Fathers of the primitive Times, and prefer John Calvin, or a Casaulon before them all. Among other tenets of the first times, they hold the ten Sibyls to be fictitious and fabulous, and no better than Urganda, or the Lady of the Lake, or such doting beldams. They stick not to term their Predictions of Christ to be mere Mock- Oracles, 630 Familiar Letters. Book IV. Oracles, and odd arrepititious frantick Extravagancies. They cry out, that they were forg'd and obtruded on the World by some officious Christians, to procure credit and counte- nance to their Religion among the Pagans. For my part, Madam, I am none of this incredulous per- verse race of men ; but what the current and concurrent testimonies of the primitive Times do hold forth, I give credit thereto without any scruple. Now touching the Works of the Sibyls, they were in high request among the Fathers of the first four Centuries, in- somuch that they us'd to urge their Prophecies for the Conversion of Pagans, who therefore calFd the Christians SihylUanistSy nor did they hold it a word of reproach. They were all Virgins, and for reward of their chastity, ^twas thought they had the gift of Prophecy ; not by any endow- ment of Nature, or inherent human Quality, or ordinary Ideas in the Soul, but by pure divine Inspirations, not de- pending on second Causes in sight. They spake not like the ambiguous Pagan Oracles in riddles, but so clearly, that they sometimes go beyond the Jewish Prophets; they were calPd Siohulce, that is, of the Counsels of God ; Sios, in the Eolic Dialect, being Deus. They were preferrM before all the CAa/dZ^a/i Wizards, before the Bacides, Braiichidce, and others; as also before Tyresias, Manto, Matis, or Cassandra, &c. Nor did the Christ ians only value them at that height, but the most learned among the Eihniks did so, as Varro, Livy, and Cicero ; the first being the greatest Antiquary, the second the greatest Historian, and the third the greatest Orator, that ever Rome had ; who speak so much of that famous Acrostick that one of them made of the Name of our Saviour, which sure could not be the work of a Christian, as some would maliciously obtrude, it being so long before the Incarnation. But for the better discharge of my engagement to your Ladyship, I will rank all the ten before you, with some of their most signal Predictions. The Sibyls were ten in number, whereof there were five born in Europe, to wit, Sibylla Delphica, Ciimcea, Samia, Cumana, Book IV. Familiar Letters. 63 1 Cumana, and Tyhurt'uia ; the rest were born in Asia and Africa, The first was a Persian call'd Samberthe, who plainly fore- told many hundred years before, in these Words, The IVomb of the Virgin shall he the Salvation of the Gentiles, &c. The second was Sibylla Lyhica, who among other Prophe- cies hath this, The day shall come that Men shall see the King of all living things, and a Virgin Lady of the World shall hold him in her lap. The third was Delphica, who saith, A Prophet shall be born of a Virgin. The fourth was Sibylla CumcEa, born in Campania in Italy, who hath these words, that God shall be born of a Virgin, and converse with sinners. The fifth was the famous Erythrcea, born at Babylon, who compos'd that famous Acrostick which St. Augustine took so much pains to translate into Latin. Which begins. The Earth shall sweat signs of Judgment, from Heaven shall come a King who shall reign for ever, viz., in human Flesh, to the end that by his presence he may judge the world. A River of Fire and Brimstone shall fall from Heaven, the Sim and Stars shall lose their light, the Firmament shall be dissolved, and the Moon shall be darkened; a Trumpet shall sound from Heaven in woful and terrible manner : And the opening of Earth shall discover confused and dark Hell ; and before the Judge shall come every King, &c. The sixth was Sibylla Samia, who saith, He being rich, shall be born of a poor Maid: The Creatures of the Earth shall adore him, and praise him for ever. The seventh was Cumana, who saith, That he should come from Heaven, and reign here in poverty ; he should rule in silence, and be born of a Virgin. The eighth was Sibylla Hellespontica, who foretells plainly that A Woman shall descend of the Jews, calFd Mary, and of her shall be born the Son of God, and that without carnal copulation, &c. The ninth was Phrygia, who saith, The highest shall come from 632 Familiar Letters. Book IV, from Heaven, and shall confirm the Counsel in Heaven ; and a Virgin shall he shew'd in the ValUes of the Desarts, &c. The tenth was Tihurtina, born near Tyler, who saith^ The invisible Word shall he born of a Virgin, he shall converse luith sinners, and shall of them be despised, &c. Moreover, St. Austin reciteth these Prophecies following of the Sibyls: Then he shall be taken by the wicked hands of Infidels, and they shall give him buffets on his face, they shall spit upon him with their foul and accursed mouths, he shall turn unto them his shoulders, suffering them to be whipped : He also shall be crown' d with thorns ; they shall give him gall to eat and vinegar to drink : Then the veil of the Temple shall rend, ajid at mid-day it shall be dark night, &c. Lactantius relateth these Prophecies of theirs^ He shall raise the dead, the impotent and lame shall go, the deaf shall hear, the blind shall see, and the dumb speak, &c. In fine, out of the works of the Sibyls may be deduced a good part of the Miracles and Sufferings of Christ ; there- fore for my part I will not cavil with Antiquity, or traduce the primitive Church, but I think I may believe without danger, that those Sibyls might be select instruments to announce the dispensations of Heaven to Mankind. Nor do I see how they do the Church of God any good service or advantage at all, who question the truth of their Writings (as also Trismegistus his Pymandra, and Aristceus, &c), which have been handed over to posterity as incontroulable truths for so many Ages. Thus, Madam, have I done something of that task you imposM upon me touching the ten Sibyls ; whereunto I may well add your Ladyship for the eleventh : For among other things I remember you foretold confidently that the Scottish Kirk would destroy the English Church ; and that if the Hierarchy went down. Monarchy would not be of long continuance. Your Ladyship I remember foretold also, how those un- happy Separatists the Puritans would bring all things at last into a confusion, who since are calPd Presbyterians, or Jews of Book IV, Familiar Letters. 633 of the New Testament ; and they not improperly may be callM so, for they sympathize much with that Nation in a revengeful sanguinary humour and thirsting after blood. I could produce a cloud of examples, but let two suffice. There livM a few years before the hong Parliament near Clun- Castle in Wales, a good old Widow that had two sons grown to Men's estate, who having taken the holy Sacra- ment on a first Sunday in the month, at their return home they enter'd into a dispute touching their manner of receiv- ing it. The eldest Brother, who was an orthodox Protestant (with the Mother) held it was very fitting, it being the highest act of devotion, that it should be taken in the humblest posture that could be, upon the knees; the other, being a Puritan, oppos'd it, and the dispute grew high, but it ended without much heat. The next day being both come home to dinner from their business abroad, the eldest Brother, as it was his custom, took a nap upon a cushion at the end of the table, that he might be more fresh for labour. The Puritan Brother, callM Enoch Evans, spying his oppor- tunity, fetch'd an axe, which he had provided it seems on purpose, and stealing softly to the table, he chopp'd off his Brother's head : The old Mother hearing a noise, came sud- denly from the next room, and there found the body and head of her eldest Son both asunder, and reaking in hot Blood : Villain ! cried she, hast thou murdered thy Brother ? Yes, quoth he, and you shall after him; and so striking her down, he dragged her body to the threshold of the door, and there chopp'd off her head also, and put them both in a bag: But thinking to fly, he was apprehended and brought before the next Justice of Peace, who chanced to be Sir Robert Howard; so the Murderer the Assizes after was condemned, and the Law could but only hang him^ tho' he had committed Matricide and Fratricide, I will fetch another example of their cruelty from Scotland. The late Marquis of Montrose, being betray M by a Lord in whose house he lay, was brought prisoner of War to Edin- burgh ; there the common Hangman met him at the Towns- end, 634 Familiar Letters. Book IV. end, and first puU'd off his hat, then he forc'd him up to a Cart, and hurried him like a condemned person, tho' he had not yet been arraigned, much less convicted, through the great street, and brought him before the Parliament; where being presently condemn'd, he was posted away to the Gallows, which was above thirty Foot high. There his hand was cut off first, then he was lifted up by pullies to the top, and then hang'd in the most ignominious manner that could be. Being taken down, his head was chopp'd off, and nailM to the high Cross ; his arms, thighs, and legs, were sent to be set up in several places, and the rest of his body was thrown away, and depriv'd of Christian burial. Thus was this Nobleman us'd, tho' one of the ancient^st Peers of Scot- land, and esteemM the greatest honour of that Country both at home and abroad. Add hereunto the mortal cruelty they us'd to their young King, with whom they would not treat unless he first acknowledg'd his Father to be a Tyrant, and his Mother an Idolatress, (^c. So I most humbly kiss your hands, and rest always. Madam — Your Ladyship's most faithfully devoted Ser- vant, J. H. London^ 30 Aug. XLIV. To Sir. L. D., in Paris. Noble Knight, YOURS of the 22d current came to safe hand ; but what you please to attribute therein to my Letters, may be more properly applied to yours in point of intrinsic value : For by this correspondence with you, I do as our East-India Merchants use to do, I venture beads and other bagatels, out of the proceed whereof I have pearl and other oriental jewels returned me in yours. Concerning the posture of things here, we are still involvM in a cloud of Confusion, 'specially touching Church-matters : A race of odd crack-brainM Schismatiques do croak in every corner; but, poor things, they rather want a Physician to cure Book IV, Familiar Letters. 635 cure them of their madness, than a Divine to confute them of their errors. Such is the height of their spiritual pride, that they make it nothing to interpret every tittle of the Apocalypse; they make a shallow rivulet of it, that one may pass over and scarce v^^et his ankles; whereas the greatest Doctors of the Church compar'd it to a deep Ford wherein an Elephant might swim. They think they are of the Cabinet-Council of God, and not only know his Attri- butes, but his Essence: Which made me lately break out upon my pillow into these metrical Speculations : 1. If of the smallest Stars in Sky We knoiv not the Dimensity ; If those bright Sparks which them compose^ The highest mortal Wits do pose, How then, poor shallow Man, can^st thou The Maker of these Glories know ? 2. If we know not the Air we draw, Nor what keeps Winds a7id Waves in awe ; If our small skulls cannot contain The flux and saltness of the Alain ; If scarce a Cause we ken below, How can we the Supernal hiow ? 3. If it be a mysterious thing Why Steel should to the Loadstone cling ; If we know 7iot why Jett should draw, And with such kisses hug a Straw; If none can truly yet reveal How sy7npathetic Powders heal : 4. If we scarce know the Earth we tread. Or half the Simples there aix bred, With Minerals, and thousand thi?igs Which for Maiis health and food she brings ; If Nature's so obscure, then how Can we the God of Nature know ? 5. What the BatV eye is to the Sun, Or of a Gloworm to the Moon, The 636 Familiar Letters. Book IV, The same is Human Intellect^ If on our Maker we reflect^ Whose Magnitude is so inimense^ That it transcends both Soul and Sense. 6. Poor piirhlind Man, then sit thee still, Let wonder77ient thy Temples fill ; Keep a due distance, do 7iot pry Too near, lest like the silly Fly, While she the wanton with the flaiJies doth play, First fries her Wings, then fools her Life away. There are many things under serious debate in Parliament, whereof the results may be call'd yet but the imperfect pro- ductions of a grand Committee ; they may in time come to the maturity of Votes^ and so of Acts. You write that you have the German Diet, which goes forth in my name ; and you say, that you never had more matter for your money, I had valued it the more ever since, in regard that you please to set such a rate upon't : For I know your opinion is current and Sterling. I shall shortly by T. B. send you a new History of Naples, which also did cost me a great deal of oil and labour. Sir, if there be anything imaginable wherein I may steed or serve you here, you well know what interest and power you may claim both in the Affections of my Heart, and the Faculties of my Soul. I pray be pleasM to present the humblest of my service to the noble Earl your Brother, and preserve still in your good opinion — Your truly obliged Servant, J. H. XLV. To Sir E. S., Knight. Sir, NOW that the Sun and the Spring advance daily towards us more and more, I hope your health will keep pace with them ; and that the all-searching beams of the first will dissipate that fretful humour, which hath confinM you so long to your Chamber, and barr'd you of the use of your true Book IV, Familiar Letters. 637 true supporters. But tho' your Toes be slugs^ yet your Temples are nimble enough^ as I find by your last of the 1 2th current ; which makes me think on a speech of Severus the Emperor^ who having lain sick a long time of the Gout at York, and one of his Nobles telling him that he wonder'd much how he could rule so vast an Empire, being so lame and unwieldy, the Emperor answer'd, that He ruVd the 'Empire with his Brain not with his Feet: So it may be said of you, that you rule the same way the whole State of that Microcosm of yours, for every Man is a little World of himself. Moreover, I find that the same kind of spirit doth govern your Body as governs the great World, I mean the celestial Bodies : For as the motions whereby they are regu- lated are musical, if we may believe Pythagoras, whom the Tripod pronounc'd the wisest Man; so a true harmonious Spirit seems to govern you, in regard you are so naturally inclinM to the ravishing Art of Musick. Your Friends here are well, and wish you were so too : For my part, I do not only wish it, but pray it may be so ; for my Life is the sweeter in yours^ and I please myself much in being — Your truly faithful Servant, J. H. I Martii. XLVI. To Mr. Sam. Bon, at his House in the Old Jury. Sir, IRECEIV'D that choice parcel of Tobacco your Servant brought me, for which I send you as many returns of gratitude, as there were grains therein, which were many (and cut all methinks with a Diamond cut), but too few to express my acknowledgment. I had also therewith your most ingenious Letter, which I valued far more : The other was but a potential Fire, only reducible to smoke; but your Letter did sparkle with actual Fire, for methought there were pure flames of Love and Gentleness waving in every line. The Poets do frequently compare Affection to Fire; therefore 638 Familiar Letters. Book IV, therefore whensoever I take any of this Varina, I will imagine that I light my Pipe always at the Flames of your Love. I also highly thank you for the liallan Manuscripts you sent me of the late Revolutions in Naples, which will infi- nitely advantage me in exposing to the World that Stupen- dous piece of Story. I am in the arrear to you for sundry courtesies more, which shall make me ever entitle myself — Your truly thankful Friend and Servant, J. H. Holborn, 3 June. XLVII. To W. Sands, jE^^-. Sir, THE Calamaties and Confusions which the late Wars did bring upon us were many and manifold, yet 'England may be said to have gain'd one Advantage by it ; for whereas before she was like an Animal that knew not his own strength, she is now better acquainted with herself, for her Power and Wealth did never appear more both by Land and Sea. This makes France to cringe to her so much. This makes Spain to purchase Peace of her with his Italian Patacoons : This makes the Hollander to dash his colours, and veil his bonnet so low unto her : This makes the Italian Princes, and all other States that have any- thing to do with the Sea, to court her so much. Indeed, touching the Emperor, and the Mediterranean Princes of Germany, whom she cannot reach with her Cannons, they care not much for her. Nor indeed was the true Art of governing England known till now ; the Sword is the surest sway over all People, who ought to be cudgell'd rather than cajol'd to obedience, if upon a glut of plenty and peace they should forget it. There is not such a windy wavering thing in the world as the common People ; they are got hy an Jpple, and lost for a Pear; the Elements themselves are not more inconstant: So that it is the worst solecism in Government for a Prince to depend merely upon their Affections. Riches and long Rest Book IV. Familiar Letters. 639 Rest make them insolent and wanton : It was not Tarquin^s wantonness so much as the People's^ that ejected Kings in Rome ; it was the People's Concupiscence^ as much as Don Rodrigos Lust^ that brought the Moors into Spain, &c. Touching the Wealth of England, it never also appear'd so much by public Erogations and Taxes, which the Long Parliament rais'd : Lisomuch, that it may be said the last King was beaten by his own Image more than anything else. Add hereunto, that the World stands in Admiration of the capacity and docibleness of the English, that Persons of ordinary Breeding, Extraction, and Callings, should be- come Statesmen and Soldiers, Commanders and Counsellors, both in the Art of War and Mysteries of State, and know the use of the Compass in so short a tract of time. I have many thanks to give you for the Spanish Discourse you pleas'd to send me; at our next conjuncture I shall give you an Account of it : in the interim I pray let me have still a small corner in your thoughts, while you possess a large room in mine, and ever shall while Jam. Howel. XLVIIL To the R. H, the E. of S. My Lord, SINCE my last, that which is the greatest Subject of our discourses and hopes here, is the Issue of our Treaty with the Dutch : It is a piece that hath been a good while on the Anvil, but it is not hammered yet to any shape. The Parliament likewise hath many things in debate, which may be calPd yet but Embryo's, in time they may be hatch'd into Acts. The Pope, they write, hath been of late dangerously sick, but hath been cur'd in a strange way by a young Padua Doctor, who having kill'd a lusty young Mule, clapp'd the Patient's Body naked in the Paunch thereof; by which gentle fomentation he recover'd him of the Tumours he had in his Knees and elsewhere. Donna Olympia sways most, and hath the highest ascen- dant 640 Familiar Letters. Book IV. dant over him ; so that a Gentleman writes to me from Rome, that among other Pasquils this was one, Papa magis amat Olympiam quam Olympum. He writes of another, That the Bread being not long since grown scant, and made coarser than ordinary by reason of the Tax that his Holiness laid upon Corn, there was a Pasquil fixM upon a corner- stone of his Palace, Beatissime Pater ^fac ut hi lapidesjiant panes; O blessed Father, grant that these Stones be made Bread. But it was an odd Character that our Country- man Dr. B. gave lately of him, who being turn'd Roman Catholic, and expecting a Pension, and having one day attended his Holiness a long time about it, he at last broke away suddenly; a Friend of his asking, why? he replied. It is to no purpose for me to stay longer, for I know he will give me nothing, because I find by his Physiognomy that he hath a negative Face. 'Tis true, he is one of the hard-favoured'st Popes that sat in the Chair a great while; so that some call him UHiiomo de tre pele, The Man with three Hairs; for he hath no more Beard upon his Chin. St. Mark is still tugging with the great Turk, and hath bang'd him ill-favouredly this Summer in Dalmatia by Land, and before the Dardanelli by Sea. Whereas your Lordship writes for my Lustra Ludovici, or the History of the last French King and his Cardinal, I shall ere long serve your Lordship with one of a new Edition, and with some Enlargements. I humbly thank your Lordship for the favourable, and indeed too high a character you please to give of my Survey of Venice ; yet there are some who would detract from it, and (which I believe your Lordship will something wonder at) they are Cavaliers, but the shallowest and silliest sort of them ; and such may well deserve the epithet of Malignants. So I humbly kiss your hands in quality of — Your Lordship's most obedient and ever obliged Servant, J. H. XLIX. Book IV. Familiar Letters. 641 XLIX. To the R, H, the Earl Rivers_, at his House in Queen-street. My Lord, THE least command of yours is enough to set all my Intellectuals on work ; therefore I have done some- thing, as your Lordship shall find herewith, relating to that gallant Piece call'd The Gallery of Ladies, which my Lord Marquis of Winchester (your Brother) hath set forth. Upon the glorious Work of the Lord Marquis of Winchester. 1. 'y ^HjE World of Ladies must he honour' d much^ That so sublime a Ferso?iage, that such A noble Peer, and Fen, should thus display Their Virtues, and expose them to the day. 2. His Praises are like those corns cant Beams Which Phoebus on high Rocks of Crystal streams : The Matter and the Agent grace each other, So Danae did when Jove made her a Mother. 3. Queens, Countesses and Ladies, go unlock Your Cabinets, draw forth your richest stock Of fewels, and his Coronet adorn With Rubies, Pearl, and Saphires yet unworn. 4. Rise early, gather Flowers now V th^ Spring, Twist 7vreaths of Laurel, and fresh Garlands bring To crown the Temples of this high-born Peer, And make him your Apollo all the year : And when his Soul shall leave this earthly Mine, Then offer sacrifice unto his Shrine. I send also the Elegy upon the late Earl of Dorset, which your Lordship spake of so much when I waited on you last ; and I believe your Lordship will find therein every Inch of that noble Peer characteris'd inwardly and outwardly. 2 s An 642 Familiar Letters. Book IV. An Elegy upon the most accomplish'd and heroick Lord, Edward Earl of Dorset, Lord-Chamberlain to his late Majesty of Great Britain, and Knight of the most Noble Order of the Garter, &c. Alluding to The Quality of the Tmies. His admired Perfections. His goodly Person. His ancient Pedigree. His Coat of Arms crested with a Star. The Condition of Mortality. The Author's Passion^ closi?tg with an Epitaph. LORDS have been long declining (we well know) _^ And making their last Testament ; but now They are defunct, they are extinguish'd all, And never like to rise by this Lord's fall : A Lord whose Intellectuals alone Might make a House of Peers, and prop a Throne, Had not so dire a Fate hung o'er the Crown, That Privilege Prerogative should drown. Where-e'er he sat, he sway'd, and Courts did awe, Gave Bishops Gospel, and the Judges Law, With such exalted reasons, which did flow So clear and strong, that made Astrea bow To his Opinion ; for where he did side, Advantag'd more than half the Bench beside. But is great Sackville dead ? Do we him lack, And will not all the Elements wear black ? Whereof he was compos'd, a perfect Man, As ever Nature in one frame did span : Such high-born Thoughts, a Soul so large and free, So clear a Judgment, and vast Memory, So princely, hospitable, and brave Mind, We must not think in haste on earth to find. Unless the Times would turn to Gold again, And Nature get new strength in forming Men. His Person with it such a State did bring. That made a Court as if he had been King. Book IV. Familiar Letters. 643 No wonder, since he was so near a-kin To Norfolk s Duke, and the great Maiden-Queen. He Courage had enough by conqu'ring one, To have confounded that whole Nation : Those Parts which single do in some appear, AVere all concentred here in one bright Sphere. For Brain, Tongue, Spirit, Heart, and Personage, To mould up such a Lord will ask an Age. But how durst pale white-liver'd Death seize on So dauntless and heroic a Champion ? Yes, to die once is that uncancell'd debt Which Nature claims, and raiseth by Eschet On all Mankind, by an old Statute past Frivio Ada?/ii^ which will always last Without Repeal ; nor can a second Lease Be had of Life when the first Term doth cease. Mount noble Soul, among the Stars take place. And make a new one of so bright a Race : May Jove out-shine, that Venus still may be In a benign Conjunction with Thee, To check that Planet which on Lords hath lour'd, And such malign Influxes lately pour'd. Be now a Star thyself, for those which here Did on thy Crest, and upper Robes appear : For thy Director take that Star, we read. Which to thy Saviour's Birth three Kings did lead. ^NUS have I blubbered out some Tears and Verse On this renowned Heroe, and his Herse ; And could my Eyes have dropt down Pearls uponH In lieu of Tears ^ God knoivs, I would have done'f : But Tears are real^ Pearls for their Emblems go, The first are fitter to express my Woe. Let this small Mite suffice, until I may A larger tribute to his Ashes pay ; In the meantime this Epitaph shall shut, And to my Elegy a period put. A Corollary. HERE 644 Familiar Letters. Book IV. ERE lies a Grandee by Bh^ih, Parts, and Mind, Who hardly left his Parallel behind. Here lies the Man of Men, luho should have been An Emperor, had Fate or Fortune seen. Totus in lachrymas solutus, sic singultivit, y. H. So I most humbly kiss your Lordship's hands, and rest in the highest degree of service and affection, ever most ready — At your Lordship's command, J. H. Lond., 20 Dec. L. To T. Harris, 'E'iq. Sir, YOURS of Dec. 10. I had the 2d of this January, and I account it a good Augury that it came so seasonably to usher in the New-year, and to cheer up my thoughts, u^hich your Letters have a virtue to do always whensoever they come, they are so full of quaint and copious quick expressions. When the Spaniards at their first Coalition in the West-Indies did begin to mingle with the Americans, that silly People thought that those little white Papers and Letters which the Spaniards us'd to send one to another, were certain kind of Conjurers or Spirits that us'd to go up and down to tell tales, and make discoveries. Among other examples, I remember to have read one of an Indian Boy sent from a Mexico Merchant to a Captain, with a Basket of Figs and a Letter. The Boy in the way did eat some of them, and the Captain, after he had read the Letter, ask'd him what became of the rest ? Whereat the Boy stood all astonish'd ; and being sent with another Basket a little after to the same party, his maw began to yern again after some of the Figs, but he first took the Letter and clapt it under a great stone hard by, upon which he sat while he was eating, thinking thereby that the Spirit in the Letter could not discover him, ^c. Whether your Letters be Spirits or no, I will not dispute, but I am sure they beget new Spirits in me Book IV. Familiar Letters. 645 me ; and quod efficit tale illud ipsiim est magis tale ; if I am possess'd with melancholy, they raise a Spirit of mirth in me ; if my thoughts are contracted with Sadness, they presently dilate them into Joy, ^c, as if they had some subtil invisible ^toms whereby they operate; which is now an old Philo- sophy newly furbish'd, and much cried up, that all natural Actions and Motions are perform'd bv emission of certain Atoms, whereof there is a constant effluvium from all ele- mentary bodies, and are of divers shapes, some angular, others cyclindrical, some spherical; which Atoms are still hovering up and down, and never rest till they meet with some pores proportionable and cognate to their figures, where they acquiesce. By the expiration of such Atoms the Dog finds the scent as he hunts, the Pestilence infects, the Loadstone attracts Iron, the Sympathetick Powder or Zaphyrian Salt calcined by Apollinean heat, operating injuly or u4ugust till it come to a lunary complexion; I say, by the virtue and intervention of such Atoms, 'tis found that this said Powder heals at a distance, without topical applications to the place affected. They who are of this opinion, hold that all sublunary Bodies operate thus by Atoms, as the heavenly Bodies do by their Influences. Now it is more visible in the Loadstone than any other Body ; for by help of artificial Glasses a kind of mist hath been discern'd to expire out of it, as Dr. Highmore doth acutely, and so much like a Philosopher, observe. For my part, I think it more congruous to Reason, and to the course of Nature, that all Actions and Motions should be thus perform'd by such little atomical Bodies, than by Accidents and Qualities, which are but notional things, having only an imaginary subsistence, and no essence of themselves at all, but as they inhere in some other. If this Philosophy be true, it were no great absurdity to think that your Letters have a kind of atomical energy which operates upon my Spirits, as I formerly told you. The Times continue still untoward and troublesome ; therefore now, that you and I carry above a hundred years upon our backs, and that those few grains of Sand which remain 646 Familiar Letters. Book IV. remain in the brittle glasses of our lives are still running out, it is time, my dear Tom, for us to think on that which of all future things is the most certain, I mean our last removal, and emigration hence to another World : 'Tis time to think on that little hole of earth which shall hold us at last. The time was, that you and I had all the fair Continent of 'Europe before us to range in; we have been since confinM to an Island, and now Lincoln holds you, and London me : We must expect the day that sickness will confine us to our Chambers, then to our Beds, and so to our Graves, the dark silent Grave, which will put a period to our pilgrimage in this World. And observable it is, what method Nature doth use in contracting our liberty thus by degrees, as a worthy Gentleman observes. But tho' this small bagful of Bones be so confin'd, yet the noblest part of us may be said to be then set at liberty, when having shaken off this slough of flesh, she mounts up to her true Country, the Country of Eternity; where one moment of Joy is more than if we enjoy'd all the pleasures of this World a million of years here among the Elements. But till our Threads are spun up, let us continue to enjoy ourselves as well as we can ; let those grains I spoke of before run gently by their own motion, without jogging the glass by any perturbation of mind, or musing too much upon the Times. Man's life is nimble and swift enough of itself, without the help of a Spur, or any violent motion : Therefore he spoke like a true Philosopher, who excepted against the title of a Book call'd De statu vitce, for he should rather have entitled it De airsu vitcs ; for this Life is still upon the speed. You and I have luckily met abroad under many Meri- dians ; when our course is run here, I hope we shall meet in a Region that is above the wheel of Time : And it may be in the concave of some Star^ if those glorious Lamps are habitable. Howsoever, my Genius prompts me, that when I part hence I shall not downwards ; for I had always soar- ing Book IV. Familiar Letters. 647 ing thoughts being but a Boy^ at which time I had a mighty desire to be a Bird^ that I might fly towards the Sky. So my long-endeared Friend, and Fellow-Traveller, I rest — Yours verily and invariably, J. H. Holborn^ 10 Jan. To the Sagacious Reader. T T T clavis portain^ sic pandit Epistola pectus ; Clauditur Hcec cera, clauditur Ilia sera. As Keys do open Chests, So Letters open Breasts T E A O 2. Gloria Lausq ; Deo Sceculoriim in scBcula sunto. ADOXOLOGICAL Chronogram including this present year MDCLV. and hath numeral Letters enough to extend to the year Nineteen hundred twenty seven, if it please God this World should last so long. SUPPLEMENT. LETTERS, &c., OF AND ABOUT HOWELL NOT PREVIOUSLY COLLECTED. Mainly from Unpublished Sources. I. To Lord Conway. (Pub. Rec. Off. Stat. Pap. Dom. Chas. I. xix. No. loo.) Right hon^^^ & my very good Lo : There is a partie that hath lately hanted the Court who may be fufpe6led to come for no good, his father was an englifh Minifler & chaplaine to S" Charles Cornwallyes & after- ward an officer to y^ Inquifition in y^ Court of Spaine where he obtained a penfion for himfelf, his wief & children. This man (a bufie pragmaticall fellowe) comes from Bruffells & hath dependencye on Gondamar. Yo' lo : may pleafe to comand that he be brought before yo"" by thefe bearers who tell me wilbe employed by yo' lo : in ocafions of this nature So I moft humbly take my leaue & will euer Hue Yo' lo : moft faithfull Servant Ja Howell The partie's name is James Wadefworth. Middle Temple this Thurfday {^ndorsed). 650 Supplement. {Endorsed). Januarii 1625 double headed • • r r-- r bird, salient.] Giuinge infomafon of a fufpe6led pson one To right hon'^'" my Wadfworth. very good Lo : y^ lord Conway principall Secreatary to his Ma*'* att Court II. The Earl of Sunderland to Lord Vise. Wentworth. (Stafford Letters, i. p. 48.) My very good Lord I underfcand your Lordfhip hath beflowed the next Attorney's Place in Reverfion at York upon James Howell, my Secretary, I mufl thank you for it, and the rather becaufe he hath defervingly and faithfully ferved me in that Place, wherin I hear your Lordfhip hath fucceeded me. I wifh you much Happinefs in it, & refl very faithfully Your Lordfhip's Friend E. Sunderland. S*^ Martin's Lane Dec. 15. 1628. IIL To THE Lord Visc"^ Wentworth, Lord President of the North. (Stafford Letters, i. p. 50.) My ever honoured good Lord, Herewith I fend your Lordfliip the inflrument you pleafed to pafs unto me for the reverfion of the next Attorney's place in York, for which, by your Lordfhip's appointment, M' Radcliffe hath given me fatiffaction. I was always and fhall ever continue fo fenfible of fo free and noble a favour, that in the whole courfe of my life I fhall endeavour to make Expreffions of my Thankful- nefs, and how much I am. My Lord Your Lordfhip's Mod true and humble fervant. Ja. Howell. S"^ Martin's Lane May 5, 1629. IV. Supplement. 651 IV. Legatio Comitis Leicestri^e in Daniam 1632. (Bodl. MS. Rawl. C. 354.) Diarium et fidelis relacio Legacionis Illuftiffimi Comitis Ley- cefl[r]encis ad Chriftianum quartum Regem Daniae, etc. Jacobo Howell Oratore. Defignatus fuit Legatus extraordinarius ad Chriftianum quartum Regem Daniae et alios principes Danica flirpe oriundos, Regi- aeque Magnae Brittaniag Maiellati materno fanguine coniunctos, Robertus Sydneius Comes Leyceftrice, vt lu6lum ageret pro morte Reginae Sophice Frederici fecundi vxoris, Regum, Magnae Brittaniae, Daniaeque Matris et Auxoe : et de alijs arduis maximique ponderis negotijs tra6laret. Regia Magnae Brittanniae Maieftas fe declarabat 6° Aprilis 1632 sed retrofpiciens quatuor integros menfes in mandatis dedit (regij in di6lum Comitem fauoris gratia) vt litterae priuati figilli inchoarent 6° Decembris proxime praecaedentis, ex quo die con- fignatae fuerunt di6lo Comiti 06I0 librae pro quotidiano falario, vfque dum ad regiam perfonam reuerteretur. Vale dixit Regise Maiellati in aedibus OailandicE 16° Augufli, ciuus, pro more ofculatis manibus cum primarijs generofum qui eum in hac legatione concomitabantur, et duabus mille libris anticipatis, cum tefferis numarijs Philippo Burlemachi firmatis in Hamburgho recipiendis, ad iter fefe accinxit ; Ab aedibus fuis in Penfhurft difceffit 14° Septembris cum quibufdam domefticis famulis verfus Roffam, vbi integer fuus comitatus ex numero circiter 55 perfonarum conMens, inter quas plurimi erant genero- fiffima profapia oriundi (quorum primarius fuit Phillippus Baro de Lifle di6li Comitis primogenitus) excellentiae fuae praeftolabantur. A di6ta vrbe tribus currubus et numerofo equorum Cohorte vehebatur ad Margetts vbi marium Admirallus Penington (hoc enim titulo tunc temporis fungebatur) in regia Naue Conuertina di6tum Dom. Legatum expe6labat. Qua Naue, vento Noto-Zephiro flrenue afflante, tridui fpacio appulit in flumine Alvis et pedem figens Glucstadio dimorabatur ibi 4'' diebus, Deinde condu6lus fuit a Gubernatore di6li loci regijs currubus et 50 ad minimum apertis vehiculis ad Rendef- burgum in terra Holfatica vbi Rex Comitijs interfuit. Hofpitium Dom. Legato defignatum fuit in ^dibus cuiufdam Jurifperiti, et reliquis fui Comitatus in alijs domibus, vbi fpacio integrae heb- domadis fumptu Regio epulabatur, 50 circiter Regijs famulis ad inferuiendum conftitutis. Princeps 652 Supplement. Princeps Fredericus fecundus regijs Daniae filius Coadiutor Epifcopatus Bremenfis, poftridie decoro generoforum agmine ftipatus di6lum Dominum Legatum inuifit, et die fequente Det lief Ranzouius nobilium Holfatiae primarius et ditiffimus. 7° die poft appulfum fuam in di6to loco, admiffus fuit Dominus Legatus ad Arcem Regis, magno generofum Aulicorum numero, et 50 ex proprio Comitatu pullatis veftibus et atratis penulis fub longis decoro agmine fuam perfonam circumeuntibus. Dedu6tus ad praefentiam regiam D. Jacobus Howell (qui erat a fecretis di(5lo Domino Legato) oracionem quandam encomiafticam in- choauit in laudem defundlse Reginse, qua ad finem perdu(5la et Uteris credentialibus a domino legato regijs manibus oblatis, ad Chriftianum 5""" Regis primogenitum ele6lum Danise principem, fefe vertit cum fimili Oratione, et deinde ad Fredericum di6ti Regis filium fecundum (ambo enim prope Regem circumftabant) ; Hoc pera6to refponfum fuit didis Orationibus a Do6tore Doorne Jurifperito, et regis [sic] apertis vlnis Dominum Legatum amplec- tente, et manus primarijs fui Comitatus ad ofculandum porrigente, redu6tus fuit eodem Comitatu ad Hofpitium fuum. Poftridie poftulauit Dominus Legatus (condignas agendo gra pro regio fauore) vt prop[r]ia quadra fe aleret et famuli Regis manumitterentur quod (vnoquoque eorum qui inferuierant ample et magnus fice renumerato) conceffum fuit. Poftero die aliam obtinuit audientiam Dominus Legatus, qua propofitiones in paginis fubfequentibus infertas folemni modo Regijs manibus exhibuit, quibus proximo die refponfum fuit, Rege prima luce verfum Gluckfladium comigrato, Cui triduo poftea Reduci di6lus dominus Legatus alias tradidit propofitiones, quibus etiam fubito refponfum fuit, a quibufdam confiliarijs ad hoc ex induftria defignatis, vt in paginis fubfequentibus conftat. Poftremo, definitiua Regis Danise ad di(5las propofitiones habita Refolutione, poftulauit Dominus legatus colloquium cum ante memoratis Confiliarijs, quod concessum fuit, et in quodam angulo Ecclefiae Cathedralis conuenientis, omnia ea quae a Domino Legato prius fuerant propofita, cum fmgulis Regis Daniae refponfis perle6la, difcuffa ac euentilata ffuerunt. In quo colloquio Di(5tus Dominus Legatus in fauorem Reginae Bohemiae multa Inftruc- tiones fuas excedentia) prop[r]ium honorem patrimoniaque tan- gentia ad conciliandam auitam haereditariam portionem propofuit, quibus Durus Auunculus furdas praebuit aures. Triduo poftea vocatus fuit Dominus Legatus ad epulandum regia menfa cum fuo comitatu, vbi liberis pro more, compota- tionibus vfque ad vefperum protra6tum fuit prandium. Poftero die Rex ante lucano tempore Gluckftadium tendit iter, Domi- nufque Legatus ad Gottorpium Frederici Ducis Holfatiae, (Regis Danorum Supplement. 653 Danorum Nepotis ex forore) Arcem, et inde ad Hulem, ad Auguftam Duciffam viduam HoUatia^ Danorum Regis Ibrorem, proficifcitur, Quibus in locis intra muros Arcium hofpitatus, comiter receptus, et magnifice epulatus eli mine ad Hamburghum fefe contulit vbi a fenatoribus di6t8e Ciuitatis et Anglis Mercatoribus honorifice tractatus fuit ; Et RoBERTUM Anstrutherum cx aula Csefarea nuperrime Re- ducem legatum, conueniens, eum fecum perduxit cum di6lo Admirallo Penington, et regia Naue Conuertina, in Angliam, et ventis minime fauentibus, poll velificationem dierum appulit di6lus dominus Legatus apud Margatts, 3° die Decembris inde vere die fubito ve6lus fuit ad Aulam vbi ad regias manus olcu- landas fubito admiffus, exadliffniiam reddebat rationem vniuersae legationis, fumma cum Regiae Maiellatis fatiffadlione, et indelebili fuipfms honore. V. To Sir F. Windebank. (Pub. Rec. Off. Dom. Chas. 1. ccxlv. No. 33.) Right hon^i^ The packett to Orleans was fafely fent, but j well hoped to haue had ere nowe fome newes from thence, confidering the flrictnes of frequent correfpondence we agreed vpon at the time of our feparation ; from other places there came pofls this week, as Bruxells & Holland, the one brings newes that y* treaty being nowe vtterly diffolud, the flates Army is in the field againe, & had a defigne to make fudden incurfions vp and downe Brabant & plunder the Countrey before them, but y* enemies army gathering into a head, & y^ Boores rifmg vp p'uented them. It feemes ther is fome defigne on both fides, for ther was lately a Bidday by y^ one and a Bead-day by the other folemnly enioynd. The Spaniards fortifie apace y" Ifle of St. Stephen & Arfen w''^ they haue lately taken, being both vpon the Maze, to block vp all approches that way towards Maeflricht & make it ripe for a next yeares fiege, for they haue ben maflers of y^ field a good while, but now that y* Hollander hath had fome recreuts & thefe new addicons of forces from Germany & a late fupply of 200™- crowns from France, he hath bruffled vp his feat here againe & is vpon the offenfiue. From Germany aduife comes, that y^ d. of Friedland hath made more deep inrodes into Saxony & taken Lipfick & Hoik is before Erford. The Duke of Feria hath crofft the Hills and is come to Alfatia, 654 Supplement. Alfatia, to affifl y*" Lorainer, & relieve Nancy (as the Frencs did Cafal) fome fay y^ King is already before y^ towne, but tis thought he may throw [his cap at it, as Charles y^ Em- perour did when he was forc'd to burne his tente, & fly by Torchlight ; the Dukes fifler was lately come thither but gott out difguifed & came in mans habitt to Luxembourg whence flie was brought to Bruxells. Our Turky Marchants are like to fuffer much by a fight y* happened lately in y*" Archiepielago twixt 2 Englifh fhipps of Alderman Freemans, who contrary to y^ Capitu- lacons of peace betweene vs & the great Turk taking in a cargazon of corne for Italic & pceiuing] the 7 Gallies of Rhodes to make towards them, by way of preuention fearing to be fur- prif'd, they lett fly at them, funk y*" generall & flew y^ Bafha with diuers others, y^ 6 gallies y' remaind went & gaue aduife to y^ great fleet hard-by confiftmg of 80 gallies more who (as they yearly do) were come to leuy, & cary home y® Turks tribut from Greece & other parts adjacent, & in a dead calme made way to y® 2 fhippes deuiding themfelfs into 4 fquadrons. The fhipps having betweene them 140 men, & nere vpon 50 peeces of Ordinance refifled manfully (p'ferring death before llauery) & funk 6 of y^ gallies, killed 2000 Turks, & fought till they were reduced to that extremity y' fetting fyre to both y^ fhipps thofe w''^ remaind being not many leapt unto y^ fea & fo were taken vp prifoners but y^ great fleet of gallies is fo tottered & torne that they haue loft this yeares voyage & returnd to the Port (con- ftantinople) empty. The ConfuUs and Marchants feare fome barbarifme wilbe offered vpon their perfons, or at leaft fome fear- full auenia vpon their goods, this is Alderman Freemans relacion. The Lo ; denbigh is returned from y^ great Mogor full of jewells. So with my very humble obferuance j reft ready Att yo' Lo : comandnV James Howell. Westminster, this 28 of Aug: 1633. (Endorsed). To the right hon^'^ S"^ Francis Windebank 28 Aug. 1633 Mr. Howell rec. at Bags Efs. 4 Sept. Knight principall Secretary of State, & one of his Ma''^^ mofl hon^^^ priuy Counfell this VI. Supplement. 655 VI. Dr. T. Howell to Sir F. Windebank. (Pub. Rec. Off. Dom. Chas. I. cccxiii. No. 2.) Honorable S' I am truly forry and afham'd to heare that my brother hath Lately broken in vpon you, foe farre beyond y^ bounds of common modefty. Wether I have not longe groan'd vnd' the weight of fome iealous thoughts, and accordingly complain'd, leaft happily he might be troublefome to y"" Hono" and I alfo might fuffer with him, befide this euidence, I am fure Dr. Turner will teftify w'*" me w*"^ put me divers tim's vpon a purpofe to cleare my felfe. But fmce it is nowe growne foe high, leafl any mif-prifion fhould fettle, as touching me, I am forc't thus to addreffe my felfe to y' Hono" for my owne iuftificaon. yf eu" therefore I have found any fauo" in y' fight (not that I knowe any iufl caufe for it faue only y' owne goodnes) Let me humbly befeech you, fmce he fayles meerely by the Card and compaffe of his owne Genius, that his a6tions may not any way refle6l upon me, but that each of vs w%ut any relacon to other, may fLand or fall in y"" opinion, according to y^ refultance of his pticular deeds, and the quality of his owne fmgle conu'faon. for then, I am confident for my owne pt, that I fhall doe nothinge to deferve y" iufl difpleafure, though I doe not flatter myfelfe, that by any flrength or merit of mine I can winne vpon y" fauo'' faue only in this, that (as zealoufly as any oth^) I doe & will eu"" wifh y^ continuance & enlargem' of all profpity both to y' Hono' & all yours, & fhall mofl gladly embrace any opor- tunity that you fhall vouchfafe to giue, or I can take, to expreffe my felfe V Hono'^ affectionate and humble fervant Tho: Howell. Walbrooke 2 ffebr. 1635. {Endorsed). To the Honorable S' Francis Windebanke, principall Secretary of State to his Ma'^ p'fent thefe. vn. 656 Supplement. VII. Mr. Howell to the Lord Deputy. (Stafford Letters, i. 488). My mofl honoured good Lord, The late coming of the Prince Palatine is the greatefl news here at prefent, he flaid windbound five weeks at Flufhing, having launched out twice and been beaten back. About Dover, the three Hollands' Men-of-War, which tranfported him, paffing by fome of the King's Ships my Lord of Lindfey had left in the Downs, Sir John Pennington giving a volley of fhot, one of the Cannons having a Bullet in it grazed over the Ship where the Palfgrave was, & killed four of his Train, for which the Gunner is like to fuffer. There are various opinions of the reafon of his coming, that which founds befl is, that he is come to endear him- felf to his Uncle, & follicite his own Bufinefs, & know what to trufl to, to advance the Treaty of the Match with Poland, and do fome good offices for the Hollanders who are brought to a low ebb, the flream having turned extreamly againfl them this Summer ; though in the Indies it hath run as much with them, having made themfelves fole Maflers of the Staple & Trade of Sugars in Brafil (though nobody is the better for it but them- felves) whither the Spaniard hath a great Fleet going or gone from Lifbon. From Germany there is late advice that the fquandered Rem- nants of Swedes, which were towards the Baltick Sea, made head under Bannier, and have given a fmart blow to the Duke of Saxe. The French fhuffle yet well enough upon the Frontiers of Germany & Lorrain. The Queen-Mother is a dying in Ghent in Flanders in a religious Convent. The French Cardinal bears up flill, though Hatred and Danger increafe daily. The Cardinal Ginetti, the Pope's Legate de Latere, is not yet come to ConfLance. I beheve it will be the Spring before he come. Now that the Peace is concluded betwixt the Pole and the Swede by the Inter- vention of the Kings of England and France, the Parliament fits in Poland about the Match with the young Lady Elizabeth : Mr. Gordon went thither hence, from whom there is news daily ex- pe6led. The Ban 6^ Arriere Ban in France is difmiffed for this Winter, & fome difbanded themfelves, of whom fome received exemplary Punifhment. The Siege is flill continued by Crequy before Valencia upon the Territories of Milan. For home matters, there hath been much grief at Court lately for the Lofs of two noble Lords, the Lord of S' Albans and my Lord Supplement. 657 Lord Savage, efpecially the latter. There are two or three Houfes fhut up in Greenwich, though there died none but out of one. The Bufinefs betwixt Sir And. Pell and Sir James Bagge was determined lately in the Star Chamber, & I never heard a Caufe fo equally canvaffed, of the eighteen Judges nine fined him & the other quitted him, & my Lord Keeper's odd Voice carried it ; but I hear that it will prove no cenfure, the redundant Voice being to be for Mercy and not Juflice. They fay my Lord Bifhop of Lincoln's Pardon is ready to pafs the great feal with a perfedt Redintegration into the King's Favour, Abolition of all old Matters, & my Lord Cottington had a great hand in it. The four youngeft Prebends of Weflminfler have eagerly banded them- felves againfl him lately divers ways. There is a Lottery afoot for bringing in frefh waters by Aquse- du6ls into the Covent Garden (where the new Town is almofl finifhed) & White Hall. There have been lately new Impofitions fet upon Wines and Linnen Cloth & other Commodities, which is thought will enhance his Majefty's CufLoms ;£8o,ooo a year. The Levy of the Ship money in Towns & Country is done, & the Money almoR come in : there is a Computation made, it will amount to two Subfidies & an half. There is nought elfe worth the Advertifement, therefore I muft humbly take my Leave, refling ever Your Lordfhip's truly devoted Servant Jatn, Howell. Westminster Nov. 28. 1635. VHL Howell's Appointment as Clerk of Council. (Privy Council Minutes.) Att the Court att Nottingham the 30^'' of Augufl 1642. Prefent Lord Keeper Lo. Vifc. Savile Lo. D. of Richmond M"" Comptroler Lo. g. Chamberlaine M' Seer Nicholas This day James Howell Efq'' was by his Ma*' command fworne dark of the Counfell in extraordinary. 1 T XL 658 Supplement. IX. To MY Honored and Known Friend, Sir I. C. Knight. (i2 Tr. pp. 169-71.) Sir, Among many other Barbarifmes which like an impetuous Torrent have lately rufh'd in upon us, the interception and open- ing of Letters is none of the leaft, For it hath quite bereft all ingenious Spirits of that correfpondency and fweet communication of fancy which hath bin alwaies efteemed the befl fuel of affe6lion and the very marrow of friendfhip. And truly, in my judgment, this cuftom may be termed not only a Barbarifine, but the bafeft kind of Burglary than can be, 'tis a plundering of the very brain, as is fpoken in another place. We are reduced here to that fervile condition, or rather to fuch a height of flavery, that we have nothing left which may entitle us free Rationall creatures ; the thought it felf cannot fay 'tis free, much lefs the tongue or pen. Which makes me impart unto you the traverfes of thefe turbulent times under the following fables. I know you are an exquifite Aftronomer. I know the deep infpe6tion you have in all parts of Philofophy, I know you are a good Herald, and I have found in your Library fundry books of Archite6lure and Comments upon Vitruvius. The unfolding of thefe Apologues will put you to it in all thefe, and will require your fecond, if not your third thoughts, and when you have conco6ted them well, I believe (elfe I am much deceived in your Genius) they will afford you fome entertainment and do the errand upon which they are lent, which is, to communicate unto you the mofl material paffages of this long'd-for Parlement, and of thefe fad confufions which have fo unhing'd, diftorted, traverfd, tumbled and diflocated all things, that England may be termed now, in comparifon of what it was, no other than an Anagram of a Kingdom. One thing I promife you, in the perufal of thefe Parables, that you fhall find no gingles in them, the common dialect and difeafe of thefe times. So I leave you to the gard and guidance Of God and Vertu %vho do ftill advance 77ieir Favorite, viaugre the Frownes i?/ Chance Your conflant fervitor J. H. X. Supplement. 659 X. To Sir K. Digby. {Twelve Treafifes, p. 194.) Sir, I long to receive your opinion of thefe rambling pieces of fancy, you may peradventure, have more, when the times are open ; fiirely the wind will not hold flill in this unlucky hole, for it is too violent to lafl. It begins (thanks be to God) to fift already, and amongfl thofe multitudes, who expe6l the change, I am one that lyeth at the Cape of Good Hope, though a long time under hatches (in the Fleet). Howfoever, though all the winds in the compafs fliall blufter upon me ; nay though a Haraucana fhould rage, I am arm'd and refolv'd to bear the brunt, to welcome the Will of God, and poffeffe my foul with patience. If you defire a further intimation of things, I refer you to a Difcourfe of mine call'd The Tru Informer, who will give you no vulgar fatiffa6lion. So I am Yours, as at firfi, inalterable J.H. XL Dedication to Vol. II. of Letters. To His Highnes James Duke of York ; A Star of the greatefl Magnitude in the Conflellation of Charles- Wayn. Sir, This Book was engendred in a Cloud, born a Captive, and bred up in the dark fhades of Melancholy : He is a true Benoni the fon of forrow, nay, which is a thing of wonderment, He was begot in the Grave by one who hath been buried quick any time thefe five and fifty months : Such is the hard condition of the Author, wherein he is like to continue, untill fome good Angell roll off the flone, and raife him up, for Prifoners are capable of a double Refurre6lion : my Faith afcertains me of one but my fears make me doubtfuU of the other, for, as far as I fee yet, I may be made to moulder away fo long among thefe walls, till I 66o Supplement. I be carried hence with my feet forward : Welcom be the will of God and the Decrees of Heaven. Your Highneffes, moft humble and mofl obedient Servif James Howell. From the Prifon of the Fleet this May day 1647. XII. To John Selden. Brit. Mus. Harl. 7003 f. 374, S' _ The principall aym of this fmal prefent is to bring you thanks for the plefure & profit j haue receaud from yo' Works wher- with you haue enrichd the whole Coiiion Wealth of Lerning, & wherin may be difcoverd fuch a fuUnes & vniverfality of know- ledg that it may well be fayed Quod Seldenus nefcit, nemo fcit, And this was a kind of character that fome of the renownedft men beyond the feas gaue of you in fom difcourfe j mingled with them : Moreouer thefe fmall peeces (w^'' j flialbe bold to pourfae with a vifit) com to introduce mee to yo' knowledg not you to mine, for it were an Ignorance beyond Barbarifm not to know you : May you pleafe when (having nothing elf to do) you haue cafl yo*" eys vpon them to throw them into fom corner of the lowefL fhelf that flands in yo' library wher it wilbe an honor for them to be found herafter, & if thefe bee admitted j haue more to follow. So hoping that this obligation will not be held an intrufion j refl {Endorsed) For the moft Honored Yo' moft humble & ready John Selden Efq' fervit' this. Jam. Hov^ell. XIII. Supplement. XIII. To THE Council of State. (Brit. Mus. Add. 32,093, f. 370). It is humbly offerd to y*" Confideration of The Right Hon^'"^ y^ Counfell of State That, Wheras vpon this Change of Government, & devolution of Intereft from kingly power to a Comon Wealth ther may happen fom queflion touching the primitiue and Inalienable Right that Great Britain claymes to the Souuerainty of her own feas as hath allready appeerd by the late clafh that broke out twixt vs & Holland (which may well be fayed to be a Comon Wealth of England's Creation;) It were expedient, humbly under favor, that a new Treatife be compiled for the vindication, and continu- ance of this Right notwithflanding this Change ; And if the State be pleafed to impofe fo honorable a com and vpon y' Subfcriber Hee will employ his beft abilities to perform it ; In which Tretife not only all the learned Reafons & Authorities of Mr. Selden fhalbe produced, but the Truth of the Thing fhalbe reinforcd and afferted by further arguments. Examples and Evidences ; And it were requifit that this fayed Treatife fhold go publifhed in French as well as Englifh, French being the mofl comunicable language of Comerce among thofe nations whom the knowledg herof doth mofl concern, and fo may much avayle to difperfe the truth, & fatiffie the world in this point Jam Howell. {^Endorsed. ) Mr. Howell dominion Sea. XIV. To Judge Rumsey. {Organon Salutis^ Pref.) To his Highly efleemed Friend and Compatriot Judge Rumfey, upon his Frovang, or rare pe6loral Inflrument and his rare experiments of Cophie and Tobacco. Sir, Since I knew the World, I have known divers forts oi Inftru- ments : The firfl that I was acquainted withall, was Ariftotles Organon 662 Supplement. Organon^ or Inflmment at Oxford : Another was the great happy Inflrument at Mufifter : The third was the Ijiftru?}tent which was made after the diffolution of the late long Parliament ; That in Oxford was Inftrmnentuin Logicce, The Inflrument of Logick ; That in Munfter was Inftrumentum Pads, The Inflrument of Peace ; The lall was Inftriunejitum Politiciun, The Inflrument of Policy. Now your Inflrument is mofl properly called The Inflrument of Health, and may take place among the refl. Without controverfie, it was an Invention very happily lighted upon, and obligeth all mankinde to give you thanks : For he who finds out any thing conducing to humane health, is the befl Cofmopolite, the beft among the Citizens of the World ; health being the mofl precious Jewel of Nature, without which we cannot difcharge our duties to God or Man. But indeed there's no perfe6tion of health in this life, when we converfe with the Elements ; the befl is a valitudi- nary kinde of difpofition ; and this proceeds from the perpetual confli6l of the humors within us for predomination ; which were they equally ballanced, and m peace MethufelaJC s yeers would be but a fhort life among us. Now this Combate and malignity of the Humors arifeth from the flomach ; which like a boyling pot on the fire, is flill boyling within us, and hath much froth ; whence, if the conco6lion be not very good, there are il-favoured fumes, and fuhginous evaporations that afcend into the head ; where being diflill'd they defcend into Catarrhes and Defluxions, fome- times upon the Optiques, and that may be called the Gout in the Eyes ; if they fall upon the Teeth, it may be call'd the Gout in the Mouth ; if into the Hands 'tis Chiragra ; if in the Hip, Sciatica ; if in the Knees, Gonagra ; if in the Feet, Podogra. Now, Sir, Your Inflrument ferves to take away the grounds of thefe Dif- tempers, by rummaging and fcouring the flomach, and make it expe6lorate that froth, or phlegmy fluffe which lodgeth there, and that in a more gentle manner than any Drugge. 'Tis true that Rhubarbe is good againfl Choler, Agarick againfl Phlegme, and Hellebore againfl Melancholy, but they ufe to flir the humours fo violently by their naufeoufnes, that their operation is a fickneffe of it felf all the while : Your Inflrument caufeth no fuch thing, nor leaves any lurking dreggs behinde, as Druggs ufe to do. Touching Coffee, I concurre with them in opinion, who hold it to be that black broth which was uf'd of old in Lacedemon, whereof the Poets fing; Surely it mufl needs be falutiferous, becaufe fo many fagacious, and the wittiefl fort of Nations ufe it fo much ; as they who have converfed with Shajlres and Turbants doe well know. But befides the exficcant quality it hath to dry up the crudities of the flomach, as alfo to comfort the Brain, to fortifie the fight with its fleem & prevent Dropfies, Gouts, the Scurvie Supplement. 663 Scurvie, together with the fpleen, and Hypochondriacal winds (all of which it doth without any violence or diflemper at all) I fay, befides all thefe qualities, 'tis found already, that this Coffee drink both caufed a greater Sobriety among the Nations : for whereas formerly Apprentices & Clerks with others ufed to take their mornings draught in Ale, Beer, or Wine, which by the dizzines they caufe in the Brain, make many unfit for bufmefs, they ufe now to play the Good-fellows in this wakeful and civil drink : Therefore that worthy Gentleman, Mr. Mndiford, who introduced the pra6tice hereof firfl to London, deferves much refpe6l of the whole Nation. Concerning Tobacco which tlie Spaniards call la Ycrva santa, the holy herb, in regard of the fundry virtues it hath : without doubt 'tis alfo a wholfom vegetal, if rightly applyed and feafon- ably taken ; it helps concoction, makes one void Rheume, break winde, and keeps the body open : A leaf or two fteeped in white Wine, or Beer over night, is a Vomit that never fails ; It is a good companion to fedentary men, and fludents, when they are ftupified by long reading or writing, by diffipating thofe Vapours which ufe to o're-cloud the Brain : The smoak of it is paffing good againfl all contagious airs ; In fo much, that if one takes two or three puffs in the morning, before he goes abroad, there's no infe6tious air can faflen upon him : for it keeps out all other fents, according to the Axiom e, Intus exiftensprohibet alienum. But, Sir, I find you have made other experiments of thefe two fimples, which though not fo guflfull, conduce much to humane health : And touching your Frovang, or Whale-bone Inftrument, let me tell you, that it hath purchafed much repute abroad among Forreiners ; In fo much, that fome, in imitation of yours, have found a way to make fuch an Inftrument in du6lible Gold, and you know what a Cordial Gold is. I have been told of another kinde of new Inftrument that will conveniently reach from the mouth, to let in the fmoak of Tobacco at the fundament, and it hath done much good. Certainly, there are in Natures Cabinet many boxes yet undifcovered, there are divers myfteries and Magnalia's yet unknown ; there be fundry effe6ls which fhe would produce, but fhe wants the hand of Art to co-operate, as it were by the hand of Mid-wifery : the World muft needs confefs that you have done her a great good Office herein. So with my heartly kinde refpe6fs unto you, wifhing that fome happy occafion were offered, whereby I might be Injtrumental unto you, I reft, Worthy Sir, Your moft affectionate Friend and Companion, James Howell. XV. 664 Supplement. XV. To Sir Edward Walker. (Autograph collection of Mr. A. Morrison.) S' Now that a correfpondence may bee kept with more freedom and that neither writer or letter run fo much danger of fhippwrack j thought it not amiffe to give you this invitation in that kind ; Touching affairs here, fmce the late Diffolution of the Parlement the counfell of State carry all the Sway fmoothly before them, & Monk profeffeth flill an exa6l & conflant obedience to the Civill power. The Anababtifls have fhewd their teeth lately, but they are kept from biting, for a great flore of armes were taken away lately from them ; Generall Monk flicks flill clofe to the Citty of London who made a privat ouverture lately to the counfell of State, how Trade was lamentably delayed, And the Mint flarvd, and that ther was no way to feed the one and advance the other without a peace with Spaine, w^"" was impoffible to bee done but by calling in king Charles. Tis thought certainly ther wilbe a a Houfe of Peers the next Parlement w""*" will infallibly begin 25° of Aprill flylo loci ; The new militia is upon fettling in the countrey, and divers Lords, knights & others of good principles are chofen Comiffioners among whom the Earle of Oxford is chief for Effex, Dorfett for Suffex, Rivers for Chefhire, etc. If I knew that this letter would come fafely to Hand, I wold bee more large which upon yo' anfwer to this I fhalbe in my next. I pray Sir fend mee word whither my Lo: of BrifloU bee return'd to Bruxells fo I mofl affe6lionatly kiffe yo' hands & if ther bee any thing imaginable wherin I may ferve you here you know what power you haue to comand Much honored Sir Yo"" very humble & ready Servant Jam. Howell. London, this lyd of March, 1659. From Mr. Lee a Lawyers Houfe ag' the Pye Inne in Fetter Lane where I fhalbe ready to receave yo' addreffes & comands. {Endorsed). For the much Honored S' Edward Walker Knight at the Englifh Court in Bruxells. XVL Supplement. 665 XVL A letter of Advice confifling all of Proverbs (running in one congruous and concurrent fenfe) to one that was Towards Marriage, Lexicon Tetraglotton. Sir, Although I am none of thofe that love to have an Oare in every ones Boat, Or fuch a bufie body as deferves to be hitt in the teeth, that I fhould keep my breath to cool my pottage, yet, you and I having eaten a peck of fait together, and having a hint that you are upon a bufinefs that will either make or mar you, for a man's befl fortune or his worft's, a Wife, I would wifh you to look before you leap, and make more than two words to a bargain. 'Tis true that Marriages are made in Heaven, it is alfo true that Marriage and hanging goeth by Defliny ; But if you are difpofed to marry, marry a fhrew rather than a flieep, for a Fool is fulfome, yet ye run a rifk alfo in the other, for a fhrew may fo tye your nofe to the Grindftone, that the gray Mare will prove the better Horfe ; Befides, there is another old fayed Saw, that every one knows how to tame a Ihrew but he that hath her ; If it be your Fortune to meet with fuch a one, fhe may chance put you to the charge of buying a long fpoon, for he mufl have a long fpoon who will eat with the Devill. Moreover, if you needs muft marry, do not fetch your wife from Dwimow, for fo you may bring home two fides of a Sow, Nor from Wejtminjter^ for he who goeth to Weftminfter for a Wife, to Pauls for a Man, and to Stnithfield for a Horfe, may have a Jade to his Horfe, a Knave to his Man, and a Wagg-tail to his Wife. But if you needs mufl marry let her rather be little than bigg, for of two evils the leafl is to be chofen, yet there is another hazard in that alfo, for a little pott is foon hott, and as fhe will be little and lowd, if you give her an inch fhe will take an ell, fhe will alwayes have a Rowland for your Oliver, and two words for one, fuch a Wife though fhe be as tender as a Parfons Lemman, yet fhe may prove a wolf in Lambs fkinn, Inftead of a Rofe you will have a Burr ; If you meet with fuch a one, you may be put to anfwer as he was who having a damnable fcold to his Wife, and being afked by Sir Tho: Badger who recommended her unto him? he fayed an old Courtier, Sir; what Courtier? fayed Sir Tho: 'Twas the Devill, Sir. Furthermore take heed of two hanfome a Wife, for then fhe is likely not to be all your own, and fo flie may bring you to your Horn-book 666 Supplement. Horn-book again, or rather make you Horn-madd, and then you have brought your Hoggs to a fair Market. But by all means, be wary of too coftly and lavifhing a Wife, for fo you may quickly turn a Noble to nine pence, and come home by broken Croffe, fhe will in a fhort time make hunger to dropp out at your nofe, fhe will thwitten a Mill-pofL to a pudding- prick, the Goofe will drink as deep as the Gander, and then. When all is gone and nothing left, what waits the Dagger with the dudgeon heft? The Wolf will be then flill at your door, and the black Ox will tread on your toe, your Neighbours will make mowes at you, and fay, you are as wife as Walthains Calf, who went nine miles to fuck a Bull and came home more thirfly than when he went. You muft alfo be wary how you marry one that hath caft her Rider, left you fall into a Quagmire wherein another was lofl, I mean a Widdow, for fo you will be fubje6l to hav a Deaths head putt often in your Difh ; Touching the complexion of your Wife, the Spaniard holdeth black to be the wholefomefL, for He hath a Proverb, Muger 7ieg7'a irementijia en ella, A black woman hath Turpentine in her, the Fi-encJunan is for the broun, when he faith, Fille brunette gaye nette, A broun Laffe is gay and cleanly, But they both will tell you, that touching a red-haired and bearded woman, falute them a hundred paces off. Laflly, take heed by all means of doting fo far upon any one Female, as to marry her for meer Affection ; 'Tis true, that one hair of a woman will draw more than a hundred yoake of Oxen, yet meer Affe6tion is but blind Reafon, and there are more ]\Iayds than Malkin ; 'Tis true that in love ther's no lack, yet it is as true, that nothing hath no favour, and there mufl be Suet as as well as Oatmeal to make a Pudding ; In this cafe it is better to buy a Quart of Milk by the penny than keep a Cow, and to follow the Italian Proverb, videlicet, Commend the Sea, but keep thy felf afhoar. Commend the Hills, but keep thy felf on the Plains, Commend a wedded Life but keep thy felf a Batchelor ; According to another wife Proverb, He who marrieth doth well, but he who marrieth not, doth better ; Wherunto attendeth a third, That next to a fingle Life, a married Life is beft ; I will conclude with that of the Jtalia?i, Honefl men ufe to marry but Wife men not. When you read this, I know you will be apt to fay, that a Fools Bolt is foon fhott, or crie out, Witt whither wilt thou ? yet, though I am none of the feven Sages, I can look as farr into a Milftone as another, and you know that the ftander by feeth more then the Gamefter. What I write is the Language of a Friend, and could I fleed you herein I would do it with as good a will as ever I came from School Supplement. 667 School, for I am yours as much as any Wife can be, or rather, that I may conclude with the old Ronan Proverb, 1 am Yours, Usque ad A ras Yours to the Altar J. H. XVII. To Charles II. (Pub. Rec. Off. Dora. Chas. II. i. No. 116.) To the Kings mofl ex' Ma''^ The humble pet°" of James Howell Efq' Sheweth, That hauing bin by his late Ma^'" iinediat comand fworne one of the Clerks of his Privy Counfell about i8 yeers fmce, And coming to London a little after vpon his Ma''" affairs, he was comitted one of the firft prifoners in the Fleet where he lay above 8 yeers, & continued vnder bayle 7 years after during which time hee was plunderd 3 feverall times to his vtter vndoing. Hee humbly prays yo' Ma'^ wold pleafe to comand that he may be confirmd in the fayed place, Or that yo"" Ma'^ would be gracioufly pleafed to haue him in yo" Royall thoughts fome other way for a Liuelihood And Hee fhall pray eu' Jam Howell. {Enclosure.) The Cafe truly flated When the Court was at York j was comanded by my Lord of Briftol to attend the King one morning in his Bed- chamber, when his Ma'^ told me, That he wold giue orders to Jweare me Clerk of the Counfell in Seer : Nicholas his place., but he 7vas ptly engaged to S'' Jo: Jacobs if he had it not^ j Jhold haue it prefently, howfoeu'' s'^ hts Ma^^, j will giue order you Jlialbe fworne now., y' firfi place that falls you flialbe fure of it., Vpon w'^*' words j had y^ honor to Kiffe his hand, fo his Ma'^ Himfelf gave comand to S' Dudley Carleton to fweare me, w''^ was done accordingly before divers privy Counfellors. S' Jo: Jacob keeping flill in thefe Parts quitted his defigne that way, & j coming a little after to London, & being vpon point of returning prefently to Court, j was app'hended &: comitted prifoner 668 Supplement. prifoner to Fleet vnder notion of a dangerous perfon by y'^ Long Parlement where j lay clofe aboue 8 years notwithflanding my often petitioning for my enlargement, & continued 7 years after vnder good bayl to be forth coming within fo many howers during w^'' traverfes j was plunderd 3 times. The time y* j was fworn ther were but 3 Clerks of the Counfell viz. Tho: Mewtis, S"^ Dud; Carlton, & S"^ Rich: Brown wherof y^ 2 firft died a while after during my imprifonment, yet fmce, ther haue bin three Clerks gott over my head ett^ Jam. Howell. XVIII. To Charles II. (Pub. Rec. Off. Dom. Chas. II. xvii. No. 6.) To the Kings moft ex' Ma*'^ The humble pet""" of James Howell Efq' Clerk of the Counfell to his late Maiefly of ever bleffed Memory Sheweth, That wheras yo' Ma'^ is gracioufly pleafed for the Regula- tion & aduancement of Trade to award a Royall Comiffion to fome of the knowingft Marchants, & others whom yo' Ma'^ fhall pleafe to nominat for the intent aforefayed And wheras yo' pet' hath bin verfd & employd by their late Ma^'^" in affaires of that nature to Spaine, Germany, & Denmark He prayeth, yo*" Ma"^ wold pleafe to comand that He may ferve yo' Ma^'^ in quality of an Affiftant & Secretary to the fayed Comiffion, & He fliall employ his bell endevours to acquit himfelf to his duty therein And duly pray ett'. XIX. To Lord Clarendon. (Dom. Chas. II., xxxix., No. 52). My Lord, Yo' loPP having bin pleafd to promife mee the contribution of yo"^ favour, j take this great boldnes to defire, yo' Iopp wold pleafe to move his Ma''^ that j may attend the la: Infanta (who comes to be our Queen) in quality of Her Tutor for Languages : For Supplement. 669 For having the Spanifli Toung (with the Portuguez diale(5l) As allfo yf Itahan & French both for the Pra6tice and Theory fo farr that j have publilhed a Great Dictionary with Grainars to all the Three dedicated to the King at his firfl coming (for which his Ma'"'' pro- mifed to fett a mark of his favor vpon me) of which Dictionary j was not wanting to prefent yo' lo^^ with one, Having allfo a com- pendious choice method of InfLru6tion I hope j fhalbe thought par negotio, which in all humblenes is left to consideration by Yo"^ lopps moft obedient and ready fervant Jam Howell. {Endorsed.) R. 11° July 1 66 1 M*" Jam : Howell to be Tutor for Languages To my Lo : Chancelor to y^ Queen. XX. Grant to Howell. (Pub. Rec. Off. Signet Office Docket, Feb. 1661.) Warrant to the Excheq' to pay to James Howell Efq"" y^ fumm of 200" as of his ma^'^ free guift w'^ out acc^ Subfc' by M' Berd by warrant under his ma*^ Sign manuall ut fupra. XXL JAMES HOWELL'S WILL. (Somerfet Houfe L Carr. 323.) London j4° 8^"^ j666. [lacob' Howell.] In The name of God Amen, y lames Howell of the Parifh of S' Andrews in Holborn Efquire : being fickly in body but well in mind and memory doe make this my laft will and teftament. Aboue all I bequeath my foule to him that gaue it my eternall God and maker. I Defire my body may be carried decently in a herfe : And buried in the Middle Temple Church as privately as can be Att the ffoote of the next great Piller This fide the little Quier where I have dire6ted M' Marftiall to fett up a large Black Marble with a Braffe Pi6ture of mine 670 Supplement. mine in the Middle with my Armes and a Latin Epitaph. Touch- ing my worldly goods I bequeath vnto my brother Howell Howell Twenty ffive pounds To my fifter Gwin fforty (hillings to buy her a Ring And fforty fhillings to my filler Roberta Ap-Rice I bequeath vnto my niece Elizabeth BanifLer Twenty pounds and my filver watch with my beR Cloak and fuite I bequeath vnto my Nephew Arthur Howell ffour pounds and my light coloured Coate with my Montero Capp I bequeath vnto my Nephew George at Oxon fforty fliillings my feale of Armes my Standifh and Privat Clafped Prayer booke I bequeath Mrs. Leigh my Landlady Tenn pounds for her felfe and towards the Portion of her daughter Edith. Item I bequeath ffoure pounds to one Strafford a Heelmaker by Somerfet Houfe. Of this my will I make my nephew Henry Howell fole Executor and Adminiftrator not doubting but he will fee the pre- mifes performed accordingly Witnefs my hand and feale Jam: Howell In the prefence of J. Lowe / Memorandum that I leave Mr. Playford the Sexton of the Temple Church twenty fliillings to buy him a Ring/ Mr. Brife of Old-dreete ffoure pounds to be fpeedily paid / Item to Mr. Matthew Pinder an old Jacobus to buy him a Ring / All the reft of my worldly goods [I] leave to my p'fent Executo' Except Thirty pounds in a white Bagg which is defigned for a Tomb wherein I defire my Executor to be very carefuU / lam: Howell / In the p'fenfe of I. Lowe. [Proved by Henry Howell 18 Feb. 1666-7.] • * i 230 HOWELL, JAMES Th« ir •,• ' $7.50 I * GETTY RESEARCH INSTITUTE 3 3125 01360 1139 I I iili | ilMi ' li W I IWI'P ' | i M »| i || i iW 1 ^ i i' iliWI I PI' l ifll' ' ill i l i> II 'li iisiiiiiiliiilgii^^