was in for; " Sir," faid he, "I cannot deny but I am juftly pat in here, for I "wanted money, and fo took a purfe "hard by Tarragone, to keep me from ftarving." The Duke, with a little ftaff he had in his hand, gave him two or three blows upon the fhoulders, faying, "You rogue, what do you do among "fo many honeft innocent men! get you gone out of their company :" fo he was freed, and the reft remained fill in ftatu quo prius, to tug at the car. 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. LETTER XIII. From James Horvell, Efq; to Dr. Francis Manfel, from Valentia. Sir, THOUGH it be the fame glorious fun Valentia, 1 March 1620. that fhines upon you in England, which illuminates alfo this part of the hemisphere; though it be the fun that ripeneth your pippins, and our pomegranates; your hops, and our vineyards here; yet he difpenfeth his heat in different degrees of ftrength: thofe rays that do but warm you in England, do half roaft us here; thofe beams that irradiate only, and gild your honey-fuckle fields, do fcorch and parch this chinky gaping foil, and fo put too many wrinkles upon the face of our common mother the earth. O bleffed clime, O happy England, where there is fuch a rare temperature of heat and cold, and all the rest of elementary qualities, that one may pafs (and futter little) all the year long, without either shade in fummer, or fire in winter. I am now in Valentia, one of the nobleft cities in all Spain, fituate in a large vega or valley, above fixty miles compafs: here are the ftrongest filks, the fweeteft wines, the excellente ft almonds, the best cils, and beautifulleft females of all Spain, for the prime courtelans in Madrid and elfewhere are had hence. The very brute animals make themfelves beds of rofemary, and other fragrant flowers, hereabouts; and when one is at fea, if the wind blow from the fhore, he may fmell this foil before he come in fight of it, many leagues off, by the ftrong odoriferous fcent it cafts. As it is the moft pleafant, fo it is also the temperateft clime of all Spain; and they commonly call it the fecond Italy, which made the Moors, whereof many thousands where difterred and banished hence to Barbary, to think that paradife was in that part of the heavens which hung over this city. Some twelve miles off is old Sagunto, called now Morviedre, through which I paffed, and faw many monuments of Roman antiquities there; amongst others, there is the temple dedicated to Venus, when the fnake came about her neck, a little before Hannibal came thither. No more now, but that I heartily with you were here with me, and I believe you would not defire to be a good while in England. So I am yours. LETTER XIV. From the fame to Chriftopher Jones, Efgi at Gray's Inn. Alicant, 27th Mar, 1621. I AM now (thanks be to God) come to Alicant, the chief rendezvous I aimed at in Spain; for I am to fend hence a commodity called barillia to Sir Robert Manfel, for making of crystal glafs; and I have treated with Signior Andriotti, a Genoa merchant, for a good round parcel of it, to the value of 2000l. by letters of credit from Mafter Richant; and upon his credit I might have taken many thoufand pounds more, he is fo well known in the kingdom of Valentia. This barillia is a trange kind of vegetable, and it grows no where upon the furface of the earth in that perfection, as here. The Venetians have it hence, and it is a commodity whereby this maritime town doth partly fubfift; for it is an ingredient that goes to the making of the best Caftile foap. It grows thus: It is a round thick earthy fhrub that bears berries like barberries, betwixt blue and green; it lies clofe 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 inftrument 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 diffolve into an azure li quor, When you write to Wales, I pray fend LETTER XVII. every week of receiving and fending. So my Sir John North, Knight. advice that I am come fafe to Italy, From the fame to his much honoured Friend though not landed there yet. dear brother, I pray God bless us both, and all our friends, and referve me to fee you again with comfort, and you me, who am your loving brother. LETTER XVI. Noble Sir, Venice, 13th July 1621. THE firft office of gratitude is, to re ceive a good turn civilly, then to retain it in memory, and acknowledge it; thirdly, to endeavour a requital; for this laft office, it is in vain for me to attempt it; efpecially towards you, who have From James Howell, Efq; to Richard laden me with fuch a variety of courtefies Dear Sir, Altham, Esq. Venice, 1ft July 1621. I WAS plunged in a deep fit of melancholy, Saturn had caft his black influence over all my intellectuals, methought I felt my heart as a lump of dough, and heavy as lead within my breast; when a letter of yours of the third of this month was brought me, which prefently begot new fpirits within me, and made fuch ftrong impreffions upon my intellectuals, that it turned and transformed me into another man. I have read of a Duke of Milan and others who were poifoned by reading of a letter; but yours produced contrary effects in me, it became an antidote, or rather a moft fovereign cordial to me, more operative than bezoar, of more virtue than potable gold, or the elixir of amber, for it wrought a fudden cure upon me: that fluent and rare mix ture of love and wit which I found up and down therein, were the ingredients of this cordial; they were as fo many choice flowers frewed here and there, which did caft fuch an odoriferous fcent, that they revived all my fenfes, and difpelled thofe dull fumes which had formerly over-clouded my brain: fuch was the operation of your moft ingenious and affectionate letter, and fo fweet an entertainment it gave me. If your letter had that virtue, what would your perfon have done and did you know all you would with your perfon 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-Inn-Walks for St. Mark's Place for a time. Farewel, dear child of virtue, and minion of the mufes; and love fill yours, and weighty favours, that my poor ftock LETTER XVIII. From the fame to Robert Brown, Efq; q the Middle Temple, from Venice. Robin, Venice, 12th Aug. 1621. I HAVE now enough of the maiden city, and this week am to go further into Italy: for though I have been a good while in Venice, yet I cannot fay I have been hitherto upon the continent of Italy; for this city is nought clfe but a knot of islands in the Adriatic fea, joined in one body by bridges, and a good way diftant from the firm land. I have lighted upon very choice company, your coufia Brown, and Mafter Web; and we all take the road of Lombardy, but we made an order among ourselves, that our dif courfe course be always in the language of the country, under penalty of a forfeiture, which is to be indifpenfably paid. Randal Symns made us a curious feaft 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 fweeter; for it was naturally a kind of aromatic wine, which left a fragrant perfuming kind of farewel behind it. I have fent you a runlet of it in the fhip Lion, and if it come fafe and unpricked, I pray bestow fome bottles upon the lady (you know) with my humble fervice. When you write next to Mr. Symns, I pray acknowledge the good hofpitality and extraordinary civilities I received from him. Before I conclude, I will acquaint you with a common faying that is ufed of this dainty city of Venice: Venetia, Venetia, chi non te vede non te pregia, Ma chi t'ka troppo veduto te difpreggia. Englished and rhymed thus (though I know you need no tranflation, you understand fo much of the Italian) : Venice, Venice, none thee unfeen can prize; Who hath feen too much will thee defpife. I will conclude with that famous hexaftic which Sannazaro made of this great city, which pleaseth me much better: Viderat Hadriacis Venetam Neptunus in undis Sic pelago Tibrim præfers, urbem afpice utramque, When Neptune faw in Adrian furges ftand Rome, men thoul't say, Venice the Gods did mould. Sannazaro had given him by St. Mark a hundred zecchins for every one of thefe verfes, which amounts to about 300/. It would be long before the city of London would do the like; witnefs that cold reward, or rather thofe cold drops of water which were caft upon my countryman Sir Hugh Middleton, for bringing Ware river through her ftreets, the moft ferviceable and wholefomeft benefit that ever The received. The parcel of Italian books that you 13 I MUST ftill ftyle you fo, fince I was adopted your fon by fo good a mother as Oxford: my mind lately prompted me that I fhould commit a great folecism, if among the rest of my friends in England, I fhould leave you unfaluted, whom I love fo dearly well, fpecially having fuch a fair and pregnant opportunity as the hand of this worthy gentleman your coufin Morgan, who is now pofting hence for England. He will tell you how it fares with me; how any time thefe thirty odd months I have been toffed from shore to fhore, and passed under various meridians, and am now in this voluptuous and luxuriant city of Naples: and though thefe frequent removes and tumblings under climes of differing temper were not without fome danger, yet the delight which accompanied them was far greater; and it is impoffible 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 employed abroad by one of mature judgment (which you know I want very much) advantageth more in point of useful and folid knowledge than three in any of our univerfities. You know running waters are the pureft, fo they that traverfe the world up and down, have the cleareft understanding; being faithful eye-witneffes of thofe things which others receive but in truft, whereunto they must yield an intuitive confent, and a kind of implicit faith. When I paffed through fome parts of Lombardy, among other things I obferved the phyfiognomies and complexions of the people, men and women; and I thought I was in Wales, for divers of them have a caft of counte nance, and a nearer refemblance with our nation than any I ever faw yet and the reafon is obvious; for the Romans having been near upon three hundred years among among us, where they had four legions (before the English nation or language had any being), by fo long a coalition and tract of time, the two nations muft needs copulate and mix; infomuch that I believe there is yet remaining in Wales many of the Roman race, and divers in Italy of the British. Among other refemblances one was in their profody, and vein of verfifying or rhyming, which is like our bards, who hold agnominations, and enforcing of confonant words or fyllables one upon the other, to be the greatest elegance. As for example, in Welfh, Tewgris, tedyrris ty'r derryn, gavillt, &c. fo have I feen divers old rhymes in Italian running fo; Donne, O danno, che felo affronto affronta: in felva falvo a me: Più caro cuore, &c. Being lately in Rome, among other pafquils, I met with one that was against the Scots; though it had fome gall in it, yet it had a great deal of wit, efpecially towards the conclufion; fo that I think if King James faw it, he would but laugh long from Oxford, you have been pleafed lately to make choice of me to be fellow of your new foundation in Jefus' College, whereof I was once a member. As the quality of my fortunes, and course of life run now, I cannot make prefent use of this your great favour, or promotion rather; yet I do highly value it, and humbly accept of it, and intend by your permillion to referve and lay it by, a a good warm garment against rough weather, if any fall on me. With this my expreffion of thankfulness, I do congratulate the great honour you have purchafed both by your own beneficence, and by your painful endeavour befides, to perfect that national college, which hereafter is like to be a monument of your fame, as well as a feminary of learning, and will per petuate your memory to all pofterity. God Almighty profper and perfect your undertakings, and provide for you in heaven thofe rewards which fuch public works of piety ufe to be crowned withal; it is the apprecation of your truly devoted fervitor. LETTER XXI. From the fame to Dan. Caldwall, Efq; from the Lord Savage's house in Long Melford. My dear Dan, 20th May 1619. THOUGH, confidering my former con dition of life, I may now be called a countryman, yet you cannot call me a ruftic (as you would imply in your letter) as long as I live in fo civil and noble a family, as long as I lodge in fo virtuous and regular a houfe as any I believe in the land, both for economical government and the choice company; for I never faw yet fuch a dainty race of children in all my life together; I never faw yet fuch an orderly and punctual attendance of fervants, nor a great houfe fo neatly kept; here one fhall fee no dog, nor a cat, nor cage, to caufe any naftinels within the body of the house. noife and drudgery are at the fag-end; kitchen and gutters and other offices of there is a back gate for the beggars and The the meaner fort of fwains to come in at; the ftables butt upon the park, which, for a cheerful rifing ground, for groves and browfings for the deer, for rivulets of water, may compare with any for its highness |