Salve plus decies quam funt momenta dierum, Quot Species generum, quot res, quot nomina rerum, Quot pifces, quot aves, quot funt & in æquore naves, LETTER CXII. Quot volucrum penna, quot funt tormenta gebenna, From the fame to Mr. W. Price, at Oxan. Qust caeli Bella, quot funt miracula Thoma: Quot funt virtutes, tantas tibi mitto falutes. Thele were the wishes in time of yore of Jo. Skelton, but now they are of your, &c. LETTER CXI, From the fame to R. Davies, Efq; Sir, London, 5th July. DID your letters know how truly welcome they are to me, they would make more hafte, and not loiter fo long in the way; for I did not receive yours of the 2d of June, till the 1ft of July which is time enough to have travelled not only a hundred English, but fo many Helvetian miles, that are five times bigger; for in fome places they contain forty furlongs, whereas ours have but eight, unless it be in Wales, where they are allowed better measure, or in the north parts, where there is a wea-bit to every mile. But that yours fhould be a whole month in making fcarce 100 Englifh miles (for the distance between us is no more) is ftrange to me, unless you purposely fent it by John Long the carrier. I know, being fo near Lemfter's Ore, that you dwell in a gentle foil, which is good for cheese as well as for cloth; therefore if you fend me a good one, I fhall return my coufin your wife fomething from hence that may be equivalent; if you neglect me, I hall think that Wales is relapfed into her firft barbarifms; for Strabo makes it one of his arguments to prove the Britons barbarous, because they had not the art of making cheefe till the Romans came: but I believe you will preferve them from this imputation again. I know you can want no good grafs thereabouts, which, as they fay here, grows fo faft in fome of your fields, that if one fhould put his horse there over night, he should not find him again the next morning. So with my very refpectful commends to yourself, and to the partner of your couch and cares, I reft, my dear coufin, yours always to difpofe of. London, 3d February. brought to me, than to understand ear his comrades asked him what he meant by that; he answered in a fad tone, "Some thirty years fince, my fa "ther paffing from Spain to Barbary, was caft away in a storm, and I am afking this little fifth whether he could "tell any tidings of his body; he an"fwers me, that he is too young to tell "me any thing, but thofe old fish at your "end of the table may say something to "it" fo by that trick of drollery he got his fhare of them. The application is eafy, therefore I advise you not to neglect old authors; for though we be come as it were to the meridian of truth, yet there be many neoterical commentators and felf-conceited writers, that eclipse her in many things, and go from obfcurum to obfcurius. Give me leave to tell you, coufin, that your kindred and friends, with all the world befides, expect much from you in regard of the pregnancy of your fpirit, and thofe advantages you have of others, being now at the fource of all know ledge. ledge. I was told of acountryman, who coming to Oxford, and being at the towns-end, stood liftening to a flock of geefe, and a few dogs that were hard by; being asked the reafon, he answered, That he thought the geefe about Oxford did gaggle Greek, and the dogs "barked in Latin." If fome in the world think fo much of thofe irrational poor creatures that take in University air, what will your friends in the country expect from you, who have the inftruments of reafon in fuch a perfection, and fo well ftrung with a tenacious memory, a quick understanding, and rich invention? all which I have difcovered in you, and doubt not but you will empley them to the comfort of your friends, your own credit, and the particular contentment of your truly affectionate uncle. his which he should take, answered, "Crown lands by all means, for if you "take them, you run a hazard only to "be hanged; but if you take church"land, you are fure to be damned." Whereunto the other made him a shrewd reply; "Sir, I will tell you a tale: There 66 was an old ufurer not far from London, who had trained up a dog of his to bring his meat after him in a hand"basket, fo that in time the fhag-deg was fo well bred, that his master uied 66 66 to fend him by himself to Smithfield "fhambles with a basket in his mouth, "and a note in the bottom thereof to his "butcher, who accordingly would pat "in what joint of meat he writ for, and "the dog would carry it handfomely "home. It happened one day, that as "the dog was carrying a good shoulder "of mutton home to his matter, he was "fet upon by a company of other huge dogs, who fnatched away the basket, and fell to the mutton: the other dog meafaring his own fingle ftrength, and finding he was too weak to redeem his "mafter's mutton, faid within himfelt (as we read the like of Chryfippus's dog), Nay, fince there is no remedy, you fhall be hanged before you have ail; I will have alfo my fhare,' and fo "fell a-eating amongst them.-I need << and AN acre of performance is worth the whole land of promife; befides, as the Italian hath it, Deeds are men, "words women." You pleafed to promife me, when you fhook hands with England, to barter letters with me; but whereas I writ to you a good while fince by Mr. Simons, I have not received a fyllable from you ever fince. The times here frown more and more upon the cavaliers, yet their minds are buoyed up fill with trong hopes; fome of them being lately in company of fuch whom the times favour, and reporting fome comfortable news on the royalif's fide, one of the other anfwered, Thus you cavaliers ftill fool yourselves, and build always caftles in the air:" thereupon a fudden reply was made, "Where will you have us to build them not," faid he, "make the application to you, it is too obvious; therefore "I intend to have my fhare alío of the "church lands." with my kind and cordial refpects unto LETTER CXIV. From the fame to R. Bowyer, Efq. Sir, London, 9th November. LETTER I Sir, CXV. upon Tower Hill. RECEIVED yours of the tenth current, From the fame to Mr. T. C. at his houfe where I made a new discovery, finding therein one argument of your friendfhip, which you never urged before; for you give me a touch of my failings in point of literal correfpondence with you. To this give me leave to anfwer, "That "he who hath glafs windows of his own, "fhould take care how he throws itones "at thofe of his neighbours." We have both of us our failings that way, witnefs elfe 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 fheet for what is paft; I hope you will do the like, and fo we may abfolve one another without a ghoftly father. : The French and Spaniards are ftill at it like two cocks of the game, both of them pityfully bloodied; and it is thought they will never leave till they peck out one another's eyes. They are daily feeking new alliances to fortify themselves, and the quarrel is ftill fo hot, that they would make a league with Lucifer to deftroy one another. For home news, the fresheft is, that whereas in former times there were complaints that churchmen were Juftices of Peace, now the clean contrary way, Juftices of the Peace are become churchmen; for by a new act of that thing in Welminiter, called a parliament, the power of giving in marriage is paffed over to them, which is an ecclefiaflical rite every where elfe throughout the world. A cavalier coming lately to a Bookfeller's fhop, defired to buy this Matrimonial Act, with the rest of that holy parliament, but he would have them all bound in calf's leather, bought out of Mr. Barbone's fhop in Fleet-itreet. The foldiers have a great fpleen to the lawyers, infomuch, that they threaten to hang up their gowns among the Scots colours in Westminster Hall; but their chiefelt aim is at the regulation of the Chancery, for they would have the fame tribunal to have the power of justice and equity, as the fame apothecary's fhop can afford us purges and cordials. So TO inaugurate a good and jovial new- But this drink always carries a kind of ftate with it, for it must be attended with a brown toaft; 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 fo fpeak too much of the houfe it comes from, I mean the hive, as I gave a caution elfewhere and becaufe the bottle might make more hafte, I have made it go upon these poetic feet: 7. II. T. C. falutem, & annum Platonicum. The juice of bees, not Bacchus, here behold, This alludes to a faying which the Turks have, "That there lurks a devil "in every berry of the vine." So I with you as cordially as to myself, an aufpicious and joyful new-year, because. you know I am your truly affectionate fervitor. Scripture-knowledge, to the public good. It the honour of our who your own particular re wifh you good fuccefs child of your brain fre world. LETTER From James Howel, Efq nourable the Lady 1 wards Countess River. Excellent Lady, AMONG thofe mult a fhare in the lofs Lord, mine is not the l ingly could I have m feet, and performed a pi thofe large continents travelled, to have repri Madam, I fhall mourn have a heart beating in though time may miti grief, yet his memory like his worth and vir But it is not fo much to he hath left us (it bei his advantage), as that hind fo few like him. I confefs, Madam, t tieft cross that poffibly ercife your patience; Ladyship to be both in the highest degree: ferve you from excef may prove irreligious the other keep you fr to yourself, and to t iffue of his, which ma living copies of the ori God Almighty co fhip; fo prayeth, M humble and forrowful 66 Iwa toit of acountryman, who his which he fhould take, anfwered, g to Oxford, and being at the " Crown lands by all means, for if you w-end, front lifting to a flock of" take them, you run a hazard only te you take church get, and a few dogs that were hard" be hanged; but if land, you are fure to be damned." Whereunto the other made him a fhred reply; "Sir, I will tell you a tale: The "was an old lurer not far from Lo don, who had trained up a dog of h bemg alked the reafon, be aniwered, That he thought the geeie about Oxfor die gapple Greek, and the dogs baret Latin." If fome in the we mms in much of thofe irrational take in Univerfity 66 " to bring his meat after him in a hand bafket, fo that in time the fhag-d ar we wil your friends in the country" from von, who neve the intru-" was fo well bred, that his mater to fend him by himfelf to Smith moffach a perfection, and "fhambles with a basket in his m wel with a tenacious memory, act marfar, and rich inven- " and a note in the bottom thereof to butcher, who accordingly would tal which Farve discovered in you, aar bevr vill employ them" in what joint of meat he writ fr the co offends, your own" the dog would carry it hand en are the racer contentment of "home. It happened one day, "the dog was carrying a good fo " of mutton home to his maker, of other dogs, who fnatched away the " and fell to the mutton: the oth meaturing his own fingle freng finding he was too weak to rede "mafter's mutton, faid within (as we read the like of Chr deg), Nay, fince there is no you thall be hanged before y all; I will have alfo my fhare "fell 2-eating among them. not," faid he, "make the a to you, it is too obvious; I intend to have my fhare ali "church lands." 46 " me: bat" good while face 66 In that large lift of friends more left behint voa here, I am VIEW 20 1. therms are very temible that you have thus Time yourled it is the high will reach that shock be thes. T . and humb what comes from The Fagan her tells us 4. There is to fence 1 • which comes from ever, - crees are renib.c." Your friends in Feet-fred well, both leg-cours and bort is your a erve you. G London, 9th November. with my kind and cordial refpects unto you, I reft your entire and truly affectionate fervant. Sir, LETTER CXV. upon Tower Hill. VED yours of the tenth current, From the fame to Mr. T. C. at his houfe I made a new difcovery, find1 one argument of your friend.. h you never urged before; for. me a touch of my failings in teral correfpondence with you. re me leave to anfwer, "That hath glafs windows of his own, ake care how he throws tones of his neighbours." We have our failings that way, witnefs of the last of May, to mine of March before; but it is late to mend therefore I do penance in this white at is paft; I hope you will and fo we may abfolve one out a ghoftly father. th and Spaniards are ftill at it news, the fresheft is, that coming lately to a Book- TO inaugurate a But this drink always carries a kind of ftate with it, for it must be attended with a brown toaft; 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 fo fpeak too much of the houfe it comes from, I mean the hive, as I gave a caution elsewhere: and becaufe the bottle might make more hafte, I have made it go upon these poetic feet: 7. II. T. C. falutem, & annum Platonicum. The juice of bees, not Bacchus, here behold, |