YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

VOYAGE

T 0

ENGLAND,
Containing many Thing* relating to the
State of Learning,
RELIGION,
And other Curiofities of that
KINGD O M.

By Mont. 6' 0 H B 1 E R E.

•AS ALSO
Obfervations on the fame Voyage, by Dr. Thomas
Sprat, Fellow of the Royal Society, and now
Lord Bifhop o£ Roche (let.
WITH
A Letter of Mo'ifieur Sorbiere's, concerning the War
between England and Holland in 1652 : Toall which
is vprerix'd his Life, writ by M. Graverol,

Done into EnHiJb from ih.; trench Original.
LONDON:
Printed, and Sold by J. WoSdrvard, in St. Cbrijiopher's-
Alley mlhreadneedk-Stmt, 1709,

|T 1 HW 1

T O T H E

KING.

SIR,
TH E Prelent with which
Your Majefty has been
pleafed to Honour me
Six Months ago, found me ready
to fet out on Two Journeys I
made out of Your Dominions. I
did not think, upon the Receipt
of it,, that I ought to have al
tered my Defign, to go and pro-
ftrate my felf before Your Ma
jefty, to make my Humble Ac
knowledgements for it. I was of
Opinion I Ihould do much bet
ter in making all imaginable
Hafte to Foreign Countries, in
A order

The Epftle Dedicatory.
order to publiih it as far as was
poffible for me : And that I
might avoid the deteftable Sin of
Ingratitude, I have not perhaps
pitched upon the worft, moft un
gainly and difagreeableWay for
it. For, Sir, my moft Humble
Refpe£fe, and a Book I was rea
dy to Publiih, could neither of
them have made lb much Noife,
nor reach'd fo far as my Travels.
England and the Netherlands have
been Witneftes of Your Royal
Munificence to me} and the Fi
gure which I made everywhere
was a very Subftantial Proof of
what I faid concerning it : I
have made it appear not only
to the Learned Men of theUni-
verfities, but alfo to People of
Quality, and I have fpoke of it
near enough unto the Throne,
to be underftood there. It would
have been very difficult for me,
Sir, if I had attempted it, to have
confined my felf to the Celebra ting

The Efiflle Dedicatory.
ting of this Yertue alone in
Your Majefty, tho' it affords ve
ry ample Matter to go upon ;
and fo it was, that while 1 was
anfwering fuch Queftions as were
put unto me, I endeavoured to
touch upon all of them in as
few Words as I could. States
men would have me recount to
them Your Majefty 's Applicati
on to Bufinefs, Your Penetration
and Strength of Judgment; Sol
diers were ravifhed to hear the
great Things reported of Your
Courage confirmed by me ; the
Roman Catholicks were charmed
with the Relation of Your Piety;
the Grandees with the Magnify
cence of Your Court ; the People
with the Sweetnefs of Your
Temper ; and the Fair Sex with
the Goodlinefs of Your Perfon.
Sir, I have everywhere found
a mighty Veneration for all thele
Advantages which God has been
pleafed to beftow upon Your
A i Royal

The Epiftle Dedicatory.
Royal Perfon ; and methinks I
fee the whole World ready to
fubmit to Your Empire. I have
had fome Grand Thoughts enter
into my Head upon this Occafi-
on ; but finding they could not
be well comprehended within
the Compafs of my Underftand-
ing, I fixed my Eyes upon the
Vertue Your Majefty was pleafed
to exercife in refpecl to me ; and
it has been my Principal Care to
make Men of Learning admire
it. There are none of them but
fuch as flatter themfelves with
fomQ Hopes from it, and the lit
tle Merit found in me raifed no
Indignation in them: All of
them made' their Reflections up-
on the Choice Your Majefty
made of me from among thole
of the laft Form, and found it to
be juft, that the Love I have for
the Sciences, and the Zeal where*
with I have endeavoured all my
$4fe-#me to f^vance theRepuT tation|

The Epiftle Dedicatory.
tation, and fuftain the Interefts
of them, fhould receive fome Com-
penfation. Indeed, Sir, I have al
ways pufh'd on, and encouraged
the great Mafters of Knowledge
to Labour, and have had fome
£hare in the Intrigues of the Mu-
fes : I have even been ib happy
as to be heard by them, and to gain
fome Reputation amongft them.
The conftant Correfpondence I
have held with the chief Heads of
Parnajfus has enboldened me to be
lieve, that Your Majefty has not
(hewn me Favour without know
ing of me, and that you have cal
led to mind the Kindnefs his late
Eminency had for me. Your Maje
fty hath rightly judged that hrthis
Warfare of Letters ; fome Trum
peters are alio neceflary as well as
Officers and Soldiers : And I may
without any Vanity enumerate
my felf among thofe,who are ufe-
ful no otfyerwife than to fpur on
thofe that are moft capable to pro-
( mot?

The Efiftle Dedicatory.
mote Learning, or to applaud
their Noble Productions. I have
perhaps acquired fome Judgment
in Things; and 'tis not likely
that I ihould ftudy fo much,
and learn nothing, and confi-
der the State of the World fo long*
without making fome Obfervati
ons : However, Sir, I Can pretend
to beanfwerable for nothing but
my Good-will. If your Majefty
finds it any Ways ufeful to Your
Service, I moft humbly intreat
You would do me the Honour
to Imploy me, and You will have
a Proof upon all Occafions of the
Ardour and Fidelity, wherewith
Your Favours, my Birth, and par
ticular Inclination,oblige me to be
SIR,
Tour Majefty s moft Humble^
Mofttibedient and Faithful
Subjeft and Servant ,

Paris, Dec.

SORBIERP. TO

T O T H E

READER.

WHEN I wrote the Account of my Journey
to England, I did not defign to publijh it
to the World, and therefore I have only flightly
touched upon fever al things, which would have re-,
quired a ftritler Examination to be fet in a true
Light ; and I have dwelt upon fome others, which
perhaps~you were no Ways follicitous to know. I
have made up my Journal of nothing but what may
compleat a 'Letter, fit to divert a Perfon of Quality
who Loves me extreamly^ and for whom I have a
very great Efteem : lie is acquainted with my
Stile, and will readily pardon the UncorreBnefs
of it. for as he knows me thoroughly ', he
knows very well at the fame time that my good
Intentions are never wanting. But as my other
Friends vsere defirous Ifhould let them have the
Benefit 'of my Journal by publifhing of it -, I in
treat the Readers to entertain the fame Thoughts.
of me as they have had, and at leaft to excufe the
Errata s of the Prefs, of which I fhallhere give-
no Particulars. If this Undertaking proves any
ways agreeable to you, it may be an lncourage- ment

To the Reader.
went fyr , me to communicate fome other Things
that may be more ufeful to the World: I'll leave
you to judge by the Obfervations I have made
in the fpdee of Three Months only, of the Re-
fieUions I may have been Capable of in Thirty
Tears, and of what new Things I am able to im
part from the Learned Men of my time, moft of
whom I have feen, or have received very great
Information concerning them : For other SubjeUs
do not come within my Boundaries, and I treat of
them only curforily when I happen to fay any
¦Thing of them.

A

¦T H E \
PREFACE.
MOnfieur SorbiereV Voyage into England
having of late Tears been mentioned on di- ¦
vers Occasions, it was thought proper to oblige the
Pubtick wish a (genuine Verfion of that Piece, and
to include the viry Preface and Dedication, by rea-
Jon of the Animadverjions made even upon that
Part, as will as the reft of the Work: And feeing
the Obfervations mode on this Voyage of SorbiereV,
by that Excellent Perjon^ Dr. Thomas Sprat, novo
Lord Bifhop 0/Rochefter, have been for fome time
out of Print, it cannot be judged amifs theyfhould
bePubliJhed, thus together, that jo the Reader
may be enabled to make a better Judgment of them.
The Learned Animadverter has not smfined him-
felf to a regular Examination ofyhis Voyage, Page
after Page, but joined fuch Parts and Pieces of it
together as they beft juited and occurred to him -,
and therefore the Pages in the Margin have with
Care and Pains been altered, and made anjwera-
ble to the Engliih Verfion, wherein the Tranflator
has been very intent upon doing all imaginable Ju-
fiice to the Author^ which is the true Reajon why
in a Place or Two the Learned Animadverter and
his Interpretation^ not exaflly quadrate. Sorbiere'j
Letter to Monf. de Caurcelles, about the War
which broke out between England and Holland in
1652, being Printed in a Book of his, Entituled, Letters

The Preface.
Letters and Difcourfes concerning divers Curious
Matters, there is fomething Jo very fwgular in it
concerning the immenje ProjeS of the Englifh Re-
publick at that time to XJjurp the ' Dominion of
the Ocean, and Trade of the World, that 'twas
thought worth-while to Infer t it here.
The Memoirs of his Life, which we have pre
fixed to the reft of thefe Pieces, were writ by
Mo'nfi Graverol, a Learned Advocate at Nimes,
and Addreft by Way of Letter to Lewis de Re-
. chignevoifin de Guron, Bifhop of Comenge : his
Method is engaging enough ;• and as he proceeds,
he does more particularly give us an Hijiorical De
duction of SorbiereV Works, and thejeveral Ocea-
fionsofPublifhing them), neither does the Bonds of
Friend/hip that had been between them hinder him
to uje the Freedom and Sincerity of a Faithful Bio
grapher: Thefe Memoirs were Printed ia French,
in a Book called Sorberiana, the Remains of our
Author, Publifhed by M. Colotnyez, and Dedica
ted to the Famous M. Peliffbn, Privy Councellor
and Mafter of Requefts to the French King.
We are not to forget, before we conclude, to
Advertife the Reader, that there have been Two
or Three Bantering Treat if es, Publifhed fome Tears
ago in Englifh, which bore the Title of SorbiereY
Voyage, but are not really fo, this being the firft
Translation of that Piece that ever yet was Extant
in. our Language.

ME-

MEMOIRS FOR THE
LIFE 6 F
M. Samuel Sorbtere,
B Y
Way of L E T T E R from Mr. Graverol,
Advocate at Nimes, .to M. Lewis de
' Kechignevoifin de Guron, Bifliop of Co-
tnenge. My Lord,
SINCE you are Defirous to know fome
Particulars concerning the Life and
Writings of the late Monf. Sorbiere,
I am to acquaint you he was Born in
- 4 " the

it Memoirs for the Life of
the beginning of the laft Century, of Prote-
ftant Parents, and an Honeft" Family, in the
Town of St. Ambroix, in the Diocefs of
Vx.es. I was informed feveral Years ago^ by
the only Son he left behind him, who is Mar
ried at Gravieres, a Sorry Place; in the fame
Diocefs, that he was Born on the 17th of
September, 1615, and yet, according to the
Infcription about his Picture, which was
Engraven after his Death, and Copied after
that of the Celebrated Audran, done 2XRomei
in 1667, he muft have been Born Five Years
beforef His Father, Stephen- Sorbiere, was a
Burgher, and Lovi/a Petit, his Mother, was
the Sifter of Samuel Petit, a Famous Minifter
in Nifmes, whofe Name is very well known
in the Commonwealth of Learning, upon the
Account of the feveral Things he has Pub-
lifhed, as well as by his Obfervations upon
'Jofephus, which Manufcript is at this Time
in the Oxford Library, the fame having been
Sold by my Means to the late Earl of Claren
don, Lord Chanc^llorof England, and Grand
father, by the Mother Side, to the Princefs
of Orange, during the Time of his Sojourning
in the City of Montpelier, whither he had re
tired for Reafons, to which you are no
no Stranger.
His Father and Mother Dying while Sor
biere was very Young, Monf. Petit,, who was
his Godfather as well as his Uncle, took him

Mr. Samuel Sorbiere. in
him Home, and was as careful of his Edu
cation as if he had been his own Child : When
under his Eye he had gone through the firft
General Rudiments of Learning, he6 went
in i6^qto Paris, where having entertained
an A verfion for the Study ..of Divinity, he
applied himfelf to that of Phyfick, and made
fuch a confiderable Progrefs in that Science,
that in a fhort time he drew up a Concife
Syftem of it for his own Ufe ; which was
Printed on aiarge Sheet of Paper, by the Ti
tle of, A Syfiem of Galenick Phyfick, to help the
Memory, He Travelled into Holland in 1642, where
he Printed a Letter under the borrowed
Name oUGuthhertusHiglandus, and Infcribed
it to Andrew Rivet, againft the Crurifragium
Prodromi Rivetiani, which had beenPub-
lifhed by Monf. de la Mlletiere. The Let
ter is to be feen at the End of the Apology
of Rivet againft Grotius. Sorbiere, during
his Stay in Holland, helpM to Tranflate Camb-
den's Britannia, w*hich was to be put into one
of the Tomes of the great At Us, and which
one Salabert, a Prieft, who had begun it,
was not able to go through with, becaufe of
his being obliged to return into France. It Was
not long after that he alfo Tranflated
Sir Thomas Moors Utopia into French, at the
Requeft of the Rhinegrave, who was then
Governour of 6'/«w,and could not otherwiie read

iv Memoirs for the Life of
read it in that Language, fave in an Old
Tranflation, of above an Hundred Years
Handing, by Bartholomew Aneau, Author of
AteEtor, who made fo much Noife in the
World® in his Time, arid by the Lord of
Branville, in a Gaulifh Stile, which the
Rhinegrave could hardly underftand.
Sorbiere in 1645 came *nt0 ?ra!ice> but re
turning the Year following into Holland, he
entred into the Bands of Matrimony at the
Hague with Judith Renaud, the Daughter of
Daniel Renaud, a Native of St. Ambroix, as
well as himfelf : And having now formed a.
Defign of fettling fomewhere to Practice.
Phyfick, he went to Leyden, where by Way
of Letter he Printed his Sceptical Difcourfe
about the PalTage of the Chyle, and the Moti
on of the Heart. The Firft Thing he after
wards put out, was, A Tranflation of
Hobbs'j Politicks, with an Apologetic al Dif
courfe concerning his Verfion ; for this Book
was looked upon as fomewhat dangerous,
upon the Account of fome Maxims here and
there to be met with in it j tho' it had been
Printed in Latin Three Years before, at the
Requeft oUGaffendus, and Father Merfennusj
who were well known to be Men of Probi-;
ty, arid irreproachable Lives. Sorbiere being
defirous before he left Holland to oblige his
Father-in-law, who had fome Intereft in
the Baft-India Company, , put out a Pam
phlet,

Mr. Samuel Sorbiere,
le*, without any Name to it, Intituled, A
Merchant's Letter from Brafil, to another of
his Friends at Amfterdam. Wherein lie takes
upon him to lay before the States the Ne^
ceffity there was of keeping up that Compa
ny, whofe Stock at that time amounted to
37 Millions of Livres: This particular Infor
mation I had from his own Son, who
in Part Communicated thefe Memoirs to
riie. I
The Inclination he had to Rove from one
Province to another brought him back again
into France. He was in 1650 preferr'd to be
Principal of ^he College of Orange, and here
it was, inorder to comply with the Defire
of the Count de Dona, who was then Go
vernour of that City, that he Printed a Dif
courfe concerning the true Caufe of the late
Troubles in England, and, A Letter from a.
French Gentleman, to one of his Friends at
Amfterdam, concerning Cromwell'* De-
figns. About the end of the Year 1653 he went
to Vaifon, in which Place, according to the
Phrafe of Patin, in one of his Letters,
he changed his Frock) and turn 'd Papift, by
the Inftigation of Jofeph Maria Suares> Bi
fliop of that See, and at his Confirmation
took alfo the Name of Jofeph from him ;
and going to Paris about the beginning of
1654, he Publifted in that City, purfuant
a to

vi Memoirs for the Life of
to the. Cuftomof.thofe Times, A Difcourfe
concerning his Converfion, . which he Dedica
ted to Cardinal Mazarine : The Clergy here
upon having granted him a Penfion of Four
Hundred Livres, he forthwith took the
Habit upon him, with the Expectation
of a good Benefice from the Cardinal ; who
obliged him, whilft he waited for it,
with a Penfion of Three Hundred Li
vres. He went from Paris to Rome, where he
came quickly to be known to Pope Alexan
der VII, by a Letter he wrote to him in
Latin, by Way of Inveftive againft the
Proteftants, who hated him for his Perver-
fion : After his Return from Rome to Paris
he caufed another Letter in Latin to be
Printed againft Monf. Riotan, about the
ven<e Lbles, that had been difcovered by
Gafpar Afellius, of Cremona, and a Famous
Anatomlft at Pavia^ as if there were a
Fourth Sort of Mefaraick Veflels. This
Letter you have in a Book, Entituled, The
Anatomical Obfervations of Monf. Pecquet,
to whom it was Writ: This I do affirm,
upon the Reputation of thofe who have
allured me, that Sorbiere was the very Seba-
ftianus Aletophilus, under which Name this
Letter was Publifhed, as well as that in 1657,
which was Two or Three Years after ad-
dreft

Mr. Samuel Sorbiere, vii
dreft ad Lignerium de vitanda in fcrihendo
acerbitate. .-V
It looks as if the Preface to the Life of
Gaffendas, which is to be met with before
the Works •> of that Eminent Philofopher,
and Printed at Lyons in Six Volumes in
Folio, were alfo of Sorbtere's Writing : He
was the Author in like Manner of another
to the Syntagma Philojophia Epicuri, being
the Second Edition that came out in 1659^
wherein he Publifhed Letters and Difcourfes
upon feveral Curious. Suvjeffs : A Work that
ought not to be Confounded with that he
put out a little while after, under the Title
of Relations, Letters and Difcourfes, upon
feveral Curious Subjects, wherein are contain
ed his Journey into Holland, and a Difcourfe
of Friendfhip, which have been Printed in
feveral Places : In the firft of thefe Works
there are fome Speeches made by him in
the Colledge of Phyficians, (of which he
was a Member, ) who were wont to meet
at Monf. de Montmor, Dean of the Mafters
of Requefts. Thefe Difcourfes were Curious
enough, and made - upon the Nature of
Motion, Rarefaction, the little Knowledge
we have in the Works of Nature, in purfu-
ing the Study whereof we fhould not
however be difcouraged, upon the Trfflth of
our Natural Knowledge, and the Rife of
different Opinions about the fame Subject :
a % It's

viii Memoirs for the Life of
It's no very hard Thing for me to believe
thatthofe Phyfical Commentaries, fpoken of
by Abbot Menage, in his Notes upon
Diogenes Laercius, and which in the Opinion
of that Illuftrious Perfon ought forth
with to be Publifhed, are the Works of the
fame College of Phyficians before fpoken
of. I ought not, my Lord, to act the Diflem-
bler, but be free to own that the Letters
before-mentioned have been of fome Pre
judice to the Author, tho' writ fprightly
enough, becaufe they fo very openly dif-
cover the Covetous Inclinations he had to be
Rich. For a Man may fay, he was con
tinually ftretching out his Hand to receive,
and fuch Avarice fhould be beneath the
Spirit of a Philofopher, who ought to be
jealous of his Reputation, always to enter
tain Difinterefted Sentiments, and to ufe all
his Endeavours to Contribute to his own
Fame and Glory.
To draw to a Clofure of my Difcourfe,
Sorbiere Printed a Letter in 1664'aboDt the
Scruples made by feveral of the French Cler
gy, to Sign the Form drawn up about the
Five Propofitions of Janfenius; and next
Year he thought fit to Publifh his Thoughts
about a Comet, that had for fome time put
all France into a terrible Confirmation 5 his
Defign being to prove that the Frights which had

Mr. Samuel Sorbiere.
had feized on Mens Minds, by reafon of the
Appearance of this Phenomenon; were meer-
ly Panick and Groundlefs -, and that the
Confequcnce which might attend this Phe
nomenon, e (teemed by fome as a Frown
from Heaven, was doubtful and uncertain :
And indeed Sorbiere in the main kept clofe
to the Sentiments of Gaffendus upon this
Subjeft. Sorbiere going over afterwards with fome
of his Friends into England, he Printed an
Account of his Journey, which was the Caufe
of his being Banifh'd by an Order under the
King's Signet to the City - of Nantes, from
whence he was Recalled by another Order or
Letter not long after. There were various
Caufes of his Exile talked of, but moft Peo
ple attributed the fame to fome Complaints
to the King againft him from the North, by
reafon of the great Freedom he took in fpeakr
ing of the Count of Vlefeld, who had Mar
ried the Natural Daughter of the late King
of Denmark. Sorbiere after the Death of
Pope Alexander VII. put out a large Col
lection of Poems in feveral Languages, in
Praife of Cardinal Rofpigliofi, who was, as
we term it, a Papable Subject: The Event
juftified Sorbiereh Conduct ; he had corre-
fponded with that Cardinal fince his firft
Journey to Rome, whither he went again
in 1667 to be prefentatthe Exaltation of
a 3 this

X Memoirs for the Life of
this New Pope, whofe Nomination to the Pa
pacy gave him an Occafion,as foon as he was
advertifed of it, to write a Letter to Monfieur
de Montmor, wherein he defcribes the Perfon
of, and makes a Panegyrick upon, this Pope,
under the Title of Clement is LX Icon : And
it was during his Stay at Rome that he pub
lifhed a Difcqurfe about tbe Transfufion of
another Animal's Blood into a Human
Body. Having found that his Journey into Italy
had not the Succefs he expected, and his
Hopes being fruftrated thereby, he return
ed to Paris, and prefently Printed a Col
lection, or rather Fragments, of the Letters of
iUufirium & eruditorum virorum, wherein he
had Affectation and Vanity enough to crowd
in all the Letters he had the Honour' to re
ceive from Pope Clement IX. when he was,
no: more than Cardinal Rofpigliofi: He alfo
mfinuated by Way of a fhort Advertifement
at the End of the Book, that they were
publifhed by his Son at the Requeft of fe
veral Curious Gentlemen who had follici-
red him to in It's certain, my Lord, his
defign in Printing this Imperfect Collection,
which has neither Beginning nor Ending,was
no other than to juftifie his Journey to Rome,
and to let the World know that he had not
undertaken it upon Chimerical Pretences, but

Mr. Samuel Sorbiere. xt
but Well-grounded Hopes. In the mean
time I have been allured from good Hands,
that he had no more than an Hundred Pi-
ftoles given him to defray his Journey, of
which the Bearer extorted Twenty from
him. Its true indeed, they gave him fome
Benefices in the Province of Bretagne, but as
they proved to be contefted and litigious Ti
tles,; I do not think he ever made any great
Matter of them.
Be it as it will, if Sorbiere had not been
a Man too much addicted to his Pleafures,
his Son and Succeflbr would have had a larger
Share of the Goods of Fortune : For befides
that, the prefent King in 1660 was pleafed to
honour him with the Place of Hiftoriographer
Royal, he gave him fome Months afcer a
Penfion of a Thoufand Livres upon the Ab
bey of Horublieres, a. Benedictine Order, in
the Diocefs of Ndi'on •-, and in and about
Two Years after this, anothep Penfion of
the like Sum, as one of the Affembly of the
"Scavans : Befides thefe, Alexander VII. in
1656 not only ordered him Two Penfion?;,
by Two different Bulls of Re/ervat£ Penfi-
onis, in the County o&Venaiffw, one of which
amounting to 1 50 Livres was upon the Cure
of Vtlles in the Diocefs of Carpentras,
and the other of i }6 upon the Prebendfhip
of Sf. Symphorian of Avignon }but he likev^ife
a 4 gave

xii Memoirs for the Life of
gave him in 1664 the Priory of St. Nicholas t
de la Guierche, of the Benedictine Order al
fo, in the Diocefs of Rennes, that brought
him in 500 Livres a Year : Moreover, Car-!
dinal Mazarine in the Year 1658 procured
him the Chapel of Notre Dame la Gifanfe
of the Bifhop of Coutance, which brought
him very near as much in as the Priory ;
and in 1660 he gave him a Penfion of 8oo»
Livres upon the Clergy. It may farther be
faid, that if Sorbiere had been a little more
addicted to the Practice of a Pious Life, and
had not, inftead of living like a true Eccle*
fiaftick, acted the Part of a Philofopher,
who loved his Pleafures too much, and who^
in a manner pro Nihilo habet Terr am defidera-*
bilem, he had certainly had feveral other much
more Confiderable Benefices conferr'd upon
him ; for he was an Honeft Man at bottom,
had the Art of pleafing every Body, and wan
ted rieither Learning nor Merit, no more than
he did a Patron.
Sorbiere departed this Life on the 9th of
April, in the Year 1670, after he had been
Sick about Three Months of a Drop-
fie : And if that be true, which one of his
nearert Relations was pleafed to tell me, to
wit, that finding within himfelf he could
pot live long, he took Four Grains of Lau
danum to ftupifie his Brains that he might die

Mr. Samuel Sorbiere. xiii
die Senflefs, without any Agony, we can
not but very frankly own that he made
his Exit too much like fome of the Old Phi-
lofophers, and that it will remain a Stain
upon his Memory.
He left feveral Manuscripts to his only
Son Henry Sorbiere, fome of which of no
great Value he has caufed to be Printed,
and among the reft, Advice to a Toung Pby-
fician, how he ought to demean himfelf in the
Practice of Phyfick, feeing the Faculty is fo
ptuch defpifed, ' and the many Complaints that
are made againft Phyficians ; and Four fmall
Difcourfes, the Firft about Excefs of Com
pliments and Civility 5 the Second about
Criticifm; the Third about the Common
faying, That Men do not, Change, and the
La ft upon Solitude.
His Sorbtriana, an Undertaking in Imitation
of fome fmall Pieces which fome Years be
fore appeared in the World under the Names
o?Scaliger,Cardma\ Perron, and Thuanus, and
is a very diverting Medley of Jefts, Hiftori-
eal Facts and Remarks on feveral Subjects,
has not yet been publifhed, notwithftand-
ing all the Care I have taken at his Son's
Requeft, to get it done *: Neither do I* it has ^
know whether we fhall ever have the fa- f™Jtf
tisfadtion to fee in Print a large Collection
of Latin and French Letters, writ by his
Father

xiv Memoirs for the Life of
Father to feveral Learned Perfons, with
their Anfwers, which wou'd make Two
large Volumes in Folio : Befides thefe, he
has alfo fome Phyfical, Chronological, Theo
logical, Rhetorical, and Grammatical Tracts.
of his Father. An Account of, or certain
Memoirs, concerning the Company which
l?egan to meet at Monfifur, de Montmor\
on the 1 8th of Dec. 16^7,-in order to fearch
into Natural Caufes ; as alfo a Tranflation
of Syntagma Philofbphu Epicuri, inferted by
Gaffendus at the End of his Animadverfions
upon Diogenes Laercius, which fhould have
been Printed in 1652, had not Sorbi
te, to whom Auguftin Courbe fent fome
of the Sheets to Orange, wrote to Monf. Con-
rart to flop the ImprefBon, in Complai-
fance to Gaffendus, who for very particular
Reafons was not willing to have this Tran
flation publifhed.
He had fome Years before he died begun
to Tranflate Crellius's Treatife, De Caufis
Mortis Chrifti, for which he hada very high
Efteem. * He had alfo begun to write the

* The great Value Sorbiere had far this Book, cmfirms his-
Jiulin 'tim to Socinianifm.

Hiftory

Mr. Samuel Sorbiere. xv
Hiftory of the Scavans, but did not go on
with it 5 and I could never learn what be
came of his Little Treatife, Depace & Con
cordia inter Chriflianas concilianda, no more
than his Tranflation of a Book Printed in
1 6 $6, Entituled, Julii Bruti Poloni vidki<e
pro Religionis Libertate, which • was not the
Work of Hubert Langaet, as fome have
imagin'd, tho' he had formerly difguis'd
himfelf under that Name in his Vindicia con
tra Tyrannos, and which we ought to efteem ¦
as a Sequel to a Tract, called, De Liber*
tate Ecclenaftica, Printed in 1607, an^ was
writ undoubtedly by Cafaubon, who fpeaks
very openly concerning it in his 539th Letter
of the Hague Edition, tho' he had in Two or
Three preceding Lettei s ufed Covert Terms
enough about it.
Moreover, the World is beholden to/
Sorbiere, not only for the Memoirs an<Jl
Voyage of the Duke of Rohan, Printed,
by the Elzevirs in 1646, which he brought-
in Manufcript with him from Languedocfr
but alfo for fome of the Works of his
Friends : For 'twas he that got Difquifith\
Metaphyfica Gaffendi adverfus Cartefium to
be Printed in Holland, as well as a little
Treatife writ by his Unkle Petit, Entituled,
De Jure Principum ediclis Ecclefia quaftto,
nee Armis adverfus temer antes, nut antiquan- tes

vxi Memoirs for the Life «f
tes vindkato, to which he prefixt a large E-
piftle Dedicatory to the Famous Salmatius,
wherein he makes his Unkle to have quite
different Sentiments to thofe he would have
us believe he entertain'd in procefs of Time
Jfrom the Converfation he had with Cardi
nal Bagni, and the Uluftrious Monfieur de
Peirefc, firice he makes him fpeak fuchThings
as he never thought of. Finally, Monfieur
le Laboureur having writ a Diflertation con
cerning the Excellency of the French Tongue,
beyond the Latin, this, together with the
Two Letters of the Learned Monfieur
Sluze in Defence of the Latin Tongue, was
publifhed by Sorbiere, as alfo the Anfwers
of Monfieur Laboureur Addreft to him, as if
Sorbiere was Umpire of the Difference that
hapned between them. Thefe Small Pieces
Were not the only ones that were Addreft to
him by the Learned Men of his Acquain
tance : Papin Dedicated a Treatife to him,
which he wrote againft Harvey, concerning
the Diaftole of the Heart': Hobbs, that Dan
gerous Englifhman, in refpedt to his Politicks,
before-mentioned by me, Dedicated to him
his Dialogue about the Nature of Air, and
doubling the Cube % and the indefatigable
Baluze Addreft alfo a Letter in Latin to
him about the Life of Monfieur de Marca.
Several other things inferibed to him I am
willing to pafs over in filence, that I may not

Mr. Samuel Sorbiere. xvii
not exceed the Bounds I have prefcrib'd to
my felf in writing thefe Memoirs.
In fhort, Monfieur Sorbiere was acquainted
with the Great and Learned Men in France^
Italy, England, and Germany. Clement IX,
before his Elevation to the Papacy, corre-
fponded much with him ; but treated him
always as a Friend, without having any
Regard to the bettering of his Fortune, of
which Sorbiere very wittily complained
when he faid, That he had more need of a
Waggon Load of Bread than a Difh of/ Sweat-
meats : They fend a Man Loaves, added he,
who has no Shirt t» -wear } they fend me Bread.
to eat with the Butter they give me not. His
Learning otherwife was not very great ; and
we may fay that perhaps he was as much
efteemed for being the Nephew of Samuel
Petit, as he was for his Learning : An t utile
Samuelis Petiti Nepos, faid Alexander VII.
to him, the very firft time he had the Honour
to wait upon that Pope : Courcelles, an
. Anabaptift Minifter, and his Relation, had
fome what corrupted his Mind, and the Con-
. verfe he had with Maneffes Ben Ifrael, who
was the moft Learned Rabbin of his Time,
did not a little contribute thereunto: He
was very familiar for Two Years together
with Salmaftus, whofe Neighbour he was
* Thefe Exprefliont are very Emfhatkat in French, and cannot
bear a juft Verfim in Englifh. at

Xviii Memoirs for the Life tf
;at Leyden : He vifited him twice a Week,
and there it was that he improved himfeif
very much by the Conversation he had
with that Great Man, whofe Memory -by
Way of Acknowledgment he was willing
.to Celebrate in an Oration he made at the
rOpening of the College of Orange, which
was fince Printed : There was fcarce any
iBody fo well verfed in the Philofophy of
¦Gaffendus as Sorbiere, of whofe Sentiments he
was tenacious from the time of his firft Ac
quaintance with him ; and I have heard my
•Worthy good Friend, the late Monfieur Ber-
nier, frequently fay, that he knew no Body
rbut Sorbiere that was a better Gaffendift than
fhimfelf. He admired noneof the Phyficians
amongft the Ancients but Galen, whofe Me
thod he very much approved of, tho' he
found many Faults with him : Give me leave
to tell you, my Lord, that no Body was
better acquainted with Rabelais, whofe Me- •
mory he rever'd} and that he chofe for
his Heroes Charron and Montagne, to whom at
laft he gave trie preference before Balzac. He
had fo great aRefpect for them that he could
not fuffer Chanet, a Phyfician of Rochel, to
fay any thing againft them in his Book about
the Reafon of Brutes 5 and we ought not to
forget in this Place that Father du Bofc,. as
alfo that Good Man M. Mauri, who were for

Mr. Samuel Sorbiere. xix
for fome Years'entertained by the Chapter
of Thouloufe, at the Expence of the City, for
the Improvement of the Belles Lettres,wem
his moft Intimate Friends.

THE

THE.
CONTENTS.
MEmoirs of the Life of Monf. Sorbiere, Hi-
ftoriographer to Lewis XIV, the prefent
French King* Writ by Monfieur Graverol, Ad
vocate at Nifrnes, and Dedicated to Louis
de Rechignevoifin de Guron, Lord Bifhop of
Comenge.
A Voyage to England, containing divers Things-
relating to the State of Learning and Religion
there, by Monfieur Sorbiere.
Obfervations on Monfieur Sorbiere'j Voyage
into England, written to Dr. Wren, Pro-
fefforofAftronomy in Oxford. By Dr. Thomas
Sprat, Fellow of the Royal Society, now Lord
Bifhop of Rochefter.
Monfieur SorbiereV Letter to Monfieur Cour*
celles, about the War that broke out be
tween England and Holland in the Tear
1652.

C x ]

A
Journey to England,
CONTAINING
Many Things relating to the
State of Learning and Reli
gion, &c«
SIR,
PUrfuant to your Command I fhall gw&TheOceafi-
you an Account of my Journey into Eng-0"°f *he
land, and the Tour I have fince made Wavfii
into Holland, occafioned by your going
to Marfal ; for as I had not the good Fortune to
find you at Philipville upon my Return from be
yond Sea, I was not willing to go immediately
for Paris: In the mean time, the Difappointmenc
I Encountred with in not meeting you at Home,
would not let me be at Eafe, but I was obliged
to go and find out fome Diverfion along the
Maes, which is but Six Leagues off: I had fo
much Satisfaction in it, and the Country oi Liege
was fo plealant, efpecially from Huy to Vifay,
that I relblved to go to 'Mqeftricht by the Way of
Aix laCbapellc, and of fullers along the Rhine
to Cologn, by which Fine River I went down to
the Province of Utrecht, from whence I was
B tempted

2 A Journey to England.
tempted to Travel by the Way of Amfterdam to the
Hague: This Journey was moie diverting . to me
than the former, tho' I have not fo much to lay
to you concerning it, becaufe I have already fatif-
fied your Curiofity in the Account. I formerly
gave you : And after I fhould . onqe fpeak'of the
Famous Bpfry, and fome other Illuftr'ious Perfons
I had the Honour to &e, I (hould. have notMng
elfe to entertain you with : For Tarn not fo liell
acquainted with the Politicks of that Country'as
to enter upon them-, but I hope we may, one Day
together fee thefe Parts, of which I could give
you an agreeable Description*
Journey I am therefore, Sir, to acquaint you, that I
J*'". p.a"5 travelled fiom Paris to Calais, in the Company
to Calais. 0f fome very gQ0d.humour'd Gentlemen of the
Polifh Nation, who fpoke Latin very well, and
explained themfelves indifferently "well in Trench
One of them play'd excellently well on the Violin,
and entertained us with a Dance Twice a Day.
. Thefe Diverlions concluded with a Comedy, to
which we- went all together, before we parted,
while we were at Calais • I was fo fortunate at
my coming away from the Play-houfe, as to meer,
in the fame Inn. where I lodged, with Madam
de Piennes, who offered to give me my Paflage
to Dover, in a Ship the Duke of Tork was to
fend for her, which indeed Arrived next Day,
and we had Notice given us, when we were en
tertained at Dinner by the Marquefs de Courtebon'
¦ne, that the Wind was Fair for us.
Hh stay at This Dinner obliges me by the Way, and in
diaif. Difcharge of my Conscience, to fay that which
undoubtedly yon know better than I, that this
is one of the moft Civil Gentlemen in the King
dom, and that he does every thing with an ex
traordinary good Grace: He treated Madam de

BjtMonf. Sorbiere. ^
de Piennes, who was going for England, and did me
the Honour to make me one of his Guefts : I was
much pleafed with the good Entertainment, and
no left with the Conyerfation : He could have
faid nothing finer nor more acceptable than what
he did concerning the great Parts, and confum-
mate Prudence, which he had pbferved in the
King from his Youth-, and yet the Marquefs could
not fay lb much as that Lady, who had been Bred
at Court, and was a diligent Oblerverof the won
derful Genius of that Prince, of which fhe gave
us many excellent Particulars, attended with all
their Circumftances, infomuch that I could have
wifhed the Wind might have detained us Five or
Six Dayslonger at Calais : For I improved migh
tily in to good a School ¦, and I was lefs concerned
than I had been about returning my Thanks
<o the King for the Favour which I received
at that time. But thefe Sorts of Entertainments
were obliged to give way to the Neceffity we lay
under of Embarking while the Wind was
Fair. We were Seven Hours in our Paffage to Dover, Paffage u
tho' it be but Seven Leagues over^ the Weather Djver-.
was very Fair, but the ufualDiforder which thole
who are not accuftomed to the Sea, are Subject
to, hindred me from putting Madam de Piennes
upon renewing, her Diicourfe about a Subject
which I found (he was very ready to talk of: She
went for London in her own Coach, and I travelled
by the Way of CanterburyanA.kacbefler to Grave/-
end, where, for the greater Expedition, I took the
Boat, and the Opportunity of the Tide, to go to that
City : It's Fifty Miles from Dover to London,
from the firft of which Canterbury is diftant
Twelve Miles$ and a good Horfeman, well Movst-
ed, may Gallop it in an Hour's Time; For thole
B a who

4 A Jouitieyto Engla&L
who do not know how to Pace cannot*
Leifurely, but are fo much tiled to Three Quar
ter Speed, that the Country People who go to
M&rket feem' to Ride as if it were for a Benefice.
/This Speed, they make on Horfeback, appeared
lb much "the moTe remarkable to me, hecaufe
of its been ufed in a Country where the People
are very lazy, which I can very well affirm with
out Offence-, for they do perhaps glory in their
Sloth, and^ believe that true Living coniifts in
their knowing how, to live at Eafe; I have fo
many other Remarks to make upon the Cuftoms
and Manners of this Nation, that I muft inform
you to the Honour of it, (with which I fhall be*
gin, ) that the Freedom I might ufe in doing of
the fame would not be refented, tho' 1 were to
Write in their own Language: For they take
Pleafur'e in hearing the Truth told >,. and the CM. :•
fa&er of the People has been more . than once
Printed at London, and that Writ by a Native,
who hath not Spared either Reproof v or Cenfure,
in refpect to, Matters truly Culpable ; but has not
at all fallen upon the Gentry and better Sort, who
are by no means to be confounded with the Popu
lace. As you will meet with gloomy, extravagant,
and fanatical Humours everywhere, to you will
in like manner with Men of good Parts, fo that
there is not an equal Neceility of their being Purg
ed from thefe Defects: However, it may belaid,
that moft of the Englifh are liable to fall into
them, without they be upon their Guard, and
unlefs they confine themfelves within the natural
Inclination they have to Lazinefs, Prefumption,
and a fort of Extravagance of Thought, which is
to be met with in their beft Writings, but after
they have Subjected thefe Inclinations, (for which
I do not blame them,becaufe they proceed from the
Na-

By 'Monf. Sorbiere. 5
Nature of the Climate,) they are endued with very
excellent? Qualities 5 for tho' fome have had the
Hardinefs to fay, that the Engli/h have skimm'd .
the Vices of other Nations, and defpife their
Vertues, yet there is fomething in them that is
great, and which they feem to retain from the
Old Romans : They have at this Day a fort of Gla
diators, Bull and Bear-baiting, and Dog-fighting ;
they are great lovers of their own Country. $ very
much uuited among!! themfelves againft Stran-
gers,tntrepid in Dangers,and have a Hundred other
Excellencies, which I mail take notice of as they
fall in my VyayrV- ;
I will not go about to give you a Methodical The Ac-
Defcription of my Journey, nor put my Relation cmH '">-
into fuch an order as I might do, if I were' to ^r/" -
write the fame with any other Defign than to di
vert you. Who is there that does not know fuch
near Neighbours ? Do we not fee one another
every Day ? And have we not Books toinftruct us in
what we do not fee ? But, Sir, I prefumeyou .will
take fome plea Cure in the Irregularity of my Stile.
and be glad to hear my Notions and Adventures:
I defire therefore that you would not expect any
Method, or Ornament io my Writing, but be plea
fed with the Freedom of my Thoughts upon
ibme very Important Subjefts which fall in among
the Trifles I fhall recount unto you.
The Efteem which I carried along with me ^French
into England, for a Nation whofe good Mien;'' reahtd
has given them a Name, the Etymology of which fnEa&*aa<
redounds much to their Advantage, withheld me
from taking Offence at the difference I prefently
found,between the obliging Behaviour, wherewith
the Englifh are entertained at Calots^vA the Con
tempt or Affronts put upon the frenebfot moft part
of the time we ftaid $1 Sover.Yon would be apt
B 3 to

& A Journey to England.
t© fay, that thofe Two Towns having daily Cor-
refpondence, the Freneb were never feen in
the laft of thefe Places,where the Children in the
/Streets run after them, Crying alofld , a Monfieur,
a Monfieur, and this is the firft Affront put upon
them -But as they come by degrees to be heated,
or that they are either provoked by -their getting
away as far as they can from them, or endea
vouring to make them hold their Tongues, they
fall then to the opprobious Terms of French Dogs,
French Dogs, which is the Epithet they give us
in England, as I have heard them often call the
French in Holland Mufhroons, which yet is more
tolerable than Matto France/e, i. e. Foolifh
Frenchmen, a Name by which the Common Peo*
pie of Italy are pleafed to diftinguifh them:
Altho' the Quality arid Better Sort in all the
Neighbouring Nations of France fufficiently own
that we are not Indebted to them for good Sence,;
and other Engaging Qualities, which they envy
in us.
Tie she ^ut t0 te^ vou ^e tratn' b°th the one arid
(me oaa- the other make ufe of thefe opprobious Terms
fum fir it. with fome Reafon, upon Account of theNoife we
make at our coming amongft them, and by Way
of reprehending a certain ForWardnefs in us,
• which they call Indifcretion , which in Effect
makes us appear very ridiculous to them : For
this Forwardness is fo bppbfite to their Serious
Temper, and the Coolneis of their Proceedings,
as well as to the Patience with which they allow
every one to perform what he goes about, that
Irhy felf formerly was furprized with it, when!
lived for fome Years in the Northern Countries :
I was Confcious of nothing as to my own Part
whereby I might give any Offence ; but I have feen
others much out of the Way j for as foon as they
appear'd

By Monf Sorbiere.
appeat'd upon the Key, what with theNoife
they themfelves and their Servants made* they
drew a Kennel of Dogs, about them, which with
hideous Barking followed them to their Lodg
ings: Being' offended therewith, and the Dogs
likewife growing furious,- they came to throw
Stones at them, but the Townfmen interpofing,
the Storm was prevented : Thefe things depend
fo much upon Men's Behaviour, that I can fay
I never received more Civility in all my Travels
than at Dover, when, upon my Return, the Cu-
ftom-houfe Officers, who were Two Rich Mer
chants, to whom I was recommended by another
from London, fumptupufly Treated me, and as ma
ny Frenchmen as I would, whom they defired
I fhould bring along with me. Now, Sir, feeing
you are defirous to know all my Adventures, I'll
tell you, that I might not "take Poft, or be ob
liged to make ufe of the Stage Coach, I went
from Do ver to London in a Waggon, it was
drawn by Six Horfes one before another, and
drove by a Waggoner, who walked by the Side
of it : He was Cloathed in Black, and appainted
in all things like another St. George -, £e had a
Brave Mounteero on his Head, and was a merry
Fellow, fancy'd he made a Figure, and feemed
mightly pleafed with himfeif; It's neceffary I
fhould ebferve to you, for the better Underft and-
ing of what/ 1 mall- fay concerning the Humour of
theNatibn^ and the Appearance the People make
in City and ;Counrry, -that you will meet with no
;>Faces there tfiar move. Pity, nor no Habit that
denotes Miitry : Not but that they have^ Poor a-
mongft them, as wellas in other Parts V BuOheir
Poverty is not fogre&f^ they fcarce want any Ne-
cefTaries of Life, which when they have once ob
tained, their Idlenefs:make,sthem carelefs of any
84 more j

8 A Journey to England.
more ; their Pride keeps them back from pufhing
after Superfluities, which others take fo much
Pains' tapurfue.
VnmiilHj \ (hall not enter upon a Detail of the Entertain-
ttrsf™"' ment we met w"^ uPon t^ie ^-Qad-» becaufe I
underftood it not* but I learnt from a Zealander,
with whom I lpoke Flemifh, that the Englifh made
large Reckonings, that the People were of a
railing and backbiting Temper, as well as thofe
on the Continent, and that an Englishman could not
transform himfeif into another Man ; they are ve
ry Civil to one another, and ufe much Circumfpe-
„> ttion in their Converlation : But he is unhappy'
that cannot keep pace with them in their Lan
guage, for they are not wanting in making their
Advantage of thofe who do not underftand
it. This I have experienced in Two Journeys,
I mean this to London, and the other to Oxford,
at both which times I found my felf under great
Inconveniency ; for my Fellow Travellers not only
declined in their Inns to take Care as they ought
of a Stranger, who could not tell how to make
the People underftand him, but I was as little re
garded as if I had been a Bale of Goods •, nay,
there were Attempts made to incommode me :
I was defirous to ftiew my Civilities by my In
terpreter to thofe who were not fo much tainted
with Rufticity, which they were fo far from
taking right, that they deemed it to be Railery,
and an Affront, which embarraffed me fo, that I
mull: have recourfe unto my Interpreter to be duly
apprized of it : In my other Journey to Oxford I
was not liable to the fame Inconveniency,' for I
took a French Gentleman in the Coach with me,
who fpoke good Englifh, and had been a Soldier
under Cromwell for Seven Years together : He
fnubbed a Student that affronted him, and this
worthy

By Monf Sorbiere. 9
worthy Gentleman informed me that there are
no People in the World fo eafily frightned into
Subjeftion as the Englifh / For as foon as ever you
reprefs their lnfolence, you do the fame by their
Courage; and all that they have is a Salley of
Pride,, to cover their Faint-heartednefs and Cow
ardly Difpofitionk
Kent appeared to me to be a very Fine and Fruit- County of
ful Country ,efpecially in Apples and Cherries -, and KinU
the Trees, which are planted in Rows every where,
make as it were a continued Train of Gardens ;
The Country mounts up into little Hills, and the
Valleys are beautified with an Eternal Verdure \
and the Grafs here leemed to me to be finer and
of a better Colour than in other Places, and there
fore 'tis fitter to make thofe Parterres, fome of
which are fo even, that they Bowl upon them as
eafily as on a great Billiard Table : And as this
is the ufual Diverfion of Gentlemen in the Coun
try, they have thick Rowling Stones to keep the
Green fmooth : All the Country is full of Parks,
which yield a delightful Profpect, and where you
may fee large herds of Deer ¦, but their Gardens
have no other Ornament. than thefe Greens •, and
the beft Calfles you meet with are not to be
compared with the leaft of above Four Thoufand
Pleafure Houfes you have about Paris : How
ever, it muft be confeffed the Eye cannot but be
much delighted with the natural, and even neg
lected Beauty of the Country, and the Englifh
have reafon to value it ; for when Clement VI.
gave the Fortunate Iflanjls to Lewis of Bavaria's
Son, and that they heat the Drum to raife Men
in Italy for that Expedition, the Englifh, Ambafla-
dor who was then at Rome was prefently alarm
ed, and left the Place, as fuppofing this Expedition
f oqld b? defigned agajnft np other Country hut
his-,

io A Journey to England.
his: It's fo coyer'd with Trees,- that it looks
like a Foreft when you view it from an Emi
nence, by reafon of the Orchards and Quick-fet
Hedges, which enclofe the Arable Lands and
Meadows.
England There is no Country in the World fo well
very well known as England; for Cambden, by the Order of
defcrmby King James I. gave a Defcription of it, and for
Cambden. jhat end travell'd all over it, which took him
up feveral Years : He followed the Courfe of
the Rivers, and defcribed every thing he met with
on each Side of them : He made feveral Jour
neys into the open Countries, penetrated through
Forefts, and crofs'd over Mountains* to compleat
his DefTgn-, To that he difcovered every thing
that was worth obferving, exactly fet down the
Situation of the leaft Caftle, and imbellifhed the
whole with Hiftory, Genealogies, and the Allian
ces of the moft confiderable Families. His Book
makes up the moft Curious Part of Blaeu's At lot:
Catnbden fays, the whole Ifland of Great-Britain
is 1836 Miles in Circumference, and Speed makes
thi length of it, from South to North, to reach
from 50 to 60 Degrees, and 36 Minutes* and that
England contains P285 Parifhes, ?5Bifhopricks,
and Two Archbifhopricks, viz. Canterbury and
York. The City of Canterbury is the Metropolis of the
County of Kent; it's Surrounded with a Wall,
which moft of the Towns m-England have not,
tho' 'tis not their Largenelsitltjtdeprives.them of
this Ornament, or Defence: For tho' this Place
has the Advantage of being the Capital of
One of the fineft Counties, of the Kingdom, it's
not much larger than Montargis : The Houfes
are low, and the Stories fcarce high enough for a
Man of a middle Size, who can. touch the Ceil ing

By Monf. Sorbiere. 1 1
ing with his Hand. They glaze their Windows
on the outfide, and fix the feme to the Wall, only
they leave a Cafement to open in. the middle-, and
this they do only in the upper Rooms, for below
their Windows have Iron Bars on the infide, and
a Curtain to draw before them in the Nighty
without any Shutters, which is a Sign that they
are neither afraid of Infults, nor Robbing. Be
fides, their Windows are very low, and fcarce
higher than a Man's Wafte, as he goes along the
Street. This is a common thing all England over,
that they raife their Buildings Balcony-wife into
feveral Angles, or Semi-Circles, like fo many lit
tle Towers, that are an Ornament without to the
Houfes, when you are once accuftomed to the
JJight. This makes the Rooms more Commodi
ous', Lighter, and you may fee without being
difcerned your felf what is done at the Corners of
the Streets, whereas we can only behold what
is ftraight before us. The Stories oftheir Houfes
jet out one above another, fo that the higheft
Rooms are larger than the Ioweft, and you can
pafs along the Streets without being fo much as
wet with Rain. The Body of the Cathedral is
23 Rods in length, that is 512 Feet; hence you
go up to Two Choirs, ere&ed behind one ano
ther, each having 20 Steps to them ;. they are
Supported by Three Rows of a kind of Serpentine
Pillars, of the Qothick Order, and under the
Choirs they Preach in French, but the Englifh
Service is in the Chapter adjoining to the firft
Choir : There is a fmall River runs by Canter
bury, which turns fome Miles, and waters the
Meadows and Gardens, that are about the City.
Rochefter is much larger than Canterbury, Rochefter,
if you take in the Suburbs, Which run out above
Haifa League along the Medwayr upon which the

i % A'Jourmy to England.
the Town ftands : It is diftant Seven Miles from
Gravef end and the Sea: We went out of Town
over a Stone Bridge, that confifts of feveral Arch
es, and isadorned with a Parapet of Iron Balifters,
Six Foot high, to hinder People from going up
on it, and their Hats to be blown away with the
Wind. From this Bridge you have a very
agreeable Profpect of the River, and of the Su
burbs of Canterbury, as far as Chatham, where
moft of the Men of War are Built, and where,
after their Return home from Sea they are ufu-
ally laid up.
Qrayefend, Qrave/end, where I lay, is not much inferi-
our to Rochefter, tho' it is not a Bifhop's See;
but the Mouth of the Thames, and the Neigh
bourhood of London, makes it plealant enough '%
You daily meet with fomething new here to
divert you ; and this Noble River, for near 20
Miles from hence to the Capital of England, is
cover'd with Veffels of all Sorts : You go up
and down twice aday by the Help of the Tide,
and that with fo much Eafe, that your Paffage
feldom exceeds Five or Six Hours. The Banks
of the Thames are not delightful near Gravef-
$nd, as they are fome Miles higher up, becaufe
. they are nothing but Chalk-Pits, but after you
have paft them, you have nothing but continued
Villages till you come to London. 'There isfcarce
any thing to«be feen on each Side of the River but
Ship Carpenters, and Multitudes of all Sorts of
Perfons imploy'd in Building and Fitting out
Veffels for Sea 4 ; you have them of all Ages and
Sizes ¦, and 'tis furprizing to fee what a vaft Num^
ber there is of themiN Greenwich lyes about half
Way on the Left, where the Queen-Mothe? has
a Fjne Pleafure-houfe. peing

By Monf. Sorbiere. i 3
Being come to London, I took up as conve • «k **•
nient Lodgings as I could, the better to fatisfie mv vd f
Curiofity, and pitched upon Covent-Garden toL6ndoD'
which the French that Travel, and have Bufi-
nels at Court, ufually refort as to an Ex
change, Its not far from Whitehall, nor Somer-
fet-Houfe, and 'tis certainly the Fineft Place in
S-% ltyA°r rath<? SuM** ^ you go into
Weftminfter out of the City through Temple-Bar,
and tis as long as from the Pontneuf to Chailliot,.
Two Thirds of this Spacereaching to the breadth
of Seven or Eight Parallel Streets : Moft pf our
young French, who go to London, know no more
as it were than this Quarter only, and go no far
ther by Land than thefl/d-EXcbange, or by Wa
ter to the Tower, and therefore they fay London
is but a Gut of a-Citjr. As for my Part I went in-
\° T tJ?e?arts of »t, and was furprized with the
Vaftnefs of this City, fo that I fhall not ftick to
fay that it is larger, and has more Houfes in it
than Parts ¦, tho' I muft add, it has not fo many
People, and that in many other Things it's not t6
be compared to it.
The Houfes ik > London are not fo high as thofe c}tv ef
in Parts, nor fo full of People, being not fo com- JStai.
modious for letting Lodgings : There is fcarce a-
bov\?ne FamiIy in a Houfe' unlefs " he about
the, New-Exchange and the Court, where there
are a great many Lodgers, and Rooms furnifhed
and lett at reafonable Rates, and a Crown a
Week will ferve very well. I had One at that
Price, One Pair of Stairs, neat Salisbury-Houfe,
fori was very defirous to be frequently with
Mr. Hobbs, who lived with the Earl of Devon-
fhire, his Patron, of whofe Admirable Qualificati
ons I have many Things to fay to you: Covent- Covent-
Garden is not altogether fo large as the Place- Garden.
RoyaUi

14 Ajwrney to England.
Royale, but his much finer, as well becaufe ft
ftands high, as that it has Houfes erected only
on Two Sides of it, the Third being the Front of
a very Fine Church, and the Fourth the Gardens
of Bedford-Houfe, whofe Trees you can fee above
the Walls, which are very low. The Houfes of
Covent-Garden are more ftately than ours, by
reafon the Arches are higher, and the Portico
larger, being raffed Two Steps, and the whole
paved with, large Squares of Free-Stone. The
New-Ex- New -Exchange- is,not far off, it ftands in the High
change. Street, caUed .the S/r*/fc/, and confifts of Two
double Galleries, one above another, with Eight
Rows of Shops: It's Built of Black Stone, and
as long as from the beginning of the Daupbine's
Gallery, to the end of that of the Pr if oners. I'll
leave you to judge whether there are not Fine
Goods to be had there, as well as Fine Shop-Wo-
oid-Ex- men. But the Old-Exchange, with its Four
change. Galleries only, claims thp Preference before it,
and thefe Galleries are Built over rhe Place where
the Merchants meet. So far, Sir, did that Part
of the Town where I fixed appear to me by much
the beft, becaufe 'tis that which is frequented by
our Countrymen, and alfo by People of Quality,
and is the Fineft and moft Regular Building in
London. I lay, London^ tho' 'tis ufual for thofe
who live in this Part of the Town to fey, I go to
London, for indeed 'tis a Journey for thofe who
live vsaxJffeftminfter: 'Tis true, they may fome-
times get thiiher in a quarter of an Hour by
Btgnefstf Water, which they cannot do in lefs than Two
London. Hours by Land, for I am perfwaded no lefs Time
will be neceflary to go from one end of its Su
burbs to the tother; and I would not undertakers
walk it where 'tis broadeft, and that is from
Sboreditcb over the Bridge, even beyond St.
George's

By Monf. Sorbiere. j 5
George's Fields, in lefe than Three quarters of an
Hour, by which you may compute the Bignefs
of London: But, as I obferved before,, our Counr
trymen, who go thither^ do not fee a quarter of
it, and it requires a Year's time to live in it be
fore you can have a very exact Idea of the Place,
which yet I have not, tho' I know fo much as
to write to you as I do.
Lincolns-lnn-Fields is a Square, and much
larger than our Place-Roy ale. It confifts of
Three Rows of Buildings, the Houfes are ftately,
and each of them has a low Wall before it, which
hinders the Sight of the Ground-Rooms. It
were to be wifhed they would alter them into
Iron Rails, which would not only be an Orna
ment to them, but make the Square appear
larger. There is a Fine Inn of Court, called
Lincolns-lnn, on one Side of it. Moor-Fields
is another Placen forming Two great Squares,
enclofed within Rails; from the firft of them
you go up to the fecond, and thence to the
third, all of them befet with Trees from one
Corner tp another. Smitbfield-Rounds , which
Is. Triangular, and feveral other Places of
lefs Note, I pais over, and I fhall not take
upon me to give an Account of the New
Buildings carried on towards St. James's, which
cannot be Inferior to thofe of Belle-Court at
Lyons: There are but few Publick Fountains in
this City, and thofe few that are, inftead of be
ing an Ornament to thofe Places and Streets where Fountains.
they are to be met with, do but offend the Sight,
for they are nothing but nafty Square Towers,
into which there is an Entrance by Two little
Doors to draw Water, which goes undufeH/ed
by Strangers, without they ate informed that they
are Water ConduitSr The

1 6 A Journey to England.
The Ctty Houfe, Which they call Guild-Hail, is
an inconfiderable Building, and ftands in a nar
row Street : It ferves jnftead of a Hall for Clo*
thiers, where they bring all the Cloth they
have to Sell on certain Days in the Week, tho*
Drapers-HallRands near the Old-Exchange, which
has a Fine Garden to it. I am not to -forget the
vaft Number of Bookfellers Shops I have obfervi
ed in London-, for befides thofe who are fet up
here and there in the City, they have their par
ticular Quarters, fuch as St. Paul's CburcbTard,
and Little-Britain, where there is twice as many
as in the Rue Saint Jacque in Paris, and who
have each of them Two or Three Ware houfes.
shcpt: I muft tell you before I proceed to other more
curious Obfervations, that perhaps there is no City
in the World that has fo many; and fuch Fine
Shops •, the Stallage is not very rich, but the Sight
is agreeable-, for they are large, and the decorati
ons are as valuable as thofe of the Stage ; the
Scene is new everywhere, which extreamly
pleafes and attracts the Eye as we go along:
The Publick Buildings are not very remarkable ;
and there are no other than White-Hall and Two
Churches we have Occafion to fpeak of, and we
have not much to fay of them neither : The great
Hall belonging to the Court is a new Building,
ere&ed for extraordinary Audiences, and to enter
tain Ambaffadors or Members of Parliament,
and therefore 'tis called the Banqueting-Houfe :
It looks very ftately, becaufe the reft of the Pa
lace is ill Built, and nothing but a heap of Hou
fes, erefted at divers times, and of different
Modeljj which they made Contiguous in the beft
Miiner they could for the Refidence of the
Court 5 which yet makes it a more Commodious
Habitation than the Louvre, for it contains above
Two

By Monf. Sorbiere. 17
Two Thoufand Rooms, and that between a Fine
Park and a Noble River, fo that 'tis admirably
well Situated for the Conveniency of walking,
and going about Bufinefs into the City.
St. Jamess-Park is at leaft as large again st.Jima't,
as the Garden of the Palace of Orleans ; near
St. James's-Houfe, where the Duke of Tork re-
fides, there is a Mall of 850 Geometrical Paces
in length, befet with Two Rows of large Trees,
and near a fmall Wood, from whence you may
fee a Fine Mead, a Long Canal, Weftminfter- Abbey,
and the Suburbs, which afford an admirable
Profpect: The King hath Erected a tall Pile in
this Park, the better to make ufe of Telefcopes,
with which Sir Robert Murray fhew'd me Sa
turn and the Satellites of Jupiter : The moft
remarkable Churches in London are that of Weft- Weftmio-
minfter, formerly an Abbey of Benedictines, and fter«
the other of P<*»/'s, for thus they familiarly
name the Church Dedicated to that Saint.
It's the longeft that I have feen, and not above St. Paulv,
half the length of it made ufe of; the other
Part in Cromwell's Time was made a Stable and
Guard-Houfe for his Troopers; and there was
Room enough ftili left for a Hall, of which
Cromwell endeavoured to make an Advantage,
as well as of the Buildings without the Church,
which hide the Frontifpiece of it: All the other
Churches are Built after the Proteftant Way, ciwdtaj
and are no more than great Auditories, with Galle
ries to them, for to Preach in only, and recite fome
Scraps of a Liturgy, at which few Perfons are
prefent -, for the People have an Averfion to it ;
and the National Religion, now fet up, is not that
which is moft followed. C And

1 8 A Journey to England.
Rtiigton. And here, Sir, give me leave to tell you that
the King of England has done the boldeft thing
that could have been attempted, in Re-eftablifh'-
ing Epifcopacy with fo high a Hand, That having
been the Stumbling-Block in his 'Father's Time:
The Presbyterians are very numerous here, and
all the other Se£ts may one Day Unite with them
againft the Hierarchy. By Hierarchy I mean the
Government of the Church by Bifhops, tho* to
ipeak properly, they are no more than a Shadow of
the Order, and a Corruption of the True Hierar
chy, which is nowhere to be found but in the
Church of Rome. The Bifhops in England are
not brought back under the Conduct of the Chief
of their Order, and the Spiritual Power is Sub
ordinate to the Temporal -, fo that the King here is
accounted to be the Head of the Church of Eng
land, and they mention him as fuch in their Pub-
lick Prayers. It muft necelrarily have come to
that pafs, fince the Schifrn in the Reign of
Henry VIII. which withdrew the Kingdom of
England from under the Obedience of the See of
Rome, and that for Abominable Reafons, that are
known to all the World. Upon this Revolution
they ' retained what External Face they could of
the Catholick Religion, and this is what the
Puritans complain of to this Day. Their Tenets,
as well as thofe of their Adverlaries, are almoft
equally deftructive ; and there is no great Matter
of Difference between them as to Doctrinals.
The Presbyterians make no Boggle at the Eflen-
tials of the Church and their ConfciencCs; are
not fque ¦mifh in that RefpeQ: ; but their Ambiti
on is not fatisfied, and' their Intereft makes them
oppofe its Discipline -. The .main Point is, that
the Bifhops Lave the Honour and Profit ort their
Side; while the inferior. Clergy are mean
enough,

By Monf. Sorbiere. ip
enough^ and cannot without great Difficulty Preach : ^
However, they do not expofe themfelves fo as
to alledge thefe for the real Caufes of their
Difcontent; but they find they are under a
Neceflity of producing more plaufible Preten
ces. Wherefore they are pleafed to fey, that theThePmiy:
Epifcoparians are not come off as much as they Uritm are
fhould from Rome; and that fo much External ^Si9
Conformity with the Romanifts, as is to be feen
in the Englifh Churches, inclines People to re
turn to the Communion and Praftiee of their An-
ceftors, and to embrace the fame Do&rine: In
Ihort, it looks as if Matters of Faith have been
no otherwife regarded from the time of the firft
Defection of the Nation, unlets it were to put
them upon a Separation from the Order and Dif
cipline of the Church, and therefore they have
quarrelled only with thofe Articles which came
neareft to them : Hereticks have done the feme Method of
thing in Divinity, which 'tis faid the Turks have^"'"^
been wont to do in their Empire, which was to
make a vaft Defolation between them and thofe
Powers they had moft Reafon to fear : They
have endeavoured to deftroy the Harmony be
tween the Apoftles Creed, and that which is
taught in the Cathelick Church, in Conformity
to that Abridgment of the Doctrine of Chrifti-
aniry ; inlbmuch that thofe who are Enemies to
Sound Divinity, being not able'to find amidft the
DefeQs of their own the Agreement there is be
tween our firft common Principles, and the whole
of our Do£trine and Difcipline, it feems to
them as if there were none at all. I will not take
upon me to give you a more particular Explanati
on of this Matter; for you cannot but of your felf
difcern that the Controverfies raifed about the
C 2 Eucharift,

%(X A Journey to England.
Eucharift, Purgatory, Meritorious Works, the,
Primacy of Peter, the Succeffion of the Popes,
Authority of Councils, Infallibility of the Ca-
tholick Church, come fhort of being Fundamen
tal Points, and have been called in Queftion for
no other End than to make Way for Schifm and
Rebellion, by which they would have an Op
portunity of withdrawing themfelves- from under:
the Difcipline, and to feize on the Revenues of
the Church. The firft thing they did upon their
pretended Reformation, was to Seize the Church
Lands, to Expel the Religious Orders •, and in
fome Places their Fury carried them fo far as to
Demolifh the Churches : It muft be confefled that
that was only done in France,and that the People of
England ufed more Moderation than our Calvin
nifts. And this is that which provokes the Purl-;
tans, I mean the pretended Reformed, according
to the Model of Geneva, who are alfo called,
Presbyterians ; but why I know not, unlefs it be
that their Aflemblies are Governed by Lay-
Elders.
Puritans Thefe Men are continually Inveighing againft
SSto* °/the EPifc°Pal Jurifdittion,- which the King hath
Btfhops. reftored, and fay, it's a Shame they fhould fub-
mit to thefe Prelates, or maintain that Bi
fhops are the Apoftles Succeftors, ( which is very
true in theCatholick Church,) and that they have
the fame Authority over the Inferior Clergy, as the
others had over the Seventy Difciples; that they
fhould have Admiffion to the Houfe of Lords-,
and that fome of them had been Lords High
Treafurers of England: I cannot tell whether any
among the Presbyterian Minifters would refute
this Great, Office- if it was offered them ; and whe
ther they would adjudge it to be incompatible
with. their Miniftry and Integrity ; For they can not,

By Monf. Sorbiere. 21
not produce any Solid Reaforts why the Trea-
fury can be put into better Hands than thofe
of Men of Fortune, or fuch as make a more
particular Piofeffion of Religion and Piety:
Neverthelels, I have heard the Puritans exclaim
againft Dr. Juxon, Archbifhop of Canterbury, his
being Treafurer, as a great Crime; and 'tis certain
that Archbifhop Laud, his Predeceffor, loft hijj
Life for . no other Reafon but becaufe of" his being
a great. Favourite of the late King, and for the
Vigour with which he ferved his Royal Mafter,
during the time of his Prime Miniftry: You
are no Stranger to the Hiftory of jhat Time,;
but perhaps you do not know as well as I
do all the particular Objections the Pref-
byterians have againft Epilcopal Government.
They oppofe as much as poffibly they can
an Oath put to the Clergy, called Canonical Obe
dience, which is a kind of Form, whereby they Ptesiyteti-
acknowledge that the Government ofNthe Church ;*"tfi>d
by Archbifhops, Bifhops, Deans, and whatever^' *j**
elfe depends upon this'pretended Hierarchy, hath'GoLrn-
noihing in it that is repugnant to the Word of menu
God : They are not willing to fubmit to the Ju-
rifdiction of Spiritual Courts, and to Ecclefiaftical
Cenfurcs : And 'tis not to be wondred that they
have fuch an Averfion for Bifhops, if what
fome Men lay to their Charge is true; that they
very much abufe their Jurifdiction, by impbfing
Penalties upon People, and pronorincing Excom
munications for frivolous Offences, fey. Virtue of ,
which they will refufe them Chriftian Burials
in their Church-Yards: Befides, the Presbyterians.
lay Pluralities to their Charge, as being incompa
tible with their Cures, which muft be uegleft-
ed, and that thofe who have great Benefices
leave themufually to the Care of their. Servant,?,
C 3 Or

2% k Journey to England.
er other defpicable Perfons: They alfo take
Notice of this Difference between a Bifhop and
a Clergyman of an Inferior Rank, that this laft
durft not fpeak, nor be covered in his Prefence j
and the Bifhops have fo Abfolute a Difpofal
of every thing, that they neither eonfult with
the Chapter or any other Council about
them.
¦Other . That which the Presbyterians frill find more
Faults fault with is, that the Church has FeftivalDays,
fit*^ (fome of which are Dedicated to the Blelted
Virgin,) as alfo Altars ,. Confecration of
Churches, Bowingio the Name of Jefus, Burning
of Candles, Kneeling, Mitres, Surplices, Copes,'
Crofies, Mufick, and Baptizing with the Sign of
theCrofs: They are frightned with the Names
of Archdeacons, Prebendaries, Chapters, Canons,
Officials, Vicars and Curates ; but that which
enrages them moft, is the Englifh Liturgy, and
+ .'tis upon that Account that they rofe up in
Arms about Four and Twenty Years ago:
This Matter joffly requires us to look back
a little, and you will not be forry that I take
up fome fmall Part of your Time to fet this Affair
in its true Light.
Jfo Re- v The Yearly Incomes of divers Ecclefiaftical
£T'f r Benefices in Scotland, having' at the Beginning of
nefiles £ the pretended Reformation been reunited to the
ieSed i«0 Demefns of the Crown, the Government was lit-
Baronies, tie the better for it ; becaufe the fame were free-
'*e^*/<j</iy given away to the younger Sons of Gentlemen,
wJ, and Noblemen,who wanted them : The Gentlemen
finding the Sweet of them, and having frequent
ly obtained Survivorfhips, they Came to look
Upon thefe Eftates to be their own ; from whence
pufhing farther, and abufing the King's Liberality,
fhey got the metft confiderable Beaefices, or feve? ral

By Monf. Sorbiere. 3$
ral put together, Erected into Baronies, and this
during the Minority of James VI. about the Year
1567. That Learned Prince came in time to be
fenfible he had his Hands tied up, and was
by that Means become incapable of rewarding
Men of Merit, or recompencing his own Ser
vants, which put him upon recalling thofe
Grants. But as he found much Oppofition from
thofe Lords who polTeft thefe new Baronies, he
defiffed in the Year 1617 : But his Son, Charles I.
out of Favour to the Clergy, undertook the Bu-
finefs with more Vigour in 1633. The Inte-
refted Nobility thereupon excited the Puritanical
Clergy to oppofe it; they took the Scent, but more
efpecially ftomach'd the Englifh Liturgy, which
was at that time defigned to be introduced amongft
them, that fo there might be an Uniformity of
Worfhip in the Three Kingdoms : Tho' it was the
Intereft of the poor Clergy, the King fhould re-
fume thofe Church Lands, that he might the bet
ter augment their Livings, which were very
mean. But the Animofity they bore to the Catho-
Hck Church blinded them, and they affifted the
Barons to kindle a Civil War, the Origin of
which is fufficient for me to obferve to you,
without entring upon a Detail of farther Parti
culars. The Presbyterians at laft having fuffered by ^siyten-
the Independents, as well as by the Conformifts, am reftore
(for fo they call thofe who were inclined to receive the King.
the Liturgy, ) had good Grounds to fubmit to the
King's Pleafure, and so Conform themfelves to
the Thoughts of the Archbifhop, his Prime Mini-
k Iter: In fhort, the Presbyterians were the People
that reftored the King to his Throne, and this
is the Reafon of their railing at prefent againft
him, now they atiPeriecuted by the Laws, or ra-
C 4f tb'er,

24 A Journey to England.
ther curbed by a timous Remedy provided againft
the pernicious Inconveniences, which, the Tolera
tion they enjoyed, had produced : It's moft certain
they are of a Republican Spirit, and that according
to the Rules of Policy, the Epifcopal Government
of the Church, as bad as 'tis, is better for the
King than that of the Presbyterians. For the
Hierarchy infpires People with Refpect to thofe
who are Supream over them, and is a Support to
the Monarchy.
I know very well that you expect I fhould up
on this Qccafion give you an Account of the Peo
ple called Quakers, and of all the other Sorts of
Sectaries faid to be in England -, but they are not
perhaps fo many, nor fuch as we may imagin,
or fome have writ of; and indeed I have found
my felf formerly miftaken herein, when I thought
to have met an Hundred Sort of Anabaptifts' or
Vifionaries in Holland; I mean fo many Bodies
or Societies living under fome particular Dif
cipline, and defigning fome Sort of Regularity
in their Ways. I have found People every where
making Profeffion of extraordinary Zeal, or di-
ftinguifhing themfelves from others, in order to
be taken notice of upon the Account of their
lingular Opinions. And the Difputes which
for a long time have been Rife in France,
about a Thing of Nothing, as whether the'
Five Propofitions of Jan/enius are to be found
in the Scripture or nor, fhews us plainly that
we our felves are fubject to Extravagances, Ambi
tion, or Opinionativenefs. But to fpeak the Truth,
there never was but Two Sorts of Religions in
England that were publickly exercifed, and they
are the Epifcopal and Presbyterian-, the laft of
which is degenerated into Arminianifm, Socinia-
irifm, and Merionifm, But there are feveral Sub-

By Monf. Sorbiere. 25
Subdivifions inro other Sects, all which endea
voured to unite into One Body in the Time of
the Civil War, under the Name of Indepen- indepen
dents. This Sort of Jumbling or Incorporation rf*w*.
was fuch, that nothing could be thought of '
that would fuit fo well with Cromwell's Defigns ;
and the Independents were a Sort of People who
gave a Loofe to their Thoughts, would depend
upon the Authority of no Synod, or other Politi
cal Order, but would have every thing that con
cerned the Doctrine and Difcipline of the Church
to be managed and regulated by Private Affem-
blies : Tho' this could never be effected, for there
never was any Church or viGble Society that
could be called Independent ; it was only the
Fabrick of Private Men, who from time to time
found fome Materials towards it. There was in
deed a certain Vintner in LCfoa#/Mie,who went twice
or thrice a Week to the Parliament- Houfe, and com
mitted fome Extravagancies; and London has afford
ed a fmall Company of Fanaticks, whorunupand
downtbe Streets, to excite the People to Rebelli
on ; but no Body followed them,and they were fopn.
quelled : Several of them have been taken ; and
every Body knows the Treatment of James Nay-
lor, who was another John of Leyden, but more, .
Innocent than that Mafter Taylor, whofe Skeleton Sm019'
is ftill to be feen at Munfter : As to the Con-
du£t of the Bifhops here, in refpect to the Tem
poralities, we are not to forget that thefe good
Prelates behave themfelves in fo odious a man
ner as in Time may occafion Diforder and Trou
ble ; for a Perfon being promoted to a Bifhop-
riekin his advanced Years, (aslhave known fome
at the Age of Seventy J that he may raife a good
Sum of Money for the Advancement of his Fa
mily, he Leafes out his Revenue for Thirty Years,

2.6 A Journey to England.
Years, letting the fame for lefs than half of
what 'tis worth, and referving only fome fmall
Acknowledgment, and by this Means receives in a
manner at once all the Income they fhould have
had in that Time, ifthey had grantedLeafes with-
out Fraud, that is, without any Diminution of
the juft Revenue : So that his Succefibr, if the
Bifhop dies Three Days after, is obliged to live
Thirty Years upon One Half only of the Reve
nue, which was not put into the Pocket of the
deceafed's Relations. But how can this be avoid
ed in a Country Where they laugh at Prohibit
ing of Priefts toMarry, and where they are not
afraid of Simony,
Ke'iL ThiS is> Sir> a11 * Can ^ t0 ?0U ln reference
man ca-°"t0 tne many Religions England is pefter'd with ;
tholkki. for as to the Condition of the Roman Catholicks,
they continue to be oppreffed here, and I can fee
no likelihood of their being reftor'd again. The
Foreign Romanifts are more zealous than the
Natives, tho' not more numerous, the latter be
ing Born under Servitude, and ufed to the Want
of our Ceremonies ; they have never feen the
Churches open for them ; they are fbbjeet to fome
Infults, but bating that, live eafily enough, fothat
they neither can nor will hazard any thing to
make their Condition better. Nay, they efteem
it to be a Point of Merit to wait with Patience
till God does his own Work, delivers them from
their Captivity, and reftores the Church to its
Antient Splendour in the Three Kingdoms : But
now to the reft of my Journal, and other lefs Se
rious Things.
#-.Hobbs. As I went over into England to vifit my Friends,
and the Learned Men in that Nation, and to be far
ther inftru&ed in Matters of Literature, and the
Sciences, as well as to fee the Coujitry,and inform Riy

By Monf. Sorbiere. 27
my felf as to other Things that fhould occur to me ;
the firft thing I did, as foon as I came to'
London, was to feek out Mr. Hobbs, and
Mr. Montconis, the better to fitisfie my Curiofity :
I found the firft of4 them much the feme Man
as I had feen him 14 Years before, and even in
the fame Pofture in his Chamber as he was
wont to be every Afternoon, wherein he betook
himfeif to his Studies, after he had been walk
ing about all the Morning. This he did for his
Health, of which he ought to have the greateft
Regard, he being at this Time 78 Years of Age.
Befides which, he plays folong at Tennis once
a Week till he is quite tired. I found very
little Alteration in his Face, and none at all in
the Vigour of his Mind, Strength of Memory,
and Cheerfulnefs of Spirit ; all which he per
fectly retain'd. As for Mr. Montconis, I found
him in his Element, full of the Converfetion of
Phyficians, and talking, of nothing but Machines,
and new Experiments.
He fhewed me his Journal, which was fo cu- Mmr &,
lious, and wherein he had fo exactly collected Montco-
all that he was to defcribe, and particularly whatnis-
was done by the Royal-Society, that his Dili
gence made me more remits, in collecting all
thofe Things anew my felf. We fhall one time
or other fee what he has done, and if he will
follow my Advice, he will publifh it with his
other Journals of Egypt, Jerufalem, and Con-
ftantinople, which I have fo often preffed him to
do. He mentions feveral new Inventions, which New in-
fcarce can be believed, without we had feen **"'''"*:
them experimented ; particularly an Inftrument
which of itfelf thews all the Alterations of the
Weather that fhall happen in the Space of 24
Hours, whether Wind, Rain, Cold, or Heat,

a8 A Journey to England.
which is done by the Help of a Pendulum Clock,
a Thermometer, a Compafs, and a Weather-
Cock, which makes a Rule go with a Crayon.
Dr. Willis, I found, had a Way to make a
Piece of Iron, moderately heated, to calcinei
without the Help of any other Corrofive,
and the fame being put into Water, to melt.
I was informed that Dr. Wallis had brought a
Perfon that was Born Deaf and Dumb to Read
at Oxford, by teaching him feveral Inflexions
fitted to the Organs of his Voice, to make it arti
culate -. They had alfo found out a Way to
Blow up Ships with a Petard in the Water,
and to join feveral fhort Boards one to ano
ther, without any thing underneath to fupport
them, which are neither nailed nor jointed,
fo that you may make as large a Ffoor as
you will. The Furnace of M. Kuffler, de Dreb-
bell's Son-in-law, whom I few formerly at the
Hague, and who had fo much Succefs in the
Dying of Scarlet at Arnbeim, is remarkable, be
caufe it opens and fhuts of it felf, as there is
Occafion for more or lefs Heat : So is an Oven,
which for Five Penniworth of Wood fhall Bake
a vaft Quantity of Bread, without burning it.
You have alfo Salt Water difrilled, fo as to
make it drinkable; Five Peniworth of which
fhall ferve a Hundred Perfons. They have an
Inftrument, by which a Man that has, never
learnt, may Defign and Draw all Sorts of Ob
jects -, and that is done by obferving through a
Ojiillthe Head of a Pin fixed to the End of a
Rule, which is convey'd through all the Linea
ments of the Object, while the Rule, that
moves equally with it, by the Help of a Lead,
make* the fame Way with One of its End
as the Pin does with the other, and this itn-
preffes upon Paper with a Pencil all the Lines you

By Monf. Sorbiere, 20
Curious Things I had a Mind to fee, was a
Water Engine, invented by the Marquifs of Wor-
cefter, of which he had made an Experiment. I
IT ^iSP6 t0 ?-e 7* at, to-«<on the other
Jide of theTAa«tfx,a little above Lambetb,the Arch-
bithop of Canterbury's Palace, ftanding in Sight
of L^ One Man,' by the Help of this Ma-
chme raifed Four large Buckets full of Water in
anlnftant Forty Foot high, and that through a
Pipe of about Eight Inches long ; which Inven
tion will be of greater Ufe to the Publick, than
that very Ingenious Machine, already made ufe
or, and raifed upon Wooden Work above So-
tner/et-Houfe, that fupplies Part of the Town with
Water, but with great Difficulty, and in lefs
Quantity than could be wifhed. This is almoft
like unto that we call our Samaritan at the
tontneuf of Paris; and fome Impulfe is added
to the afpirmg Pump, or that which draws up
Water by Attraction, which increafes the Force
of it. Butthat which is done with us by the
Current of the Siene is effected by them with a
Horfe or Two, that turns the Machine round con
tinually : Becaufe the Tide alters the Courfe of
the Thames twice a-day ; and the Wheels which Curious and
ferve at the Tide of Ebb will not do when Learned
the Water flows. It was in Company with Monf. Ferfm'
Montconis that I made my firft Vifit to Sir Robert s,vr. Mur-
Murray, and Monf Oldenburg: I did not want ray.
an Excufe for vifiting tfiem, and I found they
were not Strangers to my Name. I had writ to
the firft1 of thefe Gentlemen about Two Years
before, when he was Prefident of the Society
and it was by the Order of Monf Montmor,
that I had a Letter of Civility fent me, upon the
Account of a Meeting held at his Houfe, tho' at a
time

30 A Journey to England.
time when fome Domeftick Affliction would not
allow him to make me an Anfwer according to
his Defire : I had feen the other feveral times
at Paris, in my own Houfe, and in the Meeting
held at Monf Montmor's, where he conftantly
attended with the Lord Ranelagh, 'Mr. Boyle's.
Nephew, who was under his Tuition : This Cu
rious German having well improved himfeif by
his Travels, and purfuant to the Advice of Mon-
tagne, rubbed his Brains againft thofe of other
People, was upon his Return into England en
tertained as a Perfon of great Merit, and fo
made Secretary to the Royal Society ; /"and Sir
Robert Murray was one of the Zealous Promo-
ters of him. It was a wonderful, or rather a
very edifying Thing, to find a Perfon imploy'd
in Matters of State, and of fuch Excellent Merit,
and one who had been engaged a great Part of
his Life in Warlike Commands, and the Affairs
of the Cabinet, apply himfeif in making Ma
chines in St. James's Park, and adjufting Tele-
fcopes. All this we have feen him do with great
Application, and undoubtedly to the Confufion
of moft of the Courtiers,who never mind the Stars,
and think it a Difhonour to concern themfelves
with any thing, but inventing of new Fafhions;
Wherefore, Sir, I beheld with Aftonifhment the
Eagernefs with which this Learned Scotch
man advanced the Knowledge of Nature,
and the Conveniencies of Life , which
might be attained to from this Science of
Mechanifm: It's certain that the Familiarity
wherewith he treated me, made me entertain,
a far greater Refpect for him, than otherwife I
fhodld have done, had he been always upon the
Referve, and made it his Bufinefs to conceal his
Ignorance, under the Mask of Gravity. I made him

By Monf. Sorbiere. 31
him frequent Vifits very much to my Satisfacti
on; having1 never had the Honour to fee him,
but I learnt fomething of him.\ He was fo kind
as to introduce me to Prince Rupert, who is of '""we
the fame Frank Temper, Kind, Modeft, veryRuPert;
Curious, and takes no State upon him : Tho'
his Birth, Excellent Genius, and Illuftrious
Actions, both by Sea and Land, by which he
is become one of the greateft Heroes of the
Age, might juftly have made him more Haughty,
and to keep himfeif at a gteater Diftance. Sir
Robert Murray brought me likewife into the
King's Prefence, who is a Lover of the Curiofi-
ties of Art and Nature : He took the Pains to
bring me into the Royal-Society, and had the Rq>ai.So,
Goodnefealmoft every time, that I attended there, tiety.
to feat me next himfeif, that fo he might inter- ,
pret to me whatever was faid in Englifh. I re
member the firft time that I was there, a Coun
try Gentleman made a very handfome Difcourfe
concerning the Difeafes of Corn, and recounted
about an Hundred Curious Obfervations he had
made upon the Seed before it was fown, upon
the Plant before it was reaped, and upon tha
Ear till reduced to Meal : He fpokeof a certain
Grain of a vaft Bignefs, that fuddenly fprouted
out into Ear, like an Excrefeence, and is a Sort
of Poifon, which might caufe Epidemical Di-
ftempers, of which we are not yet aware. But
feeing we are now come to the Royal-Society,
it's proper we fhould fay fomething of it, till
fuch time as we have the Hiftory of its Foun
dation for our fuller Information, of which we
have fome Expectation.
England in all Times has produced excellent EngHfh
Genius's, who have delighted in the Study of Na- Pbyjitians,
ture ; and tho' there had been no other rhan ,
Gilbert,

3 fc A Journey to England.
Gilbert, Harvey, and Bacon, that had apply'd
themfelyes to this Science, this Country might
difpute for Precedency with France and Italy,
who Glory in their Galileus, De/cartes, and Gaf
fendus. But to fpeak the Truth, the Lord Chan
cellor Bacon has furpafled all the reft in the Vaft-
nefs of his Defigns, and that Learned and Judici
ous Tablature he has left us, ufefully to reduce
the Knowledge we have in Natural Things into
Pra&ice, without being incommoded with the
Difputes of the Schools, to the End we may ap
ply them to Mechanifm , and refolve the Diffi
culties that occur to us in our Lives : This un
doubtedly is the greateft Man for the Intereft of
Natural Philofophy that ever was, and the Perfon
that firft put the World upon making Experiments
that Way. But as this is not theBufinefs of private
Men, who will but undo themfelves by ir, we
muft wait for fuch a Conjuncture, wherein Prin
ces and Great Men will engage in the Purfuit of
fuch Curiofities.
Per fom of * Wherefore it came to pals in the Civil War,
Q!!*lit)CH- which terminated in the Ruin of the late King,
r'oW• and the longEclipfe of the Monarchy, from which
the Three Kingdoms are at this Day happily freed,
that Perfons of Quality having no Court to make,
apply'd themfelves to their Studies ; fome turn-
ning their Heads to Chymiftry, others to Mecha
nifm, Mathematicks, or Natural Philofophy j the
The King jj;ng himfeif has been fo far from being neglect-
rim ~fal of thefe things, that he has attained to fo
much Knowledge, as made me aftonifhed, when I
had Audience of his Majefty, of which I fhall
give you all the Particulars .- Thofe fame Perfons
who had found their Account in their refpective
Studies, would not, after the King's Return from
fo tedious an Exile, and the Settlement of a firm
Peace,

By Monf. Sorbiere. J 3
Peace, be guilty of fo much Ingratitude, as to
leave them, and take upon them an Idle .Court-
Life; but they chofe rather to interlperfe thefe
Sorts of Entertainments with their other Diver-
lions, than to return to their former neglect of
them, and fo the Lords Digby, Boyle, Bronker,
Murray, Devonfhire, Worcefter, and divers others '
(for the Englifh Nobility are all of them Learned
and Polite) Built Elaboratories, made Machines,
Opened Mines, and made ufe of an Hundred Sorts
of Artifts, to find out fome new Invention or
other. * The King mimfelf is not devoid of this
Curiofity ; nay, he has caufed a Famous Chymift
to be brought over from Paris, for whom he has
Built a very FineElaboratory in St. James's-Park:
But his Majefty more particularly takes great
Delight in finding out ufeful Experiments in Na
vigation, wherein he has immenfe Knowledge.
He ordered my Lord Bronker, while I was at
London, to try fome fort of Timber, and what
Form could fwim beft on the Water, or eafieft
fink ; upon which Occafion I heard them difcourfe
of a Ship with Two Keels, that carried Two Fore-
mafts, and having Two Sails, drew more Wind,
but lefs Water, and confequently muft Sail
fafter than others: I do not know whether
the Project took Effect; but this in general is very
true, that the King's Curiofity, and that of the
Nobility, has deeply engaged them in the Purfuit
of Natural Philofophy : Since his Majefty has rea
dily given Ear to the Propofals made to him for
erecting an Academy, of which there never was
the like in the World, if the Project comes to be
entirely put in Execution. What has been alrea-
. dy done deferves to be univerfally approved ; what
fome of this Learned Society have already performed
fills us with great Expectations; and I fhould fur-
D prize

34 d Journey to England.
prize you fhou'd I but partly, give you an Account
of the Curious Things which the Immortal
Works' of Mr. Boy/, Dr. Willis, Vt.CharleW*
and Gliffonius, contain : The Firft has invented a
Pneumatick Engine, with which he has tried a
World of Experiments, that point out to us the
Influence which the Rarefaction and Compreflion
of the Air have upon Bodies, and by this Means
we come to know the Caufe of Rheumatifms,
Contageous Diftempers, and feveral other Indifc
pofitions and Phenomena's in Nature : But 'tis too
tedious to enter now upon Particulars, I fhall re-
ferve them for our next Winter Entertainment,
after I have firft review'd their deep Notions in
my Clofet, into which I can perhaps give fome
farther Light, when I fhall have reafoned and
pondered upon them at my Leifure. The Englifh
Phyficians have bethought themfelves of a" Me
thod to make Aftronomical Tables, whereby to
know the true Meridians of the Earth, by observ
ing the Eclipfes of the Satelites of Jupiter;
and as it frequently and almoft daily comes to
pafs, the different Hour, wherein you obferve them
in divers Places, as they move from the Weft to
Eaft, will point out to you the Difference of the
Meridians : Thefe Excellent P.erfons have Noble
Thoughts; and put the fame very Artfully in Exe^
cution ; wunefs a Lunar Globe, upon which the
Eminencies are reprefented in their due Proporti
on, which I few in the King's Clofet. His
Majefty put me upon admiring it, and was plea
fed to tell me, that the Author had obferved that
Star, fpoken of by Hevelius, which is in the
Whale, and which appears and difappears every
Four Months, removing in diftance from the
Earth, as upon a ftraight Line, without drawing
nearer in Appearance ro any Neighbouring Star; the

By Monf. Sorbiere. 35
the Increafe and Diminution of it in Bulk being
a manifeft Proof of its drawing nearer, and at
other times removing farther off from us. The
King finding me very intent in obferving every
thing that occurred, had the Goodneis to fhew
me the Dimenfions fent him of a Scotch Child of
Two Years of Age, and he was pleafed to give
way to my Curiofity in letting down fuch and
fuch certain Dimenfions in my Table Book,
which his Majefty had taken the Pains to mea-
fure himfeif, according to.the Englifh Foot, that
is lefs than the French one. The Wrift was Six
Inches and Three Quarters long, the Jaw Eight
Inches and a half, the Arm above the Elbow Six
and Three Quarters, the thickeft Part of the
Leg Eleven and Three Quarters, the Neck Fifteen
and a Quarter, the Thigh Nineteen and about
an Eighth Part, the Body from the Armpits down
wards Nine and Twenty Inches and Three Quar
ters, the Body was Thirty-two Inches thick, and
this Infant was Thirry-feven Inches and Three
quarters long.
The Royal-Society of London is Founded by particulars
the King's Letters Patent, who gave them Grefham concerning
Colledge, (Built by a Merchant of that Name theRoyai-
in Bifhop/gate Street) where they meet every Soae'*'
-Wednefday .- I do not know whether there is any
Revenue yet fettled for the Maintenance of thofe
Perfons who manage the Machines, and for an Ufher
or Beadle, who goes before the Prefident with a
Mace, which he lays down on the Table, when
the Society have taken their Places : But I have
been informed, that they afterwards fettled : a
Fund of Four Thou'fand Livres for the Mainte
nance of Two Learned Men in the Colledge,
whofe, Bufinefs it was to give the Society an Ac
count of what was contained io thofe Books they
D 2 would

g<5 A Journey to England.
would have Read by them, and to this End they
have already begun a Library adjoining to a Gal
lery, through which they go out of the Hall,
where the Society meets : As you have on the
other Side, and before the fame Hall a vefy handr
fome Antichamber, and Two more, in One of
which the Council is held ; without teckoning the
Lodgings appointed for the Two Profeflbrs, who
out of Ancient Authors Collect Natural and Me
chanical Experiments, which are examined in or
der to afcertain the Truth or Falfhood of them
to Pofterity, whilft they in like manner make new
ones of their own.TheRoom where the Society meets
is large, and Wainfcotted ; there is a large Table
before the Chimney, with Seven or Eight Chairs
covered with Green-cloth about it, and Two Rows
of Wooden and Naked Benches to lean on, the
Firft being higher than the other, in form like
an Amphitheatre. The Prefident and Council are
Elective-, they mind no Precedency in the Society,
but the Prefident fits at the middle of the Table
in an Elbow Chair, with his Back to the Chim
ney. The Secretary fits at the End of the Table
on his left Hand, and they have each of them
Pen, Ink and Paper before them: 1 few no Body
fit on the Chairs, I think they are referved for
Perfons of Great Quality,or thofe who have occa-
fion to draw near to the Prefident. All the other
Members take their Places as they think fit, and
without any Ceremony ; and if any one comes
in after the Society is fixed, no Body ftirs, but
he takes a Place prefently where he can find it,
that fo no Interruption may be given to him
, that fpeaks. The Prefident has a little Wooden
Mace in his Hand, with which he ftrikes the Ta
ble when he would command Silence : They
addtefs theii Difcourfe to him hare-headed, till he

ByUonf Sorbiere. 37
he makes a Sign for them to put on their Hats ;
and there is a Relation given in a few Wordsof
what is thought proper to be faid concerning the
Experiments propofed by theSectetary. Thereisno
bod y hete eager to fpeak, t h a t makes a longHarangue,
or intent upon faying all he knows : He is never
interrupted that fpeaks, and Differences of Opini
on caufe no manner of Refentment, nor as much
asadifobligingWay of Speeth: There is nothing
feemed to me to be more civil, refpectful, and better
managed than this Meeting ; and if there are
any private Difcourfes held between any while
a Member is fpeaking, they only .whifper, and
the leaft Sign from the Prefident caufes a fudden
flop, tho' tbey have not told their Mind out. I
took ipecial notice of this Conduct, in a Body
confifting of fo many Perfons, and of fuch diffe
rent Nations: For they admit them all into their
Society ; and lay no other Obligation upon them
than to Sign an Inftrument, by which they pro-
mife to obferive the Statutes of the Society;
to be pre fent as often as they can at their Meet
ings, and efpecially thofe wherein they chufe
Officers ; to do or fay nothing that may injure the
Society ; to honour and promote all they can the,
Intereft of the feme, as long as they ate willing to
continue Members of it ; and fuch they are reputed
to be till they have made a Renunciation of their
Title in Writing. They did me the Honour to admic
me to take that Oath, and I very readily figned the
Inftrument, at the fame time that another was pre
pared for the King, by which his Majefty pro-
mifed to Protectee- Society, of which he called
himfeif the Founder. I have pointed out to you ,
Sit,, the Difpoflfion of this Society, and you may
Steadily guefs whether any Scepticks are welcome
¦ ¦ D i ehfJi:>i!. here j

38 A Journey to England.
here: Their Arms are a Field Argent, reprefent^
ing a Blank Paper, and their Difinclination to all
Sorts of Prejudices, with this Device, Nullius in
Verba. In lhort, it cannot be difcerned that any
Authority prevails here ; and whereas thofe who
are roeer Mathematicians favour Defcartes more
than Gaffendus, the Literati on the other Side
are more inclined to the latter. But both of them
have hitherto demeaned themfelves with fo much
Moderation," that no different Hypothefis or Prin
ciples have been a Means to break in upon the
good'Harmony of the Society, who -know very
vtfell they aim at the fame things tho' they-
purfue it by different Ways, feeing they all'
defire to "have the fame Phenomena's ex
plained. ..\: ,
the Learn- I fhall fay nothing to you particularly, Sir,;
ednotcom.0fthoi-e Excellent :Perfons I few in this Affembly,
*,"mMWw' becaufe I will nor undertake the Work of making
Elogies, as I muft be obliged to do if I fhould
name them. Befides, I have not had the good
Fortune to be more particularly acquainted with ;
them all, nor time to Vifit,and havefome Converted
tion with them: latn in a Doubt, if I had attempt-1
edit, whether 1 fhould have fucceeded well, be-'
caufe the Englifh live very retiredly, and have.'
it's hard to little Communication with Strangers: And being-
iheir^Tet aveffe t0 tne fpcaking of French, tho' they can
voundng do it very well', .they fpeak Latin with fuch an
Latin, Accent and. Way, pf Pronounciation, that they
are as hard to be :underftood, as if they fpokei
Journey u their own Language : This I fufficientiy experiq
Qxford, mented jn my Journey to Oxford,, where 'I was
much Edified hy the Converfatidn of Dr. Wd/Iis,
and Dr. Willis, the firft being Profeffor of Ma'
ihematicks, as the'Other was of Ph/fick, and both,
amidft a. Multitude of other Learned f erfons, the
Rioft,

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By -Monf. Sorbiere. %$
moft Famous of any in this Univerlity. How
ever,! was mightily pleafed wjth the Experi- two Fine
merits! few made by the firft of thefe Gentlemen, £#*>*-
which was to teach a Deaf Man,' who was Dumb, mtnU-
by reafon of Deafnefs, to Read : The other was
the Model of a Floor, that could bear a great*
Weight, arid make a, very large Hall, tho' it con-,
fifjted'only of feveral fhort Pieces of Timber joined'
together, , withput - any Mortifes, Nails, and
Pins, or any other Support than what' they gave
one another; for the Weight they bear clofesl
thetri fo together, as if they were but one Board,'
and the Floor all of a piece : I will fhevy you a
Cut'ofit, and you cannot but admire the' Invent
tion of this Matherfaatician-, and indeed I m^ds,Difputesbe-
Mr. HoBbs himfeif even admire it, tho' he is at no'fw«" the
good Terms with Dt.'Wailis, , and has no mfoxiUMned'
to 'love i him. For I muft tell you by the by, that
the' Doctor has not ufed him well ; feeing after he
had; purfuatrit to the Way of Learned Men, who
make themfelves ridiculous to Courtiers by their
06ntr6verfies and Malignity, endeavoured' to -re
fute ;Mr. Hobbs's Mfthematicks, he fell upon:his
Scheme of Politicks, and pufhed the Matter fo
far, as to make him a bad Subje£t; which very
much provoked the good Old Man, who in the
beginning of the Civil Wair had fuffered for the)
Royal Caufe, and never wrote any thing, either
upon that Occafiorf, or concerning any Pub-
lick Affairs, but what might beat a favourable
Interpretation. And indeed the King was fo far k. kind to
from laying any Strefs upon Dr. Willis's Argu- .w.Hobbs,
ments; that to Solace the Old Gentleman, he
gave him a Yearly Penfion of a Hundred jaco
buses. , His Majefty (hewed me a Copper Cut o|
his Picture in his Clofet of Natural and Mecha
nical Curfofnies, and ask'd me if 1 knew the
D 4 Face?

40 A Journey to England.
Face? And what Opinion I had of him? I told
him what I thought beft and moft propee ; and
'tis agreed on all Hands, that if Mr. Hobbs were
not fo very Dogmatical, he would be very Ufeful
and Neceffary^to the Royal-Society -, for there are
few People that can fee farther into things than
he, or have applied themfelves fo long to the
Study of Natural Philofophy : He is uppn the
Matter the/very Remains of Bacon, to whom he
was •Amanuenfis in his Youth; and by what I could
hear of him, or obferve by his Stile, he hath reT
tained very much of him ; he has ftudied his
manner of turning Things,* ' and readily runs
his Diicoiirfe into Allegory ^ but he has natu
rally much of. his good Humour, and agreeable
Mien. I knpw not how it comes pats, the Cler
gy are afraidj/of him, and fo are the Oxford Ma
thematicians, and their Adherents; wherefore his
Majefty was pleafed to make a very good Gorn-
parifon, when he told me be was like a Bear,
whom they baited with Dogs to try him. He
basin his. Grounds of Politicks, undoubtedly," ve?
ry much obliged Crowned Heads-, and if he had
not fallen upon Points of Religion, or contented
himfeif to write againft the Presbyterians, and
the pretended Bifhops pf his Country, I fhould
have no Room to find any fault with him. But his
Philofophy haying had its Birth and Education
in Herefie, he is a Stranger to Ju'ft Principles, in this
refpe£t, and has not as right an Idea as he ought
10 have of the Hierarchy : He has no Knowledgeof
the Catholick Churcb,but what he had learnt from
Proteftant Books of Controverfie, which en-
tertain'd him with a horrible Reprefentation ojf it :
And tho' he travelled to Rome in his younger
Y/ears, he had firft read the My fiery of Iniquity

By Idonf. Sorbiere. 4.1
m France: Let us, if it be poffible, pardon the
Misfortune of his Birth and Bad Education, up
on the Account of his Excellent Accomplifhments
otherways, and let us pray God to be merciful to
him: For if the Reafons given in his Leviathan
againft the Academians and Ecclefiafticks could
but extirpate thofe of his own Sect, and
gnaw off the Gangreen of the Church', they
might ferve for a Sovereign Remedy to a Civil
Society in the Northern Parts of the Chrifiian
World. But let us return to his Adverfery.- The
Doctor has lefs in him of the Gallant Man than
Mr. Hobbs-, and if you fhould fee him with his
Univerfity Cap on his Head, as if he had a Porte-
feuille on, covered with Black Cloth, and low
ed to his Calot, you would be as much in*
clined to laugh at this diverting Sight, as
you would be ready to entertain the Excellenf
cy and Civility of my Friend with Efteem
and Affection. What I have faid concerning
Dr. Wallis : is not intended in the leaft to dero
gate from, the Praifes due to one of the greaueft
Mathematicians, in the World ^ and who being
yet no more than Forty Years., of Age, may ad
vance his Studies much farther, and become Po
lite, if purified by the Air of the Court at Lon-,
don: For I mufttell you, Sir, that that of the
Ltniverfity ftands in need of it; and that thofe
who are not purified otherways, have naturally
ftrong Breaths, that are noxious in Converfirion.
This I plainly difcerned by having an Opportuni
ty to compare this Subtle and Learned Profeflbr, Mr. Loc-
with Mr. Lockey, the Oxford librarian, whqhadHey.
learnt at Court and in France to put on an
obliging Air, and courteous. Behaviour. He hadv,livirfitr
the Goodnefs,, nor only tp'xpnduct me to theft®"0*?*
Ptfary? but all theColledges, andto introduceme to

42 A Journey to England.
to all theProfeffofs I vifited : Modged in Cbrift-
Owrdb, which is the fergeft andricheft Colledge of
them all, its Income being 70000 Livres a
Year: CardinalW/ry Built it in the Reign of
Henry VIII. of whom he was fuch a Favouritej
that that Prince Built Hampton-Court for him,
which* is now a Royal Palace, Twelve Miles
f torn London: There are Seventeen or Eighteen
Colledges at Oxford, which are almpft all of the
fame Dimenfions: They are Built of Free-,5tone; the
meaneft of them is not Inferior to the Sorbonne,
for there are fome of them that do excel it. The
lower, Court ofr Cbrift-CburcV Colledge is iittjej
lefs than that which iscontained within the Bat?
riers of the Place-Koyale : There is a Phyfick;-
Garden over-againft St. Catheri%?f, towards the
Gaf? that leads to London, which is fmall, ill
kept; .^ndmore like an Orchard than a Garden'.
I fhaif'not take upbritne t6 deferibe all the Cofc
ledges0 to you." . There is one, at whofe Gate!
law '!a great Brazen Npfe, like Pujtcbf'ne/lo's Viz
ard:.!^ was told they alfo call it Brazen-No/e
Volltdg'e^ and that John Dunfcptus1 taught here;,
if* Remembrance of which they fet up the Sfgrt
of his Nofe at the Gate. The laft CoHedge I vifi;l
ted Was St. John's, which is the rribft Regular*
Building of any of them, tho' not the Richeft: I|
h&s Two Square Coutts, as large as the Square we
fioW have in the Louvre ; and Two large Building^
Three Story high, with Four Wings of the fame
height: I few a Fine Library in one of them, and
a large Wainfcotted Gallery, wherein I found no
'other Ornament thari the 'Picture, of King
Charles I. which they took out of a Coyer, aha
arid thawed here for a Rarity, becaufe the Hair
of hh\Head Was made up of Scripture Lines,
wrought

By Monf Sorbiere. 43
wrought wonderfullyfmall, and more particular
ly of thePfelms of David m Latin. This Prince,
and the Queen Mother's Statues in Brafs, ftand
in the Second Court upon the Two Gates;
and the Two late Archbifhops of Canterbury^
who were Benefactors to this Colledge, are Buri
ed in the Chapel: There are Two large Gardens
belonging to this Colledge, one \df which is
terrafled, and the other faces a Plain to the
Northward. " ; x ;• /
The Famous Library of the Univerfity of Ox-* oxford li-
ford, where theit Publick Leftures are read, reJfovo?.
quires we fhould dwell a long while upon1 it;
but I had only a Tranfient View of it -. It's made
in the form of an H, has- Two Stories of
Books: The lbwermofthasSixRowsof E>/w's,-and
Three of Quarto's : In the other, to which ydu g<*.
up by wooden Stairs, very artfully contrived for
to give Light in the Middle, and at the Four -Cdfi
ners, there are Nine Rows more, whereof Three
iri Folio's, and the reft of different Volumes : Thofe
of Selden are on one Side, together with the Ma-
Bufctipts given to the Library by the late Archbr-
QM&Laud, being Two Thou fend' Four Hundred'
hi'iNumber : We, "took a Walk in the Galleries
above the Library, and few a great Number of
Medals there -, and there are the Pictures of fome
learned Men round the Galleries, where they
fheWed us the Sword which-' the Pope fent
Henry VIII. as Defender of the Faith -. Here is a
Plate of Anatomy not worth feeing: The
Schools were all of them fliut up ; and there are
fcarce any Lectures read there, becaufe the pri
vate ones draw all the Scholars thither.
. ; Oxford City would be nothing without the oxfbrd.
Colledges-, for there are fcarce any more Inhabi
tants in it than are enough to ferve Three or
Fouy

44 A Journey to England.
Four Thoufand Students, and to cultivate a very
delightful Plain* where the City ftands upon a
fmall River, abounding with Fifh, which falls
near it into the frames. We were Two Days
in going by the Stage Coach to Oxford, thro? a
Fine Countrvi where we were delighted with the
Sight of Uxbridge, Beconsfieldi, High Wick?
am, zvdWeftWickam, which they call Towns,
tho* they are in ftrictnefs no more than large un^
walled Boroughs. They frightned us with the
Danger of Highway -men on the Road, which I
thought they did out of Vanity, and to the end
that Paris might have nothing) to upbraid London
with: But I am fatisfied fome of them appeared
in Reality now and then. It's certain there are
good Regulations made in this Country ; and
when any Robbery is committed, the Country
People prefently take the Alarm, and purfue fb
hard, that the Highway-men vary feldom can
make their Efcape.
Return to I apply'd my felf anew upon my Return to
London. London to make all the Obfervations I could,
and exaftly to note every 4hing which I
could not fee or know any otherwife than by the
Information of others. I more narrowly obferved
the Court than before, and had the Honour to
wait upon the King, and to be entertained near
an Hour in his Clofet. I was feveral times at
Weftminfter, where the Parliament Sits. I few
all; the Courts of Juftice. I went into feveral
§orts of Companies, was often upon the Walks,
went to Gentlemeijs Country-houfeSj and forgot
nothing that was feafible, in order to make my
felf acquainted with the Government, Manners^
. . and Genius of the People * and this. I am fure is
vfihat your Curiofity expects from me: But I can-
• -J ;k'\ . . . fc _., - '-. UQ|

By Monf Sorbiere. £?
not think I fhall be able to ahfwer your Defirfes
My fhort Stay in England, and Ign^ancTof
the Language perhaps have been a Barr to my
making a right Judgment of things: For tho' 1
have converted with fome of the eenteeleft and
K?-P2?5 PeopIe in the Kiugdom, hive feen
Whtte-Ha/fand Wejfminfter, the Court of Pari?
ament, fome of the greateft Lords, arid fome Ci
tizens, Things ferious and pleafant, Bufinefs and
Divertion the Exchange, Spring-Garden, Hide-
C%h£ fiTr* !;"d ^fto-batfe, Grefham-
Colledge, the Temple, and St. Paul's, that is
the Learned in all Faculties, I cannot think that
is enough to make one believe that I have nene-
trated into the Depth of things, and that I can
thoroughly know a Nation, which, under theRofe
mi % "Fni I7,eg0!ar and Fant*aick Temper.'
Wherefore I fhall relate unto you thofe thiWs
which appeared unto me to be fo, and not
perhaps what really and in truth they are- For
there is a vaft difference between the Idea's we
conceive of a Country ju firft View, and thofe
which are formed in Time, when we come to
correct the firft Draught. Neither do I ore
tend to make Ufe of the fame Pencil to represent"
unto you a great Number of Excellent Per
fons whom I admired in this Country, and the
Sceach I have made of others, reaches no far
ther than to thofe who remain in puris Natura-
libus, and have not either by Study, Reafonine
or other Acquirements in Foreign Countries Po
lifted the natural Roughnefs incident to them
in their own.
I am very ready to excufe the Roughnefs ofr*. cw
a People who live in fo Fine a ConngTwto*^
cultivate a Soil that yields them Plenty of all"?
Neceffaries for Human Life 5 who want neither **> tbe
« On, haughty.

46 A Journey to England.
Iron, Stone, Lead, Tin, Coal, Lime, Wood,
Corn, Pulfe, Pafturage, Beef, Muttbn, Horfes,
Goats, Meadows, ! Fountains, Rivers -, in fhorr;.
no Sorts of Beauties nor Induftry, to manage all
thefe Rich Gifts of Nature: A People, I fay,
who, befides all thefe Conveniencies, find them
felves furrounded by the Sea, ^ which is a Fence
to fecure them from other Nations that would
difturb their Tranquility -, and who, with all this,
and by ranging ' themfelves under the Notion of
a diftinct Empire, have retain'd a great deal of
that Humour" which is naturally Predominant in
the Minds^ of thofe who are ina State of Liberty.
1 find 'ris natural enough for People that have
fo good a fhare, to defpife all the reft of Man
kind, and to count thofe miferable that Border
upon them, and come out of a Country where
the Englifh fancy they have not all thefe Conve
niences: Hence ariies that carelels Air where
with they look upon Strangers, or. make Anfwer
to them ; and fince the Common People and Mean-
eft Tradefmen are wont to ufe this Sort of Haugh-
tinefs and Indifferency towards Strangers, let
them endeavour to prevent them as much as they
can by their Civilities, and exert all the Gentle
and Refpe&fal Conduct imaginable towards them,
all fignifies nothing: Nay, fometimes their
Complaifance, as well as their Silence and Se-
rioufnels, offends them; for as they are very
fufpicious, and full of hollow-heartednets, they
draw what dangerous Confequences they . pleale
from your Silence and Compliments ; fo that 'tis
very hard to guefs the Way to obtain their Good
will. They are equally apt to be offended ei
ther Way ; and the Methods by which we gain
their Efteem one Day, will bring us to lofe it the
next; fo very much does the feme depend upon their

¦ By Monf. Sorbiere. 47
their Capricious and Melancholy Temper, which
is fo peculiar to them. ' '
My frequent Attendance in the RoyalSociet| The Pheu-
did not give me an Opportunity to fee Mr., Boyle, matkk
who, to my Misfortune, was not in London all the **?.•/
time I ftaid there. But I have feen feveral Expe- u yIe*
riments made with his Pbeumatick Machine :
The Invention of which will in aUAppearance be
afcrib'd to him by Pofterity, as the bringing' of it
to Perfection will be to Mr. Chrifiian Hugens .-
A World 'of things will undoubtedly be difcovered
by it ; and fome of the Experiments made with
it, fhew unto us the Diftempers occafioned by
the Air. I have feen feveral Rarefactions and
Condenfations made by it ; and no Endeavours
were wanting to obferve what befel thofe Ani
mals which were expofed to the Influence of it:
This will one time or other be the Subject of a
Set Converfetion, with which we may divert our
felves, in Cafe we fhould fpend Part of the next
Spring at Phillipville.
I am firmly of the Opinion, Sir, that if the Advance-
ProjeQ: of the Royal- Society be not fome Way or »«* f
other blafted, (as I hope it never will, by reafon ¥¦**"'"£
of the Quality and Merit of thofe Perfons who udGtoryto
are Members of it, and the Care his Majefty has princes.
taken about it,) we fhall find a World or People
fall into an Admiration of fo Excellent and Learn
ed a Body, and England will afford a vaft many
ufeful Inventions to other Nations : For if Art and
Sciences have been already fo much improved by
the Study and Hazards of fome private Men,
what will not the good Conduct of fo many capa
ble Perfons, the Purfes of feveral great Lords,
the publick Authority, and the Magnificence of
fo Potent a Monarch, do? His Majefty has by
this made it plainly appear that he knows the
true

48 A Journey to England.
true Way to attain Solid Glory; if we call
that Renown, which is of a long Duration, and
very extenfive, Solid Glory. Thofe who feek af
ter it, by invading the Poffefflons of others, and
ill-grounded Wars, or fuch as in the Confequenceof
them, whofe End do not appear, in my Mind do
hot make a right Judgment of it : In a Word,
Sir, What fhall we fay of the Two laft Kings of
Sweden, who made fo muchNoife in Poland,
Denmark and Germany. Their Glory is in a man
ner quite vanifhed, and indifferent Perfons cannot
Read the Defolations made by their Armies
without Horror. I am free to unbofom all my
Thoughts unto you, who is a lover of Juftice as
well as of War : Man was not born to make War
upon thofe of his own Kind, but to enjoy the
Sweets of Peace, for otherwife God Almighty
would have furnifhed him with Claws, Horns,
Teeth, and other offenfive Arms.
Os homini/ublime dedit, Qtlumq; tueri
Juffit, & ereflos adftdera toller e vultus.
And it was only in their own Defence that they .
have been obliged to invent Machines to fight
with. I have read in fome Book or other, treat
ing of the Affairs of China', that the Princes of
that vaft Kingdom did not make their Glory
fo much to confift in commanding Armies, ta
king Towns, facking of Provinces, and winning
of Battles, as in the Tranquility of their Domini
ons, vigour of the Laws, good Regulation of Go
vernment, Riches of Trade, Increafe of Husban
dry, Excellency of Manufactures, Improvement
of Arts, and in the Care they took of the Publick
Good, or Ornament of their Country ; infomuch,
that the nobleft Elogies their Hiftoriansmake up on

By Monf. Sorbiere. 49
on them, are that fuch a Prince was very Dutiful
to his Parents ; that he always had a very good
Correfpondence with all his Relations ; thax he
was an entire Lover of his People ; that he was
the firft that brought in fuch a Cuifom, that he
Built fuch a Bridge, raifed fuch a Way, planted
the Rows of Trees between fiich a Town and
fuch a Town; that fuch Medicines or fuch Foods
were made ufe of from his time forward : And
thus they have their Princes in perpetual Remem
brance for to blefsthem, inftead of calling them
to mind by Way of Indignation, as-thofearewho
have been the Authors of fuch and fuch Deva-
ftations, whofe Memories they endeavour' to
forget. >
But perhaps, Sir, the Reflections I have thus The Author"
made on the Chi nef eBi&oties, in reference to the Emitted
good Princes England has been bleft with for thefe J * .
Hundred Years paft, and efpecially that Kingc^.~ ""
who now Reigns, have carried me too far : This
Prince made great Improvement of his long Ad-
verfity, from which he has drawn all the Conclu-
fions which he feems to have taken for fettling
the Peace, Tranquility and Imbellifhment of his
Country upon a Solid Foundation : I fhall think
the Society he has Founded very happy, if they
continue, purfuant to their Orders, to go on in per
fecting the Arts and ufeful Sciences they have be
gun to cultivate : And I take it to be an inefti-
mable Honour done to me to be admitted a
Member of it, and that my weak Productions
have been fo favourably looked on by fuch clear-
lighted Gentlemen as rhey are : The King him
feif had the Goodnefs to tell me, that my Works
were not difpleafing to him : I muft confefs to
you I was very much affected with his Royal
Approbation, and cannot forbear hereby to give
E fome

50 * A Journey to England.
fome publick Marks of my Acknowledgment *.
For I find my felf as much obliged to his Maje
fty for the Gracious Reception he gave me, as if
he had laden me with Royal Prefents -, and I fhall
never forget that Sweetnels and Affability with
which he did me the favour to let me admire
the Rarities in his Clofet.
the Court As the Court of England is not fo great as
^England ourS) ti,ere js tj,e eafjei. Accefs to the Prince ;
%. an<i tnis kinci °f private Life, which his Exile in
his younger Years brought him toaccuftom him
feif to, infpires him with great Tendernefs for his
Subje8s,andmuch Familiarity to Strangers; befides,
the Genius of the Englifh does require they fhould
be governed after this gentle manner. And tho*
the Crown here is Hereditary, yet the Monarchy
has fome Allays in it of other Sorts- of Govern
ments -, and hence it is, that as the King muftufe
fome Freedom with the Nobility and Gentry, in
order to preferve their Affection and E-
ffeem, thefe laft are alfo obliged to ufe the
fame Practice towards Tradefmen, and their
Domefticks. Military Officers in like manner
practice the feme towards their Soldiers, who of
ten fpeak to them with their Hats on, and with
out any Complement ; and hence it is that the
Englifh Nobility cannot regulate their Incomes
and Expence as they ought to do, becaufe they
muft Let their Lands tos Farmers and Receivers
at a low Rate, if they would keep up the Re
fpect and Obeyfence due unto them ; and if they
dp not keep good Houfes they will be foon de-
lpifed -. But the Englifh may be eafily brought to
any thing, provided you fill their Bellies, let them
have Freedom of Speech, and do not bear too hard
upon their lazy Temper.V But notwithftanding
all the Gentlenefs, wherewith the King, who is
one

By Monf Sorbiere. 51
one of the Belt Princes in the World, ufes his Sub
jects, he can fearce reftrain their Caballing from
time to time againft the Government; witnefs
the Bufinefs of the Earl of Briftol, now on Foot,
of which you have already heard, and would
have me give fome Account of : I heartily with
you would difpence with my Compliance herein,
for I muff confefs to you that I have not look'd
far enough into that Matter ; but fince you will
allow of no Excufe, I'll recount all that I could
learn of it unto you.
In reflecting therefore upon the prefent State ofVffinnte
England, and the Lord Chancellor's being accufcdg*"!/
by the Earl of Briftol, it looks as if the leaft Briftol and-
Sparks of Fire, when they meet with Combufti-*/>e chan-
ble Marter, fhould make great Conflagrations -«#«••
and that perhaps there was not fo much Pretence
for the Commotions in the late King's Time, as
there would be now, if Things were difpofed to
it. But the laft Civil War is too frefh in Memo
ry, and continued too long to be fo foon followed
by another Rifing ; and this is the chief Reafon
that makes Men believe new Tumults will not
fo foon be railed again, but that the People will
content themfelves with talking of the paft and
prefent Times with all the Freedom the Englifh
ufually take : ^For not to difoblige the Italians, the
Englifh are as much upon the Politicks as they,
and the Great Ones much lets fpared than the
other. In the mean time fome new Circumftance
may arife that may introduce a new Subject of
Difcourfes The Earl of Briftol and the Chan
cellor may die, and that Envy and Evil-fpeaking,
wherewith that Favourite has been profecuted,
may alight upon fome other Perfon, or elfe fome
other Matters may intervene tofurhifh People with
different Difcourfes. Thefe Two Men have the
E 2 Re-

J2 A Journey to England.
Reputation ofbeing Grand Politicians. My Lord
Chancellor Hyde is a Man of the Law, he ftudied
and profeffed it in his younger Years, and there
fore is skilled in the Forms of ir, but otherwife
knows but little, and is ignorant of the Belles
Lettres : He is taken to be inclined in his Heart
to Presbytery, and to have a Popular Spirit : He
is a handfome Man, of about Threefcore Years
of Age, and has the Honour to be Father-in-law
to the Duke of York, which perhaps is one of his
Crimes in the Eyes of the Earl and the People. The
Earl of Briftol is younger than the Chancellor, one
of the Ancient Nobility, has gone through great
Imployments, and is a Perfon of Fine Parts, which
incline him to be lbmewhat Prefumptuous, and
fill him with Romantick Thoughts: He pro-
feffes himfeif a Roman Catholick, and has a mid
dling Eftate. They are both of them Bold, Elo
quent, and have a ftrong Party on their Side.
The Houfe of Lords, all the Court-Malecontents,
and a good Part of the Houfe of Commons, take
Briftol'sPatt. Thefe laft fting fmartly; they are thofe
who make the moft Noife, and in Reality have
the greateft Power, or to fpeak more adaptly,
are the true Body of the Parliament, as Things
ftand now-a-days. The Presbyterians, whofe Re
formation is according to the Geneva Mode,
have ulcerated Minds ; and almoft all the People
in London, who are of this Sect, readily hearken
to any Thing which tends to the bringing down
of the Epifcoparians, becaufe they have got the
Churches into their Pofleflion, purfuant to the
A£t of Uniformity. My Lord Clarendon has all
the Royal Family on his Side -, and Three or Four
Months ago he has had a Grandfon Born, which
ftrengthens his Intereft : Indeed the Queen-Mo
ther at firft was much diffatisnei with her Son's
Mar-

By Monf. Sorbiere. 53
Marrying the Chancellor's Daughter ; but finding
at laft the Thing was irretrievable, and that the
King himfeif did acquiefce with it -, land withal,
that the good Harmony there was between her
Children, and the Unitednefs of the Royal Fami
ly, were the Things which could Crown the
Felicity of her Old Age, the wifely endeavour
ed to make her felf eafie, and gently to fpend
the reft of her Days in Somerfet-Houfe, where
the enjoy'd a large Revenue, and kept a very
regular Court. Befides, my Lord Jermin, (now
Entituled Earl of St. Albans, who makes little or
no Pretentions to the Prime MiniftryJ being a
Man of Pleafure, entertains no other Thoughts
than to live at Eafe ; and having undoubtedly
influenced the Queen's Mind to Peace, this has
effaced the Hatred which fhe bore unto the
Chancellor. The King himfeif, who hitherto has
been pleafed with this Perfon's Miniftry, as af
fording him Leifure enough to repofe and divert
himfeif, and being refolved to ftand to his Prore-
ctidti, for fear if he fhould give Way, thofe who
are difaffected to him might be fo Bold as to
improve this Weaknefs to his Difedvahtage :
He fupports the Chancellor with a high Hand,
with whom alfo the Nobility, chief Merchants,
and all the Citizens that are not inclined* to
Difturbances, readily chime in : The Bifhops, and
fuch as hold goocf Prebends, are for the Earl of
Clarendon ; fo that it looks as if his Party were
the ftrongeft, and would he too hard for that of
Briftol. But nothing can be faid concerning the Event, talk_of the
if we confider the Inftability of Humane Affairs, Peofle'
as well as that of the Nation ; the Difoofiriori
of the Parliament, the Common Difcourfes of
the People, and what paffed at Court for Three
E 3 Years

54 ^ Journey to England.
Years laft paft , which is continually de
bated by the Englifh, according to their Way :
IFor as they are naturally lazy,' and fpend half
their Time in taking Tobacco, they are all the
while exercifing their Talents about the Govern
ment; talking of new Cuftoms, of the Chimney-
Money, the management of the Publick Trea-
fure, and the leflening of Trade : And fo look-,
ing back, and calling to mind the Strength of
their Fleets in Oliver's Time, the Glory they
obtain'd in all Parts of the World, the Alliances
every Body courted to make with them, the
Pomp of their Republick, to whom came Am-
baffadors from all Parts, they cannot forbear to
make odious Companions, and ro fhew the In
clination they have to New Troubles : They are
fond enough of a King, for the greater Glory
of their Country ; they love the Title, and
prefer Regal Government before any other.
But they own their over-free and too arro
gant Temper requires fome Reftraint, fo as that
it may not falley out to an Excefs of Rudentts;
and rhey pretend that their King ought to apply
himfeif entirely to maintain the Publick Peace,
to promote the Happinefs of his People, and to
advance the Honour and Reputation of his Coun
try abroad, as much as poffibly he can. They fey
that 'tis for this End he is allowed a Revenue to
live in fo much Splendor ; and that their Parlia
ment, wherein the Sovereign Power refides, ne
ver refufes him any thing he asks of them to
carry on his Juft Defigns : But that it grieves
them to fee the moft Important Affairs commit
ted to the Care of a Minifter, who has always In-
terefts of his own, contrary to thofe of the Pub
lick i, and that they are fenfible the People are
made to bleed unprohtably j and that the Money

By Monf Sorbiere. *?
is fpent either Superfluoufly, or upon bafe Luffs-
that 'tis not reafonable fome Court Blood
suckers fhould gorge themfelves alone ; and that
there was neither Navigation, nor Tillage, nor
any Toils by Land or Sea, but was made ufe of
to contribute to the Eafe of a few Idle Packs,
who abufed the good Humour of their Prince.
Thefe Thoughts and Difcourfes very well fine
with the Haughty Humour of the Englifh, and
the Jealoufie wherewith they eye the Prolperity
of others : But befides a particular Inclination
they have by Nature to fupply themfelves with
fuch difrelpectful Arguments, they have for a
long time been Bred up in this III Habit,
through the Liberty their Parliaments have 5
the Hiftory of which, fo far as ic occurrs to
my Memory, or according to the Idea's I have
formed of it, I fhall briefly relate to you, fee
ing I have not at prefent any other Helps to (
give you a more exact Account of them.
England was heretofore Conquered by the Tffh°pe'"e
Germans, who made a Defcent there at a time % of the
when the Natives were no other than half Sal- Houfe of
vages, fuch as the Highlanders of Scotland are Commons.
at this Day. Such Irruptions as thefe have be
fallen feveral other Countries ; for when a Na
tion found itfelf overftock'd with People, they
have been put upon a Neceffity of feeking out
new Habitations : So it was anciently with the
Greeks, who fent Colonies into Afia ; and with
the Egyptians, who did the feme in PaUftine :
The Oftrogoths over-run Gaul and Italy, and
the Maritime People of the Northern Parts paf-
fed into America. The Saxons being informed
of the Fruitfulnefs of the Ifland, which was
inhabited by a more Undifciplined People than
they were, refolved to tranfport themfelves thi-
E 4 ther;

5 6 A Journey to England.
ther^ and feveral younger Sons of the befl Fami
lies, and petty Princes Sons joining together,
, formed an Army, One of whom was chofen
General. The Enterprize fucceeded, they con-.
quered the Iflanders, fettled in England, and fo
formed a People, confifting of Two Nations, in->
to One Body, and called them Englifh-S axons :
But a Victorious Army cannot well fubfift long
under the Command of the fame General, but
that he, if endued with Ambition and Courage,
muft ufurp the Sovereign Power, and make him
feif King over them : The Saxon General actually
became fo over the Conquered Country, and
gave his Officers Part of the Land, which they
were to hold of him, but he at the feme time
granted them very large Priviledges , info-
much that their VafTals were not only liable to
heavy Services, and Bind- Days, but obliged to take
up Arms for their Defence ; and this Authority
made them frequently withdraw themfelves
from under the Obedience of the Prince. For tho*
thofe Petty Tyrants, taken feparately, were much
inferior in Strength to the King that was to
^attack them, yet upon the Junction of feveral
of them together their Power was formidable.
Things continued in this State for feveral Ages;
the King and his Barons finding fome Caufe or
other continually to differ, and betake them
felves to Arms-, and thefe Broils were of a lon
ger or fhorter Duration , according as they
were more or lets united amongft them
felves againft the Royal Power : Nay, Things
were carried fo far at laft, that almoft afl
the Barons of the Kingdom having joined
with the Bifhops, rendred themfelves a Match
for King John, and continuing the War againft
Henry Ul overpowered hin^. But Edp^rfh

By Monf Sorbiere. 37
his Son, Sirnamed Longfhanks, oppofed thens
with a great deal of Courage ; and to the end
he might the more eafily compafs his Defigns
againft the Nobility and Clergy, who had been
fo very troublefome to his Predeceffors, he was
forced to make Ufe of a Stratagem. It's true,
indeed, that it was a Fit of Defpair that put
him upon it ; but fuch as afterwards contribu
ted very much to the weakning of the Monar
chy, and was the Caufe of all the Misfortunes
and Tragedies that enfued. To the End therefore
that he might humble the Nobility and Bifhops,
he called a Parliament of Commoners, with
whom he confulted only about the Affairs of the
Kingdom, without advifing either with the Ba
rons or Prelates, of which the Houfe of Lords
confifts at this Day, and with whom the Kings
formerly were wont to examine the Requefts of
the Lower Houfe, and did what they thought
fit in the Matter. The Ancient Way ufed to call
the Commons together was this; the King with
his Queen being at Glocefter, and tarrying there
for fome time, commanded the Bailiffs to give
the Burroughs and Counties Notice to fend Two
Burgefles, and as many Gentlemen, to prefent
their Requefts to him: The King having received
and advifed with the Barons there prefent about
the fame, let the Commons know his Pleafure
thereupon, and difmift them. But ip this Parlia
ment of Edward I- the Commons made them
felves more confiderable than they had been at
any time before; and the King was glad to find
their Authority rife to the Diminution of the „
Clergy and Nobility ; fo that at laft they had
nothing left but the Titles of Counties and Dio*
ceffes, without having any Power over the Per?
fpnf, Goods or Action?, of their Vaffals; : Then

58 A Journey to England.
it was that they began to fpeak of the Rights of
the People, and to form the Leaven of all the Se
ditious Principles, which fince that have armed
the Subjects againft their Lawful Sovereigns, un
der the Cover of the Publick Good, and the
Removal of State Grievances: So that Am
bitious and Mutinous Spirits have frequent
ly found a Way to make the Court odious
in the Houfe of Commons. King Edward
was not aware of this Inconveniency ; and the
prefent Neceffity he lay under of depreffing his
Enemies was a Bar . to his farther Care and
Profpect of what fuch a Pace might in time
produce.
RefleSkns He did not confider that the People, tho' un-
vpon the der never fo Juft and Moderate a Government,
Name «/never love thofe that Govern them with an Ovet-
m people. Tendernefs: The unequal Diftributions of world-
ly Goods and Honour, ( which 'tis impoffible to
avoid, ) caufe perpetual Jcaloufies between the
great Ones, and Hatred between thofe of a Lower
Degree : The Love of Liberty, or rather that na
tural Fiercenels and Pride, the ' Fatal Seeds of
which the Heart of Man retains, fince his firft
Difobedience to the Divine Command, and the
equal Right every one had in Reality over every
thing in a State of Nature, in Conjunction with a
Principle of Glory, which thwarts our voluntary
Submiffion to one another, will caufe an Eternal
Difference between Mankind, fo as that the befl
of Princes, and thofe who are moft difpofed to
promote the Good of their Subjects, are not able
to govern them peaceably, without they are in
a Capaciry to ufe Force and Authority, after
they have try'd Perfwafion and the Courfe
of Jufticetonp Purpofe: Wherefore, feeing the
Englifh do not love their Sovereigns as much as
could

By Monf. Sorbiere. $9
could be defired, it's convenient that there
fhould be a third Sort of Men berween the King
and the People, againft whom the latter might
fpit their Venom, but at the feme time be a Bar
rier againft thofe Undifciplined Animals, and flop
the Torrent from palling as far as the Throne.
Princes ought for this Reafon to Protect the Nobi
lity ; and when the Dikes to the Seaward are Forti
fied, thefe is no need of doing ir to the Land
ward. Princes, in Point of good Policy, ought to
Govern, fo as that no Vaffals fhould ever become
Mafters of their Lords, under whom they held;
and to take diligent Heed left their Nobility,
by being left to livet oo much at their Eafe, might
in time fo Increafe in Power, as might prove
difedvantageous to the Sovereign. It's their mu
tual Intereft that each Part be kept in a juft Me
dium: For as the Nobility cannot fubfift but by
the Supream Authority, which preferves them
from the Defections of their Vaffals ; fo Kings
cannot be fecure on their Thrones, and have a
fplendid Court, without their Nobility. And
therefore King Edward perhaps did not weigh the
Matter fo well, in giving the Commons in Par
liament fo much Authority, which from thence
forward they have endeavoured to maintain, and
in our time turned the Three Kingdoms into 3
Republick. But at laft Juftice and found Policy prevailed ; K!ng rer
and I hope thofe Rebels Heads that are put upon flared by
London Bridge and Weftminfter-Hall will no Monk.
lefs frighten the Seditious, than the Bleffings
heaped upon General Monk will prove to be a good
Example to thofe that love Repofe, and have any
Regard to the Honour and Encomiums of Fide
lity that will attend them. For we are not to be
lieve that the King's good Fortune in being re- ;d3

<5o A Journey to England.
ftored, was accidental, but indeed a premeditated
Defign: The Duke of Albemarle is a Man of
Senfe, Courage and Conduct; fo that I have
no Regard at all to what thofe People fey, who
Envy his Glory, viz. that the Difagreement of the
Factions, after the Death of Cromwell ; the Dif-
orders and Broils in Parliament ; the Jealoufie of
his Companions, and the Attempt the Parlia
ment made to difpoffefs him of his Command,
by appointing Four Commifhoners to govern the
Army, put Monk upon the Thoughts that it
was better to have the Glory of reftoring the
King to his Throne, than to fall down himfeif
from the Poft he was in, or to attempt that which
the Protector had done, and what he had not
Power to accomplifh. But 'tis very certain that
this Valiant Man did his Duty ; and in taking to
the Right Side, he has Plus Dap'is £? Rixa, multa
yiinuslnvidi&que: My Meaning is, that he put a
Spoke into the Wheel when Fortune had raifed
him high enough; and he found it to be much
better for him to be the firft Officer of the
Crown in Tranquility, than if be had fpent the
reft of his Days in Tyrannizing over his Country,
and been continually bufied in Warding off the
Punifhrrient he fhould fo juftly deferye: For 'tis
very rare to meet with fuch another Example as
that of Cromwell's, who died in his Bed, and was
Depofited in the Burying-place of the Kings of
England: General Monk has now Lodgings
in White-Hall; and if he has no Expectations
of being Buried in Henry VII's Chapel, he
need not be afraid of being one time or
other dragged out from thence with Ignq^
miny.

By Monf. Sorbiere. 61
What Motives foever Monk had to perform Cromwefr
fo Glorious an Action, I have been affured inGovern~ ,.
England, that theProteaor's Government was fo ZhZ
violent^hat it could not laft long, and it was lafled.
thought the Trouble of Mind he laboured under
fhortned his Life. For as he was obliged to be
at a prodigious Expence both by Sea and Land,
and to be always upon the Guard, as well as to
give away large Sums of Money to his Spies,
that fo he might have Intelligence of every Ccpi-
fpiracy and Defign againft his Perfon, he could
no longer bear it ; and as Abfolute as he was, he
was to be Tender in the Point of laying Taxes
upon the People. In fhort, the Riches of Eng
land 'are very much Limited, and the People are
not very forward to part with their own for the
Ufe of the Publick. All Taxes muft have been
raifed by the Parliament, and the Prote&or had
always enough to do to manage the People, tho'
the Parliament was at his Devotion. Hence it
was that he died in Debt, and that the King
himfeif has been obliged to pay his Debts. Oli
vers Soldiers being not willing to lofe any of
their Arrears. Thofe who have not made a near
Infpe£tion into the Affairs of England, or not
ftudied the Genius of the People, and the Irregu
larity of their Politicks, among which there
is an Intermixture of all Sorts of Govern
ments, will find it difficult to comprehend all
this. From thefe more Serious Matters, let us pafs to
fome others of more Gaity -, for I know, Sir,
you would have me give you an Account of the
Plays, Walks, Houfes of Pleafure, and Feafts I
have been at : The Englifh are not very Dainty ;
and the greateft Lords Tables, who do not keep
French Cooks, are covered only with large Difhes of

£n A Journey to England.
of Meat: They are Strangers to Bisks and Pot
tage: Only I few once fome Milk-Pottage in a
large and deep Difh, fome of which, as a lin
gular Favour, the Mafter of the Houfe gave in
a China Difh to fome of hisGuefts : Their Paltry
is coarfe and ill baked; their Stewed Fruits and
Confectionary Ware cannot be eat; they fearce
ever make ufe of Forks or Ewers, for they
wafh their Hands by dipping them into a Baton
of Water. It's common enough for them after Meals
to Smoke Tobacco^, in the interim of which they
converfe a long time and freely : People of Quality
dp not ufe itfo much as others; 'and there is fearce
a Day paffes but a Tradefman goes to the Ale-
houfe or Tavern to fmoke wich fome of his
Friends, and therefore Publick Houfes are nume
rous here, and Bufinefs goes on but flowly in the
Shops : For a Taylor and a Shoemaker, let his
Bufinefs be never fo urgent, will leave his Work,
and go to drink in the Evening ; and as he often
times comes home late, or half Seas over, he has
no great Inclination to go to Work, and opens
not his Shop, even in Summer-time, till after
Seven in the Morning. This makes Manufaftures
dear, and renders the Natives angry with the
French People ; for our Tradefmen are ufually
more Induftrious ; and as they are more handy at
their Work, Folks go the willinger to Buy
of them, and they can Sell cheaper than the
Englifh,, who would have as much for the little
they do as the others, and the lofs of their Time
made up to them that Way. This, together with
their voracious and lazy Temper, is the Reafon
why the Dutch always underfell the Englifh ; for
'tis certain that thefe have always more Hands
( on Board their Ships, do not livefo cheap, and are
not fatisfied with fo little Profit: \ And fence it is
that

By Monf Sorbiere. 63
that they muft neceffarily fall out fometimes ;
and that the ftriking of the Flag to the Englifh,
which gratifies their Ambition, does not fatisfie
the mtereft they have in Trade : Things fall out
every Day, for which there is no Remedy, and
frequently to the Detriment of the Englifh Com
panies. But the happy Situation of their Ifland,
by which their Neighbours muft unavoidably pafs,
if they do not go North about, as the Dutch Eaft-
India Ships, and many of their Men of War, fre
quently do, makes the Hollanders comply with
what they would have of them: Neverthelefs, as
to their Herring Fifhery, which is a Bone of Con
tention between thefe Two Nations, who difpute
the Freedom of the Sea, and have writ Books
about it on both Sides, that of Selden being
Mare Liberum, and Grotius's Mare Clau/um, it
happens that both of them having caught great
Store of this Fith, and pickled them at a great
Charge, the Sale of the Englifh is fpoilt by the
Cheapnels of the Dutch Herrings, for they Sell at
a Lots •, and while every Body Buys of the Dutch,
the others Fifh rots in their Warehoufes, and the
Englifh Company is incapable to follow the
Fifhery another Year. The Dutch Company,
which is the more Potent, and Trades at a lefs
Charge, then fit out their Buffes to Sea, make a
great Fifhery, and having the Herring Trade to
themfelves, they fet a Price on them, and make
themfelves amends for the Lofs of the feveral
Millions which they had before fuftained,- and
this is a Specimen of the Cunning of the Dutch
in Trade, againft which the Englifh can oppofe
nothing but Threats, and the Infults they put
from Time to Time upon them.

64 A Journey to England.
Defiriptian I will not take upon me to defcribe the Royal
*/ a Cmn- Palaces of Wind/or and Hampton-Court to you ;
try Houfe. an(i that I may only give you an Idea of thofe
that are Inferior to them in Dignity, I fhall
lpeak of the Earl of Salisbury's Houfe, to which
the Earl of Devonfhire carried me: It's about
Eighteen Miles from London; we dined there,
and return'd to Town the feme Evening, but rid
hard for it : Hatfield then is a very Fine Caftle,
Built in a large Park, by the Father of this Lord,
which he finifhed in lefs than a Year from the
time it was begun -, and this his Son-in-Law, the
Earl of Devonfhire, told me, that I might know
other Countries as well asFrance could be very ex
peditious in Erecting Fine Buildings. It ftands
very advantageoufly, from which you have a
Profpect of nothing but Woods and Meadows,
Hills and Dales, which are very agreeable Ob
jects that prefent themfelves to us at all Sorts of
Diftances: Our Nobility, and even thofe of a
more Inferior Degree, would have made Ufe of
the Waters here, for fome Excellent Ufes and In
ventions ; and more efpecially of a fmall River,
which as it were forms the Compartiments of a
large Parterre, and riles and fecretly lofes itfelf
in an Hundred Places, and whofe Banks are all
Lined or Boarded. I never few a more engaging
Retreat than this : The Caftle is Built of Brick, -
with feveral fmall Towers, covered with Lead
and Slate. It has Three Courts below ; the Firft
contains the Stablings and other Conveniencies for
Poultry, Vfc. When you come through the Chief
Avenue to the Park Side, and when the Gates of
the lower Courts are open, there are Walks pre
fent themfelves to your View, that reach to the
further End of the Park, and make you lofe your
Bight: The Caftle is wonderfully delightful,
( and

By Monf. Sorbiere. 6$
and the Infide is exceeding Stately: I reckon
ed Fifteen Pictures very finely fet off on the tame
Floor, alfo a large Gallery and a Chapel.- We
Dined in a Hall • that looked into a Greenplot
with Two Fountains in it, and having Efpaiiers
on the Sides, but a Balifter before it, upon which
there are Flpwer-Pots and Statues: From this Pa-
terre there is a way down by Two Pair of S> airs,
of about Twelve or Fifteen Steps to another, and
from the Second to the Third : From this Terrafs
you have a Profpect of the great Water Parterre
I have fpoke of, which forms a Fourth ; there
is a Meadow beyond it, where the Deer range
up and down, and-abbutcing upon a Hill, whofe
Top ends in a Wood, and there bounds the Ho
rizon to us. I ought not to forget the Vineyard,
nor the feveral fmall Buildings on the fide of it,
fome of which ferve for a Retreat to feveral Sorts
of Birds, which are very tame. -''There are al
fo Arbours or Sumruer-Houfes, like Turkifh Chi-
osks, upon feme of the Eminences, which have
a Gallery round, and are erected in the moft
Beautiful Places, in order to the Enjoying of the
Diverfified Profpefts of this Charming Country:'-
You have alfo in thofe Places, where the. River
enters into and comes out of the Parterre, open
fort of Boxes, with Seats round, where you may
fee a vaft Number of Fifh pafs to and fro in the
Water, which is exceeding clear ; and they feem
to come in Shoals to enjoy all the Pleafures of the
Place; and quitting their own Element by jumping
fometimes out of the Water,this they do as it were
to obferve all the things I have defcrib'd to you.
Give me leave, Sir, before I quit this Enchanted Tht ^ ,
Caftle, to give the Earl thanks for the Honour Devon-
he did to take me to fee it; and to let you know rhat (hire.
he is a Lord of the higbeftQtiality, and one of the
F Richeft

66 A Journey to England.
Richeft in England; tho' 'tis his Vertue, and that
of bis whole Family, is what I would chiefly re
present unto you : The Countefs, his Mother, is itill
alive, and lives fplendidly at Rohampton, one
of her Seats near London. His Father was Mr.
Hobbs's firft Patron ; he was a Noble LoicLof Fine
Parts, very Curious,full of Courage and Goodnefs :
He loved Innocent Pleafures and Men of Honour,
and was defirous that every Body fhould enjoy
themfelves at his Houfe, from whence he had ba-
nifhed all Melancholly : The late M. du Bofc, as
well as Mr. Hobbs, told me a great many things
concerning this Lord that would be worth your
Hearing ; but I'll confine my felf to Ipeak of my
Lord, his Son, whom I found to be one of the
Civileft Gentlemen in the World : He is like
his Father, Free, Generous, and a Lover of Learn
ing, being himfeif well verfed in the Liberal Sci
ences. He was brought up by Mr. Hobbs, whom
he loves and reveres, and wirhafar greater Defe
rence than Perfons of his Quality are wont to fhew
to their Governours, when they have no longer a
Relation to them in that Refpect .-And indeed I do
believe that the great Improvement hemade by his
Inftru&ions puts him upon making him thefe Ac
knowledgements, for the Bent of Natural Incli
nation would not be of Energy enough to keep up
fo long and conftant aFriendfhipfor fuch Old Do-
mefticks : I never few one of a more fweet Tem
per, greater Humanity, and better than this Lord,
among all the great Nobility, who are for the
moft part intolerably proud and haughty in Eng
land. It looks as if a Lord took himfeif to be
of another Species than a Gentleman, fo im-
perioufly he carries himfeif towards him : He
having been perhaps brought up in the Country,
and that among Footmen, whom he kicked about at

By Monf. Sorbiere. £7
at Will and lmpunedly, without having been
polifhed by Travelling, whicft is too often done
with a Governour that takes no other Care than
to flatter him : Noble-men in England cannot be
arretted nor detained upon the Account of Debt,
no more than Priefts in other Places: It's very dif
ficult to feize their Eftates, and much more to ex
ecute the Laws. I could fey fomething very
particularly in reference to a Great Lord,
• Quem verfu dicere non eft,
Signis per facile eft  «
of whom I was entrufted to demand the Pay
ment of a certain Debt , which could not have incom
moded him, and which Money, a Perfon of Quali
ty of my Acquaintance had lent him in France, when
he extreamly wanted it : Tho' this Noble Lord
has Two Hundred Thoufand Livres a Year, is a
Man of Parts, and has a good fhare in Vertue,'
his Memory as to Debts is exceeding fhort ; and
'tis very difficult to come to his Levy, for he has
Four Houfes to lye in, which he makes ufe of as
the Night overtakes him, and according as his Bu
finefs lyes for the next Day : However, I got once
to the Speech of him, and he gave me very
xgood Words; for he is Courteous, Civil, Liberal,
Obliging, Devout, Learned, and a Philoiopher,
who brings himfeif into Streights by his Expen-
ces upon Curious Proje&s, while he forgets his
Creditors, and the Payment of his Debts. .1 loft
fome Time in waiting on him, and came away
without Succefs; but this only by the By, and
without naming Names. The Earl of Devon
fhire is not of this Inclination, neither does the
Grearnefs of his Fortuue admit him to tmke ufe of
this Priviledge of the Peerage -, neither could I
obferve he was any Ways tainted with the other
Faults of the Nobility, or of the Nation ; for
F 2 which

68 A Journey to England.
Which he owns himfeif daily beholding to that
Excellent Perfon,* who was entrufted with his
Education, and who I hope will alfo infpire the
fame Sweet, Obliging, and Ingenious Demeanor
into the Lord Cavendifh, his Eldeft Son, and the
Duke of Ormondes Son-in-law.
After my return from Hatfield, I ftaid fome
Days longer at London, where I had the Curiofi
ty to fee Two or Three Things over again,
which I thought I had not fo well confider'd be
fore : I mean the Court, Play-houfe, and Henry
VII's Chappel : I was mighty glad to fee in the
Abby the Tombs of Cafaubon and Cambden. The
Roof of the Chappel is very Curious Rofe-work,
and the Structure both Within and without is
one of the Fineft Buildings in Europe of the kind.
They fhewed me a great Stone under the Chair
where their Kings are Crown'd, which the Com
mon People call Jacob's Stone -, but that which
was moft remarkable were the Stately Tombs of
Richmond, Buckingham, and Henry VII. which
are equal to,' if they do not exceed, thofe of ours
in Sr. Denis. I fhall fey nothing of the ridiculous
Report given out at London, as if Cromwell had
given Secret Orders his Body fhould be depofited
in one of thefe Tombs ; and this they fancied
from the Precaution he ufed in his Life-time for
hisSecurity, he having Twenty feveral Bed-Cham
bers, fo that it might not be known in which of
them he lay. Having mentioned the Body of
the Protector, which was hang'd at Tyburn, and
his Head fet upon a Pole on Weftminfter-Hall,
this puts me in Mind of a Notion that prevails
among the People, and makes many of them be
lieve that Cromwell's Cunning proceeded fo far as
to open fome of the King's Tombs at Weftminfter,
and to take Care that the Bodies fhould be remo ved,

By Monf Sorbiere. 69
ved, and others put in their ftead : The Courti
ers have the conveniency of walking in a large
Park, which is pleafant enough, but the many cW.
Hackney Coaches ufed there difgrace the
Company, they are more like Carts, or ordinary
Travelling Waggons, than Coaches made for
State or Pleafure : In Hide-Park there is no fur
ther Diverfion than making the Great Ring ; there
is nothing to be feen acrofe it of any Moment,
and but little Gallantry attends the whole. Some
times they alight and go into St. James's-Park,
that is like the Tuillery at Paris, and ufually
walk faft there. The Play-houfe is much more Play-houfe,
Diverting and Commodious; the beft Places are in
the Pit, where Men and Women promifeuoufly fit,
every Body with their Company, the Stage is
very handfome, being covered with Green Cloth,
and the Scenes often-change, and you are regaled
with new Perfpeftives. The Mufick with which
you are entertained diverts your time till the
Play begins, and People chufe to go in betimes to
hear it. The Aftors and Aareffes perform their
Parts to Admiration, as I have been informed, and
fo far as I my felf could judge of them by their
Geftures and Speech. But the Players here wou'd
be of little Efteem in France, fo far fhort the _
Englifh come of the French this Way : The Po
ets laugh at the Uniformity of the Place, and the'
Rules of Times: Their Plays contain the Aftions
of Five and Twenty Years, and after that in the
Firft Aft they represent the Marriage of a Prince j
they bring in his Son Fighting in the Se
cond, and having Travelled over many Coun
tries : But above all things they fet up for Cha-
raaerizing the Paffions,Vertuesand Vices ofMan-
kind admirably well; and7 indeed do not fall
much fhort in the performance. In. reprefenting
F 3 a

70 A Journey to England.
a Mifer, they make him guilty of all the bafeft
Aaions that have been praaifed in feveral Ages,
upon divers Occafions and indifferent Profeflions :
They do not matter tho' it be a Hodch Potch, for
they fay, they mind only the Parts as they come
Elegance of. on one after another, and have no regard to the
the Eag- whole Compofition. I underftand that all the
]euazeL<tn~ En^ Eloquence confifts in nothing but meet
Pedantry, and rhat their Sermons from the Pulpit,
and their pleadings at the Bar, are much of the
fame Stamp. I can fay nothing of my felf as to
thefe Particulars, I only tell you what others have
affured me to be true. The Englifh Books are moft-
ly writ after the fame manner, and contain
nothing but Rapfodies of things ill enough fet
together; and yet they are Valued, and the Authors
get Reputation by them ; for they frequently ne
ver cite the Books from whence they Borrow, and
fo their Copies are taken for Originals. They
are great Admirers of their own Language ; and
it fuits their Effeminacy very well,, for it fpares
them the Labour of moving their Lips : It muft
needs.be very Copious and Adapt; for tho' 'tis
a Corruption of the Teutonick or German
which indeed is a very narrow Tongue, yet it
openly declares it to be her Bufinefs to grow
Rich with the Spoils of all dead Languages, and
every Day impunedly to appropriate all that is
good and proper for her irom the living ones :
Tnfe-Co- Their Comedies are a kind of Blank Verfe, and
~e h fuit an Ordinary Language better than our Meetre,
and make fome Melody : They cannot but con
ceive it to be a troublefome thing to have the
E,ar continually tickled with the feme Cadence ;
and they fey, that to hear Heroick Verfes fpoken
for Two or>. Three Hours together, and to recoyl
back from one to the other, is a Method of Ex-
preffion

By Monf. Sorbiere. 71

preffion that is not fo natural and diverting:
In fhort, it looks as if the Englifh would by no
means fall in with the Praaices and manner of
Reprefentations in other Languages ; and the Ita
lian Opera's appear more extravagant, and much
more difliked by them than ours. But we are
not here to enter upon a Difpute about the dif
ferent Taftes of Men, it's beft to leave every one
to abound in his own Sence. It's not upon this
Occafion only that we may obferve, how People
many times are much pleafed with Trifles ; and
that one of the greateft Enjoyments they have
is to impofe upon themfelves, or to fill their Heads
with fome Illufion to Divert them, till another
comes on, and fo new Airs and Fafhions feera
always the beft and moft agreeable to our Fancies.
It's the fame in feveral other things, of which we
may difcourfe one time or another at our leifure:
But tho' the Englifh Comedies are almoft all
Profe, I brought a Volume writ by the Marchio-
nefs of Newcaftle along with me, by which, as
alfo by Three other Volumes of the Poetical,
Political, and Philofophical Works of this Lady,
I was glad to make it appear in i ranee, how
much her Excellent Genius, Admirable Sence and
Eloquence, abounded throughout the whole Com
pofition.. Among the Diverfions of the City of London,
I am. not to forget the Bear Garden Prize-fight
ers ; they are ufually Fencing-mafters, or their Ufh-
ers, who to gain themfelves Reputation, and fome
thing elfe befides Blows, put out a Challenge,
and Jay a Wager of Twenty or Thirty Pounds
againft any that will fight them : The Money is
depofited and delivered to him that acceps the,
Challenge ; the Challenger takes up the Money
that is received at the Door, which amounts
F 4 fome-

7 a A Journey to England.
fometimes to more than Twice or Thrice the
Sum he gave his Opponent, as there are more
or lets, People there to fee the Sport : They fight
with Sword and Buckler , and Back-Sword.
But 1 tancy there is fome fort of Collufion be
tween them, to make the Sport laft, for they
prtiemly give over at the firft Drawing of Blood ;
belies, the Swords are blunt : However, they
f< metimes give one another terrible Hacks and
Slashes, to that half a Cheek hangs down ; but
this is done by chance, and happens not often,
tho' there- is always fomething that is fierce in
this B>utiih Exercife.
"Meets with I am to acquaint you, that before I repaffed
1 *?''"{*¦ the Seas, my good Angel, in the Nick of time,
Return" brcu^ht to me a Gentleman, one of whofe Parents
wj> Englifh, whofe Company I had from London
to Paris. I mer in my return with none of thofe
Inconveniencies I encountred before : The People
did not feem to be fo rude , and the Country
looked better than at firft. This Gentleman was
the Nephew of the. late M. du Prat, my dear
Friend v he is Young, but Prudent, Difcreet, and of
great Merit : He had before feemalmoft all Parts
of Europe with my Lord Cavendifh ; but being
defirous to know as much of the World as he
could. , he went over into Africa with the Earl of
Pet er borough, when he went to take upon him
tht Government of Tangier, a Place furrendred
to the Crown of England by the Portugueze. He
is ceitainly worthy of the Name he bears ; and
'tis with Delight that I few the Vertues of his
Unkie revive in him, togtther with thofe of Mr.
hobbs, and other Excellent Men, whom he had
feen in his Tnvels ; for he was no ftupid Travel-
Iei,:»^ >n Obferver ctoly of the good Inns he came
^o, but, hud taken a turn Refolution tp learn eve ry

By Monf. Sorbiere. 73
ry thing worth his Knowledge, and nicely to di-
ftinguifh the Goodnefs of things, as he had alfo
a defign to Polifh himfeif, to form a Sound Judg
ment of Matters, and to attain as far as it was
poffible for him to a Confummate Prudence;
and it delighted my Heart to find he had fucceed-
ed fo happily in all of them : For I looked upon
him as no other than if he had been my Son,
becaufe of the Friendship he ever profeffed for
me, and the Remembrance of that Efteem and
Veneration I had and ftill retain for his late
Unkle. By the feme good Foriune it fell out that f& meets
Dover did not come fhort of Calais, in the hap-*''* /J?**
py Interview I had there with a Heroine, whom ^ c"
I may fefupin Competition with the Lady whofe " "
Company 1 had been Honoured with on the other
Side of the Streigbt : But I few her in a Place
where I was very forry to meet with her, for it
was in the Caftle where fhe was confined that
I gave her a Vifit, and from whence fince that
fhe was Tranfported to Denmark ; in which Coun
try fhe fuffered fuch hardfhips as were unworthy
of her Sex and Birth, with an Heroick Courage.
What was told me as to the Reafon of her being
feized by the King of England's Orders I can
not give Credit to ; But I am glad of an Op
portunity to relate to you the Pretence for it,
and the whole Hiftory of her Life, which indeed
has a great deal Romantick in it, tho' I had it
from her own Mouth when I went to wait upon
her. The Countefs Eleanor is Sifter to the King of
Denmark, now Reigning, and the Daughter of
Chriftian IV. who Married a Gentlewomen with
his Left Hand, to diftinguifh between her and
Princeffes, and to leffen the Quality of the Chil dren

74 A Journey to England.
dren he might have by her : Arhongft others this
was one of his Daughters by her, whom he ex-
treamly loved, and when fhe grew up to Matu
rity, he gave her in Marriage to a Danifh Lord,
'Mnfieur &* whom he had a very great Efteem, and this
uiefield. was Cornelius Ulefield Oxenftern of Denmark,
the greateft Man in his Kingdom, and who mhe
took Pleafure to advance to the higheft Digni
ties. He made him Viceroy of Norway, Grand
Mafter of his Kingdoms, and heaped upon him
every thing that a Favourite could hope for ; of
which he has now no Remains left, but the moft
valuable of all; his moft Illuftrious Wife, for
whofe Confinement he is grieved to the Heart,
while he himfeif wanders up and down in Fo
reign-Countries under the Perfection of his Evil
Fortune. What would you fay, Sir, If I fhould make it
plainly appear to you,, that the Efteem his Ma
fter had for him, the Friendfhip he profeffed to
him, and the tender Affeaion wherewith he
loved the Countefs his Daughter, to fay nothing
of the Harmony between rhe Vertues of Two Per
fons fo equally Matched, have been the only Caufe
of their Misfortune, their Happinefs was thwar
ted by Envy, Dorneftick Jealoufies interpofed,
ancf all broke out after the Death of the late
King ; their great Genius came to be fulpeaed at
Court, and their Removal from it, which was
followed with all their other Mortifications,
came to pafs in the following manner.
Tresty be- Ckriftian IV. Reigned very peaceably, and ve-
meen the rv j0I)gj for \ think he governed the Kingdom for
;„aj'es Two and Fifty Years : This Prince, who had
Dutch, gained the Hearts of his People, found they failed
him after the Invafion of Schonen by the Swedes «•
Thi§

By Monf. Sorbiere. 75
This had fo exhaifted their Treafure , and
fo much weakned or cowed Denmark*, that in or
der to get out of Debt, or to keep and refume
their former Courage, they found themfelves un
der a nectifity of having Recourfe to Holland for
Relief. This was it that brought the Count of
Ulefield to the Hague in the Year 1649, and to
enter into a Treaty with the States General a-
bout the Paffage of the Sundt, which he would
let out to Farm to them. The Goodnefs of the
late King, and the Sweets of Peace, had made
the Gentry and Commonalty negligent of a great
many Priviledges, which they defigned to re-e-
ftablifh in their former Vigour when they came
to a new Eleaion: The Grand Mafter muft be
tight to the Intereft of the Court by his Office,
which was to reprefent all the Nobility of the
Kingdom, and to have a Negative Voice in their
Debates.- So that as nothing could pafs without
his Confent, he had been accuftomed to Sign
Placards, and publifh Orders thus ; By the. King
and the Grand Mafter. This Minifter, I fay, was
intirely in the Intereft of his Brother-in-law's,
being Eleaed to fucceed in the Throne ; and per
haps, befides ths Intereft he had in heightning
the Priviledges of thofe of his own Rank, he like-
wife confidered that of his own Family, and the
Animofities that had been raifed between the
Children of the Royal Family, by reafon of the
Inequality of their Condition, and the Jealoufies
which the Affeaion the late King had for the
Countefs Eleanor, wrought amongftthem.
. Things ftanding thus in Denmark, Monfieur Grand Ma-
Ulefield went for the Hague ; the Treaty about fterremo-
the Paffage of the Sundt with the Dutch Spun "J*™"
into a great length before it was concluded ; and
I believe it will fearce ever be executed, becaufe it

76 A Journey to England.
it has not been ratified. The Court was much
pleafed with that, and no Endeavours were want
ing to explode the whole Negotiation. On the
other hand, thofe who were Commifiiortated to
execute the Office^of Grand Mafter began to re-
lifh the Place, and were not forry that he fhould
not foon refume it: In fhort, they began to form
Cabals againft the Count, and ufed all the Ar
tifice they had to ridicule his Negotiation. Upon
his Return to Copenhagen he was offended at
the Efteem fome were in , grew fretful, and would
not take upon him the Adminiftration of Affairs, as
before, till the Ratification came from Holland.
He Confined himfeif for Six Weeks in his Cham
ber under Pretence of Sicknels : And this was
the Second Error of this Great Man, who forgot
that we muft never quit an Advantageous Poll:
at Courr, not draw back under any Pretence
whatever, not lofe the Thread of bufinefs, nor
give ahy Body an Opportunity to outdo us,
much lefs to gain ground of us, by our Ab-
fence.
Ulefield Whjle Count Ulefield kept himfeif thus at
iwed' '1<?me *n a ^ °^ a vo*untary Oftracifm or
wpoiand Banifhment, his Spirits were more and more
and retum foured, his Friends began to cool, his Enemies
to Den- took courage, fo that at laft he was accufed of a
¦n** Confpiracy, for which Calumny put upon him
he procured the Heads of thofe falfe WitnefTes'
to be chopt off But whilft he continued in a
juft Defiance of the Evil Defigns of his Enemies,
yet fearing they might form new Accufations a-
gainft him, he retired to Sweden, whith made
him Criminal to a Witnefs : After he had conti
nued a great while out of the Kingdom, and that
he found the Numerous Armies of the Swedes
did nothing but range up and down Poland, he
turned

By Monf. Sorbiere. 77
turned the Torrent upon Denmark, and had a
deep Hand in all thofe Wars : The Death of the
King of Sweden having re-eftablifhed the Peace
of the North, he was comprehended in the gene
ral Pardon, and reftored to his Eftate, but not Em
ployment. Finding therefore that he made but an
ill Figure in his own Country, he grew uneafie,
and began to fufpea whether he was fafe or not,
becaufe the King had made the Kingdom Here
ditary, and there were a World of Malecontents
amongft them ; fo that he might always be li
able to be accufed of a Defign to put himfeif at
the Head of them, whenever the Court had a
Mind to diveft him of his Liberty.
It's about Two Years ago that he pretended
to go and Drink the S/>aro- Waters, that he might
be remote from Court ; and fo Travelling into
France, he was at Paris Incognito, and from
thence retired to Bruges, to pafs the Winter in
that Country ; and 'twas from that Place that
his Lady, who has accompanied him in all his Tra
vels, went over into England to look after fome
Money due to him there, as it is from Bruges
that they imagine her Husband forms Confpiracies
in Denmark;
May not this Relation I have here given vou, •#»*«' *t
Sir, together with fome Epifodes, be a good Sub- Bruoes*
jea for a Romance 1 And doth it notexaaiy agree
with the exalted Mien of thofe Two Heroick
Perfons ? For the great Adventures of thefe He
roes may be eafily Read in their Foreheads ;
and does not all this require a wonderful For
titude of Mind, which thefe Two Intrepid Spi-
rits have retained as well in Adverfity as Profpe-
rity : In fhort, Sir, I know not whether it would
be to their Advantage to have the Tranquility of
thofe Perfons in Denmark, who were afraid of
thefe

78 A Journey to England.
thefe Illuftrious and Unhappy Pair refiding in
Flanders, in Exchange for the Agitations of For
tune they have been exer'cifed with : And I
do got doubt but their great Merit will at
one time or other meet with due Acknowledge
ments, and that their Memory will be revered
for their conftant Fidelity to the King, as well
as for the Zeal they have retained for the Fun
damental Conftitutions of their Country. I owed
this fhort Digreflion to your Curiofity, and to
the refpea I have for Mr. Ulefield and his
Lady, whom I had formerly the Honour to
fee at the Hague, in the time of his Embaffie there.
Mr. Borri. I nave nothing more to fay to you fince I fan
cy my felf now in France : I have formerly giv-
' ' en fome Account of Holland, and I have only
Two or Three Words to add concerning the Fa
mous Chevalier Borri, whom 1 few at Amfterdam
in my laft Journey thither. You muft know that
this Perfon made fo much Noife at Paris^ that
People of Quality in Holland were carried to him
in Litters, in order to be Cured'by this Mounte
bank, and that others of Learning went thither on
The Credu- purpofe to Vifit fo great a Man : What can we
Manti d **3y t0 tlliS' ^if' Unleft " be that We ^nd that to
n*'n ' be true now, which was fo in former Times, that
the frail Nature of Man may be defined by its
Inclination to Error and Credulity : Homo eft
Animal Credulum & mehdax, (piXoX/jfov £wov :
Thofe who fo readily give credit ro the Stories
told them of thefe Miracle Workers, fuch
as Borri was efteemed to be before rhe
World came to be undeceived, undoubtedly
were exceeding attentive in their Youth to the
merry Tales of a Tub that were told them, which
fhewed a great deal of good Nature, and tracta
ble Difpoiitions. I could very freely defcant upon this

By Monf. Sorbiere. 79
this Matter -, and 1 have feen fo many things fail
under this Head, that perhaps a Digrefilon this
Way would not prove the moft difegreeable Part
of my Difcourfe. I remember a panick Fear with
which the- Dutch Women were feiz'd about Fif
teen or Sixteen Years ago, that there were Mad
People ran up and down the Streets in the Night,
who cut off the Notes of all they met; there
was not a Day paft but there was a Hundred
Stories told of what had hapned there the Night
before: Peoples Names were produced, and all
the Circumftances of the pretended Aflaffinations
related i The Magiftrates made very ftria Searches
after them ; and tho' not one Perfon was ever
found to be wounded; and that the whole was
nothing but the Chimera's of the Vulgar ; there
were Guards placed at the Corners of the Streets,
and a Patroul appointed, who went their Rounds
upwards of Six Weeks, and met nothing. The
Hairy Monk formerly frightned all Paris in the
feme manner : People Ten Years ago were ter-
' ribly alarmed with an Eclipfe, tho' it be a thing
that frequently happens: I remember there was
above once or twice a fJDay named on which
the Seine was to overflow the Banks, and do a
World of Damage; and this fo impudently *ffh%fZ
firmed, that fome People who lived near the t^tn\k-
River removed their Effeas. But Credulity fophers
takes Delight from time to time, to difcovei stone-
the Afcendency it has over the beft Underftanding,
efpecially in Matters of Phyfick and the Philofo-
phers Stone, Health and Riches being the moft
defirable Things in this World, and fuch as Ver-
tuous Men ought not to neglect. So it happens,
that after we have for a long while with flood
falfe Perfwafions in this kind, have laughed at
your common Phyficians, we are fuddenly drawn into

80 A Journey fo England.
into a firm Belief of the Promiies of a Mounte-
bank, and pofreffed with a mighty Opinion of
his new Method, tho' he vends no other than
the fame Ware. The Perfort I am deferibing to you
is a tall Black Fellow, of a good Mien enough,
who walks faft, and lives tolerably handfome :
But yet he is not the Man he is taken to be, and
fo much cried up : For Eight or Ten Thoufend
Livres goes a great Way at Amfterdam for a
Houfe that Coft Fifteen Thoufend Crowns, ftand
ing in a good Place, Five or Six tall Footmen,
a French Drefe, fome Collation made for the La
dies, the remains of fome Money, Five or Six
Rix-dollars given to the Poor in due time and
place, fome fort of Infblence in Difcourfe, and
fuch Artifices as thefe, make People, that are Ce-
dulous, or fuch as would have it fo, give out
that he gave away Handfuls of Diamonds, did
very great things, and had an Univerfal Medi
cine : The Conclufion of all is, that Borry is a
dextrous Cheat ; he was the Son of an Able Phy-
fician in Milan, who left him fome Fortune, and
which he has increafed by his Induftry in the
1 Manner I have related the Thing unto you.
iheAUrtfs As he does not want Wit, he has by the
ttmk™' help of k' and a little Study' found out the Wav
to gain the good Opinion of fome Princes, who
have allowed him Penfions in hopes he would
Communicate to them the Philofophers Stone,
which he was upon the Point offinding out ; he has
without doubt fome Skill or Experience in Chy-
mical Preparations, as well as in Minerals -.a fort '
of a Way to imitate Pearls and Precious Stones,
and perhaps fome Purging Remedies and Cor
dials, which ufually are very good ; for moft of
the Diftempers that are incident to us ftand in
need of thefe. By the help of them it is that he
has

By* Monf. Sorbiere. tt
has infinuated himfeif into the good Opinion of
thofe he has occafion to fpeak of: Some Mer
chants as well as Princes' have been caught with
this Snare, witnets the Two Hundred Thou
fend Livres he promifed. to a certain Perfon
who fupplied him with Money, and for which
the Merchant's Heirs now Sue the Spagirical
Doaor^ for the Spark expreft the Bargain in
fo dark a manner as is not. to be underftood.
This Chear,- to gain Reputation to himfeif, and fie was
to be much talked of, at firft fet up for . an condemned
Arch-heretick: He underftood that Phyficians in"' Rorac•
general were reprefenred as being not forward
in believing the Myfteries of Religion, and
therefore he made as if he believed more than
he ought to have done. And as if he was pufhed
on out of Devotion to give greater Honour to
the Virgin Mary than the Church allowed, he
proceeded fo far as to make her One of the Four
Perfons that Conftituted the Divine Effence ; for
which the Inquifition went to call him to an Ac
count, and for his Contumacy Condemned him to Goes tola-
be Burnt : He retired to Infprug, where the late fPrU&
Arch-duke was the firft that was bubbled' by
him : And by his Means continuing his Journey s t .
to Holland, he fixed in Amfterdam, as a proper Holland.
Place to proclaim aloud the Perfection he
fuffered at Rome-, and where he found their
Purfes open to carry on his Defign of acquiring
great Wealth. He quickly attained to fome
Credit there among the Citizens, and for fome
time was fupported by an Old Burgo-mafter,
whom he cherifhed with his Cordials, till his
Roguery came .to be known by. Everybody, and
then he exploded his Artifices : All that thefe Sort
of Men have to do, is to find out a Method to
debate the Coin impunedly, or to alter the •
G Metal

$1 A Journey to England.
The cures Metal one way or other, that has not yet been
heperfirms. foQnd out . for as t0 the Curing Diftempers
he has no better Succefs where he is than the
Bills and Siquis's of a certain Perfon in this City,
who has almoft attained to as much Reputati
on in the Principality of Liege and Holland, as
Borri had at Paris. Our Countryman howe-:
ver has taken a Method to hold our longer
than the Milanois : He has not talk'd fo vehe
mently , as the other ; but yet continuing unwea
ried in fetting forth the Excellency of his Quin-
tefcence of Raymond Lullus, he has found Chap
men at laft, and fucceeded ; and it may beto the
great Advantage of the Sick, who entertain a
great Opinion of his Phyfick, for which I am not
forry: For in fhort, every Body lives by his Indu-
ftry ; for 'tislikely, that if this Mountebank, who
lias had long and great. Bufinefs, does not make
more Cures, at leaft he kills no more than the
Phyficians : The Grave hides the Faults both of
the one and the other ; and 'tis ever ofgreat Mo
ment ro them, who have not Infallible Remedies,
to know how to prepare Innocent ones, where
in the Patient may confide ; for a ftrong Imagi
nation often tends to the Advantage of the Sick
Perfon, and of the Phyfician.
, , Some will tell us, that Borri was at Naples
\ught to be la tiie c'me °^ ^e Plague and rhat having an
praifh'd Excellent Prefervative, he went into the Peft-
with dijcre- houfe that had been' abandoned by reafon of
thn. ^ infe£tion, and the Death of the People, and
that he had good Succefs in thofe Parts. I
know not how true it is, but after all, give me
leave to tell you, Sir, if the Man were not too
Dogmatical, and had not given the Inquifitors
Caufe to find fault with his Doarine, his Ge-
riius might in fome Meafure deferve to beprai-
"' fed;

By Monf. Sorbiere. S3
fed ; and what remained further for us to do
would be to laugh at the Credulity of thofe
who took him for a Great Man : For in this
Infancy of Phyfick (to fpeak fincerely, and call
Things by their proper Names,) what is there
more in it than wretched Conjeaures ? And as
long as the Humour prevails in Mankind to fuf-
fer themfelves to be cheated, is there any Thing
more to do than to vend the Remedies we have,
which are very uncertain, to the beft Advantage ?
The moft Noble Phyficians, notwithftanding the
Averfion they have had to it, have made ufe of
fome Stuff or other, as well as innocent Strata
gems, to make the Patient readily to. fwallow
their Phyfick : Avery Ingenious Method, and fuch
as I have deferibed in another Place, in fpeaking
of one of my Friends who was of this Profefii-
on, and was not over- burdened with Pra-
aice ; and indeed good Praaice is not foon to be
attained to, unlets it be by a Bold Puth, that has
fomething extraordinary in it.
The Willi's, Gliffon's, Bartholin's, Gutfcbo-
vens, and Regius's, axe fearce in the World ;and if
I could have met with many fuch I fhould not
defpair of the good Succefs of Phyfick as much
as I do ; I am afhamed to think there are fuch
few left to Comfort us for rhe irreparable Lofs
the Publick has fuftained by the Death of the
Harvey's, Wall's, We filing's, and others : Howe
ver, we have fome Matter of Rejoicing, to find
fome Young ones coming up, of whom there
are great Hopes ; and if the King's firft Phyfi-
cian will but forward their good Inclinations,
we ought not to becaft down. Indeed Phyfick
ftands in need of Monfieur Vallot's Afliftance,
and his Fortune is fo well made, that he has lei
sure to promote the Publick Good, and the Glo-
G 2 ry

84 A Journey to England.
ry of his Art, which they cannot but negleQ:
who are obliged to purfue the Interefts of their
Family. He might concert fome Meafures for it,
and put the King upon incouraging thofe that
are curious in making Experiments, which are fo
neceflary to bring an Art to Perfeaion, of which
Princes ftand in as much need as other Men,
and fuch as cannot be done by the Attempts of pri
vate Perfons : Tho' they may be done with no
great Expence, when a good Method is once fix
ed upon, and that the Publick Authority interpo-
fes therein.
bwreto I do no more herein than ferve for a Trum-
tirEs Pet ; a TitIe> l have toId y°u> his Majefty was
firft Phyfi- pleas'd to dignifie me with amongft the Litera
cy would ti : I cannot think all my Counfels can be for ever
promote his ufelels ; for from the time that I firft came to
^i publifh them, and to make fome Noife in the
World, I found fome of them have not been quite
negleaed, no, not in refpea to the Founding Of
the Royal Society in England, to which, I was
amongft the firft, that had the Honour' to contri-
Mr. Mont- bute at Monfieur de Monimor's : And I am of the
Opinion, that future Ages would not take it .'ill"
at the Hands of the- Kings firft Phyfician, if he
would, by the Intereft he has in the King, contri
bute as much to the Advantage of Phyfick, as
this Illuftrious Mafter of Requefts has done of
himfeif for all Parts of • Natural Philofophy.
The Bleffings of Mankind attend this Excellent Per
fon ; the Belles Lettres and Sciences are not at all
ungrateful to him ; and the Praifes fo juftly due
to him, as well upon the Account of his Curio
fity as. Vertue, are trumpetted out in feveral Excel
lent Books everywhere. I am not afraid of over
doing the thing, if I take the freedom to fay,
that it feems to me as if the Mufes were in La
bour,

mom.

By Monf Sorbiere. 8$
bour, and that there will be mighty Difcoveries
made of Natural Things before the end of this
Century. The many Noble Efforts made among
the Learned of thefe Times prognofticate the fame
unto us; and I am the more eafily induced to be
lieve this, from the Wifdom and. Felicity of our
King, to whom this Glory ought not to be wanting
in his Reign : This ought to have been feid by
the way, that we may come off with Honour
from Rambles wherein the Account I gave of
Borri had plunged me, and put an End to the
Wifhes I have made, that Phyficians may attain
to that Perfeaion in their Praaice, fo as to dif-
tinguifh them more than ever heretofore from
Mountebanks; for People are very apt to confound
Two Profeffions, that are fo near one another,
tho' indeed very different.
In the mean time it might be expeaed I
fhould make an Apology for Phyficians, and
take upon me to refute all that Michael de Mon-
tagne and others have faid againft them ; and
that, Sir, by fhewing that the Diforders among
a Civil Society in Reference to the Improve
ments of Phyfick, and the Ignorance or Folly of
thofe that are Sick,- and others in Health, as well
as the private Intereft of Phyficians, oblige the
beft Praaitioners to exercife their Faculty as they
do. But, Sir, enough of thofe Arguments, and
different Subjeas, which I have perhaps ill-fa-
vouredly intermixt in my Account ; I am afraid
I have wearied you, but if you pleafe I'll do
the fame thing as Lewis XL did, who kiffed a
Leaden Medal that was fowed to his Hat when
he wastoufe fome Piece of Severity, by defiringyou
to give me leave to make a farther digreffion
in this place. It may ferve as a Correaive for
* Qj all

86 A Journey to England.
all the Rambiings of my Narrative; tho' they
were Refieaions made by me on the Shuffling
and Fanatical Difpofitions of the Englifh, when
they fall upon Matters of Religion and Politicks;
But this may be applied to mean Genius's, who
abandon their Minds to weak , Meditations, as
well as to all thofe whofe Learned and Ingenious
Notions are of no other ufe than to difturb the
Tranquility of the World. Let me conclude
therefore with a Touch of Septicifm, and having
Condemned thofe Speculations that are too fubtil,
in refpea to fome things that fhould be only
handled flightly, ut Contundantur groffo modo,
as is ufual in the Praaice of Phyfick, that requires
to be treated more roughly and openly, ex aequo
& bono, it comes to pats that it Contemns itfelf,
and ferves for a purging Medicine to all
this Difcburfe: For as long as I clear it
from all manner of Pofitivenefs, it blots out
all the Faults I may have committed : In cafe
it fhould appear I have faid any thing dogma
tically in touching upon feveral things that oc
curred to me in England which might have fome
Affinity with what happens every Day elfe-
where, and even as well among Divines as Po
liticians.
Whether it We are very often impofed upon by fome
le proper to Difcourfes, which feem -to proceed from more
vjeSubtd rtf5ned Underftandings, uncommon Probity, and
about'lle- the.fevereft Vertue ; and we are apt to take thofe
ry thing, for the greateft Politicians, the moft intelligent
§c. and clear-lighted Perfons in the World, who have
but a mean Share of Vertue, Wifdom and Pe
netration ; or rather are guilty of divers Follies,
Seditions, and difgulfed Impieties. We ufually
judge of the fevere Virtues of thefe Perfons,
who always magnifie their own Generofity, Can
dour,

By Monf. Sorbiere. %j
dour, and other Excellencies, and yet are fome-
• times guilty of very extravagant Aaions, as alfo
.of the boundlefs Politicks of others, which ne
ver come to pats ; I fey, we judge of thefe things
as we do of the Gentry, that wear Feathers and Ri-
bons among the Common People, who by- that take
them to be very Rich, and Generous .- None are
generally more Beggarly and Sordid than thefe
Rich and Liberal Men in Trifles : Their Tenants,
if they have any, are continually, plagued with
advancing them Money beforehand; their Credi
tors are forced to break, their Servants ftarve,
and the moft wary of them are at laft necefiitated
to quit their Service : There is nothing in the
World more furprizing than the Maxims of our
Chimerical Virtuofi, ignava opera, Pbilofopha ,
Sententia, and of our unwearied Politicians ;
they mortally hate the moft innocent Lie, they
take pity on Dogs, and little Birds, and do not
ftick to lofe their Lives, that they may never fp
little fefve the Intereft of an ordinary Friend -,
they will allow of nothing that ought to be more
inviolable than the publick Faith, and never will .
admit of any Exception ; they are fo exaa to
their Wordsj that if they fhould promife t6 bring .
all they are worth to Highway-men, they would
not fail one Moment, and never refent the Vio
lence offered them. If all the Revenues of the
Government were in their Hands, their own pri
vate Neceffities fhould never oblige vhem to make
ufe of any of it: They cannot endure to hear
that any Mifdemeanor fhould be connined ar, or
that we fhould be confident from fome Con
jectures that there are Seditious Perfons
. amongft us ; they would be very ready to ferve
Twenty Years together without receiving any
other Profits than their Salary, and to govern a
G 4 SjcK

88 A Journey to England.
Sick State without the ufe of Bleeding, fince fome
' Drops of good Blood might happen to be fpilt :.
There can~be nothing fo great and magnificent
as what they fay, and fearce any thing more im-
poffible to be done ; and they find themfelves
come much fhort, when they are about to aa
purfuant to any of the ftria Rules of their The
ory. They are necetfitated to do that which they\
Condemned, and with more Shame and Contra-
diQion than others, who do not pretend to fo
much Delicacy and Sublimity of Thoughts. But
their Fine Genius's, if you will believe them,
thoroughlyjuftifies all the Contrariety we meet
with in their Condua ; they are always mounted
upon tall Horfes, talk high of their Prudence and
•Equity, when they arefartheft from them: Like
. the Baron de Fenefle, who inftead of bellowing
fomething upon a poor Man that came to beg to
him, bethought himfeif of fome Queftions about
the Place of his Birth, and finding he did not
anfwer him pertinently enough, difmrft him
without an Alms, but would lay an Hundred
Piftoles that he was not a Native of Cadillac,
as he faid he was. Thofe Hyperbolical Gentle-
• men and Politicians in the Commonwealth of Pla
to are daily guilty of a Hundred Extravagancies
of this kind -, and there is nothing feems more
eafie to them than to govern. the World, nor more
commodious than to live according to their Phi
lofophy. Thefe Men commonly value inferior
and mean Arguments at a great Rate ; they have
a vaft Efteem for Sophiftries; they are very eafie
in believing fuch Things as they would have to be
fo, and are not forward to entertain Solid Rea-
foning: There are fome • Painters who do Won-.
ders in Miniature, but the Pencil would fall out
of their' Hands, if they fhould go about to paint
large Piaures. Their Figures are all lame, and
their

By Monf. Sorbiere. '¦•*»' 89
their Contrivance ridiculous: However, they.may%
perhaps- have rhe good Fortune to pleaie the Un-^
skilful in the Noble Art of Painting, who com-
" monly value the Red and Blue of bad Copies,
more tharl~the Shadowing of Admirable Origi
nals: A Woodden Statue, well Guilt in a Cloiet,
ftrikes the Eye more than the dark Yellow of an-
i^Ingot, that is left carelefs on a Table, till there
is an Opportunity to make ufe of it: A plain Ar- ;
gutrient, either written or fpoke, does not make fuch
an Impreffion upon weak Underftandings, as a
Piece of Sophiftry that has a good Turn given it,
or fn Impertinent Story rold with a good Grace,
if told etpecially by thofe for whom we have
a previous Efteem and Affeaion.
It's, certain, that the Expreffions and Authority 'Tis good
of thofe who Communicate their Experiments/?^/0'?*
or their Arguments unto us,- are great Helps to l^f\^„
make us wife, and to attain to good Sence : But °
they are often very faulty ; and our Error in
Reckoning ought to be Correaed by a Repre-
fentation of the Species ; and we fhould our
felves weigh thofe Things that feem to be True,
Juft, and Expedient, and not refer them to the
Judgment and Determination of another; we
fhould fometimes lofe Sight of all Sorts of Au
thors, and not be for ever catting up the Account
with a Pen or Counters : We muft lay Words
and Authorities afide, if we would look into
Things, and make an immediate Reprefenration
of them to our felves.
We have very Fine Speculations of Juftice, Po-rWn^ m
liticks, Honour, Knowledge and Venue, at our mt the fame.
fetting out from rhe Univerfity, according to the in praffice, t
Inftruaions we have received from fome Excellent ^st2ey^
Authors, who have eloquently treated of them -, «M^ ¦"
but when we have advanced a little farther into
the World, we are amazed we do not find
every

90 A Journey to England.
every thing in the fame manner as had been re-
6 prclented to us when we learnt Ethicks ;but Ver
mes taken from the Abftraa, and applied to In
dividuals, fuffer a great deal of Allay .and Di
minution : The Magiftrate who holds theBallance
of Juftice does not always keep his Eye fixed tp
the Intereft of it : A Gentleman does not always
keep his Word : The Learned cannot refolve all >
¦ the Doubts we meet with ; the wifeft Politicians are
not for ever free from Miftakes and the moft Verr
tuous Perfons do not conftantly lead an unblame-
able Life.
We ought to The Infirmity of Human Race is luch, that
Perfeihn '"s t0 ke met w*th *n the Sreate^ Men in the
tho'L'can. World : But this fhould not difcourage us in
not attain- the Purfuit of Vertue, nor divert us in our Appli-
f° 'lt- cations to follow the fineft Maxims of found
Sence, the moft ftria Rules of Honour, and the
fevereft Laws of Juftice : We muft look high,
to the End we may attain to feme middling Degree
of Elevation ; for all thefe things are drawn
downwards by our own Weight : Should we lay
the beft Qualities that are praaifed in the World
exactly before our felves, in order to ufe' them,
we fhould find them at Second-hand much worfe
than they were before. We draw them from the
Spring Head, we confider them in the Abftrafct,
and yet when we come to make a particular Ap
plication of them, they will alter, and very fud-
denly corrupt : What then would they be if we
fhould take therh out of the Channel, where
they are already corrupted, and draw them after
an ill Copy ?
Neither by Thofe who from the Reading of Fables and
tfJratb Romances apply their Minds to Hiftory, find them-
*}Hiprj. ^ves jn a {jrange Country, where Things are not
fo agreeably fet forth: For as to thofe who in their
Time,,

By Monf. Sorbiere. 91
Time are the Subjea of Hiftory, their Aaions
and Defigns.do not always fuit well with the
Genius and Inclinations of the Perfons that write
them -. We find Things are much better concerted
in Romances than Hiftory : For the Events pro
ceed only from one Head, who brings them along
to the End he aimed at : Whereas the Hiftorian
meets often with Crofs Matter, and fuch as does
not always pleafe his Fancy. But if you pafs from
Hiftory to the. Court, Camp, Bar, or fome other
Affembly, you, meet ftill with a greater Dif
ference between Romance and Hiftory. For tho'
this laft has a greater Foundation of Truth, and
the Perfons, Places and Aaions,» fet out therein,
are not meerly Invention, yet the Method and
Expreffions are the labour only of one Man, who
very frequently fets off the Things he relates with
greater Order and Management than really they
were tranfeaed. In a word, an Hiftorian in Wri
ting Forms a certain Defign to himfeif: for Ex
ample, when he has a Mind to fet forth, the
manner by which a Favourite attained to the
Miniftry, and how he managed Affairs forfo
many Years, he recolleas every thing he has
heard faid upon that Subjea, gets together
all the Memoirs he can meet with ; and ha
ving formed the reft from the Confequences,
his Imagination fuggefted to him -, he enters
the Lifts, entertains us with an orderly and well-
compaaed Relation, and without any Interrupt
tion comes to the End of his Courfe. He re
moves all Obftacles out of the Way, andftrews
Roles' and Flowers where-evet he thinks fit:
And yet perhaps what he fo very boldly af-
ferts for Truth comes much fhort of it. No
doubt but he is ignorant of many Things, the
leaft of which would give his Hiftory another Face,

9* A Journey to England.
Face,andTruth is to be feen after the fame manner
in the Reprefentation he makes, as the Re-
femblance of Perfons remains in thofe bafe Pi-
aures, wherein a Man, and fome other Animal
like him, are painted : The Lineaments both
of the one and the other are to be feen there;
but tho' you know them to be fuch and fuch,
yet the Skill of the Painter has come fhort in
giving a true Portraiture of them: I dare fay, in
Cafe the chief Aaors in Hiftory were to come
into the World again, to examine the Particu
lars, they would .ftr ike out the greateft Part
of them ; becaufe the moft powerful Motives and
true Caufes, the hidden Reforts, and fecret In
trigues, the Temerity of unforefeen Rencounters,
and the Hazard of innumerable Incidences, give a
Turn to the very Perfons themfelves, who do
not ftir from Court, and have fome Share in
the Management of Affairs.
m Hilt-' I do not know but we may find the feme
cftSira Gradation3 that is betwe.en Romance and Truth,
}e "'which paffes for Hiftory in our Philofophy
about the Senfible , Intelligible and Natural
World. It is all Romantick from its Infancy;
fetting Things at too high a Price, and eafily
determining and refolving the greateft Difficul
ties in Nature : That Philofophy we learn fn
the Schools, or read in Books, is more Hifto-
rical, and does not fo often ftand in need of
Miracles to refolve its Problems by; makes a
better Diftinaion between Things ; and as we
learn a great deal by ir, we are at the fame time
given to underftand that we are very ignorant
in other Matters -. But I am of Opinion there
may be a much mere terrible Diftance between
the Conclufions of this Sort of Philofophy and
Truth, than there is between Hiftory and the "
real

By Monf. Sorbiere. 93
real Subjea of it; and the new Sy Items which
the moft Ingenious Phyficians have entertained
us with, amount to no more rhan their advan
cing by another Way fome Paces farther than
where their Mafters left them ; and this '
very often ferves us in no other Stead than
to let us know the Uncertainty of the Ac
counts they have given us, the Defeas of
the Hypothefis, and the Falfity of the Princi
ples. But pardon me, Sir, I have proceeded too far,
the Pleafure I take in diverting you has car
ry 'd me beyond the Bounds I firft propofed ro
my felf: As to the, Subjea Matter of Philofo-
phical Truths, which, you are fo defirous to
know, I muft refer you to what I have argued
before at Monf. de Montmors : And as to Moral
Virtue, which we cherifh as much as we do other
Truths, I'll give you an Account of what I have
formed to my felf in my Clofet, and which I be
lieve I fhall find among my Papers ; for I have
dived as deep as I could to difcover the Na
ture of it.
However, let us conclude even with Geometry, Nw . %ht
that we muft not pufh all Sorts of Things to the subtiity of
utmoft, nor be always making ufe of the Sub- Mathema-
tilty we are capable of. Philofophandum pauck, tkal Aytu-
nam omnino non bonum eft : For it feems to me, ments'
if every Body takes the freedom to argue as fub-
tilty as he can, you will find it on the other
Hand impoffible to aa in all Things purfuanr to
this Subtiity. Hence it is that Mathematical
Speculations cannot always be put in Praaice in
Mechanifm, nor refolve all the Queftions, or
demonftrate all the Theorems that are propofed
by them- And without doubt One of our Friends M.HobJ?s;
was well aware of this, and therefore went about to

94 A Journey to England.
to lay down new Principles of Geometry, and
to introduce new Definitions too. For as he has
obferved, that thofe of Euclid are not fatisfaao- 
ry in all Refpeas ; and- that when you take a
Itrait Line and bend it, or a crooked Line to make
it ftrait, you cannot . retain the Meafure, nor
know the Proportion of it; he was of Opinion
that the Defoa proceeded from the Definition
given of this Dimenfipn : Infomuch, that inftead
of faying a Line is long, and not broad,
he allows of fome very little breadth, of n<5
manner of Account, unlefs it be upon very few
Occafions : In fhort, 'tis in the Solution of Pro
blems, that have hitherto remained infoluble^
that 'tis of ufe; fuch as the fquaring of a Cir
cle, and doubling a Cube. The Argument was
about the indivifible Line of the Mathematici
ans, which is a meer Chimera, of which we
can have no Idea ; whereas in reafoning about 
that of our Archimedes, fome Reprefentarion of 
which our Fancy does fuggeft to us, the Lots is
difcovered which a ftrait Line fuftains, in being
made crooked ; and you may perceive the Varia
tion which in the convex Part happens to the
Points that give it feme breadth. This does not
hinder us to obferve the' Proportion of thefe
Lines, the Lofs that is fuftained in fome or
other of its Minute Barts ("which does not
happen , upon other Occafions, and even irj this
Cafe cannot be computed, ) being not fo consi
derable, that we may fay, we do not know the
Meafure of them, at leaft-wife as exaaiy as 'tis
poffible to demonftrate the fame : And this, Sir,
is enough to thew you whether it be convenient
at all times to ufe all the Subtiity. of Reafoning
we are capable of abous gvery thing ; and whether a Man

By Monf Sorbiere. 95
a Man can always promife to aa in Conformi
ty to all this Subtiity. This, it feems, neither the
Praaiceof the World in Civil Society, nor that
Converfe by Way of Hiftory which we have
with thofe who are no longer in Being, nei
ther the Knowledge of Natural Things and
Caufes, nor Mathematical Reafons can allow
of. I do not doubt, Sir, but you will be much The Eio-
pleafed to hear me give an Account of fomefesoffjme
Learned Perfons, whom I vifited- in this^"
my laft Journey : But becaufe I have formerly
entertained Monf. de Bautru with fomewhat
of this Nature -, I fhould make too great an
Excurfion if I fhould take upon me to Communi
cate my Thoughts to you concerning the Wicke-
fort's, Grafwinkells', Voffius's, VanBeninghen's,
Aitfma's, Home's, Ryckwards, Bornius's, Huddes's,
and feveral other Excellent Perfons in all Facul
ties, who are my Old Acquaintance -. And there
fore I fhall only fay a few Words about Two
Perfons whom I admired at Liege and Co
logn. One of them is the Nuncio Marcus Gallius, The Nuncio
Bifhop of Arimini, Brother to the Duke of*' Col°gn-
Aviti, a Milanese, of the Family of St. Charles
Bdromeo. This Prelate, befides his Piety and
Love of Learning, is a Man of admirable Pru
dence, great Knowledge and Elocution, and
very curious in the Choice of good Books -.
Befides which I found him to be a Perfon full
of Wit and Goodnefs. I have no Reafon to
doubt but in Time I fhall Congratulate him upon
being dignified with the Purple, which his great
Virtue juftly merits : But he can never attain to
.it as foon as I could with, The other Learned Perfon

96 A Journey to England.
M. Rene Perfon is Monf. Rene Francis de Sluyze, a Ca-
Francis non 0f gt. Lambert, the Cathedral of Liege, a
siajze. j^an o^ grgat Accompliftrments every Way : He
is abput Forty Years of Age, of a Noble Family,
Beautiful Countenance,has feen theWorld,is much
honoured by his Prince, and whofe vaft Skill in
Languages, in the Civil and Canon Law, as
alfo in the Mathematicks, can never diveft him
of that Modefty , which is fo very natural
to him.: f occafioned a fmall Controverfie be
tween him and Mr. Hobbs, about doubling the
Vifpute a- Cube, which the latter thought he had found
bout dou- out by his new Principle of Geometry ; and the
biing of a Method I have touched upon in my laft Digref-
fion ; and as I laid the Demonftration. thereof
before Monf. de Sluyze, he imagined he had
prefently deteaed a fallacious Syllogilm in it,
which was the Caufe of exchanging of fome
Letters upon the Subjea ; and I hope the Curi
ous will not take it ill if I publifh them one
time or other, together with what Meffieurs de
Carcani and de Fermat can fay, in relation to
it. I was charmed with the Friendfhip of thefe
Two Great Men, which put me upon feeing
Liege and Cologn ; and would willingly have
purchafed it by a much more troublefome and
longer Journey, than 'tis from Pbilipville, by the
Way of Dinarit, Namur and Huy, to Liege, from
whence, I told you, I went down to Holland; '
for 'tis another Sort of a Way from Liege, to
Sedan, through the Forreft of Ardenne, which
is difficult to crofs, and by which I returned to
France : You may well guefs at it, Sir, by the
Road to Rocroy and Mariemburg, fo that you
He arrives will not at all wonder that 1 fhould take a little
at Rheimsr. Reft with my Friends at Rheims -, where having Lei-

By Monf Sorbiere. 97
Leifure to revife my Journal, I have given my
felf the Diverfion to make a Relation of it to
you according to your Commands , for which
I muft humbly thank you ; for I had a great
deal of Pleafure in gbing over the Things again,
in travelling a fecond time, and in recollecting
feveral Things , that perhaps I might have
forgot, concerning the Value of which I have
nothing to fey to you : It's enough for me to
affure you that I wrote nothing but what is
true, and that I am with the utmoft Affcaion,
SIR,
Rheims, Oa. four moft Humble
25/6.

and moft Obedient Servant,
SORBIERE.

H AN

j

OBSERVATIONS O N
MonC de Sorbiere s Voyage

INTO

ENGLAND.

Written to Dr. WREN,
ProfelTor of Aftronomy in
Oxford.

By THO MA S SPRAT, Fellow
of the Royal-Society.
Sed poterat tutior effe Domi.

LON DO N:
Printed in the Year 1708.

J

1 01

A LETTER, containing
fome Obfervations on Monf
de SorbiereV Voyage into
ENGLAND.

SIR,
Here fend you the Account which Monf.
de Sorbiere has given of his Voyage into
England ; and though it be an Infolent
Libel on our Nation, yet I doubt not
but ypu will perufe it with Delight. For when
you have beheld how many Errors and Falfhoods
he has committed in this fmall Relation , you
cannot but be pleas'd t© find, that whoever un
dertakes to defame your Country, he muft at the
feme time forfeit his Wit, and his Underftand-
ing, as well as his good Manners.
,• The King of France has already given him an
effeaual Anfwer. And it became the Juftice of
fo great a Monarch, while he was defending the
Intereft of Faith with his Arms, to punifh a
pragmatical Reviler of one of the moft power
ful Kingdoms in Chriftendom : And while he
was exaaing Satisfeaion from the Pope himfeif,
for an Affront offer'd to his Ambaffador, to take
Care that none of his own Subjeas fhould pre-
fume to injure the Reputation of his Neighbours,
and neareft Allies, H ^ This,

i a Obfervations on M. Sorbiere j
This Juft Reply which has been publickly made
to this Rude Satyr, was the Caufe that it has
not been hitherto confuted by an Englifh Gentle
man of your Acquaintance, who had undertaken
it, whofe Wit we might have oppos'd againft
him, if he had ftill flourifh'd at Paris, with the
Title of Hiftoriograpber Royal, though all his
mighty Boafts of his own Abilities had been
true. But however, though he is now below our
Excellent Friends Confideration, yet I think my
felf engaged to fee him corrected. For having
now under my Hands the Hiftory of the Royal So
ciety, it will be in vain for me to try to reprefent
its Defign to be Advantageous to the Qory of
England, if my Countrymen fhall know that
one who calls himfeif a Member of that Affbm*
My has efcaped unanfwered in the publick Dif-
graces which he has caft on our whole Nation.
I will therefore, Sir, briefly take him into a
calm Examination ; and that you may underftand
how I intend to proceed with him, I do here in
the Beginning profefs, that I will not vindicate
the Honour of the Englifh by making Reflations
on the French. I will not endeavour to repair our
own Fame on the Ruins of others. I have no
Contention but with himfeif I will only put
together, and compare the Miftakes, the Incohe^
rences, the Vanities of his Book. And (to confefs
a Secret to you, Sir,) I am refolved to take this
Courfe in anfwering him ; not only becaufe I ab
hor the Sordid Way of Wit, of abufing whole
Nations, but alfo becaufe I am not much in-
amoufd of the Glory of his Punifhment. For I
cannot think that it is worth a Man's while, that
can live quietly here at London, to have the Ho
nour pf making Three or Four IU-natur'd Jefts
on a whole kingdom, with the, hazard of being
juftty.

Voyage into England. i o 3
juftly banifh'd into fome remote Country for one's
Labour. I muft confefe, Sir, I came at firft to read him
him with fome Expeaations. I had before feen what
he had Written in Praife of thofe Two Great
Men, the Ornaments of France, Gaffendus, and
De Marca, the Archbifhop of Paris. And I had
fome good hope that the Familiarity which he
pretended to have had with them had taught
him fome, of their good Qualities : That from
the firft he had taken that Candour and Mode-
fly which the World admires in his Writings :
And from the other he had learned, wirh what
refpea he ought to treat the Fame of whole
Nations, Churches, and Sovereign Princes, by
that Admirable Defence which he has made of
the Galilean Priviledges. Befides this, Sir, I took
his Book into my Hands with the greater Good
will, becaufe I had fome Knowledge of his Per
fon. I had been informed what Kindnefs he had
received at Oxford .- I had heard what Favour
the King had fhewn him, by admitting him tq
private Difcourfes with him in his Cabinet. And
from all this I was encouraged to believe thai:
he had given an Honourable, or at leaft a Juft,
Defcription of England. But I quickly perceiv'd
how much I was difappointed : I prefently few
what Difference there is between Scribbling Fine
Harangues on Virtuous Men, and real Virtue it-
felf. I ftraight found, that inftead of the good In-
ientions, which, he fays, be never wants, the e*m
greateft Part of his Treatife confifts of ill ground
ed Reproaches : That he has ventur'd on many
Things, whereof it wasimpoffible he fhould re
ceive an Account : That where he might be fup-
pos'd to have fome tolerable Knowledge, his
Malice has perverted his Underftandin'g : And that
G 4 through

104 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere*.?
through the whole Courfe of his Obfervations,
he has by his own Example make good that Cha
racter, which he often in this Book beftows on
Humane Nature in general, That Mankind is moft
fleas' 4 with Trifles, and that we are all Credulous^
and Liars.-
In his Epiftle Dedicatory he affbres the
pioft Chriftian King , that the moft Principal
Motive of his Journey was a Defire to advance
his Majefiy's Glory. The Defign was Commenda
ble, and Worthy an Hiftoriographer Royal. But
what Courfe did he take to increafe hisRenown ?
He fays, That betravelfed Abroad on purpofe to
fpread throughout the World the Fame of bis Ma
jefiy's Munificence to himfeif. I befeech you, Sir,
how long will your Englifh Modefty overwhelm
you ? How much Reafon have you Real Philofo-
phers, and Mathematicians, to have good Thoughts
of your felves, if it be allow'd to a Man, who
has only got fome Name by creeping into your
Companies, to believe himfeif fo Confiderable, that
his Mailer's Liberality to him ought to make all
Mankind admire his Magnificence ? The Chrifti
an World has better Signs of the Grearnefs of
the King of France's Mind ; his Armies and Mo
ney have been Honourably imployed againft Al
giers and Conftantinople. Amidft all thefe Glo
rious Expences what a mighty Sound does it
make, that the Famous Monfieur de Sorbiere did
receive a fmall Stipend out of his Treafury ?
But that you may the better underftand whp
this great Man is, that can either exalt or dimi-
pifh the Honour of Princes with a Word of his
Mouth , I intreat you to hear his own Defcription
of himfeif. I will only repeat, in his own Words,
the Praifes, which in the compafs of a few Leaves,
3s§ has given his own Merits ; by which you may
gue||

Voyage into England. i 05
guefs how unjuftly he h$s mifplac'd the Titles
of Proud and Arrogant, when he beftowed them p. 55.
on one of the beft Natured and Bafhfulnefs Na
tions in the World. He brags, That he hasfpent e. Bed.
all his Life in advancing the Reputation, and
fuftaining the Interefts of the Sciences : That he
bos always pufFd on and incouraged the Great e. Bed.
Mafters of Knowledge to labour .- That he has made
a Ndife where-ever he came : That he has got Dif-
cretion how to fudge of good Things : That he has E. Bed.
mingled himfeif in the Intrigues of the Mufes :
That be has beenfo happy as to be heard by them,E. Bed,
and to get fome Credit amongfi them : That he _
holds a conftant Commerce with the Chief Heads *' Dei*'
of Parnaffus .- That he has either been acquainted pref.
with all the Learned Men of the Age, or has bad
certain Information concerning them : That his King E. Bed,
did not favour him without Underftanding him well.
Now, Sir, would not any Man that reads this
conclude that Monfieur de Sorbiere is his own
Hiftorian more than the King of France's ? Is
this comformable to his own Rule, which he fays
be prefcribes to himfeif, not to make Elogies on ?- 38.
any Man ? Before he had dar'd to have faid fo
much of himfeif, ought he not to have exceeded
JuliusScqliger in his Learning, and his Nobility,
as well as he had done in hjs Spite to our Coun
try ? Whereas the plain and the true Story of
Monfieur de Sorbiereh Life is only this ; he was
Born at Orange, and for a long time profefs'd the
Proteftant Religion. All or the greateft part of
his Writings have been only fome few Lexers,
a fmall Panegyrick or Two, a Tranflation of Mr.
Hobbes's de Cive into Fre&cb, fhis Defcription
of England, and another of Holland. His Firft
Imployment was to teach a younger Son of the
Count de la, Suze, then he was made Ufher to a
School

10*5 . Obfervations on M. Sorbiere'.*
School \n his Native City. Both thefe Places
he loft upon Sufpicioh of fome Heterodox Opi
nions in the Fundamentals of Chriftianity. In
this Difcontent he came to Paris, renounc'd his
Religion, and turned Papift ; and at laft, by many
Infinuations and Flatteries, he obtained to have
the Profits of a fmall Cannonjhip of Avignon fet
tled on him. This, Sir, is all the Brute that Mon
fieur de Sorbiere has made in the World. And
this Confident of the Mufes, this Darling of Par- «
naffus, this Favourite of Cardinals, this Compa-'
nion of Governours of Provinces, this Cenfurer
, of Nations, this Judge of Kings, though he ftrove
to advance himfeif by Two Religions, in the One
did never rife to a higher Office than of a Pe
dant, in the other never got a greater Preferment
than a pitiful Sine Cure of Two Hundred Crowns a
Tear. And that you have no Reafon to think that
he has been wanting to himfeif all this while,
feeing in this very Epiftle you find him in plain
E. DcA ^erms befeeching bis Majefty that he would em-
ploy him. 'Tis a modeft Requeft. But what o^
ther Place is that which he can defire ? He fays,
E.Bed.' That he has already been Glorified with the
Title of Trumpeter. After this whither would
E. Bed. his Ambition lead him ? In this Warfare of Let
ters (give me leave to profecute his own Meta
phor) the Name of Trumpeter beft becomes him,
For (according to his Brother Trumpeter's De
fence of himfeif in the Fable) it is never requi
red of fuch Officers that they fhould ingage in
tbe Fight, or do any real Service, but they are
only us'd for a Show, and to make a Noife.
As for his other Qualification of Hiftoriogra-
pher Royal, I will fbew you in one Inftance how
e. Bed, he def^rves it, He tells his King, That he has
reported:

^ y°yg£e tnt0 England. 107
reported in every Country where be came the pro
digious Benefits that Heaven has heap'd on him:
That to the State fmen he has proclaimed his In-
duftry in Bufinefs, and the Strength of bis Judg
ment : To the Soldiers bis Valour : To the
Friends of the Church of Rome his Piety : To the
Grandees the Pomp of his Court : And to the
Fair Sex bis Mien. Thefe, Sir, are all Brave
Words, and he had a Glorious Subjea whereon
to ampiifie. But let us confider the Authority
of his Teftimony : For Monfieur de Sorbiere, the
King's Hiftoriographer, when he might have had
fo much better Intelligence, when he might have
alledged the Witnefs of all the Brave Men in
France, does yet openly declare, That he recei
ved the Image of his own Prince's Vertue s frdm
the Report of Madapt Fiennes, a Lady whom P. £
he met with accidentally at Calais.
Upon the very entrance of his Journey, as
foon as he fets forth from Paris, he gives Evi
dent Proofs of the Lightnefs and Vanity of his
Mind. From what he had faid before in his own
Commendation, I began to fancy in my Thoughts,
a grave Philofopher, going forth with the Intent to
furvey all Civil States, that he might bring back
their profitable Arts, and enrich his Native Country
with them. I called to mind the Examples of Pytha
goras, Solon, Thales, Plato, and almoft all the firft
Wife Men amongft the Grecians, who were wont
to make long Voyages into JEgypt, and the Eaft,
for fuch Honourable Purpofes; and upon this
Thought I was inclined to forgive him all his for
mer Boaftings, and to look on them only as par
donable Imperfeaions, which fometimes accom
pany Great Wits. And hence, Sir, you may think
how much I was furpriz'd when I few the firft
Fjuits of his Travels were ap Account of the plea*

108 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere j
*• -• fant Company that be had on the Way, ofcertaiti
Polacks, thatfpoke Latin, that could play on the
¦ Violin, and t bat gave him a Dance Twice a Day.
But hold , Sir, I will not give him this Occafion
to confirm the Sentence which he has paft upon
us, that the Englifh are of a Gloomy, Extravagant,
Fanatick, Melancholly Humour ; I am content to
allow him thefe Divertifements. It was fit that
he who went forth to Civilize Barbarous Nations,
fhould be attended, as they were of Old, with
Harmony. Yet you cannot but be delighted
when you obferve the Choice that he made :
That he who undertook to Cenfure and Refine
Manners, and Promote Inventions, he who talks
of nothing lefs than Intrigues with the Mufes,
fhould find nothing worth mentioning in his Jour
ney from Paris to Calais, but the Mufick, and
the Dancing of Poland. Seeing his Skill is fo
good in One of the Liberal Arts, feeing he was
fo well fatisfied in France itfelf with a Fiddle
of Cracaw, or Warfaw, I wonder he would come
into England to fearch for Philofophy v and had
not rather gone to the Famous Univerfity of
Mofcow. And yet, Sir, to fpeak the Truth, I can eafily
pardon Monfieur de Sorbiere's Affeaion to a
Polifh Jig. This is not the worft thing in which
he has exprefs'd his Inclination to that Country.
He was turned out of hib School at Orange
for being a Socinian, and therefore we may
well allow him to be an Heretick in their Mu
fick, feeing he was fo in their Divinity.
In this Jolly Pofture he arrives at Calais. In
?' 2* the fame Inn lay Madam Fiennes. She was in
vited the next Day to Dinner by Monf. de Courte-
bonne. Monf. de Sorbiere waits on her thither.
The Entertainment (leased Ifffot. For this he
, CO

1 Voyage into England. 1 90
commends bis Ho ft for one of the moft AccompliJFd
and Obliging Gentlemen in France. Andhepro-
feffes be thought himfeif bound in Confidence to
make him this Publick Acknowledgment. What
is to be blam'd in all this? What could be more
courtly ? What a greater Sign of a Scrupulous
and Tender Confcience, than to believe himfeif
fo much engag'd to be grateful for a good Po-
tage ? What greater Recompence could a Royal
Trumpeter make ro Monf. de Courtebonne than
thus to found up his Meat ? Hitherto all is well.
But now, Sir, I pray recollea whether he deals
fo fairly and religioufly with your Fellow-Pro-
feffor, Dr. Wallis ? To whom, for all his good
Cheer, for a hearty Welcome, for fhewing him
the Univerfity of Oxford, for imparting to him
many Curiofities, which he himfeif confeffes „
were Admirable, he has return'd no other Thanks p' *£
than only a ridiculous Defcription of his Cap.
At his landing at Dover he was feluted with p. 6.
ill Language by the Boys. Methinks the hand-
fome Entertainment that be met with there at
his Return might have mov'd him to conceal this ?• 7-
ill Ufage ; though the Matter itfelf, at the
worft, was not worth fpeaking of; for he might
have confider'd that it is an ordinary thing for
Boys not to have any great Kindnefs for School-
Mafters: Yet hence he takes Occafion to in
veigh againft the Rudenefs of the whole Englifh p. &,
Nation. I have already, Sir, engaged my felf
to forbear Comparifons, or elfe I might perhaps
very juftly contradia what he fays, That the>p6t
Englifh are always welcomed at Diep and Calais
woitbfo much obliging Care. We are indeed with
Care enough ; for the Inhabitants of thofe Places
feize on every Part of us, fome catch our Cloaks^
fome our Hats, fome our Portmantua's , and
when

i to Obfervations on M. Sorbiere'.?
when we are by Piece-meals brought to Shore,'
our officious Friends demand their own RateS
for having thus oblig'd us; fo that fometimes
we can fearce know whether we fhould call it
a Landing, or a Wreck. This, Sir, is more than
a verbal Incivility ; yet I make no Conclufion
from hence againft the French Nation, but only
againft the Porters and Mariners of Diep and
Calais. And the fame Right ought Monf de
Sorbiere to have done us. He fhould not have
prefently exclaim'd againft the whole Kingdom,
for that which is only to be attributed to the
ill Difcipline of Dover School. This, Sir, may
ferve to give you fome Light what kind of Judge
we are like to find him in Matters of greater
Weight : And when you read, That he alledges
p. 5, no other Sign of the Englifh Courage, than that
their 'Butchers are delighted with the Noble Com
bats of Bulls, Bears and Dogs : I hope you will
remember, that it is the fame Man who is here
wife enough to pafs a General R*/<r ^concerning
the Englifh III Manners, from the Rude Behaviour
ef the Children of one of our Sea-Towns.
Yet, to dp him Right in this Particular, he
does not caft all the Blame on the Englifh, but
Pm <$# he involves the Dutch and Italians in the feme
common Crime. He here complains, that as we
p. 6. call the Frenchmen Dogs, fo the Dutch up
braid them with the Opprobrious Name of
Mufhrooms, and the Italians with the worfe
Term of Fools. For my part I think all this by
no Means to be juftify'd if the Accufetion be
true. But however, how does this confift with
Ep. Bed. that Flattery which he ufes to his King, That
where ever he came be found the whole World
ready to fubmit to the French Empire ? What
fays he now i Is it probable that all Nations are

Voyage into England. 1 1 1
are willing tq make France the Seat of an Univer-
fal Monarchy, when at the fame time he allures
us from his own Experience, That the ufual Ti
tles which their Neighbours beftow on them, are
thofe of Dogs, Fools, and Mufhrooms ?
The next Part of his Journey is from Dover to
London. i His Error about the Diftance between
theie Two Places I forgive, though in Three- p. 3*
/core Miles he mifiakes Ten. All the Evil
Touches which he here gives concerning the
Difpofition of the Englifh I referve for their
proper Place. But I muft take Notice how par
ticularly the Hiftoriographer Royal defcribes the
Waggoner of Canterbury. The Horfes were tfd ?• 7-
one- before another, the Driver cloatb'd in Black,
a brave Mounteero on his Head, a jocund Fellow,
mighty well fatisfy'd with bimfelf, agreatDroli,
in all Things appointed like another St. George.
What think you now, Sir ? May we not after
this believe that Tom Coriat is One of the chief
Heads of Parnaffus, with whom he has convers'd ?
Where lyes the Difference between thefe Two
Learned Authors? That Famous Countryman of
ours was juft fo curious in his Relations ; nei
ther Horfe nor Man could efeape his Pen ; on his
Hoft's Beard and Sign-poft he ftill declaim'd:
Here are only wanting the Frenchman's Bills of
Fare every Night, and you might have fworn
that Monf. de Sorbiere had ihherited the Great
and Inquifitive Spirit of the Noble Traveller of
Odcomb. I will not here much infift on the Irreverence
of this Zealous Roman Catholick, as we fhall
afterwards find him to be; though methinks it p. 42.
was not well done of him to objea to the Eng
lifh their calling St. Paul by the familiar Name of
Paul, when he himfeif has compard One of our
thief

112 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere'.*
chief Saints to a Waggoner. Nor am I much
concern'd to fee him fo punaual in defcribing
the Waggoner of Canterbury to his Shirt, and
yet not to make any Mention iof Thomas Becket,
and Auftin the Monk, the Renowned Saints of
that Place. But yet I will here tell him, that
though he was fo carelefs. of his Religion, he
might have conceal'd the Charaaer of the Wag
goner upon another Account : For he will hard
ly be able to perfwade his Reader, that the beft
P. 7- Way tofpread the Report of the Magnificence of
his Patron, was to ride to London in a Waggon.^
But to give you farther Evidence of the Soli
dity of his Humour. In all the Road between
London to Dover he forgets not to enlarge upon
every thing that he few, except only that which
is One of the braveft Spettacles in the World.
p. n. He is very exaa in furveying the Bay-Windows of
Canterbury. He fully defcribes the Bowling*
p' ?• Greens, and the very Rowlers that make them
fmootb. He fpeaks fo Romantically of the Val
leys, the Hills, and the Hedges of Kent, that the
Authors of -Clelia, of Aftrea, fearce ever venture
to fey fo' much on the like Occafion. He com-
p. i2, mends the convenient Form of Rochefter Bridge j
which he fays is fo contrived, that Mens Hats can
not be blown over. Who can deny but in all this
he is a very Circumftantial and Faithful Relator?
But I pray, Sir, mark, that he fpends very many
more Lines in f peaking of each of thofe Toys, than
of the moft Magnificent Arfenal at Chatham,
which lyes juft below that Bridge. Of this he
only in paffing feys, That here our Ships of War
are built, and here they are laid up when they re
turn. And has he not here unawares betray'd.
the Levity of his own Mind ? Where then was
his Philosophical Curiofity ? Where his Difcre-
? tion

p.?.

P. 12.

Voyage into England. % 1 3
tion to know good Things? Where his Love
for Great and Wonderful Arts ? What was a
fitter Profpea to haveftopp'd at? Where could
the antient or prefent World have fhewn a no
bler Sight > For there, in one View, he might
have feen the Ships that command the Oqean :
That make this fmall People that he delpifes
terrible to the Ends of the Earth. We confefe
we yield to the French in the Beauty of their Ci
ties, and Palaces, but in our floating Caftles we
outgo them as much. He is in the right that
about Paris there is a far greater number of
Buildings : But the Suburbs which London has
on the Thames and Medway make a fufficienc
Recompence for this defoa. As long as we ex
ceed all the World in the Fabricks of Strength
and Empire, we may eafily allow him to objea
to us our want of thofe of Pleafure. And with
out queftion, the Sovereign, the Charles , the
Prince, the James, the Henry, the London, the
Refolution, and above an hundred more, the beft
in the World, might have been thought worthy
naming by him, that almoft reckons up the
Windows and the Cellars in Canterbury, and
expreffes himfeif fo well fetisfy'd to fee, that
there was Care taken that a Plume of Feathers
fhould not be dif order d upon Rochefter Bridge.
In his Defcription of London he affirms, That p- xl'
it is bigger than Paris ; and that it is a vulgar
Errour af his Countrymen to think otherwife.
And to manifeft how vaft he believes its Extent
to be, he profeffes, That be would not undertake ,
to frame an exaft Idea of it in his Mind under a
whole Tear's time. This, Sir, methinks might
have admonifh'd him, that if he was not able
to take a full Draught of our City in lefs than
Twelve Months, he has been very prefumptuous
I (let

1 14 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere'.*
(let me return upon him his own Word,) to con
ceive that he could give a Charafter of the Geni
us and Vices of our Nation, of the Conftituti-
on and Corruptions of our Church, of the Weak-
neSes of our Government, of the Pedantry of our
Learning, and of the Barbaroufhels of our
Language, in Three Months time. This Confide-
ration ought certainly to have ftopp'd his Pen a
little, efpecially feeing the Streets and Alleys of
London ftand ftill, and reprefent themfelves al
ways in the feme Fafhion ; to our Eyes, and it is
enough to know them perfeaiy only to Travel
them often through : Whereas it is fo intricate
a Work so take a right Profpea of the Manners
of Men, the Humours of Nations, and the Se
crets of Princes Counfels, that it is perhaps the
moft difficult Employment of Human Wit.
'Tis true indeed, he endeavours to fetch a
Juftification of his Infolence from the Englifh
themfelves : But the Apology which he makes
rather aggravates his Offence. He fays, be is con
fident that if he writ in our own Language be
K 4- fhould not difpleafe us. And he gives this Reafon
for it, that the Englifh have often caused their
p. 4. Charaller to be publifKd; and that they have this
peculiar good Quality, that they love to have
themfelves handled plainly, and ill-fpoken of.
This he profeffes to mention in our Praife. And
if this be his Courrefle, I now find that the Paf-
fengers with him in the Waggon had Reafon
when ( as he complains ) they interpreted his ve-
Pi 8. ry Civilities for Affronts. But hold, Sir, what
is this that he here fays? Has the Englifh Nati-.
on ever caus'd its Charaaer to be Printed ? He
fpeaks of it as if it had been a thing done by Aa
of Parliament, and by the Authority of the whole
State. 'Tis true, Sir, there was ( as you may
perhaps

Voyage into England. 115
perhaps remember ) a fmall Pamphler, that came
out with the Title of the Character of England,
about Six Years ago, but that was pretended to
be a Tranflation out of French. Or let us fup-
pofe that it was an Englifhman that writ it un
der that Difguife ; yet has Monfieur de Sorbiere
from thence any ground to fay that the whole
Englifh Nation has often printed its own Cha
racter ? I will give him one Inftance to fhew how
abfurdly he did thus conclude, from one par
ticular Man, to a whole Country. Monfieur de
Sorbiere, in his Book of Letters, has inferted
( as_ he calls it ) a Sceptical Difcourfe concern
ing the City of Paris-, wherein he ufes the
Metropolis of all France almoft as injurioufly
as he does the Englifh in this Relation, with
Language as foul as the Dirt of Paris itfel£
Now then, becaufe Monfieur de Sorbiere, a
private Inhabitant of Paris, has prefum'd to
flander it in that manner, does it become me
to affirm that the whole City of Paris has
written a feandalous Libel on itfelf >
But perhaps by this Inftance which I have here
mention'd Monfieur de Sorbiere will raife an
Argument that fhall be very much to his own
advantage. For now he will be ready to fey,
that the Englifh have no great Reafon to take
his Affronts unkindly, feeing he has been alrea
dy fo free of his Correaions and Reproofs, as
not to fpare his own Countrymen themfelves. I
accept of his Apology. 'Tis Pietatis plena De*
fenfio : Tis an excellent good-natur'd Defence,
for his railing againft Strangers, that he has done
the fame before againft his own Fellow-Citi
zens. I 2 But

P. 2.

1 16 Obfervations on Ai. Sorbiere".*
But to return to the Englifh Book, which he
propofes as his Patern ; feeing we have but one
Libel in our Language againft a whole Coun-
trey in' general, let us permit the Hiftoriographer
Royal to imitate it. Yet I cannot imagine how
he came to underftand that Book alone, when
he profeffes that he was utterly ignorant of the
Englifh Tongue in all things elfe. It feems that
Reviling and Satyr is fo natural to his Mind, that
he is able to conceive the Senfe of ir, though the
Language in which it is written be never fo much
unknown to him. However, if we compare the
Times of their Publication, we fhall find that
there is a great diftinaion between the Crimes
of the Englifh, and the French Satyr iff. The
firft of thefe was publifh'd during the Tyranny
of the late Ufurpers : And though it was very
fevere on the Englifh in many Paffages, yet the
greateft part was fpoken with a good Intention,
in reproof of the miferable Diftraaions of that
Age, and the many ill Cuftoms which a long
Civil War had introduc'd. I Beg of you now,
Sir, ro confider by what an Example he clears
himfeif Becaufe there was one Satyr written
on our Nation, in a time of Licentioufnefs, and
Confufion, he will fecond it now with a Worfe,,
when we are fettled in Peace and Profperity.
Seaing he thinks this Plea fufficient for what
he fays againft the Manners of the Englifh, that
an Englifhman did the fame under Oliver, or
Richard, I would have him alfo defend himfeif
in all his Slanders on our Courr, and the King's
Minifters,- with an Argument that will refemble
the other. For why may he not aflert, that it
is fewful for him now to ufe fuch Liberty, be
caufe Milton was allow'd by the Rump to write
a Villanous

Voyage into England. 117
a Villainous Book againft the late King of Blef-
fed Memory ?
This weak excufe therefore, Sir, that he makes
for his Barbarous way of handling us, fhall not
ferve his Turn. He is fo far from having re-
ceiv'd Incouragement from the Englifh, that I
can fhew him feveral Volumes of the Voyages of
fome of our Countrymen info RuJJta, Perfia,
Egypt, the Turkifh Empire, the Eafi-Indies, and
America, which have given a more advantage
ous Account of thofe Infidels and Barbarians,
than he has done of the moft Polite Countries in
Europe. The Englifh have detcrib'd and illu-
ftratcd all Parts of the Earrh by their Writings ;
many rhey have difcover'd, they have vifited all.
And I dare aflure him, that they have been al
ways moft tender of the Reputation of Foreign
States, which they have gone to vifit, as rhey
have been moft merciful in fparing the Natives
Blood in thofe Countries which they difcover'd.
Let us now behold how Monfieur de Sorbiere
has conformed himfeif to this generous Englifh
Spirit. I will give you in a fhort View fome
of the good Terms that he has beftowed on our
Nation in general. He fays, That we have skim
med all the Vices, and difdaind the Vertues ofo-P' 5-
ther Countries : That we contemn all the reft of
the World : That we efteem all Mankind befides P. 46.
miferable .- That we fcorn to look on them, or
tofpeak to them, when they travel hither: That p g
we frequently menace and infult over our Neigh- ' 4 '
bours ,: That it is very hard to know how to get
our goodwill : That we have a ftrong Union a-
mongfi our felves againft Strangers : That we re- p ^
gard the Profperity of others with an Evil Eye :
That we have a Natural Inclination to ldlenefs,p. $$.
to prefumption, to a certain Extravagance of p. n,
1 3 Thoughts ,

Ii8 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere V
Thoughts , which is to, be found in our moft
v 4. Excellent Writings : That almoft all the Englifh
are guilty of thefe Faults, becaufe they proceed
P. 4. from our Soy 1: That our Humour is too Free and
P. 62. Arrogant -.That we are Voracious and Luxurious :
y- i°- That we fubmit to any that will fill our Bellies ;
P. a6 let us ^alK arld WM not difturb our Slothfulnefs :
P. 47. That we are Scoff&s , and Malicious Speakers : That
we are very Irregular and Sufpicious : That we
are filVd with. dark Thoughts : That we are Fierce
and Capricious: That we have a Melancholy pe
culiar to us : That if we once get Neceffaries to
fupport Life, our Idlenefs makes us Carelefs of a-
ny more: That there are everywhere Do-littles,
p. 2. Proud and Fanatick Perfons to, be met with : That
there is nothing fo couching as an ^Englifhman,
F'9- if once you -can find the Means to make him a- ¦
fraid: That if you take away their Infolence
you take away their Courage : And that they make
-but one Leap from the greateft Huff of Pride
into the bqfeft Cowardice.
' He has wearied me. Sir, and I can follow him
no further, in heaping up fuch ignominious
Trafh. He acknowledges that England is bet
ter known than any other Part of the World,
by the Britannia of the moft Learned Mx'Camb-
den, and it is happy for us that it is fo. For
if Foreigners fhould have nothing elfe to direa
them concerning us but this Fair Idea which he
has here given, I fuppofe they would Travel
hither with the feme caution as we do into
Greenland to fifh for Whales, they would only
touch upon our Shores, and ftand upon their
guard at xvery Noife, left the wild Bears fhould
furprize them unawares. I intreat you to recal
Into your Mind the Defcription which Cefar
makes of the Salvage Manners of this Ifland, at
the

Voyage into England. II<P
the time that he conquer'd Gaul and Britain
together; you will find that Monfieur de Sorbiere
is lefs mild in his Expreffions on us now than
that Great Conqueror was on the Untaught and
Original Inhabitants, that liv'd in Forefts, and
painted their Bodies, to make them appear more
dreadful. Whatever Refleaions had been made
on our Imperfeaions, we might perhaps have
patiently receiv'd them from the Hands of the
Mafter of Rome, that had civiliz'd us ; and it
may be too from one of his Trumpeters, fo be
had been a Roman : But we cannot from a
School-Matter of Orange, from a Trumpeter of
Little-Britain, from a Man that came hither to
pick up Prefents of Gloves, and Ribbons, and
("as he himfeif confeffes ) to colleQ fome certain p 6 ,
Debts that were here owing to his Friends.
When I firft, Sir, beheld all this good Lan
guage which he has given us, I did prefently
caft about and examine what might be the Caufe
of his Rage ; and at laft I had from one of his
Acquaintance Intimation enough to guefs°why he
was pleas'd to be-thus incens'd. When he re-
turn'd from his fecond Vifit to the King; this
Gentleman ask'd him how his Majefty had re-
ceiv'd him ? He reply'd, kindly enough ; he ex-
peaed he would have prefented him with fome
Medal. This, Sir, was the Provocation, and
this was the Occafion, that made him lay about
terribly. What Indignation can be great enough
againft fuch Bafeuefs ? Are thefe Writers of Let
ters, and Flatteries, and Romances, fuch dan
gerous men ? Muft the King of England deal
with them as fome petty Bordering Princes are
forc'd to do with the Turk? Muft he Buy them
off, and pay Tribute to them, left they fhould
invade his Territories at their Pleafure? Monfieur
I 4 de

«i2o Obfervations on M. Sorbiere'^
de Sorbiere, Sir, is a Man of ripe Age; he pre
tends to have been familiar with Embaffadors,
' Generals, and Nuntios ; he lays Claim to the
Title of Phflofopher, and to the moft generous
Sea of Philofophy; he tells us he is a Sceptick.
But did he ever yet hear of an Example of a Phi-
lofopher that preferr'd a petty Gift before the
Sweetnefs and the Obligation of fo Great and fo
Magnanimous a Prince's Converfation ? It has
indeed been told us that fome Philofophers of
eld have tranfgrefs'd on the contrary, and have
refufed the Bounty of Monarchs, that they might
preferve the liberty of their Minds ; but in all
Hiftory there can be no fuch Inftance fhewn,
that a Man fhould forfeit his Truth and Honefty for
the want of a Medal, unlefs it be of him that
firft renounc'd his Confcience, and chang'.d his
Religion, to obtain a Penfion.
In anfwer to thefe Calumnies with which he
has afperfed us, I will only in plain and fimpie
Terms fey as much as may confute his Reproaches,
but I vdll not fet upon a long and a folemn Pa-
negyrick of our own Nation -. For it is not my
Bufinefs here to paint, but only to wafh.
The firft Slander, of which 1 fhall take notice,
he pretends to be a Proverbial Speech; that we
have defpis'd all the good, and skimm'd all the
bad, of otheriPeople. As for the firft part of it,
whether we have fcorn'd all the good Qualities
of others, I am content to have try d by his own
¦<*fr.$l Words. He grants that in very many things
we imitate the Magnanimous Spirit of the An-
tient Romans And if we have been fo careful
to learn Vertue, from an Empire that was long
ago at an end, how could he imagine that we
contemn all that is commendable in the Living ?
I thank bun that he has igfembled us to the
greateft/

Voyage into England. 121
greateft Men of all Antiquity : But in the In
ftance which he ailed ges he does well exprefs
what Sence he has of greatnefs of Mind, and
honourable Aaions ; for he reckons the Fights p. .
of their Gladiators to be one Chief Sign of their
Virtue, which was a Cruelty rhar all the Civil
World does blame them for. Befides, I will con-
fefs Monfieur de Sorbiere to be a better Matter
of Defence than any that he faw at the Red Bull,
if after this he can prove to me that he is a fit
Man to diftinguifh what is Infolence, and what
is Courage, in the Englifh, feeing he counts it
to have been a great Piece of Bravery in the
Romans, that they were delighted in beholding
their Slaves and their Captives Murder one a-
nother. And whereas he fays that we are in
fected with Outlandith Vices, I cannot forbear
telling him that if this fhould be granted parr-
ly true, that we are in fome Meafure degenerated
from the Native. Vertue and Innocence of our
Anceftors in Edward the Third and Henry the
Fifth's Time, yet it is eafie to tell from what
Coaft the Infeaion was tranfported hither ; and
we may fay with Horace in a like Cafe, though
in refpea of worfe Arts than he intended,
Gracia captaferum viUorem cepit, & Artes
Intulit Agrefti Latio.
He next objeas to us, That we have aftrong
Union amongft our felves againft. Strangers, and
that it is almoft impoffible to get our Good-will. This,
Sir, is fo far from hejng true, that (you know)
it may well be computed that we have more
Foreigners in Norwich, Canterbury, and London,
who are permitted to Trade, and to enjoy the
Priviledge pf Natives,, than there are tonftantly
¦ • refiding

122 Obfervations on M. SorbiereV
refiding in any Twenty Cities of Italy, Spain->
or France.
He tpbraids us with frequent menacing and
infulting over our Neighbours. This he fpeaks
with particular refpea to the Hollanders Trade.
fnf. But who made him Judge of the Rights of Peace
.and War ? He acknowledge before, That all other
Affairs, except only thofe of the Sciences, and
Learned Men, lye out of bis Way.
Why does he then thruft in to be Arbitrator
of the. Differences between the Dutch and Us ?
To call thofe Menaces and Affronts, which an
Affembly that reprefents a mighty Nation has al
ready ftil'd Demands of Juft Satisfeaion ? And
which the great Sovereign of the Seas will fhort- ,
ly make appear to be a Vindication of the Law
of Nations. But if Monfieur de Sorbiere believes
that our prefent Contentions with the Low Coun
trymen are only rude Affronts, and not juft
Giievances, I am certain he was once of another
Mind, when he writ his Letter to Monfieur de
Courcelles in the Year 1652, wherein he extols
the Rumps Viaories over them, and preiages a
Glorious Empire to thofe Tyrants from thjeir ab-
folute fubduing them.
He fays, That we will not voucbfafe to fpeak
to thofe that Travel hither, and yet be calls us
Prefumptuous, Railers, Arrogant, and Evil Speak
ers. But to this it fhall fuffice me to reply, that
feeing the fame Man condemns our Silence,
and our Speech, it fs a good Argument that we
are moderate and unblameable in both.
He declares, That we regard the Profperity of
ethers with Jealoufie : Whereas there is not one
of our Neighbours, to whom our Affiftance could
reach, but we have aided in their Calamities. The
United Provinces, notwithftanding their prefent
Appre-

Voyage into "England, 123
Apprehenfions of us, will ftill confefs that their
Commonwealth was founded upon Eftglifh Va
lour. The Great Henry of France was efta-
blifh'd in his Throne by Queen Elisabeth's Suc
cours. And while I am writing this, the Por-
tugueze behold one of the fureft Ramparts of
their Liberty to be the Breafts of Englifh Soldi
ers. He proceeds to affirm, That we will ferve any
Man that will Feed us, fuffer us to Rail, and be
Idle. But to give him a full Teftimony how
careful the Englifh are of their own .Liberty, it
is enough to fey that they endeavour more than
moft other Nations to preferve inviolable the
Freedom of Mankind in general ; for they never
make Slaves of their Prifoners of War in any
Part of Europe, which perhaps few other Nati
ons have forborn ; and that the World has a bet
ter Opinion of us, he may be convinc'd by this,
that the Natives of all Trading Countries have
ftill maintained a peculiar Refpea for the Englifh
Iritregrity ; and that where-ever the Bounds of our
Empire have reached in Antient Times, there ftill
remains on the Minds of the People a Remem
brance of the Eafinefs of the Englift Government.
If all this will not fatisfie him, that the Englifh
are not of a more Servile Difpofition than other
Countries, I will put him upon an Employment
which may well become his Abilities : Let him
make a Computation of the Footmen, Grooms
of Chambers, and Cooks in Europe, and then let
him tell me whether he finds thofe of the Englifh
Nation to be the moft numerous.
He afferts, That the Englifh are Sufpicious,
Dark, Irregular, Capricious, and that they have
a Melancholy peculiar to themfelves. In this me
thinks Ins fmall Philofophy fhould have inftruaed him

1 24 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere V
him better, that fuch difmal Qualities are not the
neceffary Companions of the Complexion of An
gels, which he allows them. But he that went
dancing from Paris to Calais, and at Calais, as
foon as he alighted out of the Chaffe Mare,
could not abftain from going to a Puppet- Play,
(for that I fuppofe he means when he fays, He
faw a Comedy there,) is not a fit Man to Cenfure
what is the difference between what is Fantafti-
cal and good Humour, between the Serious and
the Sullen. However, he has made fome Recom-
pence to us for this Difgrace. He has deferib'd
the Vigorous and Sprightly Humour of the French
in fuch a manner as makes it no very defirable
\T> 7. . Accomplifhment. For he tells us, That where-ever
they come they make fuch a Noife, as to draw
all the Children and the Dogs in the Town after
them. And I fuppofe it -as fuch a kind of Brute
as this that Monfieur de Sorbiere fays he has
made in all Places where he arrived.
He often fays that we are all Idle, Sluggifh,
and Do-littles. Upon this he infifts fo frequent
ly, that I conceive his French Readers, that ne
ver few England, will be apt to believe that he
found it fuch a Country as Lubberland : That he
caught all the Inhabitants ftretch'd out on their
Backs, and fleeping. under Trees. But whence
could he gather this Conception of our Stupi
dity ? The Places that he vifited were only thofe
on the Road to Oxford and London, and fome
few other Noblemens Houfes befides. I hope
he did not conclude our Nation to be fo Lazy,
from the quiet of the Streets, and the Retirement
of the Colleges in the Univerfity. Yet when I
remember what Judgment he made on our Rude
nefs at Dover, and from whence he took his Con-
jeaore, I am likewife incHned to think that he
has

Voyage into England. 125
has Difcretion enough to determine upon the Eng
lifh Sluggifhnefs from the private Way of Liv- :
ing of our Scholars. It muft be fo, for every
where elfe he beheld many Marks of Diligence.
In his Journey to London he confeffes, It was pM „-
admirable to fee what an Infinite Number of Sea
men and Shipwrights were at work on the Banks
of the Thames. In London itfelf he reports, that p. \6.
there are more Shops, and better Beautified, than
in any City in the World. He found everywhere
in England Men bufie about Natural .Experi
ments, from whofe Labours he is confident Man- Fi 32<
kind may expeS prodigious Inventions. And are
all thefe the Signs of an overgrown Slothfulnefs?
But befides thefe,Sir, he never faw anyof the Chief
Seats of the Englifh Induftry ; he beheld not the
Coal-pits of Newcaftle, the Cloth- works of the
Weft, and the North, the Lead-mines' of Derby,
the Orchards of Hereford, the Plough-lands of De
von, the New-rivers of the Fenns, the Tin-mines
of Cornwal. Thefe, and many more, he fhould
have view'd. He fhould thence have paffed into
our Weftern Colonies : He fhould have confider-
ed the Sugar-works of the Barbadoes, the To
bacco Plantations of Virginia, the Silk Trade
that is begun there, and the vaft Mole which
goes on at Tangier, that pitiful Place (as he
terms it : ) After all thefe Surveys he might have
been a fitter Judge of the Englifh Labours.
This Exaanefs of Information might have been
expeaed from an Hiftoriographer Royal. But
he has been as careful in this as in moft of the
reft of his Intelligence. For as foon as ever he
fets his Foot on the Englifh Shore, he ftraight po- p- 4-
fitively condemns all the whole Nation of Lazinefs
from the firft Poft-horfe that he faw Gallop. His

126 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere'^
His laft Difgrace is the Englifh Cowardice ;
and the Occafion jfrom whence he takes this Ob-
p# 2. fervation is very remarkable. He faw at Oxford a
Scholar affronted by a Frenchman that had been
Seven Tears the ProteUois Soldier .- And thence
he paffes Sentence on the Bafenefs of our Nation.
What, Sir, will the Dutch and the Spaniards think
of this? The One, when they remember the Bat
tels of Portland, and the Northforland ; and the
other, when they call to mind Tenariff, and the
Sandy Hills of Dunkirk? Will they not take it
very ill at his Hands that he fhould reckon all
thofe for Cowards whom CromwelVs Soldiers
had defeated ? But if our late Civil Wars have
not given an unconfurable Evidence of the Englifh
Valour ; if the Immortal Sir Richard Greenvill -,
if our Cpnquefts of Ireland and Scotland be for
gotten-, if the joint Teftimony of almoft all the
Hiftorical Writers for thefe laft Six Hundred Years
be of no Account -, yet (to fay no more) I could
never have believed that any French Hiftoriogra
pher would have given it under his Hand that the
Englifh are Cowards.
And now, Sir, having laid all thefe Ignominies
together, would you not have guefs'd that he
would never have dar'd to pronounce fo boldly
upon us, unlets he had convers'd all his Life
time with us : Unlefs he had throughly ftudied
our Temper, and deeply pierc'd by a long Search
into the Compofition of our Nature? But when
I find, that as foon as ever be was called Moun-
fieur by the Children of 'Dover, be ftraight makes a
Conclufion of our general Inhofpitality : And of
our Infolence from the next Carrier that he em
ploy 'd : And of our Abufivenefs from a filly "Zea-
lander, that was bis Fellow-Traveller .- And of our
want of Courage from a pitiful Fray betjaeen a
Naked

Voyage into England, 127;
Naked Scholar and an Armed French Souldier at
Beacons field. This puts me in mind of the Judg
ment which one of the greateft Men that ever
liv'd did pafs on the Antient Gauls. It was
the Experience of Gefar himfeif, of their Trifling
and Changeable Humour, that in their moft Solemn
Councils they determined on the weightieft Af- ,
fairs upon the Authority of any flender Report
of tha. next wandring Pedlar. This I hope I
may repeat without offending the prefent French
Nation. For I do not fey, (as Msnfieur de Sor
biere of us,) That it came from the Nature of
their Soil, and that therefore it mult needs de-
fcend on all that are Born on the fame Earth. But
I only affirm, that I know a certain French Trum
peter that has made good this Obfervation of
Cefar's. This, Sir, being the Form which he has fancied
in his Brain of the Wild Manners of the Englifh,
it is eafie to guefs what Thoughts he has of their
Religion. And the Truth is, having reprefented
us as fuch Monfters in our Civil Cuftoms and
Behaviour, he could do no other than paint us
out to be as bad as Infidels in our Spiritual Con
dition. For whofoever are Barbarous in their
Lives, can never be good Chriftians in their
Hearts. It is the peculiar Glory of the true Chri- j
ftianity, that it does not only Save, but Civilize,
its real Profeffors.
We fhall therefore find that his Reproaches
are proportionable concerning our Religion. And
by the Jrreverence of the Language which he ufes
towards it, you may perceive that he did not on
ly learn from the Trooper that was his Compa
nion to Oxford that the Englifh ate Infolent and
Cowards, but that he alfo furnifh'd him with
this Intelligence of our Church. For this Ac-
'^' count,

ia8 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere'j
count, which he has here fet down, could have
p. 8. been given by no Man living fo properly as by
one that had been a Soldier in Cromwell's Army.
To pafs by the Friendly Names of Schifmaticks
and Hereticks, which he as freely beftows on us
p l8> as if they were our National Titles, he has ven-
tur'd to fey, That We feparated from the Church
of Rome for phameful Caufes that are known to
P. *7- all the World: That the People has a Univerfal
Averfion for the Religion eftablifh'd ,by Law :
p. 1 8. That there is a probability that all our Sells may
P. 17. fhorly unite to deftroy it : That our folemn Publick
p. 18. Prayers are only a Morfel of a Liturgy : That the
King did the moft hazardous thing he could under'
take when he reft or ed Epifcopacy : That our Ec
clefiaftical Government is nothing elfie but the
Shadow and the Corruption of the true Hierar
chy : That the Introduction of our Church Service
into Scotland was the Caufe of the fiiedding of fo
p. 2. much Blood in the Three Nations .- That our chief
Clergymen , who have Pluralities of Benefices^
p. 21. make their Grooms their Curates : That our Bi
fhops do horribly abufe their JurifdiSion in their
p. 22. Excommunications and Impofit ions : That they are
fo Haughty that none of the Inferiour Priefts dare
P. 25. fpeak to them .- That they Rob the Church by let
ting its Leafes for Thirty Tears ; getting all the
Money into their own Pockets, and leaving only
P. 26. a fmall Revenue to their Succeffors : That England
is a Country where no Man is afraid of commit
ting Simony. This, Sir, is his Judgment of our
Church. And you may be pleas'd to obferve,
that this Catalogue of Slanders is equally made
up of thofe which the moft furious of the Roma-
nifts on the one Side, and the moft Fanatick a-
mongft the Nonconformifts on the other, are wont
to Revile us withal : So that in repeating them, he

Voyage into England. I2g
he does at once aa both the Parts, which he had
before play'd in the World at feveral times,
that of a Violent Calvinift, and a Jefuitical
Papift. And fitft, it is falfe that our Englifh Reforma
tion began upon a fhameful Occafiqn, or from the
Extravagance of a private Paflion. I know he has
the Famous Story of King Henry's Divorce to op-
pofe againft what I fey ; but I am not ftartled at
' ' thar, no more than at the Fable of out Bifhops Con-
fecration at the Nags-Head-Tavern ; or of the '
Kentifhmen having long Tails for the Murder of
Thomas Becket ; fuch Frivolous Arguments as
thefe might have ferved well enough in the Mouths
of the Monks Two Hundreds Years ago, but they
will not pafs fo eafily in a Philofophical and In-
quifitive Age. In brief therefore, Sir, it is evident
that King Henry the Eighth did never intend to
proceed to a much greater diftance from the Ro
man See than the Galilean Church maintains at
this Day. There is no Man of our Church that
looks on his Breach with the Pope to have been
a Reformation ; we only efteem it to be of the
Nature of thofe Quarrels which many Princes in
the moft Catholick Countries have managed a-
gainft the Holy Chair : The Reformation to
which we ftand is of latter Date. The Primitive
Reformers amongft us beheld the Reafon of Men
tamely fubjeaed to one Man's Command, and the
Sovereign Powers of all Chriftendom ftill expos'd
to be check'd and deftroy'd by the Refolutions of
his private Will: Upon this they arofe to perform
Two of the greateft Works in the World at once ,
to deliver the Minds of Chriftians from Tyranny,
and the Dignity of the Throne from Spiritual Bon
dage. Whatever was the accidental, this was the
real Caufe of our firft Reformation, and of their
K Separation

130 Obfervations on M. SorbiereV
Separation from us, not ours from them* And
this was the Event which muft needs have come
to pafs near the time in which it did, though
King Henry had never forfaken his Wife. Let
p I9# him therefore know, that our Doarine (as much
fpoiVdas it ist in bis Opinion,) was eftablith'd
by Chrift and his Apoftles : And that the Cere
monies of our Worfhip were not fet up by Faai-
on, or by a popular Fury, but by the deliberate
Counfels of Wife Men, and by the Authority of
that Power which bears the Immediate Image of
God. This, Sir, I have faid in Vindication of
our Church ; not fo much to fatisfie this Idle
Dreamer on Parnaffus, as out of the Love which
I bear to many well-meaning Catholicks amongft
us, who have this Argument fometimes in their
Mouths; of whom I- know very. many, whofe
Withes for the Happinefs, of their Country, and
for its Freedom from Foreign Ufurpations, are
as honourable as any Englifhmen Living. As.
for Monfieur de Sorbiere's Parr, it had been a fuf-
ficient Reply to him, that I can . Name a Man
who has indeed feparated from the Religion where
in he was Born for a fhameful Caufe which is
known to all the World.
He declares that the People of England has a
univerfal Averfion for the Eftablifh'd Worfhip.
But here I cannot fay that of him for which he
p, 4t, commends DcUor Wallis, that He is one of the
beft Accomptants in the World. This pofitive:
Computation he never was in any Capacity to
make. He never faw any of the middle, or the
remoter Parts of our Nation, where Noncon-^
formity is but very fparingly fpread : He never
convers'd with the vaft Body of Gentry and.
Yeomantry that live Country Lives, who are ge
nerally

Voyage into England. 1 2 1
nerally uninfeaed. It is London alone on which
he muft rely, for this Calculi tion. And yet even
in this too I dare openly affure him, that the far
greater Numbei is for the Rites of the Church
than againft them. But I advife Monfieur de
Sorbiere, that before he thinks himfeif able to
make an exaa Judgment of the Number of our
Religious Seas, he would firft correa all his
Errors - in Arithmetick , which are to be found
irr this Book, about the moft obvious Things,
in reckoning of which it was enough to have
only had the Underftand ing of the leaft Child
that he ever taught. I will only produce one
in this Place. Have we not reafon to rely upon
his Opinion of the Difference of the Parties in
the whole Kingdom, when in the leaft Num
ber, that can be he has miftaken half? For he
lays, that the double-bottom dVeffe I has Two Mqfts
in the Front, when every Sculler on the Thames
knows it has but One.
• He affirms, that the Government of our Bifhops
is nothing elfe but the Shadow, and the Cor-?i&'
ruption of a true Hierarchy. And he gives this Excel
lent Reafon for \t,becaufe here the Spiritual fubmits
to the Temporal. This very Argument I will
turn on himfeif It is therefore the True, the
Sound, the Apoftolical Epifcopacy, becaufe it
does yield to the Temporal Power, which elfe could
be nothing but a Shadow ? It is the Glory of the
Church of England, that it never refitted Autho
rity, nor ingag'd in Rebellion : Which is a Praife
that makes much to its Advantage in the Minds
of all thofe who have read of the difinal Ef-
feas of ' the Scotch Covenant, and the Holy
League. He fays, that our King did put himfeif on the
moft dangerous Enterptize that could be attempted
K 2 when

I j 2 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere'.*
when he reftored Epifcopacy ; and yet he con-
P. 24. feffes that our other SeUs are inconfiftent with
any Government but a Commonwealth. What
dreadful Danger could be imagined in a Mo
narch's deftroying that which muft need fall
of itfelf in a Monarchy ? But to fhew how much
he was miftaken,- it is evident, that on his Ma-
jefty's moft Glorious Return the Church foon
recovered all its Rights of Ecclefiaftical Jurif-
diaion, of fitting in Parliament, and even all its
Lands, which had been long held by Armed Ufur-
pers, without any other Oppofition than what
was made by General Venner, and his Forty
Men, who it feems did run the. greateft hazard
of the Two.
He declares that there is fo great a diftance
between our Bifhops and our inferior Clergy,
that thefe dare not fpeak to, nor ftand covered
before them. This, Sir, you and I can prove to
be a manifeft Untruth by feveral Inftances. But
however, what Courfe can we take to pleafe this
grave Cenfurer of our Civility ? He here dif-
likes the Refpetts that we fhew to our chief
Churchmen: And in another Place He condemns
the familiar Behaviour of our Soldiers towards
fheir Officers. He abufes the Clergymen for
ftanding bare to thofe Reverend and Aged Per~
fans, and the Redcoats for keeping on their Hats
in the prefence of their Captains. How fuffici-
ent a Judge is he of good Manners, that would
bring rude-Cuftoms of a Camp into the Church,
and the Punailio's of Obfervance and Courtfhip
into an Army.
But he accufes us of a greater Crime. It is
but Juft that there fhould be fo great a diftance,
if our Clergymen that have Pluralities make
their Grooms f apply their Cures. In this part of

Voyage into England. 133
of his Charaaer. he certainly, Sir, Imiftpok the
Country, and intended this for fome other King
dom in Europe, where he had alfo mifs'd of a
Medal. It is a fign that he is as little acquainted
with his own Church, as he is with ours, or
elfe he would never have objeaed to us our
Pluralities, which are infinitely fewer, and more
confin'd amongft us : He would never have ven
tured ta upbraid us with the Ignorance of our
Parifh Priefts, left we fhould have provoked the
whole Church of Rome to a Comparifon. In
brief, Sir, our Slaves do not ferve at our Altars :
And I will alfo add, that our chief Spiritual
Dignities are not entailed on Families, nor poC
fefs'd by Children. In all the Parifhes of Eng
land, I dare challenge not only him that is a
Stranger, but the moft bitter Enemies to our Difci-
ple, to fhew me Twenty Pulpits that are filled
with Men who have not fpent their Youth in
Studies to prepare them, and who have not the
Authority of Holy Orders.
That be has prefum'd to call our Publick Solemn
Prayers only a Morfel, or a Scrap of a Litur-
gyt I do not much wonder. For he that has long
made his own Religion his Cook, (as one of our
Poets expreffes it,) may well be thought Irreligi
ous enough to take a Metaphor for ours from a
Kitchen. But befides this, he afferts, that the
IntroduSion of the Englifh Liturgy into Scotland,"
was the Caufe of the fhedding of all the Blood in the
.Three Nations. This Speech might have well
fitted the Mouth of Bradfhaw, or the Pen
of Ireton ; for it lays all the guilt of
fo much Slaughter on the moft Innocent,
and moft Merciful Prince that ever wore a
Crown ; by whofe fpecial Care, an Uni
formity of Worfhip was attempted ih that King-
K 3 dom,

[134 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere' s
dom. But to give him better light, and to let
him fee that there were other Caufes of our
Miferies in one of thefe Three Countries at
leaft, I would fain have him ask this Queftion
of the Pope's Legate that was in Ireland, whe
ther the horrible Irifh Maffacre was committed
for no other Reafon, but only out of a Tender
Brotherly Senfe of the Yoke which was laid by
the Common-Prayer on the Scotchmens £onfci;
ences ?
He tells us, that it is an ordinary thing with
our* Bifhops to exercife their Ecclefiaftical Cen-
, fures on frivolous Accounts. But methinks he
might have remembred, that it was not probable
they fhould feek out any trifling Occafions of
Excommunication, when, by his own Confetlion,.
they have fo many weighty Provocations, if that.
be true, that the whole Nation ne'gleas their
Difcipline. But, Sir, you know it is apparent
to all indifferent Men, that the Bifhops have been
moft remarkably moderate in their Vifitations s
And that the Punifhments which have been in-
fliaed on the Obftinate have for the moft part
proceeded from the Temporal Sword, and not
the Spiritual. But becaufe he here quarrels at
the Ablblutenefs of our Bifhop's Power, I leave
him to be anfwered by the whole Clergy of the
Church, of Rome, who ought to be alarm'd by
this. For if ours fhall be reputed fo Tyrannical,
what will they be efteemed whofe Jurifdiaion
is fo much larger ?
He goes on to defame our Bifhops. He feys,
they have imbezzelled the Church Lands to make
their own Families Rich. This, Sir, is an Objeai-
on, .which though it was at firft managed againft
them with great Clamour, by the common Ene-
snifs of the Jiing, and the Church, yer now on

Voyage into England. igy
a calmer Confideration of things it has univer-
felly loft its Credit, even in thofe Places where
he fays, The Englifh take Tobacco half the Day P. 54-
together * from whence be acknowledges that he
had a good part of his Relations. The firft Mur
murs againft them were rais'd, becaufe they re-
ceiv'd altogether fome part of that which was
their due for Twenty Years before. But the En
vy of that was quickly fcatter'd, when it was ma-
nifeft how many publick and generous Works
they have promoted. Befides the Firft-fruits,
and Tenths, and above all, the Subfidies, which
have fwept away a good part of their Gains,
they have compounded with a very great Number
of the Purchasers ; they have increas'd the Vica-
ridges in their Gift to Fourfcore Pounds a Year ;
they have indow'd Alms-houfes, and Colleges ;'
they have built Chapels ; they have repaired the
Epifcopal Palaces, and Cathedrals, which were
generally goneto ruin ; rhey have redeemed at
once all the Englifh that were Slaves at Algiers ¦,
and that too I dare allure him without any In
tent to make Curates of them.
The Account which he gives of their letting
Leafes is moft ridiculous. There is no Man a-
mongft them that lets a Leafe for Thirty Tears.
The Referved Rent is that which was always
the ftanding Revenue of the Church. Nor ought
this Cuftom to be objeaed againft the Church
of England -, it is the feme Courfe which is ta
ken in France, and moft other Parts of Chriften
dom. Nay, to go farther, the letting of Church
Leafes is a Bufinefs whofe Regulation was
brought about fince the time that the Church of
Rome divided from us. Before Queen Elizabeth's
Reigrt the Churchmen had a Power of Farming
out their Lands, not only for Thirty, but for
K a. Ninety-

136 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere'.*
Ninety-nine Years. It was She that firft con:
fin'd the Term to One and Twenty , and fo it
ftill remains. He ought not therefore to reckon
this Praaice as our Difgrace, when 'the good
Order that is now us'd about it is the peculiar
Honour that belongs to the Englifh Reforma
tion. But to conclude, if no Man fears Simony in
England, then there is no Man that is affrighted
with Punifhment ; for our Laws are as ftria a?
gainft it, and as feverely executed as any where
elfe. However, if it were true, (which is far
from being fo,) that we Simoniacally imploy the
Church Eftate to Secular Ufes, yet this founds
Very ill from that Layman's Pen, who, when he
writ this Voyage, was maintain'd out of the
Ecclefiaftical Revenue. This, Sir, was Monfieur
de Sorbiere's Cafe'. And the firft Office of a
F 4l- Churchman that ever he perform'd was in this
Book, where he devoutly prays to God to make
Mr. Hobbs a Roman Catholick. ' Which if his
Prayers can obtain from Heaven, he deferves not
only to be made a Prieft, or Bifhop, but even a
Saint too ; for this will be a far greater Mira
cle than any of thofe for which many have
been Canoniz'd,
_ And now, Sir, can you require any greater
• Signs of Monfieur de Sorbiere's Sincerity in his
Religion > He has accus'd of Simony, the moft
Incorrupt : Of Pride, the Humbleft ; Of Ra
pacity, the moft Innocent : Of Ignorance, the moft
Learned: OfFaifepoarine, the moft Primitive:
Of III Difcipline, the moft Decent Church under
Heaven. And when nothing elfe could be " faid,
he even upbraids it with its Submiffion and Or
bedience, to fhew, (that he is as ill a Difciple
pf Mi, Hobbs s, whom he pretends tp admifej 'as,

Voyage into England. 13 7
as he is of the Apoftles.) Notwithftandiqg all
which impudent Difgraces, there remains this
one Comfort to the Church of England, that
the fame Man, who now vilifies her fo bafely,
had once as mean Thoughts of the Godhead of
her Blefled Founder himfeif.
But it is eafie to conjeaure at the Caufe of this
his harfh Ufage of our Church. He had but
lately Apoftatiz'd from the Reformed Religion
in France : He was but juft enter'd into the Ro-
mifh Communion : And he fufpeaed that there
might be fome Doubts ftill remaining on Mens
Minds of the Reality of his Converfion, which
might turn to the Prejudice not only of his Spiri
tual, but of his Temporal Eftate. He had gi
ven himfeif out for a great Philofopher : And
he underftood well enough that few Philofo
phers are thought to alter their Minds that have
once been Proteftants. He was therefore refolved
to give an unqueftionable Proof of his Eftablifh-
ment in the Faith by reviling the Church of
England; and in performing this, I confels, Sir,
he has Counterfeited the Zealot very well : He
has profecuted us with all the Violence and
Bigottry which commonly accompanies new Con
verts: But yet I believe this will hardly do his
¦ Bufinefs. Even in this very Book he gives Evi
dence enough Calvinifm and Herefie - are not
wholly rooted out of his Heart. He grofly abu-
fes the moft devoted Children of the Church of
Rome , the Englifh Roman Catholicks. He com
plains of them, That they have no mind to difturb p- i6'
the Peace of their Country towards the Reftora-
tion of their Religion : Which is indeed fpoken
to their Honour, though he intends it to their
Shame. He fays, that they are not fo zealous in p *.
ibcir Way as Foreign Papifts 5 the quite contra- ' '

1 38 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere'.*
JP- a£ ry to which is true : He makes as if they never
faw the true Mafs performed: He affirms, that
they are all Bofn in Servitude, and debafes fo ma
ny Antient, Rich, and Honourable Families, to the
Condition and the Minds of Slaves. In all thefe
Speeches he does not exprefs any certain Mark
of a True Profelyte. But above all , he has fet
down fuch a Determination of his Faith, that
if he had made it in Italy or Spain he had un- •
doubtedly fallen into the Inquifition- He boldly
pronounces, that Tranfubftdntiation, Purgatory, the
P. a°* Merit of Works, Invocation of Saints, the Supre-
¦ macy of the Bifhop c/Rome, the Authority of Coun
cils, and the Infallibility of the Pope, are none of
them Fundamental DoQrines. What greater Apo
logy could be made for the Church of England,
which he has fo much defam'd, feeing thefe are
the only fhameful Caufes for which we diffented
from Rome?
But I leave him to be correaed by the Pope's
Sentence for thefe Herefies ; which perhaps rhe '
Holy Father has reafon to think do more fhake
the Holy Chair than the Five Points of Janfenius
that he condemn'd, which Monfieur de Sorbiere
fays did raife a Difpute about a Matter of no*
F' 24-' thing. From our Religion let us follow him to our
Government -, and here, Sir, I was at firft a lit- ,
tie at a ftand how to deal with him. But I*
have heard of the Magnanimous Refolution of the
late Duke' of Buckingham, who would never per
mit any Apology to be written for him. And I
confider, that it is almoft as great an Arrogance
for one obfcure Writer to undertake to defend
the Aaions of Great Princes, as it is for another
to defame them. I will not therefore inlarge my
Speech ip the Praifes of the prefent Happinefs of
England,

Voyage into England. 139
England, or in paying all the Acknowledgments
which are due to our Sovereign for the Bleflings
of his Reign ; that is a Subjea fitter for a more
Elaborate Volume than a fingle Letter, and for a
far more Elegant Pen than mine ; I will only
fhew the Vanity of our Hiftoriographer's ground
lefs Suggeftions. And as an Introduaion to what
he fays concerning the Political Condition of
this Nation, I will firft obfervehow he deals with
fome others of the chief Crown'd Heads in Eu
rope. You will perhaps, Sir, be very hardly in-
duc'd to believe that he can be guilty of Difre-
fpea to Monarchy, or Sovereign Princes,- when
you behold him fo Panegyrically given . towards
that Government, as to take the Pains to go
Five or Six Thoufend Miles to find out a
Race of Kings to commend ; for he here fpeaks
very Zealoufly in praife of the moft Vertuous and 4
moft Religious Kings of China. This, Sir, I can
not but applaud in him ; and to thew how much
this Teftimony of his good Manners has wrought
with me, I will not be harfh upon him in rhis
Place. I will not call in queftion the Credit of
his Intelligence from the fartheft Eaft, which
you fee is fo falfe about a Country that lyes
only Seven Leagues diftant from his. own.
Nay, I will not fo much as inquire whether ever
he met with any Chinefe Madam Fiennes to give
him this Information. I will grant, that the Kings
of China have been Great Menders of Bridges,
and Planters of Orchards. But I will only now
foftly put him in mind, that while his Pen did
overflow with fweet Words upon the Kings of
China, he has handled the Kings of Sweden and
Denmark more cruelly than Dionyftus the Tyrant
would have done when he was a King, nay, even
when he was a School-mafter,

P. 48.

I40 Obfeivations on M. Sorbiere V
Of the Two laft Kings of Sweden he affirms^
That that Glory is almoft wholly vanifb'd .- And,
that all moderate Men muft needs read the De
flations, which, they causd, with Horror. You
fee, Sir, what an Excellent Occafion he has here
given me of Triumphing over him : You know
very well how many great and irrefiftible Ar
guments this Matter might fuggeft to me:
What might not be faid of that Viaorious Na
tion ? How copious might I be in extolling the
indefatigable Induftry, the Condua, the Good
Fortune, the Generofiry of thofe Kings? What
Paffions might here be rais'd in appealing to all
Mankind, and in aggravating the common Mi-
fery of all Great Commanders of Armies, if 'it
fhall be permitted to every fmall Pamphleteer
to invade their Lives, and to arreign their Afhes,
when he pleafes ? But there is no need of go
ing fo powerfully to work, or of imploying
againft him any of the Lofty and Tragical Forces
of Eloquence. It willfuffice if I recal to his
Memory the Title in which he boafts fo
much. I will only ask him how the Hifto
riographer of France can affert the Wars
of Guftavus Adolphus to have been horrible
Devaftations, without cafting fome Share of the
Difhonour on the Crown of France itfelf? For
( if we will believe all the French Writers of
that time) there was a ftria Confederacy,
and a real Union of Interefts between thofe Two
Mighty Monarehs. I will give him leave to
ufe the Fame of the Kings of Sweden as he
pleafes. Let them in his Account pafs for
Thieves and Oppreflbrs. They deferve fo to be
us'd : For they were Mortal Enemies to that
Beloved Country, with whofe Mufick, and La
tin, and Dancing, he was before fo much ra-
f vith/d.

Voyage into England. 141
vifh'd. I only bid him look back on the Rela
tion which Lewis the Juft had to Lewis the
Fourteenth, and then let him try to vindicate
himfeif for overturning the Trophies of the Fa
ther in the fame Book,' wherein he declares, that
He travell'd abroad in a Waggon, to thread the
Glory of the Son.
But the Fame of thofe Dead Princes is plac'd
above the Reach of his Envy : Let us, Sir, confi
der how he behaves himfeif towards the Living.
What a long Story (or rather, as he himfeif
ftiles it, Romance) has he here made of the Life
of Ulefelt the Dane, on which he builds the
Juftification of bis Crimes, and condemns the
King of Denmark'* Juftice ? And yet at the
feme time he acknowledges that He took the
whole Relation only from the Mouth of Ulefelt'j
own Wife. After this, have the Kings of China
any great Reafon to be proud of this Man's
Good-will ? When he has here exprefs'd no
more Judgment, nor Integrity, than from the tin
gle and partial Information of a Woman, to ac
quit a Man that had been Hang'd in Effigie in
Denmark, and has been fince kill'd as he was
purfued for High Treafon ?
On the fight of all this I may well return fe-
curely Home to examine his Opinion of our
State. And here I muft not forget to acquaint
you that he is not all over Satyrical, but in feve
ral Places he fprinkles fome few kind Words
to our Advantage. Yet his Commendations are
lb direaiy contrary to his Reproaches, that in-
ftead of reconciling me to him, they rather fup-
ply me with new Arguments againft him. And
who can defire an eafier Adverfary to deal with,
than fuch an one, who, when he fpeaks againft us,

141 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere j
us, oppofes evident Truth, when he fpeaks for
us, contradias himfeif?
This Inconfiftence of his own Mind with itfelf
is apparent in this Political Part of his Relation,
P. u. which now comes under my Cenfure : He con-
feffes Our King to be one of the beft Princes in
the World. He declares, that His Majefty us'd
P. So. him with all imaginable Sweetnefs ; and that by the
Charms of his Dif courfe he fent him away as well
pleas' 'd as if he bad loaded him with bis Prefent s,
i intreat you now, Sir, to recollea how this and
that which follows hang together.
P. $i. Firft, He fuggefts, that perhaps there was not fo
much Pretence for the People to Rebel in the
late King's Time as there is at this prefent. In
the Reply which I fhall make to this Paffage,
I cannot, Sir, confine my felf to the bare Li
mits of a Satisfkaory Anfwer; but I muft per
mit my Zeal for the Profperity of our "Country
to break forth into Expositions of Joy and Gra
titude. It is fit that ail the World fhould know,
that as our King was Reftor'd with the moft Mi
raculous Submiffions of Minds and Interefts rhat
ever any Hiftory can fhew : As he was eftablith'd
on the Throne of his Anceftors, while there were
Two mighty Armies on Foot, that had fought
againft him and his Father : So there can be no
Difficulty in continuing this Quiet, now he has
all the Power of the Nation in his Hands, and
now his Enemies are Scarter'd and Difarm'd, ( if
yet he can be thought to have any real Enemies,
after fo many Heroick Teftimonies of his Mercy.)
The Condition of all his Affairs abroad is in
foch a Pofture, in refpea of his Neighbours, that
he is as far from being liable to receive Injuries
unreveng'd, as he is averfe in his own Difpofition
from doing Wrongs unprovok'd. And the fmall
Diffentions that ftill remain on fome ofhisSub- jeas

Voyage into England. 145
jeas Minds at Home, are fo far from hazarding the
Safety, that they will rather make for the Honour 4 <
of his Reign. For by his renew'd and generous
Endeavours rowards trie corapofing of thefe Dif
ferences, there will arife for him a continued
Succeffion of Peaceful Triumphs, of which the
Occafions had been wanting to him if he had found
us all of one Mind- And many- fuch Viaories
as thefe we may juftty prefage to our Sovereign's
future Government. The Forces which he em
ploys againft thofe few that are ftill Contuma
cious," which are thofe of Affability and For-
givenefs, are impoffible to be refitted. Who
ever contends with thofe Weapons, he has not
only his own Virtues', but theirs on his fide. And
as thefe are the fureft Conquefts, fo they are of
the greateft Renown. In the Triumphs of War,
his Soldiers, his Commanders, and even Fortune
itfelf, would come in for a Share in the Fame :
But thofe which are obtain'd by Pity, and by Par
doning, have no Partners in the Honour, but are
wholly to be attributed to the King himfeif
But for a Proof of our Calm and Well-fecur'd
Condition, I appeal from this Trifler's Conje-
aures to the Parliament itfelf, which is the true
Reprefentative of the Affeaion of the whole
Kingdom. If he would have been willing to
refer the Matter to their Decifion, he might have
found all things fo free from any likelihood of
New Difturbances, that they have been ftill as
inclinM to be.fevere towards the King's III- wil-
lers, as he himfeif ha's been to be Gentle: And as
follicitous to guard his Royal Perfon with their
Lives and Fortunes, as he has been careful that
he might need no other Defence but his own
Goodnefs. Yet

144 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere 's
Yet fince he is refolv'd not to ftand to the1 De
termination of that great Aflembly, which he
modeftly terms an Extravagant Body, let us fee
what Reports he has pick'd up amongft the Male-
contents of the Vulgar: He feys, that they every
where complain of the Negleapfthe Intereft of
Trade, of the Mif-fpending of the Treafure, of
the Oppreffions of the Court, and of the Decreafe
of our Glory at Sea.
All this, Sir, he profeffes to take from the Mur
murs- of the Multitude. And "if they are guilty
of fuch Difcourfes more than the Commonalty
of other Countries, they juftly deferve the Titles
that he gives them, of a Sufpicious, a Sullen,
an Infolent, and an "Envious Generation. But
then, Sir, if the Mean and Ignorant People ought
fo much to he condemn'd for upbraiding their Go-
vernours, tho' they only do it in private, when
they are heated with Drink, and under the pro-
teaion of a a Cloud of Tobacco-Smoke , what Pu-
nifhment does that Hiftorian deferve who thought
. good to collea their Difeontents, and to make
himfeif worfe than the Authors of them, by be
ing the firft that reports them in this publick
Way ? What Credit could he expea to get by
repeating thefe low Scandals, when it was dif-
honourable for him only to confefs that he came
into fuch Places, and Companies, where he might
over-hear them? This Reprehenfion, Sir, he ought
to have undergone, if all this that he relates had
been true: But if we take it in pieces we fhall
find that he Libels the very Suburbs; and that
his Ink • is Black enough to reprefent the worft
Slanders of the Rabble in darker Colours than
their own.
As for the Repinings which he heard concern-
, ing the Diminution of Trade ; you know, Sir, .
that

Voyage into England. 145
it is the Publick, and the Cheerful Voice of all
Englifhmen, that there have been far more Incou-
ragements for Merchants, and more vigorous
Attempts for the Advancement of Commerce,
within thefe Four Years and half than in many-
Ages before. I might for a Proof of this alledge
the Royal Council that is particularly fet up for
that Purpofe. I might inftance in the Increafe
of the Cuftoms, which from Thirty or Forty
Thoufend Pounds in the latter end of Queen
Elizabeth's Reign do now amount to almoft Four
Hundred Thoufend a Year. I might urge all the
Proclamations for the prohibiting of Foreign
Manuhtaures, and for the Improvement of our
own. I might reckon up the many new Statutes
for the Repairing of Havens, the Mending of
Highways, and the Cutting of Rivers, but it is
enough only to mention the Inftitution of the
Royal Fifhing and the Royal Company, in both
which our King has Profperoufly begun a Defign
which will Infallibly make the Englifh the Ma-;
Iters of the Trade of the World, and that is
the bringing in of our Gentry and Nobility to
contribute towards it. When this fhall be brought
about, not all the little Crafts of the Hollanders^
( which he magnifies fo much ) will ferve their -- * 2» ^'
Turn ; but the Englifh will outgo them in In-
duftry and Stock, as much as they do already in
Shores, in Ports, in Ships, in Valour, in Vertue.
This, Sir, we fhall undoubtedly live to fee ac-
eomplifhd, feeing the Gentlemen cf England
have fo great an Example before tf^m ; of a
King, who does not only make the Arrs of Com
merce and Navigation his Bufineis, and his In
tereft, but his very Delight and Recreation.
What he fays of our Treafure is moft Im
pudently objected againft that Prince, who has
L re-

ri+6 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere *s
retrench'd thofe Expences which his PredecefTors
maintain'd, when the Revenueofthe Crown was far
P. $$• lefs. And he chofe a very unfeafonable time to Pre*
claim, that the Blood-fuckers of the Court devour the
People, when thofe Blood-fuckers have parted with
their very Food, and the Antient Dues of their Offi-
, ces,to leflen the Charge of the Publick. But his loud-
- ' eft Outcry concerns the Lofs of our Dominion at Sea.
And here he moft invidioufly compares the Times of
the Rump with our Prefent Naval Power. Firft of
allhe might have underftood,that the Fleets which
were then fet forth againft the Dutch did mainly
confift of the late King's Ships; and alfo that the
Whole Eftates of the Crown, the Clergy, moft
of the Nobility and Gentry, and indeed well
nigh of the whole Nation, were then at the U-
furper's Difpofal. From thence he might have
concluded, that even the Glory of their Viao-
ties is not fo much to be given to the Riches
and Intereft of Scot,"Hafilrigg, or Vane, as to
the Treafures of the King, and the Royal Party.
But befides this, Sir, what will he be able to
anfwer me, when I fhall tell him, tiiat our King
has made our Sea-provifions far ftronger than
ever they were in any Age or Country before,
and that too only by the help of a Revenue boun
ded by Law, and limited to the itria Rules of
Juftice ? Of the Truth of this he might fpeedily
have been convinc'd if he had vifited any one of
our Royal Stores, inftead of deferibing Smith-
field, Bedford Garden, the Conduits of London,
Morefields, Hatfield Fifhponds, and St. Catherine's
College in Oxford. Never was there a greater abun
dance of Materials in readinefs ! Never more skilful
Builders ! Never more formidable Preparations !
Never more valiant Commanders! And in One
yVord to perfea all, never a Braver Admiral !
An

Voyage into England, 14^
An Admiral of whofe undaunted Courage, un
wearied Diligence, and fortunate Condufct, all
the Nations round about us have beheld fo many
unqueftionable Proofs, even from the very firft
Years of his Youth. And if I thought that all
the Men of Honour, wherewith France now a-
bounds, were not yet fetisfied how little Mon
fieur de Sorbiere deferves to be Hiftoriogra
pher Royal, I would defire no other Inftance to
prove it but only this, that when he declares he
came into England to content his Curiofity, to
fee all the Rare Things and Men amongft us, yet
he fearce mentions the Duke of Tork.
I will admit that hitherto he has only reci- Pref.
ted the Extravagances of the Rabble ; let us
now, Sir, come to that Place wherein he has
chiefly exercifed the Profoundnefs of his skill,
his own Speculations on the Defeas of our Mo
narchy, and the Faaioris of our Court; and that
you may know how Converfent he has been in all
Intrigues of State, as Well as thofe of the Mufes, I
will give you.his Pofitive Determination of one
of the graveft Points of Policy that ever was debated
at a Council Table ; and it fhall be in his own Words,
to his Intimate Friend Monfieur de Vaubrun, To
you, Monfieur deVaubrun, (fays he,) being my Bofom F- 4s?
Friend, a Man that efteems me much, arid one
whom I honour Infinitely, being alfo a Gentleman
that Loves Juftice, as well as Fighting, Twill re
veal the Bottom of my Heart, and tell you the
moft Secret of all my Thoughts. What weighty
Matter does he introduce with this Solemn Pre
face ? He complains that the Learned Men of the
Englifh are not enough communicative. Certain- p- 38.
ly we fhall find him of a better Temper, no doubt
he will now unfold fome New Principle of Po
licy, and of the Laws of Humans Society, which
L 2 he

P. 48

148 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere'5
he has difcover'd, that is not yet ripe for the
Publick, and only tit to be committed to the
Truft of a Particular Confident. It proves fo in
deed! The Oracle he immediately pronounces,
is this, That, Man was not made by Nature to
fight with Man, but rather to enjoy tbe Benefits
of Peace, that God has not- given us Hornst
Hoofs, or Claws ; but
Os bomini fublime dedit.
This, Sir, is all the mighty Myftery of which
he difcharges his Breaft with fo much Cere-
mony. And in which is he now more ridicu
lous, his Hiftory or his Policy ? His Hiftory, in
fpeaking fo many falfe Reproaches aloud, his
Policy, in whifpering fuch Trifles with fo much
caution. I befeech you, Sir, let us allow him
the Reputation of this new Invention intire.
Though he did not think fit to name the Fa
mous Author of the Lunar Globe, which he
faw in the King's Clofet, yet I intend to be
jufter to him; and I will propofe this Epitaph
to be grav'd on his Tomb, Hie jacet primus
Author hujus fententix, Pax Bello potior.
This, Sir, is one Trial of his Contemplative,
you fhall have more of his Praaical Politicks.
He has ventur'd to declare the ^ueen Mother's
Thoughts about the moft Private and Dome-
P4 S3> ftick Concernments, wnich were fo near to her
that it was impoffible for a Thoufend Madam
Fiennes to have given him any Inftruaion a-
bout them. And in this he had no Reverence
for the Greateft and the moft Virtuous Princefs
• of this Age, for tho Mother of our King, nor for
the Daughter of Henry the Great. He has made
p. <3. a difadvantageous Charaaer on my Lord St. Al
bans to the French Nation, where he was be
fore fo well known, and where he liv'd long inft

Voyage into England, 1 49
fo much Honour. He has prefum'd on the King
himfeif; he feucily Conjeaures at the Reafons
of the Choice of his Minifters, as if he had been
admitted into his Royal Breaft as well as his
Cabinet. He fays that his Majefty is forc'd to p ^
be familiar with his Nobility and Gentry, to keep
their Efteem and Good-will, and fo he endeavpurs
to bringdown thofe Virtues of which he him
feif receiv'd fo many Proofs to be only Works
of Necefiity. But feeing he confeffes this ge
nerous Affability to be able to hinder the King's
Subjeas from Rebellion, methinks it might have
prevail'd on a mean Stranger to fpare the Re
putation of his Kingdoms. He infinuates, that j>, $,-
the true Sovereign Power amongft us refides in
the People, which is a Doarine that was fearce
ever heard of in England till the Year Forty-
eight, and vanifh'd in Sixty. He, affirms, that p." gt;
there is a mixture of all Sorts of Government
in the Compofition of our State, notwithanding
that we have fo many Aas of Parliament that
- Devolve the whofe Power on the Crown. His
long Difcourfe of the Priviledges of the Houfe of Pt s?:
Commons, and tbe Degrees of their Incredfe, is to 5?."
nothing but a wild Whimfie of his own Brain.
There is no mention in any Englifh Hiftorian,
that Edward the Firft caWd Knights and Burgeffes p. ^
to fit in Parliament-, or that when they were fo
\ -convert d, he only us'd their Counfel, and re jelled
I thofe of fhe Nobility and Gentry ; and yet upon
thefe Imaginary Faults, of which he ftppofes
Edward the Firft guilty, he here takes him into
his Difcipline, reads to him a tedious LeUure Pm ^.
of tbe Arts of Government, and treats the Wifeft 59,
and molt Viaorious Prince of Chriftendom in
that time as imperioufly as if he had been a
Cadet of the Houfe of Suze. But I am weary,
L 3 Sir,

'* 50 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere'j
Sir, of taking notice of fuch Errors, which are on
ly Miftakes in Hiftory or Chronology. At leaft
I need not go Three Hundred Years back for
them, feeing he is fo much befides the Truth
in his Recount of the moft Renown'd Aaion
p in this Age, the King's Return, which he wholly
-' 2*' attributes to the Presbyterians. All the Cir-
cumftances of that Glorious Reftauration are ftill,
Sir, frefh in our Memories, the very Noife of
thofe Triumphs which fill'd the whole World
with admiration feems to be yet fearce out of
our Ears ; and fhall we fuffer him to fix all
the Honour of that Immortal Work on a Pri
vate Sea? Whereas it was Accomplifh'd by the
immediate Favour of Divine Providence, by the
Wifdom of a Viaprious General, by the Per
petual and Immoveable Fidelity of the Royal
Party, by the Hands, the Withes, the Tongues,
and the United Defires of Three Kingdoms.
'Tis True indeed, the Presbyterians went along
with the Mighty Torrent, but the whole Courfe
of this Happy Violence is not therefore to be
Attributed to them. You fee, Sir, I am unawares
fallen into a Metaphor, which does beft Re-
femble that Enterprize. It was in that, as in a
Cidden Land;flood, which, as it comes down,
carries with it Trees, and Stones, and Houfes, and
all that it meets in the Way. And even all thefe
.which lay before quiet, nay, which refitted the
firft Waters while they were weak, do add to
the Impetuofity of the Current when it is go
ing. But we muft not therefore fay that the
Flood itfelf took its rife from thence, feeing it
was in Truth caus'd by Rain coming down from
Heaven, and by Streams flowing in from every
Part of the Country, This Allufion, Sir, I think .
does reprefent the whole Matter to your'Mirid. tf

Voyage into England. I5J
If it does not, however I have return'd Mon
fieur de Sorbiere an ill Similitude for one of his,
where be compares the Proteftants to the Otto
man Empire, which is fo much an Intrigue of
the Mufes, that I will Challenge all the Wits
of England and France to Interpret it. But if
the Covenanters fhall ftill be fond of this Praife,
which he here allows them, let them remem
ber of how little Value his Panegyricks are, fee
ing he calls Ulefelt a Heroe; and if they will
ftill maintain that they reftor'd the King, let
them take heed left fome Mifehievous Royalift
fhould tell them that in one Sence they did in
deed occafion the King's Reftoration, but in
the fame that ^uintus Maximus meant after
he had recover'd Tarentum, who gave this an
fwer to another Roman that had loft that Place
before, and yet boafted what fhare he had in re
gaining it, 'tis true, (fays he,) it was by your
Means indeed -, Nam nifi tu perdidiffes Taren
tum, ego nunquam recepiffem.
But the Chief Secret into which he has pierc'd
is the late Controverfie between my Lord Chan
cellor and the Earl of Briftol. What Subtle
Conclufions does he draw from it ? What Prp-;
pbetical Vifions does he here reveal, concerning
the Terrible Difturbances that fhall arife to our
Government many Ages hence, from an Acci
dent which was at an end before he got back
to Paris ? What a formal Divifion has he made
of the whole Nation ? Homer himfeif is not fb
Punctual in Marfhalling the Forces of the Greeks
and the Trojans ; nor is there lefs Fiaion in this
Hiftory than in his Poetry. On the Earl of Bri- p iti
ItoPx Quarter he places the Difcontented againft S2,
the Court, the City of London, tbe Presbyteri
ans that brought in tbe King, tbe Houfe of Lordsy
I 4 *

I jz Obfervations on M. Sorbiere'.*
a great and ftrong Party of tbe Houfe of Commons*'.
which he fays is the True Body of that Extrava*
gant Body the Parliament. An Army numerous
and formidable. On the Lord Chancellors fide
he ranks the Royal Family, the Bifhops, Deani,
f* J2» and Chapters, all the Nobility, all tbe Rich Merl
53' chants, and Burgeffes, ( though he had before be-
ftow'd the Houfe of Lords and the City of Lon
don on the Earl of Briftol. ) Thus he has drawn
the whole Kingdom into Battalia -, it is but now
performing his Office of Trumpeter, and a dread
ful, Battel will no doubt enfue. But how comes
it to pafs that all thefe Rumours of mighty Wars
did vanifh on the fudden ? Was it becaufe they
I- 9i were Englifh Cowards, and dar'd not fight ?
Alas, Sir? all this was only a Fine Story of En
counters in the Air, whereof there was no other
Foundation than in the wild Fancies of his own
making. And may we not give that Charaaer:
of our Hiftorian, which he does of one of the
Noble Combatants, that his great Wit has in-
ti '$?• clind him to be Romantick ? Is not this the
True Trick of a Romancer, to bring in many
Princes fighting together in a Wood, without
giving any Account how they came thither ?
But the Danger is over. All is quiet again, and
long may it fo keep. For to fpeak t'ye, Sir, from
-tbe bottom of Morifieur de Sorbiere'i Heart, Peace
is better than War. Well then, He grants
£. 5?, that the ViSory did a little incline to my Lord
Chancellor's Party, yet he has fhewn the Bravery
of his own Mind by Defying the Conqueror.
And here, Sir, I confefs he has driven me on
one of the Tendereft Points in the World, which
is the fpeaking Concerning the Fame of a great
Man while he is living. But I intreat you to lay
before your, Eyes the many Powerful Arguments

Voyage into England. 15 3'
by which I am mov'd at leaft to give a true
Teftimony, though not a long Elogy, concern
ing him. My Lord Chancellor is a Man through
whofe Hands the greateft part of all trie Pub
lick and' Private Bufineffes of our Country do
pafs ; and it will be moft difhonourable for us to
fuffer his Name to be revil'd in this manner,
while he is fearce at leifure to look to its De
fence himfeif, by reafon of his Eternal Labours
for the Publick Juftice and Safety. And befides
this, Sir, I can for my own Particular alledge ano
ther Motive of nearer Concernment ; for I am
to confider my felf as a Member of the Royal
Society, and the Univerfity of Oxford, and the
the Earl of Clarendon as Proteaor of one of them,
and Chancellor of the other.
Thefe, Sir, are fome of his True Titles, howr
ever Monfieur de Sorbiere is pleas'd to pafs them _
over, and give him worfe in their ftead. Firft ' 52'
of all he fays that he is a Presbyterian. At this
Ridiculous Scandal, I affure you, Sir, I am not
much griev'd. I was ( to tell you true ) in a
a terrible Affright, when I read what he Re
ports, that almoft all the City <jf London are Pref- p' S2*
byterians. But now this Paffage has compos'd
my Mind again, for it is like to be a very exaa
Computation, which he has made of that Sect
when the fi,rft Man that he names for Presbyte
rian is my Lotd Chancellor. He next tells us,
that he is a Man of the Law ; a fhameful Dif-
grace, the Lord Chancellor of England, whofe
Office it is to govern and moderate the Law, is a
Lawyer. As if I fhould endeavour to leffen the
Credit of Monfieur de Vaubrun, and prove him
unfit to be Governour of Pbillippe Vtlle, and
Colonel of Light-Horfe, by objecting that he is
aj Soldier, m of Monfieur 4e Sorbiere to be
f -*< * -!  ¦ • ' HiftQ.

1 54 Obfervations on 2d. Sorbiere'.*
Hiftoriagrapher Royal, by faying that he is skill'd
in Hiftory. But he is a Lawyer and Statefman
at once. Can this be any more Difparagement
to him than it is to the whole Body of Law
yers in France, who in all Times have manag'd
the greateft Imployments of that State ? Could
he not have recolleaed, before he writ this, that
Monfieur de Seguier, the prefent Chancellor of
France, is a Gentleman of the Long Robe ? You
fee, Sir, what a good Satyrift we have here got,
who would undertake to abufe an Englifh Statef
man with fuch an Argument, which muft at the
fame time reflea as much upon his own Coun
trymen, his Chief Friends and Patrons,' to whom
he direas his Speech. But the worft is ftill be
hind. My Lord Chancellor is utterly Ignorant
of the Belles Lettres : This Accufation is as
Decent as all the former. He diflikes our Car
riers for not being Courtly, our Soldiers for not
jutting off their Hats well, our Bifhops for their
Gravity, and our Statefmen for not being Gram*
f' *2* marians and Criticks. But I will prove to
him, by his own Confeffion; that my Lord Chan
cellor deferves not this Reprehenfion ; and that he
is a Man skilful in all Polite Learning. He
himfeif allows him to be a Great Politician, and a
P. 52. very Eloquent Man. 1 have obtain'd, Sir, what I
defir'd. You fee how eafie it is to juftifie the
Earl of Clarendon, feeing the very Man. that vili-
ties him, does at the fame time gainfey himfeif,
and fuggeft to me his Praifes, without my inter-
pofing any Word in his Commendation. If W8
fhould grant that a Man may Chance to be a
great Dealer in Politicks* without underftanding
any thing elfe, (which yet nothing but Monfieur
¦ de Sdrbiere^s own Example in this Place can
perfwade us to be pofliblej yet bow can he be
thought

Voyage into England. 155
thought to attain to a perfell Eloquence without
my skill in the Civil Arts ? Where now is his
Polite Learning ? Whence did he fetch this Idea
of Eloquence ? Let him produce his Notes out of
Ariftotle, Tully, guintilian, Seneca, or any of
the Rhetoricians of Antiquity, and then let him
tell me whether they do not alt with one Voice
confent that an Orator muft of necefiity be ac
quainted with all Sorts of ufeful Knowledge ?
But becaufe he is fo free in his Reproof of my
Lord Chancellor's unskilfulnefs in the Belles Let
tres, I pray, Sir, what Signs has this great A-
riftarcbus himfeif given of his own Proficience
in them? Where do we find in him any Foot-
fteps of the True Spirit of the Grecian or Roman
Wit ? What Reafon have we to envy his Judg
ment in the Claffical Authors, when all the Proof
that he has given in this Book of his being con-
verfent in them, are only Three or Four Pedan-
tical Quotations, of which the chief is,
Os homini fublime dedit.
v Thus far, Sir, in reply to him : But more is
to be added concerning the Honourable' Perfon,
of whom he fpeaks in foch mean Terms. My
Lord Chancellor is a Gentleman ofaveryAnti-
ent Family, of which Mr. Cambden makes men*
tion in his Britannia. His Education and firft
Years were foent in a ftria Familiarity with ma
ny pf the moft Famous Men, not only of that
Age, but perhaps of any other ; of whom (to
pafs by fome Reverend and Learned Churchmen
that are living,) it is enough to name Mr. Chil-
, lingfwortb and the Lord Falkland. His firft Ap
plication to the Affairs of his Country was in a.
ttme wherein extraordinary fidelity and Suffici ency

rf 5 6 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere'.*
ency were requir'd. His Services to the late King
were requited by the committing of many Emi
nent Bufineffes to his Management ; and by a
very high Share in his Majefties Favour; of
which there are incredible Proofs in that Excel
lent Prince's Letters. Under him he was Chan
cellor of the Exchequer, Privy-Counfellor, and
defigned Secrerary of State. Since that time he
was Extraordinary Ambaflador into Spain, and at
tended his prefent Mafter in his Misfortunes,
which was undoubtedly the moft Glorious Scene
of Honour in the World. By thefe feveral De
grees of Great Imployments he afcended to that
Illuftrious Station which he now enjoys. And
as for the Qualifications of his Mind, if it be
needful to add any thing to the Votes of the Roy
al Society, and the Univerfity of Oxford, I will
declare, that of all the Men of Great Worth,
who have pofFefied that High Office, fince Learn
ing and the Civil Arts came amongft us, there
was never any Man that has fo much refembled
Sir Thomas More, and the Lord Bacon, in their
feveral Excellencies, as the Earl of Claren
don. There might, Sir, much more be anfwer'd a-
fainft all his falfe Infinuations concerning the
olitical Condition of England. But I have feen
a Book of Monfieur de Sorbiere's Difcourfes and
Letters, whereof many were written to the late
Cardinal Mazarin-, and they ate fo full of grofs
Flatteries, that they have wholly turned my Sto
mach from freaking any more of State Affairs :
So that in truth, in the - prefent Humour into
which tbe Reading of them has put me, I had
- much rather offend on the other Extream, by an
unjuft Silence, than by impertinent Praifes of the
Englifh Government. I will therefore conclude this

Voyage into England. 257
this whole Matter, as I began it, by refleaing
on a Paffage of his own, in the Story of Ulefelt 5
wherein he has given undeniable Teftimony that
be is wholly ignorant of the Rights of Princes,
the true Policy, and the Law of Nations. He
affirms, that Ulefelt fled into Sweden ; that be be
came therefore effeQually a Traitor; that he was
the Caufe of the Swedes laft Invafton into Den
mark, by advifing Carolus Guftavus to turn his
Army from the Poles againft Copenhagen. Thefe
are his own Words. And what more apparent
Crime could be than this, which had like to have
drawn after it the utter Ruin of that Kingdom ?
And yet immediately after he profeiTes, That
he makes no doubt but tbe llluftrious He
ro's, Ulefelt and bis Wife, will live to fee their
great Merits acknowledged, and to enjoy in Peace
tbe Applaufes that are due to them for their Fi
delity to their King, and their Zeal for tbe Fun
damental Laws of their Country.
But this, Sir, I fuppofe, is one of thofe which Fr&
he himfeif calls the Befueuesof his Stile: Which
though (as he fays) Monfieur de Vaubrun ufes to
forgive, yet the King of France did not think
fit to pafs by.
This is the Idea that he has drawn of the
Manners, the Religion, and the Government of
the Englifh ; but thefe arc not the Subjeas which
he principally regards : Such Matters as thefe, he
confefies, that be only ufes to touch on as they puf.
come in bis Way. I will now therefore, Sir, con
fider his Commerce with the cbief Heads of Pax- E. Ved.
naffus, and his Intrigues of the Mufes ; that is,
(to fpeak plain Senfe, without the help of Phoe
bus) I will examine fome Particulars in the Ac
count that he gives of the State of Knowledge
amongft us. This is the Argument in which he
Triumphs:

I$B Obfervations on M. Sorbiere'.*
E. Ded; Triumphs : This is a Bufinefs in whofe Promotion
he has f pent tbe whole- Courfe of his Life. And
that he may appear not to have beftow'd all his
Labour in vain, I will allow that he ought to
be numbred amongft the Men of Learning -, pro
vided that he be content with that Definition
which he himfeif has laid down of Learned Men
P. if. in general : For he fays, That it is the good
Cuftom of fuch Men to render themfelves ridicu
lous by their Malignity, and their Billingfgate
Language. In conformity to this Defcription,
befides what is already paft, let us now behold
what he reports of Dr. Wallis, Dr. Willis, Mr.
Hobbs, the Royal Society, the Englifh Stage,
their Eloquence, their Language, and their
Authors. Dr. Wallis he condemns for all his ill Ufage of
Mr. Hobbs in tbe Mathematical Contr over fies that
have pafs'd between them. I will not endeavour
to make any Defence for this Knowing and
Acute Profeffor, as he grants him to be -, but yet
let me fay, that if Monfieur de Sorbiere himfeif
being the Judge, fo much Modefty of Language
ought to be prefer v'd, even in the Contentions
6f Wit and Argument, when Paflion is apt to
overbear the moft temperate Minds , then cer
tainly he himfeif ought to have been careful of
keeping to the fame Rule, in an Hiftorical Rela
tion, wherein he had no Adverfery to put him
into a Heat, and nothing but his own Natural
Peevifhnefs to exafperate his Anger. Dr. Wallis
entertained him at his Houfe, made him partake of
' 3 9' his Experiment on a Dumb Man, and behold the Mo
del of a Flat floor, which (he fays) did raife Admir
ration in Mr. Hobbs himfeif. And for all this,
he might have been paffed by in filence ; but he
had a good Subjea to be merry with, for want of

Voyage into England. 159
of Polifh Mufick, and he muft needs give the
Receipt of making an Univerfity Cap. Take a p
Portefueille, cover it with Black Cloth^ fix a 4I"
Tuff of Silk upon it, and few it with a Calot,
and you have a perfeS Four-corner d Scbolafti-
col Bonnet. Do you not now wonder, Sir, why
he did not call himfeif Taylor, as well as Trum
peter, to the Commonwealth of Learning ? What
kind of Breeding is this ? How can he after this
Objea to Dr. Wallis that be has little in him P. 41.
of the Gallant Man? Whofe Behaviour has the
ftrongeft Scent, and wants moft to be purified by the F' *1'
Air of the Court ? The Geometrician receives him
kindly at his Table, the Hiftoriographer laughs
at the Habit of his Hoft. While he allows him
extraordinary Abilities that are proper to him
feif, he abufes him for that which is common
with him to the Sorbonifts in France, and almoft
all the Univerfities and Clergymen in Chriften
dom. He declares that be profited very little by Dr.p-.^g,
WillisV Company, becaufe be could not underftand
his Latin : And upon this he objeas, that all the F* 33,
Englifh pronounce that Language with fuch an odd
Tone, as renders it almoft as difficult to Strangers
as our own Tongue. I might here, Sir, alledgd
in defence of our Pronunciation, that we do as
all our Neighbours befides -. We fpeak the Ancient
Latin after the fame Way that we pronounce
our Mother Tongue: So the Germans do, fo the
Italians, fo the French. But the obfcurity of our
Speech being not only his Complaint, but ofmany^
other Foreigners, I will not ftand long in its
Juftification.' There are fo many peculiar Slan
ders of greater Concernmenr, which he alone has
fixed upon us, that I will not regard this fmall
Objeaion, wherein there may be others that agree with

166 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere 's
with him. But however, Sir, from hence I may
obferve, that it was therefore impofhble for him
to take a right Meafure of the Englifh Manners
and Difpofition, feeing he was incapable of hold
ing any Sort of Correfpondence with us. He
was not in a Condition of being inform'd by
our Gentry, our Farmers, or our Tradefmen, be
caufe he underftood no Englifh .- Nor by our Scho
lar s, our Phyficians, our Divines, our Mathema
ticians, becaufe he profeffes that our Latin was
unintelligible to him.
But to return, Sir, to Dr. Willis : I am able
to give another Reafon Monfieur de Sorbiere
did profit fo little by his Converfation ; the
Subftance of it was reported to me from Dr. Wil
lis's own Mouth. And I doubt not but the re
markable Sincerity and Integrity which that
Excellent Man preferves in all his Writings,
would make this Charaaer of the other's Vanity
to be believed, though we had not fo many
other Proofs of it. When Monfieur de Sorbiere
came firft to vifit him^ the Doctor efteem'd him
to be a Man of fome real and folid Knowledge ;
the Great Name of Des Cartes, and Marfennus,
which he hath frequently in his Mouth, might
have perfwaded him as much : He began to treat
him accordingly, he enter'd into Difcourfe with
him about fome Parts of Chymiftry and Phy
fick, in which he defired his OpTriion. The Pro-
feffor deliver'd it frankly and plainly, as it be
came a Philofopher, without Deceit or Ornament :
But expeaing that he would have continued the
Argument, with fome Material Objection, he
foon found that the Traveller underftood nothing
of the whole Matter -, but anfwered him as lit
tle to the Purpofe as if he had only faid Pax
Bella potior. Hetry'd him in other Subjeas. But

Voyage into England. t6t
But nothing could he get from him, except on-
ly fome few Philofophical Terms, and Ends of
Poetry, as, In puris naturalibus, Ex aquo Qf bono^i S6i
contundantur groffo modo. Homo eft animal cre-
dulum & mendax ; and Ox bomini. Upon this he *' ^
gave him over, as he would have done a young
Traveller of Twenty Years Old, and left him to
reckon the Colledge Quadrangle, to tell tbe Pil* P. ^
lars in St. John'* Cloyflers, to commend their
Grove, to meafure King Hatty'' s Sword, to defcribe p. 43}
Saint Catherine'* College (if there be any fucbF'4fc,
there,) to examine why one of the Colleges took P *$
its Name from a Brazen Nofe, to number the '
Books in the Bodleian Library , to confider why it p. 43.;
was Built in the Form of an H, and to count
bow many Folio's and bow many Quarto's are a-
hve and below on every Shelf. Thefe, Sir, he
perceived were fitter Subjeas for Monfieur de Sor
biere to handle. And he confirmed this his Opi
nion of him to be true. For his long Tale of
his Journey to Oxford is made up of Childifh
Contemplations : While he was fpeaking of that
Place, which for the Beauty and Convenience of
its Buildings, for the'Vaftnefs of its Revenue, and
above all, for the Sobriety, the Virtue, and the
Piety of its Difcipline, is to be preferr'd before
all others that have been ever Dedicated to the
Liberal Studies in the paft or prefent Times.
But here, Sir, I confers I have been a little too>
rigid towards him. It was ill done of me to
expea that he fhould on the fudden turn fo un
like himfeif, as to give a good Account of our
•Univerfity alone. I will not therefore beftir my
felf againft him for having omitted the moft
Memorable Things in Oxford -, my Quarrel to
him now is on another Score. He has here com
mitted a grofs Overfight in his own Way : For
" M "J M

iitf l' Obfervations on M. Sorbiere*.*
in this exaa Enumeration of all our Fine Rarities,'
he has wholly pafs'd by one Famous Curiofity,
which was of all others the moft proper for fuch
an Hiftoriographer, or at leaft for fuch a Trum
peter, to mention, and that is £>ueen-College
Horn.
from his new Acquaintance, I proceed to his
Rudenefs towards the only Man in England, to
whom he profeffes himfeif to have been long fa-
?'*$• miliar. Mr. Hobbs was the chief Man for whofe
Sake be came over, and he fpeaks very many
P. 27. great Things in bis Commendation: He praife s his
p ft, i°°d Humour, his excellent Wit, tbe vigour of his
Old Age, and bis long and diligent Search into
Nature. After this, Sir, you will perhaps think
that this Philofopher is fafe from his Inveaives,
but will find it otherwife -, he commends him
indeed for that, on which Mr. Hobbs lays not
fo much ftrefs, for his good Breeding , but he
wounds him in the moft dangerous Place, his
Philofophy, and his Underftanding. He very
p. 40* kindly reports of him, that he is too dogmatical
P. lb. in his Opinions : That be writ againft the Church
of Rome, becaufe he never had a right Idea of
it in his Thoughts, and becaufe he had only read
, the Controverfies on tbe Proteftant Side. How
d'ye think, Sir, this will found to Mr. Hobbsi,
who profeffes to have reduced all the Politicks
to Demonflrations, when his Tranflator fhall tell
him, that he concluded againft a Church, and a
Religion, before he had heard one Word that
could be faid in their Defence > The Title of
Dogmatical which he gives him being objeaed
by a declar'd Sceptick,- was the worft Fault that
py(Sm could be charg'd on a Philofopher ; and indeed
Pt 78, it is the fame that be beftows on Borri, while he
!? ?*• firms in a long Story to render Hm to appeat
nothing

Voyage into England. 163
nothing but afoolifh Charletan. But let him not
fear; I have no mind to aggravate this Injury
to Mr. Hobbs. It is the particular Manner of his p. w\
palling this Judgment on him, of which I will
take notice. He tells the World that Mr. Hobbs
was cenfur'd for Dogmatical, between his Majefty
and himfeif, in bis private Dif courfe with him.
And is not Monfieur de Sorbiere a very fit Man
to upbraid to Dr. Wallis his want of good Man
ners , when he himfeif is at once rude to his
Ancient Friend, and infolent to the King himfeif,
in betraying what he was pleas'd to whifper to
him in his Cabinet >
But however, to comfort Mr. Hobbs for this
affront, I dare allure him, rhat as for Monfieur
de Sorbiere's Part he underftands not his Philo
fophy. Of this I will give an unanfwerable Te
ftimony", and that is the Refemblance that beP.^l
makes of him to tbe Lord Verulam , between
whom there is no more likenefs than there was
between St. George and the Waggoner. He fays F' 4°t
that Mr. Hobbs was once bis Amanuenfis ; that
from thence be has retain'd very much of him :
That he has Studied his manner of turning
Things : That he juft expreffes himfeif in that
Way of Allegory, wherein, the other excell'd: And
that be is in Truth a very Remain of my Lord
Bacon. This, Sir, is his Opinion : But how far
from being true let any Man judge that has
but tatted of their Writings. I fearce know Two
Men in the World that have more different Co
lours of Speech than thefe Two .Great Wits :
The Lord Bacon fhort, allufive, and abounding
, with Metaphors, Mr. Hobbs round, clofe, fparing
of Similitudes, but ever extraordinary decent in
them. The one's Way of 'Reafoning proceeds
on Particulars, and pleafant Images, only fug-
M 2 getting

164 Obfervations on M. SorbiereV
getting new Ways of experimenting, without
any Pretence to the Matbematicks. The other's
bold, refolv'd, fettled upon general Conclufions,
and in them, if we will- believe his Friend, Dog*
matical. But it is the Royal Society to which he is
p . moft favourable ; and rhat he may fhew himfeif
a great Benefaaor to their Defign, he has beftow-
ed Grefham College on them. Whereas you know,
Sir, they only hold their prefent Meetings there
by thi Permiffion of- the Profeffors of. the Foun
dation of Sir Thomas Grefham, to whom that
Houfe does belong. We are beholden to him
for this Noble Bounty. But perhaps the Citizens
of London, who are rhe Overfeers of Sir Tho
mas Grefham's Will, may take it ill at his Hands,
efpecially having fuch juft Ground to quarrel
with him already: For he faid before, that they
are almoft all Presbyterians or Phanaticks.
He comes to defcribe the Weekly Affemblies
of the Royal Society -, and he does it in Words
P 6 becoming a Meeting of Natural Philofophers.
The Ufher carries a great Silver Mace before
the Prefident, which is laid on the Cufhion whefe
befits : They have a large Halt, and a bandfome
Anti-chamber-, the Place where they affemble is
Wainfcutted : There is a long Table before the
Chimney, Seven or Eight Grey Chairs about it -,
fome Benches behind that are bare ; the hinder-
moft higher than the firft .- The Prefident fits in a
Chair with Arms, his Back to the Chimney, hold
ing a Wooden Hammer in his Hand, wherewith
he fome times knocks the Table to make Silence.
Can you, Sir, indure to read all this Stuff with
any Patience? I fuffered his Tittle-tattle on
Rochefter Bridge, on the Eternal Green nefs of the
Fields of Kent, on the Walls of Liaeolns-Inn- Fieldsj

Voyage into England. 165
Welds, on the Guild-Hall, on the Ranks of Trees
in Moorfields, and many more fuch pretty Philo-
fophical Difcourfes -. But is not this a fhameful
Sign of his Weaknefs, that he has infilled fo long
on fuch mean Circumftances, while he was de-
fcribing a Subjea that might have yielded him
fo much Noble Matter for his Pen ? And when
the Royal Society itfelf is fo careful that fuch
Ceremonies fhould be juft no more than what
are neceffary to avoid Confufion ? What other
Language fhould he have us'd than this, if he
had been to inform the World of his own School
at Orange ? Juft fo he fhould have proceeded.
He fhould firft have declar'd whether the Room
was Hung or Wainfcotted : Next, whether the
Mafter fate with his Back towards the Win
dow, or the Chimney : Then how many Seats
there were for the Boys to fit on : At laft, he
fhould have drawn himfeif in a Majeftick
Chair, his Ferula in his Hand, and the poor
Scholars trembling for fear at every Rap on the
Table. But all this is ftill pardonable : He has been
Utterly miftaken in the Report of their main
Defign. There are Two Things that they have
moft induftrioufly avoided, which he attri
butes to them : The one is, a dividing into Par
ties and SeUs, and the other, sa reliance on Books P. 38;
for their Intelligence of Nature. He firft fays,
t\\at they are not all guided by the Authority of
Gaffendus or Des Cartes; but that the Mathema
ticians are for Des Cartes, and the Men of Ge
neral Learning for Gaffendus, whereas neither
of thefe Two Men bear any Sway amongft them:
They are never nam'd there as Diaators over
Mens Reafons ; nor is there any extraordinary
Reference to their Judgments. He alfo afferts}that
' M 3 tbe

i66 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere*.*
p. 7,6. the Royal Society, has appointed Lodgings, and
eftablifbed Four Thoufand Livres a Tear, on Two
Prof effort, who fhall read to them out of Authors,
and that they have begun a Library for that Pur
pofe-, whereas they have as yet no Library, but
only a Repofitory for their Inftruments and Rari
ties ; they never intend a Profefforian Philofo
phy, but declare againft it ; with Books they med
dle not farther than to fee what Experiments
have been try'd before ; their Revenue they de
fign for Operators, and not Leaurers.
I now pafs over to his chief Delight, the Bel
les Lettres of the Englifh. He grants our Stage
f. 69. to be handfome, the Muftck tolerable, better I fup
pofe than that of the Polack Gentleman. But yet
he fays?that our Poets laugh at the Rules of Time
and Place : That all our Plays contain tbe AQi-
P- 70. ons of Five and Twenty Tears : That we Marry a
Prince in the Firft AS, and bring in his Son fight
ing in the Secondhand his Grandchild in the Third;
F- 69- But here, Sir, he has committed a greater Diforder
of Time than that whereof he accufes our Stage :
For he has confounded the Reign of KiagCharles
the Second with that of Q. Elizabeth. 'Tis true,
about an Hundred Years ago the Englifh Poets
were not very exaa infuchDecencies; but no more
then were the Dramatifts of any other Countries.
The Englifh themfelves did laugh away fuch Ab-
furdities as foon as any ; and for thefe laft Fifty
Years our Stage has been as regular in thofe Cir-
cumftances as the beft in Europe. Seeing he thinks
fit to upbraid our prefent Poets with the Errors
of which their Predeceffors were guilty • fo long
fince , I might as juftly impute the vile Abfurdi-
ties that are to be found in Amadis de Gaul to
Monfieur de Cornielle, de Scudery, de Chapelaine,

Voyage into England. i6p
de Voiture, and the reft of the Famous Modern
French Wits.
He next blames the Meannefs of Humours which p. 6$
we reprefent. And here, becaufe he has thruft »
this Occafion upon me, I will venture to make a
fhort Comparifon between the French Dramati
cal Poerry and ours. I doubt not, Sir, but I
may dp this with the leave of that witty Nation :
For as long as I do not prefume to flander .their
Manners, (from which you fee I have carefully/
forborn,) I hope they will allow me to examine
that which is but Matter of Wit and Delight :
I will not enter into open defiance of them on
Monfieur de Sorbiere's Account , but I intreat
them to permit me only to try a Civil Turnamenc
with them in his War of Letters. I will there
fore make no Scruple to maintain that the Englifh
Plays ought to be preferr'd before the French;
And to prove this I will not infift on an Argument
which is plain to any Obferver, that the greateft
Part of their moft Excellent Pieces has been taken
from the Spaniard; whereas the Englifh have for
the moft part trodden in New Ways of Invention.
From hence I will not draw much Advantage, tho*
it may ferve to balance that which he afterwards
feys of our Books, that they are generally ftoln p. 7K
out of other Authors ; but I will fetch the Grounds
of my Perfwafion from the very Nature and Ufe
of the Stage itfelf. It is beyond all Difpute, that
the true Intention of fuch Reprefentations is to
give to mankind a Piaure of themfelves , and
thereby to makej Virtue belov'd, Vice abhorr'd*
and the little Irregularities of Mens Tempers, cal
led Humours, expos'd to laughter. The Two
Firft of thefe are the proper Subjeas of Tragedy,
and Trage-Comedy. And in thefe I will firft try
to Ihew why our Way ought to be preferr'd be-:
r' ¦¦- ' M *y fore.

J<58 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere j
fore theirs. The French for the moft parf takf .
only One ot Two Great Men, and chiefly infill oq
fome one Remarkable Accident of their Story; to
this End they admit no more Perfons than will
ferve to adorn that : And they manage all iq
Rhime, with long Speeches, almoft in the Way
of Dialogues, in making high Idea's of Honour,
and in freaking Noble things. The Engl'tfb on
the other fide make their chief Plot to confift of
a greater variety of Actions; and befides the main
Pefign, add many other little Contrivances. By
this Means their Scenes are fhorter, their Stage
fuller, many more Perfons of different Humours
are introduc'd. And in carrying on of this they
generally do only confine themfelves to Blank
Verfe. This is the Difference , and hence the
Englifh have thefe Advantages. By the Liberty of
Profe they render their Speech "and Pronuncia
tion more Natural, and are never put to make
a Contention between the Rhime and the Sence.
By thejr Underplots they often change the Minds
of their Speaators: Which is a mighty Benefit,
feeing one of the greateft Arts of Wit and per
fwafion is the right ordering of Digrefiions. By
their full Stage they prevent Mens being comir
nually tir'd with the feme Objeas : And fo they
make the Dextrine of the Scene to be more,
lively and diverting than the Precepts of Philo
fophers, or the grave Delight of Heroick Poetry j
which the French Tragedies do refemble. Nor
is it fufficient to objea againft this, tha,t it is un-
decent to tbtuft in Men of mean Condition
slmpngft the Aaions of Princes. |br whyfhoulcl
tfiat misbecome the Stage, which is always found!
tobe'aaed on the true Theatre of the World*
There being noGourt which only confifts ofKing^
sand Queens, and Councilors of Sta,te. Upon

Voyage into England. 169
thefe Accounts, Sir, in my weak Judgment, the
French Dramma ought to give place to the Englifh
in the Tragical and Lofty Part of it. And now
having obtained this, I fuppofe they will of
their own Accord refign the other Excellence,
and confefs that we have far exceeded them in
the Reprefentation of the different Humours. The
Truth is, the French have always feemed almoft
aiham'd of the true Comedy-, making it not
much more than the Subjea of their Farces ;
Whereas the Englifh Stage has fo much abounded
with it, that perhaps there is fearce any Sort of
Extravagance of which the Minds of Men are
capable but they have in fome Meafure exprefs'd.
It is in Comedies, and not in Solemn Hiftories,
that the Englifh ufe to relate the Speeches of Wag
goners, of Fencers, and of Gommon Soldiers.
And this 1 dare allure Monfieur de Sorbiere, that
if he had underftood our Language, he might
have feen himfeif in all Shapes, as a vain Tra
veller, an empty Politician, an infolent Pedant,
and an idle Pretender to Learning. But though
he was not in a Condition of taking Advice from
our Stage, for the correaing of his own Vices,
yet methinks he might thereby have reaified his
Judgment about ours : He might well have con
cluded, that the Englifh Temper is not fo univer*
fally heavy and dumpifh, when he beheld their
Theatres to be the gayeft and merrieft in Eui
rope. Concerning the Englifh Eloquence, he bravely p. 70.
declares, that all their Sermons in the Pulpit, and
Pleadings at the Bar, confift of nothing but mean
Pedantry. The Cenfure is Bold, efpecially from
a Man that isfo far from Underftanding our Lan
guage, that he fearce knew Whether we move
pyr Lips or no when we /peak, But to fhew p. 70;
t.4 "' '!¦ ; " ~ ' A" """" "*" " " ' him" "'

575 'Obfervations on M. Sorbiere 's
him that we can better judge of Monfieur dd
Sorbiere's Eloquence, I muft tell him, that the
Mufet and Parnaffus are almoft whipt out. of
our very Schools: That there are many Hundreds
of Lawyers and Preachers in England, who have
long known how to contemn fuch Delicacies of
his Stile. I will only give one Inftance for all.
I believe he cou'd fearce have Brib'd any Scive-
ner's Clerk to defcribe Hatfield as he has done,
t.t<j. and fo to conclude, That tbe Fifhes in the Ponds
did often leap out of the Water into the Air to
behold, and to delight themfelves with the Beau
ties -of that Place.
I will not attempt to defend the Ornaments
or the Copioufnefs of our Language againft one
that is utterly ignorant of it. But to fhew how
plentiful it is, I will only repeat an Obfervation,
which the Earl of Clarendon has made, that
there is fearce any Language in the World
which can properly fignifie one Englifh Expref-
fion, and that is Good Nature -, though Monfieur
de Sorbiere will not allow the Noble Author of
this Note to have any Skill in Grammar Learn
ing, yet he muft pardon me if I ftill believe
the Obfervation to be true: At leaft, I allure
you, Sir, that after all my Search I cannot find
any one Word in his Book which might incline
me to think otherwife.
•But I will be content to lay the whole Autho
rity of his Judgment in Matters of Wit and
Elegance on what he fays concerning the Englifh
p.,0; Books. He affirms, That they are only impudent
Thefts out of others, without citing their Authors 5
and thai they contain nothing but ill Rapfodies
of Matter, worfe put together. And here, Sir,
I will for once do him a Courtefie. I will fup
pofe him not to have taken this one Charaaer
i ¦ i " ¦:.,.,. ..^ .¦ Q£

Voyage into England. i 71
of us from "the Soldier, the Zealander, the Pu.
ritans, or the Rabble ofthe Streets : I will grant
he might have taken an ill Conceit of our Wri
tings before he came over, from the Ufual Judg
ment which the Southern Wits of this World
are wont to pafs on the Wit of all Northern Coun
tries. 'Tis true indeed, I think the French and
the Italians would fearce be fo unneighbourly
as to affert, that all our Authors are Thievifh
Pedants ; that is Monfieur de Sorbiere^s own
Addition; but yet they generally agree, that there
is fearce any Thing of late Written that is worth
looking upon, but in their oWn Languages. The
Italians did at firft endeavour to have . it thought
that all Matters of Elegance had never yet paffed
over the Alps .- But being foon overwhelmed by
Number, they were content to admit the French)
and the Spaniards into fome Share of the Honour.
But they all Three ftill maintain this United Opi
nion, that all Wit is to be fought for nowhere
but amongft themfelves: It is their Eftablifhed
Rule, that Good Sence has always kept near the
warm Sun, and fearce ever yet dared to come
farther than the Forty-ninth Degree Northward.
This, Sir, is a pretty Imagination of theirs , to
think they have confin'd all Art to a Geographi
cal Circle; and to fancy that it is there fo charm'd,
as not to be able to go out of the Bounds which
they have fet it. It were certainly an eafie and
apleafant Work to confute this Arrogant Con
ception by particular Examples : It might quick
ly be fhewn , that England, Germany, nay, even
Denmark and Scotland, have produced very many
Men, who may juftly come into Competition
with the beft of thefe Southern Wits, in the Ad-;
vancement of the true Arts of Life, in all the
Works of Solid Reafon, nay, even in the Lighter
] Studies

[i 72 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere 's
Studies of Ornament and Humanity. And, to
ibeak particularly of England, there might be
a whole Volume compofed in comparing the
Ghaftity, the Newnefs, the Vigour of many of
our Englifh Fancied, with the corrupt and the
f welling Metaphors wherewith fome of our Neigh
bours, who moft admire themfelves, do ftill adorn
their Books. But this, Sir, will require a larger
Difcourfe than I intend to beftow on Monfieur de
Sorbiere. I am able to difpatch him in fewer
Words. For I wonder how, of all Men living,
it could enter into his Thoughts to condemn in
grofs tbe Englifh Writings, when the beft Courfe
that he has taken to make himfeif confider'd as a
Writer was the Tranflation pf an Englifh Au
thor. But I beg your Leave, Sir, that I may briefly
add, that in the firft Reftoration of Learning
the Englifh began to write well as foon as any,
the Italians only excepted ; and that if we may
guefs by what we fee of the Italians at this Day,
the Englifh have continued to write well longer
than they. Sir Thomas Moor was Contempora
ry with Erafmus ; and though he was a Man of
the Law too, yet he yielded not much to that
Incomparable Man in the Plenty of his Inven-
tioii, or theMafculine Eafinefs of the Stile. ' And
ever fince that Time down to this, ( if we may
take a Meafure of the Englifh by what Tully
fays of the Romans in their moft flourifhingCon^.
dition, Thai they had fearce above One Excellent
Poet or Orator in an Age,) we may make a very
Advantageous Computation for the Honour of our
Country. We have at this Prefent as many Ma
fters of tf ue and real Wit as ever Greece produe'd
in One Age, whofe Names, though I conceal, yet
Pofterity fhall declare. We have had many Ad-
; '" - jrnirable

77.

Voyage into England. 173
rftifable Genius's in Poetry, who have handled
moft of the Ancient and Modern Subjeas of
. Fancy with wonderful Succefs. We can name
many Faithful and Diligent Hiftorians, fuch as
never ftrove to frame a Romance out of every Sto- p
ry that they managed. And the Number of thefe
will be fhortly encreafed by the Labours of a
Great Man, from whom .we hope to receive the
Hiftory of our Wars ; a Subject fit for the Pen
of a Privy-Counfellor to Kings, who had himfeif
a great Share in the Condua of thofe Affairs'
which he is to relate. Our Mathematicians we
may almoft equal to thofe of all Europe befides.
Our Phyficians have long been applauded by all
the Learned World ;-and certainly their Renown'd
College at London deferv'd to have been men-
tion*d, as well as the Fencers at the Red Bull.
Our Famous Divines have been innumerable, as
the Dutch Men may witnets, who, in fome of
their Theological Trea.tifes, have been as Bold
with the Englifh Sermons, as with our Fifhing $
and their Robberies have been fo manifeft, that
our Church ought to have Reprizals againft them,
as well as our Merchants. We have had many
. Philofophers of a ftrong, vigorous and forcible
Judgment, of happy and laborious Hands, of a
fincere, a modeft, a folid and unaffeaed Ex-
preffion -, fuch who have not thought it enough
to fet up for Philofophers, only to have got a
large Stock of Fine Words, and to have infinua-
ted into the Acquaintance of fome of the Great
Philofophers of the Age. And above all, we have*
one fmall Book which we dare oppofe to all the
Treafures of the Eaftern and Weftern Languages ;
it is that which was written by our late King
and Martyr ; whofe Majeftical Stile and Divine
Conceptions have not only mov'd all his Readers
* _ to

$%4 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere'.*
to admire his Eloquence, but inclin'd fome of the
worft of his Enemies to relent their Cruelty to
wards him.
After all thefe Signs of his Excellent Judg* '
ment and Generous Mind, there ftill, Sir, remains
that which he has given of his good Palate ;
Wor be has boldly determined the Controverfie
that had long depended^ in all the Kitchens' of
England and France, which is the beft way of
eating Chines of Beef and Mutton, or Bifques
and Pottages. This, I confefs, was a Matter fit
to be decided by that Hiftorian, Critick, Mathe
matician, Orator and Pbyfician, who had travell'd
throughout the World to acquaint himfeif with all
tbe Learned Men of all Countries, and to pufh on
all Sciences to PerfeUioni He has here indeed
behaved himfeif like the true, natural and ex
perimental Philofopher, whofe Bufinefs it is t5
take in all manner of Obfervations that can be
got from the Senfes. You fee, Sir, how fairly
I treat him ; I allow the very Criricifms of his
Appetite to be a Part of his Philofophy ; and I
look upon his Affeaion to Fricacies before whole
Joints, to proceed from his Love to the Do-
arines of Atoms before that of the Two great
ftanding Difhes of Matter and Form. But yet
I muft tell him, that perhaps his- rigid Condemn
ing of the Englifh Cookery did nor fo well fuit
with his beloved Title of Sceptick. According
to the Laws of that Profeffion, he fhould firft
have long debated whether there be any Tafte,
or no ; whether the Steam of a Pot be only a
Fancy, or a real Thing; whether the Kitchen
Fire has indeed the good Qualities of Roafting
and Boiling, or whether it be only an Appear
ance. This had been a Difpute more becoming
a Sceptick, than thus to conclude Dogmatically on
all

Voyage into England. 175
all the Intrigues of Hautgoufts, and to raife an
endlefs fpeculative Quarrel between thofe' that
had been hitherto peaceful and praaical Seas,
the Hajhes and the Surloiners.
You may now, Sir, perhaps expeathat I fhou'd
make fome Companion between the French Diet
and the Englifh. It were, I confefs, a pleafant
and a weighty Argument ; but I am refolv'd to
pafs it over : Not that I think we have the '
worft of the Caufe, but for a particular Reafon
of my own. It is that Monfieur de Sorbiere may
ftill remain in his Error ; for as long as he is
ignorant that there is any good Houfekeeping
in England we are like to have no more of his
Company. Yet I cannot but fey to the Ad
vantage of Boil'd Beef and Roft, that the Eng
lifh have the feme Sincerity in their Diet which
they have in their Manners ; and as they have
lefs Mixture in their Difhes, fo they have left
Sophifticate Compofitions in their Hearts, than
the People of fome other Nations.
But now, Sir, I confefs he has quite tired my
Hand ; and I am almoft as much afham'd to be
hold the Heaps of his Vanities arife to fuch a
Bulk, as he ought to be that he has given me
this Occafion to collea them : I will therefore, in
a few Words, come to an Iffue with him : I will
fatisfie him in the Requeft which he makes to his
Reader. I am content to conclude from thefe bis
Three Months Travels what kind of Obfervations
he has made in tbe World thefe Thirty Tears.
This, Sir, is his own Defire, and I obey him ;
but then I know not how he will be able to a-
void the Imputation of thofe Crimes with which
he has fo often flander'd the Englifh, of being
a Do little, an Idle, a Lazy and Ufelefs Perfon.
The Defcription of his Voyage into England' is
- - -¦• - . not

$76 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere'/ ,
not yet come to my Hands: But if it be of
the feme Thread with this, he had been much
better employ'd if he had only imitated the
Roman Emperor's Journey thither, and gone to ga
ther Cockle-fhells on that §hore. If he has any
Friends amongft all the Learned Men of Europe',
that were once his Familiars, they would do well
to advife him what Weight his Mind will bear ;
he is himfeif in the Right when he acknow-
E. Dei. leoges, that thefe Matters of State, Characters
of Nations, Defer iptions of 'Governments, Churches
and Courts, are far above the Weaknefs of his
Spirit. But yet the Man's Abilities are not whol^
ly to be difcouraged ; he may ftill prove a tole
rable good Flatterer of his Patrons : He may ftill
bring in his Votre Tres Humble artificially e-
nough in the End of an empty Letter of Comple
ments : He may ferve to commend Philofophers
when they are dead ; or ( to conclude with his
own dear Epithet ) he may make a fufficient
Trumpeter in the Commonwealth of Learning*
And in truth he has behaved himfeif in this Ac
count of his Voyage like a Trumpeter ; for
Trumpeters, when they are fent into Foreign Ar
mies or Countries, are always blinded, on pur
pofe that they might not be able to give any cer
tain Intelligence of the Places through which
they pafs'd.
And now, Sir, having difmifs'd the Hiftorio
grapher Royal, that I may fteedily put an end
to your Trouble, I will only in few Words ap
ply my Speech to your felf. You may perhaps
remember that we have fometimes debated to
gether what Place and Time of all the paft or
prefent we would have chofen to live in, if our
Fates had been at our own Difpofal ; and in that
Difcourfe, inftead of deftring to have been Born in

Voyage into England. 1 77
in China, we both agreed, that Rome, in the
Reign of Auguftus, was to be preferr'd before all
others. The Prerogatives of that Time were ve
ry many : That City was then become the efta
blith'd Seat of the Empire of the World : That
Emperor had the good Fortune to fucceed a
long Civil War : The Minds of all Men were
eafily compofed into Obedience by the Remem
brance of their paft Misfortunes : The Arts of
Wit, Reafon and Delight, were in their higheft Per-
feaion : The Court was the Place of Refort for
all the Lovers of Generous Knowledge : And
fuch was the Freedom of their Manners, that
Virgil, Horace and Varius, were admitted into
the Privacies and Friendfhip of Agrippa, Mecce- -
nas and Auguftus. Beyond this .we could fancy
nothing pleafenter to a Philoibphical Mind ;
which was refolved to live according to the Con
venience aud Rules of Nature -, feeing it might
have enjoy'd at once all the Varieties of an Aaive
Life, and all the Quiet and Peace of a Re-
tifd. This, Sir, was then our Opinion : But it was
before the King's Return. For fince that Bleffed
Time the Condition of out own Country appears
to me to be fuch, that we need not fearch into
Ancient Hiftory for a real Idea of Happinefs.
'Tis true that England is not the Seat of the Em
pire of the World ; but it may be of that which
confines the World it 'felf, the Ocean. To this
Dominion our Nation is invited by the Situation
of our Shores,- the Inclination of our People, ar,d
the Genius of a Vigorous and Skilful Prince.
The Time wherein we live is upon the Recovery
of an Univerfal Peace ; a Peace eftablith'd on the
Two fureft Foundations of Fear and Love : A
Peace that was accomplith'd without Profcripti-
N ons,

1 78 Obfervations on M. SorbiereV
ons, and even without the Ruin of thofe that re
fitted it: A Peace that was produced by Peaceful
Arts, though it was by the Condua of an Army.
- Tbe Footfteps* of the late dreadful War are not
only vanifh'd" from our Eyes, but now almoft
from our Thoughts. If any of* it ftill remains,
it is only the good Effea. which it had on our
Country, the Induftry that was excited by it,
and the Wifdom which fuch woful Experience
has taught us; Tbe Government which we en-
¦ joy is juftly compofed of a fufficient Liberty and
Reftraint. And though it may be iufpeaed in a
querulous and difcontented Age, a little to incline
the People to Difobedience, yet in a calm and
a fecure Time (fuch as this at prefent ) it ferves
admirably well to breed a Generous, an Honour-.
able and Invincible Spirit,. The Temper of the
Englifh is Free, Modeft, Sincere, Kind, hard to
beProvok'd. If they are not fo Talkative as o-
thers, yet they are more careful of what they
Speak. If they are thought by fome of their
Neighbours to be a . little defeaive in the Gen-
tlenefs and the Pliablenefs of their Humour,
yet that Want is abundantly fupplied by their
firm and their mafculine Vertues : And perhaps
the fame Obfervation may be found true in Men
which is in Metals, and that tbe Nobleft Sub-
ftance are hardeft to be polifh'd. The Arts that
now prevail amongft us are not only all the ufe
ful Sciences of Antiquity, but moft efpecially all
the late Difcoveries of this Age in the real Know
ledge of Mankind and Nature." For the Im
provement of this kind of Light the Englifh
Difpofition is of all others the fitteft. And an
Llniverfal Zeal towards the Advancement of fuch.
Defigns has not only overlpread our Courr and
llniverfities, but the Shops of out Mechanicks, the

Voyage into England. 179
the Fields of our Gentlemen, the Cottages of
our Farmers, and the Ships of our Merchants.
To all'thisi"Sir, may- be added the ProfefTion of
fuch a Religion, and the Difcipline of fuch a
Church, wlfich an impartial Philofopher would
chufe ; which by falling with the Throne, and
by rifing with it again, has given evident Sign
how confident it is with the Laws of Humane
Society, and how nearly its Intereft is united
with the Profperity of our Country.
'Tis true indeed, that after all thefe Advan-'
tages there may be fome Room ftill left for fu
ture Amendments in the Union of our Minds, .the
Smoothnefs of our Manners, and the Beauty of
our Buildings. This laft was the peculiar Ho
nour of Auguftm, who is faid to have found
Rome of Brick, and to have left it in Marble.
In this kind too we every Day behold a won
derful Progrefs, by the powerful Influence of a
Royal Example : And the Fifhes in the Thames
have as much Reafon as thofe at Hatfield to leap
out of the Water, to behold the New Buildings
of London and Weftminfter: So that I may in
general affirm, that never any Nation in the
World has proceeded by fwifter Degrees to ex
cel in Convenience and Magnificence. But what
ever is to be added in this, or any other fuch
Way, we can never receive it from the petulant
Correaions of fuch vain Obfervers as this,
whom I have here confider'd. No, Sir, we are
to expea it from the many Noble and Praaical
Englifh Wits of this Age ; and chiefly from your
felf. For you muft give me Leave, Sir, to pre-
fage, that to you your Country is to owe very
much of its Ornament, as well as Experimental
Knowledge, its Reputation, and indeed all the
Living and Beneficial Arts, the Enlargement of
N - 2 their

180 Obfervations on M. Sorbiere *s9 fyc.
their Bounds. This, Sir, I know wilt offend your
Modefty -, but he is an ill Englifhman, who would
not have faid as much as this when your Name was
mention'd -, which if I had omitted I had been
almoft as injurious to our Nation as this very
Traveller whom' I cenfure -, for as he was un-
juft in aggravating the Faults, fo I my felf had
been in concealing one of the principal Glories
of England.
I beg of you now, Sir, only to permit me to
conclude with fome Apology for my felf. You
may, perhaps, wonder all this while to fee me
undertake fuch an Argument, and to profecute it
in a manner which may appear a little too fharp
for your Eye, or my Pen. You know, Sir, that I am
an Enemy to all manner of Controverfies ; that I
hate Contention, though in Matters of the greateft
Concernment ; and that I had much rather de
fend than accufe. To this I can therefore' only
reply for my Excufe, That this Letter may not
fo properly be call'd an Accufation, as a Defence:
For though I have confuted the Saucinefs of one
particular Man, yet I have pleaded for a Great,
a Valiant, and a Vertuous People.

SIR, I am
Tour moft Humble and
Affe&iottate Servant,
THO. SPRAT,

i8i

SORBIERFs
LETTER T 0
Monf de Courcelles
A J ,
AMSTERDAM, CONCERNING
The Defigns of the Englijb in the
War againft the Dutch, 1652.
CO S IN,
Should be very glad to fee the Sentiments
of Monf. Blondel, about the State of Reli
gion, and the Civil Government, upon the
Account of the War with the Englifh, in
the Book he has publifhed, which you have pro-
mifed to fend me ; feeing we have made many
1} 3 Refleaions

l82 Sorbiere j LETTER to
Refleaions upon that Important Subjea in thefe
Parts, of whofe Weight and Cohfequence we can
mate a much better Judgment, in comparing
them with thofe of more intelligent Perfons in
Things of this Kind, and fuch as are upon the
Spot, where this War was kindled, fn the
mean time I cannot forbeat communicating to
you the Thoughts we have entertained upon this
lingular Occafion.
Ft's in a manner vifible to us, that during the
Life of the Late King, even to the time that af
ter his Death the Three Kingdoms were reduced
into a Republican State, the main Defign, at
leaft of many People in England, was utterly to
efface the Msnarchy -, thofe who were fet at a
Diftance from the Adminiftration of Publick Af
fairs being very eager to come at it, and the
People eafily induced to withdraw themfelves
from under the Subjeaion of the Grandees of the 1
• Kingdom ; all which could not be effeaed with
out the Deftruaion of the Monarchy, by putting
the King to Death, which was the Heart and Soul
of the Nobility. Now feeing they had the Ad-
drefs to bring about this Fatal Defign, which
their Neighbours took no manner of Care to pie-
vent ; and that the Almighty was pleafed to to
lerate a fmall Number of Men to fet up a New
Government, and to fix it in Peace and Order, it
feemed as if they had no farther Work to do,
and that the Faaion could have no farther
Thoughts than peaceably to enjoy the Authority
acquired by them : In Short, to make Defcems on
the Continent, and Conquefts of their Neigh
bours Territories, looked by no Means a prudent
Undertaking, in the Infancy of a popular Go
vernment i

M. de Courcelles at A mfterda m. 1 8 3
vernment ; and the General himfeif might" ratio
nally enough expeQ fome Reverfe of Portune
in it. For in Cafe he was perfbnally engaged in
a Foreign War, he would upon the leaft ill Suc
cefs run a very great Rilque of lofing his Re
putation in his own Country j, and if he rarry'd at
Home, he muft in a manner be left Naked, by
being obliged to fend the beft Part of his Army
out of the Kingdom, to defend their Conquefts,
and to make new ones; and this was not to be
done without much Toil, and continued Fatigues :
It would have been difficult for him, after having
made many Conquefts, to fecure them ; and the
People finding the Money of the Nation fpent
abroad, would at laft look upon thefe Conquefts
a Burden upon them, and refufe ro grant any far
ther Supplies. In the mean time, fince it would
be abfolutely neceffary to keep an armed Force
on Foot, and to find Employment for Soldiers,
and other idle Perfons, as well to fupport the
Defign, as to maintain the prefent Eftablifh-
ment, and to cut off all Hopes of reftoring Mo
narchical Government, was there a Ihorrer and
more feafonable Way to accomplifh all this
than by a Naval War > For by an Abfolute Do
minion of the Seas the Republick of England
muft acquire all the Trade of the World, and
thereby all the Habitable Earth muft be Subjea
and Tributary to it.
It's true, the Perfon who was at the Head of
Affairs was not obliged to make this vaft
and prodigious Defign knofrn unto others, a
greater than which perhaps was never enter
tained by any Ambitious Soul in the World:
It was fufficient that he gave the People in ge
neral to underftand, that his Intention was to
N 4 make

1 84 Sorbiere s LETTER to
make Trade flourifh, and to put a Check upon
his Neighbours, who had Engroffed all Com
merce to themfelves, fo far as to Ufurp the
Fithery upon their own Coafts ; as if the Englifh
were a People that did not underftand the
Profits they might make of the Produce of the
Sea, and how by their Induftry to make Ad
vantage of that which Nature fo bountifully
conferred upon them. So profitable a Propofal
was readily hearkened to, the Minds of the
People being fo much the more inclined to
it, not only upon Account of the Difference
there is between the Cuftoms and Manners of
the Two Nations, but becaufe the Englifh had
for a long time been jealous of the Profperiry
of the Dutch, who advanc'd in Power by their
Prudent Management, Parcimony and Sobriety,
Virtues the Englifh were not capable of. For an
Englifh Ship ufually is as expenfive as Two
Dutchmen, fo that- the Dutch Merchants can fell
the fame Goods much cheaper than the other;
and this is the Reafon why they had a greater
¦ Vent for their Commodities, and at laft all the
Trade : The Englijh Republicans took Things
exaaiy right, and that in order to the accom-
plifhing of a Defign that would take up all
their Life-time, (for fuch Sort of Men ought
never to conceive Mean ones, after the execu
tion whereof they muft be put to the Trouble
of Projeaing anew, or live lazily, and be ex
pos'd to Confpiracies againft them,) they
thought it would be their beft Way to begin
with the Ruin of the United Provinces, which
lay next thtir Coafts, and fiourifhed in Trade
above any otter Country in the World; and
When once they bad eftecled this, they were in
Hopes,

M . de Courcelles at Amfterdam. 185
Hopes they fhould eafily remove any Obftacle
in their Way to attain the Dominion of the
Seas: Infomuch that if the Fortune of War
fhould favour their firft Enterprizes, I do not
think they have any Defign to make a Peace
with a Nation they have a mind utterly to de-
ftroy, and to whom they will propofe fuch
hard Terms, that upon the Refufal of them
you will at laft find them prepared ro make
terrible Defcents in divers Parts of Zealand and
North Holland^ ^to break the Banks, and the
other Dikes, that keep the fiat Country from
being Drowned. -There needs no more than this
Sort of Blood-letting to make Amfterdam ,
and all the other Cities, Defolate : For it would
fignifie little to them7 to Seize the Brill, or fome
other Place, feeing their Defign is to deftroy the
Trade of Holland, and toTransfer it into their own
Country-, and it would be of little Importance
to them that the King of Spain fhould in the
mean time recover the Seven Provinces; that the
Merchants of Amfterdam fhould remove to
Antwerp, and the Manufaaurers of Leyden and
Harlem to Ghent and Bruges : For it would
require many Years to fettle Things there, and
the Englifh would have Opportunity enough to
hinder them from having any neceffary Mate
rials, but fuch as paffed through their own
Hands, and their Manufactures to be Tran
sported any where but in Englifh Bottoms : For
it would be very eafie for them to. flop up the
Mouths of the Ports, and to go up the
Schelde, even in Sight of Antwerp, from whence
nothing muft come out but will be taken by
. their Ships. By this means, and the Notion
I have of their Defigns, no Nation in the
World, in a few Years Time., would have any

i86* Sorbiere\* LE7TE R to
any Seamen, Ships, or Skill in Maritime Af
fairs, befides themfelves: For Holland being en
tirely ruin'd, the Dutch muft ferve on Board
their Fleets, and all the Shipwrights, Sailma-
kers and Ropemakers, wchild be obliged to go
and Earn their Living in the Sea-port Towns
of England; andVthis they would be the more
inclined to do, becaufe there is more
Wages given there, and People live better.
When this Noble and Rich Province, which
within the Extent of lefs than Five and Twenty
Leagues, contains Eighteen large Towns, and Four
Hundred Villages, of which the Hague is the
fineft in the World, fhall be reduced to this fed
Plight; it's then likely that the Englifh will
turn their Arms againft Denmark, in order to
Sieze the Paffage of the Sundt, either by main
Force, or rather fome Treaty, by which they
will be willing to give the King more .than the
Profit it brought him, but at the feme time will
oblige Norway to Sell their Wood to no
other Nation but the Englifh: The Cities of
Embden, Bremen, Hamburg, Lubec, alltheCoaft
of the Baltick, and the whole Kingdom of
Sweden, durft appear no longer at Sea, but
under Englifh Colours ; and perhaps the Formi
dable Republkk will <fee conrenr, in Confiderati-
on of her Commiflions granted to them, to re
ceive certain Duties from the Goods fhe al
lows them in her Name to Tranfport, only along
thefe Northern Parts. They will in time fend a
more powerful fleet to block up the River of
Lisbon, while another fails to Brafil, Guinea,
and the Eaft-Indies, with a Defign to fpare the
Portuguese Merchants, and the Eaft India Com
panies, the Labour of Tranfporting the Sugars,
gilks, Spic-s, and other Commodities they come
thither

M. de Courcelles at Amfterdam. 187
thither for, into Europe .- And if Spain pretends
to fey any Thing againft them, they will with
out any more ado Sieze the Str eights-Mouth,
and fend an Hundred and Fifty Ships of War in
to, the Mediterranean, out of which they can
very eafily drive the Naval Force of the other
Potentates of Europe, were they all joined toge
ther againft them.
The Englifh having in this Manner ufurped
the Dominion of the Seas, the Trade of alt the
European Nations, and part of the reft of the
World: AH the Earth muft Submit to them,
Work for no body but them, and they'll from
Time toTime come into their Ports,and fweep away
all their Treafure: Every Thing that is Rare, and
all the Conveniences of Life, produced either by
Art or Nature, will be referved for England,
which will be the only Country that can purchafe
them, or poffefs them of their own. For as we
fee, that fince the fettling of Trade in Holland
that Province is become the Store-houfe for Li
nen, Woollen, and all Sorts of Manufkaures;
tho' there is neither Flax, Wooll, nor in a man
ner any other Commodities which they Work
up, grows there, but they muft fetch them from
'other Countries; fo every Thing that England
wants at this time wiUPbbound there, and the
Beft Artificers will flock thither ; infomuch that
if they_ would have any fine Linen, or good
Cloath for Wear, in another Country, the Flax and
Wooll was to be fent to be Manufaaured in Eng
land: Pray confider then what vaft Wealth this
Country muft acquire in lets than Fifty Years >
And how miferable muft the reft of Europe be,
fince they can Tranfport nothing by Sea from one
Nation to another but in Englifh Ships ? They jvill

j 88 Sorbiere'j I ETTER to
will always have Money to receive in all the
Ports they come at, and never leave any of their
own there : What the Englifh want they'll make
Compenfation for, by Way of Exchange, or rea
dily fend over into England, upon the Score of
the Manufaaures there they have Occafion for :
As we have feen the Dutch Eaft-India Company
have Pearl, and Precious Stones, in Return for
. fome Wares fent into thofe Countries, which
they got Fitted up at Amfterdam, and then Sold
them at a very dear Rate in thofe Places from
whence they were firft brought, and where there
is not that Perfeaion of Workmanfhip as there is
with us. Hundreds of Ships richly Laden will
\ daily put into the Thames, and other Ports of
this fortunate Ifland ; and the General can
fearce ever lofe the Sight of his Forces, which,
I may fay, return every Evening to lye at Home;
for they itay no longer in Foreign Parts than to
refrefh rhemtelves, to vend their Goods, and to
take in new Cargoes : They will be no Way fol
licitous of making Conquefts by Land, that they
may fave the Charge of maintaining them, feeing
they are fure of reaping the Profit of them ; nei
ther wUl they plant any Colonies, and eafe their
Country, as populous aj^'tis grown, of the vaft
Multitudes that are in it, becaufe the Produce of
all Europe is Confumed there, and their great
Naval Trade renders their Stores Inexhauftible :
In the mean time all the Neighbouring King
doms will in a manner become like the Seacoafts
of America,, where our Europeans Trade : There
will he only Tillage, and fome Coarfe Manufa
aures for plain Ware, and to ferve Peoples Ne-
cefimes only in the Heart of the Country, and the
Maritime Towns will be no other than the Gra
naries and Magazines of 'England. Thefe -

M. de Courcelles at Amfterdam. 1 89
Thefe are my Sentiments about this War, which
in the Opinion of fome may feem Romantick, and
of Kin to Utopia, pr the Republick of Plato ;
efpecially of thofe who do not confider that the
Wars that have been waged for Twenty Years paft,
I know not under what Pretences or Detigns,
had nothing fo Great and Sublime in them* as
that which Cromwel propofes-' For in Reality
there is nothing can come up to the Thoughts of
fubjeaing all the EarthTo his Country, and ren
dring it the moft Haughty and f lourithing State
in the World : It appears to me to be fo vaft and
Magnificent a Thought, that there is nothing in
all the Conquefts of Alexander, and the Pomp of
all the Roman Empire, that comes near this Ma
ritime Dominion, which I have reprefented to
you: And this feems to me to be fo very feafible,
that if Holland be once ruined I am afraid it will
be too late to prevent it : And therefore I would
have all the Potentates of Europe take it to Heart
in time; for if they do not quickly put an end to
the War they are engaged in on the Continent,
we fhall run the Rifque in a few Ages of becoming
Toerfed: Barbarians. For the Engli/h,by the means
of their Navigation, will Transfer all the Polite-
nefs of Europe, together, with its Plenty, Power,
and Conveniences of Life,' into Itheir own Coun
try. But we ought to fubmit to Divine Provi
dence: VVe, 1 lay, who can contribute no more
than our Vows for the Tranquility of the United
Provinces, and the Glory of his Highnefs. It
may be they'll make fome Refleaions. upon what
I have faid at laft ; and that there will be Time
•enough ftill left to prevent the Defigns of this new
Commonwealth : But perhaps the Arguments we
have ufed upon this Occafion may be Frivolous, that

ioo Sorbiere-j LE TTE R, &c.
that our Fears are only Panick, and that there is
nothing lefs thought of than what I have advan
ced: I heartily with it, and that this Maritime
Dominion may be only, and for ever, the Ro
mantick Imagination of Bad Politicians, fuch as
perhaps may be, SIR, Tour 'Affectionate Ceftn
Orange,
JHlyi- and Servant.
i<552.

FINIS.