him in his At the same in Pinedas Monarchia Ecclesiastica, in Spanish, I think I found out the ground and originall of that opinion. King, or St. Stephen, being christined by Adelbardus, bishop of Prague, to further that religion, made two archbishops, the one of Colocta, and the other of Strigonium, wch was the place of his nativitie, and the metropolitan see. And sent to Rome, unto the pope Benedect, to confirme dominion, and to send him the regaglios of it. time the king of Poland, newlie Christian, sent about the same errand. The pope provided a crown of gold and sceptre for the king of Poland; butt in the mean time, by an apparition of an angel, hee was warned to send the crowne unto Stephen, wch hee did; and from hence may probably be derived the opinion that it was sent by an angel, &c. uncertaine whether you bee at London, or return to Tunbridg to Mr. Burwell, if hee come not from thence. My humble service unto him and his lady, the chal. medecins may, I hope, supply the use of the waters, wch some day did not agree with him. I rest your loving father, July 29, [1670.] THO. BROWNE. I sent the manuscript of the Seraglio by Mrs. Holyburton; it is quickly read over. For Dr. Edward Browne, at his lodging in Hatton Sir Thomas Browne to his son Edward. DEARE SONNE, [MS. SLOAN. 1847.] I now send you the rest, if you will take the paynes to write your journey into Upper Hungarie to the mines, you may beginne at Comorn or Raab, and so to Gutta, Schella, Schinta, Freistad, for you have alreadie writt particularly of 7 Regalia? Raab, Comorn, &c. in your journey to Larissa, and so must passe them lightly over as having writ of them elsewhere; you have also discribed Leopolstad. I know not how to do any thing in this, you having the booke of your letters; and the transactions will afford you matter about the mines and baths, you may sett downe the baths much as they are in the transactions, adding anything unto them, as the story of the man that putt a snake's head into his mouth in the bath; and of the huzzar whch bathed in a frost at midnight; and, for the mines, you need not be so particular as to give the full account of separating the metalls, in this narration, butt how you went in, how deep, and what you observed, &c.: do as you thinck fitt. Remember to putt in the green jasper color'd tomb at Larissa in the barber's shop, (see the red book ;) and Croatian provender into that part wch contains observations and occurrences in the journey to Larissa: as thus, "they dock not their horses, butt lett their tayles growe at length, or handsomely make them up; and in their journeys sometimes light from them, and strongly pull out their foretop, or forehead lock, and thinck that doth much refresh them; which the strangers that travell here call Croatian provender." When you print it, it may bee best to deale with some substantiall setled stationer. I shall, God willing, write agayne by the next post. Visit Mr. Jenkenson, and you must be doing something alwayes to satisfy him: if my writing may do any good, I will write unto him. Your loving father, Decemb. 1, [1671 or 2.] THO. BROWNE. You may adde to the quecksylver mines this:-"They keep a register of the names of all strangers, who come from any remote parts, to see these mines. Looking over the names I could [find] butt one Englishman who had been there before myself;" and so you may name him or not, as you please, or are acquainted with him. I did not observe, in this great abundance of quecksylver, that they tooke the advantage of making cinnaber, mercurie sublimate. For Dr. Edward Browne, at Dr. Ternes howse in Lymestreet, London. Dr. Edward Browne to his Father. [MS. SLOAN. 1847.] MOST HONOURED FATHER, Cóln, June 20, 1673. I wrote to you the last post, and had done it sooner, but that we have always been at uncertainties, and made no stay any where. While I am writing this I can hear the gunnes from Maestricht, although it raineth hard; and yesterday morning the shooting was so fierce, and the winde westerly, that it shaked the earth upon the workes of Cullen; at which time, we understand since, that the French tooke two half-moones. Mareschal Turenne is with his army beyonde the Rhine, almost as high as Franckfordt; and it is thought he will afterwards come downe with a great force into Friesland. I heare that the English have also a designe upon Zealand; in the middle of which, the Hollanders have a fine time to brag of their victories over the French and English, in all their letters and gazettes. Being at Mr. Elburg's the apothecaries to write a bill, I met with Helvetius, he who wrote De vitulo aureo. He is come hither physitian to the Dutch embassadours, and I intend to have some further discourse with him. We went then together, to see the body of one of the innocent children killed by Herod, and the tombe of Duns Scotus, in the Minims church. Mr. Elburg is a civil person, where Sir Alexander Fraser lodged, and was apothecary to his Majesty, when he lived here. He offreth me to lodge in his house, which I will accept of, if I stay. Here are good Roman coynes digged up, of which he shew me divers, and I am to see a good collection to-day. When I was at sea, I was taken with captain Welsh, a blunt right down man, but a most notable seaman, and one of the greatest pyrates that ever was. have with us here one Mr. Christmas, the best trompet in England, and a Swede; and a little boy who exceede all upon the violin; and Mr. Hadly upon the flagelet, which instrument he hath so improved as to invent large ones, and outgoe in sweetnesse all the basses whatsoever upon any other We instrument. At Antwerp, Mr. Duart came and carried me to his house, and shewe me the best collection of pictures that any man hath in those parts; the flowers by Van Ems outgoe Seghers, or any else; a piece of King Henry the Eight, when he was a childe, is well done; and the picture of a Capuchin in his cell; besides many of Van Dike, Quintin, Hans Holbin, Correggio, &c. These citadells I have seen, since my coming out, which are very remarkable; the citadelle over against Gravesend, near Tilbury; that of Shernesse; Dunkirch, which is most beautiful, of Ghent, said to be the first. shape, having four bastions; and ... ....... of Antwerp. Pray sir, direct to me A Monsier Brown, docteur en med.. chez les ambassadeurs d'Angleterre, a Cologne. I hope in a short time to be in England again, and that you will pardon this excursion, intending soon to returne to my house. My duty to my most dear mother, and love to my sisters. Your most obedient sonne, EDWARD BROWNE. For pictures, I saw a very fine one, at Mr. Elburg's, of Alexander, drinking his potion, and at the same delivering the letter to his physitian, in which he had notice he would poyson him; and I cannot contrive a better than the duke of Chaune or Chosne, the French embassadour here, at supper, in a large roome with all the windowes open, with the ladyes at table, a rowe of servants about them behind them, a rowe of musick rounde the table, and behind them still mulettiers. For my honoured father Sir Thomas Browne. For Ms Browne, at Dr. Tern his house, in Lime Sir Thomas Browne to his son Edward. [MS. SLOAN. 1847.] June 21, [1675.] DEAR SONNE, Some occasion of this letter is, to rectifie a mistake in the paper of yours, which I sent yesterday, by Mr. Miller, Mr. Tho. Peck's brother-in-lawe, who dwells not farre from you and by whom I returned the first of your lectures; in that I putt in a paper, with the draught of the kidney, and heart of a vitulus marinus or seale, which Betty drewe out fresh, from one I had in blewe paper before. The mistake was this; that I sett it downe the kidney of a dolphin, for it is the kidney of a vitulus marinus, and is not much unlike that of a dolphin, in the numerous divisions; butt it may serve to showe in discowrsing of the kidney. The passage you mentioned out of Bartholomeus Georgevitz, is not to bee omitted for it comes in very well; it is a prettie little booke, and you having seen something of Turkie, I wish you would read it over, for it may bee often useful unto you. Your loving father, THOMAS BROWNE. A litle shippe, with 6 small gunnes, came up from Yarmouth to Carrowe Abbey, this night, and hath taken a great deale of mony by selling wine and the like; a strange number of people resorting unto it, taking twelve pence for every shott at healths. These for Dr. Edward Browne, in Salisbury Court, next the Golden Balls, London. Sir Thomas Browne to his son Edward. [MS. SLOAN. 1847.] Feb. 25, [1676?] DEAR SONNE, My neibour, Mr. Bickerdik, going towards London to-morrowe, I would not deny him a letter; and I have sent by him Lucretius his six bookes De Rerum Natura, because you 8 The King, in Hamlet, may illustrate this passage:-he says, "This gentle and unforc'd accord of Hamlet Hamlet, Act I, Sec. 2. |