who upon all occasions speakes highly of you;* and is to be held to the fleet by encouragement and preferment: for I would not have him leave the sea, which otherwise probably he might, having parts to make himself considerable by divers other wayes. Mr. I. told mee you were compleately constituted to do your country service, honour, and reputation, as being exceeding faythfull, valiant, diligent, generous, vigilant, observing, very knowing, and a scholar. How you behaved yourself in the Foresight, at the hard service at Bergen, in Norway, captain Brookes, the commander, expressed unto many before his death, not long after, in Suffolk; and particularly unto my lord of Sandwich, then admiral, which thoughe you would not tell me yourself, yet was I informed from a person of no ordinary qualitie, C. Harland, who when you came aboard the admiral after the taking of the East India shippes, heard lord of Sandwich, to speak thus unto you. Sir, you are a person whom I am glad to see, and must be better acquainted with you, upon the account which captain Brooke gave mee of you. I must encourage such persons and give them their due, which will stand so

my

66

*There is evidently some omission here, either in the original or the copy; the following sentence appears to be Sir Thomas Allen's remark, the beginning of which is apparently wanting.

firmely and courageously unto it upon extremities, wherein true valour is best discovered. Hee told mee you were the only man that stuck closely and boldly to him unto the last, and that after so many of his men and his lieutenant was slayne, hee could not have well knowne what to have done without you." Butt beside these I must not fayle to tell you how well I like it, that you are not only Marti but Mercurio, and very much pleased to find how good a student you have been at sea, and particularly with what success you have read divers bookes there, especially Homer and Juvenal with Lubines notes. Being much surprised to find you so perfect therein that you had them in a

could proceed in

manner without booke, and any verse I named unto you. I am glad you can overcome Lucan. The other bookes which I sent, are, I perceive, not hard unto you, and having such industrie adjoined unto your apprehension and memorie, you are like to proceed [not only] a noble navigator, butt a great schollar, which will be much to your honour and my satisfaction and content. I am much pleased to find that you take the draughts of remarkable things where ere you go; for that may bee very usefull, and will fasten themselves the better in your memorie.

D

To his Son Edward.

Feb. 25, [1676?]

EAR SONNE, - My neibour, Mr. Bick

erdik, 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 lately sent mee a quotation out of that author, that you might have one by you to find out quotations, which shall considerably offer themselves at any time. Otherwise I do not much recommend the reading or studying of it, there being divers impieties in it, and 't is no credit to be punctually versed in it; it containeth the Epicurean naturall philosophie. Mr. Tenison, I told you, had written a good poem, " contra huius sæculi Lucretianos," illustrating God's wisdome and providence from anatome, and the rubrick, and use of parts, in a manuscript dedicated to mee and Dr. Lawson, in Latin, after Lucretius his style. With it goes along a very litle Tullies offices, which was either yours or your brothers; 't is as remarkable for the litle sise as the good matter contained in it, and the authentick and classicall Latin. I hope you do not forgett to carry a Greeke testament allwayes to church, you have also the Greek or septuagent translation of the other parts of scripture; in reading those bookes,

a man learnes two good things together, and profiteth doubly, in the language and the subject. Happy is the temperate man. God send God blesse my

all my friends that virtue. daughter Fairfax, my daughter Browne, and the

litle ones.

Your loving father.

To his Son Edward.

Dec. 15, [1679.]

EARE SONNE, Some thinck that

DE

great age superannuates persons from the vse of physicall meanes, or that at a hundred yeares of age 't is either a folly or a shame to vse meanes to liue longer, and yet I haue knowne many send to mee for their seuerall troubles at a hundred yeares of age, and this day a poore woeman being a hundred and three yeares and a weeke old sent to mee to giue her some ease of the colick. The macrobii and long liuers which I haue knowne heere haue been of the meaner and poorer sort of people. Tho. Parrot was butt a meane or rather poore man. Your brother Thomas gaue two pence a weeke to John More, a scauenger, who dyed in the hundred and second yeare of his life: and 't was taken the more notice of that the father of

Sir John Shawe, who marryed my Lady Killmorey, and liueth in London, I say that his father, who had been a vintner, liued a hundred and two yeares, or neere it, and dyed about a yeare agoe. God send us to number our dayes and fitt ourselues for a better world. Times looke troublesomely; butt you haue an honest and peaceable profession which may employ you, and discretion to guide your words and actions.

.....

Your loving father.

DEA

To his Son Edward.

Aug. 22, [1680.]

EAR SONNE,—I was very glad to receaue your last letter. God hath heard our prayers, and I hope will blesse you still. If the profitts of the next yeare come not up to this, I would not haue you discouraged; for the profitts of no practise are equall or regular: and you haue had some extraordinary patients this yeare, which, perhaps, some yeares will not afford. Now is your time to be frugall and lay up. I thought myself rich enough till my children grew up. Be carefull of your self, and temperate, that you may bee able to go through your practise; for to attayne to the getting of a thousand pounds a yeare requires no small