CHAP. II.

BIRTH AND EDUCATION OF WILLIAM RUSSELL. LETTERS WRITTEN IN HIS TRAVELS. LETTER TO HIS BROTHER.-FIGHTS A DUEL. — HIS MARRIAGE.

WILLIAM RUSSELL, the subject of this work, was born September 29.

1639. He is said to have been educated at the school of one Lewis; and a foolish story is told that this man, dressing up a dog, and calling him by the name of Charles Stuart, set the boys to try him in a mock court of judicature.*

Mr. Russell was sent with his elder brother to Cambridge, where they were put under the tuition of Mr. Nidd. A letter of this gentleman, dated in 1654, gives an account of their progress in logic, the Roman historians, and natural philosophy. When their university education was completed, the brothers were sent abroad, and appear to have resided some time at Augsburg. The two following letters, the one from Mr. Russell to some person unknown, and the other from Mr. Thornton to Mr. Russell, illustrate the manners of the writers, and of their age.

I copy these two letters, without any alteration in the spelling.

"It is not long agoe since I received two letters from you together, and soone after another, that seconded them (bearing date Nov' 20") for which I give you many thanks, as likewise for the continuance of your friendship. By your last I understand that mine from this place, Geneva, and Lyons are come to your hands: truely we arrived at the last place in the luckiest time desirable for all sort of fine sights, divertisements and recreations, for the concourse of people was then soe great by reason of the Queene of Sweden's arrivall there, that the town was hardly able to contain them, for in the house where wee lodged there were above an hundred persons, most persons of qualitie, and many

Kennet's Chronicle.

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hansome Ladyes, soe that a nights we had dancing and towards the evening's bathing, wch truely is a very fine recreation: although the Ladyes have their faces masked, neverthelesse one may sometimes espye parts that doe not less add to their luster. I wished you a sight of it truely as well as of the Queene of Sweden, who surely deserves it if any woman does, I doe not meane for the beauty of her face, but for that Maiestie that appeares in it, as likewise in all her actions and comportments, which savour far more of a man than of a woman, which sex she resembles in nothing more than in her inconstancie, for in truth I conceive her to bee as weary of her new religion as of her old one, as is plainly seen by her postures, gestures, and actions at Masse, before which I think she would at any time preferre a good Comedie, and a handsome wittie Courtier before the Devotest Father. The rarities of Lyons are not many in number, but those that are we saw. We went to the Hospital (call'd de la Charité); it is one of the richest in all France, it feeding daily in the house above a 1000 persons, and without 15,000 (besides strangers), to whom every Sunday are distributed 6000 loaves, which come to 36,000 pound weight of bread. The granary is stored with corne for many yeares. Sir I told you in one of my fomer of our iourney to the Carthusian Monasterie, but not of the reasons that moved St. Bruno (a German by nation) to retire himself into that desart, and there to constitute this order, because I

you

suppose

have read it elsewhere; but whatsoever his reasons were, sure it is that tis y stricktest order among the papists, or rather imaginable, for what can there bee more strange than to see men in the flower of their age voluntarily to submit themselves to that kind of life where they are deprived of all the recreations and pleasures this world affords; for women are not permitted to go over their grounds, much lesse to enter their Convent, never eate flesh, (for although the eating of a bit of flesh would safe their lives yet they would not be permitted to do it,) are the most part of their days and nights in their church, never talke together but on Sundays and Holidays, and then noe longer than while they bee at dinner (wch doth not laste for above an houre), and enioye the sight of nothing but mountains and precipices, wch to be

hold strike devotion into a man. I could inform you of many other particularities, in regard I rose in the night to see the ceremonies they used in the church, but it would require a volume: In short, I think they take more paines in going to Hell, than a good Christian doth in going to Heaven. Wee went from thence to Grenoble, and after three days' journey wee arrived at the gates of Geneva, where, while they were asking our names, country, and from whence wee came, I had leasure to see the place where the Savoyards attempted to take the towne by stratageme in the year 1602, and had scal'd the walls ; neverthelesse were repulst with great losse and shame. In the Arsenal they keep the Colours that were taken from the Ennemie, scaling ladders (made after such a manner that they were carried behind the horsemen, being to bee taken to pieces,) and a petard, charged with the same charge t'was then, as Trophies of the Victorie. Soe that ever since they have kept very strickt watch, and let noe people come in without knowing who they are, a doeing of which they keept us soe long that I had time to looke upon their Armes, with their motto, which is at present Post tenebras Lux-before the Reformation it was Post tenebras spero Lucem. Wee had no sooner entered the towne but wee espied a wooden structure very offensive to the eye, and hinders a man from a view of the houses which are very well built for the most part, neverthelesse tis very convenient in hot and rainey weather. Geneva is very pleasantly situated, having vineyards and meadows about it, and a very fine lake, wherein are taken the best trouts that can bee eaten, and it's reported that Monsters have been seene in it not above water but under, which I first heard off as followeth :Wee went to see the Librarie, (where there is a Bible written in French 400 yeares agoe, with many other rare Manuscripts,) which looketh upon the Lake, the bottom of which the mariners could not find with 500 fathom, tis reported that not far from thence a boat chanced to be cast away wherein there were bels, the which a man undertook to recover for same sum of money, to which place being gone with all his instruments and devices, but he had not been very long under water, but he pulled a cord (which was the signal when

they should pull him up), and when they had done soe he told them (being all frighted) that he saw the bells, but such horrid monsters by them in cavernes, that he thought if he went downe againe he should never come up again: which happened as he had said, for going down for the second time the cord was cut in two, and the man never heard of since. I tell it you the more credibly, in regard that the Minister who shewed us the College and Librarie said it had happened in his time. Sir, I thought to have given you some account of Augsburgh, but I see I have husbanded neither time nor paper, wherefore I must break off thus abruptly. In my nexte I shall not faile to tell you something of the place, and apologize for my scribbling. In

"Twice now hath ye sun (that perpetuall Traveller) completed his tour through ye 12 Signes, & returned to y° same point, (if I mis-remember not,) since I kissed yor hands, & left you in ye sight of that military vessell that wafted you from England into a forrain soile. In lieu of wch losse (give me leave to call it so) I could not expect so rich a compensation as I have since received by your frequent & handsome letters. How proud I am of them, & what contentment they afford me, may be read (they say) plainly in my countenance every time a pacquet comes. I have two now to return you thankes for, viz. that of Apr. 3. st. n., & one that I received two houres agoe, dated ye 18th of ye same moneth, each of them fraught with choise descriptions & observations cloth'd in a style so free, masculine, coherent, exact, & every where like itself, that I profess (wthout flattery) the greatest masters of eloquence need not be ashamed to own it. To encourage you to proceed & out-doe your

譬

self, let me insert a passage out of a late Autho', (wch comes now to my mind,) viz. [that pens improve like children's legs, proportionally to their exercise: so y1 some have bin amazed at ye length of their own reach when they came to be extended by employment : as appeared in y late King Charles; who, after his more imperious destiny had placed him under ye tutorage of an unavoidable necessity, attain'd a pen more majesticall than the crown he lost.] I think

I hinted to you in my former, how much my Lord yor father is pleased with ye perusall of yours to me, & often he sends for them to shew to strangers, who thereupo' do much congratulate y happy successe he hath, & is like to have of yor education. This last wh I received this afternoon hath given him (as well as myself) very acceptable entertainment, & your Lady mother too, who is but now beginning to come out of her chamber; shee took much notice of one particular, viz. that of ye Count of Avensberg's 32 sons, especially when shee heard they were so well provided for. I should have supposed they were not all legitimate, but that History tells me the German women are good breeders, and ye men not addicted to that vice of unchastity. I wish I had bin with you when you saw those various rarities in the Duke of Bavaria's pallace. I like extremely well that sentence under ye Emblem of Monarchy, (& so did my Lord when I interpreted it to him.) Some might do well to relate it to his Highnesse ye Ld Protectour, who, I beleeve, may subscribe to ye truth of ye first of the 3 already (for sure it hath cost him many a sigh to get to this altitude), & how soon he may to the other 2, retinendi, & amittendi, dies docebit. His finall answer expected this day, but 'tis put off till to-morrow. We are all very much mistaken if he accept not y Crown. And then 'twill be, As you were. Some oppositions have bin made by those fifth-monarchymen I mention'd in my last, who were taken in time with their armes & am'unition, & standard, &c. Since which time they were attempting again, and appointed a place of rendezvous, we ye Protecto' having secret intelligence of, sent Mr. Randall, (even Josua Randall, y sober mad-man as he calld him,) whom he knew

was