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know you are sober and consideratiue, yet knowing you also to be of great resolution; and having also heard from ocular testimonies with what vndaunted and persevering courage you have demeaned yourself in great difficulties; and knowing your captaine to bee a stout and resolute man; and with all the cordiall friendshippe that is between you; I cannot omitt my earnest prayers vnto God to deliver you from such a temptation. Hee that goes to warre must patiently submit vnto the various accidents thereof. To bee made prisoner by an vnequall and overruling power, after a due resistance, is no disparagement; butt upon a carelesse surprizall or faynt opposition; and you have so good a memorie that you cannot forgett many examples thereof, even of the worthiest commanders in your beloved Plutark. God hath given you a stout, butt a generous and mercifull heart withall; and in all your life you could never behold any person in miserie butt with compassion and relief; which hath been notable in you from a child: so have you layd up a good foundation for God's mercy; and, if such a disaster should happen, Hee will, without doubt, mercifully remember you. Howeuer, let God that brought you in the world in his owne goode time, lead you through it; and in his owne season bring you out of it; and without such wayes as are displeasing vnto him. When you are at Cales, see if you can get a box of the Jesuits' powder at easier rate, bring it in the bark, not in powder. I am glad you haue receaued the bill of exchange for Cales; if you should find occasion to make vse thereof. Enquire farther at Tangier of the minerall water you told mee, which was neere the towne, and whereof many made use. Take notice of such plants as you meet with, either upon the Spanish or African coast; and if you knowe them not, putt some leaves into a booke, though carelessely, and not with that neatenesse as in your booke at Norwich. Enquire after any one who hath been at Fez; and learne what you can of the present state of that place, which hath been so famous in the description of Leo and others. The mercifull prouidence of God go with you. Impellant animæ lintea Thraciæ.-Your louing father, THOMAS BRowne.

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in-chief, confessed his intention rather to blow up his ship, and perish gloriously, than yield to the enemy.

Mr. Thomas Browne to his Father.—May, 1667.

SIR,-I receaved not your letter at Cales before wee were readie to returne; and therefore sent no answere, in hope I should bee in England before that could come vnto your hand: and, God be thanked, I am now riding in Portland Road, and, if the wind favour, hope to bee to-morrowe at Portsmouth, from whence this is to come vnto you. The last I writ vnto you was from Plimmouth, from whence wee sayled the 21st of Februarie, with Rere-admirall Kempthorne, and about fiftie marchand shippes. The order, and manner of the sayling of our men of warre in this expedition, I have set downe in a sheet of paper, as ordered by our admirall. The 28th wee had the length of the North Cape; and were ordered to convoy in all the marchand shippes in our fleet which were bound for Lisbone. So the first of March wee stood into Cascales Road, and saw our convoy safe up the river; and being to make hast after our fleet, that night wee got almost Cape Spichel or Picher; the next day Cape St. Vincent; and the sixth day wee arriued at Tangier; two dayes before the admirall. There wee stayed four dayes, then wayghed, and went for Cales; where wee stayed about a fortnight, to bring away such shippes as were readie for our convoy. I found Mr. Knights ashoare at Porto Sta. Maria; of whom I tooke up an hundred and fiftie six peeces of eight; which I haue now aboard in sherry sack; and which I hope will turn to good account. I have also six jarres of tent, each containing about three gallons; which I intend to present vnto my friends; and a roli of excellent tobacco, as they tell mee who have taken of it; very noble sweet waters, and orange flower butter, which may prove welcome presents to some friends. I stayed three dayes at Porto Sta. Maria, which is a large towne belonging to the Duke of Medina, wherein are two very fine churches; the one of St. Victor, the other of St. Anna; severall also of the king's galleys are layd up in this river, which cometh from the citty of Xeres, commonly called Sherrez. From hence I passed over to Cales, where I stayd some dayes: a very strong and well peopled place, with severall fayre 8 Tagus.

churches, of one whereof I tooke a draught; butt the streets are narrow and ill paved, hauing little or no fresh water butt what is brought from other places; from whence also they have their hearbes, fruits, meal, and other necessaries; standing itself on a meere sand, it little differs from the figure of it in Brawne's Book of Citties. From hence wee sayled with our convoy of marchands, which came in timely enough for us, and hauing made the South Cape were agayne ordered to go into Lisbone with the Revenge, who had sprung a leake. Wee stayd one day, and left the Revenge, to bring away the marchantmen in the river. I was not sorry I stayd no longer; hauing been twice there before, and hauing taken a full view and observation of that place and all considerable places, forts, castles, and the famous conuent of Belim, in my first voyage in the Foresight with Captain Brooke, when, for a fortnight, wee dailie visited the court, attending the commands and dispatches of the Conde Melhor, the favorite, and minister of state, who sent divers letters and juells to our queen. Wee have had much fowl weather, and contrarie winds since wee parted from Lisbone, till within these six dayes. Wee had putt into Plimmouth this morning, butt it blowing hard last night, wee overshot the port, being up with the Steart Poynt by break of day; and this evening wee are come to an anchor.

Mr. Thomas Browne to his Father.-May, [1667 ?]

HONORD SIR,-I am newlie come into Portsmouth, and have alreadie disposed of my adventure from Cales. Wee came in with full expectation that wee should have found our fleet readie for this summer's action; butt, to the great grief of ourselves, and all honest publick spirited souldiers and seamen, wee find all contrairie to our desires; and that our great and most considerable shipps shall not be employed this summer. And in the meane time wee vnderstand, for certaine, the Duch are coming out with a good fleet. I confess as yet I vnderstand not this counsell at land; but I dare confidently say, wee shall sadly repent of it. The Duch would never have given us this advantage; and I beleeve they will not neglect to make vse of it now wee

haue giuen it them. Sir Thomas Allen hath a squadron of shippes at Plimmouth of the third and fourth rate, butt not able to oppose a fleet. Some shipps are heere, together with the Souereign, which is vnprouided. Wee heare of none in the riuer of Thames; nor how the fort at Sheerenesse is fortified or manned. I am sure it was butt in meane case when I was at it in January. To treat for peace thus vnprovided, without a cessation of armes, or acts of hostilitie, is not pleasing vnto us; butt wee are readie to embrace a peace which should bee made with our swords in our hands. We stayed butt four dayes at Tangier, this voyage: of the towne I tooke a draught before, which I have sett downe in my Journall of my voyadge with Sir Jeremie Smith, which I sent vnto you; and I can say litle more of it than what I said there, only, the mole goeth well forward, they hauing the assistance of some Italians acquainted with that kind of work: tis a very great attempt, the sea being deepe, and as they aduance will bee deeper, and then they will come from a rocky to a sandy bottome, where the stones will sinck deeper, and the work take time to settle. When it is compleat it will be a notable peece, and scarce to be matched. I should thinck that in some places it were as easie to build an amphitheatre. I was curious to obserue the whole manner and way of making of it; and spent some time in obseruing, discoursing, and questioning about it; and haue set downe the way of it. I walked agayne about the line on the land side, and viewed the forts, redoubts, and workes, which make it very strong. When I first saw it with Captain Brookes, I thought it a poore and contemptible place; butt since I perceave, there are diuers new buildings, and the towne is fuller, and hath diuers nations in it, and they haue notably thriued by this warre, and like to driue a trade. Of that great masse of building, like stony stares, by the sea side, at the bottome of the towne, which is sett downe grossely in the mappe of Tangier, in Braun's Book of Citties, I could learn no more then that the Moors, in old time, kept their market upon them, butt who built them is vncertain, though they seeme of good antiquitie. Of the city of Fez men heere knowe as litle of it as though it were much farther of. I beleeve it is much altered since Leo Africanus described it, by reason of the continuall

warres: and I doubt is not so noble a place now as Vincent Leblanc, a much later trauayler, made it. I spoke with a Jew, who informed me much of severall parts of Barbarie; and told mee that some of their nation had been at Fez, and were then but at Arzilla. I obliged him much by two English knifes; and he promised mee that hee would gett an account sett downe by them, which he would putt into French, and I should haue it whenever I came again, or sent for it; hee intending to abide in Tangier. Three Spaniards which were imprisoned by the Moors about Azamore, by contriuing a wooden key to open the prison doore, made their escape and came to Tangier.

Tangier is situated to the westward of the bay, upon the bending of a hill, from whence to the sea-side is a very great descent; it is almost four-square, the best street in it is that which runneth from Port Catherine down to the Key Gate, and is called the Market; the other streets somewhat narrow and crooked; the mole will be of great vse for the securitie of shippes, the road being too open. I take this to bee an ancient citty, as the old castle and stayres to the seaward though now much ruined do testifie; yet not that Tingis from whence Mauritania Tingitana had its name; and which is so often mentioned in ancient histories; as, namely, by Plutarch, in the life of Sertorius, where it is set downe that hee passed over from Spayne and tooke Tingis, and finding a tomb reported to bee that of Antæus, he broake it open, and found therein bones of an exceeding length: which must surely bee understood of that which is now called Old Tangier, situated a little more eastward in the bay; where I haue seen a great ruinous building andj a broken bridg ouer the river, with ruins which shewe it to haue been a more ancient habitation then this of our Tangier.

Letter from Sir Thomas Browne to his Son, a Lieutenant of his Majesty's ship the Marie Rose, at Portsmouth.

[May or June, 1667.]

DEAR SONNE-I am very glad you are returned from the strayghts mouth once more in health and safetie. God continue his mercifull providence over you. I hope you maintaine a thankful heart and daylie bless him for your great

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