dition. The parliament adjourned to the first of March. Mr. Hawkins, White, Rob. Bend. &c. recommend, wishing a good returne. God's blessing bee with you. Your loving father, THOMAS BROWNE. Dr. Edward Browne to his Father.-Vienna, April 28, 1669. MOST HONOURED FATHER,—I wrote to you the last post. Most of my letter was concerning dampes in mines; which account may be, by it selfe, if you thinke fit, sir, communicated to Mr. Oldenburg; if not, at my returne, which I hope in God will be in a few months, with the rest of my observations. I have now taken up three hundred florins in preparation to goe into Turkey this next weeke; but, if it please God, I hope to be at Vienna again by that time that I can have an answer to this. I hope, sir, you will forgive me this excursion, and helpe me to returne to you by giving me credit again upon the same marchants as formerly, the same way, by Mr. Johnson, for the heirs of Mr. Fuchs: Mr. Triangle particularly, at Vienna; for he tells me that my credit is limited so as I have had all, which I knew not. Since my returne out of Hungary, I have had, since my coming abroad, 700 reichs-tallers: but I hope, with God's blessing, a small summe more will helpe me to come safe home. I shall continue to write still; and shall have many occasions; and it will make me happy at my returne to hear from you, sir, and from any of my friends. My duty to my most dear mother, and love to my dear sisters.-Your most obedient sonne, EDWARD BROWNE. Dr. Edward Browne to his sister Betty.-Venetia, July 5, st. nov. 1669. DEAR SISTER BETTY,-Though I make many journeys, yet I am confident that your pen and pencill are greater travellers. How many fine plaines do they passe over, and how many hills, woods, seas doe they designe? You have a fine way of not onley seeing but making a world; and whilst you set still, how many miles doth your hand travell! I am onely unfortunate in this, that I can never meete you in any of your voyages. If you had drawne your lines more towards Austria, I should have been a greater emperour, in my owne conceit; but I hope you denied me that favour upon no other account then that I should make the more haste to you, who know not how to live without something of you. If so your intention is good, but, like yourselfe, too severe to your loving brother, EDWARD BROWNE. Dr. Edward Browne to his Father.-Prague, Nov. 9, 1669. MOST HONOURED FATHER,—I wrote to you the last of October, just before my leaving Vienna. I am since (thanks be to God) safely arrived here. My greatest joye would be to receive a letter from you, sir; but I know not how to propose any probable way of accomplishing it, unlesse sir, that you would be pleased to write to Hamburg. Sir Nevel Catlin, I beleeve, hath a brother there, a merchant, Mr. James Catlin, formerly my school-fellow; a letter sent to him for me would come to my handes, if that it pleaseth God to give me safe journey thither. Gottenberg, or Cottenberg, is eight Bohemian miles from Prague. They have worked here seven hundred years; there are about thirty mines. I went down into that which was first digged, but was afterwards left for a long time; but now they dig there again. It is called the Cotna, auff der Cotten, upon the Cotten or Coate hill. A monke walking over this hill founde a silver tree sticking to his coate, which was the occasion that they afterwards built these mines, and the place retaines this name of Cottenberg. I have read that the princesse and great sorceress of Bohemia, Libussa, did foretell many thinges concerning these mines; but in such matters I beleeve little; knowing how confident men are in such superstitious accounts. In the mines at Brunswick is reported to be a spirit; and another at the tin mine at Slackenwald, in this kingdome, in the shape of a monke, which strikes the miners, singeth, playeth on the bagpipe, and many such tricks. But I doubt, if I should go thither, I should finde them as vain as Montparions drumme; but the winter, and my great desire to return home speedily, will not permit me to goe so farre out of the way. From Gottenberg by Colline and Bohemian Broda, to Prague; where, I thanke God. I am very well, after such tiresome all voyages as I have made; and when I looke back upon the dangers from which it hath pleased God to deliver me, I can not but with some assurance also hope that his infinite goodness will also bring me backe into my owne country and blesse me there with the continuance of my dear father's life, health, and prosperity. I have divers thinges to write to you, sir, concerning Turkhia; but I will not trouble you, sir, too much at once. I know, sir, that you cannot but reasonably be offended with my long stay abroad; especially in countryes of small literature; but I hope that your displeasure will not continue, and that you will adde this to the rest of your great goodnesse and indulgence to me, to pardon my rashnesse, and the expense I have put you to. My duty to my most dear mother, and love to my sisters and friends. I am uncertaine which way I shall take. Travelling is not certain here, as in France. If it were not for my portmantle, I would buy a horse, and come streight into the Low Countreys.-Your most obedient sonne, ED. BROWNE. Dr. E. Browne, after his travels, settled in London. From the directions of his father's letters, we gather that he changed his residence several times before 1673. In that year he was tempted to another short visit to the continent, which is described in his travels, fol. 1686, at p. 180. July 29, 1675, he was elected a fellow of the College of Physicians, and lectured in that and several succeeding years. He was first chosen censor in 1678. From 1675, throughout the whole of his father's life, he resided in Salisbury-court, Fleet-street. During the long period of his The following communications from Dr. Edward Browne appeared in the Philosophical Transactions : Of two parhelias, or mock suns, seen in Hungary, Jan. 30, 1668: vol. iv. p. 953, published May 10, 1669. On the damps in the mines of Hungary: iv. 965, June 21, 1669. Relation of the quicksilver mines of Friuli.-Account of the Zirchnitzer sea in Carniola: iv. 1080, Dec. 13, 1669. Account of the copper mine of Hern Grund, in Hungary, as also of the stone quarries and Talc rocks in Hungary: v. 1042, May 23, 1670. On the mines, minerals, baths, &c., in Hungary : v. 1189, April 25, 1670. Queries and answers concerning the Zirchnitz sea: ix. 194, Dec. 14, practice in London he was in constant correspondence with his father; from whom it is quite evident he derived much of the materials of his lectures, and great assistance in all his engagements, both literary and professional. He appeared to have had considerable practice among the higher ranks, both in London and in the country. He attended the celebrated earl of Rochester in his dying illness, at Woodstock park. Some of Sir Thomas's letters have been omitted, and several are considerably abridged, especially those which are strictly professional, and such as contain passages for his son's lectures. Sir Thomas Browne to his son Edward.-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 shott2 at healths. 2 The King in Hamlet, may illustrate this passage:—he says, Hamlet, Act I. Sc. 2. Sir Thomas Browne to his son Edward.-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 lately sent me 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 'tis 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; 'tis 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 Greeke 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. You may at the beginning of Lucretius, read his life, prefixed by Petrus Crinitus, a learned philologer or humanist, and that he proved mad and dyed by a philtrum or pocula, given him by his wife Lucillea. Mr. Tho. Peck and his good wife are dead; shee died in childbed some 8 or 9 moneths past; he left this life about a moneth ago. Hee found obstacles that he could not come to Skickford, 3 without compounding with the widdowe in possession for a thousand pound, though his father, Mr. James Peck, parted with his owne share upon tolerable termes unto Mr. Thomas. Hee lived in Norwich, was growne very fatt, and dranck much. Theye saye hee 1 Dr. Lawson was brother-in-law to Archbishop Tenison, each having married a daughter of Doctor R. Love, Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. 2 This MS. was never published. 3 Qu. Spixworth? |